South Africa: Police urged to act decisively against criminals
The Police Ministry has urged members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to act decisively whenever confronted by criminals and not to compromise their safety.
According to the National Crime Statistics of the 2020/2021 financial year, 80 officers of the SAPS were killed on and off duty. Seventeen of those members were killed in the Eastern Cape, the second highest figure after KwaZulu-Natal province, which accounts for 21 police murders.
Police Minister Bheki Cele made the call on Tuesday during the seventh leg of the Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour in the Eastern Cape.
Cele, who was accompanied by Police Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale, National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole and SAPS senior management, visited Mthatha to assess the operational plan the province has in place for the holiday season.
During the holiday season, the province attracts thousands of visitors, the Ministry said in a statement.
While addressing a police parade of officers, Cele warned of the desperation some criminals may have, who wont hesitate to end the life of a police officer, in pursuit of what they want.
Police officers, you are the countrys assets. You are useful to the country when you are alive and well. Im making a call to all of you this festive season, while enforcing the law, protect yourself as stipulated by the law.
Simply put, when confronted by gun-toting criminals, dont hesitate, because when a criminal pulls out a gun on you, the only thing that will follow after, is you getting shot and possibly getting killed.
As the Eastern Cape prepared for more visitors in the run up to Christmas Day, SAPS had vowed to clamp down on violent crimes, including sexual assault, especially as many cases of rape and sexual violence occur during social gatherings and other festivities associated with the holiday season.
According to the latest National Crime statistics for the 2020/2021 reporting period, Lusikisiki police station recorded the second highest rape cases in the country, after Inanda station in KZN.
The ministry said it was concerned that a minor had been arrested for a series of rapes in Mdantsane. The 14-year-old boy faced seven counts of rape, with the first case dating back to 2019 when the youngster was only 12 years old.
It is on that score that all operational members of the SAPS are instructed to prioritise gender-based crimes and constantly improve their services to rape survivors. A call has also been made for all officers to ensure police stations are not centres of secondary victimisation for victims of gender-based violence, said the ministry.
The eighth instalment of the Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour on Wednesday moves to the Northern Cape before concluding in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday. SAnews.gov.za
This story has been published on: 2021-12-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: SANDF soldier killed in Mozambique
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has confirmed that it has lost a soldier deployed in Mozambique as part of Operation Vikela.
According to a statement, on 20 December 2021, soldiers came under attack from the insurgents during an ambush around east of Chai Village.
The members managed to fight through the ambush. However, while at the rendezvous awaiting the chopper, they got attacked by the insurgents again, the statement read on Tuesday.
During this incident, an SANDF member was shot and declared dead on the scene.
This comes after the SANDF was deployed in Cabo Delgabo province as part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), also known as Operation Vikela.
The remains of the member have since been flown back to the SAMIM Chai Tactical Base.
Further investigation is being conducted to determine the extent to inquiries of personnel and loss of equipment during this unfortunate incident, the SANDF said.
The Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government approved the deployment of SAMIM on 15 July 2021 as a regional response to support Mozambique to combat terrorism and acts of violent extremism.
The country has been plagued by continued acts of terrorism perpetrated on innocent civilians, women and children in some districts of the Cabo Delgado.
SAMIM comprises troops deployed from eight personnel contributing countries from SADC, namely Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, working in collaboration with the Forcas Armadas de Defesa de Mocambique (FADM) and other troops deployed to Cabo Delgado to combat acts of terrorism and violent extremism.
Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Thandi Modise, and her office have extended their condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the deceased.
May the departed soul rest in peace, the department said. SAnews.gov.za
This story has been published on: 2021-12-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Prosecutors want life sentences for downing MH17
Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday called for life in prison for four suspects on trial in absentia accused of downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine with a surface-to-air missile, killing 298 people.
The ill-fated flight heading for Kuala Lumpur took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport in July 2014, and prosecutors this week launched closing arguments in the closely watched trial.
A verdict is not expected until late 2022 at the earliest.
The four suspects on trial are Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko, accused of launching the BUK missile that hit the plane over war-torn eastern Ukraine.
"We are asking that the suspects Girkin, Dubinsky, Pulatov and Kharchenko, each for their responsibility of crashing a plane leading to the death and murder of 298 people, be sentenced to life in prison," prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks told the court Wednesday.
All four have refused to appear in court in the Netherlands and are being tried in absentia.
Prosecutors have argued this week that the four suspects played pivotal roles in securing the BUK system, which was most likely intended to strike a Ukrainian warplane.
International investigators say the missile was originally brought from a Russian military base, ostensibly to be used in the fight against Ukrainian forces.
"Our evidence is convincing and abundant. We have many sources where the evidence comes from and they support each other," chief prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer told AFP.
Prosecutors said the missile's deployment was planned and organised, and that it did not matter whether the suspects made a mistake in targeting a passenger plane.
"If we consider how much time the defendants put into planning and organising the deployment of the BUK, it is all the more poignant how little attention they appear to have given to the risk of inadvertently shooting down a passenger aircraft," prosecutors argued, according to trial documents Wednesday.
"In legal terms, the defendants were civilians and were therefore not allowed to shoot at any aircraft, whether civilian or military."
Anton Kotte, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and grandson in the crash, welcomed Wednesday's proceedings.
"There were children from one year old on that plane. They had their whole life... there's no life. It's awful," he told reporters outside the court.
Piet Ploeg, who lost three relatives in the crash, said the sentence request was called for.
"There's only one sentence that's appropriate for this crime, and that's life imprisonment," he said.
The hearings come as fresh tensions soar over Ukraine, with the West accusing Moscow of planning an invasion. (AFP)
This story has been published on: 2021-12-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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President Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets Cambodian Government leaders
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An on December 21 in Phnom Penh as part of his State visit to Cambodia.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (Photo: VNA)
During the meeting with the Cambodian PM, President Phuc congratulated Cambodia over the great accomplishments in socio-economic development and COVID-19 prevention and control that the Cambodian Government and people have gained, which he said helped contributed importantly to Cambodias strong growth and enhanced position in the region and the world.
He wished Cambodia success in the organization of the communal elections in 2022 and general 2023, which will create a momentum for the country to realise its goal of becoming an upper middle income level country in 2030 and a high income level country in 2050.
PM Hun Sen hailed the significance of the Vietnamese Presidents state-level visit, which he said contributes to further consolidating the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable long-term cooperation between the two countries.
The two leaders informed each other on the socio-economic situation in their respective countries, and expressed satisfaction at the increasing effective and comprehensive development of the Vietnam-Cambodia cooperative relations throughout the past 55 years.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides have made efforts to maintain mutual visits and high-level contact and discussion, optimize bilateral cooperative mechanism. As a result, bilateral collaboration in national defence-security, trade-investment and between localities continued to make progress.
Trade and investment are the bright spots, with two way trade topping 8.63 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2021, up 84 percent year on year. Vietnam has had four more investment projects in Cambodia with total registered capital valued at nearly 90 million USD, almost four times the figure for the same period last year, raising the total valid Vietnamese investment projects in the neighbouring country to 188 valued at 2.85 billion USD, the fourth largest amount of an ASEAN country in Cambodia.
The two leaders hailed the outcomes reached at the 19th session of the Joint Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Commission for Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation held on December 19, 2021, which made a deep review of bilateral ties across the fields and outlined specific proposals to promote the ties.
They reached consensus on the directions for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the time ahead, focusing on the effective implementation of reached agreements between the two Parties and States. The two sides will maintain visits and contacts at all levels and bilateral cooperative mechanisms, and coordinate to organize activities in the Vietnam-Cambodia, Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Year in 2022 to mark the 55th anniversary of the two countries diplomatic relations.
The two leaders affirmed to further deepen cooperation in security-defence, including joint work to ensure border security and accelerate the search and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts who died during the war in Cambodia.
They agreed to promote connectivity, both hard and soft, between the two economies, especially in transport, telecoms, trade, investment, finance-banking, agriculture, tourism, energy and local cooperation. They pledged support for efforts to early complete a master plan on Vietnam-Cambodia economic connectivity to 2030, and to effectively carry out signed agreements, while coordinating to implement the pandemic-control customs clearance model for vehicles and goods at land and water border gates and continuing to study the building of border markets in border provinces.
The two leaders highly valued the completion of an agreement on border trade, and pledged to continue paying attention to facilitating business and investment activities of businesses of the two countries on the basis of mutual benefit.
They also agreed to promote partnership in education-training, justice, agro-fishery-forestry, natural resources-environment and tourism. The two sides will speed up negotiations on mutual recognition of each others vaccine passports/ COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
The two sides reached consensus on the full, serious implementation of treaties and agreements related to the border, including the two legal documents recognizing the result of the Vietnam-Cambodia land border demarcation and marker planting with about 84 percent of the total workload completed. The two sides will continue to conduct negotiations on the remaining 16 percent of workload, and coordinate to seek solutions to remaining issues in the spirit of solidarity and friendship towards building a peaceful, stable and cooperative borderline between the two countries.
PM Hun Sen expressed deep gratitude to Vietnam for its great support and help for Cambodias cause of national liberation and escape from genocide, and pledged to continue working to develop bilateral ties.
President Phuc thanked Cambodia for the precious support that Cambodian leaders and people gave Vietnam in its struggle for national independence and reunification and the present national construction. He asked Cambodia to continue creating favourable conditions for Cambodians of Vietnamese origin, especially regarding their legal status.
The two leaders appreciated the effective coordination between the two countries in regional and international forums, especially the ASEAN framework. President Phuc affirmed Vietnams strong support for Cambodia as Chair of ASEAN in 2022, and expressed a hope that the two countries will continue to work together to uphold ASEANs principled stance on the East Sea.
The two sides underlined the importance of maintaining security, safety and freedom of maritime and aviation, building trust, using no force and not threatening to use force, respecting international law and addressing disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1992 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. They supported the full, serious implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea ASEAN and efforts to reach an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea in accordance with international law.
President Phuc invited PM Hun Sen to visit Vietnam and the latter accepted the invitation with pleasure.
After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing and handing over of seven cooperative documents between the two Governments, ministries and sectors, along with many contracts and business agreements.
The same day, President Phuc hosted a reception for Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An (Photo: VNA)
Phuc thanked the Cambodian Government, mass organisations and people for providing support for the Vietnamese counterparts in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, including 50,000 USD donated by the Cambodia Vietnam Friendship Association.
Men Sam An stressed that Cambodia always treasures and thanks Vietnam for assisting Cambodia in the cause of national liberation and overthrowing genocidal regime as well as in national development at present.
She vowed to do her best to keep developing the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable long-term cooperation between the two countries.
The Deputy PM also agreed to step up people-to-people exchange activities and raise public awareness of the significance of bilateral traditional friendship, especially among young generations.
Hanoi restores old French-period villa
Authorities in Hanoi have decided to restore an old French villa at 49 Tran Hung Dao Street.
The old French villa lies at the busy Tran Hung Dao-Hang Bai intersection in Hoan Kiem District.
Built in the early 20th century, the villa is situated on an area of nearly 1,000 square metres at a prime location in the city. It is said that each square metre of land here is valued at between VND 700-800 million (USD 30,435- 34,783).
The villa used to be the headquarters of the Literature Publishing House at the end of the 1980s. It was then used by several other state agencies between 1998-2003. And the villa has been left unused after that due to its serious deterioration.
Hoan Kiem District People's Committee on December 18 announced that it was co-operating with the Paris Region Expertise (PRX-Vietnam) to restore the villa.
Chairman of Hoan Kiem District People's Committee, Pham Tuan Long, said that this was the first project of this kind in the city which would help local authorities have better plans to restore and preserve other old villas in the area.
The villa still displays typical examples of French architecture style with all the bricks brought in from France.
Vietnam, Cambodia issue joint statement
Vietnam and Cambodia have issued a joint statement on the occasion of the State visit of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Cambodia on December 21-22.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and King Norodom Sihamoni (Photo: VNA)
The following is the full text of the joint statement.
JOINT STATEMENT
Between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
on the occasion of the State Visit of H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc,
President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to the Kingdom of Cambodia
From 21 to 22 December 2021
1. At the invitation of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, H.E. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam led a high-level Vietnamese delegation to pay a state visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia from 21 to 22 December 2021.
During the visit, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a Royal Audience with His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni and called on Her Majesty Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk. The President also held meetings with Samdech Vibol Sena Pheakdei Say Chhum, President of the Senate, Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly, and Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
His Excellency President Nguyen Xuan Phuc also called on His Holiness Buddhist Supreme Patriarch General Tep Vong, Buddhist Supreme Patriarch of Dhamma Mahanikaya of the Kingdom of Cambodia and His Holiness Samdech Preah Abhisiri Sugandha Mohasangharajah Dhipati Bour Kry, Great Supreme Buddhist Supreme Patriarch of Dhammayuttikanikaya of the Kingdom of Cambodia; laid wreaths at the Monument of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk Preah Borom Ratanak Kaudh, the late King Father of Cambodia, the Independence Monument and the Cambodia Viet Nam Friendship Monument. His Excellency President Nguyen Xuan Phuc also joined Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new administrative building of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, a present from the Communist Party of Viet Nam, the State and the People of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to the Government and the People of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
2. The two sides highly valued the significance of His Excellency Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phucs first state visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia in his capacity as President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. The visit also marked the opening of the Viet Nam - Cambodia, Cambodia - Viet Nam Friendship Year 2022. In an atmosphere of solidarity, friendship, mutual understanding and trust, Leaders of both countries briefed each other on the current developments in their respective countries and had in-depth exchange of views on all dimensions of the bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international issues of mutual interests.
Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, the King of Cambodia and other Cambodian Leaders warmly welcomed His Excellency President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the high-level Vietnamese delegation on their visit to Cambodia, which contributed to furtherance of the solidarity, friendship and traditional ties between the two neighbouring countries. They praised the great achievements that the nation and the people of Viet Nam have recorded in the course of national reform, construction and development, and wished the Vietnamese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, for a more prosperous Viet Nam with an increasingly important role and position in the region and the world.
His Excellency President Nguyen Xuan Phuc applauded the historic and significant achievements that the Kingdom and the People of Cambodia have attained in the wise reign of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, the King of Cambodia and the wise leadership of the Royal Government led by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia in the course of national construction and development, socio-political stabilization and elevation of the role and profile of Cambodia in the regional and global arena. He sincerely wished Cambodia to successfully hold the communal elections in 2022 and the general election in 2023, contributing to the realization the goal of turning Cambodia into an upper middle- income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050.
3. The two sides expressed satisfaction over the comprehensive, close-knit, increasingly substantive and effective development of the Viet Nam - Cambodia cooperation over the past 55 years, which have brought substantial benefits to the peoples of the two countries. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, political ties between the two countries have been continuously strengthened through maintaining exchanges of high-level delegations, face-to-face meetings, phone calls and virtual discussions, while ensuring the continued effective operation of the bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Building on the tradition of mutual assistance in difficult times, the two sides have closely coordinated and provided regular mutual support in a timely and effective manner in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Cambodian side expressed their sincere gratitude for the strong support and assistance that various generations of leaders and people of Viet Nam have accorded to the people of Cambodia in the past and at present, affirming that they will always keep in mind the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers assistance to the Cambodian people in liberating Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge genocide regime in 1979.
The Vietnamese side underscored that Viet Nam always treasures the friendship and valuable support that the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, and the leaders and people of Cambodia have extended to the people of Viet Nam in her past struggle for national independence as well as the current national development.
4. Both sides emphasized importance and need to prioritize the continued strengthening and advancement of bilateral relations under the mantra of good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term stability. At the same time, both sides should continue to fully observe the principles stated in the Viet Nam - Cambodia Joint Statements in 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019; to respect each others independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each others internal affairs and to settle problems arising between the two countries by peaceful means.
5. To mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Viet Nam - Cambodia diplomatic relations (24/06/1967 24/6/2022), the two sides agreed to promote high level contacts and delegation exchanges at all levels, encourage people-to-people exchanges, especially between bordering provinces. The two sides underscored the importance of communication and educating the public, especially the youth of both countries, on their time-honored friendship, solidarity and mutual trust.
6. The two sides applauded bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation. Bilateral trade, in particular, was a highlight as two-way trade volume maintained an upward momentum despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The two sides agreed to promote the implementation of the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and the Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation, facilitate the development of border trade by accelerating the signing of the Border Trade Agreement, effectively implement the MOU on the development and connection of border trade infrastructure, continue exploring the construction of new border markets and Special Economic Zones in bordering provinces. The two sides agreed to expedite the completion of the Master Plan on Viet Nam Cambodia Economic Connectivity 2030 by the end of 2022.
7. The two sides underlined the importance of working together in addressing the medical, economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, the two sides will accelerate discussions towards mutual recognition of vaccine passports/certificates, facilitation of travel for citizens of both countries, timely resumption of direct flights between the two countries in a safe manner, thus making practical contribution to each country's sustainable socio-economic recovery in the new normal and post-pandemic era.
8. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in defence and security based on the principle of not allowing any hostile forces to use their respective territories to harm the other's security, and effectively implement the existing agreements on defence and security cooperation; enhance coordination in maintaining political stability, security, social order and safety in each country; improve the effectiveness of border management and protection; make effective use of the existing cooperation mechanisms and continue joint efforts to search for, retrieve and repatriate remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who sacrificed their lives in Cambodia.
9. The two sides reiterated their commitment to fully respect and implement the treaties on delimitation, demarcation and marker planting of the land boundary and the border-related agreements between the two countries. They commended the efforts of the Cambodia Viet Nam, Viet Nam - Cambodia Joint Commission on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting to complete approximately 84% of the land border demarcation and marker planting works and welcomed the entry into force on the 22nd of December 2020 of (i) the Supplementary Treaty to the 1985 Treaty on the Delimitation of the National Boundary and the 2005 Supplementary Treaty and (ii) the Protocol on Demarcation and Marker Planting of the Land Boundary between the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Kingdom of Cambodia and urged the Cambodia Viet Nam, Viet Nam Cambodia Joint Border Commission (JBC) to find mutually acceptable solutions to the approximately 16% remaining un-demarcated land boundary. Building on those achievements, the two sides were resolved to work together and exert joint efforts towards the completion of a land boundary of peace, stability and cooperation between Viet Nam and Cambodia. The two sides agreed on the need to conclude the agreement on land border checkpoints, which shall substitute provisions in the 1983 Agreement on Border Statute relating to the border checkpoints management in the near future. The two sides also agreed to promote the effective operation of the border checkpoints system, including through the opening and upgrading of the border checkpoints agreed between the two countries, and to include Meun Chey Tan Nam International Border Checkpoint to the Designated Border Gates for transit under the Agreement on the Transit of Goods between the Government of Cambodia and the Government of Viet Nam, signed in 2013.
10. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed appreciation to the Kingdom of Cambodia for the continuous support and non-discriminatory treatment extended to the people of Vietnamese origin living in Cambodia over the past years.
11. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of public health. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc reaffirmed Viet Nam's continued provision of health care and treatment for Cambodian patients in Ho Chi Minh City-based hospitals similar to Vietnamese patients and in accordance with Viet Nam's payment scheme for uninsured patients.
12. The two sides also agreed to promote and improve the effectiveness of cooperation in other important areas such as legal and judicial affairs, labour and social affairs, information and communication technology (ICT), culture, sports, tourism, aviation, banking and finance, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, among others.
13. The two sides exchanged views and agreed to continue the close cooperation and collaboration within the multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and ASEAN to address global and regional challenges, as well as sub-regional frameworks including the Mekong cooperation mechanisms to ensure the sustainable management and utilization of the Mekong water resources. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc highly appreciated the support and cooperation that Cambodia extended to Viet Nam during the Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2020, and reaffirmed that Viet Nam would lend its utmost support to Cambodia during the Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2022 under the theme of ASEAN A.C.T.: Addressing Challenges Together, jointly contributing to the promotion of ASEAN's unity, solidarity, enhanced centrality and resilience in response to the emerging challenges, for peace, stability, sustainable development and prosperity in the region.
14. The two sides reiterated ASEANs common position on importance of maintaining peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea, promoting dialogues and trust building, exercising self-restraint, upholding international law, resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), without resorting to the threat or use of force, ensuring the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety, working towards the conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) consistent with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. The two sides also supported ASEAN and China to organize meaningful activities to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the DOC.
15. During the visit, Samdech Techo Prime Minister and His Excellency President Nguyen Xuan Phuc delightfully witnessed the Signing Ceremony of a number of bilateral agreements, namely: (i) 2022 Cooperation Plan between the Ministry of Interior of Cambodia and the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam; (ii) Annual Cooperation Plan for the year 2022 between the two Ministries of Defense; (iii) Agreed Minutes of the 19th Meeting of the Cambodia - Viet Nam Joint Commission on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation; (iv) Agreed Minutes of the meeting between two Chairmen of the Cambodia - Viet Nam Joint Border Commission; (v) Memorandum of Agreement on Education Cooperation for 2021-2025; (vi) Memorandum of Understanding on the Conclusion of the Border Trade Agreement between Cambodia and Viet Nam; (vii) Work Plan for 2022-2023 between the two Ministries of Justice. On this occasion, the two countries businesses also signed a number of business contracts and cooperation agreements.
16. The two sides expressed high appreciation for the outcomes and the profound significance of the state visit to Cambodia of His Excellency President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, which has kick-started a series of activities in celebration of the 55th Anniversary of the Establishment of Cambodia-Viet Nam Diplomatic Relations, contributing to further strengthening mutual trust, adding greater depth, substance and effectiveness to the good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-lasting stability between the two countries, for the benefits of the two peoples, and contributing to lasting peace, stability, multifaceted cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world at large.
His Excellency President Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed gratitude to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, Cambodian Leaders and the Cambodian people for the warm hospitality extended to the Vietnamese high level delegation.
His Excellency President Nguyen Xuan Phuc warmly extended an invitation to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, Her Majesty Queen-Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, and Cambodian Leaders, to visit Viet Nam. His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, Her Majesty Queen-Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk and Cambodian Leaders accepted the invitation with thanks and pleasure. The specific time of these visits will be arranged through the diplomatic channel by the related agencies in due course./.
Phnom Penh, 22 December 2021
Chinese president talks with German chancellor over phone
Xinhua) 08:10, December 22, 2021
Chancellor candidate of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) Olaf Scholz attends a press conference at the headquarters of SPD in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 27, 2021.(Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)
Xi said he hopes Germany will continue to play a positive role in stabilizing China-EU ties and inject stability and positive energy into the China-EU relationship.
BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In the conversation, Xi congratulated Scholz once again on his inauguration as German chancellor.
Xi stressed that China attaches great importance to its relations with Germany. In recent years, China-Germany cooperation has always been a "bellwether" of cooperation between China and the European Union (EU), which is a right choice made by the two countries in line with the development trend of the times, he said.
Xi noted that the next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.
Over the past half century, China-Germany relations have demonstrated ample vitality, endurance, resilience and potential, Xi said, adding that for the next 50 years, the two countries should embrace a global vision from a long-term perspective, forge ahead and strive for new development of China-Germany relations.
First, Xi suggested, the two countries should chart the general course of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective.
Both China and Germany are major countries with important influence, Xi said, adding that a sound development of bilateral relations not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and their people, but also contributes to world peace and stability.
Xi stressed that the two sides should unwaveringly view each other's development as an opportunity, maintain the fine tradition of high-level leadership, and set the direction for the development of China-Germany relations.
The two sides should give play to the role of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and particularly make good use of their intergovernmental consultation mechanism, so as to promote cooperation in various fields, Xi said.
He added that the two sides should strengthen communication and coordination, and jointly plan the 50th-anniversary celebration activities next year.
China-Europe freight train "Shanghai Express" is seen in Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)
Second, Xi said, the two countries should actively promote mutually beneficial cooperation in a practical manner.
The Chinese and German economies have benefited a lot from each other's development, Xi noted, adding that China has been Germany's largest trading partner for five consecutive years, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation has kept growing despite the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He pointed out that the two sides should actively explore new areas of cooperation such as new energy and green and digital economy, and unleash the growth potential of trade in services.
German enterprises are welcome to leverage their advantages and seize the new opportunities brought by China's opening-up, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side hopes that Germany will provide a fair business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Germany.
Noting that Germany is an important node of the China-Europe Railway Express, Xi said he believes that enhanced cooperation between China and Germany within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative will benefit countries along the route and promote connectivity of the Eurasian continent.
Third, Xi pointed out, the two sides need to work together to meet challenges and make new contributions to global governance.
Both China and Germany are defenders of multilateralism and contributors to global development, Xi noted.
He suggested that they increase coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and find practical solutions to problems concerning the shared future of mankind, such as fighting COVID-19; promoting fair distribution of vaccines; spurring post-pandemic economic recovery across the globe, especially in developing countries; tackling climate change; alleviating poverty; and achieving sustainable development.
He called for concerted efforts to seek settlement of regional hotspot issues through dialogue, uphold and strengthen the principle of democracy in international relations, and firmly oppose all forms of hegemonic behavior and Cold War mentality.
Only when countries develop together can there be true development, he said, adding that China is ready to work with Germany to promote the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Xi underscored that China and the EU are two major independent forces in the world with broad strategic consensus and common interests.
Visitors tour the Germany exhibition booth during the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)
The two sides, he added, should stay committed to the comprehensive strategic partnership and the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit, so as to ensure consistent sound and steady development of China-EU relations.
Xi said he hopes Germany will continue to play a positive role in stabilizing China-EU ties and inject stability and positive energy into the China-EU relationship.
For his part, Scholz thanked Xi for sending a congratulatory message on his election as German chancellor, adding that he still has fresh memories of his exchanges with Xi, and is ready to inherit and advance Germany-China friendship and cooperation.
At present, Germany and China are witnessing sound development of their trade and investment ties, close cooperation in confronting such global challenges as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, and close communication on such regional affairs as Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear issue, which constitute the three pillars for the sustained development of Germany-China relations, Scholz said.
Germany is willing to work with China in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual trust to push for further development of the Germany-China all-round strategic partnership, he said.
Germany, Scholz said, stands ready to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to hold a successful new round of intergovernmental consultations, strengthen practical cooperation in such areas as clean energy, digital economy and the service sector, and promote EU-China relations in a constructive manner.
Scholz said that he hopes the EU-China investment agreement will enter into force at an early date, and that Germany is ready to work with China to uphold multilateralism in international affairs.
In the conversation, the two leaders also exchanged New Year greetings, and agreed to maintain regular communication and make joint efforts to advance China-Germany and China-EU relations to new levels.
(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China's Xiamen SEZ marks 40th anniv. of establishment
Xinhua) 08:39, December 22, 2021
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 9, 2021 shows Xiamen International Conference &Exhibition Center, International Conference Center and surrounding buildings in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Xiamen SEZ has made important contributions to the country's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and played a unique role in promoting national reunification. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 8, 2021 shows the city view of Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Xiamen SEZ has made important contributions to the country's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and played a unique role in promoting national reunification. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Aerial photo taken on Sept. 29, 2021 shows the city view of Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Xiamen SEZ has made important contributions to the country's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and played a unique role in promoting national reunification. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 12, 2021 shows the sculpture of a symbolic "golden key" for the China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Xiamen SEZ has made important contributions to the country's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and played a unique role in promoting national reunification. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 9, 2021 shows Xiamen International Conference Center and surrounding buildings in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Xiamen SEZ has made important contributions to the country's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and played a unique role in promoting national reunification. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 12, 2021 shows people enjoying their leisure time on the beach in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Xiamen SEZ has made important contributions to the country's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and played a unique role in promoting national reunification. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
Aerial photo taken on Sept. 29, 2021 shows people enjoying their leisure time in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Xiamen SEZ has made important contributions to the country's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and played a unique role in promoting national reunification. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Will COVID-19 pandemic truly come to an end in 2022?
By Zhang Hui (Global Times) 08:48, December 22, 2021
After the World Health Organization (WHO) chief on Monday sounded the alarm over the fast spread of the Omicron variant while stating the world must end the pandemic in 2022, Chinese observers said the precondition for ending the pandemic lies in whether the WHO can play a leading role in ending vaccine inequity and developing more effective vaccines, truly unite member states and global scientists, and abandon politicization.
Days ahead of the Christmas festival, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned during a media briefing that there is now consistent evidence that "Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant," and it's more likely that people who have been vaccinated could be infected.
"There can be no doubt that increased social mixing over the holiday period in many countries will lead to increased cases, overwhelmed health systems and more deaths," Tedros said, calling on countries to cancel or delay events, as "an event cancelled is better than a life cancelled."
Tedros stated that "2022 must be the year we end the pandemic," and WHO is committed to doing everything in its power to end the pandemic. He said "if we are to end the pandemic in the coming year, we must end inequity, by ensuring 70 percent of the population of every country is vaccinated by the middle of next year."
In answering the Global Times' questions on whether the WHO has made plans for the world to end the pandemic, a spokesperson replied in an email on Tuesday that the organization doesn't have anything to add beyond the media briefing.
Meanwhile, Chinese health professionals are apparently cautious about ending the pandemic in 2022, as some who said they were hopeful listed several preconditions and urged the WHO to strengthen its role. Others said they have not yet seen any tangible evidence showing the pandemic is ebbing.
Jin Dongyan, a biomedical professor at the University of Hong Kong, said right now is "the beginning of an end," adding there is hope that we could end the pandemic in 2022.
"But a most important thing is that the WHO can truly play a leading role in some critical preconditions such as ending vaccine inequity, and researching new vaccines and medicines," Jin said.
On the evolution of variants, Jin said current evidence showed that later variants tended to be stronger in infectivity, but less pathogenic, as Omicron spread faster than Delta, but has not necessarily caused more deaths.
The key is how to make sure enough people get vaccinated to build herd immunity and develop more effective vaccines that can offer prolonged protection, Jin said.
Similar to influenza, Jin suggested that the WHO coordinate with member states to regularly review and update the virus needed for the COVID-19 vaccine, based on the spread of the actual variant.
Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen and member of the expert committee of national disease control and prevention, told the Global Times on Tuesday that ending the pandemic must rely on scientific and technological means, namely, more effective vaccines.
Current COVID-19 vaccines can prevent deaths and reduce the severity of the illness, but they can hardly prevent infections. Effective vaccines should be inhaled vaccines, which can generate protective antibodies in the upper respiratory tract, Lu said, noting "this is the path to prevent the virus from entering our bodies, and it could both prevent infection and transmission."
Chinese vaccine producer CanSinoBIO and researchers from the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences led by Chen Wei jointly developed China's first inhaled vaccine, which many experts see as a promising candidate for booster shots that use inactivated vaccines.
Meanwhile, people should also receive effective intramuscular vaccines that can offer prolonged protection, he said.
The world would achieve herd immunity after people received effective vaccines. "We can truly control the pandemic by then," he said.
However, a Beijing-based immunologist who requested anonymity told the Global Times that there is no evidence to say there is an end of the pandemic, as we don't have very effective vaccines and the variants are constantly mutating.
"Even if the WHO declared the end of the pandemic next year, it's more about ending it politically rather than biologically," he said.
While urging the WHO to truly play its leading role, analysts stressed that the WHO must firmly adhere to science.
At the same media briefing, while warning of the severity of Omicron, Tedros also said China must be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the SARS-CoV-2, Reuters said.
The immunologist said that Tedros was obviously influenced by the US-led West by raising the issue of the origin and attacking China, as countries like the US - facing a growing pressure of cases - need desperately to ease their domestic pressures and governing crises by shifting the blame of their failures in COVID-19 response to China.
The Omicron variant is ragingthrough much of the world. The fast-spreading variant is the main coronavirus strain in the US, accounting for 73.2 percent of the new cases over the past week, but President Joe Biden did not plan on "locking the country down," the White House said on Monday. Biden is expected to address the nation about his administration's plans for combating the surge of cases.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Tuesday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 after taking a rapid test.
In Europe, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that the COVID-19 situation was "extremely difficult," and he said "we have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public."
Germany's Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has ruled out a Christmas lockdown but warned a fifth COVID-19 wave could no longer be stopped, Reuters reported.
Obsessing over the origins of SARS-CoV-2 when the world is facing the rapid spread of the disease is actually politicizing the issue of the origins of SARS-CoV-2, Lu said. He said the world should be more focused on how to scientifically prevent the spread of the pandemic, and developing and administering more effective vaccines.
(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China urges Western countries to stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs
(People's Daily App) 08:58, December 22, 2021
Some Western countries should face up to the reality that Hong Kong has returned to China for 24 years and immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, China said on Tuesday.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian praised the just-concluded election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at a routine press briefing in Beijing.
It is an important leap in the development of a democratic system in line with Hong Kong's actual conditions and has Hong Kong's characteristics, he said. The electoral process is fair, just, open, safe, and clean. The democratic rights of voters are fully respected and guaranteed.
Foreign ministers of the Five Eyes Alliance, the Group of Seven and senior representatives of the European Union issued a joint statement on the election.
Zhao emphasized that under British colonial rule, Hong Kong had no democracy at all. But while Hong Kongs democratic forms have been enriched and developed, and the quality of democracy has continued to improve, a few Western countries have jumped out, brazenly expressing so-called concerns about democratic elections in a local administrative region in China, and aggressively attacking and condemning Hong Kongs democracy and the rule of law, he said.
This fully exposed their hypocrisy and their sinister intentions to mess up Hong Kong and contain China's development, Zhao said.
(Compiled by Lin Rui and Xie Runjia)
(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Five Eyes Alliance must stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs
09:01, December 22, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily
The recent election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was exactly a testament to the broad representation, political inclusiveness, balanced participation and fair competition.
The election was of vital importance for developing democracy that suits Hong Kongs actual conditions, shaping a new and sound paradigm of governance in Hong Kong, and promoting the long-term and stable development of the one country, two systems principle.
However, Five Eyes Alliance countries, including the United States and the UK, are unwilling to see Hong Kong implement the new electoral system and embrace stability and prosperity. They deliberately turned a blind eye to the election results which were achieved according to the will of the people in Hong Kong and relevant legal procedures, and blatantly published a so-called joint statement to smear the election, saying there was an erosion of democratic elements. Such mean and sleazy acts were the gross interference in Chinas domestic affairs, and will inevitably come to a dead end like a repeat of the past.
Facts have proved that the election for the seventh-term LegCo was a success. Altogether 153 candidates competed in the election and displayed their patriotism and governance capability. The election was also joined by all walks of life in the HKSAR. More than 1.35 million Hong Kong citizens exercised their democratic rights, expressing their firm support and high recognition for the new electoral system with concrete actions.
90 members of the LegCo with different backgrounds and political views were elected. They will better balance interests among different regions, different functional constituencies and the special administrative region as a whole, and better represent the will of the people.
A Hong Kong citizen told Peoples Daily that the election this time was more diversified and representative than ever before, and it totally conformed to the general interests of Hong Kong and was a milestone of Hong Kongs democratic system.
The Five Eyes Alliance countries, slandering Hong Kongs electoral system and smearing the LegCo election under the disguise of the so-called democracy, revealed their true intention to meddle in Hong Kongs politics, interfere in Chinas domestic affairs, and contain Chinas development.
They see those who remain in prison or fugitive for opposing China and attempting to destabilize Hong Kong as meaningful political opposition. Their mean practices are exactly what undermine Hong Kongs rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy.
Its known by all that Hong Kong had never enjoyed democracy under the 156-year British colonial rule, until the door of democracy was opened when it returned to its motherland. The Five Eyes Alliance countries should open their eyes widely to see the fact they are never grade-A students of democracy, or qualified to lecture other countries about democracy.
The election for the seventh-term LegCo fully indicated that the aspiration of the Hong Kong people for social stability and their firm determination to oppose anti-China and destabilizing forces are unchallengeable, and the democratic development of Hong Kong is unstoppable under the once country, two systems principle.
Hong Kong must be governed by those who love China, and anti-China disrupters must be knocked out. Thats what guarantees a brighter future of the special administrative region, and a common aspiration of the Hong Kong society.
The annoying noises made by the Five Eyes alliances are only a piece of evidence of external forces meddling in Hong Kong affairs, and reveal that the anti-China disrupters are indeed the chief culprit that undermines Hong Kongs progress of democracy.
Hong Kong is part of China, and its affairs are purely China's internal affairs. Whether Hong Kongs democratic system is good shall be judged by the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots. The Chinese government will continue to implement the principle of One Country, Two Systems fully and faithfully, and it will support Hong Kong in developing a democratic system that conforms to the regions constitutional status and actual conditions.
Hong Kong will embrace a wider road to democracy and brighter prospects of democratic development as the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" becoming more and more consolidated. We sternly warn the Five Eyes Alliance that any plot to interfere in Chinas domestic affairs and disrupt Hong Kong in the name of democracy is doomed to fail, and it should better stop such mean practices as soon as possible.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)
(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Flood-destroyed ancient bridge to reopen in east China
Xinhua) 09:08, December 22, 2021
Photo shows the repaired Zhenhai Bridge in Tunxi District of Huangshan, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 21, 2021. An ancient bridge destroyed by floods in east China's Anhui Province will reopen soon after repair, local authorities said. The repair work, which started on Nov. 13, 2020, has been completed and passed quality inspection on Tuesday. The Zhenhai Bridge, built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), was a state-level cultural relics protection site in the city of Huangshan. Floodwaters destroyed the 131-meter-long bridge during a heavy rainstorm on July 7, 2020. (Photo by Shi Yalei/Xinhua)
HEFEI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A 480-year-old bridge destroyed by floods in east China's Anhui Province will reopen soon after over a month of repair, local authorities said.
The repair work, which started on Nov. 13, has been completed and passed quality inspection on Tuesday.
The Zhenhai Bridge, built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), was a state-level cultural relics protection site in the city of Huangshan.
Floodwaters destroyed the bridge during a heavy rainstorm on July 7.
Salvage operations started on Aug. 12 and lasted for 19 days. Over 4,500 cubic meters of material from the wrecked structure were retrieved, paving the way for repair work.
The 131-meter bridge with seven arches was initially constructed in 1536 and was repaired several times in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) after being damaged by flooding.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese rap song goes viral, critiques 'American-style democracy'
(People's Daily App) 09:11, December 22, 2021
A satirical song named "Cokecracy" created by a young Chinese rap group has gone viral on overseas social media.
With lines like, "My democracy just like Coca-Cola," the song personifies the US in an ironic manner and states that so-called "American-style democracy" is actually the "America first" policy in disguise.
In April this year, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that democracy is not like Coca-Cola, which promises the same taste everywhere in the world, urging the US to respect the path and system independently chosen by China.
(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Commentary: West-led small circles blind to democratic progress in Hong Kong
Xinhua) 09:29, December 22, 2021
BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The West-led small circles are putting on a clumsy show after rushing one after another to groundlessly smear the election of the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
With ridiculous statements, the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance, the Group of Seven (G7), and some others continued to meddle with China's internal affairs and chose to turn a blind eye to the democratic progress in Hong Kong.
Over 1.3 million people in Hong Kong went to the polls on Sunday despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the cold weather, and interference from individuals and forces associated with external forces.
The LegCo election, the first since the improvement in the HKSAR's electoral system, was smooth and orderly with great enthusiasm and active participation from voters in Hong Kong, fully demonstrating the true will of the people while slapping the face of those bent on destabilizing the city and China at large.
The voters, fed up with meaningless infighting previously choking the LegCo and looking forward to good governance in Hong Kong, used their ballots to full the seats with legislators who truly love Hong Kong and their motherland rather than pawns of certain Western countries.
Western cliques and bodies are trying to distort the facts by ignoring the diversity of new LegCo members, which include both natives and Mandarin-speaking "Hong Kong drifters," as well as legislative veterans and newcomers, from a broad range of communities, such as business, politics, education, health care, law, and accounting.
The newly-elected Hong Kong legislators differ in backgrounds, ideas, religious beliefs, and demands of interests, serving as a good illustration that there is plenty of room to accommodate different political views and groups in the Chinese city.
It should be made clear to exclusive clubs like the "Five Eyes" and the G7 that actions have been taken to improve the HKSAR's electoral system because there were loopholes that anti-China agitators had taken advantage of to extend tentacles to Hong Kong's governance framework and interfere with its affairs. The 2019 unrest in Hong Kong revealed a severe lack of security in the special administrative region's electoral system.
From the enactment of the national security law to the improvement of the electoral system, a new order of "patriots administering Hong Kong" has been established institutionally, clearing the way for the return of social security and political stability to the "Pearl of the Orient."
The latest LegCo election has laid the foundation for good governance in Hong Kong, with strongly qualified and diversified representatives becoming part of its governance system.
The reason why certain Western countries have been sparing no efforts to nitpick the seventh-term LegCo election in Hong Kong lies in anxiety that they won't be able to implant puppets through the previously-flawed electoral system. Their tricks of making trouble in Hong Kong appear to be unmasked one by one.
Western forces, as history and reality have revealed, doesn't really care about democracy in Hong Kong, which had enjoyed no such rights during more than 150 years under the British colonial rule. What they really want is to use Hong Kong to contain China, with democracy as a pretext and a tool.
The process and results of the LegCo election have manifested that lies and smearing fabricated by the West are doomed to futility and that desperate efforts to suppress China by destabilizing Hong Kong are leading nowhere.
It is high time certain countries and groups opened eyes and fairly acknowledged democratic progress in Hong Kong before further humiliating themselves in front of the international community.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Commissioner's office of Chinese foreign ministry denounces external defamation of Hong Kong's LegCo election
Xinhua) 09:33, December 22, 2021
HONG KONG, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has strongly disapproved of, firmly rejected and condemned the misleading statement made by foreign ministers of some countries about the election of the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR.
The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand smeared Hong Kong's new electoral system, questioned the authority of the election results, emboldened anti-China elements in Hong Kong and interfered in China's internal affairs, said a spokesperson of the office on Monday.
The white paper titled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems" released by China's State Council Information Office Monday clearly stated that the Chinese government designed, created, safeguarded and advanced Hong Kong's system of democracy, the spokesperson said.
"The electoral system improved by the central government shows that democracy in Hong Kong is advancing with the times and it lays a solid foundation for the sound long-term development of democracy in Hong Kong," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson stressed that under the new electoral system, the LegCo election embraced its original mission of choosing the able and serving the people, minimized the internal rifts and pan-politicization, and reflected Hong Kong's mainstream public opinion of seeking stability and development, kicking off a new era of quality democracy in Hong Kong.
The spokesperson pointed out that administration by patriots is a common political ethic, and ensuring a sense of national identity and political loyalty of public office-holders is an international common practice, adding the new electoral system features great inclusiveness and diversity and serves the fundamental interests of Hong Kong people.
The spokesperson stated that facts have proved the national security law in Hong Kong is an effective law that serves Hong Kong's interests, which only targets a small number of criminals who seriously endanger national security, and protects the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people.
The spokesperson said some politicians in the relevant countries repeatedly played up the so-called "chilling effect" of the national security law in Hong Kong to create social panic of "everyone is at risk."
"However, it only laid bare their dark mentality of trying to disrupt the stable Hong Kong and made us even more determined to fully and faithfully implement 'one country, two systems' and the national security law in Hong Kong," the spokesperson noted.
The spokesperson pointed out that the Constitution and the Basic Law established the system of democracy in the HKSAR, adding the provisions relating to the British side in the Sino-British Joint Declaration were all fulfilled at the time of the return of Hong Kong and the completion of all follow-up work, and Britain has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or "right of supervision" over Hong Kong after its return to China.
The spokesperson said that as stated in the white paper, there was no democracy in Hong Kong under British colonial rule, the British colonial government maintained a repressive rule in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong people never enjoyed true democracy, human rights and freedom.
Some politicians in the United States are obsessed with undermining the democratic development and sowing social discords in Hong Kong, proclaiming to advocate "democracy" and "freedom," but in effect engage in activities of using Hong Kong to contain China, the spokesperson said.
Australia, Canada and New Zealand also have a bad track record in supporting anti-China elements and damaging democracy and the rule of law in Hong Kong, the spokesperson added.
"We urge politicians in the relevant countries to respect the historical trend of the times, abide by the principles of international law such as non-interference in others' internal affairs and the basic norms governing international relations, and stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs in any form," the spokesperson said.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Afghanistan receives new batch of China-donated supplies
Xinhua) 09:34, December 22, 2021
KABUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) has received a batch of assistance donated by the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC).
A handover ceremony was held Tuesday at ARCS complex in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, attended by Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and ARCS Secretary General Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis.
"As Afghanistan's friendly neighbor and sincere friend, China attaches great importance to the difficulties that Afghan people currently face," Wang said at the ceremony.
In order to help Afghanistan overcome the current difficulties, China has taken a number of measures and has provided batches of emergency assistance to Afghanistan, Wang added.
The Chinese ambassador said that 1,500 tons of Afghan pine nuts have reached China since November, generating a revenue of more than 16 million U.S. dollars for the Afghan people. China will continue to import Afghan agricultural products.
During the ceremony, Khalis expressed gratitude to China for the humanitarian assistance including the RCSC batch.
"The latest Chinese donation is very important for the people of Afghanistan in this critical situation," Khalis said.
In addition to medical equipment, the RCSC supplies also included a batch of medicine and school bags for school children.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese embassy spokespersons remarks on the Hong Kong-related joint statement issued by the UK and a handful of countries
People's Daily Online) 10:13, December 22, 2021
Question: On December 20th, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the UK issued a so-called joint statement with the Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand expressing grave concern over the election results of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong and making irresponsible comments on Chinas measures to improve the electoral system in Hong Kong. What is the comment of the Chinese Embassy in the UK?
Embassy Spokesperson: The election for the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is Chinas internal affair, which no foreign country has the right to interfere in. The irresponsible comments, distortion of facts and malicious discrediting of the election made by the UK Foreign Secretary in collusion with the foreign ministers of the other four countries gravely interfered in Chinas internal affairs and violated the basic norms governing international relations. The Chinese side expresses firm opposition and strong condemnation.
The election for the Seventh Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR on December 19th is the first Legislative Council election following the improvement of the electoral system. The SAR Government, overcoming the risks of Covid-19, organised and ran the election in an orderly manner and in strict accordance with law. The election was smooth, fair and just, ending the chaos and the viciously antagonistic and divisive campaigns that had plagued previous elections for years. This election has displayed a rational and constructive culture and is held with extensive representation, political inclusiveness, balanced participation and fair competition. It is a successful model of quality and true democracy, and bears important and far-reaching significance to developing a democratic path that suits the real conditions in Hong Kong.
It must be pointed out that Hong Kong residents today enjoy far more rights and freedoms than under the British colonial rule. The fact that chaos has given way to order and order had led to prosperity in Hong Kong fully proves that the decision to adopt and enforce the Law on Safeguarding National Security, improve the electoral system and implement the principle of patriots governing Hong Kong in the Hong Kong SAR will only strengthen the rule of law in Hong Kong, provide better safeguards for the rights and freedoms of the majority of Hong Kong residents, expand public participation in political affairs in a balanced and orderly manner, and promote the healthy development of the democratic system in Hong Kong. All these will better safeguard the long-term stability and prosperity in Hong Kong. We will remain committed to developing the democratic system that suits the real conditions in Hong Kong under the framework of One Country, Two Systems. The future is bright and the road is broad for the development of democracy in Hong Kong.
As for the Sino-British Joint Declaration, its core content is China resuming exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. It does not give the UK any responsibility over Hong Kong after the handover, nor does the UK have sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over Hong Kong. The Chinese Government governs the Hong Kong SAR in accordance with the Constitution of China and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR, not the Joint Declaration. No foreign country has the right to use the Joint Declaration as an excuse to interfere in Hong Kong affairs. The Chinese Government remains unwavering in its determination to safeguard Chinas sovereignty, security and development interests and oppose any external interference in Hong Kong affairs. Attempts to create trouble in Hong Kong or use Hong Kong to contain China will never succeed.
China strongly urges the handful of countries, including the UK, to take off their mask of hypocrisy, recognize the reality and major trend, respect Chinas sovereignty and unity, and stop any form of interference in Hong Kong affairs, which are Chinas internal affairs.
Source: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Dramatic final snowboard tune-up for Beijing 2022
Xinhua) 10:54, December 22, 2021
COPPER MOUNTAIN, United States, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The last of two December pre-Olympic qualifying events saw drama and uncertainty unfold as snowboarding Olympians squared off in the final 2021 tune-up before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
In the women's snowboarding superpipe finals on Saturday, Spain's Queralt Castellet was in the gold medal spot with China's Cai Xuetong in second place when Chloe Kim, the defending 2018 PyeongChang Olympic gold medalist, looked down the superpipe for her last of three runs.
"Last run for Chloe Kim," NBC announcer Todd Richards boomed to the crowd of hundreds lining the walls of the 600-foot-long halfpipe, and more than 1,000 fans clustered at the bottom, at the Copper Mountain ski resort, located 77 miles west of Denver in the Rocky Mountains.
"Huge pressure on this young lady," added one fan standing atop the superpipe wall, in attendance with his 10-year-old daughter.
But Kim, who took a year off snowboarding after the PyeongChang games to concentrate on her studies at Princeton University, saved her best for last and "seemed unfazed by the pressure as she strung together a 1080, cab 900 and a perfectly executed cab 1080 to score a 96 and capture the title," the Steamboat Pilot reported.
At the bottom, as the crowd roared in appreciation, Kim fell to her knees and was immediately mobbed by Cai, Castellet and the other women snowboard competitors, who piled on top of her with whoops and cheers of appreciation.
"This is what makes snowboarding so special," onlooker Dave Pyle told Xinhua. "These women are fierce competitors, but above all that, they support each other regardless of the outcome. They are all class acts."
"I am never putting myself in that situation again," Kim told the audience after her dramatic come-from-behind victory. "That was horrible. I was so happy that I was able to land, seriously."
Castellet finished second, and Cai took third. Next month's Olympic qualifier at California's Mammoth Springs will decide the final spots on the U.S. ski and snowboard Olympic teams.
On the men's side, the snowboarding superpipe drama was replaced by the uncertainty that looms over the head of snowboarding legend Shaun White, a four-time Olympian who stumbled on his first two runs and only finished seventh overall with a top score of 82.
"Shaun White struggles again in Olympic snowboard qualifier," the San Diego Union-Tribune headline said Sunday, as "the three-time gold medalist continued to underwhelm in the 2021-22 season and is down to one remaining qualifier," the Union-Tribune said.
"It looks like the 35-year-old icon from Carlsbad will need a discretionary pick from U.S. Ski &Snowboard to get to Beijing," the report added, noting that White was eighth two weeks ago "on this same halfpipe" at the U.S. Grand Prix.
Japan's Yuto Totsuka won Sunday with a score of 95.5 points on his final run, followed by American Taylor Gold (92.0), Japan's Ruka Hirano (89.0), Switzerland's Jan Scherrer (88.0).
On Sunday, Japan's Ayumu Hirano became the first person in snowboard history to land the elusive triple cork (three diagonal revolutions above the 22-foot pipe) in competition.
"Halfpipe snowboarding has just changed," NBC's Richards announced. "This is where we're going, ladies and gentlemen. Good luck, everybody."
Aside from White, the American best positioned to prevent a Japan sweep is Gold, who finished second on the day off the strength of his very first run, Forbes said Sunday.
"It was a highly technical run that saw Gold go McTwist, frontside 1260 with a tailgrab, his signature double Michalchuk 1080 and then a switch McTwist as a setup trick for the switch 1080," Forbes noted of team USA's best Olympic hope after White.
In the men's snowboard superpipe final, four Americans made up the 10-man field, including White, Gold, Chase Josey and Joey Okesson.
After his final run, White threw his goggles and gloves to the fans. "I'm so happy to put one in. Thank you everyone for being here," White told the crowd. "This is my last Dew Tour so thank you, Dew Tour. Thank you everybody here. I appreciate you!"
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Feature: Chinese vaccine helps Indonesian kids fight COVID-19
Xinhua) 11:22, December 22, 2021
JAKARTA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- In a primary school in the eastern part of Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Tuesday morning, 6-year-old Dedi Permadi got his first COVID-19 jab.
Despite being afraid of needles, Permadi knew that the vaccination would help him to fight COVID-19. The school was decorated with stickers of cartoon superheroes to encourage kids to get injected. Students and parents listened to teachers explain the importance of vaccination.
"Many children are afraid of getting injections because they are scared of the pain," Nurliza Yanti, one of the school teachers, told Xinhua. "Some of them were crying afterward, so, we asked their parents to comfort them."
Indonesia, home to 270 million people, has been vaccinating children aged 6 to 11 since last Tuesday, planning to vaccinate 27 million with Sinovac, the only vaccine currently used for kids in the archipelago, according to the country's drug and food agency.
By Monday, at least 540,000 children in the age group had been vaccinated, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday.
He called on the public to immediately get their vaccinations to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. The country's second wave triggered by the more Delta variant peaked at over 50,000 cases in July. Daily cases have come down significantly since then, but the country is still facing the threat of other variants.
Indonesia started its mass COVID-19 vaccinations in January when authorities approved the Sinovac vaccine. By Monday, Indonesia had registered 4.3 million cases with more than 144,000 deaths since March last year.
Authorities are accelerating vaccination programs. To date, more than 152 million people have received their first doses of vaccines, while over 107 million have had second doses.
After his jab, Permadi received a bravery medal and gift packs containing masks, modeling clay and chocolates as reward for his bravery.
"Now, I can fight COVID-19!" he said.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
NW Chinas Xinjiang builds big business with expanding regional nang industry
People's Daily Online) 13:18, December 22, 2021
Northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has turned nang, a kind of crusty pancake and a staple food of local people, into a huge industry, which has been thriving all over the region. Xinjiang listed the nang sector as one of the top 10 industries to see better and stronger development during the 14th Five-year Plan period (2021-2025).
Workers make nang flatbread at a food industry park in Payzawat County, Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Ma Kai)
Xinjiang has been promoting the high-quality development of its nang industry, making it an advantageous industry that helps increase the incomes of farmers and herdsmen living in the region.
Kashgar prefecture stands as a typical example of the development of Xinjiangs nang industry. To promote the standardized development of the sector, Kashgar has set up a multi-level nang industrial system consisting of nang production bases, nang industrial parks, nang cooperatives and nang workshops. The prefecture has also developed a standardized management system for the nang industry to guarantee the sanitary conditions and quality of products. Thanks to such efforts, Kashgar now produces an average of more than 10 million nang per day.
Osman Memet is a nang baker at a nang industrial park in Kashgar city, Kashgar prefecture. In the past, Memet burned coal or firewood to bake nang in adobe nang pits. Nowadays Memet makes nang using an electric oven at the industrial park.
The electric oven is environmentally-friendly and can guarantee the sanitary conditions and quality of products, Memet said.
Before working at the industrial park, Memet had already made nang for more than 10 years in a village, earning a monthly salary of about 1,000 yuan (about $157). Now Memet earns a salary of more than 3,500 yuan a month at the industrial park.
Meanwhile, Xinjiang has realized the integrated development of the nang sector alongside its culture and tourism industries.
So far, the region has built 83 nang cultural industrial parks, where visitors can enjoy Xinjiang folk dance performances, a variety of nang products and other local foods.
At present, the development of the nang industry in Xinjiang has gradually realized the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries, facilitating the development of agricultural and sideline products.
Xinjiang has also strengthened brand-building for its nang products. For example, Kashgar has established a unified management system for employees in the industry beyond Xinjiang and set up a nang industry association to help build a brand for the prefectures nang products.
So far, Kashgar has developed 36 nang brands covering 153 varieties of nang. Now the prefectures nang sells well across China and even in foreign countries. Recently, 300 boxes of nang from a nang industrial park in Kashgars Shule county were exported to Tajikistan in Central Asia.
(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Belt and Road projects yield fruits, forge ahead amid pandemic in Asia-Pacific
Xinhua) 13:45, December 22, 2021
HONG KONG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- In early December, landlocked Laos took a quantum leap toward the nation's dream of becoming a land-linked hub thanks to the inauguration of the China-Laos Railway.
Laos is the only nation in Southeast Asia without direct access to the sea. Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith called the occasion "a proud moment and the dream of all ethnic groups of Laos."
The first electrified railway in Laos was made possible by the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China's grand plan for a better-connected world was also behind Vietnam's first metro line, which went into commercial operation in capital Hanoi in November.
The Asia-Pacific is home to an extending infrastructure network which was further energized over the past year by new bridges, dams, highways, power lines and railroads, among other BRI projects. Even the COVID-19 pandemic did not slow down work for long. The East Coast Rail Link in Malaysia had almost its entire staff fully vaccinated by October.
Around the world, 141 countries and 32 international organizations, including 19 UN agencies, have participated in the BRI.
CHINESE TECHNICAL STANDARDS
In Bangladesh, the awe-inspiring Padma Bridge nears completion. The rail-road bridge is expected to speed up development and poverty reduction in the southwest of the riverine country, and to complete a key link in the envisaged trans-Asian rail network.
The Padma Bridge has 40 piers sunk into the sandy riverbed. According to Bangladeshi project engineer Dewan Muhammad Abdul Kader, "Every pier and span presented numerous challenges" to the Chinese engineers.
The China-Laos Railway has 75 tunnels in the 422-km Laos section. There -- and in Belt and Road projects elsewhere -- advanced technology and techniques are making short work of geological complexities.
Chinese management and technical standards are extensively applied. VR systems providing a virtual workplace for safety training help protect Malaysian workers, while state-of-the-art equipment like China's tunneling machines boosts progress in building the railway in eastern Malaysia.
Phase-II of the Karakoram Highway was declared one of the best projects in the world this year by U.S. weekly Engineering News-Record in September. Part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the highway is just one of 46 corridor projects underway or completed. Pakistan sees the corridor as a gamechanger for its national development.
CLEAN AND GREEN
No more coal-fired power plants will be built as part of the BRI, and a large number of hydropower projects are completed, underway or in the pipeline.
Notably, the Sirindhorn Dam in northeastern Thailand combines a floating solar farm with an existing hydropower plant. The Thai government plans to reproduce this model in 15 other locations as part of its climate commitment to a green low-carbon growth.
All Belt and Road projects are constructed in an environment-friendly manner, with a strong imperative to protect the local ecosystem. Construction of the railway created some 110,000 jobs in Laos, but the route remains just as verdant and lush as before the earthmovers arrived.
"After construction, revegetation goes. This is not just high-quality engineering, but also common sense. We want to leave the trackside in the condition we found it," said chief engineer Huang Daiwen. Huang's team has even applied for a patent for "roadbed slope revegetation devices" developed during their work in Laos.
Building hydro dams, of course, takes into account habitat protection for terrestrial wildlife. In the water, dams on the Nam Ou River in Laos have been restocked with native species of fish. Over 2 million fry have been released into the river over past years. And that's not just good for the health of the biosphere, it's good for local people too. Fish restaurants have sprung up, attracting customers from Luang Prabang, dozens of kilometers away. Songkham Yathika, 55, likes boasting about his personal journey from mountain man to fisherman to restaurateur.
LIVELIHOODS AND RISING HOPES
Thanks to the resumed BRI arrangement of chartered freight, in November the flow of pine nuts from Afghanistan to China got moving again, much to the relief of rural people whose only income comes from the nut. The whole pine-nut industrial chain provides at least 40,000 jobs in Khost and Paktia provinces. This trade is a lifeline in Afghanistan amid what might otherwise be a harsh winter of food shortages, economic crises and COVID-19.
To Sri Lankans, the BRI will bring more things than clean water to 450,000 Katana residents and a new outpatient building in commercial capital Colombo.
In September, a children's picture book, A City Rising from the Ocean was published. It tells the story of Colombo Port City, a financial hub growing on land reclaimed from the sea for the past seven years. Port City marina staged Colombo Fashion Week shows in November. A PwC study in November said that, once fully operational, the port city project will add 13.8 billion U.S. dollars to Sri Lanka's economy.
The China-funded 60,000-seat Morodok Techo National Stadium, built in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, was handed over to Cambodia in September. The country is now ready to host the Southeast Asian Games in 2023.
BROADER CONNECTIVITY
"The stadium serves as another bridge to connect the hearts of the two peoples," said Cambodian government's chief spokesperson Phay Siphan.
In inaugurating the eighth Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge in November, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen thanked the BRI for benefiting the Cambodian people and thanked China for COVID-19 vaccine supplies. Those supplies have been instrumental in achieving the country's very high vaccination rates, with 13.56 million people or 84.8 percent of the population being fully vaccinated as of Dec. 15.
Cambodia is also setting up a Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine filling factory. It is among the 29 countries in Asia-Pacific that began Belt and Road partnerships on COVID-19 vaccines cooperation and green development this June.
To return to the biggest BRI event of the year, the China-Laos Railway connecting Kunming in Southwest China to Lao capital Vientiane is a docking project between the BRI and Laos' development strategy.
According to President Thongloun, the shining green line of high tech through primal forest symbolizes the spirit of a community of a shared future and the shared dreams of peoples.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Heroes in harm's way: forest firefighters carry out rescue tasks in NE China's Heilongjiang
People's Daily Online) 16:19, December 22, 2021
(Photo/Courtesy of the No.1 detachment of the Heilongjiang Forest Fire Brigade)
Building 12 Huoyan (Fire Eye) Laboratories in nine hours to support nucleic acid testing during the COVID-19 epidemic; filling over 20,000 sandbags in 72 hours for flooding These are firefighters from the No.1 detachment of the Heilongjiang Forest Fire Brigade, stationed in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
Formed in 2003, the detachment is mainly responsible for forest fire fighting, flood rescue and earthquake rescue. For nearly two decades, the firefighters have carried out more than 60 emergency rescue tasks, becoming heroes in harm's way.
"The fire brigade is the closest to the people. We will always be there when people need us," said Ren Mingshuang, an officer with the detachment.
(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun)
China offers more assistance to Philippine typhoon victims
Xinhua) 16:55, December 22, 2021
MANILA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China offered 1 million U.S. dollars in cash and another 4,725 tons of rice on Wednesday to help the victims of Typhoon Rai in the Philippines.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian announced the assistance at the handover ceremony of the rice, the last batch of the 10,000 tons that China donated to the Philippines.
The emergency cash assistance is to support the relief and recovery efforts of the Philippine government and people against the disaster brought by the devastating typhoon, Huang said, expressing hope that the fresh batch of rice will contribute to the Philippines' humanitarian relief operations in typhoon-hit areas.
On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Manila raised 20,000 food packages containing rice, canned food, and noodles packs. Huang said the relief goods had reached typhoon-affected areas such as Cebu, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro City, Surigao City, among others.
Huang said China will continue to support the Philippines' relief and recovery efforts "to the best of its ability."
"China and the Philippines are close and friendly neighbors who always help and support each other through trying times," the ambassador said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared Tuesday night a state of calamity in several regions to speed up relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Rai.
Philippine Social Welfare Director Emmanuel Privado, who received the donated rice from China on Wednesday, thanked the Chinese government for its generosity.
Privado said the Chinese donations are timely, saying his government is in the thick of distributing relief goods to the typhoon victims.
"We express our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Chinese for these donations. This is so timely. The typhoon victims will benefit from these," he said.
Typhoon Rai, which battered the Philippines last week, affected more than 1.3 million and is feared to have killed at least 375 in the central and southern Philippine and parts of the main Luzon island.
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Major countries should shoulder responsibilities amid Omicron surges: Chinese ambassador
Xinhua) 16:55, December 22, 2021
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Major countries must shoulder their responsibilities, take the lead to provide COVID-19 vaccines for low-and middle-income countries, and help them foster production capacity as the Omicron variant is rapidly spreading around the globe, said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Tuesday.
"As the Omicron variant is rapidly spreading around the globe, we are facing a very severe situation. Therefore, it is pressing to ensure ample supply and fair distribution of vaccines," said Qin.
As representative of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Qin made the remarks when he attended the Virtual Meeting on COVID-19 Omicron Variant hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The meeting, joined by several foreign ministers and representatives of regional organizations, discussed issues such as the global impact of and response to the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
China has been working hard to make COVID-19 vaccines global public goods, and help meet the vaccination targets of the World Health Organization, said Qin.
According to the ambassador, up till now, China has provided nearly 2 billion doses of vaccines for more than 120 countries and international organizations, making China the largest supplier of vaccines to other countries.
On top of the 100 million U.S. dollars of donation to COVAX, China has pledged to donate an additional 100 million doses of vaccines to fellow developing countries, and provide another 1 billion doses of vaccines to Africa.
Now for the 5.6 billion shots of COVID-19 vaccines administered outside China, one third of them were provided by China, said Qin.
Calling on the international community to fight the pandemic together, the ambassador said, "We must oppose disinformation and vaccine discrimination, and raise the vaccination rate."
China will continue to work with the international community to advance international cooperation on COVID-19, narrow the global "immunity gap" and jointly build a global community of health for all, said Qin.
Noting that Omicron variant poses a new challenge to Beijing Winter Olympic Games, he said, "China will take more effective measures to protect athletes and guests of all countries. We are confident to host a streamlined, safe and splendid Winter Olympics."
(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Herbert Diess, CEO of the world's second largest carmaker Volkswagen AG, has called for more cooperation with China, saying the carmaker will not keep pace with innovations if it does not face the competition in the Chinese market. "We need more cooperation and presence in China, not less," said Diess in his social media account on Monday. "It would be very damaging if Germany or the EU wanted to decouple from China," he said. Diess said Volkswagen is a global company and it will not stop advocating for globalization, a multi-lateral rules-based trading system and engagement. China is Volkswagen's biggest market worldwide. In the first three quarters this year, its deliveries in the country reached 2.55 million units, over 35 percent of its total sales globally in the same period. Total vehicle sales in China would reach 26.1 million this year, up 3 percent from 2020, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Electric cars and plug-in hybrids are highlights. Their combined sales are expected to hit 3.4 million units this year in China and 5 million in 2022, said the CAAM. Diess said Volkswagen has significantly raised its NEV sales target in China in 2022. It has launched the electric ID.3, ID.4 and ID.6 models in the country and is planning to introduce more. He said the carmaker is changing its marketing, 80 percent of which is now on social media, in an effort to attract the younger customers who are showing more interest in local Chinese startups. Volkswagen is also partnering with Chinese companies including battery maker Gotion to sharpen its competitive edge. Headquartered in Hefei, Anhui province, Gotion will help produce battery cells at Volkswagen's plant in Salzgitter, Germany, with production expected to start in 2025. The battery maker will serve as a technology partner "for the cell factory layout, machinery and production processes," said Volkswagen in a statement earlier this year. Gotion, with Volkswagen as its largest shareholder, will supply batteries for the carmaker's plants in China as well. Volkswagen unveiled in July this year a campaign called New Auto that focuses on electrification, autonomous driving and software-driven mobility. "We have to use the Chinese speed and local technology platforms to remain worldwide relevant in New Auto," said Diess.
HEFEI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A 480-year-old bridge destroyed by floods in east China's Anhui Province will reopen soon after over a month of repair, local authorities said.
The repair work, which started on Nov. 13, has been completed and passed quality inspection on Tuesday.
The Zhenhai Bridge, built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), was a state-level cultural relics protection site in the city of Huangshan.
Floodwaters destroyed the bridge during a heavy rainstorm on July 7.
Salvage operations started on Aug. 12 and lasted for 19 days. Over 4,500 cubic meters of material from the wrecked structure were retrieved, paving the way for repair work.
The 131-meter bridge with seven arches was initially constructed in 1536 and was repaired several times in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) after being damaged by flooding. Enditem
Japanese Self-Defense Force ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptors are seen in position on the grounds in Ishigaki, Okinawa prefecture on February 7, 2016.Photo: AFP
Japan's Ishigaki Island, which is close to Okinawa Prefecture, could have been a tranquil tourist attraction. However, foreign media reports show that construction of a missile base is underway there by Japan. Previously, there were reports that Japan's Ministry of Defense was planning to deploy the Ground Self-Defense Force missile units on the island of Ishigaki by the end of 2022, with the units to be manned by 500 to 600 Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops.
As a sovereign country, Japan has the right to deploy missiles on its own territory. However, as a defeated country in the World War II, Japan is only allowed to possess the "Self-Defense Forces" as part of the existing international order. There is nothing wrong with deploying missiles with only defensive functions, but it's obvious that when a missile base is established, the functions of missiles can be switched at any time.
The Ishigaki Island is only 300 kilometers off the coast of the island of Taiwan. More and more analysts believe that Japand's construction of a missile base on the Ishigaki Island is likely not just for countering the "increasingly active Chinese navy in the first island chain." Japan's intention to intervene in the Taiwan Straits situation is only too obvious. This view is not without basis. For some time, Japanese politicians have made no secrets of their attempts to interfere in the Taiwan Straits. Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said arrogantly in his speech on Sunday that the Chinese mainland wants to "invade Taiwan." Previously, he claimed that "a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency." Right-wing Japanese politician Sanae Takaichi insisted that "diplomatic means alone are not enough" to peacefully resolve cross-Straits questions. She said that the US and Japan should formulate a joint combat plan and incorporate Taiwan into the international cooperation mechanism as soon as possible, with a special focus on the implementation of joint military exercises. Neither Abe nor Takaichi are incumbent officials within the Fumio Kishida administration, but when their influence in the political arena is taking into consideration, the relations between their remarks and the Japanese government's position are actually ambiguous.
More noteworthy is the fact that Japan has shown more signs of military coordination with the US and Europe. Since the beginning of 2021, Japan has conducted many joint military exercises. For example, it is very enthusiastic about the military cooperation among the US, Japan, India, and Australia, and it has conducted joint naval exercises with France, Germany and the UK. Although Japan claims the exercises are not "aimed at a third country," anyone with a discerning eye can see that the exercises are obviously targeting the Chinese mainland. This shows that Japan is trying to use more international coordination to "oppose China," and this is far more dangerous than political and economic coordination.
Besides, the US has long had plans to deploy medium-range missiles in Asia. But because no country is willing to be dragged into risks of war, none of US allies wants to join the plan. However, some analysts believe that Japan, which is eager to create a disturbance, is very likely to accept this plan, and the specific location is very likely to be on Ishigaki Island.
Previously, Japan had deployed anti-ship and air-defense missiles on its southwest islands of Amami Oshima, Okinawa Main Island, and Miyako Island. Japan's weaponization of its southwest islands is in fact helping the US to promote its containment strategy against China in the Asia-Pacific. Tokyo has regarded itself as the "deputy sheriff" of the Indo-Pacific. However, the strategic deterrence that Japanese politicians are imagining will have no effect, but only show their arrogance as they play with fire. If they dare to launch missiles at the Taiwan Straits, we are fully capable of turning the base on the islands into shards of rocks.
The international community should be highly vigilant about Japanese right-wing forces' mentality of playing with fire. Japanese militarism has brought grave disasters to many countries in Asia and around the world. On December 7, the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, nearly 100 Japanese lawmakers from several political parties visited the Yasukuni Shrine which enshrines infamous Japanese WWII war criminals including 14 A-Class individuals. Regrettably, US political elites were unconcerned about this kind of blatant commemoration of historical sinners. They turned a blind eye to this and did not hesitate to disgrace the US' anti-fascism martyrs.
Japanese politicians are dreaming of interfering in the Taiwan Straits, and they hope that the Japanese people will follow them into this hypnosis. The missile base on Ishigaki Island will not turn this delusion into reality but only breaks it into shards. Facts will eventually prove that, compared with China's firm national will and strong countermeasures, those Japanese missile bases attempting to target China are nothing but paper tigers.
Editor's note: The United States has been at war for more than 200 of its 245 years of existence. Between the end of WWII and 9/11 barely 50 years the U.S. initiated 201 conflicts that ravaged 153 countries and regions. "America: War by Another Name" is a special eight-part series that explores the sinister motivations for its warmongering. Episode 5 is on America's right-wing extremism.
On August 3, 2019, the American far-right online forum 8chan published a post titled "The Inconvenient Truth" in support of the Christchurch Mosque shooting in New Zealand, and against a Hispanic "invasion" of Texas and the "cultural and ethnic replacement" of white people by ethnic minorities. Soon after it was posted, 21-year-old white male Patrick Wood Crusius, whom the police believed to be the author of the post, walked into a Walmart store in El Paso and opened fire at shoppers in opposition to the "great white replacement" he believed to be underway.
Before this day, a 2-month-old baby, Paul Anchondo, never knew he would lose both parents in an ordinary grocery shopping trip; a 60-year-old veteran like Arturo Benavides might have never expected that even though he survived a war, he would die in an everyday event and leave behind his wife whom he had spent over 30 years with; 86-year-old Angelina Englisbee had absolutely no idea that the phone call she had with her son at the cashier would be the last in her life
The 2019 El Paso shooting in Texas led to 23 deaths. Although the deadliest attack in 2019, it was but one of the many far-right terrorist crimes to have occurred in the U.S. over the past few years. In August 2017, as thousands of white supremacists staged a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, 40 people were injured or killed. In October 2018, the white supremacist terrorist attack in Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue killed 11 and injured seven. On April 28, 2019, the Poway synagogue shooting in California left one dead. On January 6, 2021, the Capitol building saw severe chaos and casualties after Trump supporters at the instigation of right-wing extremists swarmed it in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 general election.
The rise of homegrown terrorism, particularly the surge of far-right extremism, is one of the biggest threats to the U.S. today. American right-wing extremism has three main types: white supremacy, anti-government extremism and social ultraconservatism. The first is a kind of racism in nature, and it is the most popular and the fastest growing far-right ideology in the United States.
An important branch of anti-government extremism is the Militia Movement mainly made up of ex-soldiers. The Militia Movement put up training camps that are actually the gathering place for white separatists. Although this extremist strand primarily targeted government authorities, it has become increasingly anti-immigration and anti-Muslim, overlapping with the white supremacist ideology since 2008 when Barack Obama became the U.S. president.
Social ultraconservatism is a movement and ideology calling for a return to the American tradition. It includes anti-abortion extremism, anti-gay extremism, anti-immigration extremism and involuntary celibacy (Incel). Many social ultraconservatist movements, for example, the Incel movement, anti-immigrationism and antisemitism, share ideological similarities with white supremacy.
In 2019, 48 Americans were killed in domestic terrorist attacks, 39 of them by white supremacists. Although less people died in 2020 for this reason, the number of domestic terrorist plots and attacks was at the highest level since 1994, with two-thirds of them being conducted by right-wing extremists.
The rise of far-right forces in the American society is fundamentally enabled by a strong sense of frustration and an identity crisis among the white people due to the deterioration of their financial situation and the marginalization of their culture. This is a result of drastic economic and structural changes in American society. It is also inextricably linked with American government's endless "War on Terror."
After the 9/11 attack, Washington invested enormous efforts and resources in anti-terrorism wars overseas. This took a heavy toll on the domestic economy. Starting from 2001, the U.S. ratcheted up its military spending. The Department of Homeland Security budget, which was $16 billion for the year 2001-2002, peaked at $74 billion for the year 2009-2010. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, America's military spending in 2020, standing at $738 billion, was four times as much as that of China and accounted for 40 percent of the global total.
To tackle terrorist groups overseas, the U.S. has launched regional wars over the past 20 years, including attacks on Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. This has incurred huge losses to both local and American troops. The latest research from Brown University shows that the 20-year war in Afghanistan cost $2.3 trillion. That is equivalent to the spending of $6,949 per American citizen.
In the meantime, America's overseas war on terrorism has deepened the bias of white Americans against the Muslim population. Especially since the global financial crisis sent the U.S. economy on a rapid downturn in 2008, such bias and hostility has escalated to target almost all ethnic minorities, further consolidating the influence of white supremacists. This, at the instigation of far-right forces, has led to serious racial conflicts and social unrest.
The only beneficiary of the wars is probably the military-industrial complex. American defense companies are the leader of the world's arms industry. In 2019, the total sales of the global top five, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics which are all American reached a whopping $166 billion. In 2019, 12 American firms were on the list of the top 25 global defense companies, representing 61 percent of global arms sales. Among the $2.3 trillion spent in the war in Afghanistan, around 87 percent went into the pockets of the top five defense contractors.
By funding and lobbying members of Congress, American defense contractors have gained tremendous influence in national policymaking, and, with the help of senators and representatives they have funded, obtained more resources to manufacture weapons. Through infiltration into and influence over academia, Hollywood and the video game industry, the military-industrial complex is able to propagandize at home that it is of necessity to uphold the U.S. hegemony and promote militarism. By doing so, it could keep the war machine running indefinitely to advance the defense industry. The military-industrial complex shrouds American ideologies, politics and culture with a militarist sentiment, creating a fertile ground for the rapid development of far-right terrorism.
America "must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist," then American President Dwight Eisenhower warned in his famous farewell speech in January 1961. Sixty years later, however, the U.S. is turning itself into an imperialist military machine, creating a hot bed for domestic far-right terrorism and sowing the seeds for social division and turmoil.
(The author, Yu Feng, is an assistant research fellow at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.)
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an expanded meeting of the Defense Ministry Board in Moscow, Russia, December 21, 2021. /Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed European security issues and the Ukrainian situation during a phone conversation on Tuesday.
It was the first call between the two leaders since Scholz took over as German chancellor.
According to a Kremlin press release, Putin informed Scholz of Russian proposals for long-term and legally-binding security guarantees that would prohibit the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from expanding eastward and deploying offensive weapons near Russia.
Putin also provided "detailed commentary on the contents" of the Russia-U.S. and Russia-NATO draft agreements on security, which Russia previously handed over to the Western partners, including Germany, the Kremlin added.
Scholz "expressed his concern about the situation and the urgent need for de-escalation" in Ukraine, according to a statement from the German Chancellery.
Ukraine and the U.S. say Moscow may be preparing an invasion of Ukraine as early as next month with an estimated 100,000 Russian troops currently on the border with eastern Ukraine.
Russia has rejected the accusation. It said it needs pledges from the West including a promise not to conduct NATO military activity in Eastern Europe because its security is threatened by Ukraine's growing ties with the West and the possibility of NATO missiles being deployed against it on Ukrainian territory.
Russia has pressed for an urgent U.S. and NATO reply to proposals it made last week for a binding set of security guarantees from the West.
(With input from agencies)
Palestinian workers remove the rubble of al-Jawhara Tower which was targeted by Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, on Nov. 28, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
"We must not allow 2022 to become yet another year misspent. We hope that Palestine and Israel will seize the opportunity brought by the recent high-level engagements, continue to build the momentum, gradually rebuild mutual trust, and resume dialogue on equal footing at an early date," said a Chinese envoy.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday expressed concern over the security situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and called on the parties to exercise restraint.
The security situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is worrying. Since the beginning of this year, operations by security forces in the West Bank have caused massive Palestinian casualties. Violence by the Israeli settlers has intensified. Attacks have occurred frequently, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
"We urge all parties to remain calm and exercise restraint, refrain from measures that could lead to further escalations, avoid harming civilians, and work together to de-escalate the situation," he told the Security Council.
Israel should earnestly fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law, ensure safety for the people of the occupied territory and their property, thoroughly investigate attacks by settlers and incidents of violence against civilians and to bring the perpetrators to justice. At the same time, Israel's right to exist and its legitimate security concerns should also be respected, he said.
Two days from now, it will be the fifth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2334. Regrettably, the resolution has yet to be implemented. In contravention of the resolution, settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory have continued to expand. China is deeply concerned over this, said Dai.
Settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory violate international law and continuously jeopardize the prospects of the two-state solution. China once again urges Israel to abide by Resolution 2334, cease all settlement activities and return to the track of the two-state solution, he said.
A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to hurl a stone at Israeli soldiers during clashes after a protest against the expanding of Jewish settlements in Kufr Qadoom village near the West Bank city of Nablus, on Dec. 10, 2021. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)
The per capita gross domestic product in the West Bank and Gaza has been shrinking for years. The Palestinian Authority is faced with a financial crisis. Gaza, after the escalation in May, is in dire need of recovery and reconstruction. The people in the occupied Palestinian territory find themselves in hardships, he said.
The international community should take urgent actions to offer assistance to Palestine through multiple channels, and support the work of the UN agency for Palestine refugees. Israel should facilitate access for humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials, and lift the blockade and siege on Gaza as soon as possible, he said.
The question of Palestine has always been at the heart of the Middle East question. The international community should keep to the right direction of the two-state solution and make greater efforts to advance the Middle East peace process on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, the land-for-peace principle and other international consensuses, he said.
"We must not allow 2022 to become yet another year misspent. We hope that Palestine and Israel will seize the opportunity brought by the recent high-level engagements, continue to build the momentum, gradually rebuild mutual trust, and resume dialogue on equal footing at an early date," said Dai.
China calls for broader international efforts for peace and supports the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and countries with significant influence in playing a more positive role. The Security Council should also shoulder its responsibilities, have a greater sense of urgency and work actively toward the just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, he said.
By Zang Yaqi and Sun Xuesong
JUBA, Dec. 22 -- The 350-member 2nd echelon of the 8th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan (Juba) arrived at the mission area in Juba on December 21. This marked that all 700 troops of the 8th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan have arrived in the mission area and started to perform one-year peacekeeping mission.
The 350-member first echelon arrived on December 1. After medical isolation, they completed the handover of a number of materials including vehicles, weapons and ammunition, medical equipment, and logistic materials with their predecessors on December 15. The command handover ceremony was held on December 16 and the members of the first echelon officially started to perform the peacekeeping mission thereafter.
Formed mainly from the 82nd Group Army under the PLA Central Theater Command, the peacekeeping battalion includes infantry, armored, reconnaissance, and artillery, engineering and medical troops. They will perform tasks including armed patrols, cordon and search, armed escorts, and protection of civilians, and participate in medical assistance, cultural exchanges, humanitarian rescue and other UN activities.
President Xi Jinping meets with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Ho Iat Seng, who is on a duty visit to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Ho Iat Seng, who is on a duty visit to Beijing.
During the meeting, Xi heard a report from Ho on Macao's current situation and the Macao SAR government's work.
Noting that Macao celebrated the 22nd anniversary of its return to the motherland on Dec. 20, Xi extended festive greetings to all compatriots in Macao.
Xi highlighted the work of Macao over the past year in maintaining the sound momentum of stability and development, effectively taming COVID-19, achieving gradual economic recovery, and successfully completing the election of the seventh Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR.
The central authorities fully acknowledge the work that Ho and the Macao SAR government have done, Xi said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Macao society has gained a clearer understanding of existing problems in the region's economic structure and deeper reflections on its future development, Xi said.
The motherland will always act as a strong support for Macao in maintaining prosperity and stability. The central authorities will firmly implement the principle of "one country, two systems" and support Macao in appropriately diversifying its economy, Xi said.
Senior officials including Han Zheng, Ding Xuexiang, Guo Shengkun, You Quan, Wang Yi and Xia Baolong attended the meeting.
President Xi Jinping meets with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Ho Iat Seng, who is on a duty visit to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)
President Xi Jinping meets with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is on a duty visit to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is on a duty visit to Beijing.
During the meeting, Xi heard a report from Lam on Hong Kong's current situation and the HKSAR government's work.
Over the past year, Hong Kong has consolidated the achievements in restoring order and the situation has constantly improved, Xi said, adding that the region has achieved notable results in COVID-19 response, steadily recovered its economy and maintained social stability.
Lam has led the HKSAR government in making systematic changes and improvements to Hong Kong's electoral system in accordance with relevant decision of the National People's Congress (NPC) and relevant legislation of the NPC Standing Committee, Xi said.
Lam has also led the HKSAR government in successfully holding elections of the Election Committee and the Legislative Council (LegCo), resolutely implementing the Hong Kong national security law, and taking active measures to promote the HKSAR's integration into the overall development of the country and comprehensively deepen its exchanges and cooperation with the mainland, Xi said.
The central authorities fully acknowledge the work of Lam and the HKSAR government, Xi said.
Xi said the elections of the Election Committee and the seventh LegCo held under the new electoral system were both successful, with democratic rights of Hong Kong residents reflected, the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" implemented, and a political landscape established with wide and balanced participation from all social groups and constituencies.
Practice has proven that the new electoral system adheres to the "one country, two systems" principle and fits Hong Kong's realities, Xi said, calling it a good system that will provide strong institutional support for the steady and sustained development of "one country, two systems" and Hong Kong's enduring prosperity and stability.
Noting that "one country, two systems" is conducive to safeguarding the fundamental interests of the country, the HKSAR and Hong Kong compatriots, Xi said the central authorities will continue to unswervingly implement the "one country, two systems" principle.
Senior officials including Han Zheng, Ding Xuexiang, Guo Shengkun, You Quan, Wang Yi and Xia Baolong attended the meeting.
President Xi Jinping meets with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is on a duty visit to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
Japan hanged three death-row inmates on Tuesday, its first executions in two years, amid growing criticism by human rights groups of the country's use of the death penalty.
One of the three, Yasutaka Fujishiro, was convicted of killing seven people and setting fire to their house in 2004, while the other two, Tomoaki Takanezawa and Mitsunori Onogawa, were convicted in the 2003 killings of two pinball parlor employees.
Executions are carried out in high secrecy in Japan, where prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning they are hanged. Since 2007, Japan has begun disclosing the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, but information is still limited.
Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said at a news conference that the three had committed "extremely ghastly" crimes and the punishment was appropriate.
Furukawa declined to comment on the timing of the executions, often carried out during the year-end holiday season when parliament is in recess, which opponents say is an attempt by the government to reduce criticism. Japan's parliament had its final session of the year on Tuesday. "As justice minister, I authorized their executions after giving extremely careful considerations again and again," Furukawa said.
A Harvard University professor on Tuesday was convicted of U.S. charges that he lied about his ties to a China-run recruitment program, in a closely watched case stemming from a crackdown on Chinese influence within U.S. research.
A federal jury in Boston found Charles Lieber, a renowned nanoscientist and the former chairman of Harvard's chemistry department, guilty of making false statements to authorities, filing false tax returns and failing to report a Chinese bank account.
Prosecutors had said that in 2011, Lieber, in his quest for a Nobel Prize, agreed to become a "strategic scientist" at Wuhan University of Technology in China and through it participated in a Chinese recruitment drive called the Thousand Talents Program.
Prosecutors say China uses that program to recruit foreign researchers to share their knowledge with the country. Participation is not a crime, but prosecutors contend Lieber, 62, illegally lied to authorities about his involvement.
Defense lawyer Marc Mukasey had countered that prosecutors had "mangled" evidence to prove Lieber's guilt, lacked key documents to support their claims, and relied too heavily on a "confused" FBI interview with the scientist after his arrest.
Lieber, who is battling cancer, sat emotionless as the court announced the verdict, which followed nearly three hours of jury deliberations and six days of trial. Mukasey declined to comment outside the courtroom.
White fox appears in metro station
By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-12-22 18:43
A white fox was sent to Shanghai Zoo after being spotted by staff at a metro station in Shanghai.
It showed up at a metro station on Taopu Road, Putuo District, causing some panic among the passengers. The police, after receiving the report, rushed to the scene, and trapped the fox with some food.
(Video by Jiang Meiqing, Cai Huanghao)
Press Release
December 22, 2021 De Lima urges Congress to honor legislative franchise of CASURECO III Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima urged her Senate colleagues to reject House Bill (HB) No. 4437 seeking to grant franchise to distribute electric power in the City of Iriga and the towns of Baao, Balatan, Bato, Buhi, Bula and Nabua in Camarines Sur to Bicol Light and Power Corporation (Bicol Light). De Lima, who hails from Iriga City, said the important stakeholders, including incumbent Mayors of Camarines Sur, Bicol Electric Cooperative Association (BECA), and Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (PHILRECA) have all spoken out against the said measure. "The people of Camarines Sur deserve better from the Senate. I, as a daughter of Iriga City, join my fellow Iriguenos and my province mates in Cam. Sur in opposing this measure," she said. To date, CASURECO-III (Camarines Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc.-III) is facing a privatization battle against Bicol Light. The former strongly denounced and opposed HB No. 4437 that would grant franchise to the latter to "take-over" the cooperative. "I call on my colleagues to reject HB 4437. Let us honor the existing legislative franchise of CASURECO III and protect the people of Camarines Sur," added De Lima, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development. De Lima explained that the determining circumstance in this case is the existence of a legislative franchise granted to CASURECO III in the area that overlaps with those which Bicol Light seeks to serve. CASURECO III's franchise will not expire until 6 June 2029. "We are all witness to the dramatic turnaround of CASURECO III from a Category C electric cooperative in 2017 to a Category AA in 2019. This is testament to the resilience of this cooperative and its commitment to progress," she said. "The grant of a second distribution franchise in the area will undo this progress and set aside the hard work of the people of CASURECO III and its members," she added. Unlike Bicol Light, De Lima pointed out that CASURECO III seeks to provide electrification to its consumer-members within the framework of social justice and economic development. "It is not driven by a capitalist appetite but by an overarching intent to serve and provide rural electrification," she said. The lady Senator from Bicol stressed that two power distribution companies cannot co-exist in one area as one is bound to put the other out of business because of the limited nature of the market. "If Bicol Light puts CASURECO III out of business, it will be free to force its consumers to pay the cost of their entry to the market. Bicol Light does not seek to end a monopoly. It wants to be one," she said. If the Congress wants to give a chance to anyone to serve the people of Rinconada in Camarines Sur, De Lima said the former should give it to CASURECO III. Rinconada is the collective name of Iriga City and its six neighboring towns. "We already gave them a franchise. We might as well honor it. They have been, thus far, proving that they can go the distance in providing good and affordable service to their consumer-members," she said. "It behooves us to let them stay the course and show to us that even electric cooperatives have their place in our country's progress," she added.
Press Release
December 22, 2021 Dispatch from Crame No. 1193:
Sen. Leila M. De Lima on the call of CamSur Mayors and Cooperative Associations to reject Bicol Light Franchise 12/22/21 The people of Camarines Sur deserve better from the Senate. The stakeholders that matter most: Incumbent Mayors of Camarines Sur, Bicol Electric Cooperative Association (BECA), and Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (PHILRECA) have all spoken out against House Bill No. 4437, or the bill granting franchise to distribute electric power in the City of Iriga and the towns of Baao, Balatan, Bato, Buhi, Bula and Nabua in Camarines Sur to Bicol Light and Power Corporation (Bicol Light). I, as a daughter of Iriga City, join my fellow Iriguenos and my province mates in Cam. Sur in opposing this measure. The determining circumstance in this case is the existence of a legislative franchise granted to CASURECO III in the area that overlaps with those which Bicol Light seeks to serve. CASURECO III's franchise will not expire until 6 June 2029. We are all witness to the dramatic turnaround of CASURECO III from a Category C electric cooperative in 2017 to a Category AA in 2019. This is testament to the resilience of this cooperative and its commitment to progress. The grant of a second distribution franchise in the area will undo this progress and set aside the hard work of the people of CASURECO III and its members. Bicol Light is a private company with very different goals from an electric cooperative. While the proponents behind Bicol Light promise the moon and the stars in terms of electrification, it does so with the understanding that it will get a not insignificant return of its investment. CASURECO III, on the other hand, seeks to provide electrification to its consumer-members within the framework of social justice and economic development. It is not driven by a capitalist appetite but by an overarching intent to serve and provide rural electrification. Two power distribution companies cannot co-exist in one area. One is bound to put the other out of business because of the limited nature of the market. There is no doubt that Bicol Light can gather enough capital to outspend CASURECO III, but it is also certain that the consumers will pay the price of that competition. If Bicol Light puts CASURECO III out of business, it will be free to force its consumers to pay the cost of their entry to the market. Bicol Light does not seek to end a monopoly. It wants to be one. If our Congress wants to give a chance to anyone to serve the electricity needs of the people of Rinconada in Camarines Sur, we should give it to CASURECO III. We already gave them a franchise. We might as well honor it. They have been, thus far, proving that they can go the distance in providing good and affordable service to their consumer-members. It behooves us to let them stay the course and show to us that even electric cooperatives have their place in our country's progress. I call on my colleagues to reject HB 4437. Let us honor the existing legislative franchise of CASURECO III and protect the people of Camarines Sur. ### (Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_1193 )
Press Release
December 22, 2021 Learn from Subic Bay's transformation, Gordon tells BARMM officials Senator Richard J. Gordon has assured the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) of his unequivocal support in building a formidable region in the South. Speaking during the recent inaugural BARMM Donor's Forum, Gordon encouraged BARMM officials to take a page out of Subic's success book which had proven to be an outstanding formula in building a community from the ground up. "At this point in time, we start anew. I'd like to think of this as an effort at restoring the wonderful effort at creating the Bangsamoro. We want to promote the promise of the future now, and this is a very strong indication that we can do this. It can be done," he said. "May I remind you that this is basic in developing BARMM that we must follow the rule of law, that is predictability, consistency and continuity. But, above all, the people of Bangsamoro must be part of the process of change," he added. As former chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Gordon successfully rallied around 8,000 volunteers to rebuild the former Subic Bay Naval Base into the vibrant freeport, which generated over 200,000 jobs and international recognition. He then underscored the importance of self-reliance and cooperation as essential building blocks in erecting the BARMM into a sustainable economic zone that will gain the respect of the international community. The industries of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, which make up 35 percent of its economy, must be developed, according to Gordon, to help raise the residents' standard of living. One of the poorest regions in the country, Gordon provided hope for the BARMM as progress is a sure thing with reforms and credible leadership. "Bangsamoro is an integral part of our nation. With dedication and support, the region will flourish and prosper into a thriving community," he said. "We've got the poorest in our country and that should give us time for optimism. The only way to go for Bangsamoro is to go up. And we must inform our public, our fellow citizens about that," he added. As principal author and sponsor of Republic Act (RA) 11593, Gordon extended the life of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority by postponing its first elections from 2022 to 2025. Serving as volunteer-chairman of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) since 2004, Gordon has provided more than PhP900 million worth of relief and assistance to the residents of BARMM. Among the various projects the PRC had done was the construction of 20,500 houses built for approximately 13,000 families affected by earthquakes, Typhoon Vinta, and the Marawi armed conflict. To adequately respond to the pandemic in the area, the PRC opened a molecular laboratory in Cotabato City, which caters to thousands of residents in the area. As the country's largest testing facility, the PRC has tested over 5,000,000 samples since April 2020. Gordon also bared the PRC's plans for 2022 by initiating a PRC campaign that will focus on hygiene and vaccination for over 100,000 individuals, and the continued stimulation of its local economy through conditional cash grants that will provide purchasing power for its residents.
Press Release
December 22, 2021 Lacson Pushes 2-Pronged Approach to Speed Up 'Odette' Relief Efforts An initial Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) that can help pinpoint areas to prioritize relief efforts on one hand, and calling on the international community for relief assistance on the other. This is the two-pronged formula that can ensure Filipinos affected by Typhoon Odette will get their much-needed assistance, Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson said. Lacson, who chairs the Senate Committee on National Defense and who served as Presidential Assistant on Rehabilitation and Recovery (PARR), said these will complement the initial steps taken by the government to address the situation. "It is imperative that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), expedite the submission of their initial PDNA (Post Disaster Needs Assessment), in order to have an accurate data-driven information on the ground so the national government can prioritize relief, rehabilitation and recovery efforts and assistance to the hardest hit communities," he said. "For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) may also call on the international community of nations for relief assistance just like how they responded to Haiyan (Yolanda) eight years ago," he added. Lacson noted the designation of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista as the interim crisis manager is one move toward the right direction. But he added the NDRRMC must convene soonest to make sure that the agencies involved in relief work are on the same page. "In calamities like this, putting somebody overall in charge is the best and right thing to do. Also, the NDRRMC will need to convene ASAP," he said. During his stint as PARR, Lacson put together the Yolanda Comprehensive Reconstruction Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP) to serve as a basis for immediate government interventions in the affected areas. The CRRP also facilitates international donor assistance and provides Projects, Programs, and Activities (PPAs) to meet the needs as identified in the PDNA (ground verified information from the OCD). As PARR from 2013 to 2015, Lacson had seen first-hand what challenges a massive catastrophe can bring to government, the private sector and affected communities. As chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Lacson also heads the Joint Oversight Committee on the NDRRMC Act of 2010. "This is beyond a policy or a legislative issue already. The issue of implementation is a big factor, too. We have to systematically approach the way we plan, prepare, deploy, recover and rebuild from any disaster - whether natural or man-made. Given its whole-of-nation, multi-sectoral nature, I believe a more experienced, more hands-on President will go a long way in ensuring that better policies and strategies, better planning, a more coordinated response, and more institutional and sustainable mechanisms are all put in place," he said.
Press Release
December 22, 2021 Pangilinan thanks foreign govts, international aid agencies for Odette help ILOILO CITY -- Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan expresses his gratitude to foreign governments and international aid agencies for their timely outpouring of assistance for victims of Super Typhoon Odette. "We thank our neighbors once again for being one with the Filipino in this time of great need. We are deeply humbled and thankful. Maraming salamat po," said Pangilinan, who was among the first to call for international assistance in the aftermath of the Category-5 typhoon. United States, China, Japan, and United Kingdom were among the countries that have sent the Philippines relief goods that include food, bottled drinking water, generators, tents and sleeping pads, water containers, and plastic sheets. "The world has come together anew to bring succor and hope to Filipinos who now face Christmas without homes, food, potable water, and electricity," Pangilinan said. "Foreign governments and aid agencies, which are also battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, did not think twice about giving what they can to our people," he said. "Hindi sila nagreklamo na lubog sila na utang o kaya naman ay hirap din sa pondo dahil sa pandemya. Hindi sila nagdalawang-isip, nagbigay agad ng tulong," he added. Pangilinan said international aid is necessary because in confronting the escalating effects of climate change, the Philippines' resources are likely to be strained to the limit. Odette, known internationally as Rai, is the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, leaving a trail of destruction in parts of Visayas and Mindanao where food and water are still scarce, while power and communication lines have yet to be fully restored. As of December 22, the cyclone has killed 177, displaced over half a million people, and damaged over P300 million worth of agricultural products and infrastructure worth P225 million, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The Florida Department of Health in Leon County Recognizes One Year of COVID-19 Vaccines in Leon County
The Florida Department of Health in Leon County Recognizes One Year of COVID-19 Vaccines in Leon County
Since December 2020, more than 169,000 doses of vaccine have been administered across Leon County
TALLAHASSEE, FL One year ago this month, the first COVID-19 vaccine shipment arrived in Leon County. In late December, the Florida Department of Health in Leon County (DOH Leon) began sponsoring COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Since December 2020, our immunizations team has directly administered 30,893 doses. Countywide, more than 169,000 doses of vaccine have been successfully administered. Additionally, nearly 60 % of eligible people (age five and older) in Leon County have received at least one dose of vaccine.
DOH Leon recognizes that these remarkable milestones could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of health care workers, public health providers, first responders, community members, and countless others who have protected our communities by giving out life-saving vaccines.
It is amazing to see how far we have come in just one year, said Claudia Blackburn, DOH Leon Health Officer. From mass vaccination sites, to public-private partnerships, mobile vaccination, neighborhood pop-up events and more, it is clear this response has taken an immense amount of ingenuity and hard work.
With the holidays approaching and people gathering, it is critical and urgent to act now to protect yourselves and your family and friends. Vaccinating and boosting against COVID-19 remain the most effective ways for people to protect themselves from serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
Vaccine eligibility is now expanded to include children as young as five. Seeing children as young as 5 get their COVID-19 vaccines is another great illustration of the progress that has happened over the past year, said Blackburn. As we head into 2022, I want to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and boosted to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our community as a whole.
Booster doses are now recommended for everyone 16 and older six months after completing an mRNA vaccine series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or two months after receiving the single shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Visit https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/ to learn more about COVID-19 in Florida including monoclonal antibody therapy treatment sites. If you have questions specific to Leon County, please call our DOH Leon COVID-19 Call Center at 850-404-6300, then press 2 or talk with your trusted health care provider. Our helpline is staffed Monday through Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
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Kuwaits Interior ministry has deported after interrogation two Egyptians charged for providing financial support to Iran-backed and Lebanese powerful movement Hezbollah, blacklisted terrorist organization by several western countries, reports say.
The two Egyptians not identified, were considered threat to the Gulf countrys national security.
They feature among 23 people interrogated for two months over working for Hezbollah charges.
Kuwait also blacklisted the movement in 2016. Last month, prosecutors in Kuwait also detained 18 people suspected of financing the powerful Shia Lebanese group.
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[December 22, 2021] EMRIT ANNOUNCES YEAR-END DEVELOPMENTS & LATAM EXPANSION AS THEY GROW WEB3 ADOPTION BUILDING A NEW BLOCKCHAIN CATEGORY ATLANTA, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emrit, Inc., a pioneering distributed blockchain infrastructure company, announced today year-end developments including a strategic partnership with C3ntro, a leading telecommunication company supplying Voice, SMS, Data, and Fiber services to carriers around the world and Versa a mining company focused on developing mining rigs for REITs in Mexico. Additionally, Emrit Inc. announced new appointments to their leadership team, including Harumi Urata-Thompson as Chief Financial Officer, and Ryan Derouin, as Head of Commercial. A visionary in the blockchain space, Emrit's businesses model is accelerating the deployment of energy-efficient Web3 applications that mine cryptocurrency, including Helium, the world's first decentralized IoT network, and PlanetWatch, a global air-quality monitoring system using blockchain and IoT. The partnership with C3ntro has Emrit supplying Helium IoT gateways that also mine cryptocurrency, allowing C3ntro to offer their customers new revenue generating services while Emrit subsidizes network deployment costs with cryptocurrency mining rewards. C3ntro VP of Global Carriers Abraham Smeke commented, "Our partnership with Emrit allows us to deploy new, innovative solutions to our customers at a fraction of capex associated with a typical IoT deployment. This Web3 model has the potential disrupt the telecommunications industry, particularly during the current challenges for Mexican tower companies, and we're excited to be at the forefront of this potential shift." In 2021, Emrit deployed tens of thousands of Helium hotspots to consumers and enterprises in North America and Europe, proving a business model of sharing cryptocurrency mining rewards for hosting ready-to-deploy blockchain solutions works. The C3ntro/ Versa partnership marks the first major commercial partnership in Latin America as Emrit aggressively expands the Helium IoT network in new markets. Emrit CEO, Jiten Varu, commented, "Our consumer and enterprie hosts have earned tens of millions in cryptocurrency rewards over the last year, for simply providing a steady internet connection and electricity equivalent to a 5-watt lightbulb. As we look to hyperscale our business, partnerships with C3ntro will significantly speed the adoption of Web3 applications, and we're delighted to welcome exceptional executives like Harumi and Ryan to help us accelerate this growth."
Harumi joins Emrit from Celsius Network, where she most recently served as a Chief Financial and Investment Officer. Her initial focus will include overseeing the finance department and investor relations initiatives. Her expertise includes leading companies on a growth trajectory from a strategic, operational, and financial perspective from an array of fintech categories including, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, and cybersecurity. Having started in the investment banking industry, she held several leadership positions at both finance and fintech companies. Ryan joins Emrit from OKdo where he served as a Vice President of Commercial. He has strategically led the commercial and global sales teams of several businesses including startups and IoT solutions. He has wide industry experience from Oil & Gas to Power Generation, IoT/M2M, telecommunications, logistics and medical equipment industries. During his previous stints, he worked with Carnegie Technologies, SIGFOX, GE, and with the US Army as a Captain. About Emrit, Inc.
Emrit Inc. has pioneered the new category of distributed blockchain infrastructure, sharing cryptocurrency rewards with a global community of consumers and businesses. Established in 2018, Emrit provides customers out-of-the box Web3 applications, allowing them to earn a share of cryptocurrency rewards in exchange for a steady internet connection and a small amount of electricity. Emrit makes it easy for anyone to earn cryptocurrency, expanding access to Web3 opportunities so the entire community can benefit. With fully integrated ready-to-deploy blockchain solutions for both consumers and enterprises, Emrit is committed to making a decentralized web a reality. To learn more, please visit Emrit or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. About C3ntro
We are an international carrier with 25 years of unparalleled experience supplying Voice, SMS, Data & Fiber services to carriers around the world. C3NTRO Telecom is the operator of choice for advanced international Voice and Data connectivity backed by our reliable, state-of-the-art global network, with more than 300 direct interconnections and in-country partners worldwide. As a licensed Local operator in Mexico e also provide integrated solutions for Mexican enterprises & multinational organizations, which include: UCaaS, SMS Integration, DID's, Videoconference, Microsoft enterprise solutions and Cloud Contact Center services, Digital Signage, Security, and SDN networks. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emrit-announces-year-end-developments--latam-expansion-as-they-grow-web3-adoption-building-a-new-blockchain-category-301449654.html SOURCE Emrit
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Rogue planets are elusive cosmic objects that have masses comparable to those of the planets in our Solar System but do not orbit a star, instead roaming freely on their own.
Not many were known until now, but a team of astronomers, using data from several European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescopes and other facilities, have just discovered at least 70 new rogue planets in our galaxy. This is the largest group of rogue planets ever discovered, an important step towards understanding the origins and features of these mysterious galactic nomads.
"We did not know how many to expect and are excited to have found so many," says Nuria Miret-Roig, an astronomer at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, France and the University of Vienna, Austria, and the first author of the new study published today in Nature Astronomy.
Rogue planets, lurking far away from any star illuminating them, would normally be impossible to image. However, Miret-Roig and her team took advantage of the fact that, in the few million years after their formation, these planets are still hot enough to glow, making them directly detectable by sensitive cameras on large telescopes. They found at least 70 new rogue planets with masses comparable to Jupiter's in a star-forming region close to our Sun, located within the Scorpius and Ophiuchus constellations [1].
To spot so many rogue planets, the team used data spanning about 20 years from a number of telescopes on the ground and in space. "We measured the tiny motions, the colours and luminosities of tens of millions of sources in a large area of the sky," explains Miret-Roig. "These measurements allowed us to securely identify the faintest objects in this region, the rogue planets."
The team used observations from ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA), the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) and the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope located in Chile, along with other facilities. "The vast majority of our data come from ESO observatories, which were absolutely critical for this study. Their wide field of view and unique sensitivity were keys to our success," explains Herve Bouy, an astronomer at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, France, and project leader of the new research. "We used tens of thousands of wide-field images from ESO facilities, corresponding to hundreds of hours of observations, and literally tens of terabytes of data."
The team also used data from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite, marking a huge success for the collaboration of ground- and space-based telescopes in the exploration and understanding of our Universe.
The study suggests there could be many more of these elusive, starless planets that we have yet to discover. "There could be several billions of these free-floating giant planets roaming freely in the Milky Way without a host star," Bouy explains.
By studying the newly found rogue planets, astronomers may find clues to how these mysterious objects form. Some scientists believe rogue planets can form from the collapse of a gas cloud that is too small to lead to the formation of a star, or that they could have been kicked out from their parent system. But which mechanism is more likely remains unknown.
Further advances in technology will be key to unlocking the mystery of these nomadic planets. The team hopes to continue to study them in greater detail with ESO's forthcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in the Chilean Atacama Desert and due to start observations later this decade. "These objects are extremely faint and little can be done to study them with current facilities," says Bouy. "The ELT will be absolutely crucial to gathering more information about most of the rogue planets we have found."
Notes
[1] The exact number of rogue planets found by the team is hard to pin down because the observations don't allow the researchers to measure the masses of the probed objects. Objects with masses higher than about 13 times the mass of Jupiter are most likely not planets, so they cannot be included in the count. However, since the team didn't have values for the mass, they had to rely on studying the planets' brightness to provide an upper limit to the number of rogue planets observed. The brightness is, in turn, related to the age of the planets themselves, as the older the planet, the longer it has been cooling down and reducing in brightness. If the studied region is old, then the brightest objects in the sample are likely above 13 Jupiter masses, and below if the region is on the younger side. Given the uncertainty in the age of the study region, this method gives a rogue planet count of between 70 and 170.
More information
This research was presented in the paper "A rich population of free-floating planets in the Upper Scorpius young stellar association" to appear in Nature Astronomy (DOI: 10.1038/s41550-021-01513-x). It has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 682903, P.I. H. Bouy), and from the French State in the framework of the "Investments for the Future" Program, IdEx Bordeaux, reference ANR-10-IDEX-03-02.
The team is composed of Nuria Miret-Roig (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, France [LAB]; University of Vienna, Department of Astrophysics, Austria), Herve Bouy (LAB), Sean N. Raymond (LAB), Motohide Tamura (Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan; Astrobiology Center, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Tokyo, Japan [ABC-NINS]), Emmanuel Bertin (CNRS, UMR 7095, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris,France [IAP]; Sorbonne Universite, IAP, France) David Barrado (Centro de Astrobiologia [CSIC-INTA], Depto. de Astrofisica, ESAC Campus, Spain), Javier Olivares (LAB), Phillip Galli (LAB), Jean-Charles Cuillandre (AIM, CEA, CNRS, Universite Paris-Saclay, Universite de Paris, France), Luis Manuel Sarro (Depto. de Inteligencia Artificial, UNED, Spain) Angel Berihuete (Depto. Estadistica e Investigacion Operativa, Universidad de Cadiz, Spain) & Nuria Huelamo (CSIC-INTA).
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all. We design, build and operate world-class observatories on the ground -- which astronomers use to tackle exciting questions and spread the fascination of astronomy -- and promote international collaboration in astronomy. Established as an intergovernmental organisation in 1962, today ESO is supported by 16 Member States (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO's headquarters and its visitor centre and planetarium, the ESO Supernova, are located close to Munich in Germany, while the Chilean Atacama Desert, a marvellous place with unique conditions to observe the sky, hosts our telescopes. ESO operates three observing sites: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its Very Large Telescope Interferometer, as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. Together with international partners, ESO operates APEX and ALMA on Chajnantor, two facilities that observe the skies in the millimetre and submillimetre range. At Cerro Armazones, near Paranal, we are building "the world's biggest eye on the sky" -- ESO's Extremely Large Telescope. From our offices in Santiago, Chile we support our operations in the country and engage with Chilean partners and society.
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SpaceX has rolled out its Falcon 9 rocket with the Cargo Dragon vehicle attached to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Falcon 9 is due to lift off at 5:06 a.m. EST on Tuesday placing the Cargo Dragon into orbit for a docking at the International Space Station at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Expedition 66 Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Thomas Marshburn of NASA will be on duty monitoring the Cargo Dragon's automated docking to the Harmony module's space-facing port. Dragon is delivering about 6,500 pounds crew supplies and new science experiments including a cancer treatment study and a handheld bioprinter. Live launch coverage begins at 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website.
The orbiting lab has returned to its occupancy rate of seven crew members after three visitors departed and returned to Earth on Sunday. Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin led spaceflight participants Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano inside the Soyuz MS-20 crew ship when they undocked from the Poisk module at 6:50 p.m. EST. The trio aboard the Soyuz parachuted to landing in Kazakhstan less than three-and-a-half hours later completing an 11-day station mission.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads:
Advanced Nano Step: The crew removed the Nano Step experiment cartridge and Nano Step specimen cell from the Solution Crystallization Observation Facility (SCOF) and stowed the items in The Freezer-Refrigerator Of STirling cycle-2 (FROST-2). The Effects of Impurities on Perfection of Protein Crystals, Partition Functions, and Growth Mechanisms (Advanced Nano Step) experiment monitors and records how the incorporation of specific impurity molecules affect the development and quality of protein crystals as they grow in a quartz cell aboard the ISS. The crystals grown on the ISS are returned to Earth and characterized using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The protein crystal and impurity interactions are managed and monitored jointly by both scientists on the ground and the ISS crew.
Bio-Analyzer: The crew collected a finger blood sample, processed the sample by mixing with reagents and centrifuging, and then analyzed the sample using the Bio-Analyzer system. Two different samples were processed to confirm reliability. Bio-Analyzer is a CSA onboard instrument that serves as a platform for scientific experiments on the ISS. The instrument performs on-orbit quantification of biological molecules and cellular composition in samples collected and prepared aboard the ISS.
Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF): The crew reconfigured the cables on ELF to support a planned software load, and then put the ELF back in its nominal configuration. ELF is an experimental facility designed to levitate, melt and solidify materials by containerless processing techniques using the electrostatic levitation method. With this facility, thermophysical properties of high temperature melts can be measured and solidification from deeply undercooled melts can be achieved.
Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Ellipsoids-4 (InSPACE-4): The crew set the appropriate parameters and adjusted the camera field of view to begin processing of run 95. InSPACE-4 studies the assembly of tiny structures from colloids using magnetic fields. These structures change the properties of the assembled material, such as its mechanical response to or interaction with light and heat. Microgravity allows observation of these assembly processes free of confining sample walls and sedimentation and during timescales not possible using simulated microgravity. Results could provide insight into how to harness nanoparticles to fabricate and manufacture new materials.
Kubik setup: The crew set up Kubik-5 and Kubik-6 and connected them to the Multi-Purpose Computer Communication (MPCC) system. Kubik is a small controlled-temperature incubator or cooler with removable inserts designed for self-contained, automatic microgravity investigations such as those using seeds, cells.
Materials Science Research Rack/Materials Science Laboratory/Sample Cartridge Assembly (MSRR/MSL/SCA): The crew exchanged SCAs to prepare for the next experiment run, currently scheduled for early next year. The MSL is used for basic materials research in the microgravity environment of the ISS. The MSL can accommodate and support diverse experiment modules. In this way many material types, such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, can be studied to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
Systems:
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis & Data Record: The crew performed an analysis of the Water Processing Assembly (WPA) using the TOCA. The TOCA unit oxidizes organic carbon species present in the water to carbon dioxide gas and measures the concentration using nondispersive infrared spectroscopy. Analysis of the potable water using the TOCA occurs on a weekly basis.
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Mobility Unit (EMU) Return Prep Activities: Today crew performed preparation activities for EMU return on SpX-24. A suit reconfiguration was performed which consisted of the EMU Lower Torso Assembly disassembly and packing of Brief/Waist Assembly and Boots for SpX-24 return. The EMU was then prepped for installation into the Short EMU (SEMU) Launch Enclosure (SLE) by configuring the EMU for landing and installing ancillary hardware.
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) In Flight Maintenance (IFM): As part of regularly scheduled preventative maintenance, the crew performed a manual WHC flush tank fill. By using a post-flight analysis bag to capture any pressure relief, also known as the burp, they depressurized the flush water tank and water valve block to protect the dose pump. This pump is critical as it injects the pre-treat required to properly recycle waste urine.
Lab Vestibule Leak Check: The crew successfully completed the Lab Vestibule Leak Checks today in order inspect seal integrity following damage revealed upon inspection of the Lab Forward and Lab Aft Hatch seals. The 65S and Crew-3 crews were isolated aft and forward of the Lab respectively. Access to life support and personal items was prepped, with CO2 and O2levels remaining within acceptable levels for the duration of the 4.5 isolation timeframe. Crew depressed the Node 1/Lab Vestibule to 5 psi and performed a leak check, followed by the Lab/Node 2 Vestibule depress using the Pressure Management Device (PMD). The crew then terminated the leak check and repressed for re-ingress, after which crew reopened the hatches and tore down and stowed the leak check support equipment.
Dragon SpX-24 Arrival Preparations: The crew completed SpX-24 Dragon On-Board Training (OBT) activities today, beginning with a review of rendezvous docking target assessment using Computer Based Training (CBT) and Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics (DOUG). This was followed by a review of the ISS Homepage, Ops Product tab, Controlled Documents, and SpaceX Crew Dragon: Rendezvous and Departure CBT. These activities concluded with a debrief and Q&A between ISS crew members and SpX-24 ground team and instructors.
Completed Task List Activities:
IFM OGS Internal ACTEX Pre-Flush (12/18)
COL WOOV Audit (12/19)
Thermo-mini Headbands packing (12/19)
Vacuum Coordless Big Picture Words (12/19)
WHC Pump Separator R&R (12/19)
ESA PAO Message with Matthias Maurer (12/18, 12/19, 12/20)
Today's Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
DDCU Powerdown
ARS Lab CDRA Deactivation
Enable Node 3 PPR and Node 2 Cabin Pressure cautions
THC IMV Reconfiguration
THC IMV Valve Reconfiguration
HD Video Downlink Expansion Checkout
Restore Node 3 PPR and Node 2 Cabin Pressure C&W to nominal configuration
VDS EHDC for ISS External Survey
Look Ahead Plan
Tuesday, December 21 (GMT 355)
Payloads:
CIR/ACME bottle exchange
InSPACE-4 experiment runs and stow
LMM hardware pack
LSG setup
NutrISS
POLAR proc review
Ring Sheared Drop setup for motor t/s
Systems:
Cargo Dragon - Station Support Computer Relocate
ECLSS Recycle Tank Drain
PMD Equipment Setup for H2 Vent Valve Leak Rate Characterization
ERA training
Crew opens H2/N2 Vent Male Purge Adapter in support of the H2 Vent Valve Characterization
Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap
Dragon Rendezvous Operations Conference
Review Cargo Ops products prior to the Cargo Conference
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
Wednesday, December 22 (GMT 356)
Payloads:
DCB unpack
EasyMotion
Food Acceptability
Ice Cubes
Micro Age
NutrISS
PAUL XFR/install
PCG-20
Rhodium Cryptobiology
Systems:
Docking Dragon Monitoring Tools Setup
Dragon Zenith Approach Monitoring
Node 2 to Dragon Pressurization and Leak Check
Dragon Monitoring Tools Teardown
Node 2 to Dragon Final Pressurization and Vestibule prep for Ingress
OBT Dragon Emergency Review
Dragon Cargo Transfer
Thursday, December 23 (GMT 357)
Payloads:
AWP
DCB unpack
Dragon locker remove
Food Physiology
LSG setup
Low Temp PCG
Micro Age
Moderate Temp PCG
Nanoracks module 63, 94, 100 installation
NutrISS
PCG-20
Tangolab-4
Touching Surfaces
Systems:
Dragon Cargo Transfer
OBT Dragon Emergency Review
ERA manipulator checkout under
Dragon Docking Station Support Computer Relocation
SSC 10 and 20 Swap
CMS ARED Cable Arm Rope Flip
Dragon-24 Locker Removal
IMS Conference
Today's Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
INSPACE-4 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 4) Experiment Run Ops
MELFI 2 Ice Brick Transfer
Advanced Nano Step Cartridge and Nano Step Specimen Cell (S/N ANS003) Removal
Extravehicular Activity Extravehicular Mobility Unit SpaceX-24 Reconfiguration
Crew Alternate Sleep Accommodation (CASA) Duct Disconnect/Reconnect
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Short Extravehicular Mobility Unit (SEMU) Launch Enclosure (SLE) Return Preparation
Kubik 5 setup on COL1D2
Kubik 6 setup on COL1D3
Ring Sheared Drop Procedure Review
MELFI 1 Ice Brick Transfer
Bio-Analyzer Cellular Labeling Microbubbles Analysis Session 2
Ring Sheared Drop Hardware Gather
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill Initiation & Termination
Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS) Node 1/Lab Vestibule Leak Check PREGATHER
LAB Isolation Preparation
INSPACE-4 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 4) Experiment Run Conclude
Material Science Laboratory SCA Exchange
MSL Historical Photo
Pressure Mangement Device (PMD) Equipment Setup for Lab-N2 Vestibule Leak Check
Solid Combustion (SCEM) and Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) Item Gathering
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill Termination
MSL Support Plate Handle fastener bolt installation
CHeCS Emergency Health Maintenance System Contingency Drill Training
Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS) Node 1/Lab Vestibule Leak Check Prep Steps
Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS) Node 1/Lab Vestibule Leak Check Part 1 and Part 2
Photo/TV Camcorder Troubleshooting
Solid Combustion (SCEM) CPU Board Removal
N2 Aft MPEV open
SpaceX-24 Dragon Rendezvous review CBT
EasyMotion Suit stow
HRF Rack 2 PC Software Integrated Build Load Installation Preparation
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Social Media Event
On-Board Training (OBT) Conference after Rendezvous CBT review
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS) Node 1/Lab Vestibule leak check tear down and Stow
Lab-N2 Vestibule repress via MPEV
Downlink Expansion Audio and Video Checkout
Bio-Analyzer Microbubbles Conclude and Stow
Pressure Management Device Equipment Teardown.
XF705 Camcorder Setup
Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) Software upload Cable Disconnection/Connection
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
ISS HAM Kenwood Radio Power Up
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A SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft carrying more than 6,500 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo is on its way to the International Space Station after launching at 5:07 a.m. EST Tuesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy for the company's 24th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. It is scheduled to autonomously dock at the space station around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22, and remain there for about a month. Coverage of arrival will begin at 3 a.m. on NASA Television, the agency's website, and the NASA app.
A SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft carrying more than 6,500 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo is on its way to the International Space Station after launching at 5:07 a.m. EST Tuesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Among the science experiments Dragon is delivering to the space station are:
Bioprinting bandages
Bioprinting uses viable cells and biological molecules to print tissue structures. The German Aerospace Center study Bioprint FirstAid demonstrates a portable, handheld bioprinter that uses a patient's own skin cells to create a tissue-forming patch to cover a wound and accelerate the healing process. On future missions to the Moon and Mars, bioprinting such customized patches could help address changes in wound healing that can occur in space and complicate treatment. Personalized healing patches also have potential benefits on Earth, providing safer and more flexible treatment anywhere needed.
Improving delivery of cancer drugs
Monoclonal antibodies, used to treat a wide range of human diseases, do not dissolve easily in liquid and so typically must be given intravenously in a clinical setting. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space Protein Chystal Growth 20 (CASIS PCG 20) experiment continues work on crystallizing a monoclonal antibody, pembrolizumab, that Merck Research Labs developed. It is the active ingredient in Keytruda, a drug that targets multiple cancers. Scientists analyze these crystals to learn more about the structure and behavior of the component to create drug formulations that can be administered at a doctor's office or even at home.
Assessing infection risk
Scientists have observed that spaceflight sometimes increases the virulence of potentially harmful microbes and reduces human immune function, increasing the risk for infectious disease. Host-Pathogen assesses space-induced changes in immune status by culturing cells collected from crew members before, during, and after spaceflight with both "normal" bacteria and bacteria grown under simulated spaceflight conditions. Results could help assess the potential risk infectious microbes may pose and may support development of countermeasures. This could improve care for those with compromised immune systems on Earth.
Roots, shoots, and leaves
Multi Variable Platform (MVP) Plant-01 profiles and monitors the development of the shoots and roots of plants in microgravity. Plants could serve as a vital part of human life support systems for long-duration spaceflight and habitation of the Moon and Mars. However, space-grown plants experience stress from various factors and recent studies indicate changes in plant gene expression in response to those stressors. Improved understanding of these changes could enable the design of plants that are better suited for growth in spaceflight environments.
Toward lunar laundromats
Astronauts on the space station wear items of clothing several times, then replace them with new clothes delivered on resupply missions. Limited cargo capacity makes this a challenge, and resupply is not an option for longer missions, such as those to the Moon and Mars. In a collaboration with NASA, and sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory, Proctor & Gamble has developed Tide Infinity, a fully degradable detergent specifically designed for use in space, and the P&G Telescience Investigation of Detergent Experiments (PGTIDE) study the performance of its stain removal ingredients and the formulation's stability in microgravity. Once proven in space, Tide plans to use the new cleaning methods and detergent to advance sustainable, low-resource-use laundry solutions on Earth.
Parts made in space
Turbine Superalloy Casting Module (SCM) tests a commercial manufacturing device that processes heat-resistant alloy parts in microgravity. Alloys are materials made up of at least two different chemical elements, one of which is a metal. Researchers expect more uniform microstructures and improved mechanical properties in superalloy parts processed in microgravity compared to those processed on Earth. These superior materials could improve the performance of turbine engines in industries such as aerospace and power generation on Earth.
Students and citizens as space scientists
Students enrolled in institutions of higher learning can design and build microgravity experiments as part of NASA's Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS). As part of their experiments, selected teams include students in kindergarten through 12 grade as citizen scientists. Citizen science allows individuals who are not professional scientists to contribute to real-world research. The NASA STEM on Station project is funding experiments flying on this SpaceX resupply mission, including a study on antibiotic resistance in microgravity from Columbia University in New York and one on how microgravity affects bacteria-resistant polymers from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.
These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars through NASA's Artemis program.
Learn more about SpaceX's mission for NASA at:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
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By Azernews
By Ayya Lmahamad
Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov has said that more than 12.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas have been transported via TANAP and TAP pipelines so far.
He made the remarks during the conference "Model of Azerbaijan's development: yesterday, today and tomorrow", Trend reported.
Shahbazov stated that about 545 million tons of oil have been produced since the commissioning of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of fields. He added that so far, about $155 billion has been received from the sale of gas from the ACG block of fields.
At the same time, the minister stated that the 140 MW Khudafarin and Giz Galasi hydroelectric power plants will be built on the Azerbaijani liberated territories within the next two-three years. He added that the region will turn into a "green energy" region thanks to these hydropower plants.
One of our main priorities is the implementation of a number of big projects on the liberated Azerbaijani territories through foreign investments, he said.
He mentioned that the first example of foreign green investments in these spheres is cooperation with BP on a 240-MW solar power plant.
Another project with foreign investments is planned to be implemented in Kalbajar and Lachin regions. A document requesting information was sent for investors to reveal interest in a 100 MW wind power project, he said.
The minister added that the corresponding work is also underway to use the hydropower on the liberated territories.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan is taking measures to develop renewable energy resources on its territories liberated from Armenia's occupation in 2020 and to turn the Karabakh region into the green energy zone. In this regard, the Energy Ministry and BP have signed an Implementation agreement to build a 240MW solar power plant in liberated Zangilan and Jabrayil regions.
TANAP is the central part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which connects the giant Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe through the South Caucasus Pipeline and TAP. The pipeline has strategic importance as it allows the Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe. The capacity of the pipeline is planned to be increased up to 23 billion cubic meters by 2023, 31 billion cubic meters by 2026, and at the final stage 60 billion cubic meters.
TAP is part of the Southern Gas Corridor and is a pipeline project to transport natural gas, starting from Greece via Albania and the Adriatic Sea to Italy and further to Western Europe. The pipeline is supplied by natural gas from the second stage of Azerbaijans Shah Deniz gas field development in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea through the South Caucasus Pipeline and TANAP. The initial capacity of the pipeline is about 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, with the option to expand the capacity up to 20 billion cubic meters.
By Azernews
By Laman Ismayilova
Azerbaijan intends to expand cultural cooperation with Norway.
The prospects of further cooperation have been discussed between the Culture Minister Anar Karimov and the Norwegian Ambassador to Azerbaijan and Turkey Erling Skjonsberg.
In his speech, Anar Karimov noted that there are favorable opportunities for further expansion of cultural ties between the two countries. He stressed the importance of exchanging experience in culture, cinema and music.
The Culture Minister drew attention to the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, which has been traditionally held since 2011 within the Baku Process initiative initiated by President Ilham Aliyev in 2008.
He also informed the Norwegian Ambassador about "Peace4Culture" global campaign aimed at preserving cultural heritage and creating peaceful and sustainable societies.
The Norwegian Ambassador expressed his deep interest in the global campaign. He emphasised the importance of cooperation within the project.
Mr. Erling Skjonsberg stressed that culture is the most powerful tool that unites peoples and countries.
The meeting continued with a discussion of a number of issues of mutual interest.
The Culture Minister Anar Karimov has also met with the Spain's Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Mediation Ramon Blecua Casas to discuss the cultural cooperation.
In his remarks, Anar Karimov praised the favorable opportunities for further expansion of cultural ties between the two countries.
Noting the importance of joint activities, Anar Karimov reiterated the successful cooperation within the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, traditionally held since 2011 within the Baku Process initiated by President Ilham Aliyev in 2008.
The Culture Minister invited Ramon Blecua Casas to join "Peace4Culture" global campaign.
The Spanish Ambassador expressed his deep interest in the global campaign and stressed the importance of preserving Azerbaijan's cultural heritage.
The Ambassador noted that culture is the most powerful tool that unites peoples, countries and humanity in general.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze on December 21.
The sides hailed the development of bilateral Azerbaijan-Georgia friendly relations in various areas, including in the field of military cooperation.
They expressed the confidence that the Georgian Defense Minister's visit to Azerbaijan would contribute to the expansion of bilateral ties between the two countries.
By Trend
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev played a leading role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in the world by taking various initiatives and stressing the need for equal opportunity for all the peoples of the world to have vaccines, former Director-General of ICESCO, Member of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center Abdulaziz Altwaijri told Trend.
Altwaijri added that this humane spirit shows the high feeling of responsibility by President Ilham Aliyev towards all the people of the world especially those who can not have access to vaccination due to economic constraints.
The former Director-General of ICESCO also highly appreciated the efforts of President Ilham Aliyev to ensure sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.
The South Caucasus countries can create a prosperous and developed region if Armenia joins Azerbaijan and Turkey with constructive mentality and abandons its aggressive and destructive policies, former Director-General of ICESCO said.
Altwaijri added that President Ilham Aliyev has always called for dialogue and cooperation and he is still calling for it.
The environment is now very suitable for reconciliation and opening a new chapter in the relations between the three countries, former Director-General of ICESCO said.
To make the provisions of the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia successful and beneficial for the concerned countries there must be a cessation of all hostility and propaganda from Armenia, and fair and faithful supervision from Russia to implement those provisions, Altwaijri said. It seems that after the last meeting of the leaders of the three countries there is some hope that this might happen.
Former Director-General of ICESCO said that the region will have great opportunities for economic integration that will benefit all of its people and will create a strong market that can attract more investments.
Altwaijri added that the Nizami Ganjavi International Center has always received support and encouragement from President Ilham Aliyev which enables it to carry its responsibilities and do its work in the best manner and advance its position in the world.
The Nizami Ganjavi International Center has become one of the most prestigious forums in the world and has contributed to solving and tackling global issues, the former Director-General of ICESCO said. We, as members in it, are very proud of the President's support and patronage of its work, and are very appreciative of its achievements.
By Vugar Khalilov
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Kyrgyz Security Council Deputy Chairman Talatbek Masadykov have discussed economic ties, regional and global security issues, the ministry reported on December 21.
Azerbaijani-Kyrgyz relations are improving rapidly and that political communication between the two countries is at an all-time high, Bayramov said at the meeting with Masadykov.
He stressed the importance of the existing Azerbaijani-Kyrgyz economic ties, as well as the activities of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission in the economic and humanitarian spheres.
The minister remarked on the continued growth of the effective cooperation between the two countries as well as within international organizations.
Furthermore, Bayramov briefed the guest about the regional situation, Azerbaijans vision for the future development of it, the post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction carried out by the government in the liberated lands, as well as the normalization of relations with Armenia and implementation of trilateral statements signed by Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia in 2020.
In turn, Masadykov stated that the two countries have traditionally had good relations.
He added that the Kyrgyz people celebrated Azerbaijans every victory that had grown gradually during its first years of independence under national leader Heydar Aliyev's leadership and later under President Ilham Aliyev's leadership.
The parties discussed the future of bilateral relations, emphasizing that contacts between the two nations, especially high-level visits, will help to propel ties forward.
The senior officials also touched upon the situation in Afghanistan, its impact on surrounding countries, and the outcomes of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's Council of Foreign Ministers' emergency session on Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijans Digital Development and Transport Deputy Minister Rovshan Rustamov and Kyrgyzstans State Communications Agency Director Talant Kalikov discussed bilateral cooperation in space and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) field.
Kalikov is visiting Azerbaijan to participate in the first business meeting of space agency representatives and organizations of Turkic-speaking countries.
During the meeting, the guests were informed about the operation mechanism of the registration system for mobile devices IMEI in Azerbaijan. It was also noted that there is an opportunity to exchange experience in this area.
Earlier, Kyrgyz ambassador Kairat Osmonaliyev said that the two countries will sign a strategic partnership declaration in 2022.
According to Osmonaliyev, relations between the two countries are reaching a higher level of strategic partnership.
"Besides, from 2022 its planned to intensify cooperation in all areas, such as education and transport sectors, preparation and approval of joint projects, the establishment of an investment fund, construction of an oil refinery in Kyrgyzstan, and others," he said.
The diplomat also noted that next year the two countries are expected to sign documents in the field of economic cooperation.
"Next year, its expected that an agreement on twinning, as well as on perpetuating the memory of [famous Kyrgyz writer] Chingiz Aitmatov will be signed between Baku and Bishkek. We can also talk about strengthening political and diplomatic ties, maintaining economic, cultural and humanitarian relations. In the humanitarian field, its planned to hold mutual days of culture," stressed Osmonaliyev.
By Vugar Khalilov
Training and methodological sessions have been held for senior army officers at the military training and education center, the Defence Ministry reported on December 21.
The deputy commanders of the Army Corps, different troop types, special educational institutions, as well as independent units and psychologists working with military personnel attended the sessions, the report added.
The chief of the army's ideological work department, Maj-Gen Bakir Orujov, provided detailed information about the work carried out during the 2021 training year in the military-patriotic education and moral-psychological training spheres.
Noting the importance of strengthening military discipline in various areas, Orujov underlined the upcoming tasks assigned for the 2022 training year.
The head of the department stressed that along with personnels combat readiness, military-patriotic education, moral-psychological training, and military discipline played a huge role in Azerbaijans victory in the 44-day war with Armenia.
Furthermore, Orujov informed the servicemen about the requirements of the high command instructing them about the safety rules, military regulations and the correct way of conducting individual educational work among military personnel.
Officers in charge of training and education reported on the work conducted in 2021 to enhance ideological work, moral and psychological support, success, and the eradication of shortcomings.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
The head of state recalled his meeting with Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in Ashgabat, during which many issues related to future cooperation were discussed and Azerbaijan-Iran friendly relations were reaffirmed.
Hossein Amir Abdollahian extended Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi's greetings to the head of state. President Aliyev thanked for Raisi's greetings and asked the minister to extend his greetings to the Iranian President.
Pointing to the meeting between Aliyev and Raisi in Ashgabat, the Iranian foreign minister described the meeting as a turning point in relations between the two countries.
The sides underlined the importance of continuing joint efforts to deepen cooperation in political, economic, energy, transport, humanitarian and other fields.
They pointed out the broad agenda of bilateral cooperation and expressed their hope that good results would be achieved.
Zand, the first digital bank to provide both retail and corporate banking, is set for imminent launch in the UAE, (subject to final regulatory approvals from the Central Bank of UAE) following the acquisition of a majority stake in the Dubai Bank from Emirates NBD by its shareholders.
In addition to innovative banking services, Zand aims to set to be a digital economic accelerator, providing the foundations for a broader generation of digital services.
Through fully digital offerings, Zand will make banking quicker and simpler, and provide tools that put customers in control of their financial lives.
The shareholders of Zand have successfully completed the acquisition of the majority stake in Dubai Bank as per its establishment roadmap.
On the strategic move, Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Zand, said: "Todays announcement marks another major milestone for us, and we are excited to be closing in on our goal of establishing the UAEs first native digital bank."
"In line with the UAE's digital agenda and inspired by the nations spirit of innovation, we have been actively working with design, technology and financial partners to create a platform that will change the way people bank," he stated.
"As a commercial, financial, and technology hub, coupled with a progressive approach to regulation, the UAE provides the ideal environment into which to launch, and we cannot wait to welcome our first customers," he added.
Zand Co-founder and CEO Olivier Crespin said: "We have re-imagined banking, freeing ourselves from the legacy mindset and processes of traditional banks while putting the customer at the centre of everything we do."
"We are now in the final stage of going live and all remaining steps including regulatory approval are well on track for an imminent launch," he added.
With the global autonomous vehicles market topping $1.65 billion and UAE planning to test self-driving vehicles, a session at Expo 2020 Dubai addressed the importance of the era of multimodal mobility and the emerging customer demands.
The session Lead the path to autonomous mobility noted that Dubais Autonomous Transportation Strategy calls on 25% of trips to be driverless by 2030.
Shahzeb Memon, Vice President and Global Head of TaaS at SWVL, identified three main challenges for the future of mobility: access and reliability, safety, and the costs of inefficient operations.
During his speech, he said: These mobility challenges need to be tackled in a smart and efficient manner, focusing on the daily commute, order in travel, and technology for end-to-end transportation services. With SWVL, we provide an on-demand, self-optimising, supply agnostic, and asset-light mass transit solution. This is packaged into a suite of cloud-based software that can be used by corporations, educational institutions, and transit agencies.
SAP had hosted a day-long event which brought together Honeywell, the industrial software company that delivers industry-specific solutions, SWVL, a Dubai-based provider of transformative mass transit and shared mobility solutions, Beeah, the regions leading sustainability pioneer, and SAPs partners Deloitte and Google Cloud to discuss on how to leverage technology to build, deliver and operate a smart, human-centric city.
Aligned with Urban & Rural Development Expo Week, SAP organised the Smart and Human-Centric Urban Development Day with the overall objective of providing insights on the importance and how to leverage technologies in the future of urban development, enabling attendees to discover and exchange ideas on how digital can provide a competitive advantage for their businesses.
In the opening speech, Dr Mark A Smith, Managing Director for Capital Projects at Deloitte Middle East, highlighted the importance of the data-driven digital lifecycle of projects and said: The organisations who get technology and digital transformation right becomes a true differentiator in the industry with 5-30% productivity increase.
Following the events theme, Kashif Siddiqui, SAP CX Expert, shared how future cities are built on trust and delivering seamless customer experience. He highlighted that governments could consider adopting technology to listen to, understand and act on behalf of their citizens.
Dr Selda Konucku, leading Honeywell Connected Building Business for Meta region, said: We believe that smart building insights play a crucial role in improving the overall building performance and enhancing the quality of life for occupants/visitors. With Honeywell Forge, we create system of record to maximise building health while driving real-time improvements in sustainability, operational excellence and occupant experience.
Combining Honeywell Forges operational capability with SAPs financial data, we are also able to provide visibility into portfolios financial performance; insights into portfolios financial problems thus enable the business leaders to make data driven investment decisions.
Moderated by Slawomir Klimowicz, an Industry Advisor at SAP, a fireside chat with Bart Cornelissen, Leader of Deloittes Energy, Resources & Industrials industry practice, and Jihad Tayara, CEO of EVOTEQ, Bee'ah's digital venture, discussed about how technologies can drive in the waste management area in the next five years and the future of utility, using Beeah as an illustrative success story. Jihad said: We focused on two pillars of sustainability and digitalisation to deliver better customer experience and retain talents. Customer centricity and human factors are always key success factors for any business.-- TradeArabia News Service
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced steady progress on its ambitious Barakah nuclear plant project coming up in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi with the last two units - Units 3 and 4 - in the final stages of commissioning.
Enec is part of ADQ, one of the regions largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabis diversified economy.
The Emirati firm said Unit 3 is already undergoing operational readiness preparations.
The development of the Barakah Plant as a whole is now more than 96 percent complete. When fully operational, the four units of the Barakah Plant will prevent 21 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year for more than 60 years, said senior Enec officials during the inspection tour of the visiting International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
Grossi was welcomed by Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi, the Permanent Representative of the UAE to the IAEA, Engineer Ali Al Hammadi, CEO of Nawah Energy Company, the operation and maintenance subsidiary of Enec and Nasser Al Nasseri, the CEO of Barakah One Company.
Grossi commended the Enec team for the major progress that has been made at the Barakah Plant, which is now generating clean electricity and rapidly decarbonizing the Nations power sector with Unit 1 commercially operational.
Grossi also toured Unit 2 of the plant, which was connected to the UAE grid in August and recently achieved 50% power for the first time as part of the power ascension testing prior to commercial operation of the Unit.
"It was very impressive to visit Barakah and see first-hand all what the UAE has achieved over the past decade in becoming the first Arab country to build and operate a nuclear power plant. The world needs nuclear power and more of it as an indispensable part of the solution to the climate crisis," remarked the IAEA chief.
"Nuclear is a low-carbon energy source that can also provide round-the-clock baseload power in all types of weather to complement wind and solar. The UAE is one of the 32 countries that currently operate a total of 442 nuclear power reactors around the world, producing about 10 per cent of global electricity and more than a quarter of all low carbon electricity," he stated.
"As countries step up efforts to decarbonize their economies, interest in nuclear power is growing," added Grossi.
Lauding IAEA for its guidance, Al Kaabi said: "It has provided a clear path for the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program to follow that has guided our every step since inception, along with continuous guidance and regular inspections to support the UAE Program since its launch in 2009."
"This support has helped to ensure that the Barakah Plant meets the highest international standards of nuclear safety, security, quality and non-proliferation," he added.
Al Hammadi said: "With the support of the IAEA, the UAE became the first country in the Arab world with a multi-unit operating nuclear plant and is today leading the largest decarbonization effort in the region. The close cooperation with the IAEA contributed significantly to establish the UAE Program as a role model for other new nuclear energy projects globally."
"The Barakah Plant is powering a clean and sustainable future for the UAE by generating abundant clean electricity around the clock to fulfil growing demand while in parallel tackling climate change. We look forward to many more years of cooperation with the IAEA and wider international nuclear energy community," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Fat (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands, parent company of Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, and 13 other restaurant concepts, has announced a new deal to enter Libya with 10 new franchised restaurants.
The new stores will be made up of five co-branded Johnny Rockets and Hurricane Grill & Wings locations and five co-branded Fatburger and Buffalos Express restaurants, which are slated to open over the next three years.
Franchisee Al Majmoua Al Moutakamila is spearheading the 10-store deal which will also mark the first co-branded Johnny Rockets and Hurricane Grill & Wings location to date in the region.
On the heels of recently announced expansion plans in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, the Libya development deal further reinforces Fat Brands commitment to growing in the Middle East.
The Middle East is an important growth area for Fat Brands, said Fat Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn. With a growing appreciation for quick-service restaurants in the region, we look forward to bringing our beloved burger and wing brands to Libya. Similarly, we are excited to unveil the first co-branded Johnny Rockets and Hurricane Grill & Wings location in the region. We saw tremendous success when we co-branded Fatburger and Buffalos Express and expect to see the same with this burger and wing pairing with locals.-- TradeArabia News Service
Dewalt, one of Stanley Black & Deckers largest power tool brands and a leader in total jobsite solutions, has announced that its Powerstack 20V Max Compact Battery has been awarded a Popular Science 2021 Best of Whats New Award. The award recognizes the years top 100 breakthroughs that are paving the way for a better future.
Newest Dewalt breakthrough innovation, Dewalt Powerstack 20V Max Compact Battery is the worlds first major power tool brand to use pouch cell batteries designed for the construction industry.
The award recognizes the years top 100 breakthroughs that are paving the way for a better future.
"Dewalts newest breakthrough technology is a gamechanger for the construction industry and is a direct result of its extraordinary team of innovators that are obsessed with optimizing performance for our customers," remarked Jaime Ramirez, the Executive VP and President of Global Tools and Storage for Stanley Black & Decker.
"Our revolutionary engineering of the Dewalt Powerstack 20V Max Compact Battery marks the next dimension in cordless power tool performance and our commitment to the cordless jobsite of the future," stated Ramirez.
The Dewalt Powerstack battery was recognized in the home category for its design that utilizes flat, pouch battery cells delivering Dewalts lightest and most powerful compact battery3.
The Dewalt Powerstack Battery is ideal for cutting, drilling and fastening applications, precision and finishing tasks, and when working in tight spaces. The battery is compatible with all Dewalt 20V Max tools and chargers in its 20V MAX system.
The Popular Science 2021 Best of Whats New Award is the second industry accolade the Dewalt Powerstack Battery has received since its unveiling in October.
UK-made steel from the countrys largest producer Tata Steel is playing a role in helping create the worlds largest offshore wind farm.
Capable of providing green energy for six million homes in the UK, the Dogger Bank Wind Farm is due to be complete by 2026.
The wind farm is being developed in three 1.2 giga-watt phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). In November 2021 SSE Renewables and Equinor, 50:50 joint venture partners in Dogger Bank C, announced Eni will take a 20% stake in the final phase, with SSE Renewables and Equinor maintaining 40% stakes each, in a deal which is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2022 subject to regulatory approvals.
In the first two phases of construction the vast GE Renewable Energy turbines, each one rated at 13 mega-watts enough to power a home for two days with a single rotation will sit on foundations featuring Tata Steel products used in safety-critical transitions pieces.
These steel structures form the junction between the tower above the surface of the sea and the foundations below the water.
Fabrication companies Sif and Smulders were awarded contracts to provide the wind turbine foundations for the first two phases of Dogger Bank in November 2020, with Dogger Bank C awarded a year later.
Steel made in Tata Steels Port Talbot plant and processed into hollow sections at the companys Corby and Hartlepool sites is being fabricated by one of the thousands of contract companies helping to build the first two phases of the wind farm.
Sandip Biswas, Chairman of the Board of Tata Steel UK, said: We are proud to be able to help support UK jobs and manufacturing through this project.
Hundreds of tonnes of Tata Steel products, able to endure the harsh North Sea conditions, will be used in the first two phases of the giant wind farm project, which is located 130 kms off the North East coast of England.
Sandip added: Huge amounts of steel will be needed to help the UK achieve its net-zero goals to build everything from renewable energy and low-CO2 transportation to hydrogen production and distribution.
At the same time, we have targets for our own decarbonisation as a steelmaker. Our own transition to a decarbonised future will rely on a secure supply of competitively priced renewable energy whether that be to create hydrogen for future steelmaking or power new low-CO2 furnaces. The more we can help in delivering these landmark projects the better.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, Steve Wilson, said: This is another great example of how were taking advantage of UK skills and expertise to build the worlds largest offshore wind farm. Our transition pieces are among the largest to be installed on an offshore wind farm, and this UK-manufactured steel will form some of the supporting components.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is already creating or supporting more than 3,000 jobs in the UK supply chain, and giving companies the chance to work on a pioneering project which will help them become increasingly competitive as the world adapts to produce energy that doesnt cost the earth.-- TradeArabia News Service
Union Coop, the largest consumer co-operative in the UAE, received a delegation from Italy's retail trade sector, which included a group of heads of several Italian companies specialised in general trade and independent entrepreneurs, with the aim of reviewing the practices followed by the co-operative in the retail field.
During the tour, the visiting delegation heard about the services that Union Coop provides to consumers in food retailing, delivery, customer happiness services, expansion strategies and digital solutions for retail, in addition to updating them of information about the culture of retail trade, according to a press release.
The visiting delegation included heads and owners of companies and supermarkets in Italy, such as Macfrut, TR Turoni and many others.
The two parties exchanged experiences during a session organised by Union Coop at Al Warqa City Mall, which was followed by a guided tour inside the hypermarket carried out by Fresh Category Trade Dept. Manager Yaqoob Al Balooshi, Trade Development Sec. Mgr Sana Gul and Sr. Showroom Supervisor Al Warqa Branch Mohammad Abbas, and they also discussed ways of commercial co-operation in the near future.
On being asked about his overall experience, Macfrut President Renzo Piraccini said he considered Union Coop to be an expert in supply chain, especially in terms of managing Producers & Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables and of the latest supply chain technologies.
We as a group of companies visited the city as a part of Dubai Expo 2020 and a visit to Union Coop opens the door for future business prospects as well. Union Coop is a global platform as we can see from the varieties of fruits and vegetables and other products available here, said Piraccini when asked about the reason why he chose to visit Union Coop specifically.-TradeArabia News Service
Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has signed a service agreement with Paul Maxence Lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, offering complimentary access for its business class passengers.
The agreement coincides with Oman Airs route resumption between Muscat and Paris, which took effect on October 31.
Business class passengers and Sindbad Gold tier members can access the lounge for free, while economy class passengers can purchase access to the lounge for $70. Equipped with a full range of amenities, the lounge provides passengers a quiet, private space to dine, work or freshen up before their flight.
Oman Air Country Manager for France Rocio Jolivet said: In signing this service agreement with Paul Maxence Lounge, Oman Air business class passengers and Sindbad Gold members flying from Paris can now enjoy an enhanced travel experience. Economy class passengers can also access the lounge for a fee and elevate their travel journey.
Complimentary Wi-Fi, a la carte menu prepared to Halal-certified standards offering hot and cold food and beverages, shower facilities, outdoor smoking terrace, and prayer room are just some of the amenities available to lounge visitors between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily in Terminal 2A.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company (Sadafco), a Saudi food brand, has announced the 'Saudi Chef Competition' for youngsters who are passionate about cooking to share their culinary skills.
The contest is an opportunity for food aficionados to showcase their creativity and cooking skills and win valuable prizes.
The competition will run for four episodes. Each episode will have three main segments through which three contestants will be judged by professional chefs. The winner of each episode will qualify for the final round in the fourth episode, where all three finalists will battle for the 'Chef of Saudi Arabia' title.
The company has always been at the forefront of launching events that engage communities and families in Saudi Arabia.
Marketing Manager Wajdi Badawi said: "We are thrilled to launch this initiative and connect with the younger audiences. We have many hidden chefs and talents around the Kingdom. As a household brand connected to local culture, discovering, enabling and promoting budding chefs is important to us."
The first episode will stream on January 3, 2022.-TradeArabia News Service
Help India!
In this interview with TwoCircles.net, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Somnath Waghmare talks about the production of films and the social landscape that constitutes film-making in India.
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Nikita D | TwoCircles.net
Films are a potent visual medium with the capacity to fascinate and influence viewers profoundly. Today, we cannot think of culture and popular discourse without looking at the cinema that is viewed by millions of people. Both what happens on-screen and off-screen have immense social relevance.
Documentary films aim to capture the real world around us and showcase realities and histories in the form of motion pictures. Sometimes these realities are such that attempts are made to erase them. Other times, it shows viewers what is right in front of them but for some reason, they cannot see it.
TwoCircles.net spoke to one such documentary film-maker Somnath Waghmare, who through his work, has portrayed the lives of people who have historically been denied a space in the mainstream discourse to share their stories and culture.
Somnath Waghmare is a PhD scholar at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and a documentary filmmaker. The focus of Waghmares work is the social lives, struggles, assertions and cultures of the Dalit community, who have faced and continue to face violence and dominance from caste Hindus in the Indian society.
Waghmares most acclaimed film, The Battle of Bhima Koregaon, has been screened across India and abroad. The film is a critical and well-researched source of information about the history and the people of the place.
Waghmares other film, I am not a Witch, showcases the story of an old Adivasi woman in the Nandurbar District of Maharashtra, who has been branded as a witch and shunned from her village and home. The film depicts the violent tradition of witch-branding that is used by men to oust women who they consider dangerous either because they have property or because they are living without the protection of a man.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
How do you view the relationship between an art form like film and politics? How do you think the medium of films has been used to represent and shape identities?
We need to look keenly at the cinema being produced in India. Cinema as an art is a form of knowledge production. We need to see who asserts dominance in this area of knowledge production. It is the people of dominant castes. Any art form in India be it literature, art, or film is in the control of a particular social group that dominates their production. If we look at Bollywood, without saying anything, it propagates the ideology of the dominant culture through its films to the masses. For shaping the political ideology of individuals, cinema is a very significant medium. Historically dominant groups have used the medium to further their cause. Every film is a political film. There is no film story that is not political.
How did you come to use this medium?
I am not a full-time filmmaker. Film-making is a medium for privileged people. It has been practised by those who have resources in their family, who have historically belonged to the dominant caste groups. My purpose for making documentaries is to bring the stories of the marginalised into the mainstream discourse. Stories of marginal communities, their histories, and assertions, should come in the mainstream discourse.
Two of your films are available for viewing I am not a Witch and The Battle of Bhima Koregaon. Can you tell us about your experience of shooting these films?
Shooting documentaries is more difficult than shooting fiction because the latter has a time period, set-up and a big team. But for someone like me with no social capital and family background, shooting is tough. Even a lot of documentary filmmakers have good capital and family background to support their work. But I do not have that. For instance, someone gifted me a camera recently and I have been using that for my work. In the beginning, the sound for the films was recorded on a mobile phone. I did not have any money for recording equipment. This is the biggest difficulty. We somehow make do with the minimal resources we have to make films. There is a word for it in Hindi called jugaad. If we get better resources and equipment, we will be able to get good technical output. We have content of immense potential. We have global stories. We try to work well with few resources. We have to travel by bus. Most people travel to shooting locations by car. This year, one of my friends was shooting in Mumbai. We roamed around on a bike for 50-60 kilometres to get the shot. We dont have money to hire cabs. We fund everything by ourselves.
During this process, we meet different people. Some incidents are good, some not so good. But shooting a crowd is very painful. People have varied reactions. But we try not to disturb people. We dont want it to look like a news story. We want to capture only what is happening. We dont want to make people uncomfortable or ask them stupid questions. This has always been my goal.
How do you assemble your team for film-making?
This is a very important question. I do not have a professional team. I am part of a group based in Bangalore called Pedestrian Pictures. I go there for post-production. But I do not have any support group in Maharashtra. Here, I am producing my upcoming film Chaityabhumi. A member of our team works as a driver. He is interested in film-making. He wanted to work on the project and a few other friends too. Thats how the team is made. If we hire a cameraman, we have to pay at least 3000 rupees per day. I do camera work on my own.
Your next film is titled Gail and Bharat. What was the inspiration behind this film and what is it that you want to show through this film?
I am a PhD scholar at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). I am working on films alongside pursuing my PhD. Right now, I am working on two projects. First is a biopic on Gail Omvedt, who passed away recently. I have been following her since 2018. I followed her for almost 2 years. The other movie is Chaityabhumi which is in the editing phase. I am not getting the time to work on it because of PhD work. The movie is about a gathering in Mumbai that takes place on December 6 every year to commemorate Dr B.R. Ambedkars death anniversary. The movie is based on the cultural relevance of that day and event.
The motive behind working on Omvedt is that her work is really interesting. Imagine someone coming from America and writing so much about Phule, Ambedkar, and anti-caste writing. A lot was written in the media about her after her death, but the mainstream discourse does not discuss her work properly. My aim is to document her life for the next generation and produce a good source of information on her. That was the reason why I took up the topic.
I am generally very interested in documentation work especially recording histories, political assertions, social activities etc.
At present, OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. have come up with new content for the audience. How successful or unsuccessful have they been in portraying Bahujan identities?
These spaces seriously need to think about diversity. Just like in Bollywood, a particular group has control over the production. In the same way, OTT platforms also have a group of people comprising of dominant community members who produce content with no social diversity. There is no space for Dalits, Adivasis, and other minorities. If we look at their context and look at their caste content, we will find dominant caste artists and their stories. I find it very problematic.
The Oscar committee has implemented a diversity policy for Oscar awards. It says that a particular number of Blacks, Asians, Indian Americans have to be there. When will these mediums in India think about this? Because only when diversity is there, will it be considered global content. It is important for the stories to have diversity. They should think and produce and give space to people coming from marginal communities.
Nikita D is an intern with TwoCircles.net.
Help India!
President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) Maulana Mahmood A. Madani said that JIH is expecting that the law would create confidence among the socially and economically weaker sections. He demanded other states should also follow suit to ban such heinous acts through effective legislation.
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NEW DELHI President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) Maulana Mahmood A. Madani has hailed the legislation passed by the Jharkhand Assembly to curb mob lynching.
In a statement, Maulana Madani said that JUH is expecting that the law would create confidence among the socially and economically weaker sections.
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has been demanding such legislation from the beginning in the context of the nature of the crimes, he said.
The Jharkhand assembly on Tuesday cleared the Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021 that provides for jail terms ranging from three years to life imprisonment and fines of up to 25 lakh against those involved in mob lynching leading to injury or death of an individual, The Hindu reported.
Other states should come up with similar legislations
Maulana Madani urged other states to follow suit and ban such heinous acts through effective legislation.
Maulana Madani said that incidents of mob lynching have been reported from Jharkhand and other parts of the country.
The current problem of mob violence is a crisis of hate violence against minorities, particularly Muslims and Dalits. Hate crimes against minorities create a pervasive environment of vulnerability where members of these communities feel that they can be subjected to violence anytime and anywhere, he said.
Maulana Madani noted that the targeting of specific communities leads to the destruction of the social fabric of the country, and compromises tolerance and freedom. Treating the problem of mob violence only as a problem of vigilantism misses this social dimension of the violence since it is a manifestation of the social and institutional exclusion of vulnerable minorities, he said.
Maulana Madani said that Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is fighting against Islamophobia, hatred and violent aggression within the framework of the constitution of the country.
In order to create even an opportunity for effective implementation, the new law against mob violence must strengthen official accountability and facilitate victim empowerment, he added.
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Omicron variant has been detected in Erie County, UB scientists report
Donald Yergeau (left) is associate director of genomic technologies at the CBLS; Jennifer Surtees is associate professor of biochemistry and co-director of UBs Community of Excellence in Genome, Environment and Microbiome.
If you have any symptoms at all, please stay home and away from others, and get tested. This is about taking care of each other while we are taking care of ourselves.
BUFFALO, N.Y. The highly transmissible omicron variant of the novel coronavirus has been detected in Erie County, University at Buffalo scientists and Erie County health officials reported today. The variant was found in virus samples, analyzed by a UB team that has been sequencing the virus in the region, of Western New Yorkers who tested positive this month.
Based on what other countries and other parts of New York State are experiencing, the omicron variant is more transmissible than previous SARS-CoV-2 viral strains, said Erie County Commissioner of Health Gale Burstein, MD.
Whether this variant causes more severe illness or not, we expect that this variant will have the strongest impact on people most vulnerable to COVID-19 unvaccinated or immunocompromised, added Burstein, who is also a clinical professor of pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. This is all the more reason to use all the tools in our toolkit to protect the most vulnerable in our community, with vaccination, mask wearing and other interventions.
The omicron variant was detected by the same team of researchers from the Jacobs School that reported the arrival of the delta variant in Erie County in June, as well as other variants of concern. Led by Jennifer Surtees, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry, the team includes her colleagues at UBs New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; together, they have been conducting the only genomic sequencing of COVID-19 samples in Western New York.
Our researchers at UB are hard at work sequencing positive test samples to inform county health officials what variants are present in the county, said UB Vice President for Health Sciences Allison Brashear, MD, who is also dean of the Jacobs School. Thats critical information that health officials and members of the community need to protect our region and one another.
We have a new variant in our community and we need to respond accordingly, said Surtees, also co-director of UBs Community of Excellence in Genome, Environment and Microbiome. This virus has evolved; its not the same virus it was at the start of the pandemic or even during the delta wave. And while weve only been looking at omicron for less than a month, there is a tremendous amount of data available from around the world that can help us prepare for this. We have the tools to mitigate the spread, but we need to work together as a community.
While its hard to pinpoint exactly when omicron arrived in Western New York, Surtees said that her team had sequenced about 800 samples in November, all of which were delta. So its possible that omicron didnt arrive here until this month, she said.
More transmissibility, less immunity
Surtees and other researchers worldwide have noted the attributes of omicron that make it such a serious threat. This variant appears to be even more transmissible than the delta variant, she said. Part of that is due to its ability to replicate quickly, and part of it is its increased ability to evade our immune system as compared to delta.
She noted that the experience the United Kingdom has had with omicron is illustrative for the U.S. and for Western New York.
Unfortunately, cases in the UK have exploded with the arrival of omicron, and hospitalizations have spiked in parts of the country, she said. The system in the UK is at risk of being overwhelmed, as are hospitals in the U.S.
She noted that unlike in South Africa, where cases were pretty low when omicron arrived, both the UK and the U.S. were in the midst of a delta wave when omicron appeared.
In the UK and the U.S., everything is already under significant strain from delta; omicron just ramps it up further, she said.
She noted that while vaccines are still the strongest defense against the virus, the latest scientific evidence indicates that all fully vaccinated people need to get a booster shot as soon as they are time-eligible.
People who are six months past the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or two months after one dose of the J&J vaccine are poorly protected against omicron, she said. The good news is that third dose, a booster, brings that protection way up again.
People who have had booster doses are significantly better protected against omicron. However, our vaccines are not perfect, added Thomas Russo, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at the Jacobs School. Even boosted individuals can be infected and potentially spread the virus (albeit less so than the unvaccinated or those not boosted); but importantly, he said, disease is likely to be mild in those who have received booster shot.
Erie County has been doing the right things in terms of responding to the delta surge, said Russo. That includes encouraging the unvaccinated to get vaccinated and those eligible to receive their booster dose, requiring people to mask in public places indoors, emphasizing the importance of avoiding risky behavior, and increasing the availability of testing. Omicron makes all of these things even more critical, he said.
Urgent need to get all 3 doses of the vaccine
For example, there is an urgent need now for people to get both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as well as the booster, Russo said. To be optimally protected against omicron, all three doses of these vaccines are needed. CDC officials have expressed a clinical preference for individuals to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine over the J&J COVID-19 vaccine, Russo said, except in rare circumstances.
Russo cautioned that another difference is that some of the COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatments that have been successful in the past are not effective against omicron.
So far, it looks like only one monoclonal antibody (sotrovimab) appears to be effective against omicron, he said. So thats going to limit your monoclonal antibody treatment options if you do get sick. Thats why its even more critical now that people do whatever they can to avoid getting infected.
However, there was some good news today," he continued. "An EUA was approved by the FDA for Paxlovid, an oral treatment option. If taken within the first 5 days of infection, high-risk individuals had a nearly 90% decrease for hospitalization and death. It is predicted that Paxlovid will be active against omicron, although supply will be initially limited.
Russo emphasized people need to take more precautions with the increase in social gatherings over the holidays.
So in addition to getting vaccinated and boosted, we need to wear high-quality masks that fit well in indoor settings, public and otherwise, and utilize rapid tests to screen for infections before we spend time indoors with family and friends when masks cannot be worn (e.g. eating and drinking), he said.
And if you have any symptoms at all, please stay home and away from others, and get tested, Russo added. This is about taking care of each other while we are taking care of ourselves.
The Wednesday walkouts come at a crucial time for last-minute shoppers just three days before Christmas. On its website, Amazon said Thursday is the last day to order from more than 15 million items eligible for one-day delivery. On Friday, shoppers can order from a smaller selection of items available for same-day delivery, or send food from Amazon Fresh, if groceries are the gift of choice.
In November Betsy Leonard joined the nonprofit organization as executive director. The idea, Quinn told me, is to start looking for a new artistic director or some other way of taking over a big chunk of what Ive done. Im sure Ill continue to play a role in the organization. What I do best, I think, is working with filmmakers on projects. But next year Ill be 80. So, were looking to bring in someone new.
The Chicago Park District owns Soldier Field and its adjacent parking lots, so "opening the parking lots for a longer period than what is typical (four hours prior to the show start) will require resources from a variety of city service departments during a very busy weekend in Chicago," Serra said in an email. "This evaluation is going to take place over the next several weeks to ultimately make a determination that is in the best interests and the safety of the city and the people coming to the shows."
Moore was not a klansman before working for the FBI, he said. He said he joined because the government approached him, and asked for his help. As a veteran and Army-trained sniper, he said he felt that if his country asked him to protect the public from domestic terrorists, he had a duty to do so. He saw himself, he said, as a safety net between the violent extremists and the public.
I know many community members feel that (the Army Corps) reneged on a deal to turn the land back to the community to make it a park, but we are also really upset about the fact that this is yet another toxic development on the Southeast Side, which is a heavily burdened community as is, NietoGomez said. To continue having toxic developments be concentrated on the Southeast Side is devastating.
Over the past three months, Billy, who escaped while she and her sister were being delivered to Milk & Honey Farmstead, has roamed up to 12 miles, Comstock said. There were reports of Billy sightings in Volo and Crystal Lake, and shed been seen on both sides of the Fox River.
The women allege the management of 101.9 FM protected Ferguson because of the popularity of his show. Station management initially said Ferguson would be off the air through October. Then, in late October, a statement from Ferguson was circulated to station employees announcing he planned to step away from the show and felt energized to move forward and defend myself against claims made against me and the station and look forward to seeing them through to their conclusion.
A line of fire trucks, ambulances and police vehicles made their way to the medical examiners office, their lights flashing. Just outside the office, a U.S. Flag hung from the ladders of two fire trucks that faced one another almost touching the ground.
He doesnt know how hell pay the fine that almost certainly will be imposed, but he applied for several jobs and is hopeful about getting at least one of them. His mother said it will be up to him to figure it out.
Chicago police had carried out a raid on Youngs home when they acted on a bad tip and made her stand naked and handcuffed as she repeatedly insisted they had the wrong place. The raid in February 2019 became national news the following year in large part because Lightfoot officials sought an extraordinary order to prevent CBS-2 from airing the footage, setting off a public relations nightmare for the mayor as her office mishandled the situation.
Lightford, the second highest-ranking member of the state Senate, could not be reached for comment but later issued a statement saying she was thankful that my husband and I are alive and physically unharmed.
The men were arrested in 2007 and charged with Shaws killing, along with the attempted killings of two of the three other people in Shaws apartment. Parker and Fillyaw were tried together and found guilty in 2009, but an appeals court reversed their convictions two years later, finding that the original defense lawyers had not provided effective counsel.
Judge Moody knows Lake County as well as anyone. He was entitled to make that judgment focusing primarily on the seriousness of Buncichs offenses and the need for general deterrence in the larger community. The sentence here was not unreasonable, the court ruled.
On December 21, the US-China Policy Foundation hosted its Annual Gala. Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang delivered remarks.
In his remarks, Ambassador Qin said, over the past few years, the China-US relationship has gone through serious difficulties. This is not in the fundamental interests of the two peoples. China's development is aimed at meeting the people's aspiration for a better life, not to enter into a win-lose competition with any country. In fact, China's sustained and stable development is not a threat to the United States. It is a major opportunity and benefit. Common development should become a major consensus of China and the US. We hope that the US will respect the Chinese peoples right to pursue a better life and accept Chinas development. President Xi Jinping stressed that China and the US should respect each other, coexist peacefully and carry out win-win cooperation. I hope all of you will pool wisdom, jointly explore how our two countries can get along with each other, and how to take China-US relations back to the right track of healthy and stable development.
The US participants review the history and look forward to the future of US-China relationship. They mainly emphasize the importance of strengthening exchanges and communication, as well as enhancing mutual understanding and trust between the US and China.
The US-China Policy Foundation (USCPF) was founded in 1995, dedicated to promote mutual understanding between policy makers, government officials and researchers between the US and China to promote US-China relationship. Representative of Washington State and co-chair of the "US-China Working Group" from the United States House of Representatives Rick Larsen, The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of State Rick Waters, Former United States Ambassador to China J. Stapleton Roy as well as others attended the event.
On December 3, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a virtual meeting with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith.
Wang Yi said that today was an important day and a great day for China-Laos relations. General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith had a successful virtual meeting and jointly attended the opening ceremony of the China-Laos Railway. At the conclusion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Laos diplomatic relations and the Year of China-Lao Friendship, the strategic communication between the top leaders of both parties and countries is of great and far-reaching significance and injects strong momentum into the development of the China-Laos community with a shared future. We should earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, continuously push forward China-Laos relations, and better benefit the two countries and two peoples.
Wang Yi introduced the important outcomes of the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, particularly the important and far-reaching significance of its Resolution. He stressed that both China and Laos are socialist countries led by communist parties and share common ideals and striving goals. We should remain true to our aspiration and join hands to make respective contributions to the undertakings of safeguarding socialism and human progress.
Wang Yi said that both sides should make efforts to elevate the mutual strategic trust to a new height, bring the Belt and Road cooperation to a new level, and make new achievements in the people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Laos. First, we should maintain high-level strategic communication, intensify exchanges of experience in national governance, jointly strengthen our governing capacity, and safeguard each other's political and institutional security. Second, we should work together to ensure the operation, maintenance and safety of the China-Laos Railway, enhance the comprehensive development along the routes, make the two support each other to form a sound circulation, and synchronize the "hard connectivity" and "soft connectivity", so as to maximize the economic and social benefits. Third, we should make sustained plans for and bring forward the youth, people-to-people, cultural and sub-national exchanges and cooperation, so as to make the spirit of China-Laos community with a shared future rooted in people's hearts and further consolidate the social and public foundations for China-Laos friendship.
Saleumxay extended warm congratulations on the significant fruits of the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, saying that Laos is exhilarated by the successful meeting between the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, and is proud of the opening of the China-Laos Railway at Laos' national day. This is a valuable gift from the Chinese people to the Lao people and makes the years' dream of Laos come true. Laos sincerely thanks China's strong supports for the fight against the pandemic and the economic recovery of Laos. Laos and China are both socialist countries. Laos absolutely agrees that both sides should strengthen strategic communication, safeguard solidarity and mutual trust, and firmly oppose interference by external forces. Laos is willing to deepen cooperation with China in various fields and promote to present greater achievements in building China-Laos community with a shared future. Laos supports China in hosting a successful Beijing Olympic Winter Games and wishes Chinese athletes good performances.
The two sides had in-depth communication on regional cooperation, agreeing that both sides should take the upgrading of China-ASEAN relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership as an opportunity, implement the important consensus reached at the Summit Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, and work together to build peaceful, tranquil, prosperous, beautiful and friendly homelands.
Both sides agreed to give full play to the positive effects and driving role of the opening of the China-Laos Railway in regional connectivity, bring the Belt and Road cooperation to a new stage in the region, and enhance coordination and cooperation on implementing the outcomes of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting.
Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation regarding the Global Development Initiative. Saleumxay said, President Xi Jinping's important initiative will not only promote China-ASEAN cooperation but also lead the international community to jointly promote global development.
Both sides also exchanged views on Myanmar and other issues.
Archaeologists from Israel, Germany and the United States have found the evidence of beer consumption in northeastern Israel some 7,200 years ago, the University of Haifa (UH) in northern Israel said on Tuesday.
It was found in the pre-historic site Tel Tsaf, in northeastern Israel, where a 7,200-year-old thriving Chalcolithic settlement with hundreds of residents existed. It was one of only a few settlements in the region at the time, in a period of transition from small agricultural societies to large urban ones, said the university.
"Tel Tsaf was a wealthy village, with a large-scale agricultural production, and now the new evidence shows production and consumption of alcohol as well, with grain-made beer," the researchers noted.
In their microscopic study, the researchers examined starch grains of wheat and barley, found in pottery vessels that included strainers. It was found that the grains underwent a molecular change in the fermentation process.
Earlier evidence of beer consumption was found in 2014 at a Natufian burial site in a cave on Mount Carmel in northwestern Israel, from about 14,000 years ago, where beer was used in burial ceremonies.
Flash
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In the conversation, Xi congratulated Scholz once again on his inauguration as German chancellor.
Xi stressed that China attaches great importance to its relations with Germany. In recent years, China-Germany cooperation has always been a "bellwether" of cooperation between China and the European Union (EU), which is a right choice made by the two countries in line with the development trend of the times, he said.
Xi noted that the next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.
Over the past half century, China-Germany relations have demonstrated ample vitality, endurance, resilience and potential, Xi said, adding that for the next 50 years, the two countries should embrace a global vision from a long-term perspective, forge ahead and strive for new development of China-Germany relations.
First, Xi suggested, the two countries should chart the general course of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective.
Both China and Germany are major countries with important influence, Xi said, adding that a sound development of bilateral relations not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and their people, but also contributes to world peace and stability.
Xi stressed that the two sides should unwaveringly view each other's development as an opportunity, maintain the fine tradition of high-level leadership, and set the direction for the development of China-Germany relations.
The two sides should give play to the role of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and particularly make good use of their intergovernmental consultation mechanism, so as to promote cooperation in various fields, Xi said.
He added that the two sides should strengthen communication and coordination, and jointly plan the 50th-anniversary celebration activities next year.
Second, Xi said, the two countries should actively promote mutually beneficial cooperation in a practical manner.
The Chinese and German economies have benefited a lot from each other's development, Xi noted, adding that China has been Germany's largest trading partner for five consecutive years, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation has kept growing despite the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He pointed out that the two sides should actively explore new areas of cooperation such as new energy and green and digital economy, and unleash the growth potential of trade in services.
German enterprises are welcome to leverage their advantages and seize the new opportunities brought by China's opening-up, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side hopes that Germany will provide a fair business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Germany.
Noting that Germany is an important node of the China-Europe Railway Express, Xi said he believes that enhanced cooperation between China and Germany within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative will benefit countries along the route and promote connectivity of the Eurasian continent.
Third, Xi pointed out, the two sides need to work together to meet challenges and make new contributions to global governance.
Both China and Germany are defenders of multilateralism and contributors to global development, Xi noted.
He suggested that they increase coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and find practical solutions to problems concerning the shared future of mankind, such as fighting COVID-19; promoting fair distribution of vaccines; spurring post-pandemic economic recovery across the globe, especially in developing countries; tackling climate change; alleviating poverty; and achieving sustainable development.
He called for concerted efforts to seek settlement of regional hotspot issues through dialogue, uphold and strengthen the principle of democracy in international relations, and firmly oppose all forms of hegemonic behavior and Cold War mentality.
Only when countries develop together can there be true development, he said, adding that China is ready to work with Germany to promote the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Xi underscored that China and the EU are two major independent forces in the world with broad strategic consensus and common interests.
The two sides, he added, should stay committed to the comprehensive strategic partnership and the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit, so as to ensure consistent sound and steady development of China-EU relations.
Xi said he hopes Germany will continue to play a positive role in stabilizing China-EU ties and inject stability and positive energy into the China-EU relationship.
For his part, Scholz thanked Xi for sending a congratulatory message on his election as German chancellor, adding that he still has fresh memories of his exchanges with Xi, and is ready to inherit and advance Germany-China friendship and cooperation.
At present, Germany and China are witnessing sound development of their trade and investment ties, close cooperation in confronting such global challenges as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, and close communication on such regional affairs as Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear issue, which constitute the three pillars for the sustained development of Germany-China relations, Scholz said.
Germany is willing to work with China in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual trust to push for further development of the Germany-China all-round strategic partnership, he said.
Germany, Scholz said, stands ready to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to hold a successful new round of intergovernmental consultations, strengthen practical cooperation in such areas as clean energy, digital economy and the service sector, and promote EU-China relations in a constructive manner.
Scholz said that he hopes the EU-China investment agreement will enter into force at an early date, and that Germany is ready to work with China to uphold multilateralism in international affairs.
In the conversation, the two leaders also exchanged New Year greetings, and agreed to maintain regular communication and make joint efforts to advance China-Germany and China-EU relations to new levels.
Flash
China decided to take reciprocal countermeasures and sanction four U.S. individuals in response to the U.S. sanctions against four Chinese officials over issues related to Xinjiang.
The individuals are U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom chair Nadine Maenza, vice-chair Nury Turkel, and commissioners Anurima Bhargava and James Carr.
Henceforth, these four individuals are prohibited from entering China (including the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao). Also, their properties in China are frozen, and they are banned from doing business with Chinese citizens and institutions, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.
Zhao noted the United States imposed illegal sanctions against four Chinese officials under the pretext of the so-called human rights issue in Xinjiang according to U.S. domestic laws.
He said the move gravely interfered in China's internal affairs, violated the basic norms of international relations, and damaged China-U.S. ties.
"China expresses firm opposition and strong condemnation," he said, adding that China decided to take reciprocal countermeasures according to the anti-foreign sanctions law in response to this wrong move.
"Xinjiang affairs are purely China's internal affairs, and the United States has no right or qualification to interfere. The United States should revoke the so-called sanctions and stop interfering in issues related to Xinjiang and China's internal affairs," Zhao said.
China will further respond depending on the development of the situation, he added.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on Wednesday welcomed the adoption of a Security Council resolution that allows a humanitarian exception in the UN sanctions regime applicable in Afghanistan.
The Security Council resolution exempts humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs in Afghanistan from the asset freeze against designated leaders of the Taliban and associated entities.
"This milestone decision will enable urgently needed humanitarian action to save lives and livelihoods in Afghanistan. It is evidence of how seriously member states take the shocking levels of need and suffering in the country," said Griffiths in a statement.
Some 160 national and international humanitarian organizations are providing critical food and health assistance in Afghanistan, as well as education, water and sanitation, and support to agriculture. There is an urgent need to ramp up this work. Humanitarian operations in Afghanistan are set to be the largest anywhere in the world in 2022, reaching some 22 million people, he said.
"This humanitarian exception will allow organizations to implement the work we have planned, and it will give legal assurances to the financial institutions and commercial actors we rely on to engage with humanitarian operators," he said.
"The road ahead in Afghanistan is neither easy nor straightforward. The impact of our assistance also depends on the cooperation of the de facto authorities in the country and on the flexibility of the funding we receive. We must all do everything we can to preserve the life, dignity and future of all Afghans," he said. Enditem
RAMALLAH, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday told a senior U.S. official that Israel's unilateral actions in the Palestinian territories undermine the world-backed two-state solution, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.
Abbas made the remarks during a meeting with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to WAFA.
On Tuesday, Sullivan arrived in Israel to discuss several issues with both Israeli and Palestinian officials, including the revival of the Middle East peace process which has been stalled since 2014.
According to WAFA, Abbas urged Sullivan to exert pressure on Israel to stop its actions against the Palestinians, implement the signed agreements and launch a real political process in accordance with the legitimate international resolutions.
Abbas, who briefed Sullivan on the latest Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories, called for ending both the Jewish settlement and the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem since 1967.
The Palestinian president also asked Sullivan to urge Israel to respect the historical situation in the Old City of East Jerusalem, stop the expulsion of Palestinian residents from the city, halt tax revenue cuts, and stop stifling the Palestinian economy.
Meanwhile, Sullivan told Abbas that the United States is committed to the two-state solution and the importance of all parties working jointly to move forward to achieve peace and stability in the region.
On Tuesday, Abbas also met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lambert in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Abbas briefed Lambert over the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, mainly the unilateral Israeli practices against the Palestinians that undermine the two-state solution, WAFA reported.
The last direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, sponsored by the United States, lasted nine months and broke down in 2014 over their deep differences on the issues of borders, security, and settlement.
Since then, there have been no diplomatic ties between Israelis and Palestinians because of the Palestinian rejection of the Israeli expansion of settlements and Israeli measures against the Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinians want to establish an independent state alongside Israel on all the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, including the entire West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Enditem
TEHRAN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Western countries have always stoked tensions in the region, in reaction to an anti-Iran joint statement recently issued by foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members and Britain.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met with visiting foreign ministers of the GCC on Monday and they issued a joint statement after the meeting, voicing "grave concern" about Iran's regional activities and what they called "nuclear escalation."
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called the claims made through the statement "baseless" and "repetitive," according to a statement published on the ministry's website.
He said the joint statement was issued as part of the attempts by certain circles, which are concerned about the creation of an atmosphere of interaction and cooperation among the regional countries, to sow discord in the region.
Iran has always played a responsible role in ensuring peace and stability in the region and has invited regional states to interact and hold dialogue with each other, Khatibzadeh noted.
The spokesman regretted that some Western countries, through measures such as exporting modern weaponry to some regional states, are important factors in the region's tensions and human catastrophes.
On the claim about "nuclear escalation," Khatibzadeh said Iran has always remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the comprehensive safeguards agreement and will be able to benefit from the peaceful use of nuclear energy within the NPT framework. Enditem
MADRID, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Spain is to impose the mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors and step up booster COVID-19 vaccination, the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Wednesday.
The measures were announced following a virtual meeting with Spain's regional leaders.
"One measure with very broad consensus among all the regional presidents ... is the mandatory use of face masks outdoors," Sanchez told the press after the meeting.
He also announced that his executive will use members of the armed forces to aid regional contact tracing and vaccination teams, and military hospitals will be made available if required.
All of Spain's regions, except Asturias, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon and Madrid, have called for the COVID-19 passport to be required to enter restaurants, bars, nightlife venues, and for visits to hospitals and care homes.
The country's Ministry of Health reported some 60,000 new cases on Wednesday. Enditem
Lights flashed and sirens screamed from inside my work colleagues car as he jammed on the brakes and decelerated from 150km to 100km, to pass the traffic cop unnoticed.
As we rounded the next bendhe quickly sped up,making the most of the power and warning systems inside his car, until another obstacle appeared in his path to slow him down.
This was a trip that would normally take 40 minutes, and up to 90 minutes in peak traffic, but in my work colleagues souped up Nissan Sentra it was possible to arrive at work within 25 minutes.
And he was well prepared, having installed not one but two early warning radar systems, to create a fail-safe way to speed to work without penalty.
Occasionally I would use this adrenalin inducing method to travelby car to workearly and save myself 15 minutes.
This was my worldly way of saving time.It was not until I found God, I discovered it was possible to find other ways to savetime.
God and time travel
Once on a mission trip to Turkey, I witnessed a miracle in time travel which I still find difficult to fathom to this day.
Our group were travelling by bus from Cappadocia to Tarsus when we hit a snow storm which blocked the highwayfor over two hours.
The bus did not have an on-board toilet and after being on the bus for well over four hours I was desperate.
After holding on for what seemed like hours we passed a road sign that readTarsus 20 kms. I cried out to the Lord that I could not hold on for another 20kms. Two minutes later we arrived at the Tarsus railway stationand in relief,I made a dashfor it to the toilet cubicles.
To this day I cannot explain this. Perhaps, I misread the sign and it said Tarsus 2kms, but why would a sign say 2kms to Tarsus?
There is an example in the Bible when Philip appears to be miraculously transported to another place by the Spirit of God, after baptising an Ethiopian eunuch.
Acts chapter 8, verses 38-40
And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
At church gatherings I have heard others talk about God enabling them to travel to places in a much shorter time than what is humanly possible.
God the time organiser
Another time I witnessed a time miracle was at work.
It was a busy period and our management reports were dueby the end of the day.
However, I had made contact with a person from Bethel Church who was in Wellington for a couple of days. The only time he was free to meet with me was 5pm that day.
Although inconvenient, I felt it was important to meet up so I arranged the appointment.
The meeting with my Bethel friend was very encouraging and insightful.We talked about how God was moving in the USA and New Zealand and after three hours I returned to my office invigorated, but resigned to the fact that I would be working into the late hours of the night.
To my surprise I discovered a note on my desk. My Finance Manager had completed the work for me.
This had never happened before and has never happened since. God knew this meeting was important and had orchestrated for my reporting work to be done in my absence.
Another friend of mine has a similar story about how after he prayed, he was able to complete two to three hours work in an hour.
Always time
One of the things I have found interesting in my journey with God is that God will often bring somebody or something across our path at the most inconvenient time.
For example, somebody may need help on the street when we are rushing to an appointment, or we could be invited to an event when we already have a full schedule.
It would be easy to say no, but these may be opportunities that could impact our destiny.
This is a timely reminder that God is outside time and holds all things together.
Colossians chapter 1, verse 17
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
The changing face of Christianity
All across the world, the landscape of Christianity is changing.
When compared to the Christian world of our parents' and grandparents' generations, the future of the Christianity appears to be vastly different.
While in the 20th century (and many centuries before) Christianity was synonymous with Western civilisation and the people of Europe, the 21st century is already beginning to break the stereotype.
While in Western EuropeChristianity's perceived traditional heartland Christian affiliation remains relatively strong, figures on church attendance paint a different picture.
In a survey conducted last year by The Economist, the region with the highest church attendance was not Western Europe, or even North America.
Rather, it was in Africa.
While the good news is that across the world the Church is growing and thriving, the bad news is that Western countries are increasingly entering a post-Christian phase.
Christianity in New Zealand
In New Zealand, we can see the same trends affecting Europe repeating on a smaller scale. Over the course of the last 100 years, New Zealand's religious affiliation has changed dramaticallyfrom over 90% Christian in 1916 to around 48% today. According to most estimates, while nearly half of all New Zealanders identify as Christian, only about 15% of New Zealanders regularly attend church every week.
Partially contributing to this change, there has been a growth of other religions in New Zealand, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. However, these changes are relatively insignificant when compared to the growth of New Zealanders who identify with no religion. As of the last census in 2013, about 41% of New Zealanders had no religious affiliation (up from 29% in 2001).
Theological wilderness
While there are many implications for Christians to consider from these trends, one of the most important is the trend towards theological illiteracy.
In New Zealand in generations past, Christianity had been part of the social and cultural fabric of our society. Most people, even if they didn't regularly go to church, identified themselves as Christians. And from a fairly young age, most New Zealanders had at least a basic understanding of Christian faith and of the Bible itself.
In the 21st century, this model is becoming increasingly less representative of our country. Indeed, a large proportion of the next generation of New Zealanders will grow up barely knowing the Christian faith, any more than they would be familiar with Buddhism or Islam.
Theology matters
In such an environment, having a basic understanding of theology is essential for every Christian. While of course having such knowledge should be essential for a Christian in any era, it is perhaps even more urgent in a culture which has forgotten its Christian roots.
Unlike in previous generations, Christians cannot simply assume their morality and values are considered the norm in society. Indeed, over the last 1520 years, Christians have been fighting (and losing) many legislative battles in parliament over what are considered traditional Christian values.
In this context, it is not enough for Christians to be able to state what they believe, but more importantly they must be able to articulate why they believe it.
Similarly, good theology is necessary to separate Christianity from other religions. For the majority of people who fall into the atheist/agnostic category, Christianity is simply 'religion'. While they may wear different clothes, say different prayers, and worship in different ways, the sceptic will argue that all religions are essentially the same just wrapped up in different packaging.
In an era where the news is dominated more and more by stories of religious extremism and terrorism, it is becoming increasingly important to articulate what is unique about Christianity, in order to differentiate it from other religions which have completely different philosophies, morals, and concepts about God.
As time goes on, Christians in New Zealand will find themselves swimming against an increasingly rapid current of popular opinion. We need to be ready to give an answer to those who ask us the reason for the hope we have (1 Peter 3 chapter 3, verse 15).
Many folks are planning to shift to Miami that is the wonderful city of Florida. Those who are thinking to go to Miami for trips or long lasting residence need a residence, and a number of individuals are thinking to buy their own residence, plus some are thinking about rental homes. There are plenty of folks who would like to enjoy the warm weather along with ambiance in Miami, and it's a quite good expertise to stay in Miami. Absolutely everyone gets attracted via the attractiveness of a number of white beaches as well as other spots in Miami, and it is a major city that is full of a myriad of facilities. Inside the city, selecting a house for rent is the key difficulty for every single individual. Those who go for vacations or business purposes need the proper home in Miami which is a hard task for them because of a huge rush of vacationers in the city.
There are a few people who think hiring Miami Real Estate agents, and employing real estate brokers may be a smart idea, yet picking one broker isnt as simple as they think. Numerous individuals also hire a South Florida Real Estate broker to sell their houses. One can buy or rent a house in Miami with the assistance of quite a few agents, and it is recommended that individuals should think about a few things ahead of picking one real estate agent. Examining the experience of the broker is a critical thing that people need to consider merely because folks get the appropriate home through the help of an experienced broker. When the thing relates to other things, folks should check out amenities, reviews, services, price, conditions, and several other things.
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No one has to disappoint when someone selects this online organization as it always satisfies their clients by providing the desired homes or villas. Several advantages are supplied by all the individuals who select this organization. People obtain several villas and mansions along with an amazing look and better privacy and security, and it gives all the mansions and villas for rent at a reasonable cost. People can choose a home or villa according to their desire, and every single venue advised by the organization is fully sanitized.
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Plastic Compounds Market Growth & Trends
The global plastic compounds market size is expected to reach USD 98.65 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.1% over the forecast period. The market is estimated to be driven by packaging applications across the globe. The product demand in the packaging industry is driven by high consumerism in major economies, such as China, India, Germany, the U.S., and Brazil. Various regulatory bodies have stipulated guidelines regarding packaging materials in food contact applications. Polypropylene (PP) compounds offer a cost-effective packaging solution and help enhance impact strength, flexibility, clarity, and process efficiency. High demand for Polyethylene (PE) in the packaging industry has majorly contributed to the growth of the packaging end-use segment.
The global COVID-19 pandemic moderately affected the product demand in packaging application in 2020. The demand for packaging for healthcare products, food products, groceries, and e-commerce transportation increased sharply, while the demand for luxury, industrial, and some B2B transport packaging witnessed decline owing to the slowdown and halt in industrial operations. The recommencing industrial operation is expected to positively influence the demand in industrial, and B2B transport packaging in the coming years.
The glass fiber reinforce filler segment is estimated to witness significant growth over the forecast period as these compounds are widely used in building & construction applications. Moreover, they are used to construct domes, fountains, columns, planters, panels, sculptures, facade, roofs, and various other construction components. Components produced using glass fiber reinforced plastics have one-fourth of the weight of steel with similar tensile and compressive strength. Thus, the growth of the building & construction activities across the globe is likely to drive the segment over the forecast period. Glass fiber reinforced plastic is also used for manufacturing boats, which requires water resistance to prevent corrosion and improve the service life of boats.
Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Plastic Compounds Market Report
Plastic Compounds Market Report Highlights
In terms of revenue, the automotive end-use segment accounted for the largest revenue share of the global market in 2020 and is expected to witness prominent growth over the forecast period
Asia Pacific was the dominant regional market in 2020 owing to the growing demand for automobiles in the region coupled with favorable FDI norms by various governments encouraging the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs)
Strategic partnerships, capacity expansions, and new product developments are popular strategies adopted by a majority of players operating in this market
For instance, in January 2021, Eurostar Engineering Plastics was acquired by Ascend Performance Materials, a Houston-based manufacturer of polyamide 66 resin
This acquisition helped both the companies to expand their compounding product market globally
Access Press Release@ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-plastic-compounds-market
Plastic Compounds Market Segmentation
Grand View Research has segmented the global plastic compounds market on the basis of basis of resin, technology, filler, end use, and region:
Plastic Compounds Resin Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)
Polypropylene (PP)
Polyethylene (PE)
Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) Thermoplastic Styrenic Elastomers Saturated Unsaturated Thermoplastic Polyolefins (TPO) Thermoplastic Vulcanizates (TPV)
Polystyrene (PS)
Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)
Polyamide (PA)
Polycarbonates (PC)
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
Bioplastic
Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate (ASA)
Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN)
Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
Polyoxymethylene (POM)
Blends (PC/ABS, ABS/PBT, PS/PP)
Plastic Compounds Technology Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)
Injection Molding
Extrusion
Blow Molding
Others
Plastic Compounds Filler Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)
Unfilled
Calcium Carbonate-filled
Talcum-filled
Glass Fiber Reinforced
Long Glass Fiber-filled
Flame Retardant
Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Plastic Compounds End-use Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)
Automotive
Appliances
Electrical, Electronics & Electrotechnical
Building & Construction
Furniture
Power Tools
Packaging
Agriculture
Sport & Leisure
Healthcare
Others
Plastic Compounds Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)
North America
Europe
Asia Pacific
Central & South America
Middle East & Africa
List of Key Players of Plastic Compounds Market
Adell Plastics
Asahi Kasei Corp.
BASF SE
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC
China XD Plastics Co., Ltd.
Covestro AG
Dow Inc.
DuPont
Qingdao Gon Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
Foster Corp.
About Grand View Research
Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
ABVP state secretary Praveen Reddy said the TRS government had neglected academics during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lapses of the Intermediate Board had resulted in several students dying by suicide. Representational image/ANI
HYDERABAD: Junior colleges were affected by a bandh on Tuesday, called to protest the alleged negligence of the TS Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) and state government in the declaration of Intermediate results after over half the first year students were declared failed in the annual exams.
In response to call given by the ABVP, private and government colleges remained shut in several districts. The ABVP staged a dharna in front of the BIE office here on Tuesday.
Speaking at the dharna, ABVP state secretary Praveen Reddy said the TRS government had neglected academics during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lapses of the Intermediate Board had resulted in several students dying by suicide, he allege. He demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao intervene in the issue and rectify the errors in Intermediate results.
Praveen Reddy said that revaluation of answer sheets should be taken up for free. He demanded that the BIE secretary be shunted out as he failed to conduct the regular classes and complete the syllabus. He urged students not to resort to extreme steps over the Intermediate results , and that the ABVP would fight on their behalf.
Belagavi: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday emphasised upon practical based education system and said the NEP would bridge the gap.
"A practical based education system is needed to meet challenges of rapid change in the present era. There is a huge difference between the syllabus being taught and the practical needs of the world," the Chief Minister said after laying the foundation stone for the Rani Chennamma University building complex at Hirebagevadi.
According to him, the New Education Policy(NEP) is being implemented to bridge this gap.
"Present generation of students need the power of knowledge to face the challenges with confidence and courage and the NEP would empower them with necessary knowledge," Bommai explained.
Stating that Rani Chennamma was the inspiration behind the university, Bommai said Kittur Rani Chennamma fought against the British with great courage and confidence and made history as the first woman freedom fighter
He added that Sangolli Rayanna too played a big role in repulsing the British.
The Chief Minister called upon those associated with this university to show the commitment to take this institution to international level.
"Universities should not become mere centres of awarding degrees. They should foster innovation, experimentation and develop into centres for finding solutions for problems being faced by society.
They should keep pace with technological and social changes happening in the world," Bommai said.
Bommai also stressed upon universities inculcating logical and lateral thinking and creating a conducive eco-system for learning.
He assured all help from the state government to enable Rani Chennamma university to bring changes in the education system.
The State government would complete the works of providing a beautiful environment, roads and other infrastructure with modern buildings within a year, the chief minister told the gathering.
He said every room in the building will be digitised and become a global link of knowledge.
"This is the knowledge century. Those with knowledge would rule the world," Bommai said.
Enforce strict home isolation of Covid patients, take steps to ensure those at home do not spread Omicron, if infected, to others living with them. Representational image/DC
Hyderabad: The Centre on Tuesday told all states not to wait for Covid-19 cases to reach 'threshold levels', and initiate containment measures to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus among the population.
In a letter to Chief Secretaries of all states, the Union health ministry told the states to "activate the war rooms and keep analyzing all trends and surges," of Covid cases. It said: "No matter how small," such surges must be met with "proactive action" at the district and local levels.
The containment measures recommended by the Centre include imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals, restricting numbers in offices, industries, and in public transport.
However, health officials in the state said there were no immediate plans to set up containment zones as the situation does not warrant it.
"ln case of all new clusters of Covid positive cases, prompt notification of 'containment zones', 'buffer zones' should be done, strict perimeter control of containment zone as per guidelines must be ensured," Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, health ministry, said in his letter to the Chief Secretaries.
He said the template provided by the Centre for stepping up action to contain Covid-19 is only a 'normative framework'. "However, based on the local situation and population characteristics such as density etc., and keeping in mind the higher transmissibility of Omicron, States and Union Territories can take containment measures and restrictions even before these thresholds are reached," he said.
The standard operating procedure of the framework for action at the district level says steps can be taken for containment if the test positivity is 10% or more for a week, or bed occupancy of 40% or more on oxygen supported or ICU beds. The guidelines say that if either parameter is met in any district, then district level containment measures and restrictions should be immediately imposed.
Bhushan said Omicron was at least 3 times more contagious than other Coronavirus variants and hence, there was a greater need for dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action at district and local levels. The decision making must be very prompt and focused, he said.
Rai said the CISF was established under the CISF Act, 1968 for better protection and security of industrial undertakings owned and controlled by central and state governments, joint venture or private industrial undertaking. (PTI photo)
New Delhi: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is providing security to 64 airports and 11 private establishments, including those of Reliance Industries, Tata Steel and Infosys, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said on Wednesday.
The minister said the deployment of the CISF is considered on the basis of threat perception and the commitment of the management concerned to bear the cost of deployment.
"At present, the CISF is deployed in 11 private sector companies, including in electronics and information technology sector, he said replying to a written question in Rajya Sabha.
The private sector entities where the CISF has been deployed include Electronic City Industries Association, Bengaluru; Infosys Technologies Limited, Bengaluru; Infosys Technologies Limited, Mysore; Infosys Technologies Limited, Pune; Patanjali Food and Herbal Park, Haridwar; and Reliance Corporate Park Campus, Mumbai.
The remaining are Nayara Energy Limited, Jamnagar; Tata Steel Limited, Kalinganagar (Odisha); Reliance Industries Limited, Jamnagar; Bharat Biotech International Limited, Hyderabad; and Hotel Terminal 1C, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai.
Rai said the CISF was established under the CISF Act, 1968 for better protection and security of industrial undertakings owned and controlled by central and state governments, joint venture or private industrial undertaking.
Accordingly, the CISF is providing security at 64 airports at present, including those operated under joint ventures and public private partnership (PPP), he said.
Madurai: A Tamil Nadu man, who tried to help his wife deliver a baby at home with the help of YouTube videos near the Ranipet district, was arrested after the newborn died.
On Monday, Gomathi went into labor, her husband Loganathan tried to help her deliver at home with help of YouTube videos. In the process, the woman delivered a still-born. Later she was taken to a hospital in Vellore in a critical condition where she is undergoing a treatment.
Taking note of the incident, the Police conducted an inquiry based on the complaint and have arrested Loganathan under 304(ii) and 316. The Ranipet police are also trying to reach out to his sister in connection with the case.
Tamil Nadu health minister Ma. Subramanian said, "We have received a complaint and based on it we have filed an FIR. We are taking legal action."
All the committees and commissions formed to investigate different concerns relating to application of reservations to Scheduled Castes suggested that special reservations be granted to the most backward scheduled castes within SCs, Revanth said. DC Image
HYDERABAD: TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy demanded that the Centre amend the Constitution to sub-categorise Scheduled Castes into groups.
Raising the matter under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy said that the reservation policy being implemented without special protection to the most backward castes within the Scheduled Castes was creating new inequalities in education and employment.
"The Dalit movement in Telugu states has been divided into groups along the lines of new inequities. The shared list of Scheduled Castes, both advanced and backward, is establishing new disparities and setting the groundwork for divides within Scheduled Castes," he said.
Revanth Reddy pointed out that in every village, it is increasingly seen that the Madiga, Relli and Mehtar members are in juxtaposition to the Mala and Adi-Andhra communities.
"According to the Justice Usha Mehra Commission, 22 of the 59 Scheduled Castes in Telugu States have seen no progress. Backward groups within SCs, such as the Madigas, Rellis, and Mehtars, are the most backward within SCs in Telugu states. All the committees and commissions formed to investigate different concerns relating to application of reservations to Scheduled Castes suggested that special reservations be granted to the most backward scheduled castes within SCs," he said.
Revanth Reddy urged the Centre to sub-categorise the Scheduled Castes into groups and allow the state governments to distribute reservation benefits in order to provide equitable social justice in the word and spirit of the Constitution.
If government agencies do not purchase paddy, we will sell it to private persons, say farmers. PTI
HYDERABAD: Ignoring the huge row over procurement, and the governments warning against sowing the crop, a section of farmers has started planting paddy. As of now, farmers have cultivated paddy in around 25,000 acres in various districts.
Free power and paddy procurement by government agencies encouraged farmers to intensively cultivate paddy over the last few years. Paddy cultivation in the 2019 rabi season was 39.31 lakh acres which increased to 52.80 lakh acres in 2020. Based on previous data, the agriculture department estimated the crop area in 2021 rabi at 31.01 lakh acres.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao then suggested that farmers not go for paddy in the ensuing rabi (yasangi) season. He directed agriculture department officials to encourage the cultivation of alternative crops.
Citing 'restrictions' of the Centre on paddy procurement, the government asked farmers to go for irrigated dry (ID) crops. The CM made it clear that the state government will not purchase paddy grown in rabi.
However, some farmers who have the submersible borewell facility have preferred to cultivate paddy. In other districts, farmers have shifted from paddy and to sunflower, groundnut and other crops.
Farmers begin plantation in areas under lift irrigation and those watered from tanks. In some places, farmers wait for the completion of procurement before sowing paddy again.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a farmer, G. Prabhakar of Damarancha in Birkur mandal in Kamareddy district, said he had decided to go in for paddy. "Our soil is not suitable for ID crops," he explained. If we fail to cultivate in rabi, we will be unable to earn for the next crop in Vanakalam (kharif) season, he said.
What about the Chief Minister saying the government will not purchase paddy? "If government agencies do not purchase paddy, we will sell it to private persons," he said.
On the other hand, officials have started awareness campaigns in villages urging farmers not to sow the paddy. Scientists and agriculture officials are briefing farmers that a change in crop pattern would strengthen the soil and minimise cultivation expenses. District collectors have directed agriculture officials to explain to the farmers about restrictions imposed by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
On the issue of parboiled rice, Goyal said that FCI had enough stocks for four years, and the memorandum of understanding entered with the state government clearly says that the FCIs purchase of rice for the central pool will depend on the demand in the rest of the country. PTI
Hyderabad: Union minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday lashed out at the Telangana state government for trying to blame the Centre on the issue of paddy procurement, to cover up its own faults and failures.
He said that procurement of paddy and rice from the state had increased three-fold in the last five years, while the minimum support price (MSP) had increased significantly. These steps had increased the benefit to the states farmers by four to five times after BJP-led government came to power at the Centre.
Addressing the media in Delhi, Goyal, union food minister, said the TS government had failed to deliver the agreed-upon quantity of rice and paddy in last years rabi season. The state is yet to deliver about 27 lakh tonnes to the godowns of the Fod Corporation of India (FCI), he said.
The shortfall includes about 14 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice and 13 lakh tonnes of raw rice. Goyal said the Centre had agreed to procure an additional 20 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice grown in last years rabi season as a special gesture towards the farmers of Telangana although the country did not require this additional quantity. He said the Centre had repeatedly given extensions to the state government to deliver the rice.
On the issue of parboiled rice, Goyal said that FCI had enough stocks for four years, and the memorandum of understanding entered with the state government clearly says that the FCIs purchase of rice for the central pool will depend on the demand in the rest of the country. The TS government had given a written commitment dated October 4, 2021, that the state will not deliver parboiled rice to the FCI in future.
The minister said that there was no issue regarding the purchase of raw rice, and the FCI had significantly increased purchases from the state. He said that the Centre had given top priority to the welfare of farmers all over the country, including Telangana. Goyal said the TS government should quickly supply the rice from last years rabi season as per the agreement, and that it should not mislead the farmers.
Responding to queries about the availability of train rakes and storage space, Goyal said there was no problem, and the state must supply the grain instead of making wild allegations.
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia does not care about black people, Latinos, immigrants, women, or the poor, according to freshman Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York.
Bowman made the remarks during an interview on CNN when he questioned Manchin's decision not to endorse the Build Back Better proposal. The Biden administration and Democrats have been attempting to get the bill through without Republican backing, although doing so would need the approval of all 50 members of the Senate Democratic caucus, as per The Blaze.
Rep. Bowman rips Joe Manchin's refusal to vote
On Monday night, Bowman attacked West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, accusing him of not caring about women, minorities, or the poor. He is the latest Democrat in the House to openly attack Manchin for voting against President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion Build Back Better package.
"White man" Manchin's revelation on Sunday essentially destroyed Democrats' effort to enact Biden's massive social reform and climate change proposal before the new year, according to Bowman, who was infuriated but not surprised by it. He said that Manchin and his backers, including notable interest organizations and wealthy contributors, did not want this law to pass.
Bowman's district includes sections of the Bronx and New York City's northern reaches. West Virginia is one of the poorest states in the US, despite its predominantly white population. Its economy is ranked 48th out of 50 countries. With the Senate divided 50-50 and no Republican backing, Biden needed every Democrat in the upper chamber to vote yes for his measure to pass.
Because of Manchin's reservations, as well as those of Arizona Democrat Senator Kyrsten Sinema, lawmakers have had to dramatically reduce the package's original $3.5 trillion price tag. When Manchin abruptly told Fox News Sunday that he'd done everything humanly possible to support the plan but couldn't, Democrats in Congress and the White House thought they were on the verge of reaching an agreement with him.
Read Also: Kamala Harris Claims She, Joe Biden Barely Talks About 2024 Election; Vice President Barely Beats "Let's Go, Brandon" in Google Searches
Democrats thought Manchin would be persuaded to support the spending plan
Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, released a lengthy, scathing statement on Sunday, describing Manchin's abrupt and unexplained flip as a betrayal of his pledges to the President.
Washington Post reported on Monday that Manchin gave Biden an alternate proposal that featured a decade of free universal pre-K, an Obamacare expansion, and a significant climate investment - with the glaring exception of Biden's popular Child Tax Credit, which is set to expire this year.
Progressives behind the package believed that significant changes to climate legislation, many of which Manchin opposed, would be enough to persuade him to support it. The watered-down version included $320 billion for wind, solar, and nuclear power generation and purchase, as well as a $12,500 tax credit for electric vehicles and $6 billion to make buildings more energy-efficient.
Manchin had previously opposed sanctions against the fossil fuel sector but was more open to clean energy incentives. Bowman, a self-described Democratic Socialist, wasn't the only Squad member who was enraged by Manchin's defiance, as per Daily Mail.
Related Article: Sen. Chuck Schumer Vows To Keep Fighting To Pass Joe Biden's Agenda Despite Manchin's Fierce Opposition
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West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who has repeatedly flaunted his opposition to United States President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Act, has received scrutiny from coal miners who argue that there are provisions in the bill that could benefit them.
The situation comes a day after the Democratic senator appeared to have killed Biden's legislation with his announcement of a "no" vote. The largest coal mining union in the United States then put out a statement that praised the act's provisions and urged the West Virginia official to reverse his course.
Joe Manchin's Opposition
The president of the United Mine Workers of America, Cecil Roberts, said in a released statement on Monday that they were disappointed in Manchin's opposition to the bill. They urged the senator to revisit Biden's bill and work together with his colleagues to pass what they said would help coal miners keep working and have a crucial impact on the union's members, their families, and their communities, CNN reported.
Now, Manchin is also receiving criticisms from other officials, including Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who, in personal terms on Monday, accused the West Virginia senator of not caring about African Americans and other minority groups. He said he was extremely disappointed and frustrated after Manchin announced his stance with the Build Back Better Act.
Read Also: Press Secretary Jen Psaki Says No Lockdowns Due to New Coronavirus Variant Despite Unlawful Vaccine Mandates Issued Before
Bowman said that Democrats made a compromise with Manchin and brought down the bill's price tag from $3.5 trillion down to $1.75 trillion. He argued that the West Virginia senator's special interests, donors, and lobbyists were cutting the bill for many months to keep it from getting passed.
"Why? Because this bill disproportionately supports people of color. It supports women. It supports children. It supports those who are poor and lifts them out of poverty. Why wouldn't Manchin want to support that when this would benefit West Virginia tremendously?" said Bowman, Fox News reported.
Benefits of Build Back Better
Lawmakers have been negotiating for months to get the Build Back Better pushed through before Manchin's open announcement of a "no" vote. If it passes in its current form, the bill would have given out hundreds of billions of dollars dedicated to clean energy.
The amount of money it would distribute would get the United States within striking distance of Biden's goal to cut the nation's planet-warming emissions in half by 2030. The situation could also boost global efforts to mitigate the rapid increase in temperatures.
With Manchin's opposition, the bill could die before being allowed to share its benefits, meaning it could be next to impossible for the country to meet the aggressive climate targets. An energy systems engineer at Princeton University, Jesse Jenkins, said there was still a large gap between where the United States was and its goals to reduce climate change.
Jenkins, who has led an effort to model the effects of Biden's Build Back Better on U.S. emissions, said that without the bill or a climate bill with similar scope, it would be challenging to meet the United States' goals, the New York Times reported.
Related Article: Donald Trump Receives Mixed Reactions After Telling Republicans He Already Got His Booster Shot
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The United States' top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, praised former U.S. President Donald Trump after the Republican businessman announced that he got the booster shot for the coronavirus vaccine that resulted in him getting booed by his supporters.
The announcement by the former president was made during an event on Sunday held in Dallas and resulted in Trump dismissing the fans that booed him. The Republican businessman revealed his vaccination status while talking with former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly.
Trump Gets Booster Shot
During the discussions, Trump said "yes" when asked by the host whether or not he had received a booster shot for the coronavirus vaccine. While O'Reilly was continuing with the conversation, the former president interjected when he heard some people in the crowd booing his announcement.
"Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, no, no. That's - there's a very tiny group over there," said Trump, citing the apparent small crowd of people booing his reveal. The incident was shown in a video posted by O'Reilly's show "No Spin News," CBS News reported.
On Tuesday, Fauci offered rare praise for the former president for getting a booster shot for the coronavirus vaccine. The medical professional also expressed his surprise regarding the reaction of some people in the audience after Trump made his announcement.
Read Also: Joe Biden Lays Out New Effort To Fight Omicron Variant Surge, Assures Vaccinated Americans They Can Go Ahead With Holiday Plans
Fauci said that Trump's supporters booing him over getting the booster shot for the coronavirus vaccine did not make sense at all. The medical professional said the Republican businessman did the right thing based on a public health standpoint.
In his statement, the infectious disease expert said he was "very pleased" with former President Trump for his cheerful promotion of the vaccine and booster shots to his mainly vaccine-skeptical supporters. Fauci lauded the Republican businessman for publicly saying he got vaccinated and even booster, the New York Daily News reported.
Reassuring the Former President
After the incident, host O'Reilly described himself trying to reassure former President Trump after some of his supporters booed him for his announcement. Later, O'Reilly had an interview on NewsNation where he defended the Republican businessman for not discussing his vaccination status before the interview.
O'Reilly said that Trump most likely feared alienating anti-vax supporters if he discussed getting the booster shot before the interview. The host noted that he was called by the former president, where O'Reilly reassured him of his pro-vaccine position.
"I told him that today, he called me. I said 'This is good for you, this is good that people see another side of you, not a political side, you told the truth, you believe in the vax, your administration did it, and you should take credit for it because it did save, I don't know, hundreds of thousands of lives", said O'Reilly, Business Insider reported.
O'Reilly, a longtime Trump confidant, said the Republican businessman would definitely be running for office again. He said he was pushing the former president to focus on vaccine development in his pitch to voters. The situation comes as Trump has repeatedly teased the idea of running for president in the 2024 elections.
Related Article: US, Russia Configures Cold War Tension; European Union Locked Out From Preventing Ukraine Conflict
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Looming tension over probable NATO intervention in Ukraine continue to increase, Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will react to deal with NATO decisively.
The Russian President has given a list of the proposal to de-escalate the alliance. He promised that any action will have severe consequences for anyone choosing military action.
Don't cross the red lines!
In the clearest sign yet that Putin is preparing for war, the Kremlin leader has vowed to take military actions as a reaction to "openly hostile" Western conduct in the border, reported the Express UK.
Last Tuesday, at a meeting of the military ministry, Putin stated that Russia will respond severely to hostile conduct and that this is the nation's right.
On Monday, Russian media tycoon Dmitry Kiselyov pledged to "bring a gun to America's head" should NATO forces be stationed in Ukraine. He warns they will be turned into radioactive ash if the union doesn't quite reverse course, noted the Daily Mail.
America has been warning for weeks that Mr. Putin appears to be readying to invade Ukraine, but Mr. Putin has insisted it is merely a defense response.
He commented just days after Moscow presented a set of requests to NATO, along with the rejection of Ukraine from participation and the removal of Ukrainian troops from former Soviet states, cited Reuters.
Vladimir Putin wants a treaty that is long-term and with guarantees, but the Kremlin is wary about Washington. The US is not that reliable, especially the current administration.
Read also: EU Got Blindsided by Biden-Putin Negotiations Over Ukraine After Assurances They Would Be in the Loop
Mr. Putin said the US is not steady in the international treaties when it does not suit them. Belying the innate distrust of Washington.
Russia is not going to sit down and take it. The tension in Europe is the fault of the US and NATO. Moscow had to react to it and they expected it to be easy. They made the situation worse and made it harder to resolve.
Remove all weapons!
The Kremlin said that NATO should take away all arms close to Moscow or else, there will be military action to protect the security of Russia.
President Putin said if there are weapons deployed on the Ukraine border to cut short the travel time to ten minutes. A hypersonic missile will take five minutes. There is no way any systems should stay at the border.
There has been a teleconference between the US and Moscow with a list of must-dos for the NATO alliance. No agreement has been cemented yet by the parties because the demands were still under advisement.
The White House says that NATO will be informed but there are no assurances that it will do what the Kremlin demands.
Professor Richard Sakwa, from Kent University, commented recently that it will be a two-way cold war between the US and Russia. But, the EU will not be part of the talks.
A risk of the Cuban Missile Crisis is definite as NATO places missiles and Moscow will react in devastating kind!
Vladimir Putin does not want a war but will do what's necessary. He has no fear of the western alliance. Brussels and Washington are aware that Russian strength is at its highest.
Related article: Brussels Plays Best Card Against Putin, Threatens To Shut Down Nord Stream 2 in Event of Ukraine Invasion
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A woman from Illinois was sentenced to ten years in prison for scorching her boyfriend while he slept on a couch and then recording the incident on Snapchat.
Alexis Sykes, 23, of Roselle, went on to recount how her boyfriend's flesh began to peel away from his wounded arms, and how he asked her to drive him to the hospital while she concealed the vehicle keys. The victim, who authorities have not identified, ultimately discovered the keys and drove himself to the hospital.
Suspect pour sleeping boyfriend with boiling water
Sykes fled to Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, where she was apprehended and prosecuted on January 19, according to DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin. Sykes was sentenced to ten years in prison on Monday after agreeing to a plea agreement that included one count of aggravated assault with a caustic chemical, Daily Mail reported.
Sykes used a shrugging shoulder and kiss emoticons in his Snapchat statement about the incident. The victim was sent to the Burn Unit at Loyola University Medical Center, where he spent two weeks healing. He had skin graft surgery, according to authorities.
After the incident at the Roselle home, she lived with the victim, Sykes was first charged with two charges of aggravated battery by caustic material and two counts of aggravated domestic abuse.
"Ms. Sykes' cruelty in dousing her sleeping boyfriend with a pot of hot water is highly unsettling," Berlin said in a statement to local news station WMAQ. Since her arrest, she has been incarcerated at the DuPage County Jail. Before becoming eligible for parole, she must spend at least eight and a half years.
Read Also: Kentucky Suspects Arrested After Shamelessly Stealing From Tornado Victims; Police Warns of Possible Scams
Authorities urge the Illinois woman to serve her sentence
During the course of the inquiry, officers discovered that Sykes had videotaped herself committing the crime and shared it on SnapChat. Sykes is also accused of hiding the victim's vehicle keys as the victim recounted his flesh peeling off his arms, according to authorities.
The victim was able to get his keys and drive himself to the hospital. He was subsequently sent to Loyola Medical Center's Burn Unit, where he stayed for over two weeks and had skin graft surgery to repair his burns. Sykes went missing after the event, according to prosecutors. A $250,000 arrest warrant was issued for Sykes on January 8. On January 19, she was apprehended in Okitbbeha County, Mississippi, and extradited to DuPage County.
On February 2, she appeared in bond court, where her bond was set at $500,000. She has been held in detention since then, and on Monday, she was sentenced to ten years in prison.
"Ms. Sykes' cruelty in slathering her sleeping boyfriend with a pot of boiling water is quite troubling," said DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin. Given her utter disregard for the amount of agony and suffering she inflicted on her victim, one can only conclude that she has deserved every year of her ten-year sentence. Before being eligible for parole, Sykes will have to complete 85 percent of her sentence, as per Fox32.
Related Article: Authorities Charge Pennsylvania Teen After Fatally Shooting 5-Year-Old Brother Using Father's Gun
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The chance of Robogeddon and killer AI going amock concerns bodies how safe these autonomous machines are, creating fears of how much control military organizations have.
These fears are similar to pandora's box getting open, and inside is a soul-less machine doing its programming without fail. Calls to halt this new arms race that should not run amock noted experts.
UN should ban killer robots
A UN conference reached an agreement on a moratorium on Terminator-style killer bots, developed by China, Russia, and the United States, reported the Sun UK.
The cost of creating these weapons with Uber's advanced artificial intelligence that does everything on its own is deadly. A year ago, Turkish-made drones made the first kill order on their own. Killing humans in Libya as a technological milestone, noted Livescience.
According to experts, the tech is moving too fast, and governments ignore the impact on people till the dangers come too late.
Machine intelligence is not yet perfected, and their programming might not be foolproof, meaning an error can happen when algorithms get messed up. Next would be humans running from a killer bot.
It is not far from possible that Robogeddon and killer AI will be possessed by sentient weapons with killer viruses or nuke warheads that can start Armageddon by mistake, with no human pressing the red button.
Read Also: Terminator 'Quadruped Robot Dog' Mounted With Sniper Rifles To Replace Human Snipers on the Modern Battlefield
Professor James Dawes from Macalester College said if AI goes awry, these tech firms cannot avoid it, but a rogue weapon of mass destruction will kill millions, noted the Conversation. It's like strolling the thin line of nuclear annihilation via drone and machine intelligence.
Max Tegmark, MIT, and the Future of Life Institute co-founder, spoke of the danger saying the technology fast paced than the military-political discussions, mentioned Wired.
AI robots, drones could cause danger
Drones are called the Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) in UN convention that happens every five years the Convention On Certain Conventional Weapons. The participating 120 countries with LAWS-type weapons should be limited to landmines and incendiaries.
Countries like France and Germany want to limit their capabilities, including those that actively kill humans. But China is less inclined to such limitations. But other nations, including the US, would not allow a ban on such weapons, countries like the US don't want to lose.
Weapons with sensors and AI are common now, like auto fire machine guns emplaced in the stretch between north and south Korea.
Suicide drones are used by 14 nations, like Israeli aerial drone Harops that kills Hamas's terrorists immediately. Harops was used by the Armenians against Azerbaijan last year.
The development of deadly AI-enabled weapons has changed warfare like the new Checkmate stealth fighter, an AI/human combo input system.
Killer AI will not be limited forever
These new weapons are not controllable forever, and there will be a problem later on; militaries are deluded into thinking that. Machines can be hacked by roque nation and terrorists.
As the tech becomes cheaper than machine guns, the wrong people will cause havoc and death. Robogeddon and killer AI are not far off, but maybe there is time to stop it before it's too late.
Related Article: Killer Artificial Intelligence Robot Possible? Experts Fear This Might Threaten Humanity
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Japanese authorities continued with the hanging of three death-row prisoners on Tuesday, the first executions in the country since 2019, which comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida takes the helm of the region's government.
The nation's federal government said that the events were necessary to maintain capital punishment in the face of what they called "atrocious crimes." They are Kishida's first executions since he first took office in October.
Japanese Death Penalty
A justice ministry spokeswoman said that one of the three inmates executed on Tuesday was identified to be 65-year-old Yasutaka Fujishiro who was arrested for murder after using a hammer and knife to kill his 80-year-old aunt, two cousins, and four others in 2004.
The other two inmates were identified to be 54-year-old Tomoaki Takanezawa, who was arrested after killing two clerks at an arcade game parlor in 2003, and 44-year-old Mitsunori Onogawa, who is the former's accomplice, the South China Morning Post reported.
During a news conference, Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said that the cases the three death-row inmates were involved in were "extremely brutal cases." All executions in the Asian country are conducted via hanging. Most of the time, prisoners only learn about their execution only hours before the scheduled date. The rights group Amnesty International said that families of the prisoners are only notified of the execution after it has been done.
Read Also: Joe Biden Lays Out New Effort To Fight Omicron Variant Surge, Assures Vaccinated Americans They Can Go Ahead With Holiday Plans
Many rights groups and campaigners who were working to abolish the death penalty in Japan have long criticized the government's use of the punishment. Death penalty adviser at Amnesty International Chiara Sangiorgio responded to the Tuesday executions by saying that Kishida's recent appointment as Japan's prime minister was a chance for the progress of human rights in the region.
However, she argued that the abhorrent resumption of the brutal punishment was a damning indictment of the Japanese federal government's lack of respect for the right to life. Sangiorgio said that after two years without executions, the recent incident marks a missed opportunity to abolish the cruel practice, CNN reported.
Capital Punishment
In May 2009, the Kobe District Court sentenced Fujishiro to the death penalty, and the decision was later finalized in June 2015 after his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court. On the other hand, Takanezawa and Onogawa were sentenced to death by the Saitama District Court.
Takanezawa's death penalty was finalized in July 2005 after he withdrew his appeal and Onogawa's death sentence was finalized in June 2009 after a decision by the Supreme Court. In a statement after the executions of the three men, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara told reporters that it was not the time to abolish the death penalty.
"Many Japanese think the death penalty is unavoidable in the case of extremely malicious crimes," said Kihara. The situation comes as Amnesty International revealed data that showed more than two-thirds of countries in the world have already abolished the death penalty in law or practice, the Japan Times reported.
During a separate news conference, Justice Minister Furukawa said that he made the decision to approve the executions "after giving careful considerations again and again."
Related Article: Press Secretary Jen Psaki Says No Lockdowns Due to New Coronavirus Variant Despite Unlawful Vaccine Mandates Issued Before
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Donald Trump will reportedly discuss his 2020 election result and insurrection theories at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago next month.
Coincidentally, Trump's news conference will take place on Jan. 6, which will serve as the first anniversary of the Capitol riot.
Donald Trump unveils plans for Jan. 6
The ex-POTUS released a statement regarding the conference via his post-presidency PAC, and it detailed all the key points that he will tackle at the event.
Even though there's no proof that the 2020 election results were rigged, Trump continued to say that this was the case. He also said that the real insurrection happened on Nov. 3 when Joe Biden was elected president of the United States and not on Jan. 6.
"I will be having a news conference on January 6 at Mar-a-Lago to discuss all of these points and more. Until then, remember, the insurrection took place on November 3rd, it was the completely unarmed protest of the rigged election that took place on January 6th," he said via the Huffington Post.
Donald Trump thinks 2020 election results were rigged
In his statement, Trump also mentioned the states where he believes he should've won. It includes Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
However, some of these states already did a recount on their votes last year. And none was able to prove Trump's fraud allegations.
Read Also: Donald Trump Could Be Charged With a Crime For Allowing Jan. 6 Capitol Riot To Happen; Rep. Kinzinger Says No One Is Above The Law
While Trump is at his news conference in Mar-a-Lago, others will be attending a vigil as part of their solemn observance one year after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Livestreamed events will also air on local channels, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The House select committee is still investigating the Capitol riot as of press writing. They are interviewing individuals who may shed light on what really happened before, during, and after the siege.
Donald Trump, Republicans knew about the Capitol riot
Trump's involvement is also being investigated through the help of his former aides.
Last month, it was revealed that Trump called top White House aides to discuss how they could stop the certification of Biden's election on Jan. 6. Trump also told the top lieutenants that former Vice President Mike Pence didn't want to take part in his plans, according to The Guardian.
Two weeks ago, Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, submitted thousands of documents to the investigating committee. They later revealed that Meadows was in contact with Trump's eldest son, Donny, on Jan. 6.
Two Fox News hosts also reached out to Meadows and urged the latter to talk to the ex-POTUS. These communications reportedly proved that Trump and his people knew about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, even if they said otherwise.
Earlier this week, a text message that was traced from former Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry was released. In the text, the sender suggested an aggressive strategy where the Republican-controlled statehouses would declare that their electoral votes were incorrectly counted.
According to CNN, this shows that the Republicans can go to great lengths to ensure that Biden won't be named president even if he won the election by a landslide.
Related Article: Pentagon Confirms Around 100 Military Members Engaged in Extremist Activities, Launches New Guidelines Amid Growing Concerns
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With the end of 2021 only a few days away, we can already make some firm predictions about what people might expect in the coming year, especially when it comes to the possibility of a new stimulus check for the tens of millions of Americans who have been used to receiving monthly payments since July.
As most people are aware, West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin's unwillingness to endorse President Joe Biden's almost $2 trillion Build Back Better bill has effectively ended the possibility of these monthly payments continuing in January.
Can Americans expect new stimulus payments?
This is because the IRS had stated that it required Congress to enact the bill within days. This will not be possible now that the Senate has adjourned till the new year. As a result, there will be no new child tax credit payments on January 15.
Of course, a February double payments for everyone is contingent on the very large "if" suggested in Psaki's comments above. In other words, legislation must be approved in January. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Biden officials haven't given up on Build Back Better yet as we revealed in an article yesterday regardless of Senator Manchin's failure to endorse it thus far. This is a good indicator. One option, as former Obama advisor David Axelrod points out in the tweet above, is to divide apart the law. In other words, it means to hold votes on smaller portions of it.
For at least two reasons, the way forward for additional stimulus checks in 2022 is much more onerous than it was last month. Firstly, of course, 2022 is a midterm election year. Republicans will have little motive to offer Biden any victories in the coming election. The same could be said about Democrats who are up for re-election but are in a tight race, according to BGR.
Sevondly, the White House should definitely tone down the anti-Manchin outbursts. It is because they still require his support for practically everything. Because of the party's razor-thin Senate edge, Democrats can't afford to go all-out against the West Virginia senator. The margin that will result in a tie vote if every Democrat casts his vote, requiring Vice President Kamala Harris's vote to tilt the scales in favor of the slimmest of victories.
Read Also: Is It Possible To Receive Plus-Up Payments After December 2021? Deadline To Claim Stimulus Check Is Quickly Approaching
Is there a fourth stimulus check in 2022?
Per 9News, there are no indications that Washington, DC lawmakers are willing to compromise. They are debating on the possibility of a fourth direct payment stimulus check. While the public and some legislators have called for recurrent payments, there has been little movement.
Emails and phone calls to the White House, Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and House Budget Committee Chair John Yarmuth, D-Ky., inquiring if such payments are being considered, were not replied.
The monthly advance Child Tax Credit is one pandemic-related stimulus that is being explored for an extension. It increased the previous tax credit from $2,000 to $3,000 with the option of monthly payments, up from $2,000 at tax time.
The House passed the Build Back Better measure, which includes a one-year extension. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., however, stated on Sunday that he would not vote for it. With no Republicans on board, the bill's approval is dead until a replacement is found.
Financial subsidies, according to reports, have aided residents in focusing more on production. They no longer have to be concerned about their financial situation. Since the start of the assistance program, analysts have observed a 10% drop in defaulters.
There were no additional stimulus checks on the way once the third stimulus check was released. The citizens were greatly discouraged as a result of this. The states, on the other hand, have taken further precautions to protect their citizens.
The prospects for stimulus check in the following year are bleak. As a result, individuals are keen to make the most of them this year. While federal stimulus checks have long since been phased out, several states continue to offer them. States including Michigan, Maine, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, and others have rolled out stimulus money.
California has recently announced the release of a new round of Golden State Stimulus funds. If a resident's yearly income is less than $75000, they are entitled to $600. Each child under the age of eighteen will get $500, as per Digital Market News.
Related Article: Some States Will Receive Stimulus Payments After Holidays With Thousands To Get $500; Check if Yours Is Included!
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison doesn't think that lockdowns are key to preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
On Tuesday, Morrison called an emergency meeting to discuss the increasing number of active cases in Australia. But even if this is the case, the prime minister stressed that lockdowns are not the answer.
"We have got to get past the heavy hand of government and we've got to treat Australians as adults. We have to move from a culture of mandates to a culture of responsibility. That's how we live with the virus into the future," he said via CNN.
Scott Morrison, Dominic Perrottet don't support lockdowns
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet echoed Morrison's statement in his op-ed piece earlier this week. The premier said that the country could not always go on a lockdown every time there are new COVID-19 cases.
Perrottet also pointed out one key difference between the first time that the pandemic hit and now. He said that there were no vaccinations then, but people now have access to the jab.
The premier added that what's most important is for individuals to exercise personal responsibility, which is possible in NSW because the locals are resilient and strong.
Read Also: French Prime Minister Jean Castex Asks for Individual, Collective Effort To Lower Omicron Cases, Won't Announce Lockdown
Australia's COVID-19 cases are increasing
NSW reported over 3,000 new active cases on Monday. Out of these numbers, over 200 are hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 39 of which are in the ICU.
There is also an increasing number of cases in Queensland and state health authorities confirmed that the numbers are doubling every two days.
According to reports, Australia was one of the few countries that managed to control their COVID-19 cases because of their strict lockdowns and social distancing rules.
However, the country's re-opening of its borders caused the number of active cases to spike up in recent weeks.
The upcoming holiday celebrations have also become worrisome for Australians. But Morrison insists that he won't announce a lockdown during this time.
Morrison said that hospitals and health systems in Australia remain in a strong position despite the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. However, the prime minister still encouraged health workers to get tested.
Select states in Australia are requiring masks
According to Reuters, most states in Australia are requiring the use of masks in indoor settings. However, NSW did not join in the mandate.
Dr. Omar Khorshid, the president of the Australian Medical Association, accused Perrottet of putting the lives of locals at risk.
Khorshid said that the refusal to impose mask mandates, DIY contract, tracing, watered-down check-in requirements, and the removal of density limits are recipes for disaster in the state.
The president added that by the time hospital admissions and ICU cases reach an all-time high, it would already be too late.
Dan Suan, a researcher and clinical immunologist from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research, is urging locals to follow mask mandates, especially during their Christmas celebration.
Suan said that Christmas celebrations can be a super-spreader not just in Australia but in the entire world so everyone should be careful.
Related Article: Australia Lifts Travel Entry Ban for Skilled Workers, Students Despite Rising Omicron Cases To Help Boost Country's Economy
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Joe Biden recently lashed out at cable news channels and social media for perpetuating false claims about COVID-19 and vaccinations.
During Tuesday's press conference, Biden refused to name which cable news outlets he's referring to. But the POTUS said that some channels are causing more harm than good by reporting incorrect information about the deadly virus.
"The unvaccinated are responsible for their own choices, but those choices have been fueled by dangerous misinformation on cable TV and social media. These companies and personalities are making money by peddling lies and allowing misinformation that can kill their own customers and their own supporters," he said via the Huffington Post.
Biden also urged the outlets and social media accounts to stop what they're doing right now.
Right-wing news outlets accused of spreading false claims
The publication pointed out that Fox News is one of the right-wing channels to continue to downplay the seriousness of COVID-19. They have also raised alarms by suggesting that vaccines could be dangerous.
However, staff at the network are required to get vaccinated, and they are also asked to disclose their vaccination status to the company.
Joe Biden urges Americans to get booster shots like Trump
During the press conference, Biden also announced the different initiatives that he has in place to help combat Omicron.
The POTUS also urged Americans to not panic especially if they're fully vaccinated and have already received their booster shots.
Biden also mentioned Donald Trump during this week's conference. He revealed that he already received his booster shot, and he heard that Trump also got his.
The POTUS joked that this is one of the few things that the two leaders agree on, according to Deadline.
Read Also: Joe Manchin Continues To Delay Build Back Better Bill Approval; Democrats To Postpone Voting Until 2022
Joe Biden confident Joe Manchin would change his mind
Biden also mentioned Joe Manchin during Tuesday's press conference. He said that the two of them will get something done days after the West Virginia senator announced that he's not voting in favor of the Build Back Better bill.
Manchin said that he already did everything humanly possible to try and get on board with the other Democrats. However, he eventually realized that he cannot vote to continue with the legislation, according to Fox News.
The senator also said that it has always been his rule to not vote for anything that he can't explain to the people of West Virginia.
Following Manchin's statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the senator had a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position regarding the Build Back Better bill.
Manchin was also accused of breaching his commitments to Biden and his colleagues in the House and at the Senate.
Psaki also said that Biden and the Senate Democrats will continue to press Manchin regarding the bill and see if his stand could once again be reversed.
According to Politico, Manchin asked one of his aides to break the news of his decision to the White House 30 minutes before his interview aired. And when they heard what his stand was, they called him on the phone but he didn't pick up.
Related Article: Donald Trump Receives Mixed Reactions After Telling Republicans He Already Got His Booster Shot
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Meghan Markle might be asked to give a deposition as part of Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre's legal complaint against Prince Andrew.
The lawyer representing Giuffre in her legal case, David Boies told the Daily Beast that the Duchess of Sussex could be depended on to speak the truth, which is one of three reasons he believes she may be deposed.
Why Meghan Markle may testify in Prince Andrew sex abuse case?
Markle was also a concern, according to Boies, because she lives in the United States and is so subject to the jurisdiction of US courts. She was also being evaluated because she was "a close acquaintance of Prince Andrew and hence is in a position to possibly have observed what he did," he added.
Giuffre, 38, claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times while she was just 17 years old in 2001. All of the claims leveled against Prince Andrew are categorically denied by him.
District Judge Lewis Kaplan is slated to hear arguments from the Duke's legal team to dismiss the claim on January 4. If the lawsuit survives this stage, it will go to full discovery, which means both parties will be required to give filmed depositions, Daily Mail reported.
Boies stated that his team could depose up to 12 third parties during this stage, but that owing to time constraints, they had to be selective in who they chose. The Duke's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson was also considered, but would be more difficult to depose due to her residence in the United Kingdom. There were no preparations to remove the Queen, according to Boies, "out of respect and regard" and because of her age.
Per Republic World, Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Epstein, said that she was brought to London by the convicted sex offender to Duke of York for additional abuse. Meghan Markle is set to testify in the Prince Andrew case.
On two different instances, the 38-year-old has claimed that Prince Andrew had intercourse with her without her consent. Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, are known to have links to the royal family, which has led to widespread condemnation of the royal family.
It's worth noting, though, that Epstein's social circle included former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Despite ties with both Epstein and Maxwell, Prince Andrew has unequivocally denied any wrongdoings.
In an interview with the BBC, the Duke of York stated categorically that he has never seen Giuffre and that he had an alibi for the day of the purported sexual intercourse in London. However, there are still concerns about Prince Andrew's assertions, as at least one photograph of the young prince with Giuffre, who was 17 at the time, has surfaced.
Read Also: Queen Elizabeth Begs Prince William To Halt Flying Family in Helicopter Amid Accident Fears; Her Majesty May Cancel Christmas Day Walkabout
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry snubbed by a local company
Meanwhile, during a Christmas excursion to Vancouver Island, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were allegedly shunned by a local company. Due of coronavirus restrictions, the Sussexes were unable to visit the rest of the royals in the United Kingdom last year.
The royal couple spent Christmas in Canada last year. Their journey, however, did not go as planned. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had planned to dine at Deep Cove Chalet, a high-end seafood restaurant with stunning views of the water.
The couple's desire to eat at a local eatery was unfortunately denied. This was reportedly due to security concerns associated with hosting two of the world's most well-known persons. As a result, Bev and Pierre Koffel, the restaurant's proprietors, declined a request to host the royal coup, as per The Sun.
Related Article: Prince Andrew To Miss Royal Family Christmas Tradition; Duke Spotted Looking Anxious as Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Continues
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The pharmaceutical company Pfizer is expecting US FDA approval of their COVID-19 pill stock, which can lower the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 percent.
On a positive note, President Joe Biden's administration stated that once COVID-19 pills have been approved, it would be easily available and free.
Pfizer COVID-19 Pill Stock
According to some anonymous people familiar with the matter, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve Pfizer's COVID-19 pill called Paxlovid tablet later this week. The same goes for its rival COVID-19 pill from Merck, though they both aim to treat COVID-19 infection, per Bloomberg.
For those who are not familiar with Pfizer's COVID-19 pill, Cnet reported that Nirmatrelvir--also known as Paxlovid--works by preventing the action of the SARS-CoV-2-3CL protease, an enzyme required for coronavirus reproduction.
Moreover, Pfizer noted on its press release that this COVID-19 pill can lower the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 percent when given within three days after symptoms have occurred. Aside from this, it is reported to be more effective when combined with ritonavir, an HIV medicine, per Cnet.
Ritonavir extends the medication's functioning of the body and allows it to be used at larger doses.
Once Pfizer's COVID-19 pill stocks get authorized, two 150mg pills would be given at the first sign of symptoms or a positive COVID-19 test result and the said medication would last for five days.
Read Also: 'Spider-Man 4' Update: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'' Ending Explained, Will There Be Another Spidey Film?
COVID-19 Pill Efficacy
In terms of its efficacy, Pfizer stated that the pill is effective against COVID-19 variations of concern, such as Delta and the more recent Omicron strain.
According to the pharmaceutical manufacturer, the documented side effects between those using Paxlovid and those receiving placebo were nearly the same throughout clinical studies.
In addition to this, the biotechnology corporation stated that the COVID-19 pill did not result in any death during Pfizer's trial; however, the placebo treatment resulted in 12 deaths.
On the other hand, Pfizer Chief Scientific Officer Mikael Dolsten remarked that the clinical trial's outcome was surprising.
"We're talking about a staggering number of lives saved and hospitalizations prevented. And of course, if you deploy this quickly after infection, we are likely to reduce transmission dramatically," Dolsten added in a CNBC interview.
COVID-19 Pill Price: Is it Free?
In the statement released by The White House, President Joe Biden stated that Pfizer's antiviral medications would be "easily available and free" since the administration has already purchased 10 million treatments that cost $5.29 billion.
Separately, the government has ordered 1.7 million courses of Merck's antiviral medication, molnupiravir, to be used when the FDA approves it.
This only means that several people should not be worried about the COVID-19 Pill price since it will be offered for free.
COVID-19 Pill Release Date
Cnet added that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that they have requested an emergency-use authorization for its antiviral medicine from the FDA in November, and he expects a decision by the end of 2021.
"We have already shipped product into the US, so [it] will be available this month if it's approved," per Bourla through Cnet.
Meanwhile, Dolsten furthered that Pfizer would be able to export 180,000 treatment courses this year, with plans to create at least 80 million more in 2022.
Related Article: Microchip Implant as COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker? It's Coming
Since airplane Wi-Fi is considerably slow, Elon Musk assured people that SpaceX Starlink satellite internet will deliver faster services even during flight.
In fact, the richest man in the world claimed that people can also stream videos and play online games in-flight!
Will Starlink Internet Work on Airplanes?
According to Business Insider, airplane Wi-Fi is frequently slow and pricey. While it costs much more, it does not mean passengers will get to experience fast internet.
Despite that, several individuals are still willing to pay a huge amount of money to share images of their flight or even finish some works during mid-flight.
Moreover, in-flight Wi-Fi is estimated to have a value of $130 billion by 2035.
Business Insider also shared two options that these planes, which are flying at hundreds of miles per hour at 36,000 feet, use to obtain Wi-Fi during flight. The said options are ground-based towers and space-based satellites.
In relation to this, the consultant and long-time mobile analyst and tech guru Benedict Evans tweeted that "airplane wifi is god's way of showing the youngs what dial-up was like."
Surprising the internet community, Elon Musk directly replied to Evans's tweet agreeing to his statement and advising him to ask the airline for Starlink.
True. Ask your airline for Starlink! https://t.co/R9GL2bKOAT Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2021
On the other hand, Musk bragged about SpaceX's proposal to deploy Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi last October, per CNBC.
Read Also: Pfizer COVID-19 Pill Stock, Price, Release Date: What Is Its Efficacy? Is It Free?
SpaceX's vice president of Starlink and commercial sales Jonathan Hofeller told a panel at the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit that they are in conversations with several airline companies.
"We have our own aviation product in development... we've already done some demonstrations to date, and looking to get that product finalized to be put on aircraft in the very near future," Hofeller furthered on the Summit, per The Verge.
As Musk's space firm pushes to establish the internet network commercially later this year, it is anticipated to expand Starlink beyond rural households and aboard planes.
In addition to the Starlink internet, the South-African-born business mogul explained that people could also stream video and play online games during flight.
With Starlink, you could stream video & play online games Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 21, 2021
How Will the Starlink Internet Work on Airplanes?
For those who are curious to know how the Starlink internet will work on airplanes, Hofeller explained that the architecture of SpaceX's airline antennas would have similarity to that of its consumer terminals, but "with obvious enhancements for aviation connectivity."
To interact with Starlink satellites, the airborne antennas may connect to base stations.
An inter-satellite link will be required for Starlink to give connection to planes flying over isolated portions of the ocean far from base stations.
Inter-satellite links allows satellites communicate with each other using laser links without first bouncing signals off ground stations.
"The next generation of our constellation, which is in work, will have this inter-satellite connectivity," Hoffer furthered on The Verge.
SpaceX is currently on the Starlink beta phase that offers download speeds of up to 100Mbps and upload rates of up to 20Mbps. Under that beta, most people are paying $99 per month for internet and are utilizing a $499 Starlink dish and Wi-Fi router combination.
Related Article: SpaceX Starlink Satellite Launch: Elon Musk Promises Internet Coverage Even in Navajo Nation!
The recent photo captured by the NASA Hubble camera shows that the outer space is celebrating the holidays already.
The said NASA Hubble picture exhibits a titanic explosion in a spiral galaxy, leading to a bright light captured by the space telescope.
NASA Hubble Camera Captures Spiral Galaxy NGC 3568
In a recent blog post, the NASA Hubble Space Telescope showed a side-on shot of the NGC 3568, which is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Centaurus around 57 million light-years from the Milky Way.
Now presenting NGC 3568!
This #HubbleFriday image shows a spectacular galaxy thats about 57 million light-years from our Milky Way Galaxy in the constellation Centaurus.
Find out more: https://t.co/6TWUY1LA5K pic.twitter.com/fYVUCnU0HZ Hubble (@NASAHubble) December 17, 2021
The NASA Hubble Space Telescope is one tool astronomers have been using to keep track of some of these galaxies. Since its debut in April 1990, Hubble has been surveying the universe.
During its 31 years of existence, it has discovered a variety of galaxies outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies that resemble our own are among them, while others are very distinct.
The latest NASA Hubble picture displays a spiral galaxy with massive red and blue clouds covering its dazzling white core, per Screen Rant. Many stars are surrounding the galaxy, some of which are especially brilliant.
For background information, the light from a supernova explosion in NGC 3568 reached Earth in 2014, causing a rapid flare of light generated by the titanic explosion that happens when a huge star dies.
Moreover, Sci-News added that this NGC 3568 is part of the NGC 3557 group which is a collection of 12 galaxies.
On the other hand, while most astronomical discoveries are made by professional astronomy teams, this supernova was found by amateur astronomers in New Zealand as part of the Backyard Observatory Supernova Search.
These dedicated amateur astronomers frequently produce fascinating discoveries, especially of fleeting celestial events like supernovae and comets.
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This Hubble discovery is based on a set of information gathered to prepare the path for a better investigation with the NASA James Webb Space Telescope.
Astronomers have compiled a lot of information on the links between young stars and the cold gas clouds in which they develop by combining ground-based observations with data from Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3.
One of Webb's main scientific objectives is to learn more about the life cycle of stars, namely how and where stars are created.
Since James Webb Space Telescope observes at infrared wavelengths, it will be able to peek through clouds of gas and dust in stellar nurseries and observe the young stars within.
Due to Webb's sensitivity, astronomers will be able to examine dim protostellar cores, which are the earliest phases of star formation firsthand.
Will James Hubble Space Telescope Replace NASA Hubble?
Webb is frequently referred to as Hubble's replacement, but scientists prefer to call it Hubble's successor, per NASA.
Moreover, Hubble's research purpose influenced the scientific objectives of the said new telescope.
In addition to this, both space telescopes have different capabilities.
Webb will primarily study the universe in the infrared, whereas Hubble will focus on the optical and ultraviolet wavelengths, though it has some infrared capability.
Additionally, Webb has a far larger mirror than Hubble.
Because Webb has a wider light-collecting area, it can look back in time further than Hubble can.
Related Article: NASA Hubble Images: High-Tech Space Camera Captures Stunning Photo of Spiral Galaxy 120 Million Light-Years Away
John Brett's "The British Channel Seen from the Dorsetshire Cliffs" (1871) is on view in the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art's exhibition, "Light: Works from the Tate Collection." Courtesy of the Tate
By Park Han-sol
A single lit candle flickers and flutters faintly inside the steel shell of a cathode-ray tube (CRT) television. In Paik Nam-june's "Candle TV," while the flame represents the beginning of civilization, TV becomes a symbol that has ushered in a new digital era of human culture.
This intriguing interplay between natural light and contemporary technology presented in Paik's piece is what marks the beginning of the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art's new exhibition, "Light: Works from the Tate Collection."
"Candle TV, centering on light, visually encapsulates human history from the start of civilization to the present day," curator Oh Yeon-seo noted during a recent press preview. "The museum placed this work as a poetic introduction to the wide range of displayed works, from traditional paintings to contemporary installations," which incorporate light as their subject matter, material or means of expression.
Jointly organized by the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) and the Tate, the show traces the theme of light captured and explored over the past 200 years of art history, across the breadth of Tate's collection.
From the religious masterpieces of late 18th-century England, to French Impressionist paintings and contemporary international installations, 110 works produced by period-defining creators, such as William Blake, Claude Monet, Wassily Kandinsky and Olafur Eliasson, are on view at the museum.
Because light as a source of visual and aesthetic inspiration was never limited to one particular era or genre, the exhibition itself steers away from isolating each group of art into strict chronological order. Instead, the contemporary works are nestled throughout the show, presented side by side with the 18th- and 19th-century paintings, thereby creating a new point of dialogue between the old and the new that transcends time.
Claude Monet's "Poplars on the Epte (Les Peupliers au bord de l'Epte)" (1891) / Courtesy of the Tate
One section that highlights such a curatorial decision is "The Impression of Light," showcasing the iconic Impressionist painters of late 19th-century Britain and France: John Brett, Monet, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro and Armand Guillaumin, among others.
The section boasts pieces like Brett's "The British Channel Seen from the Dorsetshire Cliffs" and Monet's "Poplars on the Epte," which defined the art movement, with an emphasis on documenting the fleeting effects of light according to the passage of time, atmosphere and movement, through visible brush strokes. In other words, light became the artists' subject in itself.
What stands in the middle of this gallery space, surrounded by these paintings, is none other than Yayoi Kusama's "The Passing Winter" a mirrored cube that reflects the Japanese artist's interest in the different behaviors of light when it bounces off reflective surfaces.
Installation view of the exhibition's "The Impression of Light" section / Courtesy of SeMA
"While Impressionist painters transferred their impressions of light onto canvas through the brush, Kusama has transferred hers and viewers' onto the reflective mirror," Oh said. "By presenting these works within the same space, viewers can then observe the effects of light on the paintings with their eyes and experience them in the mirror with their own bodies."
Another section connecting the old and the new is "Interior Light," dedicated to showcasing pieces that seem to suspend time by capturing a particular moment of light as it is cast through windows.
What highlights Vilhelm Hammershoi's early 20th-century depictions of subtly lit scenes of domesticity is a curious carpet designed by Philippe Parreno.
Its title, "6:00PM," implies that the carpet's pattern which is created by cutting and putting together three different shades of carpet pieces into one portrays light and shadow entering through a window in the evening.
However, viewers are soon reminded of the fact that the gallery is windowless and therefore, the image will never change or disappear, even at nighttime.
Installation view of the exhibition's "Interior Light" section / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol
In addition to drawing this fascinating relationship between artworks of different eras that transcends time, the exhibition features works that incorporate light as an innovative, visual and technical tool.
These pieces include English painter J. M. W. Turner's "Light and Colour (Goethe's Theory) the Morning after the Deluge Moses Writing the Book of Genesis" and "Shade and Darkness the Evening of the Deluge."
Here, the artist turns the ideas of Goethe's formal "Theory of Colours" especially related to the psychology of colors into paintings. According to Goethe, red and yellow can be associated with happiness and warmth, while blue produces feelings of anxiety and coldness.
Turner visualized this theory in a set of works: cooler colors to portray a biblical scene in which God floods the earth, and warmer colors to illustrate a sense of hope following the complete ruination.
J. M. W. Turner's "Light and Colour (Goethe's Theory) the Morning after the Deluge Moses Writing the Book of Genesis" (exhibited 1843), left, and "Shade and Darkness the Evening of the Deluge" (exhibited 1843) / Courtesy of the Tate
Shinhan Bank is the latest major lender to set foot in the delivery app business. Korea Times file
By Yi Whan-woo
Commercial banks are capitalizing on mobile apps to advance into the on-demand delivery service business, the home turf of local big-tech companies that have been using their digital prowess as platform operators to muscle into a wide range of industries.
The measure taken by the banks, according to industry sources, is noteworthy, as it hints that the brick-and-mortar lenders may not be leaders in digital technology, but can still become influential platform operators through accumulated expertise in their respective fields.
Shinhan Bank will be the latest to join the campaign, with its domestically developed food delivery app starting a trial run, Wednesday. Some other banks, such as Woori, KB Kookmin and Nonghyup, have already been operating apps in the fields of courier services and flower deliveries, among others.
The app-based food delivery market is scaled at 12 trillion won ($10 billion), but consumer demand still outstrips supply.
Shinhan spent more than 10 billion won to create the app. It will be available in six districts in Seoul: Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa, Mapo, Gwangnjin and Gwanak.
"Spending such a big amount of money in a non-financial sector is rare and therefore worth paying attention to," a market observer said, adding that it would cost less to develop the market's leading apps, such as Baemin and Yogiyo.
The app is designed to offer financial benefits to clients with accounts at Shinhan Bank, many of whom are self-employed.
For instance, the rate of commission will be 2 percent, which is the lowest in the market.
Shinhan Bank assessed the company's app as "a fresh attempt on the path to innovative finance."
It said that the app is not intended to be a major source of income, but rather a source of big data for the creation of relevant financial products in the long term.
"We will continue to provide services that embrace different groups of customers," it added.
In August, Woori Bank launched a courier service in cooperation with ParcelMedia.
KB Kookmin Bank partnered with Yogiyo to have its clients order food using the bank's app.
Nonghyup Bank sells flowers on its app, in cooperation with the Flower Farmers Association, one of its clients.
Lee Sook-kyung, the newly appointed artistic director of the 14th Gwangju Biennale / Courtesy of Gwangju Biennale Foundation
By Park Han-sol
Lee Soo-kyung, the senior curator of international art at the Tate Modern in London, has been named the artistic director for the 14th edition of the Gwangju Biennale. Slated for April 2023, the event is one of the most renowned contemporary art biennales in Asia.
Her appointment marks the first time for a Korean national to organize the exhibition since 2006, when former Seoul Museum of Art director Kim Hong-hee led the event.
"As we approach a historic turning point [of the 30th anniversary of the biennale], there are many meanings to a South Korea-born curator with an international presence taking the lead in enhancing an organic link between Korean and international arts," the Gwangju Biennale Foundation said in a statement.
Lee has been active in the international contemporary art curating scene for the past 28 years. Prior to her 14 years of working at Tate, she curated for the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in the 1990s. She also commissioned and curated the Korean Pavilion for the 2015 Venice Biennale.
Her commitments to steering away from Western-centric discourses and supporting alternative critical narratives are reflected in her curatorial practice, the foundation continued including the recent Nam June Paik retrospective in celebration of the video art visionary, as well as "A Year in Art: Australia 1992," which aptly addresses the indigenous land rights of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.
For its 2023 edition, the biennale aims to bring the "Gwangju Spirit" of its regional host city under a transnational lens. The exhibition will focus on creating dialogues in regards to a wide range of issues, such as the ongoing history of pro-democracy movements, the hidden legacy of colonialism, indigenous cultures and the future of our climate.
"The role of art is to address our shared crisis and to propose future directions," Lee stressed, bringing attention to contemporary artists' exploration of themes of race and class inequality, climate action and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I aim to create a message unique to Gwangju based on the spirit of the city and its Biennale, with a commitment to a non-Western perspective. A transformation of the relationship between centers and peripheries, truly equal connections and exchanges and a vision for better human communities will all be present."
An intensive care unit at Hyemin Hospital in Seoul is being converted to a negative pressure isolation ward, Wednesday, as the hospital was newly designated as a COVID-19 treatment center. Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
Medical workers are calling on the government to increase personnel for treatment of COVID-19 patients, as hospitals continue to grapple with unrelenting numbers of critically ill patients.
They argue that recent measures from the administration to secure additional intensive care unit (ICU) beds will do little to resolve the current crisis, without expanding the number of healthcare workers.
The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union held a press conference, Monday, demanding the government introduce specific ways to increase the number of trained nurses at COVID-19 treatment centers.
"Other than securing more ICU beds, negative pressure isolation wards and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines, the government has done virtually nothing to alleviate the burden of overworked nurses. They have long been suffering from burnout as hospitals are on the verge of collapse," said Hong Soo-jeong, a member of the union.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of Tuesday, the occupancy rate of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients stood at 86 percent in Seoul, 85 percent in Gyeonggi Province and 90 percent in Incheon.
There are no hospital beds left in Sejong City and North Gyeongsang Province, while North Chungcheong Province has just one left.
Against this backdrop, President Moon Jae-in ordered health authorities to come up with "special measures" to address the shortage of ICU beds and insufficient healthcare capacity.
Members of the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union speak during a press conference held at its office in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Monday, demanding the government increase personnel at COVID-19 treatment hospitals. Yonhap
In response, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced a set of measures, Wednesday, under which about 7,000 hospitals beds would be secured for critically ill patients and those in moderate condition by mid-January.
In preparation for a worst-case scenario where the country may report up to 10,000 infections per day, the government will issue administrative orders on general and university hospitals to secure more wards, while designating more medical institutions as COVID-19 treatment centers.
In addition, 499 hospital beds will be vacated at public hospitals including the National Medical Center, Seoul Medical Center and Veterans Health Service Medical Center for exclusive care of coronavirus patients.
The authorities also plan to send 1,200 more healthcare workers 104 doctors and 1,107 nurses to COVID-19 treatment hospitals for the treatment of critically ill patients, by dispatching additional doctors including those from the military.
But it remains to be seen whether these measures will solve the ongoing hospital bed crisis, as Korea continues to see record-breaking numbers of infections despite the government's tightened social distancing measures that took effect Dec. 18.
The KDCA reported a record-high figure of seriously ill patients for Tuesday at 1,063, along with 7,456 new infections, pushing up the total caseload to 583,065.
Seven new cases of the Omicron variant were identified, raising the total infections to 234.
Meanwhile, a coalition of self-employed individuals held a massive rally in downtown Seoul, Wednesday, in protest of the implementation of a vaccine pass system and tightened distancing measures.
Small business owners have demonstrated a strong backlash to the vaccine pass, which restricts unvaccinated people from sitting in eateries and cafes unless they are alone, along with placing limits on operation hours of multiuse facilities until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.
A medical staff prepares an injection at NHIS Ilsan Hospital, located in Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap
Korea's new coronavirus cases spiked to above 7,000 on Wednesday, and the number of critically ill patients surged to a record high.
The country added 7,456 more COVID-19 cases, including 7,365 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 583,065, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
Wednesday's tally is sharply up from 5,318 on Monday and 5,202 on Tuesday. The number of new daily cases usually shrinks at the beginning of the week due to less testing over the weekend.
The number of critically ill patients came to a fresh high of 1,063, the authorities said. The previous high was the 1,025 reported Sunday.
Health authorities and local governments, meanwhile, had reported 4,191 new cases as of 6 p.m., up 66 from the same time the previous day, but down 389 from the comparable time a week earlier. The capital area accounted for 64.4 percent of new cases counted at 6 p.m., with Seoul registering its new high at 1,442.
Daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.
The bed occupancy rate in intensive care units for COVID-19 patients stood at 79.2 percent as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, slightly down from 80.7 percent from the same time a day earlier. The comparative figure for the wider Seoul area came to 85.7 percent.
A figure higher than 75 percent is considered the saturation point. As of midnight Wednesday, 493 COVID-19 patients in the wider Seoul area were waiting to be admitted to hospitals while undergoing at-home treatment.
Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party, visits a frontline observation post, Dec. 20. Yonhap
The U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) is investigating alleged armistice rule violations in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, its officials said Wednesday after the main opposition People Power Party's presidential nominee visited a border unit there.
On Monday, Yoon Suk-yeol in military uniform visited a frontline observation post of the South Korean Army's 3rd Infantry Division, also known as Baekgol Unit, as he stepped up his campaign ahead of the March 9 presidential poll.
In a press release, the UNC did not mention his name, but said it is probing "unauthorized activities" in the DMZ that were permitted by a frontline division. The UNC oversees activities in the DMZ in line with the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.
The command noted that the unit in question placed civilians "under greater threat than necessary" by putting them in military uniforms that would mark them as combatants in the heavily fortified border area.
gettyimagesbank
A man who stunned the nation earlier this year by sexually assaulting and killing a 20-month-old baby girl was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a court in the central city of Daejeon on Wednesday.
The Daejeon District Court handed down the sentence to the 29-year-old man, identified only by his surname Yang, after convicting him of raping and killing the baby daughter of his live-in girlfriend in June.
Yang was indicted for abusing and killing the baby girl because she did not stop crying on the night of June 15 by covering her with a blanket and punching and stomping on her for about an hour while drunk at his home in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul. He was also charged with raping the toddler before beating her to death.
Yang and his girlfriend, surnamed Jeong, allegedly hid the victim's body in an ice box in their bathroom.
Prosecutors demanded the death penalty and chemical castration treatment for Yang in the previous court hearing on Dec. 1.
But the court rejected the prosecution's requests for chemical castration treatment for Yang and disclosure of his identity.
Instead, the suspect was banned from working at child-related facilities for 10 years and ordered to wear a tracking device for 20 years and undergo 200 hours of child abuse treatment program.
"Yang's act of sexually assaulting and indiscriminately beating the victim fostered by himself to death was so horrific that it is beyond words. Considering similar crimes in various parts of society, he must be held heavily accountable," the court said, adding the sentence was determined in consideration of his deep repentance and other circumstances.
The court also sentenced Jeong to one and a half years in prison on the charge of helping Yang conceal the victim's body. It said Jeong may have lacked the ability to address the murder due to persistent beatings by Yang.
Child abuse awareness activists and citizens who attended the court trial complained that the sentence was too weak, with some of them bursting into tears. (Yonhap)
gettyimagesbank
By Bahk Eun-ji
A growing number of fathers here are taking parental leave, with more than one in five of the parents taking childcare leave being male, as more are seeing parenting as a job done by mothers and fathers together.
According to recent data from Statistics Korea, 169,345 workers went on parental leave last year. It was a 3.7 percent rise from 2019 and a 2.3-fold increase compared to 2010.
Of them, 38,511 or 22.7 percent were fathers. It was the first time that the ratio of fathers has exceeded 20 percent. Back in 2010, the ratio of fathers among the total people taking childcare leave was 2.7 percent.
An elementary school teacher in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, who wished to be identified only by his surname Ryu, was one such father. He returned to work in September after six months of parental leave.
"When another teacher in my school became the first father to take the leave two years ago, many colleagues asked him why he did so instead of his wife," Ryu said.
"But when I took the leave, things were much better, and many male teachers now take parental leave for at least six months each."
Kim Chang-young, who returned to work in November after completing five months of parental leave, shared his positive experience with taking parental leave.
"During the leave, I could spend time with my family on weekdays, and I thought it was good to take the leave because I could focus on my two sons, even though we didn't do anything too special, just going to a small park near home," Kim said.
However, statistics and male workers' experiences show there are still many restrictions on paternal leave and negative perceptions on such fathers.
"I often felt pressured by the prejudices of people who see fathers like me, who actively participate in childrearing, as merely idle or incompetent," Ryu said.
The data also showed there is a big gap in workers' use of parental leave according to the size of the company.
More than 68 percent of fathers on parental leave were working at large companies with 300 or more employees, as those employers have relatively improved systems for childcare leave and substitute workers, while only 3.5 percent of fathers taking leave worked at companies with fewer than four workers. The ratios were not much different for mothers, with 62 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
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Hundreds of small business owners demonstrate in Seoul on Wednesday, demanding the government scrap toughed social distancing rules and operating hour curfews. Yonhap
Hundreds of restaurant and other small business owners demonstrated in Seoul on Wednesday, demanding the government scrap the toughed social distancing rules and operating hour curfews that they say would crush their businesses already struggling amid the prolonged pandemic.
Some 300 members of the so-called national emergency association of small business against COVID-19 gathered near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul to protest the reintroduction of strict distancing and business rules since Saturday.
The participants were screened for vaccination status by on-site police. Police were seen trying to prevent the crowd from becoming larger than the allowed ceiling of 299 participants.
"All small merchants are dying," protesters chanted. "Scrap the business restrictions!"
Korea reimposed a set of revised virus restrictions across the country Saturday, which will remain in effect until Jan. 2, as infections surged out of control in the wake of the "living with COVID-19" scheme that began last month with an aim to regain pre-pandemic social normalcy.
Under the updated measures, the maximum size of private gatherings is limited to four people nationwide and a 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. curfew is applied to businesses, depending on the type of service.
It also adopted a vaccine pass system that allows entries of only fully-vaccinated individuals aged over 18 and those with negative virus test results at restaurants, cafes, with company.
The government has announced it will pay 1 million won (US$839) each to small businesses affected by the strengthened rule, but it apparently is nowhere near the amount of help and attention small merchants are requesting.
Hundreds of small business owners demonstrate in Seoul on Wednesday, demanding the government scrap toughed social distancing rules and operating hour curfews. Yonhap
Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, visits a hydrogen fueling station inside a national industrial complex in Wanju, North Jeolla Province, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Jung Da-min
The leadership of Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of main opposition People Power Party (PPP), is being called into question, following internal feuds of his election camp during which it is said he took the role of an onlooker rather than that of a mediator.
The weeks-long conflicts between PPP leader Lee Jun-seok and some close aides to Yoon exploded on Monday, when Lee and Rep. Cho Su-jin, who was the public affairs team chief for Yoon's campaign committee, clashed over how to deal with allegations raised against Yoon's wife Kim Keon-hee, accusing her of falsifying information on her resume when applying for visiting professor positions at local universities.
As Cho refused to follow Lee's directions, saying that she only follows orders from Yoon, Lee walked out of the meeting room, according to meeting participants. The following day, Lee held a press conference and announced that he would resign from all positions on the campaign committee, such as co-chairman of the committee, and only hold the party leader position, not participating in any campaign activities.
Cho offered an apology, which Lee did not accept. Hours after Lee's resignation, Cho also resigned from the public affairs team chief post.
But Yoon apparently did not recognize the seriousness of the feud. When asked about the conflict between Lee and Cho during the party meeting, Yoon said, "It is natural that members of a committee or a party have different views I think this is a part of any democracy."
Top presidential aide resigns over son's job search controversy
Kim Jin-kook, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, resigned Tuesday after his son was found to have attempted to use his dad's influence to get a job. President Moon Jae-in immediately accepted Kim's resignation.
Kim's resignation came after local broadcaster MBC reported that his son had leveraged Kim's position in applying for jobs. In one application, the son wrote on his resume: "My father is Kim Jin-kook, the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs." He added: "My father will provide a lot of help." The senior Kim said his son had been receiving treatment for anxiety and compulsive behavior. "I deeply apologize for causing concern to the people. There is no excuse for something that should not have happened," he said in a press conference.
Moon's quick acceptance of Kim's resignation is seen as a move to prevent this incident from escalating into a hot-button issue raising questions about fairness and justice here as the situation for those who are jobless is going from bad to worse amid the coronavirus pandemic. The presidential office also seems to have been mindful of the timing of the incident in the run-up to the March 9 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye drew criticism for posting a message defending the presidential aide. After MBC reported on Kim's son, Park shared the article on Facebook, saying, "I'm posting this article because of the confidence that Kim Jin-kook is transparent." But it's very inappropriate for the minister who is required to maintain a high level of political neutrality to take sides without foundation.
It's no secret that most of Kim's predecessors have faced criticism for various scandals. In particular, former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who served as Moon's first senior civil affairs secretary, quit 35 days after being appointed minister over various suspicions, including allegations of college admission fraud involving his daughter. With just five months remaining before the end of his term, President Moon should do whatever he can to ensure that there will be no more irregularities implicating high-ranking officials and their families.
Seen are visitors and event participants at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Jan. 5, 2020. Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will take place on-site in January for the first time in two years, but Korean companies taking part in the world's largest tech show are downsizing their participation due to growing fears over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The event will be held in Las Vegas from Jan. 5 to 8, featuring around 2,100 exhibiting companies from around 160 countries to share their latest technologies. The 2022 CES has raised high expectations, as it will deal with emerging technologies, including blockchain, non-fungible tokens and digital health.
However, due to the surge in infections from the Omicron variant, companies here are reducing the number of employees sent to Las Vegas or changing their plans instead to join the show virtually.
Omicron has now become the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the U.S., accounting for 73 percent of new infection cases last week, according to the public health authorities there.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday (local time) that a nearly six-fold increase in Omicron's share of infections occurred in just one week. Before the emergence of Omicron, Delta had been the dominant variant, accounting for more than 99.5 percent of infections until the end of November.
Companies are expressing concerns about sending large numbers of employees to CES not only because of the risk of being exposed to virus infections overseas, but also because of the burden of personnel management, as their employees will have to self-quarantine for 10 days upon returning to Korea.
To prevent the spread of the new variant, health authorities here decided that inbound travelers must undergo a 10-day mandatory quarantine regardless of their vaccination status until Jan. 6.
"We've decided to downsize the number of employees attending CES because it is too risky to send a big group. We don't exactly know how to deal with it if one of our employees is infected with the variant there," an official from a local home appliance company said, adding that they will also join the event both offline and online.
Not only Korean companies, but also U.S. companies are also canceling or downsizing their attendance at the event.
Amazon, Meta, Twitter and Pinterest announced their absences due to Omicron concerns, adding that they are searching for ways to take part in the event virtually.
"Out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees, we won't be attending CES in person due to the evolving public health concerns related to COVID-19," said Meta, which operates Facebook as well as Instagram and WhatsApp.
Twitter also said in a statement that "we've decided to cancel our in-person presence at CES next month."
Despite the concerns, high-ranking executives of Korean firms seem to still be planning to attend the tech show in person, given that it is a good opportunity to gain global attention.
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun is known to be considering attending CES. For the previous 2020 event, Chung shared the automotive group's vision to transform into a mobility group and its plans to advance into urban air mobility in the long run.
SK Chairman Chey Tae-won and his younger brother Jae-won, who was appointed recently as co-CEO of the group's battery-making unit SK On, are also known to be considering attending CES.
For Samsung Electronics, CES will be the debut stage for Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee. Han, who led Samsung's TV business, was promoted recently to vice chairman and CEO leading the company's DX division, which supervises its home appliances, TVs and mobile businesses.
At the event, Han will deliver a keynote speech on Jan. 4 to share the company's responsibility as one of the leading global firms as well as its future business vision.
Oh Joon-won (Harry Oh), managing director of Bloom Energy Korea / Courtesy of Bloom Energy
By Anna J. Park
Global awareness of the urgent need to develop and use more sustainable and cleaner forms of energy is increasing and Bloom Energy, a solid oxide fuel-cell maker based in San Jose, California, has long been devoted to providing reliable and affordable clean energy.
Bloom Energy was founded in 2001 by Dr. KR Sridhar, the company's chairman and CEO, a scientist and professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering who used to conduct research on how to apply fuel-cell technology to enable a sustainable community on Mars as part of NASA's Space Exploration program. Realizing that the technology could have a greater impact on Earth, the company began focusing on developing technology that would create clean and resilient electricity.
Bloom Energy Servers, the company's current core product that relies on its proprietary solid oxide fuel-cell (SOFC) technology, generate electricity through a highly-efficient electrochemical process without combustion. The company's other key product is its state-of-the-art Bloom Electrolyzer, which produces clean hydrogen up to 45 percent more efficiently than any other product on the market.
Major clients such as Google, FedEx, Walmart and Bank of America have enabled Bloom Energy to continue steady growth, and the company expanded into Korea in 2018.
The Korea Times recently sat down with Bloom Energy Korea Managing Director Oh Joon-won (also known as Harry Oh) at his office in central Seoul to talk about the firm's achievements here over the past three years, and its vision of facilitating the transition to sustainable energy in Korea.
Clean and reliable energy
Oh has been leading Bloom Energy's Korea operations since July 2018. Prior to joining the company, Oh's extensive career spanned over 30 years in the U.S. and Korea, across engineering and technology firms where he worked as a nuclear submarine design engineer, renewable energy specialist and investment professional for U.S. and U.K. venture capital firms.
"Over three years have passed since Bloom Energy established a subsidiary in Korea in 2018. Korea is one of the top fuel-cell markets in the world and has actively initiated plans to generate more electric power from clean sources, including fuel-cells. Korea has also aggressive plans to transition to a hydrogen-based economy. Korea is truly pioneering efforts that align with our technology and our mission to supply clean, reliable energy to everyone in the world," Oh said, stressing that the government's strategic long-term plans to rely more on clean energy sources has created a win-win situation for Bloom Energy.
Bloom Energy Servers located in Hwaseong, Korea, can provide power to approximately 43,000 homes. Courtesy of Bloom Energy
After opening for business in Korea, the company's energy servers began to be deployed nationwide to supply electricity to the grids of power plants on a massive scale. As Korea's electricity system is centralized under the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Bloom Energy Korea's key customers are KEPCO's subsidiary power generation companies.
One of Bloom's largest installations is located in Hwaseong, 42 kilometers south of Seoul, where 19.8 megawatts (MW) of fuel-cells have been deployed. The facility alone generates enough electricity to power approximately 43,000 homes in the area. Its second largest installation is located in Paju, around 28 kilometers north of the capital, which consists of 8.1 MW powering nearly 18,000 homes in the area.
In July this year, Bloom Energy also launched its first Combined Heat and Power (CHP) project in collaboration with SK ecoplant. The new 4.2 MW CHP installation will generate both electricity and thermal energy, which will be used to heat water used by neighboring communities.
"Bloom Energy has also steadily provided utility-scale electricity during the past years. There are over 160 megawatt of commercially operating Bloom fuel-cell power plants across different cities and provinces in Korea. As a service provider, we are focused on meeting our objectives and commitments with our customers through seamless monitoring and maintenance of our products," Oh explained, highlighting that Bloom Energy has been satisfying its clients with the stable and highly-efficient production and transmission of electricity.
Expediting a hydrogen-based economy
While Bloom Energy is engaged in various power plants nationwide, a facility in the southeastern port city of Ulsan is a bit more special. There, 100 kilowatts of solid oxide fuel-cells powered solely by hydrogen were successfully installed, generating zero-carbon onsite electricity.
"Successfully completing the hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyzer pilot projects in Ulsan and Gumi is another key focus of the company. It is now the right timing to introduce hydrogen-powered solutions that will help Korea meet its net-zero emission goals," Oh stressed, adding that Bloom Energy could play a significant role in facilitating the advancement of the country's hydrogen economy.
Oh explained that the government has been very strategic in its hydrogen-related policies. Korea enacted the world's first "Hydrogen Law" early last year, and launched a pan-government hydrogen economy committee, with local businesses also vowing to make $37 billion in investments.
"The company is currently preparing for higher demand for fuel cells and electrolyzer with the new Clean Hydrogen Portfolio Standard policy that takes effect from 2022 in Korea. The Korean government is taking a decisive step to accelerate the transition to clean energy by incentivizing the production and use of clean hydrogen. As the market leader in solid oxide technology, our fuel cells and electrolyzers are well-positioned to play an important role in Korea's hydrogen economy," he said.
Aiming to pursue the vision of a hydrogen economy, the company plans to establish "Hydrogen Innovation Centers" in Korea and in the U.S. in coming years.
Efforts to localize key component of manufacturing
In addition to supplying reliable clean energy and facilitating a hydrogen-based energy transition, Bloom Energy is also focused on the localization of its supply chain.
In 2019, the company partnered with SK ecoplant to launch a manufacturing joint venture, Bloom SK Fuel Cell, where solid oxide fuel-cells are assembled locally. The company plans to find local vendors who could be part of Bloom Energy's global supply chain.
Bloom Energy Korea Managing Director Oh Joon-won speaks during a recent interview with The Korea Times at the company's office in Seoul. Courtesy of Bloom Energy
LG CNS won twice at the Google Premier Partner Awards 2021 in the Lead Generation and Best Team categories. This marks the third consecutive year the company has received an award from the event, with previous honors being Search Innovation in 2018 and Search Excellence in 2019. / Courtesy of LG CNS
Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Novavax logo in this illustration. Reuters-Yonhap
The World Health Organization on Tuesday approved a COVID vaccine made by U.S. pharma giant Novavax for emergency use, after the European Union medicines regulator gave it the green light.
The European Medicines Agency had assessed and approved Nuvaxovid on Monday.
It is made from a more conventional technology than others already approved, which has led officials in Brussels to express hope that this will help persuade those hesitant about vaccination to come forward.
The jab uses a traditional technology involving proteins found on coronavirus spike proteins that trigger an immune response.
It is a tried and tested approach, used for decades to vaccinate people against diseases including hepatitis B and whooping cough.
A so-called emergency use listing (EUL) by the WHO paves the way for countries worldwide to quickly approve and import a vaccine for distribution.
It also opens the door for them to enter the Covax global vaccine-sharing scheme, set up to provide equitable access to doses around the world and particularly in poorer countries.
The two-shot Nuvaxovid jab is the 10th COVID vaccine issued an EUL by the UN health agency.
90-percent effective
WHO said Nuvaxovid was around 90-percent effective at reducing symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in two major clinical studies, one in Britain and the other in the United States and Mexico, involving more than 45,000 people.
In a separate document, WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization recommended the new vaccine for use in people over the age of 18, with an interval of three to four weeks between the two doses.
"The vaccine should not be administered with an interval of less than three weeks," it warned.
It can be kept at refrigerated temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, giving it a logistical advantage in difficult-to-access regions over the mRNA vaccines, which must be stored at ultra-low temperatures.
Among the COVID vaccines already handed a WHO EUL is the Covovax shot, a version of Novavax's vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India under license from the U.S.-based company.
It was authorized on December 17.
Also figuring on the list are the mRNA vaccines produced by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca (which is counted twice for the versions made in Europe and in India), the Indian-made Covaxin and Chinese-made Sinopharm and Sinovac.
The WHO also recently resumed evaluating the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, after several months in limbo, as it waited for additional data.
Rogerio Gaspar, head of WHO's regulation and prequalification department, said Monday that the UN health agency would begin assessing the quality of the data received next month and aimed to carry out inspections on-site in February.
He told reporters he could provide "no date on approval because the approval will depends really ... on the quality of the information."
Neither U.S. nor EU medicines watchdogs have so far granted authorization for Sputnik V, which has been used in Russia and some other countries since late 2020. (AFP)
People sit along the East River as they look toward the Manhattan skyline on the Winter Solstice in Brooklyn, New York City, Dec. 21. U.S. population growth dipped to its lowest rate since the nation's founding during the first year of the pandemic. Reuters-Yonahp
U.S. population growth dipped to its lowest rate since the nation's founding during the first year of the pandemic as the coronavirus curtailed immigration, delayed pregnancies and killed hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents, according to figures released Tuesday.
The United States grew by only 0.1 percent, with an additional 392,665 added to the U.S. population from July 2020 to July 2021, bringing the nation's count to 331.8 million people, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The U.S. has been experiencing slow population growth for years but the pandemic exacerbated that trend. This past year was the first time since 1937 that the nation's population grew by less than 1 million people.
''I was expecting low growth but nothing this low,'' said William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's metropolitan policy program, Brookings Metro. ''It tells us that this pandemic has had a huge impact on us in all kinds of ways, and now demography.''
Once there's a handle on the pandemic, the U.S. may eventually see a decrease in deaths, but population growth likely won't bounce back to what it has been in years past because of fewer births. That will increase the need for immigration by younger workers whose taxes can support programs such as Social Security, Frey said.
''We have an aging population and that means fewer women in child-bearing ages,'' Frey said. ''We see younger people putting off having children and they're going to have fewer children.''
Students wearing masks board a school bus outside a school on the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, Dec. 21. AP-Yonhap
Employee Type: Full time Location: MN Lakeville Job Type: Production Operations Job Posting Title: Machine Operator Job Description: TreeHouse Foods is a food manufacturer of granola, fruit and specialty bars located south of the river in Lakeville, MN. We are currently looking for new members to join our team in processing and packaging equipment operations! These positions are on a 3-2-2 rotating 12- hour shifts. Job Summary: Processing Operators are responsible for measuring ingredients, operating depositors and ovens. Packaging Operators are responsible for operating machines that wrap, package and box finished products according to customer specifications. While following all safety, GMP, and Quality Procedures. Pay: Hiring Wage: $21.51 Pay from $23.19 once hired $.85/hour differential for night shift positions $2.00 per hour pay incentive for good attendance Some jobs pay an additional $1.40 per hour based on work area Additional promotional opportunities once hired Benefits: Full comprehensive benefits package, including: Health, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance 401(k) Plan with company match Paid Holidays Vacation and personal days during the first year of employment Requirements include: Strong communication skills, basic computer/calculator skills, and the ability to learn equipment operation. Disability Assistance
TreeHouse Foods is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and offers opportunities to all job seekers, including those with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, please contact us by sending an email to disability-accommodations@treehousefoods.com. In your email please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting and a description of the position for which you are applying. EEO Considerations All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability or protected veteran status.
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Washington State University is seeking to fill several full-time positions for the GEAR UP federal grant
program. GEAR UP is funded by the Department of Education whose purpose is to increase the number
of low-income and underrepresented students who graduate from high school and successfully
complete post-secondary education. WSU is an EO/AA educator and employer.
Academic Specialist | Stevens Middle School (Pasco, WA)
Student Achievement Specialist | Pasco High School (Pasco, WA)
Fiscal Specialist | GEAR UP Administration Office (Richland WA)
For more information on positions available, requirements, and to apply, visit our website.
Apply online by selecting GENERAL CAMPUS- WSU TRI-CITIES for locations.
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EDUCATOR AND EMPLOYER. Members of ethnic minorities, women, special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era, recently separated veterans, and other protected veteran, persons of disability and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply.
WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
WSU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521 (v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or hrs@wsu.edu.
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Atiyeh Brothers Rugs & Carpeting is seeking a General Plant Operations professional for our Portland cleaning plant. Main job duties include performing general labor tasks and cleaning services on loose rugs, furniture and carpeting both in the plant and at job site locations. Commissionable opportunities are available for this role when selling add-ons like padding, repair, appraisals. SWING-SHIFTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THIS ROLE. We offer a starting wage of $20/hour as well as vacation pay, holiday pay, a retirement plan, health insurance, and supplemental insurance (dental, vision, life insurance, short term disability). Atiyeh Brothers is a family-owned and operated business that has been serving the Portland Metro Area since 1900. ESSENTIAL DUTIES: Provide a high level of customer service with clients.
Safely roll, lift and carry rugs and furniture in the plant, clients homes, and out of vehicles.
Drive company vehicles to job sites.
Maintain equipment.
Operate truck mount extraction and rotary scrubbing machines.
Vacuum and brush/rake rugs and carpeting.
Assist with pad cutting and cleanliness of the building and vehicles. QUALIFCATIONS: Effective time management, communication, and organizational skills.
Good driving record.
Self-motivated and ability to show initiative.
On time, dependable and able to work weekend days on a rotational basis PHYSICAL DEMANDS: While performing the duties of this job the employee frequently is required to stand; walk; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee is occasionally required to sit and climb or balance. The employee must regularly lift objects up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift objects that weigh more than 100 pounds. The employee is required to drive in a cleaning van or other vehicle.
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The City of Champlin is seeking qualified candidates for the role of Human Resources Coordinator. Responsibilities include a variety of responsible and confidential administrative support functions that include recruitment, workers compensation, FMLA recordkeeping, employee benefits and DOT testing and recordkeeping. In addition, candidates must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelors Degree with major coursework in business, human resources, or a related field
Three years of related work experience in a responsible administrative support position. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered
Proven Microsoft applications experience
Demonstrated experience in human resources management, preferably in a public sector organization.
Experience with collective bargaining is desirable.
2022 Salary range: $32.73 - $40.92/hour DOQ, plus excellent benefits.
Application deadline: January 7, 2022
For application, call 763-421-8100 or visit the Citys website at http://ci.champlin.mn.us/employment. EOE/AA/ADA.
Completed applications can be mailed, emailed or dropped off by the application deadline to:
City of Champlin
Attn: Julie Tembreull
11955 Champlin Drive
Champlin, MN 55316
jtembreull@ci.champlin.mn.us
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MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN Goochland Powhatan Community Services is seeking a Full Time Mental Health Clinician. The incumbent must be a licensed mental health professional, or license eligible. This clinicians primary responsibility is to provide Outpatient Mental Health therapy (individual, group, and family) to children, adolescents and adults who reside in Goochland and Powhatan counties. The clinician is responsible for linking consumers to other agency programs and providing adjunctive case management and linkage to other resources that may be appropriate for consumers, including Departments of Social Services, Health Departments, county FAPT Teams, court services and the school systems. The clinician, in collaboration with the Emergency Services Unit, will provide crisis intervention for assigned consumers as the schedule allows. Although applicants already licensed are preferred, license eligible applicants may apply. Supervision toward licensure is provided or arranged. Successful candidates for this position must possess a thorough working knowledge of the DSM criteria and have experience working with persons with severe mental illness and serious emotional disturbance. Experience with co-occurring disorders is a plus. This position will require excellent verbal and written communication skills; proficient computer skills, including
documentation in an electronic health record; and the ability to make independent decisions with minimal supervision. Salary range is commensurate with education and experience. The benefit package is generous. . EOE
The following is a composite representation of the responsibilities for the respective job title. It
is not intended to cover all possible job requirements or job factors of the titled position. Lines
of supervision and reporting are as shown on the organizational chart.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Under supervision of the Outpatient Services Supervisor, this position is responsible for
providing counseling, treatment, and case management services to Veterans and their
families experiencing mental health and substance abuse conditions. Services may be
provided in the office or in the community depending on consumer needs. This position is a
licensed or licensed eligible position performing preliminary assessments of individual
psychiatric needs.
JOB EXPECTATIONS AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Provide outpatient mental health services to Veterans and their families.
Provide outpatient services to Veterans with co-occurring disorders (both substance
use/dependence and mental illness) as required.
Assess and determine level of care need for mental health, substance use, and cooccurring disorders consumers.
Assess, evaluate, and develop individualized service plan for consumer.
Provide mental health education therapy and treatment to individual, groups, and
families.
Make referrals when indicated to other GPCS programs as well as other communitybased resources.
Monitor consumers use of therapeutic medications.
Assure the confidentiality of protected health information as required by law and
according to the GPCS confidentiality policies, state law, and in the Federal Drug and
Alcohol Confidentiality Law, 42 CFR Part 2, as applicable.
Provide information when necessary and clinically appropriate, with current and valid
authorizations to release information concerning consumers attendance and progress in
treatment to courts, criminal justice agencies, departments of Social Services, and other
entities that may be responsible for monitoring the consumer.
Provide case management services for Veterans and their families.
Maintain clinical documentation as required in the delivery of outpatient services (i.e.,
case notes, correspondence, psychosocial evaluations, treatment plans, quarterly
progress reports, etc.), entering information in the Electronic Health Record.
Report direct service and other time spent in clinical activities in a timely manner.
Make referrals when indicated of consumers needing psychiatric evaluation and nursing
services.
Prepares intake, discharge and other reportable data for entry into Electronic Health
Record in a timely manner.
Provide crisis intervention services as available.
Link consumers to other community resources and collaborates with other community
agencies as needed.
Attend in-service training sessions, conferences, workshops, seminars, and continuing
education for professional and program development in the delivery of Veterans services
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with consumers, organizations
and agencies responsible for providing services to target population.
Provide consultation and education services to other community organizations and
individuals.
To perform other assigned duties as necessary within established policy and
procedures.
REQUIREMENTS
EDUCATION
Masters Degree, Licensed and/or eligible to become licensed as a "Resident or
Supervisee" under the clinical supervision per appropriate licensing board of a licensed
professional counselor (18VAC115-20-10), licensed marriage and family therapist
(18VAC115-50-10) or licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner (18VAC115-60-
10) approved by the Virginia Board of Counseling; "Resident in psychology" under
supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist approved by the Virginia Board of
Psychology (18VAC125-20-10); "Supervisee in social work" under the supervision of a
licensed clinical social worker approved by the Virginia Board of Social Work
(18VAC140-20-10).
EXPERIENCE
Two years clinical experience in mental health with knowledge and/or experience of cooccurring treatment that may include supervised clinical internships and field placements
with a provider of mental health and/or co-occurring disorders. Experience and/or
knowledge of Veterans issues preferred.
LICENSE(S)
Licensed Mental Health Professional (LCSW, LCP or LPC) or eligible to become
licensed per Virginia DBHDS requirements
Position will be required to possess a valid Virginia driver's license
PRE-EMPLOYMENT
Must submit to pre-hire criminal background check
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Knowledge of theories, delivery systems and treatment of mental health, substance use,
and co-occurring disorders.
Knowledge of consultation, educational and training needs of people dealing with mental
health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders.
Knowledge of Veterans issues.
Knowledge of clinical treatment and development of service programs
Knowledge of case management services.
Knowledge of community services and resources.
Knowledge of individual, group, and family counseling techniques.
Knowledge of de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques.
Knowledge of documentation standards.
Knowledge of Goochland Powhatan Community Services policies and procedures.
Ability to make clinical evaluation, determine, and monitor appropriate treatment.
Ability to develop, coordinate and provide consultation and educational programs.
Ability to safely operate a vehicle.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, and demonstrate resourcefulness in problem solving
and conflict resolution.
Ability to work independently, take initiative, and make emergency judgments.
Ability to handle emergency situations without direct supervision.
Ability to effectively work and communicate with all types/levels of persons.
Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing.
Ability to complete required training including Crisis Intervention/Emergency Behavior
Support and in-service First Aid and CPR training.
Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and set priorities.
Ability to access internet and use appropriate applications including Microsoft Word and
Excel.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of consumers information.
Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the
essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known
limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer
undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
Work environment will consist of working in a clinical office or community setting. Work
environment will involve traveling within the community and will include exposure to road
hazards usually experience in driving in rural, county surroundings, interstate highway
driving, including exposure to weather and temperature extremes that may affect driving
conditions. May involve exposure to aggressive verbal and physical behavior, and
exposure to infectious diseases from others. Sitting: 85%; Standing/Walking 10%; Driving:
5%
Average Weight Required to lift or carry at any one time: 50 pounds for brief periods of time
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We will train the right person! We are looking for a dynamic team player with a "In it to win it" mindset, someone curious with a thirst for knowledge.
If you are looking for a change or to do something different join our Small but Mighty growing company.
We know a candidate may not have all the required skills but with a great attitude and skill set we can teach you, the learning never stops! If you like doing precision work with your hands, are artistic, and have a passion for improving peoples lives, a career as a dental technician may be for you. Dental Laboratory Technology combines science and art. They follow dentists' detailed written instructions to create dental restorations that are both attractive and functional. Duties and Responsibities: Tasks include working with small dental tools and CAD/CAM technology to fabricate dental solutions for our doctors and patients
Learn basic tooth anatomy
Learn to fabricate orthodontic dental appliances including retainers, splints and mouth guards
Learn to read and interpret dental prescriptions
Become familiar with wide range of materials
Develop technical knowledge to make decisions when fabricating dental prosthesis.
Use various types of hand tools and equipment (electric drills, presses, lathes, high-heat furnaces, etc.)
Learn to recognize problem cases that need additional information
Learn to work independently and seek help if needed
Provide administrative support within the department using Microsoft Word and Excel
Ability to lift 25 pounds Requirements: The successful candidate will be detail oriented, artistic, enjoy working with their hands, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Dental experience a plus however we offer on the job training for the right person.
You will be given the tools and resources to make a difference in the lives of the patients we serve while adding to the growing success of our Agile work environment that values smart, capable, creative people who are able to work in self organizing teams.
Personal accountability, courage, curiosity, a willingness to learn and respectful interactions are a MUST.
Work schedule is Monday-Friday with primarily daytime hours. DPS is a family owned full service laboratory with over 45 years of history providing dentists with high quality dental appliances. We offer a competitive salary, benefit package and on the job training. Prior dental experience a plus, but we are willing to train the right person. Our agile work environment values smart, capable, creative people who are able to work in self organizing teams. Personal accountability, courage, curiosity, a willingness to learn and respectful interactions are a MUST.
Apply online by clicking apply now!
Pre-employment drug screen required
Equal Opportunity Employer
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Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on governments and citizens, countries across the African continent are looking at e-government with renewed interest and urgency.
In its latest E-Government Survey, the UN notes that governments around the world are looking at new e-government initiatives in their pursuit of digital government transformation. These include the expansion of e-participation, the delivery of e-government as a platform, the innovative use of intelligent technologies to power smart cities, and the adoption of data-centric approaches to service delivery and government policy.
E-government is defined as the use of information and communication technologies to transform government services its processes, procedures and structures by making it more accessible, effective and accountable.
According to the UN, e-government holds the potential to improve the delivery of public services and is an enabler of effective, transparent and accountable public institutions.
African nations show encouraging growth in e-services
All regions are making progress with developing e-government capabilities, but Africa is showing the greatest growth. The number of UN member states in Africa that have low e-government development index (EGDI) values dropped from 26 in 2016 to only seven in 2020. Sadly, no African country can yet boast very high EGDI values: in Europe, 33 countries have very high EGDI values, and 15 in Asia.
Although lagging more developed regions, Africa has the largest share of countries that have moved to a higher EGDI group of all regions. The African countries with the highest EGDI values are Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa and Tunisia, who are all in the top 100 globally.
As governments respond to the challenges brought by the pandemic, many are placing greater emphasis on e-government services, which can be evidenced in
Expanded national portal features
Improved transactional online services such as tax submissions, license renewals, permits and business registrations
Greater digitisation of sectoral services in health, employment, justice, employment and social protection
Extending online services to vulnerable groups including the elderly, persons with disabilities, youth and women.
Sixty-five to seventy percent of African countries allow citizens to register a business online, while more than half allow citizens to apply for a government post or request birth, death or marriage certificates.
However, access to digital services remains an obstacle to greater e-government development in Africa. The continents internet penetration is estimated at 36% or 473 million people and digital literacy levels are also comparably lower than more developed regions.
New policies point to data-driven governments
One of the key components of effective e-government is the effective use of government data. With much of the worlds data resting in the hands of a small number of global cloud and digital services providers, African nations have taken note of the importance of leveraging data that could be applied in the service of national and regional decision-making and policy development.
As one of the most digitally mature of all African nations, South Africa produces huge and growing volumes of personal, public, corporate and government data. Its recently published National Data and Cloud Policy sets out how the government can better use data as a natural resource, mine it for insights, and apply those insights to improve service delivery.
The African Unions Digital Transformation Strategy is also clear in its intention to ensure the continents ownership of modern digital tools, but with only 1% of the worlds data centres, many countries still have some work to do.
Next steps hold key to e-government success
What is the way forward for Africas e-government growth? The UN believes comprehensive national digital transformation strategies and implementation plans that integrate national priorities with regional and global priorities are essential.
Encouragingly, many African countries have taken bold steps forward in this regard. Nigeria has introduced a Government Integrated Financial Management Information System; Mauritius is in the process of establishing a regional e-governance academy; Zimbabwe has enabled a public-sector financial management system; and Ethiopia has connected cash registers at retail outlets directly to the countrys tax authority.
The Smart Africa initiative, which was established in 2013, puts ICT at the centre of socio-economic development, encourages greater access to ICT, aims to improve accountability and efficiency through the use of ICT, and more broadly leveraging ICT to promote sustainable development.
The Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa, a joint programme between the African Union, European Union and International Telecommunication Union, aims to facilitate universally accessible, affordable and effective wireless broadband across the continent, with the ultimate goal of bringing an additional 300 million people in Africa online by 2025.
As countries across Africa accelerate their adoption of digital technologies, new opportunities are being created for more efficient and accessible public services that can help establish a more equitable and enabling environment for citizens and businesses alike.
Building on the success of the past few years, countries can take bold steps toward greater regional and global competitiveness while enhancing the citizen experience for all who call Africa home.
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: justice888 (justice888), : Prose
: Happy cash withdrawal turns into coin lock, and happy coin finally becomes a gold swallowing beast
: GWG
: BBS (Wed Dec 22 03:13:24 2021, )
It is reported that with the resignation of Jack Dorsey, trump, which brings
80 million fans, will soon enter twitter, and Gettr will undoubtedly be
even more bleak. The huge cost of daily operation of GTV, gnews, and new
gate, as well as the compensation hole in Pax case, and the debt of nearly
US $3 billion of Arab China fund, must rely on the source of gold devouring
beast, hi coin, to constantly suck blood. Therefore, up to now, the flow
direction of hi coin investment funds has been very clear, that is, it has
been continuously filling the above deficit. It can be seen that since April
this year, Guo Wengui has laid a huge net, waiting for you to hook in. Now,
when impatient investors want to withdraw cash, Mr. Guo is bound to have a
variety of tricks, inventing various reasons and trying to keep the hi coin
investment funds, such as buying gfashion, establishing a fund company
investment fund, supporting mercenaries, etc. his purpose is clear and self-
evident, that is, washing the hi coin investment funds for his own use. All
investors, get out of the fog and see the sunny day, take a look at the past
and present lives of xicoin, and take a look at a bunch of broken things
such as Guo Wengui, chicken series and gettr. It's time to understand.
In short, the undercurrent of hi coin investors who have seen through hi
coin is surging, and Guo Wengui's sworn enemies Sara, Luther and Yan limeng
are also giving Guo Wengui eye medicine. It is reported that Sara has
reported xicoin and Guo Wengui to CFTC, the organization in charge of
virtual currency. Luther, Yan limeng, and others have taken refuge in
Falungong Li Hongzhi. They are competing against each other and are at war.
A war is imminent. It is conceivable that the curtain of Guo's scam will be
completely torn open. You investors, it's not stupid to be sold by others
and pay for the number of people?!
--
:WWW mitbbs.com [FROM: 103.]
International
Chinas Xi endorses Hong Kongs patriots only election
Xi Jinping
BEIJING, DEC 22 (AP) | Publish Date: 12/22/2021 1:56:30 PM IST
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday endorsed Hong Kongs first legislative elections held under new laws ensuring that only patriots who have shown loyalty to Beijing could run as candidates.
Sundays elections for the 90-seat Legislative Council were swept by politicians backed by Chinas ruling Communist Party. Just 20 seats were directly elected, and the turnout of 30.2% was the lowest since the British handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997.
All candidates were vetted by a largely pro-Beijing committee before they could be nominated.
Xi told Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie in Beijing on Wednesday that after the elections, he is certain Hong Kongers will join in realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The execution of the new election system adheres to the one country, two systems principle, Xi said, referring to the increasingly threadbare framework under which Hong Kong was to retain its own political, social and financial institutions for 50 years after being transferred from British rule. Our fellow Hong Kong citizens will promote the glorious tradition of loving their country and Hong Kong, Xi said.
The elections had been postponed for a year ostensibly due to a spike in COVID-19 cases after the opposition swept elections for district counsellors.
They followed widespread and increasingly violent anti-government protests in 2019 that prompted Beijing to impose a sweeping National Security Law on Hong Kong, followed by a reorganisation of the electoral process and transformation of the makeup of the Legislative Council to stack it with pro-Beijing loyalists.
The opposition camp criticised the elections, with the largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, fielding no candidates for the first time since the 1997 handover.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday there were multiple reasons for the decline in voter turnout.
It is not only the impact of the pandemic, but also the disruption and sabotage of anti-China elements in Hong Kong and external forces, Zhao said at a daily briefing.
Some overseas pro-democracy activists, including London-based Nathan Law, had urged a boycott of the vote, saying the elections were undemocratic.
Under the new election laws, incitement to boycott the voting or to cast invalid votes could be punished by up to three years in jail and a 200,000 Hong Kong dollar ($26,500) fine.
Prior to her departure for Beijing, Lam, who is under a US visa ban, said she expected to cover a wide range of issues on this particular duty visit because through two very decisive acts of the central authorities, Hong Kong is now back on the right track of one country, two systems.
In a joint statement released by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the foreign ministers of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States expressed grave concern over the erosion of democratic elements of Hong Kongs electoral system and growing restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly.
Protecting space for peaceful alternative views is the most effective way to ensure the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, they said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 02:18:04|Editor: huaxia
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An empty beach is pictured in Larnaca, Cyprus, Dec. 21, 2021. Faced with spiraling COVID-19 infections and the spread of the new Omicron variant, Cyprus' Health authorities on Tuesday announced fresh anti-coronavirus restrictions for the eighth time in a month. (Xinhua/Guo Mingfang)
NICOSIA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Faced with spiraling COVID-19 infections and the spread of the new Omicron variant, Cyprus' Health authorities on Tuesday announced fresh anti-coronavirus restrictions for the eighth time in a month.
As of Wednesday, all employed people, except those who have received a booster dose, will have to present a negative weekly PCR or rapid test before being allowed into their workplace, said Health Minister Michalis Hadipantelas.
From Jan. 31, 2022, the validity period for a SafePass issued after recovery from a COVID-19 infection is to be halved from six to three months.
The Council of Ministers, which met earlier in the day, also decided to push back the reopening of schools after the two-week Christmas holiday from Jan. 7 to Jan. 10, Hadjipantelas said.
On returning to class, all pupils and school staff must present a 72-hour negative rapid antigen test.
As of Wednesday and until Jan. 6, unvaccinated children aged 12 to 17 will be required to have a 72-hour negative test before being allowed into restaurants, cafes, and bars, as well as wedding parties. They must also be accompanied by a vaccinated parent or guardian.
Hadjipantelas said that the maximum number of people allowed to gather in private houses for Christmas and New Year celebrations will remain at 20. He advised people to get tested for coronavirus before such gatherings.
The public health system began on Tuesday distributing free kits containing five rapid self-tests, and advised people to take a test before going to meetings or into crowded places.
The new measures were introduced as daily infections in recent weeks have climbed to about 700 among the less-than-a million population. Health authorities have also announced that several Omicron mutation cases have been detected.
All previously announced measures, including travel restrictions, will remain in force until Jan. 15, 2022, said Hadjipantelas. Enditem
People wearing face masks walk on the street in Nicosia, Cyprus, Dec. 21, 2021. Faced with spiraling COVID-19 infections and the spread of the new Omicron
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 03:58:42|Editor: huaxia
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A staff member checks vaccine passports of customers at a supermarket in Tunis, Tunisia, Dec. 22, 2021. A compulsory vaccine passport will be required to access public spaces from Dec. 22 in Tunisia, the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)
TUNIS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A compulsory vaccine passport will be required to access public spaces from Dec. 22 in Tunisia, the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported.
In order to enter structures and offices under the jurisdiction of the state, companies and public, educational and university establishments, kindergartens, cafes and restaurants, a vaccine passport will be mandatory, according to a presidential decree dating from Oct. 22, 2021.
For those who have completed their vaccination, the vaccine passport is available on the country's electronic vaccination platform Evax.
The contact details of the vaccinated person on this passport include the EVAX registration number, the vaccination center, the reference of the vaccination certificate, the type of vaccine and the dates of the vaccinations with a QR code.
Any Tunisian or foreigner residing in Tunisia who has completed the COVID-19 vaccination, as well as foreigners arriving in Tunisia holding a health pass issued abroad are eligible to get the vaccine passport. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 12:39:46|Editor: huaxia
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A Lao railway staff member welcomes passengers to board Lane Xang electric multiple unit (EMU) train of the China-Laos Railway at Vientiane Railway Station in Vientiane, Laos, Dec. 3, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
by Xinhua writer Qu Junya
HONG KONG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- In early December, landlocked Laos took a quantum leap toward the nation's dream of becoming a land-linked hub thanks to the inauguration of the China-Laos Railway.
Laos is the only nation in Southeast Asia without direct access to the sea. Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith called the occasion "a proud moment and the dream of all ethnic groups of Laos."
The first electrified railway in Laos was made possible by the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China's grand plan for a better-connected world was also behind Vietnam's first metro line, which went into commercial operation in capital Hanoi in November.
The Asia-Pacific is home to an extending infrastructure network which was further energized over the past year by new bridges, dams, highways, power lines and railroads, among other BRI projects. Even the COVID-19 pandemic did not slow down work for long. The East Coast Rail Link in Malaysia had almost its entire staff fully vaccinated by October.
Around the world, 141 countries and 32 international organizations, including 19 UN agencies, have participated in the BRI.
CHINESE TECHNICAL STANDARDS
In Bangladesh, the awe-inspiring Padma Bridge nears completion. The rail-road bridge is expected to speed up development and poverty reduction in the southwest of the riverine country, and to complete a key link in the envisaged trans-Asian rail network.
The Padma Bridge has 40 piers sunk into the sandy riverbed. According to Bangladeshi project engineer Dewan Muhammad Abdul Kader, "Every pier and span presented numerous challenges" to the Chinese engineers.
The China-Laos Railway has 75 tunnels in the 422-km Laos section. There -- and in Belt and Road projects elsewhere -- advanced technology and techniques are making short work of geological complexities.
Chinese management and technical standards are extensively applied. VR systems providing a virtual workplace for safety training help protect Malaysian workers, while state-of-the-art equipment like China's tunneling machines boosts progress in building the railway in eastern Malaysia.
Phase-II of the Karakoram Highway was declared one of the best projects in the world this year by U.S. weekly Engineering News-Record in September. Part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the highway is just one of 46 corridor projects underway or completed. Pakistan sees the corridor as a gamechanger for its national development.
CLEAN AND GREEN
No more coal-fired power plants will be built as part of the BRI, and a large number of hydropower projects are completed, underway or in the pipeline.
Notably, the Sirindhorn Dam in northeastern Thailand combines a floating solar farm with an existing hydropower plant. The Thai government plans to reproduce this model in 15 other locations as part of its climate commitment to a green low-carbon growth.
All Belt and Road projects are constructed in an environment-friendly manner, with a strong imperative to protect the local ecosystem. Construction of the railway created some 110,000 jobs in Laos, but the route remains just as verdant and lush as before the earthmovers arrived.
"After construction, revegetation goes. This is not just high-quality engineering, but also common sense. We want to leave the trackside in the condition we found it," said chief engineer Huang Daiwen. Huang's team has even applied for a patent for "roadbed slope revegetation devices" developed during their work in Laos.
Building hydro dams, of course, takes into account habitat protection for terrestrial wildlife. In the water, dams on the Nam Ou River in Laos have been restocked with native species of fish. Over 2 million fry have been released into the river over past years. And that's not just good for the health of the biosphere, it's good for local people too. Fish restaurants have sprung up, attracting customers from Luang Prabang, dozens of kilometers away. Songkham Yathika, 55, likes boasting about his personal journey from mountain man to fisherman to restaurateur.
LIVELIHOODS AND RISING HOPES
Thanks to the resumed BRI arrangement of chartered freight, in November the flow of pine nuts from Afghanistan to China got moving again, much to the relief of rural people whose only income comes from the nut. The whole pine-nut industrial chain provides at least 40,000 jobs in Khost and Paktia provinces. This trade is a lifeline in Afghanistan amid what might otherwise be a harsh winter of food shortages, economic crises and COVID-19.
To Sri Lankans, the BRI will bring more things than clean water to 450,000 Katana residents and a new outpatient building in commercial capital Colombo.
In September, a children's picture book, A City Rising from the Ocean was published. It tells the story of Colombo Port City, a financial hub growing on land reclaimed from the sea for the past seven years. Port City marina staged Colombo Fashion Week shows in November. A PwC study in November said that, once fully operational, the port city project will add 13.8 billion U.S. dollars to Sri Lanka's economy.
The China-funded 60,000-seat Morodok Techo National Stadium, built in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, was handed over to Cambodia in September. The country is now ready to host the Southeast Asian Games in 2023.
BROADER CONNECTIVITY
"The stadium serves as another bridge to connect the hearts of the two peoples," said Cambodian government's chief spokesperson Phay Siphan.
In inaugurating the eighth Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge in November, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen thanked the BRI for benefiting the Cambodian people and thanked China for COVID-19 vaccine supplies. Those supplies have been instrumental in achieving the country's very high vaccination rates, with 13.56 million people or 84.8 percent of the population being fully vaccinated as of Dec. 15.
Cambodia is also setting up a Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine filling factory. It is among the 29 countries in Asia-Pacific that began Belt and Road partnerships on COVID-19 vaccines cooperation and green development this June.
To return to the biggest BRI event of the year, the China-Laos Railway connecting Kunming in Southwest China to Lao capital Vientiane is a docking project between the BRI and Laos' development strategy.
According to President Thongloun, the shining green line of high tech through primal forest symbolizes the spirit of a community of a shared future and the shared dreams of peoples. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 15:38:55|Editor: huaxia
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Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian (1st R) attends the handover ceremony for China-donated rice in Pasay City, the Philippines, Dec. 22, 2021. China offered 1 million U.S. dollars in cash and another 4,725 tons of rice on Wednesday to help the victims of Typhoon Rai in the Philippines. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)
MANILA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China offered 1 million U.S. dollars in cash and another 4,725 tons of rice on Wednesday to help the victims of Typhoon Rai in the Philippines.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian announced the assistance at the handover ceremony of the rice, the last batch of the 10,000 tons that China donated to the Philippines.
The emergency cash assistance is to support the relief and recovery efforts of the Philippine government and people against the disaster brought by the devastating typhoon, Huang said, expressing hope that the fresh batch of rice will contribute to the Philippines' humanitarian relief operations in typhoon-hit areas.
On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Manila raised 20,000 food packages containing rice, canned food, and noodles packs. Huang said the relief goods had reached typhoon-affected areas such as Cebu, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro City, Surigao City, among others.
Huang said China will continue to support the Philippines' relief and recovery efforts "to the best of its ability."
"China and the Philippines are close and friendly neighbors who always help and support each other through trying times," the ambassador said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared Tuesday night a state of calamity in several regions to speed up relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Rai.
Philippine Social Welfare Director Emmanuel Privado, who received the donated rice from China on Wednesday, thanked the Chinese government for its generosity.
Privado said the Chinese donations are timely, saying his government is in the thick of distributing relief goods to the typhoon victims.
"We express our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Chinese for these donations. This is so timely. The typhoon victims will benefit from these," he said.
Typhoon Rai, which battered the Philippines last week, affected more than 1.3 million and is feared to have killed at least 375 in the central and southern Philippine and parts of the main Luzon island. Enditem
China-donated rice and packs of relief supplies are seen in Pasay City, the Philippines, Dec. 22, 2021. China offered 1 million U.S. dollars in cash and another 4,725 tons of rice on Wednesday to help the victims of Typhoon Rai in the Philippines. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 18:05:32|Editor: huaxia
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The Malay edition of the first volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" was launched in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center on Tuesday.
Xu Lin, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the State Council Information Office, delivered a video speech, in which he said the publication of the Malay edition of this book will help Malaysians better understand the thoughts of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.
Xu said that the first, second and third volumes of Xi's book comprehensively and systematically present the development process of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and are "keys" to understanding China and the CPC.
Speaker of the lower house of Malaysia's Parliament, Azhar Azizan Harun, attended the event and delivered a speech.
Azhar said that under the leadership of President Xi, nearly 100 million people had been lifted out of poverty in China within less than 10 years, which is an amazing accomplishment.
This book, Azhar noted, will help more Malay readers understand President Xi's policies and thoughts on the governance and development of the country.
Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing said in his speech that China and Malaysia are good neighbors whose relationship is marked by mutual trust and that both countries have enjoyed win-win cooperation and a friendship lasting more than 1,000 years.
The publication of this book is the latest achievement in people-to-people exchanges and a new testimony to the long friendship between the two countries, said the ambassador, noting it will further promote exchanges on governance experiences, enrich the connotations of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia, and strengthen bilateral ties.
The launching ceremony, co-organized by China's State Council Information Office, China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, was attended by some 150 political leaders, government officials, academicians, and reporters, among others.
The Malay edition of the first volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" was jointly translated and published by the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and Malaysia's Institute of Language and Literature (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka).
So far, the first volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has been translated and issued in 36 languages.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 18:57:25|Editor: huaxia
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Photo taken on July 21, 2019 from Xiangshan Mountain shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)
Lithuania should come to realize the severity of its ill-judged actions and move to correct the mistakes immediately rather than speak ill of China and make mischief between China and the EU.
BRUSSELS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) should not be hijacked by Lithuania that has recklessly violated the one-China principle, while it is advisable for the regional club to deal with relations with China for the big picture.
Lithuania has reportedly asked the EU to intervene after China responded to the Baltic country's approval of a "Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania." By playing the card of "EU unity and solidarity," the northeastern European country urged "a strong reaction" to what it absurdly claimed as "coercion" from the Chinese side.
To set the record straight, Lithuania, with the provocative move on China's Taiwan region, renounced the political commitment it made in the communique on the establishment of diplomatic ties with China in 1991, and undermined China's sovereignty as well as territorial integrity.
"It is right and just that national sovereignty and territorial integrity shall be inviolable," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said earlier this week, adding that "Lithuania broke faith and stood on the opposite side of what is right and just."
To defend its own legitimate rights and interests and safeguard basic norms governing international relations, China has taken legitimate and reasonable actions, which are consistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, general international law and relevant international practice, and are in line with the principle of diplomatic reciprocity.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, attends a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 10, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)
Lithuania should come to realize the severity of its ill-judged actions and move to correct the mistakes immediately rather than speak ill of China and make mischief between China and the EU.
China and the European Economic Community, predecessor of the EU, agreed to establish official relations in 1975. Sir Christopher Soames, then vice-president of the group, said that "all the member states of the Community recognized the government of China and had taken positions with regard to the Taiwan question acceptable to the People's Republic."
Soames also confirmed "the Community does not entertain any official relations with Taiwan or have any agreements with it."
Such are binding legal obligations of the EU and its member states and should be honored with sincerity.
There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
The Taiwan question is China's internal affair and is a highly sensitive issue. China's position on the Taiwan question is firm and clear, and such position remains unchanged and will never be changed.
The one-China principle is a United Nations-recognized norm of international relations and common consensus of the international community, and also serves as the political foundation for China's bilateral relations with others, including the EU and its member states.
It is such a core principle that allows no ambiguity. Without it, everything above will be shaky.
A train runs on the Pingtan Strait Road-rail Bridge of Fuzhou-Pingtan railway in southeast China's Fujian Province on Dec. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
The EU and China have been comprehensive strategic partners, as well as major trading partners for each other. Staying committed to the general direction of win-win cooperation is in the interests of both sides and will be vital to a global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Efforts should be made to prevent what really matters for the EU-China relations from being distracted by political speculation like Lithuania has made unwisely, and stop wrong, dangerous signals to be sent to Taiwan independence separatist forces.
It is also hoped that the EU will uphold strategic autonomy, distinguish between right and wrong, properly handle differences with China, and work with China to push forward the development of bilateral cooperation.
"Taiwan is a long lost son who will eventually return home," said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a speech on Monday. "It should not be used as a pawn to serve others' agenda."
As to Lithuania, it is a pity that the country has turned into a political tool used by certain forces to carry out their agenda and, unfortunately, a laughing stock of the international community.
If certain people or forces in Lithuania stick to the dark path, they will eventually end up in the trashcan of history.
It will be a shame for Lithuania to seek to drag others into the mire it has irresponsibly created. The EU should have eyes wide open on the selfish trick and stay out of Lithuania's own shambles.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 19:27:18|Editor: huaxia
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Staff members pose for photos with the first "Shanghai Express" in Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)
As a "bellwether" of the China-European Union (EU) cooperation, sustained China-Germany cooperation will continuously inject momentum into steady development of China-EU relations.
by Xinhua writer Zhong Ya
BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- As the world is wrestling with a host of daunting global challenges, China and Germany, two major countries in the world and champions for multilateralism, not only need to boost their practical cooperation, but also have on their shoulders great responsibilities to sustain world peace and development.
In a phone conversation on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed bilateral ties, and vowed to further strengthen all-round strategic partnership between the two sides, demonstrating a continuity of their mutually beneficial cooperation over the past half century, which features ample vitality, endurance, resilience and potential.
The two important economies in the world are witnessing a sound development of their trade and investment ties. China has been Germany's largest trading partner for five consecutive years, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation has kept growing despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with two-way trade amounting to around 248.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, according to official statistics.
A man works at Tiexi Plant of BMW Brilliance Automotive in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
German carmakers are heavily invested in joint ventures with Chinese companies, such as Daimler with Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd, BMW with Brilliance Auto Group and Volkswagen with Shanghai-based SAIC Motor, only to name a few, becoming a prime example of their prospering investment ties.
In the future, the two sides should give full play to the role of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and particularly make good use of their intergovernmental consultation mechanism, so as to promote cooperation in various fields.
Meanwhile, the two countries should also actively explore new areas of cooperation such as new energy and green and digital economy, and unleash the growth potential of trade in services.
As a "bellwether" of the China-European Union (EU) cooperation, sustained China-Germany cooperation will continuously inject momentum into steady development of China-EU relations.
Given their status as two major independent forces with broad strategic consensus and common interests, China and the EU have their major roles to play in a world undergoing major transformations rarely seen in a century.
Workers work at a production line of Jungheinrich AG, a leading intralogistics solutions provider based in Germany, in Qingpu district of east China's Shanghai, Oct. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)
Germany, as one major driving force in Europe, is also an important node of the China-Europe Railway Express. Enhanced cooperation between China and Germany within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative will benefit countries along the route and promote connectivity of the Eurasian continent.
In talks with Xi, Scholz expressed the hope that the EU-China investment agreement will enter into force at an early date, and said Germany is ready to work with China to uphold multilateralism in international affairs.
Sustained China-Germany cooperation will make new contributions to world peace and development. In the past, the two countries have maintained close cooperation in confronting such global challenges as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, and close communication on such regional affairs as Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear issue, shouldering their due responsibilities in global governance.
Looking forward, the two countries should continue to uphold the principle of democracy in international relations and firmly oppose all forms of hegemonic behavior and Cold War mentality.
Only by increased coordination and cooperation on international affairs can the two countries find practical solutions to problems concerning the shared future of mankind, such as fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring post-pandemic economic recovery across the globe, tackling climate change, alleviating poverty, and achieving sustainable development.
With the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries coming next year, China and Germany are expected to strengthen communication and cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual trust. A steady China-Germany relationship will surely become a robust force to underpin global stability and growth.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 20:06:35|Editor: huaxia
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Aerial photo taken on Dec. 9, 2021 shows Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center, International Conference Center and surrounding buildings in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Xiamen SEZ has made important contributions to the country's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and played a unique role in promoting national reunification. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
XIAMEN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday held a gathering to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in east China's Fujian Province.
The Xiamen SEZ is among China's first batch of four special economic zones, serving as a pilot area for the country's reform and opening-up and promoting cross-Strait cooperation and exchanges.
With a spate of new opening-up policies rolled out in recent years, Xiamen, a city facing Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, is opening a new chapter of opening-up and high-quality development.
Xiamen has been seeking growth momentum from reform and opening-up over the past decades.
In October 1980, the State Council, or the cabinet, approved the establishment of the Xiamen SEZ. Its construction officially started the following year. Later, the SEZ expanded twice. Now, it covers the entire city of Xiamen.
After implementing a series of policies, Xiamen has formed a comprehensive and multi-level opening-up pattern, attracting scores of Fortune Global 500 companies amid efforts to integrate into the global economic system.
By the end of 2020, 63 Fortune Global 500 companies had invested 114 projects in Xiamen, with foreign investment in actual use totaling 3.63 billion U.S. dollars, said the Xiamen municipal bureau of statistics.
Official data shows that Xiamen's foreign trade increased from 141 million U.S. dollars in 1980 to 691.6 billion yuan (about 108.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, with an average annual growth of 18 percent. Its utilized foreign investment increased from 8 million U.S. dollars in 1983 to 16.6 billion yuan in 2020, with an average yearly growth of 16.9 percent.
From January to November, the total foreign trade of Xiamen reached 814.2 billion yuan, up 29.3 percent year on year, with ASEAN, the United States, and the European Union the city's top three trading partners, statistics with Xiamen customs authorities show.
"There are policies and opportunities in Xiamen, and its good business environment encourages us to continue to increase investment here," said James Zhao, president of ABB Electrification China.
Over the past 40 years, Xiamen achieved average annual economic growth of 15 percent. Its gross domestic product reached 638.4 billion yuan in 2020, with per capita GDP exceeding 20,000 U.S. dollars.
Currently, foreign-funded companies contribute about 70 percent of the city's industrial output, 60 percent of its economic growth, and 40 percent of its foreign trade.
The city's opening-up has been gaining momentum since the Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the city's China-Europe freight train service were launched in 2015.
Nearly 500 innovative measures have been rolled out in the Xiamen Area of the Fujian FTZ, according to Dai Bin, an official with the Xiamen Area administration committee.
So far, more than ten aviation maintenance companies have established businesses in Xiamen, with their output in this field accounting for about one-fourth of the country's total.
As the host of the ninth BRICS summit in 2017, Xiamen has also boosted its cooperation with BRICS countries, with the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center launched in Xiamen in December last year.
Xiamen launched Silk Road shipping services in 2018. Silk Road Shipping is an alliance jointly initiated in late 2018 by dozens of ports, carriers, and logistics service providers in countries along the Belt and Road.
After three years of development, Silk Road Shipping, with more than 200 members, now has 86 routes reaching 102 ports in 29 countries, said Li Nan, deputy general manager of Fujian Silk Road Maritime Management Company.
As one of the mainland cities closest to Taiwan, Xiamen is a major hub for cross-Strait exchanges and regional cooperation.
Xiamen will build itself into a demonstration zone for cross-Strait integration development and become a top mainland destination for Taiwan compatriots and businesses, said Liu Jinzhu, head of Xiamen's Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao affairs office.
"Deepening its construction as a strategic hub for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and docking with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) have given direction for Xiamen's higher-level opening-up," said Huang Maoxing, a professor with the School of Economics, Fujian Normal University. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 21:54:34|Editor: huaxia
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-- The global anti-pandemic fight in 2021 was full of twists and turns, but there is still hope ahead as long as the world strengthen solidarity and cooperation.
-- The emergence of Omicron, an early lifting of lockdowns and low vaccination rates have made Europe the epicenter of this new wave of COVID-19, and the situation in Africa is also worrying.
-- The pandemic has also exposed the flawed global public health system, in which wealthy nations have failed to keep their vaccine promises.
-- Apart from a record-breaking sprint to develop COVID-19 vaccines, the WHO and regulators worldwide have also been approving the vaccines at top speed.
BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The global anti-pandemic fight in 2021 was full of twists and turns: a string of new and cunning variants, a yawning immunization gap between high- and low-income nations, and a distractive politicization of origin-tracing have crippled the speedy development of COVID-19 vaccines and the global promotion of inoculation.
But there is still hope ahead as long as countries around the world strengthen solidarity and cooperation, adopt science-based COVID-19 policies, and abandon a zero-sum mentality and political bias.
People enjoy their leisure time in Lille, northern France, May 19, 2021. (Photo by Sebastien Courdji/Xinhua)
PANDEMIC STALEMATE
Global COVID-19 cases and deaths have surpassed 270 million and 5.3 million by Tuesday, up by about 190 million and 3.5 million respectively from the beginning of the year.
The World Health Organization (WHO)'s COVID-19 dashboard suggested that the number of weekly new cases around the globe bounced back to 5.7 million in early May from 2.4 million in late February, and fell to 2.5 million in mid-June. It then rebounded to 4.5 million in late August, dropped in mid-October to 2.7 million, and is now moving higher again.
The United States, ranking first over a long period in both caseload and death toll in the global COVID-19 chart, has already reported more than 50 million infections and 800,000 deaths. The country, with the most advanced medical equipment and technologies, has failed the pandemic's "stress test" and is now suffering another tough winter.
The emergence of Omicron, an early lifting of lockdowns and low vaccination rates have made Europe the epicenter of this new wave of COVID-19. The situation in Africa is also worrying: Data from the WHO showed that the continent had registered over 256,000 cases for the week ending Dec. 19, up 53 percent from the previous week.
Travelers wait to receive COVID-19 tests at Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, South Africa, Nov. 29, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)
INTROSPECTION
"COVID-19 has exposed a broken world that is inequitable, unaccountable, and divided," the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, a joint arm of the WHO and the World Bank, said in an October report, citing growing nationalism, geopolitical tensions and deep inequalities as root causes.
Perhaps the first lesson drawn from this capricious situation is that it is still too early to turn the pandemic into an endemic disease, and that consistent anti-epidemic measures are urgently needed to avoid a dangerous "pandemic fatigue" of the prolonged public health crisis.
Some Western countries, like the United States, have already embraced a potential coexistence with COVID-19. Also in the United States, the anti-pandemic fight has been politicized, causing delays or abandonment of anti-pandemic measures. The results were more infections, and the following popping up of highly transmissible variants like Delta and Omicron.
The pandemic has also exposed the flawed global public health system, in which wealthy nations have not only failed to keep their vaccine promises, but also been starving the developing world of vaccines through vaccine nationalism. Among others, the United States delivered only 25 percent of the vaccines that it had promised by Nov. 25.
A staff member arranges labelled COVID-19 vaccines before packing them on the vaccine production line of a VACSERA factory in Giza, Egypt, Sept. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
"Vaccine equity is the greatest immediate moral test of our times. It is also a practical necessity," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted in July.
According to University of Oxford-based Our World in Data, as of Tuesday, 56.9 percent of the world population has received at least one does of a COVID-19 vaccine and 8.78 billion doses have been administered globally. However, only 8.1 percent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.
Besides, it should also be recognized by all that COVID-19 origin-tracing is a serious and complex scientific issue requiring the joint efforts of global experts. For quite some time, the United States has attempted to politicize the issue and scapegoat China for its own pandemic fiasco. Its intelligence community's so-called origin-tracing report, for instance, has stoked divisions and undermined global anti-pandemic cooperation.
An airport worker transports packages of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines at Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Oct. 14, 2021. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)
RIGHT PATH
Fortunately, the year 2021 was not all doom and gloom. Apart from a record-breaking sprint to develop COVID-19 vaccines, the WHO and regulators worldwide have also been approving the vaccines at top speed. So far, the WHO has issued emergency use listing for several COVID-19 vaccines, including those from China's Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Multilateral programs such as COVAX are also playing their due role in promoting global vaccine equity. Official data showed that COVAX has so far shipped over 792 million COVID-19 vaccines to 144 participants. China, as a responsible major country, has supplied over 70 million doses of vaccines and donated 100 million U.S. dollars to this global initiative.
Adding to the achievements is the good news of new drugs against COVID-19. The first oral antiviral pill molnupiravir to treat COVID-19 was approved by British medicines regulators in early November. The European Medicines Agency issued advice on the emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 pill Paxlovid in mid-December. A key Chinese medicine against COVID-19 has been approved for sale.
In an interconnected world, no one can win any global crisis alone. The COVID-19 pandemic has once again demonstrated the importance of pushing forward stronger cooperation and unity.
Medical staff members work in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in Bologna, Italy, Dec. 3, 2021. (Photo by Gianni Schicchi/Xinhua)
As a pioneer along this path, China has not hesitated to lend a helping hand to others. It has delivered on its promise to make vaccines a global public good, having provided nearly 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations. In fact, it has offered more doses than any other country in the world.
China has also launched the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on COVID-19 Vaccines Cooperation together with over 30 countries, and conducted joint vaccine production with 19 developing countries.
Indeed, just as the WHO tweeted Saturday, "to end the COVID-19 pandemic, the world must act together as a team to ensure equitable access to vaccines, treatment & diagnostics."
(Xinhua reporters Shang Xuqian in New York, Tan Jingjing in Washington, Du Baiyu and Zhou Siyu in Seoul, and Liu Qu in Geneva have also contributed to the story.)
(Video editors: Jia Xiaotong, Mu Xuyao)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 22:12:32|Editor: huaxia
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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is on a duty visit to Beijing.
During the meeting, Xi heard a report from Lam on Hong Kong's current situation and the HKSAR government's work.
Over the past year, Hong Kong has consolidated the achievements in restoring order and the situation has constantly improved, Xi said, adding that the region has achieved notable results in COVID-19 response, steadily recovered its economy and maintained social stability.
Lam has led the HKSAR government in making systematic changes and improvements to Hong Kong's electoral system in accordance with relevant decision of the National People's Congress (NPC) and relevant legislation of the NPC Standing Committee, Xi said.
Lam has also led the HKSAR government in successfully holding elections of the Election Committee and the Legislative Council (LegCo), resolutely implementing the Hong Kong national security law, and taking active measures to promote the HKSAR's integration into the overall development of the country and comprehensively deepen its exchanges and cooperation with the mainland, Xi said.
The central authorities fully acknowledge the work of Lam and the HKSAR government, Xi said.
Xi said the elections of the Election Committee and the seventh LegCo held under the new electoral system were both successful, with democratic rights of Hong Kong residents reflected, the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" implemented, and a political landscape established with wide and balanced participation from all social groups and constituencies.
Practice has proven that the new electoral system adheres to the "one country, two systems" principle and fits Hong Kong's realities, Xi said, calling it a good system that will provide strong institutional support for the steady and sustained development of "one country, two systems" and Hong Kong's enduring prosperity and stability.
Noting that "one country, two systems" is conducive to safeguarding the fundamental interests of the country, the HKSAR and Hong Kong compatriots, Xi said the central authorities will continue to unswervingly implement the "one country, two systems" principle.
Senior officials including Han Zheng, Ding Xuexiang, Guo Shengkun, You Quan, Wang Yi and Xia Baolong attended the meeting. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 12:15:47|Editor: huaxia
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BAMAKO, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) hopes the Malian transitional authorities will finalize a precise electoral calendar before the end of this year, the organization's envoy Goodluck Jonathan said Tuesday.
Jonathan, who was also a former president of Nigeria, made the remarks after meeting with Mali's interim leaders. He led a delegation to Mali to assess progress of a promised election after the mutiny in August 2020.
The meeting with interim president Colonel Assimi Goita went very well, he told reporters without giving further details.
"We hope that, by the end of the year, all the decisions, including recommendations and an electoral calendar for the continuation of events in Mali, will be released," he said, adding that he will come back next January to take stock.
Following the mutiny on Aug. 18, 2020, an 18-month political transition starting from Sept. 15 is underway in the West African country. The transitional authorities said earlier that the vote scheduled for February 2022 will likely be postponed by a couple of weeks or months due to security concerns. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 09:48:40|Editor: huaxia
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CANBERRA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers have discovered a genetic mutation that is a key driver of kidney disease.
In a study published on Wednesday, researchers from several Australian institutions led by Australian National University (ANU) sequenced the genome of patients with autoimmune kidney disease and Indigenous Australians with high rates of kidney disease.
They found that a mutation in the gene VANGL1 is a major risk factor in developing kidney disease.
Approximately 15 percent of people have the mutation which, when coupled with an inflammatory disease, permits damage to the kidney.
Simon Jiang, lead author of the study from ANU's College of Health and Medicine, said the finding could have major implications for Tiwi Islanders.
The Tiwi Islands consist of two inhabited and nine uninhabited islands off Australia's north coast in the Timor Sea.
The islands' Aboriginal population of approximately 2,500 has the highest recorded rates of kidney disease in the world.
"This discovery has big implications for Tiwi Islanders," Jiang said in a media release.
"Their rates are four times the rates of other mainland Indigenous Australians and about 11 times that of non-Indigenous Australians," Jiang said, adding that this mutation is highly prevalent in Tiwi Islanders who have high rates of kidney disease.
Figures from the Australian health authorities suggested that about one in 10 Australian adults show some signs of chronic kidney disease. There were 16,800 CKD-related deaths in Australia in 2018. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 10:56:07|Editor: huaxia
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by Dames Alexander Sinaga
JAKARTA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- In a primary school in the eastern part of Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Tuesday morning, 6-year-old Dedi Permadi got his first COVID-19 jab.
Despite being afraid of needles, Permadi knew that the vaccination would help him to fight COVID-19. The school was decorated with stickers of cartoon superheroes to encourage kids to get injected. Students and parents listened to teachers explain the importance of vaccination.
"Many children are afraid of getting injections because they are scared of the pain," Nurliza Yanti, one of the school teachers, told Xinhua. "Some of them were crying afterward, so, we asked their parents to comfort them."
Indonesia, home to 270 million people, has been vaccinating children aged 6 to 11 since last Tuesday, planning to vaccinate 27 million with Sinovac, the only vaccine currently used for kids in the archipelago, according to the country's drug and food agency.
By Monday, at least 540,000 children in the age group had been vaccinated, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday.
He called on the public to immediately get their vaccinations to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. The country's second wave triggered by the more Delta variant peaked at over 50,000 cases in July. Daily cases have come down significantly since then, but the country is still facing the threat of other variants.
Indonesia started its mass COVID-19 vaccinations in January when authorities approved the Sinovac vaccine. By Monday, Indonesia had registered 4.3 million cases with more than 144,000 deaths since March last year.
Authorities are accelerating vaccination programs. To date, more than 152 million people have received their first doses of vaccines, while over 107 million have had second doses.
After his jab, Permadi received a bravery medal and gift packs containing masks, modeling clay and chocolates as reward for his bravery.
"Now, I can fight COVID-19!" he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 11:35:48|Editor: huaxia
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SYDNEY, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The state of New South Wales (NSW), as the epicenter of Australia's COVID-19 infections, reported a record high daily increase of cases on Wednesday.
The state health department recorded 3,763 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths in the 24 hours to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, the highest daily increase since the pandemic outbreak started early last year. The hospitalizations for COVID-19 also exceeded 300, with 40 people in intensive care.
According to the latest figure from NSW Health on Sunday, 313 COVID-19 cases with the Omicron variant have been confirmed in the state since the first infection was detected in late November.
Despite the continued sharp increase of COVID-19 transmission, NSW is no longer practicing mask mandates, density and visitor limits in some indoor venues. Unvaccinated people were also allowed to enter non-essential venues.
"Based on rising cases and Omicron (which we still need more data on), it would be preferable to keep indoor mask-wearing, and good contact tracing," epidemiologist Professor Alexandra Martiniuk from the University of Sydney told Xinhua.
"When health is put as a priority, a strong economy follows... Masks and QR code check-ins should not reduce economic gains rather should improve them."
Martiniuk said the current COVID-19 figures are rising fastest in 20-year-olds, and this age group is not as likely as older age groups to be hospitalized with the virus, which means hospitalizations typically lag case growth.
Responding to the growing calls of reinstating COVID-19 restrictions, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet acknowledged on Tuesday that the increase in cases would lead to more hospital admissions but said he is not committed to reintroducing compulsory masks in indoor settings.
"We are treating the people of our state like adults. If we need to tailor our responses from time to time, we will."
"When it comes to face masks, we recommend face masks in areas where you can't socially distance." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 14:22:27|Editor: huaxia
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FARAH, Afghanistan, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Police in Afghanistan's western Farah province have busted a band of kidnappers and secured the release of a hostage, a statement of provincial police released here Wednesday said.
"The security personnel of Islamic Emirate during operations launched last night arrested five kidnappers and rescued a hostage from their clutch," the statement asserted.
All the kidnappers have been taken into custody for investigation, the statement added.
Similarly, police in Farah's neighboring Herat province have arrested 147 suspects on the charge of involvement in a variety of crimes ranging from robbery, theft to drug smuggling over the past month.
The Taliban-led administration has vowed to crack down on the outlaws in efforts to ensure law and order in the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 15:55:37|Editor: huaxia
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by Zhang Jianhua, Phouthaphone Sirivong
VIENTIANE, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two China-Laos friendship schools, built with assistance from China Southern Power Grid (CSG), are transforming education in northern Laos.
Poppy-replacement plantations line the winding road through the mountains of the Golden Triangle to CSG's Nam Tha 1 hydropower plant, 350 km north of Vientiane. Completed in 2018 with an installed capacity of 168 MW, its annual generation is expected to reach 720 GWh while providing green power to more than 2 million people in the border regions of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
OUTSTANDING INITIATIVE
The plant is the first overseas BOT (build-operate-transfer) hydropower project by CSG under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. Construction of the plant has brought reliable road access to the villages around Hadnam, the center of CSG operations in the area.
In 2020, CSG spent 460,000 U.S. dollars building two new schools in Hadnam and nearby Vanglek.
"I came to teach here in 2003 when there were no permanent buildings and no running water," said Ounkham Phikchaphon, 37, principal of Hadnam School. "The new school building is a great learning environment. We hope to build a high school soon."
The plant not only supplies mains electricity for local people but CSG is committed to actively maintaining good community relationships through various public welfare activities.
The two schools have been highly praised by the Lao side.
In April, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh conferred a special development medal on CSG in recognition of the company's outstanding contribution to local welfare.
"My old classroom had earthen walls and a thatched roof that would leak when it rained. I'm very grateful for this schoolhouse. It's much better than before," said Namlin Sidthideth, a junior middle school student in the Hadnam China-Laos Friendship School.
Namlin's home is 90 km from Hadnam, some student's families live even further away, testament to the importance of the school over a very large area.
"WE LOVE IT"
Vanglek Village School was located directly under the mountain, surrounded on three sides by rugged cliffs. It was small and dangerous.
For the new school, CSG chose a vast grassy area beside the asphalt road The new Vanglek China-Laos Friendship School is beautiful and spacious, with excellent facilities.
Moldanoy Sensoulin, the 36-year-old principal, has taught in the village since 2012. She said the old school was in such a poor condition that it had to close sometimes during bad weather. Two classrooms accommodated only 30 students. The new school is comfortable, and the number of students has increased to more than 100, including a kindergarten.
Khamphai Xaiyaseth, the 57-year-old former chief of Vanglek village, came to see his three grandchildren into school. He shared his joy: "It's great to have this power plant here. Now the school is beautiful and we love it. My grandchildren can study well here and may also become teachers here when they grow up!"
A BETTER CHANCE
Villager Xiengla Khamphamek has a 3-year-old son in the kindergarten. He dropped out of school, but hopes his children will have a better chance than him and go to college. "I feel very grateful to CSG, and to China. They have help us so that the children can study well in school. I am very grateful.
"I want them to learn Chinese and study in China someday," he told reporters. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 16:11:59|Editor: huaxia
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CANBERRA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged people to "stay calm and get boosted" amid surging coronavirus infections.
Morrison on Wednesday met with state and territory leaders at the national cabinet to discuss the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Australia.
Following the meeting, he announced that one-quarter of state-run vaccination hubs that closed after Australia hit 80 percent of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will reopen to encourage booster shot uptake.
"Omicron, we all agree, presents another new challenge, but we have faced so many challenges already during the course of this pandemic," Morrison told reporters.
"As the country moves past 80 percent, then we did see the demand at state-based clinics decline. And as a result, some of those facilities were withdrawn."
"They now need to be ramped up again."
State and territory leaders have pushed for the interval between second and third vaccine doses to be reduced from five months, but Morrison said the final decision would be made by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisations (ATAGI).
The national cabinet also agreed to reconsider testing requirements for interstate travel, with testing sites across the country swamped in the lead-up to the Christmas period, and to agree on a common definition of a "casual contact" of a positive case.
Australia on Wednesday reported a record of more than 5,700 new locally-acquired COVID-19 infections and eight deaths.
The daily number of new cases kept rising in New South Wales (NSW) to 3,763 on Wednesday, which is the highest number of daily COVID-19 infections recorded in the whole country.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) also reported a record of 58 new infections. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 16:28:00|Editor: huaxia
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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three people died and 14 others were injured in a crash involving three cars in Pakistan's eastern Lahore city, police and local media reported on Wednesday.
The cars piled up near the Babu Sabu Toll Plaza area of Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, police told local media.
The accident occurred due to low visibility caused by dense fog in the morning, the police said. Rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the victims to a nearby hospital.
Several of the injured are said to be in critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit, local media quoted hospital sources as saying. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 17:46:25|Editor: huaxia
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MANILA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 261 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total tally to 2,837,784.
The DOH also reported that 122 more people died from COVID-19 complications in the country, bringing the overall coronavirus death toll to 50,916. It said 12 laboratories failed to submit data, and two were non-operational.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed concern over a possible COVID-19 surge fueled by the Omicron variant.
Duterte said the government fund cannot even cope with the spiralling expenses for typhoon victims, referring to Typhoon Rai which battered the Southeast Asian country last week.
Typhoon Rai made thousands of Filipinos homeless in the central and southern areas of the country and caused losses of millions of U.S. dollars in agriculture and infrastructure. Thousands of survivors are still waiting for government aid.
Duterte said an Omicron-fueled community transmission will require "a huge expenditure again."
The Philippines has detected three Omicron cases in inbound travelers.
The DOH said on Tuesday night that all fully vaccinated adults can get their booster shots at least three months after completing the second dose of a primary series.
The Philippines, which has a population of around 110 million, has tested more than 23 million people for COVID-19 since the pandemic. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 17:55:58|Editor: huaxia
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TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Unknown armed men killed a former local policeman in Bangi district of northern Afghanistan's Takhar province on Tuesday, local official Noor Mohammad said Wednesday.
The official said the murder took place on Tuesday night and investigation has been launched to determine what was behind the murder.
In the meantime, a villager on condition of anonymity, identified the victim as Mohammad Akram, and said the reason for his murder could be personal enmity.
In another development on Tuesday night, unknown armed men stabbed to death a 30-year-old man in Chardara district of the neighboring Kunduz province, said Kunduz's provincial administration official Matihullah Rohani. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 18:12:11|Editor: huaxia
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PHNOM PENH, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Close relations between China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have significantly contributed to maintaining peace, stability and sustainable development in the region, experts in Cambodia said on Wednesday.
They made the remarks during an international conference on China's role in the 21st century and its relations with ASEAN, which was organized in a hybrid format by International Relations Institute of Cambodia (IRIC), a think tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC).
"Close China-ASEAN cooperation has significantly contributed to upholding the rights and interests of developing countries, increasing mutual understanding and trust, and promoting peace and stability in the region," IRIC's director-general Kin Phea said.
"Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN is still China's largest trading partner and has kept the momentum of growth," he said.
RAC President Sok Touch said China and ASEAN have enjoyed good cooperation in regional and international organizations such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Asia-Europe Meeting and the United Nations.
He said the China-ASEAN relationship is indispensable and both sides need to further deepen it for a more prosperous region.
Sok Touch stressed China's commitment to peace, development and win-win cooperation, and to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
"China has never forced other countries to follow its political system, nor sought hegemony," he said. "China is always committed to the concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness."
China has given a helping hand to other countries and played a crucial role in their efforts to combat COVID-19 and recover economy, he said, adding that China has also made great contribution to the promotion of a multi-polar world order.
Chang Jian, minister counselor at the Chinese embassy in Cambodia, said that over the past three decades, China-ASEAN relations have gone through an extraordinary journey.
Chang added, "Thirty years after China and the ASEAN forged dialogue relations, we are each other's largest trading partner and comprehensive strategic partner. Sixty percent of all vaccines received by ASEAN countries come from China, not as impressive as the figure here in Cambodia, but itself already significant enough."
Chang said he believes the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), when coming into force at the beginning of 2022, will prompt more opportunities to promote the regional prosperity. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 18:41:22|Editor: huaxia
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COLOMBO, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Export revenue from Sri Lanka's fisheries sector is on track to reach a record high in 2021, State Minister of Fisheries Kanchana Wijesekera said.
The state minister said on Twitter on Monday that Sri Lanka's fisheries exports amounted to 287 million U.S. dollars by the end of November.
Local media reported that the figure marked an increase of 33.5 percent from the fisheries export revenue of 215 million U.S. dollars for the whole year of 2020.
According to Wijesekera, the export revenue growth was led by the export of prawns which has increased by 181 percent compared to the same period last year.
Data from the fisheries ministry showed that Sri Lanka's balance of fish trade has recorded a surplus of 170.98 million U.S. dollars by the end of November, largely as a result of a 68-percent reduction in the import of canned fish in a push for self-sufficiency.
The main markets for Sri Lanka's edible fish products are the European Union (EU) and the United States. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 18:44:16|Editor: huaxia
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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to suspend the sale of flight and bus tickets for the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) after a cluster of possible cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in Singapore, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Wednesday.
The suspension will run from Dec. 23 to Jan. 20 next year, Khairy said in a statement following Singapore's announcement of the same measure.
Khairy said the cluster in Singapore involved three COVID-19 infections. "All three cases did not have any travel history to foreign countries," he said.
The VTL kicked off on Nov. 29 and involved travel via the bridge connecting Malaysia to Singapore as well as an air corridor. The bridge link, or causeway, was one of the busiest crossing points in the world with a daily flow of hundreds of thousands of people in both directions before the pandemic.
Some restrictions were eased as part of the VTL including quarantine requirements being waived for fully vaccinated individuals. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 19:03:44|Editor: huaxia
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SUVA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Fiji started on Wednesday to provide COVID-19 booster dose for all eligible adults.
According to a statement by Fiji's Health Ministry, effective from Wednesday, all individuals aged 18 years and above in Fiji are eligible to receive the COVID-19 booster dose by Moderna.
An individual can receive the COVID-19 booster dose after receiving their initial two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines at least 5 months ago, which is before July 22, 2021, according to the ministry.
The ministry encouraged all individuals aged 18 years and above who have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and kidney disease to get the booster dose.
The eligible adults in the island nation are also expected to receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines in January next year which have been approved for use as booster doses for the adult population.
A total of 91.8 percent of the adult target population in Fiji have been fully vaccinated, while 97.7 percent have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
As an island nation with a population of around 900,000, Fiji reported its first COVID-19 case on March 19 last year, and it has recorded more than 52,000 COVID-19 cases in total, with 697 deaths.
As part of its efforts to help recover its economy, Fiji re-opened its borders to welcome tourists from its travel partner countries, such as Australia and the United States on Dec. 1 this year.
Six travelers from Fiji's travel partner countries have tested positive for COVID-19 during the mandatory three-day hotel stay and testing since Dec. 1 this year. Their positive samples will be sent to the partner laboratory in Australia for genomic sequencing.
Fiji has so far recorded two confirmed cases of Omicron, both are Fijians who returned to the Pacific island nation in early December after traveling to Nigeria. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 19:15:21|Editor: huaxia
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by Nurul Fitri Ramadhani
JAKARTA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Natalia Masinambow departed on Tuesday from Jakarta for her hometown in Manado, North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, to spend Christmas and New Year holidays with her two brothers.
She also plans to visit three graves of her parents and grandmother, who died of COVID-19 last year.
"Now the regulation is no longer as strict as it was before, so I will go home no matter it will take," she said.
Despite threats by the Omicron COVID-19 variant, Indonesia is expected to see more people going homewards for year-end holidays than last year due to the loosened regulations on public activity restrictions and the high vaccination rate.
Like Masinambow, 28-year-old Juan Soesanto is ready to spend the Christmas holidays with his big family in Surabaya, East Java province.
He arrived on Dec. 11, taking a sudden and early flight right after the new regulation was announced to avoid possible changes in travel restrictions.
As of Tuesday, the Indonesian government still sticks to its plan to impose a more relaxed restriction policy from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2, 2022.
Fully-vaccinated people can travel as long as they can show negative antigen test results, but those who have only received their first doses are required to show negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test results.
Unvaccinated people are still barred from traveling.
Under the new regulation, restaurants and malls will be allowed to welcome more visitors and operate longer hours, but massive New Year's celebrations, parades and large gatherings remain prohibited.
The decision to implement the relatively loose regulation was made after Indonesia's COVID-19 situation has been under control and the vaccination rate is relatively high, said Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who leads the government's COVID-19 response team for Java and Bali.
As of Tuesday, more than 152 million people in Indonesia have received their first dose of vaccines, while over 107 million have taken their second dose. The country has so far administered more than 261 million doses including the booster jabs.
Both Masinambow and Soesanto are confident that family reunions would be safe because they are fully vaccinated with China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.
"I did not want to spend Christmas alone like last year. I am confident everything will be fine as I have been fully-vaccinated," Soesanto said.
Indonesians usually go back to their hometowns to gather with families and perform religious rituals together at the year-end.
A total of 19.9 million people across the country would travel homewards. Around 4.4 million are from the capital Jakarta and its satellite cities, according to a survey conducted by the Transportation Ministry and released earlier this month.
"Even if the government suddenly imposes stricter restrictions, people would still tend to travel, either for going (to their) hometowns or for vacations," the Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati said in a recent statement.
Euphoria in celebrating Christmas and the New Year has been seen despite the recent discovery of cases with the Omicron variant.
Responding to the Omicron cases, the government has decided to close borders for arrivals from the United States, Norway and Denmark.
Minister Pandjaitan said all relative regulations could change anytime depending on the development of the COVID-19 situation.
"We'll do a weekly evaluation. However we should not panic and worry because we have already made preparations well," Pandjaitan told a press conference on Monday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 19:59:55|Editor: huaxia
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SUVA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The volcanic eruption in Tonga's Hunga Ha'apai island has resulted in ash and possible acid rain which continued on Wednesday to threaten water tanks and air quality across the island nation.
According to Radio New Zealand (RNZ) on Wednesday, the huge eruption from the Hunga Ha'apai island, about 65 km north of capital city Nuku'alofa, started on Monday morning, and by the afternoon the ash had dusted the whole country, the South Pacific island nation with a population of more than 100,000.
Tonga's head geologist Taaniela Kula said the ash clouds from the volcanic eruption had since drifted north creating a spectacular sight, and leading to warnings.
He said that on Wednesday morning it is still continuing to emit gas and vapour into the atmosphere. People can still see the white clouds, probably about 16 km high.
There is no idea when the volcanic eruption will end but expects it to continue for at least another week, the geologist said.
According to Matangi Tonga Online, Tonga's news website, Tonga Geological Services has urged all residents in the island nation to protect their water tanks from possible acid rainfall until the eruption ends.
The last eruption in the Hunga Ha'apai island took place in December 2014, which had formed a new island more than 1 km long, joined to the existing island.
The volcano is part of the highly active Tonga-Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, a subduction zone extending from New Zealand's north-northeast to Fiji.
In Fiji, the country's Department of Environment said on Wednesday that the volcanic eruption in Tonga should not be a cause of alarm at this point because the air remains safe to breathe in Fiji.
The department said it will continue to closely monitor the situation in Tonga and work with the Fiji National Disaster Management Office and Fiji Meteorological Service. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 20:53:48|Editor: huaxia
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ATHENS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A man lost his life and dozens were missing after a boat carrying a yet unknown number of refugees and migrants sank off the island of Folegandros, Greece's Coast Guard said on Wednesday.
Twelve persons have been rescued, including seven men, a woman and four minors. The rescue operation was underway to locate the missing, Hellenic Coast Guard spokesperson commander Nikos Kokkalas told Greek national news agency AMNA.
The vessel had probably set sail from the nearby Turkish coast and the destination was Italy, he said.
Some survivors told authorities that a total of 32 people were on board, while others raised the number to 50, according to an e-mailed official press statement. Their nationalities have not been clarified so far.
Greece has been at the forefront of the refugee and migrant influx since 2015 and hundreds have perished in the Aegean Sea in the past six years. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-22 17:26:19|Editor: huaxia
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by Julia Pierrepont III
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Some Southern California truckers have said their livelihoods and even their national economy hinge on shipping containers, but these days those containers are filled with air instead of goods.
While they acknowledge that issues from international trade conflicts, soaring consumer demand in Christmas season to COVID-19-induced labor shortages are straining the supply chain, the container plight tops them all.
"Our biggest problem by far is empty shipping containers," Matt Schrap, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association, a coalition of intermodal carriers serving America's West Coast ports, told Xinhua. "They are the bottleneck that is sinking the global supply chain."
There are now 71,000 empty containers on Los Angeles terminals or near-dock depots, up from 65,000 a month ago, reported the FreightWaves on Wednesday, which closely follows the global logistics industry, noting that the glut of empty containers is worsening.
"It's a complicated mess," sighed Ian Weiland, vice president of operations for JC Transports, a mid-sized trucking firm operating out of the twin ports of Los Angeles-Long Beach in Southern California.
In a nutshell, the supply chain starts with consumers ordering goods from large retail giants like Amazon, who then place high volume orders for these goods from all over the world. Ocean shipping lines load these goods into fortified steel shipping containers, stack thousands of full containers onboard their ships, and sail them across the sea to ports like Southern California.
After the ships dock at a terminal, longshoremen crane the containers off the ships into the terminal's container yards. Then, a trucker, hired by the retail chain that owns the goods, arranges an appointment time with terminal operator to pick up the full container from the terminal yard. After being loaded onto the truck's chassis, the container can be delivered to the retail chain's warehouse for unpacking.
"In an ideal world," Schrap said, "Our trucker then picks up the empty container and makes an appointment to return it to the terminal yard, where it would be loaded back onto the ship and returned to its port of origin to be refilled."
"But this is not an ideal world," he noted. "The problem is, shipping liners and terminal owners are dragging their feet, not giving timely appointments for truckers to return the empty containers."
So empties are piling up everywhere, in warehouse parking lots, trucking company compounds, warehouses, and even dirt lots. The terminals and port yards themselves are already filled to capacity. This has created a brutal bottleneck that keeps goods from flowing smoothly and efficiently along the global supply chain, leaving Asian exporters clamoring for empty containers that are returned less and less frequently, and driving American truck drivers out of business.
"Now you're stuck driving home with 10-ton steel container on the back of your truck that you can't get rid of. That means you can't go to work the next day," Schrap explained.
"That's why so many small truckers like me, are going out of business, putting families at risk, even though the whole country is crying out for more truck drivers," independent trucker, Herb Pounder, explained to Xinhua. "It's tanking our industry and our country's economic recovery."
"Asia needs those empty containers back so they can ship out more stuff, so this is hurting them too. But shipping lines can drive up the price they charge per container," Pounder said.
It's reportedly that containers, which used to cost about 1,500 U.S. dollars to be shipped from China and other Asian countries to California, now cost over 8,000 dollars, and there have been reports that some customers have been forced to pay up to 20,000 dollars per container for rush deliveries.
Even the mid-sized trucking companies are feeling the pinch. "The problem of empties is eating up everyone's profits," Weiland said. "We are a mid-sized trucking company, but 50 percent to 70 percent of our yard is being wasted, filled with unreturnable empties."
He added that hundreds of their truck trailers can also be out of circulation, trapped under empty containers, adding to the chassis shortage. "And there are many trucking companies in the same situation. There is no container storage left anywhere in Los Angeles."
"This is a crisis. It's not just a West Coast problem, it's a national problem," Weiland continued. "We need a government agency that can set aside land near ports to store the empties and allow unrestricted drop-offs."
Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, was quoted as saying by the FreightWaves that "If necessary, we will look at additional measures, including levying fees on liner companies for empty containers that dwell excessively at our marine terminals." Enditem
Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian health authorities said here Wednesday 41 people had been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the number of positive cases to 23,020 since March 2020
New York, US (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution extending the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for three months until 31 March 2022, ahead of a phased handover of responsibilities to Somalias security forces early next year
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Joining the race for Rath Yatras in Uttar Pradesh, the Aam Aadmi Party will be taking out five rath yatras in January in an effort to reach out to people with its agenda for the state.
The yatras will be led by party MP and state in-charge Sanjay Singh.
According to UP state president for AAP, Sabhajeet Singh, the yatras will start right after the January 2 mega rally which will be held in Lucknow and will be addressed by AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
This rally will officially kick off the party's campaign for the 2022 Assembly polls.
"The dates are yet to be finalised, but the routes have been decided. One yatra will be from Varanasi to Lucknow, another from Saharanpur to Noida, another from Hardoi to Moradabad, one from Jhansi to Mahoba and the last one from Saryu to Sangam, which is Ayodhya to Prayagraj," he said.
Singh added that the yatra aims to publicise AAP's commitments to the people of Uttar Pradesh and other senior party members from Delhi will join the programme.
The party has so far announced two election promises, one of free power and waiver of pending power dues and the other of 10 lakh jobs a year.
The AAP will now be organising rozgar guarantee sabhas across all 403 Assembly constituencies.
"In these meetings, we will talk to people about the Delhi model of development, what work has been done by the AAP government and what we are planning to do in UP if we are elected. These meetings will be addressed by local office-bearers, and we are also expecting senior leaders from Delhi to come, especially MLAs who have a connection with UP. They will be deputed to campaign in their local districts," Singh said.
Taking suo motu cognizance, the government on Wednesday ordered a probe into allegations of hacking of Instagram accounts of Priyanka Gandhi and Robert Vadra's children.
According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology approached Instagram taking suo motu cognizance of the allegation made by Priyanka Gandhi of the hacking of the Instagram accounts of her children. Instagram has informed the ministry that the allegation is false and no complaint has been lodged from the Gandhi family or on behalf of anyone so far.
According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked the Computer Emergency Response Team to investigate the matter. Under the protocol, the team can also speak to Priyanka Gandhi and her children if required.
Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday had accused the government of hacking the Instagram accounts of her children. After that her husband Robert Vadra threatened legal action in the matter.
In an exclusive chat with IANS over phone, Robert Vadra said on Tuesday, "We have the proof of what we are saying. We will definitely take recourse to the law. We believe in the justice system. The way this government is behaving, only legal remedy can stop it. Also, this should not happen to children."
The European Union (EU) digital Covid-19 certificate will only be valid for travel for nine months, the European Commission has said.
The Commission said it had adopted a binding acceptance period of nine months (270 days) for vaccination certificates for the purposes of travel within the EU. The policy will come into effect from February 1, Xinhua news agency reported.
"A clear and uniform acceptance period for vaccination certificates will guarantee that travel measures continue to be coordinated," the Commission said.
So far, 807 million certificates have been issued within the EU. Meanwhile, 60 countries and territories across five continents have adopted a similar system, the Commission said.
The nine-month validity period of the EU digital Covid certificate takes into account guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control that booster doses should be given at the latest six months after completion of the first vaccination cycle.
A three-month grace period has been added to allow national vaccination campaigns to adjust, and ensure that citizens have access to booster doses.
For a single-dose vaccine, the 270 days start from the first and only shot. For a two-dose vaccine, the 270 days begin after the second shot, or if it is the member state's policy, following the first and only shot after having recovered from the virus.
European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said that it was now up to the member states to ensure boosters are "rolled out swiftly to protect our health and ensure safe travelling."
Investigations opened against those taking advantage of COVID-19 needs
Hoarders who purchased supplies with an eye on making a profit, beware: Ventura County law enforcement agencies have warned of price gouging during California's coronavirus state of emergency and mean to take action against those breaking the law.
In, face, according to Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten, his office has already launched investigations against those accused of taking advantage of those panicked by COVID-19.
The Ventura County Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee issued a news release with information about staying vigilant, reporting price gouging and its punishments. Businesses, retailers and other service or goods providers cannot charge a price that is more than 10% higher than the price was before Gov. Gavin Newsom declared the coronavirus emergency on March 4; providers can only charge more than 10% only if their costs have increased.
Hong Kong, China -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/21/2021 -- The pandemic has had an impact on many areas of the global supply chain - but not all have been negative. As a result of the pressure to solve the issues that have arisen over the past year or so technological transformation has been forced to significantly speed up. This has pushed supply chains to go into overdrive, moving from paper to digital and accelerating investments in technology to help improve prospects and remove any obstacles that have been thrown up in recent times. Hong Kong-based Global Shipping Business Network is a prime example of the enterprises that have stepped into this space in order to help solve the problems. The enterprise looks to simplify the business of trade through the use of blockchain - the secure sharing of data can be integrated to settle trade and push through logjams. Cutting down the physical exchange of documents can reduce shipping processes by days.
Established in 2008, DSJ Global is a leading specialist recruiter in end-to-end supply chain, with specific expertise in areas such as technical operations jobs. The firm also provides specialist and insightful support in areas such as logistics, procurement and supply chain roles. Technical operations jobs are a field deeply affected by the acceleration in digitisation that has taken place over the past year and the firm is keen to provide support for ambitious candidates looking to capitalise on developments and take that career-defining next step. With a database of more than a million mid-to-senior professionals the firm is able to support the recruitment needs of a broad spectrum of businesses, from innovative start-ups to international organisations. A range of permanent, contract and multi-hire solutions provides options for every type of hiring scenario and means that the firm can cater quickly to the changing needs of businesses looking to accelerate growth.
DSJ Global has a well-established reputation in Asia Pacific when it comes to technical operations jobs. The firm also has a robust international profile, as the team in Hong Kong is part of a worldwide workforce that numbers more than 1,000. Plus, the firm is the recruitment partner of choice to hundreds of world-leading companies as part of the Phaidon International group, which operates across 6 countries. Investment in the internal team has created resilience at DSJ Global even during the challenges of the past year. Consultants are trained on an ongoing basis and work with best-in-class recruitment technology and strategies at all times to ensure consistency where standards are concerned. As well as technical operations jobs there are a range of other roles available via the firm today, including Mechanical Senior Principal Engineer, Head of Operations, Deputy Director for Manufacturing, Electrical System Engineer and Senior Logistics Manager.
"Like for many sectors, 2020 marked a defining moment for recruitment. Challenged by uncertainty, but unwavering in our commitment to our clients, we have endured through 2021 with a sense of duty to clients and candidates", commented Andrew McNellis, Managing Director at DSJ Global. He went onto say, "as we reflect on the challenges of virtually securing and retaining talent, we're inspired by a team who have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and continue to help all our clients secure top talent on a global scale."
To find out more about technical operations jobs in Hong Kong visit https://www.dsjglobal.hk
For any media enquiries please contact Gary Elliott at Iconic Digital 020 7100 0726.
For all other enquiries please contact DSJ Global HK: +852 3008 1912.
For more information about DSJ Global services, please go to https://www.dsjglobal.hk.
About DSJ Global HK
DSJ Global HK is transforming the process of recruitment to make it more agile and adaptable to the challenges that businesses in the logistics and supply chain industry face today.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/22/2021 -- The Latest research study released by HTF MI "Global Mexican Restaurants Market" with 100+ pages of analysis on business Strategy taken up by key and emerging industry players and delivers know how of the current market development, landscape, technologies, drivers, opportunities, market viewpoint and status. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid the market growth. Some of the Major Companies covered in this Research are Empellon Cocina, Topolobampo, Tacos Tequila Whiskey, El Charro Cafe, Meso Maya, Guaymas, La Super-Rica Taqueria, Nuestra Cocina, Barrio Cafe & Nopalito etc.
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Browse market information, tables and figures extent in-depth TOC on "Mexican Restaurants Market by Application (Man, Woman & Kids), by Product Type (, Fast food, Family style, Fine dining & Others), Business scope, Manufacturing and Outlook Estimate to 2025".
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At last, all parts of the Global Mexican Restaurants Market are quantitatively also subjectively valued to think about the Global just as regional market equally. This market study presents basic data and true figures about the market giving a deep analysis of this market based on market trends, market drivers, constraints and its future prospects. The report supplies the worldwide monetary challenge with the help of Porter's Five Forces Analysis and SWOT Analysis.
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Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per your needs for added data up to 3 businesses or countries or 2 analyst hours.
On the basis of report- titled segments and sub-segment of the market are highlighted below:
Global Mexican Restaurants Market By Application/End-User (Value and Volume from 2021 to 2026) : Man, Woman & Kids
Market By Type (Value and Volume from 2021 to 2026) : , Fast food, Family style, Fine dining & Others
Global Mexican Restaurants Market by Key Players: Empellon Cocina, Topolobampo, Tacos Tequila Whiskey, El Charro Cafe, Meso Maya, Guaymas, La Super-Rica Taqueria, Nuestra Cocina, Barrio Cafe & Nopalito
Geographically, this report is segmented into some key Regions, with manufacture, depletion, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Mexican Restaurants in these regions, from 2015 to 2026 (forecast), covering China, USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia & South America and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2021 to 2026.
Informational Takeaways from the Market Study: The report Mexican Restaurants matches the completely examined and evaluated data of the noticeable companies and their situation in the market considering impact of Coronavirus. The measured tools including SWOT analysis, Porter's five powers analysis, and assumption return debt were utilized while separating the improvement of the key players performing in the market.
Key Development's in the Market: This segment of the Mexican Restaurants report fuses the major developments of the market that contains confirmations, composed endeavors, R&D, new thing dispatch, joint endeavours, and relationship of driving members working in the market.
To get this report buy full copy @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=3574662
Some of the important question for stakeholders and business professional for expanding their position in the Global Mexican Restaurants Market:
Q 1. Which Region offers the most rewarding open doors for the market Ahead of 2021?
Q 2. What are the business threats and Impact of latest scenario Over the market Growth and Estimation?
Q 3. What are probably the most encouraging, high-development scenarios for Mexican Restaurants movement showcase by applications, types and regions?
Q 4.What segments grab most noteworthy attention in Mexican Restaurants Market in 2020 and beyond?
Q 5. Who are the significant players confronting and developing in Mexican Restaurants Market?
For More Information Read Table of Content @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/3574662-2020-2025-global-mexican-restaurants-market-report-production-and-consumption-professional-analysis
Key poles of the TOC:
Chapter 1 Global Mexican Restaurants Market Business Overview
Chapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type [, Fast food, Family style, Fine dining & Others]
Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume)
Chapter 4 Manufacture Market Breakdown
Chapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market Study
Chapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown
..
Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & Aggressiveness
Chapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type
..
Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis)
Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix
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Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/21/2021 -- As of November 2021, Singapore remains the top location in the ASEAN region in terms of the number of deals made by fintech firms. A total of USD$1.6 billion in investments was secured by Fintech firms in Singapore with almost half of the deals attributable to the city state. Indonesia took second place behind Singapore with USD$904 million in funding raised while Vietnam ranked third in the ASEAN region, raising USD$375 million after two mega rounds. The region as a whole saw a huge spike in Fintech funding this year with investment more than tripling over the figures recorded for the year before. One of the major drivers of this was investors focusing on firms they viewed as having a better chance of surviving the pandemic. However, in terms of the number of businesses being established in the Fintech sphere the numbers have slowed down somewhat, with 107 new companies set up in 2021, less than half the total for the year before.
Established in 2004, Selby Jennings is a financial technology recruiter with a broad spectrum of expertise and a finger on the pulse of the latest developments in the industry. As well as expertise as a financial technology recruiter the firm also works in a range of other interrelated fields, including corporate and investment banking, risk management, quantitative research and trading, private wealth management and legal and compliance. Clients range from innovative start-ups pushing the boundaries of what's possible in financial technology to international organisations extending the reach of this burgeoning area. Selby Jennings has also established a database of more than a million mid-to-senior professionals and works with talented people keen to take a career-defining next step. The firm's role as a financial technology recruiter is to make the kinds of mutually beneficial connections that drive the sector forward - a combination of permanent, contract and multi-hire solutions ensure that these can be tailored to every need.
Selby Jennings is a leading specialist financial technology recruiter in the Asia Pacific region but that's not where the firm's expertise ends. The Singapore team is part of a worldwide workforce that numbers more than 1,000 and has unique international connections. For example, as part of the Phaidon International group - which operates across six countries - the firm is the go-to recruitment partner of choice to hundreds of industry-leading enterprises. Vital to the growth that has been achieved internationally is the strength of all local teams. The firm invests heavily in its own people, ensuring that consultants receive regular ongoing training and work with best-in-class recruitment technology and strategies. Today there are many different roles available via Selby Jennings, including Head of IT Applications, Triple A Plus Application Support Analyst [Wealth Management], Senior IT Support Analyst, Life Insurance Project Manager [Tier 1 Insurance Firm] and Sector Analyst.
"Like for many sectors, 2020 marked a defining moment for recruitment. Challenged by uncertainty, but unwavering in our commitment to our clients, we have endured through 2021 with a sense of duty to clients and candidates" commented Andrew McNeilis, Managing Director at Selby Jennings. He went on to say, "as we reflect on the challenges of virtually securing and retaining talent, we're inspired by a team who have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and continue to help all our clients secure top talent on a global scale."
To find out more information about financial technology recruiter Singapore visit https://www.selbyjennings.sg
For any media enquiries please contact Gary Elliott at Iconic Digital 020 7100 0726.
For all other enquiries please contact Selby Jennings: +65 3165 1400.
For more information about Selby Jennings SG services, please go to https://www.selbyjennings.sg.
About Selby Jennings
Selby Jennings creates a range of recruitment solutions that are designed to support the growth of organisations across the financial services sector. Transforming the way that hiring is handled is a tool that any business can use to build in resilience and potential even in challenging times.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/22/2021 -- HTF MI Analyst have added a new research study on Title Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Market In-depth Research Report 2021, Forecast to 2026 with detailed information of Product Types [, Submarine-launched Drones markets by type, Air and Underwater & Underwater], Applications [Investigation, Tactical Strike & Others] & Key Players Such as Oceaneering International, Inc., AeroVironment, Raytheon, Sevmash etc. The Study provides in-depth comprehensive analysis for regional segments that covers North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa with global outlook and includes Clear Market definitions, classifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, development policies and plans. The facts and data are well presented in the Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones report using diagrams, graphs, pie charts, and other pictorial representations with respect to its current trends, dynamics, and business scope & key statistics.
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Impact Analysis Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Market Research
Analysts at HTF MI constantly monitor the Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones industry factors with impacts of current events; with this study an update of how industry players have tackled latest scenario and what key strategies have made significant difference is showcased.
Key Highlights from Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Market Study.
Revenue and Sales Estimation Historical Revenue and sales volume is presented and further data is triangulated with top-down and bottom-up approaches to forecast complete market size and to estimate forecast numbers for key regions covered in the report along with classified and well recognized Types and end-use industry. Additionally, macroeconomic factor and regulatory policies are ascertained in Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones industry evolution and predictive analysis.
Manufacturing Analysis the report is currently analysed concerning various product type and application. The Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones market provides a chapter highlighting manufacturing process analysis validated via primary information collected through Industry experts and Key officials of profiled companies.
FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS: In order to better understand Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones market condition five forces analysis is conducted that includes Bargaining power of buyers, Bargaining power of suppliers, Threat of new entrants, Threat of substitutes, Threat of rivalry.
Competition Leading players have been studied from Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Industry depending on their company profile, product portfolio, capacity, product/service price, sales, and cost/profit.
Demand & Supply and Effectiveness Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones report additionally provides distribution, Production, Consumption & EXIM** (Export & Import). ** If applicable
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Geographically, the following regions together with the listed national/local markets are fully investigated:
- APAC (Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, India, and Rest of APAC; Rest of APAC is further segmented into Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka)
- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Rest of Europe; Rest of Europe is further segmented into Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania)
- North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico)
- South America (Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Rest of South America)
- MEA (Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa)
The Latest Trends, Product Portfolio, Demographics, Geographical segmentation, and Regulatory Framework of the Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Market have also been included in the study.
Market Growth by Applications: Investigation, Tactical Strike & Others
Heat map Analysis, 3-Year Financial and Detailed Company Profiles of Key & Emerging Players: Oceaneering International, Inc., AeroVironment, Raytheon, Sevmash.
Market Growth by Types: , Submarine-launched Drones markets by type, Air and Underwater & Underwater
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Introduction about Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones
Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) [, Submarine-launched Drones markets by type, Air and Underwater & Underwater] in 2018
Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Market by Application/End Users [Investigation, Tactical Strike & Others]
Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications
Global Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2025)
Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application
Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.
Worldwide Submarine-launched Drones Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data
Key Raw Materials Analysis & Price Trends
Supply Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain Analysis
........and view more in complete table of Contents
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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/22/2021 -- The Latest research study released by HTF MI "Global Telecoms Market" with 100+ pages of analysis on business Strategy taken up by key and emerging industry players and delivers know how of the current market development, landscape, technologies, drivers, opportunities, market viewpoint and status. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid the market growth. Some of the Major Companies covered in this Research are Deutsche Telekom, NTT, China Telecom, Telefonica, Orange, Verizon, Softbank, Vodafone, China Mobile & AT&T etc.
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At last, all parts of the Global Telecoms Market are quantitatively also subjectively valued to think about the Global just as regional market equally. This market study presents basic data and true figures about the market giving a deep analysis of this market based on market trends, market drivers, constraints and its future prospects. The report supplies the worldwide monetary challenge with the help of Porter's Five Forces Analysis and SWOT Analysis.
If you have any Enquiry please click here @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/3575911-2020-2025-global-telecoms-market-report-production-and-consumption-professional-analysis
Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per your needs for added data up to 3 businesses or countries or 2 analyst hours.
On the basis of report- titled segments and sub-segment of the market are highlighted below:
Global Telecoms Market By Application/End-User (Value and Volume from 2021 to 2026) : Industrial Production, Transportation & Others
Market By Type (Value and Volume from 2021 to 2026) : , RF-Based, NB-IoT & Other
Global Telecoms Market by Key Players: Deutsche Telekom, NTT, China Telecom, Telefonica, Orange, Verizon, Softbank, Vodafone, China Mobile & AT&T
Geographically, this report is segmented into some key Regions, with manufacture, depletion, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Telecoms in these regions, from 2015 to 2026 (forecast), covering China, USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia & South America and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2021 to 2026.
Informational Takeaways from the Market Study: The report Telecoms matches the completely examined and evaluated data of the noticeable companies and their situation in the market considering impact of Coronavirus. The measured tools including SWOT analysis, Porter's five powers analysis, and assumption return debt were utilized while separating the improvement of the key players performing in the market.
Key Development's in the Market: This segment of the Telecoms report fuses the major developments of the market that contains confirmations, composed endeavors, R&D, new thing dispatch, joint endeavours, and relationship of driving members working in the market.
To get this report buy full copy @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=3575911
Some of the important question for stakeholders and business professional for expanding their position in the Global Telecoms Market:
Q 1. Which Region offers the most rewarding open doors for the market Ahead of 2021?
Q 2. What are the business threats and Impact of latest scenario Over the market Growth and Estimation?
Q 3. What are probably the most encouraging, high-development scenarios for Telecoms movement showcase by applications, types and regions?
Q 4.What segments grab most noteworthy attention in Telecoms Market in 2020 and beyond?
Q 5. Who are the significant players confronting and developing in Telecoms Market?
For More Information Read Table of Content @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/3575911-2020-2025-global-telecoms-market-report-production-and-consumption-professional-analysis
Key poles of the TOC:
Chapter 1 Global Telecoms Market Business Overview
Chapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type [, RF-Based, NB-IoT & Other]
Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume)
Chapter 4 Manufacture Market Breakdown
Chapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market Study
Chapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown
..
Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & Aggressiveness
Chapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type
..
Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis)
Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix
Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, LATAM, Europe or Southeast Asia.
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Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/21/2021 -- Singapore is a city that is so renowned for its bridges that you don't have to Google far to find examples of travel blogs that are focused on them. This city of architectural and civil engineering marvels is a place of inspiration thanks to the innovative construction all around. For those in civil engineering jobs there are a wealth of opportunities to be part of the progress of the future and to find a way to bring new and exciting growth to Asia Pacific. Vehicular bridges in Singapore are some of the city's most renowned, including the Elgin Bridge, which was built in the 1800s and designed to serve North Bridge Road and South Bridge Road. Benjamin Sheares Bridge is often named as the longest bridge in Singapore and is something of a civil engineering marvel, crossing a distance of 1.8km. The pedestrian Henderson Waves Bridge is one of the highest in the city and also one of the most creative. But all are an inspiration where civil engineering jobs are concerned.
LVI Associates provides expert support for all those who aspire to excel in civil engineering jobs. The firm's expertise also extends to a broad range of other areas, including building services, water and environmental, forensics, construction and renewable energy. Such a broad spectrum of expertise means the firm has been able to work with a wide range of talented people and now has a database of more than a million mid-to-senior professionals as a result. A combination of permanent, contract and multi-hire solutions provides options for hiring needs of all types, whether those are for an innovative start-up or an internationally renowned brand. As a result, LVI Associates is now a go-to for businesses looking to recruit for resilience and growth, as well as for talented people keen to take a career-defining next step in fields such as civil engineering jobs.
Key to the success that the firm has achieved since it was first established has been the focus on internal structure and development. Consultants at LVI Associates receive regular training and support and work with best-in-class recruitment technology and strategies. This approach means that the team was able to adapt to pandemic conditions and still provide an insightful and expert service. Also vital is the international nature of the firm's business - the LVI Associates team in Singapore is part of a 1,000 strong worldwide workforce. Plus, the firm is the recruitment partner of choice to hundreds of world-leading companies as part of the Phaidon International group, which operates across 6 countries. This dual local and international perspective and expertise gives the firm both reach and flexibility when it comes to catering to the needs of candidates and global companies. In addition to civil engineering jobs there are many roles available via LVI Associates today, including Director of Business Development [Acquisition], Senior Technical Project Lead and Offshore Wind Project Developer.
"Like for many sectors, 2020 marked a defining moment for recruitment. Challenged by uncertainty, but unwavering in our commitment to our clients, we have endured through 2021 with a sense of duty to clients and candidates", commented Andrew McNeilis, Managing Director at LVI Associates. He went on to say, "as we reflect on the challenges of virtually securing and retaining talent, we're inspired by a team who have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and continue to help all our clients secure top talent on a global scale."
To find out more information about Civil engineering jobs across Asia Pacific visit https://www.lviassociates.sg
For any media enquiries please contact Gary Elliott at Iconic Digital 020 7100 0726.
For all other enquiries please contact LVI Associates Singapore: +65 3165 1400.
For more information about LVI Associates Singapore services, please go to https://www.lviassociates.sg
About LVI Associates Singapore
LVI Associates Singapore is the leading specialist recruitment agency for the infrastructure sector. Reimagining recruitment for this fast moving and innovative industry has enabled the firm to bring together the brightest talent and key enterprises to help continue to drive the sector forward.
New studies highlight CAR-T therapy's success in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma.
20 years ago, virtually all cancer treatments involved surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. But the past two decades have seen advances in targeted therapies like trastuzumab (Herceptin) and imatinib (Gleevec), which target cancer cells by homing in on molecular changes in these cells. Today, targeted therapies like these are now standard treatments for various cancers.
One of the most recent types of therapy is immunotherapy, which strengthens a patient's immune system so they can better attack tumors. The cancer community now widely considers immunotherapy the "fifth pillar" of cancer treatment. Among the various immunotherapies available today, adoptive cell transfer (ACT) is one of the latest approaches. ACT collects and uses patients' immune cells to treat their cancer. There are various types of ACT, but the type that has progressed furthest in clinical development is CAR-T therapy. Researchers are gaining an ever-increasing understanding of how patients respond to this therapy, which is fueling its development and testing procedures.
Here, RegMedNet explains how CAR-T therapy works, introduces studies that test CAR-T therapy's efficacy against acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoma, explores new CAR-T cell target antigens, and notes the ways that researchers may be able to use the therapy to treat solid tumors.
As a community site that publishes the latest in regenerative medicine, RegMedNet is an invaluable source of information for the global regenerative medicine research community.
How CAR-T Therapy Works
CAR-T therapy involves drawing blood from a patient and separating the T cells from this blood. (T cells orchestrate our immune responses and kill cells that pathogens have infected.) Researchers then use a disarmed virus to genetically engineer the T cells so they produce receptors on their surfaces. These receptors are called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), and they help T cells recognize and attach to specific proteins or antigens on tumor cells. Once researchers have engineered the T cells to express the antigen-specific CAR, they can multiply these cells in a laboratory. Having multiplied the CAR-T cells, a practitioner can return the cells to the patient via a drip (although the patient must complete a chemotherapy regimen first). Once the patient has received the CAR-T cells, the cells should reproduce in their body and then recognize and kill cancer cells.
Researchers are currently developing and testing various CAR-T cell therapies. There are important differences among these therapies, but they all share similar components. For example, the CAR on the cell's surface always contains fragments of synthetic antibodies. These fragments affect how well the receptor recognizes or binds to the antigen on the tumor cell. Receptors rely on stimulation signals from the cell. This means that CAR-T cells have signaling and "co-stimulatory" domains that signal the cell from the surface receptor.
Recent progression in the intracellular engineering of CAR-T cells has made it possible for engineered T cells to multiply once they have been returned to the patient. Such advances in the engineering of CAR-T cells also mean that the cells tend to survive longer once the patient has received them. It's also now much faster to produce batches of CAR-T cells than it was previously. Originally, the process took several weeks. Many labs can now produce the engineered cells in under a week.
CAR-T Therapy Studies
Until recently, researchers only used CAR-T therapy in small studies, mostly for patients who have advanced blood cancers. Many of these studies have proven highly successful, achieving positive outcomes for cancer patients whose previous treatments have stopped working. In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two CAR-T cell therapies, one for children who have ALL and one for adults who have advanced lymphomas.
Treating Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cancer
Initially, researchers developed CAR-T cell therapy to treat ALL, which is the most common cancer in children. Intensive chemotherapy cures over 80% of children who are diagnosed with ALL that arises in B cells. However, there are very few treatment options for children whose cancer returns after chemotherapy or a stem cell transplant. In fact, relapsed ALL is one of the biggest causes of death from childhood cancer.
That said, CAR-T therapy can be effective for children and young adults whose ALL has returned and for those who aren't responding to alternative therapies. For example, an early study that used CD19-targeted CAR-T cells to treat ALL concluded that the therapy cured all signs of the cancer in 27 out of the 30 patients treated. Many of these patients continued to show no signs of recurrence long after the therapy.
The success of studies like this paved the way for a larger study, which tested a CD19-targeted CAR-T cell therapy called tisagenlecleucel (KymriahTM) on children and teenagers who had ALL. The study was so successful that the FDA approved the therapy in 2017. Other studies of CD19-targeted CAR-T cells have since achieved similar results.
In recent news, the cell therapy research organization Kite Pharma has completed a Phase II "ZUMA-3" study that tested a CAR-T therapy called Tecartus on adult patients who were suffering relapses of ALL. The study achieved a response rate of 71%. Most of these responses were associated with undetectable minimal residual disease. The study also concluded that 97% of patients had deep molecular remission. This means that even sensitive lab tests couldn't identify leukemia cells in the patients' bone marrow once they had undergone therapy. As a result of this study's success, the FDA granted Priority Review designation for Tecartus. If approved, Tecartus will become the first CAR-T therapy for adults who have relapsed or refractory ALL.
Treating Lymphoma
Other studies that investigate CD19-targeted CAR-T cells have revealed that the therapy can also treat patients who have lymphoma. One study, which tested the efficacy of CAR-T therapy on patients who had advanced diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, concluded that over half of the participants had complete responses to the therapy. Kite then launched a larger study, which confirmed the original study's results and laid the foundations for the FDA's approval of the lymphoma treatment axicabtagene ciloleucel (YescartaTM).
New CAR-T Cell Target Antigens
Unfortunately, not all patients who have ALL respond to CD19-targeted therapy. And up to a third of those who do experience a complete response sees their cancer return within 12 months. This is often because the patient's ALL cells stop expressing CD19. Therefore, CAR-T therapy studies are now moving beyond the CD19-targeted CAR-T cells. Now, researchers are testing CAR-T cells that target the CD22 protein in ALL patients. The CD22 protein is often overexpressed by ALL cells. Most patients who took part in the first study involving CD22-targeted CAR-T cells had complete remissions, including those whose cancer had advanced after a complete response to CD19-targeted therapy.
Furthermore, researchers can potentially make CAR-T therapy more durable and forestall antigen loss (if not prevent it altogether) by attacking multiple antigens at the same time. Various research groups are now in the early phases of testing T cells that target both CD19 and CD22. Meanwhile, CHOP researchers are investigating a CAR-T cell that targets both CD19 and CD123, another antigen found on leukemia cells. Early studies in animal models reveal that this dual targeting may prevent antigen loss.
Researchers have also identified antigen targets for CAR-T cell therapy in other blood cancers, like multiple myeloma. The NCI and Kite are collaboratively developing CAR-T cells that target the BCMA protein found on most myeloma cells. Over half of the advanced multiple myeloma patients who took part in an early-phase study of the BCMA-targeted CAR-T cells have seen a complete response to the treatment. Kite has since launched a study that tests the BCMA-targeted T cells on a larger patient population.
Using CAR-T Therapy to Treat Solid Tumors
As research into CAR-T therapy progresses, researchers are now evaluating the therapy's efficacy against solid tumors. So far, most efforts to identify unique antigens on the surface of solid tumors have been ineffective. Some researchers suggest that this inefficacy could be the result of tumor antigens residing within tumor cells, where CARs can't reach them as they can only bind to antigens on the cell surface.
Researchers are also testing how well CAR-T cells can target the protein EGFRvIII, which is present on most tumor cells in patients who have glioblastoma, and the protein mesothelin, which is overexpressed on tumor cells in some of the deadliest cancers (such as pancreatic and lung cancers). That said, early reports from these studies suggest that CAR-T therapy has achieved limited efficacy here.
However, new research from Stanford University (CA, U.S.) has demonstrated that CAR-T therapy can combat tumors by utilizing exhaustion-resistant cells. The research team has demonstrated that overexpressing C-JUN in CAR-T cells allows these cells to stay active and proliferate under laboratory conditions. The team tested both traditional CAR-T and the C-JUN and CAR-T combination on mice that had been injected with human leukemias and saw an increased survival rate in the mice that had received the modified C-JUN + CAR-T treatment. Following this success, the research team then treated mice with human osteosarcoma and managed to achieve a reduction in tumor burden and an extension in lifespan. The team now plans to launch clinical studies against leukemia over the next 18 months and then progress on to studies that examine the effectiveness of the C-JUN + CAR-T therapy against solid tumors.
The Future of CAR-T Therapy
Now, scientists are exploring even more refinements and reconfigurations of CAR-T cells. For example, researchers are using nanotechnology to produce CAR-T cells inside the body, developing CAR-T cells that have "off switches" to minimize (or even prevent) side effects, and employing CRISPR gene editing techniques to engineer T cells more precisely.
Meanwhile, other researchers have found that it may be possible to develop CAR-T therapies using cells from healthy donors instead of patients. This could open doors to off-the-shelf CAR-T therapies that would be available for instant use and wouldn't have to be manufactured for each patient. The French company Cellectis has already launched the first phase of a study of its off-the-shelf CD19-targeted CAR-T-cell product for patients who have advanced acute myeloid leukemia in the U.S. Cellectis has also tested this product on two infants in Europe who had ALL and had exhausted all other treatment options. The therapy was effective in both cases.
On top of this, researchers may be able to improve the efficacy of existing CAR-T therapies by implementing these therapies earlier in the treatment process for children who have ALL, especially for those who are at a higher risk of their cancer returning after their initial chemotherapy. If early indicators suggest that chemotherapy isn't triggering optimal responses, practitioners may stop the chemotherapy and move forward with CAR-T therapy instead - potentially sparing young patients two years of chemotherapy.
Five years ago, there were only a handful of CAR-T therapy studies in progress. Today, there are over 180. And this number is only set to grow. As these therapies and their associated technologies develop, we can expect to see CAR-T therapy become a standard practice in cancer care.
About RegMedNet
RegMedNet covers the latest developments in the investigation, development, manufacture and provision of the treatments that are becoming today's mainstream medicines. A global community of scientific professionals follows the website, where scientists, researchers, and other professionals can read, watch, and listen to content that examines the development, trialing, manufacture, regulation, and commercialization of cell therapies. Meanwhile, RegMedNet's sister journal Regenerative Medicine publishes reviews and papers that examine regenerative medicine approaches like small molecule drugs, biomaterials, biologics, cell and gene therapies, and tissue engineering.
Page Content
On Monday, December 20th, His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday and the Honorable Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson have approved and signed the National Decree containing the general measures, thereby establishing the completed Function Book.
The legal position Rechtspositie Regeling KPSM, amendments to the Police Ordinance (Politie Landsverordening), the Organization decree for the Justice Ministry (Organisatie besluit Justitie), and several decrees relating to the Immigration & Border Protection Services have all been completed and is on the legislative route. As such, the focus will now be geared towards the completion of the Rechtspositie regelingen, and the new salary tables (Bezoldigsbesluit).
The newly approved and established Function Book will be seeing some updates in the foreseeable future as departments such as the Court of Guardianship, Judicial Institutes of Sint Maarten (SJIB), Miss Lalie Center (MLC), and the Law Enforcement Institute of Sint Maarten formerly known as the Justice Academy, requires an update to the LIOL incorporating them and thereby must first be approved by the Parliament of Sint Maarten. The steps are underway for this process to be completed.
Minister Richardson stated, "The date 12-20-21, marks a monumental day for the Ministry of Justice, the personnel of this ministry and by extension, the people of Sint Maarten. Technical staff and monitoring bodies engaged in a very meticulous process to ensure that the proper legislative process was carried out for the long-overdue function book of the Ministry of Justice. From the onset, I had taken a firm position that this process would be done the correct way to ensure the function book for the Ministry of Justice would be legally established eliminating any further inconsistencies, stagnation and instability for the personnel of this ministry. With the teamwork and input of many, this goal has been achieved."
Upon taking office in March 2020, Minister Richardson made the function book her number one priority. The function book has been an unresolved matter since 10-10-10 and has contributed to various challenges (also legally) within the Ministry of Justice. It regulates an important part of the legal status of each civil servant which ultimately defines their task, responsibilities and their salary scales.
On December 22, 2020, just three months after the installation of the workgroup, the Ministry of Justices Function Book was handed over to the Committee of Civil Servants Unions (CCSU) for their review and advice as required by law. After having received feedback from the Progress Committee, the Committee of Civil Servants Union (CCSU) and the unions representing the civil servants within
the Ministry of Justice, the function book was submitted to the Council of Advice for a legal review before it was approved by the Council of Ministers on May 11th, 2021.
Based on the advice of the Council of Advice, the Ministers retained attorney together with the unions sat and made the necessary adjustments to which all parties agreed and signed a statement of assent on July 28, 2021, confirming their agreement with the updated draft.
With the approval and signatures of His Excellency Governor Holiday and Minister Richardson, the function book will now be heading to the office of the Ombudsman for a period of six weeks, whereby a constitutional review will be done to review the laws that were ratified. Additionally, Minister Richardson will be presenting a detailed description of the next step by step process to be followed during the upcoming budget debate in Parliament in January 2022.
"Id like to give a heartfelt thank you to the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of General Affairs, the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the Unions, His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday, and his Cabinet, my legal team, the Progress Committee and Council of Advice and all stakeholders who played a role in making this day a reality. I take this moment to bid each and every person who makes up the staff in service to this Ministry and to the country as a whole, a heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS. There is still more work ahead to be done, however, rest assured, I am committed to seeing it through," concluded Minister Richardson.
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The Dalton Amateur Radio Club (DARC) in Dalton, Georgia, has donated copies of the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual to several schools in its service area. The materials will be available in the schools media centers.
On December 1, DARC President Jack Thompson, N5UOV, met with media specialists Sarah Hicks of North Murray High School and Ryan Long of Murray County High School to present both schools with copies of the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, which covers everything needed to obtain a Technician-class license, including the full question pool for the exam.
During a second presentation on December 3, Thompson and David Stanley, WI4L, met with Whitfield County Schools Media Specialist Ge-Anne Bolhuis, and Communications Specialist Kristina Horsley, to present 10 copies of the license manual, which will be placed in each middle school and high school in the county.
The visits offered Thompson and Stanley a chance to answer questions about amateur radio. Thompson explained to Hicks that not only was ham radio an interesting hobby, it involves public service activities and could inspire students to become involved in emergency management or search-and-rescue activities.
Bolhuis also asked about the uses of amateur radio. Stanley explained that ham radio is often the last line of communication in an emergency when all other means fail. Thompson explained how his activity as a radio amateur led to his 25+ years of volunteering as a reservist in emergency management and as a member of the search-and-rescue team of the DeSoto County Sheriffs Department in Mississippi.
Representatives from all of the schools received information about the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program.
The Dalton Amateur Radio Club expressed its appreciation to Tom Smith, KI4IG, for making the initial contacts with the schools and to ARRL for providing the manuals at no cost.
ARRL
Satellite photos reveal worrying antennas in South China Sea
The New York Post reports that forests of antennas are popping up across the South China Sea. And theyre further evidence of Beijings determination to dominate the strategic international waterway.
Metal poles with wires strung between them seem harmless enough. Even a cluster of big satellite dishes isnt all that uncommon anymore.
But its what theyre attached to that counts.
International affairs think tank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) warns Beijing is taking major steps toward improving its electronic warfare, communications, and intelligence-gathering capabilities near the South China Sea.
And that means potentially turning the contested waterway into a communication and navigation dead zone.
The battle to dominate the regions electronic spectrum has already begun.
Last year, a Chinese news report claimed a US combat aircraft lost control while flying over the South China Sea. All the instruments in the cabin were chaotic, the report claimed. The fighter planes were completely out of control and could not communicate with the outside world, but they did not know what happened.
The claim appears to relate to a 2018 incident in which US Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt reported jamming of their equipment. Pilots, however, said they were never put in any danger.
But Beijing certainly appears to have been determined to build up its ability to do precisely that.
The war of the future will not only be about explosions, but will also be about disabling the systems that make armies run, a recent Brookings Institution report warns. We could see effects as stodgy as making a tank impossible to start up, or sophisticated as retargeting a missile midair.
Read the full New York Post (with images) at:
https://nypost.com/2021/12/21/satellite-photos-reveal-worrying-antennas-in-south-china-sea/
We have to fight the vaccine and our own inner demons simultaneously with the better angels of our nature.
by Ruwantissa Abeyratne in Montreal
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, (ring-a-ling) hear them ring (ting-a-ling)
Soon it will be Christmas day
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
A beautiful song heard over the decades, made popular by Bing Crosby et. al, still heralds Christmas amidst the chaos and angst of our times. There are no more busy sidewalks and people dressed in holiday gear. All that is left of the song is the sound of the snow crunching beneath our feet, releasing to the air above, our own melancholy and desperate discourse with tragedy. Its almost as if an unseen enemy has taken control of our body and is now invading our spirit. We distrust each others presence not for who we are but for that which our mortal appurtenances will release and cause others physical harm.
As I walk out, I notice its beginning to look a lot like Christmas as another popular song goes. The streets and parks are white; the people still courteous and polite in a cautiously suspicious sort of way. I wrap my coat around me in the frigid cold, feeling as though I am desperately trying to restrain an enemy outside, hidden in the wicked wind howling around me. Every now and then, the wind stops, as if to catch its breath before the next onslaught.
At every Christmas, we wish each other a merry Christmas and a happy new year. We are joyous and celebrate with friends and relatives. During this Christmas, we cannot do that, as we are in lockdown, and we have got used to wishing each other a safe and healthy Christmas, in the hope that we can celebrate together next year.
So, this Christmas, I hear over the speakers as I enter the Mall. The decor and glitter of baubles seem lonely in the deserted food court. Most food outlets are shuttered. Hopefully, all this will pass one day, and well live in fear no more. And then I hear the next song over the speakers: a ray of hope flickers in the sky; a tiny star lights up way up high; all across the land, dawns a brand new morn; this comes to pass when a child is born.
Then it dawns on me: amidst all this entropy, children are born around the world bringing joy and hope. During the beast of a tornado a few days ago in Kentucky, which ravaged thousands of buildings and killed a multitude of people, there were reports of babies being delivered in the rubble.
Back home after my sojourn into the bleak outside, I watch BBC world News, where Russia cautions the West, that any attempt at expansion of NATO and Western interests into Russian territory will cause Russia to unleash the most sophisticated weaponry of the world. The Deputy Foreign Minister warns that it would transcend the Cuban missile crisis of the sixties and reduce humanity into radioactive ashes.
It seems we have bigger fish to fry of our own making. Geopolitics; the Beast in Kentucky; Typhoon Rai in the Philippines do not make matters any better.
All that we are left to do is to cling to our audacity of hope: that the birth of the Prince of Peace will bring the World together in the New Year and from the ashes of a divided world will rise a united humanity with mutual respect and the abhorrence of self-service among nations. Countries should respect each other in a common fight against the pandemic with mutual respect and cooperation. This applies particularly in the case of a threat of outbreak of a variant even worse than Omicron in a nation: Emer de Vattel, in his 1758 treatise Droit de gens - The Law of Nations- enunciated this fundamental principle: A nation then is a mistress of her own actions as long as they do not affect the proper and perfect right of any other nation - so long as she is only internally bound, and does not lie under any external or perfect obligation. If she makes an ill use of her liberty, she is guilty of a breach of duty, but other nations are bound to acquiesce in her conduct, since they have no right to dictate to her.
We can also pin our hope this Christmas on the timely arrival of the booster vaccines. We have to pin our hopes on the scientific community, as it was our audacity of hope and our belief in the scientific community which produced various vaccines in record time.
Someone once wondered why in every manger displayed at Christmas there was a light on while the rest of Bethlehem was in pitch darkness. Christmas reminds me of when the three wise men followed a shining star that took them to the new-born. Christmas is the story of light, as is Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, and of giving. The symbolism of Christmas, particularly in its original setting, brings to bear the real significance of the event as a harbinger of peace and happiness and the heralding of understanding and compassion particularly of those in power toward their fellow beings. Christmas is a time for introspection: of self-examination for self-worth. It is a time that all of us should demonstrably show our capacity to shed differences and work toward the common human goal of peace and wellbeing.
We have to fight the vaccine and our own inner demons simultaneously with the better angels of our nature.
: ...
Sedco Capital, a global shariah-compliant and ethically led asset management and investment advisory firm, has announced that it has successfully completed the additional offering of Sedco Capital real estate investment traded (REIT) fund.
Launched in 2018, the Sedco Capital REIT Fund is a closed-ended, shariah-compliant REIT, which aims to achieve periodic cash distribution for unitholders by investing in high quality income-generating real estate assets across various sectors, including hospitality, commercial, office, residential and education. Investments are mainly focused in the main Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam.
Through this additional offering, Sedco Capital is increasing the funds total asset value by 64% to SR1.8 billion ($479 million) across in-kind and cash subscriptions and additional Shariah-compliant financing.
According to Sedco Capital, the Fund received 78,231 subscription requests from 227,192 individual and institutional investors. In addition, it offered up to SR325 million through in-kind subscriptions.
The successful offering resulted in a 339% oversubscription with a total value of SR 848 million.
The units will be allocated to the unitholders within a maximum of 15 business days from the closing date of the additional offering period in accordance with the allocation mechanism disclosed in the supplementary appendix of the Funds terms & conditions.
The proceeds from the additional capital raise will be used to acquire eight properties in the Education and Commercial sectors, located across Riyadh and Dammam.
Sedco Capital REIT Fund post acquisition portfolio is expected to generate a gross rental income of SAR 49.4 million per annum, which translates into a rental yield of 7.5%. The net targeted return in total asset value is expected to exceed 7.0%.
On the additional REIT offering, CEO Samer Abu Aker said: "We are very pleased with the result of the additional offering, reflecting the strong participation demand in the Sedco Capital REIT Fund. This oversubscribed offering represents a robust vote of confidence by existing and new subscribers in our Saudi real estate investment strategy."
Chief Business Development Officer Abdulwahhab Abed said: "Since its inception, we have always managed the SEDCO Capital REIT Fund in a manner that provides investors with access to compelling real estate assets across key cities in Saudi Arabia."
"This additional offering increases the Funds exposure to income-generating properties in more diverse sectors across the Kingdom, including the Education sector. The Fund also aims to increase the percentage of long-term lease contracts with escalation in rents with credible tenants, which in our view contributes to achieving stability and growth and will enhance the Funds long-term risk-return profile, overall. We believe the oversubscription illustrates the appreciation that investors have for our investment approach," he added.
Global hospitality group Marriott International has signed an agreement with Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) to open two luxury hotels as part of its Diriyah Project in Saudi Arabia.
Located in Diriyah around the Unesco World Heritage site of At Turaif in Saudi Arabia, the properties will bring modern and distinct views on luxury to the historic Saudi town which is set to become one of the worlds most forthright cultural and heritage cities.
"We are delighted to be working with the DGDA and look forward to elevating the luxury experience of the Diriyah Project with these two iconic and celebrated brands, said Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International.
The Ritz-Carlton, Diriyah, Riyadh
Renowned for its legendary service and refined design, the iconic Ritz-Carlton brand is the epitome of modern luxury. Slated to open in 2025, The Ritz-Carlton, Diriyah, Riyadh is expected to feature 195 guestrooms including 34 suites along with a specialty restaurant, an all-day dining venue, meeting rooms, an outdoor pool and fitness center.
Ritz Kids, the brands signature kids club and programming is part of the vision, as is a signature spa and immersive guest programs.
The Luxury Collection in Diriyah, Riyadh
The Luxury Collection offers global travellers a gateway to the world's most exciting and desirable destinations, with each hotel serving as a unique and cherished expression of its location.
Situated in the district of Samhan, the hotel is expected to welcome its first guests in 2022 with 141 guestrooms, including 27 suites. Design plans are slated to feature two signature restaurants, an all-day-dining restaurant, coffee and juice bar, fitness centre, pool and spa. The property is also expected to offer meeting and event facilities.
DGDA Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo said: "Bringing The Ritz-Carlton and The Luxury Collection to the development, two well established and admired world class heritage brands, which are renowned around the world, is a momentous moment for Diriyah."
"Each property will give travellers a unique perspective on Saudi Arabias rich past before immersing guests in the future of the destination," he noted.
Diriyah is set to become Saudi Arabias foremost historic cultural destination. The new hub will see eleven square kilometers of the historic town of Diriyah, known as the Jewel of the Kingdom, transformed into a global tourism destination with its main anchors rooted in its historic culture and heritage.
Created in the style of Najdi architecture, an authentic Saudi Arabian building style, guests will be instantly transported to centuries past when the Arabian Peninsula was born.
The landmark destination is expected to include a variety of cultural institutions and museums, galleries, local and international restaurants, luxury retail experiences, public squares, hotels, multiple recreational spaces, residences, educational institutions and offices.
Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT), a leading provider of integrated logistics solutions, has won the 2021 Regional Deal of the Year award at the annual Seatrade Maritime event in Dubai, for the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa region.
In July, RSGT had announced the formal approvals and completions of 20% equity share sales to both Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong-based Cosco Shipping Ports Limited (CSPL).
With the deals successful conclusion, RSGTs founding shareholders reduced their combined majority and controlling shareholding to 60%. The deal implied an enterprise value of $880 million for RSGT.
A major player in the region which began operations in December 2009, RSGT currently handles approximately 3 million TEU annually. Annual container throughput capacity at RSGT will have grown to 5.2 million TEU by the end of 2023, with plans underway to expand to 9 million TEU by 2030.
The facility can currently accommodate next-generation container ships of up to 23,000+ TEU-class capacity, making it the only terminal at JIP designed for the next generation of Ultra-Large Container Ships.
On the award, CEO Jens Floe said: "This past year RSGT welcomed as new investors one of the worlds largest container shipping and terminal operating companies, as well as one of the worlds largest sovereign investment funds."
"At the same time we were continuing our focus on operational excellence and geographic growth both in Saudi and internationally," stated Floe.
"Our aim is to be an engine of growth for the economy by providing world-class integrated logistics solutions," he said.
Located at Jeddah Islamic Port, RSGT is a world-class terminal spearheaded by the Saudi Industrial Services group Sisco, and is the first privately funded BOT (Build Operate and Transfer) development project in Saudi Arabia.
"We thank SeaTrade Maritime for this award and look forward to announcing new deals to be celebrated in the year ahead," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi-based Power For Defense Technologies has signed an agreement with Indias Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for bringing its cutting-edge technologies and solutions to the kingdom's defence and aerospace eco-system.
A Navratana defence public sector unit of Indian government, BEL is a pioneer in technology innovation.
The agreement will facilitate BEL and PDTC to collectively bring cutting-edge technologies and technological solutions to the kingdom's defense eco-system. It will help bring India and Saudi Arabia closer through the promotion of defense and aerospace technologies.
PTDC was founded by Sheikh Mohammed Mustfa-Zaini Al Shaibi, a member of a highly respected Al Shaibi family in Saudi Arabia, with a vision to foster deeper and better business, technological and cultural relationship between the two countries through the promotion, transfer and deployment of cutting-edge autonomous technological solutions in the defence, aerospace and security sector.
"BEL is at the forefront of technology innovation in India. The partnership with BEL will enable us to bring critical technologies for civilian and defense application to KSA," remarked Al Shaibi.
"Saudi Arabia and India are rising powers and key players in their respective regions and are natural partners in addressing the various challenges confronting the region," he added.
This agreement has been facilitated by Gopi Krishna Reddy, a cross-border expert and strategic advisor to PDTC, along with Hisham Khalid, an advisor to PDTC.
Anil Pant, General Manager International Marketing, BEL, said: "As a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art electronic products and systems for the defence forces we foresee many such technological partnerships in the near future with Saudi Arabia."
"BEL offers technology products in the areas of coastal radar system, advanced threat detection suites with radar, drone protection system and much more. This agreement will further cement the existing bilateral ties between the two countries elevating the relationship to a strategic partnership," noted Pant.
On the strategic BEL partnership Gopi Krishna Reddy, a cross-border expert and strategic advisor to PDTC, said: "This is an important milestone in the growing India-Saudi co-operation in the field of research and development and technology exchange. We are excited to bring cutting edge technology to the KSA."
Syed Wahab Quadri and Jagatheesh Kumar Bagulayan from the PDTC management will be leading the initiative with BEL.-TradeArabia News Service
Zain Kuwait's 5G traffic currently accounts for more than 40% of its total wireless traffic, ranking the operator as number one in GCC countries in terms of 5G offload ratio.
Zain Kuwait is one of the leading telecom operators in Mena and has been at the forefront of innovation for years as the first operator to launch commercial 5G services in the Middle East.
From the 5G service development and business achievements of Zain Kuwait, it is clear that the focus on 5G development brings business success to operators. Zain Kuwait started deployment of 5G networks in 2018. After two years of continuous development, 5G services have entered a period of high growth. Users are continuing to develop rapidly, and the proportion of 5G traffic has also been increasing continuously. This has resulted in positive revenue and profit growth for the operator, a Zain release said.
Zain Kuwait has achieved the 5G subscriber penetration ratio of 23%, and the average DOU of its 5G subscribers is five times higher than that of its 4G subscribers. Zain Kuwait's mobile network also recorded revenue and profit growth of 4% and 13% year-over-year in Q2 2021.
This is an outstanding achievement especially when there is no population dividend and the expatriate population in country has been continuously decreasing. Zain's 5G development leads the Kuwait telecom market, and its business success has been a result of its overall strategic objective to provide first-class 5G services for users in Kuwait.
Zain Kuwait has firmly invested in 5G for the fastest network construction with the widest coverage, building a foundation for user experience
Network coverage is the basis for user experience. Zain started 5G C-band construction in 2018. In Q3 2019, it completed coverage of major urban areas. By early 2020, it achieved 1:1 construction ratio with its LTE network.
Focusing on fast and value-based network construction, Zain Kuwait was able to quickly exploit the benefits of enhanced 5G network coverage. Leading the network construction lays the foundation for creating 5G business advantages.
For instance, Zain was the first operator to commercialise 5G networks in Kuwait. In the commercial release phase, Zain provided the most extensive 5G coverage and best services owing to its focus on network construction. Within six months of the commercial launch, Zain reached 100% coverage, forming the first-mover advantage of 5G networks for itself.
With the goal of providing a first-class 5G network experience, Zain insists on higher standards of 5G network construction to ensure high-speed and reliable services for all the users.
As a result, the investment in network planning and network construction was increased, which enabled Zain Kuwait to win Ookla's Fastest Fixed Wireless Network Provider Award in 2020 and to lead the Open signal Global Experience Test reports as well. A great network experience enhanced Zains brand and helped it achieve greater commercial competitiveness.-- TradeArabia News Service
Exeed, a brand under Chinese automaker Chery, is set to debut in the Middle East region. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain will be the first among many to welcome the new addition.
The sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a new entrant in the high-end automobile market, debuting in Russia earlier this year and awarded the distinction of 'Breakthrough of the Year' by Russian media, PRNewswire reported.
The European R&D centre of Exeed, located in Munich, consists designers from BMW, JLR, and more. With the experience of these European automobile veterans, the brand combines European high-end fashion with futuristic design concepts.
The collaboration with JLR has contributed to Exeed's R&D and manufacturing systems as well. The brand's products can withstand extreme natural conditions across the world, with each field test monitored by experts.
Extreme winter conditions are addressed with an all-round heating package, sweltering heat is countered with a rear air outlet and electrodeless fan to cool the engine, while varying elevation and steep terrain is more manageable with a high-speed ratio gearbox that increases torque.
Partnerships with Magna, Benteler, Getrag, BorgWarner and others also made it possible for intelligent and modular automobile architecture that covers A to C class sedans, SUV, CROSS, MPV, and new energy automobiles.
Exeed's proprietary architecture is powered by a 2.0TGDI engine with 400Nm peak torque. Its fourth-generation electrical architecture serves as the foundation for L2.5 and higher levels of autonomous driving with a cage energy-absorbing capsule body, six-position airbags, and 12 ADAS features. It is a recipient of a five-star+ safety rating in C-NCAP crash tests, setting a new C-NCAP record.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) have announced a $3.6 billion strategic project to significantly decarbonise Adnocs offshore production operations, further strengthening their position in driving and leading sustainability efforts and supporting the UAE Net-Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.
The innovative project will see the development and operation of a first-of-its-kind high-voltage, direct current (HVDC-VSC) subsea transmission system in the Middle East and North Africa region.
It will power Adnocs offshore production operations with cleaner and more efficient energy, delivered through the Abu Dhabi onshore power grid, owned and operated by Taqas transmission and distribution companies.
The transmission system will have a total installed capacity of 3.2 Gigawatts (GW) and comprise two independent sub-sea HVDC links and converter stations that will connect to Taqas onshore electricity grid operated by its subsidiary, Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco).
The project will be funded through a special purpose vehicle (SPV), a dedicated company that will be jointly owned by the duo with 30% stake each, and a consortium comprising Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), Japans Kyushu Electric Power Company and Electricite de France (EDF).
This project offers the potential for Adnoc to more effectively utilise its rich gas currently used to power the offshore facilities for higher-value purposes, allowing Adnoc to generate additional revenue. A tender for this innovative project was issued in April 2020 resulting in very strong interest from international companies. Following this highly competitive tender process the consortium was selected.
Led by Kepco, the consortium will hold a combined 40 percent stake in the project on a build, own, operate and transfer basis.
The consortium will develop and operate the state-of-the-art transmission system alongside Adnoc and Taqa, with the full project being returned to Adnoc after 35 years of operation.
Construction is expected to begin in 2022 with commercial operation commencing in 2025.
Adnoc Upstream Executive Director Yaser Saeed Almazrouei said: "We are delighted to be collaborating again with Taqa, as we jointly welcome world-class industry leaders in yet another landmark transaction that will see Adnoc make a significant step forward in our ongoing decarbonisation journey."
"As Adnoc embraces the energy transition, this bold and progressive project will replace our existing offshore local power supply with cleaner and more sustainable onshore power sources, significantly reducing our carbon footprint while enabling additional cost savings," he noted.
"This first-of-its-kind project is a further example of how Adnoc is advancing practical and commercially viable solutions to secure a lower carbon future, while driving significant foreign direct invesment, and, in turn, cementing Abu Dhabi and the UAEs position as a trusted global investment destination," he added.
More than 50% of the project value will flow back into the UAEs economy under Adnocs In-Country Value (ICV) program, underpinning Adnoc and Taqas commitment to driving responsible and sustained investment and value creation for Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
Taqa Group CEO and Managing Director Jasim Husain Thabet said: "As the recognised low carbon power and water champion of Abu Dhabi and one of the top 5 utilities in EMEA by market value, we are pleased to again partner with Adnoc on such an important project that will contribute to the decarbonisation of Abu Dhabis energy industry in such an impactful way."
"This first-of-its-kind project shows how the UAE continues to demonstrate its strong leadership and innovation in the global energy transition by bringing together critical players to boost sustainability credentials and maximizing the utilisation of Abu Dhabis diverse and efficient energy mix," he stated.
"Decarbonisation continues to provide social and economic opportunities for collaboration and growth, which Taqa is actively pursuing through its strategic alliances and partnerships in the market," he added.
Kepco President and CEO Seung-il Cheong said: "It is truly an honor to participate in this strategic project with Adnoc. As the Barakah Nuclear Power Project has become a token of long friendship and cooperation between the UAE and Korea, Kepco will strive for the successful completion of this Project and contribute to the 2050 Net-Zero Initiative of the UAE."
Kyushu Electric Power Company President and CEO Kazuhiro Ikebe expressed delight at being selected as a business partner for this project.
"We are pleased that the realisation of this project will contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions at Adnoc's oil production facilities by more than 30%. Our Group has just announced an action plan for carbon neutrality, and we are determined to promote energy businesses that contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions globally. We hope to contribute to the stable operation of this project by utilizing the know-how we have cultivated in the electric power business in Japan and overseas," he noted.
EDF Chairman and CEO Jean-Bernard Levy said: "We are grateful to have been awarded such a contract by Adnoc and TAQA in the UAE within the successful consortium, which can rely on EDFs robust transmission engineering expertise."
"EDF is proud to be part of this innovative project that significantly contributes to decarbonise Adnoc operations," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Pall Arabia, a joint venture between Pall Corporation and Tanajib for Oil and Gas Services Company based in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, has expanded its capabilities to include a state-of-the-art manufacturing line for Palls SepraSol Plus liquid/gas coalescers, one of the most advanced liquid/gas separation technologies available.
Established in line with Saudi Vision 2030, the vision of Pall Arabia is to combine resources, technology and expertise to support the oil and gas and petrochemical industries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This new manufacturing capability is a significant milestone and underscores the commitment to Pall Arabias vision and the region.
Based in Dhahran, the 14,000 sq-ft-site is Palls global centre of excellence for the oil and gas and petrochemical industries.
SepraSol Plus is widely used in critical oil and gas applications such as removing fine solid and liquid impurities from natural and process gas streams.
The addition of the SepraSol manufacturing capability will add value to customers in the region.
The newly installed line has completed commissioning, and products and processes have been approved and awarded ISO 9001:2015 accreditation, ensuring quality and security of supply to customers.
Sary Diab, Managing Director, Middle East at Pall commented: With SepraSol Plus manufacturing in Saudi Arabia we can meet our local customers technical performance and product supply needs in a timely manner and with increased agility to react to market drivers or customer needs.
In addition to the centre of excellence, Pall Arabias local presence also includes sales, project management and engineering, filter cleaning capabilities and test laboratory facilities.
There is also a large fleet of mission-ready rental equipment available locally and supported by associates comprised primarily of Saudi nationals.
Diab added This is an example of how Saudi Vision 2030 aligns with our strategy of investment in local assets and resources to operate in region to achieve our strategic goals.
Pall Corporation is a filtration, separation and purification leader providing solutions to meet the critical fluid management needs of customers across the broad spectrum of industries.
Pall works with customers to advance health, safety, and environmentally responsible technologies.
The companys engineered products enable process and product innovation and minimise emissions and waste. Pall Corporation serves customers worldwide. --Tradearabia News Service / OGN / GI
Srinagar, Dec 22 (UNI) A police officer and a civilian were killed in in two separate attacks in Kashmir on Wednesday evening, Police said.
The first attack took place in Srinagars old city in which a civilian was targeted. Police said a civilian identified as Rouf Ahmad Khan, a resident of Merjanpora Safakadal was shot near his house at about 5.25 pm.
Unidentified terrorists fired upon a civilian Rouf Ahmad Khan who received grievous gunshot injuries in this terror incident and was immediately evacuated to nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, a police officer said.
Senior security officials rushed to the spot and the area was cordoned to trace the attackers.
Almost half an hour later an Assistant Sub Inspector of J&K Police was shot at in south Kashmirs Anantnag district. Police said ASI Mohammad Ashraf, a resident of Awantipora was shot at near Police Station Bijbehara.
In this terror crime incident, he received gunshot injuries and was immediately shifted to hospital for the treatment of his injuries, however he succumbed to his injuries and attained martyrdom, a police spokesman said. We pay our rich tributes to the martyr who made supreme sacrifice in the line of duty and stand by his family at this critical juncture.
The spokesman said police have registered cases regarding both the two incidents and investigation is in progress. Officers continue to work to establish the full circumstances leading to these terror crimes, he said
There have been a series of attacks on policemen in Kashmir this month. Six policemen have been killed in three attacks.
On December 10, two policemen were killed in a militant attack at Gulshan Chowk of Bandipora in north Kashmir.
Three days later on December 13, three cops were killed and a dozen others were injured when militants opened fire on a police bus at Zewan on Srinagar outskirts.
The latest killings have triggered widespread condemnation from government and mainstream parties.
J&K Lt Gov Manoj Sinha said, The terrorists and their handlers responsible for these killings will be brought to justice soon.
Deeply saddened by the barbaric and cowardly terrorist act in Srinagar and Anantnag. I strongly condemn this heinous attack on civilian Rouf Ahmad & JKP officer Mohd Ashraf. The terrorists and their handlers responsible for these killings will be brought to justice soon, office of LG tweeted.
Such barbaric terror act will not succeed in undermining J&K's development journey. Deepest & heartfelt condolences to bereaved families. Govt stands with the families & friends at this difficult time.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti in her reaction said there was no end in sight to this bloodshed. No end in sight to this cycle of bloodshed & violence in Kashmir. Deepest condolences to their families. Allah (SWT) jannat naseeb karein. Ameen, She tweeted.
..I unreservedly condemn these two attacks & send my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives today, former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted.
Peoples Conference President Sajad Lone condoled the killings.
BJP J&K spokesman Altaf Thakur while condemning the killing of ASI said it was an act of frustration and that militants are feeling frustrated and attacking unarmed policemen.
Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari termed such attacks as highly reprehensible while saying that radical forces have only added to the woes of the people in J&K.
Violence in any of its manifestations is always unacceptable and will yield nothing except for further death and destruction. The vicious cycle of death has caused much loss to human lives in J&K while devastating the socio-economic conditions of the people during the last over three decades. It is high time for such incidents to be stopped now he said.
UNI MJR SHK2149
Morocco, Costa Rica, Azerbaijan and Nigeria invite Indian investors
Pune, Dec 21 (UNI) The Ambassadors of Morocco, Costa Rica, Azerbaijan and Nigeria appealed to Indian entrepreneurs to invest in their countries during an international seminar organized by the Global India Business Forum (GIBF) here.
Morocco's Ambassador Mohamed Maliki, Costa Rica's Ambassador Claudio Ansorena, Azerbaijani Ambassador Dr. Mohamed Maliki, Christopher K K on behalf of High Commissioner of Nigeria Ahmed Sule briefed about how their countries have huge opportunities for industrial expansion, in terms of infrastructure, rules and industry opportunities.
During the event held last night, Legislative Council Dy Speaker Dr. Neelam Gorhe, Chairman of GIBF Jitendra Joshi and Coordinator Deepali Gadkari were present.
The WCO Environment Programme has published the Frontline Customs Officers Guide to Key Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) on the Members website. The Guide, to be read in conjunction with the Green Customs Guide on MEAs, is intended to supply condensed information to frontline Customs officers on aspects related to key MEAs: the Basel Convention, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Cartagena Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Montreal Protocol.
The illegal trade in commodities such as hazardous waste, wildlife, living modified organisms, chemical weapons and ozone-depleting substances poses a huge threat to the environment. In response, the international community developed a number of MEAs providing a framework for achieving specific environmental goals. Strategically located at borders, Customs play a crucial role in the implementation of these agreements. The Guide provides an overview on some of the main conventions, and is meant specifically for frontline Customs officers to assist them in detecting and preventing the illegal trade of environmentally sensitive goods.
The WCO Secretariat received technical support towards the development of the Guide from the following organizations: the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions; the Cartagena Protocol; the Chemical Weapons Convention/Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; the CITES Secretariat; and OzonAction. Its development was funded by the World Bank, the Government of Japan, and the United Kingdom under the auspices of the ICCWC Programme.
The Guide is available to Members only and can be downloaded from here.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)
Today
A mix of clouds and sun. Morning high of 64F with temps falling to near 45. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..
Tonight
A clear sky. Low around 30F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, said Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating.
"I have tested positive for COVID19 today. I am isolating at home with mild symptoms," Shahid tweeted. "I was privileged to have been fully vaccinated including a booster. My prayers are with the millions suffering from Covid and the billions without access to vaccine! I Stand for #VaccineEquity," read the tweet. Enditem
?El presidente @PedroCastilloTe, junto al titular del @MininterPeru, encabezo la graduacion de Alfereces de la Promocion 2022 "Bicentenario de la Independencia" y clausura del ano academico de la Escuela de Oficiales de la @PoliciaPeru. ???? pic.twitter.com/xutRbuzRkw
El Presidente de la Republica, @PedroCastilloTe, junto a la ministra de Desarrollo e Inclusion Social, @DinaErcilia, visita la Region de Arequipa, para acompanar la entrega de los alimentos Qali Warma en beneficio de las ollas comunes. pic.twitter.com/zVlJrwDkAU
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Only over 270 people in Armenia received a booster shot against COVID-19 so far, according to health officials.
Svetlana Grigoryan, the Head of the Department of Immunology and Epidemiology for Manageable Infectious Diseases at Armenias National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) told ARMENPRESS that every day more and more vaccinated people are getting the booster shot.
The boosters help vaccinated people be more protected from the coronavirus, she said.
Although anyone above the age of 18 is eligible for the free booster shot, health authorities nevertheless prioritize those who are at-risk, such as the elderly, people with chronic diseases and health workers.
The booster is a single-shot injection administered six months after the person received their second dose, Grigoryan said.
According to an approved mechanism of compatibility, if for example a person has been vaccinated with Sputnik V then they are recommended to get the same vaccine as a booster, or the Sputnik Light, or an RNA vaccine such as Moderna. But nevertheless, people are still free to choose whatever vaccine they want as a booster.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian received today Ambassador of Kuwait to Armenia Nawaf Alenezi, the Presidential Office reports.
The meeting covered topics relating to the current level of the relations between Armenia and Kuwait and their development prospects. The sides stated that the two countries have a mutual partnership potential in banking, tourism and high technology sectors.
The regional affairs were also touched upon.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan met today with Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas, who has arrived in Armenia on a working visit, the Office of the Secretary of the Security Council reports.
The sides discussed the programs to be implemented during Armenias chairmanship at the CSTO. In this regard the sides attached priority to the joint activity of the CSTO member states in drafting a policy against terrorism, extremism, migration security, biosafety and drug trafficking.
The officials also discussed contributing to the ease of tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijan, Tajik-Kazakh, Tajik-Afghan borders. Here the CSTO Secretary General emphasized the increase in probability of migrant flows by Afghanistan to the member states of the CSTO, calling this as a migration challenge.
Armen Grigoryan also presented the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, stating that its a key challenge for Armenia. In this context both sides attached importance to ensuring conditions for the quick launch of the Armenian-Azerbaijan border delimitation and demarcation process.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense of Armenia Suren Papikyan received today Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas, who has arrived in Armenia on a working visit, the ministry reports.
The CSTO chief congratulated Minister Papikyan on his recent appointment.
The sides discussed the priority directions of the CSTO activity during Armenias chairmanship at the organization. The defense minister said that raising and improving the efficiency of the CSTO activity, as well as further developing the CSTO military component will be one of the priorities of the Armenian side.
The officials also highlighted the importance of 2022 in terms of the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on Collective Security and affirmed that all the events planned for the next year will be implemented more effectively for the benefit of increasing the mutual partnership between the CSTO member states and expanding the organizations international role.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The price of Russian gas will stay unchanged for Armenia in 2022 165 USD per 1000 cubic meters, ARMENPRESS reports Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told the reporters.
''The price of Russian gas at the border in 2022 will stay unchanged. Of course, there are issues that need to be agreed. The first is the issue of the fifth power unit of Hrazdan TPP, and the second is the consideration of gas calories in the price calculation. Discussions on these issues are underway, but the gas tariff has been set and extended, TASS reports Mher Grigoryan as saying.
President of the Regional Council of Ile-de-France Valerie Pecresse calls for unconditionally returning 51 Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan.
December 22, 2021, 09:16 French presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse calls on Azerbaijan to unconditionally return 51 Armenian captives
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: At a press briefing with Armenian and French reporters in Yerevan, she said that what happened with Armenia in 2020 by Azerbaijans and Turkeys initiative was an important warning to Europe.
Mrs Pecresse also said that during her visit in Armenia she met with President Armen Sarkissian, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan. During those meetings we talked about the 2020 war. I expressed my full solidarity with the Armenian people in overcoming this difficult trial, she said, recalling that since November 2020 both Ile-de-France and the French Senate have come up with a number of initiatives aimed at adopting resolutions on recognizing Nagorno Karabakh.
According to her, the French government has also clearly stated that the responsibility of that war fully falls on Azerbaijan, as the latter has unleashed the war together with Turkey and also with the support of several Syrian jihadists.
I think that what happened in Armenia was an important warning to Europe, and it would be very wrong by our side to underestimate its importance and think that what had happened doesnt threaten us because the history of Europe is full of lessons that dangers have risen when they have been underestimated, Valerie Pecresse said.
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Pashinyans Office reports.
December 22, 2021, 10:57 Armenian PM receives Russian deputy prime minister
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: The meeting was also attended by Armenian deputy PM Mher Grigoryan and Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin.
The inter-agency delegation led by the Russian deputy PM arrived in Armenia for the session of the Armenian-Russian inter-governmental commission on economic cooperation.
Welcoming the guests, PM Pashinyan highlighted the holding of the session of the Armenia-Russia inter-governmental commission in Yerevan, wishing a productive work.
The Russian deputy PM in turn thanked for the reception and said that the bilateral contacts have been quite intensive this year, as several business missions, representatives of Russian business, who are deeply interested in working in Armenia, have visited the country.
Pashinyan and Overchuk discussed also the agenda of the Armenian-Russian cooperation and the economic ties. They touched upon the 2021 bilateral trade turnover volumes and praised the growth registered in the field.
Both sides emphasized the importance of making joint efforts to develop the commercial and investment partnership and fully utilize the potential existing in the field.
The sides also exchanged views about the prospects of restoring the transportation communications in the South Caucasian region and the activity of the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan working group led by the deputy prime ministers.
Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan today met with Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas, who is on a working visit to Armenia, the Office of the Secretary of the Security Council reports.
December 22, 2021, 15:20 Armenia Security Council Secretary meets with Stanislav Zas
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS: The sides discussed the programs to be implemented during Armenias chairmanship at the CSTO. In this regard the sides attached priority to the joint activity of the CSTO member states in drafting a policy against terrorism, extremism, migration security, biosafety and drug trafficking.
The officials also discussed contributing to the ease of tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijan, Tajik-Kazakh, Tajik-Afghan borders. Here the CSTO Secretary General emphasized the increase in probability of migrant flows by Afghanistan to the member states of the CSTO, calling this as a migration challenge.
Secretary Grigoryan presented the current situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, emphasizing that this is a primary challenge for Armenia. In this context, the parties attached importance to the ensuring of conditions for launching the process of delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border quickly.
Culturally, economically, politically and strategically, the present and future of the 2 countries are too closely entwined to be separated
President Ram Nath Kovind being welcomed as the Guest of Honour by Bangladesh President Md. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the gala celebrations of Mujib Borsho and Golden Jubilee of Independence of Bangladesh, in Dhaka (PTI Photo)
The headline of Gen. Shankar Roychowdhurys article on December 16 How India cut Pak down to size might unwittingly touch on a sensitive nerve in Indias relations with a booming Bangladesh. A Bangladeshi writer, R. Chowdhury, revives the controversy in the current issue of South Asia Journal by asking provocatively: Whose victory was it, for the Mukti Bahini or the Indian forces? His article is titled: Victory Day for Mukti Juddho or Indo-Pak War?
The short answer is that it was a victory for both. The Mukti Bahinis interests coincided with Indias, just as Indias interests coincide today with those of Bangladesh. Culturally, economically, politically and strategically, the present and future of the two countries are too closely entwined to be separated. That cannot be forgotten even if opposition to the Indo-Bangladesh entente lurks like Banquos ghost amidst the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Pakistans Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazis surrender to Indias Lt. Gen. J.S. Aurora which preceded East Pakistans rebirth as the sovereign republic of Bangladesh.
That is also why any exuberance of Hindutva sentiment in India (or any political developments with a communal dimension) can only alarm not only Bangladeshis but also the majority Muslim populations of two other members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. This inter-dependence demands a serious attempt to understand the misgivings of Bangladeshis who are dubbed anti-Indian. Their leaning towards China, Pakistan and the OIC, and criticism of Indias Citizenship Amendment Act and recent developments in Kashmir are often rooted in their own nervousness.
The SAJ refers to Chowdhury as a decorated freedom fighter for the independence of Bangladesh and a well-known author. It is not clear if he is also the Rashed Chowdhury who became a lieutenant-colonel in the Bangladesh Army and was a diplomat in Brazil when Sheikh Hasina Wajed became Prime Minister in 1996. If so, he was one of the 12 men to be tried in absentia, convicted and sentenced to death for alleged complicity in the 1975 coup when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family were murdered. Disobeying Dhakas orders to return in 1996, Rashed Chowdhury took his wife and son to the United States and applied for political asylum there, which the Clinton administration granted. Subsequent Bangladeshi attempts at repatriation have not been successful.
This digression into history explains how the past overwhelms Bangladeshs present and future. The two Chowdhurys might be totally different men, but the opposition to Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League still lurks like Banquos ghost amidst the celebrations today.
That ghost popped out again when historian Sarmila Bose, Netaji Subhas Chandra Boses grand-niece and author of Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War, argued in the current issue of Britains History Today that the creation of Bangladesh was a missed opportunity for India to reverse the British partition of Bengal by annex[ing] it as the new state of East Bengal within the Union of India. She believes that Sheikh Mujib would have readily become chief minister of an Indian state. Because of Ms Boses antecedents a link that ensures that the family remains in the public eye Bangladeshis might see in the suggestion a confirmation of some of their worst suspicions. She may give further offence by blaming this error of judgment on Indias tendency to think in terms of how to damage Pakistan, rather than what might benefit India. That seems designed to lend further credence to Chowdhurys view (which he attributes to the renowned British-Bangladeshi political analyst Zoglul Husain) that in 1971 the people of Bangladesh fought for independence from Pakistan, but India joined the war to divide Pakistan and turn Bangladesh into its vassal state.
Muchkund Dubey, a former foreign secretary and Indias high commissioner in Dhaka from 1979 to 1982, attributed such thinking to the big country, small country complex. India cannot cut itself down to size but, as Singapores Lee Kuan Yew had advised Rajiv Gandhi, Indonesias Suharto had succeeded in convincing his smaller neighbours that size need not mean hegemony. Only tactful diplomacy can erase rankling memories of the liberation war when some Bangladeshis felt their Gen. M.A.G. Osmani, Bongobir to his countrymen, was excluded from the surrender and victory ceremonies. That background may explain why Bangladeshis sometimes play down Indias military role in 1971 although the Mukti Bahinis valour needs no exaggeration.
It is part of this game also to attribute Indira Gandhis military intervention only to rivalry with Pakistan rather than any commitment to Bangladeshi rights and welfare. This is naive because foreign policy is seldom driven by a single factor. Humanitarian concern may be a major consideration but national self-interest and geopolitical realities also count.
Ironically, the Agartala Conspiracy Case (Agartala Shorojontro Mamla in Bengali) that Pakistans Ayub Khan regime brought in 1968 against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 34 other Awami League politicians, who were all accused of conspiring with India, provides the best evidence of the bonding between India and its smaller eastern neighbour.
Although India and Mujib denied all the charges, one of the accused in that case, Shawkat Ali, confessed in the Bangladesh Parliament on February 22, 2011 that far from being false, they were all true. He also confirmed that a Navy steward called Mujibur Rahman (not to be confused with the revered Bangabandhu) and an educationist, Mohammad Ali Reza, had indeed gone to Agartala, capital of the Indian state of Tripura, to seek Indias military support for Bangladeshs independence. My guess would be that the freedom fighters were not well enough organised then to launch the Sangram (Struggle), Sheikh Mujibs term, that exploded three years later.
Syed Mainul Hossains Martyrs Memorial in Dhaka, where an engraved inscription reads hauntingly Tomader ja bolar chhilo, bolchhe ki ta Bangladesh? (Does Bangladesh speak what you wanted it to say?) eloquently invokes that struggle. No country can always speak for every single citizen, but in its quest for stability and prosperity in partnership with India, Bangladesh has not failed the dreams of the fervent young fighters in makeshift khaki whom I met in Khulna and Jessore in 1971 and who had taken up arms for a cause that transcended religion. Soaring national and per capita incomes, spiralling food production and exports, and a population that has been contained flesh out their independence beyond the emptiness of political rhetoric.
The first A330neo commercial passenger aircraft for TAP Air Portugal airline is seen at the Airbus delivery center in Colomiers near Toulouse
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission approved on Wednesday a further, smaller aid measure from Portugal's government for the country's ailing flag carrier TAP, having also signed off on a 2.55 billion euro rescue plan for the airline this week.
The Commission approved 71.4 million euros ($80.9 million) in state aid to compensate TAP for damage suffered in the first half of 2021, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions.
"Because of these travel restrictions, TAP Air Portugal incurred significant operating losses and experienced a steep decline in traffic and profitability over this period," the Commission said in a statement.
The aid will comprise a capital injection or a loan. The Commission said the compensation did not exceed what was necessary to address the damage, and the measure did not breach EU antitrust rules.
The smaller chunk of aid comes after Brussels on Tuesday approved an overall rescue plan for the airline, but imposed safeguards to limit distortions to competition.
The 2.55 billion euro restructuring plan for TAP, which is 72.5% controlled by the Portuguese state, involves thousands of job and pay cuts.
($1 = 0.8821 euros)
(Reporting by Kate Abnett)
The Central New York Regional Transportation Authority is proposing a universal pricing system that would reduce fares for most Centro riders, including those using bus service in Auburn.
Under Centro's plan, fares for service between Auburn and Syracuse would decrease from $4 to $3. It's part of the agency's plan to adopt a universal fare for intercity services connecting Auburn and Oswego with Syracuse. Fares for certain groups, including seniors ages 65 and older and individuals with disabilities, would also decrease from $2 to $1.50.
For city bus services in Auburn, fares would be unchanged. The price would be $1 for adults, the current cost of a ride, and 50 cents for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Another change proposed by Centro is to no longer sell the 20-ride or 30-ride passes in Syracuse. It will offer 10-ride, weekly or daily passes that will be sold on buses.
The proposed fare system, if approved, would take effect on March 7. Centro will hold public hearings in January and February to collect feedback on the pricing schedule.
"We believe by reducing and simplifying our fares and making it more convenient to purchase our bus passes, we can make Centro more attractive to current and prospective customers," said Brian Schultz, Centro's CEO. "The cost of providing services in each of our cities is relatively the same; therefore, we feel the price we charge customers should also be the same."
Centro's proposal also calls for ending free transfers for customers at any of its service locations. According to Centro, 19% of its riders used transfers to get to their destination in 2019.
By adjusting the prices of its passes, Centro hopes to "mitigate the impact on those who use transfers."
"If you are a Syracuse customer who currently transfers to and from work and pays $4 for a daily roundtrip, we will offer an unlimited ride day pass for the same $4," Schultz said. "Individuals who use transfers in our other city services will see an increase in the cost of a roundtrip and an increase in the cost of unlimited ride passes."
Centro is also planning to establish a $2 fare for its intracity Call-A-Bus services and $6 for its intercity Call-A-Bus services. While fares for some Call-A-Bus users won't change, fares for riders in Syracuse and Utica will decrease from $2.50 or $3 per ride.
Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.
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AUBURN An Auburn man found guilty by Cayuga County jury of raping a woman was sentenced to state prison Tuesday.
Brian D. Lawrence, 25, whose most recent address was listed as 109 Washington St., Apt. 1, was found guilty by a seven-person jury in Cayuga County Court in October of first-degree rape, a class B felony, and second-degree trespass, a misdemeanor.
Cayuga County Senior Assistant District Attorney Heather De Stefano said Cayuga County Court Judge Mark Fandrich sentenced Lawrence to 15 years in state prison and 10 years post-release supervision for the rape charge. De Stefano noted Lawrence had been in custody since he was arrested in December 2020, so he was credited with time served for the trespass charge.
De Stefano said the DA's office recommended Lawrence receive 25 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision, which was the maximum sentence he could have received.
The Auburn Police Department previously said that on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, police went to Holley Street for a report of a barefoot woman walking in a bathrobe while a man possessing a butcher knife followed her. The woman had called 911 and said the man raped her and that he might kill her, police said at the time. The APD arrived and found the woman in a residence on Seymour Street. Lawrence, the suspect, was discovered walking in the Seymour Street area and was detained.
It was determined during the investigation that Lawrence used a key he took from a different person to enter the woman's residence without her permission and forcefully raped her. Lawrence took a knife from the victim's residence following the rape. The woman got out of the apartment and began walking down Holley Street to seek help while Lawrence followed her while having the knife in his possession. A knife was located near the spot where Lawrence was found.
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With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.
CATL says no comment to Poland factory rumor
CATL is reportedly planning to build a 2 billion worth of battery plant in Poland and has scouted two locations for it. On December 21st, the battery mogul gave a no comment to a local media outlet regarding the rumor.
Photo credit: CATL
GAC AION to kick off Series-A investment round
GAC Group plans to further the mixed-ownership reform of GAC AION and introduce strategic investors to HYCAN and Ontime Mobility. Currently, GAC AION has completed asset restructuring and will kick off its A round of financing and employee stock ownership.
AION Y; photo credit: AION
CPCA: daily average sales increase 38% MoM in third week of Dec.
During the third week of December, the daily retail volume of passenger vehicles amounted to 67,000 units, down 8% year on year, but increased 38% compared to the same week in November, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
Mercedes-Benz to recall 2,307 vehicles in China
Due to MBUX intelligent interactive display errors, Mercedes will recall 2,307 vehicles in China. The automaker will perform OTA updates to the system to eliminate potential safety risks.
Alibaba-backed AutoX unveils first driverless RoboTaxi production line in China
The Alibaba-backed autonomous driving company, AutoX, has unveiled its RoboTaxi production facility, also the first L4 RoboTaxi production line in China to manufacture its latest Gen5 system-powered fully driverless RoboTaxis.
CATLs battery manufacturing base in Fuding, Ningde begins production
On Dec. 21, the No.2 workshop at CATL's Fuding lithium battery manufacturing base first phase was put into operation, according to a local media outlet, meaning the battery giant's largest single lithium-ion battery base officially began production.
GWMs autonomous driving arm Haomo.ai receives investment from Meituan
Great Wall Motors independent, autonomous driving unit, Haomo.ai, announced that it has raised nearly RMB1 billion in its Series-A round of financing.
Plus.ai, Iveco to start L4 autonomous heavy-duty truck test in Europe, China
Chinas leading commercial vehicle autonomous driving company, Plus.ai, announced that it is initiating joint tests with named commercial vehicle brand, Iveco, to test out their L4 autonomous driving heavy-duty trucks in Europe and China.
CATL leads 5mln yuan C round in Chinese drive-by-wire supplier NASN
Shanghai NASN Automotive Electronics Co. Ltd. (NASN), the Chinese drive-by-wire supplier, recently announced it has raised 500 million yuan ($78.465 million) in the Series C funding, which was led by the investors like CATL, BOCGI, CMG-SDIC Capital, and GL Ventures.
T3 Mobility, IDRIVERPLUS to pilot Robotaxi operation in Suzhou with autonomous+manual model
Chinas autonomous driving company, IDRIVERPLUS has officially delivered its first batch of modified Robotaxis to T3 Mobility, the ride-sharing platform established by FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor, and Changan Auto at their strategic agreement signing ceremony.
CATL plows over 16 billion yuan in R&D business
CATL has already plowed over 16 billion yuan ($2,510,867,200) into R&D businesses, Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL, said on Tuesday at an industrial meeting held by Gaogong Industry Research Institute (GGII).
JD Logistics joins hands with Guangzhou Huadu District for last-mile delivery
JD Logistics of Chinas e-commerce giant JD.com announced its partnership with Guangzhou Huadu District authorities for terminal autonomous delivery services in the district.
Lear, Great Wall Motor inks strategic cooperation MOU
Chinas major automaker, Great Wall Motor, announced that it had signed a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding with the world-leading automotive supplier, Lear.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Great Wall Motors independent, autonomous driving unit, Haomo.ai, announced that it has raised nearly RMB1 billion in its Series-A round of financing.
Photo credit: Haomo.ai
Chinas food delivery giant, Meituan, well-known venture capital, GL Ventures, and Qualcomm Ventures are all participants in the investment round.
The company said that the funds will be mainly used to support its autonomous driving R&D, and talent system building.
According to Haomo.ais CEO, Gu Weihao, the company aims to expand its passenger vehicle assistant driving project by seven times in 2022, and threefold the current terminal unmanned delivery vehicle project.
Meanwhile, the company is facilitating a supercomputing center to further its data intelligence system development.
Haomo.ai has become one of the leaders in autonomous driving mass-production in China. With solid support from Great Wall Motor, the company leads the industry in cooperation model volume, revenuegenerated income volume, and its autonomous driving data warehouse scale.
Photo credit: Haomo.ai
Haomo.ai has developed a full-stack autonomous driving solution. The companys assistant driving solutions have been implemented on numerous Great Wall Motor models, including the WEY Mocha, the TANK 300, and the HAVAL Shengshou, accumulating over 4 million kilometers of user mileage.
By 2022, its assistant driving system will be deployed to 34 Great Wall Motor passenger vehicle models and over 1 million units in volume in three years.
On the other hand, Haomo.ai has partnered with various major companies regarding driverless terminal delivery vehicles, namely Meituan, Dmall, and Alibabas Damo Academy. The vehicles were already deployed into commerce delivery scenarios with a considerable market share.
Additionally, Haomo.ai owns a 5,000 square meter production facility in Baoding, dedicated to L4 driverless delivery vehicles , with the worlds largest designed production capacity.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chinas leading commercial vehicle autonomous driving company, Plus.ai, announced that it is initiating joint tests with named commercial vehicle brand, Iveco, to test out their L4 autonomous driving heavy-duty trucks in Europe and China.
Photo credit: Plus.ai
The partners will test and demonstrate the performance of the Plus.ai autonomous driving system powered Iveco S-WAY vehicles under various road situations and driving scenarios. Additionally, this is an opportunity for Plus.ai to gather data and validate and improve the design integration of the autonomous S-WAY vehicles.
According to Plus.ai, the PlusDrive system can be installed on an existing truck or pre-assembly trucks by manufacturers. Currently, the system has been ordered by over 10,000 units and has passed fleet tests through major automakers.
Earlier, Plus.ai has provided technical support for Chinas leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, FAW-Jiefang, via the PlusDrive system. The parties co-developed auto-grade mass-producible advanced autonomous driving trucks will be on the market in 2021.
The trucks will be sold via Chinas intelligent shipping dispatching platform, Full Truck Alliance, providing intelligent logistic service for 10 million drivers and 5 million shippers.
The PlusDrive products are in the delivery process to the company's early customers in China and the US.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- CATL has already plowed over 16 billion yuan ($2,510,867,200) into R&D businesses, Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL, said on Tuesday at an industrial meeting held by Gaogong Industry Research Institute (GGII).
Zeng Yuqun; photo credit: CATL
Zeng delivered a speech to unveil the progress of CATL's new technology R&D. In terms of the innovation in battery structure, based on an all-new algorithm for BMS (battery management system), CATL has developed the AB battery system design solution, which is able to mix and match two types of batteries in a certain proportion and integrate them into one battery system. The combination can be LFP plus ternary-lithium batteries, or lithium-ion plus sodium batteries, etc.
Zeng said the AB design solution can break through the performance border of a single battery material and make two kinds of materials draw on each other's strengths.
The CTP (cell-to-pack), a technology CATL created to simplify the manufacturing and assembly of battery packs, has advanced into its third-generation, according to Zeng. He said CATL's R&D team has made great efforts to improve energy density, space utilization, thermal management system, and minimize thermal diffusion, in order to solve the pain points about battery range, safety, and lower temperature.
Zeng noted the innovation in battery materials is essentially a competition about computing capability. CATL is working on building a world-leading digital R&D platform, on which big data, cloud computing and AI technologies are utilized for battery R&D. This platform also helps CATL speed up the R&D of sodium-ion batteries, lithium metal batteries, cobalt-free batteries, and other batteries free of noble metal.
ZenniHome and the Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development are announcing the finalization of an agreement allowing ZenniHome to begin manufacturing their residential product line on a portion of the former Navajo Generating Station (NGS).
The agreement represents the first step in repurposing the decommissioned NGS site and establishing an ongoing economic development partnership between the two parties. ZenniHome and the Navajo Nation are in the process of negotiating a long-term lease agreement to manufacture eco-friendly homes on the site, according to a press release.
The agreement permits ZenniHome to immediately begin operations including capital improvements and hiring members of the Navajo Nation. ZenniHome anticipates initially hiring 110-150 workers to build the companys Denizen and Citizen models prior to the finalization of the lease agreement.
Gov. Doug Ducey, who has emphasized the importance of rural and tribal economic development, had this to say about the exciting new partnership:
Our rural areas have vast potential for economic development expansions, and this exciting project is just one example, Ducey said. Arizona values our important relationship with the Navajo Nation and its economic development leaders. Im especially grateful to President Nez and Vice President Lizer for their partnership and to former State Senator Bob Worsley for his continued service to our state. We are thrilled to see new jobs and industry grow from the former Navajo Generating Station, and we look forward to continue working with our tribal partners to bring more opportunities to all parts of Arizona.
ZenniHome is the premier prefab home company specializing in transformative architecture and robotic furnishings that allow customers to get more living out of every square inch. ZenniHome builds smart, connected homes with environmentally prioritized features.
From the ashes of one of the worlds largest coal power plants, we are building a sustainable, green housing factory one with enormous employment potential for the Navajo Nation, said ZenniHome founder and former State Senator Bob Worsley. Our location in Page provides ample room for expansion, including potential for a future one million square-foot giga factory, a strategic location near our west and southwest markets, and access to a highly skilled local workforce. We are grateful to the Navajo Nation for their partnership. They have been tremendous to work with, and we look forward to being part of and giving back to the Dine community for many years to come.
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WASHINGTON Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin IIIs announcement that he opposed President Bidens massive spending package may be much more than a political setback for the White House.
In torpedoing a bill that included $555 billion to combat climate change, the longtime West Virginia senator is, at least for now, single-handedly preventing the U.S. from being able to reach Bidens emissions reductions targets and undermining the presidents credibility in persuading other countries to take steps to stave off a catastrophic future of extreme heat, drought, fires, storms and floods.
The climate crisis isnt going away, and the devastating damages from heating the planet are being increasingly felt in communities across the country, said Nat Keohane, the president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Not investing in climate and clean energy infrastructure would be a setback for American credibility and global leadership on climate but just as importantly, it would be a setback for the global competitiveness of American manufacturers, for the health of the U.S. economy and for clean energy jobs.
A broad array of Democratic lawmakers and environmental activists responded to Manchins shift with an unusual degree of unanimity pledging to press ahead, in recognition that failing to deliver on the climate provisions, which were a central element of Bidens presidential campaign, could spark an existential crisis for the planet and their party.
We are undeterred, said Pete Maysmith, senior vice president of campaigns for the League of Conservation Voters. There is still an overwhelmingly strong political and scientific and policy imperative to get this done whether its for the economy, clean energy jobs, cutting costs with peoples energy bills and saving the planet. So we are going to fight as hard as we ever have to pass Build Back Better.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., told Senate Democrats in a letter Monday that he plans to bring a revised version of the House bill to the floor for a vote in January so that every Member of this body has the opportunity to make their position known on the Senate floor, not just on television.
Biden announced in April that he wants to slash U.S. emissions between 50% and 52% below 2005 levels by 2030. Last month at a major climate summit in Scotland, he urged other countries to act in the coming decade and touted the climate components of his $1.75 trillion spending plan as the most significant investment to deal with the climate crisis that any advanced nation has made ever.
But if that legislation cannot be revived and Congress fails to act on climate change, it will be close to impossible to reach Bidens benchmarks and those already agreed to as part of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, according to John Larsen, who analyzes energy policy at the Rhodium Group, a research firm.
We found the target was achievable when everything happens. But its much harder to envision hitting the target without a foundation of clean energy tax credits and other grant programs, Larsen said.
Biden has already taken executive action to limit emissions. The administration has issued rules to curb toxic pollutants used in refrigeration and air conditioning, and announced Monday that it is tightening mileage standards for cars and light trucks. However, without the tax credits that were part of the massive spending package and aimed at incentivizing a faster transition to cleaner fuels, energy providers and manufacturers are likely to resist changing course.
There are other levers in other parts of the federal system, Larsen said. But all of those levers are easier to pull when you have hundreds of billions of dollars in federal tax credits to lower the cost of pulling them.
Manchin, whose family owns a lucrative coal waste business, had already chipped away at the climate change components in the original package. In hopes of winning Manchins vote, Biden had agreed to drop a $150 billion plan to transition coal plants to cleaner fuels, as well as proposals to reduce methane emissions, promote electric cars, and halt offshore oil drilling.
The bill, which passed the House last month, included $320 billion in tax credits for producers of wind, solar and nuclear power, as well as credits for those using renewable power sources. This would have made generating electricity from coal and gas so expensive that it would was expected to spur the construction of new solar arrays and wind turbines across the country.
An October analysis from the Rhodium group said existing policies were enough to reduce emissions between 17% and 25% by 2030. Experts said that other federal action, including executive actions taken by Biden and the passage of the provisions in the Build Back Better plan, could achieve a reduction of 45% to 51%.
Larsen noted that the infrastructure legislation includes research funding for clean energy initiatives, but no market incentives.
None of these technologies are going to take off in a commercial way without a market. That was what Build Back Better was going to provide, he said.
Failing to pass legislation to address climate change could also send a discouraging signal to the rest of the world, which Biden is attempting to coax along in the fight to slow the planets rise in temperature, said David Victor, a professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego.
Without the U.S. fully in, the diplomatic consensus you need to keep the machinery going starts fraying, Victor said. Youre going to see more and more resentment, and concern about the credibility of the overall global effort on climate.
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Business owners in downtown Beatrice are getting into the holiday spirit this season with festive decorations and displays.
Many participated in Main Street Beatrices annual store front display contest, which was held for the 11th time.
Michael Sothan, Main Street Beatrice director, said the event is a fun opportunity for building owners to get involved.
Especially after the years weve had with the pandemic, its really exciting to be able to walk or drive around the community and see people in the holiday spirit, he said. Whether its residential light displays or downtown with storefront displays, it gives the community a merry and festive spirit and puts a smile on your face.
The theme of this years event was A Storybook Christmas. Contest winners were announced Wednesday morning, and include:
Best representation of theme co-winners: Gems & Junk and Scheer Quality Furniture.
Most creative use of product and theme: Sunrise Bakery.
Honorable mention: Security First Bank.
Most creative use of technology: Home Instead.
Voting for the peoples choice award closed Tuesday, and those results will be announced at a later date.
The displays were recently viewed and judged by the Main Street Beatrice Design Committee. The displays were not limited to the contest participants, and several other storefronts were decorated and contributed to this magical holiday season.
Sothan said 12 businesses participated, which is typical for the event.
It was definitely fun to see people focusing on the theme and having fun with it, he said. We definitely saw some new businesses part participating and used technology in different ways. It was fun to see how the displays change and evolve.
Businesses that participated in the store front display contest included The Black Crow Restaurant and Bar, Blue Bulldog, Gems & Junk, Great Western Bank, Home Instead, Nebraska Title Co., Quilt Stitches, Scheer Quality Furniture, Security First Bank, Sunrise Bakery, Uhls Sporting Goods & Screen Printing and Weigel Jewelry.
The theme was also incorporated into events led by Main Street Beatrice, the Beatrice Public Library and Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce.
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But the couples perceptions were quickly knocked down. By offering themselves as helpful neighbors and friends, the couple, who married here, felt like there was always room for them in Wyoming.
Opposition
While acceptance of same-sex marriage is growing in Wyoming politics, there are notable exceptions. A spokesperson for Sen. John Barrasso told the Star-Tribune that he believes marriage should be between one man and one woman. A spokesperson for Sen. Cynthia Lummis offered the same stance while also acknowledging that same-sex marriage has been the law of the land since 2015. A representative for Harriet Hageman, who is challenging Cheney in next years Republican primary, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this issue.
The Wyoming Republican Party does not recognize same-sex marriage, and had continued to advocate for defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
In January, at a time when the issue was not even being discussed in Wyoming, the party used its Facebook page to criticize same-sex marriage, invoking the biblical language of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Beyond reducing the temperature in these political battles surrounding public schools, education reform of this kind is better for children too.
Every child is different, with unique interests and talents. Kids learn at different paces, and thrive in a range of settings, and with the benefit of different experiences. Some excel in the traditional classroom setting. Others may benefit from online instruction, or hands-on experiences, or with the assistance of tutors.
If we want every child to succeed, we need a system that recognizes their differences and makes it easier for kids to access the education thats right for them. Instead of trying to give every child the same education, we should try to make sure each one has the ability to choose the right education for their unique situation.
By making the system more flexible, we can help kids figure out their skills and interests. When they discover what it is that motivates their curiosity and drives them to learn more, we can help them develop the habits of lifelong learning. Thats key to success in the workplace, and in life.
When I was growing up I was fortunate to have many strong women role models in my life who empowered me to pursue whatever career I wanted. I attended college and earned a bachelors degree, and then went on to graduate school so I could fulfill my dream of teaching at the college level. After nine years of post secondary education I began teaching at a small undergraduate college. I love working with young people and helping them figure out what they are capable of and what path they wish to pursue. But I have considered quitting my job many times.
Several years after I began teaching, my partner and I decided to start our family. After our first child arrived I was very suddenly struck by the reality that so many others already understood: that having two working parents try to raise a child is nearly impossible.
I didnt have a real maternity leave with either of my children. My partner and I worked nights and weekends to juggle schedules so we could keep our infant home for as long as possible. We took a significant financial loss to do this. And we are lucky, as many families dont have that choice.
As your former secretary of state, I enthusiastically support Dr. Al Olszewski for Congress because he is the only candidate who clearly understands the importance of preserving the integrity of, and confidence in, our elections process.
Starting at the border, Democrats are working hard to destroy our nation. Erasing our border, handing out welfare benefits to illegal immigrants who violate our laws, and allowing the flow of drugs and violent offenders into the United States is only the beginning.
Now, Democrats want to make illegal immigrants eligible to vote and remove important protections for our most sacred right.
As a state senator, Dr. Al worked to pass a ban on ballot harvesting. At the federal level, he knows we must do much more. In Congress, he will continue my fight to protect the integrity of our elections something over 1 million service members have died defending.
Marc Cooke, president of Wolves of the Rockies, said on Dec. 9 that at least 13 wolves from Yellowstones packs had been killed in outside states at the time, including 11 in Montana, according to the groups sources.
With trapping, weve been pretty fortunate in a sense, he said earlier this month. There hasnt been a lot of snow, and when snow is on the group, we will see an acceleration in those that are trapped and shot . (Trappers) can track footprints in the snow.
Though Montanas wolf trapping season had a default opening date on Nov. 29, trapping had been closed in wolf management units 313 and 316. On Tuesday, however, FWP announced trappping would open immediately (on Dec 21) in WMUs 313, 316 and 390.
As officials determined that grizzly bears are denned for the winter, they also opened the wolf trapping season in WMUs 100, 101, 110, 130, 150 and 400. Trappers were warned to avoid any area where bear sign is observed.
When were talking about Yellowstone National Park wolves, we have so much studying going on, and that scientific data inside that park is so essential for what we know today, Bean said. The education that comes out of that park is global, and the more that Montana continues to attack the science that comes out of the park, we as a society are being attacked.
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The Federalist Papers, it has been said, constitute one of the most important works in the world of political science ever written in the history of the United States. There is little exaggeration, if any, in saying that that The Federalist is surpassed only by the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as an iconic writing in our nations political history.
Authored by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, the 85 essays thoroughly explained the meaning of the Constitution proposed to Americans eager to know what delegates to the Constitutional Convention had produced in Philadelphia as a new national charter. The Federalist writings thus represented the matured conclusions of the framers of the Constitution.
Federalist 78, written by Hamilton, stands as one of the most penetrating essays of the entire lot. It leaves no doubt that the framers intended the federal judiciary to exercise the power of judicial review and pours the foundation for Chief Justice John Marshalls defense of it in the landmark case of Marbury v. Madison.
Hamiltons tightly knit paper represented a powerful response to critics of judicial review including New Yorks Robert Yates, writing under the pen name Brutus. The Brutus-Hamilton exchange furnished informed delegates to the various state ratifying conventions with powerful confirmation that the Constitution did, indeed, boast the power of judicial review.
First and foremost, the fact that Yates, a delegate to the convention and a justice of the New York Supreme Court, wrote critically of the power of judicial review and warned of its abuses, confirmed the existence of judicial review. In his Letters of Brutus, Yates opposed judicial review, in part, because it would operate to a total subversion of the state judiciaries, if not to the legislative authority of the states, and because of the difficulty of removing federal judges through the power of impeachment.
Yates lamented the placement of the reviewing power in the hands of federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices. They are, he wrote, authorized by the Constitution to decide in the last resort what is the extent of the powers of Congress. He added, If, therefore, the legislature pass any laws inconsistent with the sense the judges put on the Constitution, they will declare it void; and therefore in this respect their power is superior to that of the legislature. Yates greatest fear was that judges would impose their own biases, political and otherwise, in the interpretation of the Constitution.
Yates confirmation of the availability of judicial review spared Hamilton from widespread accusations that the authority was his creation alone. However, Yates attack on the exercise of judicial power, the possibility that it would be exercised arbitrarily, left Hamilton with the heavy burden of persuading readers that judges would not abuse their authority, and the lighter responsibility of explaining the theoretical implications of judicial review.
Hamilton famously wrote of the exercise of judicial power that judges have neither the power of the purse nor the power of the sword, leaving the judiciary in the dreaded position of being the least dangerous branch of government. As Hamilton observed, judges have the duty to give voice to the terms and commands of the Constitution. Judges, he cautioned, would not behave like legislators and give voice to their own preferences and biases. His critics could be forgiven for recalling that Hamilton, in 1778, had warned of the trackless imaginations of judges and their frequent abuses of power. For his part, Hamilton was complaining about English, not American, judges. Critics asked, however, if the differences were so great?
Students of the Constitution are indebted to Hamiltons scholarly explanation in Federalist 78 of the ways and means of the exercise of judicial review and his effective rebuttal of Yates claim that its availability renders judges superior to the legislature.
Hamilton denied that the act of declaring a statute unconstitutional on grounds that it violated the Constitution established judicial supremacy. The ratification of the Constitution represents the will of the people, he explained, as does the passage of a statute by the representatives of the people. However, the approval of the Constitution represents a higher expression of the will of the people. Simply put, when the people ratify the Constitution, it is approving the content of a document that is clear and comprehensible to them. The expression of that will is grounded in greater certainty, and yielding more clarity, than that represented in a vote for legislators who, at the time of their election, have not made clear where they stand on issues that have yet to emerge and bills yet to be written.
When the court, as explained in No. 78, exercises judicial review and holds a legislative measure unconstitutional, it is not asserting judicial superiority over the legislature. Rather, it is simply upholding the superior expression of the will of the people, as reflected in the ratification of the Constitution, over the inferior expression of the will of the people seen in the election of representatives. As Hamilton observes, the court is upholding the intention of the people to the intention of their agents.
In Federalist No. 78, Hamilton reproduced the conclusions of those who wrote the Constitution. The founders intended the federal courts to exercise the power of judicial review, which was first announced in Marbury v. Madison in 1803. But Hamiltons reply to Brutus that judges would not, in the course of constitutional interpretation, impose their own political preferences and biases, remains the subject of ongoing debate, one heightened in our time by cases that raise the prospect of judicial revision of constitutional principles and precedents.
David Adler is president of The Alturas Institute. This "We the People" series is provided by the North Dakota Newspaper Association and Humanities North Dakota.
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The latest federal report on the potential of the Bakken and Three Forks rock formations should serve as a reminder to the state that oil wont last forever. The oil fields arent in danger of drying up anytime soon, but they arent infinite.
The U.S. Geological Survey indicates the formations contain 4.3 billion barrels of untapped recoverable oil, a 40% drop from the surveys last estimate in 2013. Wells have retrieved 4 billion barrels of oil from the formations so far, according to the federal agency.
State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said he expected the number to go down. However, the size of the drop came as a surprise. Helms said about 80% of whats considered the best mineral acreage in the Bakken has been drilled and companies now plan to innovate in parts of the region farther from the center.
The USGS also estimates natural gas production will decline. In 2013 it estimated 6.7 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas in the two formations. Now, it estimates there will be 4.9 trillion cubic feet.
Oil has been good for North Dakota. It has given the states economy a major boost, making life easier for state officials at budget time. Its allowed the state to create the Legacy Fund which sits at $8.6 billion. The fund has the potential to benefit the state for years to come.
Recent experiences have shown the state that oil revenues arent guaranteed. Action by Russia and OPEC a few years ago sent oil prices tumbling. North Dakota officials had to scramble to patch the budget together.
Its easy to forget the bad times, especially when the state is performing well. The Legislatures interim Government Finance Committee was told recently that state revenues are ahead of expectations five months into the two-year budget cycle.
Office of Management and Budget Director Joe Morrissette told the committee that oil prices are 30% higher than the $50 a barrel forecast. Oil taxes are 20% ahead of the forecast and were 24% ahead of projections in November.
Morrissette reminded the committee that it only takes one bad month to throw off the projections and theres a long way to go in the budget cycle.
North Dakota has taken a number of steps to boost the oil, gas and coal industries. Gov. Doug Burgum has set a goal of the state being carbon neutral by 2030. Despite a number of initiatives to expand the use of byproducts from oil, the state needs to explore other options for expanding the economy.
The state remains too reliant on oil and to a lesser extent on coal for revenue. The USGS report should encourage the state to widen its outlook. We have seen global factors out of our control send oil prices plunging.
North Dakota needs to diversify its economy before time runs out on oil and coal.
Correction
In Saturdays editorial the Tribune incorrectly listed Sen. Erin Obans party affiliation. Shes a Democrat.
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Marys call and response is a powerful reminder of how Advent calls us to model her in humble obedience and service, whatever our vocation. []
We arrive at the Christmas stable. We have prepared. The Christ child is come to usImmanuel.
We begin by taking a step back. The candle that is lit for the final Sunday of Advent reminds us of Mary, the one who brings the Lord into the world.
The Protestant Reformers reacted against Catholic overemphasis on the nature and role of Mary. (Catholic readers, forgive meand do read on!) One consequence of this was that Protestants ever since have been so wary of giving too much weight to Mary that they have underplayed her role such that deep spiritual truths are missed.
The first example of call in the New Testament is the call to Mary.
Mary was a virgin betrothed to Joseph, of the house of David (Lk 1:27), reminding us of the royal line into which Christ would be born. The call to Mary was from God and mediated through an angel. The message was simple yet profoundGreetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. The angel continued to tell Mary that she had found favor with God and would bear a son, to be named Jesus, who will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High (Lk 1:32) and that his kingdom would be eternal and everlasting.
O how Mary must have quaked. This young woman, facing disgrace, rejection, alienation from family and friends and, indeed, from Joseph. What was her response?
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed: for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Every Protestant, every Catholic, simply every Christian, should be able to sing out those extraordinary words of the Magnificat in deeply grateful admiration and thanks for Marys call and response.
And in the same way, God calls us. He calls the entrepreneur and he calls every player and participant in the divine economy. He calls you and he calls me. Will our response be the same as that of Mary? Humility, acceptance, submission, joy?
How have we got our understanding of call and vocation so wrong?
An attorney friend of mine tells me that the message he hears from the front of church is that his role is to earn money to pay for more priests and pastors. Nothing could be further from the truth. Particularly in Protestantism, we have replaced vocation and calling with pietism. An overemphasis on the inner life has distracted us from recognizing the true value of our daily call, work, life, and discipleship. Darrell Cosden, in his book, A Theology of Work, describes one consequence:
Ordinary, daily, mundane work was at best a mission field, and at worst a distraction in the spiritual life.
True Christian vocation involves using Gods gifts in service to others, an acknowledgement of the call of God and indeed of the rule of God. Vocation belongs to this world as much as to the spiritual realm. We too often prioritize the spiritual over the secular. Spiritual work is seen as superior. Correcting this erroneous notion is a powerful Advent theme. We would do well to dwell upon it.
When we debate Christian ethics in the workplace, in business, and in the economy, it is essential we have something more than a merely instrumental view of work, wealth, and business; not just to provide for earthly things but also to provide a place for the exercise of calling. To do so is the beginning of any ethical approach to business.
Vocation and calling are central to any theology of business and work. Dorothy Sayers in her famous essay Why Work? argued that it
is the business of the Church to recognise that the secular vocation as such is sacred.
Sayers, reflecting Luthers influence, puts her finger on the power of the idea of vocation:
If your heart is not wholly in the work, the work will not be goodand work that is not good serves neither God nor the community; it only serves mammon.
Calling invests work with both meaning and ethics and hence sits alongside the creation mandates as a central feature of the theology of work and business. We mentioned a couple of weeks ago how modern Roman Catholicism in the Vocation of the Business Leader has embraced the concept of vocation and calling to work and business. In this piece, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace refers to the vocation of the businessperson as a genuine human and Christian calling. The reflection goes on to remind us that wealth creation serves the common good and requires both a form of market economy and adherence to truth, fidelity, and freedom.
As we may remember from last week, Christians have historically affirmed the creation of wealth and value but criticized what one might call the luxurious arrogance of wealth. A deep sense of humble call affirms before God our calling in life and in the economy and equips us with an ethic of both wealth creation and wealth responsibility. This has been the historical approach of Christians to business.
A prime example is with the Quakers. In both the U.K. and the U.S., there are a significant number of businesses with Quaker origins, including Cadbury in the U.K. and Bethlehem Steel in the U.S. Certainly in the U.K., the Quakers often found themselves excluded from public life and the universities, and hence they turned with passion and commitment to business. It was their call. However, it was the Quaker spirituality that seemed to equip them in particular for business, and their spirituality carries deep resonances with Advent and Marys call.
Quakerism is essentially a subjective rather than an objective faith. They adhere not so much to creeds, councils, or scriptures, but to the conviction of an inner light, which gives them an internal discipline, commitment, and focus. They have a purpose and they know this purpose. This discipline reflects itself in plainness of dress (though not all comply with this), but more significantly, a frugality in living, a discipline in life. This internal discipline and purpose is ideally suited to innovation, technological development, and entrepreneurshipwith an often long, patient wait for an economic return, itself a discipline to which the Quakers are ideally suited.
Call and vocation are key concepts in understanding the Christian view of business, work, and the economy. Mary, in the last week of Advent, reminds us powerfully and deeply of these themes. Perhaps vocation can best be understood as the exercise of calling in the whole of the period between the original creation and the new creation, a dynamic expression of discipleship under God in the temporal kingdom. Not the end of ethics, but the beginning. Not a retreat into pietism, but rather a full expression of the creative wonder and beauty of God in which we participate, in Christ.
Advent recalls us to the central power of the call from God and our humble response.
I hope you have enjoyed these Advent reflections and how Advent relates to the divine economy.
May the Lord bless each of you deeply as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
ITAI
In St. Clair County, Illinois, assistant fire chief Jerame Simmons was named acting fire chief of the Prairie Du Pont Volunteer Fire Department. This news prompted 10 ten of the department's 13 firefighters to immediately resign. Why? Simmons was convicted of arson more than 20 years ago after setting fire to a vacant home and a nearby high school. Eighteen years old at the time, he was sentenced to probation and the Illinois governor later pardoned him. From Fox2Now:
"It's a pardon. Still, the town remembers the school being set on fire," said former fire captain Laura Rosencranz, wife of the former chief. "The town remembers the house set on fire where we had firefighters fall and be injured."
"I think it's appalling and disgusting," said former chief John Rosencranz. "We're not going to have the adequate protection here. It's not going to be as it should be here. I'm kind of blindsided but not. I knew it was coming, but I didn't expect it to be a couple of days before Christmas."
There's a new FDOTUS in the White House! The commander in chief welcomed a German Shepherd puppy named Commander on Monday afternoon. Besides Trump, Polk, and Andrew Johnson, all US presidents have been pet owners (you can check out the details on presidentialpetmuseum.com). White House pets can be image-boosters, and presidents have had far-flung animals over the years from Nixon's politicized pup Checkers to Grace Coolidge's beloved raccoon to the alligators kept by Benjamin Harrison (and possibly John Quincy Adams).
Major, a three-year-old rescue dog, has moved out of the White House.
In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the first lady explained why Major is no longer at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. "After consulting with dog trainers, animal behaviourists, and veterinarians, the first family has decided to follow the experts' collective recommendation that it would be safest for Major to live in a quieter environment with family friends."
Champ, the Bidens' 13-year-old German Shepherd, died in June.
But Commander won't be the only pet in the White House, according to Jill Biden's spokesperson.
Several hundred WNY health care workers lose jobs as religious vaccine exemptions expire While the number of workers who lost or are losing their jobs is a small percentage of total workers, every little bit hurts amid a staffing shortage that means hospitals can't operate as many beds especially during yet another wave of Covid-19 hospitalizations.
Dr. Brian Murray, ECMC's chief medical officer, said the organization's existing employees have already been through the previous mandate, so he doesn't anticipate a booster shot requirement will cause more staff to leave. To date, ECMC has terminated 106 employees over the state's vaccine mandate, or about 3% of its workforce.
"I don't think that a mandate for a booster will necessarily have that big an impact at this stage," Murray said. "Not everybody would have to get it right away because it depends when you were originally vaccinated. If you just got vaccinated just before this mandate, it's five or six months, probably before you will need a booster dose."
As of Wednesday, Murray said about 40% of ECMC's staff has gotten a booster shot, a percentage he anticipates will grow in the weeks ahead.
"There is discussion at the state level and across all the health systems as to whether or not the booster should be mandated," said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Long Island-based Northwell Health, the state's largest health care provider. "We've not done that. But we're strongly encouraging all of our employees to get the booster.
"Our goal is to continue that renaissance, as quickly as possible," he added. "Things are being built in the City of Buffalo, and we are very proud of that."
Among his new priorities, Brown said he wants to invest further in streamlining the permitting process in the city, to make it easier for residents and businesses to get things done.
"That's going to be something that we invest more in as we go into 2022 and we focus on rapid pandemic recovery," he said. "We want to be absolutely the fastest place in the region and in upstate to be able to get a permit to build things."
Since 2017, nearly 5,000 housing units have been planned, are under construction or have been completed including 2,800 market-rate apartments and 2,100 affordable housing units. About 25% of the city's housing stock is now considered "permanently affordable," and Brown said he wants to increase that to 40%.
Much of the activity has occurred in downtown Buffalo, and Brown said he's "very excited about what's happening."
"Downtown has become one of the fastest-growing residential communities in the city," he said.
Its an exciting time to dip into sparkling wine, a libation steeped in time-tested production practices but evolving through edgy innovation.
Sparkling wine is typically white or rose, although there are red varieties made from Lambrusco or Shiraz grapes. What do they all have in common? Bubbles! The next time youre sipping your favorite sparkling wine, consider how the bubbles which result from carbon dioxide gas ended up in your glass. A variety of methods are used to put the sparkle in sparkling wines, from labor-intensive rounds of fermentation right in the bottle, to straight-up injection (which is the shortcut of less expensive wines and the reason you can find a bottle for less than $10).
Once youve twisted out the cork, there are decisions to be made. Since sweetness and dryness can run the gamut in sparkling wine, there are many options to enhance and enjoy the flavors from elegant glassware to offbeat food pairings.
Whats in the bottle?
Lets take a look at five styles of sparkling wines that deserve a place at your holiday celebrations.
Champagne (France)
Probably the first word that comes to mind when you think of sparkling wines, Champagne is well known and for good reason. Its delicate, soft bubbles are produced using a time-consuming traditional method called methode champenoise that requires that the wine undergo two rounds of fermentation in the bottle. Whats more, to be labeled as Champagne, a sparkling wine must meet strict criteria. It must be produced in the Champagne region of France and use three main grapes: Chardonnay, as well as Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Flavors include almond, citrus, peach and, in finer bottles, toasty yeast notes.
Cremant (France)
Cremant is the name of a style of sparkling wine made in France, outside the Champagne region, and has a creamy mouthfeel due to lower carbon dioxide levels. Aged for at least a year, it is most commonly made from Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Cabernet Franc grapes.
Often a fraction of the price of Champagne, cremants flavor is similar and can offer an equally exquisite experience, including those one-of-a-kind biscuit-like taste notes often associated with Champagne.
Prosecco (Italy)
Named after the village Prosecco located in the province of Trieste, Italy, this wine uses a grape of the same name, grown in nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Prosecco is available in two styles: spumante (sparkling) and frizzante (semi-sparkling). Spumante is the most popular style of Prosecco, as it has the longest-lasting bubbles. Because Prosecco is produced in tanks, which is a much less time-consuming method than the methode champenoise, it is more affordable. Its tasting notes can include green apple, cream and pear.
Cava (Spain)
This sparkling wine from the Penedes area of Catalonia in northeastern Spain uses in-bottle fermentation similar to that of methode champenoise. Cava most often produced from Macabeo, Parellada and Xarello grapes, but may also contain Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Subirat. This Spanish sparkler is said to be comparable to Champagne, though less yeasty in flavor.
Sparkling wines (U.S.)
As a newcomer to the scene, the U.S. offers a fascinating cast of characters. Eric Asimov, chief wine critic at the New York Times, explains that many of the most-distinguished sparkling wine producers in the States use Champagne as their model. But that doesnt mean that U.S. sparkling wine producers have limited themselves to using only the methode champenoise. Petillant naturel (or pet-nat) wine has begun to pick up production in the U.S. as well. This approach uses what is considered the oldest known method to make sparkling wine by interrupting the natural fermentation process, leaving it to finish fermenting in the bottle.
Whats in a name?
Sparkling wine is labeled according to the amount of sugar in the wine, although the terms might seem counterintuitive. Extra dry is the middle of the sweetness spectrum, with brut on the dry end and demi-sec on the sweet end. Knowing what to look for on the label will help in choosing a sparkling wine that suits your palette.
Extra brut: Bone dry and contains 0-6 grams of sugar per liter
Bone dry and contains 0-6 grams of sugar per liter Brut: Dry with no sweetness and contains less than 12 grams of sugar per liter
Dry with no sweetness and contains less than 12 grams of sugar per liter Extra dry: Just a touch of sweetness and contains 12-17 grams of sugar per liter
Just a touch of sweetness and contains 12-17 grams of sugar per liter Sec: Noticeably sweet and contains 17-32 grams of sugar per liter
Noticeably sweet and contains 17-32 grams of sugar per liter Demi-sec: Sweet and contains 32-50 grams of sugar per liter
Sweet and contains 32-50 grams of sugar per liter Doux: Sweetest and contains more than 50 grams of sugar per liter
Which glass do you use?
When it comes time to deciding on glassware for your bubbly, it might seem like a superficial choice. But the shape of your glass truly influences how your wine will taste, so start experimenting. This guide can help you decide whats right for your next party.
Flute: The shape of this slim, popular glass not only showcases the carbonation but also helps the wine to retain its bubbles longer. Ideal for dry options such as extra brut and brut.
Tulip: Looking to enjoy the aromas of a fruitier wine? The tulips wider shape helps you experience the wines nose.
Stemless: Some argue that the wide base of a stemless glass gives the perfect opportunity to swirl a complex wine. Versatile and easy to hold, these glasses can also be used with still wines.
Coupe: If youre taking in a sweet wine, this stylish wide glass allows the bubbles to dissipate quicker so that fruity notes can come forward.
Selling to the foundation will relieve the diocese of significant upkeep costs, while putting the school in the hands of the community and benefiting students, he added.
School President and Principal Thomas J. Manko did not respond to messages left Wednesday.
0:57 +3 Lawsuits identify 230 priests as molesters, including 8 of WNY's most-accused abusers The numbers are a striking rebuke to Buffalo Diocese officials who for decades downplayed the extent of abuse in the area and protected molester priests from prosecution and public accountability.
More than 900 people have filed claims against the diocese in bankruptcy court, accusing priests and others of childhood sexual abuse and seeking compensation.
The diocese owns more than three dozen properties that are worth at least $16 million, and probably much more because most of them have not been recently appraised. The property values or proceeds from their sales are likely to be used in negotiating a global settlement with the committee of unsecured creditors that represents abuse claimants.
The Archbishop Walsh campus is among several high school properties still owned by the diocese, years after it ceded direct control of the operation of the schools to independent boards.
The others are: Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School in Buffalo, Cardinal OHara High School in the Town of Tonawanda, St. Marys High School in Lancaster, DeSales Catholic in Lockport and Notre Dame High School in Batavia.
Each day lately, it seems that 2021-22 is starting to feel more like 2020-21 in schools across New York.
Buffalo Public Schools families are waiting to find out whether classes will go remote after winter break.
A small but growing number of school districts in New York State are announcing similar shifts.
And the State Education Department announced on Tuesday that January Regents exams will be canceled because of the pandemic.
I have a lot of worry about this virus, about Omicron, and I dont know what its going to look like coming off the school break, Buffalo Superintendent Kriner Cash said this week.
He is considering moving to remote instruction for a week immediately after winter break what he called a bridge between a holiday season when Covid-19 is likely to spread and a return to school. Cash hopes to announce a decision by Thursday, but no later than next week.
Researchers at the University at Buffalo have identified the first case of the hyper-transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Western New York.
Health experts have said since the variant was first identified in South Africa in November that it was a question of when, rather than if, Omicron would arrive here. In just a matter of days, Omicron has become the dominant strain of the virus in New York City, causing what Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday called a "vertical" spike in cases. With Omicron's arrival in New York City, the state as a whole has consistently set single-day caseload records since testing for the virus became widely available near the beginning of the pandemic.
+2 Researchers almost certain Omicron variant is in WNY, should know for sure next week I believe it's here, University at Buffalo biochemist Jennifer Surtees said about Omicron in Western New York on Saturday, and we just need to get the sequence data to back up that suspicion. We are anticipating another wave."
UB researchers said they were not able to pinpoint exactly when the variant arrived in Western New York, but it has likely been circulating in the community for at least a couple weeks. The variant was first announced to the world on Nov. 25 and is believed to be two to three times more transmissible than the already-easily-spread Delta variant that has fueled a case spike in Western New York dating to mid-October.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence on the differences between the gun and the Taser, including weight, feel, size, color, and that the gun was holstered on Potter's right side and the Taser on her left.
Prosecutor Erin Eldridge said in her closing argument that the jurors would be able to hold both the Taser and the gun to compare them, to get a feel for the two, and to get a sense of all those differences that you heard about in court, and see for yourselves how different they really are.
The jury's question about deliberating, read in court by Chu, said: If the jury cannot reach consensus, what is the guidance around how long and what steps should be taken?
The judge then reread from the jury instructions, telling the jurors to continue to discuss the case with one another and deliberate with a view toward reaching agreement if you can do so without violating your individual judgment.
Potter's attorneys objected to the judge rereading that instruction, arguing that doing so inappropriately emphasized that paragraph over the rest of the instructions. Chu overruled.
Cash sent a letter to district families this week urging all students and teachers to bring their laptops home with them for holiday break in case a rise in Covid-19 infections in the city makes it necessary to shift to remote learning. That set off alarm bells in the minds of district families whose lives can be thrown into chaos when they cant count on their children being in school.
Cash stressed Wednesday that keeping the schools open remains his top priority, but that it would be irresponsible to be caught unprepared for a possible surge in cases driven by the new Omicron variant. Thats a sensible approach, based on Omicrons many unknowns, but its also true that well-supervised schools have been among the safest environments during the pandemic. We hope the superintendent warms up to test-to-stay as a means to keeping children in the place that for many is most beneficial to their social, emotional and academic development.
If the rain is light, its theoretically possible for some of the remaining snow on the ground to survive the night and still be visible early on Christmas morning. Christmas Day will be a different story with some occasional rain accompanied by temperatures reaching the low-mid 40s. The American GFS is considerably wetter than the ECMWF. Either way, melting will continue.
Sunday has become a more complex story. Both the ECMWF and the Canadian GEM models have us partly to mostly sunny with a seasonable chill in the air, and much the same for Boston on game day. The GFS is a sharp outlier, bring mixed and snow showers to Western New York, and rain and snow to the Boston area. For those traveling to New England, count on enough of a northerly breeze to put an extra bite in those upper 30s. For now, Im leaning toward the drier solution for both our region and Boston on Sunday. Even with the latter, we may see a few light snow showers off the lakes in WNY, with our temps only in the mid 30s. The NWS Weather Prediction Center has a low probability for a few flurries near Boston on Sunday, and an even lower chance for our region, so it appears they are also going against the GFS solution. Here are their projected Sunday high temps.
People pass by a Christmas tree close to Brandenburg gate in Berlin (REUTERS)
A swathe of European countries have introduced further coronavirus restrictions to battle the Omicron wave.
Germany and Portugal were the latest two countries to introduce fresh post-Christmas restrictions in a bid to curb the new variant.
Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation's European head, warned on Tuesday of a "storm" of Omicron on the continent which is "pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink.
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, announced a series of new rules from December 28, including a 10-person limit on private gatherings and the closure of nightclubs. Big sporting events will be held behind closed doors.
In Portugal, prime minister Antonio Costa announced that from midnight on Christmas Day, working from home will be mandatory and discos and bars will be closed. The measures are set to last until January 9.
In Finland, restaurant opening hours will be curbed, with bars forced to stop serving alcohol at 9pm from Christmas Eve. They will have to close at 10pm.
From December 28, alcohol can be served only until 5pm, with bars forced to close by 6pm and restaurants by 8pm.
In Sweden, the government announced on Tuesday a limit of 50 people at private gatherings and the need for a vaccination pass for public events where there are more than 500 people. Bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve seated guests only.
In France, which has largely banned travel from Britain for non-French citizens, nightclubs were closed for four weeks earlier this month to curb infections.
In Paris, the mayor's office announced on Saturday that the fireworks and concerts planned on the Champs-Elysees for New Year's Eve had been cancelled.
The strictest measures have been implemented in the Netherlands, which has gone into a lockdown over Christmas. Non-essential shops, bars, gyms, hairdressers and other public venues are closed until at least January 14. Only two guests per household are allowed, and four over the holidays.
McDonald's Japan delivery rider.
The world's biggest fast food company McDonald's is suffering a chip shortage in Japan due to the global supply chain crisis.
For the home of the Big Mac though it is not a lack of semiconductors that is causing the problem.
The firm has said it is experiencing delays of shipments of the potatoes used to make its famous French fries.
As a result it will only sell small portions of its French fries in Japan from Friday until 30 December.
"McDonald's Japan will temporarily limit sales of Medium- and Large-sized French Fries as a proactive measure to ensure customers can continue to enjoy McDonald's French Fries.
"Customers will still be able to order Small-sized French Fries at all of our restaurants. To date, there have been no breaks in supply," the company told the BBC.
McDonald's said it usually imports the potatoes it uses from a port near Vancouver in Canada.
However, ships have faced delays due to flood damage and the impact of the pandemic on the global supply chain.
It will now turn to alternative measures, including flying supplies to Japan, the company said in a statement.
This is not the first time McDonald's in Japan has been forced to downsize its portions.
In 2014, a protracted industrial dispute between 20,000 dockworkers, terminal operators and shipping lines at 29 ports on the west coast of the US caused a shortage of French fries.
In response McDonald's Japan took the emergency step of only selling small portions of French fries while it flew in 1,000 tonnes of potatoes.
Separately in August this year, McDonald's said it was facing supply issues affecting the availability of shakes and bottled drinks at its 1,250 outlets in the UK.
The company said a nationwide shortage of lorry drivers was one reason behind the disruptions: "A number of issues are impacting retailers in the UK at the moment, one of which is the nationwide shortage of HGV drivers."
The company added that a "historic" shortage of drivers had been exacerbated by changes to rules following the UK's exit from the European Union.
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to postpone the Governors Awards, which bestow honorary Oscars, due to concerns over the omicron variant.
New plans will come at a later date, an academy spokesperson said Wednesday. The untelevised but always star-studded event was set to be held Jan. 15 in Los Angeles.
Given the uncertainties around the variants, and the impact this could have on our community, we feel this is the best and safest decision for our honorees and guests, the statement said.
Elaine May, Samuel L. Jackson and Liv Ullmann were announced earlier this year as the events honorees. Danny Glover was also selected as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient. The evening event is often packed with A-listers and Oscar hopefuls.
The academy canceled last years Governors Awards because of the pandemic and presented two humanitarian awards during the Oscar broadcast.
The Governors Awards isn't the only high-profile Hollywood event to change plans in recent days. The Palm Springs International Film Festival also decided to cancel its starry awards gala, which was supposed to take place on Jan. 6 and included honorees like Kristen Stewart, Lady Gaga, Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Christmas Day. What can be said. We are all kids again if only for this day. Andy Rooney, the curmudgeon of the CBS News program, 60 Minutes, had this observation of Christmas: One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Dont clean it up too quickly.
We move from Christmas Day to Christmas Day. Each Christmas experience is uniquely our own. The preparations for the holiday often exceed the holiday itself, and we experience Christmas in many different ways over our life. When we very little we were uncertain about Santa Claus. As kids we are the beneficiaries of Christmas. As teenagers we often wished to be somewhere else but with family. Only later in our lives did we realize how hard it would be to gather again for a family Christmas.
As young parents we try to do the very best for our kids at Christmas. As parents with grown kids we still try hard to see that Christmas is special and as much like the Christmas they experienced growing up when they come home for Christmas. People with grandkids are privileged to watch them grow up to enjoy the Christmas they knew as kids.
Of course Christmas is celebrated in many ways with many family traditions. Growing up I knew families that drew names to get a present for only one person as the family was so large. I knew families that celebrated Christmas by just giving money to the kids. I knew families with no Christmas Trees, white flocked Christmas Trees, Aluminum Christmas Trees, or small living Spruce trees that were planted outside in the spring.
I knew families that opened presents on Christmas Eve and opened stockings on Christmas morning. I knew a family that celebrated St. Nicholas Day by getting gifts from St. Nicholas; but there were no stockings on Christmas morning. I had Jewish friends that celebrated Hannukah but still put up a small Christmas Tree. I knew a doctor from India who did not celebrate Christmas at all being Hindu. I remember my minister and two doctors from the Marshfield Clinic walking down the aisle of the Presbyterian Church in Marshfield singing masterfully We Three Kings of Orient Are.
There were always some laughs at Christmas. One year my Aunt, a most particular cook, whipped up some gravy with lumps in it. She was mortified and took a bit of gentle ribbing from my Mom. There was the year I got a call from my church asking me to be Joseph in the Christmas Pageant. They guy who was drafted got sick and I was the sub. The roof did not come down in the church and because Joseph is a bit player in Christmas I got off light.
We all have a favorite Christmas memory and Christmas gift. In the room next to me is a tinplate replica of a Lionel Train catalog from 1958. A train cost $49.95. A steam locomotive, tender, four cars and an oval track were all included. I received that train on Christmas Day when I was 8 years old.
It was my favorite Christmas present of all time. When I was a freshman in college my Mom asked me if I would sell it to a friend of hers so a little boy could have a special Christmas present. I said of course I would, but to be honest, sometimes I wish I still had that train. I am collecting train engines and cars again. Sort of a return to childhood.
A Childs Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas is a poem of Christmas. His words are better than mine regarding Christmas Night he wrote I went to bed. Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steadily falling night. I turned the gas down, I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept.
A very Merry Christmas to you from our house in Lake Hallie to your house wherever you are.
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NEW YORK (AP) Fox News defended Jesse Watters on Tuesday after he used the phrase kill shot in a speech urging young conservatives to confront Dr. Anthony Fauci in public with a hostile interview.
Fauci, asked about it on CNN, said that Watters should be fired on the spot but predicted he wouldn't be held accountable for his language.
Fox said Watters' words had been twisted completely out of context.
Watters, a host on Fox News Channel's panel show The Five who made his initial mark doing aggressive interviews for Bill O'Reilly, spoke Monday to a group of college and high school conservatives. His audience booed at the mention of Fauci's name.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the government's most visible spokesman on the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the subject of frequent criticism by some Fox News commentators who have been seeking to appeal to audience members resistant to vaccinations.
Watters said that Fauci should be confronted on the subject of whether the National Institute of Health funded research at a lab in Wuhan, China, the city where the COVID-19 virus originated. He said an interviewer should suggest he lied about the topic something Fauci has disputed.
Now you go in for the kill shot, the kill shot with an ambush, deadly, because he doesn't see it coming, Watters said.
He suggested an interviewer say, you know why people don't trust you, don't you?' Oh, he is dead. He's dead. He's done."
The interviewer should make sure the encounter is filmed and the footage given to conservative media, Watters said. It's a confrontation technique that has been used elsewhere in conservative politics by the group Project Veritas.
Just make sure it's legal, Watters said.
A partial clip of Watters' speech, beginning with the kill shot quote, spread around the internet, with some commentators suggesting that he had advocated assassinating Fauci.
During an interview with Fauci on Tuesday, CNN's John Berman referred to Watters as a Fox News entertainer, and asked about the comments without playing the clip, saying it was dangerous. Berman referred to a rhetorical kill shot, and asked Fauci how much that language concerned him.
Fauci noted that for two years, he's been encouraging people to protect themselves against COVID-19 by practicing good public health practices and get vaccinated.
For that, you have some guy out there saying people should be giving me a kill shot, to ambush me? he said. I mean, what kind of craziness is there in society these days? That's awful what he said. And he's going to go, very likely, unaccountable. Whatever network he is on is not going to do anything. The guy should be fired on the spot.
Fauci, in a 60 Minutes interview in October, discussed death threats he had received and his need for a security detail.
In a statement, Fox said based on watching the full clip and reading the entire transcript, it's more than clear that Jesse Watters was using a metaphor for asking hard-hitting questions ... and his words have been twisted completely out of context.
Watters' reference to kill shot, however, baffled some people in television news.
I've never used, or heard, that term used and I did my share of ambush interviews as an investigative producer, said Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of Hofstra University's School of Communication and a longtime journalist at NBC News.
Last month on Fox, Tucker Carlson compared Fauci to Italian World War II dictator Benito Mussolini, while Lara Logan said Fauci, to some people, represented Josef Mengele, the Nazi death doctor.
Fox has not commented on the statements that Carlson and Logan made about Fauci. Logan, a contributor to the Fox Nation streaming service who had appeared as a commentator on the television network, hasn't been on since.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
When it comes to back injuries, its an issue that firefighters and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel deal with that line of work.
However, the Columbus Fire Department (CFD) hopes to remedy any such issues for its EMS personnel and firefighters with the addition of new equipment that would reduce back pain. On Monday, the CFD was able to move forward with such added assistance.
During the Columbus City Council's meeting, council members OKd a purchase of $29,280 for four EZ-Glide Stair Chairs with PowerTraxx from Ferno which is a company based in Wilmington, Ohio. The purchase also included four headrest kits.
The funds for the stair chairs are included in the 2021-22 budget.
CFD firefighter and paramedic Chris Warren said the chair devices are used to transport a patient from a higher level to a lower one. The stair chairs have an electronically-controlled motor, direct-drive transmission and powered tracks which are similar to ones seen on a tank to transfer patients up or down the stairs as needed.
The patients taken in the stair chairs are usually ones who cannot walk or have trouble doing so, Warren said.
They will help keep us safe and keep the patient safe so we dont have anybody falling, he said. Its going to save our backs when it comes to trying to get the patient safely down the stairs.
CFD interim Fire Chief Kyle Lingenfelter said in a publicly available memo that while taking a patient up or downstairs is a difficult task that can cause back injuries, it can be even more difficult if an EMS personnel transfers a patient out of a residence.
The stair chairs are designed to not only eliminate back injuries but also allow a patient weighing up to 500 lbs to be moved.
Second Ward Council Member Dennis Kresha asked Warren about the powered tracks and how it helps the patient. Warren said the tracks help prevent the patient from feeling any bumps while on the power chair.
That way they can go down the stairs, Warren said. They wont feel the bumps as they go down.
Warren said the new stair chairs are better from previous models as it requires less people to operate and reduces body stress.
It normally requires two-to-three people to use these stair chairs, Warren said. It requires one person walking down the stairs backward with the weight of the firefighter and the patient sitting in that chair.
This wont be the first time the fire department has provided equipment to help prevent back injuries. The CFP has a power cot that allows staff to lift a patient as much as 870 lbs. without requiring additional personnel or putting added pressure on a firefighters back, Lingenfelter said.
Andrew Kiser is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at andrew.kiser@lee.net.
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Columbus own Dennis Hirschbrunner will now have a say in economic initiatives across the state of Nebraska following a recent appointment.
The longtime resident has been named to the Platte Institute board of directors.
Platte Institute is a nonprofit organization - based in Omaha - whose mission is to advance policies that remove any problems that constrain development and opportunity in Nebraska, according to its website.
Im really excited about it because I have the opportunity to have input into a lot of different policy positions that the Platte Institute has taken and is going to take in the future, Hirschbrunner said, adding hes looking forward to creating discussion regarding tax policy.
The nonprofit is also endorsing Blueprint Nebraska which is a plan or framework - to enhance the state economy by attracting and enhancing business investment. Hirschbrunner said Blueprint Nebraska has created several ideas on how to make communities like Columbus an even better place in which to live and work.
Blueprint Nebraska is a really significant effort by the state to outline Nebraskas future, economic development, workforce and a whole litany of (other issues), Hirschbrunner said. Platte Institute is now a co-sponsor of the implementation of Blueprint Nebraska.
Hirschbrunner has experience working in Nebraska, mostly in the engineering field which dates back 40 years. He first started with Gilmore & Associates in Columbus, serving over 50 communities in Nebraska and Iowa. He later worked at HDR Engineering which is based in Omaha before retiring.
After his retirement, Hirschbrunner became part of ownership groups for Columbus Bank and Trust Co. where hes also a board member and the Ramada Inn and Rivers Edge Convention Center. He also serves on the NTH Consultants board of directors which is an engineering company in the Detroit area.
Additionally, Hirschbrunner is involved in the community, serving as the vice-chair of the Deans Advisory Board of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering, a board member of the Columbus Area Future Fund and a member of Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial Foundation and the Platte County Historical Society.
Dennis brings so much enthusiasm to our board and a lifetime of literally helping to build communities across Nebraska, Platte Institute CEO Jim Vokal said. Were grateful to have Dennis representing the Columbus area in our leadership and to benefit from his hands-on knowledge for programs like the Blueprint broadband and transportation connectivity initiatives.
Hirschbrunner said hes been familiar with the Platte Institute ever since it was created by now-Gov. Pete Ricketts. Additionally, he added hes known Vokal since he ran for Omaha mayor over a decade ago.
Ive known Jim for a long time, Hirschbrunner said. I know how he thinks, where his positions are on various tax issues and other key issues for Nebraska. So Im excited to work with Jim and the other people who work at Platte Institute on a full-time basis. Im really looking forward to the opportunity to participate.
Andrew Kiser is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at andrew.kiser@lee.net.
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NEW YORK (AP) Pedro Almodovar has a theory that his films with male protagonists, like his autobiographical 2019 film Pain and Glory, are darker and more somber.
I look inside myself when I talk about male characters, says Almodovar.
Parallel Mothers, which Sony Pictures Classics begins releasing in theaters Friday, returns Almodovar to more melodramatic territory. Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit play young mothers who meet at the hospital where their newborns are accidentally switched at birth. This secret plays out in unpredictable ways while the film also investigates another hidden past: Spain's mass graves from the Spanish Civil War.
In recent years, a national dialogue in Spain has brought renewed interest and political discord over exhuming the graves from Francisco Franco's regime, which began with the 1930s civil war and ended with his death, in 1975. Some 19,000 of an estimated 114,000 victims have been recovered in the last four decades.
Parallel Mothers may not be as self-reflective as Almodovar's last film, but it's the 72-year-old director's most politically introspective movie and his first to grapple with the legacy of Franco's reign. Almodovar emerged as a filmmaker in Spain's liberated post-Franco years.
When Parallel Mothers was screening this fall at the New York Film Festival, Almodovar met a reporter at a midtown hotel where he spoke sometimes in English, sometimes through an interpreter, about a film that, like his 1999 masterpiece All About My Mother, is centrally concerned with motherhood.
Ill continue to be interested in mothers, he said. "You can have a thousand different mothers, and they can birth a thousand different genres."
AP: You've made an acclaimed short film, The Human Voice, with Tilda Swinton, and now Parallel Mothers during the pandemic. Have the last two years reframed anything for you about filmmaking?
ALMODOVAR: It made me aware of the solitude in which I was living. Because loneliness, despite the fact that I was condemned to confinement, was something that I already experienced in recent times while writing. I think that now I am overcoming loneliness by going out a little more, going to eat with friends, and precisely because it seemed very sad to me that when I was condemned to confinement, I discovered that I was already used to being confined.
AP: You began the pandemic writing wonderful diaries about your movie watching.
ALMODOVAR: At that moment, I was sick. I got the virus the first week. Even before the first week. I had just arrived from LA after being at the Oscars at the end of February. Then I felt like I had a flu and stayed at home. Three days later, they called for the quarantine. The days were so long that I tried just to talk and write something about the situation. One day, I was disobedient and went into the street to see Madrid completely deserted. It's a very impressive image that I wanted to have. So I pretended to go buy something just to see, just to see the town.
AP: It must have felt ironic that in the midst of a pandemic you were making a movie where swabs and lab tests, in proving the children's maternity, is central to the plot.
ALMODOVAR: When I was writing the movie a year before, it was like science fiction. But when we made the film, it did feel very familiar.
AP: What initially interested you in making a film that deals with the mass graves from the Spanish Civil War?
ALMODOVAR: This has come to me with maturity, in cinematographic terms and also in personal terms. Its been some time since Ive been wanting to make a movie about the mass graves, which Spanish cinema has not really touched on. One of the things that really struck me was when in about 2013, 2014 some UN rapporteurs came to take a look on the ground at what was happening in Spain. They were very struck by the fact that it was the great-grandchildren who were the ones demanding that we look at this problem of the past. Spain has a very bad relationship with the past. For the 40 years after the war, there was this almost pathological fear to speak of the war. There was this silence that enshrouded Spain. Its a generation born during democracy that are asking for the graves to be exhumed.
AP: Your entry point to that history, though, comes through a melodrama that cloaks the film's more political intentions.
ALMODOVAR: I didnt want to only make a movie only about the mass graves. I did it through a character that has a legacy from her mother, who saved her and raised her because she was an orphan. To open the mass grave is to demonstrate that they existed. What Franco did to them was to take all humanity away, to condemn them to non-existence. I was attracted to telling the story through this mother because shes committed to unearthing historical truth at the same time that she, in her personal life, is hiding that truth.
AP: Your early films in the 1980s followed years of censorship in Spain and contributed significantly to a new post-Franco period in the arts. Youve said before that Franco had to die for you to live. Was Parallel Mother motivated by a new surge in fascism?
ALMODOVAR: When I started making movies, he had just died. I would have never been able to make movies if he was still alive. In Spain, because we had that awful experience of civil war, it was as if we were inoculated against it. Even though I could see the far right growing in France of course Trump happened here, Bolsonaro happened in Brazil there was a part of me that thought that the far right wouldn't actually arrive in Spain because of that traumatic experience.
But sometimes I think this is the Trump effect. The fact that he was able to give voice to his far-right leanings emboldened others around the world. They lost their fear. It all boiled up, including in Spain. Now there are things happening that were impossible in the 90s and the 80s. There are more homophobic attacks, more xenophobia. Its a very negative feeling to see that all the values we fought for, we yet again have to rise up and fight for.
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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" " Because of Section 230, social media giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google aren't liable for any content their users post on their platforms. Ty Lim/Shutterstock
Almost any article you read about Section 230 reminds you that it contains the most important 26 words in tech and that it is the law that made the modern internet. This is all true, but Section 230 is also the most significant obstacle to stopping misinformation online.
Section 230 is part of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law passed while the internet was still embryonic and downright terrifying to some lawmakers for what it could unleash, particularly with regard to pornography.
Section 230 states that internet platforms dubbed "interactive computer services" in the statute cannot be treated as publishers or speakers of content provided by their users. This means that just about anything a user posts on a platform's website will not create legal liability for the platform, even if the post is defamatory, dangerous, abhorrent or otherwise unlawful. This includes encouraging terrorism, promoting dangerous medical misinformation and engaging in revenge porn.
Platforms, including today's social media giants Facebook, Twitter and Google, therefore have complete control over what information Americans see.
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How Section 230 Came to Be
The Communications Decency Act (CDA) was the brainchild of former Sen. James Exon, Democrat of Nebraska, who wanted to remove and prevent "filth" on the internet. Because of its overreaching nature, much of the law was struck down on First Amendment grounds shortly after the act's passage. Ironically, what remains is the provision that allowed filth and other truly damaging content to metastasize on the internet.
Section 230's inclusion in the CDA was a last-ditch effort by then Rep. Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, and Rep. Chris Cox, Republican of California, to save the nascent internet and its economic potential. They were deeply concerned by a 1995 case that found Prodigy, an online bulletin board operator, liable for a defamatory post by one of its users because Prodigy lightly moderated user content. Wyden and Cox wanted to preempt the court's decision with Section 230. Without it, platforms would face a Hobson's choice: If they did anything to moderate user content, they would be held liable for that content, and if they did nothing, who knew what unchecked horrors would be released.
" " Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen here at Facebook Communities Summit in 2019. Facebook has suggested its own ideas on how to reform Section 230 in the future. Facebook
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What Lies Ahead for Social Media Reform
When Section 230 was enacted, less than 8 percent of Americans had access to the internet, and those who did went online for an average of just 30 minutes a month. The law's anachronistic nature and brevity left it wide-open for interpretation. Case by case, courts have used its words to give platforms broad rather than narrow immunity.
As a result, Section 230 is disliked on both sides of the aisle. Democrats argue that Section 230 allows platforms to get away with too much, particularly with regard to misinformation that threatens public health and democracy. Republicans, by contrast, argue that platforms censor user content to Republicans' political disadvantage. Former President Trump even attempted to pressure Congress into repealing Section 230 completely by threatening to veto the unrelated annual defense spending bill.
As criticisms of Section 230 and technology platforms mount, it is possible Congress could reform Section 230 in the near future. Already, Democrats and Republicans have proposed more than 20 reforms from piecemeal changes to complete repeal. However, free speech and innovation advocates are worried that any of the proposed changes could be harmful.
Facebook has suggested changes, and Google similarly advocates for some Section 230 reform. It remains to be seen how much influence the tech giants will be able to exert on the reform process. It also remains to be seen what if any reform can emerge from a sharply divided Congress.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here.
Abbey Stemler is an associate professor of business law and ethics at Indiana University and a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.
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HARRISBURG Pennsylvanias highest court on Tuesday hammered a final nail into the coffin of a proposed victims rights constitutional amendment that state voters supported more than two years ago but has never gone into effect.
The state Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that the proposal violated the Pennsylvania Constitutions requirement that amendments address a single topic to prevent lawmakers from bundling together items that might not pass on their own individual merits.
Unofficial tallies indicate the so-called Marsys Law amendment question passed by a ratio of 3 to 1 in 2019, but a lower state court put that on hold while litigation played out. A Commonwealth Court judge previously ordered the Department of State to refrain from certifying those election results.
The amendment would have spelled out 15 rights for victims, including notification about cases and a right to attend and weigh in during plea hearings, sentencings and parole proceedings. It also would have addressed how victims can recover property and given them an ability to reject defense subpoenas.
Jennifer Riley, state director of the national organization advocating for Marsys Law victims rights legislation, said the decision disenfranchises the voters who approved it. The decision was disappointing and the opinion is under review, Riley said.
Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, which represented the voter and state chapter of the League of Women Voters that successfully challenged the referendum, said the Legislature had tried to mislead voters.
The Legislature attempted to do too much at once, which is prohibited to keep voters from being overwhelmed, Shuford said. We are grateful that the court ruled the right way on this important principle.
Justice Debra Todd wrote in the majority opinion the amendment was, in actuality, a collection of amendments that were not sufficiently interrelated in purpose and function. She said the proposal would have brought sweeping and complex changes to the states criminal justice process.
The court majority said it can easily envision a voter supporting one or more of these rights without approving of all of them, so voters needed to be able to weigh in on them separately.
Bail conditions could have been revised without also altering the governors pardon power, Todd wrote. Likewise, altering the governors pardon power does not depend on also altering this courts authority to promulgate procedural rules for the courts of this commonwealth.
In a lone dissent, Justice Sallie Mundy said the amendments proposed changes were narrowly tailored and had the singular objective of establishing for victims of crime justice and due process and did not substantively alter other existing state constitutional provisions.
HARRISBURG Republican lawmakers aiming to expand what they call a forensic investigation of Pennsylvanias 2020 election into inspecting voting machines must wait until next month, a judge decided Tuesday.
After a telephone conference, Commonwealth Court Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt sided with a lawyer for Gov. Tom Wolf's administration and said that Fulton County must first work out an agreed-upon set of rules for an inspection.
Leavitt gave them until Jan. 10, at the suggestion of a lawyer representing Wolf's top election official in a separate lawsuit involving Fulton County's voting machines.
In that lawsuit, Fulton County is contesting the state's decertification of voting machines it used in last year's presidential election.
State lawyers last week discovered that Fulton County commissioners had voted to allow a contractor hired by Senate Republicans to download data and software on the voting systems. The exchange had been scheduled for Wednesday.
Wolf's administration objected in court, saying such access by an inexperienced person who is not federally accredited to inspect voting systems posed a risk of damaging or altering their software or data.
A lawyer representing Fulton County, Tom King, has said that the Republican senator in charge of the forensic investigation wants to determine if the countys voting system provided by Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems was the same equipment as was certified by the state of Pennsylvania for use in last years election.
Republican lawmakers have pursued the undertaking as former President Donald Trump and his allies go state-to-state pushing for investigations to validate baseless conspiracy theories that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden because of election fraud.
Fulton Countys two Republican commissioners have expressed solidarity with Republican senators who later sought to block Pennsylvanias electoral votes from being cast for Biden.
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Last Saturday afternoon turned into an interesting wildlife adventure for a group of people in the Forgedale Crossing neighborhood in South Middleton Township.
For several months an injured black vulture became a common sight around Arlington and Coventry drives. An injured wing inhibited the birds ability to fly, forcing it to hang around homes and in the adjacent wooded parcel.
Commonly confused with turkey vultures that have red heads, black vultures are identified by their gray/black heads.
Adopted by several neighbors, Bob (as one of Alex Cashmans sons affectionately named him) seemed perfectly content to hang out under childrens play structures with occasional visits to nearby homes. A smart vulture, Bob quickly realized where the yummy meals could be found.
I grew quite fond of him (although the gender is not known); he got to a point where I could be about six feet away without him seeming concerned, neighbor Holly Hoffman said. Of course the cans of cat food he gobbled down helped a lot, too.
However, with winter quickly approaching and the ever-present threat of coyotes lurking in the woods, Bobs chances of winter survival without being able to fly seemed remote.
Enter Wildlife in Need, a Pennsylvania nonprofit organization founded in 2017 by Sue DeArment of Meadville. Across the state, WIN has about 160 volunteers, many who are certified by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to capture and transport injured wildlife to rehabilitation facilities across the state.
About the only animals that we arent certified to rescue and transport are bears and deer, DeArment said. This year alone weve received 3,250 calls, 2,000 of which resulted in rescues.
Vultures (birds of prey) are but one species about which WIN has received calls. Year-to-date, WIN has received about 395 bird-related calls. Of those calls, 79 were from Cumberland County.
WINs 160 volunteers are mainly concentrated throughout the eastern portion of the state. Recruiting volunteers is top-of-mind for DeArment, a retired wildlife rehabilitation professional who understood the need for a quick, responsive point of contact for the general public.
I know the frustration that people have when they come across an injured animal, she said. They want to help the animal but frequently dont know who to call.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is now funneling calls to WIN, an important step in streamlining the access to help. Thats how the Forgedale Crossing neighbors learned about WIN.
Within three days of the initial inquiry, three WIN volunteers were on-site chasing down Bob the black vulture. Mark Catalano, certified in wildlife capture and transport, led the team through backyards and the nearby woods until Bob was finally cornered and captured.
This guy was quick, Catalano said. Every time we thought we had him, he bolted away until we finally caught him in the woods.
Persistence by seven people resulted in the successful capture and transport by WIN transporter, Kathy Chamberlain, to the West Shore Rehabilitation facility in Etters.
Bob the black vulture will undergo X-rays to determine if his wing can be repaired. If it cant be repaired, the wing may be removed and Bob will become a teaching vulture with a new permanent home. Healthy birds are not euthanized.
While the Forgedale Crossing neighborhood misses its pet vulture, all are grateful that Bob will be well taken care of thanks to Wildlife in Need.
For more information or to contact Wildlife in Need, visit winemergencyresponse.com or call 814-414-4224.
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JEFFERSON COUNTY A developer says it will build a new port facility in Herculaneum to handle container cargo to and from the Gulf of Mexico, officials announced Friday.
The container-on-vessel port facility along the Mississippi River will be able to handle vessels larger and faster than the typical river barge and will transport shipping containers full of goods to and from the Gulf of Mexico.
The facility will be built on more than 300 acres owned by Doe Run Co. and Fred Weber Inc.s Riverview Commerce Park. Texas-based Hawtex Development Corp. will lead the development, along with Fred Weber Inc. and Riverview Commerce Park.
Officials from Hawtex, the Jefferson County Port Authority and other organizations announced the project at a press conference Friday.
Officials do not know when construction could start, nor how much the project will cost. But Hawtex President James Hurley said his companys goal is to have the facility operating by late 2024.
Regional officials from the St. Louis Freightway and local ports have long pushed for container traffic on the Mississippi River as an alternative for shippers seeking to avoid logjams on the coastal ports.
The specialized vessels, developed by Florida-based American Patriot Container Transport, are too large to get through the Mississippi River lock and dam system that starts north of St. Louis, making the Jefferson County area a logical place to locate a loading and unloading hub, fed by rail, barge and truck, officials said previously.
Mark Schlinkmann of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
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How well do you know the Bill of Rights? Do you maybe remember only a few of the 10 First Amendment, speech and religion; Second Amendment, right to bear arms; Fifth Amendment, dont have to incriminate yourself but youre a little fuzzy remembering the other seven?
Farmington homeschooled student Grace Troup, fifth grade, came up with an idea to artistically depict the 10 Amendments in the Bill of Rights, just in time to recognize Bill of Rights Day on Dec. 15.
Her excellent concept even won a poster contest hosted by the U.S. Courts of the Western District of Missouri.
Federal Courts around the Seventh and Eighth Judicial Circuits hosted a live webinar for more than 100 participants on the evening of Dec 1. During the webinar, U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes of the Western District of Missouri gave a chat and Q&A session about the Bill of Rights, which was followed by the announcement of the grand prize winners of the second annual student essay and poster contest.
Students in grades 3-12 from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin were encouraged to submit art and essays on the importance of the Bill of Rights, and 300 entries were received from around the two circuits.
Grace, who is almost 11, won the 3rd-5th grade category for art with her poster that pictorially explains each of the Constitutions first 10 Amendments.
The 7 for the Seventh Amendment guaranteeing a trial by jury is decorated with a judge at the top of the numbers shape, and six rows of a diverse jury partitioning off the base of the number, the word freedom highlighted for emphasis next to it.
The 4 for the Fourth Amendment preventing unreasonable search and seizure is decorated with a judge, a detective with a magnifying glass, binoculars and a search warrant.
Grace said she and her mother, Kristen, researched each amendment in the Bill of Rights so she could figure out how to depict them in each hollowed-out number.
It was complicated, she said. But I think its interesting, these are how laws are made.
I learned a lot too while we were doing it, Kristen said. Especially with the 9th and 10th (Amendments) because I didn't know certain rights are protected that you probably dont even realize were protected, we take them for granted, like travel. You know, you think about countries like North Korea and China, and theyre not traveling anywhere if theyre not allowed to travel.
We just pick up and go when we want.
Kristen said she homeschools Grace and two of her younger siblings as part of the south St. Louis County group SHARE -- St. Louis Homeschooling Activities, Resources and Encouragement. Graces youngest two siblings arent homeschooled yet, they are 1 and 3.
SHARES sends out weekly emails if there's any kind of competitions or events or anything to try to get homeschool kids together, she said. They sent out the Judicial Learning Education Center email that they were having this contest. We've competed at a few others and done pretty well, so I decided to do a unit study on the Bill of Rights, and there we have it.
Grace worked for weeks on the poster, researching the amendments, choosing how to depict each right, watching art videos on the Art for Kids Hub channel on YouTube to help her execute the drawings just right.
But the channel only went so far in helping her figure out how to draw, well certain things.
This one, she said, pointing to the noose, electric chair, guillotine and stockade depicted inside the number shape for the Eighth Amendment the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. Like, Art Hub for Kids didn't have most of this stuff. So I had to go on different websites with my mom. I'm like, Oh, wow. They use a lot of different stuff on here!
Kristen chuckled, grimacing. Yeah, we had to research a lot because we didn't quite know what cruel and unusual punishment was, as we were learning about it, she said. We didn't realize some of the, like, ways that people could be punished
Disturbing stuff! marveled Grace.
Yeah, but thats why the amendments important.
When asked which amendment might have been her favorite to draw, Grace pointed to the Fifth Amendment trial by a jury, no self-incrimination, no double jeopardy.
She had a great time drawing the prisoner, Kristen said, referring to the orange-striped-pajamas-clad prisoner with clenched teeth and balled-up fists.
As for her favorite amendment, Grace said it was the First Amendment.
Freedom of religion, assembly and press, because people can believe in what they want, she said. But I think it's more important to know what you believe in, instead of being told what you can believe in.
Sarah Haas is the assistant editor for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at 573-518-3617 or at shaas@dailyjournalonline.com.
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The Salvation Army is looking for bell ringers in Washington County.
Chairperson Eddie Strauser said volunteers are needed and donations so far are down. To help, call Strauser at 573-210-2890 or send a message on Facebook to Washington County Salvation Army.
The bell-ringing campaign began on Black Friday and continues through noon on Friday. They do not ring the bell on Sundays.
All funds received in Washington County stay in Washington County.
Donations can be mailed to Washington County Salvation Army, PO Box 35, Potosi, MO 63664. Put Potosi, Mo in the memo on your check to make sure it stays local.
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Eight-year-old Caroline White is a hands-on helper. From picking out toys to unloading items, she is part of the family's entire toy drive process.
She knows what shes doing is very important.
Caroline was only 2 years old when her baby sister, Georgia Erin, stopped breathing while taking a nap at her daycare. She was airlifted to St. Louis Childrens Hospital but passed away two days later at the age of 3 months and 24 days.
The girls parents, Aaron and Ashley White, sponsor a toy drive each year as a way to channel their grief and to help others. Ashleys sister Terrah came up with the idea of collecting toys at Christmas time for kids who were patients at St. Louis Childrens Hospital.
That one-time event has turned into an annual toy drive.
The couples daughters, Caroline and her sister, 5-year-old Magnolia, help with the annual family project. They do this project in honor of their sweet baby daughter Georgia.
This time of year is so incredibly difficult, especially knowing she should be here celebrating with us, said Ashley. However, we know it is because of her that we are able to bring smiles to other families who are going through similar situations.
The family of four just recently dropped off perhaps their largest amount of toys yet.
We had an astounding amount of toys again! said Ashley. Photos just dont do it justice.
She said their family is so grateful for everyones continued love and support.
Although she was unable to count every toy this year, she knows Lincoln Intermediate Center students were able to raise $1,900 to purchase toys. In addition, students and staff at Farmington Middle School collected toys. Farmington C-Barn employees also did a raffle to raise money for toys. All of this combined brought the estimated donations to around $2,500.
This is incredible, she said, and were so grateful!
Ashley said the days around Georgias death only get harder. She would have been 6 years old this month.
I dont know how we will continue to go many years without seeing her face, she said. Im so grateful for the time we had with her, but we wish we still had Georgia here with us. We all miss her presence every day.
Ashley said daughter Magnolia wants to always take the toys directly to the patients at the childrens hospital, but that is strictly prohibited. Their family must follow no-contact protocols for dropping off items.
Maggie liked to help unload the boxes from the truck until she got cold and had to go sit down in the warmth, she said, but Caroline wants to be part of it all.
Ashley said Caroline made a profound statement regarding the toy donations.
I hope we dont have to do this [take toys to the hospital] every year because hopefully one day there wont be any more sick kids in the hospital.
This year, Ashley was able to take both daughters on a shopping trip to pick out special toys to donate in honor of their sister Georgia.
During the trip, each girl put a lot of thought into what items she wanted to purchase.
We also try to think of who Georgia would be if she was here with us today, Ashley said, what kind of toys would she like that another 6 year old might like. Those thoughts drive some of our purchases.
She said Maggie is currently very dinosaur-minded so she thought every child needed a new dinosaur. This year, Maggie chose the Albertosaurus as her special gift that she picked out on her own and may have had trouble parting with it.
Caroline is a true crafter so her special selections were hands-on projects in which kids could complete but could do it from their hospital bed if needed.
They had a great time with it all around, Ashley said.
The four were able to celebrate the day as a family by dropping off toys, having dinner and then seeing the holiday lights display at Grants Farm.
It was one of the best years for us, she said. We enjoyed the day and being together and it felt like Georgia was with us.
Pam Clifton is a contributing writer for the Daily Journal
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The Leadington Board of Aldermen last week talked about putting an expiring water and sewer tax on the April ballot for renewal, and agreed to buy two new cars for the Leadington Police Department, after one of the cars was wrecked during a pursuit last month.
Mayor Joe Davis said he was glad Officer Marvin Chapman was OK after the accident on the morning of Nov. 10.
He (Chapman) didn't have to, but he came and saw me after he got out of the hospital, and he was beating himself up so bad over it was there anything he could have done to avoid the wreck, and we had already gotten the report back from Highway Patrol that he did everything he was supposed to. And he was worried about finances, was it gonna put the city in a bind, Davis told the aldermen. All kinds of stuff. He showed how much he cares, that day, not that we didn't already know that.
After a while, I did tell him to go home and to not talk to me anymore, Davis chuckled. Its good to see him doing all right and back to his old cranky self.
Chapman thanked the board members for their concern and support.
Insurance, Davis said, will pay $28,000 on the 2018 Ford Explorer. The aldermen agreed it would be nice to replace not just one vehicle but two, since another car is on its last legs.
Davis said hes of the understanding quite a few of the extra options required by law enforcement can probably be taken off the old car and put onto the new car, although some options will need to be added. The 2021 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicle will be purchased for $34,908, as well as another, equivalent vehicle if one is available. Chief Jerry Hicks said competition for law enforcement vehicles has gotten pretty stiff due to supply chain problems.
The board agreed to have City Clerk Deborah Carver work with Erick Creach to have the water and sewer tax thats about to expire put on the April 5 ballot. She said Creach, an attorney with Gilmore & Bell of St. Louis, works with Missouri Municipal League and he has offered to help the city, free of charge, go through the process of getting the measure on the ballot.
The water and sewer bond will be paid off, but Leadington still has maintenance and improvement issues to pursue, mainly in its police department. Mayor Joe Davis explained in November, the April 5 ballot issue would involve no new taxes, but it would roll over the citys existing half-cent sales tax to the general fund.
Originally approved in 2003 for water and sewer improvements around town, the tax would be diverted to public safety. Like many rural areas, the Leadington Police Department has been struggling to maintain its department due to challenges within the profession and salary competition from larger cities.
In other business, the citys board:
Resolved to accept $60,000 in American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds, which they also approved spending on various law enforcement and technology upgrades for the city.
Agreed to have Carver draw up a Request for Qualifications to hire a new city attorney to replace Mark Bishop, who is stepping down after the first of the year. Bishop is with the Wegmann Law Firm of Hillsboro.
Approved two new software subscription contracts, one for municipally-tailored software to replace the generic QuickBooks system, and the other for an updated laser fiche system so the city clerk can quickly scan documents to a searchable TIF file, rather than PDF.
Heard an update from the fire department regarding repairs to its truck, as well as a mention that Leadington has one of the best ISO ratings in the county.
Heard an update from the maintenance department regarding seasonal part-time staff for the cemetery. The board agreed to table the issue until January.
The next Leadington Board of Aldermen meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Jan. 11.
Sarah Haas is the assistant editor for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at 573-518-3617 or at shaas@dailyjournalonline.com.
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) FBI Director Christopher Wray's former chief of staff has been named the interim U.S. attorney for South Carolina.
Corey F. Ellis was appointed to the role Tuesday by Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to a news release.
Ellis succeeds former acting U.S. Attorney Rhett DeHart, who began leading the office in March after U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy resigned along with other top prosecutors appointed by former President Donald Trump.
Ellis has worked in leadership roles at the Department of Justice and served as the acting director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, working as the primary liaison between the attorney general, the deputy attorney general and all 94 U.S. attorneys offices.
He started his career as a prosecutor for the district attorneys office in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of North Carolina. He is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Memphis School of Law.
As the states leading federal prosecutor, Ellis will now supervise a staff of about 150, including 62 assistant U.S. attorneys.
President Joe Biden has yet to announce a nominee, who must be confirmed by the Senate, to serve in the role permanently.
DeHart, the outgoing attorney, told news outlets he planned to enter private practice.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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I prefer not being in the films, he said. Early on, it had to do with me being able to raise the money to get the films made. Then Fences, obviously we had great success onstage, so that translated to film. But I enjoy being a more behind-the-scenes kind of guy.
Aside from his recent collaboration with Coen, whom he calls one of the greatest directors, Washington says he sought insight from some other directors he admires.
I spent a great day with Paul Thomas Anderson a month or so ago, to listen to how he works, he said. And Steve McQueen, Ive been talking with a little bit. Im learning how to do it, so Im interested in learning from the best. So, Ive been talking to the best.
Michael B. Jordan said he, too, is interested in learning from the best which is why it was so impactful for him to be directed by Washington. The actor gives a charismatic performance as Canedys fiance, 1st Sgt. Charles Monroe King, who was killed in Iraq in 2006 at age 48. (Canedy is portrayed by Chante Adams.)
To be able to work so closely with him was really important, Jordan said in an interview. It was a master class, honestly.
Rapidan Baptist Church in Madison County will also receive a historic marker. The church traces its history to January 1773 when the congregation faced prosecution for refusing to comply with the laws that established the Church of England as the official church and religion.
In 1789, James Madison won the support of many local Baptists during his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives by assuring the Rapidan churchs pastor that he would support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing religious freedom.
The marker will be placed at 150 Rapidan Church Lane. The church congregation sponsored the marker.
It could take as long as three months to erect the markers. The marker sponsors cover the $1,770 needed to make a new sign.
Virginias historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOTs authority.
Hill commended the work of the council and thanked city staff for their work and dedication, but also said she wishes the council couldve gotten more done.
This small city has carried a lot on its shoulders and I believe these challenges have impacted the work that Council and staff have been able to accomplish. I acknowledge theres been missteps, and Ive been a part of some of those and take ownership of that. They all will weigh heavily on me. And theres much more I was hoping that we could have made strides on before the end of this council term and that I would have had the opportunity to be a part of, Hill said.
Hill, who announced early this year that she would not be seeking re-election, said she has mixed emotions about leaving.
Reflecting back, theres so much about this work that has energized me, she said, adding that there is still much work to be done. I would love to be part of it in this capacity, but at the same time, this has taken its toll in a way that I could never have predicted, Hill said.
Walker read a passage written by author and activist bell hooks, who died last week.
We were really surprised to find something lead, said Julie Langan, the director of the states Department of Historic Resources.
The team at the state Department of Historical Resources will catalog the artifacts and expects to have more details on their makeup and their possible origins in a few days. The books will be put in a freezer to avoid mold and the silver coin, which started to tarnish when the box was open, will be kept in a dry place to limit deterioration.
Before the work began to open the capsule on Wednesday, Gov. Northam said Virginia doesnt need monuments that glorify the Confederacy.
We are a Commonwealth that embraces diversity, he said. We are inclusive.
The Lee statue was erected in 1890 and was long seen as a symbol of racial injustice in the former capital of the Confederacy. Its removal in September came more than a year after Northam ordered it in the wake of protests that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Prosecutors argued that Lieber, who was arrested in January, knowingly hid his involvement in Chinas Thousand Talents Plan a program designed to recruit people with knowledge of foreign technology and intellectual property to China to protect his career and reputation.
Lieber denied his involvement during inquiries from U.S. authorities, including the National Institutes of Health, which had provided him with millions of dollars in research funding, prosecutors said.
Lieber also concealed his income from the Chinese program, including $50,000 a month from the Wuhan University of Technology, up to $158,000 in living expenses and more than $1.5 million in grants, according to prosecutors.
In exchange, they say, Lieber agreed to publish articles, organize international conferences and apply for patents on behalf of the Chinese university.
The case is among the highest profile to come from the U.S. Department of Justices so-called China Initiative.
The effort launched in 2018 to curb economic espionage from China has faced criticism that it harms academic research and amounts to racial profiling of Chinese researchers.
Released: December 13, 2021
Following a highly successful first round of the Delaware County Emergency Rental Assistance Program, the County has seamlessly launched a second round of funding to help low-income tenants with rent and utility assistance as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic economic crisis.
In April 2021, the Delaware County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (DELCO ERA) was launched as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, with a mandate to help low-income Delaware County residents stay in their rental homes. Delaware County was provided initial funding of $37.2 million for the program, one of thousands of similar county-based rental assistance programs designed to speed up the nations recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing recession.
Within just six months, Delaware County Council is proud to announce that DELCO ERA has fully allocated 100% of the initial $37.2 million of Emergency Rental Assistance to county residentshelping 5,151 low-income renters stay in their homes. Over $29 million in rental assistance and nearly $5 million in utility assistance were provided. By comparison, the national average for ERA expenditure is just 40% as of October 2021.
We are incredibly proud we reached 100% expenditure in just six short months and were able to help over 5,000 residents with rent and utility bills at a time when they needed it the most, said Delaware County Council Chairman Brian Zidek. We are grateful to our many community partners who helped us spread the message that the DELCO ERA program is available to provide critical rent and utility assistancewe achieved this success as a shared community effort.
Of the 5,151 residents served with DELCO ERA funds, 89% earn less than 50% of the area median income, which is $47,250 for a family of four. The program helped 689 households in active eviction proceedings stay in their homes. Over 57% of the funds were distributed to renters living in Chester, Upper Darby, Darby, and Lansdowne.
"My experience with the program went really smoothly and quickly and my case worker was very helpful. They were there for me at a time when I really needed it, said Tashana Murrel, a DELCO ERA recipient. It was a really good and easy experience and I even told some other people about it who were also going through hard times. It was just such a great experience and Im so thankful.
Due to the successful allocation of funding of DELCO ERA, Delaware County is being provided with an additional $30.3 million in new American Rescue Plan Act Funding (ARPA) by the U.S. Treasury and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The second phase will help DELCO ERA continue to serve tenants and landlords who are still in need as we continue to weather the COVID pandemic and its effect on our health and economy.
The DELCO ERA program has received over 13,000 applications for assistance from first-time applicants. On December 15, 2021, DELCO ERA will open applications for subsequent assistance for tenants who received assistance earlier but still face housing instability. Demand for rent and utility assistance persists. DELCO ERA receives an average of 50 new applications per day.
Residents who have fallen behind on rent and/or utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to apply for assistance by registering at www.delco-era.com or scheduling an In-Person Intake Appointment at one of our weekly events. Customer Service Specialist with Capital Access, Inc., Program Manager for DELCO ERA, are available to assist tenants and their landlords with the application process. People with language and/or physical challenges can request assistance with application submission.
Residents can contact the DELCO ERA program for assistance by phone at (484) 729-4200 or by email at info@delco-era.com
DELCO ERA will continue to offer in-person application intake services in Upper Darby and the City of Chester to assist residents who dont have internet service or who need additional assistance.
To date, over 2,200 renters and landlords received in-person application intake services, which greatly reduced delays and ensured that residents were able to sign grant agreements in person.
How the DELCO ERA program works:
DELCO ERA will pay for past due rent and utilities, and up to three months of future eligible rent/utility expenses, totaling up to 18 months of assistance for qualifying applicants. Past due rent can go as far back as April 1, 2020. DELCO ERA does not pay late fees or penalties.
Grant funds are paid directly to the landlord/property manager and the utility company. If a landlord is unresponsive, payments can be made directly to eligible tenants.
Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first qualified and approved basis until program funds are depleted.
Applicants must provide evidence of disruption and/or loss during or due to the COVID pandemic such as:
Qualified for unemployment benefits during the pandemic or can attest in writing that they, or a member of their household, has experienced a reduction of income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the pandemic; and
Can demonstrate a risk of housing instability and/or homelessness such as a past due utility, past due rent notice, or eviction notice or can attest in writing to the same.
Household income may be no more than 80% of the area median income (AMI) for their household size.
Applicants get the highest priority for processing if the total household income is less than 50% AMI and/or at least one person qualified for unemployment benefits for at least the 90 days prior to the date of their registration for DELCO ERA and/or currently undergoing eviction proceedings and have a Delaware County court docket number.
The Corvallis City Council again waded into the challenges of funding social services and homeless aid and has upped the ante in how to allocate American Rescue Plan Act moneys, which are designed to help governments during the pandemic.
Councilors were considering Monday night, Dec. 20, a recommendation from the Budget Commission to allocate 53.5% of its $13 million in the federal funds for city facilities' upgrades and 5% for social service spending.
Councilors held firm on the 53.5% after working their way through a series of motions, but they agreed narrowly to triple the social service allocation to 15%.
The final motion passed on a 5-4 vote, with Charles Maughan (Ward 2), Hyatt Lytle (Ward 3), Gabe Shepherd (Ward 4), Tracey Yee (Ward 8) and Andrew Struthers (Ward 9) voting yes, and Jan Napack (Ward 1), Charlyn Ellis (Ward 5), Laurie Chaplen (Ward 6) and Paul Shaffer (Ward 7) opposing the approach.
All five members of the public who spoke during the community comments segment of the meeting urged the council to increase the social spending percentage, although those who included specific numbers called for an even larger allocation, somewhere between 20% and 30%.
I find this heartbreaking, said Laura King, one of the community members who advocated increasing the percentage. Its a complete abandonment of the citys people.
The Rev. Jennifer Butler of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Corvallis, who has testified multiple times before the council about spending for the homeless, called for 30% and urged councilors to ask Benton County to match that figure.
City Manager Mark Shepard said staff will return with concrete ideas for spending the 53.5% (approximately $7 million) and the 15% (approximately $2 million) at a future meeting.
The fate of the additional 31.5% remains unknown at this time, although Shaffer noted that "there was no reason for the council to rush to judgment on this."
The final motion on the ARPA topic called for council leadership to communicate with Benton County and the Corvallis School District about the possibility of matching the city disbursement of ARPA or other COVID-19-related federal funds. It passed on an 8-1 vote, with Napack voting no because she didnt believe it was wise to interject city requests into other jurisdictions.
Another item relating to social service spending was tabled and will be considered at a future meeting. The item was listed on the consent agenda, which usually consists of noncontroversial items that can be addressed in one motion. It would have allocated $30,000 in City Council discretionary funds to pay for illegal camp cleanups and RV removals.
The motion to table it was unanimous. Ward 6's Chaplen, who moved to remove the item, noted that it should come to council for full consideration. No word was available regarding when the council might consider the issue.
"We have seen an uptick in folks using campers until they are no longer functional and then abandoning them," Shepard said. "The city is then forced to remove them and they are expensive to decommission appropriately. No city department budgets for this expense."
Contact reporter James Day at jim.day@lee.net or 541-812-6116. Follow at Twitter.com/jameshday or gazettetimes.com/blogs/jim-day.
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Linn County has released details of its latest mass vaccination effort, which will be coordinated at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center in Albany. The large clinics will resume on Jan. 4.
The need to resume large-scale vaccinations both for initial doses and boosters has been emphasized by both the Oregon Health Authority and Linn County Public Health as a way of avoiding a surge of COVID-19 cases brought on by the omicron variant.
With the arrival of the omicron variant of COVID-19, commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker directed Public Health Director Todd Noble and Fair & Expo Center manager Randy Porter to develop a plan that focuses on where and when large-scale vaccination clinics can be held, a county news release says.
The county put a plan together to hold mass clinics at the fairgrounds, 3700 Knox Butte Road, for three weeks in January. The dates of the clinics are Jan. 4 through Jan. 7, Jan. 10 through Jan. 14, and Jan. 17 through Jan. 19. Each days event will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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All three brands of the coronavirus vaccine will be available. No appointment is needed and folks can come to secure first, second or third-dose booster shots.
The OHA and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both say that it doesnt matter which dose you receive for a booster Pfizer recipients can receive a Moderna booster and vice versa. Johnson & Johnson recipients, however, are encouraged to get boosted with another brand because its believed that immunity wanes faster for the single-dose vaccine.
People are eligible for a booster dose six months after their second dose, or two months after their J&J shot. Booster doses are not available for people younger than 16. Linn County says it will not have doses for children ages 5-11.
Benton County will also be holding vaccine clinics in the coming weeks.
The Corvallis Boys & Girls Club, 1112 NW Circle Blvd, will be hosting a pediatric vaccination clinic from 2 to 6 p.m. Jan. 9 and Jan. 30. Doses are only available to people aged 5 to 17.
There will also be a pediatric vaccine clinic at Cheldelin Middle School, 987 NE Conifer Blvd. in Corvallis, on Jan. 14 and Feb. 4. The clinics run from 3 to 7 p.m. both days and is only providing Pfizer vaccines to eligible individuals who are 17 years old or younger.
Philomath High School will host a pediatric clinic from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10 and Jan. 31. The high school is at 2054 Applegate St.
The Alsea School at 301 S. Third St. will host a vaccination clinic from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11 and Feb. 1. The clinic is for anyone 5 or older.
Finally, Monroe High School, 365 N. Fifth St., will host a clinic for those aged 5 or older from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12 and Feb. 2.
Appointments are not necessary at any of these clinics and vaccines are free. You do not need proof of insurance to receive a vaccine.
Troy Shinn covers healthcare, natural resources and Linn County government. He can be reached at 541-812-6114 or troy.shinn@lee.net. He can be found on Twitter at @troydshinn.
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In September, an Arizona student who tested positive for COVID-19 was ordered to quarantine for several days. Seems normal, no? No. The boy's father barged into principal Diane Vargo's office and demanded the kid be allowed back into school immediately. Vargo was alarmed when the intruder told her that others were on their way, warning, "If you keep doing this, we're going to have a big problem." Two other men did arrive, one carrying military-style zip-ties. They told Vargo that they were going to make a "citizen's arrest."
As it happens, the intruders were the ones arrested by the police.
The same month, in Michigan, a meeting of the Barry-Eaton District Board of Health was disrupted when a man threatened to make a citizen's arrest of a county health official after a school mask mandate was announced. That was mild compared with the death threats Genesee County officials have received over masks. And that, in turn, was less serious than what happened in Kent County, where someone tried to run a health official off the road.
Stories of threats and violence aimed at ordinary Americans who are simply serving on school boards, supervising elections or holding public office are not new. It's a mashup of pandemic-induced mania, social media misinformation, Trump-incited disinhibition and something in the water.
The citizen's arrest has become a theme running through some of the most sinister of the recent plots. It has a long pedigree, originating in English common law. In the U.S., it has been codified in a number of ways by states. But the invocation of the citizen's arrest as an excuse for political violence is new. Former President Donald Trump set this table with his "lock her up" chants and accusations of treason against anyone who damaged his fragile psyche.
Back in 2020, when a gang of 14 right-wing nuts plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, they claimed they were effecting a "citizen's arrest." In a normal world, such a claim would be instantly dismissed as risible. But we're not in that world. We're in the world where the sheriff of Barry County, Dar Leaf, seemed to think it had merit. "It's just a charge, and they say a 'plot to kidnap' and you got to remember that," Leaf told a local Fox affiliate.
"A lot of people are angry with the governor," he said. And then, as if the next words flowed logically, he added, "and they want her arrested." Right, because when we dislike the policies of duly elected officials, we arrest them?
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The threats are proliferating. The Washington Post reported that lawmakers were subjected to 3,900 threats in 2017. By 2020, that had more than doubled to 8,600, and in 2021, the rate rose even faster. As Tim Alberta noted in his Atlantic profile of Rep. Peter Meijer, the fear factor in Republican politics has changed. Republicans displayed a total lack of political courage in dealing with Trump from 2015 to the present. But because they didn't stand up to him when the consequences would have been merely political, they/we now face a very different climate: fearing for their safety and that of their families. Describing a colleague who said he couldn't vote to certify the 2020 election, Meijer said: "Remember, this wasn't a hypothetical. You were casting that vote after seeing with your own two eyes what some of these people are capable of. If they're willing to come after you inside the U.S. Capitol, what will they do when you're at home with your kids?"
Many members of the Jan. 6 mob didn't conceive of themselves as coup plotters (in contrast to those in the Oval Office). They thought they were vindicating democracy, not destroying it. As they were storming the Capitol, they were exchanging messages that reflected the treason talk Trump had normalized. "You are executing a citizen's arrest. We have probable cause for acts of treason, election fraud."
There is a substrate of perverted patriotism here. The invocation of the citizen's arrest signifies a wish for legitimacy. They yearn to be responsible citizens, upholding the law and the duties of the individual. They have been corrupted all the more reason for the rest of Americans to assert their uncorrupted patriotism. They must defend the election workers, health care workers, school board members, journalists, politicians and anyone else who is being abused by the mob. If patriotism animates only the worst among us, we are lost.
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The director of the state housing agency says she would welcome a full audit of how money was spent on federal and state emergency rental assistance programs but only after tenants submit their applications and landlords receive their money.
Margaret Salazar says the Oregon Department of Housing and Community Services will report to lawmakers in the 2022 session, which starts Feb. 1, about the measures they passed during a Dec. 13 special session.
But she also said that some of the same staff that would be involved in an audit, which the secretary of state would conduct with the agency, also are busy processing and paying out rental assistance. Oregon has paid about 27,000 households, but the agency also has an equal number of applications pending and more are expected to come in when the agency lifts a six-week pause in mid-January.
Salazar spoke to reporters on a conference call after lawmakers approved $100 million more from the state budget for rental assistance on top of about $100 million remaining in federal funds and extended the time for tenants to apply for and await rental assistance without fear of eviction proceedings for nonpayment of rent. The new deadline is June 30, 2022.
"Our assessment is that this is time they (staff) need to spend ensuring that checks are processed and being cut, and that we can meet the time frame set by the Oregon Legislature," she said. "For that reason, we are asking that this audit be completed after we expend these rental assistance dollars, so that we can honor the commitments we made to legislative leaders and to the public."
In addition to the Legislature's addition of $100 million from the state budget and another $100 million for state and local efforts to prevent evictions after rental assistance programs end Oregon has requested another $198 million from the U.S. Treasury, which will redistribute unspent federal rental assistance funds. But it will be several months before Oregon receives any of that money if it does.
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During the one-day session, Republicans critical of the agency and even some Democrats called for a full audit by Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, whose office includes the state Audits Division. Among the Democrats were Nick Kristof, a candidate for governor, and the leaders of the Senate and House committees on housing.
Record for rental aid
So far in 2021, the agency and various partners community action agencies in the counties and Public Partnerships LLC, an outside vendor have paid out more than $187 million of the $289 million Oregon received in federal rental assistance from the U.S. Treasury as part of President Joe Biden's pandemic recovery plan known as the American Rescue Plan Act. The national total for assistance was $46.55 billion.
According to a database maintained by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, only three other states were ahead of Oregon in the shares of federal assistance paid out or obligated. The coalition notes that while Oregon has paused accepting applications, five counties and five tribes that got their shares directly from the U.S. Treasury were still accepting them.
Oregon's share is on top of the $200 million that lawmakers approved from the state budget about a year ago, when prospects for federal aid were uncertain. Some aid was contained in legislation that Donald Trump signed less than a month before Trump left the presidency.
The $387 million stands in contrast with the $80 million the agency paid out in rental assistance in 2020, before the state and federal programs got underway, and just $19 million in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic downturn.
"We know there is always room for improvement," Salazar said. "We have a lot to learn from participating in an audit. We know you are eager for that information as well. We need to understand what has worked and what hasn't worked."
During the one-day session, Republicans such as Rep. Christine Drazan of Canby, also planning to run for governor, and Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson of Prineville, her successor as House GOP leader, called on Gov. Kate Brown to fire Salazar. Brown rebuffed the calls.
Salazar said she and agency staff listened carefully as the special-session committee heard daylong testimony about the money and a related bill two days before the session itself.
"We heard heart-wrenching stories from tenants who are waiting for an update on their application status. We know that landlords are anxious as well. We understand that anxiety. We are working to address the concerns raised by renters and landlords in that public hearing session," she said.
"The anxiety of a 60-day clock hanging over the heads of tenants in need has taken a toll. We are thrilled we now have a new day with this legislative package that has been signed into law."
Deadline reset
Related legislation (Senate Bill 891), which drew negative votes from Republicans in both chambers, reset the "grace period" for tenants before they face eviction proceedings for nonpayment of rent. Legislation during the 2021 regular session, which ended June 26, set the period at 60 days. Ordinances in Multnomah and Washington counties, and Beaverton, set it at 90 days.
But the backlog for rental assistance resulted in thousands of applications past those deadlines. Estimates vary. Eric McClendon of the Oregon State Bar said it was 8,000; housing advocates pegged it at 13,000 to 14,000.
"We were taken somewhat off guard by the huge demand that was struck by opening this program," Salazar said.
Under the new law, which Brown signed hours after the session ended, tenants now have a deadline of June 30, 2022, to apply for rental assistance and inform their landlords they have done so. Eviction proceedings cannot start until payment is completed or Oct. 1, 2022, whichever comes first. (This provision does not apply to eviction proceedings for reasons other than nonpayment of rents, such as property damage by tenants.)
Neither the new law nor past legislation forgives any past-due rents.
Salazar said the economic downturn resulting from the pandemic made a bad situation worse. According to the 2020 Census, Oregon population growth outpaced new housing during the past decade, and housing prices and rents soared.
"We've heard from Oregonians across the state about what a lifeline this spending has been for them, how much stability and peace of mind it gave to their families when the check arrived and when those rental arrearages and forward rent were paid," she said.
"We know there are thousands requesting historic levels of assistance who are still in need. We are doing everything in our power to process their applications as quickly as possible."
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Indosat Oordeoo, a telecommunications provider in Indonesia, prepares a network capacity of 44 PB per day to meet the needs of the communitys digital activity which is predicted to increase during Christmas and New Year (Nataru) holidays.
Based on the trend analysis conducted, Indosat Ooredoo predicts a 20-25% increase in data traffic compared to regular days, with the highest growth expected to occur in the Bodetabek, West Java, Central Java, East Java, and North Sulawesi.
The network capacity prepared is 44 PB (Petabytes) per day, more than enough to serve peak data traffic with the expansion of video-based platforms. Entering the beginning of the 2021 NARU holiday period, Indosat Ooredoo has already recorded a 10% increase in data traffic nationwide, said a press release.
Director and Chief Operating Officer of Indosat Ooredoo, Vikram Sinha, said, "Indosat Ooredoo is ready to accompany customers to fill their year-end holidays with a reliable and optimal network that complements several digital initiatives that have been launched. We hope that the Indonesian people can spend their holiday with family and loved ones doing positive things and maintaining their health during the COVID-19 pandemic that is still hitting Indonesia. Recently we have also launched 5G services in our fifth city this year, which signifies that we are ready to support Indonesia's digital transformation."
Several network quality improvement activities are carried out to ensure customers enjoy the best digital experience supported by more than 70 thousand video-grade 4G BTS, the release said.
Indosat Ooredoo activates a centralized physical Command Center during Christmas and New Year celebrations to monitor network availability and quality 24/7 supported by an AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning) and Automation-based Network Operation Center, it added.
Indian telecom operator Vodafone-idea (Vi) has launched a new service wherein users will get the opportunity to get customised/VIP/ special phone numbers delivered at their doorstep. The service, however, is currently activated in select cities only.
The mobile numbers can be based on a pattern or any other significant string of numbers like anniversary, birthday, lucky number, and more. Vi customers can also choose from a list of premium mobile numbers.
A Premium/Fancy mobile number will give you a unique identity amongst your friends, peers, and relatives, which can be easily remembered. Not just these we also have a spectrum of Free Mobile Numbers to choose from. Your Premium, Free Mobile Number comes with a horde of surprises, Vodafone said.
These new premium mobile numbers will be delivered to a users doorstep without any extra charges, the company said in a statement. This service is available to both postpaid and prepaid customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Surat, and Jaipur.
All users have to do is go to the VI website and follow the link to choosing your fancy mobile numbers online, said a company release. Vi on its website explains that once a user has placed an order for a VIP number, a delivery agent will deliver it to the users doorstep and will also complete his or her KYC during the delivery.
Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partners.
The Dothan Regional Airport has $1,038,167 coming its way to modernize and improve safety as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress.
Adam Hartzog, the airports director, and the Dothan-Houston County Airport Authority only learned about the grant last week, but Hartzog said the board has plenty of planned projects the grant could fund; most involve LED lighting retrofitting.
I didnt plan on getting it in the first place, but we will do what is responsible and best for the airport and for the Wiregrass and put the money to its best use to improve infrastructure, Hartzog said on Monday.
The money comes from the Airport Infrastructure Grant program, one of three new aviation programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law provides $15 billion over five years for this program.
A couple of the airports priority projects include upgrading the runway lighting to high-intensity LED lights and converting taxiway lights to LEDs.
George Orwells novel 1984 describes a society ruled by a political system administered by a privileged elite whose use official deception and manipulation of events to achieve its goals. Although published 72 years ago, it contains striking similarities with todays America. Orwell warned about dangerous untruths and censorship by Big Brother (government). The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it, Orwell wrote.
Big Brother determined what constituted acceptable speech in keeping society orderly, but freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garlands ears should be ringing, as the voters in Virginia exercised this right after he sent the FBI to sensor a county school board meeting.
Advisors insist that President Biden blame Republicans for the perception that the economy is getting worse. He just signed the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill (which has almost nothing to do with COVID relief). Now he wants an additional $1.2 to $2 trillion more to Build Back Better, and assures the public this agenda will cost nothing. For emphasis, Speaker Nancy Pelosi chimed in, saying it will cost zero.
A worker is seen at engineering and construction company in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/An Phuong
The Covid-19 pandemic made 2021 a challenging year for companies, but many managed to make strategic changes to overcome what were unprecedented restrictions.
The year started off on a positive note, and the Purchasing Managers Index hit 51.3 in January and climbed to 54.7 in April, despite the closure of several industrial hubs in the north due to the third wave of Covid, according to British information provider IHS Markit.
A score of above 50 indicates growth while below 50 means the sector is contracting.
In the first four months, the number of businesses that were set up surged by 17.5 percent year-on-year to 44,200, indicating an economic recovery.
Revenues from retail and services rose 10 percent to VND1,695.6 trillion ($73.94 billion) in the period, domestic tourism started to pick up and companies began to call for resumption of international flight routes to boost recovery.
But then came the fourth wave in April and set back businesses recovery.
With hundreds of new infections every day in the second quarter and thousands in the third, HCMC started to impose restrictions in June and kept them in place until September end.
Other southern localities too reported large numbers of cases, mostly of the Delta variant, and factories were forced to keep their workers on-site as travel was prohibited, a huge financial burden.
"Having workers stay in the factory increases costs and cuts our productivity by half," Nguyen Huu Tuan, human resources director of textile company Thanh Cong in HCMCs Tan Phu District said.
His company began to house 2,200 employees in mid-July, but a month later 400 went home because of safety concerns and the desire to be with their family.
Workers sleep in a factory in the southern province of Long An amid the Covid-19 pandemic in July 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Nam
The PMI fell to 40.2 in August and September, signaling the worst deterioration in the health of the manufacturing sector since April 2020, according to IHS Markit.
"Vietnamese manufacturers are facing a near-impossible task at present as the restrictions put in place to try and contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country constrain their ability to produce goods," Andrew Harker, economics director at IHS Markit, said at that time.
The policy also caused major difficulties for foreign companies.
Since Vietnam is the second largest supplier of apparel, footwear and travel goods to the U.S., accounting for 20 percent of all that countrys imports, the American Apparel & Footwear Association in July called on the two countries governments to speed up vaccine distribution to major suppliers of Adidas, Gap and other brands.
Pushing through
But manufacturers plowed through the challenges by adopting various measures.
Chemicals maker Earth Corporation Vietnam managed to keep manufacturing going in July and August by accommodating 180 workers on-site.
Phan Thi Phuong Linh, its human resources head, said the key factor was to totally isolate the premises from the outside world.
Delivery truck drivers were required to take photos of their documents, including negative Covid test results, and send them to security personnel, she added.
Other companies set up barriers to avoid direct contact.
Food and beverage companies did all they could to survive.
Crab restaurant chain Vua Cua suspended plans to open in new locations and instead focused on delivery and selling to supermarkets.
It was able to find franchisees for the delivery model and tie up with a large supermarket chain, CEO Doan Thi Anh Thu said.
"We no longer have headaches like dealing with finance and human resources issues, and focus all our energies on helping franchisees sell."
In June The Coffee House launched new products like instant milk coffee bags and cans, which it sells through supermarkets, convenience stores and online platforms.
Upmarket Singaporean restaurant chain Lion City decided to move into the affordable segment after revenues plunged 70 percent during the social distancing period.
Owner Harry Ang closed three out of four outlets, with only the 13-year-old first restaurant still open.
"The average rent was VND240 million per month per location and we cannot keep paying," he said.
On Bui Vien Street in the backpackers area in downtown HCMC, bars and beer parlors started selling fruits and vegetables instead of beer and wine to survive.
A bar on Bui Vien Street in Ho Chi Minh City sells fruits and vegetables amid the Covid-19 pandemic in October 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran
Recovering
The return to normalcy began on October 1 when HCMC started to ease restrictions after four months.
Factories immediately restarted production to make up for the downtime, and the PMI surged to a five-month high of 52.2 in November.
In early October, electronics producer Datalogic Vietnam saw its workforce swell from 40 percent of normal strength to around 60 percent.
"We plan to welcome employees back to the factory and recruit [more], and expect productivity to return to 80 percent in the final months of the year," CEO Tran Tien Phat said at the time.
Around 1.3 million workers had returned to their hometowns in the third quarter, and so companies had to offer increased salaries and benefits to get them back for end-of-year production.
New business registration rebounded sharply in November, with an increase of nearly 45 percent from October.
Aviation, the worst affected sector this year, is also hoping for a grand bounce back next year, and Vietnam Airlines the started the first regular U.S.-Vietnam direct service and Bamboo Airways is planning to launch direct flights from HCMC to Melbourne in Australia next year.
Vietnams economy was actively recovering with a rebound in industrial production and retail sales, continued trade surplus and stabilized credit growth, the World Bank said in an update November.
Nguyen Minh Cuong, principal country economist of the Asian Development Bank, has suggested that Vietnam should increase its stimulus from 2 percent of GDP to 5-7 percent to help businesses recover quickly.
The center of Sa Pa Town is covered in mist in November, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Chinh
A cold spell is expected to hit northern Vietnam from Saturday, with the lowest temperature in Hanoi expected at 10 degrees Celsius.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), the northern region is experiencing cool weather over the next three days.
In this period, the temperature in Hanoi will stay at 25-27 degrees Celsius in the day and 14-17 degrees at night while in Sa Pa Town of the mountainous province of Lao Cai, the average temperature during the day will be 17 degrees.
By Saturday, the cold spell will arrive, bringing the temperature in Hanoi down to 10 while the mountainous region should expect the mercury to drop to 4-7 degrees.
The U.S. weather forecast site AccuWeather predicted the temperature in Hanoi on Saturday will remain at 14-24 degrees during the day on Saturday and drop to 10-17 in the next two days before rising to 13-22 next weekend.
In Sa Pa, the temperature will stay at 8 degrees in the day and 3 at night on Saturday, it said.
Under the cold spells impact, the central region will receive prolonged rains from Saturday to Tuesday, according to the NCHMF.
Nguyen Van Huong, head of Climate Forecasting Department under the NCHMF, said this is the first large-scale cold spell in the northern delta region for the winter of 2021-2022.
Since November, there have been many cold waves arriving in the north but they mostly affected the mountainous region.
The meteorological agency stated this year's winter would come earlier and be colder than last year.
Most of the severe cold wave would appear between December and next February.
Residents of Vietnamese origin demolish their floating houses on the Tonle Sap river after they were ordered to leave within one week of being notified by local authorities in Prek Pnov district, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 12, 2021. Photo by Reuters/Cindy Liu
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has promised to support Cambodia's ethnic Vietnamese to soon have legal identities as they are not registered citizens in either country.
During a meeting on Wednesday with officials at the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of businesses and the Vietnamese community in Cambodia, President Phuc said "there is no community that has encountered as many difficulties as the ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia."
It is because of their "uncertain legal status," and many of them do not have any identity documents such as ID cards or passports, he said.
Phuc was in Cambodia for a two-day state visit on Dec. 21-22 at the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni.
Sim Chy, head of the Khmer-Vietnamese Association in Cambodia, told the meeting that the ethnic Vietnamese community is facing even more difficulties due to the plan to relocate them by the Cambodian government.
Cambodian had earlier this year announced a plan to dismantle or relocate floating houses, fish farms, and boathouses or any other unregulated and illegal structures along the Tonle Sap River in Kampong Chhnang Province and Phnom Penh City.
The reason given for this relocation is that the floating village dwellers "seriously affect water biodiversity, damage water quality, pollute the environment and affect the beauty of Phnom Penh, as well as affect the health of people who use unclean water."
The decision affects thousands of ethnic Vietnamese as many of them are not eligible for the resettlement policy of the Cambodian government, because they are recognized neither as Cambodian nor as Vietnamese citizens.
Sim asked the Vietnamese head of state to suggest the Cambodian government soon issue an official document on the rights of ethnic Vietnamese people who have registered as foreigners living in Cambodia, as well as have a decision to recognize them as expats and grant them permanent residence cards.
He also asks the Vietnamese leader to propose the Cambodian authorities simplify the process and procedures for those who have fulfilled the obligations of foreigners in the immigration category.
President Phuc said he will discuss with competent authorities to come up with feasible and effective solutions so that the ethnic Vietnamese community in Cambodia will soon have their legal status and settle down.
He also called them to "comply with the laws of the host country, take care of their business, and be exemplary."
"Embassies must promptly advise people of Vietnamese origin on regulations related to outstanding and border issues," said the president.
According to the Khmer-Vietnamese Association, there are currently 30,000 ethnic Vietnamese in Phnom Penh.
Between the late 19th century and early 20th century, the French sent thousands of Vietnamese to Cambodia to work on their rubber farms and through the years, a Vietnamese community took root in the new land.
This community became a genocidal target under the Khmer Republic and Khmer Rouge governments in the 1970s. Thousands were killed and many more sought refuge in Vietnam.
The Khmer Rouge invaded Vietnam and killed tens of thousands of Vietnamese between 1975 and 1979.
On the plea of Cambodian revolutionaries, Vietnamese soldiers entered Cambodia in January 1979, launched a retaliatory attack on the Khmer Rouge and succeeded in freeing Phnom Penh and large parts of Cambodia from their grasp.
After the war ended, the ethnic Vietnamese returned to Tonle Sap, where their parents, grandparents and they were born, only to discover that they had been labeled as "illegal immigrants."
As the Cambodian law only allows Cambodian citizens to buy land, thousands of ethnic Vietnamese settled in villages on stilts. After the pioneers, two more generations of Vietnamese Cambodians have been born in Cambodia, living with no official documentation of their existence until these days.
According to the Cambodian Overseas Vietnamese Association, over 1,500 Vietnamese families live in floating villages by Lake Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater body in Southeast Asia.
The agreement was reached Tuesday during talks held by Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a foreign ministry press release said.
Phuc is paying a two-day official visit (December 21-22) to Cambodia.
The two leaders stressed that they will cooperate to solve issues that arise during the negotiations in the spirit of solidarity and friendship, contributing to building a border of peace, stability and cooperation.
Vietnam and Cambodia also agreed to fully and seriously implement treaties, agreements related to the border of the two countries, including two legal documents confirming 84 percent of border demarcation and marker erections that they achieved to date. The two legal documents were signed in 2019.
Between 2006 and 2019, Vietnam and Cambodia completed the demarcation of about 1,045 km on their border, and erected 2,047 markers at 1,553 positions.
Taliban members in Afghanistan have summarily executed or forcibly disappeared more than 100 former police and intelligence officers since the fall of Kabul on August 15, despite a declared amnesty, Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.
In a joint statement, signed as of December 15, the United States, 27 other nations, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, expressed deep concern over these abuses documented by Human Rights Watch and others.
The Human Rights Watch report in particular documents the killing or disappearance of 47 former members of the Afghan National Security Forces who had surrendered to or were apprehended by Taliban forces between August 15 and October 31. Human Rights Watch gathered information on more than 100 killings from Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, and Kunduz provinces alone.
The Taliban have been able to access government employment records, using them to identify people for arrest and execution. According to Human Rights Watch in Kandahar city in late September, Taliban forces went to the home of Baz Muhammad, who had been employed by the former state intelligence agency and arrested him. Relatives later found his body.
The Taliban leaderships promised amnesty has not stopped local commanders from summarily executing or disappearing former Afghan security force members, said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. The burden is on the Taliban to prevent further killings, hold those responsible to account, and compensate the victims families.
The joint statement underlined that the alleged actions constitute serious human rights abuses and contradict the Talibans announced amnesty. We call on the Taliban to effectively enforce the amnesty for former members of the Afghan security forces and former government officials to ensure that it is upheld across the country and throughout their ranks.
Reported cases must be investigated promptly and in a transparent manner, those responsible must be held accountable, and these steps must be clearly publicized as an immediate deterrent to further killings and disappearances, declared the joint statement.
We will continue to measure the Taliban by their actions.
The foreign ministers of the G7 countries warned Russia that there would be massive consequences and severe costs for Russia if it pursued further military aggression against Ukraine.
In a joint statement, the top diplomats of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the High Representative of the European Union said they are united incondemnation of Russias military build-up and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine.
They called on Russia to de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by transparency of military activities as President Biden did in his call with President Putin on 7 December.
In a briefing after that call, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said President Biden told President Putin directly that if Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States and our European allies would respond with strong economic measures. We would provide additional defensive materiel to the Ukrainians above and beyond that which we are already providing. And we would fortify our NATO Allies on the eastern flank with additional capabilities in response to such an escalation.
National Security Advisor Sullivan said that President Biden told President Putin that there was another option: de-escalation and diplomacy.
There are several venues, he noted, where the United States and its European allies could engage in a discussion with Russia that would include our strategic concerns as well as Russias - the NATO-Russia Council and the OSCE, among them. The United States is also prepared to help facilitate implementation of the Minsk agreements in support of the Normandy Format.
In an interview with NBC News, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said U.S. allies, including those in the G7, are equally resolute in their determination to stand against Russian aggression, to ideally deter it, prevent itBut if Russia continues to take reckless and aggressive actions, we will respond.
Secretary Blinken emphasized that the commitment by the United States and its allies to Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, is resolute. But, he said, there is something even bigger at stake here, and its the basic rules of the road of the international system, rules that say that one country cant change the borders of another by force; one country cant dictate to another country its choices
Thats what Russia is purporting to assert, declared Secretary Blinken, and if we let that go with impunity, then the entire system that provides for stability, prevents war from breaking out is endangered.
The wrong man: inside the world of a Somali sailor hanged for murder.
"The Fortune Men" by Nadifa Mohamed; Alfred A. Knopf (320 pages, $27)
Mahmood Mattan has been rescued. Given new life, he emerges from the pages of "The Fortune Men" as a full-blooded literary victim-hero with all the complexity that such a status tends to require.
It's a miraculous feat by Somali-British writer Nadifa Mohamed, coming 70 years after Mahmood, falsely accused of murdering a woman in her store in Cardiff, was hanged in a dank Welsh prison.
Mahmood died in 1952. Family and friends sought for decades to clear his name. Finally, in 1998, a panel of British judges quashed Mahmood's conviction.
With the basic facts of the case and its outcome widely known, what is left for a novelist? How will she maintain suspense?
Mohamed overcomes such doubts with the feast of her prose. She brings magic to her project, achieving in fiction what no historical account could match.
Mahmood grew up Muslim amid famine, drought, clan warfare and colonial occupation in Somalia. His pious mother thought nothing of medicating her boy with words of the Qur'an washed off a chalkboard and stirred into a potion for drinking. As a teen, he began a wandering life as a laborer in Africa before circling the globe as a sailor on merchant ships. Though he spoke five languages, he could scarcely read or write.
He never feared taking chances or facing the unknown: "I am a gambling soul. Even as a small boy if someone say to me, 'Oh, I know you won't do that or you can't do this,' I look them in the eye and just do it. I take everything life give me and throw it in fate's face."
Mahmood's ill-fated story picks up in Tiger Bay, a port town where he hopes to reunite with his estranged wife and their three young sons. It's a bustling place, blasted, polluted, bruised by World War II, the kind of town where "you can have chop suey for lunch and Yemeni saltah for dinner." The town is multiracial but also plenty racist, with Blacks from the West Indies and Africa working as laborers and living in slums.
More prosperous but also emigres are the Volacki sisters, whose Jewish father moved there from Russia 50 years earlier and became a successful merchant. By the 1950s, Violet Volacki is running the family store. One night, answering the door after closing hours, she is killed, purportedly by a Black man. Without much in the way of evidence or witnesses, Mahmood soon becomes the chief murder suspect.
"The Fortune Men" revels in the sensual details of its life-and-death tale, from the starry Somali desert of Mahmood's youth to the smell of cooked food threading the air of Tiger Bay.
A celebration of Eid, the parade and feast to end Ramadan, is enjoyed by all:
"Aproned matrons, flat-capped gamblers, ruined rummies, yapping dogs, fresh-faced bar girls and leather-jacketed teenage delinquents watch from the pavement and wave out of windows. A few tatty Union Jacks, left over from VE-Day celebrations, flap about. The giddy children delight in what they call Muslim Christmas."
The unbridled delight of such scenes gives rise to the existential dread that curdles Mahmood's reflective soul when it dawns on him that his innocence will not protect him from the hangman's noose.
The trial is a joke. Mahmood's own lawyer may as well have been working for the prosecution, and a guilty verdict and death sentence are quickly announced.
Believable, flawed, labile, proud, defiant, fatalistic and vengeful, Mahmood captures our full sympathy, and his final days are filled with insight and pathos.
In a reversal of the western perspective, Mohamed shows us Britain through the eyes of this outsider, the Black African, the Muslim. It's an eye-opening angle of vision and an unforgettable one.
Claude Peck is a former Star Tribune editor and a member of the National Book Critics Circle.
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In a party-line vote on Tuesday, six Republican lawmakers blocked the state Board of Healths COVID-19 vaccine mandates for college students and state health and corrections workers from becoming permanent.
The tied 6-6 vote on the Legislative Commission, a panel of legislators charged with giving final approval to proposed regulations, means the mandate for students is no longer in effect, as the 120-day timeline for the emergency regulation approved in August expired over the weekend. The emergency regulation for health and corrections workers is set to expire in early January.
Tuesdays vote was a show of political force for the states legislative Republicans, who are in the minority in the Legislature but not on the commission. They challenged the permanent nature of the regulations presented by both the state Department of Health and Human Services and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE).
I dont [think] permanent regulation is a wise thing to do now, but to look at the 120 days, make a substantial change in the emergency regulation that uses real words instead of prove immunity, and just require vaccination if you want to do a mandate, Sen. Joe Hardy (R-Boulder City) said.
Hardy distinguished between the two ways of requiring vaccination against COVID-19, noting that even though he is a believer in vaccines, they do not ensure immunity against the virus. Vaccines can limit the spread of COVID-19 and help prevent severe cases of the disease, but Hardy said there are no ways to guarantee someone has proof of immunity against COVID-19, which is the language used in the Board of Healths regulation for college students.
Following the vote, the Board of Health is prevented by state law from approving another emergency regulation with the same vaccination requirements, so any vaccine mandate for the same groups would have to be enacted by the Legislature or through the typical permanent regulatory process that would require approval by the board and commission.
In a statement Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for the governors office said the traditional promulgation process for such vaccine requirements lengthier and more involved than the one used for the emergency regulations will continue. However, when that process may be completed or if the commission will approve the regulation at that later stage remains unclear.
Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) pushed back on arguments against the mandates in a lengthy speech to the commission, noting her confidence in the process for religious and medical exemptions to the vaccine requirements and defending the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
To me, it is irresponsible of us not to approve this, Cannizzaro said. This is common sense public health policy that we are being asked to approve, and to do anything less than approve these regulations today, I think is simply pandering to a political message that is not what we should owe to the people of the state of Nevada.
Since the mandate for state workers was enacted in September, the vaccination among corrections workers has significantly increased, rising by 12 percentage points from Oct. 25 to Nov. 22 to a rate of 76 percent, weeks after an initial Nov. 1 deadline to receive vaccinations.
The requirement covered a broad spectrum of workers in the Department of Corrections and Department of Health and Human Services, specifically applying to employees or contractors of the state government who enter into an institution for vulnerable populations, such as a prison or hospital, as part of their work.
During the meeting, Hardy raised an issue with the mandate applying to corrections workers, but not to the populations they oversee.
I think its ironic that we are proposing a mandate for people who take care of prisoners staff and we dont have that same mandate proposed to take care of the very vulnerable people in prison, Hardy said.
Student mandate
The Board of Health initially passed a student vaccine mandate under an emergency regulation in August, after both an internal NSHE task force and the governors office asked the board to explore such a mandate amid the early spread of the Delta variant and the then-looming fall semester.
The move essentially required all public college or university students enrolling in next springs in-person classes to be fully vaccinated against COVID, barring limited religious or medical exemptions.
The tying of a vaccination requirement to the enrollment process as well as exemptions for students taking fully online course loads has since created uncertainty over the actual number of vaccinated students.
Though they began in November, enrollment periods extend into mid-January, and it remains unclear how many students may yet enroll in in-person classes and, among them, how many of the more than 106,000 students enrolled at NSHE schools are vaccinated.
We have over 70,000 students who have submitted their vaccine requirements, Amy Pason, chair of Faculty Senate chairs, said in an interview after the vote. But the concern is when youre asking us to go into classrooms 100 students, 200 students and youre not sure how many of those students in that room are vaccinated. Thats where the risk goes up.
As of mid-November, statistics shared by individual institutions showed a varying range of completed vaccinations and valid exemptions vis-a-vis the number of enrolled students, all the way from 82 percent at UNR to 62 percent at Nevada State College.
However, those numbers have likely increased in the weeks since, and the availability of online coursework especially at community colleges may complicate the degree to which in-person enrollment numbers may be used as a stand-in for total vaccination rates among all students.
A federal lawsuit was filed in November on behalf of a UNR student challenging the vaccine mandate; a judge denied the request for a temporary restraining order earlier this month.
Uncertainties over vaccination numbers have come amid increasing concerns over the possible impact of the highly transmissible Omicron variant on campus communities both faculty and students that have little appetite to return to a fully virtual learning experience.
We dont know what the effect will be, but the fear among many is that without the full vaccination mandate and other safety precautions, that we will end up having to go back to remote operations again, Kent Ervin, President of the Nevada Faculty Alliance, said in an interview on Tuesday. And nobody wants to go back to online instruction.
In a memo sent late Tuesday, NSHE Chancellor Melody Rose directed institutions to immediately lift any registration holds put in place because of a lack of covid vaccination, a move that appears to allow students to enroll in in-person courses regardless of vaccination status.
NSHE staff mandate
With the student mandate gone, another vaccine mandate for higher education employees may also come under increased scrutiny by the Board of Regents.
Through multiple public meetings discussing the specifics of that employee mandate, some regents including a handful who voted against implementing any requirement at all have linked the necessity of the employee requirement to the existence of the student counterpart.
At a meeting earlier this month, some regents again debated the usefulness of the mandate, and four of the 13 members ultimately voted against a procedural motion making the vaccine requirement a permanent policy change ahead of another formal review process expected sometime next year.
Things are happening so fast, I just feel that this knee-jerk response is a bit much, Regent Laura Perkins said at the time. I think all of us said that things are changing so fast, theyre in a state of flux, so I would have real reservations about making a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Even if the employee mandate is removed, however, the vast majority of system employees have already proven their vaccination status 94.3 percent as of Dec. 13 or, in a small number of cases 2.9 percent have been granted a religious or medical exemption.
The remaining 2.9 percent of unvaccinated employees have already been given notices of termination, but those terminations will not take effect until Dec. 31. Before then, employees who receive their first shot will have their firings stayed, and even after, those who are fired will have a one-month grace period where they may have their employment reinstated if they get the vaccine.
It remains unclear if a minimum number of regents may attempt to call a special meeting of the board ahead of the Dec. 31 termination deadline.
A spokesperson for NSHE did not immediately reply to a request for comment. When asked about the possibility of a special meeting to consider the employee mandate, Regents Chair Pro Tempore Carol Del Carlo did not respond, and Vice Chair Pro Tempore Amy Carvalho deferred to an NSHE spokesperson.
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Over the past two decades, the two-way trade has expanded 8.6 percent, much higher than the average growth rate of 5.8 percent between Australia and other ASEAN countries. (Photo: VNA)
The Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy sets out a road map to increase trade and investment opportunities, forging closer ties between the two countries.
The Strategy is unique, the first of its kind for Vietnam and Australia and reflective of both countries mutual interests.
At a meeting in Hanoi with Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, Tran Quoc Phuong, Australias Ambassador to Vietnam, HE Robyn Mudie, said: We are proud to have publicly released this strategy in partnership Vietnam. It is the strongest reflection yet of our confidence in our shared economic future. Through this strategy we can recover our economies and prosper together.
Our economies are highly complementary. Australia is a reliable supplier of the services and raw materials that Vietnams exporters require, and our consumers enjoy Vietnams high-quality products in their homes and workplaces. There is enormous potential to take this relationship even further as we emerge from COVID-19, she added.
The Ambassador said that the Strategy would help guide the two countries towards an inclusive and sustainable growth path.
Australias Ambassador to Vietnam, HE Robyn Mudie and Vice Minister for Planning and Investment, Tran Quoc Phuong present the Australia Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy. (Photo: The Embassy of Australia to Vietnam)
At the meeting, Vice Minister Phuong said: The economic potential between Australia and Vietnam is great. This strategy will be central to realising this potential. It demonstrates our commitment to promote economic, trade and investment links across key sectors and will help support the post COVID-19 pandemic economic recovery.
To support Australian and Vietnam businesses, the strategy outlines a series of mutually beneficial, practical initiatives to deepen trade and investment links in key sectors including across agriculture, education, energy, services and the digital economy.
The Strategy also highlights the importance of strengthening the rules-based global trading system as the basis for open international trade and working together to address economic challenges and coercive economic practices
Binh Thuan attaches QR codes to tourist attractions
People scan QR codes at an attraction. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn)
From December 21, local people and tourists to tourist attractions in Phan Thiet city in the central province of Binh Thuan only need to scan a QR code to find destination information.
The pilot installation of QR codes by the Binh Thuan Tourism Promotion Information Center is part of the strategy of applying science and technology and digitizing tourism data in tourism activities.
QR codes are installed at 5 attractions, including: Duc Thanh School relic, Po Sah Inu Tower, Phan Thiet Water Tower, Van Thuy Tu Palace and Thanh Minh Tu Palace.
As local people and tourists use their phones or smart devices to scan the QR code, they will be directed to the link to the official website of the tourism industry www.dulichbinhthuan.com.vn. All informational content, images and video clips introducing the attractions will be displayed.
The provincial Tourism Promotion Information Center said that in the near future, it will continue to deploy additional QR codes at other tourist attractions of Phan Thiet city and other localities.
Additional address for tourists to Hoi An
The opening of the "Hoi An Prison" Relic Gallery. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn)
On December 21, the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Management Center in the central province of Quang Nam inaugurated the Hoi An Prison Relic Gallery as a tourist attraction combined with traditional education.
Hoi An Prison, commonly known as Xom Moi Prison, or Quang Nam Re-education Center, was built in 1960 to hold cadres, soldiers and compatriots in all localities in Quang Nam and other provinces.
In 2007, Hoi An Prison was recognized as a provincial relic by the provincial Peoples Committee. The restoration project started in 2012, on the basis of thousands of pages of collected documents and hundreds of opinion votes.
The Hoi An Prison Relic Gallery received 62 artifacts from former prisoners, 3,390 resumes and many other works. Initially, the place will be a space to display documents and artifacts, contributing to enriching types of sightseeing in Hoi An./.
Vietnam, Cambodia enhance cooperation in agriculture
The two sides agreed to boost cooperation in the agro-forestry-fishery sector; strengthen control of timber import and export activities; and prevent and control diseases on plants and animals.
Overview of the working session between the two sides. (Photo: VNA)
The agreement was made during a working session between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Phnom Penh on December 21.
The working session took place within the framework of President Nguyen Xuan Phucs ongoing State visit to Cambodia.
At the event, representatives of the two ministries also agreed to propose and study the signing of a number of cooperation agreements on agriculture and fisheries between the two Governments in the coming time.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said Vietnam is the biggest among 90 importers of Cambodian agricultural products, and it wishes to speed up the implementation of cooperation projects in agriculture and aquaculture with the neighboring country.
Notably, there is a project to build a model of aquaculture technology transfer in the Tonle Sap region of Cambodia, worth 70 billion VND (about 3 million USD).
Meanwhile, Cambodian Minister Veng Sakhon said that in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have recorded remarkable achievements in cooperation in growing industrial and agricultural trees, especially rubber and banana./.
Photo taken on Dec. 20, 2021 shows a set of chime bells, the largest ever unearthed in China, which was found in 1978 in the tomb of Marquis Yi, a ruler of the Zeng State during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC), on display in the new exhibition hall of Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
A visitor appreciates cultural relics in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
A visitor appreciates cultural relics in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
A visitor appreciates cultural relics in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
Visitors appreciate cultural relics in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
Photo taken on Dec. 20, 2021 shows cultural relics on display in the new exhibition hall of Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
A visitor appreciates cultural relics in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
A visitor looks at the Sword of Goujian, which was named after the king of the state of Yue during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
Visitors look at the Sword of Goujian, which was named after the king of the state of Yue during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
A visitor looks at the Sword of Goujian, which was named after the king of the state of Yue during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
Photo taken on Dec. 20, 2021 shows the exterior view of the new exhibition hall of Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
A visitor looks at a cultural relic in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
Visitors look at a set of chime bells, the largest ever unearthed in China, which was found in 1978 in the tomb of Marquis Yi, a ruler of the Zeng State during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC), in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 20, 2021. The Hubei Provincial Museum, located in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opened a new exhibition hall on Monday, with its most famous exhibits moved to the new location. The museum is one of the best known in China, with more than 240,000 items in the collection and nearly 1,000 top state-level historic and cultural relics, according to the institution. With the new exhibition hall, the area of the Hubei Provincial Museum now totals 113,800 square meters, with around 36,000 square meters of exhibition area. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
Editor: WXY
Local residents clear up mud and debris after flood hit in Hulu Langat of Selangor state, Malaysia, Dec. 21, 2021. Another nine people have been reported dead, bringing the total deaths due to severe flooding in Malaysia to 17 as of Tuesday, authorities in Selangor stae said. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Another nine people have been reported dead, bringing the total deaths due to severe flooding in Malaysia to 17 as of Tuesday, authorities in Selangor state said.
Selangor state Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said at a press briefing more bodies have been found as floodwaters start subsiding, adding that the state government has mobilized all necessary resources to aid the victims.
"At this time, our focus is to ensure search and rescue operations are carried out effectively and that they reach all who need it," he said.
The number of displaced persons due to flooding in Malaysia has risen to over 69,400 in seven states plus the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur as of 10:00 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to data from the Malaysian social welfare department.
The worst-hit state is Pahang along the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, with over 42,000 people being evacuated to flood relief centers, followed by Selangor state with over 23,000 evacuated.
The country's meteorological department has warned of more rain in the Peninsula Malaysia, with rain and storms expected in several states on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told a meeting with chief ministers this morning that it was found that states such as Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang had been prepared to face the floods, especially during this time of the year, according to state news agency Bernama.
He said while east coast states have been prepared to face annual floods, the situation in Selangor state is unexpected, and acknowledged that there have been problems with the disaster management response.
"I don't deny (the weakness) and will improve in the future. The responsibility is not that of the federal government alone, but also the state governments and the frontliners in the districts."
"In Selangor, there is a problem. We are transparent about this, and I do not want to cover for anyone," he said.
A local resident walks on a muddy path after flood hit in Hulu Langat of Selangor state, Malaysia, Dec. 21, 2021. Another nine people have been reported dead, bringing the total deaths due to severe flooding in Malaysia to 17 as of Tuesday, authorities in Selangor state said. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
A cat runs on a muddy path after flood hit in Hulu Langat of Selangor state, Malaysia, Dec. 21, 2021. Another nine people have been reported dead, bringing the total deaths due to severe flooding in Malaysia to 17 as of Tuesday, authorities in Selangor state said. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
Local residents clear up mud and debris after flood hit in Hulu Langat of Selangor state, Malaysia, Dec. 21, 2021. Another nine people have been reported dead, bringing the total deaths due to severe flooding in Malaysia to 17 as of Tuesday, authorities in Selangor state said. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
Editor: WXL
Chancellor candidate of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) Olaf Scholz attends a press conference at the headquarters of SPD in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 27, 2021.(Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)
Xi said he hopes Germany will continue to play a positive role in stabilizing China-EU ties and inject stability and positive energy into the China-EU relationship.
BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In the conversation, Xi congratulated Scholz once again on his inauguration as German chancellor.
Xi stressed that China attaches great importance to its relations with Germany. In recent years, China-Germany cooperation has always been a "bellwether" of cooperation between China and the European Union (EU), which is a right choice made by the two countries in line with the development trend of the times, he said.
Xi noted that the next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.
Over the past half century, China-Germany relations have demonstrated ample vitality, endurance, resilience and potential, Xi said, adding that for the next 50 years, the two countries should embrace a global vision from a long-term perspective, forge ahead and strive for new development of China-Germany relations.
First, Xi suggested, the two countries should chart the general course of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective.
Both China and Germany are major countries with important influence, Xi said, adding that a sound development of bilateral relations not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and their people, but also contributes to world peace and stability.
Xi stressed that the two sides should unwaveringly view each other's development as an opportunity, maintain the fine tradition of high-level leadership, and set the direction for the development of China-Germany relations.
The two sides should give play to the role of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and particularly make good use of their intergovernmental consultation mechanism, so as to promote cooperation in various fields, Xi said.
He added that the two sides should strengthen communication and coordination, and jointly plan the 50th-anniversary celebration activities next year.
China-Europe freight train "Shanghai Express" is seen in Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)
Second, Xi said, the two countries should actively promote mutually beneficial cooperation in a practical manner.
The Chinese and German economies have benefited a lot from each other's development, Xi noted, adding that China has been Germany's largest trading partner for five consecutive years, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation has kept growing despite the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He pointed out that the two sides should actively explore new areas of cooperation such as new energy and green and digital economy, and unleash the growth potential of trade in services.
German enterprises are welcome to leverage their advantages and seize the new opportunities brought by China's opening-up, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side hopes that Germany will provide a fair business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Germany.
Noting that Germany is an important node of the China-Europe Railway Express, Xi said he believes that enhanced cooperation between China and Germany within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative will benefit countries along the route and promote connectivity of the Eurasian continent.
Third, Xi pointed out, the two sides need to work together to meet challenges and make new contributions to global governance.
Both China and Germany are defenders of multilateralism and contributors to global development, Xi noted.
He suggested that they increase coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and find practical solutions to problems concerning the shared future of mankind, such as fighting COVID-19; promoting fair distribution of vaccines; spurring post-pandemic economic recovery across the globe, especially in developing countries; tackling climate change; alleviating poverty; and achieving sustainable development.
He called for concerted efforts to seek settlement of regional hotspot issues through dialogue, uphold and strengthen the principle of democracy in international relations, and firmly oppose all forms of hegemonic behavior and Cold War mentality.
Only when countries develop together can there be true development, he said, adding that China is ready to work with Germany to promote the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Xi underscored that China and the EU are two major independent forces in the world with broad strategic consensus and common interests.
Visitors tour the Germany exhibition booth during the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)
The two sides, he added, should stay committed to the comprehensive strategic partnership and the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit, so as to ensure consistent sound and steady development of China-EU relations.
Xi said he hopes Germany will continue to play a positive role in stabilizing China-EU ties and inject stability and positive energy into the China-EU relationship.
For his part, Scholz thanked Xi for sending a congratulatory message on his election as German chancellor, adding that he still has fresh memories of his exchanges with Xi, and is ready to inherit and advance Germany-China friendship and cooperation.
At present, Germany and China are witnessing sound development of their trade and investment ties, close cooperation in confronting such global challenges as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, and close communication on such regional affairs as Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear issue, which constitute the three pillars for the sustained development of Germany-China relations, Scholz said.
Germany is willing to work with China in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual trust to push for further development of the Germany-China all-round strategic partnership, he said.
Germany, Scholz said, stands ready to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to hold a successful new round of intergovernmental consultations, strengthen practical cooperation in such areas as clean energy, digital economy and the service sector, and promote EU-China relations in a constructive manner.
Scholz said that he hopes the EU-China investment agreement will enter into force at an early date, and that Germany is ready to work with China to uphold multilateralism in international affairs.
In the conversation, the two leaders also exchanged New Year greetings, and agreed to maintain regular communication and make joint efforts to advance China-Germany and China-EU relations to new levels.
Editor: WXL
Eduard Mkrtchan, entrepreneur, economic expert, head of a charitable foundation
After two years of pandemic, the world began to focus differently on the values of university potential. The higher education system was quicker than others to navigate in COVID-realities. And earlier than others she offered the society anti-crisis algorithms. Many research and student platforms became centers of analysis of public policies and strategies.
The result is research programs and applications aimed at curbing the virus and its effects. The most notable marker is the well-known vaccine, the name of which is consonant with the brand of the British University.
Even before the pandemic, the worlds leading universities began their transformation from a rapidly obsolete research center to a model "3.0". Its essence is the strengthening of educational and scientific activities by the mission of innovative development of territories. This mission is historic for classical universities. For example, in the Kyiv-Mohyla and Ostroh academies, which formed the Ukrainian elites, they initiated book printing and determined the national consciousness.
Responsible leadership stimulates innovation challenges. For example, in Finland, since 2007, universities have been legally assigned the functions of innovative development of territories. A striking example is the provincial town of Joensuu, which has become a technological park and a center for technological research.
This role implies an impact on the economy, the quality of human capital and the innovative potential of the community. It forces universities to drift from the periphery to the epicenter of social processes.
In Europe, the boundaries between academic and applied knowledge are blurring. Innovation centers are moving into the university walls. Students are not simply given basic knowledge. They are taught to develop technologies, forming an entrepreneurial spirit in them.
At the same time, the conservatism of the educational system in Ukraine became apparent. She has not shown leadership in the development of the country or individual regions. Including Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where the pandemic was aggravated by the war and occupation.
Moreover, in this region we are witnessing crisis, associated with the relocation of ten universities from Donetsk and seven from Luhansk to the territory controlled by Ukraine. They could have given impetus to the development of local communities, but have now become shackles to their budgets. For example, the Donetsk Medical and Donetsk National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, which moved to Kramatorsk at the beginning of the war, entered into a constructive dialogue with the city hall only after its reboot in 2020. And before that, they fought for existence, proving their right to live.
An important marker, which indicates the understanding of the current Kramatorsk authorities' of the value of the higher education system was the proposal of Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko to equip Donetsk Medical University in the buildings of one of the local enterprises. Project visualization has already been presented. Of course, the path from idea to implementation will take a long time. But the first step in the case has been taken.
In the long run, one of the facets of Kramatorsk's positioning may be the status of a university hub in medicine and construction. Here are the conditions for the start - institutions, initial human resources, generations of students with new thinking. And most importantly - the region's colossal need for innovation.
It is not too late for Ukraine to stake on the trend of "responsible universities". This task is especially relevant for Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The region must respond to economic, environmental and infrastructural challenges. It is not enough to state external changes. It is important to predict them by offering applied solutions. This mission is for strong universities capable of transformation.
Responsible leadership is for responsible players. For relocated universities, it is necessary to consider the options for merging. This is a requirement of competition. For example, Luhansk National Agrarian University is torn between Slovyansk, Kostiantynivka and Starobilsk.
It is important for Ukraine to see the instruments for moving forward in the system of universities. This is a strategic untapped resource. We need solutions to prevent stagnation, de-industrialization and unemployment. University potential can play a decisive role in this. It should be considered more broadly than training, retraining or advanced training programs.
The transformation into a university of a third level requires focusing on the interests of society, business, and government. This will give the right to apply to the formation of regional strategies and economic models. Strengthening the self-sufficiency of the educational institution and the human resources of communities.
Innovation stimulates the involvement of competitive staff. Go beyond the usual market of applicants, students and teachers to find talent in other regions or countries. These are investments in human capitalization and community competitiveness.
Responsible leadership is a magnet that attracts talented graduates. And this is a motivator for their further work for the benefit of local communities. Which will provide innovative development of the region, expert support of self-government, capitalization of the territory.
The prosecution authorities in the trial of the downed MH17 believes that the amount that should be paid to everyone who have lost their relatives and loved ones in this disaster should amount to EUR 40,000.
Prosecutor General Birgit van Roessel said Tuesday in her indictment at the Schiphol trial that to a spouse, the officially registered partner of the deceased and a close partner who lived together [with the deceased], children, parents, guardians, the amount of compensation should be EUR 40,000.
Van Roessel continued that the second category, which includes children and parents who did not live with the deceased, should be paid EUR 35,000, and the third category, which includes brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers, grandchildren, uncles and aunts, nephews and families of the spouses who lived with the deceased EUR 30,000.
She said that this amount applies to everyone who lost a loved one.
She also said that the investigation considers it necessary to transfer the wreckage of the downed Boeing to Malaysian Airlines, as well as the cockpit, which was reconstructed to restore the picture of the damage.
The prosecution believes that regarding the wreckage of the missile that belonged to the Russian army, they should be confiscated. They believe that the missile did not officially belong to the accused Girkin, it was a missile from the Russian Armed Forces, and it could be confiscated because the Russian armed forces knew that Girkin and other defendants were using the missile to shoot down planes.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor is expected to announce his demand for the verdict to four defendants: three citizens of the Russian Federation and one citizen of Ukraine: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Leonid Kharchenko. All four are prosecuted for causing the crash of flight MH17, which killed 298 passengers, which is punishable by Article 168 of the Criminal Code, and for the murder of 298 passengers of MH17 flight, which is punishable by Article 289 of the Criminal Code.
As reported, on July 17, 2014, the MH17 flight was shot down over Donbas, killing all 298 people on board. Two-thirds of passengers are citizens of the Netherlands. Citizens of Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, the UK, Belgium, the United States, Germany, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand were also onboard. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which includes law enforcement from Ukraine, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and Malaysia, is probing the incident.
In September 2016, the Joint Investigation Group released its findings, according to which the airliner was shot down by a missile launched from a Buk air defense system, and a year ago it announced that the Buk belonged to the Russian 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade stationed in Kursk.
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili feels unwell and will be unable to attend the Tbilisi City Court's hearing on his illegal crossing of the Georgian border on Wednesday, lawyer Beka Basilaia told reporters.
"Mikheil Saakashvili is weak and has difficulty moving around. The court will have another hearing tomorrow, and yet another proceeding is scheduled for next week," Basilaia said.
Doctor Otar Toidze, who examined Saakashvili at a Gori hospital on Tuesday, recommended that Saakashvili abstain from attending court hearings.
Saakashvili, former Georgian president and currently a citizen of Ukraine, secretly arrived in Georgia on September 29 and was detained in Tbilisi on October 1 and put in jail in the city of Rustavi soon afterwards, where he declared a hunger strike. On November 8, he was transferred to the prison infirmary in Tbilisi's Gldani district without the consent of his lawyers and family. On November 20, Saakashvili was transferred to a military hospital in Gori, where he stopped his hunger strike.
Saakashvili has been convicted in Georgia in absentia in several criminal cases and is being treated as a suspect in some others. He has described his detention as unlawful and the charges brought against him as falsified.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk intends in January 2022 to appeal to the speakers of the parliaments of the countries of the world with a request to recognize the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine as genocide.
"One of the fundamentally important for the creation and development of our state is the issue of the Holodomor. The world must know the truth about it, just as it learned about the Holocaust. Next year we will mark the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor. In this regard, in January next year, I will personally appeal to the speakers of the world's parliaments with a request to recognize the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people," the speaker said at the annual conference of Ukrainian ambassadors "Diplomacy 30. Strategy of a Strong State" on Wednesday.
At the same time, he stressed that the support of this initiative on the part of the Ukrainian ambassadors and its correct presentation, taking into account the specifics of each country, are critically important.
"I think that the entire Ukrainian people will be sincerely grateful if our ambassadors in all countries contribute to the adoption of appropriate decisions by the governments and parliaments of the world. And therefore I call upon the ambassadors in those countries that have not yet recognized this terrible crime of the Soviet Union and the communist regime, to convince the parliamentarians of these countries to take appropriate decisions," Stefanchuk said.
The investigating judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) chose a custody status in the form of detention (in absentia) for former board chairman of PrivatBank Oleksandr Dubilet, who is suspected of embezzling the bank's funds in anticipation of its nationalization and causing damage to the bank in the amount of $314.9 million.
"On December 22, 2021, at the request of a NABU [the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine] detective, approved by the SAPO [Ukraine's Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office] prosecutor, the investigating judge of HACC chose a custody status in the form of detention for the former board chairman of PrivatBank," HACC said in Telegram on Wednesday.
As established in the course of the investigation, in December 2016, the day before PrivatBank was declared insolvent, Dubilet together with other persons, on the basis of false documents, paid the bank's funds in the amount of more than UAH 136.89 million to the insurance company associated with the bank, the press service of the court reported.
In addition, the ex-head of the bank is suspected of embezzling the bank's funds on the eve of its nationalization in the amount of $314.9 million by illegally writing off the obligations of nonresident companies at the expense of PrivatBank's funds, organizing an illegal and unjustified documentary replacement of the debtor with a company controlled and related to PrivatBank with the aim of further impossibility of collecting funds in favor of the bank and concealing the committed crime.
As reported, on October 28, 2021, the investigating judge HACC granted the petition of prosecutors and detectives and allowed a special pretrial investigation (in absentia) regarding the former head of the bank's board.
On December 18, 2016, the government of Ukraine, referring to the proposal of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and former shareholders of PrivatBank, the largest of which at that time were Ihor Kolomoisky and Hennadiy Boholiubov, decided to nationalize this largest financial institution on the Ukrainian market and injected over UAH 155 billion into its capital.
According to the NBU, as of October 1, 2021, PrivatBank ranked first in terms of total assets (UAH 550.328 billion) among 71 banks operating in the country.
On Wednesday, December 22, a meeting was held between the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the executive authorities regarding the creation in Ukraine of a single Service Center for the maintenance of helicopters, which will allow the repair and modernization of French-made Airbus helicopters.
"We need to agree on scheduled repairs of French helicopters in service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs system. Separately, we must complete all procedures so that the Service Center finally becomes a Service Center. That is, we need to coordinate all issues with the documentation so that we can independently service our equipment," the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs quoted the minister as saying.
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Serhiy Honcharov added that Nizhyn is the main base for servicing, the entire infrastructure for heavy helicopters H-225 has been created there, but other types of helicopters can also be serviced at this base.
"The main base of police services will be the town of Kaniv. For the State Border Guard Service, these are Odesa and Kharkiv, the corresponding infrastructure will be created there. Olexandriia is the main base for the location of the air forces of the National Guard of Ukraine," he said.
Honcharov said that from next year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will use the training base of the Kremenchuk Flight College, which received materials, equipment layouts, whose instructors were trained at the Airbus plant in France.
"In addition, French instructors will come to Ukraine to give consultations," he stressed.
Three more helicopters fly from France to Ukraine for Border Guard Service
Three new AIRBUS H125 helicopters for the State Border Guard Service arrived in Lviv from France on Wednesday, December 22, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has said.
"Today, three helicopters arrived in Lviv. And if the weather conditions permit, then tomorrow, December 23, they will fly to the capital," the ministry said.
It is noted that they have modern powerful equipment for detecting and suppressing offenses at the state border. The helicopters are equipped with an optoelectronic surveillance system that allows monitoring, including in infrared mode.
"The helicopters are also equipped with a warning system with loudspeakers and specialized aviation searchlights, which can be used synchronously with the optical-electronic surveillance system," the Interior Ministry said.
According to the Ukrainian-French contract, the Ukrainian border department already has seven H125 helicopters from the French company Airbus Helicopter. The first four helicopters arrived in Ukraine in January 2020 and November 2021.
In total, within the creation of the Unified System of Aviation Security and Civil Protection in Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service should receive 24 new N125 helicopters.
Meeza cards will replace the payroll cards of 4.3 million state employees by the end of January, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said on Thursday.
The minister said savings from setting the weight of a loaf at 90 grams would be redirected to the states budget in order to bolster infrastructure projects, education, and healthcare
Egypts Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi told parliament on Tuesday that state subsidies should go directly to consumers rather than bakeries and grocers.
Speaking before the House of Representatives, Moselhi called on MPs to support the ministry's decision in diverting food subsidies from bakeries and grocers to consumers, arguing that direct subsidies to consumers will be more beneficial for the public.
I hope we direct subsidies to the real beneficiaries, who are the Egyptian citizens for whom we are working, and not anyone else, Moselhi said in his speech.
Moselhi stressed that such a move would achieve the goals of the governments food subsidy programme.
The minister rejected criticism from some MPs regarding a recent ministry decision to reduce the weight of a subsidised bread loaf to 90 grams.
The old weight of a single loaf in all governorates never exceeded 91 grams, Moselhi said, adding that the ministry subsequently took a decision to reduce the weight of the loaf to 90 grams to avoid wasting resources."
The minister said savings from setting the weight of a loaf at 90 grams would be redirected to the states budget in order to bolster infrastructure projects and the health and education systems.
On combatting corrupt practices by some bakers, Moselhi told MPs that bakeries pay the market price for each gram and they would be shut down if the differential exceeds 20 grams.
The minister stressed that the ministry would not permit any licensing of bakeries based on false application data and would not allow any bakery that serves less than 2,500 people in any one area to remain in operation.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Hanafy El-Gebaly referred the supply minster's statement to the parliaments committees of Economic Affairs and Social Solidarity for review and follow up.
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The president's remarks came during a ceremony to inaugurate various housing projects in Badr City, northeast of the capital
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said Saturday that the state seeks to restructure the process of providing subsidies for Egyptians not eliminate the subsidies for various commodities, which amount to EGP 275 billion annually.
El-Sisis made these remarks during a ceremony to inaugurate various housing projects in Badr City, northeast of the capital, where he is set to open 47,876 housing units.
After the inaugural event, the president toured housing units which are being constructed in Badr City to accomodate state employees set to be relocated to the New Administrative Capital.
The state bears a huge cost to provide alternative housing to the Egyptians, the president said.
The aim behind the national, mega projects that are being implemented by the state is to improve the living conditions of citizens, he noted, adding that the state does not get any profits from such projects.
The cost of subsidisation is nearly EGP 3 trillion in ten years while the cost of developing the entire Egyptian countryside is one-third of such cost, the president noted.
The Decent Life Initiative, whose budget is estimated at EGP 700 billion, is being implemented with the aim of improving standards of living, infrastructure and services, and targets 58 percent of Egypts 102-million population, who live in 4,658 villages across the country.
Im not saying this so as to cancel subsidies, but to restructure it, he indicated.
The president's comments on subsidies come days after he said that while the state plans to continue subsidising bread, the price of a subsidised loaf, however, should be raised from a decades' low of 5 piastres so the government could use savings to provide students with much needed meals in schools.
El-Sisi said the Egyptian state needs to exert all efforts to bring about "a bright future," stressing "that things cannot continue as they were in the past."
The president noted that he deals with all critical issues in a systematic way, stressing that he chose to follow "the difficult path" of reform.
"People say that I chose the very difficult path; if I chose the easy path I would have just kept the poor in their predicament and would have just raised subsidies,' he said.
I must arrange the cards in this country' in order for it to become an country of significance."
Meeting housing needs amid population growth
El-Sisi added that "unplanned population growth hinders the state's development strategy," and that the expansion in the construction of unsafe housing has been destroying the country since 2011.
Egypts population of 102 million increased by nearly 2 percent growth rate in 2020, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The expansion of the housing sector and elimination of slums has been an area of intense focus for the state in recent years, with 1,426 major housing projects built in the last six years alone, according to housing ministrys figures.
Plans to eliminate slums have progressed in tandem with the development of new urban communities.
According to the Informal Settlements Development Fund (ISDF), unplanned residential areas comprise 40 percent of urban construction in the country and are home to 22 million people.
The ISDF says the government hopes to eliminate unplanned residential areas entirely by 2030.
The model housing communities which have been built to relocate hundreds of thousands of slum residents include Asmarat complex in Moqattam, Masaken Othman, the Mahrousa Projects, and Bashayer Al-Kheir.
Since 2014, as part of the state's efforts to meet population growth, the housing ministry has constructed 165,958 housing units at a cost of EGP 41 billion, and is currently working on an additional 74,927 units.
El-Sisi also pointed out that he is keen on solving the problems in all sectors such as roads, ports, airports and water to change the lives of citizens from a "no state to a state".
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Defence Mohamed Zaki, Minister of Housing Assem El-Gazzar, other state officials and top army commanders.
Madbouly, from his side, said that the problem of overpopulation should be seriously handled.
The housing issue was very important for the state over long decades, he said, adding that the state has adopted a strategy for handling the overpopulation problem, based on building new cities and overhauling old houses.
The state gave due attention to the file of housing over the past seven years in order to improve the living standards of Egyptians nationwide, Madbouly said.
Over the past seven years, the state was successful in doubling the establishment of housing units in Egypt, compared to the past 40 years, according to him.
Madbouly further mentioned that the state builds 225,000 homes in one year and aims to increase the construction work in the period to come.
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Pfizer said Tuesday that clinical trials confirmed its Covid pill -- a new type of treatment that should withstand the mutations seen with Omicron -- drastically reduced hospitalizations and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90 percent.
The announcement came as a real-world study from South Africa showed two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 70 percent effective in stopping severe illness from the new variant, a result called encouraging by researchers, though it represents a drop compared to earlier strains.
Data for the new pill, which hasn't yet been authorized anywhere in the world, came from more than 2,200 volunteers, and backed up preliminary findings announced last month.
The American drugmaker said its treatment, called Paxlovid, also held up against the Omicron variant in lab-testing.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CBS News the drug was a "game changer," and he expected the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to give its green light as soon as this month.
The trial showed that the pill reduced the need for hospitalization in high-risk adults with Covid-19 by 89 percent if the treatment was given within three days of symptom onset and by 88 percent if given within five days.
Overall, there were 12 deaths in the placebo group, and none in the drug group.
Side-effects were found at comparable rates between the treatment and placebo groups (23 percent and 24 percent, respectively), and were mostly mild.
Paxlovid also reduced the risk of severe disease, as well as the amount of virus detected, in a separate study of people at normal risk -- but the results were on the edge of statistical significance and need further confirmation.
New Type Of Drug
Paxlovid is a combination of two drugs -- nirmatrelvir, a new experimental medicine, and ritonavir, an existing antiviral used against HIV, both taken orally over five days.
Nirmatrelvir is known as a "protease inhibitor" and works by blocking the action of an enzyme the coronavirus needs to replicate. Ritonavir is administered to slow down the breakdown of nirmatrelvir inside the body.
Because Paxlovid does not target the fast-mutating spike proteins that stud the surface of the coronavirus, it should be more variant-proof than other treatments, such as synthetic antibody infusions, as well as antibodies evoked by most types of Covid vaccine.
Another Covid pill, Merck's molnupiravir, has already been authorized in Britain. A US panel of experts narrowly voted in favor of the Merck pill two weeks ago, but FDA authorization is still awaited.
Final study results showed molnupiravir reduced hospitalizations and deaths by a relatively disappointing 30 percent, and there were also safety concerns related to its mechanism of action, which differs from the Pfizer pill.
Merck itself recommended against molnupiravir's use in pregnant women after animal studies showed harm to fetuses.
Real-World Vaccine Data
The news comes as the heavily-mutated Omicron variant continues spreading fast around the world, raising alarms about surges in severe cases and deaths.
Even if early data suggesting that the variant is milder in most people is confirmed, its increased transmissibility and ability to overcome prior immunity may negate this advantage, by infecting higher numbers of people.
Many high-income countries have stepped up their campaigns to get people booster shots in order to restore vaccine efficacy.
The latest research out of South Africa found that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine still offered good protection against serious illness of 70 percent, though this was reduced from 93 percent during the country's Delta wave.
The study was based on the results of 78,000 PCR tests taken in South Africa between November 15 and December 7 and was conducted by Discovery along with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).
It also found two doses were 33 percent effective against infection -- a result that lines up with early data from the UK Health Security Agency, which experts say underscores the case for a third dose.
The British research found a third dose of Pfizer -- either after two earlier doses of Pfizer or two of AstraZeneca -- brought efficacy against infection back up to 70-75 percent.
The South African research further confirmed reinfection risk is higher with Omicron, and a lower percentage of people infected with the new variant were hospitalized when compared to the country's first wave, after adjusting for vaccine status.
Very preliminary data suggests that children have a 20 percent higher risk of hospital admission with the new variant, but the absolute numbers remain very low.
"It is essential to recognize that these are incomplete and partial data," said Russell Viner, a professor of child and adolescent health at the University College London, though he also warned against complacency.
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The EU announced on Wednesday it is launching legal action against Poland for ignoring European Union law and undermining the independence of its national judiciary.
EU economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the infringement proceedings targeted Poland for breaching the primacy of EU law and for deciding that certain articles of EU treaties were incompatible with Polish laws.
The step escalates a long-running feud between Warsaw and Brussels over Poland's perceived backsliding on EU democratic norms.
Brussels is already withholding approval of coronavirus recovery funds for Poland over the row.
Poland's Deputy Justice Minister Sebastian Kaleta hit back by calling the EU announcement "an attack on the Polish constitution and our sovereignty".
- Persistent defiance -
Legal action from Brussels was expected given persistent defiance from Poland's Constitutional Court to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The ECJ has already ruled against Poland for implementing a mechanism to lift the immunity of judges in the Constitutional Court and to sack any not deemed acceptable by the parliament dominated by the governing populist Law and Justice party.
The European Commission is also upset over a 2019 Polish law that prevents Polish courts applying EU law in certain areas, and from referring legal questions to the ECJ.
Gentiloni told a media conference the Polish moves "breached the general principles of autonomy, primacy, effectiveness and uniform application of Union law and the binding rulings of the Court of Justice".
The European Commission, he said, considers the Polish Constitutional Court "no longer meets the requirements of an independent and impartial tribunal established by law, as required" by a fundamental EU treaty.
He said Poland had two months to respond to a formal letter setting out the grounds of the infringement procedure.
In the event of no satisfactory reply, the matter could be sent to the ECJ.
While there is no option to kick Poland out of the EU for not respecting the bloc's laws, it could be hit with daily fines for non-compliance.
But Poland and Hungary ,another eastern EU member accused of undermining democratic norms , have a pact mutually shielding each other from more extreme EU punishment, such as removing their voting rights in the bloc.
Hungary, too, faces delays to receiving EU coronavirus recovery money because of its own defiance of EU rules.
Both countries have threatened to block EU business in retaliation for Brussels' actions.
Gentiloni said he was "confident" the rows with Warsaw and Budapest would not degenerate into a "tit for tat" cycle , but cautioned "we can't exclude anything".
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Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lit up the Giza Plateau in blue to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for one hour on Wednesday.
The foreign ministry also lit up its headquarters with the word UNICEF75.
UNICEF, which is in charge of spreading awareness about protecting childrens rights, celebrates its anniversary on 11 December every year.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry voiced Egypts keenness to enhance cooperation with UNICEF to protect childrens rights.
The organisation has a noble humanitarian message that we all have to support, Shoukry said in a speech during a ceremony in Cairo sponsored by the ministry and UNICEF.
Egypt was one of the first member states to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child and has since ratified all the optional protocols related to it.
UNICEFs presence and longstanding cooperation in Egypt goes back to the early 1950s since then, we have worked closely with our line ministry partners and international and national civil society organizations as well as the corporate sector to deliver results for children and always under national leadership, Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, said during the ceremony.
Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, who attended the ceremony, hailed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNICEF for the fruitful cooperation with the Egyptian government to support children.
Egypt places children in its heart, especially since the largest segment of its population is children and youth. In its 2030 strategy, Egypt focuses on human development and on reaching every child in Egypt and providing them with health care and education services, El-Said said, according to a statement by the UNICEF.
The longstanding cooperation and partnership between Egypt and UNICEF is entering a new phase amid ongoing efforts to complete the UNICEF Egypt Country Programme Document (CPD) 2023-2027 as a regulatory framework for all the funds activities in the country.
In a meeting with Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat in October, Hopkins voiced aspiration to cooperate with Egyptian authorities to further support national efforts to protect children and empower girls and youth.
UNICEF is working with the Egyptian government to establish a strategic partnership framework from 2023 to 2027, which will focus on providing support to Upper Egypt, the most vulnerable segments of society, persons with disabilities, and youth and girls, Hopkins said.
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Egypt reported 848 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total infection tally officially to 377,081 since the outbreak began in February 2020.
Egypts Health Ministry reported in its daily coronavirus statement that 47 new deaths related to Covid-19 complications were recorded officially in the past 24 hours nationwide, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to 21,457.
The statement added that 731 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 313,782.
Egypt's health authorities have sent more than 400,000 text messages to a selected target group from the fully vaccinated citizens for appointments to receive booster shots of the coronavirus vaccines, according to Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar.
The country is currently prioritising the optional booster shots for an initial group totalling around 4.1 million.
Egypt has administered more than 52 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since the launch of its mass vaccination campaign in January, according to the latest figures released by the ministry.
Egypt, which plans to vaccinate 40 percent of its 102-million population by 31 December, has currently 64.5 million vaccine doses available for use.
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Alexandria is suspending classes in all schools in the governorate on Thursday over bad weather, a statement by the governorate read.
Parts of the northern coast and the northern Delta are expected to witness mild to moderate rainfall on Thursday, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority said today.
Alexandria Governor Mohamed El-Sherif also ordered a paid day-off on Thursday for female employees who are tending to children under 12 years of age.
Employees in leadership positions and shift workers in Alexandria schools will report to work as usual, in accordance with the requirements set by the heads of the education directorates.
The decision has been made to preserve public safety and allow authorities to deal with the effects of the bad weather, the Alexandria governorate said.
Several areas in Alexandria saw rare snowfall on Monday as temperatures dropped in the Mediterranean city, coinciding with its seasonal winter thunderstorms.
The citys residents have described the snow-covered streets as Europe-like weather.
Alexandria had also suspended school last Sunday and Monday over unstable weather.
There is a 20 percent chance of mild rainfall on parts of southern Delta on Thursday, the EMA said. Rain may also extend to Greater Cairo during the night time.
On Friday, areas of the southern coasts and northern Delta are expected to see mild rainfall.
Cold weather is expected in Greater Cairo, Lower Egypt, the northern coast, and northern Upper Egypt during the day time from Thursday through Tuesday, the EMA said. South Sinai and southern Upper Egypt will see warm weather.
From Thursday till Tuesday, highs of 17-19 degrees Celsius and lows of 10-11 are expected in Greater Cairo and Lower Egypt.
Highs of 17-19 degrees and lows of 12-13 are expected along the northern coast.
South Sinai will see highs of 22-23 degrees and lows of 14-15.
Northern Upper Egypt will see highs of 18-20 degrees and lows of 7-8, while southern Upper Egypt will witness highs of 21-23 degrees and lows of 10-11 over these days.
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The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a US-proposed resolution that facilitates humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, which is on the verge of economic collapse, while keeping funds out of Taliban hands.
The resolution states that "payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources, and the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of such assistance or to support such activities are permitted."
Such assistance supports "basic human needs in Afghanistan" and is "not a violation" of sanctions imposed on entities linked to the Taliban, it adds.
The international community has struggled over how to avert a humanitarian catastrophe amid economic meltdown in Afghanistan since the Taliban swept back to power in mid-August, prompting the United States to freeze $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank.
An earlier US resolution had sought to authorize case-by-case exemptions to sanctions, but that was blocked by veto-wielding permanent Security Council members China and Russia.
"Humanitarian aid and life-saving assistance must be able to reach the Afghan people without any hindrance," China's UN Ambassador, Zhang Jun, said in a tweet Monday.
The decision to limit the scope of the resolution to one year, which was not part of the first draft, aims to satisfy Washington's European allies, who, like India, had criticized the absence of any deadline and called for strict control over the destination of aid.
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Greek authorities ramped up a major sea-and-air search and rescue operation in the Aegean Sea on Wednesday after a migrant smuggling vessel sank, leaving at least three people dead and dozens reported missing.
The coast guard said 12 people, all believed to be from Iraq, were rescued from an inflatable dinghy off the island of Folegandros in the southern Cyclades, 180 kilometers (112 miles) southeast of Athens.
The 11 men and one woman were taken to a hospital on the nearby island of Santorini as a precaution.
The bodies of three unidentified men were recovered from the sea.
The survivors said they had been on a larger boat that took on water and sank overnight. Most said there were originally 32 people on the boat, but one told authorities there were about 50.
The coast guard said a navy frigate joined four coast guard vessels, 8 merchant ships, three smaller private vessels, three military helicopters and a military transport plane taking part in the search and rescue operation as night approached.
``The survivors made it onto a dinghy that was tethered to the (bigger) vessel. Only two of them were wearing life jackets,'' Coast Guard spokesman Nikos Kokkalas told state-run ERT television. ``We always presume the worst-case scenario, in this case that 50 people were on the boat.''
The coast guard said the operation began Tuesday night after it received information that a vessel carrying migrants had suffered engine failure and later began taking on water south of Folegandros.
Greece is one of the most popular routes into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Most attempt to cross in dinghies from the Turkish shore to the nearby eastern Aegean Greek islands.
But with increased patrols and allegations of summary deportations back to Turkey for those who arrive, many have been attempting lengthier routes on larger vessels. Folegandros, one of the southern islands in the Cyclades, is not along a usual route for migrant smugglers.
Other vessels have bypassed the Greek islands and headed directly from Turkey to Italy.
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Egypt will submit the FY 2022/2023 draft budget for community dialogue for the first time in January 2022, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait announced on Wednesday.
The minister said the move, initiated as per President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's directives, is meant to consolidate community contribution to set public spending priorities.
The dialogue is expected to focus on the key strategic objectives of the budget and its financial targets through eight dialogue sessions with representatives of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Egyptian Industries, Egyptian Businessmen Association, Egyptian Junior Business Association, Senate, and House of Representatives, in addition to governors, business councils, persons with special needs, and young people, according to Maait.
The sessions will include a segment for media representatives, experts, professors at Egyptian universities, research centres, and think tanks.
The outcomes of the dialogue will be taken into account while drafting the final budget, said Maait.
The new budget, which will be rolled out on 1 July 2022, will focus on expanding in developmental investments, especially in green projects, and social protection nets, putting health and education as a top priority in terms of spending and investment, Maait said.
It also centres on increasing partnerships with the private sector, particularly in the green-based investments, to improve Egypts competitiveness in the environmental performance indices, he added.
Egypt plans to increase public green investments to 50 percent, up from 30 percent, through 2025, the minister stated.
In a recent interview with Ahram Online, Vitor Gasper, head of the Fiscal Affairs Department at the International Monetary Fund, said that Egypts return to the pre-crisis primary surplus of two percent is expected in FY 2022/23, which together with stronger growth is expected to anchor a sustained decline in public debt over the medium term.
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KYODO NEWS - Dec 22, 2021 - 10:43 | All, Japan
The top executive of Kirin Holdings Co. said Tuesday the company may ask the Japanese government for help to resolve a dispute over ending its beer business partnership with a Myanmar military-linked entity.
Kirin Holdings President and CEO Yoshinori Isozaki said in an interview with Kyodo News that his company may need such support, depending on the ruling by a Yangon district court after its partner Myanma Economic Holdings Public Co. unilaterally filed a petition last month to liquidate a joint venture called Myanmar Brewery Ltd.
Isozaki said he hopes the dispute on the venture, the biggest beer company in Myanmar owned 51 percent by Kirin and 49 percent by the Myanmar entity, can be resolved by the end of June.
"I believe the government did not strongly urge us to invest only to feign ignorance when things go badly," the 68-year-old said, referring to a 2014 investment treaty between Japan and Myanmar.
The Tokyo-based company entered the Myanmar market in 2015 following the agreement that protects investors from becoming stripped of their investment assets and as the Southeast Asian country moved toward democratization.
Kirin has two joint ventures -- Myanmar Brewery and Mandalay Brewery Ltd. -- with Myanma Economic Holdings but decided in February to end its partnership with the local partner after the Myanmar military seized power in a coup. Since then, the Japanese company has sought to negotiate but has been unsuccessful.
In response to the legal action by Myanma Economic Holdings, a Kirin subsidiary filed for commercial arbitration with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre earlier this month.
Kirin is looking for a new local partner not linked to the Myanmar military. But Isozaki said Kirin would pull out of the Myanmar market when requested by the Southeast Asian country "if a resolution has been made in a legal and logical manner following a proper discussion."
Related coverage:
Brewer Kirin files for arbitration to end deal with Myanmar military entity
FEATURE: Japan firms worried about business impact as Myanmar unrest grows
The chief executive said the military coup was "unexpected" and that the "world is watching" how Kirin will handle the issue.
The partner has yet to respond sufficiently to Kirin's request for talks on the matter, Isozaki said, adding he hopes his company and the country's military government, which is looking for overseas investors, will reach a fair resolution in the dispute.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 22, 2021 - 22:24 | World, All
Over 4,400 people from Myanmar have fled into Thailand since Thursday last week to escape clashes between government soldiers and an armed ethnic minority group, the Thai military said Wednesday.
As the fighting between Myanmar's ruling military and the Karen National Union intensifies in southeastern Kayin State and more refugees enter Thailand, Thai authorities in neighboring Tak Province have been tasked with accommodating them in temporary shelters and providing them with humanitarian assistance.
Local media in Myanmar reported the military troops raided the town of Lay Kay Kaw in the state Tuesday last week and detained dozens of people from opposition forces who had taken refuge there, including members of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.
The KNU said in a statement that the group responded to the attack with force on the following day, saying "Our KNU troops had to engage in self-defense measures towards the acts of aggressive arrests, destruction of houses, and forceful, violent attacks."
The group had signed a ceasefire agreement with the then military-backed civilian government in 2015 after decades of conflict, creating a largely peaceful situation in border areas under KNU control.
But since the military ousted Suu Kyi's elected government in a Feb. 1 coup, the KNU has made clear its support for those protesting against military rule and accepted youths who fled in opposition to the coup, providing them with training to fight back.
In March, the military raided an area controlled by the KNU by aircraft and thousands of people took refuge in Thailand.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 22, 2021 - 13:29 | All, Japan
In the wake of the Gulf crisis of August 1990, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush urged Japan to provide logistical support to the U.S. military via its Self-Defense Forces, despite constitutional constraints, according to diplomatic records declassified Wednesday and testimonies from former government officials.
The request was directly made to then Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu. Japan did not meet Bush's call to dispatch the SDF to the Gulf War, although it deployed minesweepers in the Persian Gulf as a postwar contribution -- a reflection of the strong influence the United States has on Tokyo's security policy.
A top-secret diplomatic cable that recorded a meeting between Kaifu and Bush held on Sept. 29, 1990, revealed that the president told Kaifu he knew Japan was looking for ways to get its "forces" involved in international efforts in the Middle East, and that such action would be appreciated by the world.
It is the first time it has been publicly revealed that the U.S. president attempted to persuade Japan to dispatch the SDF in connection with the crisis
Koichiro Matsuura, a former Japanese ambassador to France who served as head of the Foreign Ministry's North American Affairs Bureau, said Bush earlier asked in a phone call on Aug. 14 for the SDF to sweep for mines and transport weapons.
In a series of talks, Kaifu responded by expressing the need to protect the war-renouncing Article 9 of Japan's postwar Constitution, while stressing his desire to cooperate.
During the September meeting in New York, while avoiding clear answers to Bush's request, Kaifu is quoted as saying, "As it is the first (such request) in (Japan's) postwar history, we need to have plenty of discussion and time."
Kaifu sought to compromise by establishing a nonmilitary U.N. peacekeeping operations team and having some SDF personnel be part of it.
But the plan ran into difficulties after a bill aimed at allowing Japan to cooperate in U.N. peacekeeping operations was scrapped in November of that year due to public opposition.
According to diplomatic cables and former government officials, the United States effectively notified Japan of its intention to use force on Jan. 14, 1991, three days before the Gulf War began.
Then U.S. Secretary of State James Baker secretly told his Japanese counterpart Taro Nakayama during his visit to the United States that the blood of Americans would be shed.
The records and testimonies also revealed that of the $13 billion Japan provided to the multinational coalition in aid, $9 billion was added in response to a request by then U.S. Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Ryutaro Hashimoto in New York.
Multiple former Japanese government officials have testified that while there was no basis for the total amount sought by the United States, there was "no other choice" but to meet the request.
But Japan's response to the Gulf War was internationally criticized as "too little, too late," making it a traumatic experience for lawmakers and government officials that has strongly influenced the course of its foreign and security policies ever since.
Taizo Miyagi, a Sophia University professor who specializes in the history of international politics, said Japan was "overwhelmingly strong as an economic superpower" at the time of the Gulf War, and that U.S. "dissatisfaction" at Tokyo's reluctance to bear "a reasonable burden" is reflected in the diplomatic records.
"The Gulf War became a trauma for Japan, and the axis for evaluating foreign affairs has since then become the perspective of the United States," Miyagi said.
Legal changes now allow Japan's SDF to be dispatched to overseas peacekeeping operations even if they are not under the control of the United Nations.
Still, sending the SDF abroad for Japan's defense or international security cooperation needs to meet some conditions and remains a sensitive issue under the pacifist Constitution.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 22, 2021 - 23:23 | All, Japan, World, Coronavirus
Travelers from nearly all parts of the United States will now have to spend three days of their two-week quarantine periods in government-designated facilities, as part of stricter quarantine requirements, the Japanese government said Wednesday.
The measure, effective Saturday, is part of strict border controls to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
The three-day requirement previously only applied to travelers from a certain U.S. states. Travelers from New York and Hawaii will still be required to spend six days of their quarantine periods in the facilities, the government said.
Travelers from Ecuador, Lithuania, Russia and Slovakia will also have to spend three days of their quarantine periods in government-designated facilities.
Japan currently bans new foreign arrivals and requires returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents to quarantine in such facilities. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said the tighter rule would remain in force until early January.
Japan reported its first Omicron infection last month and the number of cases has continued to increase.
Related coverage:
Japan reports 1st community spread of Omicron, braces for resurgence
Japan to keep strict border controls for the time being: PM Kishida
New app allows travelers paperless entry into Japan
KYODO NEWS - Dec 22, 2021 - 19:55 | All, World, Japan
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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1st community spread of Omicron variant reported in Osaka
TOKYO - Japan on Wednesday reported its first community transmission of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Osaka Prefecture, with three family members having no history of travel overseas being infected through unknown routes.
Health minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters that the cases in the western area should be deemed a community transmission and the government will take all necessary precautions.
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Panel submits 2 proposals to stop Japan royal family from shrinking
TOKYO - A government panel tasked with studying ways to ensure a stable imperial succession submitted Wednesday two proposals to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that would stop Japan's royal family from shrinking further, but postponed conclusions regarding specific measures on succession.
The two options -- allowing female members who marry commoners to retain their imperial status, and male heirs from former branches to be adopted into the imperial family by revising the 1947 Imperial House Law -- seek to address the dwindling number of eligible heirs.
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Tokyo Games total cost at 1.45 tril. yen, no extra funds needed
TOKYO - The cost of hosting the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics last summer is expected to total 1.45 trillion yen ($12.7 billion), meaning there will be no extra burden on taxpayers as the amount is 191 billion yen less than an earlier budget plan, organizers said Wednesday.
The cost savings, presented at an executive board meeting of the games' organizing committee in the Japanese capital, were achieved mainly because most events were held without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Kihira to miss nationals, Hanyu a practice no-show
TOKYO - Two-time defending Olympic men's champion Yuzuru Hanyu did not skate in Wednesday's official practice for Japan's national figure skating championships, while reigning two-time women's champion Rika Kihira will miss the Beijing Olympic qualifying event completely, the Japan Skating Federation said.
According to the federation, Hanyu, who has been out injured, is slated to compete at Saitama Super Arena outside Tokyo in what would be his first competition of the Olympic season.
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Dozens feared missing after landslide at jade mine in Myanmar
YANGON - Dozens of people were feared missing after a landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar's northernmost state of Kachin early Wednesday, according to local media reports.
The landslide occurred at around 4 a.m. at the dump site of a jade mine in the Hpakant area where possibly up to 80 people were scavenging for leftover jade stones at the time, the reports said.
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Japan's FY 2022 initial budget expected to total 107.6 tril. yen
TOKYO - Japan's government will compile a draft budget for fiscal 2022 worth about 107.6 trillion yen ($950 billion), a record high for the 10th straight year, government sources said Wednesday.
The government plans to add 5 trillion yen to reserve funds for future responses to the coronavirus pandemic and prepare general account expenditures for the fiscal year starting April topping the 100 trillion yen threshold for the fourth straight year.
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U.S. asked Japan to send SDF during Gulf crisis: declassified records
TOKYO - In the wake of the Gulf crisis of August 1990, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush urged Japan to provide logistical support to the U.S. military via its Self-Defense Forces, despite constitutional constraints, according to diplomatic records declassified Wednesday and testimonies from former government officials.
The request was directly made to then Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu. Japan did not meet Bush's call to dispatch the SDF to the Gulf War, although it deployed minesweepers in the Persian Gulf as a postwar contribution -- a reflection of the strong influence the United States has on Tokyo's security policy.
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SBI open to delisting Shinsei to repay public funds: CEO
TOKYO - SBI Holdings Inc. President and CEO Yoshitaka Kitao said Wednesday the online financial group is open to delisting Shinsei Bank to repay public funds injected into it in the late 1990s during Japan's financial crisis.
"It is an important option," Kitao said in his first press conference since SBI's successful takeover bid for the bank, referring to the possibility of making the bank private to repay some 350 billion yen ($3 billion) through asset sales.
highlights IAF pilots conducted test flights of the MiG 35 fighter aircraft during air exhibition
IAF delegation led by Air Marshal Amit Dev, Director General Air Operations
MiG-35 is a 4++ generation Mikoyan multi-role combat aircraft
New Delhi:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots conducted test flights of the MiG 35 fighter aircraft during an ongoing air exhibition in Zukhovski, Russia. An IAF delegation led by Air Marshal Amit Dev, Director General Air Operations had visited Russia for the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS 2019 air show that was held at the Zukhovski International Airport near Moscow between August 27 and 29.
The delegation was also shown the Sukhoi 57E, the export version of the fifth-generation Russian supersonic stealth jet fighter at the air exhibition.
"The Indian delegation were shown MiG-35 and Su-57 aircraft. Indian Air Force test pilots G/C BS Reddy and W/C FL Roy got an opportunity to fly two sorties on MiG-35 aircraft during the visit," the IAF tweeted.
The MiG-35 is a 4++ generation Mikoyan multi-role combat aircraft that comes in single- and twin-seater versions too. Officials said the MiG 35 as well as the Sukhoi 57E were entirely new version of the aircraft. In July, the IAF Chief B.S. Dhanoa had inspected the MiG-35 during his Russia visit.
Dhanoa had clarified that the IAF would select a new jet only after following the due process of tender, evaluation and test flights. The MiG-35 has a sturdier frame, is fitted with an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar and has been fitted with state-of-the-art latest Russian missile weapons.
Sources said the fighter jets were shown at the airs show to attract new customers as well as those already using Russian fighter aircraft. It is also being speculated that Russia might offer a sale of the aircraft to India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country next week. Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Vladivostok.
"The sorties flown by the IAF pilots were regular test flights during the air exhibition. It is not yet clear if India will purchase the aircraft from Russia," an IAF official told IANS.
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highlights The Worlds Longest Cruise, Viking sets sail from London on Sunday
The 245 days sail will span 6 continents, 51 countries, 111 ports and covering 55,700 nautical miles
Viking will return next year to London in 2020 of May
New Delhi:
The Worlds Longest Cruise, Viking sets sail from London on Sunday. The epic 245 days journey will span six continents, 51 countries, 111 ports and covering 55,700 nautical miles before returning to London in May 2020. The cruise Viking will also attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous passenger cruise," according to a press release. The new record will be confirmed successful upon the return of Viking Sun to London next year by an official Adjudicator.
For more than 20 years we have been committed to connecting travelers to culturally immersive experiences that allow them to explore the world in comfort.
The eight-month sail will explore Scandinavia, the Caribbean, South America, the south Pacific, Australia and Asia before returning to the Mediterranean and Europe. There will be overnight stays on land in 23 cities including Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Ushuaia in Argentina, Hobart in Tasmania, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Mumbai in India and Luxor in Egypt.
However, to embark on the record eight-month cruise customers have to fork out a hefty 82,999 making it a 1,400 per country they visit.
Torstein Hagen, the chair of Viking, said, Our ultimate world cruise is the most extensive itinerary available in the industry, nearly double the length of our previous world cruise itineraries.
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New Delhi:
Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Sunday assumed charge as vice chief of the 1.3 million-strong Army. Naravane will be in contention for the Army chief's post as he will be the senior-most commander when incumbent Gen Bipin Rawat retires on December 31, official sources said.
Lt Gen Naravane succeeds Lt Gen D Anbu who retired from service on Saturday. Before taking charge as vice chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Naravane was heading the Eastern Command of the Army which takes care of India's nearly 4,000-km border with China.
In his 37 years of service, Lt Gen Naravane has served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter-insurgency environments in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
READ | Vivek Kumar Johri takes charge as Director General of BSF
Naravane has also commanded a Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and an infantry brigade on the eastern front. He was also part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and had served as India's defence attache at the Indian Embassy in Myanmar for three years.
Lt Gen Naravane is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the 7th battalion, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980. "He brings with him an enormous amount of experience in serving in the most challenging areas," the Army said in a release.
READ | Admiral Karambir Singh takes over as Navy Chief
The General is a decorated officer who has been awarded the Sena Medal' (Distinguished) for effectively commanding his battalion in Jammu and Kashmir. He is also a recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal' for his services as the Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) in Nagaland and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal' for commanding of a prestigious strike corps.
Naravane was also honoured with Param Vishisht Seva Medal' for his distinguished services as the GOC-in-C of the Army Training Command.
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New Delhi:
US forces attacked leaders of an Al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria on Saturday, the Pentagon said. The strike north of Idlib targeted leaders of the group the Pentagon calls Al-Qaeda in Syria (AQS) whom it blamed for "attacks threatening US citizens, our partners and innocent civilians," Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown, a spokesman for the US Central Command said in a statement.
It did not say what kind of weapons were used.
This is a breaking news story. More details will be added soon. Please refresh the page for the updated version.
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highlights Baby Lily Borrill was born weighing only just 1lb, 11oz - and now cannot discharged from hospital
The couple has no medical insurance and the stay in US will lead to expensive hospital and hotel bills
The couple says they can't wait to have her home
New Delhi:
A British couple Louis Borrill and his fiancee Yeridiana Chazares gave birth to a child three months early, ahead of the November due date while they were on holiday in the US. Baby Lily Borrill was born weighing only just 1lb, 11oz - and now cannot discharged from hospital for three or four months till his health stabilises. The couple has no medical insurance and the stay in US will lead to expensive hospital and hotel bills. The doctors have told them that Lily would not be 'out of the woods' until around three or four months and only then can she be discharged and they can return home to Scunthorpe.
"Obviously, we were shocked by this, we planned to have Lily in Scunthorpe and then we find out that we're going to have to have her born here, and in the back of our minds realising what was going to come, Mail Online quoted Louis Borrill said.
Although in pre-term labour, the doctors told Louis and Yeri that this waiting period could have been anywhere between a few hours to a few months, with them having to remain in the hospital throughout. However, at 8.18am on August 6, baby Lily was born. I don't even know how I could possibly describe that 24-hour period. We were scrambling around trying to figure out what we had to do and were both obviously very nervous. But we knew we had to remain calm, knowing our baby could come at any point, he added.
The couple says they can't wait to have her home. The doctors say that the baby is doing great breathing, moving and, hopefully, getting stronger and stronger.
According to Mail Online have set up an online GoFundMe page to help them meet the hospital, hotel expenses in the US.
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New Delhi:
A nuclear war between the US and Russia could break out even if a small asteroid explodes over the two nations, where political tensions are high. Yes, Bryan Walsh, author of End Times, has claimed in the book: The airburst from the 2013 meteor could have easily been mistaken for a nuclear strike by the United States, which was indeed the first reaction of many witnesses on the ground.
So, what happened in 2013?
In 2013, a 20-metre meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk in Russia that damaged windows and caused injuries to more than 1,000 people. Experts had not anticipated the incident, and at first officials were unsure what caused the impact.
Also Read: Asteroid Alert: Earth Will '100 Per Cent Be Hit' By Killer Space Rock, Says Scientist
Nuclear tensions between Washington and Moscow are even higher now than they were in 2013. Its not difficult to imagine but horrifying to picture what a knee-jerk Russian reaction to a seeming nuclear attack could have lead to, Walsh said.
A new research has found that there would be a 30 per cent reduction in precipitation across the world in the ensuing months of a US-Russia huge nuclear war. This would lead to severe global food shortages, the researchers have warned.
The use of nuclear weapons in this manner by the United States and Russia would have disastrous consequences globally, the report added.
Also Read: DRAMATIC! Scientists Stunned As Asteroid 6478 Gault Changes Colour
The article read: Nuclear winter, with below freezing temperatures overmuch of the Northern Hemisphere during summer, occurs because of a reduction of surface solar radiation due to smoke lofted into the stratosphere.
Meanwhile, a large number of asteroids are hovering all around the Earth and we might get hit too sooner or later. Recently, many giant asteroids including 2019 OK, 2019 OD, 2015 HM10, 2019 OE, 2019 NN3, 2019 MB4, 2019 MT2, and others approached towards the Earth, fortunately did not hit our planet and we are safe.
It is said that Earth will reach to its end one day and one of the possible reason for this could be an asteroid.
Also Read: Are We Safe From An Asteroid Armageddon? Find Out Here
Well, the life on the Earth may come to an end in this month (September) as four gigantic asteroids identified as 2019 GT 3, 2010 CO1, 2000 QW7 and 1998 FF14 will dangerously approach towards our planet.
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highlights CBI has taken up investigation into alleged phone tapping of politicians during the previous Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka.
CBI has filed an FIR on a request from the Karnataka government headed by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah, M Mallikarjuna Kharge and home minister in the alliance government M B Patil, had sought a probe.
New Delhi:
The CBI has taken up investigation into alleged phone tapping of politicians during the previous Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka, officials said on Saturday. The agency has filed an FIR on a request from the Karnataka government headed by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, they said.
Yediyurappa had announced a CBI probe amid signs that the scandal was gaining political steam ever since disqualified JD(S) MLA A H Vishwanath, who served as JD(S) state president and turned rebel, accused the H D Kumaraswamy government of tapping phones and spying on more than 300 people, including him.
Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah, M Mallikarjuna Kharge and home minister in the alliance government M B Patil, had sought a probe while another key party leader and former minister D K Shivakumar has rejected the snooping charges and appeared to side with Kumaraswamy.
According to reports, phones of those close to Siddaramaiah, who was the then coalition coordination committee chief, too had come under the watch.
Several BJP leaders, including former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, have directly accused Kumaraswamy of being behind the episode to save his government which was then rocked by dissidence within.
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New Delhi:
Police have issued a general alert for Mumbai in view of the upcoming Ganpati festival and over 40,000 personnel will be deployed for security in the metropolis, an official said on Saturday. Ganpati festival will be celebrated from Monday till Anant Chaturdashi on September 12.
An official said 7,703 public and 1.63 lakh domestic idols will be installed on Ganesh Chaturthi, along with 11,667 idols of the elephant-headed God with Gauri this year.
Personnel from the State Reserve Police Force, Riot Control Police, Quick Response Teams (QRT), BDDS squad, traffic police, Home Guards, Civil Defence and volunteers of various Ganesh mandals will be part of the security set-up, he said.
More than 5,000 CCTVs will monitor activities in the city, he said, adding that Lalbaugcha Raja mandal will have special arrangements considering the massive crowds it attracts. As of now there is no specific terror inputs on the wake of the festive season, but we are alert and taking all precautionary measures, the official said.
The idols will be immersed at 129 places in the city, including Girgaum, Juhu and other prominent beaches, he said. Police will coordinate with BMC, Coast Guard, Navy, and boats will be on stand-by to tackle any untoward incident, like drowning, he added.
highlights Flipkart Qualcomm Snapdragon Days Sale currently underway.
Redmi Note 7 Pro, Poco F1, Vivo V15 Pro, Asus ZenFone Max, Oppo Reno 10X Zoom, among others available with huge discounts.
Buyers can get benefit of no-cost EMI plans and assured cashback for Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card, HDFC Bank Debit Card and Axis Bank Buzz Credit Card holders.
New Delhi:
Recently News Nation reported that Flipkart is hosting its Month-End Mobiles Fest sale until August 31. In the meantime, Flipkart is currently offering a host of smartphones at discounted prices as part of its Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale. Yes, you read it right. Offers are raining these days. Arent they? Coming back to the Flipkart sale, only Snapdragon processor-powered smartphones are being retailed at discounted prices. These include the likes of Redmi Note 7 Pro, Vivo Z1 Pro and Poco F1. The sale is live and will go on through August 31 (today). In addition to the price cuts on smartphones, buyers can also get the benefit of no-cost EMI plans and assured cashback for Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card, HDFC Bank Debit Card and Axis Bank Buzz Credit Card holders.
Under the ongoing Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale, Redmi Note 7 Pro is being offered at an additional exchange discount of Rs 1,000. The smartphone is listed at Rs 12,999.
Oppo A5 is being retailed at Rs 11,990 on Flipkart. It is to be noted that the Oppo A5 comes with an additional discount of Rs 3000 over its regular exchange value.
Vivo Z1 Pro gets a discount of Rs 1,000. While the smartphone's base 4GB + 64GB model being sold for Rs 14,990, the 6GB + 64GB variant is currently available at Rs 16,990. On the other hand, the 6GB+128GB variant can be purchased at Rs 17,990.
The base 3GB + 32GB variant of Asus ZenFone Max is currently listed at Rs 7,499. On the other hand, Asus 6Z is available with an extra discount worth Rs 3,000 over regular exchange value and is currently available at Rs 32,999 on Flipkart.
Samsung Galaxy A70 gets an extra discount worth Rs 3,000 on its listed price of Rs 28,990. Vivo V15 Pro buyers can avail an additional Rs 3,000 discount over its exchange value. It is currently listed at Rs 26,990.
Oppo Reno 10X Zoom Edition buyers will get an exchange discount of up to Rs 3,000. It is currently listed at Rs 49,990. The phone's 6GB + 128GB variant can now be purchased for Rs 39,990.
Poco F1 Rs is currently listed at Rs 17,999. It has also received an extra discount worth Rs 3,000 over its exchange value. In addition to exchange discounts and price cuts, buyers can also avail 5 per cent cashback using a Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card and HDFC Bank Debit Cards, and an additional 5 per cent discount for purchases made using an Axis Bank Buzz Credit Card.
highlights Manoj Tiwari said that NRC is needed in Delhi as the situation is becoming dangerous.
The final National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam was released today.
A total of 3,30,27,661 people had applied to be included in the NRC.
New Delhi:
On a day when over 19 lakh people have been excluded from the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said that it should be implemented in Delhi also as the city is facing dangerous problem of illegal immigrants. National Register of Citizens (NRC) is needed in Delhi as the situation is becoming dangerous. Illegal immigrants who have settled here are the most dangerous, we will implement NRC here as well, the BJP MP said.
However, another BJP leader said that he had lost all hope in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and feel that it wont be effective in removing illegal immigrants.
"We have lost hope in the present form of the NRC right after the draft. When so many genuine Indians are out, then how can you claim that this document is a red letter for the Assamese society," Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The final National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam was released today and names of over 19 lakh applicants have been excluded from list.
A total of 3,30,27,661 people had applied to be included in the NRC. Of them, 3,11,21,004 have been included in the document and 19,06,657 excluded, a statement from the NRC State Coordinator's office said here.
The status of both inclusion and exclusion can be viewed online in the NRC website, www.nrcassam.nic.in. However the official website of the NRC crashed within a few minutes of the publication of the list.
The site belonging to the Office of the State Coordinator of National Registration (NRC), Assam, however, was restored shortly.
The final list was published at 10 am and the hard copies of the Supplementary List of Inclusions are available for public viewing at the NRC Seva Kendras (NSK), offices of the deputy commissioner and offices of the Circle Officer during office hours, the statement said.
highlights Shah dierects state govt to provide all possible helps to people in need.
CM Fadnavis announces Rs 5 lakh for kin of the deceased.
Around 100 people were inside the factory when the blasts took place.
New Delhi:
Hours after a series of deadly cylinder blasts hit a chemical factory in Maharashtra, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday expressed his condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased. Shah has also spoken to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and directed the state government to do everything possible to assist the people in need. As per the latest reports, at least 13 people are dead and 58 others injured at multiple explosions that took place at the chemical unit, located at Waghadi village near Shirpur around 9:45 am this morning.
"Anguished to learn about the loss of lives due to explosion at a chemical factory in Dhule, Maharashtra. Have spoken to CM Devendra Fadnavis, state govt is doing everything possible to assist the people in need. My condolences with the bereaved families. May injured recover soon," Shah tweeted.
Anguished to learn about the loss of lives due to explosion at a chemical factory in Dhule, Maharashtra. Have spoken to CM @Dev_Fadnavis, state govt is doing everything possible to assist the people in need. My condolences with the bereaved families. May injured recover soon. Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 31, 2019
READ | We Support Peace But Not At Cost Of Our Security, Says Home Minister Amit Shah
Shortly afterwards, Fadnavis also took to Twitter and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. He also condoled the loss of lives in the explosions, adding that the fire is now under control.
CM Devendra Fadnavis also announced a5 lakh to the kin of deceased. CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) August 31, 2019
Meanwhile, various teams of police, disaster management and fire brigade officials are present at the spot and put on survice to conduct rescue operations. The rescue operations were underway when the last reports came in.
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"Prima facie, multiple cylinders exploded at the factory. At least eight bodies have been recovered by police and rescue teams so far. Rescue operation is on," said the Shirpur police station officer. However, the actual reason behind the explosions is yet to be ascertained.
Bajrang Dal, BJP taking money from ISI, claims Congress leader Digvijaya Singh
According To Reports, Singh Made These Controversial Remarks In Bhind While Addressing A Gathering After Inaugurating The Statue Of Maharana Pratap.
highlights Digvijay said non-Muslims are spying for ISI more than Muslims.
He claimed Bajrang Dal, BJP are taking money from ISI.
Digvijay Singh made these controversial remarks in Bhind.
New Delhi:
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has sparked a fresh a controversy by claiming that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bajrang Dal are taking money from money from Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister also claimed that non-Muslims are spying for Pakistan's premier intelligence agency more than Muslims.
"Bajrang Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are taking money from ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). Attention should be paid to this. Non-Muslims are spying for Pakistan's ISI more than Muslims. This should be understood," he was quoted as saying by ANI.
#WATCH MP: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh says, "Bajrang Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are taking money from ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). Attention should be paid to this. Non-Muslims are spying for Pakistan's ISI more than Muslims. This should be understood." (31.08) pic.twitter.com/NPxltpaRZA ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2019
According to reports, Singh made these controversial remarks in Bhind while addressing a gathering after inaugurating the statue of Maharana Pratap.
Reacting to Singh's statement, BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that he make such controversial statements to stay in news.
"He gives controversial statements to stay in news. He and his leaders speak Pakistan's language. Pakistan quotes Rahul Gandhi. As far as BJP-RSS is concerned, the entire world, the entire country knows their patriotism," Chouhan said.
New Delhi:
Iran on Sunday unveiled a jet-propelled drone dubbed the Kian and said is capable of finding and attacking targets far from the countrys borders with precision. The unmanned aerial vehicle was designed, produced and tested by experts of the air defence force within about a year, said the head of the force, Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard.
The drone comes in two models capable of surveillance and reconnaissance missions and continuous flight for precision missions, state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
This drone can undertake any drone missions we entrust it with... it can fly more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) and find its target with precision, he said.
The newly launched UAV can carry different munitions and can climb to an altitude of 5,000 metres (15,000 feet), according to state television.
This unmanned aircraft is capable of hitting targets far from the countrys borders and undertaking air defence from the enemys territory, said Sabahifard.
Earlier, the UN atomic watchdog had said Iran is still in violation of limitations set by the 2015 nuclear deal with major powers. Irans stockpile of low-enriched uranium still exceeds the amount allowed by the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action the International Atomic Energy Agency said. It said Iran continues to enrich uranium to 4.5 per cent, above the 3.67 per cent allowed. The IAEA says Iran has continued to permit its inspectors to monitor its nuclear facilities.
Last year, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of an international accord designed to curb Irans nuclear program and has reimposed sanctions on Iran in an effort to force it to renegotiate the agreement.
Tensions soared in the Gulf in June and July amid attacks on oil tankers, Irans downing of an unmanned US surveillance drone and after the US said it had downed an Iranian drone. Trump has said the attack against the US drone prompted him to order a military strike in response, only to call it off at the last minute.
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New Delhi:
This is not usual. In fact, it never happened before. An asteroid called 6478 Gault changed its colour from red to blue. "It is the first time scientists have observed a colour-shifting asteroid, in real time," the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said in a release recently. The colour change wasn't as dramatic to the naked eye as an octopus or chameleon shifting its colours. Astronomers witnessed the asteroid's activity in the near-infrared spectrum, which isn't visible to the human eye.
MIT postdoc Michael Marsset called the shift "a very big surprise," saying, "We think we have witnessed the asteroid losing its reddish dust to space, and we are seeing the asteroid's underlying, fresh blue layers."
Astronomers first discovered 6478 Gault in 1988 and named the asteroid after planetary geologist Donald Gault. Until recently, the space rock was seen as relatively average, measuring about 2.5 miles wide and orbiting along with millions of other bits of rock and dust within the inner region of the asteroid belt, 214 million miles from the sun.
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In January, images from various observatories, including NASAs Hubble Space Telescope, captured two narrow, comet-like tails trailing the asteroid. Astronomers estimate that the longer tail stretches half a million miles out, while the shorter tail is about a quarter as long. The tails, they concluded, must consist of tens of millions of kilograms of dust, actively ejected by the asteroid, into space. But how? The question reignited interest in Gault, and studies since then have unearthed past instances of similar activity by the asteroid.
We know of about a million bodies between Mars and Jupiter, and maybe about 20 that are active in the asteroid belt, Marsset says. So this is very rare.
Meanwhile, supermassive asteroid identified as 2169 Taiwan, a carbonaceous space rock, came very close to the Earth on Thursday at around 11 pm. Fortunately, the giant asteroid failed to hit the Earth and we are safe. Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. The space rocks (asteroids) approach towards the Earth due to the gravitational forces that affect them. Asteroids can bring tsunamis, shock waves and flattening winds that could be catastrophic.
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In recent times, many giant asteroids including 2019 OK, 2019 OD, 2015 HM10, 2019 OE, 2019 NN3, 2019 MB4, 2019 MT2, 2006 QV89, 2016 NO56M, RF12 and others approached towards the Earth, fortunately did not hit our planet. It is said that Earth will reach to its end one day and one of the possible reason for this could be an asteroid.
Coming back to asteroid 2169 Taiwan, the space rock was discovered in 1964 by astronomers at the Purple Mountain Observatory near Nanjing, China, was 270 million kilometres away from Earth during its closest approach. According to the Taipei Astronomical Museum, 2169 Taiwan has a diameter of 14 km-19 km and rotation period of 7.252 hours, orbiting the Sun at a distance of 400 million km once every 4.66 years.
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highlights Muharram is the first month of the year for Muslims
Based on the lunar calendar the Islamic calendar is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar calendar
Muharram is considered to be holiest month in the Quran after Ramzan
New Delhi:
Muharram is the first month of the year for Muslims. Based on the lunar calendar the Islamic calendar is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar calendar, or the Gregorian one, which is referred to in most western countries. The month of Muharram is extremely holy for the Muslim community as Shia Muslims mourn the death of Imam Hussain and his family. Shia's begin mourning from the first night of Muharram and continue for ten nights.
Muharram is considered to be holiest month in the Quran after Ramzan along with the seventh month of Rajab, and the eleventh and twelfth months of Dhu al-Qi'dah and Dhu al-Hijjah.
Muharram 2019: Here are some Facebook status, WhatsApp messages for you to mark the beginning of new Islamic year
You alone we worship and you alone we ask for help, for each and everything. May your faith in him always bring you peace and prosperityHave a blessed Muharram.
May all the praises and thanks be to Allah. To whom belongs all that is in heavens and in the Earth. Have a blessed Muharram.
As the Hijri New Year begins, let us pray that it will be a year full of peace, happiness and abundance of new friends. May Allah bless you throughout the new year.
My admiration for the noble sacrifice of Imam Hussain as a martyr abides, because he accepted death and the torture of thirst for himself, his sons and for his whole family but did not submit to unjust authorities.
Todays sunset was the last sunset of this Islamic year and I pray that all your worries set down with this sunset and new beam of new year spread happiness in your life. (Ameen)Happy New Islamic Year.
For all the Latest Lifestyle News, Religion News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
highlights Assam is the only Indian state that is carrying out NRC exercise.
Last National Register of Citizenship in Assam was updated in 1951.
CM Sonowal has said that those excluded will be taken care of.
New Delhi:
Assams final NRC list has been published by the authorities. Early reports say that 10.06 lakh individuals have been excluded in the list. On the other hand, over 3 crore citizens are part of the final list. The Supreme Court-monitored NRC update exercise published first draft in July last year. It should be noted that the final list, which was published today, can be termed as the supplementary list of the draft published in July last year. The 2019 list will contain the exact status of the people left out in the 2018 draft.
Here are LIVE updates in this crucial story:
2:10 pm: Many people in Assam have told me that the parents' names are included, but names of their children are excluded. For example, Mohammad Sanaullah, he has served in Army. His case is pending in High Court. I am sure that he will also get justice: Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM.
1:30 pm: I was not expecting my name to be in the list as my case is still pending in the High Court, I have full faith in the judiciary and I'm confident that I will get justice: Retired Army Officer Mohammad Sanaullah on his name missing from NRC final list.
12:40 pm: I congratulate NRC State Coordinator,& SC for publishing the final list. However, I'm not fully satisfied as many names of genuine Indian citizens have been left out. I appeal to govt to review formation of Foreigners Tribunal: Abdul Khaleque, Assam Congress MP on final NRC list.
12:00 pm: Reports in Indian and international media on Modi Govt's ethnic cleansing of Muslims should send alarm bells ringing across the world that the illegal annexation of Kashmir is part of a wider policy to target Muslims: Imran Khan.
11:40 am: Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said he had lost all hope in the National Register of Citizens.
11:10 am: People queue up outside a NRC Seva Kendra to check their name in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) final list. A total of 3,11,21,004 persons have been found eligible for inclusion in final list leaving out 19,06,657 people.
Barpeta: People queue up outside a NRC Seva Kendra to check their name in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) final list. A total of 3,11,21,004 persons have been found eligible for inclusion in final list leaving out 19,06,657 people. #Assam pic.twitter.com/QtkrWWI9QB ANI (@ANI) August 31, 2019
11:06 am: Congress meeting to be held shortly at 10 Janpath on Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) final list issue.
11:00 am: NRC is needed in Delhi as situation is becoming dangerous. Illegal immigrants who have settled here are the most dangerous, we will implement NRC here as well, says BJP Delhi Chief Manoj Tiwari.
10:40 am: The final list was published at 10 am and the hard copies of the Supplementary List of Inclusions are available for public viewing at the NRC Seva Kendras (NSK), offices of the deputy commissioner and offices of the Circle Officer during office hours.
10:34 am: Those not satisfied with outcome can file appeal before Foreigners Tribunals, says NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela.
10:33 am: People who would be able to check their application status are those - who submitted a claim after not being included in the complete draft published on July 30, 2018, or excluded in the additional draft exclusions list published on June 26 this year, or had any objection filed against their inclusion, or were called for hearings held from 5 July, 2019 onwards. Heres how you can check your status.
10:31 am: Section 144 has been imposed in parts of Assam.
10:30 am: Around 200 additional foreigners tribunals will be operational in Assam from Monday where bona fide citizens.
10:30 am: Names of additional 1,02,462 persons were included in the list of excluded persons in June this year taking the total ineligible persons to 41,10,169 in the complete draft.
10:29 am: In the complete draft of the NRC, which was published in July last year, names of 40,07,707 people were excluded. It had which contained names of 2,89,83,677 eligible persons out of a total 3,29,91,384 applicants.
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The name of the restaurant is "Taka Hisa," an authentic Japanese restaurant in Dubai, the UAE.
It is amazing to learn about all those women professionals and entrepreneurs who make sure to push boundaries and spare no effort in clinching the excellence they wish to acquire in their careers. These women business personalities across industries of the world have become the talk of the town and have imprinted their names across global media outlets as well for the kind of work they have been doing and the kind of innovation they have been inspiring in their fields. Amidst such leading ladies of the business world, our attention was grabbed by Aimi Shibuya, the one with an astute mind to build and run incredible businesses.
She entered Singapore in 2016 and opened her medical beauty salon for bringing Japanese beauty treatments in Singapore, introducing the concept of teeth whitening there. After that, she invested in various restaurant businesses and became one of the most famous Japanese women entrepreneurs in Singapore. Since Singapore got locked down several times due to the current global health crisis, she decided to move to Dubai in March 2021. Now, she is all set and ready to launch her new restaurant at Caesars Palace Hotel in Bluewaters, Dubai's most notable area, on December 29, 2021.
The much-talked-about restaurant is touted to be a grand, luxurious venue with 20 counter seats, six boxes of box seats, and even about 40 very comfortable terraces and has been given the name "Taka Hisa." Interestingly, the restaurant's name is derived from the names of the two chefs, Takashi and Hisao. It will be an authentic Japanese restaurant, and the two concepts are two courses, namely the OMAKASE course by SUSHI and the OMAKASE course by KOBE BEEF. Takashi is in charge of SUSHI, and Hisao is in charge of KOBE BEEF.
Also, it is imperative to notice how Aimi Shibuya has been putting all her effort in turning this venture of hers a success, and for that, she has been making sure to focus on every tiny detail, including also the fish used in the restaurant, which will arrive in Dubai by air from Toyosu (Tsukiji) market in Japan. She obtained a trading license for such imports from Japan in Dubai and imports the first fish in an auction in Japan four times a week. Not just that, even the Japanese beef uses KOBE BEEF WAGYU, which is considered the most expensive Japanese beef. Aimi Shibuya only buys A5BMS12 meat directly from Japan, which is said to be only 1% limited of all.
These incredibly distinctive concepts are based on Takashi, who has worked at Dubai's most famous Japanese restaurant for years as an executive chef. Whereas Hisao, who has been the executive chef of KOHANTEI, Dubai's first Japanese beef restaurant, cooks. The upcoming restaurant is predicted to become the most famous Japanese restaurant in Dubai in a few months.
Aimi Shibuya has become unstoppable in her ventures, and her swift rise in the industry can be attributed to her endless efforts, hard work, and passion.
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Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has advocated for the reopening of trade routes with nations in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Governor Jagdish Mukhi remarked that reopening trade lines with ASEAN countries will "open the gates of economic prosperity in the Northeast."
Governor Mukhi was addressing at Cotton University in Guwahati at a conference on "Atmanirbhar Northeast via science and technology interventions." Governor of Assam, Jagdish Mukhi, went on to say that the Centre has taken a number of steps to create international routes with the ten ASEAN nations.
Governor Mukhi, has the potential to become a future hub for organic goods, renewable energy, international tourism, and the country's gateway to ASEAN countries. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are the ten ASEAN nations. ASEAN is a ten-country regional organisation that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation among its members.
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Patna: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday held the last cabinet meeting of this year at Valmiki Nagar, a forest area in West Champaran district. Valmiki Nagar near the Indo-Nepal border is known for tiger reserves, spread over about 880 square kilometres. Maharishi Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana, is said to have spent a few years in Buffalolotan, now known as Valmiki Nagar.
A hall of the forest department was converted into an auditorium for the same Bihar Pradesh Council of Ministers meeting and a waiting room equipped with state-of-the-art facilities was also arranged in the premises. The cabinet meeting chaired by Nitish Kumar began at 1.30 pm and allowed 13 agendas.
Ahead of the same cabinet meeting, the CM along with his cabinet colleagues also enjoyed a boat safari at Valmiki Nagar Tiger Reserve. Deputy CM Renu Devi from Bettiah district headquarters in West Champaran gave Nitish a warm welcome. In Valmiki Nagar, arrangements have been made for Nitish to stay overnight at the guest house of the state government. This is not the first time that Nitish has chaired a cabinet meeting away from the state capital. Nitish has held cabinet meetings outside Patna several times during his 16 years in office. Nitish, who came to power in Bihar in 2005, held a cabinet meeting at Barbigha village in Begusarai in 2009 on the run of the Vikas yatra.
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MANILA: President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has declared a state of calamity in several regions to expedite relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Rai, which ravaged central and southern Philippines last week. "I've decided to declare a state of disaster. I'll sign it right now "According to Duterte, the worst-affected areas have suffered massive destruction and loss of life.
According to reports, Duterte declared a state of calamity in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga regions in a taped public address aired late Tuesday. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), 156 people died as a result of the typhoon, while the Philippine National Police reported at least 375 deaths. Many more people have gone missing or have been injured.
Typhoon Rai made landfall on Siargao Island, off the eastern coast of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines, on Thursday afternoon. It rained for three days in the Southeast Asian country, causing flooding and landslides. Rai left the Philippines on Saturday, leaving a trail of devastation in the central and southern Philippines, as well as some areas on the main island of Luzon.
On Tuesday, the Chinese government began distributing relief supplies to thousands of victims in typhoon-ravaged areas.
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Finland: In order to combat the onslaught of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, Finland will reintroduce entry controls from the European Union (EU) and the Schengen area. Non-residents wishing to enter Finland must have a negative test result by December 28, according to Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who made the announcement late Tuesday. According to reports, such a requirement has already been imposed on arrivals from non-EU countries and Omicron risk areas as of Tuesday.
The government has also increased restrictions on restaurant opening hours and capacity, but this will be done in two stages. "We wanted to give the industry time to adjust," Marin explained. Marin made the announcement at 11 p.m., following six hours of cabinet internal consultations.
Recently, Finnish health districts and hospitals have called for immediate action, such as the suspension of the Covid passport, which allows people to enter restaurants.
The suspension of the certificate system was also approved by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) on Tuesday. THL believed that by eliminating the Covid passport, the most effective way to prevent the spread of Omicron would be to restrict the operation of restaurants that specialise in the dispensing of alcohol.
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New Delhi: Raids have been going on in the offices of Chinese mobile companies across the country since Wednesday morning. The operation has been going on in several cities including Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore since 9 am. Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported that Nepal has also blacklisted several Chinese companies.
The income tax department has taken major action against mobile company Oppo Group and Xiaomi. The Income Tax Department has conducted raids against several senior officials, directors, CFO and other officials belonging to the Oppo group. According to a report, the smartphone market in India is worth around Rs 2.5 lakh crore. It has a 70 percent stake in products from Chinese companies. On the other hand, the television market in India is worth Rs 30,000 crore. Chinese companies share smart TVs at about 45 percent. Non-smart TVs account for about 10 per cent.
According to sources, the search is going on at Gurugram, Rewari in Delhi-NCR. The Delhi unit and bengaluru unit are conducting raids. The Central Government had reported in Parliament that 80 Chinese companies are currently actively doing business in the country. There are 92 Chinese companies registered in India, out of which 80 are companies that 'actively' do business.
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Iran has blamed Saudi Arabia for delaying the return of its envoy to Yemen, who died of the Covid-19 infection later this year. On the sidelines of Hassan Irloo's funeral, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that the Iranian Foreign Ministry tried to get quick permission from Riyadh to evacuate Irloo by plane after he was infected with the coronavirus, but "the Saudi side was unfortunately very late in deciding in this regard, and some executive bodies of Saudi Arabia dragged their feet," according to media reports.
Yemen's airspace, including the Sanaa airport, as well as its land and maritime borders, have been under the authority of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition since 2015, when the Houthis gained control of the capital Sanaa and parts of Yemen's northern region. We will legally lodge a protest in accordance with international agreements, while also hoping that Yemen will be able to exit this conflict and terrible humanitarian blockade as soon as possible through political means."
Irloo, who "contracted the coronavirus in his place of mission" in Sanaa, died earlier in the day, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh. Unfortunately, he returned to the nation in a poor health state, and after undergoing all of the necessary treatment, he was murdered this morning "On Tuesday, Khatibzadeh stated.
Irloo was flown to Tehran, Iran's capital, on an Iraqi plane on Sunday, after Iraq mediated between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the region's two regional enemies. Since late 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi terrorists took control of much of the nation's north and drove President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's Saudi-backed administration out of Sanaa, the country has been engulfed in civil conflict.
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Sara Ali Khan always talks openly about her personal life as well. Now the actress was recently asked if she ever talks about marriage to mother Amrita Singh and the actress refused. According to media reports, in the midst of an episode of Bombay Journey on Mashable India, Sara has said that she never discusses her mother's marriage. Sara has said that her mother now wants her to focus on work.
Sara has also said that after all this in Mumbai, she is finding comfort in her mother's room. Sara has said that a lot of things have become common between her and her mother ever since she became an actress. She said- My mother is an actress and she will always be. When I was in Colombia, I don't think she understood me as much as she does now to explain to me.
According to reports, Sara continued, 'Even today, if I have to talk to anyone about anything, she is my mother. She understands me as well as no one can understand.' Where it is also said that Sara is busy promoting her upcoming movie Antargi Ray these days. His movie is slated to release on December 24 with Akshay Kumar and Dhanush in the lead roles.
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Three foreign returnees in the state tested positive for COVID-19, an Omicron panic has spread the Northeast state of Manipur.
Two of the three people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Manipur had recently returned from the Netherlands, while the third had recently returned from Canada. The Netherlands went into lockdown on Saturday to deter the Omicron form from spreading during Christmas celebrations. Meanwhile, all three foreign returnees are from Manipur's Imphal West region.
They landed in the country on Sunday at Imphal's Bir Tikendrajit International Airport. The Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) Hospital has admitted all three people. Meanwhile, the three COVID patients' samples will be sent for genome sequencing to see if they've been infected with the Omicron variant. According to the health ministry, at least 200 cases of the new Omicron type have been reported in India so far.
Omicron Second case confirmed in Andhra Pradesh
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Vijayawada: The government of Andhra Pradesh confirmed the second case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in the state on Wednesday. The Omicron-positive patient is a 39-year-old Kenyan international traveller.
Dr. Hymavati, Director of the Andhra Pradesh Public Health Department, stated, "On December 10, a 39-year-old foreign traveller arrived from Kenya at Chennai Airport." She arrived in Tirupati by car. She was tested upon arrival in Tirupati and was found to be RT-PCR positive for COVID19 on December 12." On December 22, the sample was sent to the Centre For Cellular And Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad for Genome Sequencing, and the result was declared Omicron Positive.
The state government stated in a notice, "This is the second case of Omicron identified in Andhra Pradesh." So far, 45 foreign travellers and 9 contacts have tested positive for COVID-19 RTPCR."
"All of the samples were then sent to the CCMB for genome sequencing." The public is advised not to be concerned or believe any rumours, but to continue to take precautions such as social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand washing on a regular basis," it added.
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On a phone conversation, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed European security problems as well as the situation in Ukraine. Putin briefed Scholz on Tuesday of Russian proposals for long-term and legally enforceable security assurances that prevent the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from extending eastwards and putting offensive weapons near Russia, according to a press statement.
They also spoke on how to resolve Ukraine's internal issue, with Putin reminding Scholz that "Kiev is still resolutely evading its obligations under the 2015 Minsk accords." In terms of Russian-German relations, the leaders underlined a shared desire to strengthen bilateral relationships and maintain touch through a variety of channels.
Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone chat earlier in the day to discuss European security problems and the situation in Ukraine.
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Winter is well and truly here, and along with it are the migratory birds that travel thousands of miles to get to Nepal. According to experts, over 100 species of birds come to Nepal every year from places like Russia and Siberia and spend a few months in mostly the Terai region of Nepal.
Birds like mallard, ruddy shelduck, gadwall, Eurasian teal, greenshank, thrush, flycatcher and booted eagle are among few that can be seen in forests around the country. Apart from that, there are plenty of local birds in Nepal that makes the country a treat to all birdwatchers with a lot of places ideal for birdwatching.
But, where exactly in Nepal does one go for birdwatching to get a glimpse of these creatures? Worry not; we bring a list of places you can visit to observe these birds from halfway across the world.
1. Kathmandu
Asian paradise flycatcher seen in Kathmandu. Photo: Aryan Dhimal
The capital city is home to around 500 species of birds that can be seen in areas like Shivapuri, Nargarjun, Pulchoki and Raniban. Areas around Chobhar, Taudaha, Nagdaha and Manohara are also the desired areas for birdwatching as there are birds like raptors, mallard, gadwall, northern shoveler, northern pintail, ferruginous pochard, common pochard, ruddy shell duck and great cormorant. It is not just in the winters that the valley sees foreign birds because the Eurasian cuckoo, Asian koel, white-breasted water hen, common moorhen and greater painted snipe can be seen in the summer as the valleys weather and its water bodies give the perfect refuge.
2. Chitwan
Chitwan is probably the best area for birdwatching in the winter. The dense jungle of the Chitwan National Park is home to so many different birds. According to data, it is home to more than 543 species of birds, which is the largest number of birds compared to other national parks of Nepal. While many people come to Nepal for the mountains, there are few who come here for birds like black-chinned yuhina, Goulds sunbird, blossom-headed parakeet, Bengal florican, lesser adjutant and grey-crowned prinia. The park is also home to the great oriental darter and the honey buzzard.
Apart from these, chirping birds like hornbills, babblers, bitterns and kingfishers add some charm to the national park.
Additionally, small chirping birds like slender-billed babblers, bitterns, kingfishers many other birds make it a perfect birdwatching destination.
3. Koshi Tappu
Boating, birdwatching and sunsets are quite popular in Koshi Tappu. Photo: Kushal Bista
This is another paradise for birdwatching where people can see a variety of both resident and migratory birds. As it has plenty of wetlands, this is a haven for both birds and birdwatchers. The wildlife reserve is home to watercock, Indian nightjar, dusky eagle owl, black-headed cuckoo shrike, white-tailed stonechat, striated grassbird, large adjutant stork, Pallass fish eagle, common golden-eye, gull-billed tern, swamp francolin, rufous-vented grass babbler, and Bengal floricans. As some of these birds are endangered, researchers and bird lovers often visit this part of Nepal.
4. Shuklaphanta
A peacock dancing in Shuklaphanta National Park. Photo: Bharat Bandhu Thapa
Shuklaphanta National Park in far-west Nepal is also another area that should be on the birdwatching destination list of bird lovers. Home to over 400 species, people can expect to see birds like the swamp francolin, Jerdons bush chat, rufous-rumped grassbird, chestnut-capped babbler and Jerdons babbler. Dusky eagle owl, rufous-bellied eagle, and an oriental pied hornbill are also quite popular in the area.
5. Bardiya National Park
A sarus crane nesting over its egg [image by: Manoj Paudel]
It is another national park that is full of different bird species. Known mostly for tigers, Bardiya is also home to over 500 species of birds including endangered species like lesser florican, Bengal florican, silver eared mesia, sarus crane, white-rumped vulture, jungle prinia, golden-headed cisticola, and many more. These birds are mostly seen along the banks of the Karnali river, Babai river, Badhaiya lake and Satkhalauwa lake.
6. The mountains
Himalayan monal seen around Panch Pokhari. Photo: Dibesh Manandhar
Apart from Nepals plains and hills, the mountains are also home to different bird species, hence ideal for birdwatching. Nepals national bird, the Lophophorus, is predominantly found there. Researchers also say that Jerdons baza, a bird that is extinct, is also found in the Himalayas. Apart from these, Himalayan raven, blood pheasant, koklass pheasant, Himalayan monal, kalij pheasant and the globally near-threatened satyr tragopan are also found in the mountainous areas like the Annapurnas. White-rumped vulture, the golden eagle, and the crested serpent eagle are also some notable birds one can see in these areas.
Can an examinee who is competing for a job think of helping another candidate pass the exam at the cost of his/her own failure?
Generally, no one would do it.
However, an examinee from Rajapur, Bardiya has made his competitor pass the examination for the position of a government teacher by writing the roll number of the competitor in his answer sheet at the Surkhet examination centre.
As a complaint was lodged against them, and the investigators found the examinee and the other examinee sitting next to him were actually spouses. After this incident, both the wifes job secured by the husband writing the examination and the husbands already existing job as a secondary-level teacher are at risk. Investigators say this is a unique example of exam rigging in the countrys human resource management.
Planning for the exam rigging
The Teachers Service Commission had published a vacancy announcement for teachers from primary to secondary levels for 2017/18. Mana Kala Acharya (Chaulagain) of Bardiya was preparing for the job as a primary teacher whereas her husband Mani Lal Acharya was preparing for the secondary level.
But, Mani Lal also decided to take the examination for the primary level teacher again and filled the application form accordingly. As the initials of their name matched and also they had filled the forms at the same time, their roll numbers came closer to each other.
On September 29, 2018, the examination was held. Mana Kala with roll number 68100037 and Mani Lal with roll number 68100038 got to sit next to each other in the examination hall at Adarsh Raj Memorial School, Surkhet. Both of them took the exam.
As the result came out, Mani Lal could not pass the examination. However, his wife Mana Kala passed it and was appointed a teacher under the womens reservation at Bheri Secondary School in Dhobinpur, Rajapur.
Mani Lal later took the secondary level teachers examination and passed it. After that, he was appointed at Mahadev High School in Bajhang and later transferred to Amar Shaheed Dasharath Chand High School in Rajapur.
On September 1, 2019, a complaint was lodged at the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), accusing the couple of exam rigging. In the complaint filed in the name of an examinee, it was mentioned that Mana Kala had passed the examination by exchanging answer sheets with her husband, hence committing exam rigging, and this matter should be investigated and the responsible person should be punished accordingly.
File: Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA)
Then, the CIAA launched an investigation. As the investigation progressed, it was revealed that they had been involved in exam rigging as claimed in the complaint. Mana Kala was not confident that she would pass the exam. Therefore, they exchanged their answer sheets thinking she would get the job under womens reservation if the husband wrote the answer, said an official, Both of them have admitted the allegations.
Before going to the examination hall, Mani Lal and Mana Kala had planned everything. Upon entering the hall, he first wrote the objective question answers. While the examination was going on, the guards started verifying their entrance cards and doing attendance.
By that time, they had already written the answers to the questions in the first section and submitted the answer sheets. They had also already written their roll numbers on the attendance sheets and signed them.
Then, Mani Lal started writing answers in the second and third answer sheets. This time, he wrote his wifes roll number in the answer sheet and Mana Kala wrote her husbands roll number. The invigilators who had already left did not find any hint of their plan and did not suspect them either.
Then, they handed over the answer sheets and left the examination hall. Mana Kala passed the examination written by her husband. She got appointed as a primary teacher on November 21, 2019, and started teaching.
An official source said that Mana Kala had admitted exam rigging in her statement to the investigators.
Three days after taking that examination, Mani Lal took another exam for the secondary level from the Mahendranagar centre and passed it. He started teaching at Mahadev High School in Bajhang on August 1, 2019.
After some time, he was transferred to Rajapur, Bardiya.
The couple were happy as their plan had worked out. However, their happiness did not last long. Authorities began investigating the complaint even before the results of Mana Kala were made public and had already received initial hints to prove exam rigging.
Justifying the exam rigging
According to the charge sheet filed at the Special Court by the CIAA, Mani Lal had given a statement earlier that his wife was devastated after she failed in the interview of the Teachers Service Commission examination held in 2013.
Mani Lal had planned everything for the exam rigging thinking his wife would pass the examination and get the job if he wrote it and then it would be easier for the family.
I did so thinking that at least one among us should have a permanent job. There was very little possibility of me passing the secondary level examination, he said, I exchanged the answer sheets thinking that at least my wife would pass the examination and get the appointment under the womens reservation. If only I had known that I would pass the examination, I probably wouldnt have made such a mistake
He had argued that he should not be accused of corruption as he did not take the exam in his wifes name but only exchanged answer sheets.
The couple admitted that they resorted to exam rigging because they felt the future of their children would be in trouble if they did not have a permanent job and also both of them had nearly reached the age ceiling for applications.
Mana Kala had requested that normal action be taken against her, not according to the Corruption Prevention Act but according to the Teachers Service Commission Rules.
The revelation
Representative image
While studying coding and decoding of the answer sheets, the investigators found the objective section and one subjective section of Mana Kala Acharya (Chaulagai)s answer sheets were signed. However, another subjective section of her answer sheet was not signed.
Similarly, answer sheets of the objective section of Mani Lal Acharya were signed but both the answer sheets of the subjective section were not signed. While examining the signature of the answer sheet and the number of the answer sheets, it was revealed that the answer sheet number of Mana Kala Acharyas primary level B section was corrected on the attendance form of the examination centre. The commission hence reported that both of them had committed exam rigging.
The CIAA, then, tried to match the handwritings in the answer sheets of Mani Lal (secondary level) and Mana Kala (primary level). For this, the CIAA sent the answer sheets to the National Forensic Science Laboratory, Khumaltar, on September 14, 2020.
The laboratory reported that the handwriting in the answer sheets of Mani Lals secondary-level examination did not match with the handwriting of B and C sections of his primary-level exam answer sheets. Then, it was revealed it was Mana Kala, not him, who wrote the answers, thus amounting to exam rigging.
Instead, Mani Lals handwritings of the answer sheets of the secondary-level exam matched with the handwriting of sections B and C of the answer sheets of Mana Kala.
Then, it was revealed that they had exchanged the roll numbers while writing the subjective sections during the primary-level exam. And, the examination of the citizenship certificate submitted by Mana Kala in the interview confirmed that the two were husband and wife.
After that, the CIAA concluded that both were involved in exam rigging. The CIAA, then, filed a corruption case at the Special Court demanding one to three months imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 from each as per the Corruption Prevention Act.
Both the teachers have been suspended as the CIAA have made both defendants.
If the court convicts them for exam rigging, it is almost certain that Mana Kala will be dismissed from the job. Moreover, Mani Lal, who was appointed a secondary level teacher by passing the examination separately, has also put his job at risk because if corruption is confirmed, people in public office will be fired.
A Swiss man came to Nepal in the 1950s and travelled all over Nepal. He achieved the dream (of travelling across the country) of todays Nepali travel enthusiasts, who probably were not even born or did not know they had such a dream. The manToni Hagenmay not need a big introduction today, but there was a time when Nepal had not realised who he was or what he accomplished in Nepal.
Behind this shift is Toni Hagen talking about his work in the early 2000s, and the relentless efforts of his eldest daughter, Katrin Hagen, even today.
A lot of my time now goes into collection and organisation of his journals, sketches, photos and videos he had of Nepal. And, we have received a lot of love, respect and adoration from Nepal and Nepali people, shares Katrin Hagen in a recent interview with Onlinekhabar.
Katrin Hagen herself is involved in several activities in Nepal, directly continuing her fathers legacy here.
Remembering Toni Hagen
My father loved the Himalayas. He would tell us he had promised himself once he became a geologist that he would go to the Himalayas and study there. And, that is what he did, recalls Katrin. So, he came here and travelled so much; he loved the people here, she adds. To mark 50 years of Toni Hagens visit to Nepal, the Toni Hagen Foundation was set up in 2001. Katrin is the president of the Toni Hagen Foundation (Switzerland). Katrin Hagen now remembers how she got to spend time with her father in his later years. It was only some 10 years ago before he passed that we worked together.
Looking back at the photos and videos now makes me realise how passionate he was that he travelled from east to west of Nepal in such adversities, with only three airports and no health or luxurious amenities like today, she says.
Katrin became a surgeon in 1975 in Switzerland, became an orthopaedic doctor with a specialisation in hand surgery in 1985. Her professional life kept her busy. I got to know his work better only after he passed away. But, it is better than nothing.
Her relentless efforts to organise and publish her fathers work has made people realise what they missed. In exhibitions we do, people look at the photos of Kathmandu valley then and react surprised about how there were no houses back then. Many have seen the documentary Uhile ko Nepal also put together by the Toni Hagen Foundation in 2018 and they refer them to me while approaching. Many call or write to me and ask me if I have photos of this region or that for their work. And, I help them when I can as well.
In her recent visit to Nepal, Katrin Hagen visited the soon-to-be made Toni Hagen Park in Hetaunda, Makawanpur, in the Sub-metropolitans initiative. The park has been envisioned to be a park for the youth and the senior citizens, with a library and recreational activities. The park has been initiated by the local government there and has the full support of the Toni Hagen Foundation. We are talking about installations, research centres, art projects, his old photos and videos to be put up on display as well.
Katrin Hagens attachment to Nepal
Katrin Hagen spends a lot of time in Nepal. Even in her 70s, she travels frequently between Switzerland and Nepal and manages both her life in different parts of the world. The work here keeps me busy and I visit Nepal sometimes twice a year to twice a month, depending on the work, shares Katrin, who was here in Nepal for two weeks recently, the first time after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world.
File: A photo of Bouddha captured by Toni Hagen on display.
But, her first visit to Nepal was when she was a toddler and even has a cameo in the fathers documentary. The first true memory that I have from the time here was seeing a large black snake that crawled up the stairs in Ekantakuna (Lalitpur) and me getting scared. This was when the Swiss embassy was there, she remembers, The rest of the things I rememberwatching the mountains and travelling along the hills of Kathmanduhave all been mixed and I think I remember them from the photos and videos of that time only. But I will never forget the snake.
It was the time, as my mother used to say, when we would go to the American embassy Christmas events just to get the chocolates as there were no chocolates here at that time.
When I grew older and heard my parents talk about Nepal, Katrin Hagen remembers, I used to envision a different Nepal. But, when I came here myself again, I like the country, the trekking [opportunities], and the mountains. In 1961. my father was still working here, so we came back and visited Pokhara, Muktinath and went trekking. But, the country, the urban and rural areas are so different from the photos now.
President of Toni Hagen Foundation (Switzerland) Katrin Hagen remembers her father, Toni Hagen. Photo: Aryan Dhimal
She was also a traveller like her father and has travelled to many places in Nepal and went trekking as she started visiting Nepal regularly after 1975. But now, due to old age, she is unable to travel. As a doctor, she also has been active in organising health camps for people outside Kathmandu.
One complaint about Nepal that she has to share is the unplanned management of roads. If you see the roads, some are built poorly; some are built but do not reach the village; some are left in the middle, so it is a hassle. She adds, Many doctors are discouraged to go to remote areas. The unmanaged urbanisation and the expensive college fees are not motivation either. So, the government should provide some fellowship or aids to them.
But, there is something that surprises Katrin Hagen even today. The people here are still the same, very frank and helpful. I also meet a lot of young people who want to do something for the country and change it for the better despite problems and corruption.
Future plans
President of Toni Hagen Foundation (Switzerland) Katrin Hagen speaks about her father, Toni Hagen. Photo: Aryan Dhimal
Going further, Katrin Hagen wants to continue working for Nepali people, especially in remote areas. The foundation has been supporting in organising health camps in Bajura, supporting spinal injury patients, burn violence survivors, children with cerebral palsy and disabled children, she informs, Organisationally, we are looking forward to expanding research centres here in Nepal.
When the foundation was established, he [Toni] said he wanted to work for multi-ethnic and indigenous groups. So we will continue that as well. And, we are also supporting the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) for the last three years and will continue that, she adds.
But, her primary motive is to collect her fathers geology notes on Nepal as the stakeholders here want to publish them. They are the cultural heritage of Nepal and my father was the only person who took such photos and documented areas like Everest, Solukhumbhu, Dolpofrom east to westas he travelled all across Nepal.
Katrin Hagen is also working is to uncover more photos of Nepal that her father had in store. There are many photos in the collection, but I do not know where they are or from when. Unfortunately, I cannot ask him where this is or that. Yet, I am trying to piece every bit of information together to make it cohesive.
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 35% of the growth will originate from APAC for the digital transformation market in the oil and gas industry. China and India are the key markets for digital transformation in the oil and gas industry in APAC. Market growth in APAC will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions. Increasing investments by oil and gas companies in advanced technologies to secure long-term profitable growth will facilitate the digital transformation market in the oil and gas industry growth in APAC over the forecast period.
Attractive Opportunities in Digital Transformation Market in the Oil and Gas Industry by Technology and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025
The digital transformation market in the oil and gas industry is expected to grow by USD 43.62 billion from 2020 to 2025. However, the growth momentum market is expected to decelerate at a CAGR of 17.38% as per the latest report by Technavio
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Digital Transformation in the Oil and Gas Industry - Driver & Challenge
The digital transformation market in the oil and gas industry is driven by the rise in investments and partnerships. However, factors such as lack of skilled labor may impede market growth. The holistic analysis of the drivers will help in deducing end goals and refining marketing strategies to gain a competitive edge.
Digital Transformation in the Oil and Gas Industry - Revenue Generating Segment
The digital transformation market share growth in the oil and gas industry by the IoT segment will be significant for revenue-generating. The increasing need for transparency in operations and tighter controls on production and distribution are driving oil and gas operators to adopt wireless IoT technology to enhance and optimize the production and distribution chain. The implementation of IoT is projected to transform the oil and gas industry at a rapid pace. The deployment of IoT solutions across the value chain aids the oil and gas industry in the form of downstream sensors to surface control valves with real-time data analysis. Thus, with IoT solutions, oil and gas organizations are enhancing their operations, making better decisions, and creating a safer working environment along the entire value chain.
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Some of key Digital Transformation in the Oil and Gas Industry Players:
The digital transformation market in the oil and gas industry is fragmented and the vendors are increasingly opting for technological innovations and partnerships to compete in the market.
Emerson Electric Co.
General Electric Co.
Intel Corp.
International Business Machines Corp.
Microsoft Corp.
Oracle Corp.
Rockwell Automation Inc.
SAP SE
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
Teradata Corp.
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Digital Transformation Market In The Oil And Gas Industry Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD bn, 2020-2025)
IoT - size and forecast 2020-2025
E&P software - size and forecast 2020-2025
Big data - size and forecast 2020-2025
Cloud computing - size and forecast 2020-2025
Others - size and forecast 2020-2025
Digital Transformation Market In The Oil And Gas Industry Geography Outlook (Revenue, USD bn, 2020-2025)
North America - size and forecast 2020-2025
APAC - size and forecast 2020-2025
MEA - size and forecast 2020-2025
Europe - size and forecast 2020-2025
South America - size and forecast 2020-2025
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Digital Transformation Market In The Oil And Gas Industry Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 17.38% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 43.62 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 15.38 Regional analysis North America, APAC, MEA, Europe, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 35% Key consumer countries US, China, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, and India Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Emerson Electric Co., General Electric Co., Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., SAP SE, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., and Teradata Corp. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.
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Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.
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CHICAGO, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is pleased to announce that its client, Vesuvius plc (Vesuvius), has acquired Universal Refractories, Inc. (UF), a specialty refractory producer in Pennsylvania. BGL's Metals & Metals Processing and Engineered Materials investment banking teams served as the exclusive financial advisor to Vesuvius on the acquisition. As previously disclosed by Vesuvius, the transaction valued Universal at $57.1 million on a cash and debt-free basis and was funded from Vesuvius' internal resources. This transaction highlights the deep experience of the BGL team with businesses operating in the Mills & Foundries sector.
Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is pleased to announce that its client, Vesuvius plc (Vesuvius), has acquired Universal Refractories, Inc. (UF), a specialty refractory producer in Pennsylvania.
BGL's Metals and Engineered Materials investment banking teams were the exclusive financial advisor to Vesuvius.
Founded in 1957 and based in Wampum, Pennsylvania, Universal Refractories manufactures specialty refractory performance solutions for the steel and foundry industries. The company operates two facilities in Pennsylvania consisting of more than 240,000 square feet of production and warehousing space.
UK-based Vesuvius plc is a global leader in molten metal flow engineering and technology principally serving the steel and foundry industries. The company's North American operations include facilities across the U.S., as well as in Canada and Mexico. CEO Patrick Andre commented on the acquisition, "Universal is a strategically important acquisition for Vesuvius, which significantly expands Vesuvius' North American presence amongst electric arc furnace steel producers in our focus area of steel tundish applications, while also further strengthening our Foundry business."
About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company
Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructurings, valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, and real estate offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and San Antonio. The firm is also a founding member of Global M&A Partners, enabling BGL to service clients in more than 30 countries around the world. Securities transactions are conducted through Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company Securities, Inc., an affiliate of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company LLC and a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com.
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow, P.C. proudly announce that attorney, Danielle Garcia, has joined their Personal Injury legal practice.
Danielle Garcia has been practicing law and vigorously defending her clients since January of 2016. She is a graduate of Florida International University in Miami, Florida where she studied Political Science before attending law school at Wake Forest School of Law in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
Upon graduation, Danielle centered her efforts on Family law, but has focused her practice on representing injured victims against insurance companies since 2018. She is a zealous advocate who will not take "no" for an answer in her fight to right the wrongs committed against her clients.
Licensed in Maryland and Washington, D.C., Danielle has conducted numerous trials in both jurisdictions and it known to have a very impressive "win-loss" record.
"An attorney who truly understands what happens to women in accidents" is a phrase that is commonly associated with attorney Danielle Garcia.
For more information about Danielle Garcia, visit https://samakowlaw.com
About the Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow, P.C.
With combined expertise and a team approach, the Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow are able to handle a broad range of claims involving injuries, such as automobile accidents, workplace injuries, death claims, and more in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. They have been fighting for injury victims since 1980 and have won over 40 million dollars in settlements and verdicts on behalf of their clients.
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The Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow, P.C.
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SOURCE The Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow
German on-demand delivery giant Delivery Hero is pulling its food delivery service out of Germany again.
At the same time it has announced it will exit the Japanese market, by divesting Foodpanda Japan, starting in Q1 next year.
In a statement accompanying the pre-Christmas exit news, the company's CEO and co-founder, Niklas Ostberg, said: "Scaling down our operations in Germany and planning to divest our Japanese business have not been easy decisions. Facing a very different reality now than we did entering these markets, it is with a heavy heart that we need to pursue other growth opportunities with larger potential.
"Despite having built up two fantastic foodpanda teams showing great progress, it has become increasingly difficult to create true value for our ecosystem in these countries. I have nothing but gratitude and admiration for the accomplishments both teams have achieved in the last months. Seeing the amazing service they built from scratch makes me genuinely proud, and we will do everything we can to support our fellow Heroes on their journey ahead."
The European on-demand delivery giant only fully returned to its home market -- under its Foodpanda brand -- in August, following a few weeks of testing.
Back in May, when it trailed the Germany relaunch in an interview with the Financial Times, Ostberg had talked in terms of being in it for a decade-long haul, telling the newspaper: We dont see necessarily that we are going to go in and win the market in the next year or so. This is a 10-year game.
And only last month Delivery Hero was still expanding Foodpanda's footprint in Germany -- announcing the service would be launching into another six cities, as the division's CEO, Artur Schreiber, trumpeted "great" demand and an expansion he said would create "a thousand" jobs.
Although that announcement also hinted that it might be having trouble getting customers to stick around -- with Delivery Hero saying it would also be refreshing Foodpanda's branding, launching a new app with a better user experience and expanding a loyalty program.
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In the event it's pulling the plug on a commercial delivery service in Germany -- leaving only a Berlin-based R&D hub where it says it will test new services and features, so sounds like it will continue to run some (trial) deliveries in Central Berlin for employees working on developing new products.
It's notable it's not selling the Foodpanda Germany unit to a rival -- as it did back in 2018 when it last pulled the plug on the market.
Delivery Hero either wants to retain the possibility of a rapid return in future; or -- perhaps more likely -- the local food delivery is so competitively tapped out there was little to be gained by selling the unit (unlike a few years ago when it was able to bag a meaty payout of ~$1.1 billion when it sold its German ops to Dutch rival Takeaway.com; which, incidentally has since merged with U.K. based Just Eat and the combined entity is building out a grocery delivery biz too).
How does Delivery Hero explain such a rapid rethink of its long-term strategy to win its home market?
"[S]ince launching the service, the landscape of the German market changed significantly. External factors, such as an increased number of players and a shortage of riders, provided a new reality towards the end of the year," is the spin its PR puts on the reversal.
Its press release also seeks to strike an upbeat tone in a bid to reassure investors -- saying it has identified "plenty of other growth opportunities... with a better expected return on investment, like other markets and new verticals, primarily in the area of quick commerce".
Quick commerce typically refers to grocery-type deliveries via a new wave of on-demand platforms that offer consumers a selection of convenience products (bread, toothpaste, batteries etc.) -- often served out of microfulfilment centers (aka dark stores) located in urban centers to ensure hyper speedy delivery times.
Europe has seen investor dollars pouring into the category since the pandemic struck, with a number of startups springing up across the region. And Ostberg noted that it was seeing a larger willingness among its customers to have more than meals delivered when TechCrunch discussed the potential of grocery deliveries with the Delivery Hero CEO early on in the pandemic.
Germany, the EU's biggest economy, has grabbed a major slice of this investor-heated q-commerce action -- with homegrown startup Gorillas raising close to a billion dollars in Series C funding this October, for example; while Flink, another rapidly scaling rapid grocery delivery startup, nabbed $240M in the summer, a mere six months after launching.
Gorilla's whopping Series C was -- in fact -- led by Delivery Hero so the writing was perhaps already on the wall for its local Foodpanda division at that point.
And in another Q-commerce related announcement earlier this month, Delivery Hero trumpeted an expansion of what it billed as a "logistics-a-service" play -- suggesting it sees its future in serving delivery services to a growing sea of smaller (and more specialized) on-demand players.
"Partnering with e-commerce marketplaces and platforms, restaurants, as well as pharmaceutical and grocery companies, the company is changing the way that people buy and send goods," was how it fleshed out the move, noting also that it has also recently opened its 1,000th "Dmart" (aka "small warehouses in strategic locations for delivery").
Again, Germany is seeing on-demand action bubbling up on a variety of fronts -- as homegrown startups seek to ride the Q-commerce boom via a strategy of divide and conquer.
This means launching app-based delivery services that target (more) specific niches and segments -- such as Yababa (multicultural groceries); Arive (high-end consumer goods); and Mayd (meds, but starting with non-prescription products sold in pharmacies) -- to name three German startups which all raised recently.
The mood music suggests there are indeed opportunities for growth in quick commerce beyond the tricky business of biking hot meals to hungry bellies -- and that the evolution of the on-demand delivery category is well underway.
This is about diversifying beyond takeaways and instant food gratification -- to serving all sorts of convenience and specialist requirements and the platforms that will be needed to deliver that big picture vision of anything arriving quickly via app order.
In Europe there is also the issue of labor rights for gig platform workers to consider too, which looks set to further steer market developments -- and could accelerate the reconfiguration of a business model that some accuse of being inherently exploitative.
Earlier this month EU lawmakers presented their legislative proposal on platform work which -- if adopted -- could see millions of gig workers reclassified as employees.
Ostberg does not appear to be a fulsome fan of the proposal. Nor, indeed, of current German labor laws -- which he has suggested make it difficult for platforms to hire riders.
In a series of tweets earlier this month, as the EU unveiled the draft legislation, the Delivery Hero CEO chipped in to offer the usual platform rebuttal -- which seeks to frame the issue as a choice between employment or flexibility -- making a call for "better terms for riders and more flexibility".
Lets move forward with better terms for riders and more flexibility. Not backwards to where we came from. (4/4) Niklas Oestberg (@niklasoestberg) December 9, 2021
However the academic research project Fairwork, which tracks conditions for workers in the gig economy, argues it's false framing to suggest it's not possible for platforms to provide flexibility and fairness right now -- although it has found only a minority do so currently.
Hence Fairwork accuses platforms of opting for "a race to the bottom in labour standards" -- instead of getting on and improving conditions for workers.
The EU's reform proposal could help enforce fairer working conditions across the gig economy by removing the risk of reclassification for platforms that provide workers with more rights and protections -- and by creating a level playing field of basic standards that all platforms in the region must abide by.
Although the reform still needs the backing of the European Parliament and Member States governments to be adopted as EU law. But that prospect may be concentrating gig platform CEOs' minds -- on how to evolve their models to account for fuller regional employment and higher costs.
Delivery Hero denied its exit from Germany has anything to do with the EU's planned labor reform when TechCrunch asked -- saying the decision purely relates to recent changes in the market, such as increased competition which it said has led to a knock-on shortage of riders, limiting its ability to scale.
"Despite having built up a fantastic foodpanda team showing great progress in all cities, it has become increasingly difficult to create true value for our ecosystem in Germany," it added.
"When it comes to the EU proposal, Delivery Hero fully supports the European Commissions aim to improve the labor conditions of platform workers," a Delivery Hero spokeswoman also told us. "The Commissions proposal includes positive and much-needed elements. Even though we believe that the suggested criteria to trigger the proposed rebuttable presumption of employment and reversed burden of proof are too broad and would not contribute to that goal, this has not influenced our decision to scale down our German business."
Asked for more detail on where it intends to focus its efforts as it shutters service in its home market, the company offered little, saying only: "We will focus our efforts on a variety of attractive growth opportunities across the group and specifically invest into scaling new verticals, and more prominently quick commerce globally."
It also declined to confirm whether or not it's eyeing quick-commerce opportunities beyond food-related deliveries, saying only: "We are always looking for new opportunities to drive the industry forward and make a positive impact on the ecosystem we operate in. We cannot comment more precisely on this at this stage."
Asked whether it will be offering any support to Foodpanda workers who did not have employment contracts and are -- just a couple of days before Christmas -- facing the prospect of no more work coming to them via its app, Delivery Hero's spokeswoman said: "All affected employees, riders, pickers, customers, and partners have been informed about the upcoming change. The company will do its best to support them in their journey ahead. Around 70% of employees from foodpanda Germany, including riders and pickers, will be offered new opportunities. Delivery Hero confirms that its riders will keep being employed by Delivery Hero Germany Logistics GmbH (pandalogistics). As of December 23, 2021, the pandalogistics entity will deliver orders on behalf of other industry players in Germany as a transitory measure."
(And it's another interesting sign that Delivery Hero is -- at least temporarily -- going to be experimenting with fulfilling delivery orders for rivals still operating in Germany... )
Delivery Hero's PR also commits to the company doing "its best to transition employees from foodpanda Germany to positions within the Delivery Hero Group, or with partners from the companys industry network," adding: "Employees who do not stay within the Delivery Hero Group will receive a severance package."
What about Japan? Another market Delivery Hero only entered recently -- also via its Foodpanda brand -- but in that case it launched last year (September 2020).
The company blamed "a very similar situation" to the competitive challenges limiting its ability to grow in Germany for its decision to divest the unit early next year.
"In order to focus on other growth priorities within the group, Delivery Hero plans to divest its Japanese entity," it said. "The divestiture process will be kicked off in Q1 2022. During this upcoming transition period, it is Delivery Heros utmost priority to support all Heroes and express gratitude for the dedication they have shown in the last 1.5 years."
In Japan, Delivery Hero has faced some meaty competition -- from the likes of South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang; the (recently) SoftBank-backed local veteran Demae-Can; the U.S. giant Uber Eats; and the now DoorDash-owned Wolt, to name a few.
In another recent move in Asia, Delivery Hero also completed the sale of its Korean business.
It's not all scaling back for Delivery Hero, though. Also recently: It picked up a Danish food delivery biz called Hungry; expanded in Slovakia; and grabbed customers in Central American and the Caribbean via acquisition.
Last year it also splurged $272 million to pick up Spanish rival Glovo's LatAm business -- so Delivery Hero's consolidation vs growth story continues to be a market-reflective pick 'n' mix.
Brisbane, Queensland--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2021) - Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (TSXV: GMG) (FSE: 0GF) ("GMG" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its graphene aluminium-ion batteries ("G+AI Battery") 2032 type coin cell prototypes (see Figure 1) have been sent to a number of prospective customers around the world.
Coin cell testing to date has demonstrated that the GMG 2032 type G+AI Battery coin cell prototypes are fully rechargeable in several seconds, retain capacity for several thousand charge and discharge cycles, are non-flammable, and are relatively non-toxic and almost fully recyclable. These characteristics compare favourably against typical rechargeable Lithium-Ion 2032 type coin cells which take 3-6 hours to recharge, are toxic and can be quite harmful if ingested, are difficult to recycle, are flammable under certain conditions, and degrade more rapidly in performance.
Figure 1: GMG 2032 1.7V Prototype
To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8082/108294_b94e44dee499abaf_001full.jpg
GMG is pleased to report that further battery development, in collaboration with the University of Queensland, has increased the capacity of the G+AI Battery coin cells, when compared to earlier proof of concept prototypes. The Company is also currently in the process of developing the technology required to increase the voltage of the coin cell from approximately 1.7 Volts to 3.4 Volts - making the G+AI Battery better suited for interchangeable use in existing everyday personal devices. In addition to graphene manufactured by GMG, the Company also continues to test different grades of graphene from various sources for use in G+AI Batteries. GMG considers the performance characteristics of these prototypes clear enough to engage potential customers and industry partners for feedback on their commercial potential following subsequent further development.
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GMG's CEO and Managing Director, Craig Nicol, said, "We are very pleased with the technical and commercial progress we have made to date on our G+AI Batteries, and with the level of interest received from potential customers. We look forward to customer feedback on these prototypes, and to progressing towards the commercialisation of this impressive battery technology. In parallel we will continue to optimise and improve performance in our newly commissioned pilot plant and start to develop pouch pack formats during 2022 in addition to the coin cell."
About GMG
GMG is an Australian based clean-tech company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: GMG) that produces graphene and hydrogen by cracking methane (natural gas) instead of mining graphite. By using the company's proprietary process, GMG can produce high quality, low cost, scalable, 'tuneable' and no/low contaminant graphene - enabling demonstrated cost and environmental improvements in a number of world-scale planet-friendly/clean-tech applications. Using this and other sources of low input cost graphene, the Company is developing value-added products that target the massive energy efficiency and energy storage markets.
The Company is pursuing opportunities for GMG graphene enhanced products, including developing next-generation batteries, collaborating with world-leading universities in Australia, and investigating the opportunity to enhance the performance and energy efficiency of engine oils, biodiesel and diesel fuels.
For further information, please contact:
- Craig Nicol, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Company at craig.nicol@graphenemg.com, +61 415 445 223
- Leo Karabelas at Focus Communications, info@fcir.ca , +1 647 689 6041
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends", "expects" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or will "potentially" or "likely" occur. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forwardlooking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding the continued optimisation of the G+AI Battery, the potential toxicity and recyclability of the 2032 type G+AI Battery coin cell prototypes, the technological development and optimisation of the G+AI Battery coin cells, the potential commercialization of the 2032 type G+AI Battery coin cell technology, the optimisation and improved performance of the Company's pilot plant, and the development of the 2032 type G+AI Battery coin cell prototype in a pouch pack format.
These forwardlooking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to the deployment of the Company's resources, including its personnel, and the intention of the Company to research, develop and produce certain products and technologies, the ability of the Company to optimise certain products and facilities, and the commercial progress and technical characteristics of certain products.
In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, assumptions regarding the Company's ability to research, develop and test its products within anticipated timelines, and market demand for the Company's products.
Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108294
CALGARY, AB, Dec. 21, 2021 /CNW/ - Headwater Exploration Inc. (the "Company" or "Headwater") (TSX: HWX) announces that it has issued a call notice to Cenovus Marten Hills Partnership ("CMHP"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cenovus Energy Inc. ("Cenovus"), requiring CMHP to exercise the 15,000,000 warrants (the "Warrants") to purchase common shares ("Common Shares") of the Company that CMHP holds. Each Warrant entitles CMHP to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $2.00. Headwater and CMHP have agreed that CMHP will exercise the Warrants on December 23, 2021. On exercise of the Warrants, Headwater will receive $30,000,000 in cash and CMHP will receive 15,000,000 Common Shares (representing 6.9% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares). Other than the Warrants, neither CMHP nor Cenovus hold any additional Common Shares or other securities of the Company.
The Warrants were issued to CMHP as partial consideration for the acquisition by Headwater of Cenovus' interest in the Marten Hills area of Alberta in December 2020.
SOURCE Headwater Exploration Inc.
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Houston-based company leases facilities with a biotechnology research accelerator.
HOUSTON, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ponce Therapeutics, founded by former Bellicum leaders Kevin Slawin and David Spencer, have signed an agreement to continue their ground-breaking research at K2bio. Ponce Therapeutics is currently developing a biotechnology platform to arrest or reverse the aging process, initially targeting age-related changes to the skin driven by the accumulation of senescent cells.
K2bio Laboratory located in Houston, Texas
"We started speaking with Kieron Jones and Andrew Strong as we were funded and started to execute our R&D plan, and the rest is history. We appreciate the variety of support services K2bio offers in addition to rental lab space," stated Kevin Slawin, CEO of Ponce Therapeutics. Ponce Therapeutics was the first client to enter into a contract with K2bio.
"We are very excited to welcome Ponce Therapeutics to the K2bio family," said Kieron Jones, Co-founder, CEO, and President of K2bio. "Our goal is to build a collaborative environment That allows companies within our facility to focus on efficiently developing their product. For companies outside of our facility, we offer a suite of contracted services to support their in-vivo and in-vitro needs as a long-term partner built on quality and timeliness."
About K2bio K2bio is a state-of-the-art facility with a unique model of providing preclinical contract research services and an incubator environment. We provide a unique and flexible co-working facility for high-potential, early-stage life science companies, with experienced biotech research managers and staff, in addition to a mouse vivarium to allow companies access to the research environment that they need to progress at an affordable cost. We've created the concierge of biolabs, offering researchers the option to add or subtract services based on their individual needs.
For more information, visit https://K2-biolabs.com.
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About Ponce Therapeutics - Ponce Therapeutics is currently developing a biotechnology platform to restore young cells in the skin, targeting p16-expressing senescent cells for elimination. While initially focused on skin, Ponce plans to develop a wide-ranging portfolio of anti-aging products, which could ultimately lead to new cancer treatments. The elimination of pro-inflammatory senescent cells has been shown to suppress cancer and rejuvenate tissues by restoring stem cell niches to their healthy state. Ponce is headquartered in Miami, Florida, with research facilities located in Houston, TX.
For more information, visit https://poncetherapeutics.com.
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SOURCE K2bio
Pictured here: An African Fish Eagle at the British Falconry Fair held at the National Centre for Birds of Prey at Duncombe Park in northern England on 27 June 2021 (Getty Images)
A rare eagle has been touring North America for over a year and has now been spotted in Massachusetts, thousands of miles away from its home in Asia, captivating bird watchers.
Massachusetts fisheries and wildlife department posted a photo of the rare bird, known as a Stellers sea eagle, on Monday.
The bird was spotted along the Taunton river.
The raptor is normally only found in Asian countries like Japan, China, the eastern region of Russia and in the Koreas.
However, according to Smithsonian magazine, it was spotted in Nova Scotia on Canadas east coast in November as well as in Texas and even Alaska last year.
Birdwatchers are confident the same eagle has been touring the northern American continent since at least August 2020, said the magazine, citing several photos of the bird.
The bird in question has a unique yellow beak and white stripes on its wings.
It weighs as much as 20 pounds, with a wingspan of up to 8 feet, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Spotting the sea eagle in the American continent is very rare.
Weve never had one here in this area of the world: the Northeast coast of North America or Massachusetts, Andrew Vitz, an ornithologist based out of Massachusetts, said in a statement.
This is like the bird of the decade for people around here, he added.
Mr Vitz said the bird most likely arrived in North America after it got caught in a weather-related storm. It is believed the raptor has now lost its way.
The authorities are hoping it will find its way back, and there are currently no plans to capture it.
There's no place like home for the holidays. One Louisiana military family is experiencing the true meaning of those words thanks to an early return for U.S. soldier Kelvin Green, who surprised his sons at school last week just in time to spend the winter holidays together.
Devin and Jakhari Green weren't expecting to see their father again until February of 2022. So, when he showed up at Start Elementary School on Dec. 15, they were in for the greatest Christmas surprise of all time.
Soldier with Christmas Gift
Getty Images / avid_creative
Kelvin has been deployed in Kuwait since March 2021, and has only seen his family through Zoom and FaceTime calls. Devin, who turned 14 just two days after his father's return, said he was left speechless by the surprise.
"I didn't know what to say," he told Fox 14's Chelsea Monae Williams. "Only thing I could do was bust out in tears, and that's it really."
Mom Kanisha Daniels-Green worked with the boys' school to pull off the surprise. She said the K through 8 school has been instrumental in supporting her family during Kelvin's deployment.
"They helped us out tremendously," she told Fox 14. "By keeping the boys motivated. Keeping them encouraged. They kept them in touch with their dad, sending care packages, planning, making sure that he was a part of everything that we had going on."
Now that he's home, Kelvin said he's looking forward to spending time with his boys doing all their favorite things: cooking, watching movies, and having guy's nights.
Merry Christmas to the Greens!
Q1/22 revenue increased over 4.5x quarter-over-quarter, and more than 13.5x year-over-year;
The combination of the announced acquisitions of Liver Specialty Group, InfusiCare Canada, and Medvisits aggregate revenue for their last fiscal years was approximately C$33.6M and C$3.3M in total gross profit;
Mednow expects to achieve nationwide service all of Canada by mid calendar year 2022;
In November, Mednow entered two partnerships; acquired the exclusive Canadian distribution rights for genetic testing from TruDiagnosticTM and closed an investment with Doko Medical by way of convertible debenture.
TORONTO, December 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mednow Inc. ("Mednow'' or the "Company") (TSXV:MNOW), Canadas on-demand virtual pharmacy, is pleased to announce it has released its financial results for the period ending October 31st, 2021 ("Q1 2022"). Mednows Financial Statements and Management, Discussion & Analysis are available on sedar.com and on the Companys website, https://investors.mednow.ca.
"I am extremely proud of our achievements just nine months into becoming a public company, and our growth trajectory is on-track as we continue to build out our digital pharmacies and interdisciplinary model of care across Canada" said Karim Nassar, Chief Executive Officer at Mednow. "To date, we currently service more than half of the population of Canada and expect to achieve nationwide status by the first half of calendar 2022. We have continued our rapid expansion, with growth through the launch of our digital pharmacies and telemedicine services, the continuation of our efforts to increase patient acquisition en masse through our institutional business, Mednow for Business, and agreements to acquire two specialty pharmacies. We have also entered into partnerships with mental health and genetic testing companies and have an interest in the U.S. market through our investment with Doko Medical. Mednow is in a favorable position to continue to grow and implement our strategic plan with plenty of runway, given our cash balance of approximately C$23M and no debt on the balance sheet."
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Key M&A, Partnerships and Milestones During and Subsequent to Q1 2022:
Key Acquisitions On December 17, 2021, Mednow entered an agreement to acquire London Pharmacare Inc. and Liver Care Canada Inc. (" Liver Specialty Group "), for an aggregate cash payment of C$650,000 and two subsequent earn-out payments in the amount of 0.1x of the revenue generated by Liver Specialty Group in each of its 2022 and 2023 financial years. Liver Specialty Group generated an aggregate of C$21.3M in revenue and C$2.1M in gross profit in their last fiscal year. Liver Specialty Group focuses on the management of hepatology. Mednow acquired specialty pharmacy InfusiCare Canada Inc. (" InfusiCare ") on November 18, 2021, for a cash payment of C$1.85M, which is expected to bolster the Companys expertise in biologic drugs, the fastest-growing class of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Annualized revenue of InfusiCare was C$9.3M and C$400,000 gross profit in its latest fiscal year. On August 5, 2021, Mednow acquired Medvisit, a business that provides in-home doctor and patient consultations in Ontario, for C$1.3M in cash. Medvisit has approximately 30,000 patient home visits per year and over 400,000 patients serviced since inception. Annualized revenue of Medvisit was C$3M and C$790,000 In October 2021, Mednow acquired 100% interest in "Mednow Pharmacy Inc." ("Mednow West"). The walk-in and online pharmacy is open for business, operating under the trade name Mednow Pharmacy, and services the province of British Columbia, providing same-day delivery services to the Greater Vancouver Area and surrounding areas.
Key Investments On November 24, 2021, Mednow closed a C$500,000 investment in Doko Medical Inc. (" Doko Medical ") by way of convertible debenture. If the convertible debenture is converted to equity, this would equate to a 2.8% equity interest at a C$17.5M pre-money valuation. Doko Medical is a virtual healthcare provider operating across the U.S. currently servicing 38 states; it has over 100 physicians and health care workers engaged over its platform. Mednow increased its equity interest in Life Support Mental Health (LSMH) to 12.3% from 10.5% in October 2021, with a follow-on investment of C$250,000. In Q1, LSMH entered a partnership with a major Canadian pharmacy chain, to provide its clients access to LSMHs Mental Health Check , reinforcing Mednows position that offering holistic services provides greater avenues to assist patients. On November 12, 2021, Mednow acquired the License and Exclusive Distribution Rights of TruDiagnostic for a two-year term and a cash payment of US$150,000 to expand the Companys holistic healthcare offerings on its digital platform. Mednows customers are expected to be able to order this epigenetic test in the first calendar quarter of 2022.
Operational Milestones Mednow launched Mednow Virtual Care in September 2021, a proprietary platform to provide virtual care and telemedicine services, facilitated through the Mednow web application and mobile application. Mednow Virtual Care is currently available in the province of Ontario and expects to expand its coverage to serve patients across Canada in calendar 2022. Mednow continues to target large institutional contracts through its Mednow For Business division (" MFB "). MFB has been successfully executing with current broker channel partners and has received commitments from individual plan sponsors and companies to retain Mednow as their preferred pharmacy to support their employees. In September 2021, Mednow received regulatory approvals from the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists and opened for business under the trade name Mednow Pharmacy. The pharmacy services the province of Nova Scotia and can fill orders from walk-in patients as well as online orders. Mednow Pharmacy provides same-day delivery services to Halifax and surrounding areas.
Summary of Financial Results
Three months ended October 31, Year Ended July 31, 2021 2020 2021 Revenue $ 570,343 $ 41,400 $ 414,000 Net loss and comprehensive loss (4,446,652 ) (509,097 ) (8,953,835 ) Total assets 32,935,825 5,121,398 34,171,322 Total liabilities 3,770,586 244,391 1,684,582 Basic and diluted net loss and comprehensive loss per common share $ (0.21 ) $ (0.03 ) $ (0.49 ) Source: Mednows MD&A as of October 31, 2021
Normal Course Issuer Bid Update
As of October 31, 2021, the Company purchased and canceled a life-to-date total of 309,100 common shares for C$865,955 of cash consideration. The life-to-date weighted average cost of the canceled shares totaled C$455,233 resulting in a loss on cancellation of C$410,821 allocated to the deficit. The Company did not purchase common shares during the period ended October 31, 2021.
Mednow continues to have a first-mover advantage in the digital pharmacy market, as it completes its technological and logistical infrastructure. During the next 12 months, the Company is on course to build and open retail pharmacies in the provinces of Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec, and expects to acquire a pharmacy based in Toronto, from related parties of Mednow. Mednow expects to own and operate brick-and-mortar retail pharmacies in these provinces across Canada, which will allow the Company to further develop brand presence, serve walk-in patients as well as serve the majority of orders through home delivery of medications ordered via the web and mobile applications. Its recent acquisitions and partnerships have increased its holistic offering and positions itself to be a leader, providing best-in-class service to every person living in Canada.
About Mednow Inc.
Mednow is a healthcare technology company offering virtual access with exceptional care. Designed with access and quality care in mind, Mednow.ca provides virtual pharmacy and telemedicine services, as well as doctor home visits, with convenience and through an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare that is focused on the patient experience. Mednows services include free at-home delivery of medications, a user-friendly interface for easy upload, transfer, and refill of prescriptions, access to healthcare professionals through an intuitive chat experience, a specialized PillSmart system that packages prescriptions, and vitamins by date and time, and doctor consultations.
To learn more, follow Mednow on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as visit https://investors.mednow.ca/
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 Statements:
This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding future estimates, plans, objectives, timing, assumptions or expectations of future performance, including without limitation, the statement that the Company expects to achieve nationwide status by the first half of calendar 2022, Mednow is in a favorable position to continue to grow and implement its strategic plan, Mednow's customers are expected to be able to order the epigenetic test in calendar first quarter of 2022, the acquisition of InfusiCare bolstering the Company's expertise in biologic drugs and expanding Mednow's logistical infrastructure in Southwestern Ontario, how the proceeds of the Doko Medical investment are expected to be used by Doko Medical, Mednows strategic investment in Doko Medical fueling Doko Medical's future growth, that the acquisition of Liver Specialty Group will complete as anticipated by management, the Company's 12 month plans, including building and opening retail pharmacies in the provinces of Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec, the acquisition of a pharmacy based in Toronto, Mednow owning and operating brick-and-mortar retail pharmacies in three provinces across Canada which will further develop brand presence, serve walk-in patients as well as serve the majority of orders through home delivery of medications ordered via the web and mobile applications and Mednow positioned as a leader providing best-in-class service to every person living in Canada are forward-looking statements and contain forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this press release, including that the Company is in a favorable position to continue to grow, the Company being able to implement its strategic plans, the acquisition of Liver Specialty Group, the Company will receive the required corporate and regulatory approvals, including TSX Venture Exchange approval for the acquisition of Liver Specialty Group, Mednow will expand its infrastructure in Southwestern Ontario, the acquisition of InfusiCare will bolster the Company's expertise in biological drugs, how the proceeds of the Doko Medical investment are expected to be used by Doko Medical, Mednow's strategic investment in Doko Medical will fuel Doko Medical's future growth, Mednow achieving its 12 month plans, including building and opening retail pharmacies in the provinces of Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec, the acquisition of a pharmacy based in Toronto, Mednow owning and operating brick-and-mortar retail pharmacies in three provinces across Canada. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary, include, without limitation, that the acquisition of Liver Specialty Group will not complete as anticipated by management, the Company does not receive the required corporate and regulatory approvals, including TSX Venture Exchange approval, that the Company will not be able to implement its strategic plans, the acquisition of InfusiCare will not bolster the company's expertise in biological drugs, the Company will not expand its logistical infrastructure in Southwestern Ontario, Doko Medical will not use the proceeds from the Doko Medical investment as anticipated, the Company will not achieve its 12 month plans, including building and opening retail pharmacies in the provinces of Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec, acquiring a pharmacy based in Toronto and owning and operating brick-and-mortar retail pharmacies in three provinces across Canada. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211222005165/en/
Contacts
Investor Relations:
Lucy Chitilian
ir@mednow.ca
647.933.6995
Media:
Kieran Lawler
Kieran.lawler@loderockadvisors.com
416.303.0799
Companies Profiled in Mobile Security Market:- Microsoft Corporation, Google LLC, IBM Corporation, Lookout, Inc., Apple, Inc., Kaspersky Lab, Intel Corporation, VMware, Inc., AVG Technologies, Symantec Corporation, F Secure Corporation, Oracle Corporation, NortonLifeLock, Inc, Zimperium, Giesecke+Devrient GmbH
Pune, India, Dec. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global mobile security market size is likely to gain momentum by exhibiting a promising 14.6% CAGR between 2020 and 2027. This is ascribable to factors such as increasing adoption of advanced mobility solutions and increasing cyberattack incidents across the globe. Fortune Business Insights, publish this information in its latest report, titled Mobile Security Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis, By Component (Solutions and Services), By Operating System (iOS and MacOS, Android, Windows, and Others), By Vertical (BFSI, IT & Telecom, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail, Education, Government, Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027. The report further mentions that the market was worth USD 34.94 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 103.45 billion by 2027.
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has cast an unprecedented effect on several businesses across industries. While some industries are experiencing significant loss owing to the lockdown announced by the federal governments globally, collective efforts from the government and the industries will ensure that the testing times may soon pass away.
We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreaks across industries to help you prepare for the future.
Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market.
Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/mobile-security-market-103038
Regional Analysis:
North America to Remain at the Forefront; Increasing Adoption of Mobile Security Solutions to Augur Growth
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Among the regions, the market in North America was worth USD 10.38 billion and is expected to gain major global mobile security market revenue during the forecast period. This is ascribable to factors such as the increasing adoption of advanced mobile security solutions owing to rise in cyberattack and malware incidents in the region. Asia-Pacific, on the other hand, is likely to witness significant growth during the forecast period. This is attributable to factors such as massive development in the IT industry. Furthermore, special impetus by the governments in countries such as India and China on fortifying the cyber world by establishing stringent data security regulations will contribute to the market
Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 CAGR 14.6% 2027 Value Projection USD 103.45 Billion Base Year 2019 Market Size in 2019 USD 34.94 Billion Historical Data for 2016 to 2018 No. of Pages 150 Segments covered Component; Operating System; and Vertical; Growth Drivers Increasing Adoption of Enterprise Mobility Solutions to Promote Growth North America to Remain at the Forefront; Increasing Adoption of Mobile Security Solutions to Augur Growth
Pitfalls & Challenges Lack of Awareness about Cyber Security and Vulnerability to Hinder Growth
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Mobile Security Market majorly refers to the term that involves the safety of user data of a mobile device. Additionally, it involves authentication and protection of private data stored in the connected devices such as smart phones, tablets, and personal mobile devices. Furthermore, it involves basic to an advanced forms of security such as personal identification number (PIN), pattern locks, and fingerprint and eye reader, among others. With increasing adoption of smartphones across the globe, the need for efficient security solutions for mobile devices to prevent incidents of malware and cyberattacks is growing largely.
What does the Report Include?
The mobile security market report includes an exhaustive study of several factors such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities that will affect the growth of the market in the forthcoming years. The report covers regional demographics that include qualitative and quantitative information about the regions that are further divided into nations that are contributing to the growth of the market between 2019 and 2026. Furthermore, the competitive landscape has been discussed in-depth that include information of several players operating in the market. Moreover, information on the adoption of strategies such as merger and acquisition, collaboration, partnerships, and joint ventures by the companies that will drive the growth of the market has been included during the projected horizon.
Drivers and Restraints:
Increasing Adoption of Enterprise Mobility Solutions to Promote Growth
Enterprise mobility solutions ensure that the organizations enable the employees to adopt secure mobile devices. In addition to this, it involves securing corporate data present in the mobile devices of the employees to prevent data theft and economic loss. Furthermore, the emergence of technologies such as the internet of things (ioT) and machine learning is enabling enterprises to promote enterprise mobility among their employees. According to a report by Soti, Inc., about three fourth of the employees in the United States are expected to be introduced to the mobility working environment in the forthcoming years. Moreover, the increasing risk of cyberattacks and malware is expected to drive the demand for the global mobile security market during the projected horizon.
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Competitive Landscape:
V-Key Collaborating with TONIK Digital Bank to Aid Growth
Fortune Business Insights with its quantitative and qualitative detailed analysis observes that the market comprises of several players trying to consolidate their position in the global mobile security market during the forecast period. Adoption of strategies such as collaboration, merger and acquisition, and product launches by the companies will bode well for the market growth. For instance, in May 2020, V-Key announced its collaboration with TONIK digital bank. As per the collaboration, V-key will provide security to the mobile banking platform of TONIKs new customers based in Philippines. Greg Krasnov, CEO of TONIK, said on the sidelines of the development, We choose V-Key owing to its history with major banks across the region, wherein their security solutions have been tested and validated. Furthermore, their technology is protected by a global patent with proven track record of delivering security and trust to the customers.
Industry Development:
September 2019- F-Secure, a Finnish cyber security firm, announced its launch of consultancy services across 11 different locations spread across four continents of the world. According to the company, the primary aim of their consultancy services is to defend cyberattacks for the organization by adopting emerging technologies.
List of the Companies Operating in the Mobile Security Market:
Microsoft Corporation (New Mexico, United States)
Google LLC (California, United States)
IBM Corporation (New York, United States)
Lookout, Inc. (California, United States)
Apple, Inc. (California, United States)
Kaspersky Lab (Moscow, Russia)
Intel Corporation (California, United States)
VMware, Inc. (California, United States)
AVG Technologies (Prague, Czech Republic)
Symantec Corporation (Arizona, United States)
F Secure Corporation (Helsinki, Finland)
Oracle Corporation (California, United States)
NortonLifeLock, Inc. (Arizona, United States)
Zimperium (Texas, United States)
Giesecke+Devrient Gmbh (Munich, Germany)
Quick Buy - Mobile Security Market:
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/103038
Major Table Of Content Mobile Security Market:
Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources
Executive Summary
Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities Emerging Trends
Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Impact of COVID-19 Short-term Impact Long-term Impact Key Industry Developments In Response to the COVID-19 Impact Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porters Five Force Analysis
Global Mobile Security Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Component (Value) Solutions Identity & Access Management Data Security & Encryption Cloud Security Network Security Endpoint Security Web Security Application Security Services Professional Services Managed Services By Operating System (Value) iOS and macOS Android Windows Others (Linux, Blackberry, etc.) By Vertical (Value) BFSI IT & telecom Healthcare Manufacturing Retail Education Government Others (Transport, Logistics, etc.) By Geography (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa Latin America
North America Mobile Security Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016 -2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Component (Value) Solutions Identity & Access Management Data Security & Encryption Cloud Security Network Security Endpoint Security Web Security Application Security Services Professional Services Managed Services By Operating System (Value) iOS and macOS Android Windows Others (Linux, Blackberry, etc.) By Vertical (Value) BFSI IT & telecom Healthcare Manufacturing Retail Education Government Others (Transport, Logistics, etc.) By Country (Value) United States Canada
Europe Mobile Security Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Component (Value) Solutions Identity & Access Management Data Security & Encryption Cloud Security Network Security Endpoint Security Web Security Application Security Services Professional Services Managed Services By Operating System (Value) iOS and macOS Android Windows Others (Linux, Blackberry, etc.) By Vertical (Value) BFSI IT & telecom Healthcare Manufacturing Retail Education Government Others (Transport, Logistics, etc.) By Country (Value) The U.K. Germany France Scandinavia Rest of Europe
TOC Continued!
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Read Press Release https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/mobile-security-market-10033
NEW YORK, December 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harvey Frederick Wachsman, M.D., J.D., F.C.L.M. of New York, New York, a prominent attorney, writer and commentator on public health and other issues, name partner in one of the largest plaintiffs medical malpractice law firms in the country, and a former trustee of the State University of New York, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on December 19, 2021 at ArchCare at Mary Manning Walsh Home in Manhattan, New York. He was 85 years old.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211222005122/en/
Harvey Wachsman (Photo: Business Wire)
Among the positions Dr. Wachsman held over the course of his life were: Partner, Pegalis & Wachsman; President, American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys; Board member, American Trial Lawyers Association, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the American College of Legal Medicine, among many others. He co-authored The American Law of Medical Malpractice and authored Lethal Medicine: The Epidemic of Medical Malpractice in America.
A physician himself, as an attorney he became a fierce advocate for protecting the public from negligent medical care. His high-profile cases often drew significant media attention and his insights on public policy often attracted support from members of both political parties.
Born on June 13, 1936 in Brooklyn, Dr. Wachsman was the eldest son of Ben Wachsman and Mollie Wachsman (nee Kugel). Growing up in a one-bedroom apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant, he became the first person in his family to receive secondary education, graduating two years early from Thomas Jefferson High School in East New York.
At 20 years old, Dr. Wachsman graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and four years later graduated from Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Illinois.
While completing his neurosurgical residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Wachsman would frequently attend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s sermons at Ebenezer Baptist Church and Atlanta Braves games, where the PA announcer would often introduce him to stadium attendees as the "young Dr. Kildare."
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During the Vietnam War, Dr. Wachsman volunteered for the US Army National Guard, leading troopers stateside in New York, Georgia, and Florida before receiving an honorable discharge in 1970 at the rank of Captain.
Dr. Wachsman moved to Connecticut, and was soon elected Chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners in Newtown. He was then elected President of the Police Commissioners Association of Connecticut, where he drafted far-reaching proposals for precincts across the state.
While still practicing medicine, he graduated from Brooklyn Law School. He then changed the focus of his career and co-founded Pegalis & Wachsman in Great Neck, New York, which grew rapidly and became a well-respected and prominent plaintiffs medical malpractice law firm. Dr. Wachsman was soon nationally recognized as a preeminent trial lawyer, winning many challenging and noteworthy cases.
Dr. Wachsman became a fixture on national and cable television networks, entering the public debate with great frequency on talk shows like 60 Minutes, CNN Crossfire, Charlie Rose, Morton Downey Jr., Sally Jessy Raphael, Montel Williams, and Geraldo Rivera. As an advocate for public welfare, he was regularly featured by the countrys leading periodicals and contributed dozens of op-eds to newspapers such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.
Dr. Wachsman was the co-author of American Law of Medical Malpractice, a legal treatise expanded over time to four volumes and the definitive textbook series covering the intersection of medicine and law. He was the author of Lethal Medicine: The Epidemic of Medical Malpractice in America, a non-fiction work published by Henry Holt that further expanded the national conversation over health care.
Dr. Wachsmans advocacy and activity were often featured in the news. In 1984, Dr. Wachsman brought forth a $130 million lawsuit against the government of apartheid South Africa, claiming that Barry Martin, a Black American dancer, was left quadripeligic due to medical malpractice and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment in part due to racist policies. In 1988 and on behalf of dozens of female plaintiffs, Dr. Wachsman successfully developed a sustainable theory of negligence and sued "The Love Surgeon," an Ohio-based physician who had, for more than two decades, performed experimental surgery wherein he mutilated women because they were allegedly "structurally inadequate," without their informed consent.
In March 1988, he made international press when, after midnight and hurriedly en route to a Manhattan hospital with his wife Kathryn in labor, he was forced to stop the car upon her urgent request. Despite complications and near total darkness, with just a shoelace, Dr. Wachsman safely delivered his child in the backseat of their car on the Grand Central Parkway. Headline writers had a field day.
After more than 32 years of school and training and in accord with a life uplifted through education, Dr. Wachsman pursued many opportunities to teach. Throughout his career, he served as a full professor at Brooklyn Law School, as an adjunct professor at St. Johns Law School, as an adjunct professor of neurosurgery for the State University of New York and on the faculty of the University of South Florida College of Medicine. He lectured at undergraduate and graduate schools throughout the Ivy League and at universities across America. In 1995, Dr. Wachsman was nominated by Governor George Pataki and confirmed by the New York State Senate as a member of the State University of New York Board of Trustees, where he helped administer the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States.
Dr. Wachsmans legendary nine-page-long curriculum vitae was littered with awards and accolades. He held eight medical licenses and was admitted to the legal bar in seven states. Throughout his career, Dr. Wachsman served on boards for the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, as President of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, and the Board of Governors for the American College of Legal Medicine, among many others. He contributed and served on the board of philanthropic organizations throughout his life, including as a founding member of the board of the Carson Scholars Fund set up by his close friend and fellow neurosurgeon Ben Carson, M.D., former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Dr. Wachsmans extracurricular passions were numerous. He was a longtime patron of the New York Metropolitan Opera House, where for twenty years he hosted guests to productions at the central, parterre box at The Met in Lincoln Center. Dr. Wachsman served as Bailli of the Long Island chapter of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, the worlds oldest food and wine society. At his home, he hosted events with the Bolshoi Ballet and for friends including politicians Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Paul Simon, Max Cleland, Al DAmato, Patrick Kennedy, and comedian Jackie Mason, among others.
Dr. Wachsman revived a childhood interest by retrofitting a greenhouse to present one of the largest collections of model trains in the United States. Fascinated by photography, he collected dozens of Hasselblad and other fine cameras. Dr. Wachsman curated thousands of records and books at the five libraries within Fox Hall, reading every evening to expand and deepen a knowledge in all matters of history, philosophy, and literature.
Dr. Wachsman is survived by Kathryn Mary Wachsman, Esq., his wife of 45 years, and by his brother Robert Wachsman. He will remain loved by his children Ashley Max Wachsman, M.D.; Marea Lane Wachsman, Esq.; Melissa Roseanne Wachsman; Dara Nicole Wachsman, J.D.; David Winston Wachsman; Jacqueline Victoria Wachsman; Lauren Elizabeth Wachsman; and Derek Charles Wachsman. He leaves behind grandchildren David Galkin; Jeremy Galkin; Michael Wachsman; Bina Wachsman; Clara Victoria Gabern; and Margot Elisabeth Gabern; great-grandchild Cayden Galkin; and the many thousands of people across the world whose lives were touched by his brilliance and determination.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211222005122/en/
Contacts
Media:
Jeremy Berrington
jb@wachsman.com
Savosolar Plc
Company Announcement 22 December 2021 at 3.30 p.m. (CET)
Savosolar hands over solar district heating system in Cadaujac, France
Savosolar handed over a solar thermal system for a local heat network in Cadaujac, France, to AbSOLAR SAS.
Savosolar delivery included a turn-key solar plant with the solar collector field, piping, solar station and automation.
Our delivery is part of 100% renewable energy solution where the solar thermal plant is combined with a seasonal borehole thermal storage from AbSOLAR to supply heating and domestic hot water to the 67 single family houses newly build and connected to this heat network. The energy mix is intended to be >95% from solar thermal making it nearly CO2 emission free.
The delivery agreement for the Cadaujac project was announced in January 2021 and total value of the project is approximately EUR 300 thousand. The c. 950 m2 collector field is built with Savo 15 SG collectors.
Jari Varjotie, the CEO of Savosolar: This project in Cadaujac is a perfect example of two important trends, which benefit also Savosolar business development: The first one is the rapid growth of demand for CO2 free heating solutions. The other trend is the increase in heating network coverage in Europe. This project, while relatively small compared to our other recent projects, serves as a lighthouse project and technology demonstrator for compact scale heating networks where nearly 100% fraction of solar heat can be achieved when combined with a seasonal thermal storage.
SAVOSOLAR PLC
For more information:
Savosolar Plc
Managing Director Jari Varjotie
Phone: +358 400 419 734
E-mail: jari.varjotie@savosolar.com
About Savosolar
Savosolar with its highly efficient collectors and large-scale solar thermal systems has taken solar thermal technology to the next level. The companys collectors are equipped with the patented nano-coated direct flow absorbers, and with this leading technology, Savosolar helps its customers to produce competitive clean energy. Savosolars vision is to be the first-choice supplier to high performance solar installations on a global scale. Focus is on large-scale applications like district heating, industrial process heating and real estate systems market segments with a big potential for rapid growth. The company primarily delivers complete systems from design to installation, using the best local partners. Savosolar is known as the most innovative company in the business and aims to stay as such. The company has sold and delivered its products to almost 20 countries on four continents. Savosolars shares are listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Sweden with the ticker SAVOS and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland with the ticker SAVOH. www.savosolar.com .
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The companys Certified Adviser is Augment Partners AB, info@augment.se , phone: +46 8-604 22 55.
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Baidu, Inc. (" Baidu " or the "Company") (NASDAQ: BIDU) . Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7 980.
Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)
The investigation concerns whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ("Goldman Sachs") and/or Morgan Stanley have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
According to media reports, in March 2021, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley confidentially learned that the family office Archegos Capital Management ("Archegos") had failed or was likely to fail to meet a margin call, requiring Archegos to liquidate its position in various companies, including Baidu. Trading on this non-public information, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley reportedly avoided billions of dollars in losses on their Baidu investments by selling Company securities in late March 2021 before the market learned of Archegos's difficulties. When this information reached the market, the price of Baidu securities fell sharply, damaging Company 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 .
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
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Cision
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-alert-pomerantz-law-firm-investigates-claims-on-behalf-of-investors-of-baidu-inc---bidu-301449484.html
SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Citrix Systems, Inc. ("Citrix" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: CTXS). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)
The investigation concerns whether Citrix and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
On April 29, 2021, Citrix announced lower than expected license conversions of the shorter duration, on-premise licenses that Citrix began offering during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to the shift to remote work (the "Business Continuity Licenses"). Specifically, the Company explained that the Business Continuity Licenses did not transition to long-term cloud contracts as expected. Instead, many customers "rolled to another short-term" on-premise license, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On this news, Citrix's stock price fell $10.49 per share, or 7.6%, to close at $128.02 per share. Then, on July 29, 2021, Citrix reported that despite prior assurances, the transition to cloud was not as successful as the Company had led investors to believe. Specifically, Citrix cited "the challenge associated with transitioning the business to [cloud] and the need to evolve our sales strategy to deliver more predictable results." F urther, Citrix announced a major restructuring of its sales leadership in order to "enhance [its] focus on" cloud migration. According to the Company, these changes were "significant and may cause short-term disruption before yielding tangible results."
On this news, Citrix's stock price fell 13.6%, from $114.55 per share to $99.00 per share. Finally, on October 6, 2021, after markets closed, the Company announced the resignation of its President and Chief Executive Officer. This disclosure caused the Company's stock to decline 7.2% over the next two days, from $105.96 per share to $98.32 per share.
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The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
Cision
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-alert-pomerantz-law-firm-investigates-claims-on-behalf-of-investors-citrix-systems-inc---ctxs-301449554.html
SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of ReneSola Ltd. ("ReneSola" or the "Company") (NYSE: SOL). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)
The investigation concerns whether ReneSola and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
On December 2, 2021, Grizzly Research ("Grizzly") published a research report on ReneSola entitled "We believe ReneSola is a Fraudulent Company; Most Projects Never Existed." Citing "on the ground due diligence, lings review, and communications with local municipalities in Europe", The Grizzly report alleged, among other things, "that ReneSola has been vastly misrepresenting its project development pipeline."
On this news, ReneSola's stock price fell $0.50 per share, or 7.62%, to close at $6.06 per share on December 2, 2021.
The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Everbridge, Inc. ("Everbridge" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: EVBG). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)
The investigation concerns whether Everbridge and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
On December 9, 2021, Everbridge disclosed that on December 6, 2021, David Meredith, Everbridge's Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Company's Board of Directors, informed the Company of his intention to resign from his roles at Everbridge effective January 30, 2022 and that on December 8, 2021, Everbridge's Board of Directors accepted Mr. Meredith's resignation.
On this news, Everbridge's stock price fell $52.37 per share, or 45.39%, to close at $63.00 per share on December 10, 2021.
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
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
Cision
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government is expanding the number of businesses that can use Covid-19 aid programs as the omicron variant fuels a surge in cases and new restrictions in Canada.
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At a press conference with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau said companies and individuals affected by new capacity limits will be eligible for extended financial help. Firms can receive wage and rent subsidies of 25% to 75% depending on how much revenue theyve lost, the government said in a statement.
Trudeaus government and Canadas provinces have been caught by an exponential rise in cases in recent days, with testing labs in some places becoming jammed with patients. Quebec is a particular hot spot: the French-speaking province on Wednesday reported a record 6,361 new cases in the past 24 hours. It has 445 people hospitalized with the virus, nearly double the number at the start of December.
Governments are now pleading for Canadians to be cautious with their Christmas gatherings. When asked about the contrast between Trudeaus message and that of U.S. President Joe Biden -- who said Tuesday that vaccinated Americans can safely enjoy the holidays -- Freeland pushed back.
Look, Canada is not the United States and I think all of us know that very profoundly. Our countries have taken very different approaches in the fight against Covid, she said at a news conference. Canada has had 80 virus deaths per 100,000 people compared with 247 deaths in the U.S., according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Workers can also receive benefits if theyve lost at least of half their income due to Covid-19 public health lockdowns. Provinces including Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia have introduced capacity restrictions on gyms, bars, event venues and other businesses in recent days.
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Quebec Closes Schools, Bars With Covid Hospital Cases Up 76%
In October, Freeland shut down the governments broad-based virus support programs for individuals and businesses, replacing them with new targeted aid for the hardest-hit industries. The new programs were initially estimated to cost C$7.4 billion ($6 billion), but the changes will add C$4 billion to the price tag, Freeland said.
The government set aside C$4.5 billion for higher costs related to Covid-19 in a fiscal update last week.
(Updates with Freelands comments and other new information)
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Debuting in January 2022, the New Viking Octantis Will Explore Antarctica and the Great Lakes
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking (www.viking.com) today announced it has taken delivery of Viking Octantis, the company's first of two new purpose-built expedition ships. The delivery ceremony took place this morning at Fincantieri's VARD shipyard in Sviknes, Norway. Viking Octantis hosts 378 guests and sets sail tomorrow toward South America to welcome guests in January 2022 for Viking's first voyages to Antarctica. Viking Octantis will be officially named in April 2022 in New York City by her ceremonial godmother, Liv Arnesen, the famed explorer and educator. The ship then makes her way to the Great Lakes, for a series of voyages during spring and summer. A second, identical sister ship, Viking Polaris, joins the fleet in August 2022 for journeys to the Arctic and Antarctica.
Viking today announced it has taken delivery of Viking Octantis, the company's first of two new purpose-built expedition ships. Viking Octantis hosts 378 guests and sets sail tomorrow toward South America to welcome guests in January 2022 for Viking's first voyages to Antarctica. For more information, visit www.viking.com.
"Today is a proud day for the entire Viking family as we welcome our first expedition ship to the fleet and usher in a new era of exploration. Our guests have asked us to build on our award-winning river and ocean voyages to take them further, and that is just what we have done," said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. "Leveraging our long history of destination-focused travel, enrichment and innovative ship design, we are now perfecting expedition voyages and offering curious travelers the opportunity to visit the world's most pristine destinations in the most responsible way possible. With the arrival of Viking Octantis, Viking is now exploring all seven continents, and we look forward to welcoming her first guests on board in the coming weeks."
Viking's new expedition ships were designed by Richard Riviere, Founding Principal of internationally acclaimed interior design firm Rottet Studio of Los Angeles, who also designed Viking's award-winning Longships and ocean ships. SMC Design of London contributed with their expertise in the maritime sector. Together the two firms were recently awarded "Design Studio Team of the Year" in the 2021 Cruise Ship Interior Awards for their work on Viking's expedition ships. More detail on the design and features of the ships can also be found in a new virtual video tour, Discover Our Expedition Ships, now available on Viking's website and narrated by Viking Executive Vice President Karine Hagen.
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Viking Expedition Ships
The new Polar Class Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris host 378 guests in 189 staterooms. Designed by the same experienced interior designers, nautical architects and engineers that designed Viking's Longships and ocean ships, the new ships are purpose-built for expeditions, at an ideal size for safety, comfort and onboard amenities in remote destinations. An integrated bow creates a longer waterline for the ships; state-of-the-art fin stabilizers allow the ships to glide over the waves for the calmest possible journey; ice-strengthened Polar Class hulls provide the safest way to explore; and U-tank stabilizers significantly decrease rolling by up to 50 percent when the ships are stationary. The new ships feature the company's signature Scandinavian design, with public areas that are favorites on Viking's ocean ships, as well as new spaces created specifically for expeditions. Highlights include:
The Hangar: An industry first, The Hangar is an enclosed, in-ship marina that brings true comfort to expedition voyages with an innovative new way to embark and disembark excursion craft. The Hangar's most innovative feature is an 85 ft. slipway that allows guests to embark and disembark excursion craft from a flat, stable surface inside the ship, shielded from wind and waves. There is also a FerryBox, a set of instruments continuously collecting and displaying data on water quality, oxygen content, plankton composition and more.
The Science Lab: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are the first expedition ships with substantial onboard laboratories. Developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge and Akvaplan-Niva, The Science Lab, at 380 sq. ft., is designed to support a broad range of research activities and is equipped with wet and dry laboratory facilities, a sample processing area, fume cupboard, freezer and cool storage, comprehensive microscope optics and extensive bench space for analysis-specific instruments. Guests have supervised access to The Science Lab, which is located in a glass-enclosed mezzanine above The Hangar, to learn from and participate with scientists undertaking primary research, an experience unique to Viking.
Expedition Equipment: Viking will offer a variety of ways for guests to experience their destination, according to their interests and activity level, at no extra charge. With a robust program of complimentary experiences, expedition equipment available for guests on Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris includes a fleet of military pro zodiacs designed for professional use; a fleet of two-seater Arctic-tested kayaks; and two 12-seater convertible Special Operations Boats. Each ship also features two six-guest submarines with revolving seats and 270-degree spherical windows for an incomparable undersea experience. Everything guests need will be provided: a Viking Expedition Kit contains items like boots, binoculars and waterproof pantsand all guests will receive complimentary use of Viking Excursion Gear, which includes specialty items like trekking poles, snowshoes and skis.
The Aula & Finse Terrace: The world's most advanced venue for learning at sea, The Aula, is a stunning panoramic auditorium at the stern of the ship. Inspired by the University of Oslo's famed ceremonial hall where the Nobel Peace Prize was historically awarded, The Aula is a dynamic venue for lectures and entertainment, with floor-to-ceiling windows and 270-degree views. Adjacent to The Aula is the Finse Terrace, an outdoor lounge area just above sea level with recessed couches and warming lava rock "firepits" perfect for panoramic views of the surroundings.
Nordic Balcony: A first for polar expedition vessels, all staterooms on board Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris feature a Nordic Balcony, a sunroom that converts into an al fresco viewing platform. The Nordic Balcony's floor-to-ceiling, distortion-free glass lets guests take the views in, while keeping the elements out. Should guests wish to feel even closer to nature, the top of the panoramic glass lowers to transform the stateroom into a sheltered lookout, with an observation shelf at elbow level to stabilize binoculars or a camera. Guests can choose from six stateroom categories that range from 222 sq. ft to 1,223 sq. ft: Nordic Balcony, Deluxe Nordic Balcony, Nordic Penthouse, Nordic Junior Suite, Explorer Suite and Owner's Suite. All staterooms feature a Nordic Balcony, as well as a king-size bed and large bathroom with spacious glass-enclosed shower, heated bathroom floor and anti-fog mirror. Every stateroom is also equipped with a unique floor-to-ceiling drying closet that circulates warm air to dry and store clothing and expedition gear.
Expedition Ship Suites: Nordic Junior Suites (322 sq. ft.) and Explorer Suites (580 sq. ft) on Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are similar to those on Viking's fleet of ocean ships, with wood detailing and amenities that include additional storage and seating, an expanded bathroom with extended shower and double sinks, welcome champagne, a fully-stocked mini-bar replenished daily, complimentary laundry and shoeshine services, priority restaurant reservations and more. Explorer Suites feature two separate rooms, a Nordic Balcony and a full outdoor veranda. Additionally, each ship features one Owner's Suite, which at 1,223 sq. ft, is twice the size of the Explorer Suites. With the most exclusive accommodations and amenities on board, it features two separate rooms a living room with six-seat dining table and a bedroom as well as a 792 sq. ft. private garden with a traditional Norwegian badestamp (wood-sided hot tub) and outdoor dining table.
Aquavit Terrace & The Pools: Located at the stern and featuring a retractable glass dome, this indoor-outdoor heated sanctuary allows guests to be surrounded by their destination as they swim and lounge in three different temperature-controlled pools, including an "inside-out" swimming experience.
The Nordic Spa & Fitness Center: In keeping with Viking's Nordic heritage, The Nordic Spa on board is designed with the holistic wellness philosophy of Scandinavia in mind with a thermal suite that features a Sauna, Snow Grotto and chaise lounges, as well as a warm hydrotherapy pool and a traditional Norwegian badestamp (wood-sided hot tub), surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. A state-of-the-art Fitness Center also provides the latest equipment and workout gear.
Explorers' Lounge: Similar to Viking's ocean ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris have a two-deck Explorers' Lounge at the bow of the ship to take in the stunning scenery through double-height windows.
Dining Choices: Viking's expedition ships offer an array of dining options that build on the venues from Viking's ocean ships. The Restaurant offers fine dining featuring regional cuisine and always-available classics; the casual World Cafe offers live cooking, an open kitchen, bakery, grill and premium seafood and sushi choices, as well as a wide range of international flavors; Mamsen's, named for the Hagen family matriarch, serves Scandinavian-inspired fare; Manfredi's offers the best of Italian cuisine; and 24-hour room service is complimentary for all guests as on Viking's ocean voyages.
Enrichment On Board and On Shore: Viking has created the world's leading enrichment environment in an expedition setting. Exclusive partnerships with the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)as well as other prestigious scientific institutionswill match leading researchers and educators with each expedition. More than 23 experts will accompany each journey as part of the Viking Expedition Team, including an Expedition Leader and staff, photographer, field research scientists, general naturalists, mountain guides, kayak guides and specialists (ornithology, geology, higher predator biology and history). On board, guests will enjoy daily briefings and world-class lectures about their destination and engage with working scientists from renowned academic institutions in The Science Lab or participate directly in citizen science programs. On shore, guests can assist in fieldwork or interact through experiential activities during landings such as monitoring birds to help identify migratory patterns; accompanying scientists to collect samples; or taking their cameras ashore alongside a professional photographer to learn how best to capture scenic landscapes.
Environmentally Considerate: Viking's expedition ships have set a new standard for responsible travel with an energy-efficient design that exceeds the Energy Efficiency Design Index* (EEDI) requirements by nearly 36%more than any other expedition ship. In addition to an integrated bow, engines with heat recovery systems and Azipod Electric Propulsion, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris have received one of the industry's first SILENT-E notationsthe highest-level certification for quiet ship propulsion, minimizing underwater noise pollution.
Viking Health & Safety Program
Guests on Viking's new expedition voyages will also experience the company's industry-leading health and safety program. Grounded in scientific research, the Viking Health & Safety Program was developed in partnership with an international team of medical advisors, including Raquel C. Bono, M.D., Viking's Chief Health Officer. Dr. Bono is a board-certified trauma surgeon and retired Vice Admiral of the United States Navy Medical Corpsand in 2020, led Washington State's medical and healthcare systems response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Viking requires all guests and crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Furthermore, Viking is the first and only cruise line with full-scale PCR laboratories installed on board its ocean and expedition ships. Utilizing the PCR laboratories on board Viking ocean and expedition shipsand a strong network of dedicated shoreside labs for Viking river ships in Europeall guests and crew receive frequent quick and easy non-invasive saliva PCR tests. The easy access to robust PCR testing also simplifies guests' travel experience with a final COVID-19 test taken onboard that satisfies the requirement for pre-flight testing before arrival into the U.S. New air purification technology has also been installed on all Viking ships, which have always featured independent air handling units for all guest staterooms. And additional health checks, sanitization and physical distancing measures provide further protection for Viking guests and crew at all points of the journey. A complete overview of the Viking Health & Safety Program can be found at: www.viking.com/health-safety.
*Since January 1, 2013, the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) was made mandatory for new ships, requiring a minimum energy efficiency level per capacity mile. This was the first legally binding climate change treaty to be adopted since the Kyoto Protocol.
About Viking
Viking was founded in 1997 and provides destination-focused journeys on rivers, oceans and lakes around the world. Designed for experienced travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers guests The Thinking Person's Cruise in contrast to mainstream cruises. With more than 250 awards to its name, Viking has been rated the #1 River Cruise Line and #1 Ocean Cruise Line by Conde Nast Traveler in the publication's 2021 Readers' Choice Awards. Viking has also been consistently rated the #1 ocean cruise line and one of the best river cruise lines in Travel + Leisure's "World's Best" Awards. For additional information, contact Viking at 1-800-2-VIKING (1-800-284-5464) or visit www.viking.com. For Viking's award-winning enrichment channel, visit www.viking.tv.
Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen arrives at Fincantieris VARD shipyard in Sviknes, Norway, for the delivery ceremony of the companys first expedition ship, Viking Octantis. The ship hosts 378 guests and sets sail tomorrow toward South America to welcome guests in January 2022 for Viking's first voyages to Antarctica. For more information, visit www.viking.com.
Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen and Executive Vice President Karine Hagen with Viking staff and crew during the ceremonial flag exchange onboard the companys new expedition ship, Viking Octantis. The ship hosts 378 guests and sets sail tomorrow toward South America to welcome guests in January 2022 for Viking's first voyages to Antarctica. For more information, visit www.viking.com.
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SOURCE Viking
OAKVILLE, ON, Dec. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - The WORKS Craft Burgers is set to open their first International location in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday, December 22nd. While some of the menu offerings will vary such as no alcohol and replacing pork bacon with beef bacon in keeping with local customs, the same gourmet craft burgers, craft poutines and an expanded list of craft milkshakes will be available for guests to enjoy. Locally named favs such as The Red Sea featuring cheddar, beef bacon and smokey BBQ sauce and The Nutella Nile, with a river of Nutella piled in the middle of a crunchy onion ring will be featured to bring a touch of innovation and creativity to the Cairo burger scene.
The WORKS Craft Burgers & Beer logo. (CNW Group/The Works Craft Burgers & Beer)
The highly popular Canadian gourmet burger restaurant is excited for this expansion "We are thrilled to introduce and share our gourmet hand-crafted burgers in this market", says Andrew Kay, Brand Lead for The WORKS Craft Burgers & Beer. "We certainly think our new guests will enjoy our burgers the same way our Canadian Burgerheads do".
The WORKS Craft Burgers in Cairo will have the enhanced new brand look launched last year across some locations, in a comfortable two story restaurant not far from the Pyramids, with black brick, stencils of the brand promise and copper touches.
About The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro
Open since 2001, the full-service neighbourhood bistro is known for its more than 30 different, hand-prepared gourmet burgers, bottomless fresh hand-cut fries, cool classic shakes and ice cold beer, which are all 100 per cent Canadian. The WORKS offers guests eight different patty options as well as gluten-free and vegetarian combinations to choose from. The WORKS is now open in 27 locations in Ontario, 1 in Cairo, Egypt, offering the ultimate fresh gourmet burger experience in each neighbourhood. For more information on The WORKS in each community visit www.worksburger.com, on Facebook www.facebook.com/worksburger, or get daily updates by following @WORKSBURGER on Twitter and by joining the conversation at #myworksburger.
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SOURCE The Works Craft Burgers & Beer
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Amy Henecke, dean of professional and technical studies and workforce development for Germanna, said cybersecurity jobs are very difficult to fill.
So its important to start that pipeline earlier, she said. With the dual enrollment program, students can start to earn credentials and apply for college credit.
Tate is partnering with a Germanna professor to teach this years first dual-enrollment course. Students come to Spotsylvania Career and Tech Center from their home high schools every other day for half the day, and they earn credits that will transfer to Germanna or any other Virginia community college.
They can also apply to transfer them to a four-year college.
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Even with this one class that they have, they could graduate [high school] and go into the workforce if thats what they decided to do, Henecke said.
Tate, who has been teaching computer systems courses for 13 years, said about 25 percent of his graduates do go straight into the workforce, anywhere from entry-level Geek Squad tech support jobs to local cybersecurity firms that contract with the Department of Defense.
Spotsylvania County has to redraw its district lines based on updated U.S. Census data. The Board of Supervisors got an update on the process at its Tuesday meeting.
The updated U.S. census is forcing Spotsylvania County to redraw district lines by spring.
Mark Cole, deputy county administrator, told the Board of Supervisors last week that the county received the census data in October, later than normal.
County officials will need to certify new district boundaries prior to the 2022 primary and general elections. Spotsylvania has seven districtsChancellor, Courtland, Salem, Battlefield, Lee Hill, Livingston and Berkeley.
The fastest growth since 2010 happened in the Battlefield and Lee Hill districts. Each district tops the list in terms of population, with Lee Hill totaling 22,440 residents and Battlefield following with 21,886.
Those two districts will need to shrink, with other districts growing to create the required balance in population totals.
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The Chancellor (18,854) and Salem (18,755) districts have the fewest residents, which means they will grow the most when the new lines are drawn.
The target population for each district is 20,101.
Aguilera-Mederos was traveling as fast as 85 mph when his truck slammed into traffic on a section of Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Colo., where commercial vehicles are limited to 45 mph because of the road's steep grade.
He said at his trial his brakes had failed and when his emergency brake didn't work, he planned to stay on the shoulder to avoid traffic, but couldn't because another truck was in the way. Prosecutors said failing to use a runaway truck ramp several miles before the crash was among a series of bad decisions Aguilera-Mederos made that precipitated the wreck.
He was convicted of 27 counts, including vehicular homicide and assault.
A state law requiring the sentences be served consecutively, rather than at the same time, contributed to the lengthy sentence. But the judge said publicly it would not have been what he would have imposed if he had more discretion.
The law also allows the court to "reconsider its sentence in an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstances," according to a motion filed Friday by the office of District Attorney Alexis King, but the motion doesn't elaborate.
DETROIT (AP) The parents of a teenager charged with killing four students at a Michigan high school didn't anticipate that he would commit violence and are devastated like others in the community, a lawyer said Wednesday in requesting that they be granted a lower bond.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are charged with involuntary manslaughter and have been jailed on $500,000 bond since their arrest on Dec. 4. They're accused of making a gun accessible to Ethan Crumbley and failing to pull him out of school when summoned about his writings before the shooting on Nov. 30.
Defense attorney Shannon Smith acknowledged that Jennifer Crumbley sent a text message to her son that day, telling him don't do it. But Smith said it was a plea for him to not kill himself after the shooting at Oxford High School had already occurred and the gun was missing from home.
Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged as an adult with murder and other crimes.
The Downtown Business Improvement District Board approved taking bids for its speaker system project at its first meeting after its renewal and addition of three new members Tuesday.
The boards new members were present at the meeting, including Daniel Cech of Petersen Body Shop, Sam Heineman of Dodge County Realty Group and Berta Quintero of Reinita Restaurant.
I appreciate everybody coming today, Chairman Tom Coday said. This is good, so we can get a lot of this work done.
With the speaker system project, first approved by the board in September, Coday said the board could approve a request for proposal to start accepting bids within 30 days, which it would then take to the Fremont City Council.
Additionally, Coday said the board could also send it to the projects committee to reevaluate the process and add Wi-Fi to the system to provide it with wireless capabilities.
City Administrator Brian Newton said doing so would be difficult and expensive, as installations would have to be made on buildings instead of poles.
Board member Richard Register supported the prospect of sending the matter to the projects committee to look at Wi-Fi usage and made an initial motion to do so.
Coday said the speaker system would provide a better experience for those in the downtown area through music and announcements.
I think it bodes well for our future plans and it will build momentum, Board member Howard Krasne said. So at John C. Fremont Days, if we can have an announcer during the parade that can communicate, we can use the speakers.
Krasne also said the system could be used in other events, including the Hispanic Festival, Crazy Days and Winter Walk.
And we need to create more events like this, he said. So the more events that we have downtown, I think the more use well have for those speakers.
However, Board member Jerry Johnson said he didnt approve of the speaker systems size within the district.
I am not real big on using taxpayers money to enhance private enterprise, he said. I think that if were going to do a project, it should encompass the entire BID.
In response, Coday said the project could be viewed as just the first phase and could see expansion in the future.
Board member Brenden Murray questioned whether the project would bring more people to downtown and saw it as more of a future-planning project and said the equipment could potentially be outdated in the future.
A future plan, a current investment in technology is not a good investment, he said. If youre going to say, Lets do this now because itll be helpful in five years, its going to be garbage in five years.
Several board members showed support for the project, including Quintero, who said the downtown area needed something new and said that equipment could be upgraded in the future.
Register withdrew his motion, which was replaced by a motion from Board member Roxie Kracl to go forward with submitting the RFP for the project.
The motion passed 7-3, with Board members Heineman, Johnson and Cech voting against and Board members Register and Murray abstaining. Board members JJ Bixby and Bill Parks were not present.
The board also discussed its revised budget, which was approved by the city council on Nov. 30. Coday said the total was kept the same as in the past, which included $48,196 annually.
When asked by Krasne, Coday said the BID would also retain an additional $100,000 that rolled over prior to its renewal. He said the city would post a financial statement on the BID section of its website.
Itll just show what we spent and what our income was by amount, he said. Were trying to make it as public as possible so we can get as much as we can out there on the different things that were working on.
The board also approved spending up to $300 to send out a newsletter in January 2022, which would be put together by MainStreet Executive Director Amy Vermeline and mailed to business owners and property owners.
It would be good to tell everybody that we were renewed for two more years and whos on the board, Coday said. And anything that we would want to be planning, we could put in there.
Heineman also suggested sending out emails and asked for a request for BID members to send their email addresses to be included within the newsletter, while Cech recommended adding a note to send questions or comments to the board.
So that way, they feel like, They are including us, they want to hear from us, he said.
At the meeting, Heineman was appointed as chair of the projects committee, while Cech was appointed as chair of the equalization committee, which will look at the possibility of a two-tier tax system in the district.
In other news, the board approved a reimbursement to MainStreet for 50% of Vermelines wages, updating the bylaws to reflect the new plan and members and a bid from Purple Ribbon Lawn Care for parking lot maintenance.
The BIDs next meeting will start at noon on Jan. 17, 2022, at Nebraska Quilt Company at 330 N. Main St.
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Early Saturday morning, Devon Baker was playing videos games when he noticed something strange.
An oscillating fan stopped and there was a hot, burning smell. So the 18-year-old Fremonter went downstairs in his familys home at 1818 Mayfair Ave.
He checked the fuse box in the basement. One side was cold, while the other was very hot.
Meanwhile, Bakers best friend, 19-year-old Kenny Wallin, who was spending the night, went into the kitchen. A spark fell in front of him. He looked up and could see the glow of fire coming through recessed lights in the kitchen.
Kenny heard a cracking sound and yelled to people downstairs, where Devons parents and other family members bedrooms were situated.
Devon woke his mom, Christine.
Mom, we need to go, he said. The house is on fire.
Days after a fire destroyed their Fremont home, the Bakers could focus on the blaze and all it consumed.
Instead, theyre so very grateful no one was hurt, including their beloved pets. They want to thank those whove helped them.
And with Christmas just days away, they look toward the holiday with hope.
Looking back, Christine, who related the story, recalls how shes always complained about Devon being up at 4 a.m. playing video games.
But after he realized the house was on fire, Devon called 911.
Christine woke her husband and Devons dad, David, whos deaf and uses cochlear implants. David put in his bone anchor hearing aids.
Family members scrambled into clothes.
We tried grabbing the dogs, but they got scared and ran and the house started filling up with smoke and I couldnt find them, Christine said. It was a terrible feeling that I couldnt get to them. Thats a feeling I will never forget.
The Bakers got all the people outside.
David Baker put his 89-year-old mother, Norma, on the seat of her walker and pushed her outdoors. Besides Devon and Kenny, the Bakers evacuated their son, Garrett, 31, who has special needs, and Xander Partridge, 18, for whom the Bakers are guardians.
They did get one dog, Keani, an Australian shepherd, out of the house.
Lt. Nick Morris of the Fremont Fire Department said firefighters were called to the scene at 4:41 a.m.
When they arrived, firefighters could see that most of the fire was contained to the attic. The fire had burned a hole through 1/3 the size of the roof. There was no fire on the main floor.
Firefighters sprayed water on the fire from the houses exterior.
We had to calm it down from the outside before we could go inside when it was that involved, Morris said.
The two other shifts of firefighters were called to help at the scene.
A neighbor brought blankets to the Bakers, who worried about their pets.
After firefighters were able to knock down the blaze from the outside, they went inside to find the hot spots.
And the pets.
The Bakers are thankful for the firefighters, Fremont Police, American Red Cross, neighbors and friends and Fremont Department of Utilities for all their help.
Firefighters went into the house and brought out Zoey, a Yorkie, and a tabby cat named Fluffy.
It took two firemen to carry out a golden retriever named, Daisy Mae.
Thats because shes full-figured, Christine said.
After family members realized Devons turtle, Apollo, was missing, firefighters went back into the house and found it, too.
We wrapped him up in a blanket and put him in a bucket and got him back to the family, Morris said.
Another cat, a Maine coon-mix named Felix, couldnt be found right away, but later came up from the basement.
Morris believes the feline probably was waiting for the water to go down in the basement. No fire occurred there, but it had an estimated 4 to 6 inches of water from the hoses.
Firefighters also retrieved wrapped Christmas gifts and put them in a pickup. Family members dont know if the soot-covered gifts have smoke or water damage.
Were hoping theyre OK, Christine said. But if theyre not, theyre not. As long as were all safe thats all that matters. Christmas is about spending time with family.
David Baker said hes lost his father and aunts and uncles during Christmases of the past.
Five weeks ago, the Bakers lost their nephew, Joseph R. Trumble, 25, whom they said died during a heart transplant.
Its been a tragic year for us, Christine said. We have learned to endure a lot.
And yet, they had a bright spot this year, too.
About two weeks ago, their daughter, Brianna Baker, and her boyfriend, Joe Bautista, became parents of a son, Ronin.
Now, just days before Christmas, the Bakers note that being homeless isnt easy for the family.
Its a feeling I never thought I would experience, Christine said.
At the same time, the Bakers remain thankful.
Im grateful that were all safe, that nobody got hurt and that were all together, because a house is rebuild-able. My family is not, she said.
The Bakers are grateful to their neighbor, Amy Sue Holman, whos been gathering donations and storing donated items in her garage. Theyre thankful for Bea Moore of Oakland and Cindie Serrano of Wahoo, whove brought a variety of items, and to Walmart, where Christine works.
Theyre grateful to the Hands of the Heartland, which provides services for people with special needs, where Garrett attends. David said their family will be able to gather there for Christmas so they can all be together.
Morris said the Nebraska State Fire Marshal said the cause of the fire was electrical in nature.
David Baker said the house, owned by his mother, is a total loss. His mom, Norma, was the first Tiny Tot teacher at Fremont City Auditorium. She also was a secretary at the former First Christian Church in Fremont.
Its been our home since 1977, he said.
The house will be torn down and rebuilt. Baker hopes construction will start before spring, weather permitting.
As they work to put the pieces of their lives back together, family members retain their perspective regarding what the fast-approaching holiday is all about.
Christmas is about being with family and its not gifts, David Baker said. As long as weve got family, were good.
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Wednesday
Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.
Holiday Movie Day, 1 p.m., Keene Memorial Library, 1030 N. Broad St., Fremont. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and pillows.
Mens Bible Study, 1 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.
Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. Aerie and Auxiliary meetings begin at 7 p.m.
Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.
Fremont Community Breastfeeding Support Group, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Three Rivers Health Department conference room, 2400 N. Lincoln Ave., Fremont. This support group is for mothers and their babies. Siblings are welcome.
Narcotics Anonymous Library Group, 7 p.m., Keene Memorial Librarys east building, 1030 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.
Thursday
Mens Bible Study, 8 a.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.
Alcoholics Anonymous big book study, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.
Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.
Community Free Skates, 1-3 p.m., Sidner Ice Arena, Fremont. The event is open to grades kindergarten through 12th. No pre-registration is required.
Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. The kitchen will be open from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The menu will include hamburgers and cheeseburgers, tacos and soup. Everyone is welcome.
Lego Club, 4-5 p.m., Keene Memorial Library, 1030 N. Broad St., Fremont. Lego bricks will be supplied.
Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.
The Banquet, 5:30-6:30 p.m., First Lutheran Church, 3200 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Drive-thru meals served. The dinner is free.
Civil Air Patrol, 7 p.m., 1201 W. 23rd St., in yellow hangar at Fremont Airport.
Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave.
Tally Ho Toastmasters, 7-8 p.m., Midland Universitys Anderson Building, Ninth and Clarkson streets, Fremont. Everyone is welcome to learn skills in communication, self-confidence and leadership. For more information, call 402-936-3479.
Narcotics Anonymous Back to Basics meeting, 7:30 p.m., First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 N. Davis St., Oakland.
Alcoholics Anonymous big book study, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.
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A Bellevue man who told police that he was hearing voices the night he fatally shot his longtime girlfriend was sentenced Monday and will spend at least 15 years in prison.
David S. Clark, 38, agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. Clark initially was charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony, possession of a firearm by a felon and being an habitual criminal.
Clark was sentenced to 18 to 20 years for manslaughter and five to six years on each count of possession of a firearm by a felon. The sentences are to be served one after the other, with a three-year minimum on each firearm charge. Under state law, sentences typically are cut in half.
The charges stemmed from the fatal shooting of Brenda Henderson, 35. She was killed about 1:15 a.m. Dec. 13, 2018, in their home near Childs and Camp Gifford Roads. Also at the house were the couples then-17-year-old and 11-year-old sons, who now live with relatives.
During a preliminary hearing, Bellevue police detective Lindsey Betsworth testified that Clark told her that Henderson had purchased a handgun the day before her death. Betsworth said Clark told her that both he and Henderson had been hearing voices in the house and also believed someone had placed child pornography on their computer.
Clark also allegedly told detectives that he and Henderson barricaded themselves in their bedroom, where he heard voices coming from a pile of clothes. Clark said he fired a shot into the clothes because he thought the pile had moved.
Clark told detectives that he took the gun into the bathroom because he heard voices coming from under the sink. Henderson left, he said, to check on their 11-year-old son.
Mr. Clark then stated that he thought he heard something as he came out of the bathroom, where he was surprised by an individual that he shot ... in the arm, Sarpy County Judge Tricia Freeman wrote in her notes from a preliminary hearing. Mr. Clark then realized it was Ms. Henderson that he had shot.
Betsworth said an autopsy found that Henderson had been shot in the neck from at least 36 inches away. Freeman said in her decision that Clark may not have intended to shoot Ms. Henderson, but his actions suggest that he was intending to shoot someone.
Freeman rejected the defenses contention that the shooting was accidental, due in part to Henderson having run back into the bedroom from checking on their son.
Henderson was assistant director of student financial services at Bellevue University. Clark worked in construction.
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Dozens of Afghan girls speak in hushed voices as they cram inside a house in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
For months, the house has served as a secret school, with around 50 girls attending science, math, and literature classes.
They are among the millions of girls who have been denied an education since the Taliban forcibly seized control of Afghanistan in August.
Since its takeover, the militant Islamist group has only allowed girls in grades one through six to attend school. But girls' secondary school education has been restricted to only a handful of the countrys 34 provinces.
Mursal, a university graduate, has risked her life by running the secret school. The sole teacher at the school, she believes educating the dozens of girls in her neighborhood is a risk worth taking. Her students, too, face severe punishment by the Taliban if they are caught.
The aim of establishing this school is to help girls catch up on their studies after their education was stopped after [the Taliban] grabbed power, Mursal, who requested that her real name not be used out of concern for her safety, told RFE/RLs Radio Azadi.
I think it is very clear that all of the reasons that they are coming up with are just ways to try to cover up the fact that, essentially, they dont want girls to go to school."
Mursal, who is in her 20s, runs the school at her own expense, providing school supplies for her students.
Suraya, one of Mursals students, says the return of Taliban rule feels like being sentenced to a life in prison.
Many girls were hopeless and suffering from depression and stress, Suraya says. This school has helped us a lot.
My request to the Taliban is to reopen schools so that girls dont remain illiterate and without a future, says Gul Meena, an 11th-grader who attends the underground school.
Seeking an education is compulsory for all Muslims, men and women alike, she adds, referring to Islamic principles under which education is considered a religious duty for both males and females.
'Don't Want Girls To Go To School'
The Taliban claims that its ban on girls secondary school education is temporary while the new regime ensures a safe environment for all girls to go to school.
Critics point out that the militants made similar pledges during their first stint in power from 1996-2001. Yet they banned girls education during their entire six-year rule.
Millions of girls, particularly in urban areas, flocked back to school following the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime.
Nazar Mohammad Irfan, a spokesman for the Talibans Education Ministry, told Radio Azadi that the hard-line group was not opposed to private or informal schools for girls.
The Taliban claims that its ban on girls secondary school education is temporary while the new regime ensures a safe environment for all girls to go to school.
We are committed to working with them as much as possible so we can raise the literacy and education levels across the country and overcome our shortcomings, Irfan said.
But many are not convinced.
I think it is very clear that all of the reasons that they are coming up with are just ways to try to cover up the fact that, essentially, they dont want girls to go to school, Heather Barr, the associate director of the womens rights division at Human Rights Watch, told RFE/RL.
She says the real aim of the Talibans delay seems to be gender segregation -- something the Taliban has gone to great lengths to enforce in universities and government offices.
Government secondary schools were already segregated by gender, so it is very difficult to see what they want to do, she adds.
Barr says some schools have reopened in eight of Afghanistans 34 provinces. In many cases, the schools have reopened after negotiations between local teachers and local Taliban officials.
Private schools, often run by nongovernmental organizations, are allowed to operate in theory. But many of them have shut down amid the countrys devastating economic and humanitarian crisis.
The policies that the Taliban has already put in place that are so harmful to women and girls could actually become even worse and more rigid and more violently enforced, Barr warns.
All-Male Government
Since regaining power, the Taliban has reimposed some of the same repressive laws and retrograde policies that defined its former brutal rule, when it banned girls from attending school and women from working outside their homes.
In September, the Taliban formed an all-male government that was made up exclusively of senior militants. The militants also abolished the Womens Affairs Ministry and reestablished the feared Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
The Taliban has advised women to largely remain indoors for their own safety. The militants have also ordered tens of thousands of former female government workers not to return to work, even as their male colleagues went back.
Neda, one of Mursals students at the secret school, says the future of girls and women under the Taliban weighs heavily on her mind.
What will our future look like? she asks.
The government of the Pakistan-administered portion of the disputed region of Kashmir has barred entry to the leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), an organization that campaigns for Pashtuns in the South Asian country.
A notification issued on December 22 said that PTM head Manzoor Pashteen would be barred from entry and from speaking at public events for three months.
The PTM campaigns against violations of human rights and seeks to locate missing persons who are believed to have been detained by the Pakistani intelligence agencies.
In December 2020, the government of Pakistans southwestern province of Balochistan also banned Pashteen from entry. In March, the authorities expelled him from the province after he attended a condolence ceremony for slain political leader Asad Khan Achakzai.
Some 35 million ethnic Pashtuns live in Pakistan, many near the border with Afghanistan where the military has conducted campaigns against the Pakistani Taliban.
Thousands of Pakistani Pashtuns have been killed and millions displaced by the Pakistani Armys campaigns since 2003.
Kashmir is a disputed Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan, each of which administers part of it. The two countries have fought two wars over Kashmir, and a UN-negotiated cease-fire has been in effect since 1965.
FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2020, file photo, a statue stands outside the Boy Scouts of America headquarters in Irving, Texas. Congregations affiliated with the United Methodist Church have agreed to contribute $30 million to a fund for victims who say they were molested as youngsters in the Boy Scouts of America, an attorney said Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021.
State wildlife officials on Tuesday confirmed the first killing of livestock by a pack of wolves in more than 70 years.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said officers on Sunday investigated reports of a calf killed by wolves on a ranch in Jackson County.
The results of this investigation indicated wolf tracks in the immediate vicinity of the carcass and wounds on the calf consistent with wolf depredation, CPW Area Wildlife Manager Kris Middledorf said in a statement.
The Colorado Cattlemen's Association, which first reported the incident, said the pack killed and ate a 500-pound purebred heifer near Walden in Jackson County. The young heifer belonged to a producer with a small herd, according to the association's executive vice president, Terry Fankhauser. In the last several weeks, the producer saw tracks from the pack on his property, including near his house, Fankhauser told Colorado Politics.
In June, a mating pair with at least six pups was spotted in Jackson County, according to CPW.
The state agency said it will handle reimbursement under its current game damage process.
CPW is working on draft regulations for the commissions consideration on hazing for these naturally migrating wolves in the state, CPW Director Dan Prenzlow said in a statement. Our goal is to provide producers with resources to minimize the likelihood of conflict or depredation as we work to create a statewide wolf restoration and management program as directed under Proposition 114.
Colorado voters along the Front Range approved the reintroduction of gray wolves on the 2020 ballot, despite objections from ranchers and rural Coloradans that wolves are a threat to livestock. Proposition 114 called for reintroducing between 20 and 30 wolves to the Western Slope by 2023.
The measure, which passed 50.9% to 49.1%, succeeded largely because of support from voters in urban, Democratic-leaning counties where wolves would not be reintroduced. In the northern Colorado counties where wolves would be reintroduced (Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt), the measure failed by a nearly 3-to-1 margin.
The Cattlemen's Association was among the most vigorous opponents of Proposition 114. Ranchers and hunters opposed the measure, citing concerns for the safety of livestock and big game, specifically elk and deer. One study opponents cited found that, in five states where wolves have been reintroduced, they killed 158 cattle and 218 sheep in 2015 alone.
Backers of Proposition 114, however, said in 2020 that wolves can coexist with ranchers.
Rob Edward, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, told Colorado Politics that science said "it is possible for working ranches to coexist with wolves as part of the landscape. Science tells us that returning wolves can help restore balance to Colorados wild places. Colorado is excited to show the rest of the West what it looks like to welcome wolves home with open arms. Future generations expect us to get this right."
In March, Rio Blanco County commissioners passed a resolution declaring Rio Blanco a "Wolf Reintroduction Sanctuary County." Under the resolution, "artificial" reintroduction of wolves would not be allowed. The resolution added that they should only be reintroduced in counties that supported the measure. Five Western Slope counties voted in favor of Proposition 114: La Plata, San Miguel, Pitkin, Summit and San Juan.
In other counties, the resolution stated, wolves should be introduced by natural migration and repopulation only.
Just after the November 2020 election, the Trump administration removed gray wolves from the endangered species list. The Biden administration is defending that decision in a lawsuit filed by Defenders of Wildlife, WildEarth Guardians and the Natural Resources Defense Council. A hearing on the lawsuit took place on Nov. 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and a ruling is expected soon.
Once the gray wolf was delisted at the federal level, species management became the responsibility of tribes and states, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. In Colorado, the gray wolf is a state endangered species, and, under state law, killing wolves can result in fines of up $100,000, jail time or or loss of hunting privileges. Proposition 114 also contains a requirement that ranchers be compensated when wolves kill their livestock.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife are tasked with coming up with a management plan for reintroduction by 2023, under Proposition 114.
The Cattlemen's Association said in a statement that the livestock kill "brings to light issues that must be addressed by the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, specifically:
Lethal and non-lethal methods, including hazing, of wolves for conflict minimization.
A guaranteed funding source that allows Colorado Parks and Wildlife to fairly provide the needed tools for prevention and compensation from wolf impacts.
Impacts from wolves go beyond livestock death and injury, to include more far-reaching impacts on livestock performance, such as loss of pregnancy, weight loss, imbalanced range usage, etc."
The association said it "strongly encourages the members of the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan working groups and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to consider this wolf attack and the widespread impacts as a sentinel example of how livestock can be impacted by wolf introduction."
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Firefighters on Wednesday extinguished a fire in an auto body garage, the Colorado Springs Fire Department tweeted.
Firefighters responded to 319 Auburn Drive, just south of The Citadel mall, for a working structure fire, the Colorado Springs Fire Department tweeted just after noon.
No one was injured in the fire, which Deputy Fire Marshal Mark Trudell said was "accidental," and was knocked down in around 15 minutes.
No roads were closed in connection with the fire, and Trudell said the investigation's been wrapped up.
Trudell said the fire started after a vehicle caught fire and spread to the auto body garage.
Just after 1:20 p.m., the department tweeted a photo of what appeared to be a garage blackened at the top and several firefighters on scene.
The omicron variant is expected to be Colorado's dominant strain of the novel coronavirus in the coming days and weeks, state and local officials said Tuesday, and its presence has likely led to a surge of cases in Eagle County.
Omicron accounted for more than 9.7% of positive COVID-19 cases in Colorado last week, according to state data, up from 1.22% the week before.
Over that same time period, it has become the dominant strain nationwide. Community transmission has been detected in Denver and elsewhere in Colorado, including El Paso County.
"At this point, we can essentially confirm that transmission of omicron variant in Colorado is occurring," Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday. "It still is not the predominant strain in Colorado, but based on what has occurred elsewhere, we expect omicron to increase even as we continue to see delta decrease, which is what we've been seeing the last few weeks."
Tori Burket, the epidemiology and disease intervention manager for the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, added, "Like weve seen in other parts of the country, we anticipate omicron will become the dominant variant in Denver very soon. Early data indicate that the omicron variant is more contagious than the delta variant, and we anticipate case rates to increase as we know community transmission is occurring in Denver and in the state."
Polis said omicron was beginning to spread in parts of the state with high levels of travel, ticking off Eagle, Summit and Pitkin counties. Eagle has seen its cases surge over the past week: It averaged about 15 cases per day on Dec. 12. But that average has nearly tripled in the days since, to more than 43 cases per day by Sunday. The county reported 139 new cases Monday, the most it has identified in a single day during the pandemic, according to the Eagle County Public Health website.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health and Environment said Monday that "sequencing is pending" to confirm omicron is driving the spread in Eagle County. But the area's samples contain a telltale marker that indicates the presence of the new variant, the spokesperson and Polis said this week.
"That plus their rapid rise suggests it is highly likely that omicron is circulating there," the spokesperson said in an email Monday night. A follow-up email sent Tuesday morning to the state health agency was not returned.
Attempts to reach public health officials in the county were unsuccessful Tuesday. On Friday, Eagle County Public Health issued a public health advisory warning of the "sharp increase in cases."
"This is an indication that community spread is very high and the likelihood for exposure has increased considerably," the agency wrote. "In addition, local testing is quickly reaching its capacity and persons with symptoms will be prioritized for testing."
Omicron was only officially identified a month ago but has surged to become the dominant variant in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the latest strain accounted for 73% of cases in the country over the past week.
In Colorado, the variant has been identified in several counties, including Denver, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Boulder, Pitkin, El Paso and Garfield. The cases in Denver and Garfield counties have been linked to community transmission, as opposed to infections picked up while traveling. Wastewater sampling has also indicated traces of the variant in various systems around the metro area.
In addition to two cases related to community transmission, Denver officials have identified a third case in the county, tied to an outbreak in Chicago. Burket, of the Denver health department, said that given omicron's high level of transmissibility, "we do anticipate there are other omicron cases that have not yet been sequenced or reported." She emphasized the need for boosters as a key method in combating the new strain's spread and blunting its impact for those infected.
Though omicron is now widely considered to be more transmissible than other strains of the virus, it remains unclear if it's more severe. The impact of omicron on Colorado will in part hinge on that question, experts said.
"Omicron is here for sure with last weeks surge in Eagle County probably a signal," said Jon Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health. "The good news is that omicron will arrive while delta is descending, easing the strain on the medical care system. From what we know in other countries, omicron will likely rise steeply because of its transmissibility and immune escape. The impact on health care and on Coloradans will depend on its virulence."
The variant's arrival here comes as the state emerges from a prolonged COVID-19 surge that threatened to overwhelm hospital capacity and caused mortality levels to spike to their highest point in a year. But Colorado appears to have avoided that worst-case scenario: Though hospital bed capacity remains limited, COVID-19's direct burden on hospitals has lessened of late. There were 1,030 people hospitalized with the disease here as of Tuesday afternoon, a sharp decline from 1,565 on Nov. 22.
Polis said Tuesday that the use of monoclonal antibodies which can help prevent severe disease if given early helped avoid hundreds of hospitalizations and dozens of deaths.
With many questions still to be answered about omicron, it remains unclear how it will impact Colorado's people, hospitals and day-to-day life as it gains ground. Polis said the state was watching other parts of the country and world that are dealing with new surges.
Much of that information is concerning. Glen Mays, also of the public health school, said in an email that "there is a real possibility of a new surge in infections and hospitalizations due to omicron."
"We still have large pockets of susceptible people across the state, and omicron appears much more transmissible than other variants," he said. "High risk adults who have not yet received a booster vaccine are of particular concern. Long-term care facilities and other congregate care institutions are again areas of concern."
Polis told reporters Tuesday that a third vaccine dose or second, if you received Johnson & Johnson initially should no longer be considered "optional" and that it should instead be viewed as part of the normal course of full inoculation. Mays said vaccines and boosters will continue to offer protection against omicron going forward.
Samet agreed.
"The goal is to avoid severe COVID-19 and death," he said. "We have that possibility with vaccination, including a third dose. With that third dose for the mRNA vaccines, there is strong protection against hospitalization and death."
An experimental winter drop-in center for homeless teens that opened temporarily last December is now a permanent program of The Place, which operates El Paso Countys only emergency shelter for homeless youths.
About 90 homeless teens and young adults used the day center last year, Executive Director Shawna Kemppainen said Tuesday at an open house at the new center.
She attributes use of the drop-in center as leading to six times more homeless teens getting off the streets.
They had the time to relax in a nonjudgmental atmosphere, where they got to de-escalate and observe, 'You guys seem all right,' which is more effective at helping youth open up, Kemppainen said.
Doing so makes teens more receptive to receiving assistance to better their lives, she said.
El Paso County had 189 unsheltered youth in November, according to statistics.
The new drop-in center at 2708 E. Fountain Blvd., next to Amys Donuts, is about 2 miles from the organizations 20-bed shelter and headquarters near downtown Colorado Springs.
Ill be curious how many kids figure out where it is, said Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers as he took a tour of the 2,000-square-foot former co-working office.
Well be issuing more bus tickets, Kemppainen said, adding that a city bus stop is across the street from the new center.
The organization used space from Inside-Out Youth Services, which supports LGBTQ youth, for last years four-month program and tried to find a downtown office for the permanent drop-in center, she said.
One downtown building Kemppainen declined to identify seemed like a good possibility, but she said the deal fell through after the landlord said, We dont want any more homeless people in the area.
We said we dont either, Kemppainen said.
With values rising, downtown property is becoming difficult to obtain, Suthers noted.
The Place also plans to apply for low-income housing tax credit financing through the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority to build a new 50-unit permanent supportive housing complex for homeless youths and young adults, Kemppainen said.
There isnt a specific project targeted for young people in this area, and it works, she said.
Boulder and Grand Junction have such programs, she said, which have been proven to reduce the number of homeless youths.
A location for a new housing complex in Colorado Springs hasnt yet been determined, Kemppainen said.
It super exciting; were working with consultants at the state and with architects on trauma-informed design.
Her organization helped 150 youths get into housing this year, working with private landlords and low-income housing providers such as Greccio Housing.
Well continue to do that, Kemppainen said. But having youth in a supportive community with 24/7 staff so we can work with them if they need it is different.
The Place is renting the drop-in center space for two years, she said, at an operational cost of about $200,000 per year.
The organizations long-range goal is to build a new homeless shelter for adolescents in downtown or on the periphery in the next two years, and convert the current downtown office into its drop-in center.
The new drop-in location on Fountain Boulevard is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Theres no limit on how long kids can hang out and eat food, use computers and phones to do schoolwork or look for jobs, pick up blankets and jackets, talk to a full-time counselor in private and just relax.
A daytime drop-in center available to homeless kids is an excellent addition, Suthers said. Its a new component but a very essential component.
Homeless youth is a serious problem, and this facility gives them a safe place they can connect with services and a path to housing.
One year after the Colorado Supreme Court laid down a new standard for prosecuting felony drunk driving cases and prompted the reversal of dozens of convictions, the justices have now clarified that prosecutors may, in fact, seek to try those defendants again for driving under the influence.
Mason City Police Department hires four new officers
On Tuesday night, the Mason City City Council approved the hiring of four new police officers to the Mason City Police Department. The four new officers welcomed to the police department are Jim Redeker, Lucas Akemann, Aaron Prestholt and Brandon VanHorn.
Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley told the council that the four new hires brings the Mason City Police Department closer to being fully staffed, currently just five officers short of the mark.
Brinkley told the council that the police department will begin another wave of recruitment to hire new officers starting on Friday.
A coalition to improve the Shell Rock River is beginning to make progress.
The Cerro Gordo Conservation Board Executive Director Mike Webb met with the board of supervisors on Tuesday morning on behalf of the Shell Rock River Watershed Management Coalition to review the coalition's request for financial support in the form of a donation of $500.
Webb requested a letter of financial support from the supervisors for the coalition's Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Comprehensive Water Quality Management Planning Grant application. If awarded, the $100,000 grant would allow for the coalition to begin the process of making improvements to the Shell Rock River.
According to Webb, the coalition was formed by a group of communities situated along the Shell Rock River in an attempt to improve the water quality, improve the recreational activities and reduce peak flooding in the river.
"Anything we can do to help the water quality and reduce flooding peaks," Webb said about seeking the grant.
If the grant is awarded, it will fund a hire to create a management plan for the coalition, and help seek outside funding for the chosen improvements to the river.
"This is just the starting point for this process," Webb said. "If we don't get the grant, we have to wait until next year for the next go around."
Webb said that some of the improvements could consist of filter strips and buffer strips being added in the river, a wetland being created or storm-water upgrades being made.
As part of its grant process, the conservation board is requesting a $500 donation from several parties, including Cerro Gordo County, because the grant requires a 25% contribution from the receiving party, and $5,000 must be in cash.
The supervisors unanimously approved the donation to the coalition.
The coalition has until Dec. 30, 2021, to file the grant with the IDNR, and Webb said a decision will be made by Feb. 15, 2022. If the grant is successful, work on the management plan will begin no later than July 1, 2022.
Zachary Dupont covers politics and business development for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at 641-421-0533 or zachary.dupont@globegazette.com. Follow Zachary on Twitter at @ZachNDupont
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A Saturday afternoon shift turned into an act of heroism for one Minnesota teen.
When 15-year-old Sydney Raley clocked in for her Saturday shift at a McDonald's in Eden Prairie, a few miles south of Minneapolis, she didn't expect to clock out as a hero.
Sydney has been working at McDonald's for around seven months and told CNN that this was just another routine weekend shift. "The day had been mostly normal -- making coffee, making drinks. Going into the lunch rush, it was all normal." she said.
After handing a customer some of her food in the drive-thru, Sydney popped back out of the window to let her know the rest was on the way. That's when Sydney noticed the woman was choking on a chicken nugget.
"She was coughing like crazy, and I noticed she was gagging." Sydney told CNN. "Her daughter was in the passenger seat and she looked so freaked out. I immediately knew 'Oh, no, she's choking."
Sydney instructed both her manager and the woman's daughter to call 911 as she quickly jumped through the window to help the woman.
Sydney told CNN she took a Red Cross babysitter class at age 11, where she learned the Heimlich maneuver, and "all that training immediately kicked in."
The maneuver didn't work the first couple of times Sydney tried, so she called on a bystander to assist.
'"We worked together and were able to successfully dislodge the food from her throat." Sydney said.
Eventually the nugget was set free, and the woman was able to breathe again. Afterwards, the woman was in shock but very thankful toward Sydney.
Two officers from the Edina Police Department then arrived on the scene to check on the woman, and had a reward for the teen.
"They said, 'Congratulations you're a lifesaver; you're a hero.'" Sydney said. They gave her $100 from a fund they use for people who do good work in the community.
This was the first time she had ever had to perform the manuever but knew the seriousness of it and to always be prepared.
Around the corner were her parents, Tom and Stephanie, who were on their way to pick her up.
"There was an ambulance and a police car sitting there and I looked at my wife and said, 'Please tell me that's not something for Sydney,'" Tom told CNN. "And sure enough Sydney is sitting outside waiting for us to pick her up and says 'So this happened today.'"
Tom also told CNN that Sydney was diagnosed with autism when she was younger.
Autism is a spectrum of conditions marked by challenges with communication and social skills. "We always worried it was going to be a challenge for her, and it's done a complete 180", Tom told CNN. "It's actually been a blessing and a gift at this point. All the things we worried about never happened."
And her employer recognizes how important her actions were, too.
"We are incredibly proud of Sydney and her quick, heroic actions over the weekend to help one of our valued customers." owner-operator Paul Ostergaard told CNN in a written statement.
"Sydney truly personifies what it is to be a hero and we are incredibly lucky to have her as a highly-valued crew member at our Eden Prairie restaurant location. We are excited to see all of the well-deserved recognition she has received from the community and will continue to celebrate her courageous efforts of literally jumping out of the drive-thru window to provide aid to a customer in need."
***
CNN's Katherine Dillinger contributed to this story. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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The Justice Department laid it right on the line.
In a report issued earlier this month, federal officials said Iowa relies far too heavily on institutions to house people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Justice Department said Iowa is almost certainly violating the Americans for Disabilities Act and if it doesnt change, the state may well face a federal lawsuit.
We hope state leaders are listening, and not just because of the threat of legal action. More importantly, because the report is a poor reflection on how the state deals with people with intellectual disabilities.
The federal governments yearlong investigation said that not only are the state-run resource centers in Glenwood and Woodward unnecessarily segregating people with disabilities from their home communities, but that the state relies too heavily on disabled people living in privately-run residential facilities and nursing homes.
The state plans, administers, and funds its public health care service system in a manner that unnecessarily segregates people with intellectual disabilities in the Resource Centers, and almost certainly many other institutions, rather than providing these services where people live, in their community, the report said.
Consider this: The Justice Department said that Iowa is among five states that are the biggest users of intermediate care facilities. The states utilization rate is more than twice that of 35 other states, the Justice Department said.
The size of these facilities can vary, from 4 beds to 96 beds, but more than a quarter of them are larger than 18 beds.
Other states have worked to get people with disabilities out of institutions, cutting the number nationally by about 50% since 1982, according to the report. But in Iowa, the number has stayed roughly the same. About 1,800 Iowans with intellectual disabilities are living in private intermediate care facilities.
Separately, the Justice Department estimated that between 600 and 1,000 Iowans with intellectual disabilities, related conditions, or both, are living in nursing homes across the state, and that Iowa has the fourth highest rate of nursing home utilization for people with disabilities. The report added that another 274 people with intellectual disabilities are living in psychiatric facilities across the state.
We think the quality of any facility, no matter its size or classification, should be judged individually. Indeed the most appropriate setting for a person with a disability must be judged on that same basis. But Iowas bias toward institutions is evident.
Its long been clear the state-run institutions at Glenwood and Woodward have had significant problems. This latest Justice Department report is the second phase of an investigation that began in 2019 with the Glenwood facility. A year ago, the Justice Department said residents there were subjected to human experiments, inadequate healthcare and werent given enough protection from harm.
Iowa recognizes it has a problem.
Kelly Garcia, the head of the Department of Human Services, acknowledged Iowa has a longstanding history of over-reliance on institutional settings. However, she promised that her team is committed to building out the array of services to ensure individuals are able to live their most independent lives as possible.
But as the Justice Department report makes clear, the state admitted to its lapses years ago. Still, the problem persists.
If its a question of funding, the state has a huge surplus that can be tapped.
It doesnt look like the federal government is willing to wait much longer for this situation to be remedied.
The Civil Rights Division will actively defend the rights of individuals with disabilities to participate fully in community life, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark for the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, said in a statement accompanying the report.
It is past time that Iowa dealt with this problem. Other states, including Illinois, have found themselves having to respond to lawsuits alleging violations of the ADA, and wed rather the Justice Department not have to take action against Iowa.
But this isnt about avoiding legal action. Most importantly, all people with intellectual disabilities deserve the right to live in the most integrated settings appropriate to their needs. Iowa officials say they recognize that. Now, its time to make it happen.
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A 22-year-old Danville man died early Wednesday morning after being hit by a vehicle on Mount Cross Road in Pittsylvania County, the Virginia State Police reported.
It was about 1:40 a.m. when Christian Lee Kidwell was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt that ran off the right side of the road and struck a small tree, causing minor damage, police reported in a news release.
When Kidwell got out of the vehicle and stepped into the roadway, he was hit by a 2010 Toyota Camry traveling south on Mount Cross Road near Beavers Mill Road, the release stated. Police did not identify the driver of the Camry.
Kidwell died at the scene. There are no charges pending, and the crash remains under investigation.
The Hilburns have a long history of helping others. In the late 1990s, they started building churches in Jamaica through the Church of Living God where they pastored in High Point for more than 15 years.
When the Twin Towers fell, Dawn Hilburn said the Lord birthed a new homeland ministry for the couple and Generation 4 Hope came into being.
Over the next several years, the Hilburns led their ministry team to assist poverty-stricken children in West Virginia and Kentucky.
When the government restricted travel and movement, the HIlburns were undaunted. They said they prayed and that God led them to organize Hometown Christmas.
That first year was highly successful. The Hilburns were astonished at the outpouring of love and contributions they received from the Rockingham County community.
The daughter of the late Johnny and Barbara Jones Evans, Dawn Hilburn grew up in Stoneville and graduated in 1981 from Stoneville High School. She received her surgical technology degree in 1985 from Catawba Valley Technical Institute in Hickory.
WENTWORTHChristmas will be brighter for more than 1,000 children and families who received large colorful red and green packages filled with toys during the annual toy distribution at The Salvation Army Rockingham County on Barnes Street. Excitement was high, as new bicycles were rolled out to accompany many of the bags for youngsters.
More than 70 volunteers, many from the Eden and Reidsville police departments, Reedy Fork Community Church and Genesis Ministry joined members of The Salvation Army Advisory Board to help with the jolly giving.
After loading loot into shopping carts, volunteers carried the gifts out to the families in an estimated 500 cars that drove through the parking lot and waited patiently for their turns to receive the items that would make their childrens holiday more joyful.
What an exciting day, said Major Syung Lee, noting the gifts came from throughout the Rockingham County community.
We could not have done this without the love and support of this amazing community, doing the most good this Christmas season, said Young, who operates the local branch of the non-profit with Major Hae Young Lee, his wife.
STONEVILLE Kenneth Lee Bell, 60, was arrested in Henry County on Friday night after allegedly shooting another Stoneville man in the face with a shotgun.
Investigators with the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office got a tip at around 7 p.m. Friday that Thaddeus Grey, 57, was being treated for a shotgun wound at a Triad-area hospital, according to a press release from the RCSO.
Grey suffered injuries to his face and shoulder from the blast, according to RCSO Public Information Officer Lt. Kevin Suthard.
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The spokesman did not know if Grey had yet been released from the hospital, but said, He is expected to recover, in an email.
Authorities learned that Grey and Bell, of 6032 US 220 Business, had argued at Bells home before Bell allegedly shot Grey there, the release said.
Sheriffs officers and the Stoneville Police Department worked to find Bell.
In short order, Henry County Sheriffs deputies apprehended Bell in Bassett, Va. Subsequently, Rockingham County investigators charged Bell with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
Bell is being held in the Henry County Jail pending extradition to Rockingham County, the release said. Suthard said Rockingham County authorities are not sure how soon Bell will be back in Rockingham. If Bell fights the extradition order in Virginia courts, his transfer to North Carolina will be delayed, Suthard said.
There are some concerns on the Russian side that are legitimate, Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told me.
Putin has complained about American offensive missiles on his border that could reach Moscow in five minutes. There are no such missiles there now, but we could certainly have a conversation about missiles.
We could talk about conventional forces too, Pifer added. But the conversation would have to cover both sides. Its not clear that the Russians would get what they want.
U.S. leaders have known since the Soviet collapse that Russias loss of empire would be traumatic. They may not have foreseen that the trauma would persist for 30 years.
Empires die a slow and painful death, Sarotte said.
WASHINGTON (AP) The District of Columbia government is imposing a series of COVID-19 vaccine mandates as it intensifies virus protocols in response to spiraling infection numbers and the march of the omicron variant.
Starting in mid-January, residents over age 12 will have to show proof of vaccination to enter any restaurant, bar, nightclub or gym. All D.C. students whether in public, private or charter schools must be fully vaccinated by March 1. That means two shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
People will be required to prove their status with their vaccine card, a photocopy or via an app on their phone. The new rules come two days after Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated the district's indoor mask mandate.
Officials strongly recommended booster shots as well, but they are not required to get into the places affected by the new mandate. For those who get the two-shot regimen of Moderna or Pfizer, proof of one shot will be required by mid-January and both shots a month later.
I don't make any of these types of decisions lightly, Bowser told reporters Wednesday. She said crises such as the pandemic are the exact time when the government needs to make some decisions for the whole society."
The university also is looking to hire a director for the center. Ongeri said that director will also be a faculty member who would do teaching and research and whose salary would be paid from state dollars for faculty positions.
Along with public funding and various external research grants, the school expects to tap $400,000 from the $45 million donated to the university by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The center is set to get $200,000 per year for the next two years, which could be used to pay for support staff and for marketing to increase awareness of the center.
Ongeri said its not enough to just get researchers working together, the center must also work and communicate with communities in Greensboro that are dealing with health disparities.
That means getting community input to shape what issues they research, and how they conduct the research, and also sharing research findings with the affected communities.
A&T she said, has a history of doing this kind of work, whether thats sharing health information with diabetes patients at community clinics or opening dialog with local faith groups.
Bobby Jenkins, an attorney who argued for the plaintiffs in both cases that the panel ruled on, said he wasnt fazed by the judges decision. Hed always expected that the three-judge panel would be the first of several steps to finalizing the laws validity.
It was going to go to the Supreme Court anyway there was no question about that, Jenkins said. I would rather go up having won, but well get it.
His firm, Lanier Law Group, hasnt yet decided how theyll handle the appeal. But theyre rushing to file all their clients complaints by the end of the year, in hopes of a Supreme Court decision that will allow them to try cases against institutions including the Gaston County Board of Education and UNC School of the Arts.
With the cases pending on appeal, Jenkins doesnt expect that judges will dismiss other cases or, if they do, judges arent expected to prohibit the parties from resurrecting their claims. Most of the cases theyve filed over the last two years have already been stayed, Jenkins said, pausing arguments until higher courts decide the constitutionality of North Carolinas law, which altered the filing window.
Were confident that the monitoring included in the agreement will enable Greensboro to determine sources of 1,4-dioxane so that the city can prevent discharges, including extraordinarily high-level discharges like the one that occurred earlier this month. The agreements increased penalties will further incentivize the city to fix this problem.
The recent spikes in 1,4-dioxane in the Haw and in downstream drinking-water supplies should have never happened; this agreement will provide the information necessary to stop these discharges going forward and it will impose penalties if the city fails to do so.
Though this agreement is only focused on Greensboro, which has been the primary source of 1,4-dioxane pollution in the Haw River basin, the Environmental Management Commission has committed to conduct a comprehensive, basin-wide investigation of 1,4-dioxane discharges throughout the Haw and Cape Fear river basins and take action to reduce those discharges. Haw River Assembly will continue to monitor compliance reports with this Special Order by Consent in order to protect the Haw River watershed and our communities that depend on it.
For more information about Haw River Assembly and the Special Order by Consent, visit www.hawriver.org.
The writer is the Haw Riverkeeper.
8) Nearly 500 million doses of the vaccine have been administered and more than 200 million people are fully vaccinated. Thats a massive sample size from which to find problems with a vaccine.
Therefore, to those who are not vaccinated: Think of it as a purely economic decision. If we can vaccinate 203 million people in the U.S. and more throughout the world, we may well not infect someone else, and we can go back to normal, whatever that is.
Paul Herger High Point
A local act?
Two small suggested changes for Tuesdays editorial (Find somewhere else to spread your hate, Dec. 21):
First, lets not send these folks off to do the same somewhere else. It would be far better to put an end to it here and now much easier said than done.
Second, until they are identified, we dont know that they are outsiders.
Tom Duckwall Greensboro
Not anywhere
Please, no. Do not encourage antisemites with your headline, Find somewhere else to spread your hate (editorial, Dec. 21).
According to the Scottish magazine bellacaledonia, on Tuesday, "last week witnessed, launching an international petition to remove PKK from the "terror list". The petition includes more than 1,000 signatures around 100 parliamentarians and thirty lawyers, as well as councilors, academics, doctors, trade unionists, journalists and writers".
Scottish names feature strongly on this list, and MPs Chris Stevens, Tommy Shepherd, Bill Kidd, Ross Greer and Maggie Chapman, award-winning writers James Kellman and Paul Lafferty, and unionists Mike Arnott and Stephen Smiley have joined in signatures from around the world. , including Greek economist and politician Yiannis Varoufakis, French parliamentarian and presidential candidate for the Popular Union Jean-Luc Melenchon, Austrian playwright and Nobel Prize winner for literature Elfriede Jelinek, British director and two-time Palme d'Or winner Ken Loach, and Slovenian philosopher Slavojizek. While the petition is addressed to the European Union, the same arguments can be made to the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States as well.
The magazine says that Turkey has always refused to recognize the rights of nationalities or allow these nationalities to freely express their cultures. Turkey wants the Kurds to consider themselves as Turks, and those who refuse to do so will be punished, all other avenues closed in front of kurds, so the Kurdish freedom movement turned to armed struggle, first for national independence and then for autonomy and minority rights within Turkey.
After collapse of the old empires after World War II, international law recognized legitimacy of the struggle for freedom and independence, which was recently relied on by Belgium's highest court, which said that criminalizing the PKK is illegal.
The peaceful coexistence must come through political negotiations involving the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has long indicated its willingness to negotiate, the political solution is vital for the Kurds to live in peace and dignity within Turkey. It is also vital to restoring Turkish democracy.
Removing PKK from black list would also acknowledge the role PKK in the fight against ISIS. While ISIS was receiving support from Turkey, PKK was helping to liberate large parts of Syria and Iraq from ISIS control. Countries should acknowledge PKK's role has in supporting women's rights and freedoms. Turkey is using the "terrorist" designation to delegitimize and suppress all persons and organizations that fight for Kurdish rights or oppose government policy.
The EU list helps support and whitewash an increasingly authoritarian regime that has imprisoned thousands of Kurds and opposition activists, including former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Vejn Yuksekdag, other HDP elected representatives, mayors, local representatives, and numerous journalists.
A.K
Its not too late for that very important date.
Looking for some Real Montana gifts to put under the tree and havent landed on quite the right idea?
The Montana Historical Society gift shop has some hot, new book titles to recommend that could be just what youre looking for.
We love Montana books, said MHS museum store manager Rodric Coslet during an interview last week, surrounded by stacks of fascinating options for just about any age.
Flying off the shelves these days is A History of Montana in 101 Objects: Artifacts & Essays from the Montana Historical Society.
The book features appropriate, curious, and rare items in the museums vast collection.
Its a top recommendation by Coslet. Its what we suggest for everybody.
Thats our top seller right now. People love it. They really enjoy seeing all the wonderful things in our collection, many of which dont get displayed very often.
And the book includes beautiful new photographs by Tom Ferris and essays about each object by 21 different authors and edited by Kirby Lambert.
Its a tremendous way to make our collection available to the public.
Delving into it, one discovers such Montana treasures as:
Thomas Cruses electric bathrobe, or Standard Electric Thermo Coat;
The historical societys very own Lewis and Clark Bridge spanning the Missouri River in Wolf Point; and
A piece of the gallows on which the infamous Henry Plummer was hanged.
Theres a lot more treasures to discover that will open your eyes to nuggets of Montanas rich and wild history.
And for the curious child, theres a companion book by Far Country Press, Montana History for Kids in 50 Objects by Steph Lehman. It includes 50 fun activities for kids.
What better way to learn and remember history than with a hands-on craft, like sculpting your own grotesque out of clay.
Dont know what a grotesque is?
Pick up this vividly illustrated book and find out.
Other good things for our list are Home Waters: A Chronicle of Family and a River, said Coslet. Its written by John N. Maclean, son of Norman Maclean of A River Runs Through It fame.
Its so interesting. I got to hear his talk at the Montana Club. It was so much fun, said Coslet.
Its full of wonderful tales of fishing, of Norman and his beloved murdered brother Paul, and their unique bond, and also of Jessie Burns, Normans wife, and the close friendship of the trio.
Another hot book is Hell With the Lid Off! Butte, Montana: A Memoir of the Wildest Town in the West by 1890s Police Reporter Horace Herbert Smith, edited by William Lambrecht and published by New Bay Books.
It is one rip-roaring true tale by 21-year-old Bert Smith, who was a police reporter for Marcus Dalys Anaconda Standard in the 1890s.
He knew the crooks, the prostitutes and the police, said Coslet.
The young Smith became enamored with Butte and its sizzling history in his seven years as a reporter there, where he turned into a pistol-packing newspaperman. Smiths reporting led to death threats from two dangerous criminals Billy Fay, a professional gambler who was also a professional killer, and his arch enemy, Frank Dougherty, a crooked gambler and morphine addict.
In fact, city undertakers were vying for Smiths business.
When Smith left Butte, he went on to become a correspondent in the Spanish American War and ended up in New York writing novels and doing journalism at a very high national level, said Coslet.
He was also part of a literary salon that included Zane Gray and Sinclair Lewis. And he published two books A Captain Unafraid and The War Maker.
He died in 1936 before he was able to publish his memoir, which he had hoped would be turned into a film.
Thanks to his granddaughter, who found the manuscript in his papers and donated the collection to the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives, the book has made its way into readers hands.
Reviewer David McCumber, editor of the Montana Standard wrote of it, What a rip-snorter of a story! Hell With the Lid Off is a spectacular contribution to the history of one of the greatest towns in the West, but even better its an irresistible read.
Its a cool new thing. I really like it, added Coslet. Who wouldnt want to read about Butte in the 1890s?
A delightful and whimsical new book for kids is Charlie Russell and the Gnomes of Bull Head Lodge by Emily Crawford Wilson with colorful paintings by Jeanne Bowman.
Russell loved his Bull Head Lodge cabin on Lake McDonald in Glacier Park and would paint there, Coslet said.
In this childrens story, he goes up to Bull Head Lodge and has trouble finding inspiration for painting.
What hes done, and this is true, hes created these little gnome creatures out of bark and other things from the forest, Coslet said. He used to put them on the porch railings and next to the trails in the forest.
In the story, the gnomes come to life and help him paint.
Theres also an inspiring board book to introduce young children to some of the fascinating and inspiring Montanans in our history, Courageous People from Montana Who Changed the World, by Heidi Poelman.
Among the personalities featured with colorful artwork and short write-ups are Running Eagle, Granville Stuart, Alma Smith Jacobs and none other than Evel Knievel.
Coslet also recommends a book by Missoula artist Josh Quick, Yellowstone Quick Facts: 100 Surprising and Strange Facts About Yellowstone National Park.
For instance, did you know, Gas from Norris Basin in Yellowstone Park killed 5 bison at once in 2004.
Or this, Yellowstone Park has 1,000 to 3,000 earthquakes per year.
And Quick has obligingly illustrated this factoid with his drawing of some poor terrified camper quaking in her sleeping bag.
This brief introduction of new books in no way exhausts the stores options and Coslets recommendations.
But note, now is the time for action. The store is closed Friday and Saturday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The museum store is at the Montana Historical Society, 225 N. Roberts St., 444-2890, https://app.mt.gov/shop/mhsstore/. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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The Montana chapter of White Lives Matter held a protest Saturday at a busy intersection in Helena as part of a nationwide "Day of Action" organized by the neo-Nazi hate group, officials with the Montana Human Rights Network said Tuesday.
MHRN officials said their research indicates that most of the WLM supporters who appeared in Helena over the weekend drove in from other parts of the state.
The roughly 10 white nationalists who participated in the protest held signs and banners at Washington Street and Custer Avenue, MHRN, which monitors such activities, said Tuesday in a post online. Social media posts show WLM supporters wearing masks and holding banners urging people to "honk if white lives matter." A woman was seen in one post confronting the protesters.
Helena police received a call about the demonstration from someone who was offended, Lt. Jayson Zander said Monday, but the protesters had dispersed by the time officers arrived.
White Lives Matter, designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, was formed by established white nationalists, MHRN said. SPLC described the group as a racist response to the civil rights movement Black Lives Matter. According to SPLC, two white supremacists and the Texas-based Aryan Renaissance Society, a neo-Nazi group, appear to be the main players behind it, hosting WLM rallies and engaging in WLM flyer distributions across the nation since 2015.
Travis McAdam, MHRNs program director of combating white nationalism and defending democracy, said activity for the Montana chapter has increased recently, and supporters have encouraged like-minded extremists to move to Montana.
There was some mystery as to where the group would be Saturday in Helena.
McAdam said that in the week leading up to Dec. 18, WLM extremists said they would hold a rally and hang a banner off an interstate overpass.
There were also rumors of a rally at the state Capitol, which would have provided the optics that groups like this crave white nationalist signage with the Capitol building and flags in the background.
In the end, the small group of Nazis stood with their signs at a Helena intersection and left without any splashy activities, McAdam said. No banner hung on the overpass and no rally at the Capitol took place.
When a counter-protester started filming WLM sign holders at the intersection, an extremist allegedly pulled out a hammer and threatened the person, McAdam said.
On the online messaging app Telegram, a member of the Montana chapter posted, I carried a hammer at the demo Saturday lol, McAdam said.
In another video posted on Telegram, a WLM member yells at a woman: Why dont you go to a health food store and quit being so fat and annoying?
McAdam said that because their numbers are so small, WLM Montana extremists travel around the state to make it appear that their group has a statewide presence.
Our research indicates that most of the WLM supporters who appeared in Helena over the weekend drove in from different places in the state, McAdam said. Its clear that each activity in which WLM engages is designed to radicalize more people to their movement, advertise Montana as a perfect Aryan homeland, and draw white nationalists to the state.
Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins said Tuesday he has seen online posts about people around town with White Lives Matter signs. He said they have that right under the First Amendment protection of free speech.
I just hope its peaceful, he said, adding he was sure the police were aware of the protests and would address the situation accordingly.
Collins said he knew of a previous time WLM Montana had a protest in Helena. The group had hung a banner at Prospect Avenue and Interstate 15.
There are a few people who want to stir up things that are not there, Collins, a Liberian refugee, said. Its is not going to work. This community is way too decent for the crap that two or three people are trying to pull.
McAdam agreed about what was accomplished.
Their plan backfired, he wrote. Instead of making people feel targeted and alone, their presence has brought together many community members who are organizing to share information and remove any sign of WLMs presence as quickly as it pops up.
McAdam said the best way to resist violent extremism is to publicly support and protect the people they target.
WLM Montanas biggest presence had been in the Flathead Valley until recently, McAdam noted, where supporters had placed racist stickers in public spaces throughout Kalispell.
After the national group announced its day of action, WLM stickers and extremists have been spotted in Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula and Polson.
He said the Montana chapter was trying to attract attention and new recruits for its Dec. 18 event in Helena.
McAdam said in his online post that communities should be concerned whenever groups like WLM are comfortable enough to show up in public.
He said their sad stunt over the weekend served two purposes: get publicity and recruit new followers, and create a presence that intimidated and threatened Jewish, Black, Indigenous and people of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.
McAdam said membership in WLM can be expected to grow and the small turnout in Helena should not be interpreted as a reason to dismiss the legitimate threats that WLM presents.
To stop groups like WLM, we all need to work to make our communities safer and healthier places for everyone, he wrote. What happened this weekend in Helena is a perfect time for all of us to look ahead to the new year and decide which organizations, institutions, and leaders we are going to support.
MHRN is a nonprofit group that challenges bigotry and discrimination and advocates for legislation that honors rights, its website states.
Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021.
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A group of residents, business people and government and elected officials are seeking nearly $46 million to help with improvements to the Sil
Leonard Collins
Armando Frederico
Carina Robin Otteson
These three people, who died on the streets of Helena while experiencing homelessness during the last year, were memorialized during the annual Longest Night ceremony hosted by YWCA Helena and United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area Tuesday evening at Anchor Park.
"They're human beings," local United Way Executive Director Emily McVey said in an interview following the memorial.
McVey noted that many of the people her organization and others in the community work with to find and maintain stable housing are working full time and are from the area.
YWCA Helena Executive Director Jen Gursky said the number of people experiencing homelessness across the state of Montana has increased nearly 16% over the past year.
"That number is expected to increase," Gursky said, noting the persistence of the COVID-19 health pandemic and the end of a related eviction moratorium.
The memorial is meant to honor those largely forgotten by their community, but it also is intended to inspire action among those in attendance.
"We can be a community of compassion, dignity and neighborliness," Gursky told the nearly 40 people in attendance Tuesday.
Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins said there is plenty of work in this vein to go around.
"The problem is increasing in Montana," Collins said. "It is not one person's problem; it's all of ours."
Collins encouraged community members, local organizations and his fellow leaders in city government to do more to address the problems.
"This year there were more homeless people on the streets than ever before in my 28 years in Helena," he said.
Collins urged people to get involved and offer ideas instead of complaints.
"Let's come back next year and say, 'This is what we did,'" Collins said.
Other community members who participated in the memorial included Mike Jetty, who sang a Native American prayer song, and Helena Symphony Orchestra Hornist Erin Vang who played and read aloud the traditional Jewish mourner's Kaddish.
McVey said though homelessness is a complex issue with no simple solution, she encouraged those looking for ways to help to contact local officials, city and county commissioners, and express their concern over the issue.
Helena's city commissioners are in the midst of determining how to spend federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars. One place the more than $8 million in aid could land is with programs dedicated to combating homelessness and affordable housing.
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A Deer Lodge man pleaded guilty earlier this month to several charges after illegally killing a bighorn sheep in the Highland Mountains.
Harold Horine, 45, shot a bighorn ram on Nov. 22 without a license. He did not report the kill to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and he left the meat to waste, authorities said. A witness who observed the violation contacted FWP after finding the dead bighorn abandoned. Game wardens interviewed Horine, who said he mistook the sheep for an elk.
Horine pleaded guilty in Madison County Justice Court on Dec. 7 to hunting without a valid license, unlawful possession of a game animal, failure to obtain landowner permission when hunting and waste of a game animal.
Horine was ordered to pay $5,245 in fines and restitution. His hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were suspended for two years, and his ability to apply for special permits was suspended for 12 years.
Montana game wardens rely on tips from people who observe crimes against wildlife. FWPs 24-hour hotline for reporting these crimes is 1-800-TIP-MONT. Callers could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
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Montana is one of the 24 states that on Tuesday signed onto a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's vaccine and masking requirements at Head Start programs.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Louisiana, takes aim at a recent federal provision requiring vaccines for Head Start teachers, staff and volunteers, as well as face masks for students aged 2 and older. Children ages 5 and up are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
Head Start is a federal program that provides funding to local education programs for preschool-aged children from lower-income families. In a press release announcing the new lawsuit, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said the state has 20 organizations receiving Head Start funding, employing 1,500 workers.
The plaintiff states argue that the administration's requirements overstep the executive branch's authority, violate the federal law that authorizes Head Start and run afoul of the 10th Amendment's reservation of powers to the states. They also argue the rules violate several other federal laws.
Democratic President Joe Biden has sought to wield federal agencies and funding to bolster the United States' stagnant rate of vaccinations against the coronavirus. He has pushed back against Republican-led challenges to his vaccine mandates, accusing GOP leaders of being "cavalier with the health of their communities."
In the press release, Knudsen called the masking requirements for children in Head Start "ridiculous" and said the rules will have a detrimental effect on local communities.
"Head Start organizations in Montana are facing challenges finding staff who can provide the early childhood education services communities need," the attorney general stated in a press release. "Firing workers and telling volunteers theyre not wanted is going to make that problem worse. Children in Montana will suffer because of President Bidens policies.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare the Head Start requirements unlawful. The plaintiffs have also asked for a preliminary injunction putting the rules on hold while the case proceeds.
When Biden announced many of the federal vaccine requirements in September, it was framed as a response to the summertime surge of COVID cases fueled by the more-contagious delta variant. The challenge to the Head Start rule comes as cases are again climbing rapidly in parts of the country, a day after the even faster-spreading omicron variant became the virus's dominant strain in the U.S.
Montana officials announced the state's first detection of the new variant Monday, after all but a handful of states had reported omicron cases. While daily COVID-19 cases have fallen over the past two months in Montana, the state's caseload has followed previous surges of the virus elsewhere in the country.
The lawsuit has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, who last month sided with a group of Republican-led states, including Montana, by granting a preliminary injunction for a separate vaccine requirement from the Biden administration.
That rule would require all health care workers at organizations funded by Medicaid or Medicare to be fully vaccinated. Doughty's order pausing that requirement applied nationwide.
Another regulation from the Biden administration, requiring vaccines for most employees of federal contractors, was put on hold nationwide by a federal court on Dec. 7. On Monday, a federal judge granted another injunction in a separate challenge to that rule, which applies only to the 10 states that filed it, Montana included.
And last week, Biden's most far-reaching vaccine requirements that workplaces with 100 or more employees mandate vaccinations or weekly COVID testing for most staff were reinstated after a federal judge overturned an injunction. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is enforcing that rule, announced it would move the deadline for compliance back to February. It had been slated to take effect Jan. 4. While Montana lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year banning employers from requiring vaccines, it's likely the federal requirement would supersede that.
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When I was growing up I was fortunate to have many strong women role models in my life who empowered me to pursue whatever career I wanted. I attended college and earned a bachelors degree, and then went on to graduate school so I could fulfill my dream of teaching at the college level. After nine years of post secondary education I began teaching at a small undergraduate college. I love working with young people and helping them figure out what they are capable of and what path they wish to pursue. But I have considered quitting my job many times.
Several years after I began teaching, my partner and I decided to start our family. After our first child arrived I was very suddenly struck by the reality that so many others already understood: that having two working parents try to raise a child is nearly impossible.
I didnt have a real maternity leave with either of my children. My partner and I worked nights and weekends to juggle schedules so we could keep our infant home for as long as possible. We took a significant financial loss to do this. And we are lucky, as many families dont have that choice.
When our next child arrived things became even more difficult. Finding quality affordable child care is next to impossible, especially for children under 2. I have researched and visited more than 15 child care facilities in our small town since my first child was born just over six years ago. Our monthly child care bill was significantly more than our mortgage.
When our children were young they were constantly getting sick, and both ended up in the hospital on oxygen after contracting RSV. I have never been as scared as I was seeing my children hooked up to monitors and tubes in a hospital room.
In addition to constantly worrying about our kids health, we were missing work, scrambling to find babysitters when our children were better but still needed a day or two to rest before going back to school, and feeling the financial hit of working fewer hours and paying babysitters on top of normal child care costs.
I love my kids more than anything in the world, and it often just didnt seem worth it to try to keep my job. Quite honestly, I felt misled. For all of the Get it girl, you can do anything! encouragement, there should be a footnote that says Also its going to be impossible to balance working and kids, there is no structural support and everyone is struggling! Youre sure to feel like a failure and you will worry about your kids all the time!
That needs to change. The Build Back Better Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide meaningful support to families, kids and caregivers, and to strengthen our communities and our economy. I hope lawmakers will seize this moment to invest in affordable child care, make preschool free for 3- and 4-year-olds, extend the expanded Child Tax Credit, and create a national paid family and medical leave program.
Im one of many working Montana parents who are closely following the negotiations and counting on our elected leaders to finally build the care infrastructure we need. In fact, a group of local moms and I recently delivered 94 handwritten letters from working parents in Helena to our representatives in Congress, urging them to support family-friendly policies that would help Montana families.
The letters were powerful and heartbreaking. These women are so strong and resilient, yet we are struggling to balance our jobs, raise a family, and stay afloat financially.
I hope our elected leaders listen to us. The Senate must follow the House of Representatives lead and pass the Build Back Better Act this year. For families like mine, and so many others, its long overdue.
Caroline Pharr is a mom of two, a professor, and a proud member of MomsRising. She lives in Helena.
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Todays Highlight in History:
On Dec. 22, 2010, President Barack Obama signed a law allowing gays for the first time in history to serve openly in Americas military, repealing the dont ask, dont tell policy.
On Dec. 22:
In 1894, French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. (Dreyfus was eventually vindicated.)
In 1937, the first center tube of the Lincoln Tunnel connecting New York City and New Jersey beneath the Hudson River was opened to traffic. (The second tube opened in 1945, the third in 1957.)
In 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington for a wartime conference with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In 1944, during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, U.S. Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected a German demand for surrender, writing Nuts! in his official reply.
In 1984, New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot and wounded four youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him.
In 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last of Eastern Europes hard-line Communist rulers, was toppled from power in a popular uprising.
In 1990, Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Polands first popularly elected president.
In 1991, the body of Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, an American hostage slain by his terrorist captors, was recovered after it had been dumped along a highway in Lebanon.
In 1992, a Libyan Boeing 727 jetliner crashed after a midair collision with a MiG fighter, killing all 157 aboard the jetliner, and both crew members of the fighter jet.
In 2001, Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers. (Reid is serving a life sentence in federal prison.)
In 2003, a federal judge ruled the Pentagon couldnt enforce mandatory anthrax vaccinations for military personnel.
In 2008, five Muslim immigrants accused of scheming to massacre U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix were convicted of conspiracy in Camden, New Jersey. (Four were later sentenced to life in prison; one received a 33-year sentence.)
In 2011, a wave of 16 bombings ripped across Baghdad, killing at least 69 people in the worst violence in Iraq in months days after the last American forces left the country, heightening fears of a new round of sectarian bloodshed.
In 2016, President-elect Donald Trump named close adviser Kellyanne Conway as his White House counselor and former Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer as press secretary. The Syrian government took full control of the city of Aleppo for the first time in four years after the last opposition fighters and civilians were bused out of war-ravaged eastern districts, ending a brutal chapter in Syrias civil war.
In 2020, President Donald Trump unexpectedly released two videos, one falsely declaring that he had won the election in a landslide, and the other urging lawmakers to increase direct payments for most individuals to $2,000 in a COVID relief package, a move opposed by most Republicans. The coronavirus pandemic reached every continent on Earth, as Chile announced that 58 people who were at military bases in Antarctica or on a navy ship that went to the continent had tested positive. President Donald Trump pardoned four former government contractors who were convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad that left more than a dozen Iraqi civilians dead; others pardoned included former Republican Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Chris Collins of New York. California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris; Padilla became Californias first Latino senator.
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DECATUR A Decatur man described by a judge as believing he can shoot whoever he wants was sentenced to 35 years in prison Tuesday after being convicted of attempted murder.
Thomas L. Boone, 29, was also sentenced to an additional 10 years on a second conviction for being a felon in possession of a weapon. But Macon County Circuit Court Judge James Coryell ordered that sentence to run concurrent with the 35-year term, which must be served at 85 percent.
Boone, who claims the U.S. legal system has no authority to try him, had been convicted after a jury trial in November at which he represented himself.
Prosecutors said he had gotten into a confrontation with a 21-year-old Decatur woman on Sept. 19, 2020, in the 2400 block of East Eldorado Street before shooting her in the stomach.
Boone represented himself at Tuesdays sentencing hearing and continued to claim the court had no authority over him as an American States citizen.
His attitude led to some bizarre exchanges with Coryell as Boone, dressed in a red and white striped jail jumpsuit, would frequently ask the judge things like Who are you addressing when you say that? Who or what are you addressing?
Coryell calmly replied: The person seated in court in the jail uniform.
Asked if he had anything to say by way of mitigation, Boone told the judge the case should be settled and closed without any further prosecution of him. And I am to be released immediately, he added.
Prosecuting, Assistant Macon County States Attorney Timothy Tighe called for a sentence of 50 years 25 years for the attempted murder plus another 25 years for the use of a handgun and cited Boones complete lack of contrition.
Tighe added: We have a defendant who apparently and honestly believes he is above the law and can do whatever he wants.
Coryell said the evidence did show Boone had shot the victim for no particular reason and believes the court has no jurisdiction and he can shoot whoever he wants.
Coryell then sentenced him to 10 years on the attempted murder charge, plus an additional 25 years for his use of a firearm in the crime.
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid
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DECATUR Cindy Ford heard such a clatter outside her Decatur home late Tuesday morning she sprang to the window to see what was the matter.
This, however, was no early visit from St. Nicholas dropping in from the North Pole but a military jet punching it through the sound barrier with a sonic boom that jarred and concerned people throughout Central Illinois.
Oh yeah, it shook the windows, it shook the house, I felt the floor vibrate, said Ford, whose home is located between South Shores and Mount Zion.
I felt it was either a huge accident out front or something had blown up very near my house.
But I think Tuesdays boom was even louder than that, she said.
Emergency phone lines in Decatur lit up with calls from anxious families wondering what the noise was when it hit around 11:28 a.m. Deputy Decatur Fire Chief Dan Kline said the vibration was so prominent he even thought something had dropped onto the roof of Fire Station No. 1.
It was a bang like someone dropped something heavy upstairs, he added.
The actual explanation had arrived by early Tuesday afternoon, however, when officials confirmed it was the sonic boom of an F-15 fighter jet.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency said in a social media post that the noise had "kicked off an immediate collaboration between federal, state and local officials" to identify the source and impact.
Further review found that the F-15 fighter jet had course-corrected above Central Illinois, creating a sonic boom. When the aircraft broke the sound barrier, the pressure wave created an audible noise and minor shaking in the region, the agency said, adding that no reports of damage were associated with the incident.
But the mystery boom noise had so rattled nerves that some officials were getting personal calls about it.
I live on the west side of town and I got calls from my neighborhood, and our administrative assistant lives on the east side of town and she got calls from her neighborhood, said Kline. So it was heard from east to west.
Springfield police Lt. Jason Brands said officers received numerous reports from residents who heard a loud noise, and that other local communities received the same type of reports from the public.
Other shocked listeners with some military experience said this sonic boom was louder and more resonant than other ones theyd heard before. Ellsworth Dansby, who lives south of Millikin University, said the sound was so intense he thought a train car had derailed near his home and blown up.
I have prior service in the military and was occasionally exposed to that (sonic booms), he said. And that must have been one heck of an F-15 that did that; in fact, if that really was an F-15, Id eat my hat.
Dansby, 70, has some theories it might have been some kind of high velocity spy plane or similar clandestine aircraft. And if it was, they wouldnt say it was a spy plane, he added.
But it was loud.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid
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Driven by legislators, automakers and growing consumer demand, electric vehicles are poised to rule the road over the next decade, and Illinois may be a key manufacturing hub in the auto industrys transformation.
Newly public EV startup Rivian is flush with cash and scrambling to keep up with orders for its electric truck, SUV and Amazon delivery vans at a former Mitsubishi plant in downstate Normal. Meanwhile, industry analysts expect Stellantis to convert its nearly dormant Belvidere Assembly Plant, which makes the Jeep Cherokee, into the automakers first EV factory in the U.S. by 2024.
Theres even an electric school bus factory being built in Joliet.
But with charging infrastructure lagging and new models just beginning to trickle out, there are still miles to go before EVs supplant gas-powered vehicles in many garages.
Were not there yet, said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights for car shopping website Edmunds. I think in the broader market were still in early adopter phase. Until we see more production roll out, well probably still be at that phase for a while.
Rivian, which launched production of its R1T electric truck in September, raised $13.7 billion through a massive initial public offering last month and is now worth more than Ford or General Motors. Buying stock in Rivian may be easier than getting your hands on the actual trucks.
The California-based startup has produced only 652 vehicles in its first three months of operation, according to its third quarter earnings report Thursday. The first two R1S SUVs rolled off the line this month, and Rivian is expected to deliver the first of 100,000 EV vans to Amazon, an investor in the company, before the end of the year.
In total, Rivian is projected to come up a few hundred vehicles short of an initial 1,200-unit production target it set for 2021, CEO R.J. Scaringe said during the earnings call.
Launching and ramping production of three different vehicles within a few months is an incredibly tough challenge, Scaringe said.
Rivian has 71,000 preorders for its R1T and R1S models, which means anyone who puts money down now on the $70,000 EVs will have to wait until 2023 to take delivery, Scaringe said. The company announced Thursday it is building a second $5 billion assembly plant in Georgia to keep up with anticipated future demand.
Electric vehicle sales gained traction in 2021, making up 2.5% of the U.S. auto market through November, up from 1.6% for the same period in 2020, according to Edmunds. Tesla accounted for nearly two-thirds of the EVs sold in the U.S., with Volkswagen at about 8%, followed by GM and Ford at about 7% each.
Edmunds projects the U.S. EV market share will climb to 4% in 2022, surpassing 600,000 vehicles sold, with Teslas market share dropping to 46% as new players enter the segment.
New federal and state legislation is designed to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.
The Biden administration released its EV charging action plan Dec. 13, outlining the steps federal agencies are taking to boost infrastructure, manufacturing and consumer adoption. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, signed into law in November, includes $5 billion in funding for states and a $2.5 billion competitive grant program for rural and disadvantaged communities to put the U.S. on the path to a national network of 500,000 charging stations.
A measure for increasing the maximum federal tax credit for EV buyers from $7,500 up to $12,500 is part of Bidens $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act, which was approved by the House in November and is now in the hands of the Senate.
In November, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act, which incentivizes EV manufacturers to locate in the state through tax credits, including up to 100% of income tax withheld for new jobs created. The legislation also allows local municipalities to abate property taxes for EV projects.
President Joe Biden has set an ambitious target of a 50% market share for EVs by 2030, while Pritzker wants to see 1 million registered EVs on Illinois roads by then preferably built at Illinois plants.
Founded in 2009 by Scaringe, a 38-year-old MIT grad, Rivian has nearly 3,900 employees working at its sole production facility in Normal. Rivian said Thursday it plans to expand the plants capacity from 150,000 to 200,000 vehicles per year.
Rivian, which has more than 10,000 employees overall, plans to break ground on the Georgia plant next summer and begin producing the next generation of EVs by 2024. The plant will employ 7,500 workers with an eventual production capacity of 400,000 vehicles per year, Scaringe said. Until then, Rivians ambitions to become the Tesla of trucks will depend entirely on the production output at the Normal plant.
Stellantis, which was created by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot of France in January, is projecting more than 40% of its U.S. sales to be electric vehicles by 2030. Illinois could be at the center of those plans, with the Belvidere Assembly Plant near Rockford slated to build new electric versions of the Dodge Charger, Challenger and a crossover beginning in January 2024, according to industry analysts.
The sprawling plant, which has been laying off employees for several years amid dwindling sales for its only product the Jeep Cherokee SUV could be buzzing again with an all-electric future, said Sam Fiorani, vice president global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based research firm.
The plant is a relatively large plant, and the Cherokee was supposed to fill it. But it is not anymore, Fiorani said. Instead of having just one, theyll have at least three models built in Belvidere, so that will fill up capacity a little better.
Fiorani said Stellantis is expected to retool the Belvidere plant to launch its EV production, while moving production of the Cherokee to another plant outside of Illinois.
While we wont comment on rumor or speculation about the future of any of our facilities, we can say that Stellantis is committed to bringing consumers an electrified future, investing $35 billion through 2025 on electrification and software, Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said in an email.
Bidens infrastructure bill also includes $5 billion for zero- and low-emission buses, with the White House saying it will replace the yellow school bus fleet with thousands of electric school buses nationwide.
Canadian EV truck manufacturer Lion Electric announced in May it was investing $70 million to convert a Joliet warehouse into a factory to produce up to 20,000 electric trucks and buses a year. Construction to repurpose the 900,000-square-foot building is finishing up and Lion will begin moving its manufacturing equipment into the plant early next year, company spokesman Brian Alexander said.
The Joliet facility will produce up to 15 different models in the next two years, including 11 trucks and four school buses. Lion, which is in line to receive $7.9 million in state tax credits if it meets investment and job creation goals, plans to hire 745 workers over the next three years, with recruiting efforts getting underway early next year, Alexander said.
Were still planning to have vehicles rolling out of there by the second half of next year, Alexander said.
While EV manufacturing is gearing up, consumer adoption has a long way to go to hit Pritzkers goal of 1 million EVs by 2030. There are currently 33,390 electric vehicles registered in Illinois, or less than 1% of the states 10.3 million vehicles, according to Dave Druker, a spokesman for the Illinois secretary of states office.
The biggest obstacle may be building a charging infrastructure.
There are 46,341 public charging stations in the U.S., including 943 in Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Energys alternative fuels website. The network is far less developed for fast-charging stations, where drivers can fully charge their vehicles in 15 to 45 minutes, with 5,682 stations in the U.S. and 110 in Illinois. Most public stations use Level 2 chargers, which generally take hours to recharge an EV.
The lack of a robust charging network may make EVs more costly to refuel than gas-powered cars, according to a recent study.
Patrick Anderson, a Michigan automotive industry economist, became a lightning rod for criticism with an October report challenging the widely accepted notion that EVs are cheaper to operate than gas-powered vehicles. The study found the real world cost of driving 100 miles was $12 to $15 in an EV, compared with $8 to $12 in a gas-powered vehicle.
A midpriced or luxury EV is going to cost an amount of fuel that is not significantly less and may be more than for an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle, Anderson said.
Andersons study calculates the EV cost with home charging equipment and installation costs, deadhead miles spent driving to public stations and the higher cost of commercial charging. It also adds $200 per year for higher EV registration fees, which some states charge to recoup lost gas taxes used for road repairs.
In 2019, Illinois lawmakers briefly flirted with jacking the annual EV registration fee up to $1,000 before settling on the current $251 per year which is $100 higher than gas-powered car owners pay.
The rising price of gas has already thrown a wrench in Andersons numbers. At the time of the study, regular gas was calculated at $2.81 per gallon, while the current national average price is $3.30 per gallon, according to AAA. In Chicago, gas prices are much higher, averaging $3.84 per gallon, according to AAA.
Recalculating current costs for a Chicago driver using Andersons methodology, the midpriced gas-powered car and midpriced EV using mostly commercial charging both cost about $12 per 100 miles of driving.
While a number of EVs get 300 miles or more on a full charge, reducing so-called range anxiety, Caldwell said the spotty public charging network may deter some buyers particularly in less urban areas at least until Bidens infrastructure build out starts filling in the gaps.
Automakers need to convince people this is something that can fit seamlessly in their lives, Caldwell said. People have to think about an electric vehicle and where to charge it. That is probably going to be a big barrier to entry that we dont really talk about too much just change of behavior.
Caldwell said EVs will remain mostly the province of EAs early adopters throughout 2022, but the introduction of electric trucks and SUVs will likely provide a significant bump to sales, and a glimpse of the road ahead. Light trucks and SUVs are far more popular than sedans across the entire auto market and are projected to account for 73% of the 15 million new vehicles sold this year, according to Edmunds.
In addition to Rivian, the Ford F-150 Lightning is set to launch in the spring, starting at just under $40,000, offset by a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. Ford recently stopped taking reservations on the EV truck after reaching nearly 200,000 preorders, the company said.
The key to growth is meeting consumers where they want to buy, which in this country is SUVs and pickups, Caldwell said. So I think the introduction of a lot of those products in the coming year will probably let us gauge a bit more in terms of how fast we can get to that 50% target.
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Travelers flying out of Chicago for the holidays can expect busier airports than last year especially on Dec. 23, which is expected to be the busiest travel day, according to the city.
As COVID-19 surges in Illinois, free rapid tests will be available for passengers arriving at OHare International Airport and Midway Airport. Appointments can be made online.
Between Tuesday and Jan. 3, nearly 2.5 million passengers are expected to fly through OHare, the Chicago Department of Aviation said. Thats more than twice as many passengers as the 2020 holiday season.
About 500,000 passengers are expected to fly through Midway, an increase of 50% over 2020.
Travelers are also expected to hit the roads, and the Illinois Tollway is pausing some lane closures to free up space.
About 1.3 million vehicles are expected to travel on tollways on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, the tollway said. Nearly 1.1 million travelers are expected on Christmas Day and New Years Day. Both are expected to be less than the roughly 1.6 million vehicles that use the tollway on an average day.
Temporary maintenance and construction lane closures will be lifted from noon Thursday through 9 a.m. Dec. 27, and again from noon Dec. 30 through 9 a.m. Jan. 3. Some construction work zones might remain in place, however.
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BRISTOL, Va. Bristol Virginia City Council cast its final votes Tuesday needed to shift city elections from May to November.
The second reading vote to amend the city code goes hand in hand with a previous set of votes to amend the city charter and bring both documents in line with a new state law. The city charter change must still receive approval from the Virginia General Assembly when it goes into session next month.
City Council and School Board candidates who formerly had May ballots to themselves will now share the November general election ballot with all federal, state and legislative races.
Earlier this year the Virginia General Assembly changed state law to require all such elections be held to coincide with state and federal elections on the first Tuesday in November.
Pity poor Mark Meadows, former North Carolina representative and White House chief of staff, who has traded his dignity for the worst of causes.
The loss came to light last week as we learned more about his role in former President Donald Trumps illicit attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, as illuminated and detailed by thousands of pages of documents and texts Meadows turned over to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
At first, it seemed Meadows realized his duty to cooperate with the committee.
But he has since withdrawn his cooperation and sued the committee, claiming executive privilege as justification for his refusal to appear before the committee in person.
Thats one way to disguise his complicity in a scheme to overthrow the U.S. government a summary of events that becomes more difficult to deny with every new revelation.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday evening released data showing omicron is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week.
In place of mandates, North Carolina officials are hoping additional testing resources and a strong informational campaign appealing to the roughly 62% of vaccinated individuals who have not yet come in for a third shot will suffice.
We've seen with the omicron variant that you can get real protection from boosters, Cooper said. This is the first news conference we've had where boosters is the main message. The second message is testing. Those two things right now can help us get through this.
Cooper, Cohen and Kinsley were not alone in pushing for people to get an extra shot.
Duke University, which has been widely praised for its management of the pandemic and has limited exposure risk during the fall semester, announced on Monday that it will require all students and employees to provide proof of receiving the COVID-19 booster shot in January or as soon as they are eligible.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday said he plans to endorse Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley in the coming days.
Asked about recent comments in which he appeared to back his party's presumptive Senate nominee, Cooper said he would soon formalize his support.
I will be doing that. Yes," Cooper said.
State Sen. Jeff Jackson, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, last week abruptly left the race to make way for Beasley, the first black woman to serve as chief justice of the state Supreme Court. Jackson swiftly endorsed Beasley, and many Democratic congressional leaders have since done so as well.
In an interview with WRAL, Cooper told the station that the path is clear for her now and that he plans on helping her get elected.
Public health is continuing to vaccinate people at the health department building. The number of people being vaccinated has slowed, but some people who waited to see if the vaccine is safe are coming in now, Killian said.
Our sincere hope is that more people who have been waiting to vaccinate will decide that its time to receive the vaccine now, especially given our current situation, Killian said.
The health department is encouraging people to get a booster dose of the vaccine, especially in the face of another foe: the omicron variant.
The state epidemiologist told public health that omicron appears to spread two to three times faster than the delta variant and four to six times faster than the original COVID-19 virus, Killian said.
The omicron variant is in all parts of North Carolina now, Killian said. In the coming weeks, the state is predicting omicron will cause record high COVID-19 cases, she said.
Early research shows people who previously had COVID-19 and people who are vaccinated may be less protected against omicron, Killian said. There is some indication that a booster dose of the vaccine can help. The vaccine is still protecting against severe disease with omicron.
DOVER, Del. (AP) Congregations affiliated with the United Methodist Church have agreed to contribute $30 million to a fund for victims who say they were molested as youngsters in the Boy Scouts of America, an attorney said Tuesday.
A committee representing United Methodist churches that sponsored Scouting activities also agreed to help raise an additional $100 million for the fund.
Jessica Lauria, an attorney for the BSA, told Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein about the planned agreement during an online hearing Tuesday in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware. Lauria said the United Methodist-affiliated churches would receive protected party status, which means they would be released from further liability for abuse claims.
The proposed trust is expected to grow to more than $2.6 billion and would be the largest sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history.
More than 82,000 sexual abuse claims have been filed in the bankruptcy case. Victims who say they were abused must vote by Dec. 28 on a Boy Scouts reorganization plan.
Prosecutors said in June that Greene, who served in the Army National Guard, was willing to put lessons learned in that military service to use against the U.S. They noted that Greene had a pistol and an unregistered AR-15 rifle in his home and that he had ordered over 2,000 rounds of ammunition and a gas mask after Jan. 6.
He encouraged an associate to read up on guerrilla warfare and to use the tactics used by the Taliban and to be prepared to do uncomfortable things, prosecutors wrote.
Defense attorney Michael Kasmarek said in June that Greene, then 34, was a partner in a multimillion-dollar digital graphic design company. Greene had a very limited association with the Proud Boys before Jan. 6 and didnt have a leadership role in the group, Kasmarek said.
Greene has concluded that his personal beliefs and ethics do not align with those of the Proud Boys, and he is anxious to publicly disavow his brief membership in this group, his lawyer wrote.
More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 150 of them have pleaded guilty, including at least two other defendants with Proud Boys ties.
ALMODOVAR: At that moment, I was sick. I got the virus the first week. Even before the first week. I had just arrived from LA after being at the Oscars at the end of February. Then I felt like I had a flu and stayed at home. Three days later, they called for the quarantine. The days were so long that I tried just to talk and write something about the situation. One day, I was disobedient and went into the street to see Madrid completely deserted. It's a very impressive image that I wanted to have. So I pretended to go buy something just to see, just to see the town.
AP: It must have felt ironic that in the midst of a pandemic you were making a movie where swabs and lab tests, in proving the children's maternity, is central to the plot.
ALMODOVAR: When I was writing the movie a year before, it was like science fiction. But when we made the film, it did feel very familiar.
AP: What initially interested you in making a film that deals with the mass graves from the Spanish Civil War?
For a barbecue lover, or someone who is just curious about our states affection for this smoky dish, expert John Shelton Reed has written another book, On Barbecue. It is a compilation of Reeds engaging short writings about various barbecue topics. Because Reed knows barbecue and knows how to entertain his readers, the new book would be a welcome gift.
Although Frank Porter Graham, president of the University of North Carolina, has been dead almost 50 years, the stamp he put on public life in this state remains strong. A new biography, Frank Porter Graham: Southern Liberal, Citizen of the World, by William Link, helps explain Grahams enduring influence. It would be an excellent gift for anyone who wants to understand North Carolina history, especially if the recipient tilts liberal.
One feature of the Graham book is a history of a complicated effort to open the University of North Carolina to Black students. The liberal Graham had to deny Blacks admission because he was bound by rules established by the universitys conservative trustees.
During the Christmas season it is heart warming to see people helping people through various charitable projects, such as food distributions, clothing drives, toys for children, etc.
Many churches provide free meals to the homeless and hungry in our community. At these times we tune our minds and hearts to the voices of our "better angels." a phrase Abraham Lincoln often used to heal a war torn nation with the spirit of charity towards all. Although times are clearly different, we still need a sense of unity and healing to unite in common purpose our efforts to achieve love, hope and lasting peace.
Unfortunately we have not been successful in reducing the polarization we find in our nation. We need to learn to disagree without the anger that separates us into two or more competing political positions. Divided camps are prevalent in the pros and cons of vaccinations, mask wearing, testing, voting rights, racial equity, history lessons in public schools, etc.
Compromise has become a dirty word in Congress and in many state legislatures. If one party is in power, gerrymandering favors that party in drawing voting districts. There is often no logic to the boundaries established, except to entrench the ruling party.
Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange will submit an application on Thursday [23 December], seeking leave to appeal to the UK Supreme Court to annul the High Court decision on his extradition to the US.
The appeal is one of the last two avenues remaining for the Australian to avoid extradition. If he is granted leave to appeal, then that will go ahead.
Else, Assange's lawyers will have to appeal to the EU Court of Human Rights to defeat the US bid.
On 10 December, a two-bench High Court panel reversed a 4 January lower court verdict to deny the US to right to extradite Assange to try him on criminal charges in Washington.
British District Judge Vanessa Baraister hadthat Assange should not be extradited, saying the risk he would commit suicide in a US jail was too high.
Assange faces criminal charges in the US for publishing classified information that was leaked to WikiLeaks by an American soldier, then known as Bradley Manning, but now, after gender reassignment surgery, known as Chelsea Manning.
On Thursday December 23rd, Julian's lawyers will submit their request for leave to appeal the High Court's ruling to the UK Supreme Court. #FreeAssangeNOW #Assange #FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners #JournalismIsNotACrime pic.twitter.com/StlgvmGWlK Stella Moris #FreeAssangeNOW (@StellaMoris1) December 21, 2021
Meanwhile, Assange has received support from a surprising quarter, with a columnist for The Australian, a newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch, calling for the vendetta against the Australian to end. Publications owned by Murdoch have either supported the moves against Assange or else stayed silent on the issue.
The newspaper's Washington correspondent, Adam Creighton, used strong language to call for Assange's release, saying: "The Biden administration could have dropped the pursuit [of Assange], showing itself to be above the sort of petty, vicious vendettas that motivate authoritarian regimes."
He wrote that the true casualty count of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, which WikiLeaks disclosed, had already come to light.
"The US has never made a convincing case that the information, related to events that occurred more than five years earlier, put anyones life in danger the traditional argument for censorship. No 'clear and present danger' from publication existed," Creighton claimed.
He also had harsh words for Australia and the UK. "Nothing Assange did was illegal in Britain or Australia, both of which have shamefully facilitated his extradition and probable imprisonment. Both rely on the US militarily and economically, especially Australia, but combined they could have acted to thwart his extradition, as the US would have done for its own citizen, a point made by [Australian deputy prime minister Barnaby] Joyce."
On 14 December, Joyce called for Assange to tried in the UK and then either jailed in that country or else in Australia.
Assange was arrested by British police on 11 April 2019 and removed from the Ecuador embassy where he had taken refuge for seven years. His asylum was withdrawn shortly before he was arrested and he appeared in court shortly thereafter. The US made a formal request for his extradition on 6 June 2019.
Rob Joyce: "If you're a heavy gamer or someone who uses their mobile phone for watching HD movies or tethering, then 5G is going to give you a much better experience."
A Nokia official in the Oceania region says he is satisfied with the uptake of 5G in Australia, pointing out that about 80% of the smartphones sold in the country are now 5G-capable.
Robert Joyce, chief technology officer for Nokia Oceania, told iTWire in response to queries that the affordability factor was not affecting take-up.
He added that in some cases operators allowed all 5G handsets on the 5G network since many operators' 4G/5G tariffs were the same.
"For example, even a pre-pay SIM in a 5G handset can connect to Vodafone Australia's 5G network," he said.
Joyce has been in the mobile telecommunications field for more than 25 years and headed Radio Access Technologies for Qatar's Ooredoo Group before joining Nokia.
He was responsible for setting up the globe's first 5G commercial network at Ooredoo Qatar in May 2018 and holds a doctorate from the University of Leeds, with the topic of his research being self-organising heterogeneous networks.
Joyce said the incentive to take up 5G depended on the user. "I can't comment on the individual tariffs of the operators, but 5G is certainly faster than 4G, so I guess it depends on what you use your mobile phone for, as to whether you'd get more value from a 5G phone and associated subscription," he said.
"If you're a heavy gamer or someone who uses their mobile phone for watching HD movies or tethering, then 5G is going to give you a much better experience. A recent study undertaken by one of the big crowd sourced companies suggests 5G users have an average throughput experience that's five to ten times faster than 4G.
"Currently, the 5G networks in Australia are demonstrating peak downlink rates of over 5Gbps per second and represent some of the fastest networks in the world. Nokia provides network equipment/solutions to all three of the mobile operators here in Australia and we've set a number of 5G world records with them."
A recent survey by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest app, suggests however that 5G speeds have slowed down at the global level.
"Over the past year from Q3 2020 to Q3 2021, the median global 5G download speed fell to 166.13 Mbps, down from 206.22 Mbps in Q3 2020," the survey noted. "Median upload speed over 5G also slowed to 21.08 Mbps (from 29.52 Mbps) during the same period."
About industry use cases for 5G, Joyce noted that Australian mobile operators provided 5G coverage to more than 80% of population. "They do this by deploying 5G across multiple frequency bands including the 700, 850 and 900MHz bands that propagate much further than the higher bands such as the 3.5GHz band also used for 5G," he said.
"Nokia recently demonstrated the effectiveness of the 700MHz band for 5G with TPG Telecom when we set a 5G range record of 148km between 5G handsets in a cell in Rural Queensland. It is this wide area coverage that will enable many of the 5G use cases we see being of value to Australian industries such as mining, oil and gas and transport. These physical industries need wide area, ultra low latency, robust coverage, exactly what 5G in the 700MHz band provides."
Thus far, Australia had been 5G use in enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access, he said. "eMBB is effectively an enhanced 5G service to a smartphone, enabling a higher data rate, lower latency and all the benefits I mentioned.
"And FWA is providing a fixed internet connection over 5G rather than the fixed line. In Australia, Optus and Nokia together launched Australia's first FWA service using Nokia's 5G fast mile FWA Gateway. This product has proven to be so good it is now the number one selling 5G FWA Gateway globally.
"In future, Nokia thinks virtual reality and augmented reality will be some of the new killer apps as we see manufacturers start to produce smart glasses and other wearables that support VR and or AR."
Joyce said it was a common misconception that one needed 5G mmWave for ultra-low latency. "While 5G mmWave and the massive bandwidths available within these bands will enable both low latency and super-fast data rates of 20Gbps and beyond, low latencies can actually be better provided by the legacy Frequency Division Duplex bands (FDD) like 700, 1800 and 2100MHz," he said.
"This is because at 3.5GHz and mmWave, 5G is Time Division Duplex (TDD) based and this means that there can be a delay between the uplink and downlink transmissions. In FDD, this delay does not occur as we have simultaneous uplink and downlink transmission and therefore in theory FDD can support a lower latency than TDD.
"Of course, there's a bit more to it than that, like Frame Structure and time slot duration, but future versions of the 3GPP standard will deliver low latencies across all 5G bands, not just the mmWave band."
He said recently Nokia and its partners had been awarded over $3 million of government funding to investigate new and exciting 5G use cases.
"The first of these projects is the 5G Connected Cobots project we're doing with UTS at the recently opened Nokia 5G Future Lab at UTS Tech Park, Sydney. This project will demonstrate how we can control Collaborative Robots (Cobots) connected over the 5G network ...with the brain of the Cobot actually running on a Nokia Edge Cloud rather than on the Cobot itself.
"The second project we're involved with is the creation of the National 5G Industrial Incubation Lab with the South Australian Government in Lot 14, Adelaide. This lab will be aimed at demonstrating the use of 5G within industry and we'll initially be looking at connected airports, connected trains and power grid inspection/control using 5G. We're now three months into both projects so it's still in the early stage as we set up the labs, but we look forward to sharing the results of these projects as they become available."
Joyce said with regard to the Open RAN Policy Coalition, it would be fair to say that Nokia was taking the lead in development of the technology for the project.
A communications expert, Henry Kressel, recently listed the following as issues for ORAN:
The cost of implementing networks with elements from diverse customers and relying on open-sourced software as the glue may be more costly and troublesome than installing an integrated product suite from one proven vendor.
Maintaining and upgrading such a O-RAN heterogeneous network will require costly internal carrier resources, and hence may be costlier to maintain than current equipment.
The idea that such heterogeneous networks are more secure is an unproven assumption that has been challenged by a recent study in Germany.
Asked about these hurdles, Joyce said: "Yes, that is an interesting point of view and security remains a key concern in O-RAN networks. That said, we see many of our customers progressing rapidly with O-RAN trials, including some in Germany that we are fully supporting, and we look forward to supporting our customers in the months and years to come should they decide to move to more open RAN architectures."
As to whether these issues meant Open RAN was another pie in the sky project, Joyce did not agree. "We're already seeing different methods of network deployments taking place. Take Rakuten in Japan and DISH in the US: while neither of these networks can be classed as being official O-RAN compliant, both companies are pushing the boundaries of how operators may deploy their RAN, transport and core networks in the future," he replied.
"At Nokia we know we can't predict the future, but certainly being open and involved with all possibilities sets us in the best position to support our customers whatever network architecture becomes the norm in the not too distant future."
SPRINGFIELD U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, in an interview Monday, was bullish on Republicans chances of taking back the majority in the U.S. House next year.
I guarantee it, the Taylorville Republican said assuredly, adding that he will be the chairman of the House Administration Committee should that happen.
In fact, he thinks Republicans will do well statewide, perhaps with a boost from billionaire Ken Griffin, the state's wealthiest man.
I think we can win some statewide seats, Davis said. I think we can pick up more seats in the House and the Senate. I think it's going to be a great year for Republicans.
Though Davis is now out of the statewide picture, Lee Enterprises and other news outlets confirmed last week that billionaire Griffin plans to bankroll a slate of statewide Republican candidates to challenge Pritzker and other Democrats. Even if the slate were to come up short, party operatives believe there could be a down ballot trickle effect.
When you've got J.B. Pritzker, who's not afraid to throw out hundreds of millions of dollars to keep his seat at the governor's mansion, we Republicans need to be able to compete, Davis said. I'm glad that we can have competitive races in Illinois because when we do, I think we can elect a Republican governor.
If it happens, that Republican governor will not be Davis, who opted to run for reelection in a conservative district Democrats seemingly drew to appease him.
Though Springfield Democrats, in control of the redistricting process, approved a map with the intention of creating a 14-3 Democratic majority in the state's congressional delegation, Davis thinks theres at least two additional districts that could swing Republicans way next year.
And don't sleep on the fact that I think we're going to surprise a lot of Democrats in Springfield by winning some congressional seats that they assuredly thought we're going to go to Democrats, Davis said.
The first is the 17th Congressional District, which includes Bloomington, Peoria, the Quad Cities and Rockford, which is represented by retiring Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline. Many have rated the seat a tossup in next years election. Republican Esther Joy King is running again after almost defeating Bustos in 2020. Five Democratic candidates have announced.
The other is the 13th Congressional District, which snakes from East St. Louis to Champaign, picking up Springfield and Decatur in between. Its the condensed version containing the urban elements of Davis current district, which he was drawn out of.
"These are districts that the Democrats drew in their in their calculation to elect Democrats, but just as my current district was drawn to elect a Democrat 10 years ago, we beat the trend," Davis said. "I think we're going to see those districts represented by Republicans."
Davis notes with pride that Democrats connected the major urban centers of central Illinois and every college campus they could find into the district so a Democrat could be competitive. Yet the five-term Republican has won every time.
At the same time, the 12th Congressional District, stretching from Metro East across much of rural Southern Illinois, once a strong Democratic seat, has now been in Republican hands for several cycles.
The Democratic gerrymander is strong, but perhaps not as strong as Democrats think it is, Davis believes.
A key factor may be the role for former President Donald Trump, who is popular in conservative bastions downstate but a pariah in the moderate Chicago suburbs.
In Virginia, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the governor's race by successfully keeping Trump at arms length. Some think that formula could work in suburban Chicago state legislative and congressional races.
Davis' arc on Trump is somewhat interesting. He went from saying that he could not vote for Trump in 2016 after the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape, in which the president described grabbing women, to serving as a co-chair of the his 2020 presidential campaign.
Serving in his current swing district, Davis was always careful to tout his bipartisan credentials even as he embraced Trump's policy agenda, a balancing act that helped him get reelected in a close race in 2018.
But Davis, perhaps acknowledging the increasingly conservative nature of his district, invoked Trump's name several times in the interview, touting his support for the president's signature tax cut legislation, for example.
"I hope the president joins us in electing as many Republicans to the U.S. House so that we can make Kevin McCarthy speaker of the house, and we can hold the administration accountable for some of the terrible decisions that they've made policy-wise and legislatively wise," Davis said.
Davis' Republican credentials have never been questioned. And he's never shied away from Trump. But the frequency in which he invokes the former president has seemingly increased. It doesn't seem like a coincidence.
And should Trump run for president in 2024?
"That's a decision that he's going to have to make," Davis said. "I think if he does run, he will immediately be the frontrunner and likely win the Republican nomination."
And Davis would likely be a co-chair of Trump's 2024 campaign as well.
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KANKAKEE, Ill. Within hours of a fatal gunbattle on the Kankakee County Courthouse lawn this past summer, city officials went on live television to allay the towns fears.
It was an isolated incident in which two people died from their bullet wounds and a third was seriously injured, they said. Two men one Latino and one Black already had been apprehended. There was no longer any threat to community.
A few hours later, Kankakee police Chief Robin Passwater stood in front of the television cameras again to offer an update on a murder charge filed against one of the men and a vague postscript about the other: The Black male, the one he described as running away from the scene after shots were fired, was not connected to the case after all. He was, however, being held on an unrelated, unspecified charge.
For the media, the brief addendum served as an important reminder that the initial narratives provided by police in chaotic breaking-news situations oftentimes do not match the reality.
But for 19-year-old Kankakee resident Amauri Gee, a Black male who been stopped that day while walking to the library, it reflected the racial and economic inequities that permeate the justice system.
Records show officers stopped Gee several hours after the shooting, while he was walking across a bridge nearly a mile from the courthouse, and held him overnight in jail because he had failed to appear in court for a misdemeanor traffic ticket. Gee says officers told him he fit the description of someone involved in the gunbattle, which city officials initially confirmed and then later disputed.
Gees experience exemplifies the kind of small, typically unpublicized, occurrences that can erode community trust in local law enforcement. Experts say such stops happen at troubling levels in smaller towns, where there are fewer civil rights groups and journalists monitoring law enforcement conduct.
Gee agreed to speak to the Tribune at his mothers urging, but he repeatedly expressed doubts that his story would be considered newsworthy or that anyone would care.
Im a Black teenager in Kankakee, Gee told the Tribune shortly after his arrest. You just expect stuff like this to happen to you. Theres no sense getting mad about it because it wont make a difference.
Kankakee police never publicly released Gees name, but city officials initially confirmed to the Tribune that Gee had been stopped in connection with the courthouse slayings. Earlier this week, however, Passwater said he was referencing a different Black teenager during his news conference. That teen also was held on an unrelated warrant after officers determined he had nothing to do with the shooting, he said.
The Tribune could not confirm the warrant involving the other teenager because his case is being handled in juvenile court, where records are kept from public inspection.
I dont know if Amauri misunderstood the reason why he was he stopped or not. I wasnt there, Passwater said. There was a lot going on that day.
Under orders from his mother to find a job, Gee said he had headed out to the Kankakee Public Library in the early afternoon of Aug. 26 to use the computers and fill out online applications. His mother, Kiwanna Williams, warned him to be careful because there had been a shooting at the courthouse that morning and police still had streets closed off.
Gee shrugged off his mothers concerns. He was walking, so he didnt expect to have any problems getting where he needed to go.
As he crossed the bridge into the downtown, a police car pulled up. Gee said the officer told him his jacket matched the description of a suspect in the courthouse shooting and they needed to ask him some questions. One patrol officer patted him down, while another rifled through his backpack.
They didnt ask him any questions about the shooting or any crime, Gee said. He said he never worried, not even for a second, that he would be wrongly arrested for the courthouse killings because he believed the officers motivations to be transparent.
I knew they were lying, the teen said. They just wanted to stop me, and they picked the shooting as their excuse.
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, police said there were no video recordings of Gees arrest. City officials declined to release any law-enforcement bulletins that included physical descriptions of suspects in the courthouse case, citing the pending trial against the lone person indicted in connection with the shooting. Gees jacket the reason he said police used to justify the stop was a well-worn Nike windbreaker with an uncommon mix of orange and green fabric.
Passwater told the Tribune that in the minutes of pandemonium after the shooting, witnesses told police a Black male had also been involved in the incident. A sheriffs deputy stopped a Black teenager, the one with the aforementioned juvenile case, who had been waiting in a car for the first man shot and who ran when the gunbattle began, Passwater said.
Gees police report makes no mention of the courthouse shooting. Instead, it states Gee was stopped for possibly fitting the description of someone involved in an unspecified incident near the bridge. He was not arrested or questioned in connection with that incident either, records show.
Passwater told the Tribune he could not locate records about the incident the report alleges. He said the officer who stopped Gee did not remember a lot about the interaction.
The fact is, if Amauri didnt have the outstanding warrant, they would have talked and sent him on his way, Passwater said. It would have been over quickly.
It marked the second time Gee had been stopped by Kankakee police claiming he looked like a suspect in a criminal investigation. According to separate accounts provided by Gee and his mother, he was stopped the first time when he was 15 years old because police said he fit the description of someone wanted for burglary. He was detained briefly on the sidewalk, then allowed to leave.
Both times, his only crime was walking while Black, his mother said. What kind of message do you think that sends a teenage boy? What does it tell him about how this community sees him or values him?
Across the country, Black and brown people are stopped by police more often than white people. A Trump-era Department of Justice study found Black pedestrians were stopped 61% more often than white pedestrians on the streets and 13% more than whites while driving.
Illinois also has wide disparities, with the most recent state study showing Black pedestrians were stopped at nearly five times the rate of white pedestrians in 2020. The problem, however, is more difficult to define in communities outside the Chicago area, where the police departments report small data sets and dont prioritize tracking their stops.
With a population of about 26,000, Kankakee recorded just 22 nontraffic stops in 2020, according to a Freedom of Information Act request. Fourteen of those stopped were white, three Black and five Hispanic.
About 41% of Kankakee residents are Black, while 19% identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Records show Kankakee officers did not provide a reason for stopping the majority of Black and Hispanic people, though the standard police forms ask them to do so. A reason was given for every white pedestrian stopped, according to documents reviewed by the Tribune.
Too often race and the color of ones skin is a substitute or is a stand-in for suspicion, Ed Yohnka, director of communications in public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, told the Tribune. People end up being targeted for stops, for searches, for policing activities on the basis of their skin color, and not because theyre engaged in any criminal activity.
Gee said it took police only a few minutes to declare he was not involved with the shooting, which authorities now say involved a Latino gang rivalry. Gee is not Hispanic and has no public record of gang ties.
Police, however, still arrested him on a bench warrant stemming from an unresolved traffic ticket. In February, Gee had been involved in a minor accident and ticketed for driving without a license. He did not appear for his court date, and the judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
Court records show Gee was never served with the warrant and was unaware of its existence. Financial difficulties forced him and his mother to move out of their home during the pandemic and they had not yet found a permanent place to live, making it difficult for authorities to locate the teen.
Gee said police officers told him not to worry about the warrant. He only needed to post $200 bond and hed be free to go. Its not like he would be spending the night in jail, he recalls them saying.
The teen, however, knew it wouldnt be that easy. He didnt have that kind of money, and he doubted his mother did either. The bond amount would be needed to keep a roof over their heads.
Gee called his mom anyway, and she confirmed his suspicions.
I told him I would see if I could raise enough money, but I wasnt sure I could do it that quickly, Kiwanna Williams said. I told him that he might have to stay in jail until I could come up with it.
In many cases, what officers may think of as an inexpensive, inconsequential ticket turns into a much larger ordeal for those who cannot afford to pay it, experts said.
A white motorist somewhere probably either gets a lawyer or takes care of it or does something else so they never find themselves in this particular set of circumstances, Yohnka said.
Gee was booked into the Kankakee County Jail and spent a sleepless night wondering how long he would be there. His mother had encouraged him to stay strong, so he tried for her sake.
It was the only time I felt a little scared, he said of his night in jail. I didnt know what was going to happen to me or if things would be OK.
With help from a public defender, he was released on his own recognizance after a bond hearing the following morning.
It wastes an enormous amount of resources. The people of Kankakee were not safer because this young man spent the night off the streets in jail, Yohnka told the Tribune. And the people of Kankakee and Kankakee County spent tax dollars to keep him in that jail overnight.
Passwater, however, believed it to be a fitting punishment for someone who failed to appear in court. When people dont show up, he said, they create more work for police and increase the number of contacts a person has with law enforcement, he said. As the number of contacts increase, the chief said, so does the likelihood of something bad happening as a result.
Though he acknowledged Gee would not have spent the night in jail if he had $200, Passwater said he doesnt see it as proof the system is inequitable to those without money.
He doesnt get any sympathy from me, the chief told a Tribune reporter. If he had shown up to court the first time, he wouldnt be in the situation. He never showed up to court and thats all he had to do.
Gee, who turned 20 last month, appeared at both status hearings related to his traffic ticket since his arrest. He has entered a not guilty plea, and the traffic court judge encouraged him to get his drivers license before his next court date in February.
He doesnt know how hell pay the fine that almost certainly will be imposed, but he applied for several jobs and is hopeful about getting at least one of them. His mother said it will be up to him to figure it out.
As he stood outside the courthouse and watched Kankakee police officers enter the domed building after a recent court appearance, Gee shook his head when asked if he ever got an apology for wrongly tying him to a crime he didnt commit.
Would he accept one now?
No, he said. Its too late for any of that.
He doubts theyll have many more chances to interact. He and his mother moved out of Kankakee a few weeks ago.
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A boo and a hiss to Sen. Joe Manchin, who for the indefinite future has buried Build Back Better in a shallow grave, proclaiming himself unpersuadable, despite months in which President Biden and other Democrats bent over backward to negotiate with him and craft the bill more to his liking. If he doesnt return to the bargaining table, he may have just made it easier for the execrable Donald Trump to win a second term.
But Democrats, including Biden, angry at Manchin for betraying their best chance at pushing through a transformative policy agenda including important advances like paid family leave, a dramatic expansion in free pre-K, hearing benefits under Medicare and lower-cost prescription drugs should save some ire for Republicans, who said hell no from day one, and for their own strategists.
For months, Democrats wasted energy on a debate over whether to connect Build Back Better to a bipartisan infrastructure bill, with progressives insisting that the two had to move in lockstep, lest they lose leverage over centrist Democrats. Now, the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are crowing that the gargantuan bills demise proves they were right all along.
To the contrary, the country is far better off having passed the infrastructure bill, and theres no way Manchins concerns about spending would have been allayed if the fate of the two packages had been fused. This never shouldve been a choice between everything and nothing.
Democrats also likely erred by cramming almost all of Bidens domestic policies into a single huge box. Nothing would have been wrong with three, four or more bills: one enhancing child care, one improving health care, one investing in climate change resiliency, and so on. Perhaps it wouldve been harder for Manchin to naysay them all in succession.
Members of the party in power can grouse all they like about the fact that in the 50-50 Senate, Democrats represent 41 million more Americans than Republicans do. But they knew they needed 50 votes, and they didnt get there. Thats on them.
New York Daily News
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Artwork by Israeli painter Keren Farago
An Israeli artist and an Iranian photographer are breaking new ground by collaborating in concurrent art exhibitions in both Houston and Israel.The artwork of Houston-based Iranian photographer, Ashkan Roayaee, and Israeli painter, Keren Farago, features dancers from local Houston companies, photographed by Roayaee and interpreted into paintings by Farago. In Houston, the exhibition is titled Dream Peace, and is sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest, along with Sawyer Yards and Que Imaging. It runs through Jan. 23, at Silos of Sawyer Yards, 1502 Sawyer St., Gallery 100.When a dance is artistically choreographed, it is called a piece, similar to a piece of art, Roayaee told the JHV. This thought, blended with a peaceful relationship between two artists from Iran and Israel, respectively, inspired the collaboration that is Dance Peace.When Farago discovered Roayaees photographs of dancers on Instagram in 2017, she began painting them on the backdrop of pages taken from books, atlases and sheet music that were being discarded. Soon, Roayaee discovered her work and loved what he was seeing.She started painting my pieces and I really admired and I really liked her style it was really unique, Roayaee said. And, I reached out to her and I said, Did you know that I am from Tehran, Iran? And she said, No, thats crazy! So, then she started actually to be more eager about it.Before long, Farago had 50-60 pieces featuring Roayaees dancers. An exhibition was in the works, but they werent sure how to make it work. Farago called the office of the Consulate General of Israel in Houston to see if they would help. Not only did they help, they became sponsors. The only hiccup was that they were to open just as COVD roared its ugly head, preempting them a year.My job is to build a bridge between the communities between the Iranian community in the United States and the Israeli and the Jewish community, Consul General Livia Link-Raviv told the JHV.The bridge spanning the communities appears to be working. Because Roayaees photography features local dancers, some of their parents are purchasing Faragos paintings for their kids, and the products are coming from Israel.Excited by both the art and the message such an exhibit sends, Link-Raviv said, The art brought these two people that come from another culture and another country and they managed to collaborate, to do something special and it mixes with dancing, painting, photography and I think that these three arts brought us wonderful works.In Iran, where dance is prohibited and women must dress modestly, Roayaees photographs of dancers, clad in leotards, would be forbidden. In order to photograph dancers, he had to leave his homeland. First, he went to Turkey, where he attended college and enjoyed the relative freedom he felt there. It was in Turkey that he first picked up a camera and discovered his calling.On Mothers Day 2000, Roayaees parents left Iran, settling in the United States. In 2012, he joined the rest of his family in the States and began working to create compelling dance imagery.Walking through the exhibit, one cannot help feeling the sensuality of Roayaees dancers.Besides the sensuality of it, we are trying to empower women to it. This is something that is missing in the Middle East, said Roayaee, empowering women and showing them that we are all in it together. We are all people.While Farago and Roayaee have never met face to face, they have forged a friendship and a camaraderie.Although the world is going crazy right now, added Roayaee, we just want to show that we all can work together through this art exhibit.For more information, visit ashkanimage.com or contact Roayaee at [email protected]
Charges are still pending against McKey and Jordan.
Forsyth County prosecutors had alleged that the three women encouraged Moore and another woman to fight and that they all shared videos with other people, some of whom posted one of the videos to YouTube.
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The lawsuit made several claims, including negligent hiring, supervision and retention and medical negligence. Danby House released a statement after the lawsuit was filed, saying that what happened was an isolated incident and that Danby House does not and has never condoned such egregious misconduct, which is contrary to the training, policies and values of this community.
According to the lawsuit, Moore, who is in her 70s, was in the Special Care Unit, which is reserved for residents who have dementia and Alzheimers. On June 19, 2019, she was in her room when the other woman came into her room. The lawsuit said the 71-year-old resident had a history of coming into other residents rooms and agitating them. She had come into Moores room before, causing conflict, the lawsuit said.
The health system will said it will continue to monitor and assess the need for expanded vaccination and testing efforts and adjust as needed.
Cone Health said it has scheduled additional mass vaccination events at the Greensboro Coliseum for Jan. 7 and 8. Cone said demand so far this week for vaccinations and testing was more than double that from a week ago.
Delta vs. omicron
Doctors, including Cohen and Priest, say there are early indications that omicron could be less severe in vaccinated and boosted individuals, or those who recovered from a COVID-19 infection and received vaccine doses.
However, Priest cautioned that omicron is a threat, and individuals who are unvaccinated are at higher risk for hospitalization and death, as has been the case with the other variants.
Priest was wary Tuesday of suggestions that less severe infections caused by the omicron variant may be a silver lining.
Throughout the pandemic, weve had moments like this where we think about best-case scenarios, Priest said. My experience so far is that best-case scenarios seldom play out.
Statewide update
Both 2018 and 2019 were terrible years for farmers who experienced net losses due to decisions in Washington and adverse weather conditions," Doggett said. "In fact, farmers suffered a $6.3 billion loss in 2018 alone during that time because of the tariffs.
The GAO report was requested by the Senate Agriculture Committee chaired by Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
This report confirms that the Trump USDA picked winners and losers in their trade aid programs and left everyone else behind," Stabenow said in a statement. Making larger payments to farmers in the South than farmers in the Midwest or elsewhere, regardless of whether those farmers actually experienced a larger loss, undermines our future ability to support farmers when real disasters occur.
In its audit of the UDSA's Market Facilitation Program, GAO recommended that the USDA Office of the Chief Economist revise its internal review process to ensure transparency of its documentation and that the agency conduct a review to ensure proper baseline methods are used in analysis.
Agriculture
editor's pick alert
Federal watchdog: USDA overpaid corn farmers by $3B
Associated Press file photo A field of corn grows in front of a windmill near Pacific Junction, Iowa, in 2018. The Trump administration overpaid corn farmers by about $3 billion in federal aid in 2019 and farmers in the South were paid more for the same crops than those elsewhere in the country, a federal watchdog agency has found.
DES MOINES, Iowa The Trump administration overpaid corn farmers by about $3 billion in federal aid in 2019, and farmers in the South were paid more for the same crops than those elsewhere in the country, a federal watchdog agency has found.
The Government Accountability Office said in a report released this week that international disputes resulting from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump hurt farmers but that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's county-by-county methodology for computing the extent of damage was flawed, leading to overpayment and inconsistent compensation.
Though corn yields are higher in the Midwest and West, corn producers received an estimated average of $69 per acre in the South, $61 in the Midwest, $34 in the Northeast, and $29 in the West, the report said.
The GAO also estimated that payments to corn producers were approximately $3 billion more than USDAs estimate of trade damage to corn, while payments to soybean, sorghum and cotton producers were lower than their estimated trade damages.
National Corn Growers Association CEO Jon Doggett said the USDAs higher compensation for corn farmers in 2019 included items the GAO did not consider in its analysis, including the trade damage value for corn ethanol and a high protein livestock feed byproduct of ethanol production.
Both 2018 and 2019 were terrible years for farmers who experienced net losses due to decisions in Washington and adverse weather conditions," Doggett said. "In fact, farmers suffered a $6.3 billion loss in 2018 alone during that time because of the tariffs.
Trump administration releases details of COVID-19 aid to farmers WASHINGTON The Trump administration unveiled the ground rules Tuesday for distributing $16 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers feeling financial pain from COVID-19, but several agriculture groups say producers may need more federal aid in the future.
The GAO report was requested by the Senate Agriculture Committee chaired by Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
This report confirms that the Trump USDA picked winners and losers in their trade aid programs and left everyone else behind," Stabenow said in a statement. Making larger payments to farmers in the South than farmers in the Midwest or elsewhere, regardless of whether those farmers actually experienced a larger loss, undermines our future ability to support farmers when real disasters occur.
In its audit of the UDSA's Market Facilitation Program, GAO recommended that the USDA Office of the Chief Economist revise its internal review process to ensure transparency of its documentation and that the agency conduct a review to ensure proper baseline methods are used in analysis.
Seth Meyer, the USDA chief economist, responded to the report in an Oct. 21 letter. He said the USDA analysis was based on a widely accepted trade model and methodology that the USDAs Office of Inspector General found to be reasonable, and was applied consistently across a range of commodities for the 2018 and 2019 trade mitigation packages.
He said the USDA Office of the Chief Economist did not make the policy decision, and it provided options to policy makers.
Trump imposed higher tariffs on certain products from China, Europe, Canada and other key trading partners in 2018. China, Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Turkey and India responded with tariffs targeting U.S. products, including agricultural commodities. In 2018 and 2019, many U.S. agricultural exports declined and the Trump administration poured money into support for farmers, including the Market Facilitation Program.
Corn, cotton, sorghum, soybean and wheat farmers were paid more than $21.7 billion in 2018 and 2019. Dairy and hog farmers were paid more than $900 million, and specialty crops, including tree nuts, cherries, cranberries, ginseng and table grapes, were paid $346 million.
Before he lost the November 2020 election, Trump made it clear he was courting farmers' votes with federal aid. In a late October 2020 campaign appearance in Omaha, Trump said he believed farmers were better off getting government payments than relying solely on their farming receipts.
In 2019, one-third of U.S. farm income came from direct government payments and last year it was nearly 40% of their income.
Some farm groups questioned the way the federal money was being distributed to commodity and livestock farmers.
Subsidies total $694M for Nebraska farmers As the trade war between the U.S. and China drags on, Nebraska farmers have pocketed $694 million in federal payments designed to cushion the blow of tariffs leveled against American ag exports.
Iowa farmers set to receive most trade payments; Nebraska ranks sixth DES MOINES, Iowa Iowa farmers are set to receive the most government payments to offset damage from the U.S.'s ongoing trade war with China.
Sarpy farmers who value conservation easement disappointed by Ricketts' critique Gov. Pete Ricketts has criticized easements in opposing President Joe Bidens plan to boost conservation. Some Nebraska farmers say the programs help them and the environment.
I think the approach I take to trumpet playing is the same I take with management, he said. "You want to be prepared, be friendly and helpful and surround yourself with people who are good at their jobs. If you do that, good things happen and youll have fun.
Thats how it is with Mannheim. Its been really smooth every time Ive worked with them. When we do a major advertising campaign for a show, we want to have the same experience have it go really smooth and have fun.
Boring was doing a little of both jobs Monday afternoon, working on marketing campaigns in his home office, then chasing off his cat when he practiced the parts he was going to play Tuesday.
Im bouncing back and forth between them, he said. Ive got all the horns on the stands, so Im getting some notes in.
After wrapping up the Tuesday afternoon performance at about 5 p.m., Boring and the band returned to the stage for a sold-out 7:30 p.m. show. The 3 p.m. show nearly sold out, putting Tuesdays total attendance at more than 4,200 the largest for any event at the Lied since March 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Brandon, who represents a group of women who have alleged LPD is a hostile work environment for female officers, said what she and Sands think was behind the move.
"She believes that as a strong female voice, she made complaints about the discriminatory culture at LPD and was then the subject of unwarranted investigations that resulted in her firing. She intends to bring legal action to clear her name," the Gretna-based employment law attorney said.
Last week, the city paid $65,000 to settle former Lincoln Police Officer Sarah Williams' lawsuit. Williams, who now works for the Omaha Police Department, told the Lincoln City Council that sexual harassment and discrimination "was and is pervasive" in the Lincoln department and implored the council to intervene.
During public testimony at the council meeting, Williams named Sands and another female officer who she said were facing retaliation from the department because of formal complaints. Sands, who had been placed on a 30-day unpaid suspension, was in the council chambers and walked out with Williams after she made her comments.
The district will reevaluate its plan to continue requiring face masks at the elementary school level by Jan. 30.
"We think that by mid-January to the end of January, we'll have a clearer picture of the (omicron) variant and the impact it's having on our community and our schools, and we'll adjust accordingly," Joel said in a Wednesday news conference.
By comparison, nearly 70% of county residents ages 12-15 have at least one dose of vaccine. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, the one-dose numbers dip to 57%.
"We're much more comfortable now at the middle and high school level than we were at the beginning of the school year," Joel said. "We felt like again at this point ... everyone that wants to get vaccinated over the age of 12 has. Now it's a matter of personal responsibility, and that goes for staff as well."
LPS said mask requirements could return on a school-by-school basis based on attendance.
All students, staff and visitors will be required to mask up for two weeks if a school has 10% or more of its population absent because of illness. And similarly, if an outbreak pops up in a classroom, grade level or within a team, masks could be required for those groups.
That was before the county's mask mandate was reinstated and vaccines were approved for anyone ages 5 and over. In Lancaster County, about 30% of children ages 5-11 have had at least one dose of the vaccine.
Health department officials hope to see that number climb over the holiday break from classes.
Matthew Hecker, chief administrative officer for schools in the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, said masks would be recommended moving forward, but said the diocese is still evaluating what the best strategy is for next semester.
"There are lot of pieces of the puzzle, and masks are just one piece," he said.
Hecker said if local Catholic schools move forward with a mask policy based on vaccination status, the diocese would not follow up on who is vaccinated.
State statute requires schools collect students' vaccination history, but districts like LPS said at the beginning of the year that it would rely on the honor system in regards to mask compliance.
Lincoln Lutheran Principal Matt Heibel said that while plans are fluid, the school will strongly recommend masks for unvaccinated students and staff, while masks will be optional for those who are vaccinated.
Prior to serving the arrest warrant, the WING Task Force allegedly observed Hunt selling methamphetamine to a confidential informant. According to an arrest affidavit, authorities accused Hunt of selling meth on five occasions from March 22 to June 23.
Scotts Bluff County Sheriffs Deputy Matt Dodge, who had been leading the investigation that involved Hunt, described him as a street dealer. That was described as someone who sells methamphetamine in quantities of 3 grams or more. With sales of half an ounce to an ounce each time, Hunt faced a five to 50 years imprisonment on the drug charges in the warrant.
The task force had been granted a no-knock search warrant, allowing them to enter the RV he lived in at 123 Second Ave. in Bayard without notification to Hunt or other residents. As one team of officers closed in on the RV in a form described as a stack, with officers in a line behind an officer with a large shield, Hunt came out of the RV and saw them.
He fled, going into a tent-like structure that consisted of a tarp draped over forms. Most of the officers could not see into the tent, according to their testimony.
Spurred by social media posts about auto break-ins, a man confronted a couple in a suburban Omaha park this summer, shooting one of them on the mistaken belief that they were involved in the break-ins, authorities said.
Manuel L. Mata, 25, has been arrested on suspicion of assault and weapons charges and is out on bail, according to court records.
For the couple, Keelin Johnson and Shevaun Nelson, it was a terrifying experience wounded and injured, they knocked on multiple doors before getting help, all the while fearing that their assailant was hunting them.
Court documents provide this account of what happened in the Aug. 22 shooting:
Nelson told authorities that she and her boyfriend, Johnson, were test-driving his gold Honda Accord late on that summer Sunday night and stopped at a neighborhood park about 11 p.m.
Within minutes of pulling into the parking lot of Stone Ridge Park, northwest of 156th Street and West Maple Road, the couple noticed a car a Dodge Challenger pull in behind them and block them in. A man got out of the passenger side, went to the trunk of his car and then approached the couple, coming up to Johnsons drivers side window.
KEARNEY One of the first students Mark and Mary Balcom hosted in the International Friendship Program was with them for five years.
After graduating from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a degree in biology, she returned to Japan to work in a cancer research center.
When she started, it was really sad because the coworkers would come up to her face and call her traitor because she came here to college and not there, Mark said. They started creating errors and mistakes and blaming her for it. Her boss got really mean and said, I dont know why I hired you. You are worthless to me.
She eventually quit her job and returned to her family home. Mark and Mary would Skype with her once a week and send emails almost every day. Suddenly, all communication stopped. The Balcoms feared something happened to her, but they kept trying to reach her.
I had just retired. Each day I wrote her Bible verses. When they come, we try to give them a Bible in English and Japanese. We dont force religion, but if they are curious, Mark explained.
Mark emailed her a Bible verse every day for five weeks, but he never got a response.
RACINE Dr. Jones Elementary Schools closure has been delayed despite the Racine Unified School Districts recommendation to close the school early.
During Mondays School Board meeting, several members of the public spoke in opposition to the schools early demise, including a current student.
I go to Dr. Jones and I have been coming here since 4K. I love my teachers and friends; this is my home. I have gone to Mitchell for summer school and I did not like how other students treated me. I saw how other kids got bullied and how they treated the teachers. I would like for you to keep my school open, the student said.
Dr. Jones serves a large portion of economically disadvantaged students, which make up 86% of the student population, as well as English learners, which make up 36.9%, according to the Department of Public Instruction Data. One of the speakers, a bilingual parent of the student who spoke, pointed to the fact that she was the lone bilingual parent in attendance, a fact she said was due only to the fact she spoke English.
Board member Dulce Cervantes, a bilingual teacher, voiced her concerns about preserving the trust of Spanish-speaking families in the district. Closing Dr. Jones earlier than planned, she said, would likely damage that trust.
I just want to make a comment as a mother and as a Spanish-speaking parent: Its very hard to trust a system thats not built for us, Cervantes said. So, when you see something thats so precious to you being taken away, I can see how that can be bad.
The board ultimately voted 6-2 to keep the school open, for now, which prompted those in attendance to cheer. Janes Elementary School, however, is still to close at the end of the school year with the grounds being sold to the city as a historic site. New boundaries were also adopted to accommodate the closure.
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Bruno is home.
The 10-month-old Boston terrier was in a Land Rover stolen from the parking lot at Jellystone Park Friday. His family which now lives in St. Francis after moving from Racine earlier this year had been seeing the Christmas Carnival of Lights at Jellystone in Caledonia. They then went inside the lodge, leaving the Land Rover running without the keys in it, but with Bruno warm inside.
When Jamie Soto, the owner, let her son run out to the car to get some quarters to play arcade games, he forgot the keys inside. When they left, the Land Rover with Bruno inside was gone.
The car was recovered Monday night on Milwaukees south side, but Bruno was still missing. Later Tuesday, Bruno was found tied with a shoestring around his neck on a fence at Kosciuszko Park in Milwaukee. Not far from where my Rover was found, Soto said in a text to a reporter.
No suspects have been publicly named nor have any arrests been reported. Soto said she was told by the Caledonia Police Department that video from Jellystone had been reviewed, but she had not seen it.
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RACINE The man at the center of the squabble between Racine Countys sheriff and a local elected official who paid $10,000 cash to gain the mans release on behalf of a bail fund, appeared in court Tuesday. Sort of.
Adrian O. Jefferson, 23, of Milwaukee, faces a long list of charges for his alleged role in a 2018 burglary of a Racine County Sheriffs Office deputys pickup truck in which multiple SWAT-issued high-powered firearms were stolen.
With his cash bail paid, Jefferson was released from Racine County Jail in late November. On Tuesday, he was in court via Zoom.
Joshua Glover Justice Fund
The Joshua Glover Justice Fund assists those who are unable to pay cash bail to get out of Racine County Jail.
Sheriff Christopher Schmaling objected to the release of Jefferson, whom he called a dangerous criminal with access to high-powered weapons.
The sheriff also lashed out at the JGJF board member who brought the cash, Nick Demske, who is a trustee for the City of Racine on the Racine County Board. Schmaling called for Demske to be removed from county government.
In response, Demske noted there is no crime in posting bail that has been set by the court. Further, everyone is innocent until proven guilty, Demske continued, including Jefferson. He told The Journal Times that it wasnt JGJF that provided the money to get Jefferson out of jail; it was actually the Milwaukee Freedom Fund, which paid JGJF to post the bail on its behalf.
The Racine County Board has not publicly addressed the issue. At its only meeting since Schmaling called for Demske to be removed, no one on the board addressed the sheriffs request, although one member of the public submitted a comment in support of Demske.
I fully support County Board Supervisor Nick Demske and am strongly opposed to the statements from Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, the member of the public, Julie Jacob of the City of Racine, wrote in the comment. Jacob wrote that she does not personally know Demske, and that I am becoming weary of Sheriff Schmaling antics, whether he is openly defying the state mask mandate ... or pushing for the removal of the hardworking county board (supervisor) who opposed the budget increase in the law enforcement budget, its time for the Racine County Board of Supervisors to stand up to Sheriff Schmalings bullying and remind him that he works for the county not the other way around.
The RCSO did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday about the agencys policies regarding the storage of firearms associated with the department.
Case history
The RCSO responded to the 1900 block of Crestwood Drive in Raymond on July 6, 2018, for a report of a burglary of a black Chevrolet pickup truck.
The owner of the truck, who has now been identified as an RCSO deputy, reported he locked the doors on the truck the evening before, hitting the lock feature on the key fob three times.
In the morning he found his truck ransacked, his firearms missing, and it appeared as though whoever broke into the truck also attempted to pry open the garage door.
According to the criminal complaint, a number of firearms as well as firearm accessories and ammunition were stolen from the vehicle, including:
A fully automatic Colt M16A1
An Armalite AR-10 rifle with a sniper sight
20 rounds of what was described as federal ammo with nickel cases
20 rounds of armor-piercing ammunition
A .40-caliber Glock that was kept in the center console
A Colt .223 caliber rifle
$425 in cash
A law enforcement badge
The RCSO issued a Wisconsin Crime Alert, part of a law enforcement notification system, advising other agencies of the theft and providing photos of missing items.
Investigators were contacted on July 8, 2018 and advised that the Milwaukee Police Department has a suspect in custody who had been in possession of a gun with a camouflage Aimpoint attached to the flashlight rails on the bottom of the barrel. According to the criminal complaint, the Aimpoint was similar in nature to what was affixed to the M16 stolen from Racine County.
Further, when MPD searched the residence of Jefferson, they allege to have found a 10-round magazine that was empty and a tray of nine armor-piercing rounds and multiple other items that purportedly matched the description of the items stolen from Racine County.
Later, the victim of the burglary and theft identified the AR-10 magazine as belonging to him.
The criminal complaint states that, in an interview, Jefferson told investigators he was shopping for a gun to buy, so he called someone he knew as Al, who said he had some guns for sale.
Jefferson allegedly told investigators Al had two big guns, both painted green, one of which was $450 and a bigger gun for $500. The defendant claimed Al stayed the night and left the Aimpoint, AR-10 magazine, and the armor-piercing ammunition behind when he left.
Investigators said video taken from the defendants phone show him with the stolen firearms.
The charges Jefferson faces are as follows:
Three felony counts of theft of movable property (with special facts)
Felony attempted burglary of a building with use of a dangerous weapon
Three felony counts of receiving stolen property/firearms
Seven misdemeanor counts of theft with use of a dangerous weapon
Misdemeanor damage to property with use of a dangerous weapon
Entry into a locked vehicle with use of a dangerous weapon
The case has made little movement in court so far. A not-guilty plea was submitted in July when Jefferson was still in jail, and no jury trial is set.
Adam Rogan and Rachel Kubik of The Journal Times contributed to this report.
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Tedd Swartz is construction leader for Racine Habitat for Humanity, where hes worked for the last 10 years. But he took a very unique path to get there, from being a professional server to a Zen monk to a carpenter.
UNION GROVE No pandemic is going to stop leaders of the veterans community from remembering their brothers and sisters living inside the Wisconsin Veterans Home this holiday season.
Normally, veterans and others would visit the home to celebrate Christmas and other winter holidays by treating residents to a party or taking them shopping.
The COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily halted those traditions, forcing visitor restrictions and other safety precautions that have left the homes 100 residents virtually cut off from the outside world.
But veterans groups are making a special effort this year to ensure that residents inside the home do not feel forgotten.
Volunteers from several organizations have pulled together to deliver gift bags filled with personal items and best wishes for all residents of the Wisconsin Veterans Home.
Gathered inside American Legion Post 171 in Union Grove, participants assembled more than 100 gift bags, and then loaded them onto trucks for transport to the veterans home at 21425 Spring St. in nearby Dover.
Its what Christmas is all about, said Karen Smars, who joined about 30 other volunteers Monday for the special holiday initiative.
In addition to personal items such as soap, shampoo and socks, each bag contained clothing items, blankets and other goodies. Each veteran also received an American flag and a handmade holiday greeting card prepared by students at Kansasville Grade School.
Of the recipients in the veterans home, Kim McWilliams, another volunteer, said: We want to lift their spirits up this year.
The gift-delivery mission united representatives from several American Legion posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, auxiliary groups, AMVETS and Disabled American Veterans. It was sponsored by the Recreation Committee, a volunteer group that works to meet the needs of residents in the facility officially known as Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove.
A home for them
The state-owned home currently accommodates 103 men and women who are either veterans or family members of veterans. The facility offers skilled nursing and rehabilitation services to those who are aging or battling health problems.
In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, an outbreak of the contagious virus in August 2020 killed 10 residents and infected more than 50 residents and staff at the Dover home.
Finding new ways
Volunteers attempted no holiday festivities at the home in 2020.
With the facility still locked down, organizers of this years holiday gift delivery planned to leave presents outside for staff to gather and distribute among residents on Dec. 23.
Don Larsen, chairman of the Recreation Committee, said his group in the past has organized bingo games, picnics and other activities for the men and women in the home.
Larsen said it is difficult to imagine how the residents feel during a holiday season so badly disrupted by COVID-19.
They probably feel abandoned, he said. Its a shame.
Volunteer Dan Jahn said he recalls past years when he and others took residents from the veterans home out for a holiday lunch, or took them shopping at nearby stores.
Monetary donations would go directly into each residents account at the home so that they had some cash to go shopping.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, residents are not permitted to leave for such things as shopping. And visitors to the home are restricted, too.
Jahn, however, said the gift bag delivery is a worthwhile alternative.
I feel good about this, he said. At least they know were out here and were thinking about them.
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CALEDONIA When Mocha Lisa Coffeehouse founder Susan Kennedy passed the torch to current owners Sue and Scott Brucker, the Bruckers attended coffee college to learn everything there is to know about making a good brew.
Its been 12 years since then they first took ownership in September 2009 and they have announced they are stepping down. The Bruckers last day as owners of Mocha Lisa, 2825 4 Mile Rd., is Dec. 31.
The new owners, Sheri and Craig Manka, will be taking over on New Years Day. Theyre starting off by following in the footsteps of the Bruckers, having attended coffee college as well at Colectivo Coffee in Milwaukee.
Both couples know that many customers may be concerned that things will change at the coffee shop that has consistently won Best of Racine County with the coming of new hands, but Mocha Lisa is here to stay, reassured Sheri.
Its a huge, huge comfort to know were leaving it in good hands. It makes it much easier to go, Sue said.
Some history
The Mankas said they have been regular customers at Mocha Lisa since day one. According to the Mocha Lisa website, the farmhouse-turned-coffee-shop first opened in 2004 when founded by Kennedy. Before then, there wasnt a place to get coffee north of Racine there wasnt even a free-standing Starbucks in the Racine area until 2004.
The Mankas said the coffee shop was a place they would often sneak out to for small dates when their kids were old enough to be left alone for an hour.
They used to sit in the fish room and have a little coffee together and dream about owning a coffee shop, Sheri said. So its a perfect fit.
The Mankas daughter, Ashley, is currently a manager at Mocha Lisa; she began working at the shop about four years ago.
Jokingly, the Mankas would tell the Bruckers that if the Bruckers ever decided to retire, they would be willing to take over.
They asked and said, Are you serious? And we said, Yes we are, Sheri said.
Craig added, Were buying it to keep it going, not to reinvent the wheel.
Looking back
The Bruckers held a small open house at the coffee shop on Sunday to announce their retirement. They said they had at least 100 supporters coming and going throughout the day, from regular customers to vendors to send the pair off.
The community has been so supportive from day one. We have such loyal customers; its just such a family here. I have no words for the amount of people that showed up, Sue said.
Scott said he has enjoyed watching the baristas grow up and start their own families; some have invited the Bruckers to their weddings.
A lot of our baristas would start in high school and work their way through college, Scott said. They keep in touch with us.
All became like our children. We have been able to see them grow, watch them get married. Now theyre having babies. I find that such a blessing that they would even include us in any of that stuff, because, you know, were just us, Sue said.
Not disrupted
The Bruckers first decided they were going to step down in September 2020, but they kept it on the down low while feeling things out. They were curious to see what the new influx of businesses coming to the Douglas Avenue corridor would do to their business.
Culvers is the newest establishment along that road, having opened on Dec. 6. Over the summer, a new Starbucks and a relocated O&H Danish Bakery opened across the street.
Being a small and local coffee shop, they werent sure how Starbucks would affect their business but it hasnt at all. Its actually been very good, Sue said.
Scott said it may be due to both coffee establishments serving a different crowd. A typical Starbucks customer may be more on the go, whereas the Bruckers have noticed their crowd is more of a sit-and-relax.
A lot of customers were worried about it I just knew it would be OK, Sue said.
Customers can still expect the consistency and quality in coffee that the baristas have delivered since the shop opened in 2004.
You come here for 20 years and its always the same cup, Craig said.
Final goodbye
Sue and Scott wanted to thank the regular customers and the baristas for making Mocha Lisa what it has been since it opened.
The regular customers have been pretty special to us, Scott added. When COVID hit, people were really concerned for us They really wanted to help us and stayed with us throughout that time. And we didnt miss a beat.
When asked if the Bruckers would still visit the coffee house after stepping down, Sue said: You better believe well be in here. A lot.
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David Hanaway killed himself and two other people on Madisons East Side on Dec. 14. Hanaway was the driver of a silver sedan that was speeding west on Cottage Grove Road at about 9:20 a.m. when it ran a red light and T-boned a black SUV containing Mark A. Brylski and Kathy A. Brylski, killing them, Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said.
The sedan was driving about 60 mph at the time of the crash, more than twice the speed limit, according to witnesses, Fryer said. A passenger in the sedan admitted he was drinking alcohol in the vehicle while Hanaway was driving, Fryer said. Hanaway has a lengthy criminal record that includes four OWI convictions.
A Cambridge, Wis., man pleaded guilty on Nov. 18 to charges for the drunken-driving deaths of two people who were in his car that crashed after he fled from a traffic stop last year. Lonzo J. Simmons was charged in September 2020 with causing the deaths of Kara J. Cloud, 28, of Madison, and Clinton W.G. Harvey, 27, of Sun Prairie, after driving away from a Sun Prairie police officer who had initially stopped Simmons. Simmons blood alcohol concentration was 0.21 percent, nearly three times the legal limit for drivers in Wisconsin. Data retrieved from the car indicated Simmons car was going 61 mph one second before the crash, and that the brakes were not engaged for eight seconds before the crash.
In September in Racine County Circuit Court, Keisha Marie Farrington was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of driving drunk when she struck and killed Clarence A. Ellis, 64, on July 30, 2019, as he crossed the street at the intersection of Marquette and Sixth streets. Farrington had been arrested in 2015 for second offense OWI causing injury, after she hit a friend with her car. When that collision occurred, she was traveling with her infant daughter. Farrington had been arrested for third offense OWI just 20 days before the collision that killed Ellis.
As we enter the heart of another holiday season, were here today to ask you to know when youve had too much to drink, to know when its time to ask for a ride.
The Tavern League of Wisconsins SafeRide program has as its stated objective to eliminate drunk driving on Wisconsins roadways. Its members encourage your bartender to ask about the SafeRide program. You can locate your nearest Tavern League member and SafeRide provider at https://www.tlw.org/saferide/find-a-saferide-member/. Or you can download the free TLW mobile app. The app shows you which members are nearby, in order of location.
During the holiday season, and after it, theres no good reason for you to drive when you know youve had too much to drink. Get home safely, and do your part to make sure everyone else gets home safely, too.
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1. Crime. Too much violence, too many shootings. Police have to get a handle on it.
2. Coronavirus. The omicron variant and others to follow threaten the community.
3. Roads. Killeen-area roads are still a mess after last years storm a serious problem.
4.Government. Elections are on the horizon, and voters will have hard choices to make.
5. Unsure. Its hard to say which single issue will stand out at this point.
Vote
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KEARNEY Right after Christmas, Dick Cochran will pack up his Hot Meals USA sleigh and head for western Kentucky to help feed emergency workers and storm victims after the deadly tornadoes of Dec. 10.
Theyre in trouble. We go when asked to fill the gap when others cant, he said.
He and four others will leave Monday or Tuesday. They will drive a pickup and pull the smaller of the two Hot Meals USA trailers. Cochran will train people in Kentucky on Hot Meals USA procedures and leave the trailer there for as long as it is needed.
When working with disasters here, Cochran gets food from Cash-Wa Distributing Co. He said Cash-Wa is working on getting a food vendor in Kentucky.
He and the crew expects to return to Kearney in the pickup in eight to 10 days.
Cochran is working with Cheri Clark, executive director of the Kearney Jubilee Center, because her mother lives 15 miles from Mayfield, Ky., which was especially hard hit. Right now, he said, women from one of the two Mayfield churches that was not destroyed have been feeding about 500 people a day, but theyre about at the end of their rope. Were heading out there to give those ladies a break.
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These are the rules governing all contests aired on Classic Rock 92.9 KISM radio and on the kism.com website, unless otherwise specified. In the following rules, Classic Rock 92.9 KISM means Saga Broadcasting, LLC, dba Cascade Radio Group and its parent corporation, Saga Communications, Inc., which owns Classic Rock 92.9 KISM radio:
No purchase is necessary to enter any Classic Rock 92.9 KISM contest. To be eligible to win any prize on Classic Rock 92.9 KISM you must not have won anything on Classic Rock 92.9 KISM in the past 30 days or any prize valued at $600 or more in the past 6 months. Only one winner per household is permitted within 30 days after a household has a winner. Any prize awarded to an ineligible listener will be deemed null and void, and an alternate eligible winner may be named. Anytime you call the Classic Rock 92.9 KISM studios you assume that your call will be broadcast or recorded and you grant us permission to broadcast the call or record it for later broadcast. As a winner of a Classic Rock 92.9 KISM contest your voice, name and/or picture may be used for promotional, broadcast, or internet purposes without any compensation to you. Prizes awarded are not redeemable for cash. No prize is transferable. No substitution for a prize will be made at the request of winner. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM reserves the right to substitute a prize of similar value. All winners of all contests are responsible for all taxes on prize awarded. All winners of a prize valued at $600 or more will be required to complete the appropriate tax forms at the Classic Rock 92.9 KISM studios prior to claiming prize. All winners will be sent a 1099 MISC federal tax form if in one calendar year the prize value of all prizes won exceeds $600. In the event the winner is subject to or the subject of any order or legal process issued by any governmental agency having jurisdiction over the affairs of the winner (i.e. garnishment, child support order, judgment, lien, and the like), Classic Rock 92.9 KISMs delivery of the prize to the official representative of the governmental entity claiming a right to the prize shall be thus deemed as (Classic Rock 92.9 KISM) awarding the prize to the winner. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM shall be entitled to rely in good faith, upon any documents presented by the representative seeking to collect the prize in lieu of the winner. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM shall not be liable for any claim by any winner for damages incidental thereto. All Classic Rock 92.9 KISM contests are open to all eligible residents 18 or over (unless otherwise specified) living within 75 miles of station transmitter(s). Contestants must possess a valid form of identification bearing the picture of the contestant acceptable to Classic Rock 92.9 KISM that will be presented to Classic Rock 92.9 KISM and accepted before the prize is awarded. Employees of Classic Rock 92.9 KISM, it's advertising agencies, affiliates, contest sponsors, employees and immediate families of each, and employees of all media of mass communication within a one hundred mile radius of the Classic Rock 92.9 KISM main studio are not eligible to win any contest. Immediate family includes the spouse, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the employee and his/her spouse. This also includes individuals for whom the employee is current legal guardian. Winners will be expected to claim prize at the Classic Rock 92.9 KISM studios, 2219 Yew Street Road, Bellingham, Washington 98226, between 9:00am 5:00pm, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) within 30 days of being notified that they are winners, unless there is an expiration date on prize, which will be specifically stated. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Contest is void where prohibited. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM reserves the right to disqualify any entrant if any contest rules are violated in any way. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM assumes no liability for situations, repairs, or incidents arising from any aspect of any prize awarded in any contest. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM, its advertising agencies, affiliates, contest sponsors, employees, and immediate families of each are absolved and shall be held harmless from any action or liability arising from any contest or prize awarded in any contest. As a licensee of the FCC and a trustee of the public airwaves, Classic Rock 92.9 KISM reserves the right to interrupt and/or discontinue any contest or promotion (and not award the offered prize) at the discretion of Classic Rock 92.9 KISM management if world events, the national mood, or public safety so warrant. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM reserves the right to amend the rules to any contest at any time. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM's decision is always final. In the event any one of the general contest rules which govern all Classic Rock 92.9 KISM contests contradict with any specific contest term, the specific contest term will control. For any contest requiring phone entry you must use only the following number unless otherwise specified: 360-733-5476. For texting it is 77000. The person operating the telephone at Classic Rock 92.9 KISM has the final decision as to who is the winning caller. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM shall have no responsibility for contestants inability or failure to participate, failure to win or claim any prize based on malfunction or difficulties with telephone, cell phone, texting, email, or internet access, or any other circumstances in any contest beyond Classic Rock 92.9 KISMs control. For any contest involving on-line voting: If an entrant receives irregular votes, including but not limited to, votes generated by a robotic, programmed, script, macro, or other automated means, Classic Rock 92.9 KISM reserves the right to disqualify the entrant in its sole discretion and/or use another means to determine the winner(s), ex. random selection or appointing a panel of judges. For any contests involving tickets to live performances or events, winners will need to follow all COVID guidelines and protocols put in place by the concert organizer. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM is not responsible for for any event cancellations or reschedules. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM is not responsible for Internet crashes or slowdowns caused by network congestion, viruses, sabotage, satellite failures, phone line failures, electrical outages, natural disasters or act of man or God, lost, late, misdirected, postage-due, unintelligible, returned, undelivered entries or email, or lost, interrupted or unavailable satellite, network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections availability, accessibility or traffic congestion, miscommunications, failed computer, network, telephone, satellite or cable hardware or software or lines, or technical failure, or jumbled, scrambled, delayed or misdirected transmissions, computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, or network. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of this contest or website, or act in violation of the official service, as solely determined by the station, will be disqualified. Neither sponsor nor promotion parties are responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information whether caused by website users, tampering, hacking, or by any of the programming or equipment associated with or used in this contest, and assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, deletion, interruption or delay in operation or transmission or communication line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized website access. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM is not responsible for injury or damage to participants or any other persons computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this contest. Should any portion of contest be, in Classic Rock 92.9 KISMs sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the station, corrupt or impair administration, security, fairness or proper play of this contest, or contest plays, Classic Rock 92.9 KISM reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the contest. Classic Rock 92.9 KISM has not made nor is in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize, including but not limited to its quality, mechanical condition or fitness for a particular purpose. Any and all warranties and/or guarantees on prize (if any) are provided only by the manufacturer, and winners agree to look solely to such manufacturers for any such warranty and/or guarantee. The following are specifically related to E-contests and E-Mail Club promotions on kism.com: All appropriate information in required fields must be entered correctly and completely or you will be disqualified. To win a prize you must reside within the listening area of Classic Rock 92.9 KISM as defined at the exclusive discretion of Classic Rock 92.9 KISM management. Any problems with the internet or email are not Classic Rock 92.9 KISMs responsibility. Contestants who register to participate on our website may be required to produce a printed copy of proof of registration before being allowed to participate in the contest. Due to the nature of our programs that are heard on-line over the internet, contests may not be heard at all on Classic Rock 92.9 KISM. Contests heard on the radio stations internet audio stream may be slightly delayed from the time the contests are heard on the broadcast station, and will be running behind the broadcast signal. Thus, all contests heard on the internet are delayed. This delay can last for as much as 30 seconds or more. This means that when Classic Rock 92.9 KISM contests are played that require a specific caller to telephone the radio station (such as Caller number 9 when you hear the sound effect), listeners to the on-line audio stream may be at a disadvantage in participating over those listeners who hear the contests on-air. A copy of these rules is available during business hours at the Classic Rock 92.9 KISM studios 2219 Yew Street Road, Bellingham, Washington 98226
Updated September 9, 2021
These are the rules governing all contests aired on KMIT 105.9 FM radio and on the kmit.com website, unless otherwise specified. In the following rules, KMIT 105.9 FM means Saga Communications of South Dakota, LLC, dba Mitchell Radio Group and its parent corporation, Saga Communications, Inc., which owns KMIT 105.9 FM radio:
No purchase is necessary to enter any KMIT 105.9 FM contest. To be eligible to win any prize on KMIT 105.9 FM you must not have won anything on KMIT 105.9 FM in the past 30 days or any prize valued at $600 or more in the past 6 months. Only one winner per household is permitted within 30 days after a household has a winner. Any prize awarded to an ineligible listener will be deemed null and void, and an alternate eligible winner may be named. Anytime you call the KMIT 105.9 FM studios you assume that your call will be broadcast or recorded and you grant us permission to broadcast the call or record it for later broadcast. As a winner of a KMIT 105.9 FM contest your voice, name and/or picture may be used for promotional, broadcast, or internet purposes without any compensation to you. Prizes awarded are not redeemable for cash. No prize is transferable. No substitution for a prize will be made at the request of winner. KMIT 105.9 FM reserves the right to substitute a prize of similar value. All winners of all contests are responsible for all taxes on prize awarded. All winners of a prize valued at $600 or more will be required to complete the appropriate tax forms at the KMIT 105.9 FM studios prior to claiming prize. All winners will be sent a 1099 MISC federal tax form if in one calendar year the prize value of all prizes won exceeds $600. In the event the winner is subject to or the subject of any order or legal process issued by any governmental agency having jurisdiction over the affairs of the winner (i.e. garnishment, child support order, judgment, lien, and the like), KMIT 105.9 FMs delivery of the prize to the official representative of the governmental entity claiming a right to the prize shall be thus deemed as (KMIT 105.9 FM) awarding the prize to the winner. KMIT 105.9 FM shall be entitled to rely in good faith, upon any documents presented by the representative seeking to collect the prize in lieu of the winner. KMIT 105.9 FM shall not be liable for any claim by any winner for damages incidental thereto. All KMIT 105.9 FM contests are open to all eligible residents 18 or over (unless otherwise specified) living within 75 miles of station transmitter(s). Contestants must possess a valid form of identification bearing the picture of the contestant acceptable to KMIT 105.9 FM that will be presented to KMIT 105.9 FM and accepted before the prize is awarded. Employees of KMIT 105.9 FM, it's advertising agencies, affiliates, contest sponsors, employees and immediate families of each, and employees of all media of mass communication within a one hundred mile radius of the KMIT 105.9 FM main studio are not eligible to win any contest. Immediate family includes the spouse, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the employee and his/her spouse. This also includes individuals for whom the employee is current legal guardian. Winners will be expected to claim prize at the KMIT 105.9 FM studios, 501 South Ohlman, Mitchell, South Dakota 57301, between 9:00am 5:00pm, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) within 30 days of being notified that they are winners, unless there is an expiration date on prize, which will be specifically stated. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Contest is void where prohibited. KMIT 105.9 FM reserves the right to disqualify any entrant if any contest rules are violated in any way. KMIT 105.9 FM assumes no liability for situations, repairs, or incidents arising from any aspect of any prize awarded in any contest. KMIT 105.9 FM, its advertising agencies, affiliates, contest sponsors, employees, and immediate families of each are absolved and shall be held harmless from any action or liability arising from any contest or prize awarded in any contest. As a licensee of the FCC and a trustee of the public airwaves, KMIT 105.9 FM reserves the right to interrupt and/or discontinue any contest or promotion (and not award the offered prize) at the discretion of KMIT 105.9 FM management if world events, the national mood, or public safety so warrant. KMIT 105.9 FM reserves the right to amend the rules to any contest at any time. KMIT 105.9 FM's decision is always final. In the event any one of the general contest rules which govern all KMIT 105.9 FM contests contradict with any specific contest term, the specific contest term will control. For any contest requiring phone entry you must use only the following number unless otherwise specified: 605-996-1751. For texting it is 77000. The person operating the telephone at KMIT 105.9 FM has the final decision as to who is the winning caller. KMIT 105.9 FM shall have no responsibility for contestants inability or failure to participate, failure to win or claim any prize based on malfunction or difficulties with telephone, cell phone, texting, email, or internet access, or any other circumstances in any contest beyond KMIT 105.9 FMs control. For any contest involving on-line voting: If an entrant receives irregular votes, including but not limited to, votes generated by a robotic, programmed, script, macro, or other automated means, KMIT 105.9 FM reserves the right to disqualify the entrant in its sole discretion and/or use another means to determine the winner(s), ex. random selection or appointing a panel of judges. For any contests involving tickets to live performances or events, winners will need to follow all COVID guidelines and protocols put in place by the concert organizer. KMIT 105.9 FM is not responsible for for any event cancellations or reschedules. KMIT 105.9 FM is not responsible for Internet crashes or slowdowns caused by network congestion, viruses, sabotage, satellite failures, phone line failures, electrical outages, natural disasters or act of man or God, lost, late, misdirected, postage-due, unintelligible, returned, undelivered entries or email, or lost, interrupted or unavailable satellite, network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections availability, accessibility or traffic congestion, miscommunications, failed computer, network, telephone, satellite or cable hardware or software or lines, or technical failure, or jumbled, scrambled, delayed or misdirected transmissions, computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, or network. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of this contest or website, or act in violation of the official service, as solely determined by the station, will be disqualified. Neither sponsor nor promotion parties are responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information whether caused by website users, tampering, hacking, or by any of the programming or equipment associated with or used in this contest, and assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, deletion, interruption or delay in operation or transmission or communication line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized website access. KMIT 105.9 FM is not responsible for injury or damage to participants or any other persons computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this contest. Should any portion of contest be, in KMIT 105.9 FMs sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the station, corrupt or impair administration, security, fairness or proper play of this contest, or contest plays, KMIT 105.9 FM reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the contest. KMIT 105.9 FM has not made nor is in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize, including but not limited to its quality, mechanical condition or fitness for a particular purpose. Any and all warranties and/or guarantees on prize (if any) are provided only by the manufacturer, and winners agree to look solely to such manufacturers for any such warranty and/or guarantee. The following are specifically related to E-contests and E-Mail Club promotions on kmit.com: All appropriate information in required fields must be entered correctly and completely or you will be disqualified. To win a prize you must reside within the listening area of KMIT 105.9 FM as defined at the exclusive discretion of KMIT 105.9 FM management. Any problems with the internet or email are not KMIT 105.9 FMs responsibility. Contestants who register to participate on our website may be required to produce a printed copy of proof of registration before being allowed to participate in the contest. Due to the nature of our programs that are heard on-line over the internet, contests may not be heard at all on KMIT 105.9 FM. Contests heard on the radio stations internet audio stream may be slightly delayed from the time the contests are heard on the broadcast station, and will be running behind the broadcast signal. Thus, all contests heard on the internet are delayed. This delay can last for as much as 30 seconds or more. This means that when KMIT 105.9 FM contests are played that require a specific caller to telephone the radio station (such as Caller number 9 when you hear the sound effect), listeners to the on-line audio stream may be at a disadvantage in participating over those listeners who hear the contests on-air. A copy of these rules is available during business hours at the KMIT 105.9 FM studios 501 South Ohlman, Mitchell, South Dakota 57301
Updated September 9, 2021
Happy Holidays from the staff and volunteers of McIntosh Memorial Library!
We want to take this time to thank you for your trust and patience with us during 2021. We recognize this year has been very challenging as we continue to live in stressful times with the ongoing pandemic. As library staff we have worked tirelessly to provide a safe, clean and welcoming library for you to use. Those same precautions will carry us forward into 2022 as we strive to keep the library functioning at a high level even during these unprecedented times. If you havent returned to the library since the start of the pandemic we understand. Please know we continue to offer contactless pickup for all library items so you dont even have to enter the library building to obtain the materials you need. We also offer home delivery service every week to all residents living in the Viroqua Area School District. Contact our circulation desk at 637-7151, extension 6 for questions about the services we provide. Enjoy this holiday season and best wishes to you in 2022!
Myron Daubert from the Department of Workforce Development will be returning to the library in January with monthly visits. Myron specializes in assisting individuals looking for employment by writing resumes, providing interview tips, and registering people to search the Wisconsin Job Center website. Myron plans to be at McIntosh Memorial Library on the first Tuesday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The first visit in 2022 is scheduled for Jan. 4. Appointments to meet with Myron can be made, otherwise most of the meetings are drop-in at the library inside the conference room.
We look forward to welcoming Veronica Kleiber back to the library with a new program in January! Veronica will be presenting a fascinating program about folk medicine and early pioneers. The program is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 14 at 10:30 a.m. The program will be held in person inside our lobby space. Veronica is a volunteer with the Vernon County Historical Society and is a regular guest presenter for us.
The library will be closed Dec. 24, 25 and Jan. 1, 2022. We will close at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31. The library return slots along Jefferson Street are always open for you to return your library materials.
To stay up-to-date on everything happening at the library, like the Viroqua Library page on Facebook, visit our website at www.mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org, or visit us in person at 205 S. Rock Ave. in Viroqua.
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The annual live Nativity returns to the sanctuary of Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Westby, Friday, Dec. 24, after having been a drive-through event last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Live animals, provided by the Steve Michaels family, children, and the Holy Family, portrayed this year by Dillon and Makayla Bean and baby Stella Rose, will tell the story of Jesus Christs birth from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The live Nativity will stay in place during the worship service, which runs from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Pastor John Dumke said the service includes Scripture readings, Christmas carols and special music. Worship ends with everyone singing Silent Night, while the adults hold lit candles and the children hold electric candles.
Dumke said masks are strongly encouraged. We are celebrating the One who came to care for people and show us how to live, and the way we can care for others is to wear a mask.
He said the live Nativity has been done for years, and the congregation is happy to continue the tradition.
Its important to have continuity in any organization, Dumke said. (The live Nativity) is something Our Saviors feels is important for the community and the congregation. Some traditions are so vital. Giving ourselves to the community is in our DNA.
The church is located at 306 S. Main St.
The Bean family
The Beans Dillon, Makayla and baby Stella have the honor of playing the roles of Jesus, Mary and Joseph this year. Each year a family from the congregation who recently had a baby plays the Holy Family.
Stella Rose was born Sept. 11, and was baptized at Our Saviors Dec. 5. Dillon said when he and Makayla were setting up Stella Roses baptism, they offered to portray the Holy Family.
Both our parents and siblings were Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Dillon said. We thought it would be a little fun thing to do as well, Makayla added.
Dillons parents, David and Cheryl Bean and baby Caycee were the Holy Family at Our Saviors in 1996. Makaylas parents David and Terry Muntner and baby Danielle were Jesus, Mary and Joseph in 1992 at a congregation in Wild Rose, Wisconsin.
Dillon said hes looking forward to having a bigger part in Christmas. Makayla said that as things are getting back to normal, people are excited to get Christmas traditions back and shes looking forward to that.
Its always been one of my favorite parts of the holidays to attend the candlelight service, Dillon said.
Stella is the Beans first child.
This is our first Christmas as a family, and it feels more special now that Stellas here, Dillon said. To be a part of something so special with Stella (is amazing).
We wish everyone a happy holiday, Dillon and Makayla said.
The Beans, who live in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, own a lodging and resort business in Hatfield, Wisconsin.
A bit of history
The live Nativity was the brainstorm of former Pastor Walter Larson and Neil Nelson, who raised ponies and burros on his farm outside of town. The two men (both deceased) pooled their resources to produce an event whose popularity and interest has withstood the test of time. Animals for the live Nativity were provided by Nelson, who also built the manger and stored the equipment on his farm. When Nelson died the duties shifted to longtime church custodian, LeRoy Anderson, who took it upon himself to oversee the event for years until health concerns sidelined him and a changing of the guard occurred.
Angela Cina can be reached at angie.cina@lee.net.
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After five decades in health care, including 27 years at Tomah Memorial Hospital and Tomah Health, CEO Phil Stuart has announced his plans to retire.
In an announcement to the hospital board of directors Dec. 21, Stuart indicated that he would step down in June 2022.
It has been my honor and privilege to have been in this position for 27 years, Stuart wrote to the board.
Stuart has served as CEO since arriving at Tomah Memorial Hospital in 1994.
It is bittersweet as it feels like I am leaving at a time when healthcare and Tomah Health, are faced with very significant challenges, Stuart said. I am confident that the team is well positioned to handle whatever comes their way.
Stuart said that his plan to retire has been in the works for several months.
If the transition to a new CEO takes longer than anticipated, I will be available to ensure a solid handoff, Stuart added.
Hospital marketing and public relations director Eric Prise said internal discussions around Stuarts impending retirement have been taking place for some time. He said the process to fill the position is expected to take several months.
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CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS CALLS ON THE SENATE TO RECONVENE AND PASS VOTING RIGHTS LEGISLATION
Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus are standing for the American people and will continue to demand justice for voting rights.
Representative Maxine Waters (File Photo)
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Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty said in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the fierce urgency of now calls for the Senate to immediately bring voting rights legislation to a vote. As the Conscience of the Congress, voting rights remains a primary focus of the Congressional Black Caucus. Black communities across the nation stand to lose the most if the Senate does not do their job and pass voting rights legislation. Every citizen is entitled to an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy. This must not be filibustered. Voting rights has been a bipartisan issue reauthorized by four republican administrations, and it is time to send it to President Bidens desk for reauthorization.
The Congressional Black Caucus stands with Martin Luther King, III, in saying we must restore the very voting rights protections Dr. King and countless other civil rights leaders bled to secure. How can we commemorate the legacy of a man who dedicated his life to voting rights, and then allow inaction when the looming threat of Jim-Crow era suppression threatens to dismantle every stride Dr. King worked to achieve?
The recent wave of voter suppression is a stain on our democracy. The Senate owes it to the American people to return from their holiday break and protect the sacred freedom to vote, said Congressman Steven Horsford. Over our fifty years as the Conscience of the Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus has used Our Power and Our Message to lead the fight for voting rights. Today, we call on the Senate to do their job and pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act into law.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee reminds us the right to vote is a powerful instrument that can break down the walls of injustice and must be protected against attack from all enemies, foreign and domestic, using all the legal tools at our disposal. We must all do our part to preserve this most important heritage because it was earned with the sacrifices and the lives of our ancestors. It is time for the Senate to act by protecting and expanding the right to vote.
American President Joe Biden said his administration plans to provide 500 million COVID-19 tests to the United States at no cost to users.
Speaking at the White House, Biden described several efforts to support hospitals, to increase testing and to increase the availability of vaccines. The presidents message comes as the world is struggling to contain yet another version of the new coronavirus, the Omicron variant.
Biden pushed Americans to get additional COVID-19 vaccine injections known as booster shots. He said he was not planning on shutdowns or severe restrictions like those seen earlier in the pandemic.
"We know a lot more today than we did in March 2020," he said. "We're ready, we'll get through this."
Biden said vaccination efforts will be increased and he urged Americans who are not vaccinated to get the shot. 400,000 Americans died of COVID this calendar year almost all were unvaccinated, Biden said.
Efforts to support hospitals
The president said the government will establish additional testing sites. There are about 20,000 operating now in the U.S. The government will use the Defense Production Act to order manufacturers to make more tests, Biden said.
Biden administration officials say they are working with Google to help people find testing sites through online searches.
The president also said the government will send 1,000 medically skilled troops to hospitals overloaded with COVID-19 cases. Federal medical workers are immediately going to the hard-hit states of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire and Vermont. There are also plans to give hospitals more medical and protective equipment from the national supply.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, will send hundreds of medical vehicles and medical teams to hospitals. The aim is that, if one hospital fills up, patients can be moved to open beds in other hospitals.
The Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, says 204 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated. That amounts to 61 percent of the population. Only about 60 million of the fully vaccinated have received booster shots, the CDC reports.
About 50 million Americans have not gotten any vaccine. Biden said they have a responsibility to get vaccinated.
Im Jill Robbins.
Josh Boak and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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Words in This Story
calendar year n. the year from January 1st to December 31st
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Countries around the world are considering new limits on movement because of the fast-spreading Omicron version of the coronavirus.
The proposed restrictions come as many people worldwide prepare to celebrate Christmas later this week. Omicron infections are increasing quickly across Europe, the United States and Asia.
Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and South Korea are among countries to have restarted partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures in recent days.
In New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said his country was delaying the start of a methodical reopening of its border until the end of February. "All of the evidence so far points to Omicron being the most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet," he said.
Germany's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases on Tuesday recommended that "maximum contact restrictions" be put in place.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday he was considering all kinds of measures.
Sweden will urge all employees to work from home if possible and put in place stronger rules for social distancing. "We must now take joint responsibility and we need to adapt to the new reality," Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said at a news conference.
In Denmark, Omicron is now the main version of the new coronavirus, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said. Many countries in the West are hoping that booster vaccine shots will help control the spread of Omicron, as some studies have shown two shots may not be enough.
The European Union's drug regulator is prepared for the possibility that vaccines may have to be changed to fight Omicron. There is no evidence that that will be necessary yet.
Were not going back to lockdowns
In Australia, Omicron cases have risen but hospitalizations remain low. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged state and territory leaders to avoid more lockdowns.
"We're not going back to lockdowns. We're going forward to live with this virus with common sense and responsibility," Morrison said.
In the United States, the administration of President Joe Biden said it plans to buy 500 million COVID-19 tests for Americans to get online and use at home.
Omicron was first found last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong. The form of the virus has been reported in at least 89 countries.
The severity of illness it causes remains unclear. But the World Health Organization warned it is spreading faster than the Delta version and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19.
Im Ashley Thompson.
The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.
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Words in This Story
lockdown n. an emergency in which people are not permitted to freely move about an area because of danger
transmissible adj. able to be spread to other people, animals
maximum adj. the highest number or the most possible
adapt v. to change your behavior so that it is easier to live in a particular place or situation
regulator n. an official who works for the part of the government that controls a public activity (such as banking or insurance) by making and enforcing rules; an agency that supervises a public activity
As Lebanon Community Schools prepares to float a school facilities maintenance bond measure, a fire alarm triggered by a heating system malfunction may serve to highlight the need.
Lebanon Fire District crews responded to an alarm at around 3:30 p.m. at Green Acres Elementary School on Monday, Dec. 20, according to an agency news release. Seeing smoke coming from the building, the alarm was upgraded and firefighters searched the building, finding two smoky classrooms in the north hallway.
Further investigation revealed a heating system actuator and motor had malfunctioned, causing smoke to accumulate in the two classrooms and surrounding areas. The building was checked out and cleared, according to the fire district. Twenty-two fire district personnel responded with 11 units. No injuries were reported.
There was no actual fire damage, just a lot of smoke, according to Susanne Stefani, school district communications director. She said the damage estimate, though not yet certain, is around $400-$500, mostly for the labor needed to work in the difficult-to-reach area.
When this happens typically you can smell it start to go, so you can hop on it and fix it right away, Stefani said. But of course, since there was no one in the building, that wasnt the case.
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Stefani said the heating system is 15 to 20 years old and has been regularly serviced, but it runs constantly which can lead to occasional issues. The school districts upcoming bond proposal includes money to renovate the heating and cooling systems in many of its schools, including Green Acres.
A similar problem occurred around seven years ago in the gym at Cascades Elementary School. No damage or injuries were reported in that incident. Cascades heating and cooling system renovations would also be covered in the proposed bond measure.
The school district plans to pursue a bond measure in May. Renovations are needed to improve safety and security at facilities and for maintenance to extend the lives of buildings. The projects aim to bring the facilities up to code and in line with districtwide standards.
A portion of the bond would renovate the Lebanon Community Pool, which is owned by the school district, and add space in school buildings for preschool programs. The district will seek around $20 million from residents, along with $4 million to $8 million in state matching funds.
Property owners with an assessed value of $175,000 the average home in Lebanon, according to the district would pay about $50 extra each year in taxes.
The maintenance work would include heating, air conditioning and ventilation upgrades (which are critical during the pandemic and for summer school), fixing roofs, streamlining security, and doing seismic upgrades, such as at the high school gym where students might gather in an emergency.
Superintendent Bo Yates has acknowledged that the $28 million is short of the more than $41 million needed for repairs for the district indicated in a 2019 assessment.
Cody Mann covers the cities of Albany and Lebanon. He can be contacted at 541-812-6113 or Cody.Mann@lee.net.
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The discussion among the commissioners was whether or not to reinstate the leave policy, given the current situation.
Commissioner Zarek said if someone is doing all they can to protect themselves; masking, full vaccination, etc., they shouldnt have to use their PTO if they do end up contracting COVID-19.
There was some discussion about making the COVID-19 leave policy open to those who are fully vaccinated, similar to how employees receive an insurance benefit if they exercise through the YMCA or dont smoke.
Commissioner P.J. Jacobson was clear he did not want this to be a mandate on employees.
Commissioner Zarek said, anything we can do to encourage employees to protect themselves will pay dividends. The idea being if an employee does what they can to protect themselves from COVID-19, the county will aid them if they do still contract the virus.
Chairman Bill Stewart said he would work with Zarek and Dawson County Deputy Attorney Katherine Kuhn to write up a new policy that will be presented at the board at a future date for more discussion and a vote, if the commissioners approve.
GRAND ISLAND The Central Platte Natural Resources District is cautioning landowners along the Platte River that with the colder temperatures, ice formation in the river channels will begin in the next few weeks. If enough ice forms, it can jam together, causing the river water to escape the banks and cause flooding. David Carr, CPNRD Range Management Specialist, said some helpful information to remember:
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are Lucille Ball and Desi Arnazor as millions of TV viewers knew them in the 1950s, Lucy and Ricky Ricardoin Aaron Sorkins enjoyable if overly busy behind-the-scenes look at I Love Lucy during an especially busy week leading up to taping. Conflating several events into a melodramatically compressed time frame, Ricardos opens with a scandal, when the nations favorite redhead is accused of being a redCommunistduring the McCarthy witch hunt. (It isnt true.) While this crisis unfolds, Lucyshown in the movies best scenes to be a true and exacting student of comedyannounces to horrified network execs and sponsors that shes pregnant, and insists that Lucy Ricardo will also be on camera, then unheard of. Adding brilliant support are character actors Nina Arianda and J.K. Simmons as picture-perfect replicas of Vivian Vance and William Frawley, Lucys Ethel and Fred Mertz.
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One woman, a real estate agent, said her car was essentially her office and not having it impaired her ability to make a living.
She said Kwik Trip wanted money from her after her car was filled up with stolen gas. The car eventually came back to her in shambles, costing more than $16,000 to repair. But her insurer wont pay to re-key the car to keep it from being stolen again, because her car key is still out there somewhere, and she has been unable to sell it.
Treveon took something that didnt belong to him and left it destroyed, another woman said. She was frustrated that police kept catching him and he would be released from jail over and over, only to go back to what he was doing.
A construction company project manager who was staying in Madison for work at Veterans Hospital was struck in his vehicle at 55 mph by Thurman, who had been going 85 mph in a stolen car on Mineral Point Road at Glenway Street. A veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, he was never injured while in the Air Force but because of the crash he now has a metal rod in one of his legs and a lifelong disability.
Conti, parent of an OKeeffe Middle School student, said she is interested to hear more about the districts plans for restorative justice and trauma-informed responses.
Im hoping that school staff are given a lot of support in being able to experience some of these things for themselves and to embody that and bring it into the classroom, she said.
Positive move
One of four assistant principals at East, Rachelle Bly, came to the district in August from Beloit, where she had been trained in restorative justice. She said she hopes the workshops will help the community consider different options to punitive measures.
I saw some really powerful conversations happen between students and I think that it is a positive move in the right direction as far as helping everyone understand their truth in situations and being able to rectify situations, she said.
HEYBURN A Heyburn man is charged with raping an 11-year-old girl.
German J. Turcios-Rosales, 32, is charged with felony rape where the victim is under 16 years old and the defendant is over age 18.
On Dec. 12, the Minidoka County Sheriffs Office was called by the Heyburn Police Department after a 22-year-old man reported that he walked in on Turcios-Rosales raping a child that lived in a nearby apartment.
The child was taken to St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls for a rape examination.
The man who reported the alleged crime told police Turcios-Rosales was sending him threatening messages and said he may go back to Texas.
A warrant was issued for Turcios-Rosaless arrest.
He was set for a preliminary hearing in Minidoka County magistrate court on Wednesday, but paperwork was filed waiving the time allowed for the preliminary hearing.
The new time and date had not been entered into the states court records system as of Wednesday.
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BURLEY Senior judges are playing a greater role in keeping justice moving along while saving litigants, attorneys and counties time and money.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Idaho Supreme Court to restrict hearings in courtrooms and delay trials, the Fifth Judicial District developed a robust mediation program, thanks in part to senior judges that have stepped in to hear the cases.
A senior judge is a retired judge who is hired to hear cases on an as-needed basis, Fifth Judicial District Trial Court Administrator Shelli Tubbs said.
Cassia County Magistrate Judge Mick Hodges, who retired on Friday, applied and was accepted as a senior judge in the state.
I have really mixed emotions about retiring, Hodges said. I love my work. I feel like I accomplish something and the people I work with are great.
A judge applies to a committee to be a senior judge and is able to specify if they want to work statewide or just in a specific area, he said.
I have signed up to work anywhere in the state, Hodges said, but he and his wife will move from Burley to Treasure Valley, where they have a home.
I think its a wonderful resource for Idaho to use the experience of these part timers and not have to hire new judges, Hodges said.
The way Public Employee Retirement System (PERSI) works, a retiree has to wait 90 days after retirement before they can start working again.
At age 67, he said, he will likely be one of the youngest senior judges in the state.
Senior judges provide emergency courtroom coverage when judges become ill, oversee mediated cases and step in when a judge excuses themselves from a case due to a conflict of interest.
Many times, Tubbs said, judges have very large case dockets and when they get sick and cant hear those cases, it costs everyone time and money.
Senior judges keep the wheels turning for us here, Tubbs said.
For instance, she said, Judge Hodges retired Dec. 17, but Judge Jeremy L. Pittard, who will replace him, will not be ready to take the bench until the end of January. In the meantime, the scheduled cases will be heard by senior judges.
Thats one way senior judges can seamlessly step in and keep the court system running, Tubbs said.
Senior judges are required to attend trainings to stay up-to-date and if they choose to mediate cases they have to complete a comprehensive course to qualify as a mediator. Sitting judges who mediate cases also have to fulfill that requirement.
Many sitting judges do not want to mediate cases, Tubbs said.
In 1999 the Legislature made an appropriation to use senior judges, but the use of them greatly increased in the Fifth Judicial District in June 2020 when the district established a mediation program to alleviate the case backlog caused by the curtailment of in-person court hearings and the delay of trials during the pandemic.
Since June 2020, 836 cases have been mediated in the district, and all but five of those cases were heard by senior judges, Tubbs said.
Since January, 436 cases have been mediated in the district.
The Idaho Supreme Court makes an allocation of judges who will work in the district to the districts roster, Tubbs said.
Senior judges are only compensated for they the days they work, Tubbs said.
The Fifth Judicial District has five district court senior judges and six magistrate senior judges.
When the pandemic restrictions began lifting from the courtrooms, the question became whether to keep the new mediation program going, Tubbs said.
We made the district decision to continue to use senior judges for the program, Tubbs said.
When a case is mediated, she said, it saves litigants and attorneys time and money, and it saves the county money through decreased detention costs.
It moves all the cases along more quickly, she said.
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BOISE An Idaho environmental group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service, claiming the federal agencys plans in a Boise National Forest logging project could potentially damage habitat and wildlife, including a threatened fish species.
The Idaho Conservation League filed suit on Monday over the Sage Hen restoration project, which was proposed in 2020 and approved in April. The group argues that the Forest Service excluded the public from its process and rushed past an in-depth environmental impact study, opting instead for a less-rigorous environmental assessment. ICL called that a highly unusual move for such a large and transformative project.
The Sage Hen project includes prescribed burning, commercial logging and road-building, all part of an effort to restore forestland damaged by tussock moths, mistletoe and other invasive pests and weeds. The project covers 68,000 acres surrounding Sage Hen Reservoir, northwest of Smiths Ferry.
When the project began, the Forest Service said logging and burning treatments would be conditions-based, meaning the agency would determine the location and extent of those operations when the project was underway. The Forest Service set maximum acreages for each treatment, but the Idaho Conservation League said that gives the agency a blank check to fill in without public input or environmental assessments.
As a result, important details of the project are largely unknown, and the true extent of its adverse environmental impacts are highly uncertain, ICL wrote in its lawsuit.
The environmental group said it has concerns that logging, burning and road-building may disturb wildlife and native plants, as well as bull trout. ICL argues that the population of bull trout in the Squaw Creek area is isolated and may be decreasing, putting the fish which are protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act at risk if the project disturbs their watershed.
The Idaho Conservation League has asked the U.S. District Court of Idaho to void the approval of the Sage Hen restoration project and order the Forest Service to complete an environmental impact study to determine the effects of its proposed treatments.
Its not the first time environmental groups have pushed back against the project. The Idaho Conservation League and the Boise Forest Coalition, of which ICL is a member, filed objections to the project in December 2020, claiming the project didnt disclose necessary details and was not based on an environmental impact study. Wildlands Defense, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Yellowstone to Uintas Connection and Native Ecosystems Council filed a lawsuit last month to stop the project, citing concerns similar to the Idaho Conservation Leagues.
Randy Fox, West Central Idaho conservation associate for ICL, said in the groups news release that the Conservation League is not opposed to the project. The group has collaborated with the Forest Service to help develop the project but wants to see more diligence to ensure watersheds and wildlife arent harmed by the forest restoration.
Make no mistake, the Idaho Conservation League wants the Forest Service to succeed, Fox said. We have invested years in this project. But we need to correct the course.
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The Mozambican army, backed by soldiers from allied African forces, attacked a rebel base and killed 10 insurgents in northern Mozambique, the Defense Ministry said.
The gas-rich, Muslim-majority province of Cabo Delgado in the northeast has been the scene of a jihadist insurgency since 2017 that has killed at least 3,500 people and forced nearly 820,000 residents to flee their homes.
Since July, more than 3,000 African soldiers including South Africans and Rwandans and European and American instructors have been supporting and training the Mozambican army, which has been overwhelmed by the insurgents
On Sunday, Mozambican and allied forces attacked a terrorist base in (the district of) Macomia and shot dead ten terrorists, Mozambican Defense Minister Cristovao Chume said Monday night.
Since early December, jihadists have attacked several villages in the Macomia district of Cabo Delgado province.
The situation is worrying, but our forces are on the ground and in the coming weeks we will achieve positive results, the minister assured.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi recently claimed that the number of terrorist attacks could be reduced by three in Mozambique in 2021, compared to the previous year, thanks in particular to military cooperation with Rwanda and the 16 countries of the SADC (Southern African Development Community).
Ethiopian rebels from Tigray, who had advanced in recent months into the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar, are retreating to their region in order to open the door to humanitarian aid, their spokesman announced.
This announcement opens a new phase in the deadly conflict that has pitted pro-government forces against Tigrayan rebels for more than a year and triggered a deep humanitarian crisis.
We have decided to withdraw from these areas to Tigray. We want to open the door for humanitarian aid, said Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF).
Until now, the TPLF has described a withdrawal from these two regions, demanded by the government as a precondition for negotiations, as absolutely not feasible.
For their part, the rebels demanded that the federal authorities end the humanitarian siege of Tigray.
We are conducting phase-by-phase withdrawals. We started withdrawing our forces a few weeks ago. We are now announcing it, Getachew said on Monday, saying that the rebels had left Lalibela.
The town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its 12th and 13th century rock-hewn churches, has changed hands several times, as have other localities.
Travelers wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported more than 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
California will require health care workers to get a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday, pledging to make sure hospitals are prepared as a new version of the disease begins to spread throughout the state.
California already requires health care workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, a directive that took effect in September and has since led to the firing or suspension of thousands of people. Now it will join New Mexico as at least the second state to require booster shots for health care workers.
Newsom made the announcement on his personal Twitter account. His office declined to give more details, including how many workers would be affected and whether frequent testing would be allowed as an alterative. Newsom has scheduled a news conference in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday.
"California will require healthcare workers to get their booster," Newsom said. "With Omicron on the rise, we're taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared."
California has so far fared far better than many other states that are dealing with a coronavirus surge, with areas in the Midwest and Northeast seeing the biggest jump in cases and hospitalizations amid frigid temperatures that have kept people indoors.
Travelers wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported more than 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists California as a place with "high" transmission of the virus, along with nearly everywhere else in the country. But in the last week California averaged 114 new cases per 100,000 people, less than half the national rate.
Meanwhile, coronavirus related hospitalizations have been rising slowly in California, up 15% in the last 11 days to 3,852. That's less than half as many as during the late summer peak and one-fifth of a year ago, before vaccines were widely available.
But while hospitals overall have fewer patients than last winter, many have fewer workers to treat the patients they do have. The staffing shortage comes as businesses are having trouble finding workers, including hospitals. A recent study by the University of California-San Francisco estimated the state's nursing shortage could persist until 2026.
"The staffing shortages we are experiencing are worse than ever," Kiyomi Burchill, group vice president for policy for the California Hospital Association, said in an interview Tuesday before Newsom made his announcement about booster shots.
Travelers wait for a shuttle but to arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported more than 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
California is poised for a surge in new infections amid holiday parties and family gatherings forced indoors by a series of winter storms.
But experts say the nation's most populous state is likely to avoid the worst scenariospikes in hospitalizations and deathsbecause most Californians have either been vaccinated or already been infected. That gives a higher level or protection against the omicron variant that, while not guaranteeing people won't get sick, means they are less likely to need to go to the hospital.
"It's a highly transmissible respiratory virus and people are going to get it. And they are going to get it every winter," said Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. "We have to go toward measuring our true success with a disease, which is how we're doing with hospitalizations."
More than 70% of the state's nearly 40 million residents have been fully vaccinated while 42% have gotten a booster shot. As of Monday omicron is now the dominant variant of the coronavirus in the United States.
Donning a Santa Claus hat, Caitlin Banford waits in line to check in for her flight to Washington at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported more than 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
Much about the omicron variant remains unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. Scientists say omicron spreads more easily than other coronavirus strains, including delta. Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a third shot for the best chance at preventing infection but even without the extra dose, vaccination still should offer strong protection against severe illness and death.
Computer models used by state officials to forecast the virus say hospitalizations will stay steady through the holidays and dip slightly in mid-January.
"I'm on the fence a little bit about how horrible is this," said Dr. Brad Pollock, associate dean for public health sciences at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. "We're going to have more people infected because of the more transmissible variant. It may be a little less virulent, which means it causes less symptoms."
In San Diego, researchers recently discovered the highest levels of coronavirus since February in a wastewater treatment plant that serves about 2.3 million people.
Travelers wait in line to check in for a flight at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported more than 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
"Every time we've seen that kind of increase in the wastewater, a couple of weeks later we see an increase in cases," said Rob Knight, a professor at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine.
Last week, Newsom, who imposed the fist statewide shutdown order in March 2020, warned that cases would likely rise and re-imposed a rule requiring everyone to wear masks at public indoor gatherings. Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city, once again canceled its in-person New Year's Eve celebration.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday that he didn't anticipate another lockdown because "I think we're so much better protected than we were." However he said he believes restrictions such as masking indoors will continue into February and perhaps even March, depending on vaccination, hospitalization and infection rates.
While 70% of Californians have been fully vaccinated, that still leaves 30%or roughly 12 million peoplewho haven't been. The California Department of Public Health says people who are not vaccinated are seven times more likely to get infected, nearly 13 times more likely to be hospitalized and nearly 16 times more likely to die from the coronavirus.
Travelers look at the arrival and departure screens at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported more than 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
Places in California with lower vaccination rates, including Riverside and San Bernardino counties, have seen jumps in hospitalizations recently.
"The problem is there are counties in California, particularly in central California and eastern California, where they have had neither high vaccination coverage or a lot of prior infections," said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. "We can expect in those communities that there may be an increase in hospitalizations for people at high risk for severe consequences."
Explore further California exempts San Francisco from COVID indoor mask rule
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For nursing homes, the pandemic also means a permanent balancing of safety and quality of life. A simulation tool from TU Graz and CSH Vienna supports the decision for or against individual measures. Credit: Reiner Riedler
Researchers from TU Graz and Complexity Science Hub (CSH) Vienna have developed a detailed epidemiological model for the spread of the coronavirus in nursing homes. This enables optimal prevention strategies to be identified, as practical experience in Caritas nursing homes has shown.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, residents of nursing homes have been particularly at risk. The spatial proximity to each other favors local transmission chains, and old age combined with pre-existing conditions can lead to severe courses of disease and an increased mortality rate. Political leaders and agencies responded with far-reaching measures, such as bans on visits or restricted community activities. By strictly isolating the homes, the virus was intended to be "locked out," so to speak. "But at the same time, that meant 'locking people in,'" says Jana Lasser, a complexity researcher at the Institute of Interactive Systems and Data Science at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) and working at CSH Vienna until March 2021. Through her grandparents, Lasser herself experienced how tense the situation in nursing homes was, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, but also how the lack of social contacts endangers the physical and mental health of older people.
Almost two years later, testing facilities and vaccinations now make it possible to control the spread of infections in nursing homes and at the same time relax isolation measures. Nevertheless, there can always be dramatic developments that require a trade-off between safety and quality of lifefor example, when coronavirus mutations or new infectious diseases emerge for which vaccines are not yet available.
Agent-based simulation minimizes risk of infection
Especially at the beginning of a new wave of infections, the optimal combination and timing of individual measures is crucial. Here, a new simulation tool can now facilitate the decision for or against individual measures. Based on information from nursing homes run by Caritas Vienna, Jana Lasser and a team led by Peter Klimek at CSH Vienna have programmed a so-called agent-based simulation of residents and staff in a nursing home.
Agent-based means that individual active entitiesin this case peoplehave been identified and their behaviors modeled using several parameters from empirical observations. Analogous to the behaviors of the people in the care homethese include everyday encounters and interactionsconnections are established between these units that map potential infection pathways. The interactions of many individual behaviors result in the dynamics of the whole system.
With this simulation tool, different scenarios in residential care homes can be studied and results relevant to everyday life obtained, the researchers explain in the latest issue of the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
Balancing safety and quality of life
The work was done at the request of and in close cooperation with the Caritas Vienna. The aid and social organization is engaged in social work, nursing, care for people with disabilities, education, youth work and disaster relief and provided the researchers with insights into the pandemic management of its nursing homes. Based on this, a detailed model of a nursing home was developed and calibrated using COVID-19 outbreak data in Caritas homes.
Two questions were at the center of the study: What measures can be taken to optimally protect people in residential care homes from a SARS-CoV-2 infection? And how can measures be chosen in such a way that the quality of life of the residents is maintained? Thomas Wochele-Thoma, medical director of Caritas Vienna: "The virus poses a particular threat to older adults. Especially at the beginning of the pandemic, it was difficult to balance the safety of those affected on the one hand and their freedom on the other. As a consequence of the strict measures, older adults were faced with fears of isolation and experiences of loneliness during this period. The jointly developed test strategy was enormously helpful for our pandemic management in the homes. At a time when case numbers were rising in many residential care homes across Austria, infections were the exception in the homes where we piloted and implemented the testing strategyand at a time when the vaccination was not even available."
All vaccinated or all unvaccinated
Specifically, the work plays out two scenarios: one without vaccinations and one with a high vaccination rate in the homes. "It is likely that there will be infectious diseases again in the future for which vaccines are not available in the early days, as was the case with COVID-19. For this scenario, our study provides a decision-making basis for organizing preventive measuressuch as a testing strategyin nursing homes," explains Jana Lasser. The simulations were strongly oriented towards everyday work and were directly relevant to Caritas' decision-making processes during the pandemic from autumn 2020 onwards.
Vaccination rate is decisive
On the one hand, the study shows that the time gap between sample collection and the test result as well as the accuracy of COVID-19 test results have a great influence on the incidence of infection in nursing homes. Thus, in the scenario of a completely unvaccinated home population, twice-weekly PCR tests of staff and, in the case of positive test results, strict quarantine measures are sufficient to prevent large outbreaks.
In turn, with a current vaccination rate of well over 80 percent among residents, simulation results indicate that major coronavirus disease outbreaks are no longer to be expected, even if all other measures are relaxed or discontinued. However, the prerequisite is a vaccination protection against infection of at least 60 percent. "More research is definitely needed here to better assess the effectiveness of vaccinations for older age groups," Lasser emphasizes. It is therefore recommended that the testing infrastructure in the houses is maintained, voluntary tests carried out on a regular basis and the virus genomes sequenced so that new variants of concern can be detected at an early stage.
Basis for testing strategy in Caritas homes
Based on these simulations, Caritas developed its own testing strategy starting from autumn 2020 and introduced it in its homes. "The fact that nursing homes have largely vanished from public attention shows what a great job our colleagues at Caritas have done," said the scientific project manager Peter Klimek from CSH Vienna and MedUni Vienna. "This work also shows that only several measures in combination lead to the desired prevention success."
Currently, measures in the homes are being adapted to the threat assessment against the background of the high vaccination rates in such a way that the quality of life of the people is restricted as little as possible.
"This work is a wonderful example of how helpful reliable simulation tools are, especially in critical phases. The simulation tool we developed facilitates evidence-based decisions. You can play with different variables and immediately see the effects of each measure. It is desirable to use the results of our and other simulation studies for pandemic-related decisions as early as possible," conclude the project participants.
Explore further Outbreaks of COVID-19 in French nursing homes traced back to staff
More information: Jana Lasser et al, Agent-based simulations for protecting nursing homes with prevention and vaccination strategies, Journal of The Royal Society Interface (2021). Journal information: Journal of the Royal Society Interface Jana Lasser et al, Agent-based simulations for protecting nursing homes with prevention and vaccination strategies,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0608
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Estimates suggest patients with Omicron cases are 15% less likely to attend hospital, and 40% less likely to be hospitalized for a night or more, compared to Delta.
The researchers stress that these estimated reductions in severity must be balanced against the larger risk of infection with Omicron, due to the reduction in protection provided by both vaccination and natural infection. For example, at a population level, large numbers of infections could still lead to large numbers of hospitalizations. They say the estimates provided in this paper will assist in refining mathematical models of potential healthcare demand associated with the unfolding European Omicron wave.
The new report from the Imperial College London COVID-19 response team estimates hospitalization risk for Omicron cases in England. It includes all PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases in England between 1-14 December 2021 where the variant causing infection could be identified from genetic data or via S gene target failure (SGTF). The data set included 56,000 cases of Omicron and 269,000 cases of Delta.
In the study, hospital attendance was defined as any record of attendance at a hospital by a confirmed case in the 14 days following their positive PCR test, up to and including the day of attendance. A secondary analysis examined the subset of attendances with a length of stay of one or more days. The researchers caution that insufficient time has passed for enough data to have accumulated for severity to be judged for more severe outcomes such as intensive care unit admission or death.
Reduced risk of hospitalization
The estimates suggest that patients with Omicron cases have, on average, a 15-20% reduced risk of any hospitalization and an approximately 40-45% reduced risk of a hospitalization resulting in a stay of one or more nights. Reinfection is associated with approximately a 50-60% reduction in hospitalization risk compared with primary infections.
However, after adjusting estimates to account for only one in three reinfections being identified, the estimated difference in intrinsic hospitalization risk (i.e., defined for primary infections in unvaccinated people) between Delta and Omicron is reduced (i.e., 0-30% reduced risk of any hospitalization) but the estimated reduction in risk of hospitalization due to previous infection is increased (around 55-70% reduction).
Moderately reduced severity is also supported by the observation that the mean lengths of hospital stay for Delta and Omicron cases in the study were 0.32 (95%Ci: 0.29-0.34) and 0.22 (95%CI: 0.15-0.28) days, respectively. However, it should be noted that Omicron cases on average had less follow-up time in the study.
The researchers say that as more data accumulate, with longer periods of follow-up, assessment of more severe outcomes will become feasible. They state that it is quite possible that larger reductions in hospitalization risk for Omicron versus Delta may be estimated for ICU admission and death, given that remaining immune protection against more severe outcomes of infection are expected to be much higher than those against milder disease.
Varied prior immunity
As different groups of the English population have widely varying prior immunity from both vaccination and natural infection, the researchers also provide estimates stratified by vaccination status, though the researchers caution about over-interpreting these trends due to limited sample sizes.
The estimates suggest that individuals who have received at least two doses of either AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna vaccines have substantially reduced risk of hospitalization compared with primary infections with Delta in unvaccinated individuals, even if protection against infection has been largely lost against the Omicron variant.
Contextualizing Omicron's severity
The authors say it is essential to place the severity of Omicron in the context of reinfection risk in countries, like England and South Africa, where a large proportion of the population may have already been infected.
For example, a total of 9.8 million people had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in England by 21 December 2021, equating to 17.3% of the population. Given that reported cases may only capture a third of total infections, over half the English population may have been infected prior to the start of the Omicron wave. Hence the hospitalization rates in England for Omicron are being strongly affected by infection-induced immunity.
Professor Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London said, "Our analysis shows evidence of a moderate reduction in the risk of hospitalization associated with the Omicron variant compared with the Delta variant. However, this appears to be offset by the reduced efficacy of vaccines against infection with the Omicron variant. Given the high transmissibility of the Omicron virus, there remains the potential for health services to face increasing demand if Omicron cases continue to grow at the rate that has been seen in recent weeks."
Professor Azra Ghani from Imperial College London said, "Whilst the reduced risk of hospitalization with the Omicron variant is reassuring, the risk of infection remains extremely high. With the addition of the booster dose, vaccines continue to offer the best protection against infection and hospitalization."
Explore further Modeling suggests rapid spread of omicron in England but same severity as delta
More information: The full report is available at The full report is available at www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global- 50-Severity-Omicron/
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Finland will expand its vaccination programme to include children aged five to 12 as the country faces record COVID infections, health officials said on Wednesday.
"I'm expecting that vaccinations can start immediately after Christmas," senior health ministry official Taneli Puumalainen told a press conference.
Until now only children in vulnerable groups of that age have been eligible for the jab.
The measure comes alongside new restrictions to curb Christmas drinking and tighten border controls agreed by the governing coalition late on Tuesday.
"We are buying more time to make sure Omicron does not pose a serious national threat," minister Krista Kiuru told the press conference.
Bars in Finland will stop serving alcohol at 9:00 pm on Christmas Eve. A three-week alcohol sales ban past 5:00 pm will then apply to bars and restaurants from December 28.
Regional authorities will be advised to ban large gatherings such as sporting events and concerts with unallocated seating, while universities will be advised to move to distance teaching.
Meanwhile EU citizens arriving at the Finnish border will be required to show a negative COVID test even if vaccinated, in an extension of a policy which previously only applied to non-EU and high-risk areas.
Finland has maintained some of Europe's lowest incidence rates throughout the pandemic, but the country of 5.5 million is now facing record infection levels, with more than 23,000 new coronavirus cases in the past two weeks.
Speaking on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said the government will begin preparing a support package to compensate hospitality businesses affected by the restrictions.
"We must take this situation seriously and react accordingly," Marin said.
In recent weeks Finland has experienced a sharp rise in new infections, with health authorities registering a total of 221,292 COVID cases.
Yet the country's tally of 1,495 COVID-related deaths equates to one of the lowest fatality rates in Europe.
Explore further Omicron compels Portugal to reimpose COVID-19 restrictions
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Reducing frailty in older adults could be an effective strategy to prevent dementia, according to a largescale new study.
Published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, the study found that frailty was a strong risk factor for dementia, even among people who are at a high genetic risk for dementia, and that it might be modified through a healthy lifestyle.
The international team from Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health in Canada and the University of Exeter in the UK, worked with data from more than 196,000 adults aged over 60 in the UK Biobank. They calculated participants' genetic risk and used a previously-developed score for frailty, which reflects the accumulation of age-related symptoms, signs, disabilities and diseases. They analyzed this alongside a score on healthy lifestyle behaviors, and who went on to develop dementia.
"We're seeing increasing evidence that taking meaningful action during life can significantly reduce dementia risk," says lead author Dr. David Ward, from the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Dalhousie University "Our research is a major step forward in understanding how reducing frailty could help to dramatically improve a person's chances of avoiding dementia, regardless of their genetic predisposition to the condition. This is exciting because we believe that some of the underlying causes of frailty are in themselves preventable. In our study, this looked to be possible partly through engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors."
Over the 10-year UK Biobank study period, dementia was detected via hospital admission records in 1,762 of the participantsand these people were much more likely to have a high degree of frailty before their diagnosis compared with those who did not develop dementia.
The importance of preventing or reducing frailty was highlighted when the researchers examined the impact of genetic risk in people with different degrees of frailty. Genetic risk factors exerted their expected effect on risk of dementia in study participants who were healthy, but genes were progressively less important in study participants who were the most frail. In those frail study participants, risk of dementia was high regardless of their genes.
Even in those at the highest genetic risk of dementia, the researchers found that risk was lowest in people who were fit, and highest in people who were in poor health, which was measured as a high degree of frailty. However, the combination of high genetic risk and high frailty was found to be particularly detrimental, with participants at six times greater risk of dementia than participants without either risk factor.
Compared with study participants with a low degree of frailty, risk of dementia was more than 2.5 times higher (268 per cent) among study participants who had a high degree of frailtyeven after controlling for numerous genetic determinants of dementia.
The research identified pathways to reducing dementia risk. Study participants who reported more engagement in healthy lifestyle behaviors were less likely to develop dementia, partly because they had a lower degree of frailty.
"The risk of dementia reflects genetic, neuropathological, lifestyle, and general health factors that in turn give rise to a range of abnormalities in the brain," says Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, a Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Neurology and the Kathryn Allen Weldon Professor of Alzheimer Research at Dalhousie University, and the Senior Medical Director of the newly formed Frailty and Elder Care Network at Nova Scotia Health. "Our study is an important step forward on the role of frailty, which appears to have a unique and potentially modifiable pathway in influencing dementia risk. That's an incredibly exciting prospect that we must urgently explore to potentially benefit the growing number of people worldwide affected by dementia.
Co-author Dr. Janice Ranson, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "These findings have extremely positive implications, showing it's not the case that dementia is inevitable, even if you're at a genetic high risk. We can take meaningful action to reduce our risk; tackling frailty could be an effective strategy to maintaining brain health, as well as helping people stay mobile and independent for longer in later life."
The paper is entitled, "Frailty, lifestyle, genetics and dementia risk," and is published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
Explore further Biopsychosocial frailty measure predicts risk for dementia
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The number of daily COVID-19 cases in France is set to exceed 100,000 by the end of December due to the faster-spreading Omicron variant, Health Minister Olivier Veran said Wednesday.
"This is what the modelling is showing," he told BFM-TV in an interview, also announcing that France would from Wednesday open vaccinations to five- to 11-year-olds for the first time.
France recorded almost 73,000 new infections on Tuesday, with an average of over 54,000 over the last seven days. But officials fear that the emergence of Omicron has changed the nature of the pandemic.
Veran said that Omicron cases accounted for 20 percent of new infections in France but up to 35 percent in the Paris region.
He said the variant was expected to account for the majority of new cases between Christmas and the New Year.
"There is one certainty. Omicron is very contagious, it will spread, and no country will be spared," said Veran, emphasising that vaccines did have an effect on the variant.
President Emmanuel Macron is keeping a close eye on the spread of Omicron, with his handling of the pandemic set to be a crucial issue in 2022 presidential elections.
Unlike some European neighbours like the Netherlands, France has not re-imposed tough restrictions ahead of Christmas to slow its spread.
But the country has one of the strictest health pass systems in Europe, with proof of full vaccination, recovery or a recent test needed to enter catering and cultural establishments.
The government is now introducing legislation to tighten this further to transform the health pass into a vaccine pass, meaning it will only be valid with a full course of vaccination and not through testing or recovery.
Macron meanwhile promised that next year's presidential election would take place regardless of COVID.
He told Wednesday's cabinet meeting "very clearly" that "this country's elections dates will be kept", government spokesman Gabriel Attal told reporters.
Any suggestion to postpone the presidential vote in April was "neither on the table, nor under the table and not even in the cupboard next to the table", Attal said.
Explore further First Omicron case confirmed on French mainland
2021 AFP
Already exhausted Belgian health workers face a fifth wave of coronavirus cases.
France started vaccinating children over five and China plunged a city into a strict lockdown Wednesday as governments scrambled to contain fresh virus surges driven by the Omicron variant.
The UK approved Pfizer's jab for children aged five and up, while the World Health Organization warned that getting booster shots did not mean tossing aside safety measures at end-of-year celebrations.
The threat of the highly mutated Omicron variant is looming large over the end-of-year holidays, pushing many governments to roll out new restrictions and urge citizens to get vaccinated.
The latest data suggest Omicron does not cause more severe illness than previous variants, including Delta, but as soaring infection numbers threaten to overwhelm health systems, scientists warn it could still cause more deaths.
France on Wednesday opened vaccinations to children aged between five and 11, as it warned daily infections rates could hit 100,000 by the end of the year, up from a weekly average of 54,000 daily cases.
"There is one certainty," said Health Minister Olivier Veran. "Omicron is very contagious, it will spread, and no country will be spared." But vaccines did have an effect on the variant, he stressed.
There are fears the Omicron variant is more resistant to existing vaccines.
Record surge in UK cases
The UK is also seeing an alarming rise in new cases, on Wednesday recording another record for daily new cases, with 106,122.
The government approved Pfizer's COVID jab for children aged five to 11, announced it would buy millions of COVID pills, and cut the isolation period for infected people from 10 to seven days with negative tests.
It also signed deals to acquire 4.25 million courses of Pfizer's ritonavir and US rival Merck/MSD's molnupiravir antiviral drugs, which have raised hope for an easy at-home treatment.
Finland revealed plans to expand its vaccination programme to children aged between five and 12, a day after announcing bars must close at 9:00 pm on Christmas Eve to fight record COVID infection levels.
But in China, only 52 new reported infections were enough for authorities to impose a stringent lockdown on more than 13 million people in the northern city of Xi'an.
China is pursuing a rigorous zero-Covid policy before next year's Winter Olympics in Beijing.
From midnight on Thursday, residents must stay at home except to buy necessities once every two days or in emergencies. Travel to and from Xi'an is heavily monitored by health authorities and non-essential businesses will close.
The move comes as China pursues its rigorous zero-COVID policy before next year's Winter Olympics in Beijing and is reminiscent of the world's first pandemic lockdown in the central city of Wuhan in January 2020.
Europe tightens restrictions
Belgium has announced cinemas, concert halls and other entertainment venues will have to close from the weekend as three in 10 COVID cases are now Omicron.
Spain's government said Wednesday it will re-impose the mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors at an unspecified future date.
While in France an expert warned that the variant and any new rules could throw into doubt the staging of political rallies ahead of next year's presidential elections.
One week of new Covid-19 cases.
The all-too-familiar restrictions threatened festivities across the world, even as governments speedily rolled out booster campaigns.
But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Wednesday: "No country can boost its way out of the pandemic."
Third doses did not mean a carte blanche for celebrationsand could actually exacerbate vaccine inequity, he added.
"Blanket booster programmes are likely to prolong the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than ending it, by diverting supply to countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage, giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mutate."
Nigeria destroys vaccine doses
As some poorer countries struggle to get initial vaccine campaigns off the ground, Israel said citizens over the age of 60 and medical teams would be eligible for a fourth COVID vaccine shot.
Scientists warn Omicron could cause more excess mortality if soaring infection numbers overwhelm health systems.
"The world will follow in our footsteps," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tweeted.
Across Africa, countries are lagging behind Western nations in getting populations inoculated as the continent faces fresh surges of it own.
But in Nigeria, around a million AstraZeneca COVID doses donated by developed countries were destroyed Wednesday after they expired.
"When these vaccines were offered to us, we knew that they had a short shelf-life," said Faisal Shuaib of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
"But we were living in an environment where the supply of COVID-19 vaccines was very scarce," he added, blaming rich countries for hoarding the jabs and donating them only when they had almost expired.
Explore further Biden says US 'prepared' for Omicron as Israel calls for 4th shots
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French Health Minister Olivier Veran said Wednesday that omicron infections are spreading fast and that the coronavirus variant will become the dominant infection in the last days of 2021.
Speaking to BFMTV, Veran ruled out additional restrictions on public life and said the government's main effort to stop the spread of the virus is a robust vaccination campaign, including vaccination of children aged 5-11 that started on Wednesday.
"It's time to start vaccinating children," Veran told the morning news program on BFMTV after 350 vaccination centers opened around the country to start administering shots to young children. Children need the consent of one parent to be vaccinated, and one parent has to be present when they get a shot.
More than a thousand in every 100,000 children aged 6-10 are infected with coronavirus, according to government figures that were last updated Dec. 6.
Currently, 145 children are hospitalized in France for severe illness due to COVID-19 and 27 children are receiving medical treatment in intensive care units, the heath minister said. He did not give the ages of the children.
Among the general population, the "very contagious" virus is spreading fast, Veran said, warning that the omicron variant could start dominating infections as early as next week.
In the past 24 hours, France registered 72,832 new cases. Omicron amounts for 20% of all registered cases, the health minister said. France currently has 16,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 60% of the country's ICU beds are occupied by virus patients.
As infections soar, the government is trying to push through a law requiring vaccination to enter any restaurant and many other public places. The health minister said on Wednesday that authorities are considering enforcing identity card checks along with the vaccine passes because of large number of forged health passesover 100,000, according to media reportsdiscovered over the past weeks.
The French government wants a law passed by Jan. 15 requiring vaccination to enter restaurants and many public venues. Currently a "health pass" is required to enter all such spaces in France, but people can get the pass with either a vaccination certificate, a negative virus test or proof of recent recovery from COVID-19.
The government on Tuesday dropped efforts to require a health pass for all workplaces, however, amid opposition from unions and employers.
In a radio interview on Wednesday, Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne asked companies and businesses to enable employees to work remotely wherever possible for at least three if not four days a week.
Ahead of the holiday season, France has shut down nightclubs and banned New Year's Eve fireworks and other mass end-of-year celebrations, including concerts.
"It's an evening sacrificed for a good cause," the health minister said.
Explore further France seeks to avoid a lockdown with tougher vaccine rules
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A pediatrician administrates a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Dimitri Marck, 8 , at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccinodrome west of Paris, then walked proudly away with a "vaccination diploma" as France kicked off mass vaccinations of children age 5 to 11. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler
Frenc schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccine center west of Paris on Wednesdaythen walked excitedly away with a decorated "vaccination diploma," as France kicked off mass COVID-19 inoculations for children age 5 to 11.
It's not a moment too soon for the French government, which is facing the highest recorded infection rates since the pandemic began but trying to avoid a new lockdown.
The health minister said Wednesday that the swift-spreading omicron variant is expected to be dominant in France by next week, but ruled out additional restrictions on public life for now. Officials are hoping that a surge in vaccinations will be enough to limit the mounting pressure on hospitals, where COVID-19 patients occupy more than 60% of beds.
At a "vaccinodrome" in the Paris suburb of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, children lined up for first-day jabs Wednesday wearing masks adorned with puppies, flowers or Marvel superheros.
One worked out his nerves by rolling his toy car on any surface he could find. Another played games on his mom's phone. Eight-year-old Alvin Yin cried, while his 9-year-old sister Noemie tried to comfort him.
Dimitri Marck, 8, admitted, "It's a little weird. I heard about this on TV, and now I'm here." But he said he's glad to get vaccinated so he can see grandparents for the holidays.
A medical staff hands over a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children to her colleague at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccinodrome west of Paris, then walked proudly away with a "vaccination diploma" as France kicked off mass vaccinations of children age 5 to 11. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler
France started vaccinating 5- to 11-year-olds with health risks earlier this month and expanded it to all children in that age group Wednesday as part of accelerated vaccination efforts. Children need the consent of at least one parent, and one parent has to be present when they get a shot.
As of early December, more than 1,000 in every 100,000 children in France aged 6-10 were infected with coronavirus, according to government figures. Currently, 145 children are hospitalized for severe illness due to COVID-19 and 27 children are receiving medical treatment in intensive care units, Health Minister Olivier Veran said Wednesday on BFM television.
France registered 72,832 new cases Tuesday and has 16,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19, among the highest numbers in Europe.
In a radio interview Wednesday, Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne asked companies to let employees work remotely wherever possible for at least three if not four days a week. French businesses largely returned to in-person work in 2020.
Hugo Chappaz, 9, displays his vaccination diploma at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccinodrome west of Paris, then walked proudly away with a "vaccination diploma" as France kicked off mass vaccinations of children age 5 to 11. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler
France has shut down nightclubs and banned New Year's Eve fireworks and other mass end-of-year celebrations, including concerts.
"It's an evening sacrificed for a good cause," Veran said.
But his main message was to urge more vaccination. More than 89% of people 12 and over in France have had two doses, and about a third have had a booster shot.
Hugo, 8, was the last member of his family to get the shot and felt left out. His father, Benoit Chappaz, said they got him vaccinated "not because the government wants us to," but for their family's peace of mind and for general public health.
Nearby, American-born Evan, 7, squirmed in his chair. His great-uncle died with COVID-19, and his family knows several people who have been hospitalized with the virus.
Asked how he would face the injection, he said, "I'm going to scream. And then maybe if Mommy agrees, I can get an ice cream or something sweet, because I got a vaccine."
Hugo Chappaz, 9, left, waits with his father Benoit Chappaz, right, and his mother >> Julie Roret to be vaccinated at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccinodrome west of Paris, then walked proudly away with a "vaccination diploma" as France kicked off mass vaccinations of children age 5 to 11. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler
General view of vaccination center at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccinodrome west of Paris, then walked proudly away with a "vaccination diploma" as France kicked off mass vaccinations of children age 5 to 11. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler
A pediatrician administrates a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Hugo Chappaz, 9, at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccinodrome west of Paris, then walked proudly away with a "vaccination diploma" as France kicked off mass vaccinations of children age 5 to 11. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler
Dimitri Marck, 8, center, waits with his father Matthieu Marck at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccinodrome west of Paris, then walked proudly away with a "vaccination diploma" as France kicked off mass vaccinations of children age 5 to 11. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler
Medical staffs prepare syringes with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Schoolchildren clung nervously to their parents as they entered a vast vaccinodrome west of Paris, then walked proudly away with a "vaccination diploma" as France kicked off mass vaccinations of children age 5 to 11. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler
As the doctor glided the needle into his arm, Evan didn't scream. Instead, he wrapped himself around his mother and buried his head in her jacket.
Then as he left, he proudly held up his "diplome de vaccination."
Explore further France makes vaccination push as omicron's domination looms
2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: U.S. Department of State
While we have much to learn about omicron, the new coronavirus variant, two things are certain: Vaccinations will provide some level of protection, and until the majority of the world's population is vaccinated, we may continue to see new variants.
Anna Durbin, director of the Center for Immunization Research, and William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center, recently spoke with Stephanie Desmon, host of the Public Health On Call podcast, about what may lie ahead when it comes to viral mutations of SARS-CoV-2, how to address ongoing challenges of global vaccine distribution, and the importance of sharing vaccine technology to help curb future pandemics. Read their edited conversation below.
We are just hearing about the omicron variant. What do we know about vaccines and this new variant, which has many mutations?
Anna Durbin: We know that the variant has multiple mutations, but I do want to stress that it is still the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. So although there are many mutations, there are so many parts of the protein that are the same that are contained in the vaccine. I'm predicting that antibodies don't neutralize or kill the virus as well as it might [kill] the original strain, but people will have what we call 'memory' because they've been vaccinated. A person's immune response will recognize parts of the omicron virus, and that will provide some protectionwe just don't know how much. We're still waiting for data to come in to see how severe omicron infections are in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people and just how transmissible it [the variant] is.
What we're hearing is that we should all run out and get boosters now that omicron is here. How do you feel about that?
William Moss: We don't know how long the protection from a booster will last, but I think it's a reasonable suggestion in the absence of real evidence, and we're going to have some of that evidence in the coming weeks.
The biggest threat right now in the U.S. is the delta variant. We're still seeing 80,000 cases a day, and 800 or so deaths a day. So booster doses may play a role in helping at least reduce those somewhat as well.
As we move toward 2022, the number of people who are vaccinated in Africa is very low. Where does that leave us and what might we see going forward?
AD: I think that's everybody's concern. Until we get the world vaccinated, we're going to continue to see new variants arise. Globally, we need to do a much better job in getting these highly effective vaccines and these vaccine technologies to parts of the world so that they can produce the vaccine and deliver it to their own population. Just like here in the United States, there's a lot of misinformation and disinformation and vaccine hesitancy in other parts of the world. We have to work on that globally to ensure that when vaccines are available, they will be used.
How does a lack of vaccination contribute to more variants?
WM: It's simple. The more opportunities this virus has to be transmitted, the more opportunities we're giving it to develop a mutation. All virusesand this virus in particularare mutating all the time. Most mutations are actually not helpful to the virus and are dead-end mutations. But a mutation or a combination of mutations can result in making the virus more transmissible and make the virus evade our immune response.
Those are advantageous mutations to the virus, and those are the ones that are then going to persist as virus transmission goes forward. As long as there are susceptible individuals and we're providing the virus with opportunities to be transmitted, the virus will continue to mutate and potentially develop mutations that are harmful to us.
AD: The longer the virus can replicate or reproduce within a host, the more opportunity for mutations to occur.
That's a scary scenario. It sounds like this is going to get all of us.
WM: Well, no. The caveat is that there isn't an infinite variety of mutations that are going to be advantageous to the virusthere are evolutionary constraints on viral evolution. Through the spike protein, the virus needs to bind to our receptors on our cells in order to get into our cells and replicate. So there may be mutations [involving the spike protein] that may evade our immune system but that hinder the virus's ability to attach to our cellular receptors [and replicate]. Those mutations are not going to [perpetuate]. I would think that, at some point, the virus is going to hit an optimal combination of mutations and settle on that.
So this thing isn't ending anytime soon.
WM: It's not ending anytime soon, but there will be a slow down at some point. I think we will reach a truce.
Returning to the topic of Africa, we've discussed how there is very little vaccination being done there, as well as in parts of Asia. Talk to me about why there's a shortage of vaccination. Are there poor distribution methods? Are wealthy countries hoarding?
AD: It's a little bit of everything, but the largest driving factor is that the vaccines just aren't available. The highly effective mRNA vaccines, even some of the adenovirus-vectored vaccines, aren't being provided in large enough numbers to these countries.
To be frank, I think both Pfizer and Moderna are really focusing on selling these vaccines to higher-income countries instead of providing them at very low cost to low- and middle-income countries who really need them. There are some inactivated vaccines that are being provided, however, those have been shown to be much less effective and have a much shorter duration of effectiveness than the mRNA vaccines and the adenovector vaccines. Distribution is a problem, however, as they've improved the stability of these vaccines and the storage conditions, those concerns have been lessened.
There is also a lot of vaccine hesitancy, just as there's misinformation here in the U.S. and it's not unique to COVID vaccines. There have been issues of misinformation and disinformation around polio vaccines in Africa. It's multifactorial, but I think we really need regional production facilities for vaccines for situations like this pandemic. Until we get the world vaccinated, we're going to continue to see the emergence of new variants.
WM: I like to refer to the four d's when thinking about what makes a successful vaccination campaign: doses, delivery, demand, and data.
You need to have the doses available. This is especially a problem in sub-Saharan Africa, with the delays of COVAX getting vaccines to the low-income countries. Countries need to have the supply chains and the personnel to be able to deliver these vaccines, and that can be a challenge in some resource-limited settings. Having the demandmisinformation and disinformation need to be addressed. Lastly, good data is necessary to be able to track who's being vaccinated, particularly with a multi-dose vaccine. At a national level, a country needs to be able to track whether you're reaching the vulnerable populations or the target populations that you want to.
How can we make sure that happens?
AD: It's going to require continued efforts, such as campaigning. There's a lot of resistance, particularly from these large vaccine manufacturers to share their technology, and that's a mistake.
Moving forward, I think there will continue to be investigations into this pandemic [asking] what could we do better? As public health practitioners and public health officials, I think it is incumbent upon us to continue to raise this issue. How do we ensure there's equitable access and distribution of vaccines globally? It doesn't just benefit countries in Africa and Asia; it benefits everyone in the world because we need to stop the virus everywhere.
WM: There needs to be longer-term investment in building the capacity for vaccine manufacturing and distribution in all regions of the world so that they're not dependent on the high-income countries outside the region.
We're seeing in some places that the rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths are higher than ever, even though we have a vaccine that is very effective. Why is this happening?
WM: There are a number of factors that contribute to that, but there is still a large proportion of people here in the United Statesand around the worldof people who are unvaccinated. I would say the number one thing is to raise vaccination coverage. Some countries are doing quite well on that, but most of the world is still lagging, and we're certainly still lagging here in the United States.
We can also prevent transmission of any SARS-CoV-2 variant, no matter how many mutations it has, by wearing masks and distancing. Lockdowns, closing schools and workplaces, and travel restrictions have huge economic and social costs, but I think even with just the basic public health measures that we can take, we can help control virus transmission.
AD: I could not agree with Bill more. I think where you're seeing it, particularly here in the U.S., is where you have pockets of unvaccinated people where it can spread. We know the delta variant, in particular, is highly transmissible and can grow to higher concentrations within unvaccinated hosts. We can only hope that omicron is not as effective in terms of its transmission and replication as delta, and I think only time will tell.
Explore further Experts discuss coronavirus variants
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By now, many are aware that the pandemic has affected lower-income groups the most within countries, including in Canada. But what most do not know is that income inequalitythe economic distance between higher and lower-income groups within individual countriesis also driving national COVID-19 infection and death rates.
The specific impacts are only just becoming clear. As researchers in economics and epidemiology, we are interested in how economic inequality has impacted COVID-19 outcomes. The pandemic has given researchers like us a unique opportunity to study the relationship between inequality and health across various countries.
Working independently to study the pre-vaccine phase of the pandemic, our teams approached the research question from different perspectives. We brought together economists who are concerned with the analysis and economic impact of income inequality, and epidemiologists who study how social factors influence health.
Taking into account pre-pandemic inequality and other structural variables, we found that higher income inequality was associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes within countries.
Studies show link between inequality and COVID-19
The first study, conducted by Edgardo Sepulveda of Ryerson University and Ann-Sylvia Brooker of the University Health Network in Toronto, an economics-epidemiology team, focused on 22 high-income countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental economic organization. Given that age is one of the most significant COVID-19 risk factors, their analysis broke the population into four age groups: 1544, 4564, 6579 and above 80 years. They accounted for economic and other known risk factors, such as national poverty and the number of residents in long-term care homes in each country.
They found that higher income inequality in a country was associated with more COVID-19 deaths across all age groups. There are a number of possible explanations for this association, such as a larger proportion of the population being more at risk. This may be due to higher exposure, more comorbidities or poorer access to treatment.
The second study, conducted by James Davies of Wester University, looked at COVID-19 severity in 127 high-, medium- and low-income countries. Taking into account a number of variables including national poverty, geography, the number of hospital beds and the level of democracy he found a strong association of COVID-19 cases, deaths and inequality.
For example, during the first wave of the pandemic, the U.S. had 60 percent more deaths and 150 percent more cases per capita than Canada. Davies estimates that one third of these gaps could be explained by higher U.S. inequality.
But Canada should not be smug. There are 20 OECD countries with lower inequality than Canada, meaning that there are 20 countries who are dealing with inequality better than Canada is. Davies' results suggest that if Canada's income inequality gap was smaller, it could have had 34 percent fewer COVID-19 cases in the first wave.
Inequality has widespread effects
Not only is inequality within countries socially and economically undesirable and politically corrosive, but it is also wasteful. Reducing inequality can increase the overall welfare in society. While it's true that too much redistribution can potentially reduce the size of any future "economic pie," it is unlikely that Canada, and most other OECD countries, are close to reaching that point.
It's clear that inequality has a negative effect on health, and has worsened the severity of the ongoing pandemic. Lower-income groups within OECD countries, including in Canada, tend to have lower vaccination rates.
Towards more economic equality
Looking only at the United States for comparison, some Canadians may think that ours is a relatively equal society, but it is not. We are just the middle of the packwe can and should do better.
If Canada is truly interested in achieving greater equality, we need to focus on the systems and policies that exacerbate inequality, to improve our pre-distribution policies and our redistributive effort. We can increase investments in people, enrich our social programs and have a fairer tax system where the rich contribute more.
If such measures are taken, we can expect that both economic performance and public health would improve, and that more Canadians would be in the same boat and paddling in the same direction.
Explore further States with highest income inequality experienced a larger number of COVID-19 deaths
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Twenty years ago, the Canadian province of Ontario launched an aggressive campaign to tackle stroke from every angle: It hyped prevention and awareness; beefed up its acute care practices and response times; and increased access to post-stroke rehabilitation.
It worked. Stroke rates fell 32 percent within a decade. But that wasn't all. Dementia rates also fellby about 7 percentconfirming what Dr. Vladimir Hachinski, a research pioneer in this field, already suspected: Preventing strokes helps prevent dementias.
Now, Canada is exploring how to apply this lesson nationwide. And Hachinski, the neuroscientist leading the effort, has an even bigger vision. He wants the whole world to focus not solely on stroke and dementia prevention but on any and everything that can go wrong with the brainand how to keep things going right.
"You need your brain to be healthy," Hachinski said. "There is no health without brain health."
The idea is starting to gain traction.
"The World Health Organization recognizes brain health as a major issue," said Dr. Victor Dzau, president of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and part of a loose coalition of leading medical experts pushing governments and research institutions to make it a global priority. "People are getting very excited about this."
"Every year, there are more strokes, more heart attacks, more dementias," said Hachinski, who helped form the World Brain Alliance, a coalition of nine of the world's largest brain-focused organizations. "The more we can delay or prevent this, the better we are able to cope because, otherwise, all health care systems around the world will be overwhelmed."
Along with Dzau and others, Hachinski raised the issues in October at the G20 Summit, an intergovernmental forum of the world's 20 largest economies. They plan to do so again at the G7 meeting in June in Germany.
Brain health "doesn't get the attention it deserves, given the magnitude of the problem," Dzau said. Neurological disorders are a leading cause of disability and death worldwide.
Dzau co-chairs the Healthy Brains Global Initiative, which seeks to raise $10 billion over the next 30 years to transform what he considers a fragmented and underfunded "research ecosystem" into a collaborative, interdisciplinary model focused on better brain health over the lifespan.
"Whether we're talking about Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia, you have to understand how the brain works and when it becomes dysfunctional and why," Dzau said. "Brain health is the overarching umbrella."
At the center of this movement is the connection between healthy brains and healthy bodiesnow firmly established by decades of research, particularly around the link between heart and brain health. Heart disease and stroke share many of the same risk factors as dementia, such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar and a lack of physical activity. Research also shows good psychological health can improve cardiovascular health, while poor mental health can harm it.
Dzau, a cardiologist, and Hachinski, a neurologist, want the world to stop thinking of brain health in terms of individual disorders that develop later in life and start thinking about how to promote good brain health from birth onward.
"The dementia people look at one thing and stroke looks at another and nobody looks at the big picture," said Hachinski, who helped develop a new definition of brain health that goes beyond disease or its absence to encompass neurological health, mental health and physical well-being and how the three interact.
Currently, most research focuses on the diseased brain, rather than ways to preserve and promote optimal brain health, Hachinski and others wrote in an August 2021 paper in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. The authors call for transdisciplinary collaboration among the world's neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, neurobehavioral and social behavioral scientists, policymakers and others. One priority, they say, should be to find out why some countries have successfully reduced stroke and dementia cases while others have not, and to apply those lessons globally.
The Canadian-led Dementia Prevention Brain Health Initiative is a first step in that direction. It will map regions of good and poor brain health, dementia, stroke and heart disease by tracking population, environmental, socioeconomic and individual risk factors, along with factors that protect brain health. And it won't stop at Canada's borders. The effort involves researchers from the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand to identify cost-effective ways of reducing dementia.
Meanwhile, the Healthy Brains Global Initiative will begin its work with a focus on anxiety and depression in people under the age of 30, based on research showing three-fourths of mental health problems and neurological disorders take root in adolescence and young adulthood.
But that's just the beginning, said Dzau, who said he sees "a huge need for more impactful research. We need breakthroughs and studies that look at community implementation of solutions."
Both the researchand its implementationalso need to be more equitable and inclusive, he said. "Small clinical trials in white populations are insufficient. We have to build more diverse, living cohorts globally. At least, that's the vision of what we're trying to do."
Even when nations have the knowledge and technology to improve brain health, translating those into positive outcomes equitably can be a problem, he said. It's either because countries have too little money to do so, or they have poorly structured health systems that can't get the job done. The United States is a case in point, he said.
"We are pioneers in technology and science and research," Dzau said, "but when it comes to implementation, because our system is so fragmented, it is more challenging."
For example, despite big increases in the use of potentially lifesaving stroke treatments, studies show Black and low-income adults are less likely to receive them. And Black men in the U.S. are 70 percent more likely to die following a stroke than their white counterparts.
Fixing problems like these on a global scale are what this movement is about, said Dzau. But it won't happen overnight. "We don't have the solutions yet, but we do have the ambition."
Explore further Keeping your brain sharp isn't about working more puzzles
More information: Abolfazl Avan et al, Brain health: Key to health, productivity, and wellbeing, Alzheimer's & Dementia (2021). Abolfazl Avan et al, Brain health: Key to health, productivity, and wellbeing,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/alz.12478
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With the COVID-19 omicron variant spreading quickly across the country, the chief of infection prevention at one of Michigan's largest hospital systems urged state residents to consider the vulnerable among us over the holidays.
"I'm not going to tell you not to have your holiday gatheringsinstead I'm going to tell you to do your gatherings as safe as possible," Beaumont Health's Dr. Nick Gilpin told reporters Tuesday.
His suggestions: masking, social distancing, frequent hand-washing, stay home if you're sick, consider getting tested before traveling. And this:
"We need to think around the holidays about the people in our lives who are the most vulnerable and we should plan our holiday gatherings and get-togethers based on who those vulnerable individuals might be, plan your activities around that person," Gilpin said.
"I certainly want to bring a message of hope at this time of year," Gilpin said.
But he also delivered the bad news too:
The country is experiencing an extraordinary number of COVID-19 cases, and the number is climbing, Gilpin said.
"So things are certainly going in the wrong direction from a nationwide perspective," Gilpin said. "Statewide we are a little bit more stable."
Nevertheless, local numbers suggest there is still widespread transmission of COVID in the community, Gilpin said. Beaumont Health has approximately 580 patients in its eight hospitals, and while that number also is stable over the last few days there is still "a very significant amount of COVID within our health care system."
Gilpin said 23% of Beaumont's hospitalized patients are vaccinated, meaning the other 77% have not been vaccinated.
Based on recent data from most Michigan health systems, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association found that three out of four COVID patients are unvaccinated, 76%. Meanwhile, 87% of COVID patients in intensive care were unvaccinated and 88% of COVID ventilator patients were unvaccinated, according to a Dec. 2 news release from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
"The data is clear: If you are unvaccinated, you are risking hospitalization or death," said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. "We have a safe and effective vaccine that is quite literally saving lives. Michigan residents absolutely need to get vaccinated to keep their loved ones safe this holiday."
Vaccinated patients who are hospitalized tend to be older adults, immune-compromised, or were vaccinated early on and may not have been boosted. "We know there's a tendency for vaccine protection to wane over time," Gilpin said.
"We're all getting pretty sick and tired of COVID," Gilpin said. And while some people may be done with COVID, he said, "it's pretty clear that COVID is not done with us just yet."
So the best protection, he said, "is to make sure you're getting vaccinated ... now is the time to get boosted. Especially as we're coming into the holiday season."
Explore further Switzerland targets unvaccinated with new COVID curbs
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Teachers from the Earth School speak out on issues related to lack of COVID testing outside of P.S. 64 on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Kathryn Malara, a Brooklyn teacher, lingered on a street Tuesday, filled with dread about going to her job.
"I'm sitting in my car terrified to walk into school," she wrote on Twitter just before taking a deep breath and heading to her classroom. "Cases exploding. People I really care about are sick & frightened."
The quick spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has stirred another angst-ridden reckoning about whether in-person schooling is worth the risk. Malara and other teachers worry about endangering their health by entering crowded schools. Frustrated parents wonder how to keep their children safe and whether campuses could become superspreader sites.
"It's creeping back up again, and I don't like this. I'm worried. Lives are at stake herenot just my son's life," said Starita Ansari, a public school parent in Manhattan who is keeping her 10th grader home after being rattled by the latest COVID-19 infections at his school.
Scientists say omicron spreads more easily than other coronavirus strains, including delta, though many details about it remain unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. But even if it is milder, the new variant could still upend schooling and overwhelm health systems because of the sheer number of infections.
Student teachers from the Earth School hold signs encouraging those in leadership positions provide universal testing to their students and faculty on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said schools can remain safe when proper protocols are followed, including observing safe distancing, wearing masks and getting vaccinated.
"Detection of cases in schools does not necessarily mean that transmission occurred in schools," the CDC said.
On Monday, a fifth of New York City's public school students skipped in-person classes, an indication of the anxiety spawned by the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in New York state, which in recent days has broken infection records.
"Parents are voting with their feet, and many of them don't feel that the current protocols are actually keeping their families safe. And a lot them don't think they're being given enough information about what's happening to allow them to make choices for their families," said Jennifer Jennings, a Princeton University researcher focused partly focused on the intersection of education and health care policy.
Ms. Kaiser, a teacher from the Earth school, holds a sign in solidarity with other teachers who are speaking out on issues related to lack of COVID testing for students on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Most schools across the country are keeping classrooms open, despite the new threat from omicron, but some school districts have moved to limit in-person instruction as a precaution.
On Friday, one of the largest school districts on the East Coast, the Prince George's County district in Maryland, just outside Washington, said it would cancel in-person instruction in favor of virtual classes because of rising COVID-19 cases at its campuses.
Schools in Mount Vernon, New York, and elsewhere also reverted back to virtual instruction.
"There is great concern because we had been doing so well," said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators.
"Just about a month ago, we had about 98 percent of the students in this country attending school in person, and omicron has brought about just a huge reversal in that process. And all of a sudden we're seeing infection rates skyrocket," he said, "It's affecting children much more than previous variants, so children are getting sick. Staff is getting sick, and it's just a spread that's alarming."
Jia Lee, right, a 4th and 5th grade teacher, leads a meeting for teachers from the Earth school to speak out on issues related to lack of COVID testing on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Boston school officials have not announced whether children will have to return to virtual classesan unwelcome prospect for Alejandra Hung and his Boston family.
"We're going through this feeling of deja vu, but in reality things are better this time out," said Hung, who has two children in elementary school. "Remote learning took such a toll."
The availability of vaccines for children raised hopes that disruptions at school would be minimized. Public health officials now hope that concern about omicron will convince more parents to vaccinate their children.
That's been the case for Yahaira Lopez, who lives in a Boston suburb. She resisted vaccinating her twin 12-year-old sons, both of whom suffer from severe asthma. Even if she herself has been fully vaccinated and received a booster shot, she had doubts about the vaccines' safety for her children.
Students wearing masks board a school bus outside New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) school on the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
"But the numbers are increasing, and this virus is impacting a lot of students now, so I just want to be preventative and make sure nothing happens to them," Lopez said.
Her sons have appointments to get their first shots this week.
As of Thursday, nearly 7.4 million children in the United States have been infected since the start of the pandemic, representing 17.3% of all cases, according to data gathered by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association.
Of those cases, almost 170,000 cases were reported over the last seven days of the tally.
The CDC has said that the extent to which children suffer long-term consequences of COVID-19 is still unknown. But it noted in a report last week that a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic children suffer much more severe symptoms, including hospitalization that leads to admission to intensive care.
Students wearing masks leave the New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) school in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Pedestrians cross Houston Street as students wearing masks leave the New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) school in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Parents pick up their children while wearing masks outside of P.S. 64 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Pedestrians cross Houston Street as students wearing masks leave the New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) school in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Students wear face masks while leaving school near Houston street on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Parents pick up their children while wearing masks outside of P.S. 64 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
A sign encouraging people to wear masks when picking up their children is posted outside M363 The Neighborhood school in the East Village of Manhattan, on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
Back in New York, Liz Rosenberg decided to keep her two children, 17 and 11, home from the final days of school before the holidays. It was still unclear if they would return to the classroom when in-person instruction reconvenes in the new year.
"The messaging that we're basically getting from lots of places right now is that getting COVID is inevitable," Rosenberg said. "And I just can't participate in that. Why would I send my kids to school knowing that that in their own buildings, cases have risen quite a bit?"
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vowed to keep schools open. She said the state would provide 2 million test kits to schools, which would then distribute the tests to children to take home.
"We believe that it's critically important that our children not end up in that same situation they were for so many months, when they were so displaced from their normal environment," Hochul said Monday.
2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The high generalization ability of the new neurofeedback (NF) aptitude prediction model developed by scientists from NAIST Japan offers a quick, simple and non-invasive method to screen candidates in clinical settings for whom fMRI-NF training would be most beneficial. Credit: Nara Institute of Science and Technology
Advancements in medical science have allowed the treatment of psychiatric disorders like major depressive disorder (MDD) with functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (fMRI-NF) training. fMRI-NF training is a type of treatment that provides a non-invasive way to control and reinforce brain functions in patients with mental disorders through the use of real-time fMRI monitoring. However, the effectiveness of the treatment is not universalit is influenced by a parameter called neurofeedback (NF) aptitude.
NF aptitude refers to an individual's capacity to respond to NF training by displaying changes in brain activity. But NF aptitude varies from individual to individual. Thus, predicting a patient's NF aptitude becomes important not only for the success of fMRI-NF training, but also to reduce the physical and economic burden on the patient and healthcare system. Thus far, NF aptitude prediction models have focused on specific target regions in the brain, where the NF training was focused. Now, in a new study published in NeuroImage, a group of Japanese scientists, led by Junichiro Yoshimoto from Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, have successfully developed a mathematical model for the prediction of NF aptitude with a high generalization ability.
Speaking about their research, Yoshimoto says, "We applied machine learning, which is an offshoot of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, on data obtained from heathy individuals and patients with major depressive disorder to successfully develop a mathematical model that can predict individual fMRI-NF training aptitude, based on their pre-recorded brain activity at the resting state."
To arrive at the model, the scientists first studied fMRI images of healthy patients and patients with MDD before fMRI-NF training. They then used these images to calculate the resting state functional connectivity (FC), which describes the correlated or anti-correlated activities in different areas of the brain. They then applied a technique called 'partial least squares regression' (PLS) to transform the FC patterns into participants' NF aptitude. Furthermore, they determined which FCs were most effective for predicting NF aptitude.
They found that the PLS model could be generalized to the independent dataset from other institutes, i.e., it could successfully predict the NF aptitude of individuals based solely on resting-state fMRI scanning. They also found that a part of the brain called the posterior cingulate cortex was the functional hub among the brain regions, suggesting that it plays a major role in NF aptitude. "We believe that our research will help fMRI-NF training become more popular as a non-invasive treatment with minimal side effects for patients with mental health disorders," concludes Yoshimoto.
Even though the study focused on MDD, the generalizability of the model developed in this study ensures that it can be applied to different neuropsychological disorders, providing hope to patients suffering from mental illnesses and neurological disorders.
Explore further Multiple concussions can disrupt brain connectivity in teens
More information: Takashi Nakano et al, Resting-state brain activity can predict target-independent aptitude in fMRI-neurofeedback training, NeuroImage (2021). Journal information: NeuroImage Takashi Nakano et al, Resting-state brain activity can predict target-independent aptitude in fMRI-neurofeedback training,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118733
Provided by Nara Institute of Science and Technology
Spencer Savitz gets tested for COVID-19 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. U.S. health officials are calling on Americans to get tested for COVID-19 before they travel and gather for the holidays. But what should you do if you test positive? Credit: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman
You've tested positive for COVID-19. Now what?
The short answer for those in the U.S.: Stay home and avoid others. Tell the people you've been in close contact with that you tested positive. And if you have trouble breathing or develop other serious symptoms, see a doctor immediately.
COVID-19 diagnoses have been soaring since the recent arrival of the omicron variant. That means Americans should prepare for the possibility that they or someone they plan to see will suddenly be diagnosed with an infection.
ISOLATION
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who test positive stay home or isolate for 10 days. If you live with other people, that means staying in a separate room and using a separate bathroom, if possible. You should also wear a mask if you come into contact with others.
It's important to plan for this possibility and be ready to delay holiday gatherings, "so you don't make it up on the fly and don't cause a lot of confusion and unhappiness," advised Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University.
MONITOR SYMPTOMS
You should get care if you develop worrisome symptoms. But there are many people with certain conditionsincluding heart diseases, diabetes and weakened immune systemswho should seek care even if they have mild illness, because of their elevated risk for developing serious complications.
TELL OTHERS
You should tell your doctor about your test, who may prescribe medications depending on your situation and health.
If you get tested at a clinic or doctor's office, the staff is supposed to notify health authorities about your positive result. Some health departments conduct contact-tracing investigations to identify the people an infected person has been in contact with.
You should also tell your close contacts that you tested positive and that they may have been exposed to the coronavirus. Remember, an infected person can begin spreading the virus as many as two days before developing symptoms or testing positive.
Explore further Contact tracing slows the spread of infectious diseases
2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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When health expert Thomas Russo spoke to USA TODAY in early October, the end of the pandemic seemed within reach.
"I look very much forward to the day, and I don't think we're far off. I think it'll be very early 2022 where most of this is behind us," Russo, chief of the University of Buffalo's division of infectious diseases, said at the time.
Since then, a new variant of concern has emerged and quickly taken over as the dominant coronavirus variant within the U.S. Cases are rising, countries across the globe are announcing new entry requirements and tourist hotspots are shutting down once again. After nearly two years into the pandemic, it almost feels like we're back to square one.
So does that mean you should cancel your upcoming trip for the holidays?
While some should consider pushing back their plans, health experts say there are ways to travel safely this holidays season.
"I'm not recommending everyone cancel their trip," said Keri Althoff, associate professor of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's epidemiology department. "(But) everyone must recognize that the risk has increased due to the new variant of SARS-CoV-2. That's what we need to be mindful of and walk through our decision-making process again."
Should I travel for Christmas?
Unlike last year, the federal government has not issued a warning against holiday travel. While officials warn that breakthrough cases are possible with omicron, vaccinations and masks can help protect travelers against infection and severe illness.
Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious diseases expert, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that holiday travel is possible if people are "prudent," even if it does carry an increased chance of infection. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Americans can safely celebrate the holidays with family and friends "if you and those you celebrate with are vaccinated, particularly if you've gotten your booster shot."
Health experts tend to agree that getting together with family and friends for the holidays is OK, and even good for mental wellbeing, if done right. Just know that gatherings may require extra precautions this year, such as testing, mask-wearing, vaccinations and booster shots.
"We understand that the mental health toll as we come into what would be the third year of this pandemic is very significant," Chris Beyrer, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told USA TODAY. "People need to get together with their loved ones. They just need to try and do that safely."
Althoff suggests travelers think through the risks before committing to their trip. Risks will drop for people who are vaccinated with booster shots and who gather with people who wear a mask properly in public.
"Your risk when you booked this trip is different now, so it's important to keep that in mind. Particularly if you're someone or you're traveling with somebody who has any risk factor that could lead to more severe illness," Althoff said. "It's just really important we add a few layers of protection right now."
Beyrer said travelers should take a coronavirus test before visiting others. While free at-home tests from the federal government won't be available until January, rapid antigen tests are as low as $14 for a pack of two at some retailers and can take less than 15 minutes to give results.
This can be an especially useful safeguard when visiting with someone who is immunocompromised or not yet eligible for boosters.
Beyrer and other experts also say it's best to keep any indoor gatherings small.
"This, I think, is going to be a part of how we're all going to manage the holidays," Beyrer said.
And while it may not be an easy decision, health experts say it might be wise for some to delay their trip.
"If people absolutely need to travel, they can still do so with all of the precautions," said Lee Riley, chair of the infectious diseases and vaccinology division at the University of California, Berkely's school of public health. "For air travel, unless you really have to have a family get-together or there's some sort of business trip, I probably would not. I would wait a bit until we learn more about the omicron."
Althoff agreed that pushing back the trip might be the best call in some circumstances.
"(There are travelers) getting together with family members they hadn't seen in two years who may be much older and thinking through how many more holidays they will have together," Althoff said. "(Others) have said, you know what, we're gonna stick closer to home and try for a spring trip."
What the holidays look like for health experts
Beyrer still plans to get together with family for the holidays this year, but only with people who are fully vaccinated with booster shots.
"We're having a boosted Christmas," he said. "(Then) we're having a small dinner party for New Year's Eve that I'm hosting, and everybody's boosted and we're keeping the numbers to 12. And we're not going dancing, which we used to do."
Riley canceled his usual year-end lab party with his students because of the omicron surge but plans to get together with less than a dozen people for Christmas.
"My wife is pregnant, so we have more of a concern and are being more careful," he said.
Althoff, who kept to outdoor vacation activities like beaches and hikes with her family when her children weren't yet eligible for the vaccine, said she had a small gathering with her family over Thanksgiving. She will not be getting together with family members again this year.
"We felt comfortable (getting together over Thanksgiving) given the fact that everybody else was vaccinated and boosted," she said Tuesday, noting that her kids had received their second dose shortly after the holiday. "But omicron has changed all that."
Russo, whose biggest trip in 2021 was a Hawaiian vacation that was focused on outdoor activities like patio dining, is also keeping the festivities low key. He has two children flying in from the West Coast, and while both are boosted, Russo acknowledged that there is a chance of breakthrough infection.
"Once we get to our house, we're going to probably not do much," he said. "We're not going to go out to indoor restaurants, obviously, with masks down indoors. ...We may consider going to a movie theater. But if we do, no popcorn, no drinks, masks up the whole time."
Is it safe to fly right now?
For those who are traveling for the holidays, Russo says traveling in a personal vehicle is safest. Airlines would be the next best option over other forms of public transportation like busses or trains, which don't have the same quality of air filtration.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most newer-model airplanes filter recycled air through HEPA filters, which capture 99.9% of particles, including larger viruses or virus clumps.
The federal mask mandate, which requires masks on planes in airports and on airplanes and other forms of public transportation through March 18, also helps reduce the risk of transmission.
But there are risks, even on a planeespecially with a number of passengers strongly opposed to masking up. Russo said there are ways travelers can take extra precautions.
If the plane hands out drinks or food to passengers, Russo suggests waiting at least 10 minutes to unmask and eat. This gives the other passengers more time to finish their food and mask up before your own mask comes off.
He also suggests eating and drinking strategically to minimize the amount of time the mask is off.
"If it's a short flight, I recommend just keeping your mask on the whole time," he said. "If it's a longer flight if you feel you have to go ahead and do that, what you can do is you can take that sip or bite and then sort of pop that mask back on while you're chewing."
Riley suggests looking at a destination's COVID transmission rates before flying there. The CDC's list of countries with "very high" COVID risk includes 88 countries as of Monday, including popular destinations like the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France, and there are destinations within the U.S. like New York that are experiencing their own COVID surge.
Domestic U.S. flights don't ask for a negative coronavirus testonly international flights into the country require a negative viral test no more than one day before travel. Riley said it may be a good idea to get tested regardless to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
"You have to be more careful," he said. "You also have to be vigilant about where you're going to, especially if your destination has people who may not have been fully vaccinated or who are immunosuppressed."
Explore further Can you safely enjoy the holidays? Experts offer COVID tips
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I taught teenagers economics for almost 40 years until my retirement a few years ago. When I started teaching in the 1970s, I used to refer to the last period on a Friday afternoon as the "graveyard slot." It was hard to get any work out of the students, who just wanted to go home for the weekend.
By the time I retired, things had changed. There were now five "graveyard slots" on the weekly timetable. They occurred daily, and all were the period before the mid-morning break. By this time, many pupils were hungryand challenging to teach.
After my teaching career, I began a Ph.D. I conducted a study of the breakfast habits of secondary school pupils in Northern Ireland. I found that a significant proportion of pupils were not eating an adequate breakfastand that there was a link between a lack of sleep and skipping breakfast.
Going without breakfast
My research was carried out during the summer term in 2021 and included almost 2,500 pupils from 18 secondary schools in Northern Ireland. The pupils varied in age from 11 to 16 years. I found that one in three pupils had nothing to eat or drink (other than water) before leaving home for school.
But because some pupils have breakfast during their journey to school, and others eat breakfast on arrival at school, it would be unreasonable to define any pupil who left home without eating breakfast as a "breakfast skipper." With this in mind, I defined a breakfast skipper as any pupil who did not consume at least 400 calories within four hours of getting up. This even allowed food at the mid-morning break to be counted as a late breakfast.
The NHS recommends that teenagers consume between 2,000 and around 3,000 calories a day (depending on age and gender), with about 400 calories for breakfast. There can be little doubt that fewer than 400 calories within four hours of waking is insufficient.
I found that 54% of pupils in my sample were having less than 400 calories within four hours of waking. In the case of girls in years nine to 11 (ages 13 to 16), the figure rose to 65%.
Breakfast helps to stave off hunger and reduces snacking on less healthy foods later in the day. Breakfast helps get the day off to a good start by providing some of the energy and nutrients the body needs for good healthsuch as starchy carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, calcium and iron.
The benefits of breakfast are not just limited to health. A recent study showed that habitual school-day breakfast consumption among adolescents is linked with better GCSE results, including in English and maths.
Not getting enough sleep
In addition to their breakfast habits, the students in my survey gave information about their usual bedtime and time of rising the following morning.
The average time between going to bed and getting up the following day was 8 hours 35 minutes, with only 30 minutes difference between the average for year seven and eight pupils (11 to 13 year olds) and year nine to 11 pupils (13 to 16 year olds).
Just 10% of the pupils who spent fewer than eight hours in bed had consumed at least 400 calories at home before leaving for school, and only one-third had consumed at least 400 calories within four hours of rising. When pupils spent more than nine hours a night in bed, these numbers rose. I found that 17% had at least 400 calories before heading off to school and 64% by four hours after getting up. This suggests a link between sleep and breakfast habits.
Of course, the best solution would be to persuade teenagers to go to bed earlier, spend more time in bed, and eat a hearty breakfast before leaving for school. However, a second bestand more realisticsolution is to accept that little can be done about bedtime, and serve the children a nutritious "grab-and-go" breakfast on arrival at school.
The Food and Research Action Center in Washington DC has conducted a lot of research on this topic. Their research shows that breakfast in the classroom results in increased standardized test scores, concentration, and fosters a sense of community.
Explore further Study examines which schoolchildren are most likely to skip breakfast
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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The UK government announced Wednesday it is buying millions of doses of new COVID treatment pills as the Omicron variant takes hold, while cutting the isolation period for positive cases.
The government said it has signed deals to buy 4.25 million courses of two new antiviral drugs: Pfizer's ritonavir and US rival Merck/MSD's molnupiravir, which will be available early next year.
This comes on top of government announcements in October of the procurement of several hundreds of thousands of doses, and was hailed as a "mammoth deal" by Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
Molnupiravir, sold as Lagevrio, is being used in a national trial run by the University of Oxford that people can join if they have virus symptoms.
The government said it is also being made available to those who are at high risk of severe illness, such as people with cancer.
The UK was the first country in the world to approve the pill in November this year.
Pfizer's pill, marketed as Paxlovid, has yet to be authorised anywhere in the world.
Pfizer said Tuesday that clinical trials showed it reduced hospital admissions and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90 percent, when taken a few days after symptoms began.
The government said it will be rolled out in the same way as molnupiravir "as quickly as possible" if the UK regulator approves it.
The UK has seen a surge in infections since Omicron became the dominant variant, with 90,629 cases reported Tuesday. The country is one of the hardest hit in Europe, with a death toll of 147,433.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resisted calls to impose stricter virus restrictions over Christmas in England, unlike the devolved governments in other UK nations.
From Wednesday, those who have caught the virus but feel well can come out of self-isolation after seven days instead of 10, potentially allowing more to join family celebrations.
This rule only applies to people who have taken two negative lateral flow tests, NHS England said.
At the same time, UK leaders were expected to announce fresh virus measures for the post-Christmas period.
Large New Year's Eve events have already been cancelled in London and Edinburgh.
Explore further Pfizer says COVID pill drastically reduces severe disease
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Mannitol, a natural sweetener, may help treat Parkinson's disease, yet was not being tested in clinical trials. The story of mannitol is one of many examples of "undone science": research questions unfunded or ignored for economic, political, or other reasons.
How can public pressure utilizing crowdsourcing, citizen science, and entrepreneurial activism help transform undone into "done" science? A new article in the journal BioSocieties, published by Drs. Shlomo Guzmen-Carmeli and David A. Rier, of Bar-Ilan University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology, chronicles the story of CliniCrowd, an Israeli company established to test the effectiveness of mannitol. A common and fairly inexpensive sweetener used by the food industry, and in hospitals to reduce intracranial pressure, mannitol was demonstrated a few years ago by a group of Tel Aviv University lab researchers as potentially effective in improving the condition of Parkinson's patients.
Mannitol, however, was not being evaluated in clinical trials on humans. As a natural substance found in many plants and algae, mannitol and its products cannot be patented. Moreover, the global market for existing Parkinson's drugs (most of which are symptomatic drugs with significant side effects) is already worth billions, with annual growth rates projected to rise sharply over the coming years. Therefore, pharmaceutical companies declined to test mannitol's value for treating Parkinson's. As such, mannitol was effectively an "orphan drug", one not tested or produced due to presumed unprofitability (due to the rarity of the associated disease, inability to patent, etc.).
The founder of CliniCrowd, an Israeli high-tech start-up entrepreneur and former senior security-services officer, didn't let this stop him. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's, he embarked on a mission to get undone science done by stimulating public discourse and pushing for mannitol to be placed on the research agenda. He recruited several additional key figures with similar backgrounds in high-tech entrepreneurship and elite military units. Their shared mentality dictated out-of-the-box thinking and nimble operations, and therefore, even though they expected little financial profit from their work, they operated CliniCrowd as a corporation, rather than a non-profit. Despite their mainly pragmatic motivations (unlike many citizen-scientists), they initially positioned CliniCrowd as resistance to cynical, greedy Big Pharma's disinterest in testing such potentially valuable (but non-lucrative) orphan drugs. Initially, they failed to gain much traction with physicians. However, a subsequent tactical decision to re-position mannitol as a nutritional supplement made it seem less threatening to entrenched actors, and physicians soon more easily embraced it.
CliniCrowd's efforts involved several stages. Most important was the launch of a crowd-sourced study of Parkinson's patients who agreed to take mannitol regularly for an extended period and report their results. This research produced preliminary data sufficient to generate public pressure and influence with which to attract scientists to conduct further clinical researchcurrently ongoingon mannitol for treating Parkinson's.
CliniCrowd's model features a pragmatic mind-set emphasizing speed, efficiency, and creativity. It is well-suited to address a particular kind of undone science, involving potential orphan drugs that, occurring naturally, cannot be patented. Numerous diseases, such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and cancers, might benefit from their approach. "There exist countless botanicals and other natural compounds that are effectively orphan drugs, hence appropriate candidates for this entrepreneurial, crowd-sourced approach to treatment activism," write the researchers. CliniCrowd has demonstrated that positioning itself as supplementing (not opposing) Big Pharma, via exploring nutritional supplements, can be an effective tactic, facilitating its core strategy of identifying potential compounds, and using crowd-source preliminary research to catalyze subsequent, more formal clinical trials. CliniCrowd thus shows the possibilities for change through creating knowledge, generating public pressure, and constructing alternative channels for medical clinical research.
Explore further Test used to diagnose asthma may not be accurate
More information: Shlomo Guzmen-Carmeli et al, Entrepreneurial treatment activism for undone science: mannitol and Parkinson's disease, BioSocieties (2021). Shlomo Guzmen-Carmeli et al, Entrepreneurial treatment activism for undone science: mannitol and Parkinson's disease,(2021). DOI: 10.1057/s41292-021-00258-0
Consultations between Foreign Ministries of Belarus and China
On December 22, 2021, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Mikalai Barysevich held inter-ministerial consultations with First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Le Yucheng.
The sides noted with satisfaction the special strategic nature of bilateral relations, the significant intensification of trade, economic, investment and interregional ties.
They also discussed topical issues on the Belarusian-Chinese agenda, further steps to intensify relations, as well as holding a number of upcoming events at high and highest levels.
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POLICE ARE still facing a blank wall on the fatal attack of a Basilan town mayor and the wounding of another in Zamboanga City.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) New Orleans is shortening parade routes for the upcoming Mardi Gras season because there are fewer police officers, medics and other first responders to handle the crowds, officials said Tuesday.
The city canceled Mardi Gras parades this past February because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2020 parade crowds are considered a big reason that New Orleans was an early pandemic hot spot.
The big news and the best news is that Mardi Gras is returning to the city of New Orleans and to the world in 2022, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
As city officials announced their Carnival plans, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday that he's again extended Louisiana's public health emergency, which was first enacted by the Democratic governor in March 2020.
He's modified it several times since then, and the latest version contains few restrictions for businesses and no statewide mask mandate.
But Edwards announced that agencies led by his cabinet secretaries will again start requiring employees and visitors to wear masks inside their offices, including at Office of Motor Vehicle locations around the state.
While vaccines and booster doses are the strongest tools we have in the fight against COVID, public health experts also agree that masks are an important way to slow the spread of the omicron variant now. This means you should be masking indoors around people who arent in your household, Edwards said in a statement.
The face covering recommendation comes as infectious disease experts say Louisiana appears to be entering its fifth surge of the coronavirus outbreak, driven by the fast-spreading omicron variant of the virus. The number of new cases of COVID-19 has doubled over the past week, and hospitalizations of patients with the coronavirus illness are starting to grow again.
That hasn't derailed Mardi Gras plans in New Orleans, however.
Weeks of Carnival season parades lead up to Fat Tuesday, which will be on March 1. Members of each parade krewe pay for that group's parade.
Some krewes have not decided whether to roll, but none has given pandemic guidelines, mandates or restrictions as the reason for their uncertainty, Cantrell said.
Clearly it's about the bottom line and the impacts COVID has had on our community and on our economy and particularly on their krewe members. ... They pay the price for us to enjoy our Mardi Gras, the mayor said.
She said krewes will have to follow city pandemic restrictions.
Cantrell noted that if things go wrong in our city she might have to change its plans for Carnival and Mardi Gras plans.
But she said she is confident the city can make it through the omicron variant, flu season and the holiday season.
With 80% of its residents fully vaccinated, New Orleans is a national leader, she said.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- They may have other proven health benefits, but new research shows that fish oil supplements don't prevent depression or improve mood.
Some experts recommend omega-3 fish oil supplements to help prevent depression in high-risk patients, but studies have yielded mixed results and there are no guidelines on using fish oil for that purpose in the general population.
To learn more, researchers studied over 18,000 depression-free adults, 50 and older, who took vitamin D and/or omega-3 supplements or placebos for between 5 and 7 years, on average.
The investigators found no evidence that omega-3 supplements warded off depression or boosted mood, according to the report published Dec. 21 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"There are still health reasons for some people, under the guidance of their health care providers, to take omega-3 fish oil supplements," said senior author Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, in Boston.
Manson noted that these supplements have increasingly been found to have benefits for heart health and treatment of inflammatory conditions, in addition to being used to manage existing depressive disorders in high-risk patients.
"However," she added, "our findings indicate there is no reason for adults without depression in the general population to take fish oil supplements solely for the purpose of preventing depression or for maintaining a positive mood."
The study was the largest clinical trial of its kind and represents a "significant step," according to lead author Dr. Olivia Okereke. She is director of geriatric psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
"It requires many thousands of people to conduct this type of study of preventing depression in adults something we call universal prevention and the participants were taking randomized study pills for between 5 to 7 years on average," Okereke pointed out in an MGH news release. "So, it is rare to see a long-term randomized trial of this kind."
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on depression.
SOURCE: Massachusetts General Hospital, news release, Dec. 21, 2021
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Fresh Express packaged salads have been linked to a listeria infection outbreak in eight U.S. states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.
The outbreak has caused 10 illnesses, one hospitalization and one death. It is under investigation by the FDA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health agencies.
The illnesses started on dates ranging from July 26, 2016 to Oct. 19, 2021 and have been reported in Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
"To date, a positive sample of Fresh Express Sweet Hearts salad mix has been reported to match the outbreak strain. Fresh Express has voluntarily recalled products and consumers are advised not to eat, sell or serve any recalled products. Our investigation is ongoing, and we will continue to communicate should additional products be implicated," Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, said in an agency news release.
The Fresh Express recall includes all Use-By Dates of packaged salads with product codes Z324 through Z350. Consumers, restaurants and retailers should not eat, sell or serve them, the FDA said.
A full list of recalled products is available on the agency's website.
Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces, so anyone who had the recalled salad products should be extremely thorough in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with the greens to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, according to the FDA.
Consumers who have symptoms of listeria infection (listeriosis) should contact their health care provider, the agency advised.
Most people with listeriosis develop a fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. But symptoms of more severe listeriosis may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Listeriosis can be fatal in the very young, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on listeria.
SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, Dec. 21, 2021
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Amid a surge in coronavirus hospitalizations in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced $100 million in emergency funding Tuesday to ramp up hospital and nursing home staffing and make more testing, treatments and vaccines available.
As I have been warning for the past few weeks, we are entering another pivotal moment in the fight against COVID-19, Hogan said. We will continue to constantly monitor this surge and take additional actions as needed.
Hogan said he's also mobilizing the Maryland National Guard to provide support personnel to expand testing sites and hours.
The emergency funding includes $50 million to stabilize hospital staffing and another $50 million to expand the availability of COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines at hospitals and nursing homes, Hogan said. The state also will provide $30 million for schools to purchase testing resources, he said.
Hogan, who is working from home after testing positive for the coronavirus himself on Monday, made the announcement via video. He said he was only experiencing cold-like symptoms, something he attributes to getting vaccinated. He urged others to do the same.
While 91% of adults in the state are vaccinated, staff will continue to work to reach those who still aren't, he said.
Right now that remaining 9% is responsible for more than 75% of our COVID-19 hospitalizations, pushing our hospital systems and our health care heroes to the brink," he said. Were pleading with those people. Please do not wait until its too late or until you get too sick. Go out now and get vaccinated.
Maryland reported 6,218 new cases on Tuesday, the highest number of cases reported on one day during the pandemic. The seven-day average testing positivity rate grew to 11.6%, a 1.4% change from a day earlier.
The National Guard will provide support personnel to expand testing sites and hours. Annapolis and Prince Georges County testing sites will expand operations sites to six days a week, officials said. Testing at the State Center site in Baltimore will also expand, with at-home rapid test kits available on site.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations grew to 1,392, an increase of more than 180% in the last month. Hogan said projections show that the hospitalizations could surpass 2,000 with a peak in mid-to-late January, which is typically the peak of flu season.
The number of coronavirus deaths has not been updated since Maryland officials took state health department servers offline amid an apparent cyberattack earlier this month. The state reported 11,022 deaths on Dec. 4. Health officials began reporting case numbers and positivity rate data again Monday after a more than two week interruption.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SAN DIEGO (AP) A judge has ruled against the San Diego public school systems COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students, saying the requirement set to begin Jan. 24 conflicts with state law.
San Diego Superior Court Judge John Meyer ruled Monday that the San Diego Unified School District does not have the authority to establish its own vaccine mandate, KNSD-TV reported.
The Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday to appeal the ruling.
Vaccines remain the best way to protect the health and safety of our students, and we are 100-percent determined to maintain the vaccination mandate," the school district said in a message to staff and families.
The judge's tentative ruling sided with the parent group Let Them Choose, which filed the lawsuit in October. The group argued the decision to mandate vaccines must be made at the state level and also needs to include a personal belief exemption unless the state Legislature acts to eliminate the exemption.
All California public schools will eventually come under a state mandate requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for in-person school attendance, but a deadline has not been set yet because the state requirement is tied to full approval of the vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has encouraged local districts in the meantime to impose their own student mandates for the COVID-19 vaccine.
San Diego Unified announced in September it would require all students 16 and older to get the COVID-19 vaccine to attend in-person classes starting Jan. 24. Unvaccinated students, unless they have a medical exemption, would have to transfer into the districts remote learning program, according to the mandate, which does not include religious or personal belief exemptions.
In his ruling, Meyer said that San Diego Unified will be required to allow students to attend in-person as long as they have received the 10 vaccines mandated by the state, which does not include the COVID-19 shot.
The judge also said that state law requires independent study programs to be voluntary and a forced transfer into such a program violates state law.
Meyer has five days to sign Mondays ruling during which the ruling cant be enforced.
Mark R. Bresee, an attorney for San Diego Unified, expressed disappointment with the ruling.
The judge concluded only the state can act regarding vaccinations, even though the law specifically allows and encourages local vaccination programs, Bresee said in a statement. Even Judge Meyer acknowledged in his ruling that the vaccine mandate appears to be necessary and rational, and the districts desire to protect its students from COVID-19 is commendable.
San Diego Unified is one of several large school districts in California to announce such mandates. Other districts with similar mandates include Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento and West Contra Costa Unified school districts.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
NEW YORK (AP) Kathryn Malara, a Brooklyn teacher, lingered on a street Tuesday, filled with dread about going to her job.
I'm sitting in my car terrified to walk into school, she wrote on Twitter just before taking a deep breath and heading to her classroom. Cases exploding. People I really care about are sick & frightened.
The quick spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has stirred another angst-ridden reckoning about whether in-person schooling is worth the risk. Malara and other teachers worry about endangering their health by entering crowded schools. Frustrated parents wonder how to keep their children safe and whether campuses could become superspreader sites.
Its creeping back up again, and I dont like this. Im worried. Lives are at stake here not just my sons life, said Starita Ansari, a public school parent in Manhattan who is keeping her 10th grader home after being rattled by the latest COVID-19 infections at his school.
Scientists say omicron spreads more easily than other coronavirus strains, including delta, though many details about it remain unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. But even if it is milder, the new variant could still upend schooling and overwhelm health systems because of the sheer number of infections.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said schools can remain safe when proper protocols are followed, including observing safe distancing, wearing masks and getting vaccinated.
Detection of cases in schools does not necessarily mean that transmission occurred in schools, the CDC said.
On Monday, a fifth of New York Citys public school students skipped in-person classes, an indication of the anxiety spawned by the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in New York state, which in recent days has broken infection records.
Parents are voting with their feet, and many of them dont feel that the current protocols are actually keeping their families safe. And a lot them don't think they're being given enough information about whats happening to allow them to make choices for their families, said Jennifer Jennings, a Princeton University researcher focused partly focused on the intersection of education and health care policy.
Most schools across the country are keeping classrooms open, despite the new threat from omicron, but some school districts have moved to limit in-person instruction as a precaution.
On Friday, one of the largest school districts on the East Coast, the Prince Georges County district in Maryland, just outside Washington, said it would cancel in-person instruction in favor of virtual classes because of rising COVID-19 cases at its campuses.
Schools in Mount Vernon, New York, and elsewhere also reverted back to virtual instruction.
There is great concern because we had been doing so well, said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators.
Just about a month ago, we had about 98 percent of the students in this country attending school in person, and omicron has brought about just a huge reversal in that process. And all of a sudden were seeing infection rates skyrocket, he said, Its affecting children much more than previous variants, so children are getting sick. Staff is getting sick, and its just a spread thats alarming.
Boston school officials have not announced whether children will have to return to virtual classes an unwelcome prospect for Alejandra Hung and his Boston family.
Were going through this feeling of deja vu, but in reality things are better this time out, said Hung, who has two children in elementary school. Remote learning took such a toll.
The availability of vaccines for children raised hopes that disruptions at school would be minimized. Public health officials now hope that concern about omicron will convince more parents to vaccinate their children.
That's been the case for Yahaira Lopez, who lives in a Boston suburb. She resisted vaccinating her twin 12-year-old sons, both of whom suffer from severe asthma. Even if she herself has been fully vaccinated and received a booster shot, she had doubts about the vaccines' safety for her children.
But the numbers are increasing, and this virus is impacting a lot of students now, so I just want to be preventative and make sure nothing happens to them, Lopez said.
Her sons have appointments to get their first shots this week.
As of Thursday, nearly 7.4 million children in the United States have been infected since the start of the pandemic, representing 17.3% of all cases, according to data gathered by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Childrens Hospital Association.
Of those cases, almost 170,000 cases were reported over the last seven days of the tally.
The CDC has said that the extent to which children suffer long-term consequences of COVID-19 is still unknown. But it noted in a report last week that a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic children suffer much more severe symptoms, including hospitalization that leads to admission to intensive care.
Back in New York, Liz Rosenberg decided to keep her two children, 17 and 11, home from the final days of school before the holidays. It was still unclear if they would return to the classroom when in-person instruction reconvenes in the new year.
The messaging that were basically getting from lots of places right now is that getting COVID is inevitable," Rosenberg said. "And I just cant participate in that. Why would I send my kids to school knowing that that in their own buildings, cases have risen quite a bit?
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vowed to keep schools open. She said the state would provide 2 million test kits to schools, which would then distribute the tests to children to take home.
We believe that its critically important that our children not end up in that same situation they were for so many months, when they were so displaced from their normal environment, Hochul said Monday.
Associated Press Writer Philip Marcelo in Boston contributed to this report.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Determining whether a young person with autism is ready to drive can be tricky for their health care providers.
That's the upshot of a new survey that included 78 pediatric physicians, psychologists and other providers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Half of the respondents said they routinely talk to teen patients about their transportation needs with an eye to encouraging mobility and independence, but only 1 in 5 had had such discussions with patients with autism.
While 33% said they believed they could assess if patients without autism were ready to drive, only 8% believed they could do so for those with autism.
It was also surprising to learn that only 1 in 4 providers refer their patients, autistic or not, to other providers for driving-related issues, said study lead author Emma Sartin, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Our next steps will be to start developing resources and tools so that families, and the professionals who support them, are not left largely on their own to make or guide important decisions about driving, Sartin added in a hospital news release.
Previous research from CHOP found that two-thirds of 15- to 18-year-olds with autism but not an intellectual disability either drive or plan to drive. One-third get licensed by age 21.
Other recent research showed that newly licensed drivers with autism have similar to lower crash rates than those without autism. That suggests those with autism who get a license are generally safe drivers.
Also, young drivers with autism are much less likely to receive a traffic violation or license suspension, other CHOP research found.
Co-author Benjamin Yerys, a clinical psychologist at the CHOP Center for Autism Research, suggested providers begin talking to teens with autism and their parents about driving and transportation before they reach high school.
We know this seems early, but it provides more time for them to benefit from supports, including those services that come from outside of health care, including tailored instruction from a driving rehabilitation specialist, he said in the release.
The findings were recently published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
More information
For more on autism and driving, see the Autism Society.
SOURCE: Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, news release, Dec. 16, 2021
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Lisa Sheppard will be Missoula Aging Service's new chief executive officer, the organization said in a news release Tuesday.
Sheppard will replace longtime CEO Susan Kohler, who served for over three decades. Kohler joined Missoula Aging Services in 1983 and took over as chief executive in 1989.
Sheppard will step into the position on March 1, 2022.
The CEO succession committee, comprised of representatives of the Missoula community, the MAS governing board members and staff, have dedicated the past six to nine months to find a new CEO. It is exciting to see the experience, knowledge and education that Lisa will bring to our agency, said Roberta Smith, chairperson of the governing board.
We are thrilled with Lisas acceptance and look forward to her leadership in guiding our agency, as well as serving our older adults and people with disabilities, well into the future, Smith added.
Missoula Aging Services is a nonprofit that provides a large range of services and programs for older adults.
Sheppard most recently was the director of Flathead County Agency on Aging, a position she had held since 2012.
Prior to Sheppard's time in Kalispell, she served as director of operations for EveryChild Inc., a nonprofit located in Austin, Texas. She holds master's degrees in public affairs and social work, both from the University of Texas.
Sheppard has over 20 years of experience advocating for and creating programs to benefit older adults and people with disabilities, according to the release.
"I am truly honored to have been chosen as the new chief executive officer, Sheppard said. Missoula Aging Services has long set the standard for providing high-quality, innovative services to older adults so they can live full lives and age well with dignity.
"Im excited to work together with the board, the staff and the community to build on the organizations considerable achievements and move boldly toward creating a more inclusive, age-friendly future. I cant wait to get to know, and serve, the people of Missoula and Ravalli counties!"
An open house will be held early next year for the public to meet with Sheppard. Details on when and where have yet to be determined.
I couldnt be happier with the committees decision, Kohler said. "I am confident in her abilities to not only carry out the duties necessary as CEO, but to make sure we remain innovators in the industry. I have known and worked with Lisa for years, and I know her vision and dedication will align seamlessly with the agencys.
Jordan Hansen covers news and local government for the Missoulian. Shout at him on Twitter @jordyhansen or send him an email at Jordan.Hansen@Missoulian.com
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A new housing project is being proposed along Bow Street between West Kent Avenue and Central Avenue in Missoula.
Dubbed the 406 Commons, it could create 84 units of housing, which would be at an "attainable price point," a news release announcing the project said.
The property owner is SPEL Corporation, a Missoula-based company. The president is Patrick J. Lawer, a Missoula resident.
The lot is on sale for $6.7 million. No estimates of how much a unit would cost are included on the project's website. An eight-month feasibility study has already been finished.
Like many cities located in desirable places, Missoula is experiencing some radical changes due to the pandemic these past two years, Lawler said in the release. Our team would like to contribute as best we can to creating community-first solutions to the problem and find creative and innovative ways to give more Missoulians an opportunity for home ownership.
The location of the project would put it across the street from Southside Lions Park, near All Nations Health Center. It is also directly south of Holiday Village Shopping Center and close to Washington Middle School.
Project plans included the closure of two business locations The Women's Club Health and Fitness Center and the Red Willow Healing Center. At the time of closure, The Women's Club employed more than 60 people, KPAX reported in April.
"In April of this year, Lawler made the difficult decision to close the TWC doors due to business issues exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Meanwhile, the practitioners formerly located at Red Willow Healing Center continue to practice, but now in other locations," the release said.
Development would also be mixed-use, the release said. The feasibility study suggested retail such as coffee shops or taprooms and community gathering spaces on rooftops.
Midtown recently received local and state development money for projects in the area. In November, the Missoula Redevelopment Agency approved $370,000 for the Midtown Master Plan. The MRA also received a $874,000 federal grant for a study of the Brooks Street corridor, which may one day include a bus lane.
Midtown is poised to become the heartbeat of Missoula, Lawler said. We operated community-forward businesses in Midtown for nearly four decades on this same site. Now, Im excited to find the right person or people to take the same heart we put into these businesses and place it into this community vision.
The developers and owners of the site are looking for a "value-based 'heart partner'" to get involved with the project, Lawler said.
Jordan Hansen covers news and local government for the Missoulian. Shout at him on Twitter @jordyhansen or send him an email at Jordan.Hansen@Missoulian.com
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The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that its investigation into Connecticut's Manson Youth Institution found the state's Correction Department has been violating the civil rights of incarcerated children.
The investigation stemmed from a 2019 report by the state Office of the Child Advocate and a subsequent follow-up in 2020, which found that among other things, the state was illegally locking up 15- to 17-year-olds who were classified as security risks for up to 23 hours a day with no treatment plans and limited visitation.
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said its investigation concluded that the isolation practices and lack of mental health services at the prison seriously harm children and place them at substantial risk of serious harm.
The investigation also found that the state Correction Department has failed to provide adequate special education services to children with disabilities.
When children misbehave, Manson frequently subjects them to harmful periods of isolation, despite evidence that children are uniquely vulnerable to the traumatic and lasting damage isolation causes, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said. Our investigation uncovered systemic evidence that children are deprived of the mental health and special education services they need to become productive, successful adults."
Connecticut Child Advocate Sarah Eagan said the Correction Department has been making incremental progress in response to her reports, within the restraints of its budgets and departmental policies. But, she said the federal findings should result in a faster and more comprehensive action.
I think the import and significance of the DOJ's findings is that reform must be swift; it must be sweeping and it must be meaningful, she said.
Messages were left seeking comment from the state Department of Correction and the governor's office.
As of December 1, there were 305 people incarcerated at Manson, including 181 who were classified as Black and 88 who were classified as Hispanic. Just 42 inmates were under 18 years old, according to the Department of Correction. The rest were between 18 and 21 years old.
The Justice Department said it will now enter into talks with the state in an attempt to come to a resolution of the issues, but noted that if an agreement isn't reached in 49 days, a lawsuit could follow.
Eagan said she hopes the report cause lawmakers and others to look closely at how the state deals with youth, especially Black youth, in the criminal-justice system, and whether this type of prison is an appropriate setting for young people.
Legal findings are one thing, she said. From a public policy standpoint, If the state is housing children in its custody for the purpose of rehabilitating them and keeping the public safe, then that work needs to actually occur.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Prosecutors in Albuquerque say they tracked down a suspect in a decades-old rape case by using open-source genealogy data.
Second Judicial District Attorney Raul Torrez announced an arrest Tuesday in the case from 1997 in which a man is suspected of forcing his way into a woman's home, holding her at knifepoint and sexually assaulting her.
It's the second time the office has filed charges using forensic genealogy, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
In the first case, a man pleaded guilty in 2020 to raping a woman who had been running along the Rio Grande on Christmas Eve five years earlier. Authorities connected him through a second cousin, twice removed, who uploaded his DNA to an online site, the Journal reported.
In the latest case, a contractor working for Torrez's office matched DNA, collected from a fork that the suspect discarded, to open-source genealogy data. Torrez said the suspect's DNA has been linked to several other rapes.
One of the most notable uses of online genetic profiles was in Northern California, when authorities connected a former police officer to one of the state's most prolific serial killers and rapists.
Joseph James DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of murder and dozens of rapes that were too old to prosecute. He is serving life in prison.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A former newspaper publisher who spent five years on the North Dakota Public Service Commission has been appointed to take over as tax commissioner, Gov. Doug Burgum announced Tuesday.
Brian Kroshus, who was appointed by Burgum to the PSC in 2017, will replace Ryan Rauschenberger, who is resigning to focus on recovering from alcohol problems. Rauschenberger has been tax commissioner for seven years. He had one year remaining on his four-year term.
Burgum said a combination of private and public sector experience made Kroshus the top prospect for the job. Kroshus was picked by Burgum for the PSC in February 2017 after Brian Kalk stepped down early. Kroshus was elected by voters in 2018 and reelected in 2020.
Kroshus, who will take over on Jan. 4, said he will treat taxpayers with fairness, transparency and efficiency.
Well also continue to work across state government and with our tribal and private sector partners to create and maintain a stable tax and regulatory environment that will support economic growth and prosperity for all, he said.
Rauschenberger has been involved in several alcohol-related incidents during his time in office. He resigned from the post the day after police placed him in detox for allegedly passing out drunk in a hotel room that wasnt his.
The state Tax Office has a two-year budget of $64.4 million and is authorized for 118 full-time employees. The tax commissioners annual salary is $121,814.
A Fargo native and North Dakota State University graduate, Kroshus was publisher of The Bismarck Tribune from 2005 to 2015. He also was a division leader and executive team member for Lee Enterprises, including a stint as group publisher for a network of agricultural newspapers across a 15-state region.
Kroshus stepped down as head of The Bismarck Tribune in 2015 to run for state auditor, but did not receive the Republican endorsement.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Fifteen wolves have been hunted in two wolf management units directly north of Yellowstone National Park so far this winter, and wolf trapping hasnt begun there yet.
The numbers from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks have some worrying about how the states wolf trapping season will impact populations in Yellowstone. Several packs are concentrated at the northern end of the park, and the animals often wander over the border into Montana.
In past years, annual quotas prevented hunters and trappers in Montana from taking more than two wolves in wolf management units 313 and 316, which border Yellowstone to its north.
The quotas were lifted this August at a Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting. Wolf hunting and trapping regulations were eased by the commission in accordance with new laws that passed the state legislative session and were signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte this spring.
Wolf hunters and trappers can now bait and snare wolves, hunt them at night on private land and bag up to 20 wolves, with no more than 10 via hunting and no more than 10 via trapping.
A total of 124 wolves have been killed in the state since wolf hunting seasons opened in September, including 56 in southwest Montanas Region 3, as of Saturday. In total, just under 300 wolves were killed by hunters and trappers in the state in 2019 and 2018, according to FWPs annual harvest reports.
If 82 wolves are taken in Region 3 this season, the commission can review the numbers and may consider rapid in-season adjustments. It can also review the numbers if 450 wolves are killed statewide.
Kim Bean, vice president of the nonprofit group Wolves of the Rockies, said shes heard at least 19 Yellowstone National Park wolves have been killed due to hunting and trapping in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, though she declined to disclose her source.
The Junction Butte and Phantom Lake packs two with ranges near the northern end of the park have lost several members due to Montana hunts this fall and winter, she said.
Yellowstone National Park confirmed in a news release in late September that three wolves from the Junction Butte pack the most-viewed wolf pack in the world had been killed in Montana.
Park staff declined to disclose whether more of the parks wolves have been killed since late September. Greg Lemon, a spokesperson for Montana FWP, said the department does not distinguish between Yellowstone and Montana wolves when collecting harvesting data, so it cannot confirm the numbers.
We just simply, through the harvest data, dont track Yellowstone wolves at all, Lemon said. In our minds, if wolves are in a national park, they are under the management of the national park. If they are in the state, they are under our management.
Marc Cooke, president of Wolves of the Rockies, said on Dec. 9 that at least 13 wolves from Yellowstones packs had been killed in outside states at the time, including 11 in Montana, according to the groups sources.
With trapping, weve been pretty fortunate in a sense, he said earlier this month. There hasnt been a lot of snow, and when snow is on the group, we will see an acceleration in those that are trapped and shot . (Trappers) can track footprints in the snow.
Though Montanas wolf trapping season had a default opening date on Nov. 29, trapping had been closed in wolf management units 313 and 316. On Tuesday, however, FWP announced trappping would open immediately (on Dec 21) in WMUs 313, 316 and 390.
As officials determined that grizzly bears are denned for the winter, they also opened the wolf trapping season in WMUs 100, 101, 110, 130, 150 and 400. Trappers were warned to avoid any area where bear sign is observed.
When were talking about Yellowstone National Park wolves, we have so much studying going on, and that scientific data inside that park is so essential for what we know today, Bean said. The education that comes out of that park is global, and the more that Montana continues to attack the science that comes out of the park, we as a society are being attacked.
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MOSCOWAfter months of bubbling tensions and threats of all-out war, Ukraine has made the shock decision to grant one of President Vladimir Putins greatest wishes.
As far as overtures go, this was a grand gesture indeed.
Ukraine has charged former President Petro Poroshenkowho is described in Moscow as Washingtons puppetwith state treason and financing terrorism. The longtime enemy of Putin faces as much as 15 years in prison if convicted.
Even more delicious for Moscow, Poroshenko was charged over the same scandal that has already ensnared Putins ally Viktor Medvedchuk, which involved funneling public money to the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine through illegal coal purchases.
Pro-Kremlin politicians have repeatedly insisted that it was Washington who gave President Vladimir Zelensky orders to arrest Putins ally Medvedchuk in May. Washington wants to see Russians and Ukrainians kill each other. The pro-Moscow politician Medvedchuk is under house arrest in Kyiv, just as Washington told Zelensky to do, Sergei Markov, co-chairman of the National Strategic Council of Russia, said in an interview for The Daily Beast. Now Zelensky goes after the Wests beloved Poroshenko to show Washington he can make his own decisions.
Russian Citizens Are Now Being Prepped for Nuclear War
It was Poroshenko who brought American paratroopers to Ukraine in 2015 to train local soldiers, which included former Soviet officers. To Moscow, it sounded like the ultimate betrayal. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said at the time: It provokes future escalation.
Moscow sees the move against Poroshenko by Ukraines current leadership as a beneficial move. Markov was one of those pro-Kremlin experts who was pleased to hear about the investigation into Poroshenko, who he described as the leader of the junta.
Poroshenko, a wealthy businessman as well as a politician, was not at home when prosecutors showed up on his doorstep on Monday afternoon to formally charge him. The post-revolutionary leader was more than 600 miles away, taking part in an international conference in Warsaw.
Story continues
The speculation about his fate in pro-Kremlin circles is intense, as people ask where the ex-president will land when the dust settles. Will Poroshenko return to Ukraine? Will he end up in jail?
In response, Poroshenko posted a video addressing Ukrainians on Facebook, promising to return home in January. That would mean he is going to miss his first appearance on the treason case, which is scheduled for Dec. 23.
It makes the Kremlin happy to see any failures of democracy in Ukraine, especially political repressions or unjust persecutions of an ex-president, said Stanislav Belkovsky, a Moscow-based expert on Ukraine affairs. This scandal adds to Moscows argument: Look, things fall apart in Ukraine. Lets annex territories in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions now.
The idea of Russia moving on to recognize the independence or even annex the breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine is gaining traction in both Kyiv and Moscowas a solution to the military escalation on the border between the neighboring countries.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin on Tuesday that U.S. mercenaries had intended to poison water in the Donetsk region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, there are 120 American military contractors serving in Ukraine. Moscow uses this serious accusation to prepare the ground for moving on and recognizing sovereignty or annexing the self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine, Belkovsky told The Daily Beast. This is a story in the fashion of Stalins repression of Jewish doctors who the KGB [falsely] claimed were poisoning patients.
Ever since the pro-Moscow President Victor Yanukovych was ousted from Ukraine, Moscows politicians, experts and propagandists have been constantly telling Russian television viewers about Ukraines fragile economy and political scandals.
Poroshenko is described as the leader of the party of war.
His party is popular among nationalistic patriots, but many experts in Ukraine remember his rule as utterly corrupt. Poroshenko is a real crook, this is clear to everybodyhe was making money on his chocolate factories in Russia and Crimea, while Ukrainian soldiers were dying on the frontlines, said Yevgeny Kiselev, one of Russias most prominent broadcasters who moved to Ukraine after the Kremlins crackdown on independent journalism.
Throughout the seven-year military conflict between Kyiv and Moscow-backed militias in eastern Ukrainewhich has cost around 13,000 livesRussian and Ukrainian oligarchs and politicians have continued to make money from shadowy business deals.
Ukrainian authorities now accuse Poroshenko of being involved in one of these illegal schemes. They say he used public funds to buy coal from Russian-backed separatists despite a ban on any such transactions that would effectively fund the separatists. He is also accused of doing business with Russian public officials. Poroshenko claimed there was a shortage of coal and organized supplies from occupied territories, which would help the self-proclaimed republics earn money, Yulia Mendel, ex-press secretary of the current Ukrainian president, told The Daily Beast. The payment was done in cash, which was brought to the occupied territories by the security services of Ukraine.
Russians Have Suddenly Stopped Buying Putins Anti-American Propaganda
Ukraine had already charged Medvedchuk, another oligarch, who is known for his close ties to Putin. Medvedchuk was placed under home arrest in May on charges of high treason, aiding terrorist organizations and trading coal with occupied territories controlled by Moscow-backed rebels. Now prosecutors charge Poroshenko with the same crimes, accusing him of giving Medvedchuk authority and therefore financing terrorists.
Poroshenkos defense lawyer Ilya Novikov insists the case is purely political, that his client is innocent and will surely return to Ukraine. When Zelensky was coming to power, he promised he would go after Poroshenko, his main political opponent. Since then Ukraine opened more than 100 criminal cases against Poroshenko but failed to prove his guilt in any of them, Novikov told The Daily Beast in an interview Tuesday.
The threat of a destructive war is still hanging over Russia and Ukraine as tens of thousands of troops continue to mass on both sides of the border. Last week, Putin demanded NATO accept the obligation to exclude further expansion of NATO to Ukraine and to withdraw all NATO military bases and infrastructure from Eastern Europe built after 1997.
Markov suggested the noisy complaints are all part of Putins plan to seize more land in Ukraine.
Its possible that Putin will increase the tensions until the West will feel relieved to hear we recognize the sovereignty of Luhansk and Donetsk Peoples Republics or make them a part of Russia, like we did with Crimea, he said.
After the charges were leveled at Poroshenko, Olexandr Martynenko, director general of Interfax Ukraine, said Kyiv was trying to keep its options open. There is not much hope left of a peace deal with Russia, but Kyiv is not burning bridges with Moscow either.
Martynenko said there was a real chance that Putin would annex sections of Ukraine in 2022.
It is quite possible that Russia will annex the separatist territories in Donbas and Luhansk next year in the same way they had done it with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, that is a natural solution for Russia in the current situation, he said. Ukraine will definitely protest against the annexation but both countries will eventually live on with the new political watershed. Once it happens, Russia will most probably bring in its peacekeepers, so all the fighting is going to stop. At least 50 percent of Ukrainians would feel relieved about the idea of no more war, relieved to see the end of at least this phase of tensions.
Ukrainian officials fear that, ultimately, the West wont do enough to stop Russian aggression.
Putin knows there is weaknesses in the unity in Europe and in the United Stateswe already hear cynical voices on the West calling to give Putin what he wants, Svitlana Zalishchuk, foreign affairs adviser for Ukraines state energy firm Naftogaz, told The Daily Beast.
Ukraine knows it may have to look after itself, whoever that means sacrificing.
Read more at The Daily Beast.
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Scammers frequently capitalize on high demand during the holidays by posting pictures of pets in Christmas hats and other gear. When a would-be pet parent pursues the listing, the scammer refuses to let the consumer meet the pet before buying often claiming this is because of COVID-19 considerations. The scammer claims they must use a pet delivery agency of some kind, often an airline. BBB Scam Tracker has received many reports of fake web pages impersonating real businesses for this purpose. The scammer also may demand fees for vaccinations or other last-minute needs. Ultimately, the pet does not exist, and the consumer has lost money and emotional investment.
The largest group of victims by age are those 25-35, followed by those 35-44. The average financial loss reported to Scam Tracker was $1,088. While 82% of pet scam reports involved dogs, other reports included cats, birds and iguanas.
The tactics used in pet scams continue to evolve. Scammers increasingly ask for payment through untraceable cash apps such as Zelle, Google Pay, Cash App, Venmo and Apple Pay. A review of Scam Tracker data finds that the vast majority of reports listed Zelle as the payment method involving the purchase of online pets.
Mike Vincent said the Veterans Treatment Court in Butte benefits not only the veterans it serves but also the larger community.
Were helping people get off the street and get sober, he said.
Vincent, a veteran of the Marine Corps and the Vietnam War, coordinates mentors for the Veterans Treatment Court in Butte. The court works to help military veterans who have committed crimes turn their lives around.
Vincent and Mick Ringsak and other veterans who have helped with the court said they were grateful that a recently announced federal grant of $565,110 includes $160,350 to help fund the Veterans Treatment Court for the near future.
An additional $331,520 was earmarked by the grant from the Department of Justices Office of Justice Programs to support the Butte-Silver Bow Driving Under the Influence Court.
The remainder of the grant reflects the value of the city-countys in-kind match.
Vincent said veterans can seek admission into the Veterans Treatment Court after sentencing. He said veterans are vetted to make sure they are a good fit for the program and wont put mentors at risk.
The program currently has 10 mentors and four more who are entering training. All are veterans, Vincent said.
Its veteran helping veteran, encouraging them and empowering them, he said.
Butte City Court Judge Jerome McCarthy handles misdemeanor cases involving veterans and District Judge Robert Whelan oversees felony cases.
Vincent said the grant money goes for veterans counseling and treatment.
Not one penny goes to mentors. Were all volunteers, he said. Anytime we can get money to extend this program, its a good thing.
Ringsak, also a Vietnam veteran, shared a similar observation.
I just think its a really good program and gives people a chance to get their lives back on track, he said.
Mike Clague, a veteran of the Navy, is deputy county attorney in Butte-Silver Bow. He has been involved for years in getting the veterans court up and running.
He said the first participant entered the program on June 8.
In the six months weve had the veterans court, I would say it is definitely changing participants lives for the better, Clague said.
Justice for Vets, a national non-profit, said veterans treatment courts can help veterans suffering from PTSD, substance use disorders and mental health disorders. Justice for Vets said the courts can act as a one-stop shop that links veterans to programs, benefits and services they have earned.
Clague said he is grateful to U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester for their support of the Veterans Treatment Court in Butte.
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MUSCATINE On Wednesday and Thursday, over 100 single people and 85 families will receive a hand up as for the second year the Geneva Country Club will distribute Christmas dinner to families and people in need.
While the pickup date for the ham dinner with all the trimmings and cookies for dessert is Thursday, several Geneva members delivered a meal to the homebound on Wednesday. On Wednesday nine members volunteered to make and deliver the meals while 13 members volunteered to help distribute the meals on Thursday.
Any time we can help the community in a time of need it is something we want to do, Steve Hutton, PGA general manager at Geneva said.
Hutton said the goal had been to help 202 families as Geneva had done during its inaugural year, but fewer than 200 had signed up.
The program started in 2020 when one of the members drove past a line of cars waiting at one of the local churches that was distributing holiday meals. The member spoke with Hutton and the clubs food and beverage director about starting that kind of program for the holidays. The membership came up with the idea for the meal distribution and raised money to pay for the food.
Books written for children and young adults are facing opposition across the country. Some school librarians are pushing back.
Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, a registered nurse, administers a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to her granddaughter, Paloma Cook, Tuesday afternoon at the University of Guam Field House.
Santa must have come early, because theres a big circular package under my tree that looks (and smells!) suspiciously like a pair of new tires for my Schwinn. To Santa and to all the rest of you whose generosity makes Christmas so special, thank you.
***
One bit of sad news before I stay positive for the rest of the column: Bookmark Napa Valley has been postponed from Jan. 30 to May 1 in light of the unpredictability surrounding the omicron variant of COVID-19. The library depends on the nonprofit Friends & Foundation, St. Helena Public Library to fund part-time staff and programs, so if you had tickets for Jan. 30 and cant make it on the new date, please consider making your ticket purchase a donation instead of canceling.
***
Huzzahs to Allen Silva and Eric Kenny of St. Helena Public Works for planting three Claremont Western Redbud trees at Lyman Park last Thursday in honor of Arbor Day. Theyre right next to the gazebo and theyre going to look lovely there.
***
Congratulations to Trustee Lisa Pelosi on being named school board president. And to answer the question shes continually asked, no, shes not related to Nancy.
***
A round of applause to the winners of the Chambers Celebrate St. Helena awards: Citizen of the Year Ed Smith of the St. Helena Farmers Market, Nonprofit of the Year the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Helena and Calistoga, Business of the Year Smiths Pharmacy, and Employees of the Year the staff of the St. Helena Public Library. Gems one and all!
***
Thanks also to the Chamber itself for organizing the wonderful wine barrel Christmas tree at Main and Hunt. I may be one to gush, but Im not one to exaggerate, so believe me when I say Ive hardly passed by the tree without seeing at least one person or family posing for a picture in front of it.
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Thanks to Kathryn and Tom Kenney, proprietors of That Pizza Place, for feeding us affordable pizza by the slice for 14 years. They sold the business, but locals will remember it fondly for years to come.
***
Best wishes to Noel Bito (Noeys Barbershop in Napa), whos planning to open a barbershop at 1080 Main St., that little commercial space next to the Sulphur Creek Bridge where Tiffanys Closet used to be. Look for details in an upcoming edition of the Star.
***
Thanks to the St. Helena Seventh-day Adventist Church for organizing last Fridays fun and moving Nativity scene. Apologies if Im about to sound childish, but I got to pet a donkey!
***
The tree is twinkling, the gifts are waiting, the eggnog is beckoning, and the Tallis Scholars wondrous rendition of Allegris Miserere is playing on the stereo. It must be Christmas. May your holiday be full of love, peace and joy.
At the heart of Rianda House is the greeter the volunteer who welcomes you to the converted house that serves as the Upvalleys only senior center, shakes your hand, gives you a warm smile, and establishes a connection with you.
The pandemic might have closed the building, put a stop to handshakes and covered the smiles with a mask, but the staff spent the last year and a half mustering all of its energy and resourcefulness to fulfill Riandas core mission of connecting with seniors.
March 18, 2021 was the day Rianda House went virtual. Operations manager Toni Abdalla remembers Rianda House being inundated with calls in those early days of the pandemic.
People were looking for information, resources and reassurance. Most of all, they wanted the center to reopen, which was still impossible given the statewide lockdown.
Instead, the Rianda House staff worked the phones, checking in with local seniors, asking how they were doing essentially doing what greeters had done pre-pandemic.
There are so many little connections, so many good friends Ive made over the years that dont go away just because theres a pandemic, Abdalla said. I felt a responsibility to check in and keep everybody updated.
A team of six volunteers made 300 to 400 care calls per week just to keep them connected, said Elizabeth Cobb-Bruno, program manager.
Going virtual
As it became clear that COVID-19 wasnt going away in a matter of days or weeks, Rianda House adapted, issuing email blasts, expanded its events calendar into a full-blown newsletter, and embraced Zoom.
This team didnt give up, said Peter Working, Rianda House board president. They could have said OK, forget it, well reopen next year. But that didnt happen here. Its a tribute to the spirit of the house and its staff.
Executive Director Julie Spencer said the challenges of the pandemic brought the Rianda House team together.
We became closer as a team even when we were far apart, she said. Were more intentional about coming together as a team because our work is more important than ever.
Lisa Hinz is a psychologist and art therapist who has taught two virtual classes at Rianda House during the pandemic. In one, seniors created collages and then wrote poems to accompany them. A core group of six seniors who bonded during the class kept meeting virtually twice a month.
It wasnt until a couple of Fridays ago that we met in person for the first time, after 16 months online, Hinz said.
Another class focused on current events helps participants share their values, core beliefs and emotions. They met in person for the first time just before Thanksgiving.
Hinz said expressing emotions reduces stress, especially amid the social isolation and anxiety of a prolonged pandemic.
I was surprised at how quickly and deeply people shared really important issues and feelings with one another, she said. It showed me what a need there was for this kind of outlet.
A seniors perspective
St. Helena resident Anne Gridley participated in the current events class.
I literally dont think I would be here if it werent for Rianda House, Gridley said. This has been my life.
She said Rianda was my lifesaver when her late husband was experiencing dementia. Rianda House offers a caregiver support group in partnership with Collabria Care and the Alzheimers Association.
That taught me how to take care of him and what to say to him, Gridley said.
Shes taken part in everything from Balance & Stretch classes to music appreciation to the Rianda House book club. She even volunteers to help produce The Wrinkle, the monthly newsletter thats mailed to about 550 people.
During the pandemic, Riandas virtual offerings were a lifeline for seniors when we were stuck in our homes and couldnt go anywhere, Gridley said, adding that she felt overwhelmed when the pandemic started.
Having someone to talk to and classes to enlighten you has been so wonderful, she said.
COVID-19 vaccines
When vaccines became available, the St. Helena Hospital Foundation asked for Rianda Houses house help contacting local seniors.
The Rianda House staff called seniors, told them how to get vaccinated, and coordinated with the foundation on three clinics that vaccinated approximately 500 people ages 65 and up. In some cases, the foundations mobile unit vaccinated homebound seniors in their own homes.
Rianda House staff also attended the vaccine clinics. After months without in-person interaction, the sight of a familiar face even under a mask was enough to bring some of the senior centers longtime patrons to tears.
We became their safe zone, Cobb-Bruno said. They knew who we were, so they felt safe.
Aside from their vaccination efforts, the staff distributed about 900 masks manufactured by Beth Lincolns Maisie the Mask Makers group. They also organized a few drive-through events, starting with last years take-home Thanksgiving luncheon, which the staff remembers fondly even though it was pouring rain.
That luncheon gave everyone a sense of human-to-human contact, Cobb-Bruno said. Everybody got the sense that Theres Toni! Theres Priscilla! Theres Julie! Theyre still there.
Hearts were opened
Priscilla Upton, a boardmember who runs the boards finance development committee, said donations went up during the pandemic.
People appreciate the work that Julie and the staff are doing to reach out to our members and making sure theyre not isolated and alone, Upton said. They feel this is an important part of our community.
With seniors being at the greatest risk of serious illness from COVID-19, the pandemic has focused our community on senior well-being in a way Ive never seen before, Spencer added. Hearts were opened.
You can reach Jesse Duarte at 967-6803 or jduarte@sthelenastar.com.
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The St. Helena City Council has approved a settlement agreement requiring the city to provide water to the old Hall mobile home park property and pay $950,000 to the property owners who sued the city over water rights.
The council approved the settlement in a 3-1 vote Monday, with Mayor Geoff Ellsworth voting no and Councilmember Anna Chouteau recusing herself because her husband works for Hall Wines.
Councilmember Lester Hardy, who served on the councils negotiating team along with Vice Mayor Paul Dohring, said the settlement is in the citys best interest.
Ellsworth, who cast the only dissenting vote, said that thanks to the citys negotiating team, were in as good a position as we can be.
I am, however, concerned, Ellsworth said. I think that there remain some conflict-of-interest issues, some endorsement issues, some things that have, for me, clouded the water a bit.
Ellsworth didnt elaborate on what he referred to as extraneous issues.
The owners of the former Vineland Vista Mobile Home Park property, Hall Vineland LLC and Hall Vista LLC, sued the city in 2019 for rescinding a previous will-serve letter pledging to continue offering water service to the former park, which had been demolished and was awaiting renovation.
City officials rescinded the letter after city councilmembers expressed concerns that the Halls proposed renovations to the property amounted to a new hotel, not a continuation of the old mobile home park.
The Halls lawsuit claimed more than $7 million in damages later increased to $9 million and stated that the park owners were merely looking to renovate the park.
The citys efforts to get the case dismissed failed, setting the stage for a trial in March 2022. The settlement will avert a trial and prevent the chance of a judge or jury finding the city liable for more than the $950,000 contained in the settlement.
The agreement also caps water use at the old mobile home park at 2,135,250 gallons per year, based on prior consumption, and limits the adjacent Hall winery property to 8 million gallons per year instead of 12 million. The actual water use at both properties is confidential.
The council considered the settlement at its Dec. 14 meeting but postponed action until Monday so that staff could reply to questions raised by the public, including how the settlement affects a future project on the site.
Whether the County will determine that Halls project is a residential or lodging project, whether it satisfies County and State regulations, and whether to approve it will be issues for the County to resolve, Mondays staff report states. In the meantime, Hall must first complete the Countys development application process, which includes Hall demonstrating to the County that the project will have a water supply.
The report also said the city has paid for its legal costs from the Water Enterprise Fund, which is separate from the General Fund.
Revenue from Phase II water penalties will cover the settlements first installment of $450,000. The council hasnt decided whether the remaining $500,000, payable over six years, will come out of water penalties, the Water Enterprise Fund, or the General Fund.
You can reach Jesse Duarte at 967-6803 or jduarte@sthelenastar.com.
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Napa educators recognize arts students
Twelve Napa County students have been recognized as Visual and Performing Arts Student of the Month for November in a program organized by the Arts Council Napa Valley Education Alliance. The initiative seeks nominees monthly, culminating in a scholarship ceremony at the end of the school year.
They are now accepting nominations for December and January from college, high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools from visual and performing arts teachers throughout the county. Go to the Arts Council Napa Valley website for more information and to access the nomination form. Nominations are due by the 25th of every month.
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Here are Novembers winners:
High School
Studio Arts: Alicia Fletcher, Napa High School senior
Alicia Fletcher shines in Kristi Crickmore's art room. With a natural eye for design and color combinations, her work is graphic and bold. Crickmore says that Alicia is "hard-working, creative, and continually trying new ideas." Her Unique illustrations stand out, and her hard work is worthy of praise.
Performance Arts: Leah Gottfried, Oxbow School junior
Teacher Jennifer Jordan says Leah Gottfried's work illuminates that we as humans "are not alone in our feelings." Gottfried dug deep to create a performance piece reflecting her understanding of the "masks" women wear in this society. Jordan explains that this highly personal work "depicts the transition from being a child to a woman." Every last detail in the work is symbolic of the emotional and systemic push, pull, and erasure of the "masks that are imposed by society." Leah is a true artist and a keen observer of the human condition.
Digital Media (TIE): Alisa Karesh, Napa High School senior
Alisa Karesh is a digital artist who is "not afraid to pave her own path," says teacher Kristi Crickmore. Recognized as a hard worker," Alisa is known to work non-stop until her creative goals are met. She also helps others in her classes. Crickmore that Alisa is "an amazingly talented and inventive artist with a passion for pushing herself and for being there, wherever needed."
Digital Media (TIE): Trinity Nystrom, New Tech High School junior
Trinity Nystrom is known for her wildly inventive artistic style when painting and drawing. This year, however, her well-developed skills have translated beautifully to graphic design and digital painting. Her work is playful and clever yet always "pushes her own craft and abilities," says her teacher Lisa Gottfried who added, you can't miss her kind heart and a generosity of spirit, which shines through in her artwork. Examples at: https://trinitynystrom.weebly.com/my-artwork.html
Theater Arts (TIE): Giovanny Perez Solorio, Napa High School senior
Giovanny Perez Solorio is a hard-working thespian on all fronts: He is as dedicated to his craft as he is to helping stagehands "paint, load-in, build, strike and stow the set pieces," says drama teacher Patty Profitt. For his immeasurable efforts, he was promoted to advanced drama for his senior year. Giovanny worked on the costume design team for the Drama 2 production of "Dreamlandia." (Dec. 2-4) as well as understudying the roles of Pepin and Celestino.
Theater Arts (TIE): Natalya Farris, American Canyon High School senior
Natalya Farris's natural theater skills, paired with her endless enthusiasm, placed her in advanced drama as a 9th-grade student. Natalya is consistently cast in critical roles in multiple productions and recently became teacher Summer Heartt's assistant director for the fall play, "Clue On Stage." Heart writes that Natalya's "vision, voice, and communication skills were exemplified in this leadership position." Because of these skills, those who were fortunate enough to see the play "felt a sense of theatre magic that night."
Music/Choir: Markus Tecson, American Canyon High senior
Teacher Jamie Butler describes Markus Tecson as "one of the best leaders I have taught in my 21-year career!" His peers, who look up to him for his singing talents and work ethic, refer to him as "Father Markus." This truly impressive Senior at ACHS is also currently the President of the Associated Students of Napa Valley College, and "all this while carrying a 4.4 GPA," says Butler. Markus's future is a bright one!
Middle & Elementary Level Winners
Studio Arts (TIE): Lizeth Cuevas Valle, Silverado Middle School, eighth grade
Lizeth Cuevas Valle is the kind of student every teacher dreams about: a true artist who acts as a second teacher within the classroom. "Her raw talent is something that you cannot teach, only hope to nurture," explains her teacher Julia Zmed. Even small and straightforward warm-ups will become nightlong projects that get returned to class as a fantastic surprise. Lizeth takes all work as a challenge to be attacked with focus, stunning detail and skill.
Studio Arts (TIE): Amanda Piszczek, American Canyon Middle School, eighth grade
Amanda Piszczek's eye for natural design is on display in every work of art she creates. She has a broad skillset and a willingness to learn and attempt just about any artistic medium there is. She knits, paints and draws, all the while consistently improving. Her teacher Jenifer Leahy says Amanda is a "pure joy to watch!"
Photo/Film: Andy Gonzalez-Hernandez, River Middle School, eighth grade
Andy Gonzalez-Hernandez excels in many classes, but none more than art. While he doesn't practice the medium of photography in school, Andy's teacher Hollie Hardwick explains that "when a student spends time outside of school and class creatively engaged, [it's important to] recognize their natural talent." This incredibly kind and sociable young man is exceptionally skilled at capturing nature. Hardwick adds that she believes Andy's "talent and genuine friendliness" are a recipe for success in a career in photography and videography. His website is www.gnzlzphotography.com/
Band/Orchestra: Janelley Cruz, American Canyon Middle School, eighth grade
Janelley Cruz switched from violin to string bass (her current instrument) in sixth grade. Janelley's teacher Deborah Walden said she was delighted how much Janelley had accomplished on her instrument, with minimal instruction and a year of online learning, upon her return to school this year. Not only is Janelley lead bass, but she is kind and respectful to both her teachers and peers, all while remaining focused on her craft. Walden sings her praises, saying, "It is students like Janelley who make my responsibilities as a music teacher fun and rewarding."
Studio Art: Damian Alejandre, Philips Academy, fifth grade
Teacher Jennifer Veveiros recognizes Damian Alejandre as an exceptionally observant artist whose detailed paintings and drawings show that he genuinely thinks "outside the box," working to differentiate his artworks from his peers. During a quilt project called "Visible Threads" Damian cut and glued fabric pieces to create his picture, rather than simply paint it. The completed work stands apart, earning him this special recognition.
A proposed, 66-unit apartment complex along Highway 29 in American Canyon has raised the conundrum of how to create affordable housing without exacerbating traffic woes.
Napa Cove is to be on a 3.5-acre lot in the heart of the city. In a county where Zillow says the typical house is worth $861,000, affordable housing is increasingly mentioned as a priority.
The American Canyon Planning Commission on Dec. 16 approved the Napa Cove design permit by a 4-0 vote. Such project features as three buildings with a modern industrial look easily passed muster.
We all want affordable housing, Commissioner Tammy Wong said.
But traffic is also a major issue, both on the citys main drag of Highway 29 and adjoining streets. Highway 29 is a major regional road with rush-hour congestion that can make leaving Napa County for the Bay Area an ordeal.
Napa Cove dropped its original idea of having access to and from Highway 29. The Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA) said vehicles using such a driveway could hinder highway traffic flow and affect safety on a planned bike/pedestrian path.
Whenever possible, NVTA suggests the city minimize additional driveway/roadway access to the highway, such as what is proposed in the Napa Cove project, agency Executive Director Kate Miller wrote to the city.
Instead, Napa Cove will have a driveway from Melvin Road. That raised a different set of concerns, given the street runs parallel to this stretch of Highway 29 and through a residential neighborhood.
Melvin Road resident Beth Marcus stressed she didnt oppose the project but had questions about traffic.
We are the frontage road to the highway, Marcus said. And it is packed every morning, every evening.
Cars in motion werent the only concern. Napa Cove is to have 119 parking spaces for its 66 units and commissioners wondered if spillover parking would occur on Melvin Road.
Commissioner Eric Altman suggested that Napa Cove have a parking structure.
Having to build a parking structure, unfortunately, would literally render this project financially unfeasible, said local developer Rick Hess on behalf of the applicants.
The Planning Commission couldnt solve all of these potential problems in one night and didnt want to continue the matter into next year. The applicants said they face deadlines related to state financing for affordable housing.
I feel theres some momentum to this and I would feel very sad if the Planning Commission was holding up that momentum, Commission Chairperson Tyrone Navarro said.
Some people say American Canyon should stop approving anything until traffic issues are solved, including on Highway 29, Community Development Director Brent Cooper said. Thats not feasible, he said.
Theres a critical need for housing. The city has an obligation to come up with a capital improvement plan for Melvin Road and has time, given the apartments probably wont open until summer 2023, Cooper said.
Commissioner Andrew Goff agreed that the concerns about Melvin Road are valid.
But I also agree with the statements its not the applicants problem, its really the citys responsibility, Goff said. The city needs to take that on.
Another aspect of Napa Cove is that it is among the first projects under the citys new Broadway District Specific Plan. Broadway is another name for the American Canyon stretch of Highway 29 and the plan will help mold the future look of this south Napa County gateway.
This is really going to set the tone for other projects that come in under the Broadway District plan, Hess said.
Goff voiced an objection to the project the name.
The Cove at American Canyon sounds much better to me than Napa Cove, he said.
Thats a possibility. The one potential obstacle described by the applicant is that Napa Cove is the name on the state financing application.
Napa Cove is being developed at 3805 Broadway by CRP Affordable Housing & Community Development. The location is south of Canyon Cafe and across the street from the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott.
You can reach Barry Eberling at 256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com.
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With the search for Crystal Lea McCarthy now in its second week, friends of the 37-year-old Napa woman missing since Dec. 13, along with volunteers, carried out another search on Wednesday.
About 20 searchers allied with the Facebook group Find Crystal Lea McCarthy met at 11:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Century Napa Valley movie theater at 195 Gasser Drive. The searchers split up into small groups to canvass the area and give out missing-person handbills to local businesses.
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McCarthy was reported missing on the morning of Dec. 14. The handbills state she was last seen at about 9 p.m. Dec. 13 on the Napa River Trail between Lincoln Avenue and Trancas Street, at the tail end of a heavy two-day rainstorm that dumped about 4 inches and more on much of the Napa Valley.
The group of searchers targeted the South Napa area near the Imola bridge because the Facebook group had received tips of possible sightings in the area, said Deanna Reister, a friend and former coworker of McCarthy.
Search efforts since her disappearance have included walks of the Napa River banks by detectives, a California Highway Patrol search on Dec. 16, and a Napa County Sheriffs Office boat search on Sunday from Kennedy Park north to downtown.
Police reported earlier that McCarthys boyfriend Drew Wright told officers he had last seen and talked to her the night of Dec. 13 and that he worked that evening and learned she was not home on his return just after midnight.
A roommate of McCarthy and Wright was home that night and spoke with McCarthy just before 9 p.m., when she asked about an umbrella, Napa Police said on Saturday. At 10:30 p.m., the roommate received a food order placed by McCarthy, but assumed she was in her bedroom.
Wright, who was among the group searching for McCarthy on Wednesday, said he searched the area the next morning and found McCarthys umbrella and boots on the western bank of the Napa River, near their home.
Detectives have reported no activity on her bank accounts since her disappearance, and McCarthys cellphone was left at her house. Wright said it was not abnormal for McCarthy to leave without her phone.
Also on Tuesday, Napa Police released new details about McCarthys possible whereabouts on Dec. 13 before her disappearance, under the Lincoln Avenue bridge near their home, the department said.
According to Sgt. Pete Piersig, McCarthy was observed at about 10:34 p.m. on a security video at a nearby 7-Eleven store, with a homeless man who had recently been released from jail. She was seen in the video purchasing alcohol, a detail Piersig said was consistent with what her boyfriend Wright believed she was doing, Piersig said in an email about the encounter.
Police initially were informed that McCarthy had befriended a homeless woman and had brought food and beverages to her and others in the past, but follow-up conversations revealed she also was a friend of the homeless man, who Piersig said is not suspected of any criminal activities.
The nearest 7-Eleven at the corner of the Silverado Trail and Lincoln is east of the home shared by McCarthy, Wright and their flatmate. On Wednesday police released the last known photo of McCarthy at the 7-11, taken at about 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 13.
We suspect she went in the rushing river based on the proximity of her personal belongings, but it is entirely possible she walked away or was taken away, wrote Piersig. Since we cant rule out that she met foul play, we will continue to investigate.
Wright said the homeless man told him he met McCarthy while walking on the bridge to the 7-11 that night and they started up a conversation. According to Wright, the man said that he and McCarthy picked up alcohol at the store and then drank it underneath the bridge. He told Wright he went to get more alcohol and when he came back McCarthy was gone.
Wright said he thinks the Napa police department detectives are doing the best they can with little evidence.
Napa police detective Brandt Keown said the department isnt considering foul play at this point, given the information they have, and that the homeless man has been cooperative and forthcoming in interviews with police.
Wright and several of McCarthys friends said McCarthy is a very friendly person who could strike up a conversation with anyone. Wright added McCarthy is an amazing social butterfly and one of the bubbliest people I know, and that they have a great relationship.
Shed talk to anybody; she didnt really have much of a filter for dangerous people, potentially at least, Wright said.
McCarthy is described as 5 feet and 4 or 5 inches, weighing 155 pounds with red-orange hair and green-hazel eyes. She was described as wearing a blue hooded jacket and black pants, and does not have a vehicle.
The Facebook group Find Crystal Lea McCarthy can be viewed at facebook.com/FindCrystalLea, and information can be sent to FindCrystalLea@gmail.com. Anyone with information is asked to contact Napa Police Detective Brandt Keown at 707-257-9592 or bkeown@cityofnapa.org, or Drew Wright at 707-225-4193.
You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com
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Howard Yune Public Safety Reporter Howard Yune covers public safety for the Napa Valley Register. He has been a reporter and photographer for the Register since 2011, and previously wrote for the Marysville Appeal-Democrat, Anaheim Bulletin and Coos Bay (Oregon) World. Follow Howard Yune Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
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YEREVAN. Zhoghovurd newspaper of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: Today, the Yerevan Council of Elders will discuss the no-confidence motion against Mayor Hayk Marutyan. The initiator is the [ruling majority] "My Step" Faction of the Council of Elders. The authorities want to replace Marutyan with Deputy Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan, as Marutyan met with RA second President Robert Kocharyan and "fell into a bad circle."
In parallel with the process of no-confidence motion against Hayk Marutyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had recently met with the My Step Faction of the Council of Elders at the head office of the [countrys ruling] Civil Contract Party.
Zhoghovurd daily learned that the closed-door meeting was quite heated. According to the information we received, the first matter was what mechanisms are needed to "say goodbye" to Marutyan smoothly, without a shock.
Then the matter of finding a replacement for Marutyan was discussed. Pashinyan tended to entrust the mayor's seat to Council of Elders member Armen Kotolyan; the other Council of Elders members, however, spoke out against his candidacy. Not wanting to insult and offend him [i.e., Pashinyan], they nonetheless noted that Kotolyan is young, whereas someone more experienced is needed for that position. In the end, Pashinyan made a concession, and the My Step [faction members] nominated Sargsyan.
The most heated discussion took place on the matter that all those who dare to oppose the demand for ousting Marutyan should resign from their mandate and not leave the faction.
The members of the ruling wing of the Council of Elders unanimously agreed that Prime Minister Pashinyan should know from now on first hand what is happening in the city hall; in other words, everyone should be accountable to Pashinyan, report about everything to him.
They agreed so, and today is a decisive day. The political repressions against the mayor of Yerevan will have a concrete manifestation today. The members of the Council of Elders hall vote against Mayor Hayk Marutyan in a closed-secret format.
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has sent a condolence telegram on the occasion of the death of Rima Demirtchyan, wife of National Hero of Armenia, statesman and political figure Karen Demirtchyan. The telegram reads as follows:
I was deeply saddened by the news about the death of Rima Demirtchyan, wife of National Hero of Armenia, statesman and political figure Karen Demirtchyan and the director of the Karen Demirtchyan Benevolent Foundation.
Mrs. Demirtchyan was an exemplary woman, a caring mother who enjoyed the love and respect of the public. She was also a professor with a prolific career and had educated wide circles of the young generation.
After the tragic death of Karen Demirtchyan, Mrs. Demirtchyan kept the memory of her husband alive with her activities, and with this, she helped make the image of Karen Demirtchyan the state, national and political figure complete.
At this moment of dire loss, I express my deep condolences to the family and relatives of Rima Demirtchyan, wishing them patience and courage.
First of all, I would like to thank Hayk Marutyan for the services he has provided to Yerevan during these three years. Of course, many results have been registered during these years. Armen Galjyan, a member of the ruling majority "My Step" Faction, stated this at Wednesdays special sitting of the Yerevan Council of Eldersand presenting the matter of expressing no confidence in Mayor Hayk Marutyan.
"It is a difficult situation, we [i.e. the aforesaid faction] came to this decision with difficulty, but I believe this was a necessity in the current situation because there a real crisis had arisen between the institutions of the Council of Elders and the mayor. I really want us not to have personalized speeches today because there is no dislike for the person of Hayk Marutyan.
Although the press notes that Hayk Marutyan's departure from the My Step was the reason for this process, I want to say that it became just an occasion for this crisis. We have been working for a year and that work is difficult. The most important thing here is that the current situation will not enable to work and serve Yerevan effectively for the next two years.
Now the issue of effective management of the city is being resolved. I am confident that we, under the mayorship of [serving Deputy Mayor] Hrachya Sargsyan, will continue the reforms that you have started, Mr. Marutyan," he said.
Galjyan added that they are often asked why they do not go to snap elections in this regard.
There are two ways to go to snap elections. The first is that the mayor resigns and the Council of Elders does not elect a new mayor. The second is that the Council of Elders does not convene a session for three months and [as a result,] the Council of Elders is dissolved. This option will be to the detriment of the city," he said.
The Yerevan municipal council has convened a special session Wednesdayand with only one matter on the agenda: the draft decision of the Yerevan Council of Elders on expressing no confidence in Mayor Hayk Marutyan. Also, this draft proposes to elect Deputy Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan as the Mayor of Yerevan. The session is being chaired by Hayk Marutyan.
As reported earlier, the ruling majority "My Step" Faction of the Yerevan Council of Elders had collected signatures to express no confidence in Marutyan. This initiative is supported also by the members of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Faction and Ani Khachatryan from the opposition Luys Faction.
But several members of the "My Step" Faction have opposed this initiative and resigned from the Yerevan city council.
For the first time in its history, Armenia is entering the process of normalizing relations with Turkey, meeting Turkey's main preconditions. International Studies expert Suren Sargsyan wrote about this on Facebook. He added as follows in particular:
1. Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] is handed over to Azerbaijan,
2. International recognition of the [Armenian] Genocide is de facto removed from our foreign policy agenda,
3. The most recent preconditionthe opening of the [Zangezur] corridorwill be met in the near future.
By the way, in 1992, Turkey posited a precondition for Armenia to remove the following paragraph from the Declaration of Independence: 11. The Republic of Armenia [(RA)] supports the work of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia.
The removal of the image of Mount Ararat from the coat of arms of Armenia was also a precondition, as it was viewed as a territorial claim against Turkey.
Now, in all likelihood, Armenia and Turkey will sign documents on the establishment of diplomatic relations, state that Armenia recognizes Turkey's territorial integrity and inseparability, and give a vague wordingin the style of [Turkish President] Erdogan's "joint tragedyon the Genocide.
Turkey will have zero constraints on the Armenian side in the forthcoming talks, but will have some constraints from the mediating states. At the moment they are two: the USA (see the Bloomberg leak), and Russia (see the RA authorities' request for mediation).
Let them not tell tales. The My Step has put the petty group interest above the interest of an entire community. Mayor Hayk Marutyan noted this in his remarks at Wednesdays special session of the Yerevan Council of Eldersand with respect to the matter of the no-confidence motion against him.
"Today a process is taking place that has never taken place in the history of Yerevan. This is the first case of expressing no confidence in the mayor of Yerevan. It seems that in order to do such a thing, the initiators had to have very weighty arguments against the mayor. (). [But] the reason presented is completely different. As the initiating party says, since I have left the [ruling] CC [Civil Contract] party, I must leave this position as well." Marutyan added.
He recalled that the first snap elections after the revolution in Armenia in April 2018 were held in the capital Yerevan, and the revolutionary team ran in this election in a bloc. Marutyan noted that out of the first 57 people elected via the "My Step" bloc to the Council of Elders, only 27 were members of the CC at that time.
Marutyan reminded that as a result of this election, 82% of the voters had cast their ballots for that team.
"I repeat: the people did not vote for any party; they voted for the bloc, the revolution, the revolutionary team, the leader of the revolution [serving PM] Nikol Pashinyan, Hayk Marutyan, the respected and well-known people included in the team, () who for years had dedicated themselves to the victory of the revolution," Marutyan said.
The mayor of Yerevan noted that today the process of expressing no confidence in him is based on his leaving the CC and the "My Step" bloc. He emphasized that he left the CC, but not the "My Step" bloc.
"Mentioning the name of the Civil Contract party in their arguments, these people are trying to privatize the revolution, they are trying to make the CC the only bearer and heir of revolutionary values. This is unacceptable for me and for thousands of non-partisan people like me, who carried out the revolution to have a better Armenia," Marutyan added.
As reported earlier, the Yerevan municipal council has convened a special session Wednesdayand with only one matter on the agenda: the draft decision of the Yerevan Council of Elders on expressing no confidence in Mayor Hayk Marutyan. Also, this draft proposes to elect Deputy Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan as the Mayor of Yerevan. The session is being chaired by Hayk Marutyan.
The ruling majority "My Step" Faction of the Yerevan Council of Elders had collected signatures to express no confidence in Marutyan. This initiative is supported also by the members of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Faction and Ani Khachatryan from the opposition Luys Faction.
But several members of the "My Step" Faction have opposed this initiative and resigned from the Yerevan city council.
Spokesperson of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov has labeled as painful for the residents of Chechnya the Turkish governments decision on naming one of the parks after a terrorist who tried to seize the region of Russia, and so, he understands the emotional reaction of Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadirov, RIA Novosti reports.
This is a rather emotional, yet explicable reaction of the leader of the Russian region who has been through several wars that were provoked and unleashed by terrorists who were trying to take over that region of Russia. One of the terrorists who did that was Dudayev. Unfortunately, one of the parks in a region of Turkey was named after that terrorist. Of course, this is a rather painful decision for all Chechens and the Republic of Chechnya, and so, such emotional reaction is understandable, Peskov said, adding that Russia has already informed, through diplomatic channels, the Turkish counterparts that Russia doesnt approve of the decision, to say the least.
Spokesperson of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov says Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden might hold a talk via video call by the end of this year, even though there is no specific agreement, TASS reports.
It might take place and it might not take place. It is quickly agreed upon, if necessary. There is still no specific agreement, Peskov said.
Commenting on US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens statement that Washington doesnt have any plans to hold a new meeting of Putin and Biden, Peskov stated that he [Blinken] talked about meetings. Earlier, Putin, starting the Dec. 7 talks with Biden via a video call, said he would really like to see him in person.
The General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Committee of Armenia continues preliminary investigation of the criminal case launched in regard to the case of provision of false information on the part of leader of the opposition National Security Party Garnik Isagulyan, the Investigative Committee reports.
By combining the sufficient evidence that was obtained, Isagulyan is charged with false crime reporting.
The body implementing proceedings yesterday filed a motion with the court to select arrest as a pre-trial measure against him, and the court granted the motion.
The preliminary investigation continues. Measures are being taken to clarify all the circumstances of the case and ensure objective and comprehensive investigation.
Accordingly, evidence has been obtained that during a press conference on September 20, Isagulyan, knowing that the information he was providing was false, reported a crime that had not been committed.
In particular, during the interview, Isagulyan said that the Armenian ambassador to Ukraine was allegedly studied and recruited by the Turkish and Azerbaijani special services, and that this diplomat is collaborating with the aforementioned services and the representatives of those nations since 2008, about which Isagulyan himself has no doubts.
According to his statement, the Armenian ambassador to Ukraine held talks with the Azerbaijani ambassador to Ukraine, and as a result, it was decided that the Armenian prime minister shall meetin Batumi, Georgiawith the representatives of the Turkish president to ask for money from the latter, as the money in the state budget of Armenia has run out and they cannot pay pensions; thus, unjustly accusing the Armenian diplomat of committing a serious crime.
Garnik Isagulyan is already accusedin the criminal case under consideration by the Yerevan courtof making false statements about the prime minister of Armenia, a number of former and current officials and public figures, the current chairman of the Investigative Committee, the former secretary of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Security Council, as well as of making public calls for using violence against the Prime Minister of Armenia.
Upon his arrival in Baku Wed., the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Iran welcomes further economic and trade cooperation with Azerbaijan, Mehr reports.
"Today, we will have high-level meetings with the officials of the Republic of Azerbaijan and we are glad that the relations between the two countries are growing, developing, and strengthening", the Iranian Foreign Minister stated.
Amir-Abdollahian added that he has a variety of ideas for expanding bilateral cooperation which he will be discussed in a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
He also mentioned that the Iranian and Azeri Foreign Ministers have been in touch during the past three months and have held meetings in New York, Ashgabat, and Islamabad in which the frameworks of expanding the cooperations were discussed, according to Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia today hosted the first session of the inter-agency task force set up upon the decision of the Prime Minister to carry out activities with regard to the establishment of an integrated call management center, the introduction and operation of one common phone number for sounding alarms and widely raising public awareness about them.
The session was chaired by head of the task force, First Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations Armen Pambukhchyan and attended by representatives of the Rescue Service, the Police and the Public Services Regulatory Commission.
The members of the task force exchanged views on having one unified 911 alarm center. After the session, the guests toured the National Center for Crisis Management and learned about the operation of the 911 service.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Armenia Sergey Lavrov and Ararat Mirzoyan agreed to take additional steps to launch practical activities for demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
As reported the press service of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the phone talks, the ministers discussed the current issues on the bilateral and regional agendas and shared their assessments on implementation of the agreements reached by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia in Sochi on November 26, 2021. The parties reached an agreement to take additional steps to launch practical activities for demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, with delimitation in the future. They expressed mutual interest in the speedy implementation of actions for unblocking transport and economic ties in the South Caucasus, the press release reads.
The agenda of bilateral cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan is extensive, and I am certain that this cooperation will lead to good results. This is what President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Baku, Mehr reports.
The friendship and brotherhood of Iran and Azerbaijan were affirmed, and the need to take future steps to develop relations in all political, economic, trade and cultural sectors was emphasized during the meeting held with the President of Iran in Ashgabad, he said.
In his turn, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian conveyed the greetings of President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi. The Iranian foreign minister reminded about the Iranian presidents invitation to Tehran, labeling the meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Iran in the capital of Turkmenistan and the negotiations as a turning point and a serious development in the relations of the two friendly and fraternal countries.
The Russian contingent deployed in Syria is the guarantor of peace in Syria, and the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the guarantor of peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoygu said, TASS reports.
Russian peacekeepers have been ensuring conditions for establishment of peaceful life in Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions and contributing to the restoration of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia for over a year now. At this moment, no serious incident has taken place. The Russian contingent also continues to act as the guarantor of peace in Syria, the minister said during the plenary session of the Public Council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Dear fellow citizens of Yerevan, I inform that I am dropping my mandate of a member of the Council of Elders of Yerevan. This is what member of the My Step faction Lilit Pipoyan wrote on her Facebook page, adding the reasons for her decision.
1. I didnt want to be a part of the process of expressing no confidence in the mayor.
2. I have complaints about and disagreement with the institution of the Council of Elders itself; it definitely needs to undergo fundamental reforms in order to truly become a municipal authority, which it isnt now. It needs to become a professional legislature for the city of Yerevan.
Unfortunately, my proposal to set up a Council for Monumental Art at Yerevan Municipality remained on paper, and it had taken me quite a long time to draft the proposal during the past months, but I will submit the complete proposal to the deputy mayor for cultural affairs with the hope that it will be implemented, wrote Pipoyan.
With 44 votes in favor and 10 votes against, the Council of Elders of Yerevan expressed no confidence Mayor Hayk Marutyan today, and Hrachya Sargsyan, who used to hold the position of First Deputy Mayor prior to that, was elected the new mayor.
Baku has responded to the statement that Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan made today in regard to preparation for the opening of railway connection to Iran through Nakhchivan.
According to haqqin.az, citing diplomatic sources, in regard to the unblocking and restoration of communication routes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the stance of the Azerbaijani government is that there cant be any talk about the restoration of communication between Armenia and Iran through Nakhchivan, as well as restoration of communications in other directions until the new Aghbend-Meghri-Nakhchivan railway is not exploited.
The Government of Azerbaijan presented its stance to M. Grigoryan during the talks held in the format of consultations of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia in Moscow, writes the source.
Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian believes the 3+3 format may contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in the region.
During a meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Baku, the Iranian minister talked about Irans participation in the 3+3 format and stated that the cooperation will favor the strengthening of peace and stability in the region. He emphasized that foreign powers beyond the region have no right to interfere in the affairs of the region and claimed that the countries of the region can resolve their issues on their own, Mehr reports.
In his turn, Aliyev said the countries of the region need to solve the problems of the region on their own. We are against the involvement of countries beyond the region in regional affairs. We believe the ties in the region are helpful for all countries of the region, he added.
A U.S. diplomat serving at the U.S. Consulate in Lebanon was arrested after being suspected of selling a fake passport to a Syrian for $10,000 in Turkey.
According to Anadolu, the diplomat and the Syrian citizen were arrested after the latter had allegedly tried to travel to Germany with the passport given by the diplomat.
The footage of the surveillance camera shows that the two had met at the airport and exchanged clothes. Police report that they have videotaped evidence showing that the diplomat submitted the diplomatic passport, which passport control declared as suspicious, Reuters reports.
Anadolu reported that police officers found $10,000 in the envelope containing the passport with the name of the diplomat during a search.
After the incident, the diplomat was arrested and is still in custody. The agency reports that the Syrian is in liberty until the trial over the falsification of documents begins.
In an interview aired on Armenian Public Television, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan declared that the document that the Ministers of Defense of the Russian Federation and Armenia signed in December 2020 didnt concern the decisions on the pullout of the troops of Armenia a few kilometers back in Syunik Province.
During a press conference held in parliament on Dec. 20, deputies of the opposition Armenia Faction of the National Assembly Gegham Manukyan and Anna Grigoryan informed that they had received contradicting responses to their inquiries addressed to various government agencies in regard to the command to pull out Armenian troops and the fact about the command. Whereas in response to Manukyans inquiry addressed to already former Minister of Defense Arshak Karapetyan the minister had informed that the issue is not within the domain of competence of the Ministry of Defense, in response to a similar inquiry addressed to Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Artak Davtyan, the latter said the pullout of troops had taken place in December 2020. MP Manukyan stated that he couldnt fully disclose the document due to the prescribed confidentiality regime. Later, in response to another similar inquiry, current Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan had informed the MP that there is a document signed between the Ministries of Defense of Armenia and the Russian Federation, but, due to the confidentiality regime, he cant disclose it.
Touching upon the opposition MPs statements and the presented factual data, Grigoryan claims that there is nothing new and that the authorities havent concealed anything.
We have publicly talked about almost all the processes that have taken place after November 9. The Prime Minister said why it was decided to pull out the troops. The document is about something totally different. Im surprised that the opposition revealed this a year later. The document stated that Armenia will continue to use that road until it has an alternative road. Construction of the alternative road ended in Armenia in November, and Azerbaijan declared that it will set up customs points on the Goris-Kapan motorway. We have talked about this, and I am surprised that the opposition is revealing the well-known facts, Grigoryan added.
When Ankara made an announcement about the normalization of relations with Armenia and sent positive signals, Armenia responded to those positive signals; overall, there is still no agenda, its mainly about sitting at the table, understanding the stances of the sides and understanding how to normalize the relations. This is what Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said in an interview aired on Armenian Public Television, touching upon the upcoming Armenian-Turkish negotiations.
We see that there are such opportunities in the region, for instance, the possible opening of the Kars-Gyumri railway which will create big opportunities for Armenia and Turkey and will help make Armenia and Turkey economically dependent, Grigoryan stated.
Asked why is it that the Turkish side constantly says what has to happen and Armenia does whatever the Turkish side says, Grigoryan noted the following: The Turkish side isnt saying what has to happen. It makes public statements, and we respond to almost all of them. Currently, we believe the important thing is to sit at the table and discuss the issues. We have yet to sit at the table and understand what Turkey is referring to and what Armenia is referring to.
A few days ago, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu declared that Armenia and Turkey will appoint special envoys to discuss the steps aimed at normalizing their relations. Turkey will be represented by Serdar Kilic, who served as Turkeys Ambassador to the United States for 7 years and served as Secretary General of the National Security Council of Turkey before that. Armenias special envoy will be Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan, who held the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for a few months after shift of power and then chaired the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations in the seventh convocation of the National Assembly. In 2017, Rubinyan was in Turkey for a few months and, as he declared from the podium in parliament on August 3, conducted research.
Ruben Rubinyan was the head of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly, specializes in this sector, and there is another factor that makes him an effective negotiator he has ties with the Prime Minister and his team. This is what Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said in an interview aired on Armenian Public Television, touching upon the question why it was decided to send Rubinyan as Armenias special representative to represent Armenia during the upcoming negotiations with Turkey.
Asked if it wouldnt be right to place emphasis on rich experience in diplomacy and not the political ties of the envoy and the ties with the team, Grigoryan noted the following:
We believe that the factors I mentioned are more important since any kind of issue can be set forth during the negotiations, and there will be a need to verify a particular issue with the Prime Minister. We took all this into consideration, and we considered Mr. Rubinyans appointment more effective. Modern diplomacy is undergoing several changes, and we shouldnt think about the modern processes with old patterns, he stated.
A few days ago, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu declared that Armenia and Turkey will appoint special envoys to discuss the steps aimed at normalizing their relations. Turkey will be represented by Serdar Kilic, who served as Turkeys Ambassador to the United States for 7 years and served as Secretary General of the National Security Council of Turkey before that. Armenias special envoy will be Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan, who held the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for a few months after shift of power and then chaired the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations in the seventh convocation of the National Assembly. In 2017, Rubinyan was in Turkey for a few months and, as he declared from the podium in parliament on August 3, conducted research.
Prosecutors want life sentences for downing MH17
Rob and Silene Fredriksz, who lost their son when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was downed arrive at the high security court at Schiphol airport. File photo: AP
Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday called for life in prison for four suspects on trial in absentia accused of downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine with a surface-to-air missile, killing 298 people.
The ill-fated flight heading for Kuala Lumpur took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport in July 2014, and prosecutors this week launched closing arguments in the closely watched trial.
A verdict is not expected until late 2022 at the earliest.
The four suspects on trial are Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko, accused of launching the BUK missile that hit the plane over war-torn eastern Ukraine.
"We are asking that the suspects Girkin, Dubinsky, Pulatov and Kharchenko, each for their responsibility of crashing a plane leading to the death and murder of 298 people, be sentenced to life in prison," prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks told the court Wednesday.
All four have refused to appear in court in the Netherlands and are being tried in absentia.
Prosecutors have argued this week that the four suspects played pivotal roles in securing the BUK system, which was most likely intended to strike a Ukrainian warplane.
International investigators say the missile was originally brought from a Russian military base, ostensibly to be used in the fight against Ukrainian forces.
"Our evidence is convincing and abundant. We have many sources where the evidence comes from and they support each other," chief prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer told AFP.
Prosecutors said the missile's deployment was planned and organised, and that it did not matter whether the suspects made a mistake in targeting a passenger plane.
"If we consider how much time the defendants put into planning and organising the deployment of the BUK, it is all the more poignant how little attention they appear to have given to the risk of inadvertently shooting down a passenger aircraft," prosecutors argued, according to trial documents Wednesday.
"In legal terms, the defendants were civilians and were therefore not allowed to shoot at any aircraft, whether civilian or military."
Anton Kotte, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and grandson in the crash, welcomed Wednesday's proceedings.
"There were children from one year old on that plane. They had their whole life... there's no life. It's awful," he told reporters outside the court.
Piet Ploeg, who lost three relatives in the crash, said the sentence request was called for.
"There's only one sentence that's appropriate for this crime, and that's life imprisonment," he said.
The hearings come as fresh tensions soar over Ukraine, with the West accusing Moscow of planning an invasion. (AFP)
In a new effort, the Kabul municipality has taken steps to remove the photos of women on storefronts in the capital city, Tolo News reported. The spokesman of Kabul municipality, Nematullah Barakzai, said the government has ordered the municipality's officials to remove all photos of women from signboards at shops and business centres in Kabul. "Based on the decision of the government, the photos that are against Islamic regulations will be collected or removed from billboards," said Barakzai, the report said. Meanwhile, the owners of beauty salons in Kabul criticised the decision of the Islamic Emirate, and asked the government to not impose restrictions on their business. Shayesta Saifi, a make-up artiste, has worked in a beauty salon for seven years. Shayesta said she is financially assisting her 10-member family. "This is imposing a restriction on women's work, there is a fear that they will lock our shop in the coming days," she said. "How does it benefit the government if photos of women are removed," asked Parwana, a women's rights activist, as per the report. This comes as international organisations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to not ignore the rights of women and to not marginalise women from the society. But the Islamic Emirate claims that it already respects women based on Islamic principles. --IANS san/arm ( 237 Words) 2021-12-21-23:10:04 (IANS)
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), however, has not yet confirmed any cases of the strain in the district.
Balochistan Coronavirus Operation Cell in-charge Dr Naqeebullah Niazi told Geo News that the suspected cases surfaced in the last two days.
He said that the samples taken from the suspected patients are being sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad for confirmation.
The Balochistan health department has written a letter to the Kalat district health officer, directing him to identify the suspected patients and put them in isolation, the health official said. Moreover, doctors have also been told to be careful, the report said.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo expressed concerns over the suspected presence of the Omicron variant in Kalat and sought a report from the health department.
Pakistan has so far reported one confirmed and another suspected case of Omicron, apart from the latest suspected cases from Kalat.
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), on December 13, had confirmed it had detected Pakistan's first-ever case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in a patient who had no travel history through gene-sequencing.
A second case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus had been reported from Karachi, sources within the Sindh Health Department had said later in the week.
--IANS san/skp/
( 253 Words)
2021-12-22-12:08:03 (IANS)
The Reliance General Insurance Company said on Tuesday that it will soon come out with nine sandbox products to meet evolving consumer needs. The company has already received approval for the same from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). This announcement is in line with the company's long-term goal of re-innovating and redefining the insurance sector to cater to the fast-transforming customer expectations in the digital age. "Three out of the nine products are from the telematics segment, while the rest of the offerings are from the company's innovative product line designed to address customers' current and future policy requirements. Being one of the most tech-driven insurance companies, RGICL aims to introduce these pioneering product offerings to provide holistic insurance cover from a futuristic perspective," the company said in a statement. According to Rakesh Jain, CEO, Reliance General Insurance Company: "The pandemic has transformed the insurance landscape and elevated customer expectations. The approved nine sandbox products are designed to meet customer expectations through personalised offerings." "They are also modelled to address customers' current and futuristic requirements. We intend to take the customer experiences to the next level with these new-age offerings," Jain said. Reliance General Insurance, a part of Reliance Capital, is one of the leading general insurance companies in India. It offers motor insurance, health insurance, travel insurance, and home insurance, among other customised solutions. --IANS ad-rv/arm ( 245 Words) 2021-12-21-23:04:04 (IANS)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 22 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Licious, India's first D2C unicorn, was honoured with the Thought Leadership Award for its ambitious ESG goals at the recently concluded ESG Summit & Awards 2021. The prestigious recognition acknowledges and applauds Licious' pledge to be compliant with the global ESG framework. This marks a key milestone for India's largest tech-first, full-stacked, D2C animal protein brand, renowned for leveraging technology to set new benchmarks in quality, sustainability, and transparency in the largely unorganized meat and seafood sector. The brand is not just synonymous with delivering high-quality and superior animal protein products to consumers, but also revolutionizing the category itself. This is in alignment with the ESG Summit & Awards' purpose to recognize and inspire companies to ensure ESG percolates through every aspect of the business - vision, strategy, value creation, and human engagement - to discover sustainable growth for everyone, including business, planet and people. The Award, which places Licious in the league of inspiring companies such as Genpact, ITC, and Vedanta in terms of its ESG commitment, has further embolden the company to take on mightier ESG goals. Commenting on the latest recognition, Rajesh Kumaramenon, Chief Quality & Sustainability Officer, Licious, said, "We are delighted and humbled at receiving the Thought Leadership Award at the prestigious ESG Summit & Awards 2021. While every recognition is special, this one is truly close to our hearts as ESG has defined our purpose and operations since our inception in 2015. Responsibility towards the environment, the poultry farmers, fishermen and the communities we work with has been an integral part of our growth. Despite the traditional obstacles prevalent in the industry, we set out to build a highly controlled value chain - from farm to fork. We believe that an ESG-focused approach is the only way forward for businesses looking at a resilient future. And this award has only strengthened our resolve to set new benchmarks in terms of our ESG goals in the years to come." Earlier this year, Ernst & Young conducted an ESG compliance assessment for Licious to help the company arrive at a roadmap to becoming an ESG-compliant company. The company then launched an ESG & Sustainability division post the assessment to help achieve its global ESG compliance goals. Licious' commitment to ESG is the core driver for its growth vision. It has seen the company experience high affinity among diverse stakeholders, including vendor communities, customers and investors. The first meat and seafood brand from India to be certified with FSSC22000 - one of the highest food safety certifications in the world - Licious got a billion-dollar valuation, earlier this year, making it the first D2C unicorn in the country. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
New Delhi [India], December 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): Apollo Medskills and IIM Lucknow today have decided to join hands and announce the beginning of a relationship between the two institutions with a unique perspective to benefit the healthcare fraternity. The first of many, under this initiative they have launched an Executive Programme in Healthcare Management. Speaking on the occasion, from IIM Lucknow were the Chairperson MDP (Management Development Programmes) Prof. Ajay K Garg and the Programme Directors Professor S. Venkataramanaiah and Professor Madhumita Chakraborty who shared their insights on conceptualising this program. COVID-19 pandemic has exposed all sectors of economy including healthcare across the world. This has led to the rethinking and restructuring of the healthcare industry as well. In the context of India, care delivery has become a big challenge due to serious shortage of qualified medical, nursing, diagnostic and managerial workforce of the healthcare sector apart from ill equipped health infrastructure. Implementation of National health protection system (NHPS) like Ayushman Bharat has started resulting in better healthcare particularly for the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) segment and economic development. India is on top of the list in terms of out-of-pocket expenses which is around 87%. Proposed public spending on healthcare is also attracting the private sector to focus on secondary and tertiary healthcare. All these are generating significant amount of employment in healthcare and allied areas. At this juncture, the proposed collaborative programme Executive Programme in Healthcare Management (EPHM) by IIM Lucknow and Apollo Medskills is expected to contribute by developing appropriate managerial capacity for the fast-growing health sector in India. The programme is designed by taking the necessary inputs from both public and private health sector of India and similar economies in the region. We strongly believe that this programme will add value and capacity building in Indian healthcare sector. "The uniqueness of this programme is the Experiential learning that every participant receives by way of attending the Immersion programme. All participants will have the opportunity to experience the concepts they have been acquainted within the classroom in a real time campus immersion at IIM Lucknow and a field visit at Apollo hospitals. This enhances the students' understanding of the value chain while being present in the relevant environment." Speaking on the occasion of the launch of EPHM programme in collaboration with IIM Lucknow, Dr Srinivasa Rao Pulijala, CEO, Apollo MedSkills Limited, The EPHM Programme Director, said, "The on-going developments in India's healthcare industry is paving way for creating millions of jobs in the sector. The Executive Programme in Healthcare Management offered by the IIM Lucknow, India's top ranking management institute and Apollo MedSkills Limited, one of the large healthcare skilling institution, will definitely nurture and shape the career of hundreds of youth who aspire to take the leadership roles in the health industry. Students will benefit with learning from the industry experts from both management and healthcare sectors. During the pandemic COVID-19 period, we are witnessing a sharp rise in number of hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres, rehabilitation centres across urban, semi-urban and in some pockets of rural India. These health facilities are on the look-out for those talented people who are capable of running them effectively and efficiently. This unique industry is in urgent need of highly skilled people." Apollo Group has addressed healthcare holistically with a commitment to improve the quality and standards of the workforce. Apollo MedSkills, a demonstrated leader in the area of education and skill acquisition specific to Healthcare Sector. Established in 2012 with a vision to address A. Rising domestic and global demand for skilled and adept Health care professionals B. Build top class professionals in Healthcare sector through upskilling and management orientation as per industry standards and needs. C. Channel skilled talent from other sectors who aspire to position a career in Healthcare Sector. D. Enhance entrepreneurship opportunities through startups in diagnostics and other domains. AMSL currently stands out as go-to partner to source talent in the Healthcare industry, particularly healthcare management. Student centred learning, patient oriented education and assured acquisition of necessary functional skills positions Apollo Medskills as the Connoisseur in Industry oriented and market relevant education. From world class simulation labs to rural micro hubs for skill acquisition, AMSL holds a footprint of having 21 active centers, trained over 2.3 Lakhs Healthcare workforce and offers specialised omega courses in Hospital Management, Health Economics and Health Analytics. Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIML) is one of the premier business schools in India. From the sprawling about 185 acres campus, the Institute offers a world-class education in major areas of management and provides an ambiance for genuine intellectual pursuit, excitement, and professional growth. The Institute's carefully designed and high impact Management Development Programmes train business leaders, senior executives, and practicing managers from various sectors of the economy in all disciplines of management education and thought. The Institute provides cooperation and support to Industry and the Government through its large number of prestigious Consulting Assignments and Research Projects. The Institute has an internationally acclaimed Postgraduate Programme in Management, Agri-business Management, & Fellow Programme in Management known for its quality, rigor, and global orientation, PGPWE for Working Managers, International Programme in Management for Executives (IPMX). In addition to these, the Institute has launched distance learning programmes (e-MDPs), besides many other short duration programmes. The Institute has well equipped air-conditioned Lecture Rooms, Library, Computer Centre, and comfortable on campus air-conditioned board and lodging arrangements on a single occupancy basis for the Management Development Programme participants at both the campuses. The Lucknow campus is located about 19 KMs away from the Railway Station and 33 KMs from the Airport, on the Lucknow-Sitapur highway and Hardoi-Sitapur bypass. The Noida campus is located at Plot No. B-1, Sector 62, Noida near the Delhi-Ghaziabad highway (NH-24) about 25 KMs away from New Delhi Railway Station and about 40 KMs from the Domestic Airport. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 22 (ANI/SRV): Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS), Pune, a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) Pune, is conducting its 12th Annual International Research Conference - SIMSARC from 20th to 22nd December 2021. "I want the young minds to research on how to convert WASTE TO WEALTH by using appropriate technology. Join me in this mission to build the nation for the betterment of its citizens for a better India. " - Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, Road Transport & Highways. The theme for SIMSARC'21 is "New Normal, New Ways: Implication for Business, Environment, and Society". The conference provides a platform for researchers to share their research ideas with academia, various institutions, and industry across the globe. The review process of SIMSARC is a blind peer review which is one of the best practices of SIMSARC. The conference has a rich pool of reviewers from institutions and industries in India and abroad. SIMSARC has separate tracks for academicians/ faculty, doctoral students which allows the researchers to present their research to eminent reviewers and industry experts. The inaugural ceremony of SIMSARC'21 was conducted on December 21, 2021, in the esteemed presence of Chief Guest, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, Road Transport & Highways, Government of India; Guest of Honour, Vibhor Talreja, Managing Director, Everstone Capital Advisors Pvt. Ltd. Dr S.B. Mujumdar, Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University); Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar, Pro-Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University); Dr. Rajani R. Gupte, Vice-Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) were also present for the inaugural ceremony of SIMSARC 21. The welcome address was given by Brig Dr Rajiv Divekar, Director, Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune. He commended the Chief Guest for the ceremony Shri Nitin Gadkari for his foresight to build the nation. The chief guest was also welcomed by Dr S. B Mujumdar, Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University). He highlighted that the pandemic has taught us various lessons which includes the importance of health and immunity, family relations, and spirituality. It has also taught us the importance of cooperation. He said, "You alone are not safe unless everyone around you is". Hon'ble Union Minister, Shri Nitin Gadkari said, "We strongly believe that society must focus on ethics." He also emphasised on how road transport and the new road developmental projects have changed the face of India along with giving a boost to the business sectors. SIMS in-house research journal, JIDNYASA Vol 13, issue 2, was released in the presence of Chief Guest, Shri Nitin Gadkari. The Guest of Honour for the inaugural session of SIMSARC'21, Vibhor Talreja, said "We are on the forefront of living in the new normal. We are entering a new normal every three years. The industries are seeing a massive change in the business cycle due to Covid-19. UPI and adoption of mobile payment is exceptionally high in Asia and the pace of the new normal is moulding us to adapt to new changes a lot faster." The compendium, which consists of abstracts of the papers for SIMSARC'21, was released by the hands of the Guest of Honour, Vibhor Talreja. The conference also had a special session conducted by Dr A Parasuraman, a renowned scholar and academician known for his SERVQUAL model. In addition to that, there were three sessions of Editors' Conclave where eight editors from the USA, Australia, and Europe spoke on issues that pertained to the academic and corporate industries. These editors were from highly reputed, Scopus indexed journals rated as "A" or "A*". Four plenary sessions are being conducted as part of SIMSARC'21 on the sub-themes "Business and Management: Adaptation to New Normal"," Education and Technology: Post Covid-19"," Global Outlook: Life After Pandemic" and "Socio-Economic transformation: World of Opportunity". Brig (Dr.) Rajiv Divekar, Director, Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS) is the Conference Chairperson, Dr Arti Chandani is the Conference Convener, and Dr Komal Chopra is the Conference Co-Convener of SIMSARC'21. For details visit: | https://www.sims.edu This story is provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)
New Delhi (India), December 22 (ANI/PNN): HEAL Foundation, an Indian non-profit organization, held Quality, Accessibility, and Data Integration- Keys to Anemia Eradication eSummit- the Episode-23 of the HEAL-Thy Samvaad series. The eSummit - supported by HemoCue - discussed the challenges and solutions for anemia eradication. Dr P Sivakumar, Advisor ESI MedTek Solutions, and moderator of eSummit said, "Anemia Mukt Bharat, an initiative of MoHFW and UNICEF was launched in 2018 to reduce the overall burden of anemia in India. The scheme is part of the intensified national iron plus program. The program focuses on 6 target beneficiary groups through 6 interventions and 6 institutional mechanisms to achieve the envisaged target under POSHAN Abhiyaan. This eSummit is an effort to understand where we stand and way forward." Anemia is a major healthcare challenge in India with almost every second child and woman of reproductive age is suffering from it. Over the years several initiatives were taken by governments to curb the menace. However, despite these continuous efforts, the graph for anemia keeps on rising steadily. Speaking during HEAL-Thy Samvaad supported by HemoCueon the most recent initiative of government Anemia Mukt Bharat, Dr Kapil Yadav, Additional Professor & Nodal Person, National Centre of Excellence and Advanced Research on Anemia Control (NCEAR-A), Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi, said, "it's been only 3 years since the launch in 2018. We have been very successful in some areas like provision of diagnosis across states and Iron Folic acid supplementation coverage, which has improved. Most states have launched AMB successfully. However, there were a few challenges too.We still have a long way to go if we have to achieve the milestone laid down in AMB. The challenge is humongous asalmost 50% of or population suffers from Anemia and the remaining 50% who do not have anemia still require intervention related t anemia as they might have nutrition deficiencies. I personally happy with our achievements in first 3 years." India has a huge population of 1.3 billion and for any program to be successful, government must get all the support it can get. Expressing his views on Public-Private Partnership for Anemia eradication during HEAL-Thy Samvaad supported by HemoCue, Dr.Harshwardhan Dere, Director Programs, Americares India Foundation said, "The government has a very robust policy for public-private partnership (PPP) for NCD however, the same is missing for Anemia. This is where the first step can be taken. The private sector can provide direct support to the govt for the implementation of activities such as IFS reach and hands-on support for point of care testing, digital testing, which are important parameters in AMB. The private sector has immense experience in the supply chain, which is another area where PPP models can be worked out." Speaking on Digital tools for AMB, Dr. Virender Ahlawat, Deputy Director NHM, Nodal Officer AMB State Immunization Officer, Haryana said, "We have learned a lot in the past 1 and half years and pretty much everyone using digital portals to implement the programs. However, we still need to simplify our portals up to the Asha workers level who are the end-users. We have provided Mobile-Tablets of Asha workers in 12 districts through which they maintain the record of immunization and we are trying to triangulate this with anemia and maternal health. Taking the digitalization to root level of Anganwadi, ANM, and Asha workersin the future." Dr Archana Mishra, Dy. Director, Maternal Health, National Health Mission (NHM), Madhya Pradesh, said, "We are using digital hemoglobinometer at PHC level. We have devised a mechanism where pregnant women undergoat least 1 check-up at PHC level where their hemoglobin is measured. We are implementing the mechanism throughout the state. The launch of Lakshya programs has ensured that a point of care device is available in the labor room when women come in an emergency. We have provided digital hemoglobinometers high load centers." Dr J L Meena, Division Head of "Service Provider Engagement" (Provider Operation, Empanelment & IC/TPA/ISA), National Health Authority (NHA), GoI, said, "In the PM-JAY program we have empanelled private hospital and have seen that 50% of facilities are availed by females, which is an excellent example of PPP. Presently we have cumulative packages for diagnosis and treatment. We are thinking in lines of separating diagnosis from treatment through e-vouchers. When implemented beneficiaries would be able to go for tests including anemia testing through e-voucher received directly on their mobile." Dr Hema Divakar, Past President, FOGSI, said, "Persistent is the key to success. Digital technology needs to be exploited much more than it is today. The reason is somehow both the consumer and provider have been slow in adapting the digital technologies in the healthcare space. People use digital for every day to day activities but when it comes to healthcare, they are a bit hesitant. The buzz around COVID was such that people even in remote villages were checking their oxygen saturation through pulse oximeters and asking questions on chat. Similar deep percolation has not happened for anemia or hemoglobin level as an important healthcare parameter. With Point of Care devices, we have taken a big leap at the laboratory level where 1 drop can give hemoglobin level. However, advocacy needs to be there for people's contribution that their health is in their hands. Improved awareness among people is essential for success." This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 22 (ANI/SRV): While SIBM Bengaluru never stopped its quest for knowledge and learning even amid the pandemic, the institution did have to vacate the premises of its sprawling campus in Electronic City, Bengaluru. As the whole country experienced the onset of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic and galloped towards a total shutdown, SIBM Bengaluru was no different. In March 2020, all physical teaching and other activities on the campus were restrained, and the entire premises was vacated. In the subsequent months, as the world distanced itself, working remotely became the new normal. Offices, educational institutes, and all other institutions had to adapt to this new method of work, and SIBM Bengaluru was an early entrant in the bandwagon. Classes were conducted in an online mode, with students and teachers safely homebound. Assignments and evaluations shifted from paper to the computer screen. The diligence and dedication of its faculty, combined with the promptness of the students made this transition a smooth one. During this phase, the college successfully organized its admission process and onboarded two consecutive batches, completely in an online mode. Moreover, despite the effects of the pandemic on the economy, SIBM Bengaluru had a fruitful placement season, for both Final as well as Summer Placements. By the month of August 2021, the effects of the deadly second wave of the pandemic waned, and people could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The world started to slowly but steadily open up, and people could be seen back in shopping malls, theatres, and eateries. Even then, opening up a residential campus was tricky, and huge steps needed to be taken to ensure the safety of students. Along with providing ample residential space, there were the risks of contamination through food and the lack of social distancing among students. It required a strong and aware management, as well as discipline amongst students. In the first half of September, SIBM Bengaluru opened up its gates for students. Students were welcomed, but only in phases, in limited numbers. The ones who were willing to join entered, and all necessary safety precautions were strictly followed. No student was allowed to enter the gates without a negative RT-PCR report. Every student on campus was mandated to go through a quarantine period of 14 days, during which they practiced strict isolation, and their movement was restricted. SIBM-B's on-campus health facilities would promptly check on the quarantined students every day, and made sure that their well-being was not compromised in any way. At the end of their quarantine period, all the students went through another mandatory RT-PCR test. Upon getting a negative result, they were declared officially out of quarantine, and could access the various resources on campus. However, all the students were expected to follow basic safety protocols, like wearing a mask and sanitizing frequently. Classes continued in an online mode, to ensure utmost safety of students, faculty and staff on campus. Through the months of September and October, SIBM Bengaluru welcomed four phases of students to campus. Every phase went through the same rigour as mentioned above, in a bid to safeguard their health. Students were themselves fairly eager to get to the campus and experience the various facets of life at SIBM-B. The campus boasts of amenities such as a world-class library, smart classrooms, Bloomberg terminals, a world-class gym, badminton courts, an amphitheater, and so on. All of these facilities were available to students once they were out of quarantine. With the students back, the institute also saw many events conducted on campus. Some of these were Utthaan, Navratri, Exceleration and most recently, Diwali. All of these events were conducted following all safety protocols, and with appropriate social distancing being practiced at all times. Some classes were even conducted in hybrid mode, combining offline as well as online students. SIBM Bengaluru has successfully started this transition back to offline teaching, ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment on its campus. In the coming months, the institute hopes to have more of its students join in, and experience the joy and excitement of #LifeAtSIBMB. To know more visit: SIBM Bengaluru This story is provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)
New Delhi [India], December 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): India Book of Records has reasons to celebrate the year-end with-it applicants pouring in fresh entries each day. Hundreds of applications processed day in and day out result in getting the records created and published in our annual book. These record holders inspire and provide fresh insights to us at India Book of Records into what all human potential is actually capable of. Team IBR has an illustrious team of Chief Editors from record books of seven nations Vietnam, Malaysia, USA, Nepal, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Thailand as its board members. This lends reason enough for our applicants to come back with even greater zeal and better performance. This month, the following talents proved their mettle with the support of India Book of Records. Little toddler finds joy in identification Aaradhya Ashish Agarwal (born on December 6, 2019) of Pune, Maharashtra, is appreciated for identifying 12 shapes, 15 countries flag, 3 seasons, 20 parts of the body, English alphabet, 7 wonders of the world, 15 sports, 23 professionals, 15 colors, 10 freedom fighters, pictures of 12 opposite and 22 action words, 12 school items and 17 festivals at the age of 1 year and 10 months, as confirmed on October 21, 2021. Toddler wins hearts by identifying innumerable collectibles Kushmitha Veeranna N. (born on November 25, 2018) of Hassan, Karnataka, is appreciated for identifying 10 shapes, 12 fruits, 7 tools, 17 vegetables, 7 colors, flags of 12 countries, 12 community helpers, parts of a computer, 36 animals, 10 parts of the body, 10 Tirthankaras; matching questions; reciting 16 national symbols, capitals of 28 Indian states, 8 planets, 7 continents, 6 rhymes, numbers from 1-20, days of the week and months in a year in English and Kannada at the age of 2 years and 10 months, as confirmed on October 23, 2021. Maximum flags of countries identified by a kid in one minute The record for identifying the maximum number of flags of countries in one minute was set by Sadhana Panaghanti (born on February 28, 2018) of Koppal, Karnataka. She identified 55 flags of countries at the age of 3 years, 7 months and 25 days, as confirmed on October 23, 2021. New and Old Testament Book Names Recited by a Child Adwita Amit Kamle (born on January 31, 2012) of Sangli, Maharashtra, is appreciated for reciting the names of books of the Holy Bible. She recited the names of 66 books (39 from the Old Testament and 27 from the New Testament) in 40 seconds and 14 milliseconds at the age of 9 years and 9 months, as confirmed on November 15, 2021. Happy toddler pleased to recite a challenging list Jane Catherina (born on December 7, 2018) of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, is appreciated for reciting days of the week, months in a year, Uyireluthukkal in Tamil, 8 planets, 5 oceans, numbers from 1-20, 12 national symbols, capitals of all Indian states; identifying the English alphabet with words, 21 birds, 24 flowers, 32 musical instruments, 24 colours, 22 objects, 32 fruits and 15 insects at the age of 2 years and 10 months, as confirmed on November 6, 2021. Human Calculator The record for being a Human Calculator was set by Amit Sawlani (born on June 21, 1998) of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He did multiple onerous and abstruse calculations accurately in the least time. He calculated the table of any 2-digit number in the least time of 3.16 seconds, table of any 3-digit number in 3.78 seconds and simultaneous tables of 25 different 2-digit numbers in 2 minutes, 54 seconds and 15 milliseconds, faster than a calculator, at the Indian Institute of Management, Amritsar, Punjab on November 13, 2021. Fastest to perform all Bharatanatyam hasta mudras in reverse order The record for being the fastest to perform all Bharatanatyam hasta mudras in reverse order was set by Nithya Prakasam (born on April 29, 1981) of Bengaluru, Karnataka. She performed all 62 mudras namely Dasavatharahasta, Asamyuktha hasta and Samyuktha hasta in reverse order (mirror image way) in just 36 seconds and 27 milliseconds, as confirmed on October 27, 2021. Longest Handshake A Sree Dharshini (born on July 8, 2004) and A Padmavathi (born on April 3, 1979) of Tamil Nadu, India, set a record for performing the longest handshake. They started the handshake at 11.02 am on September 22, 2021, performed for 72 hours and 4 minutes, and ended it at 11.10 am on September 25, 2021, at Nagarathar Sangam, Karur, Tamil Nadu. Poetry book on love & bereavement Ankit Maniar (born on December 13, 1994) of Rajkot, Gujarat, is appreciated for writing a book titled 'Vicharo Na Virah Ma' (ISBN: 978-93-82019-83-1), published by Creative Prakashan Publications. The book consists of six poems and is written in Gujarati, as confirmed on November 17, 2021. Maximum knuckle push-ups with weight on back in 30 seconds The record for performing the maximum number of knuckle push-ups (with weight on the back) in 30 seconds was set by Sunil Kumar (born on January 28, 1979) of Malappuram, Kerala. He performed 21 knuckle push-ups while carrying a bag weighing 39.95 kg on his back in 30 seconds, as confirmed on October 25, 2021. Stay tuned for more inspiration...! This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
New Delhi [India], December 22 (ANI/PNN): In an attempt to overcome logistics troubles and offer a seamless delivery experience to all its clients and customers, CommerceUp an end-to-end Saas e-commerce company is now associated with India's largest eCommerce shipping solution company, Shiprocket. With this partnership, merchants and enterprises using CommerceUp services will have access to fast and reliable shipping solutions anywhere in the country. Advanced logistics solutions of Shiprocket integrated with progressive eCommerce solutions of CommerceUp will offer the ultimate launchpad for any business entering the world of digital operations. By integrating Shiprocket as an eCommerce fulfillment and warehousing solution in its dashboard, CommerceUp clients can instantly dispatch the order after it has been requested. In addition to this, they will also have access to the entire spectrum of shipping features like domestic and international shipping, lower return costs, insurance coverage for lost shipments, etc. Moreover, enterprises, merchants using CommerceUp for their business as well as their customers will be able to check real-time shipment status. This will be possible with the help of a unique tracking ID associated exclusively with their order number. Additionally, customers will also be able to avail COD option on their orders, therefore, allowing merchants to reach a larger number of markets. With this partnership businesses can now: Fulfill a large number of orders in a short period, Provide next day delivery, Gain a larger share in domestic markets, Launch their online store in a matter of days, Offer tailor-made D2C solutions. Commenting on the collaboration, Piyush Pathak, Founder of CommerceUp said "E-commerce brands need quick delivery solutions to dispatch a large number of orders in ashort amount of time. Shiprocket integration will help CommerceUp users achieve lightning fast delivery globally while having greater control over supply chain management. Without worrying about logistics, brands will have more time on their hands to improve products and market them to the target audience". We are delighted to shake hands with CommerceUp to enable enterprises and sellers to provide superior quality services to their customers and scale up their business. We at Shiprocket have identified an upward trend of customer expectations, and we are committed to providing for the same. For us, ensuring customer delight is central to all decisions we make said Saahil Goel, CEO and Co-founder of Shiprocket. CommerceUp offers cutting-edge solutions for both small-scale and large-scale businesses. We help them build progressive web and mobile applications that come with payment gateway, ERP integration, and now Shiprocket shipment integration. Powered by AWS (Amazon web services), CommerceUp clients can easily sell on multiple social media platforms thereby accessing a larger marketplace. We also offer dedicated account managers and channel partners to build and sustain scalable businesses. CommerceUp is currently expanding in the middle east market where it is helping D2C brands gain a larger market share in a cost-efficient manner. Platform's integrated tools and Arabic language support are enabling clients to manage their online store seamlessly. CommerceUp is an end-to-end Saas e-commerce platform that helps businesses, as well as merchants, create dynamic response e-commerce websites and mobile applications. Through its cloud-based eCommerce platform it has focused on empowering e-commerce 2.0 for D2C brands by transforming business digitally and helping them to scale up at a rapid pace. The development of the CommerceUp platform was started in 2019. In Dubai, it went live with its first client live in august 2020. Since then, the company has grown progressively to servicing 40-plus brands across Dubai & India. These brands have seen enormous growth in sales by shifting to CommerceUp and generating sales of around 6 million USD in the past year. Shiprocket is India's largest eCommerce shipping and enablement platform for SMBs. The technology powers shipping and fulfillment for SMEs, D2C retailers, and social commerce sellers in India. With 17 courier partners on board, the brand enables pan India as well as international shipping deliveries. Its shipping solutions are available across 29,000-plus pin codes within India and the Middle East region. Launched in 2017, Shiprocket is on a mission to create a seamless logistics data platform that connects retailers, carriers, and consumers across national and international locations. In addition to offering Shipping Services, Shiprocket also provides a technology stack to help retailers integrate their shopping websites on Shopify, Magento, Woocommerce, Zoho, and others for workflow, inventory, and order management. Aside from being a shipping solutions provider, Shiprocket also serves as a Cash on Delivery payment gateway. With a multi-carrier API that allows sellers to manage orders, print shipping labels, and avail tracking information from multiple providers, Shiprocket also offers state-of-the-art fulfillment solutions. The brand also provides a robust post-purchase experience to consumers, resulting in higher engagement and lower RTO (failed deliveries). The company recently ventured into the fin-tech space with their lending product 'Early COD.' Today, Shiprocket is the force behind the country's 1 lakh plus sellers who generate a GMV of more than $1B annually on the platform. The brand delivers packets to nearly 25M consumers annually and is growing 3X year on year. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
New Delhi [India], December 22 (ANI/Oswaal Books): GATE Exam is scheduled by IIT Kharagpur this year. The GATE Exam 2022 is an extensive exam for candidates who wish to take admissions in renowned colleges and universities of India for PG program. IIT Kharagpur has released the examination schedule and timetable for the candidates on its official website. The candidates can note down the dates with times for the particular exam in the given schedule on the official website of The GATE 2022 Exam. Candidates can also visit the official website for more information: https://gate.iitkgp.ac.in/ GATE Exam 2022, official notice mentions that from February 5, 2022, the examination would begin, and it ends on February 13, 2022. On February 4, 2022, the schedule mentioned miscellaneous activities from 2 pm to 5 pm. Candidates can also be allowed to visit their allotted exam centres. Candidates can also check their complete exam schedule below to check the date and time for the particular exam IIT Kharagpur had released. GATE 2022 Examination Schedule: Admit Card Updates: According to the official website of the GATE 2022 Exam, admit cards would release on Monday, January 3, 2022. At this crucial time, candidates are advised to check the official site regularly to check the updates. Until now, IIT Kharagpur had announced the date of Admit card would be January 3, 2022. In this last month of preparation, students should go with very selective study material to ace their preparation. Students can also start doing their preparation with Gate 2022 Exam with Oswaal previous year-solved question papers for GATE 2022 Exams. Students will get different learning aspects there like: * 12 Years Solved Papers 2010-2021 (Year-wise) with detailed explanations * 2 Sample Question Papers - Smart Answer key with detailed explanations. * Blended Learning (Print and online support) * Tips & Tricks to Crack the Exam in the first attempt * GATE Qualifying Cut-offs and Highest Marks of 2021 and 2020- Steam-wise * GATE General Aptitude 2021 to 2017 - Trend Analysis * GATE Score Calculation * Mind Maps and concept learnings Here is the recommended link for previous year solved question papers for GATE examination 2022 click here https://bit.ly/3Jas92k This story is provided by Oswaal Books. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Oswaal Books)
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): In a bid to assist customers in purchasing the ideal furniture pieces for their homes, the Bajaj Finserv EMI Store is extending lucrative deals, discounts and offers on furniture provided by Danube Home. Whether it be sofas, recliners, cabinets, chairs, tables or specific room-oriented furniture for bedroom, living and dining areas, Danube Home has a wide selection of products to suit the preference and budget of all shoppers. Customers can find furniture pieces from Danube Home on the lowest EMIs at the Bajaj Finserv EMI Store. Additionally, the No Cost EMI option allows buyers to pay for the furniture in interest-free monthly instalments, while they also stand to receive 25% cashback upto Rs. 3,000 on all purchases. Danube Home is a leading international brand with a strong presence in the Indian market. From premium sofas and beds to chic wardrobes and dining sets, the brand extends a vast selection of furniture pieces. Shoppers can conveniently purchase Danube Home furniture on EMIs, with flexible repayment tenors rendering such purchases affordable and convenient. The following are some of the popular models offered by the brand on the EMI Store. Danube Home Ronin 1 Seater Motion Leather Recliner (Black PU) with No Cost EMI starting from Rs. 2,304, zero down payment and a flat discount of Rs. 5,860 Danube Home Ertiga Leatherette Corner Sofa (Brown) with No Cost EMI starting from Rs. 6,738, zero down payment and a flat discount of Rs. 24,151 Danube Home Maxiin 1 Seater Classic Sofa (Beige) with No Cost EMI starting from Rs. 3,025, zero down payment and a flat discount of Rs. 23,700 Danube Home Aisha Table With Mirror And Stool (White) with No Cost EMI starting from Rs. 2,347, zero down payment and a flat discount of Rs. 23,030 Danube Home Vanessa 1 Seater Sofa (Rust and Beige) with No Cost EMI starting from Rs. 2,014 per month, zero down payment and a flat discount of Rs. 12,440 Benefits of purchasing Danube Home Furniture from Bajaj Finserv EMI Store Shopping on the Bajaj Finserv EMI Store is not only easy and convenient, but it also comes with deals, discounts and other lucrative offers. Customers can purchase a variety of Danube Home furniture on EMIs with flexible repayment tenors. Furthermore, by using the Bajaj Finserv EMI Network Card, shoppers can access No Cost EMI plans. This incurs no additional charge in the form of interest. And courtesy of the zero down payment facility on select models, they will not be required to pay any amount at the outset. How to shop for Danube Home Furniture on the EMI Store Log onto the Bajaj Finserv EMI Store using the registered mobile number Choose the desired furniture type or model, add it to the cart, select the repayment tenor and proceed to checkout Enter the required information, including name and delivery address Click on the "Generate OTP" option and enter the OTP sent to the registered mobile number in the field to complete the purchase Confirmation SMS will be sent to the registered mobile number with the date and time of delivery *Terms and Conditions apply Finserv MARKETS is an online digital marketplace by Bajaj Finserv Direct Limited, a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv. Finserv MARKETS is a one-stop digital marketplace, that assists consumers to compare and choose from a wide range of financial products. Its core proposition is driven by a strong intent to deliver tailor made financial products to the consumers. It offers customers abundance in choices in offering the required financial products to achieve all their financial and personal goals. Finserv MARKETS has partnered with leading financial providers in the Lending, Insurance, Investments and Payments space to provide 500+ financial and lifestyle products, all in one place. For further information, please visit www.bajajfinservmarkets.in or download Finserv MARKETS App on Google Play Store or App Store. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
The theme of 'Rising A' is inspired by an element of the sky as the aircraft livery colour looks like the colour of the rising sun.
"Unveiling 'The Rising A' of Akasa Air. Inspired by elements of the sky, The Rising A symbolises the warmth of the sun, the effortless flight of a bird, and the dependability of an aircraft wing," they tweeted.
Recently, Akasa Air placed an order for Boeing 737 Max series of aircraft for their operations.
Earlier in November, Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India in his exclusive interview with ANI informed about Akasa air and its aircraft border.
"Also very happy to have Akasa to join us as 737 Max customer in India," Salil Gupte told ANI.
Further, Boeing confirmed that Akasa has ordered 72 max Boeing aircraft. "Akasa has just recently ordered 72 Max aircraft," President, Boeing India said.
As per the aircraft manufacturing company, Boeing Akasa informed that the airline is going to start operations in the second calendar quarter of next year. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], December 22 (ANI/GIPR): Between December 14 and 20, 2021, the prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai hosted "Maya", an exhibition of artist Kanan Khant depicting the historic Kalamkari folk art to express the feminine energy driving the universe. The exhibition was well-received among the visitors who also appreciated the beautiful depiction of stories of Radha and Krishna in a section of the paintings. Kanan has dedicated her artworks to the forgotten Indian artisans, especially women. Kanan explained her thought process behind the celebrated "Maya" series as this, "I am combining the feminine elements in spirituality and mythology. I have also adapted the beautiful Kalamkari art form in my work. Most don't know years ago, the artists who travelled from village to village, used Kalamkari to tell their stories. I too am telling a story through my art." At the inauguration of the exhibition, Kanan expressed happiness at being displayed at the prestigious art gallery and admitted that "I am constantly learning, experimenting as a student of life." Those who visited this seven-day exhibition include the genius scientist - the president of the Indian Planetary Society Dr J J Raval, renowned artist Prithvi Soni, famous theatre & film actors Manoj Joshi, National Award-winning writer Varsha Adalja, Santoor maestro and Founder President of the Indo-US Culturel Council Snehal Mazumdar, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma-fame producers Aasitkumar Modi and Neela Modi, film writer-creative producer Aashu Patel, celebrated author Geeta Manek, Sexologist and art-lover Padmshri Dr Prakash Kothari, TV artists Neha Mehta, Tanmay Vekariya, Sujata Mehta, Hrishikesh Pandey, Minal Patel and Arvind Vekariya. Describing his experience, Tanmay said, "The work is fantastic, each painting shows how meticulously she has worked to create what she has. To exhibit at Jehangir is a massive achievement in itself." Dr Kothari was also effusive in his praise for Kanan as he said, "Kanan's paintings emote, they come alive. You can see how she has taken care of everything in detail -- even the framing is so unique!" Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah's producer Aasit Modi who visited the exhibition said, "The artworks are talking to me. They are speaking a million words." Actress Neha Mehta called the artworks 'vibrant' and amazing while actor Manoj Joshi, actress Sujata Mehta and well-known scientist Dr. J.J. Raval also appreciated the artwork. Kanan, who has also exhibited her works at the India Art Fair and Nehru Centre, Worli, has studied commercial art from the famous Nirmal Niketan College, Mumbai. She is a full-time artist since 2015 and in March 2022, she will also have an exhibition on display at the World Art, Dubai. This story is provided by GIPR. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GIPR)
However, rising Omicron cases as well as continuous outflows of foreign funds capped gains.
Globally, Asian stock markets followed Wall Street to rise higher on Wednesday after the US called for vaccinations and testing, but no travel curbs in response to the omicron coronavirus variant.
Nevertheless, European stock markets opened mixed on Wednesday as traders continued to weigh up coronavirus restrictions, infection rates and the effects on the economy.
At 2.30 p.m., the S&P BSE Sensex traded at 56,727.83 points, up 0.73 per cent. Besides, the broader 50-scrip Nifty at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) rose to 16,896 points, up 125.15 per cent from its previous close.
"Indian equity benchmarks maintained their upward momentum in the noon session. Sentiments were getting support from the Asian markets coupled with the US President's statement to reach a deal of $2 trillion with Senator Joe Manchin," said Gaurav Garg, Head of Research, CapitalVia Global Research.
"Additional support came in the market as the government said that profitability of public sector banks has improved on a consolidated basis after amalgamation."
According to Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities: "Nifty opened with another upgap on December 22 and kept rising gradually. Post one intra day correction, it has recovered well."
"Among sectors, Realty, Metals, Capital Goods, Auto, Telecom and Healthcare indices have risen the most."
--IANS rv/dpb
( 255 Words)
2021-12-22-14:48:02 (IANS)
"Happy birthday, Daddy! We know that you're right here protecting us like our Guardian Angel... always shielding and bringing us victorious out of tough situations," she wrote on Instagram.
Shilpa added, "Tunki needs you around now, Daddy... and I know you're already there with her. Love you... praying for you always."
Alongside the emotional note, she posted a picture of her father standing next to her and her sister Shamita Shetty, who is currently inside the 'Bigg Boss 15' house.
Shilpa and Shamita's father passed away in October 2016 after suffering a cardiac arrest. (ANI)
A new trailer of the upcoming Hollywood movie 'Death on the Nile' dropped on Tuesday, featuring glimpses of disgraced actor Armie Hammer in the wake of his rape allegations and cannibalism scandal. The trailer was shared on the film's official Instagram page with a caption that read, "ICYMI: check out the new trailer for #DeathOnTheNile, coming to theaters February 11." The long-delayed star-studded whodunit is directed by Kenneth Branagh and features an ensemble cast of Hammer, Gal Gadot, Ali Fazal, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Letitia Wright, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, Rose Leslie, Tom Bateman, Dawn French and Emma Mackey. Hammer plays a newlywed, Simon Doyle, alongside Gadot's Linnet Ridgeway Doyle, in the film. Branagh's detective Hercule Poirot is tasked with finding the murderer of a young heiress aboard a cruise ship on the Nile River. Throughout the 2-minute trailer, Hammer can be seen in glimpses with only one speaking line shown in the recently-released trailer. As per People magazine, Hammer is currently facing rape allegations for a 2017 incident with his former partner, who came forward in March accusing the actor of sexual assault. He has denied all the accusations levelled against him. The woman, identified only by her first name Effie, said Hammer "violently raped" her for four hours in Los Angeles. In a statement shared with People magazine, Hammer's lawyer denied the rape allegations, stating that the encounter between Hammer and Effie was "completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory." His lawyer added, "Effie's own correspondence with Mr Hammer undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations. As recently as July 18, 2020, [Effie] sent graphic texts to Mr Hammer telling him what she wanted him to do to her. Mr Hammer responded making it clear that he did not want to maintain that type of relationship with her." After Effie's March press conference, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed Hammer was under investigation for sexual assault in a case that was opened in February. Before Effie came forward with her side of the story, multiple women also spoke up to accuse Hammer of alleged abusive behaviour and violent fantasies. He was dropped by his talent agency William Morris Endeavor in February and also lost his agent. In the months following rape and abuse accusations, Hammer has been ousted from Hollywood. He has exited Jennifer Lopez's 'Shotgun Wedding', the thriller 'Billion Dollar Spy', the Paramount Plus series 'The Offer' and the Broadway play, 'The Minutes'. In June, the actor, who shares a daughter and son with ex Elizabeth Chambers, checked into a Florida program for drug, alcohol and sex issues a month prior. Earlier this month, Hammer's lawyer told People magazine in a statement, "I can confirm that Mr Hammer has left the treatment facility and is doing great." A source told the outlet that Hammer "will continue with out-patient treatments" and that he "takes it very seriously." Hammer will be next seen in 'Death on the Nile', a follow-up to 2017's 'Murder on the Orient Express', which is set to hit theatres on February 11, after experiencing several postponements amid the pandemic. It was originally slated for an October 2020 release. The film was made in late 2019. (ANI)
The 'Sex and the City' actor Chris Noth's marriage with his wife Tara Wilson is 'hanging by a thread' as the latter has removed her wedding ring, after the recent string of sexual assault allegations against her husband. A source close to the couple told Page Six that Tara Wilson is currently residing in Los Angeles, while her husband-actor Chris Noth who has been accused of sexual assault by three women -- is believed to be in New York City. "Tara is upset and things are hanging by a thread. She just wants to protect the kids [Orion, 13, and Keats, 18 months]. That is her number one priority," an insider told Page Six. As per the viral photos obtained by the outlet on Tuesday, Wilson was seen without her wedding band and large diamond engagement ring that she wore just two weeks ago as she joined her husband, for a date night. The couple also attended the premiere of HBO's 'Sex and the City' revival series, 'And Just Like That...,' in NYC. Sources told Page Six that Wilson has been staying at their home on the West Coast and taking care of their children, as Noth attempts to fight the stream of accusations. Noth and Wilson met in 2001 and married in a small ceremony in Maui, Hawaii in 2012. The source said there should not be a rush to judgment, even though Noth has already been dropped by his theatrical agency. A3 Artists Agency dropped Noth on Friday night, Deadline reported. Noth was recently fired from the CBS hit 'The Equalizer' also, amid the accusations. Peloton also axed his ad, which was a play on his final scenes as Mr. Big. (ANI)
The 48-year-old actor who is extremely close to her parents shared a throwback picture of them on her Instagram handle.
Sharing the picture, the former Miss World wrote, "Happy Anniversary dearest, darling MommyDoddaaa-DaddyAjjaaa LOVE YOU and THANK YOU so much for All your unconditional Love and Blessings... always," adding a string of heart-emoticons to it.
In November, Aishwarya also posted a photo of her late dad remembering him on his birth anniversary. Sharing his picture, she wrote, "Happy Birthday My Dearest Darling Daddyyy- Ajjaaa LOVE YOUUU ETERNALLY."
The 'Devdas' actor lost her father Krishnaraj Rai in 2017.
For the unversed, Aishwarya's latest post also marks her first social media activity after the Enforcement Directorate probe in the Panama Papers leak case.
On December 20, the actor appeared before Enforcement Directorate in Delhi in connection with the Panama Papers leak case. She was questioned by the ED officials for nearly five hours.
She deposed before the investigators following the summons issued by the federal agency against her to join the probe.
The ED recorded the statement of the 48-year-old actor in the case over allegations of stashing wealth abroad under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. She had earlier submitted records on the foreign payments under investigation.
The ED had issued notices to the Bachchan family asking them to explain their foreign remittances since 2004 under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the Reserve Bank of India.
Sources in the agency informed that Aishwarya was summoned earlier too but she could not appear and sought next dates at least two times. (ANI)
Australian researchers have developed a test which can provide highly accurate readings for Covid-19 from a finger prick of blood within 20 minutes. The point-of-care (POC) test, created by scientists from the Burnet Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, is the first of its kind in the world, according to the research unveiled on Wednesday. While many POC tests can measure the overall level of antibody to SARS-CoV-2 and use this to estimate neutralising antibodies (NAb), the researchers say their test is the only one to measure NAb activity, which correlates with immune protection for Covid, Xinhua news agency reported. Writing about their breakthrough in the journal EBioMedicine, the scientists note the versatile test can be adapted to provide information about whether a person has protective antibodies against a particular disease variant, such as Omicron. The rise of the Omicron variant, which early studies suggest may be up to 40 times less sensitive to patient NAb than Delta, means that some people will suddenly go from having adequate protective NAb, to not having enough. Burnet Institute deputy director Associate Professor David Anderson said the POC test could therefore be useful to quickly indicate when a vaccine booster was required. "One of the key elements of the test is that it can work with finger-prick whole blood, which is essential if it is really going to be used at point-of-care," Anderson said. "Another advantage is we have demonstrated that we can readily substitute different variants into the test. While we have not yet tested Omicron, this will be simple enough to incorporate in our test in place of the original strain or variants we have tested." It would also provide a standardised test to assist in the safe reopening of national and international borders in the context of different vaccines and the variable responses among various populations. The scientists expect that the test will become a new option for immunity screening to support vaccination and control programmes, particularly in time-critical situations and among impoverished or isolated communities where laboratory-based testing is difficult to access. Now in its prototype phase, the scientists are seeking commercial partners to develop the manufacturing process and take the test to an international market. Burnet Diagnostics Initiative (BDI) director Jennifer Barnes said the collaborative efforts of the two institutions had led to an outcome in "record time." "The BDI aims to enhance the translation of new technologies to practical health solutions through significant partnerships with academic collaborators and industry," Barnes said. "The NAb test is a great example of this as we look for a global partner to bring the test to market." --IANS int/sks/shb/ ( 451 Words) 2021-12-22-11:22:03 (IANS)
Lalo Devi's husband Ram Udgar Thakur said: "My wife died due to illness in village Kharmauli under Veerpur block on September 19. The Planning and Development Department of Bihar has also issued death certificate on the same date. Now, we have received Corona vaccination certificate from health department, two months after her death," Thakur said.
On November 25, primary health centre of Veerpur had organised a corona vaccination camp in Kisan Bhawan. After the camp, the health officials issued the vaccination certificate in the name of Lalo Devi.
The vaccination certificate issued to a dead person was uploaded on social media and is a talking point in Begusarai district.
Many people are saying that it is a "ploy" to "increase" the data of corona vaccination in Bihar.
--IANS ajk/svn/skp/
( 176 Words)
2021-12-22-14:00:02 (IANS)
Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to suspend the sale of flight and bus tickets for the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) after a cluster of possible cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was detected in Singapore, Malaysia's Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Wednesday. The suspension will run from December 23 to January 20 next year, Khairy said in a statement following Singapore's announcement of the same measure, Xinhua news agency reported. Khairy said the cluster in Singapore involved three Covid infections. "All three cases did not have any travel history to foreign countries," he said. The VTL kicked off on November 29 and involved travel via the bridge connecting Malaysia to Singapore as well as an air corridor. The bridge link, or causeway, was one of the busiest crossing points in the world with a daily flow of hundreds of thousands of people in both directions before the pandemic. Some restrictions were eased as part of the VTL including quarantine requirements being waived for fully vaccinated individuals. --IANS int/sks ( 183 Words) 2021-12-22-16:48:02 (IANS)
The state health department has sent the samples of the three foreign returnees to Delhi for genome sequencing to ascertain if they were infected with the Omicron variant of the virus.
"We have initiated the process of contact tracing. All the 11 persons have been put under home isolation," said an official from the Patna civil surgeon's office.
The two persons who came from England are residents of Zafar Colony, while the one returned from an African nation is a resident of IAS Colony, both in Patna.
The official said that a total of 12 foreign returnees have tested Covid positive in Patna since the global outbreak of the Omicron variant.
The state presently has over 100 active Covid cases.
--IANS ajk/arm
( 170 Words)
2021-12-22-21:20:01 (IANS)
After Trinamool Congress registered a landslide victory in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Election result, Mayor Firhad Hakim said that the people of Kolkata have given a befitting reply to the BJP. He also informed that the TMC has called a meeting on December 23 where the name for the next Mayor will be decided. Addressing the reporters today, Hakim, who is also a TMC leader, said, "This is a victory for the people of Kolkata because they established their belief in us. With huge victory comes more and, more responsibility. The party has called a meeting on December 23 where the next Mayor will be decided." "People have given a befitting reply to the BJP. They believe in the politics of division. The BJP used to give me names like mini Pakistan. Just because I am a Muslim, they do not have the authority to insult me, thankfully people have replied to the communal party," Firhad Hakim said. Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday hit out at State Election Commissioner Sourav Das for allegedly allowing an "atmosphere of fear," which helped the ruling party secure 134 out of 144 wards. In a series of tweets, Adhikari, said, "Congratulations to @CEOWestBengal Sourav Das for making the Royal Nephew of Bengal's prediction come true. Important Steps were taken by you such as EVM without VVPAT, CCTV without connection and last but not the least; allowing an atmosphere of fear to prevail with @KolkataPolice's help." Further hitting out at Das, Adhikari said, "TMC - 134, BJP - 3, Left - 2, Congress - 2 and others - 3. Also congratulations in advance for the 'Banga Bibhushan' award that you would receive for all the hard work." (ANI)
With the non-existence of the Opposition, it was obvious that the Trinamool Congress will win the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election but the party made a stunning record of mobilising more than 72 per cent of the vote share in this election. The data available with the West Bengal election commission shows that the ruling Trinamool Congress has a vote share of 72.1 per cent while the opposition but the Left Front could not reach the double figures even. While BJP struggled with 9.2 per cent, Congress was reduced to politically insignificant managing only 4.1 per cent of the vote share. Interestingly enough, the Left Front came up to the second spot with 11.9 per cent of the vote share. However, considering the sharing of seats BJP still managed to retain the second spot with 3 seats while both Congress and CPI-M got 2 seats each. The Independent candidates who mainly broke away from Trinamool Congress got three seats. Indications are strong that all these three independent candidates might walk back to their old party again. Trinamool Congress alone bagged 133 seats of the 144 Kolkata Municipal Corporation. In 2015 the ruling Trinamool Congress had won 113 seats -- the highest margin then while BJP had 7 seats and Congress and Left Front had 5 and 15 seats, respectively. Three seats were won by the independent candidates. Interestingly enough, the BJP went back to its performance of 2010 when it had bagged three seats each. BJP had the best performance in 2019 Lok Sabha when considering the ward wise results, they had led in 22 wards. Even in the 2021 assembly polls, the saffron brigade had a lead in 10 wards of KMC. It is perhaps the worst performance of the party in recent times. On the other hand, the Left Front has been witnessing a gradual surge in their vote share since the Assembly by-polls. The Left has been traditionally strong in the rural areas of the state and the hinterland of Kolkata. But its vote shares did not slip to single digit in the March-April Assembly elections. From Jadavpur (27.57 per cent), Kasba (17.56 per cent), Tollygunge (20.57 per cent), Behala Paschim (20.49 per cent), Behala Purba (13.60 per cent), Shyampukur (10.52 per cent), Maniktala (10.16 per cent) to Kashipur-Belgachia (10.94 per cent), the Left had maintained its double-digit vote share in KMC areas. Interestingly enough, the Left Front had contested from 128 wards and had won two seats but they are in second place in 65 wards. On the other hand, the BJP had contested in all 144 wards (two candidates later withdrew), Though they have won in three seats - one more than the Left Front but they are in second position in 54 wards, much less than the Left. --IANS sbg/pgh ( 477 Words) 2021-12-21-20:40:02 (IANS)
"Compensation would be paid to the owners of 7,600 such houses too," the Chief Minister said in the Assembly in his reply during the debate on flood havoc.
Belagavi had suffered heavily during the 2019 floods. Deadline was extended thrice to upload the details on houses destroyed or damaged.
Details of damage to over 7,700 houses were not uploaded on the app. However, after studying the ground reality, compensation has been released for 7,600 eligible families, Bommai said.
No such hitch, however, was reported in 2020-21. For the year 2021-22, Deputy Commissioners have been vested with powers to grant compensation based on reports of Tehsildars, Bommai said.
Of the 36,698 houses completely destroyed, construction of 18,589 houses have been completed, while 7,000 houses almost completed.
Construction of 3,130 houses is yet to be taken up due to legal and administrative hurdles, the Chief Minister said.
--IANS mka/pgh
( 195 Words)
2021-12-21-22:38:04 (IANS)
Hit severely by the first and second wave of the pandemic, the plight of Delhi's booksellers and distributors continues to go unnoticed as their sales hit a low due to Covid-19, online competition, piracy and absence of any aid from the government. Since the outbreak of pandemic in India, followed by the subsequent lockdown for 21 days that was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24, the Delhi State Booksellers and Publishers' Association (DSBPA) has written several letters to the authorities, including Union State Minister of Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and former finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey to bring their attention to the core problems of the industry. "Besides, we also wrote to the home minister and chief minister. Post those letters, bookstores in Delhi were allowed to open up. That step was a big help for the trade," DSPBA vice president Himanshu Chawla told IANS. In April, the association sought financial assistance for booksellers and publishers having an annual turnover of Rs 50 lakh or less for the period of second lockdown along with some kind of grant for books to be purchased in government schools and universities. "The latter demand would help booksellers and distributors a great deal. However, nothing major is being done on a large scale for its implementation," he added. "Books do not come under essential commodities and at a time like this when people are cutting their expenses, where do they even stand. Obviously, the sales have fallen drastically. Moreover, we are not hugely profitable business in the first place," Mithilesh Singh who worked at Khan Market's Bahrisons Bookseller said, adding that there was a sudden decline of more than 60-70 per cent sales during the first lockdown. Among those badly affected by the pandemic-induced lockdown, independent booksellers and small scale book distributors that are not owned by big corporations and usually survive on very finite resources are suffering the most, those from the industry told IANS. The distributors, as the name suggests, act as intermediaries among the publishers, retailers and customers. Most of their business comes from libraries, especially, school libraries and when all the schools were closed abruptly due to coronavirus scare earlier this year, they were left in a state of confusion and uncertainty for what would future hold for them. Sharing the plight of small-scale book distributors, Founder of Aakar Books -- a publishing house and book distribution business, Anand Saxena said: "There is a cut-throat competition among the distributors for even a small order and while publishers still have a chance to sail through these difficult times, many distributors will not be able to make it." However, Vaishalik Jain who owns Jain Book Agency in Connaught Place opines that it is unfair to blame pandemic for the deteriorating state of the bookstores across India: "We have suffered a lot since the advent of e-commerce websites that sell books at or more than 50 per cent discount which is just not possible for us as we do not receive more than 40-45 per cent discount on our orders." "This is the reason why bookstores are dying in India... 80 to 100 years old bookstores have shut down in the capital. The only benefit book trade has received till now is that books are exempted from Goods and Services Tax (GST), but we get no rebate," he says, adding that they are planning to continue JBA for another 25 years so as to complete a centenary. After 2010, prominent bookstores like Galgotias, Bookworm and New Book Depot have shut down in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR). Although books are exempted from GST, it is applicable on different kinds of paper, paper pulp, carton boxes, glue and other products that are directly used for the production of books. Ultimately increasing the price of book by 12 to 18 per cent. Sanjeev, who owns Royal Book House -- a book distribution business in Paharganj since 2000, said: "Online businesses have grown since the first and second lockdown as more and more traders have now registered themselves on e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart. Big Billion and Diwali sales affects the small-scale businesses like us the most. Due to this, the offline sales have declined by almost 40 per cent," adding, "Nowadays even books are demanded and shown to customers via WhatsApp." "It is unfortunate that none of the government schemes directly benefits small and middle-level businesses like ours. The government can help us by putting a curb on online sales via controlling the discount structures and unwanted schemes as it disturbs the balance of the business. Such a check will also put a stop to piracy -- one of our biggest headaches. Many people do not know but 'n' number of books sold online are pirated." "Earlier, the import duty on foreign books was not costly. Now it is. When we think of local, we should also be thinking about our bookstores," he added. --IANS rdk/pgh ( 849 Words) 2021-12-21-23:26:01 (IANS)
President Ram Nath Kovind will visit the Southern Naval Command in Kerala's Kochi on Wednesday. President Kovind is on a four-day visit to the state. "On December 22, the President will witness the operational demonstration by the Southern Naval Command in Kochi," a release issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Earlier on Tuesday, Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan received President Ram Nath Kovind on his arrival at Kannur. Ram Nath Kovind said, "Education, as Sri Narayan Guru reminded us, could uplift the quality of the student's life and thus also of society." He also addressed the fifth convocation of the Central University of Kerala in Kasargod on the first day of his visit to Kerala. The President said that the great sage and social reformer used to inspire people with his lines like "Vidyakondu Prabuddha Ravuka" which signifies, "Get enlightened through education". He said that the lives of great men and women, especially the leaders of our freedom movement, highlight the simple truth that schools and colleges are the most important sites of personal and social transformation. These are the workshops where the destiny of a nation is shaped. The President said that the liveliness and energy that he experiences in educational places like the beautiful campus of the Central University of Kerala comes from the possibilities of social empowerment. Here is a place where ideas are nurtured, taught and learnt. In this process, the atmosphere gets energised with the vitality of thoughts to give birth to new ideas. This unbroken cycle of knowledge is essential to empower the society and the nation, he said. Speaking about the National Education Policy, 2020, the President said that in the promotion of education, the task of the government is to help create the right environment in which the young minds will be fired with creativity. T President Kovind is on a visit to Kerala from December 21 to 24. (ANI)
Pursuant to the Bombay High Court, Actor Kangana Ranaut was supposed to appear before the Mumbai police at Khar police station on Wednesday in connection with the investigation of FIR filed against her for her Instagram post with alleged derogatory remarks made against Sikhs. However, she will not be appearing at the Khar police station on Wednesday. She has cited the reason that she is not going to be in Mumbai on Wednesday, informed her lawyer Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee. Ranaut was supposed to appear at Khar police station on Wednesday to record her statement. Earlier on December 13, Bombay High Court asked actor Kangana Ranaut to appear before Mumbai Police on December 22 for investigation of an FIR registered against her for her Instagram post with alleged derogatory remarks made against Sikhs. Maharashtra government had agreed not to take any coercive action against her till January 25, the next date of hearing. Recently, a petition had also been filed in the Supreme court against Ranaut seeking censoring of all her social media posts in future in order to maintain law and order in the country. None of her posts on social media should be allowed without amendment, deletion, modification or censoring in order to maintain law and order in the country, stated advocate Charanjeet Singh Chanderpal in the plea. The plea filed by Chanderpal also sought direction to transfer all the FIRs filed across India, against the actor for her remarks on farmers' protest, to Khar police station, Mumbai, and charge sheet be filed in a period of six months along with expeditious trial within a period of two years. (ANI)
The police had recovered 15 illegal pistols and 30 live cartridges, added the police.
One car used in transporting the firearms was also seized by the police, as per the police.
Both accused persons had allegedly supplied more than 400 pistols in Delhi during the last two years, according to the police.
A case had been registered under the Arms Act. (ANI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that the government has increased the compensation given to farmers whose crops were damaged during recent rainfall and floods, in his reply in the Legislative Assembly. "The state government has taken this decision despite the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are a pro-farmer government," Bommai said. "An amount of Rs 13,500 has been fixed as compensation per hectare of crop loss for irrigated lands. But the state government has decided to pay an additional Rs 11,500, in effect offering a total compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare". he further said. "According to NDRF norms, Rs 6,800 is the amount fixed for crop loss per hectare in dryland farming. This compensation is less. We intend to raise it. So, the state government has decided to pay an additional Rs6800 from its own exchequer," he added. "In effect, Rs 13,600 is being paid as compensation for crop loss per hectare of dryland farming. Similarly, Rs 13,500 has been fixed as compensation per hectare of crop loss for irrigated lands. But the state government has decided to pay an additional Rs11500, in effect offering a total compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare," he stated. "This will benefit farmers with a total crop area of 12.69 lakh hectares. For horticultural crops, Rs 18,000 is being paid per acre. The state government has decided to pay an additional Rs 10,000 per hectare, making it a total of Rs 28,000," he further stated. "The additional amount being paid would cost Rs 12,000 crore for the exchequer," he stated. The rains have caused extensive damage to Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagar, Hassan districts. (ANI)
"State government is providing power connection to houses of the poor and farmers' pump sets. It is providing 24X7 single phase power and 7 hours of three phase power in the state. The government has decided to convert the Rs 1900 crore debt burden of Hubballi Electric Supply Company into government' share capital and would utilise Rs 1500 crore central grant for rejuvenation of the company," he said.
The Chief Minister reiterated his government's commitment for comprehensive development of northern Karnataka.
State cabinet has decided to install statues of Kitturu Rani Chennamma and Sangolli Rayanna in Suvarna Soudha premises, Bommai said.
The cabinet has also approved Dharawad-Belagavi via Kitturu railway line project at a cost of Rs 898 crore. It would give a big boost for infrastructure development in the region, he said.
--IANS mka/shs
( 180 Words)
2021-12-22-01:10:04 (IANS)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that the victims of the 2019-20 Belagavi floods, data of whom were not uploaded initially, would be paid compensation amount for their damage. The Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said this in his reply in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. As many as 7600 such houses have been identified by the state government. "The state government has initiated measures to provide compensation for houses damaged, but details of which were not uploaded in the compensation software application, during the floods of 2019-20. Compensation would be paid for owners of 7600 such houses too," the Chief Minister's Office said in a release. Bommai, during the debate, said, "Belagavi had suffered heavily during the 2019 floods. Deadline was extended thrice to upload the details on houses destroyed or damaged. Details of damage to over 7700 houses were not uploaded in the application. However, after studying the ground reality compensation has been released for 7600 eligible families." Further, he added that no such hitch was reported in 2020-21. "For the year 2021-22 Deputy Commissioners have been vested with powers to grant compensation based on reports of Tahsildars," Bommai said. The Chief Minister also informed the House that out of the 36,698 houses which were completely destroyed during the floods, construction of 18,589 houses have been completed, and that of 7,000 houses is almost complete. Construction of 3,130 houses is yet to be taken up due to legal and administrative hurdles, the Chief Minister said. (ANI)
A total of 3117 minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan were granted Indian citizenship in the last four years, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in Rajya Sabha said on Wednesday. Member of Parliament Dr. K Keshava Rao had asked question regarding the total citizenship applications received from Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Christian minorities groups from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan during the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and how many of them were granted Indian citizenship. In his reply, Rai mentioned that the number of citizenship applications received from Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Christian minorities groups from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan during the year 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 was 8244. The government has granted Indian citizenship to 3117 applicants during the period. On being asked about the total number of requests received by Government from Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Christian minorities groups from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who sought refuge in the Indian territory during 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. He said that all foreign nationals including refuge seekers are governed by the provisions contained in The Foreigners Act, 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and The Citizenship Act, 1955. (ANI)
In a major crackdown on Chinese mobile companies, the Income Tax department is conducting searches on leading Chinese mobile companies across the country. Mobile companies including Oppo, Xiaomi and One Plus are being covered in this search, sources told ANI on Wednesday. More than two dozen premises are covered in the search which started on Tuesday."Raids are ongoing in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Greater Noida, Kolkata, Guwahati, Indore and some other places," sources told ANI. Sources told ANI that some fintech companies are also covered in this search. Chief Executive Officers of these companies are covered in this search and currently, they are being interrogated by the Income Tax sleuths. Further, sources informed that the search was conducted on the intelligence inputs of huge tax evasion by these Chinese mobile firms. They were under the radar for a long time and when the income tax department got concrete intelligence of tax evasion then raids were conducted on these companies. According to sources, it is early to reveal details about the ongoing search as the sleuths are on job but a substantial amount of digital data evidencing evasion of tax has been found and seized. Earlier in August, a Chinese government-controlled telecom vendor, ZTE was searched. Searches were conducted at a total of five premises of ZTE, including the corporate office, the residence of the foreign director, the residence of the company secretary, the account person and the cash handler of the company. During the search on ZTE, the examination of import bills vis-a-vis sale bills shows that there was a gross profit of approximately 30 per cent on the trading of the equipment, though the company had been booking "huge" losses over the years. Investigation revealed that the losses are being booked by the company through bogus expenses in respect of services provided by it. A few such recipients have been identified in whose case substantial expenses have been booked over the years. These entities have been found to be non-existent at their addresses, sources added. (ANI)
The Centre on Wednesday launched an attack on the Opposition for disrupting proceedings of Parliament during the Winter Session that culminated today, a day ahead of its scheduled time. Speaking on behalf of the Centre, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi slammed the Opposition for their actions to continue disrupting the proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament-- the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha-- during the entire session that provided 18 sittings spread over a period of 24 days. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also took a dig at Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien who threw Rajya Sabha rule book on reporters' tables during a discussion on the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Joshi's remarks came while briefing a press conference, saying it seems the Opposition is "unable to digest" the mandate given by the people of the country to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Minister was speaking to media soon after the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die, bringing an end to the session that witnessed the Opposition members protesting on various issues that included suspension of 12 MPs, price rise and the Lakhimpur Kheri incident that occurred in the first week of October involving Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish Mishra as one of the accused. The Minister also mentioned, "it is unfortunate that despite our efforts and reaching out to the Opposition, they created ruckus in the House". "It seems that Congress and other Opposition parties are unable to digest the mandate of 2019 given by the people," Joshi said. The Minister also informed that the government has referred six bills to parliamentary committees for greater scrutiny, including the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill that seeks to override personal laws of different religions. Rejecting the Opposition's allegation that adequate time was not allotted to them for studying the Bills introduced in both the Houses, particularly the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Minister said it is "baseless". "The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was circulated among members a day advance to prepare for the debate," Joshi said. Clarifying the allegation, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said "both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were allowed to speak in Zero Hour without any prior notice, so it is just a baseless allegation that Opposition leaders are not allowed to speak". Adding on it, Pralhad Joshi said, "it is also important to be on the designated seat allotted to any member when he wants to speak but the Opposition remained in the Well of the House and disrupted the proceedings." Joshi also informed that the productivity of Lok Sabha was approximately 82 per cent and that of Rajya Sabha was approximately 48 per cent. The Minister said the Winter Session, 2021 of Parliament which commenced on November 29 and was scheduled to adjourn on December 23 has been adjourned Sine Die today (Wednesday). He said the session was curtailed one day earlier than scheduled on completion of essential government business. The session provided 18 sittings spread over a period of 24 days, said Joshi, adding 13 Bills (12 Bills in Lok Sabha and one Bill in Rajya Sabha) were introduced during the session and 11 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament. "The passed Bills include the Appropriation Bill relating to the Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2021-22 which was passed by Lok Sabha, transmitted to Rajya Sabha and will be deemed to have been passed by both Houses after the expiry of 14 days under Article 109(5)", the Minister said. Three Bills replacing the Ordinances, namely, the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 (9 of 2021), the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 (10 of 2021) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Ordinance 2021(8 of 2021) which were promulgated by the President before Winter Session, 2021 were considered and passed by the Houses. One Bill namely the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was referred to theJoint Committee of both Houses of Parliament. Some of the other important Bills including three ordinances replacing Bills passed by Houses of Parliament are the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021; the Dam Safety Bill, 2021; the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulations) Bill, 2021; the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2021; the National Institute of Phar Bill, 2021; the High Court and Supreme Court Amendment Bill, 2021; the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021; and the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Two Short Duration discussions under Rule 193 were also held in Lok Sabha on the COVID-19 pandemic and various aspects related to it, and Climate Change. In Rajya Sabha, the Minister said one discussion on the situation arising out of cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus in the country was held. Joshi stressed that the Opposition did not participate in any of the Short Duration discussions despite they themselves having demanded it in an all-party meeting and the first priority was given to the price rise discussion. (ANI)
Haryana's Gurugam has fully vaccinated 100 per cent of its adult population against COVID-19 and has become the first district in the state to achieve this landmark achievement, informed the Deputy Commissioner's Office on Wednesday. It further said that 128 per cent of citizens across the district have received their first jab while 100 per cent got their second dose of vaccine. "Gurugram vaccinated both doses to its 100 per cent citizens against coronavirus, Gurugram is the first district of Haryana to achieve this remarkable achievement. 128 per cent of citizens got the first jab while 100 per cent got the second dose as well. Thanks to Gurugram citizens for their support," Deputy Commissioner's Office said in a tweet. Last week, Andaman and Nicobar Islands achieved 100 per cent double-dose COVID-19 vaccination coverage, becoming the first State/UT to achieve the milestone using only Covisheild. With the administration of 57,05,039 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 138.96 Cr (1,38,95,90,670) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 1,47,11,227sessions. (ANI)
With over 200 cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in India, the health experts treating the patients infected with the virus say that so far cases are mild and the recovery rate is high but it is high time to be cautious otherwise India will be in trouble. The country has reported 213 cases of Omicron so far, with two states-- Maharashtra and Delhi-- and topping the number of cases. While speaking to ANI, Dr Vivek Nangia, Principal Director and Head of Pulmonology, Max Hospital, Saket Complex said, "As of now we have got patients who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and no significant symptoms or complications have developed so far. Patients admitted do not even require oxygen or any other IV medication." He said that most omicron patients have recorded travel history either from at-risk countries or other countries. As per the government norms for omicron patients, an institutional quarantine of these patients has to be followed due to its high transmissibility rate. "All the patients admitted here have been asked to get institutional quarantine by the govt. These are the travellers who were returning from other countries like the UK and were tested positive at the airport and asked for an institutional quarantine. So far they all got very mild to no symptoms at all," said Dr Nangia. He further said that the mild symptoms of omicron are fever, body ache, sore throat, cough and cold which is similar to the delta variant that India had which became the dominant strain worldwide. The health expert also believes that with the festive season coming in, the numbers are going to increase. "The way things are going we are already seeing a surge in a number of cases. Initially, we saw 20 to 30 cases being reported now we are seeing cases in hundreds. The number of cases will keep increasing, especially due to the upcoming festive season. Moreover, with people moving around, I am sure we are in trouble," he added. "It's high time we all should be cautious and follow all the COVID protocol behaviour otherwise we will be in trouble again similar to the beginning of this year," said Dr Nangia. Despite high vaccination rate and exposure to Delta variant, internationally the high transmissibility rate of omicron has been reported with surges going up to 80,000 cases in a single day in the UK. Other countries with high omicron cases are South Africa, Norway, Canada. With the surge in cases each day, the Centre has urged people to take double doses of vaccines, avoid mass gatherings and non-essential travel along with emphasising on COVID protocol behaviours. India reported 6,317 new COVID-19 cases and 318 deaths in 24 hours. India's current active caseload, at 78,190 is the lowest in 575 days. In the omicron segment among 213 cases, 90 patients recovered. The new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. WHO has classified Omicron as a variant of concern. India reported the first case of Omicron on December 2. (ANI)
The real estate sector has welcomed the inauguration of a skill development centre in Goa by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hoped that the move will change the dynamics in the area, especially for the real estate segment. It is being seen as a big plus for the commercial and residential real estate market in Goa and drives fresh interest and investment in Goa. During his recent visit to Goa, the Prime Minister inaugurated the aviation skill development centre at MOPA Airport. The new aviation skill development centre will help in imparting requisite training to students and ensuring that they are industry-ready. It is expected to open a new stream of opportunities for the area and also give a major fillip to the tourism sector. During his visit, PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for a gas-insulated substation at Dabolim-Navelim in Margao and inaugurated a super speciality block at Goa Medical College, New South Goa District Hospital. Welcoming this move, Aditya Kushwaha, CEO and Director, Axis Ecorp said that "it is a step in the right direction and will help in unlocking the potential of the area". He added that Goa attracts a lot of tourists from the world over and the opening of an aviation skill centre at the MOPA airport will enable the youth to explore newer opportunities and make them job-ready. "Infrastructure development in the area will also provide a massive boost to the local economy and increase the per capita income of the citizens. We have earmarked a budget of Rs 100 crore and will be utilizing it to develop world-class hotel apartments and villas in Sindhudurg, which is close to the upcoming airport." Echoing a similar sentiment Kapil Kapur, Director, Bullmen Realty said the establishment of skill development centre at MOPA airport is indeed a positive move. "Goa has already seen immense investment which would result in economic growth. These new announcements will bring in further investment in the region. Once the MOPA airport is operational, corporate travel and leisure opportunities will also get a boost. We believe Goa and its surrounding areas will continue to get continued interest from investors and end-users alike." MOPA airport is being seen as a big game-changer for this region and it is expected to spell boom for Goa and its peripheral areas, which includes Dodamarg. Almost 50 per cent of the work for the MOPA airport is already done and the project is expected to be ready by 2022. In Goa every year, thousands of tourists from India and abroad visit the sandy beaches of this region. It is believed that the inflow of tourists will increase multiple folds once the state gets its own international airport. Not only Goa but the neighbouring Sindhudurg district which is known for its majestic falls, virgin beaches and historical forts too is expected to gain significantly once this airport is operational. It is also expected to open a window of opportunity for local producers and small businesses in the area. All the development will not only attract more real estate players but also result in a 20-30 per cent escalation in the land prices. Tourism has taken a major hit in the last couple of years due to the breakout of the pandemic. The opening of international airports such as MOPA will help revive the sector and infuse positivity. On the occasion of Goa Liberation Day celebrations, the Prime Minister inaugurated multiple development projects at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Panaji. While addressing the gathering, PM Modi had said, "The natural beauty of Goa has always been its hallmark. But now, the government here is empowering another identity of Goa. The new identity of the state is that it 'tops' in every field of work. Elsewhere, when the work starts or the work progresses, Goa finishes it." "The land of Goa, the air of Goa, the sea of Goa, have been blessed with a wonderful gift of nature. And today, this enthusiasm of the people of Goa is adding to the pride of liberation," he added. (ANI)
"President Kovind witnessed the operational demonstration by the Southern Naval Command in Kochi. The event displayed the combat capability of ships and aircraft of the navy and showcased naval prowess and operations," Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a tweet.
President Kovind visited the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ''Vikrant'' under construction at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi and lauded the development of indigenous naval shipbuilding capabilities.
"President Kovind visited the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ''Vikrant'' under construction at Cochin Shipyard Ltd., Kochi. The President lauded the development of indigenous naval shipbuilding capabilities as a shining example of the nation''s quest for ''Atma Nirbhar Bharat'', Kovind further tweeted. (ANI)
The deceased S. Saravanan(44) was attached with the Vilkkathoon police station under Madurai district police.
Another police constable, Kannan who was on night patrol duty with the deceased Saravanan is admitted to Madurai Government medical college with multiple fractures.
The duo was doing night patrol at East Velli street and was standing near a pesticide shop when the balcony of a dilapidated building above the shop crumbled and fell on them. Saravanan was crushed under the debris while Kannan was left injured.
Both were rushed to the Medical college hospital but Saravanan was declared dead on arrival. Kannan is recovering at the Medical college hospital.
Madurai city police commissioner Prem Anand Sinha and other senior officers paid their respects to the deceased police head constable at the GRH Medical college hospital.
--IANS aal/shb/
( 170 Words)
2021-12-22-12:16:06 (IANS)
Rajya Sabha on Wednesday was adjourned sine due, a day ahead of its schedule. The house was adjourned just after proceedings commenced on Wednesday. At the start of the session, leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge tried to raise the issue of alleged land scam in Ayodhya but the Chair did not allow. Chairman M. Venkiah Naidu said that the house could not function properly and everyone should cooperate and then adjourned the house sine die. During the winter session, the opposition and the government had been at loggerheads on suspension of 12 MPs which could not be resolved and on Tuesday another MP of of the Trinamool Congress Derek O'Brien was suspended. The opposition alleged that the government wanted to push bills in the house, so it suspended the MPs. On Tuesday, Leader of the house, Piyush Goyal said Derek O'Brien threw the rule book and said he should not have done it. Goyal also sought apology from the 12 suspended MPs and later Derek was suspended. The incident occurred during passing of bill on electoral reforms. The government on Tuesday faced stiff resistance from opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha and the BJP alleged that Trinamool Congress member Derek O'Brien threw the rule book on Secretary General. Leader of the house, Piyush Goyal said, "we thought that the opposition will learn some lessons but the same thing has been repeated." After being suspended from the Rajya Sabha, O'Brien said in a tweet, "The last time I got suspended from RS was when govt was BULLDOZING #FarmLaws. We all know what happened after that. Today, I was suspended while protesting against BJP making a mockery of #Parliament and BULLDOZING #ElectionLawsBill2021. Hope this Bill too will be repealed soon." The Government on the issue of suspension of MPs called a meeting, but the four invited parties boycotted it and demanded that all party meeting should have been called to resolve the issue. Kharge had said: "The Government is conspiring to divide the Opposition but the parties are united on the issue. It should call an all-party meeting." Joshi had called the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, Communist Party of India-Marxist to end stalemate in the House which has been continuing since day one of the session. Though government managed to pass the bills and withdrew contentious farm bills but the opposition raked issues related to Lakhimpur Kheri, suspension of MPs and farmers Compensation issue. --IANS miz/skp/ ( 418 Words) 2021-12-22-12:30:03 (IANS)
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday demanded that the Maha Vikas Aghadi should replace Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray since he is indisposed and the state administration is allegedly at a standstill, but the ruling coalition of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress dismissed the suggestion. Ahead of the start of the Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature here, state BJP President Chandrakant Patil and other leaders raised the issue of "the CM's long absence" and urged that he should be replaced by either his wife Rashmi or son and Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray in the post. "The people of the state have not seen the CM for a long... It's understandable that he is unwell. As per tradition, the charge should have been handed over to someone else. It is possible that he has no faith in the two allies (NCP-Congress), and if he has no faith even in his own partymen (Sena), he can at least give charge to Aditya Thackeray," Patil said. The Sena-NCP hit back with ministers Aditya Thackeray and Jayant Patil assuring that the CM's health is fine and he is likely to attend the House. Rejecting the opposition's contentions, they also said the CM, the cabinet and the government are performing very well and there should be no cause for anyone to worry. Sena MP Sanjay Raut took a swipe at Patil by saying that "he should concentrate on the Opposition" instead of doling out advice to the MVA government. CM Thackeray, who underwent a cervical spine surgery on November 12, has been recuperating at his official residence 'Varsha' since the past over a month. However, he has been regularly conducting important meetings related to the Covid-19 and Omicron health crises, the cabinet meetings and other major meets online. --IANS qn/dpb ( 306 Words) 2021-12-22-13:00:02 (IANS)
"Banerjee's Z-category security cover in Bengal and Y+ security cover across India has been withdrawn by the ministry," stated the official.
Notably, Banerjee, along with a few other disgruntled MLAs, had joined BJP after quitting the Trinamool Congress (TMC) before the West Bengal Assembly elections held earlier this year. Recently, he rejoined TMC and asked the Centre to withdraw his security cover. (ANI)
The Interim President also asked MPs to take the national issues to the people in their respective constituencies.
Earlier today, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been adjourned sine die ahead of schedule.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today met with top members of his cabinet in the Parliament to discuss various issues and the government's strategy.
Since the beginning of the winter session on November 29, both the Houses of Parliament witnessed continuous disruptions by the Opposition's ruckus over several issues including the suspension of 12 MPs, the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, and others.
The winter session is scheduled to culminate on December 23. (ANI)
Observing that "dishonest litigants cannot be allowed to abuse the process of the Court", the Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea with a cost of Rs 50,000 against the petitioner. "Dishonest litigants cannot be allowed to abuse the process of the Court. The conduct of the petitioner itself would disentitle the petitioner of any relief in the present petition," Justice Amit Bansal said. "In view of the discussion above, the present petition is dismissed with cost of Rs 50,000," the court said and rejected the plea of the company challenging the order dated November 18, 2021, passed by the Additional Rent Controller (ARC), Central District, Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi, whereby the Executing Court has issued warrants of execution in respect of the order/decree dated July 12, 2010. Vide judgment dated July 12, 2010, the ARC allowed the eviction petition filed by the landlord as the tenant failed to file the leave to defend. However, in terms of settlement arrived at between the tenant and landlord, 10 years' time was granted to the tenant to vacate the tenanted premises. Upon expiry of 10 years, the landlord filed the execution petition from which the present petition arises. Vide impugned order dated November 18, 2021, passed by the Executing Court, request of the tenant to file a reply to the execution petition was rejected and warrants of execution of the order/decree dated July 12, 2010, were issued after noting that no appeal/revision has been preferred by the tenant against the order/decree dated July 12, 2010. The court was dealing with a petition filed by the tenant against his landlord seeking his eviction from tenanted premises in Ajmeri Gate. The petitioner has challenged an order dated November 18, 2021, passed by the Additional Rent Controller in Tis Hazari Courts, whereby the Executing Court has issued warrants of execution in respect of the order/decree dated July 12, 2010. "The position that emerges is that the tenant voluntarily entered into a compromise and pursuant thereto, enjoyed the benefit of staying in the tenanted premises for a period of 10 years. Now, at the stage of execution, the tenant cannot raise objections with regard to the jurisdiction of the ARC that recorded the consent order/decree. The case of the tenant herein was based on concealment of facts and the conduct of the tenant has been dishonest and unscrupulous," the court said. As per the compromise entered into between the parties, the tenant should have handed over possession of the tenanted premises in July 2020, that is, after the passing of 10 years of the order/decree dated July 12, 2010, passed by the ARC, the court noted. "Despite signing statements to this effect before the ARC under Order XXIII Rules 1 and 2 of the CPC, as recorded in the order/decree passed by the ARC on July 12, 2010, the tenant held on to the tenanted premises. Copies of the statements recorded by the parties before the ARC have also deliberately not been filed along with the present petition," the court said. The respondent landlord was represented by advocates Prabhav Ralli and Shivaz Berry. (ANI)
A group of terrorists on Wednesday fired upon a policeman at Bijbehara area in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. Further details of the incident are awaited. In another incident, terrorists also shot at a person in the Eidgah area of Srinagar city. More details are awaited. (ANI)
A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking SIT probe into the alleged involvement of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Minister of State (MoS) Ajay Mishra Teni in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. The plea filed by former Border Security Force (BSF) Jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav sought direction to the SIT formed by the top court to implicate MoS Mishra and Deputy Chief Minister Maurya as accused in the case. The plea filed through advocates Pradeep Kumar Yadav and Sanjeev Malhotra sought the implication of the MoS for Home Ajay Mishra as accused in the case by saying that he had threatened the victims (a few days before the incident). Mishra was found involved in killing farmers and journalists in the violence in a pre-planned manner, therefore, SIT should implicate Mishra in the case, said the plea. It stated, "MoS Teni had sent his son for the execution of his plan in which he succeeded, therefore, he should also be held for the same offence under which his son and other accused persons are in judicial custody." The plea said that the agitating farmer and affected persons in the incident had demanded the resignation of Ajay Mishra and Keshav Prasad Maurya. It said Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and MoS (Home) Ajay Mishra Teni were to visit Lakhimpur Kheri to lay the foundation stone of the government scheme when the incident happened. The Special Investigation Team of the Uttar Pradesh police that is probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident had said before the Lakhimpur local court that there was a planned conspiracy to kill the people present during the incident. The Supreme Court last month had appointed Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to monitor the investigation in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. (ANI)
"Injured ASI Mohd Ashraf succumbed to his injuries and attained martyrdom. We stand by his family at this critical juncture," Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.
The cop was admitted to a hospital in Srinagar for treatment.
"Terrorists fired indiscriminately and critically injured a police personnel ASI Mohd Ashraf of Police Station Bijbehara, Anantnag. He has been shifted to Srinagar based hospital for treatment. Area cordoned off. Further details shall follow," Kashmir Zone Police had informed in a tweet.
Earlier in the day, a civilian was shot dead by terrorists in the Eidgah area of Srinagar city. (ANI)
In a bid to provide benefit to the coconut farmers, the Union Cabinet has approved the hike in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Copra (dried coconut) for the year 2022, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday informed. "The cabinet meeting was held under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Cabinet fixed MSP for copra for 2022. In 2022, Rs 10,590 per quintal has been fixed as the MSP for 'Fair Average Quality' of milling copra and Rs 11,000 per quintal as MSP for ball copra," Thakur told reporters here. The Union Minister informed that this MSP is more than around 52 per cent of the cost price of milling copra and more than around 58 per cent of the cost price of ball copra. "On this basis, the MSP of ripe dehusked coconut will be fixed by the department." Earlier in January 2021, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the MSP of copra at Rs 10,335 per quintal which is an increase of Rs 375 over 2020 rates for the 2021 season. The central government had made it clear that the procurement work will be done by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF). (ANI)
The employees are required to upload the vaccination certificates on the Punjab government's job portal to get their salaries.
Amid rising cases of coronavirus variant Omicron across the country, the Punjab government has resorted to stricter measures to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said that the people who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be allowed at public places in the state after January 1.
India has so far reported over 200 cases of the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.
According to the Union Health Ministry, 213 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been reported in the country so far. Out of this, Delhi topped the list with 57 confirmed cases followed by Maharashtra (54 cases) and Telangana (24 cases). (ANI)
Income Tax Department has detected Benami properties worth Rs 3.5 crore from an aide of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, sources told ANI on Wednesday. The search action which was started on December 18 covered more than 30 premises spread over various locations including Lucknow, Mainpuri, Mau, Kolkata, Bengaluru and NCR. Sources told ANI that unexplained investment of Rs 11 crore in a shell company and investments in Benami properties worth Rs 3.5 crore have been identified from Jainendra Yadav, who is a close aide of Akhilesh Yadav. Income tax sleuths are trying to figure out the real beneficiary of Benami properties of Jainendra Yadav. As per the sources, the IT department has found undisclosed income of over Rs 86 crore from Manoj Yadav, who is Director of RCL company. Manoj Yadav has admitted a sum of Rs 68 crore as his undisclosed income and offered to pay tax thereon. During the investigation, IT department has found that Rajeev Rai who is also Secretary of Samajwadi Party run a Nursing College in Bangalore. It further said that Rajeev Rai has an investment in Dubai. He used to route his funds to Dubai through Kerala-based entities including Markazu Saquafathi Ssunniyya Trust and Markaz Knowledge City Trust, connected with Dubai, for the personal benefit of the trustees. Investigation reveals that Bengaluru-based Trust and its related entities transferred Rs 80 lakh in the guise of donation, for non-trust purposes which is the violation of relevant provisions relating to registration of trusts under the Income-tax Act, 1961 for a claim of exemption, as well as, FEMA provisions. "Rajeev Rai was collecting Rs 3.5 crore per year for the last three years as capitation fees. More than Rs 10 crore in cash was collected as capitation fees in the last three years. Expenses to the tune of over Rs 4.8 crore incurred from the account of the Trust, for the trustees' personal benefit over the last 3 years, have also been gathered, said sources. A Kolkata-based entry operator has also been covered in the search operation. Another source who was involved in the search told that Rahul Bhasin was using Kolkata-based entry operator to make his black money into white. Rahul Bhasin used the conduit of shell companies to route its unexplained income and investments. Such unexplained investment to the tune of Rs 12 crore has been identified. (ANI)
Women CRPF personnel to be deployed for protection of Sonia, Priyanka Gandhi during UP polls
The official said that the training of CRPF women personnel has been completed and they will be deployed in the security of VVIP protectees from January second week onwards.
"The women CRPF personnel will be deployed in the house for the protection of 'Z and Z plus protectees teams' during their movement in Uttar Pradesh and other states elections," the senior officer said.
"Women personnel have completed a total of ten weeks rigorous training before being deployed in the protection of VVIPs," he added.
The officer further added that they have five protectees under the Z plus ASL (Advanced Security Liason) category that includes Home Minister, Priyanka Vadra Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and former PM Manmohan Singh and his wife.
The team will basically assist women protectees during their movement in the state during elections to contain the female crowd.
At present, CRPF provides protection to 12 VIPs under the Z plus category and 22 VIPs under the Z category.
Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to Assembly polls early next year.
In the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates. (ANI)
Yogi Adityanath's biographer Shantanu Gupta, having made waves with his bestselling 'The Monk Who Became Chief Minister', returns with a new title 'The Monk Who Transformed Uttar Pradesh' published by Garuda Prakashan. The book meticulously details how Yogi Adityanath transformed Uttar Pradesh as Chief Minister, in various aspects like law and order, air and road connectivity, education, health infrastructure, electricity, industrial growth, agriculture and other important aspects. The book carries a foreword by T.V. Mohandas Pai, ex-director of Infosys and chairman of Aarin Capital. Pai writes: "When Yogi Adityanath took over as CM, Lutyens Delhi -- the name by which the power structure and supporters of the ancient regime are known -- exploded in anger and derision. They questioned his capability to be CM, abused him roundly, and predicted the total failure of his regime. They forget that he was a 5-time MP, a person of great accomplishment as an MP going by his track record in Parliament, had toured most districts of UP and knew the living conditions of the people of UP more than any of his critics." The author, Shantanu Gupta, goes on to explain that governance under the SP and BSP governments institutionalized three things in UP's politics -- goonda raj, widespread corruption and a high degree of nepotism. "Corruption became part of the basic grammar of UP. All development indices of UP remained abysmally low during those years, apart from the crime numbers, which always soared. Only industry, which was getting benefited from Uttar Pradesh in those years, was Bollywood which drew inspiration for many of its criminal thriller sequences from UP, where Mulayam Singh Yadav had in-famously defended heinous rapists, saying -- "Ladke Hain, Galti Ho Jati Hai" (Boys, do commit some small mistakes sometimes)," he writes. The arguments in the book are backed by hard facts -- the massive administrative changes that Yogi brought in UP's work culture, how he overhauled policing in UP, how he electrified a dark Uttar Pradesh with the motto 'Sabko Bijli, Paryapt Bijli aur Nirbadh Bijli', how UP became an expressway state under Yogi's regime and how industries, prosperity and jobs are returning to UP under Yogi. Having chronicled how Yogi changed the perception of Uttar Pradesh as an un-developed, uneducated, corrupt, lawless and 'Bimaru' state to a transformed and progressive Uttar Pradesh, the author also showcases Yogi's merit-based education system versus Akhilesh Yadav's cheating-based system, the story of Yogi's One-District-One-Medical-College mission to his Covid management, how Yogi's massive pro-farmer steps rendered so-called farmer protests irrelevant, the cultural renaissance of UP under Yogi government and finally, how the duo of Modi-Yogi brought welfare for the poor in UP. "Uttar Pradesh was disparaged as 'bimaru' and known for governance based on identity politics rather than all-around development, Sabka Vikas. Shantanu Gupta's book is an important contribution to how an effective leader, rooted in India's ancient ethos while looking for apt solutions for contemporary times, can bring real change," says Sankrant Sanu, founder and CEO of Garuda Prakashan. Many prominent scholars and journalists have applauded the book on social media platforms Sr Advisor to I&B Ministry Kanchan Gupta, Author and CIC Uday Mahurkar, Author Harsh Madhusudan, USA Congressional candidate Ritesh Tondon, to name a few. In Book discussion organized by Overseas friends of BJP for the diaspora in 13 cities of Europe - Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP's Foreign cell head Vijay Chauthaiwale and Author Shantanu shared their thoughts. Sudhanshu Trivedi applauded his college junior Shantanu's work and added that Uttar Pradesh has seen a sea of positive change in Yogi Adityanath's tenure. "Today the same UP has become second in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking leaving many industrialized states behind. Under Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh has become the second largest state of India in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), surging ahead of even the industrialized states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh has doubled the per capita income of its citizens -- from Rs 43,000 per year in 2015-16, when the SP was in power, to Rs 95,000 a year in 2021. Institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO), IIT Kanpur, Niti Aayog and the Mumbai High Court praised Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath over his Covid-19 management and the way the Yogi government handled the state in the first and second wave. In fact, Australian MP Craig Kelly was so impressed with Yogi Adityanath's handling of Covid that he publicly requested for Yogi Adityanath to be loaned to Australia for some time to manage Covid in his country," adds the author. --IANS san/skp/ ( 769 Words) 2021-12-22-14:28:04 (IANS)
Punjab government will provide free sanitary pads to needy women every month at all 27,314 Anganwadi centres across the state under the 'Udaan Scheme'. The scheme was formally launched by Social Security and Women and Child Development Minister Razia Sultana at Malerkotla recently. Disclosing this here today, Minister Razia Sultana said that a myriad of initiatives have been taken by the government to empower the women in Punjab. Now, nine sanitary pads per month will be provided free of cost to the needy females at all the Anganwadi Centers in the state. In the first phase, about 50 females are being covered at each Anganwadi Centre and sanitary pads would be given to 13.65 lakh beneficiaries each month. A total of 1.23 crore pads will be distributed under this scheme. On the occasion, the minister also directed to commence uploading of Sanitary Pad record Proforma on the M-Seva application. Apart from this, a women's shop has been set up in Malerkotla district, where females can sell indigenous and homemade goods, in a bid to empower the women. Razia Sultana said that the state government was also taking sincere efforts to increase the girl's sex ratio in Punjab. Under the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign, the parents of the girls are being honoured while the essential goods kits have also been provided to the newborn girls. Minister Sultana herself distributed such kits to 100 newborn girls during a special function at Malerkotla. Director of Social Security and Women and Child Development DPS Kharbanda said that a jingle has been made by the social security department to spread awareness among the people to increase the sex ratio of girls. He said that this informative jingle would be played on various platforms across the state. (ANI)
While reacting to Congress leader Harish Rawat's tweets taking pot shots at the party leadership and organization, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat took a dig at him by saying that "that he won't skip elections because that is his priority, but he should take some rest now." "Harish Rawat is not going to take any rest. I think he is doing this to ensure his clout in the party. He will not turn his back on elections because elections are a priority for him," said Tirath Singh Rawat. "Considering the way he is expressing his pain, I feel he should take some rest," he added. Dismissing the comment made by Congress leader that "it's time to rest," the BJP leader said, "He is known for doing pressure politics. No one knows what he says and does. People are aware of his past." "He is a senior leader of Congress. I think what he said today shows his pain towards the party. I hope he will live up to the feelings he expressed today," said BJP leader. Tirath Singh Rawat slammed Harish Rawat, who was also Punjab Congress in-charge, over the infighting in that state leading to Congress stalwart Captain (retired) Amarinder Singh leaving the party. "Recently he was in Punjab. What happened there we know. Congress got split into pieces and captain left the party. I think he might have learned something from that situation only," said Tirath Singh Rawat. Further, slamming Congress party over infighting in Uttarakhand unit of the party, Tirath Singh Rawat said it will be easy for BJP to go to elections in this situation. "Congress has always been scattered. Those who have so many splits in their family, so much infighting among themselves, how will they go outside and fight the elections. I don't think it will be easy for Congress to fight the elections like this. Certainly it would benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party," said Tirath Singh Rawat. "Even today, the general public gives more attention to development, but when Congress itself is not one, how will they perform outside. Recent comment of Harish Rawat tells us there is certainly something going on inside that party. Everyone is pulling each other legs," he said. In signs of trouble for Congress ahead of assembly polls in Uttarakhand, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Wednesday made a veiled attack on the Congress leadership. He also expressed anguish at factionalism in the state unit saying there was "non-cooperation" from the party organisation in the state at most places and that a thought has been crossing his mind that "it is time to rest". "Isn't it strange, one has to swim in the sea in the form of forthcoming electoral battle, instead of cooperation, the organisation has turned away its face or is playing a negative role," Rawat said. "There are many crocodiles of the ruling dispensation. On whose directions one has to swim, their nominees are tying my hands and feet," he said. "And then quietly in a corner of mind, a voice is erupting, 'na danyam, na palaynam'. Perhaps the new year will show the way. I have faith that Lord Kedarnath will provide me guidance in this situation," he added. Uttarakhand Assembly elections are scheduled for next year. In the 2017 Uttarakhand Assembly elections, BJP won 57 seats, Congress won 11 seats and two seats were won by others. (ANI)
The inmate who saw Sheena Bora is willing to record her statement before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case, informed Sana R Khan, Lawyer of Indrani Mukherjea on Wednesday. Speaking to ANI, Khan said, "I have been informed by my client Indrani Mukherjea (mother and prime accused in this murder case) that a lady officer (inmate) has informed her that she met Sheena Bora on June 24 near Dal Lake." "This officer is ready to record her statement before the CBI. We will file an application to direct the CBI to conduct a fair probe," the lawyer further said. Earlier on December 16, the prime accused Indrani Mukherjea had also written to the CBI and said that she will move to CBI court to record a statement of a jail inmate who claimed to have met Sheena in Kashmir. Indrani Mukherjea, the mother of Sheena Bora in her letter to the investigating agency stated that an inmate in Byculla prison at present had told her that she had spotted Sheena in Kashmir some time ago. In her letter, Indrani has requested the CBI to look into the possibility of Sheena being alive. Indrani has always maintained that Sheena has not been murdered and is alive and had gone abroad for her education in 2012, although Indrani could never prove her claims in any way. Indrani Mukherjea, who is currently lodged in Byculla jail of Mumbai had also sent a letter from the jail to CBI stating that Sheena Bora is alive. A source close to Indrani confirmed that the letter was written based on input given by another jail inmate. Indrani's lawyer Sana Raees Khan refused to confirm anything about the contents of the letter but said that she will file an application before Bombay High court on December 28 and only after filing that application, she will share the details of the letter written by Indrani to CBI. The CBI has been investigating the Sheena Bora case since 2015, after taking over the case from Mumbai Police. According to the case registered by Mumbai Police, Sheena Bora was kidnapped and murdered by strangulation in April 2012. This case first came to light after the arrest of Indrani's driver, Shyamvar Rai in another case in August 2015. During the investigation, he confessed to having murdered Sheena Bora in April 2012 and said that he dumped her body in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. He also told Mumbai Police that Sheena's mother, Indrani Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna (Ex-husband of Indrani) were also involved in this murder. According to CBI's case before the court, Indrani Mukerjea killed Sheena Bora because she was furious over the relationship between Sheena Bora, whom she introduced as her sister to everyone, and Rahul Mukerjea, son of Peter Mukerjea (third husband of Indrani Mukerjea) from his first marriage. According to the CBI, Indrani killed Sheena Bora as Sheena was threatening to expose her in public over the fact that she was not her sister, but her daughter, CBI said. Driver Shyamvar Rai turned approver in this case. Peter Mukerjea was given bail by a special CBI court in March 2020. During the trial of the case, Indrani and Peter decided to end their relationship too. They were given divorce by a family court in Mumbai in October 2019. (ANI)
As many as nine more Omicron cases were reported in Kerala, taking the total infections of this variant to 24, informed state Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday. Of the nine cases, two people are returnees from the United Kingdom, two are returnees from Tanzania, one from Ghana, one from Ireland and three from Nigeria. "Nine more Omicron cases reported in Kerala. Six persons who reached Ernakulam and three who reached Thiruvananthapuram were found infected with the variant. The total number of omicron cases in the state stands at 24," Veena said. "In Ernakulam, two people reached from the UK, a woman and a boy had reached from Tanzania, another woman had reached from Ghana and one more woman reached from Ireland and had tested positive for the variant. In Trivandrum, a husband, wife and another woman reached from Nigeria," she added. According to Veena, there is no one in the contact list of those positive in Ernakulam as they were shifted to the hospital from the airport after testing positive for COVID-19 on December 18 and 19. "The couple, who returned from Nigeria, tested positive for COVID-19 on December 17. Their two children are in the contact list," informed the minister. Meanwhile, India has reported over 200 cases of Omicron, which was first detected in South Africa. (ANI)
"Voters should be informed about the credentials of the candidate. Parties must inform through newspaper, TVs and publish on the website that their candidate has a criminal record, give reasons to choose that candidate instead of a clean candidate," said Chandra.
Further, sharing details about the security and other measures being taken by the Election Commission of India to ensure free and fair elections, Chandra said, "All the entry points, state and coast boundaries will be kept under watch."
"Banks have been instructed to give information about any suspicious cash transaction that takes place," he added.
A high-level team of the Election Commission of India led by CEC Sushil Chandra is on a three-day visit to Goa from December 20 to take stock of the poll preparedness ahead of the upcoming state Assembly polls.
Goa is slated to go to Assembly elections early next year. (ANI)
"A person who came from Canada was reported Omicron positive in Faridabad," the minister told ANI.
He further informed that the state government has announced financial aid of Rs 50,000 to families of those who died due to COVID-19, Rs 2 lakh to Below Poverty Line (BPL) holders, Rs 20 lakh to COVID warriors and Rs 50 lakh to healthcare workers.
"We will give Rs 50,000 to (the families) of those who have died due to Covid, Rs 2 lakh to BPL holders, Rs 20 lakh to Covid warriors, and Rs 50 lakh to health workers," Vij said.
Meanwhile, in order to tackle the transmission of the infection, the state government has barred people, who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, from public places in the state after January 1.
India has so far reported over 200 cases of the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.
According to the Union Health Ministry's COVID bulletin issued earlier in the day, 213 cases of Omicron have been reported in the country so far. Out of this, Delhi topped the list with 57 confirmed cases followed by Maharashtra (54 cases) and Telangana (24 cases). (ANI)
In an official release, DDMA has issued guidelines in view of rising COVID19 cases in the national capital.
As per the DDMA order, "All DMs and District DCPs shall ensure that no cultural event, gatherings, and congregations are taking place for celebrating Christmas or New Year in National Capital Territory of Delhi."
The statement advised the residents to follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.
Meanwhile, Delhi reported 125 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest single-day spike in the last six months. On June 22 this year, 134 Covid cases were reported in Delhi.As per Delhi's health bulletin on Wednesday, the positivity rate remained 0.20 per cent for the third consecutive day. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday had informed that Delhi has 34 cases of new Omicron variant of coronavirus in Delhi's Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital. Of these 17 patients have been discharged and the rest are admitted to other hospitals. (ANI)
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed applications seeking quashing of the proceedings in the 2008 Panaji Police Station attack case and directed that the trial be expedited. Goa's Panaji MLA Babush Monserrate and Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate are the main accused in the case which has been pending in the Bombay High Court for the last seven years. Justice Manish Pitale today also rejected the request made on behalf of Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate to continue the stay of trial for four weeks and to enable her to move the Supreme Court. Justice Pitale while rejecting the request observed that the Supreme Court had directed that the criminal trials against MPs and MLAs have to be expedited. In a petition to the Administrative Judge of the High Court on November 9, it was pointed out by Advocate Aires Rodrigues that the SC being concerned about the criminalization of politics had directed that the criminal cases against politicians should be fast-tracked. However, it had not happened in Goa, at least in the Panaji Police Station attack case in which Babush Monserrate and his wife Jennifer stand charge-sheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for attacking and damaging the Panaji Police Station on February 19, 2008. Advocate Rodrigues also stated that the very questionable stay of the criminal trial granted by the High Court on December 4, 2014, that has continued for seven long years was contrary to a Supreme Court order that any stay granted by the High Court expires in six months and that unless an extension is granted, the trial must go ahead. Rodrigues had also sent a copy of his petition to the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. Meanwhile, Advocate Aires Rodrigues has on Wednesday stated that he would move an application before the Additional Sessions Judge Mapusa Sherin Paul seeking to assist the prosecution to ensure that the trial is free and fair without any manipulation in view of the fact that the main accused Babush and Jennifer Monserrate are politically influential and very well connected. Recalling when Minister Dayanand Narvekar was charge-sheeted, the BJP had sought to sack him from the cabinet, Rodrigues stated that the BJP should now "Walk its Talk" and drop Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate and also remove Babush Monserrate as Chairman of Greater Panaji and Development Authority and as Director of Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited. (ANI)
The Haryana government on Wednesday made the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for people to enter malls, restaurants, banks, offices, and other public places starting January 1. Haryana additional chief secretary (health) Rajeev Arora, in a notification, said that only 60 per cent of the state's population have been administered both doses of COVID-19 vaccine. "As the dose of COVID vaccination has reached 93 per cent whereas the second dose is still lagging behind at 60 per cent (till December 22, 2021). Large numbers of beneficiaries are due and overdue since long for the second dose of COVID vaccination," he said in the order. "Further, new variants of COVID are emerging frequently and recently Omicron cases are showing an increasing trend in our country. Looking into the current scenario steps need to be taken for increasing coverage of vaccination to mitigate the spread of coronavirus," he added. He further said that emerging situation entails proactive monitoring and focused implementation or vaccination drive besides other measures. According to the new guidelines, entry at places like sabzi mandi, bars, restaurants, hotels, grain markets, departmental stores, liquor, and wine shops, malls, shopping complexes, cinema halls, local markets, and other places of public gathering should be allowed only to fully vaccinated. It further said that only fully vaccinated persons will be allowed to travel from bus stands, railway stations. "Other places of gathering like religious places, petrol and CNG stations. LPG gas cylinder collection centers, sugar mills, milk booths, ration shops also to allow only fully vaccinated persons," the new guidelines read. As per the guidelines, both private and government sector banks will only allow fully vaccinated persons. Instruction to these banks may be given accordingly. "No individual including government servants to be allowed to visit government offices without being fully vaccinated," it added. The COVID-19 vaccination will be also mandatory for eligible students more than 18 years of college or polytechnic. Meanwhile, parks, yogshalas, gym, and fitness centers will only allow those who have received second dose of COVID vaccination. India has reported over 213 cases of Omicron infections so far. During the winter session of the state assembly, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said that after January 1, 2022, the people who have not taken both doses will not be allowed to enter public places. "From January 1, 2022, the people who have not taken both doses will not be allowed to enter marriage halls, hotels, restaurants, offices, banks, or any other public places. This is to protect ourselves from Omicron and the third wave of Covid," he said, He said that 28 people of the health department have lost their lives due to COVID and compensation has been given to 27 while in one case the documents are yet to be completed. (ANI)
Women belonging to an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliate organisaiton have welcomed the bill to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years. Several people ANI spoke to in different parts of the country welcomed the Centre's move while some expressed their opposition. Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani on Tuesday introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha amid protests by the opposition. The government has decided to send the bill to standing committee. "We are very happy with the decision. We welcome and thank the government for this. By the age of 17, girls only pass class 12 and 18 years is a very early age to get married and take responsibilities. Girls themselves are not mature enough mentally and physically to take such big responsibilities," Sahnaz Afzal, national convener of Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an affiliate of RSS, told ANI. Shalini Ali, another national convener of the organization, expressed happiness over the move and said it will benefit girls to take the right decisions in life as it will give them time to mentally mature apart from investing in their higher education and making them self-reliant. "This will help girls to get education. Soon after graduation, girls are exposed to the world and face real challenges in life. With the passing of this bill, they will have time to acquire life skills, empowering them to make the right decisions," she said. Yasmin Khalid, a graduate from Aligarh Muslim University, said 18 is an early age for girls to get married."I have two daughters and I know that they are not ready to take the responsibilities. I am happy with the move. It will also bring change in the society and empower women," she said. Indresh Kumar, a senior RSS functionary, said women here are happy with the decision. "They believe this will help them to get proper education so that they are ready and mature to take their decisions. Also if they are educated, they can take care of their children properly," he said. Professor Mery Tahid, Head of Deparment, Geography, Jamia Milia Islamia, said that the decision will help women in tapping their potential. People ANI spoke to in Bathinda had mixed reactions over the Centre's move. Gurpreet Singh, a local resident, hailed the move and said once this law is in place, it will protect women from getting pregnant at an early age. Devender Kaur, another local resident, however, said that marriage is a "personal choice" which should not be governed by the government. Sonu Maheshwari, also a resident of the city, said that he is "shocked" at the move as people are eligible to drive and vote when they turn 18. "These decisions are taken by parents. It is not something that can be ruled by the government. When people can drive and vote at the age of 18, then why can't they get married? There are other things that the government can focus on," he said. Samsuddin, a villager in Nuh, did not directly speak on the bill. "There is no hurry in entering matrimony here," he said. Women in Patna ANI spoke to supported the government's move. "Girls don't get the opportunity to move forward. At 21 years, they will be capable of taking decisions and will be able to sustain their own life," said Shipra, a local from Patna. Basanti Devi, another women resident of the city, also supported the legislation. The opinion was also shared by women in Siliguri whom ANI spoke with. "Marrying at an early age without completing education devoids girls an opportunity of being able to stand on their own feet," said Papri Roy, a resident of Phansidewa. If the bill is passed it would bring the legal age of marriage for women at par with men. (ANI)
Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday dismissed the idea of opening trade with Pakistan until and unless "it did not stop terror funding and killing our soldiers along the borders". In an informal interaction with media persons in Chandigarh, the former chief minister said that there was no point in starting business and trade with Pakistan as terror and trade cannot go together. Captain Amarinder presented a grim security scenario in Punjab with a perennial threat to peace from Pakistan, saying sleeper cells of various terror groups were active and using the help and support of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to foment trouble in Punjab. The former Chief Minister gave elaborate details about the huge cache of arms and ammunition that Pakistan has managed to infiltrate into this part of the border. "This is just a part that came to the notice of our security forces and imagine what must have skipped their notice", he pointed out, while wondering as to why the Punjab government was in continuous denial mode on the security issue. Over the issue of the recent sacrilege attempt in Golden Temple in Amritsar, Captain Amarinder said that "these have a potential to polarize people along religious lines, which can lead to unrest and trouble in the state." "The foreign agencies like the ISI in coordination with the sleeper cells of various secessionist and terrorist groups were active and were desperately waiting for an opportunity to exploit such situation and strike," he said. Calling Pakistan and China as "one Country", Singh said "India will need to be more alert and vigilant. Given the geographical position of Punjab, the state faces more security challenges now." "China had invested USD 29 billion in Pakistan. It had built huge infrastructure by making highways and tunnels that will take Chinese goods directly to Gwadar port, which provides Chinese access to Central Asia. With Afghanistan in dire need of financial help and China ready to give it, India will have another problem from the hostile Taliban, who can be used by the Chinese to infiltrate into India," he added. He further said that India needs to build up a more sophisticated missile system to shoot down the drones. "The efficiency of drones, both in terms of covering the distance and carrying the load, was being enhanced which is a potential threat for the country as it provides more options for Pakistan to smuggle in drugs and weapons into the country," he said. Singh's remarks come at a time when Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has betted for opening trade with neighbouring Pakistan. "In a bid to boost the State's economy, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi announces that he would soon write to the Government of India besides seeking an appointment from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to flag the issue for opening trade with the neighbouring country of Pakistan," CMO Punjab tweeted earlier this month. (ANI)
The DDMA has also issued orders to enforce the 'No Mask, No Entry' rule at shops and workplaces.
The statement advised the residents to follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.
Meanwhile, Delhi reported 125 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest single-day spike in the last six months. On June 22 this year, 134 Covid cases were reported in Delhi.
As per Delhi's health bulletin on Wednesday, the positivity rate remained 0.20 per cent for the third consecutive day.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday had informed that 52 Omicron cases have been reported in the metropolis so far. Of these 17 patients have been discharged and the rest are admitted to other hospitals, he added. (ANI)
As part of the exercise, troops of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force were mobilised for amphibious landing, in close coordination with the para drop of airborne troops.
The rapid response capability of Shatrujeet Brigade has been validated wherein the paratroopers who had moved from mainland executed airborne drop in an island territory of Andamans in a realistic tactical setting under the overall command and control of Andaman and Nicobar Command, the only joint services operational command of the defence forces of India.
Lt Gen Ajai Singh, Commander-in-Chief Andaman Nicobar Command witnessed the Airborne Exercise and complimented the paratroopers for their battle readiness. (ANI)
Bahuguna further said that the woman, who is a resident of Kanwli Road, Dehradun, reached India from Scotland on December 8 at Indira Gandhi Airport, whose sample was tested at the airport and the RTPCR report was negative.
On the same evening, she reached Dehradun with her parents by car, said Director-General of Health.
The Director-General further informed that on December 11, a sample was taken from her for testing. According to the report, the woman's sample has been found positive on December 12, after which she was isolated at home.
She has been asked by the District IDSP Unit to stay in home isolation for 14 days and follow the strict instructions of home isolation.
India has so far reported over 200 cases of the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.
According to the Union Health Ministry's COVID bulletin issued earlier in the day, 213 cases of Omicron have been reported in the country so far. Out of this, Delhi topped the list with 57 confirmed cases followed by Maharashtra (54 cases) and Telangana (24 cases). (ANI)
A delegation of Odisha MPs met Union Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Wednesday regarding the problems faced by farmers in paddy procurement. The meeting was held under the leadership of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Vasant Kumar, Pratap Sarangi, Sangeeta Kumari, Nitish Gangdev and Aparajita Sarangi also participated in this meeting. After the meeting, BJP leader Vasant Kumar said, "There are a lot of problems regarding the purchase of paddy. Farmers are not able to sell their paddy produce on time. They said that they are not receiving payments on time. They are trapped in the clutches of miller." "They said the state government is a namesake government. RMC and other corporations charge taxes but do not invest in development," Kumar said. Demanding justice for the farmers, he said, "Farmers need to go to Delhi for a token (for purchase of paddy) which should be given in their districts only. The State Government has not taken any action on the report submitted by the Manjhi Committee regarding the arrangement for farmers in the State." "We demand that the report should be considered and farmers should be given justice," he added. Meanwhile, Former Union Minister Pratap Sarangi also said, "We had raised this issue of farmers last year too, for which Manjhi Committee had visited Odisha to investigate the issue. The committee has given its report, but no action has been taken by the state government." Sarangi slammed the Odisha government for not resolving the issue and said that "the state government itself does not want it to get resolved". "The state government wants to deteriorate the system as the token is not distributed properly. Even earlier, this token used to get distributed from districts, but now, it takes place from the national capital. According to this system, if farmers do not sell their paddy production on time, then it will be cancelled," Sarangi said. He said, "In Odisha, farmers sell paddy at a lower price because they are facing problems with the system. The state government takes out Rs 400-500 crores for its election expenses." Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary of the Department of Food and Public Distribution informed that the paddy procurement has been done in many states rather it is still going on in some states. "Farmers are being paid money through Direct Bank Transfer (DBT). There are about 3,000 procurement centres in Odisha. The Manjhi Committee has given some suggestions during its visit to the states which will benefit farmers. The state government is continuously working on implementing those suggestions," Pandey said. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court has called for a meeting between the Administrator, and the baridaars in respect of the development and creation of temporary structures for shops and kiosks among other interim measures for the purpose of Kalkaji Temple premises. Justice Pratibha M Singh has issued various directions as interim measures for the re-development of the temple premises. The court has called for a meeting between the Administrator - Justice (retired) JR Midha and the baridaars of Kalkaji Temple. The court directed that the detailed presentation which has been shown to it may also be submitted to the Administrator for his perusal. The Administrator would then hold consultations with the Baridaars and the shopkeepers. On January 3, 2022, all baridaars may approach the Administrator and hold a meeting with him, in respect of the development and creation of temporary structures for shops and kiosks. "The said meeting shall be at 2 pm at the office of the Administrator in Kalkaji Mandir," the court said."On January 5, 2022, an interaction may be held by the Administrator with all shopkeepers. The shopkeepers may also be assisted by their counsels in the said meeting, albeit in small numbers. The said meeting shall also be at 2 pm at the office of the Administrator in Kalkaji Mandir," the court said. On the basis of the plan and budget prepared by the Architect, the Administrator may also hold a meeting, on January 7, 2022, with the officials of the SDMC, DDA, Delhi Jal Board and Delhi Fire Services to ensure that the plans for the creation of temporary structures to enable the entire Kalkaji Mandir premises to be reorganized and redeveloped temporarily are in compliance with the applicable regulations which are followed by these civic agencies, the court said. The said meeting shall also be at 2 pm at the office of the Administrator in Kalkaji Mandir, the court added.The court made it clear that bids may be submitted by various shopkeepers or other allottees who are interested in obtaining either the temporary shops or temporary kiosks, as per the public notice released by the Administrator. On the basis of the bids received, the Administrator may prepare a list of all such persons who are willing to take allotment of these shops or kiosks. In addition, the baridaars at the mandir would also be required to contribute to the creation of these temporary structures. The exact ratio of the contributions etc. shall be finalised by the Administrator, the court suggested. The court said that on the basis of the bids received and discussions with baridaars, the shopkeepers, the civic agencies and the architect, the Administrator shall place on record a final report for the creation of temporary structures (shops and kiosks) at the Kalkaji Mandir, for eth court's consideration and approval. For receiving the report of the Administrator in respect of the said meetings and for the perusal of the report for the creation of temporary shops or kiosks, as well as ascertaining the status of the unauthorised construction, the court listed these matters on January 14, 2022.The court was hearing matters pertaining to the Kalkaji Mandir, in which, it had issued various directions earlier for the administration of the temple to ensure smooth functioning. (ANI)
An exclusive radio system for prisoners named 'Radio Ujala Punjab' was inaugurated at the Central Jail in Ludhiana by Praveen Kumar Sinha, IPS, ADGP Prisons, Punjab. This initiative will be replicated in six more prisons in the coming days. Balkar Singh, Superintendent, Central Jail, Ludhiana was also present on the occasion. Radio systems in the prison are being set up in association with the India Vision Foundation, which is a pioneer in conducting various reformatory projects in prisons. As a source of motivation, meditation and reformation, prison radio is set to change the lives of many who have, by chance or fate, landed in the prisons. Pertinently, the radio will be an internal system of the jail which will be run by prison inmates only. Inmates of all seven prisons who will work as radio jockeys underwent training of three days organized by the India Vision Foundation. "The prime objective is to rehabilitate and correct the anti-social elements. Prisoners face alienation and isolation from society. We hope that providing them with a conducive atmosphere and enough welfare opportunities inside the jail will help to keep these prisoners away from the society of crime", ADGP Prisons said. (ANI)
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that he does not have any objection to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's absence in the state assembly if the latter is facing health issues. "If Chief Minister's (Uddhav Thackeray) health is not fine and he can't come to the State Assembly, we don't have any objection. But if he is fine, then he should come. The work should not stop, or else it should be divided," Fadnavis said while addressing media persons here today. The BJP leader further condemned mimicking of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Shiv Sena leader Bhaskar Jadhav. "The way Bhaskar Jadhav imitated PM Modi is condemnable. He extended an apology after we pressurized," he said. Shiv Sena leader Bhaskar Jadhav, on the first day of the winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday, mimicked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over bringing back black money stashed outside the country. Meanwhile, the winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly is scheduled to be held from December 22 to December 28 in Mumbai. (ANI)
A meeting of the Punjab Congress campaign committee was held at the party's "war room" to discuss strategy for taking achievements of the state government to the people in the run up to the assembly polls early next year. Sources said Punjab Congress will take achievements of the government during the poll campaign and "discussion was held on how they are going to present work done in last five years". "We made a strategy on how the campaign will go ahead, how to distribute tickets and what will be our slogan in the election. The five year achievements of our government, how we will take this further in the campaign, we discussed that," Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu said told ANI. Bittu further added that Rahul Gandhi will visit Punjab between December 25 to 30 for the party's poll campaign. Every issue has been discussed and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs gave their opinion, he said."All the MPs gave their suggestions on different methods of campaigning and discussed the responsibilities," the Ludhiana MP said. "In the coming days, Rahul Gandhi will be coming to Punjab for the campaigning," he added. Punjab Congress campaign committee chairman Sunil Jakhar said that the party will start the campaign with Rahul Gandhi's visit and new methods of campaigning will be tried this time. Speaking to ANI, Punjab Congrees leader Pargat Singh said the meeting took place on campaign issues for upcoming Punjab polls. Besides Jakhar and Bittu, Punjab Congress incharge Harish Chaudhary, party leaders Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Jasbir Singh Gill, Amar Singh, Shamsher Singh Dullo, Gurjit Singh Aujla, Raminder Amla, Manish Tiwari, Pargat Singh and Gurkirat Singh Kotli were present in the meeting. Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh's wife and Congress MP Preneet Kaur was not present in the meeting. Amarinder Singh has floated his own party Punjab Lok Congress ahead of the polls which has decided to form an alliance with BJP. (ANI)
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in its meeting of the board of trustees this week is likely to discuss the rights of Hindu societies over temples and religious conversions, said sources. The meeting of the board of trustees will be held between December 24 to December 26 in Junagadh, Gujarat. Nearly 350 officials and saints from across the country will attend this meeting. "In this meeting, they will chalk out the strategy to intensify the movement of getting the right of temples back to Hindu society and religious conversions will be also discussed. Another topic will be that the state governments hand over Hindu temples and other religious institutions back to the Hindu society. VHP is planning to continue campaigning to free the temples from the control of various state governments," sources told ANI. "VHP has a clear view that the temples should be returned to the Hindu society and the responsibility of maintaining them should be done in a transparent manner with the participation of all sections of the Hindu society. Also, the donations received to the temple or the money and property related to the temples should be used only in respect of Hindus," sources said. According to sources, the VHP is demanding the central government to enact a law to keep a complete ban on illegal religious conversion. "They are also saying that even after the conversion the SC/ST people are getting benefits of SC/ST quota. A resolution may come to stop religious conversion," they said. VHP began its 11-day campaign against illegal conversion on December 20. (ANI)
After the Maharashtra Chief Minister remained absent from the State Assembly on its first day of winter session today due to health issues, state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Chandrakant Patil said that Uddhav Thackeray should hand over his charge to someone else till he gets well and termed his absence from the winter session of the state legislature as "inappropriate." "If the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is unable to attend the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature then he should designate someone to carry out the business. It is inappropriate that the Chief Minister remains absent from the legislature proceedings. We will not accept the complete absence of the Chief Minister from the session," Patil said while speaking to reporters outside the Vidhan Bhawan ahead of the commencement of the session today. Taking a dig at the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the state, Patil said that Uddhav Thackeray does not trust anyone in his government adding that the Chief Minister should give charge to his son and state minister Aaditya Thackeray and if he does not, then he does not trust him as well. "He (Uddhav Thackeray) doesn't trust the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). His son Aaditya Thackeray can be given the charge. But if he is not doing that it means he does not trust him," Patil remarked. The BJP MLA further said that if Uddhav Thackeray is unwell, he should rest. Meanwhile, former Maharashtra chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that he does not have any objection to Uddhav Thackeray's absence in the state assembly if the latter is facing health issues. Uddhav Thackeray is recuperating from cervical spine surgery for which he was hospitalised for some weeks. The winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly is scheduled to be held from December 22 to December 28 in Mumbai. (ANI)
The accused, residents of West Champaran, were caught in Gopalganj district on June 7 this year.
The accused were bringing a huge consignment of liquor in a car from Uttar Pradesh. When they reached near Gandak canal under Gopalpur police station, they were nabbed during checking of vehicles.
The excise court conducted a speedy trial in this case. The prosecution presented a charge-sheet and evidence including video footage during vehicle checking at the time of the arrest. The guilt of the two smugglers was proved in court as their lawyer failed to defend them.
--IANS ajk/bg
( 122 Words)
2021-12-22-19:24:02 (IANS)
The 34th edition of the National Annual Book Fair, a platform to showcase the works of writers, witnessed the participation of booksellers, authors from across the country. The fair commenced on Saturday and will culminate on December 28 at NTR stadium in Hyderabad. Telangana minister Srinivas Goud inaugurated the Fair. Other ministers of the Telangana government, IAS officers and Principal Secretary too visited the fair. Speaking to ANI, Koya Chandra Mohan, Secretary, Annual Book Fair said that the fair is visited by lakhs of people including the publishers, authors and booksellers and added that there are stalls of the books in various languages. "Nearly one crore population is in Hyderabad. Lakhs of people visit here including Publishers, authors, booksellers from different states. Stalls of different languages including Hindi, Urdu, English, Sanskrit and other regional languages have been installed," he said. Mohan further termed the event successful as people from the Indian as well as the International publications took part in the fair. "Publications like Emesco, Telugu Publication and International Publications also took part in the book fair. We have taken all the precautions of COVID-19 guidelines. People come from different parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and also border regions of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The fair is a very successful event," he said. "A total of 270 stalls have been installed here. The Stalls of press and other publications, government stalls, different cultures and languages stalls have been installed. Booksellers from across 9 states in India have participated here in the event: Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana. There are 'n' numbers of writers in Telangana and this is a good platform for them to showcase their work," Mohan added. Ram Gopal a customer at the book fair who is an Engineer by profession said that "I have come for my grandson who is interested in special books such as comics. He is a citizen of the United States. So he is interested to know about India." Another customer, Harini said, "I come here every year and buy books that interest me. I read a lot of fiction, and in fiction, there are a lot of genres that I read like fantasy, historic fiction and classics. Pretty much looking for classic books." Vikram Kumar Shah a shopkeeper at the book fair said that he is been participating in the Book Fair for the past 20 years and he has a manufacturing unit in Telangana. "We have boards, Globes, teaching aids and other school items. The sale is good, the crowd is coming. The crowd is enthused to buy the products," he said. (ANI)
A Special Income Tax Court on Wednesday suspended a look out circular (LOC) issued by the Income Tax Department against Indian Business Tycoon Samir Modi and patriarch of the USD 1.2 billion Modi Group who has been alleged to be avoiding huge tax liability and further has been alleged to be involved in offences under Black Money Act for holding undisclosed foreign assets. Special Judge after considering the fact that there is no FIR against Samir Modi, further there is no likelihood of Samir Modi from fleeing from justice and further the fact that he has time and again joined the investigation, the lookout circular issued was set aside. Last month, Samir Modi while travelling to Dubai for an official CACCI (The Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry) meeting was apprehended at Delhi airport based on a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued by Income Tax Department. On being informed at the airport about the said look out circular, Modi through his advocates, Vijay Aggarwal, Rhythm Aggarwal and Hardik Sharma challenged the said look out circular issued by the Income Tax Department before Special Income Tax Court, Tis Hazari District Courts. Advocate Vijay Aggarwal appearing for Modi argued before the Special Court that the issuance of the lookout circular against his client is arbitrary and in complete violation of the principle of Audi Alteram Partem, i.e. the right of the party to get a fair hearing. He further argued that his client is an esteemed citizen of this nation, and is further the current president of CACCI and executive member of FICCI. Thus, by the issuance of the present LOC, reputation has been tarnished by the unjust and arbitrary act of the agency. He further submitted that issuance of LOCs is like non-bailable warrants which directly affects the constitutional rights to move freely and travelling abroad as enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The Special Public Prosecutor appearing for the Income Tax Department argued that there is a huge tax liability pending against Modi and has evaded summons issued by the department. The prosecutor appearing for the agency further argued that Modi and his family are holding shares in foreign companies and further is applying for citizenship in Malta and thus there is a grave apprehension that Modi will flee from justice. Moreover, it was argued by the agency that Modi is also liable to be prosecuted under Black Money Act as he has not disclosed his foreign assets. During the course of arguments, Advocate Vijay Aggarwal pointed out that the arbitrariness of issuance of LOC by the department can be seen from the fact that they are not in a position to disclose the reasons for opening of LOC against his client. Samir Modi was recently named as one of the individuals on the list of various other famous people in the infamous Panama Paper Leak. (ANI)
A new book chronicles how Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath transformed the state in various aspects in law and order, connectivity, education, health infrastructure, and overall growth. The author Shantanu Gupta has previously written "The Monk Who Became Chief Minister: The definitive biography of Yogi Adityanath". Gupta in the book explains that governance under the SP and BSP governments institutionalized three things in UP's politics--goonda raj, widespread corruption and a high degree of nepotism. "Corruption became part of the basic grammar of UP. All development indices of UP remained abysmally low during those years, apart from the crime numbers, which always soared. Only industry, which was getting benefitted from Uttar Pradesh in those years, was Bollywood--which drew inspiration for many of its criminal thriller sequences from UP, where Mulayam Singh Yadav had in-famously defended heinous rapists, saying - "Ladke Hain, Galti Ho Jati Hai" (Boys, do commit some small mistakes sometimes)," he writes. The book states how Yogi changed the perception of Uttar Pradesh as an undeveloped, uneducated, corrupt, lawless and 'Bimaru' state to a transformed and progressive Uttar Pradesh, the author also showcases Yogi's merit-based education system versus Akhilesh Yadav's cheating-based system, the story of Yogi's One-District-One-Medical-College mission to his COVID management, how Yogi's massive pro-farmer steps rendered so-called farmer protests irrelevant, the cultural renaissance of UP under Yogi government and finally, how the duo of Modi-Yogi brought welfare for the poor in UP. "Today the same UP has become second in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking leaving many industrialized states behind. Under Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh has become the second-largest state of India in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), surging ahead of even the industrialized states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh has doubled the per capita income of its citizens--from Rs 43,000 per year in 2015-16, when the SP was in power, to Rs 95,000 a year in 2021. Institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO), IIT Kanpur, Niti Ayog and the Mumbai High Court praised Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath over his COVID-19 management and the way the Yogi government handled the state in the first and second COVID wave. In fact, Australian MP Craig Kelly was so impressed with Yogi Adityanath's handling of COVID that he publicly requested for Yogi Adityanath to be loaned to Australia for some time to manage COVID in his country," the author said. (ANI)
With COVID-19 cases again surging in the US because of the omicron variant, President Joe Biden unveiled new plans to increase support for hospitals, improving access to COVID-19 testing through hundreds of millions of rapid at-home tests and expanding the availability of vaccines that can reduce the risks from the Omicron variant. The president also appealed to the people to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the virus. In an address at the White House, Biden said he was laying out how the federal government was "preparing for the rising number of cases experts tell us we can expect in the weeks ahead." Most notably, the government plans to buy a half-billion at-home COVID test kits and mail them to people who want them, with deliveries beginning in January, Biden announced from the White House. It's a major step to tackling problems that Americans face in easily accessing free at-home COVID tests throughout the pandemic. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday the Biden administration is still working out details of its at-home test plan, such as how many tests people will be able to request from the federal government, how the tests will be distributed to people and if certain groups will be prioritized for tests. Biden said, "Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and also got booster shots have a high degree of protection against severe illness." Biden also made it clear that it will not be unusual for vaccinated people to get COVID-19 because of the new variant Omicron and that they will likely experience no symptoms or mild symptoms. With omicron now the dominant variant in the U.S., President Joe Biden said in a public address Tuesday, "If you're not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be concerned." "The unvaccinated have a significantly higher risk of ending up in a hospital -- or even dying," he said. In a speech, the president said that the administration will aim to provide more aid to overwhelmed hospitals and set up federal testing sites, with the first one to launch before Christmas in New York City this week as cases are surging. New Yorkers hit the streets over the weekend trying to get tested but encountered long lines in the cold. The wait at a city-run testing and vaccination center in Times Square on Saturday afternoon was reportedly about three hours. As part of this multipronged effort, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is deploying planning officials to assess needs across the country and preposition supplies like masks, gloves and ventilators. The president announced that FEMA will set up mobile vaccination clinics across the country. There are plans so far for a new mobile unit in Washington, D.C., and four new mobile units across New Mexico. FEMA will help set up additional sites in areas of high demand over the coming weeks. Biden will also continue using the Defense Production Act and other powers to make sure the U.S. is producing as many tests as quickly as possible. (ANI)
"Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Simonyte reaffirmed the importance of our robust defense and economic relations for the security and prosperity of the Transatlantic region and the world," US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
"The Secretary underscored ironclad U.S. solidarity with our NATO Ally and EU partner Lithuania as it faces geopolitical challenges to regional stability, security, and economic prosperity," read the statement.
Blinken noted troubling public reports that People's Republic of China (PRC) customs authorities are not clearing Lithuanian shipments or shipments with Lithuanian components, and that they are rejecting import applications from Lithuania, the statement said.
Blinken underscored that such measures would raise serious concerns, including under international trade principles, and appear to constitute a form of economic coercion.
Blinken highlighted U.S. support for Lithuania in the face of these actions and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to work with like-minded countries to push back against the PRC's coercive diplomatic and economic behavior, the statement added. (ANI)
Ambassador of India to the UN TS Tirumurti on Tuesday (local time) said that the aspirations of the Palestinian people for Statehood and Israel's security concerns can be fulfilled through an open and direct dialogue based on the internationally agreed framework. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Palestine, Tirunurti said, "Both the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for Statehood and Israel's legitimate security concerns can be fulfilled through an open and direct dialogue between Israel and Palestine based on the internationally agreed framework. We reiterate that there is no alternative to direct peace negotiations between the parties." Ambassador of India to the UN highlighted that thirty years ago, the international community helped open a channel for direct talks between Israel and Palestine through the Madrid peace conference. A similar effort is required now to overcome the present impasse. India stands ready to support all efforts aimed at resumption of direct negotiations and facilitating the peace process to achieve a two-State solution, he stressed. Talking on the implementation of resolution 2334, Tirunurti said, "Resolution 2334 was adopted by this Council to reaffirm the international community's firm commitment towards preventing the erosion of the two-State solution. It calls upon parties to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, stresses that all settlement activities must cease, and underscores the need to exert collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final status issues." Tirunurti further stated that the recent developments on the ground, as revealed in the Secretary-General's report, indicate that resolution 2334 is yet to be implemented in its letter and spirit. "Violent attacks against Palestinian and Israeli civilians have continued during the reporting period. So have the acts of destruction, provocation and incitement. We condemn all such acts. Prospects of possible eviction of the Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah remain high. Tension continues to prevail at the holy sites of Jerusalem. Settlement activity has resumed after a brief hiatus," he added. Tirumurti further said, "We call upon the parties to immediately make concrete efforts to reverse these negative trends. Unilateral actions that unduly alter the status quo on the ground pose serious challenges and undercut the viability of the two-state solution. These must be avoided in the interest of peace and stability. Instead, parties must engage in constructive steps that create conducive conditions for the resumption of peace talks." "We acknowledge that some steps have recently been initiated in this regard. The Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have opened a channel of communication. Steps have been taken to stabilise the fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority and improve the socio-economic conditions of Palestinians, including through progressive easing of restrictions in the Gaza Strip for commodities and construction materials and increasing work permits for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza. Successful conclusion of the prisoner exchange talks would help the process further. We encourage everyone to build on such measures and create more avenues of co-operation, which can help overcome the trust deficit," Tirumurti said.India's support for a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict is consistent and well known. We believe that durable and long-lasting peace can be achieved between the people of Israel and Palestine only through a two-state solution which entails the establishment of a sovereign, viable and independent State of Palestine, within recognized and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace and security, Tirumurti added. (ANI)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has blamed the United States for creating a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that is affecting millions of people and allowing it to worsen. "A man-made crisis is being created despite knowing that it can be averted if (Afghanistan's) accounts (in the US) are unfrozen and liquidity is put into their banking system," the Prime Minister said, Dawn newspaper reported. The Prime Minister made these remarks at a ceremony held at Foreign Office to celebrate the successful holding of the extraordinary session of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on Tuesday. On the other hand, amid the deteriorating economic situation in Afghanistan, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday (local time) said that Washington is looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy so as to provide money to the people of the cash-strapped nation. "We are looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy to get more money into people's pockets. And doing that, with international institutions, with other countries and partners, trying to put in place the right mechanisms to do that in a way that doesn't directly benefit the Taliban but does go directly to the people," Blinken said during a press briefing. He further stated that Afghanistan is facing a difficult humanitarian situation. "We're very conscious of the fact that there is an incredibly difficult humanitarian situation right now, all it could get worse as winter sets in, and so that's an area of intense focus for us, working closely with allies and partners," Blinken said. US Secretary of State said, "I am focused right now on the situation in Afghanistan, including the humanitarian situation, we continue to be the largest single providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan." The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crises. A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban have plunged a country, already suffering from high poverty levels, into a full-blown economic crisis. The international community, from governments to non-governmental organizations, has been providing various assistance to the Afghan people. Despite a general amnesty by the Taliban, announced in August, mutiple reports say that more than 100 killings of former Afghan national security forces and others associated with the former Government have taken place. At least 72 killings were attributed to the Taliban, and in several cases, the bodies were publicly displayed, UN News reported. According to the UN, women and girls face great uncertainty when it comes to respecting their rights to education, livelihoods and participation. Some 4.2 million young Afghans are already out of school, the majority of them are girls. (ANI)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the detoriating situation in Afghanistan can be averted if the US releases Kabul's assets and liquidity is put into their banking system. Over nine billion US dollars in Afghan assets is lying frozen in foreign banks, mainly in the US, following the collapse of the Afghan former government. "A man-made crisis is being created despite knowing that it can be averted if (Afghanistan's) accounts (in the US) are unfrozen and liquidity is put into their banking system," the Prime Minister said, Dawn newspaper reported. The Prime Minister made these remarks at a ceremony held at the Foreign Office to celebrate the successful holding of the extraordinary session of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on Tuesday. Afghanistan is facing severe economic and financial problems, and the hold on its assets--and sanctions on the Islamic Emirate--have contributed to the problems, Tolo News reported. US lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to unfreeze Afghanistan's central bank reserves in the amount of 9.4 billion dollars. In a letter to US President Joe Biden and Treasury Department, Democratic US House members said that they stand with American allies and humanitarian experts in urging the United States to avoid harsh economic measures that will directly harm Afghan families and children, Sputnik reported. "(We) stand with American allies and humanitarian experts in urging the United States to avoid harsh economic measures that will directly harm Afghan families and children," the lawmakers had said in the letter. "This means conscientiously but urgently modifying current US policy regarding the freeze of Afghanistan's foreign reserves and ongoing sanctions." Later, US States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday (local time) said that Washington is looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy so as to provide money to the people of the cash-strapped nation. "We are looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy to get more money into people's pockets. And doing that, with international institutions, with other countries and partners, trying to put in place the right mechanisms to do that in a way that doesn't directly benefit the Taliban but does go directly to the people," Blinken said during a press briefing. He further stated that Afghanistan is facing a difficult humanitarian situation. "We're very conscious of the fact that there is an incredibly difficult humanitarian situation right now, all it could get worse as winter sets in, and so that's an area of intense focus for us, working closely with allies and partners," Blinken said. The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crises. (ANI)
Late on Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price tweeted that "Russia and its proxies are responsible for escalating tensions" in Ukraine, not Kiev or Washington, contrary to Moscow's statements on the matter.
"We call on @StateDept not to distort the reality. For the sake of de-escalation, the United States should not create anti-Russian military sites near our borders," the embassy tweeted.
"In particular, #Washington shall undertake to prevent further eastward expansion of @NATO, deny accession to the Alliance to the States of the former #USSR, not use their infrastructure for any military activities, and not develop bilateral military cooperation with them," another tweet in the thread read.
The embassy expressed confidence that these steps would allow to "defuse dangerous tensions" in Europe and conclude agreements on guarantees of equal and indivisible security. (ANI/Sputnik)
Iran has blamed Saudi Arabia for foot-dragging in allowing Iran to bring home its envoy to Yemen, who later died of the Covid-19 infection. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on the sidelines of Hassan Irloo's funeral that the Iranian Foreign Ministry had tried to obtain quick permission from Riyadh to evacuate Irloo by a plane after he was infected with the coronavirus, but "the Saudi side was unfortunately very late in making a decision in this regard and some executive bodies of Saudi Arabia dragged their feet", Xinhua news agency reported. The airspace of Yemen, including the Sanaa airport, as well as its land and sea borders have been under the control of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which has intervened in the Yemeni war since 2015 after the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa and much of Yemen's northern part. "We will formally lodge a protest in accordance with international conventions, and at the same time, we hope that Yemen will be able to get out of this war and severe humanitarian siege as soon as possible through a political solution," Abdollahian was quoted by Iran's Press TV as saying. Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced the death of Irloo, "who contracted the coronavirus at his place of mission" in Sanaa. "Unfortunately, he returned to the country in an unfavorable condition, and despite using all the treatment steps to improve his condition, he was martyred this morning," Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday. Irloo was transferred to the Iranian capital of Tehran by an Iraqi plane on Sunday, after Iraq mediated between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two rivals in the region. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi militants seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa. --IANS int/shs ( 329 Words) 2021-12-22-08:22:03 (IANS)
One Bangladeshi smuggler was killed when Border Security Forces (BSF) jawan fired in a bid to foil a smuggling bid in Malda Sector of West Bengal, the BSF said on Wednesday. The incident occurred around 1:40 am inside the Indian territory near the border post-Nawada in the Malda district of the state. A BSF jawan noticed the movement of 15-20 suspected smugglers on the Indian side of the India-Bangladesh border, the BSF said, adding the equal number of Bangladesh smugglers also came close to the border fence with arms and sticks violating the sanctity of International Boundary. "On seeing the movement of the smugglers, the BSF jawan on duty gave strict orders asking them to stop. However, Bangladeshi smugglers attacked the soldier with stones and stick. The jawan first tried to stop and drive away the smugglers with a non-lethal stun grenade in self-defence but it had no effect on him," the statement read. "Our Jawan tried to disperse them and fired stun grenades but miscreants continued with their aggressive gesture act. He fired two rounds in self-defence to save his life. One bullet hit a miscreant who was immediately taken to hospital for treatment where he was declared dead," the statement added. During the first aid, the injured smuggler revealed his name as Ibrahim. The 24-year old is from Dhulipara in Chapainwabganj, Bangladesh. During the search of the area, 197 bottles of Phensedyl, mobile, and two iron rods were recovered from the spot. The BSF has protested to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) asking them to stop the smugglers from their area from entering the Indian border and take the strictest legal action against them. (ANI)
Terrorist organizations consider the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as a victory of radicalism, and Al-Qaeda aims to benefit from the situation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said on Wednesday. "The rise of the Taliban movement to power is viewed by other terrorist organizations as an undeniable victory for radicalism, in particular Al-Qaeda, which plans to benefit from this situation," Syromolotov told an international conference on the fight against terrorism, Sputnik reported. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov also said: "Unfortunately, the actions of the United States and its partners only undermine the situation. Instead of admitting mistakes and refusing to dictate, they took the financial leverage to push their demands on the Taliban movement." The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crises. Post-Taliban takeover, the vast and rugged terrain on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is again emerging as the world's number one terror hub. Iraklis Voridis writing in Greek City Times had said that the problem has worsened manifolds by a recalcitrant Pakistan that is vigorously supporting the Taliban, by pressuring the world community to accept it, as it is, citing a humanitarian crisis and misery of the Afghan people. Violence is already on the upswing targeting ethnic and religious minorities and could reach nightmarish proportions, without the domineering, yet ineffective, presence of American and the NATO forces. (ANI)
Among the latest confirmed cases, 125 were imported from abroad, and most of them are peacekeepers who have recently returned home from South Sudan, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, three more COVID-19 patients died in the past day, pushing the national death toll to 1,977.
So far, around 66 percent of Mongolia's population of 3.4 million have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, while 870,175 people have had a booster. (ANI/Xinhua)
The spokesman of Kabul municipality, Nematullah Barakzai, said the government has ordered the municipality's officials to remove all photos of women on the signboards of shops and business centres in Kabul, reported Tolo News.
"Based on the decision of the government, the photos that are against Islamic regulations will be collected or removed from billboards," said Barakzai.
The owners of beauty salons in Kabul criticized the decision of the Islamic Emirate, and asked the government not to impose restrictions on their business, reported Tolo News.
Shayesta Saifi, a makeup artist, has worked in a beauty salon for seven years. Shayesta said she is financially assisting her 10-member family.
"This is imposing a restriction on women's work. There is a fear that they will lock our shop in the next few days," she told Tolo News.
"What does it benefit the government to remove photos of women?" said Parwana, a women's rights activist.
This comes as international organizations have repeatedly called on the Taliban not to ignore the rights of women and not to marginalize women from society. (ANI)
Pakistan's continuous attempts to appease China is taking it far away from the US as reports claim that Islamabad's refusal to participate in the US President Joe Biden's 'Summit for Democracy' is the latest indication, a media report said. Pakistan's Foreign Office earlier this month had turned down the US invitation that urged the country to attend the 'Summit for Democracy', which experts say was an attempt by US President Joe Biden to sideline China as Beijing was not part of it. The US invited 110 countries including Pakistan but Islamabad's rejection to participate made a general observation that Imran Khan government stood with China. Currently, Pakistan has fears that it might be caught in the firing relations of the US and China. Meanwhile, the country is also managing to cooperate with the impact of deepening relations of Washington and New Delhi and the looming crisis in Afghanistan, reported The Nation. The US had the limited importance of South Asia until the end of the Cold War. But the developing scenarios have turned South Asia far more volatile in geopolitical, security and financial issues. Therefore, Islamabad has more chances of deepening its relations with the US but perhaps Pakistan's proximity with China could be strong a barrier to this. With regard to the rejection of the US invitation to the Democracy Summit, diplomatic sources in Islamabad said that Pakistan was trying to placate the US amid the deteriorating ties. "All is not lost. Pakistan and the US need each other and will sit down together. We (Pakistan and the US) are already cooperating on a number of issues, including Afghanistan," The Nation quoted a senior diplomat as saying. (ANI)
2021 has been the worst year for the Afghan women as the Taliban after assuming control of Afghanistan have rolled back access to their rights, according to Human Rights Watch. The Human Rights Watch termed 2021 as an unfortunate year for women "mostly because of Afghanistan", reported Tolo News. The Associate Director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, Heather Barr on Tuesday said that the "Taliban" rolled back Afghan women's access to their rights. Barr also referred to the international community and said that it "didn't do much" to protect Afghan women, reported Tolo News. "So, it is the end of the year, and we are looking back on what kind of the year 2021 has been for women's rights around the world, and unfortunately, it hasn't been a good year, I mean that is mostly because of Afghanistan," she told Tolo News. "I think that what we saw after August fifteenth, is that as the Taliban rolled backed the right to education, the right to employment, the right to access health care, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of association and the right to live free from violence for women and girls across Afghanistan," she added. A prominent Afghan women rights activist, Mahbouba Seraj, voiced concerns over the current status of Afghan women. "When the right of education is taken from girls and women, and they are incapable of doing their activities, and all kind of access is restricted for women, this is the worst situation for women in the country," she said. According to her, the main reason for the current crisis in the country is due to women's isolation from society, including governmental affairs. "I remained here (Afghanistan) to be the voice of women and to warn that no government can survive," Seraj said. "The silence of the international community is one of the reasons that women are faced with the worst situations," said Madina Darwazi, a women rights activist. The Islamic Emirate has been facing criticism inside and outside Afghanistan for imposing restrictions on women. (ANI)
Tripoli [Libya], December 22 (ANI/Sputnik): The Libyan High National Election Commission on Wednesday proposed to postpone the presidential election, initially scheduled for Friday, to January 24. "In accordance with the law on presidential elections ... the commission must announce the postponement of the voting day, and the parliament sets a new date within 30 days. The commission proposes, after consultations with the parliament, to postpone the first round of elections until January 24, 2022," the commission said in a statement, obtained by Sputnik. (ANI/Sputnik)
Former Afghan military officer Adam Khan Matin's family members have expressed angst over his arbitral detention. Matin's relatives mentioned that the military officer was taken to an unknown location. according to Tolo News. Earlier Adam Khan Matin served as a deputy commander of the 2017 Pamir Corps in northern Kunduz province under the previous government. According to his relatives, Taliban forces broke into Matin's home on Friday in PD 12 of Kabul. "They came here and said, 'we have information that you have vehicles and weapons with you.' After they received the (weapons and vehicle), they gave us a letter. They came again and took us to the police district and said that the letter was not stamped" said Omid Matin, the son of the former military officer. Earlier, the family alleged that it was not in sync with the general amnesty terms announced by the Taliban. "Since they announced the general amnesty they should not detain people and they should let the people live a calm life," said Ziba, Matin's wife. "It is in against the pledge of a general amnesty. Why do they arrest people without any reason?" asked Ghulam Dastagir, a relative of Matin. Further, Matin's arrest comes amid other allegations that the Taliban are detaining former military officials who were serving in earlier Afghan governments, according to Tolo News. Earlier, the US, European Union and 20 other countries in a joint statement on Saturday expressed their concerns over the "summary killings and enforced disappearance" in Afghanistan as reported by the Human Rights Watch (HRW). Further, the joint statement said that the countries are worried by the findings of the HRW report about the alleged killings and disappearances of former members who served in the Afghan security forces. (ANI)
In India's water-stressed villages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide clean tap water to every household. Mujib Mashal, The New York Times Bureau Chief for South Asia and Hari Kumar, a reporter in the New Delhi bureau, writing in the New York Times said that the mission is halfway through an ambitious drive to provide clean tap water by 2024 to all the roughly 192 million households across its 600,000 villages. About 18,000 government engineers are overseeing the USD 50 billion undertaking, which includes hundreds of thousands of contractors and labourers who are laying more than 2.5 million miles of pipe. The ambitious project to meet a dire need shows PM Modi's strengths and helps explain his popularity despite a weakened economy, said Mashal and Kumar. The mission to deliver water to every household combines two of PM Modi's political strengths - his grasp of the day-to-day problems of hundreds of millions of India's poor and his penchant for ambitious solutions. About one-sixth of India's households had a clean water tap when the program, called Jal Jeevan Mission, began in 2019. Now, almost half have one, reported The New York Times. "You rarely have this drive from the government, the head of state, and it is well funded. Behind the concept, there is budget," said Nicolas Osbert, who leads the UNICEF water and sanitation unit in India. "All social sectors were impacted by COVID. Not this one. This one was preserved." The country's water problem speaks to the mismatch between its global economic ambitions and the dire conditions of much of its 1.4 billion population, two-thirds of whom still live in rural areas. Nearly 40 million Indians are affected by waterborne diseases every year, leading to about USD 600 million annually in medical costs and labour loss. About 100,000 children under 5 years old die of diarrhoea every year. The growth of millions more is stunted, said Mashal and Kumar. "The paucity of water should not become a limiting factor in our quest for socio-economic development, the quest for high economic growth," said Bharat Lal, the top official PM Modi has named to lead the mission. From his office in New Delhi, Lal checks the progress on a detailed computerized dashboard. About 100,000 connections are added every day, according to official figures. Moreover, in areas where groundwater is overexploited, the program pipes and pumps treated water over tens of miles from sources like dams. Villagers are trained to test the quality of water and upload the data to the dashboard. They are also taught how to recycle and reuse waste water. Pilot projects are underway to install automated pressure and quality sensors, reported The New York Times. (ANI)
Asif Ali Zardari should name the person who had contacted him on behalf of the Pakistan establishment and sought his help for a future setup, a senior Pakistan defence source said, The News reported. The source lamented that every now and then statements are made and hints are given about "deals" (with Pak establishment) which is both unfortunate and irresponsible. If Zardari is truthful, he should name the person who had contacted him and sought his help, the source said. The source, holding an important position, said that the defence officials do not want to get engaged in any unnecessary debate with such politicians, who are issuing weird statements without any solid basis, the report said. The source said there is a general trend of blaming the military establishment for every matter. Often people talk about "deals" with the establishment but never name those who are approaching them or with whom they are making the "deals". PPP Co-Chairman and former Pak president Asif Ali Zardari said Monday that he had to think of the future, as those who had formulas were asking for help. He did not name the military establishment, but it was clear from his indirect reference given in his speech. Without naming anyone, the former president said he had told certain quarters no talks possible till the government was sent packing, the report said. --IANS san/dpb ( 245 Words) 2021-12-22-13:28:07 (IANS)
Retired Uyghur civil servant Niyaz Nasir is confirmed to have died in China's Xinjiang internment camp, according to a report. The retired Uyghur civil servant Niyaz Nasir, who was abducted by police and taken to an internment camp more than three years ago, died at the end of last year, according to Radio Free Asia. China has held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of detention camps since 2017. Beijing has said the camps are vocational training centres and has denied widespread and documented allegations that it has mistreated and tortured incarcerated Muslims. Earlier, Niyaz Nasir, 78, had worked at a government food bureau in Toqquzaq county (in Chinese, Shufu Xian) in the Kashgar (Kashi Diqu) prefecture of north-western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. No explanation was given for his death, and the reasons for his detention are still unclear, according to Radio Free Asia. Also, Niyaz's three children, members of the Chinese Communist Party and also civil servants, had asked that their father be released on bail from the camp in Toqquzaq's Opal township after seeing him weak and fragile in a virtual meeting on screen in late 2018, a month before his death. Earlier, increased international awareness of the camp system and other abuses, including forced labour and forced sterilisation of women, has prompted parliaments in Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and Lithuania, as well as US State Department, to brand China's actions in the region as genocide. Further, on December 10, Human Rights Day, the United States imposed a visa ban on the current and previous chairmen of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Erken Tuniyaz and Shorat Zakir over presiding a surveillance program that resulted in mass detentions. Earlier, on December 8, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government would join a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics along with the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Lithuania, over human rights abuses in Xinjiang. (ANI)
Phnom Penh [Cambodia], December 22 (ANI/VOVWORLD): On Tuesday, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc led a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to Phnom Penh, starting a state visit to Cambodia at the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni. At the meeting between President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and King Norodom Sihamoni, both sides praised each other's close cooperation and support in the fight against the pandemic, which is clear proof of the tradition of mutual assistance between the two peoples in difficult times. Both sides pledged to do their utmost to strengthen bilateral relations and agreed to coordinate efforts to successfully host events in honour of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2022. (ANI/VOVWORLD)
Thailand is concerned about the China-Laos railway network will open a floodgate of Chinese goods into the country. The Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) recently raised concerns that the China-Laos railway will hurt Thailand's agricultural economy and the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), according to the Star. The TCC fears the Nong Khai checkpoint will become a gateway for Chinese fruits and vegetables. Earlier, pointing out that the checkpoint is not officially open for trade yet; national strategy and defence specialist Dr Chaiyasit Tantayakul said the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry is in talks with relevant Chinese authorities to find solutions. "The aim of the talks is to solve problems hampering Sino-Thai trade, like difficult customs clearance problems for fruit from Thailand," he said. "The ministry is also working on maintaining a balance of imports and exports between the two countries. For instance, if 100 containers arrive from China, then the same number of containers should head to China," he added. Earlier, the two sides are currently concentrating on the export of orchids and rubber to China via the new railway, while the export of fruit will be discussed early next year ahead of the fruit season, according to the Star. Further, Thai fruit and vegetable traders realize that China is fast becoming a key export market, and for them to meet demands. In the first nine months of 2021, Thai SMEs' exports to China were worth 184.49 billion baht, while their imports from China came in at 454.89 billion. Thailand's total import from China in the first nine months stood at 1.7 trillion baht, according to the Star. (ANI)
Sofia [Bulgaria], December 22 (ANI/Novinite): I thank our colleagues from "There Is Such a People" and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for taking swift measures and people with files of a past in 'State Security' that have been announced in the media will not be appointed or will be released if they have already been appointed. This was stated today by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov in response to a journalist's question about the possible appointments of people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who turn out to be connected with State Security structures. According to the coalition agreement, each minister has the right to propose his team, but then in a coalition format we discuss and decide together whether our requirements for these people coincide with these proposals, Petkov commented and stressed that in this case there are no people to be appointed. According to the Prime Minister, the appointments are made on the basis of some type of expertise, then additional information is obtained and the final decision is made. There will be no compromise in this case, the prime minister stressed. Petkov also disagreed with the statement of his former chief of staff and current Minister of Defense Stefan Yanev, who said yesterday that it is not necessary to deploy additional NATO troops in our country. "This topic has not been discussed at the Council of Ministers, nor has it been discussed with any of our partners. The reports on this topic were the personal opinion of the Minister, but this is by no means a formal position of our government," he said. He recalled that he had already declared that "we are and will be an active member of the EU and NATO". "This type of decision will be coordinated with our active role. At the same time, I would like to emphasize that we truly believe that the best way to continue EU and NATO policy on our eastern border is to maximize the use of diplomacy and peace funds ", pointed out Kiril Petkov. "I hope there will be expert analysis, to see the pros and cons, to talk to our partners. The less the focus is on military potential and the more on diplomatic potential, the better for Bulgaria," he added. (ANI/Novinite)
Like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan too needs to change its hardline attitude to become progressive and to make its economy and society better. As per Pakistan vernacular media, the measures and steps being taken by Saudi Arabia have come like a thunderbolt in Saudi society. These reforms are opening up a suppressed society. People have accepted these reforms. It is because of these changes that Saudi is able to host Arab Expo 2030. Countries like ours (Pakistan) and people in them too will have to change to make our economy and society better, added the vernacular media. A few days ago, such changes were visible in Saudi Arabia that has left cultural and other related sections surprised. Last week, the Saudi Government's Religious Ministry issued orders directing masjids to apprise people through Friday addresses about the wrong preaching by Tablighi Jamaat. Saudi Arabia banned the Tablighi Jamaat, terming it a "danger to society" and "one of the gates of terrorism". Tablighi Jamaat is a transnational Sunni Islamic missionary movement that exhorts Muslims and encourages fellow members to follow the pure form of Sunni Islam. Moreover, musical concerts in Saudi have also become a matter of big debate across the world. All the artists from across the world were invited to this musical concert, but none was invited from Pakistan, reported Pakistan vernacular media. It further advises understanding the entire scenario of this change in Saudi Arabian perspectives. By now, history has entered a new phase. Though adversaries to each other, Saudi Arabia and Israel have come closer during 2021. Though half of the Muslim world is a big supporter of the UAE for its anti-Israel statements but yet Naftali Bennett is the first Israeli Prime Minister to have paid a visit to UAE. Compared to growing tensions with Iran, Israel is getting closer to UAE and other Gulf countries. Iran's atomic program is a major reason for both countries, Israel and UAE, coming closer now. In Saudi Arabia, there is one dynasty rule. The Saudi rulers have perhaps realized now that some external forces are busy trying to disintegrate Saudi Arabia. Saudi rulers fear some conspiracies are being hatched to divide and break the unity of the Saudi people. Tablighi Jamaat (Ahbab) is also on the hit-list of the Saudi government. Saudi rulers have realized that their good lies in crushing the Jamaat, reported the local media. The sub-continent is the hub of this Jammat. Saudis connected with this Jammat including ones in jails are now being called terrorists. A big announcement has been made during Friday discourse by the Saudi government at Jama Masjid against groups like Tablighi Jamaat and others of its like Darul-Uloom Deoband. Saudi Arabia has a major influence on cultural activities in the sub-continent. How will such fast changes in Saudi affect religious groups in the sub-continent? This too is a major and important question for us, said the vernacular media. If we take a look, our religious groups joined hands against the Soviet Union in the past. Now that Saudi has joined hands with Israel and also put a ban on Tablighi Jamaat, should we see it as a defeat of any particular sect? No, this need not be read or taken as the defeat of any particular sect. This is in fact the defeat of those who want to keep the world under their thumb and dominate with help of philosophy, mindset or principles or as part of their agenda, added the local media. Saudi Governments never gave any rights to women because of religion or because of Sharia. But, now they seem to have realized that it is difficult to go ahead and survive with such rigid ways. The measures/steps being taken by Saudi Arabia have come like a thunderbolt in Saudi society. These reforms are opening up a suppressed society. Is the time of rigid system /restrictions over in Saudi now? Or, is there no longer any need for such a rigid system because of changing political needs? People have accepted these reforms. Countries like Pakistan and its people too will have to change to make our economy and society better, said the Pakistan vernacular media. (ANI)
Expressing shock over the rising crimes against Hindus in Pakistan, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa shared a video on social media and said that a Hindu woman was abducted in daylight outside the session court in Pakistan as abductors are not afraid of police or any action in the neighbouring country. "Stunned to silence! Look how a Hindu woman is abducted in daylight, outside session courts Umarkot, Sindh-Pakistan," Sirsa said in a tweet on Tuesday. Sirsa also said that woman was screaming for help but they (abductors) were not afraid of any police or action. "They dragged her from hair and put her in the car," he added. This is not a stand-alone incident in Pakistan. Multiple human rights organisations and reports had been accusing the Pakistan government of not taking necessary actions over the rising crimes against Hindus and other minorities in the country. Last month, human rights activists claimed that every year 1000 Christian and Hindu girls are forced to convert to Islam. Emphasising that there is a dire need for dedicated law to protect minorities in the country, human rights activist Ashiknaz Khokhar said in November that Pakistan's parliament recently refused to pass the bill on forced conversion, according to Greek City Times. Khokhar also said that kidnapping of minor girls from religious minorities is commonplace in Pakistan. (ANI)
While COVID-19 cases continue to spread across China, several haemorrhagic fever cases and even deaths have been reported in the country's northwestern Shaanxi province. Lucy Crawford, writing in VISION TIMES, said that Chinese officials are keeping it quiet but people suspect that the disease is directly related to a rampant rodent infestation. Xi'an News reported that hospitals in China's north-western city of Xi'an have reported numerous cases of haemorrhagic fever since the beginning of winter this year. News about haemorrhagic fever broke out, one after another, in many social media groups on WeChat and QQ in China, reported Crawford. "Be on the lookout. An outbreak of haemorrhagic fever has been circulating online in Xi'an, with videos showing a neighbourhood being welded shut. Deaths are said to have occurred," the tweet said. "In Xi'an, Shaanxi province, the outbreak was controlled on a large scale, with many areas closed and people lining up in the middle of the night for nucleic acid tests. Meanwhile. Suspected haemorrhagic fever outbreak in Chang'an County, Xi'an, Shaanxi," the tweet read. On December 18, Shaanxi officials said at a press conference that there were 10 new confirmed local cases and three asymptomatic cases in Xi'an. The situation in Xi'an is serious and complex, and nucleic acid testing has been initiated for the entire population. Though the Chinese government refused to acknowledge the severity of the situation, the reality has been brutal as different kinds of plagues continue to break out and spread through China, said Crawford. According to an online chat, a local health care worker revealed that his hospital's infectious disease unit is full of patients and that all hospitals designated for haemorrhagic fever in Xi'an are full, and some have even been forced to close. As of 2:00 am on December 20, the topic of "multiple cases of haemorrhagic fever in Xi'an" on Weibo has attracted 280 million people and 4,483 discussions, reported VISION TIMES. According to the then self-proclaimed staff of the Xuanwu Hospital in China, "ordinary (poor and powerless) plague patients were sent to the hospital by the Chinese Communist Party only for isolation without any recovery treatment, and the dead were shipped away for direct incineration." This method is similar to the treatment of SARS in 2002. "The government only did strict quarantine and didn't do any treatment. The people had to cope with it," added the staff, reported VISION TIMES. Experts pointed out that haemorrhagic fever is a common infectious disease in China's north, which typically starts to peak in October every year. It's a disease that is mainly transmitted by rodents, the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), and the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). Those who are bitten or come into contact with the blood or excrement of rodents carrying the virus may be infected, and serious cases may lead to death. (ANI)
China's permanent representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun told UN Security Council, "We once again call for the unfreezing of Afghanistan's overseas assets as soon as possible," reported Sputnik.
"These assets should be returned to their real owners and they cannot be used as a bargaining chip for threats or coercion," added Zhang.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a US resolution allowing humanitarian aid payments to Afghanistan despite the current sanctions, reported Sputnik.
"The result of the following is as follows: the draft resolution received 15 votes in favour, the draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2615 of 2021," the UNSC President said. (ANI)
"We even wrote 10 steps on how to get it done very quickly. It is a complex document. It is 10 steps involving the Normandy format and the USA," he said during a meeting with Ukrainian diplomats in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region, reported Xinhua, citing Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Zelensky said that Kiev has already submitted the 10-step plan on implementing the Minsk agreements to the US, France, Germany and Russia.
At the same time, he expressed his readiness to negotiate with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to resolve the conflict in Donbas.
The Minsk agreements, reached in September 2014 and February 2015 respectively, outline the steps needed to end the conflict between government troops and armed groups in Donbas, which has left some 14,000 dead since April 2014.
The documents envisage a ceasefire, a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the demarcation line, a prisoner exchange and local elections, among other measures.
--IANS int/sks
( 191 Words)
2021-12-22-16:30:02 (IANS)
This is the first time in 20 years that no US troops are spending the holidays in Afghanistan, and we are not sending a third generation of American soldiers to fight and die there, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "President Biden pledged to end America's longest war. This summer, we made good on that promise, bringing Operation Resolute Support to a close and leading an international coalition to evacuate more than 1,20,000 people from Afghanistan," said Blinken on Tuesday (local time) while interacting with media. "We knew this would be challenging. It was. And there are lessons from the evacuation and relocation that we are learning for the future," he added. "But this is also the first time in 20 years that no US troops are spending the holidays in Afghanistan," said Blinken emphasising, "We are not sending a third generation of American soldiers to fight and die there." Underlining that the US is the largest aid provider to Afghanistan, Blinken said that Washington will keep working to address the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan through its aid and diplomacy. Noting that the US made good on its promises, including Washington's pledge to help every American citizen who wanted to flee Afghanistan, Blinken said that Since September 1, we've helped nearly 500 Americans depart Afghanistan. Ending its 20 years of war in Afghanistan, the last US troops left the Asian nation on August 31 this year under a deal with the Taliban agreed in Doha in February 2020. The governments in the US have been criticised domestically for engaging their troops in the long wars in foreign countries and not bringing them back home for years. (ANI)
"Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla handed over 1 million doses of 'Made in India' vaccines to the representatives of the Myanmar Red Cross Society," Indian Embassy in Yangoon said in a tweet on Wednesday.
These vaccines will support the people of Myanmar, including those along the India-Myanmar border, in their fight against COVID-19, the embassy added.
Shringla is on a two-day visit to Myanmar which began on Wednesday. He is scheduled to hold discussions with the State Administration Council, political parties and members of civil society.
Issues relating to humanitarian support to Myanmar, security and India-Myanmar border concerns, and the political situation in Myanmar will be discussed, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on Tuesday. (ANI)
Pakistan government had finalised a new film policy through which it aims to incentivise the industry, Geo News quoted Chaudhry as saying during a press conference here on Wednesday.
The government had proposed the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) charge higher tax, said Chaudhry, adding that if a channel is airing foreign dramas so that they should not be cheaper than local ones.
Stressing that Pakistani television channels have made it a norm of importing foreign drama, he said that due to this exercise, the local dramas have suffered a huge blow.
The minister also underlined that channels air foreign dramas as those are cheaper than local ones.
Referring to the advertisements, Chaudhry said that foreign actors are being hired for advertisements.
He also emphasised that foreign actors are being hired and Pakistani actors remain unemployed without any reason.
With regard to such advertisements, the Minister said that the government would also impose heavy taxes on such ads -- to help Pakistani artists. (ANI)
"India voted in favour of #UNSC resolution to grant exemption from sanctions for humanitarian assistance to #Afghanistan," tweeted India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Further, India's Permanent Representative to United Nations Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti mentioned in his speech that aid and assistance should be provided to the most vulnerable section of the Afghanistan society focussing on women and children.
"Aid should be allowed irrespective of the ethnicity and religion," he said.
"India has been providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan for the last two decades," he added.
Further, Ambassador T.S.Tirumurti also welcomed UNSC resolution to review the assistance program after one year.
India is also ready to work with other nations in the region in providing assistance to Afghanistan.
Ambassador also highlighted that the resolution has noted the Taliban's commitment that it will not allow its soil to be used for terrorism designated under UNSC resolution 2593. (ANI)
Israel and Kashmir were brought up for discussion at the 17th extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), convened by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad to discuss Afghanistan and its humanitarian crisis. Sergio Restelli, an Italian political advisor, author and geopolitical expert, writing in a blog of The Times of Israel said that there is no obvious connection between the crisis in Afghanistan and Israel, for obvious reasons Israel seemed to be the only important and clear part of the so-called "Islamabad Declaration" that was adopted by the OIC summit. The "Islamabad Declaration" was very short on specifics when it came to aid for Afghanistan. What is clear is that the Islamic development bank (based in Jeddah) will open a trust fund by Q1/2022 to channel development funds from OIC countries for humanitarian aid to Kabul. No commitments were made or any specifics declared. The OIC did not provide formal recognition to the attending Taliban minister Amir Khan Muttaqi who was excluded from the formal photo. The Islamabad Declaration was very specific however condemning the illegal colonial measures practised by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, declaring that "the Israeli measures are illegal and void and that the OIC does not recognize any changes affecting the pre-1967 parallel, especially in Al-Quds", reported The Times of Israel. The meeting called on the international community, including the UN Security Council, to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its violations, and to take all necessary measures, including imposing sanctions on Israel to stop these violations. One could definitely say, at least in thought and action of the host, Prime Minister Khan, Israel was definitely present at this OIC meeting, added Restelli. The final statement also condemned "the repeated attacks by the Israeli authorities on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the continuous attempts to change the historical and legal status quo under false religious pretexts," said Restelli. Not only did Khan raise the issue of Israel, but as usual, he put up the issue of Kashmir too, which was totally uncalled for as the conference was on the humanitarian crisis of Afghanistan and moreover, it's the internal issue of India. Speaking at the conference, rather than focus on the agenda and crisis at hand, Imran Khan chose to invoke Palestine and Kashmir, bringing both to the same plane. He called upon the OIC member states to make a unified plan to help the oppressed people of Palestine and Kashmir, reported The Times of Israel. As reported by News International, while appreciating the OIC's steadfast support for Kashmiris, Khan requested the OIC Secretary-General for continued advocacy for the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. However, he was curiously silent on the oppression of the Uyghur Muslims in neighbouring Xinjiang. (ANI)
Indian companies are looking towards the Nepali market to expand their business as the post-COVID scenario continues to improve the economic conditions and increase developmental activities in the Himalayan Nation. The Enterprize India Exhibition which is being held at Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Hall, Kathmandu from December 21 has mainly focused on expanding the market and improving the bilateral relations between the two nations. "The pandemic effect now seems to be settled in Nepal. I feel that business here is going as usual in comparison to post and pre-pandemic scenarios. Before the pandemic, the same kind of event was held in December 2019. Now I feel there is not much effect of pandemic," Zakir Ahmad Khan, Managing Director at Start exhibitions looking after the managerial aspects of the exhibition told ANI. Indian Charges d'Affaires Namgya C. Khampa inaugurated the Exhibition and interacted with Indian and Nepali companies participating in it. She also encouraged the organizers to explore B2B partnerships with Nepali entrepreneurs in order to strengthen commercial linkages between the two countries. Enterprise India 2022 is being organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with the support of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. The exhibition is aimed at promoting Brand India and enhancing bilateral trade and investment by creating awareness of business opportunities available on both sides. "Nepali market is always very good, very prominent time, very promising market and for Indian product this market is wonderful. There are challenges after pandemic but people across the globe are coming out learning from it, so Nepali market is quite well," Bipin Tripathi, one of the exhibitors told ANI. The ongoing Exhibition therefore particularly aims at facilitating joint ventures, technology transfer, marketing arrangements as well as people-to-people contacts between the two countries. More than 50 Indian companies representing multiple sectors and coming from various parts of India are exhibiting their products and services at Enterprise India Exhibition, which is also witnessing enthusiastic participation from Nepali businesses and traders. (ANI)
Washington [US], December 23 (ANI/Sputnik): US President Joe Biden signed legislation on Wednesday that will allow the US Capitol Police to request assistance without prior approval during emergencies, the White House said. "On Wednesday, December 22, 2021, the President signed into law: S. 3377, the - the 'Capitol Police Emergency Assistance Act of 2021,' which authorizes the Chief of the Capitol Police to request the assistance of Federal agencies in emergencies," the White House said in a press release. The bill passed the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously last week. The legislation was crafted in response to what legislators claimed was the Trump administration's delay to approve a request from Capitol Police to deploy the National Guard during the January 6 Capitol riot. On January 6, a group of Trump supporters entered the US Capitol to protest lawmakers certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election from several US states that former President Donald Trump claimed were fraudulent. Trump claimed the election results were invalid due to the election and voter fraud that robbed him of election victory. The authorities shot one protester dead during the incident and charged over 700 people for participating in the event. (ANI/Sputnik)
Hailee Steinfeld plays Kate Bishop in the "Hawkeye" series alongside Jeremy Renner. Marvel Studios
Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Hawkeye," "Black Widow," and "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
The first season of "Hawkeye," starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld has been concluded.
Insider compiled all the questions we had after the explosive finale.
Who told the public all the Avengers' secrets for the creation of 'Rogers The Musical?'
Hawkeye attends "Rogers: The Musical" with his kids and leaves on the "Hawkeye" pilot. Marvel Studios
The post-credit scene for the "Hawkeye" finale was an extended look at the "Rogers The Musical" performance we see in episode one. "Save the City" may be catchy but it highlights a big information breach if it wasn't the Avengers themselves that created it.
From an audience point of you, the lyrics make sense but how do civilians know that Captain America's catchphrase is "I can do this all day" or that Iron Man recommended shawarma at the Avengers battle.
The biggest question of all is: Why is Ant-Man there? Of course, after "Avengers: Endgame," we know that Scott went back in time to the Battle of New York but it is clear that the general public does not know about the time heist because Yelena still believes that Hawkeye killed Black Widow.
Did Echo kill Kingpin in the "Hawkeye" finale?
Maya (Alaqua Cox) pointing a gun at Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) Disney / Marvel Studios
There was an intense moment in episode six where Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) finally confronts Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) in order to avenge her father's death. We hear a gunshot at the end of this confrontation but never see who was hit by the bullet.
The scene points to Kingpin being killed by Maya out of revenge, but there is a possibility the iconic villain may return.
Is this the same Kingpin from Netflix's "Daredevil?"
Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin in "Daredevil." ABC Signature / Netflix
Whilst "Hawkeye" used the same actor for Kingpin as Netflix's "Daredevil," there are no clear signs that this is the same Kingpin as we saw in "Daredevil" or whether the Netflix show is canon.
The only clue is that D'Onofrio's costume in episode five and the beginning of episode six resembles what he wore in multiple episodes of "Daredevil."
Story continues
Charlie Cox who also starred in the Netflix Marvel series reprised his role as the blind vigilante in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which means we could get a confirmation in the future.
Why was Laura Barton's watch stolen?
Laura Barton's watch had a SHIELD logo and "19" on the back. Disney / Marvel Studios
The finale reveals that the Avengers Compound watch, which is stolen from the auction in episode one, belongs to Laura Barton. However, this still raises questions about why it was stolen in the first place and whether the watch indicates something in Laura's past.
For starters, did Maya know that the watch was owned by the wife of Ronin, the man she was hunting because he killed her father?
In episode four, Hawkeye explains to Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) that the watch "belongs to someone I used to work with." Does this mean Laura used to be a SHIELD agent as the watch had a SHIELD logo at the back? Was that how Hawkeye met Laura?
In "Hawkeye" Laura does show she's more than just a housewife by helping Hawkeye track down the owner of the Sloan company.
Finally, in the same episode, Kate also reveals that Maya now knows Hawkeye's family names because of the watch but never explains how their identity is attached to the watch. Whilst the watch added further reason for Hawkeye to stop Kingpin and his goons, it left too many loose threads. Hopefully, these threads will be explained if "Hawkeye" gets a second season.
We still don't know who owns Avengers Tower.
Stark Tower, which is later called Avengers Tower, in "Hawkeye." Disney / Marvel Studios
Hawkeye mentions that the tower has been bought by someone, however, Marvel Studios is yet to reveal who the buyer was.
Some theorized that the buyer could be Kingpin after his big reveal in episode five of "Hawkeye," but there was no reference to this in the finale. Another theory is that it could have been bought by The Fantastic Four, are confirmed to be coming to the MCU.
How did Kate Bishop's dad get involved with the mob?
Brian d'Arcy James as Kate Bishop's father Derek in "Hawkeye" episode one. Disney / Marvel Studios
The series never delves into Kate's father (Brian d'Arcy James) or his misdeeds that led him to be involved with Kingpin. All we know is that Kate's mother has to pay off his death after he dies. If the series gets renewed, this could be a storyline they go into.
They may even reveal that Kate's father never really died, similar to what happened with Kate's mother in the comics. We never do see his dead body.
What does the new and improved Statue of Liberty look like?
Captain America's shield seen in the second trailer for "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures
In "Hawkeye" episode five, Yelena mentions that she wants to see the "new and improved" Statue of Liberty but we never get to see it during the show. This leaves a question as to what "new and improved" means.
Although we can see Captain America's shield being added to the historic monument in the second trailer for "Spider-Man: No Way Home," in the film we see that the Statue of Liberty is the set piece for the final fight, which means it gets pretty trashed. Is the "new and improved" just re-adding the shield or have more changes been made?
Why did we not see a friendly neighborhood hero appear during the final battle?
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures
It is always a question with solo stories why other Marvel characters do not pop up but Spider-Man (Tom Holland) had more reason than ever to show up in the "Hawkeye" finale.
Not only is the final battle in New York, where Spider-Man resides, the final scene of the latest Marvel movie "Spider-Man: No Way Home" heavily teased that Spider-Man may make an appearance in "Hawkeye."
It is not clear whether the possible cameo was canceled or if the final scene of "No Way Home" was just to show the passing of time.
Will Hawkeye pass the baton to Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop?
Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner as Kate Bishop and Hawkeye. Disney
Hawkeye has been trying to retire from being a superhero since "Captain America: Civil War." With his Ronin storyline complete and Kate around to become a superhero in his place, there is an opportunity now more than ever for Hawkeye to retire from his duty and become a mentor figure for her.
If "Hawkeye" is renewed for a second season, this may be the direction they are heading especially after retiring or killing off several of the original Avengers in "Avengers Endgame."
What will happen to Yelena next?
Yelena Belova eating macaroni from a pot in "Hawkeye." Marvel Studios/Disney+
The post-credit scene of "Black Widow" set up Yelena (Florence Pugh) on the path of revenge to kill Hawkeye after being told that the archer hero had killed her sister, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).
Yelena does not take the shot after discovering the truth about what happened, but what will Yelena do next? "Hawkeye" episode five shows that Yelena is now a warrior without a mission.
Will she use this opportunity to become a force for good after her discussions with Kate Bishop in the show, or will this push her further towards becoming a killer for hire? There is also the question of whether Yelena will go after Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), AKA Val, for misleading her about Black Widow's death.
"Hawkeye" shows that Val is willing to work for criminals but still doesn't explain her endgame
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine AKA Val. Marvel Unlimited/Disney
The mysterious Val was noticeably absent from "Hawkeye." We are still uncertain what her end goal is after two appearances or even who she really is.
The only information we gain from "Hawkeye" is that she works for criminals, considering that Yelena was hired through Val by Eleanor, potentially under the guidance of Kingpin.
Will Eleanor Bishop stay in prison?
Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga). Disney / Marvel Studios
At the end of the "Hawkeye" finale, Kate ensures that her mother is arrested for her crimes. However, when it comes to prison, the rich and powerful often do not stay locked up for very long especially if they can afford a good lawyer.
Will Eleanor become a larger threat for Kate down the road after being betrayed by her daughter or will she learn the error of her ways and become a better mother?
Read the original article on Insider
Police say theyve arrested Keegan McGivern, 13, over the shooting death of his 5-year-old brother (Getty Images)
A 13-year-old boy has been charged with homicide after police say he fatally shot his own 5-year-old brother.
On 22 November, police in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania received a call about a shooting incident at a house on Prescott Drive. When they got to the scene, they found four unsupervised children, one of them bleeding from a gunshot wound. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Then police began investigating, which finally led them to the victims older brother.
It was later discovered, through the investigative process, that the 13-year-old pointed the firearm at his 5-year-old sibling and pulled the trigger while believing that the safety was on, the Allegheny County Police Department said. Based on the sequence of events, statements from individuals involved, and consultation with the district attorneys office, the 13-year-old juvenile will be charged with a general count of homicide.
Keegan McGivern, 13, was arrested on 14 December, after his grandmother brought him to Allegheny County Police headquarters, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. He has been charged with criminal homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor.
According to the criminal complaint, Keegan told police that on the day of the shooting, he was angry at his siblings for jumping on a bed and not stopping when he told them to cut it out. Wanting to scare them, he picked up his fathers Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, which had been left loose in the room, and pointed it at Connor.
He stated he pulled the trigger out of anger but couldnt recall exactly what he was angry about at the moment, the charging document says.
Keegan is being charged as an adult, the Allegheny County District Attorneys Office has said, because in Pennsylvania, a homicide charge cannot be brought in juvenile court.
What happened in Penn Hills was an intentional act that resulted in the tragic death of a 5-year-old, the DAs office said in a statement.
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Police have also said the childrens parents are partly to blame, and may face charges as well.
Detectives determined that four children (ages 13, 6, 5, and 3) were left unsupervised while a loaded and unsecured handgun was left within the reach of each child, the Allegheny police pointed out in their statement. Detectives are also conferring with prosecutors to determine the level of parental culpability, for which criminal charges are anticipated.
Police encourage anyone with information on the shooting to call the Allegheny County Police Tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS (1-833-255-8477) or send in a tip via the departments social media.
Alan Bennett (DAVID LEVENSON/GETTY)
Alan Bennetts annual chronicling of his life for the London Review of Books this year sees the author and playwright criticise Boris Johnson.
In the diary, published today (22 December) in the LRB, Bennett dedicates Rudyard Kiplings poem, A Dead Statesman, to the prime minister.
The poem reads as follows: I could not dig: I dared not rob: / Therefore I lied to please the mob. / Now all my lies are proved untrue / And I must face the men I slew. / What tale shall serve me here among / Mine angry and defrauded young?
In his March entry, the History Boys writer also criticised how with his customary foresight and good judgment, one of the first acts of the current prime minister was to hasten to the side of President Trump, and how the former speaker of the house, John Bercow, was the one who ruled out Trump addressing parliament in 2017.
His reward was to be refused the customary peerage on retirement by the prime minister, who happily doled out peerages to umpteen millionaires, all of them donors to the Tory party, wrote Bennett. And so we go on.
Boris Johnson (Getty Images)
In September, Bennett compared Rory Stewart, who was in the Tory leadership contest in 2019, to Johnson. Bennett said he had read Stewarts account of his time in Iraq, Occupational Hazards.
He wrote: It is hard to imagine this man, however briefly, as MP for Penrith and a contender with Boris Johnson, but on this evidence alone he would have been a sounder dealer with our intractabilities and a more honest one.
In his diary, Bennett also discussed his struggle to get a haircut in February and his reading habits.
A man has been accused of breaking into an apartment, then raping a woman.
The Alexandria Police Department arrested Jahiem Lasaha Robinson, 18, on charges of aggravated burglary, first-degree rape and perpetration of certain crimes of violence against a victim 65 or older.
Police had been called to an Enterprise Road apartment complex around 3:51 a.m. in response to a burglary and possible rape. The victim told them that, around 2 a.m., a man "came into her apartment, sexually assaulted her and robbed her," reads a release.
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A man has been accused of breaking into an apartment, then raping a woman.
No other information was released. Jail records show Robinson was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center #1 at 6:39 p.m. Tuesday. No bail has been set.
Anyone with information is asked to call the department's Detective Division at 318-441-6416.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Alexandria man accused in Enterprise Road burglary, rape
The dysfunction of the U.S. health care system is continuing to place a major burden on U.S. households, especially those from vulnerable communities, as Americans face financial hardship due to medical debt and rising health care costs.
Data from July showed that 18% of Americans hold medical debt that has been sent to collection agencies. And according to a new West Health-Gallup 2021 Healthcare in America Report, 30% of Americans reported deferring medical care in the prior three months due to cost, a figure that has tripled since March 2021.
This can have serious consequences: The same Gallup report found that 21% of adults said they or a household member experienced a health problem after deferring care due to cost.
The velocity of change in the number of Americans who cannot afford health care is alarming, Tim Lash, president of non-profit health care organization West Health, told Yahoo Finance. In a short time, weve witnessed health care affordability become an issue for even the nations highest-income households. This goes to show the problem is growing larger and deeper.
Ambulances are parked at the U.S. Capitol after police warned that a militia group might try to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
We are witnessing a compounding problem
The Gallup survey noted negative public sentiment regarding the future of health care, which Lash said did not form overnight or begin with COVID-19.
The report's key findings included 30% of adults reporting that they wouldnt be able to access affordable health care if they needed it today and 42% reporting concerns that theyd be unable to pay for care within the next year.
Additionally, 29% of Americans didnt fill a prescription while 31% deferred procedures, tests, or care due to high costs within the past year.
The number of people struggling to afford and access health care has increased over the past year. (Chart: West Health/Gallup)
Moreover, a majority of respondents said they are pessimistic about policies actually being enacted to address this persistent issue. Two in 3 adults indicated that voters have little to no power in reducing health care costs, while 90% said that American businesses, corporations, and Congress do.
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This has been decades in the making after failed promises by elected officials to do something to help Americans suffering at the hand of high prices for health care and prescription drugs and a fee-for-service payment model that rewards the volume of services rather than their value to the patient, Lash said. Our hope is that policymakers will not be deaf to this public outcry and will finally respond with meaningful legislation that takes the greed out of health care and puts patients over profits instead of special interests.
The coronavirus pandemic seemed to have only intensified these views: 48% of Americans said their perception of the U.S. health care system has worsened because of COVID while 15% or roughly 38 million Americans are now experiencing greater difficulties in paying for health care.
At a time when Americans are already price sensitive to rising costs in all areas of life, any existing medical debt is likely to make Americans think twice about engaging with the system, Lash said. We are witnessing a compounding problem. The group of people who are already burdened by health care costs is expanding, and at the same time, the survey reveals that there are newcomers like those in higher-income brackets that are now strained by rising costs.
Racial health care inequities
In the Gallup report, 3 in 5 Americans indicated that the coronavirus pandemic has made them more concerned about unequal access to quality health care services. These numbers rise to nearly 3 in 4 for Black Americans and 2 in 3 for Latinos.
There are great inequities in our health care system, and there have been for a very long time, Lash said. While this is a multifaceted issue, when it comes to skipping care, the consequences have proven to be worse for Black and Brown communities. Often the inequities materialize over decades. As a result, communities of color are more likely to experience higher rates of chronic conditions.
Black households are more likely to have medical debt. (Chart: Brookings Institution)
Among Black Americans, 8% know a friend or a family member who died within the past year after not getting medical treatment due to cost, which is double the number reported by white Americans.
Andre Perry, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, explained how these disparities are built on a system of structural inequities, which he said the pandemic only exacerbated.
Were more likely to be in jobs that are considered essential, and many of those jobs not only dont come with the kind of benefits like health care benefits that non-essential jobs have they are also low pay, Perry told Yahoo Finance. So when an economic shock hits, Black people are much more likely to have to take on debt as a result.
As costs keep rising, it leaves those individuals forced to choose between adding to their debt or deferring medical care. According to Perry's research for the Brookings Institution, 27% of Black households hold medical debt compared to 16.8% of non-Black households.
I cant say how much dental work Ive had over the last five years, Perry said. If I didnt have discretionary income to pay for additional work, I either wasnt going to get my teeth fixed or I would have to go into some type of debt to get it done. The point is that certainly health coverage matters, but when you are low wealth, when you are a person with a low to negative net worth, it is simply insufficient because so many costs can pile on in spite of having health insurance.
A new level of crisis
Its not just communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by medical debt and increasing health care costs. Low-income households of all backgrounds are also finding themselves vulnerable.
An analysis by the Brookings Institution found that 27.9% of uninsured households hold medical debt compared to 17.4% of insured households. And the households without insurance owe an average of $31,947.87 compared to $18,827.25 for insured households.
Additionally, according to the Brookings research, "nearly 80% of medical debt is held by households with zero or negative net worth."
When you have less wealth, you have less cushion, less buffer, additional cost, Perry said. Its also a reflection of the power you have. So its more likely that youll be in a job without certain benefits. Its more likely youll be in riskier jobs in which youll get injured."
A worker gestures to others as construction to make Black Lives Matter Plaza a permanent installation continues in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2021. REUTERS/Gabrielle Crockett
That was really the case during the pandemic grocery workers, drivers, and people we deemed essential were putting themselves at risk, he continued. But its not like they had a choice. In some cases, they had to work to keep food on the table to feed their families, and society needed them to work. Oftentimes people were hospitalized for COVID and other reasons and oftentimes the care they received was not covered.
However, while lower-income households are more likely to struggle from health care costs, that doesnt necessarily mean higher-income Americans are immune from this issue either.
The Gallup report found that 20% of those who earn more than $120,000 annually had skipped medical care in the prior three months due to cost. This was a notable increase from 3% in March 2021 and 5% in June.
If higher-income households are now having troubles, imagine what its like for everyday Americans, Lash said. We have reached a new level of crisis and one that demands action.
Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor covering politics and health care policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells and reach her at adriana@yahoofinance.com.
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Amir Khan and Kell Brook are facing heavy fines if they miss weight (Getty Images)
Promoter Ben Shalom has confirmed Amir Khan and Kell Brook will face six-figure fines if they dont make weight for their upcoming fight.
Shalom said there will be hefty fines for every pound over the agreed 149lbs figure for their long-awaited clash on 19 February. The weight was finally agreed after the fighters had bickered about what class to fight in.
They are both taking the weight seriously, Shalom told Sky Sports. There shouldnt be problems with the weight because they are so motivated. Despite the huge financial penalties, we expect both fighters to come prepared.
Despite both fighters ramping up the trash talk in the lead up to the bout, Khan has said he has respect for his opponent.
He said: The resect is there, I respect him as a fighter. Ive never run from Kell, I never needed to. What Ive achieved in this sport speaks for itself.
There were times in the past when I didnt think he deserved the fight but now I want to put him in his place. Inside, youve lost the fight already, honestly, I can see inside you and youve lost the fight.
I can see right through you, and you are empty inside, youre scared, honestly, you are, and thats why youre talking so much.
And Bell added the fight has been a long time coming and he didnt hold back at the press conference, saying: This has been going on for 17 years. The negotiations have been incredibly hard work.
We have finally got it over the line and Im ecstatic that the fans are going to see this fight. February 19 is the date Amir Khan will hit the deck for the final time. Im going to retire you. Im going to knock you spark out!
(This Dec. 23 story corrects paragraph 23 to show Citadel Securities does not run hedge funds)
By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Krystal Hu
(Reuters) -
Jose Castillo pulled his $60,000 worth of GameStop Corp shares from his brokerage last summer, even though he had no intention of selling them.
The 26-year-old information technology worker, who lives in the greater Minneapolis area, is among a growing number of investors in "meme" stocks -- shares such as GameStop popular with day traders -- who are withdrawing them from brokerages out of concern the shares will be lent to hedge funds engaging in short-selling.
Castillo pulled the shares out of Fidelity Investments and transferred them to his name using Computershare Ltd, an Australian stock transfer company.
Brokerages have been trying to reassure investors that they only lend shares of customers who are trading on borrowed funds. If they use their own cash, the shares are not loaned.
Castillo traded GameStop shares without using borrowed funds, but he still feared his shares would be lent.
He said he read about the "direct registration" of shares on Reddit, the social media platform that day traders turned to this year after the meme stock trading frenzy took off. There, more and more investors have announced they have taken their shares out of brokerages through companies such as Computershare, arguing this will help shield them from short-selling.
"There is so much going on with a stock being shorted, people started to think how can I make sure that I own it and that somebody else isn't doing anything that I don't want with it," Castillo said in an interview.
A Fidelity spokesperson declined to comment.
Paul Conn, president of Computershare's global capital markets group, said he saw a wave of direct registration business starting in September that was driven by meme stock investors.
"Retail investors have asked their broker or bank to remove their investments from the 'street name' system and into their own name, directly onto the company's share register," Conn said.
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Hedge funds short shares by borrowing and selling them, hoping they will drop in value so they can buy them back for less and pocket the difference. Financial market experts said the push towards direct registration was unlikely to curtail this practice, because most hedge funds' collateral comes from prime brokers rather than retail brokerages.
"The shares used to stock-loan from margined retail accounts are minimal compared to the stock-loan inventory from prime brokers and long lenders such as mutual funds and pension funds," said research firm S3 Partners managing director Ihor Dusaniwsky.
Monthly average trading volumes of GameStop shares have dropped since July to their lowest levels for more than a year, according to Refinitiv data. That was about the time that Reddit users began to advocate for the direct registration of shares.
The more shares are transferred out of brokerages into direct registration providers such as Computershare, the fewer of them are available to trade. Joshua Mitts, a securities law professor at Columbia Law School, said removing shares from the market makes them more susceptible to wild price swings, which could end up hurting the retail investors.
"From a psychological point of view, I can see how that resonates. But from an economic point of view it does not make much sense, because with fewer shares available the trading is simply going to become more volatile," Mitts said.
A GameStop spokesperson declined to comment. Popular trading apps such as Robinhood Markets Inc and SoFi Technologies Inc, as well traditional brokerages such as Charles Schwab Corp and Fidelity, would lose out if the direct registration trend intensified. They benefited from this year's surge in trading of meme stocks.
Robinhood and Charles Schwab representatives reiterated that only shares of customers who have borrowed from the brokerages to invest are loaned to hedge funds.
"We have seen an uptick in recent months of clients requesting to hold certain securities outside of Charles Schwab as a means to prevent them from being lent out," the brokerage's managing director of trading and education, Jeff Chiappetta, said in a statement.
Many requests were made by clients who bought shares without borrowing from Charles Schwab and would not have had their shares lent, Chiappetta added.
A SoFi spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
TRADING CURBS
Retail investors started to mistrust brokerages when Robinhood and its peers placed trading restrictions in late January on GameStop's shares. Thousands of investors claimed on social media that the trading curbs were introduced to protect hedge funds that had lost billions of dollars shorting the stock without anticipating a Reddit-fueled rally.
Commission-free brokerages such as Robinhood rely on payment for order flow, under which they receive fees from market makers for routing trades to them. This business model has also made retail investors suspicious, especially since Citadel Securities, one of Robinhood's market makers, shares common ownership with hedge fund manager Citadel, which engages in short-selling.
Robinhood and Citadel have insisted that the trading restrictions were not put in place to protect hedge funds, but were needed because Robinhood did not have enough collateral to execute customers' trades.
A U.S. judge sided with Robinhood on the matter last month, dismissing an investor lawsuit accusing the trading app and other brokerages of wrongly preventing retail investors from buying fast-rising "meme stocks" and triggering a sell-off.
(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Boston and Krystal Hu in New York; Additional reporting by John McCrank in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Greg Roumeliotis)
Winter break is here for college students across the Hudson Valley.
To come back for the spring, some of them, as well as some staff, will have to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. Many others will need to undergo testing for the potentially deadly illness before they can step back on campus.
As the omicron strain continues to spread at a rate not seen in any other variant, it's possible schools may update guidance before in-person classes begin for the spring in late January.
Vassar College earlier this month announced it is requiring students to receive a booster. Marist College joined them in that measure Wednesday. Bard College says it has already administered hundreds of boosters to students, and other schools are giving students the choice of receiving a booster or undergoing COVID testing.
SUNY New Paltz field hockey teammates Natasia Plunkett, left, and Morgan Wooley, right, haul freshamn belongings to the dorm at Esopus Hall during move-in day at SUNY New Paltz in New Paltz, NY on Thursday, August 19, 2021.
Colleges in the region individually reported vaccination rates above 95 amongst students and above 80% for staff. But with COVID cases on the rise, and with studies showing the omicron strain may infect those who have not received a booster far more easily than previous variants, many say the booster or COVID testing is necessary.
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Most area schools saw a jump in cases in the final weeks of the fall semester. Vassar, which said more than 99% of students were vaccinated, had a high of 64 active cases on campus between students and staff on Dec. 14. That's despite recording 164 cases for the entire semester.
As of Monday, SUNY New Paltz reported 37 active cases among students and staff and 327 for the semester; Marist had 27 and 167 for the semester.
Bard and Mount Saint Mary got through the semester relatively unscathed, with Bard recording 63 total cases and Mount Saint Mary 47.
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Students walk on campus at Dutchess Community College in the Town of Poughkeepsie on October 19 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended booster doses for anyone over the age of 18 six months after completing a two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series, or two months after receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson recipe.
Booster requirements
In a letter to the Vassar community, President Elizabeth Bradley said requiring boosters is necessary to provide a safe learning environment. Vassar students and staff are required to receive their booster by Jan. 17. Those who are ineligible to receive the booster by then will have 30 days after becoming eligible to fulfill the requirement.
"The health and safety of everyone on campus is paramount, and we understand health to include not only the physical health, but also mental health and social well-being," Bradley said. "Additionally, we will apply all the learning we have had through the last four semesters of the pandemic to provide the best and safest on-campus experience possible."
Marist officials, in their own letter, announced all students and staff would need a booster by Jan. 31 13 days after the official start of the spring semester. Anyone not eligible by that date will need a booster within 30 days of becoming eligible. The school is also requiring a flu vaccine by Jan. 14.
Marist students with medical or religious exemptions will need to be tested upon return to campus on either Jan. 16 or 17, and they will need to continue mandatory surveillance testing they were required to in the fall.
Bard also issued a letter, stating it administered 900 vaccine boosters to the college community and plans to issue more to those who choose to do so. It was noted some students will not be eligible for the booster until after the beginning of the semester.
"One of the hallmarks of the colleges success in managing COVID has been our flexible planning, which enables us to be both prepared for and responsive to the evolving situation," the college wrote. "Please rest assured that the colleges COVID-19 Response Team is constantly reviewing our protocols and considering what if any changes must be made to help our community stay safe."
SUNY New Paltz is requiring all students and staff to either receive a booster by Jan. 8, or return to campus with proof that they either a negative PCR test between Jan. 12-19; a negative antigen test between Jan. 20-22; or a positive COVID-19 diagnosis on or after Oct. 25.
Members of the SUNY New Paltz field hockey team haul freshman belongings into Esopus Hall during move-in day at SUNY New Paltz in New Paltz, NY on Thursday, August 19, 2021.
New Paltz Spokesperson Chrissie Williams said the college's requirements for reentry could be subject to change before campus reopens.
"We will watch the COVID-19 variant and make final determinations after the holidays and before students return, in consultation with State Deptartment of Health, local public health officials, and SUNY," she said. "All policies are subject to change; we will provide confirmation and additional details in January."
New Paltz noted its spring testing policy will be the same as in the fall, with any unvaccinated student or employee required to test every week while on campus, and 20% of the vaccinated population will be tested each week.
'A stressful time for all'
Mount Saint Mary College is not yet requiring booster shots for students and employees. Spokesperson Matthew Frey noted vaccinations are required to attend classes in-person, with medical and religious exemptions, and the college "may decide" to also mandate boosters "in the future if it is deemed to be in the best interest of our community's health and safety."
At Vassar, Bradley said the booster requirement is needed due to the presence of variants.
"I understand that this is a stressful time for us all. Getting your booster shot is crucial to the safety of our community and your well-being," Bradley said. "After enjoying a successful fall semester, this is an important step in helping ensure we have a healthy and safe campus for the spring semester."
Most area schools have also said they will adhere to CDC suggestions for other safety measures, such as mask use. While New York residents are under a state mandate to wear masks while in any indoor public space, spring semesters are scheduled to begin after the planned end to the mandate on Jan. 15. Still, most schools for months have said masks were required while indoors on campus after the CDC updated its guidance suggesting residents do so.
Complete information regarding each college's requirements will be posted on college websites before the start of the spring semester, representatives say.
Katelyn Cordero is the education reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal: kcordero@poughkeepsiejournal.com; Twitter: @KatelynCordero.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: COVID boosters: Vassar, Marist, Hudson Valley schools mull safety
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in Being the Ricardos' (Glen Wilson/Amazon)
Long before anyone had seen a minute of Aaron Sorkins new film Being The Ricardos, knives were already being sharpened for its star Nicole Kidman. Back in April, tabloid photos of Kidman on set sparked an immediate backlash. Fans on social media didnt believe she could convincingly pull off playing Lucille Ball, the Queen of Fifties television who did as much as anyone to shape the modern idea of a sitcom with her ground-breaking hit show I Love Lucy. Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball looks literally just like Nicole Kidman ran one typical tweet. Very sceptical of this casting decision.
To which the only reasonable response seems to be: well, yes, Nicole Kidman still looks like Nicole Kidman, but perhaps its best to reserve judgement on her performance until shes actually given it? Nevertheless, the negative response was so severe that Kidman considered chucking it all in. When the reality of playing her hit me, I went, What I have said yes to? the actor said during a recent appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan. I then went, Oh no, Im not right. Everyone thinks Im not right, so Im going to try to sidestep this. It was left to writer-director Sorkin and the films producer Todd Black to talk her down. As Sorkin put it to The Hollywood Reporter, he took pains to reassure Kidman and her co-star Javier Bardem that he was not looking for a physical or vocal impersonation of these people.
Bardems casting as Balls on-and-off-screen husband Desi Arnaz drew just as much ire, with the added question of whether its acceptable in 2021 for a Spaniard to play a Cuban. Bardem, who had already played the Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas to great acclaim in 2000s Before Night Falls, has pushed back against this criticism and questioned why this particular question seems to be disproportionately levelled at actors for whom English is a second language. Im an actor, and thats what I do for a living: try to be people that Im not, Bardem told The Hollywood Reporter. What do we do with Marlon Brando playing Vito Corleone? What do we do with Margaret Thatcher played by Meryl Streep? Daniel Day-Lewis playing Lincoln? Why does this conversation happen with people with accents? What I mean is, if we want to open the can of worms, lets open it for everyone. Following the interview, Bardem evidently reflected further on the question of representation, later adding in an email: I do recognise that there are many underrepresented voices and stories that need to be told, and we should collectively do better to provide access and opportunities for more American Latino stories and storytellers.
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Bardem, it has to be said, looks very little like Desi Arnaz. His distinctively craggy features and deep, sonorous voice arent a natural fit for the boyishly handsome Arnaz, but his compelling and entertaining performance in Being The Ricardos doesnt suffer for that. In fact, he succeeds in capturing an essence of the character in a way a lookalike may have struggled to, as a reviewer from Uproxx noted: Bardems expressive face is oddly suited for externalising Desis feelings Bardem shows what stories about Desi would otherwise probably have to tell: that he was this incredibly charismatic masculine sex symbol.
Capturing this essence is exactly what an actors job is supposed to be, regardless of whether youd be able to pick them out of a line up of impersonators. Take, for example, one of the years best and boldest casting decisions: Jodie Turner-Smith playing the titular doomed Queen in Anne Boleyn. During an appearance on The Daily Show this month, Turner-Smith discussed the backlash she had received as a Black actor taking on the role. Its intense, but the hope is that there are some people who it makes uncomfortable who will watch it anyway, and watch it for the human story that we were trying to tell, and see what resonates differently for them, she explained, adding that viewers of the series are looking at it out of the frame of reference of race, and more just about, like, this is a human woman. We all share these experiences in life. As human beings, there is no divide between emotion. Weve all experienced hurt and fear and loss and pain and ambition and desire and love. Its really just trying to tell a story about that.
Turner-Smiths point should remind us why the high watermark of drama is not mimicry or impersonation. Great acting isnt just doing an impression of another person, but revealing through performance the shared humanity that binds every single one of us.
A similar view has been expressed by Sarah Paulson, who earlier this year was criticised for playing former White House employee Linda Tripp in Impeachment: American Crime Story while wearing prosthetics and padding thats widely been referred to as a fat suit. Many commenters online argued the role should have been played by an actor who more closely physically resembled Tripp, which seems cavalierly dismissive of the other attributes Paulson could bring to her performance. I do think to imagine that the only thing any actor called upon to play this part would have to offer is their physical self is a real reduction of the offering the actor has to make, Paulson told the LA Times . I would like to believe that there is something in my being that makes me right to play this part. Reviewers of Impeachment tended to agree. Gold Derby opined that Sarah Paulsons performance as Linda Tripp is more than just makeup, while a Guardian critic wrote that Paulsons never-better performance as Tripp is so much more intricately developed than the collection of studied tics it could have been.
An obsession with biopics only featuring direct lookalikes suggests a troubling road ahead. Given that weve all seen those creepy deepfake Tom Cruise videos doing the rounds on social media, its already possible to imagine biopics of the future starring actors effectively wearing the skin of whoever it is theyre supposed to be playing. It might make the trolls happy, but its hard to believe that watching a bunch of digital Ed Geins dance through the Uncanny Valley would actually result in films that get closer to the essential truth of a person. Until then, if you really want to see Balls inimitable facial contortions light up the screen, there is always I Love Lucy.
The Guardian
The big, beautiful wall has kept US citizens away from the no mans land it created and in effect ceded territory to Mexico The border wall in La Joya, Texas: What I didnt realize was how quickly the negative effects of this isolated land would be felt. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Several miles south of the small town of San Juan, Texas, beyond acres of onion fields, orange groves and other cash crops sits a historic cemetery and the site of the beginning of a slow decay of Amer
President Biden refused to comment on whether Sen. Joe Manchin , D-W.Va., broke his commitment to the president to support the Build Back Better legislation.
"Sen. Manchin and I are going to get something done," Biden said Tuesday when asked if Manchin had backed away from previous support for the plan.
President Joe Biden REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
SCHUMER HITS MANCHIN FOR FAILING TO SUPPORT BUILD BACK BETTER, MAINTAINS DEMOCRATS WILL FIND A WAY FORWARD
Biden's remarks came during an impromptu press conference following his address to the nation outlining his plans to combat the omicron variant, with reporters peppering the president with questions about his ongoing negotiations with Manchin.
"Some people think maybe I'm not Irish because I don't hold a grudge," Biden said in response to another question about Manchin. "But I want to get things done. I still think there's a possibility of getting Build Back Better done."
The exchanges come after a drama-filled week featuring the president and the West Virginia Democrat, with Biden releasing a statement singling out Manchin for the delay in passing his massive legislation, a move that reportedly helped prompt the senator to completely cut off negotiations with the White House.
Sen. Joe Manchin REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
"I've done everything humanly possible," Manchin said during an appearance on Fox News over the weekend where he announced his opposition to Biden's plan.
"When you have these things coming at you the way they are right now I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation," he said.
Manchin's public announcement outraged the White House, which fired off a statement accusing the senator of an "inexplicable reversal in his position."
"If his comments on Fox and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position and a breach of his commitments to the president and the senators colleagues in the House and Senate," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday. "Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word."
By Sunday evening, cooler heads had seemingly prevailed after Manchin and Biden spoke over the phone, a call that was described as cordial and ended with an understanding that negotiations over the legislation would continue in the new year.
The Biden administration is loosening restrictions to make it easier for humanitarian groups to provide aid to a devastated Afghanistan, senior administration officials told reporters Tuesday night.
Why it matters: The steps do not address the urgent calls from the Taliban, Afghan protesters, international aid groups and U.S. lawmakers for the U.S. to lift its freeze on Afghan foreign reserves. With most aid stopped and overseas assets frozen, Afghanistan's cash crunch has rendered the economy hardly functional.
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Instead, the administration announced three new general licenses to allow the U.S. government, NGOs and international aid organizations to provide more support without violating U.S. sanctions against the Taliban.
The licenses allow investment in education, making it possible for aid groups to pay Afghan teachers' salaries, for example.
The Biden administration is also providing an additional 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Afghanistan, bringing the total doses provided to 4.3 million.
The big picture: Afghanistan's economy faces a "severe contraction" of around 30% following the Taliban takeover, one senior official told reporters, citing drought, COVID-19 and the Taliban's handling of the economy.
Another major reason is the sudden severing of most foreign aid to Afghanistan, due in part to the fact that the Taliban government lacks international recognition.
Around 95% of the population does not have enough food and 1 million children could die this year from malnutrition, according to U.N. estimates. Winter weather is only expected to worsen the situation.
Afghanistan is facing near-universal poverty, the closure of most health clinics and potential mass starvation.
Driving the news: This week, protestors in Kabul marched toward the U.S. Embassy, demanding "let us eat." Meanwhile, more than 40 House Democrats wrote a letter calling on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to end the freeze on Afghan foreign reserves.
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Between the lines: Lifting the freeze would be politically tricky, as it could be construed as providing billions of dollars to the Taliban. The administration has also argued that there are legal hurdles to doing so.
The funds remain the subject of ongoing litigation relating to the families of 9/11 victims who are seeking compensation from the Taliban.
What they're saying: When asked whether the new actions were sufficient to lessen the crisis, one senior official said the goal is to mitigate, not prevent, economic contraction in Afghanistan.
The official emphasized the Taliban will have to make the right economic decisions to prevent crisis and that the U.S. remains in communication with the militant group to ensure humanitarian assistance goes where it is intended.
Another official on the briefing call also called on other nations to join the U.S. to help prevent disaster in Afghanistan.
Since mid-August when the Taliban took over Kabul, the U.S. government has announced $200 million worth of assistance for Afghanistan and worked with other countries to redirect additional funding toward efforts on the ground from UNICEF and the World Food Program, the officials said.
What to watch: On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution to create a humanitarian carve-out for Afghanistan sanctions, which will also help humanitarian groups provide more assistance.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives remarks following the final U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host his Japanese counterpart as part of a high-level security meeting between diplomatic and defense officials early next month, a source familiar with the meeting told The Hill.
The meeting on Jan. 7, called the 2+2 dialogue, will include Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, the source added.
The last 2+2 ministerial was held in Tokyo in March and marked the first overseas trip for Blinken and Austin. It served as a strong signal that allies in Asia and the Pacific would be at the center of the Biden administration's foreign policy.
The close alliance with Japan is viewed as vital in countering China's ambitions, whether militarily in the Indo-Pacific or providing a counter to Beijing's economic coercion in the region and globally.
A State Department spokesperson did not comment on the date of the 2+2 meeting, but confirmed reports that Japan is increasing its financial support for hosting U.S. troops under a new five-year agreement beginning in 2022.
The U.S. and Japan in February had signed a one-year extension of the previous agreement, amid the transition between the Trump and Biden administrations.
"We can confirm that representatives of the Governments of the United States and Japan have reached consensus on the contents of a new proposed Special Measures Agreement and Host Nation Support Framework between the United States and Japan," the spokesperson said, adding that further details "will be released after the agreement is concluded."
"The proposed agreement represents a modernized, forward-looking framework under which U.S. forces in Japan help ensure security and regional stability," the spokesperson added. "It promotes greater mutual investment in defense and improvements to our forces' interoperability. It includes an increase in cost-sharing contributions from Japan."
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Japan announced on Tuesday that it is increasing financial support to host U.S. troops by 5 percent over fiscal year 2016 through 2021 levels, or up to $9.2 billion over five years, the Japan Times reported.
Under the one-year extension signed in February, Japan agreed to pay $1.9 billion as part of the arrangement for hosting American troops.
The new five-year deal and cost-sharing increase marks a win for President Biden, and is seen as a sign of easing relations between Washington and Tokyo that were strained during the former Trump administration.
Former President Trump had pushed for Tokyo to quadruple its cost-sharing of hosting U.S. troops or risk losing their presence on the island nation.
Masashi Mizobuchi, spokesperson for the Embassy of Japan, did not comment on the upcoming meeting but said Japan and the U.S. "agree on the recognition that it is necessary to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance in an effective manner as the security environment in the region becomes even more severe. Having shared this recognition, we have held a series of consultations."
Mizobuchi added that the announced five-year host-nation agreement "intends to lay the foundation to solidify the Japan-U.S. alliance further, including improving the readiness of the Self Defense Forces and its interoperability with the US forces."
Updated at 5:27 p.m.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) No. 1 South Carolina added another milestone to what's shaping up as a truly special season the biggest comeback in program history.
The Gamecocks rallied from 18 points down to beat defending national champion Stanford 65-61 and keep their perfect, 12-0 start alive.
Aliyah Boston had 18 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:05 left for South Carolina's second victory this season over a No. 2 team and fifth over a Top-10 opponent.
It shows our power, Destanni Henderson, who scored 17 points and returned to the starting lineup after missing the past three games due to injury. It's hard to compete with us.
Especially in the second half when the speedy Henderson and tall, athletic Boston got going. Still down 45-28 when Hannah Jump nailed a 3-pointer to start the third quarter, the Gamecocks took off on a 22-4 burst that put them ahead 50-49 entering the final period.
Boston's final basket proved decisive and was a bit of redemption after she missed a short one in the final seconds of Stanford's 66-65 victory over the Gamecocks in the national semifinals.
Boston overcame a slow start, adding five blocks and dominating down low in the second half. It was her fifth straight double-double and 36th of her career.
Aliyah is Aliyah, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. This is what she's been doing.
And beating all comers is what the Gamecocks have done in the first third of their season. They've notched wins over North Carolina State, Oregon, UConn and Maryland before toppling Stanford.
Stanford (8-3) had a chance to go in front, but Cameron Brink's jumper came off the rim and into the capable hands of Boston.
Boston hit a foul shot and Destiny Littleton followed with two more with 0.8 seconds left to close out the win.
It was a complete reversal for the Cardinal, who seemed to pull off a Southern double after winning at No. 7 Tennessee last weekend.
Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer believes the trip will prove beneficial to her team, no matter the disappointment in this one.
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We'll get better, she said. It's good this way now instead of this being your NCAA (tournament) game and your done. We can learn and get better.
Henderson added seven assists and seven steals.
Brink, Stanford's leading scorer at 14.2 points a game coming in, was held in check by the Gamecocks and finished with three points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Lexie Hull led Stanford with 17 points, just three of those coming in the final three quarters.
South Carolina had been waiting for this one since the last Final Four, Brea Beal and Boston missing two short cracks at the basket.
But it was Stanford who came out quickly. Lexie Hull scored 14 points on a pair of 3-pointers in the opening quarter and the Cardinal kept up the barrage from outside.
Hull's sister Lacie started the second period with a 3-pointer. Jump and Anna Wilson added long-range baskets. By the time Haley Jones got free for a layup, Stanford was up 34-16 in front of a stunned, mostly full house of South Carolina fans.
Stanford had the perfect formula for defeating South Carolina: Make most of your shots and push Boston away from the basket.
South Carolina's pressure took its toll on Stanford, who committed 20 turnovers, 12 of those in the final two periods.
BIG PICTURE
Stanford: The Cardinal were clicking when the shots fell. Once that stopped in the second half, they could not keep up with South Carolina's speed in the backcourt in Henderson and its rebounding led by Boston. Don't be surprised to see these two play again in March or April.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks needed every bit of Henderson, who had missed the past few games. She's the experienced leader who makes the team go. She did it in this one and will have to do it even more with SEC play upcoming.
STRUGGLING COOKE
Zia Cooke, South Carolina's top returning scorer entering this season, continued her struggles to find her touch. She was 1-of-9 shooting for four points, the fourth time in the past five games she's been held out of double figures. She's shot 12 of 59 during that stretch. Staley thinks Cooke is so intense in her play, she sometimes adds to the pressure to perform. With a nine-day break ahead, Staley is positive Cooke will return to form for the SEC run.
SPECIAL GUEST
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley brought her dog, Champ, to the postgame, where he was put on the table next to Staley's microphone and settled in as she fielded questions. When asked what Champ's getting for Christmas, Gamecocks assistant coach Lisa Boyer chimed in that every day is Christmas for him.
UP NEXT
Stanford starts Pac 12 Conference play at Washington on Dec. 31.
South Carolina opens Southeastern Conference play at Missouri on Dec. 30.
___
More AP womens college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
BOSTON A Boston talk radio host who used his show to oppose measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus has reportedly been infected with COVID-19.
WRKO morning host Jeff Kuhner, who called for Anthony Fauci to be put on trial for crimes against humanity and once agreed with a caller who suggested vaping bleach to prevent COVID-19 infection, has been off the air this week. Universal Hub, which first reported this story, said Sandy Shack, Kuhner's producer, is hosting the show this week. On Tuesday's show, Shack called Boston's new vaccine mandate "persecution against the unvaccinated."
Prayers going out for a full and speedy recovery for Jeff Kuhner / @TheKuhnerReport who is reported to be suffering with COVID. Be well Jeff!
The Rombach Report (@club_ed8) December 22, 2021
Kuhner has hosted rallies at the State House opposing government mask and vaccine mandates and other government measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In a May blog post on WRKO's Website, Kuhner called Fauci a "criminal, liar and fraud" who should be put on trial for "crimes against humanity." In an April 2020 blog post, Kuhner said government rules to slow the spread of the coronavirus were being orchestrated by Democrats and "media elites."
"And for what?" Kuhner wrote. "To allegedly combat the coronavirus epidemic that we now know was based on a pack of lies and badly flawed data."
Two weeks after the post was published, Kuhner agreed with a caller to his show who identified himself as Zack from Stoughton and wondered if vaping bleach could prevent COVID-19 infection. The show aired the day after President Donald Trump suggested looking at bleach as a remedy, according to a recap on RawStory.
"Zack, you're not crazy, and bingo -- you said the word, you said the phrase...Thinking outside the box," Kuhner said. "That's literally what the president was doing yesterday. That's what a good chief executive does."
This article originally appeared on the Boston Patch
Three Utah students face felony charges after police accused them of promoting a senseless TikTok challenge that encouraged school shootings and other violence.
The Roosevelt City Police Department said in a news release that it launched an investigation into comments and social media messages between students about a rumored bring your gun to school day trend that cropped up online last week.
The trend, also dubbed the National Shoot Up Your School Day challenge, mentioned the possibility of violence and encouraged students to arm themselves at school on Dec. 17, McClatchy News reported. The threats sparked concern at school districts nationwide, prompting some to even close for the day.
In a statement on Dec. 16, TikTok condemned the rumored school violence and said it had not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading on its platform.
We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we're working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok. TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) December 16, 2021
Utah investigators determined there was no immediate threat and that no guns were taken into Roosevelt schools.
The only senseless act that was committed was the sharing of, and comments in support of this act, Roosevelt Police Chief Mark J. Watkins said in a statement. As a result, three local students have been charged with a felony for participating in this senseless act of sharing, commenting and, or encouraging school violence.
The Roosevelt Police Department will have zero tolerance for such acts, Watkins said.
Police havent released the students ages or what school they attend. The specific charges they face is also unknown.
Roosevelt is about 143 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
Story continues
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(Reuters) -Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd will cancel some passenger flights in January because of operational and travel curbs at a time when the Asian financial centre has tightened quarantine requirements, the airline said on Wednesday.
"The new consolidated schedule will result in several flight cancellations," the company said in a website notice, without giving details.
The carrier declined to comment on the routes involved, but said it would immediately reach out to all affected customers and try to make alternative flight arrangements for them.
A travel industry source who was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter told Reuters the cancellations included many long-haul flights to and from Australia, North America and Europe.
Cathay's Australian website said it would only fly to Sydney from Hong Kong in January, with no flights to Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth, which had been destinations in December.
For December, Cathay planned to fly no more than 12% of its pre-pandemic passenger schedule, having cancelled many flights because it could not find enough crew members to volunteer for tough rosters https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/locked-hotels-hong-kongs-covid-19-rules-take-mental-toll-cathay-pilots-2021-11-26 involving five weeks locked in hotel rooms.
Hong Kong has tightened travel rules since the Omicron coronavirus variant emerged, and arriving passengers from many countries are limited to citizens and residents who are now subject to three weeks of managed quarantine even if fully vaccinated.
The Hong Kong government has a "zero-COVID" policy in line with mainland China as it hopes to persuade Beijing to allow cross-border travel.
(Reporting by Jamie Freed in SydneyEditing by Gerry Doyle and Mark Potter)
CHERRY HILL - The township's new police chief is a 22-year veteran of the local force and holds a law degree and an MBA.
Robert Kempf, a lifetime Cherry Hill resident, was named Tuesday to succeed William 'Bud' Monaghan, who retired in September.
Kempf, formerly a lieutenant, will become acting chief effective immediately, township officials said.
He is to be appointed chief by resolution at a township council meeting in January.
Details of Kempf's new contract have not been finalized, a township representative said Wednesday.
In announcing the selection, Mayor Susan Shin Angulo praised Kempf as "a forward-thinking leader and deeply engaged member of the Cherry Hill community."
Council President David Fleisher extended thanks to Captain Larry Robb, who has served as acting chief since Monaghan's departure.
Cherry Hill Acting Police Chief Robert Kempf
Kempf will oversee about 170 employees at the police department, which averages 120,000 calls for service per year in a township with some 75,000 residents.
The department has 134 full-time sworn officers, six special law enforcement officers, 11 dispatchers, and administrative staff and records personnel.
Kempf joined the department as a patrolman in November 1998 and became a detective in the cyber crime unit in 2011.
He has served as a sergeant and lieutenant in the patrol division, as well as a detective sergeant in the investigative division. He worked most recently in the professional standards and training department.
Nearby: Salem Medical Center plans to merge into Inspira Health Network
Nearby: Berlin Township making changes after critical state audit
Kempf, who was chosen after a months-long application and interview process, described his new post as "the honor of a lifetime."
The married father of three is a 1990 graduate of Cherry Hill West.
He holds a bachelor's degree in management from Rutgers University, a master of business administration from Rutgers University School of Business and a juris doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law .
Story continues
Kempf is also a graduate of of the FBI National Academy, and earned a graduate certificate of achievement from the University of Virginia.
Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cherry Hill NJ: Robert Kempf named new police chief
A Chicago firefighter died Tuesday, days after suffering injuries while battling an apartment building fire, officials said.
Mashawn Plummer, 30, was injured early Thursday morning in the Belmont Central neighborhood, said Larry Langford, Chicago Fire Department spokesman. Firefighters had been called about 2 a.m. to a basement fire in the 3100 block of North Marmora Avenue.
It was a very windy night if you recall on Dec. 16, Langford said. And the velocity of the wind makes firefighting much more difficult because it whips the fire up.
One other person, Eladio Gomez, 37, died as a result of the fire. In addition to Plummer, a woman and man were injured and were hospitalized in critical condition.
Its under investigation as to what happened inside, Langford said. But they lost contact with him and went in to find out why and found him down.
The fire was put out in a matter of minutes, he said.
It wasnt an extensive fire, but it was a wind-whipped fire and intense for a bit, he said.
Plummer, who was also an EMT with the department, was transported to Community First Medical Center, then to Loyola University Medical Center for more advanced treatment.
Despite the best efforts, he succumbed today to those injuries that he suffered in the fire, Langford said.
Plummer was transported to the Cook County medical examiners office from Loyola in an honor procession Thursday evening.
A line of fire trucks, ambulances and police vehicles made their way to the medical examiners office, their lights flashing. Just outside the office, a U.S. Flag hung from the ladders of two fire trucks that faced one another almost touching the ground.
Plummer joined the Fire Department Dec. 1, 2020, recently marking one year as a Chicago firefighter. He was assigned to Engine 94 firehouse, at 5758 W. Grace St. in the Portage Park neighborhood.
Plummer is survived by his mother, father and four sisters.
The news of Plummers death comes a day before the Fire Departments memorial in the former Union Stock Yards to commemorate the loss of 21 firefighters in December 1910.
December is a rough month for the Fire Department, Langford said. Weve had some of our largest loss of life in December.
Earlier Tuesday, a 2-year-old died after a house fire in West Pullman.
MarketWatch
Is there a job that comes with the prospect of a six-figure income, high job satisfaction and has enough job openings to make it a real possibility? Companies are always keen to use intel to improve efficiency and learn more about their customers and, so, computer scientists are in high demand. Java developers are No. 1 on Glassdoors 50 Best Jobs in America for 2021.
BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese regulators on Wednesday suspended an information-sharing partnership with Alibaba Cloud Computing, a subsidiary of e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group, over accusations it failed to promptly report and address a cybersecurity vulnerability, according to state-backed media reports.
Alibaba Cloud did not immediately report vulnerabilities in the popular, open-source logging framework Apache Log4j2 to China's telecommunications regulator, according to 21st Century Business Herald, citing a recent notice by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
In response, MIIT suspended a cooperative partnership with the cloud unit regarding cybersecurity threats and information-sharing platforms, to be reassessed in six months and revived depending on the company's internal reforms, the notice said.
This latest measure highlights Beijing's desire to strengthen control over key online infrastructure and data in the name of national security. The Chinese government has asked state-owned companies to migrate their data from private operators such as Alibaba and Tencent to a state-backed cloud system by next year.
The suspension highlights Beijing's concern at a vulnerability that has triggered a wave of panic among corporations and governments around the world. Apache Log4j2 is a Java-based tool that is widely used in enterprise systems and web applications.
This vulnerability may lead to remote control of equipment, which may lead to serious harms such as the theft of sensitive information and interruption of equipment services. It is a high-risk vulnerability," the telecommunications regulator said in a statement last week.
Alibaba Cloud recently discovered a remote code execution vulnerability in the Apache Log4j2 component, notifying the U.S.-based Apache Software Foundation, according to the statement.
MIIT said it then received a report from a third party about the issue, rather than from Alibaba Cloud.
Alibaba Cloud declined to comment on the suspension.
(Reporting by Sophie Yu in Beijing, Eduardo Baptista in Hong Kong. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday the situation in Hong Kong had improved in the past year from "chaos," and hailed recent legislative elections in the city as a manifestation of the people's democratic rights.
Xi's remarks, carried by state media, were made during a meeting in Beijing with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
(Reporting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
The union representing rank-and-file police officers in Milwaukee reached an agreement with the city requiring union members to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or wear a mask at all times.
The agreement comes as concern mounts over the omicron variant, and two months after the city reached a similar agreement with the union representing supervisors within the Milwaukee Police Department.
Officers will have until Jan. 31 to be vaccinated or wear masks at all times while on duty except when eating or drinking at a safe social distance. Violating the requirements could lead to suspensions and, for repeated violations, possible termination, according to a city news release.
At this important time in the COVID pandemic, I am pleased the [Milwaukee Police Association] has agreed to these reasonable steps, said Mayor Tom Barrett, who resigned from the position Wednesday. I appreciate the spirit of cooperation the MPA has brought to this matter.
Andrew Wagner, the president of the Milwaukee Police Association, said the union remained unhappy about the strictness of the agreement, which doesnt create exceptions for unvaccinated officers whose mask might come off while chasing or wrestling with a combative suspect, for example.
Were hoping the city will be fair with that, but were just not sure, he said.
All general city employees in Milwaukee have been required to be vaccinated since September, but police officers and firefighters, who are represented by unions, were exempted from the order.
Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for Barretts office, said Wednesday that positive discussions are continuing with unions representing firefighters for a similar agreement.
In November, the city said more than 95% of 3,100 general employees had complied, not including 31 employees who requested exemption based on religious or medical reasons.
The order did not include elected officials, although at least 13 of 15 Common Council members have said they are vaccinated, along with Barrett. Cavalier Johnson, who as president of the Common Council will take over as interim mayor, has said he is vaccinated.
Story continues
Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: City reaches deal requiring COVID-19 vaccines for Milwaukee police
Farmworkers remove debris from blueberries before weighing them at Berries NW in Albany, Oregon on Friday, July 30, 2021.
Last summer, the conversation in Jose Alfredo Marquez Alonsos Spanish class turned to farmworkers. He followed along through one AirPod while harvesting blackberries at a Willamette Valley farm.
This year, Marquez Alonso learned in his Immigration and Farmworkers class at the University of Oregon about the larger context surrounding the work hes done, a class he said has helped him better understand his own family history.
The course focuses on western racial, labor and immigration history and U.S.-Mexico relations as a way to understand Mexican and Central American immigration, conversations around immigration policy and farmworker movements and cultures.
I feel like all my life Ive had amnesia, Marquez Alonso, a senior anthropology major, said. Taking this course is a way to fix that.
Making the invisible visible
In the late 1990s, anthropology professor Lynn Stephen was contemplating a move to Oregon. As she visited the town of San Miguel Cuevas in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, a place where she's conducted research since the mid-1980s, she saw about 10 pick-up trucks with Oregon license plates.
She soon had an idea for one of her first classes at the University of Oregon.
People from Oaxaca and other states, many of them Indigenous, have migrated to Oregon for agricultural work since the 1970s, she said. Her research centers on Indigenous people from Mexico and Central America, transborder communities, globalization and the connections between these topics and others.
She designed the Immigration and Farmworkers class in 2000, which she said is partly about mak[ing] visible what is invisible and highlighting farmworkers presence and roles in their own communities. Students often remark they didnt learn any of the immigration and labor history in other classes, Stephen said.
Students dont see themselves connected to the bodies and conditions of farmworkers, but when you start to look at where your food comes from, the energy that food brings that allows you to do everything comes from farmworkers, Stephen said.
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Behind the food: Farmworkers keep Oregonians fed, but struggle to put food on their own tables
The course begins by analyzing the history of settler colonialism and forced labor in the U.S., with a look at slavery and the displacement of Native people, among other topics. It delves into the history of the Bracero Program in Oregon and brings the course to the modern day by highlighting issues farmworkers face, such as sexual assault in the fields and health issues resulting from their work, all while connecting the topics to U.S. intervention in Latin America and its impacts on migration and labor markets.
Stephen said over the years, shes added a greater emphasis on farmworker health issues and how they intersect with other aspects of workers' lives.
This year, she taught about the COVID-19 Farmworker Study, which she participated in. Farmworkers interviewed connected loss of wages, working conditions and experiences with structural barriers and lack of access to resources.
However, Stephen reminds students that while Latinos are the driving force behind Oregon agriculture, not all Latinos in Oregon have connections to agriculture, and they work in a diversity of industries.
Dig deep: Oregon farmworkers don't get overtime pay. Some want to change that
In a November class, the students focused on the more recent phenomenon of Guatemalans coming to Oregon for agricultural work, driven by climate change, violence and other factors, analyzing how violence impacts women differently.
Communities from within towns in Guatemala will often reconstitute themselves in Oregon, Stephen said. There are significant Guatemalan communities in Woodburn, Gresham and Cottage Grove.
Stephen tied todays events and the more than 3,600 Guatemalan asylum cases waiting to be heard in Oregon to U.S. foreign policy ranging from Ronald Reagans support for Efrain Rios Montt, a Guatemalan dictator convicted of genocide, to the Biden Administrations preservation of certain Trump-era immigration policies.
'Never really thought about it'
For some students, the content is unsurprising yet still shocking.
Grace Curley is a freshman with an interest in climate justice and food justice. She said the course has prompted her to reflect on her role in Oregon's food systems.
I have directly benefited from these really exploitative labor systems, Curley said. What power do I have as a consumer?"
It's also made her appreciate some new-to-her history of parts of the state she's known forever.
"Looking at all of these landmarks Ive grown up with, like the Hood River area, looking at how in history, it was such an important area for farm work," Curley said.
Emiliano Campos, who is in an anthropology graduate program at the University of Maryland, took the course a few years ago and was surprised to learn about the amount of immigration history Oregon has, given that its nearly 75% white and has a deeply racist history. For example, laws in the 1800s banned Black people from living in the state.
Many peoples perception of Oregon can obscure its diversity, he said.
They have ideas about what Oregon is like, and the conceptions of it are totally not aligned with the historical reality of Oregon, Campos said.
Latinos make up about 14% of Oregon's population, the 14th highest state Latino population in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data. In Marion County, Latinos make up about 27% of the population.
The course also emphasized, especially through the book Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies, how farmworkers often exist isolated from the rest of society, Campos said.
(The author) talks about how labor migrants are kind of placed in ways that invisibilize them, where you really dont see them physically and metaphorically, Campos said. "There are ways in which various immigration policies and the agricultural sector of the U.S. push them to the margins of society, and I had never really thought about it that way before.
Learning family history
It's been common for Stephen to have at least one student whose parents were farmworkers. But recently, there were about 10, Stephen said.
They read about their parents stories, and five or six chose to write about it on finals, she said. (Its important) for the students to see the experiences of their fathers and grandfathers and understanding that and feeling validated, and then writing about themselves in college and their aspirations.
Marquez Alonso grew up in a farmworking community in the Willamette Valley and has harvested blueberries, blackberries, grapes, strawberries and more during summer breaks.
Multiple generations of his family have been farmworkers. Through the class, hes seen how his own familys story is one of many.
Its just eye-opening seeing the actual history, that its not just my life, Marquez Alonso said. I really like how my professor connects the history, but the actual significance it means for the people themselves.
Dora Totoian covers agricultural workers through Report for America, a program that aims to support local journalism and democracy by reporting on under-covered issues and communities.
You can reach her at dtotoian@statesmanjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: UO class offers often untaught history of Oregon farmworkers
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D). Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) told reporters on Tuesday his office has received a clemency application for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, a truck driver who was sentenced last week to 110 years in prison for causing a deadly crash on Interstate 70.
In April 2019, the brakes on Aguilera-Mederos' truck failed, and he slammed into stopped traffic, killing four people. A 26-year-old immigrant from Cuba, Aguilera-Mederos was convicted in October of 27 counts in connection with the accident, including reckless driving and attempt to commit assault in the first degree extreme indifference. Before he was sentenced, Aguilera-Mederos said he accepted responsibility for the "heartbreaking" accident, and he "never thought about hurting anyone in my entire life."
Because of Colorado's mandatory minimum sentencing laws that apply to cases where a person is killed, Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced to 110 years in prison, with Judge Bruce Jones saying, "I will state that if I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence."
The backlash from the public was swift, with more than 4.5 million people signing a petition calling this an unjust punishment and demanding Polis do something about it. When asked about the matter on Tuesday, Polis said, "We just received the application yesterday evening from his attorney and my legal team is reviewing it right now. When we have a decision, we will announce it." Prosecutors have also filed a motion for the court to hold a hearing to reconsider the sentence, submitting a request on Tuesday for the matter to be expedited.
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STUDIO CITY, CA Booster shots, available at pharmacies and clinics in Studio City, are the best defense against COVID-19 illnesses as the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across the country, according to health officials.
Breakthrough COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant infections among the vaccinated are less common among people who have received their third vaccination shots, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The omicron variant, first reported in South Africa on Nov. 24, has been detected in California.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, said Friday the Pfizer and Moderna booster shots work well against the omicron variant and that there's no need for a specific vaccine to fight it.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the omicron variant is likely to become the dominant coronavirus strain in the coming weeks. It currently represents 3 percent of new infections.
Public health officials are concerned that vaccination rates currently 61 percent of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated, and only 28 percent have gotten booster shots are insufficient to fend off a fifth wave of the coronavirus. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing, with about 120,000 new cases and 1,200 deaths reported each day, mainly from the delta variant.
Here are some locations that offer booster shots near Studio City:
Rite Aid, 10989 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 91604
Ralph's Pharmacy, 12842 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 91604
Total Testing Solutions, 4385 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, 91601
Visit the county's website to schedule a booster shot near you.
The CDC says Pfizer and Moderna booster shots both provide increased protection against COVID-19 and help prevent severe symptoms in breakthrough cases.
You can also make an appointment in Los Angeles County to get tested ahead of the holidays. Visit the website to schedule an appointment or find a location for walk-in testing.
This article originally appeared on the Studio City Patch
LOS ANGELES, CA COVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County are close to the number reported last week as case numbers continue to climb again.
The county reported 3,052 new cases on Tuesday, Dec. 21. Across the county, 741 people are hospitalized as of Sunday.
The number of hospitalizations has decreased slightly since last week, when there were 770 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals on Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Related: COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Los Angeles
Another 25 deaths were reported Tuesday, bringing the number of total deaths in the county as 27,473.
COVID-19 Daily Update:December 21, 2021New Cases: 3,052 (1,570,230 to date)New Deaths: 25 (27,473 to date)Current Hospitalizations: 741 pic.twitter.com/FZteXXf0CO
LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 21, 2021
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the omicron variant is likely to become the dominant coronavirus strain in the coming weeks. It currently represents 3 percent of new infections.
This article originally appeared on the Los Angeles Patch
ASHBURN, VA As COVID-19 cases increase and families prepare for holiday gatherings, testing demand has increased in Ashburn.
On Wednesday, Dec. 22, Loudoun County recorded 436 new COVID-19 cases. It's the second-highest single-day total since the pandemic began.
Over the last seven days, Loudoun County is averaging more than 250 new COVID-19 cases per day. On Wednesday, there were 62 cases per 100,000 residents over the previous week, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.
Public health officials recommend COVID-19 testing if you have symptoms or exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people who were positive for COVID-19 in the last three months and recovered do not have to be tested, unless they develop new symptoms.
The CDC also recently recommended self tests for those gathering with other households, especially unvaccinated children, older adults, immunocompromised people, or individuals at risk of severe disease. Antigen tests may be conducted at home with results in about 15 minutes and a virtual component so test results can be provided to VDH.
A positive self-test means an individual should stay home or isolate for 10 days, wear a mask, contact a healthcare provider, and contact close contacts who may have been exposed. A negative result may mean there may not be an infection, but repeating the test with at least 24 hours in between will increase the likelihood the individual isn't infected.
Below are some testing options around the Ashburn area. Residents call ahead to confirm availability and check for closings on the upcoming Christmas and New Year's holidays. More options are provided by the Virginia Department of Health's searchable testing site map.
This article originally appeared on the Ashburn Patch
The New York Times is facing criticism for failing to address what some contend is a crucial point in a recent article that sought to explain why Asian and Black activists struggle to unite against violence.
Driving the news: In a 1,500-word story published on Sunday, the Times identified policing as the one main issue that divides the communities. While Black Lives Matter activists fueled by the death of George Floyd in May 2020 call for defunding law enforcement, some Asian leaders support more policing, given the astronomical surge in attacks against their community amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Technology reporters Kellen Browning and Brian X. Chen began their article by citing solidarity statements between some Black and Asian communities, which came in the wake of the fatal Atlanta mass shootings in mid-March. Robert Aaron Long, a white man, was sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to four of eight deaths.
Black and Asian communities historically have been divided by racial tensions and socioeconomic inequality, the authors wrote. In supporting the case, they presented one stark difference: Black Americans are disproportionately killed by police, while Asian Americans are least likely to be harmed.
The article managed to lay out the views of those who oppose policing, including younger activists of both races seeing the matter as ineffective. However, it lacked information on how law enforcement has helped Asian communities feel safer, despite already citing statistics on the hate crime spike.
The authors also highlighted the income difference between Black and Asian Americans based on a 2018 study by the Pew Research Center. The fact that Asian Americans while being the most economically divided group earn the most and Black Americans earn significantly less, at least in 2016, made finding a common ground difficult, the Times quoted one academic as saying.
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What critics are saying: As of Monday, at least two articles have criticized the Times over its piece. The Media Research Center (MRC), which brands itself as Americas Media Watchdog, and an op-ed for RT News, both slammed the publication for evading the elephant in the room: Black-on-Asian crimes.
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So who committed those hate crimes against Asians? The Times neatly avoided mentioning the disproportionate number of blacks that instigated hate crimes against Asians, though the numbers are readily available in the same place the paper found its other data. How can one write about black and Asian relations without mentioning those statistics? author Clay Waters wrote on MRCs NewsBusters. The reporters passed on without condemnation or comment [on] the anti-police radicalism from black-led anti-police groups.
Waters also took offense at the Times reference to clashes between Korean business owners and poorer Black residents in South Central Los Angeles in the 1990s. Riots following the acquittal of four police officers who beat Rodney King saw the destruction of over 2,300 Korean businesses. Equating Korean store owners wrangling with poorer Black residents in Los Angeles to Korean-owned businesses being looted and burned by Black rioters is an offensively asymmetrical comparison, Waters noted. Yet the Times seems to think theyre equivalent, tucking both examples under the euphemism of clashes.
In his op-ed for RT, Tony Cox, an American journalist, said the Times ignored the obvious conclusion in its piece. In all its navel-gazing, the Times failed to mention the elephant in the room: Its tough to work together in combating violence when Blacks appear to be the main perpetrators of crime against Asians in Americas big cities, Cox noted.
Cox also addressed the issue with putting white nationalism in the middle of anti-Asian crimes. The problem was, the assailant was a Black man, Cox wrote, referring to a February incident that left a 61-year-old Asian man with a slashed face. Observers couldnt help but notice that in case after case, the skin colors didnt fit the political narrative of white supremacy being the crisis of the day. In fact, so many of the perpetrators turned out to be Black that the legacy media conspicuously stopped hyping anti-Asian hate crimes.
Featured Image via Getty
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Dec. 22Nursing students have another option for study in Jamestown.
Dakota College at Bottineau announced Tuesday it will offer an additional Dakota Nursing Program site at the North Dakota State Hospital in the fall of 2022.
Students of the program would receive a Practical Nursing degree upon completion of an 11-month program. They may also continue their nursing education working toward an associate degree also available through Dakota College.
Dakota Nursing Program sites through Dakota College at Bottineau now have extended to four distant sites that include Minot (Trinity Health) location, Rugby (Heart of America location), Valley City (Mercy Hospital location) and Jamestown (North Dakota State Hospital location).
"We are excited to bring a practical nursing program to the Jamestown area to assist in combating the nursing shortage seen within the state," said Paige Baade, MSN, RN director of nursing at DCB. "The partnerships with DCB from the North Dakota State Hospital and the University of Jamestown is what helps make this program possible."
Beth Satrom, director of nursing at the State Hospital, said the program could be beneficial to the hospital.
"We are excited about this partnership and the opportunity to train high-quality nurses that will be available in the community and in the state," she said.
WORCESTER Dana Gaul, who was charged in the killing of 19-year-old Jehlon Rose, was released with a GPS bracelet after the government received information another person may be responsible.
The attention has turned to Jorge Luis Rivera-Baez, according to authorities.
Now Gaul, Rivera-Baez and the government are embroiled in a legal affair in which a DNA sample from Rivera-Baez may be able to clear Gaul of all charges in the case. Rivera-Baez, through his attorney Sarah Hamilton, is opposing the acquisition of his DNA.
Rose, a resident of Connecticut, was killed during a fight on Water Street while visiting Worcester. After the death, Gaul, a Leicester resident, was identified by four witnesses as the person assaulting Rose in the video footage of the fight.
The witnesses included two police officers who knew Gaul. One of them is his cousin and another his friend.
Gaul was arrested, charged, and indicted by a grand jury. As he awaited further proceedings he was imprisoned until the government learned of Rivera-Baez possible involvement, eventually leading to Gauls release at the end of November.
The two men, according to court documents, look strikingly similar, which suggests that witnesses may have misidentified Gaul. Furthermore, when the state police crime laboratory tested DNA from the victims clothing, they found that the sample had a mixture of DNA including Rose and an unidentified person, but not Gaul.
This fact was raised by Sarah Hamilton, who represented Rivera-Baez Wednesday at a motion hearing. She argued the government hadnt provided probable cause to obtain DNA from Rivera-Baez, especially as he might become implicated as a suspect in this case if he provided his DNA.
Hamilton also said that delays in Gauls exoneration shouldnt come at the expense of Rivera-Baez legal rights. She highlighted the governments responsibility in this possible mishap, saying they had known that Gauls DNA was not found in the mixed sample obtained from the victims clothing, yet he had been held until November.
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Hamilton asked the court to allow her more time to investigate the case to better represent Rivera-Baez, specifically until she could talk to a DNA expert.
The commonwealth is telling the court they may have gotten this wrong once. Theres no reason to go down that path again, said Hamilton, asking for more time and documents from the investigation into Gaul and his indictment.
More investigative material from Gauls case wasnt given to Hamilton, after Kanchana Fernando, representing the government, argued that Hamilton was only representing Rivera-Baez as a third party in Gauls case for his possible exoneration.
The judge granted Hamilton more time, pushing the hearing to decide whether Rivera-Baez had to provide a DNA sample, to Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: The debate over who allegedly killed Jehlon Rose plays out in Worcester courtroom
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.)
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) was carjacked at gunpoint on Wednesday while leaving a meeting in her Philadelphia congressional district.
The incident occurred at around 2:45 p.m. near FDR Park, according to Scanlon's communications director, Lauren Cox. Scanlon was physically unharmed, Cox told The Hill, and is currently in communication with law enforcement.
"The Congresswoman was physically unharmed. She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her local police department for coordinating with Philly PD to ensure her continued safety," Cox said in a statement.
Statement from the Office of Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon on today's incident: pic.twitter.com/fomScnWUXo - Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (@RepMGS) December 22, 2021
The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) told The Hill in a statement that the carjackers were two Black men aged between 20 and 30 years old. One of the men, who was armed, drove off with Scanlon's blue 2017 Acura MDX. The other man then got into a dark SUV and followed their accomplice. They were last on the 2000 Block of Pattisson Ave.
"I am relieved that Congresswoman Scanlon was not physically injured, and my thoughts are with her during this difficult time," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. "The PPD will continue to provide any support needed in this case and will work diligently alongside our federal partners to assist in bringing those responsible to justice."
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D), who gave an update on citywide anti-violence efforts on the same day Scanlon was carjacked, released a statement saying he was "appalled" by what had occurred.
"Everyone deserves to feel safe in our city, and sadly, as we know, that hasn't always been the case this year. It's disheartening, and quite frankly infuriating, that criminals feel emboldened to commit such a reckless crime in the middle of the day in what should be a place of tranquility and peace - one of Philadelphia's beautiful parks," Kenney said in a statement to local CBS affiliate KYW-TV.
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"I'm thankful that she was not physically harmed during this incident, and my thoughts are with her during what I'm sure is a traumatic time," he continued.
Fellow Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle said on Twitter that Scanlon is "Philly tough" and "will be ok."
Wishing my colleague and good friend @RepMGS the very best. She's Philly tough so I know she will be ok! - US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) December 22, 2021
Updated at 6:50 p.m.
Pictured, from left, Jason Boyd (TriStar Horizon CEO), Dr. Mathew Joseph (Medical Oncologist with Tennessee Oncology), Mayor Bob Rial, Ron Horowitz (Tennessee Oncology CEO), Karen Edwards (Director of Development for Tennessee Oncology), Dr. Matt Tincher (TriStar Horizon Chief Medical Officer), Gabe Triplett (TriStar Natchez Administrator), Gina Bullington (TriStar Horizon Chief Nursing Officer), Lauren Carter (T.W. Frierson Project Manager), JP Cowan (TMPartners Architect), Matt Taylor (T.W. Frierson VP Operations)
The TriStar Natchez campus is undergoing another expansion with company officials anticipating more growth around the facility located near Interstate 40 in Dickson.
A groundbreaking ceremony took place in November for the $4.5 million project to allow for the Tennessee Oncology satellite office to expand. Expected completion is slated for fall 2022.
The 7,500 square foot expansion will better accommodate the growing needs of the community for those seeking cutting-edge therapies and cancer treatments, said TriStar Horizon Natchez spokesperson Taylor ImOberstag. Tennessee Oncology has occupied its space since TriStar Horizon built the campus in 2007, providing medical oncology and chemotherapy treatment services to Dickson and surrounding communities.
The Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute occupies the adjoining space where radiation oncology treatments and oncology nurse navigator services are offered.
Dr. Mathew Joseph, medical oncologist, and Jason Boyd, TriStar Horizon CEO, expressed the importance of serving cancer patients in the community with adequate space, advanced technologies and compassionate care.
In 2015, TriStar Natchez opened an emergency room and in 2018 the Southern Joint Replacement Institute opened a clinic at the facility.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dickson TriStar Natchez medical campus begins $4.5M expansion
The Justice Department on Tuesday announced that it will not make individuals placed on house arrest during COVID-19 return to prison once the pandemic is over.
The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) on Tuesday said that after being "asked to consider" a previous Trump-era rule requiring the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to recall all prisoners placed on home confinement once the COVID-19 emergency ended, it has decided to "give the Bureau discretion to permit prisoners in extended home confinement to remain there."
Attorney General Merrick Garland meets with law enforcement leadership and Illinois-area Strike Force Teams at the U.S. Attorney's Office on July 23, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Samuel Corum-Pool/Getty Images)
"Thousands of people on home confinement have reconnected with their families, have found gainful employment, and have followed the rules," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "We will exercise our authority so that those who have made rehabilitative progress and complied with the conditions of home confinement, and who in the interests of justice should be given an opportunity to continue transitioning back to society, are not unnecessarily returned to prison."
The BOP has "significantly increased its placement of offenders on home confinement," according to its website.
The BOP currently has nearly 8,000 inmates on home confinement, and the total number of inmates placed on home confinement between March 2020 and the present is more than 36,000, including those who have completed their sentences.
The Justice Action Network, an organization dedicated to reforming the U.S. criminal justice system, praised the move in a Tuesday statement, with president and executive director Holly Harris calling it a "Christmas miracle."
The Justice Action Network said the policy change came after Biden administration officials met with representatives from their organization, as well as the ACLU, Americans for Tax Reform, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, R Street, the Sentencing Project and the Justice Roundtable on Nov. 30.
"I was thrilled to be informed by Attorney General Garland, and to thank him for giving these families such an incredible gift," Harris said. "This is an amazing moment for all of the men and women who shared their stories and the advocates who spent the last ten months pushing for this policy change."
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler applauded the move, calling it "the right thing to do for these individuals, their families, and their communities."
EVANSTON, IL Ald. Cicely Fleming, 9th Ward, the second-term City Council member who was the only alderman not to face a challenge in municipal elections, announced her resignation Monday.
Citing the recent death of her mother, Marsha Lynn Cole, and the need to put herself first unapologetically, Fleming said her role on the council was not having the effect she wanted.
Cole, a former Black Panther, member of the Jane Addams Senior Caucus and longtime social justice advocate, died Dec. 8 at the age of 67.
"Watching her die of COVID was quite hard," Fleming said. "For anyone who has not been vaccinated, I would just implore you to do so or to think more about it."
Fleming said her unvaccinated mother succumbed to the virus after spending three weeks alone at the hospital with a coronavirus infection.
"I will say, in her honor, that she was very regretful that she did not choose to get the vaccine," Fleming said Monday during a special City Council meeting, which was held remotely amid a surge in new COVID-19 infections.
"Hopefully, her life will not be in vain in that way and other people can take our family experience and think more seriously about getting the vaccine," she added. "It's very serious, so I would hate for someone else to go through that."
Fleming is the fourth generation of her family to be involved in Evanston politics. Her great-grandfather, Samuel White Jr., led the local Democratic Party. Her great-aunt Edna Summers served both Evanston 5th Ward alderman and Evanston Township supervisor. Two other relatives also served as 5th Ward aldermen.
"I am privileged to know that I am a manifestation of my mother's dreams. I have financial privileges that she did not have. I am able to work in spaces she was not able to. I don't take that lightly at all," Fleming said.
"But what I do know is that what my mother wanted for me that she did not have for herself was really a chance to rest and do things that she enjoyed. So she really fought until her last breath for things that she saw as social justice issues, which I think we would all agree, and I want to spend my time doing the same," Fleming said, speaking Monday at the special City Council meeting.
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"What I realized from my mother's death, and what I realized from myself, is that while I love [the] city of Evanston, I don't love my role at City Council. I joined City Council to really improve the city in a way in which I thought that I could do, and I've had some successes, but ultimately this position is become more harmful to my health than joyful to me," she said. "And while I know that no advocacy is necessarily always full of joy, I have decided that this one is just too difficult."
After Fleming announced her resignation plans Monday evening, Mayor Daniel Biss and several other fellow elected officials praised her service to the city.
The mayor said that he would have done everything in his power to convince her not to resign had she been stepping down for any other reason.
"I don't think anybody who's ever seen you for two seconds would be surprised about your brilliance or your toughness," Biss said. "But what I didn't necessarily expect to find when I joined this body is your friendship, and I just want to say it's meant a lot to me personally as I've tried to learn how to do this job."
Alds. Clare Kelly, 1st Ward, and Jonathan Nieuwsma, 4th Ward, both first-term City Council members, said Fleming provided a model for transparency and communication with residents.
Ald. Bobby Burns, 5th Ward, said he knew from the first time he met Fleming that she would be a force for improving the Evanston community.
"You've done a great job serving your ward. I think that's evident in this last election, not having anybody running against you, that's hard to do in politics," Burns said. "People love you, you engage with them and one thing I've always liked about you is you explain every one of your votes."
Ald. Devon Reid, 8th Ward, expressed his condolences for Fleming's family, described her mother as a "lightning rod for advocacy" and said he hoped to continue to rely on her wisdom in the future.
"I'm going to miss sitting next to you and having you nudge me every so often to say, you know, 'cut it,'" Reid said.
City Clerk Stephanie Mendoza, a 9th Ward resident, said Fleming had done a great job representing the area and was one of the only councilmembers who sends out a really good newsletter.
"I don't think anyone on council has been as effective at reaching out to that community like you have," Mendoza said.
"You attend the monthly immigration and first-generation undocumented family monthly meetings that were put together during the pandemic," she told Fleming. "You're the only council member who actively engages with the Latino community and actively attends those meeting. I truly, truly appreciate you for trying to work with every corner of our community."
Alds. Melissa Wynne, 3nd Ward, and Tom Suffredin, 6th Ward, were not in attendance at Monday's special meeting.
In a letter to constituents following the meeting, Fleming said she had been negatively affected by the "expectations of residents, requirement of my time, unhealthy work culture of city hall, and unproductive tension on the Dias."
Fleming said she intended to remain in office to see out the process for hiring a new permanent city manager.
Last week, the City Council held a closed-door meeting to discuss finalists for the job. Fleming said in a ward newsletter that the list of candidates had been whittled from 10 to four people ahead of the meeting.
"I was absent at Tuesday's meeting due to the death of my mother, so I sent my thoughts and choices to Council," Fleming said. "They decided that because I was not present, they would make the decision without considering my input. During this meeting they narrowed it down to 2 final candidates. I want to thank Councilmember Tom Suffredin, Councilmember Eleanor Revelle and Mayor Biss for their empathy as they advocated for my opinion to be heard."
It was not clear whether Fleming's presence would have had an effect on the finalists selected.
City spokesperson Patrick Deignan said there was no information yet available regarding when the finalists will be revealed to the public.
Biss is tasked with appointing someone to serve the rest of Fleming's term, which is due to run through the April 2025 elections. Fleming said she planned to work with the mayor to maximize community input to the decision.
"My mother was a fighter, but she also wanted her daughter to have the opportunity she never had to balance the never ending fight, with the needed rest. To put myself before others. To buck the stereotype that my worth in this world is only as 'a strong black women' able to carry and repair burdens I didnt create only to be rewarded 300% more likely to die from a heart attack than a white women," Fleming said in her message to constituents. "Its time to put myself first, Unapologetically. Thank you 9th Ward residents for entrusting me with being your advocate."
This article originally appeared on the Evanston Patch
Dec. 21SALEM, Mass. A local man who drove his pickup truck head-on into a Honda sedan, critically and permanently injuring Lawrence High School track star Julio Berroa, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to state prison Tuesday.
Deybet Blanco, 39, pleaded guilty to charges of negligent operation and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury in Salem Superior Court Tuesday afternoon.
Judge Thomas Dreschler sentenced Blanco, who he previously described as "profoundly mentally ill" to 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 years in state prison followed by five years probation.
Dreschler further barred Blanco from seeking a license for or driving any kind of car or motorized vehicle and from using drugs or alcohol including marijuana. He ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation and take prescription medication as recommended.
Blanco was present in the courtroom Tuesday afternoon. And while medicated, Blanco repeated told the judge he understood him and the proceedings that were underway.
He was given credit for 2,121 days he's already served in jail or custody roughly the five years and nearly nine months since the March 2, 2016 crash.
During the past five years, Blanco's mental competency to stand trial wavered and he remained held without bail.
Berroa, now 24, suffered a devastating head injury in the crash, resulting in paralysis that requires him to be cared for around the clock. He's undergone 10 surgeries in the past 10 years and cannot move or eat on his own, Assistant District Attorney James Gubitose said.
According to police, Blanco was on a suicide mission on March 2, 2016, when he drove his pickup truck head-on into the sedan on Howard Street in Lawrence, injuring Berroa and the driver, Oscaris Pimental, Berroa's girlfriend.
Pimental, now 24, was also injured but not as severely as Berroa.
The crash occurred down the street from the Engine 6 firehouse. A veteran firefighter described the incident as one of the worst things he'd seen in his career.
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Firefighters used two sets of the Jaws of Life extrication tools to free the teens from the mangled wreckage.
Immediately after the crash, Blanco told first responders he was possessed by the devil.
"Nobody deserved what we went through," said Pimental during a previous lobby conference in before Dreschler.
She noted she and Berroa had their whole lives ahead of them when the crash occurred.
Gubitose had asked for Blanco to be sentenced to eight to 15 years in state prison, followed by five years of probation.
Also, as part of the guilty plea, an agreement was reached with the prosecution that Blanco would not face additional charges if Berroa dies from injuries suffered in the crash.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.
The Daily Beast
Google MapsWhen police arrested Gioacchino Gamminoone of Italys most wanted mafia fugitivesin a Madrid suburb last week, he asked how on earth they found him. Did someone rat him out or did he accidentally leave a clue?Gammino insisted he had not called his family for more than a decade and had been living under a false name. We saw you on Google Maps, the police told him, showing him a fuzzy photo of himself standing outside a greengrocer store in 2018.Gammino, 61, had escaped from Romes
Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday called for life in prison for four suspects on trial in absentia accused of downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine with a surface-to-air missile, killing 298 people.
The ill-fated flight heading for Kuala Lumpur took off from Amsterdam's Schipol airport in July 2014, and prosecutors this week launched closing arguments in the closely-watched trial.
A verdict is not expected until late 2022 at the earliest.
The four suspects on trial are Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko, accused of launching the BUK missile that hit the plane over war-torn eastern Ukraine.
"We are asking that the suspects Girkin, Dubinsky, Pulatov and Kharchenko, each for their responsibility of crashing a plane leading to the death and murder of 298 people, be sentenced to life in prison," prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks told the court Wednesday.
All four have refused to appear in court in the Netherlands and are being tried in absentia.
Prosecutors have argued this week that the four suspects played pivotal roles in securing the BUK system, which was most likely intended to strike a Ukrainian warplane.
International investigators say the BUK missile was originally brought from a Russian military base, ostensibly to be used in the fight against Ukrainian forces.
"If we consider how much time the defendants put into planning and organising the deployment of the BUK, it is all the more poignant how little attention they appear to gave given to the risk of inadvertently shooting down a passenger aircraft," prosecutors argued, according to trial documents Wednesday.
"In legal terms, the defendants were civilians and were therefore not allowed to shoot at any aircraft, whether civilian or military."
- The 'gunner' -
The hearings come as fresh tensions soar over Ukraine, with the West accusing Moscow of planning an invasion.
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Kiev has been battling a pro-Moscow insurgency in two breakaway regions bordering Russia since 2014, when the Kremlin annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
Russia has recently massed troops near Ukraine's borders and the West has for weeks accused it of planning an invasion, warning Moscow of massive sanctions should it launch an attack.
Moscow denies the claims, with President Vladimir Putin seeking talks with US counterpart Joe Biden and security guarantees to stand down his troops.
Western nations imposed tough sanctions on Russia amid international outrage over the shooting down of flight MH17.
The best known of the suspects, 49-year-old Girkin -- nicknamed "gunner" -- was one of the main separatist commanders at the start of the conflict with the Ukrainian army five years ago.
He said Wednesday he was not surprised by the prosecutors' request, and denied the rebels shot down the plane.
"If they could have sentenced me to death, they would have done it, no doubt about it," he was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency.
Dubinsky, 57, is said to be linked to Russian military intelligence, while Poulatov, 53, is a former member of the Russian special forces and Dubinsky's deputy.
Khartchenko, 48, is believed to have led a separatist unit in eastern Ukraine.
Prosecutors said during the opening of the trial in March 2020 that if the court passed a sentence "we will do everything in our power to ensure that it is enforced, whether in the Netherlands or elsewhere".
The trial heard harrowing testimony from relatives earlier this year who spoke of the heartbreak of the loss of children, parents and siblings, and called on "corrupt" Russia to provide justice.
jcp/jv/yad
Data: Axios/Illinois Tech/YouGov; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios
Big majorities of Americans think tech companies are too big and too nosy and want government to rein them in, an exclusive poll by Axios and the Illinois Institute of Technology finds.
Why it matters: As technology's role in American life increases, people on both sides of today's political divide have grown wary of its influence.
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The big picture: A majority of the 1500 survey respondents expressed concern about the use of artificial intelligence, the reach of algorithms, the state of their online privacy, the size of tech firms and dependence on smartphones.
Artificial intelligence: More than 70% of those polled distrust the use of AI for self-driving buses and airplane autopilot systems (early autopilot systems in airplanes have existed since 1912).
Sixty-nine percent said they would limit the use of AI for hiring decisions. Nearly 60% distrust AI for processing loan applications and setting mortgage rates.
Both liberals and conservatives overwhelmingly agree that there should be public or government oversight of the use of algorithms (71%).
Antitrust and consolidation of power: Three-quarters of those polled said tech companies are too big (80% of liberals and 83% of conservatives).
A smaller 53% of respondents said the government should be responsible for ensuring competition and more choices in online services.
Privacy: Most poll respondents (78%) said they feel they are targeted in online ads based on their web activity. And 50% said they think they're targeted for online ads based on their offline conversations.
Eighty-one percent think the government should be doing more to protect online privacy.
Smartphone dependence: More than half of those polled (56%) believe they are somewhat dependent on their smartphones. A smaller percentage (31%) say they feel anxiety or withdrawal without their devices.
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Meanwhile, 46% of respondents say their friends feel anxious without their smartphones.
What they're saying: "Were in a situation in which we already depend so deeply on technology for all of these aspects of our day-to-day lives, but at the same time, we have a deep distrust of this same tech," said Christine Himes, dean of Lewis College of Science and Letters at Illinois Tech.
"[The results] may be indicative of increasing distrust for all institutions, whether they are secular, religious, governmental, private or public," said George M. Langlois, executive director of the Center for Research and Service at Illinois Tech. "It does seem the public wants more control and is open to support changes that reflect that.
What we're watching: Government agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission want to make rules for online advertising, the use of algorithms and AI and the size of tech companies.
But to achieve those goals they'll likely need a sluggish Congress to grant them new powers.
Go deeper: Read the full survey results.
Methodology: The survey was conducted by YouGov from July 25 to Aug. 5. 1898 respondents were interviewed, and the final sample of 1,500 responses were matched across several demographic categories and weighted to form a representative sample of the U.S. population. The overall margin of error is +/- 3.63.
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A Tunisian court sentenced in absentia exiled former president Moncef Marzouki, a fierce critic of the power grab by current leader Kais Saied, to four years in prison, a judicial source said Wednesday.
The source was not able to clarify on what charge Marzouki, 76, was convicted by the court of first instance in the capital Tunis.
His lawyer, Lamia Khemiri, told AFP that Marzouki had not received any summons to court and she also did not know why he was convicted.
Local media said he was found guilty of "undermining the security of the state from abroad" and of having caused "diplomatic harm".
Saied has said Marzouki is among the "enemies of Tunisia", and asked the courts to investigate statements he had made, as well as to withdraw his diplomatic passport.
A Tunisian judge last month issued an arrest warrant for the former president.
During an early October demonstration in Paris, Marzouki, in a reference to Saied, called on the French government to "reject all support for this regime and this man who plotted against the revolution and abolished the constitution".
On July 25 Tunisia's Saied sacked the government and began to seize sweeping powers after months of political and economic crisis.
Since then, Marzouki has used regular television appearances and social media to launch withering broadsides against Saied, whom he has called a "dictator".
Tunisia was the birthplace of the Arab Spring revolts a decade ago and became the only democracy to emerge from that movement.
A human rights activist who was imprisoned then exiled under Tunisia's former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Marzouki returned home and was elected president for three years following the 2011 revolution.
He shared power with the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, a move which drew criticism.
Ennahdha was also the largest party in the parliament suspended by Saied.
The president last week extended the months-long suspension until new elections in December 2022, while calling for a July referendum on constitutional reforms.
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The claim: Screenshot of a CNN graphic shows Justin Trudeau as a passenger on Jeffrey Epstein's plane
The federal sex-trafficking trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of helping convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually exploit underage girls, began Nov. 29.
The sensational trial made headlines across the world, particularly as Larry Visoski, Epstein's former pilot, identified high-profile individuals who flew on Epstein's private plane. Some on social media ran with those claims as well.
A Facebook post shared Dec. 3 includes a purported CNN graphic identifying six passengers Visoski supposedly named: Britain's Prince Andrew, former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, astronaut and former Sen. John Glenn, and actor Kevin Spacey.
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"So this is about the Jeffery Epsteins pedophile ring," reads the caption of the post. "During the trial one of Epsteins pilots took the stand and named these people as people that accompanied Jeffery Epsteins on his private plane."
The post generated close to 1,700 shares in less than two weeks.
But the image is altered.
Trudeau is not part of the graphic originally broadcast on CNN.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who posted the image for comment.
Live footage shows George Mitchell
Lauren Bobek, spokesperson for CNN, told USA TODAY in an email the image is fake.
The Facebook user appears to have taken a screenshot of a graphic from a Nov. 30 broadcast of "CNN Newsroom with Ana Cabrera."
Fact check: False claim that Time chose fallen service members as Persons of the Year
The original graphic shows former Sen. George Mitchell in the fourth spot from the left, according to an internet archive.
The picture in the post was digitally altered to replace Mitchell with Trudeau.
CNN reporter Kara Scannell also highlighted during the broadcast that Epstein's former pilot said the high-profile passengers included Prince Andrew, Clinton, Trump, Mitchell, Glenn and Spacey, according to a transcript. "Now none of these have been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the issues at trial," Scannell also said during the broadcast.
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There was no mention of Trudeau as one of the passengers.
Fact check: Image claiming to show Musk and Maxwell as Time's Person of the Year is altered
According to a CNN article, Visoski would "typically be given notice if Clinton or high-profile passengers like him would be flying." USA TODAY did not identify any credible reports that Trudeau flew on Epstein's plane.
USA TODAY reached out to Mitchell and Trudeau for comment.
Our rating: Altered
Based on our research, we rate ALTERED a purported CNN graphic that lists Trudeau as a passenger on Epstein's plane. The original graphic that CNN aired was changed to replace Mitchell with Trudeau.
Our fact-check sources:
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.
Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: CNN graphic related to Maxwell trial has been altered
Boston terrier
Getty
Christmas came early for the Sotos.
The Wisconsin family was reunited with their 10-month-old Boston Terrier, Bruno, on Tuesday, after the pup was taken from outside a holiday lights show, according to CBS's Milwaukee affiliate.
The Sotos received a phone call on Monday night to inform them that their beloved pup was at Kozi Park on the south side of Milwaukee. The family found the dog tied up at the park around 2 a.m. the next morning and are grateful to have him home.
RELATED: 'Mild-Mannered' Dog Rescues Iowa Family from Middle of the Night Carbon Monoxide Leak
Bruno went missing when the family's car was stolen outside a holiday lights display at Jellystone Park in Caledonia, Wisconsin, on Friday.
Jamie Soto, who offered a $4,000 reward for the return of the pet, explained to CBS58 that her son had gone to the vehicle to grab something and left the keys behind.
RELATED: Emaciated Dog Left Caged Outside in Freezing Weather Called a 'Christmas Miracle' After Recovery
"All of a sudden we go outside, and we're walking and I'm like, 'Where's my car?' " shared Soto. "My dog is in the vehicle, with the car. I don't care about the car, I care about my dog."
Soto's 2014 green Land Rover was found on the south side of Milwaukee on Monday, but Bruno was nowhere in sight until that fateful phone call brought him home.
The pet holds a particularly special place in Jamie's heart because of the animal's relationship with her son, who suffers from anxiety and usually sleeps next to the terrier.
RELATED: Clever Dog Keeps Her Town Clean By Picking Up Litter Left by Humans and Throwing it Away
"They were best friends," said Soto. "The night that it happened, he was up all night, he didn't go to sleep at all."
Now, the best pals have been reunited, just in time for Christmas.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) UCFs long wait for another shot at Florida is over.
The neighboring programs havent faced each other on the football field since Florida won 42-0 during its 2006 national championship season. That changes Thursday night, when the Knights and Gators meet in the Gasparilla Bowl.
It's a preview of sorts for a two-for-one series that begins at the Swamp in 2024. The teams are also scheduled to play at UCFs on-campus stadium in Orlando in 2030 and back in Gainesville again in 2033.
Winning the Gasparilla Bowl arguably would mean more to the Knights, who have accepted an invitation to move from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 and would like nothing more than to make a statement about their direction under former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.
Florida, however, is eager to finish strong after coach Dan Mullen was fired ahead of its regular-season finale against Florida State.
Its bragging rights. This is a big game for us, said interim coach Greg Knox, who led the Gators to a 24-21 victory over FSU.
Its not a rivalry, but its an in-state game against an in-state team with guys that are playing against guys they played against in high school or played with in high school, Knox added. So, its a big game and our kids are approaching it that way. They're excited about playing this game.
Its also an opportunity for returning players to make an impression on Billy Napier, the former Louisiana coach hired to plot the future for a team that got off to a 3-1 start and was ranked in the top 10 before losing five of seven during the stretch that cost Mullen his job.
Our guys have done well with it, Knox said of how the Gators have adjusted to the coaching transition while also preparing to face UCF.
That has been a big deal because the new staff has had some things they wanted them to do and theyve been working with us as far as practicing and everything, Knox added. I think they handled it very well.
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The Gators (6-6) will be without several key players, including injured quarterback Anthony Richardson and defensive end Zach Carter, who opted out after deciding to leave for the NFL draft.
Emory Jones, who shared the quarterback job with Richardson, will start his last game for Florida before entering the transfer portal. Wide receiver Jacob Copeland also is transferring and will not play, but cornerback Kaiir Elam plans to suit up despite being the teams highest projected draft pick.
Theyre a lot better than their record, Ill tell you that," Malzahn said. "I think everybody knows that. Theyre extremely talented. Its a big challenge for us, no doubt.
Obviously its a big game for us. Its an in-state opponent. A very quality opponent that has some really, really good talent all across the board. Its a great opportunity for our program and our players, and they understand that.
UCF (8-4) is 0-2 all-time against Florida, also losing 58-27 in 1999.
MOVING ON
Like Florida, UCF is losing a highly regarded quarterback to the transfer portal.
Mikey Keene started the last nine games of the regular season for the Knights after Dillon Gabriel broke his left collarbone against Louisville in September.
Gabriel, who threw for 61 touchdowns over the previous two seasons, elected to leave the program last month. He has committed to UCLA.
Keene threw for 1,586 yards, nine TDs and six interceptions during the regular season.
FREQUENT VISITOR
UCF is making its fifth appearance in a game known as the St. Petersburg Bowl before it moved to Raymond James Stadium in 2018.
The Knights played in St. Petersburg in 2009, 2012 and 2014 before making their first appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl in 2019. Its the initial Gasparilla appearance for Florida, which isnt accustomed to making bowl trips that end before Christmas.
EXTRA MOTIVATION
Bragging rights arent the only motivation for Florida to finish strong. With a win, the Gators would avoid finishing with their first losing record since 2017, the last of three seasons under former coach Jim McElwain.
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A former Sardis City employee was arrested Tuesday on a charge of first-degree identify theft, according to Sheriff Jonathon Horton.
Robert Warren Sandusky, 32, of Oneonta, faces the felony charge, Investigator Shannon Thomas said.
He is accused of using Sardis Citys name and federal tax ID number to obtain services from March 2017 until the present, without having permission from Sardis City or the administration's knowledge.
Sandusky hasn't been employed by the town in several years, according to the sheriff.
Sandusky turned himself into the sheriff's office and posted a $5,000 bond.
Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Former Sardis employee arrested for identify theft
This year, Dr. Scott Levy will be handling out early presents when his family gathers for the holidays: over-the-counter rapid COVID-19 tests.
Guests will be asked to take the rapid antigen test when they arrive as a precaution, Levy said.
With a 93-year-old father with health issues, the chief medical officer at Doylestown Hospital is taking no chances amid the latest case surge in the near two year pandemic, he said.
Doctors urge caution: UPMC doctors issue new warnings as omicron spreads in Pa., urging household-only gatherings
One-on-one with Wolf: Gov. Tom Wolf talks COVID strategy as omicron spreads, 2022 agenda and plans after office
With more people traveling and gathering in-person during this holiday season, the wide availability of COVID vaccines bolstering more relaxed attitudes toward social distancing and mask wearing, and the rapidly growing omicron variant, health experts are seeing an explosion in COVID cases in Pennsylvania and elsewhere this month.
Patricia Messatzzia, of Bristol Township, gets her nose swabbed for testing for the coronavirus as part of the free COVID-19 testing now being offered at the Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus and the two other campuses of Bucks County Community College by AMI, a testing firm based in Reston, Va.
While health experts tout the vaccine and booster shots as the most effective protection against severe complications from the virus that result in hospitalization, they are also recommending people remain vigilant.
Pennsylvania has recorded more than 130,000 new COVID cases the first three weeks of December, according to state health data. In November, there were 169,342 new cases.
State health officials estimate 15% of COVID cases through Dec. 6 are among fully vaccinated individuals.
As of Tuesday, 4,527 Pennsylvania adults were hospitalized with COVID, compared to 2,639 on Nov. 17; of those hospitalized 933 or roughly 20% were in the intensive care unit, according to state data.
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The number of hospitalized COVID patients on ventilators jumped from 365 to 571 over the last four weeks, state data shows.
State health officials and doctors say the overwhelming majority of new hospitalizations and deaths - more than 80% - are among people who are not fully vaccinated or unvaccinated. The state's positivity rate is about 17%, among the highest since the pandemic started.
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Short of self-isolation, Levy and other doctors recommended taking a rapid antigen test either the at-home version or ones offered through drug stores before attending large in-person social gatherings.
The pre-gathering testing is recommended for people who are fully vaccinated and boosted as breakthrough cases are rising, and vaccinated individuals may experience only mild symptoms or none, but can spread the infection.
Chain retailers Walgreens and CVS announced this week they will limit the number of at-home COVID test kits customers can purchase in response to a jump in demand. Online orders for at-home tests are also reportedly in short supply.
Consumer advocate Michael Bannon, head of the consumer protection office in Bucks County, said his office has not received any complaints involving price-gouging or scams involving at-home COVID-19 test kits. But it could be only a matter of time with increased demand, he said.
We think this type of chaos created around the COVID 19 testing is very fertile ground for scammers to take advantage of, he said.
A speciman from a rapid PCR COVID-19 test is processed inside a lab at Doylestown Hospital on Monday, March 8, 2021.
Health experts appeared divided over the safety of in-person social gatherings inside and outside the home.
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole recently advised against holiday gatherings involving more than one household, but the city's health department is giving out 24,000 at-home test kits before Christmas
People need to be conscientious about the size of their get-togethers, said Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at UPMC in Pittsburgh.
"Try to keep them small," he said.
Children who are too young for the vaccine and the immunocompromised should continue to wear face masks in public and gatherings of more than six people, doctors said.
Face masks, hand hygiene and practicing social distancing around those who are under vaccinated, unvaccinated or otherwise considered at high risk for developing complications.
Short of an at-home test, Dr. Ronak Bhimani, chief medical officer at Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township, is also recommending smaller gatherings of related people.
If youre sitting at a table with people from six different households, that is six different opportunities to have one person be positive, he said.
More on rising COVID cases: COVID in Pennsylvania: Wolf asks federal government to help hospitals as cases spike
More Covid-related stories: Ex-chief of cardiac surgery at Doylestown Health mounts campaign to get his job back after refusing COVID vaccine
COVID in long-term care: New data shows COVID deadlier, more prevalent in PA long-term care than once thought
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Fast-spreading COVID variant prompts new calls for pre-holiday precautions
BERLIN (Reuters) - German health experts said on Wednesday that new coronavirus curbs probably did not go far enough to keep the Omicron variant in check, as the country's health minister said he had not ruled out a full lockdown if cases spiked.
The measures, decided on Tuesday, include limits on private gatherings, closing clubs and discos and banning spectators at football matches and are set to be introduced from Dec. 28.
Janosch Dahmen, health expert for junior coalition partners the Greens, said they were a step in the right direction. "But they probably won't be able to curb the danger that Omicron represents," he told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
German Hospital Federation chairman Gerald Gass called the measures "necessary, but possibly not sufficient" in comments to the Funke media group.
Germany reported 45,659 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, close to recent peaks, as the death toll rose by 510, and both men said the government should be ready to toughen the curbs if the epidemic worsened.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, meanwhile, recommended "maximum contact restrictions" and "maximum infection prevention measures" be implemented immediately.
Defending the partial nature of the curbs, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach - who is due to address the media alongside RKI head Lothar Wieler later in the day - said he valued the institute's advice but "there can sometimes be demands that we do not immediately implement."
In separate comments to broadcaster ARD, he added: "What we decided today will take effect quickly. But I don't rule out the possibility that a hard lockdown will have to be discussed should case numbers develop in that direction."
Support for the government came from Stefan Genth, chief executive of Retail Association HDE.
"The federal government and states are making it clear that a return to a blanket and disproportionate lockdown is not a solution," he said.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray; editing by John Stonestreet)
NEW BEDFORD Families can celebrate the holidays knowing they are a little safer with at-home testing kits right at their fingertips.
The city of New Bedford was allocated 37,700 at-home COVID-19 testing kits containing two rapid antigen tests each, and began distributing them to residents Tuesday at Keith, Normandin and Roosevelt Middle Schools. Just an hour into the pop-up distribution, three boxes of 90 kits each had already been emptied at Keith, with Normandin quickly running low on supplies.
With a quick in-and-out traffic flow of grab-and-go kits, families were able to take a kit or two for their families on the way home from work or school.
As COVID-19 cases are once again on the rise and the virus is spreading throughout the holiday season, residents said they're picking up kits purely out of convenience. The rapid antigen tests take only 15 minutes to receive results, so families can quickly test themselves before visiting relatives for the holidays.
Need a COVID test before the holidays?: New Bedford testing sites release schedule
Monique Rosario said she and her coworkers have been in close contact with individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19, so instead of waiting for an appointment and then several more days for results, she is able to test immediately in the comfort of her own home.
"It's good to have it at home," Rosario said. "It gives you peace of mind."
According to city spokesperson Michael Lawrence, the city gave 78 cartons to New Bedford Public Schools. There are 90 test kits per carton, and two tests per kit, totaling to 14,040 tests available to residents who stopped by the schools.
In addition, Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech received 24 cartons, Alma del Mar Charter School received 11 cartons, St. James St. John School received three cartons and Nativity Preparatory Schools received one carton. All Saints Catholic School received 200 kits.
What about the suburbs?: Acushnet fire chief says state not doing enough to help towns in the fight against COVID
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The test kits are similar to those offered as part of the Test and Stay program offered to students and staff that are asymptomatic close contacts of COVID-positive individuals. Both New Bedford and Acushnet Public Schools stated the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test takes about 15 minutes to produce results, keeping students in school by sending them back to class at a safe distance while waiting for results with a "minimal impact on the learning day."
Mask advisory: What we know about all of Gov. Baker's COVID responses
Need a free COVID test kit?
The test kits will be available for distribution at the following elementary schools on Wednesday, Dec. 22:
Alfred J. Gomes Elementary School (286 S. 2nd St.)
Sgt. William Carney Memorial Academy Elementary School (247 Elm St.)
Hayden McFadden Elementary School (361 Cedar Grove St.)
Abraham Lincoln School (445 Ashley Blvd.)
Casimir Pulaski Elementary School (1097 Braley Road)
Libraries are offering test kits in addition to the schools on Tuesday and Wednesday with extended hours:
Downtown / Main (613 Pleasant St.); 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 21-22
Wilks Branch (1911 Acushnet Ave.); 12 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21-22
Howland-Green Branch (3 Rodney French Boulevard); 12 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21-22
According to a city press release, further distributions may be announced depending on the success of these initial events.
Standard-Times staff writer Kerri Tallman can be reached at ktallman@s-t.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kerri_tallman for links to recent articles.
Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford distributes free at-home COVID test kits before holidays
Lori Sumwalt, a local Department of Child Services supervisor, loads Christmas gifts into a vehicle Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021.
RICHMOND, Ind. Trunks and back seats overflowed with beautifully wrapped Christmas presents Tuesday.
Although they weren't sleighs, the vehicles that pulled out from the local Department of Child Services office would deliver holiday smiles. DCS staff members and Richmond Police Department and Wayne County Sheriff's officers played the part of Santa Claus.
Those gifts purchased by RPD's Blue Angels Fund were destined for 78 children who might not otherwise receive Christmas gifts. The YMCA and Abilities Richmond also partnered with the local DCS office so that about 100 children overall would receive gifts.
Richmond: Grant enables group to study rehabbing downtown structure
"At this time of year, it's nice to be able to get gifts to families and children in need who would not be able to get gifts for the children," said Angie Jordan, the director of the local DCS office. "It's rewarding. It means a lot to be able to provide the gifts for the children, especially at this time of year. It's rewarding to pay it forward and see the smiles on children's faces and the parents, too."
While those deliveries were taking place Tuesday, gifts were being delivered to and sorted into family groups at the YMCA. DCS staff members were to pick up and deliver those gifts Wednesday. YMCA members and the community adopted 17 children in the Y's second year teaming with DCS.
"Everybody who dropped off gifts all said they want to be able to give back to families in need," said Misty Hollis, the Y's executive director. "When you give, you really receive. When you offer a blessing to others, you get a blessing back."
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Hollis said that after the YMCA helped provide for children's Christmases last year, DCS approached her again this year, and she quickly agreed. All of the children were "adopted" within a couple of hours, Hollis said.
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"We look for ways for our members to give back to the community," she said. "We're very grateful and excited to do it and be a part of it."
RPD officers began six years ago by helping one family after the children's mother was killed in a December car accident. John Lackey, who has since retired from RPD, said about $2,000 was quickly raised so the children could have the best Christmas possible under the circumstances.
From that, the Blue Angels Fund has grown beyond even Lackey's expectations.
RPD continued to receive donations after Christmas that first year, so the Blue Angels Fund was established at the Richmond City Employees Credit Union in the Richmond Municipal Building. It is designed to provide officers the means to assist children throughout the year when a need arises, plus assist families impacted by tragedy around the holidays.
"Just giving back to the community and watching the smiles of kids who would not have Christmas," Lackey said. "It doesn't help all of their problems, but at least they have the holidays."
Lackey said the Blue Angels Fund is also providing Christmas for a few children not involved in the DCS program, and was able to assist with a back-to-school program and the Fraternal Order of Police's Shop With a Cop program.
The fund received a boost during 2019 when it received $10,000 from local businesses. Community and business donations have continued to grow, enabling the Blue Angels Fund to help even more children. In 2020, for example, the fund sponsored 44 children with DCS.
"The amount of support from the community is outstanding, and the prominent businesses help tremendously to keep this going and let us reach out to more people," Lackey said.
Donations can be mailed to the Richmond City Employees Credit Union at 50 N. Fifth St., Richmond, IN 47374 and specified for the Blue Angels Fund.
Department of Child Services staff members and law enforcement officers prepare Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, to deliver Christmas gifts to local children.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Giving back: Gift deliveries brighten 100 children's Christmases
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
Google's CEO addressed a staff concern that the company has become less honest with employees.
Pichai said trust has to go both ways, referring to employees leaking information to the press.
The pandemic and the Google's size resulted in answers from management feeling "canned" he added.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai was confronted with an employee question earlier this month asking whether Google plans to more honest and direct with its staff.
CNBC obtained audio from an end-of-year all-hands meeting hosted by Google CEO Sundar Pichai earlier this month. During the meeting Pichai read out an employee question which had been submitted via the company's internal system Dory.
The question was: "It seems like responses to Dory have gotten increasingly more lawyer-like with canned phrases or platitudes, which seem to ignore the questions being ask [sic]. Are we planning on bringing candor, honesty, humility and frankness back to Dory answers or continuing down a bureaucratic path?"
Google employees are able to vote on questions submitted through Dory, and per CNBC the question received 673 votes.
Pichai appeared to blame leaks to the press as one reason why speakers' answers at meetings might seem artificial.
"Sometimes, I do think that people are unforgiving for small mistakes. I do think people realize that answers can be quoted anywhere, including outside the company. I think that makes people very careful," he said.
"Trust and candor has to go both ways," Pichai added.
Pichai also said the company's massive size and the pandemic forcing meetings to be held virtually were contributing factors.
"I've noticed more people reading off screens during the pandemic and so I think some of it contributes to answers feeling canned," Pichai said. "I think people are always nervous to answer in this setting," he added.
Per CNBC, Pichai said the concern raised was "good feedback."
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Google has faced widespread employee discontent before the pandemic. In 2018 over 20,000 Google employees staged a walkout in protest against the company's handling of sexual harassment.
Google employees formed their first-ever union in January of this year. The union called on the company to change how it handles sexual misconduct claims in July.
Do you work for Google? Got a tip? Contact this reporter at ihamilton@insider.com or iahamilton@protonmail.com. Always use a non-work email account.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Strictly Come Dancing pro Gorka Marquez has returned home after being admitted to hospital and put on an IV drip.
On Tuesday (21 December), the dancer shared a series of photos and videos to Instagram as he lay in a hospital bed wearing a mask and attached to an IV.
I was looking forward for Christmas at Home but that was [an] interesting 24h in Hospital, Marquez wrote. @glouiseatkinson thinks it was a excuse to avoid all the wrapping of the Christmas presents.
The Spanish dancer did not say why he had been hospitalised, but confirmed that he was now doing well, saying: I am back home having cookies and cuddles of my little nurse.
Thanks to the Doctors and Nurses at Fairfield Hospital for being so lovely to me. FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!
Marquezs post was met with outpourings of support from his fellow Strictly pros, with Katya Jones commenting: Oh no! Get better soon Gorks.
Oh no! Hope youre okay, Janette Manrara wrote, while Dianne Buswell added: Hope your feeling better soon gorks.
Marquez is engaged to actor Gemma Atkinson, who he met when she competed on the show in 2017. The pair have a two-year-old daughter called Mia together.
He appeared on the most recent series of Strictly with actor Katie McGlynn, where the pair were the second couple to be eliminated from the competition.
FAIR LAWN, NJ Heroes come from all walks of life and find any number of ways to contribute to the community.
On Monday, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (5th District) honored hometown heroes from first responders to local veterans, teachers, community volunteers and others who made life better in Bergen County over the past year.
Gottheimer presented Fifth District Hometown Heroes Awards to more than 30 local residents in recognition of their dedication to helping improve the lives of their neighbors, families and communities.
We are lucky to have so many unsung heroes in our communities, whose quiet service goes on every day without the recognition they truly deserve. They give back just because they care. Today is their day, Gottheimer said in a news release. If you pick up the paper, there is far more attention being placed on what's going wrong with America, and far too little attention on whats going right.
"But then, stories crop up here and there about someone saving a life, or a neighbor opening up a food pantry or raising money for charity or making their town a better place and you realize that we just dont spend enough time showcasing all of the good that happens every day. Not enough time recognizing what it means to be a great citizen in the greatest country in the world.
Gottheimer said Hometown Heroes are nominated by fellow residents in the 5th District. While the heroes come from a number of vocations and communities, the congressman said they all share a dedication to Jersey values and make the district a special place to live and work.
They help us build that more perfect union of our dreams, Gottheimer said. We all should work to live up to their example.
Here are the Bergen County honorees:
Joyce Gonzalez, Allendale, Bergen County Five years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps as a 5942 Aviation Radar Repairer, and deployed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. An active member of American Legion Post 310 and NJ SOS Veterans stakeholders women's subcommittee, she also currently serves as Platoon Leader at the Mission Continues Newark Platoon to manage a corps of veterans to help community service projects throughout Newark and Bergen County. At BMW, as a Data and Project Manager, she serves as co-chair of the BMW Group Veterans Network Employee Resource Group.
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Jimmy Winters, Closter, Bergen County Started as a volunteer firefighter with the Closter Fire Department in 1980, and has served as Captain, Secretary, Board of Governance, and currently as Treasurer. From 1986 to 2018, he worked in the Closter Police Department and retired as Captain. Since 1996, he has served as the coordinator for the Borough of Closter Office of Emergency Management.
Pat Zengel, Glen Rock, Bergen County A longtime member of the Women in Community Service, Community Meals on Wheels, the Glen Rock Holiday Committee, the Glen Rock Chamber of Commerce, and other key local organizations all focused on supporting her community and fellow North Jersey residents.
Rosalyn Holland, Hackensack, Bergen County She helped manage a food pantry that fed more than 100 people per week throughout the pandemic, by coordinating inventory, delivery and stocking of goods, shelving, refrigeration, grants, funding, volunteer staffing, and more. She trains the technologically-challenged with computer skills, ZOOM, Excel, Word, and other apps and necessities for today's world.
Bob Kneer, Fair Lawn, Bergen County Served the Fair Lawn community for 44 years as a police officer and previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he retired as a Lance Corporal. He previously served as Patrol Sergeant, Detective Lieutenant and Patrol Captain, as the NJ State Honor Guard Commander, and served as a domestic violence liaison, designed the police uniform, and served on the board of End DWI.
Bonnie Borghi, Haworth, Bergen County Throughout COVID-19, she coordinated with restaurants to deliver meals during holidays, and is always working to support her community whether by making sure that downtown Haworth is beautifully decorated for the holidays, that the parks are clean and have new equipment so that children can safely spend more time outdoors, or by chairing the Haworth Seniors group.
Jon Najarian, Hillsdale, Bergen County For more than 25 years, he has volunteered for the Hillsdale Fire Department, working his way up to chief. Currently, Jon serves as the Deputy Coordinator for the Hillsdale Office of Emergency Management and throughout the pandemic worked tirelessly securing PPE to keep first responders safe, looking after Jerseys senior citizens, and enacting programs to better disseminate vital information during the crisis all while coordinating with federal and state agencies.
Paula Marsh, Lodi, Bergen County She has been instrumental in running the pantry sponsored by the Center for Food Action at Varick Memorial AME Zion Church throughout the pandemic. Since March 2020, Paula has been present every day the pantry has been open, organizing deliveries, storage, and bag packing.
Joe MacDiarmid, New Milford, Bergen County He started his career in public service in Okinawa as a U.S. Marine, and is now a leader in the New Milford and Teaneck volunteer ambulance corps where he has been active for the past fifteen years. In the ambulance corps, he has helped save countless lives and is known for his dedication and integrity.
Julie Krcmaric, Norwood, Bergen County An advocate for the special needs community, she has spent countless hours supporting parents with special needs and rare disease children guiding parents and community members through some of the most difficult decisions they have to make. She is not afraid to push an insurance company for additional coverage, making sure families critical medical supplies and medication are covered.
Bill Sanders, River Edge, Bergen County A decades-long member of the River Edge Volunteer Fire Department, where he is currently Chief, and REVAS, the River Edge Volunteer Ambulance Service, where he was previously Captain. Chief Sanders not only effectively led the Fire Department throughout the pandemic, creating COVID-19 guidelines and ensuring the safety of the department's members, he also guided the town through its Hurricane Ida response.
Silvia Kerslake, Norwood, Bergen County Since moving to New Jersey in 2013, she has served her community through her work at Spectrum for Living, a nonprofit that helps adults with developmental disabilities by providing quality housing and clinical services.
Vinod Chadha, Old Tappan, Bergen County He is a founding member of Hindu Samaj, a temple in Mahwah, and the Coordinator for the Bergen County Chapter of Manavi, an organization that supports abused women and domestic violence victims. He has been a leader in his community for decades by supporting local organizations, helping serve meals to school children, raising funds for cataract surgeries in India, and working to support those less fortunate.
Joe Zbierski, Midland Park, Bergen County He is currently serving his 28th year with the Teaneck Fire Department, running into fires when others are running out, for his whole career. He is the Battalion Chief of the 4th Platoon and has routinely put everything on the line to make life-saving actions. He bravely served at at Ground Zero following the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Rose Curry, Montvale, Bergen County She has served Montvale and North Jersey for decades, serving as Montvale PTO President and VP, working in Broadway and regional productions, directing area high school musicals, volunteering with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Tri-Boro Food Pantry, and Meals on Wheels, and most recently served as Councilwoman for the last decade. After her years of dedication and work with the Montvale Public Library, as of last month, the library now bears the honorary name of Rose S. Curry.
Muhammad Haque, Paramus, Bergen County He is a Managing Partner of the Fusion Muslim Community Center of North Jersey, who led Fusion to partner with New Bridge Medical Center to provide culturally-sensitive long-term care for elderly and disabled Muslim community members. Dr. Haque also volunteers at the Bergen County Correctional Facility to help administer vaccines.
Moish Tov, Ridgewood, Bergen County He is the founder and CEO of JoyDew Foundation, a nonprofit that provides job training and employment opportunities to young adults with autism. Moish also works as a Board Member at the New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence and the Giving Hope Network, and has shown a deep understanding of the needs of the autistic young adult and adult community, and made his mission to create meaningful life opportunities for them.
Matt Tiedemann, Waldwick, Bergen County Lieutenant Tiedemann has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the Office of Emergency Management and working tirelessly in the Bergen County Sheriffs Department. From coordinating PPE distribution to working with FEMA to launch New Jerseys first government-run drive-thru COVID-19 testing center at Bergen Community College, to supporting the Bergen County Food Security Task Force.
Lisa Bontemps, Westwood, Bergen County When the COVID-19 pandemic began, she organized a new fresh food distribution center out of her church, that has since grown to serve more than 300 hot meals every Tuesday, along with fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, and other non-perishables. This program began with no budget, but from her desire to help her community, it is now helping hundreds of members of the community facing food insecurity. She has also led efforts to improve Westwood AARP.
Andrew Esposito and David Wells, Maywood, Bergen County They saved the life of a 92-year-old swimmer while serving as lifeguards at the Maywood Municipal Pool, by responding in record time after seeing the swimmer unconscious, then delivering CPR and calling an ambulance. Thanks to their quick responses and lifesaving actions, this woman survived.
This article originally appeared on the Fair Lawn-Saddle Brook Patch
Gov. Laura Kelly unveiled a proposal Wednesday calling on lawmakers to give Kansas residents a one-time, $250 tax rebate in light of the state's significant budget surplus.
Gov. Laura Kelly unveiled a proposal Wednesday calling on lawmakers to give Kansas residents a one-time, $250 tax rebate in light of the state's significant budget surplus.
Kelly's office said the latest plan would deliver $445 million in relief. The $250 rebates would be non-taxable and those who file their taxes jointly would be in line for $500 each.
"Thanks to our fiscal responsibility and record economic development success, we can return money to taxpayers and give every Kansas resident who filed taxes in 2021 a $250 rebate," Kelly said in a statement. "These are significant savings for every family to be delivered by summer of 2022."
It is the latest tax relief plan from Kelly, who is up for re-election in 2022.
Earlier this year, her office, along with her likely GOP opponent in next year's election, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, called for the elimination of the state's food sales tax, a move which would cost $450 million a year.
More: Lawmakers grant final OK to Docking State Office Building renovation, KDHE lab downtown
Kansas has seen growing state revenues
It comes amid a bumper year for state revenues. Economists revised revenue estimates in November and now project the state will take in $1.3 billion more than initially thought for the current fiscal year, a 17% increase.
That combines with over $2 billion in the bank from last session, giving lawmakers plenty of ammo for a raft of legislative priorities the projected budget surplus, even when taking into account current spending, is over $2.9 billion.
Democrats cheered Kelly's proposal as a mechanism to more equitably provide relief to residents.
"Like our plan to eliminate the state sales tax on food, Governor Kelly's proposal doesn't pick winners and losers: it provides relief for all Kansans in every corner of the state," Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, said in a statement.
While Republican legislators will likely use this to tackle tax relief, it will likely look different than what Kelly has proposed.
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More: Fraudulent applications tick up in eviction relief program. Officials try to improve aid.
Republicans offering different suggestions for revenue
Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, chair of the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, pointed to a range of ways she felt legislators could better help residents.
That includes eliminating taxes on retirement accounts, including Social Security, eliminating the 1.5 mill levy collected for state building funds to provide property tax relief and freezing property tax payments for seniors.
"We have been studying this issue for years," Tyson said. "And her one-time shot in the arm is not good business for the state of Kansas. We need a tax strategy that can be carried on for years so that businesses and individuals are able to plan."
Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, echoed that sentiment in a statement.
"I appreciate Governor Kelly's election-year revelation that Kansans are taxed too much," Masterson said. "While I am open to all ideas to help reduce the tax burden on Kansas families, permanent solutions will be our priority."
CJ Grover, Schmidt's campaign spokesperson, said Kelly was trying to mimic a tax relief plan passed by the Republican legislature last year, one she vetoed citing its potential costs to the state. Legislators later overrode her veto and it became law anyway.
"Between this, proposing a food sales tax cut after vetoing one in 2019, and pretending to oppose vaccine mandates while doing nothing to stop them, the election-year makeover of Laura Kelly's politics is obviously underway," Grover said in a statement
Andrew Bahl is a senior statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at abahl@gannett.com or by phone at 443-979-6100.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly pushes $250 tax rebate for residents
The Greendale Village Board has approved of a plan to turn the former Boston Store property at Southridge Mall into a mix of apartments and commercial space.
Elected leaders in Greendale have given a local developer the green light to transform the former Boston Store property at Southridge Mall into a four-story, 790-unit apartment development.
The village board on Tuesday voted 5-1 to approve a draft redevelopment agreement between the village and Barrett Lo Visionary Development to construct the apartments and bring 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of commercial space to the nearly 15-acre property.
The plan calls for building the apartments over a three-phase period "extending well into the future," said attorney Alan Marcuvitz of von Briesen & Roper, working as development counsel for the village.
More: Southridge Mall's former Boston Store building will apparently be demolished and replaced with an apartment development
More: Greendale starts process of possibly buying Southridge's former Boston Store to help redevelop troubled mall
Marcuvitz said the agreement isn't in its final form, but the board's vote approves the concept expressed in the document and authorizes village officials to execute the agreement when it's completed.
"This is a moving target," Marcuvitz said. "We were going back and forth on some matters (Tuesday) which still need to be squared away. I think we probably can accomplish that within the next week or 10 days."
The potential value of the development is pegged at more than $100 million, Marcuvitz said.
Nearly 800 units are planned
Rick Barrett, who operates Milwaukee-based Barrett Lo, said they're in the initial stages of the concept, but currently are projecting 790 units with a mix of one, two and three bedrooms. The sizes are yet to be determined.
There would be four stories of residential space above parking, he said.
There will be underground parking. Whether there will be at-grade parking wasn't immediately clear.
"We're looking to create a mixed-used, lifestyle center that's upscale with a village green that becomes a center point of the residential, the new food and beverage, the new retail that would be added to the project," Barrett said after the board's vote.
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A construction timeline has yet to be determined, he said.
Barrett Lo is best known for developing the Couture residential high-rise on Milwaukee's lakefront.
The firm also has done suburban apartments developments, including the Emerald Row project at Oak Creek's Drexel Town Square mixed-use site.
In May, the Greendale Village Board voted to buy the former Boston Store and its parking lot for $3.3 million with plans to make it available for new development.
More: Southridge's vacant former Boston Store isn't blighted -- and shouldn't be forcibly sold to Greendale, owner says
The purchase was completed in July.
The building has been vacant since Bon-Ton Stores Inc., the operator of Boston Store and other department store chains, was liquidated in 2018.
Board's vote not unanimous
Elaine Unger was the only trustee to vote against the proposal.
"I'm concerned about the upfront risk to the village and the negative impact on the village bond rating," Unger said.
She also expressed concern about the conveyance of additional public infrastructure to the village things such as roads, sidewalks and green space that could create additional workload for the DPW and village staff.
Trustee Ronald Barbian, who voted yes, said the village board has had "many, many closed session meetings"' to try to find the right developer and thinks they have.
"The quality products that this company provides are all through the local area," Barbian said. "They fit in well with what we're looking for."
He said the project is just the first step of revitalizing the whole area.
"The tax base of this area is vital to the survival of Greendale," he said. "And this is going to enhance it."
Trustees Collen Fechtmeyer, Robby McFaul and Donna Ouellette and Village President Jason Cyborowski also voted in favor of the development.
Matt Sell abstained.
"I would have loved to vote yes, but I want to recuse myself because I was a commercial real estate lender for about 15 years, so I've done business with the majority of real estate developers and landlords in the city and surrounding areas," Sell said. "So I just figured it would be best since I've had past business relationships through my bank, that I just recuse myself of voting on the matter."
After the vote, applause filled the room, coming from both the audience and board members.
Barrett said they're thrilled with the decision.
"We can't wait. This is an amazing village," he said. "We're very excited to be here. And I heard a roomful of supporters that made me feel great."
Contact Bob Dohr at 262-361-9140 or bob.dohr@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BobDohr1.
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nearly 800 apartment units planned for former Southridge Boston Store
Habitat for Humanity handed over keys to its first 3D-printed home to a Virginia woman and her son on Tuesday.
Driving the news: The house in Williamsburg, Virginia, was built by a construction tech startup called Alquist, using a giant 3D printer.
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It took just 22 hours to print the 1,200-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath home, which would take at least four weeks using standard construction methods.
It's the first home owned by April Stringfield, who invested 300 hours of sweat equity with Habitat to qualify.
The big picture: 3D-printing technology is transforming the homebuilding process to help solve an affordable housing crisis as well as a shortage of skilled labor and rising material costs.
Zachary Mannheimer founded Alquist in 2020 and partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help solve the rural housing crisis.
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Its holiday time, and Florida Man is the gift that keeps on giving.
What is it this time? According to the Associated Press, Pinellas County sheriffs deputies stopped a vehicle that was driving without lights on. It was 4 a.m. on Saturday, still dark outside.
Deputies said they searched the car and found a gun, and searched the driver and found drugs wrapped around his penis. The man swore that the cocaine and meth were not his. He wasnt sure to whom they belonged.
No matter. We dont approve of drug-smuggling, but we admire creativity. And when it comes to that, this guy is the whole package.
By Gessika Thomas
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Haitians on Tuesday mourned victims of a fuel truck blast that killed 90 people last week, though many stayed home out of anger at the government amid a string of tragedies in a Caribbean nation plagued by gang violence, poverty and political turmoil.
The coffins of several of the victims, some draped in Haitian flags and flowers, were carried by firefighters through the streets to a church in Cap-Haitien, the country's second-largest city, where the explosion took place.
The death toll from the accident soared to 90 in little over a week as authorities pieced through the rubble, identifying the charred remains of many still missing following the massive blast. Others have since died in the hospital.
Residents facing chronic fuel shortages had flocked to the truck after it tipped over a week ago, hoping to extract fuel from it. Instead, the truck exploded, engulfing them and neighborhood homes in flames, officials said.
Residents interviewed by Reuters who attended the funeral said the government had not done enough for those who lost loved ones or their homes following the explosion, providing little support or relief.
"The government shouldn't treat us like this," said mourner Charite Jean, who lost 15 relatives in the blaze. "Where is the international community?"
Guylaine Charles, a neighborhood resident who lost seven of her children in the explosion, held a separate funeral in protest of the state's treatment.
She told Reuters she'd been unable to find the remains of five of them after they were swept into a mass grave.
"The Haitian state came with ... loaders and picked them all up. They threw them away without any conditions, without even the chance to identify our loved ones," she told Reuters.
The accident has cemented among some Haitians a sense of a societal crisis that has stirred anger against the government.
Kidnappings and violence have soared this year, added to the still-unsolved assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July. Weeks later, a devastating earthquake https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/magnitude-7-quake-strikes-western-haiti-usgs-2021-08-14 killed more than 2,000 people.
Fuel supplies in Haiti were severely limited in October and November after a coalition of gangs blocked transport trucks from accessing fuel port terminals in a bid to force the resignation of the interim prime minister, Ariel Henry. The gangs last month lifted the blockade, but Haitians continue struggling to obtain gasoline and diesel.
(Reporting by Gessika Thomas in Port-au-Prince and Reuters TV in Cap-Haitien, writing by Dave Sherwood)
Harvard University professor Charles Lieber was convicted Tuesday in connection with lying to U.S. federal authorities about his ties to China.
Driving the news: A federal jury in Boston found the 62-year-old former chair of Harvard University's chemistry and chemical biology department guilty of two counts of making false statements to federal authorities about a Chinese government recruitment program, per a Department of Justice statement.
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He was also found guilty of two counts of making and subscribing a false income tax return and two charges of failing to file reports of a foreign bank in China and financial accounts with the Internal Revenue Service.
Our thought bubble, via Axios China reporter Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian: The Lieber verdict comes as the DOJ's China Initiative faces intense scrutiny after a series of charges against ethnic Chinese scientists were dropped.
The big picture: Lieber had pleaded not guilty of all charges related to his affiliation with the Beijing-run Thousand Talents Program and China's Wuhan University of Technology (WUT).
"Under the terms of Liebers three-year Thousand Talents contract, WUT paid Lieber a salary of up to $50,000 per month, living expenses of up to $150,000 and awarded him more than $1.5 million to establish a research lab at WUT," per the DOJ.
"In 2018 and 2019, Lieber lied to federal authorities about his involvement in the Thousand Talents Plan and his affiliation with WUT."
What's next: The court has yet to schedule a sentencing date, but Lieber faces up to five years in prison for the making false statements charge, according to the DOJ.
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A Harvard chemistry professor was convicted on Tuesday for lying to authorities regarding his affiliation with a Chinese government educational program as well as failing to report income he made from a Chinese university.
Charles Lieber, chair of Harvard University's Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, was convicted on two counts of making false statements to federal authorities, two counts of failing to report foreign financial accounts with the IRS and two counts of making a false tax return.
Lieber was arrested in January of 2020 on Harvard's campus and accused of failing to disclose foreign financial conflicts of interest when he received over $15,000 in grant funding from both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense (DoD).
According to authorities, Lieber became a "Strategic Scientist" at Wuhan University of Technology in 2011 and was also a contractual participant of China's Thousand Talents Plan from 2012 to 2017. Harvard, which Lieber joined in 1991, was allegedly unaware of his work in China.
When asked about his involvement in the Thousand Talent Plan, Lieber told federal authorities that he was never asked to join the program, but said he "wasn't sure" how the Chinese government categorized him. According to authorities Lieber earned income from the Wuhan University of Technology during the 2013 and 2014 tax years in the form of salary.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Casey told a Boston federal jury that Charles Lieber, a renowned nanoscientist and former chair of Harvard's chemistry department, lied to U.S. investigators to protect his career and Nobel Prize ambitions https://t.co/iNUfhJ5xdG pic.twitter.com/sOzS4EDrHG - Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) December 21, 2021
Lieber, who has been diagnosed with late-stage lymphoma, according to The Harvard Crimson, is now facing several years in prison and potentially over $1 million in fines. The Hill has reached out to Lieber's attorney for comment.
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When reached by The Hill, Harvard University declined to comment on the verdict. The school also declined to comment on Lieber's employment status following his conviction.
Lieber had been placed on leave with pay before his trial began.
Lieber was charged under the "China Initiative," which was started by the Trump administration in 2018 with the mission of finding "economic" Chinese spies in the U.S. The initiative has been criticized for targeting and promoting racial profiling against U.S. college professors of Asian descent - particularly those with Chinese heritage.
Earlier this year, Stanford University professors asked the Department of Justice to end the China initiative, writing in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland that the program has "deviated significantly from its claimed mission."
They argued that the initiative is "harming the United States' research and technology competitiveness and it is fueling biases that, in turn, raise concerns about racial profiling."
- Updated at 10:11 a.m.
Today is Tuesday. Welcome to Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Subscribe here: thehill.com/newsletter-signup.
Follow The Hill's cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@millsrodrigo) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.
President Biden warned during a speech updating the nation on the COVID-19 pandemic that misinformation spreading on social media is leading to vaccine hesitancy.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of lawmakers are seeking action on a website that is reportedly encouraging users to kill themselves, and DHS is expanding its bug bounty program to cover a new, sweeping vulnerability that has left organizations worldwide open to attacks.
Let's jump into the news.
Biden: Misinformation fueling vax hesitancy
Misinformation spreading on social media platforms and cable television is fueling vaccine hesitancy, President Biden said Tuesday.
'Dangerous misinformation': "The unvaccinated are responsible for their own choices. But those choices have been fueled by dangerous misinformation on cable TV and social media," Biden said during remarks about the COVID-19 pandemic.
"These companies and personalities are making money by peddling lies and allowing misinformation that can kill their own customers and their own supporters. It's wrong. It's immoral. I call on the bearers of these lies and misinformation to stop it, stop it now," he added.
Biden's comments come as the omicron variant spreads across the country, now making up about three quarters of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Biden said that vaccinated Americans, especially those who have received a booster shot, will be largely protected from severe illness from the omicron variant and made a plea for anyone who has yet to get vaccinated to do so.
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"Let me say again and again and again and again, please get vaccinated. It's the only responsible thing to do. Those who are not vaccinated are causing hospitals to become overrun again," he said.
Building pressure: The latest comments build on the administration's pressure for social media companies to crack down on health misinformation.
In July, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory calling misinformation an "urgent threat" and calling for tech companies to take action against the false claims. At the time, Biden went so far as to say social media platforms are "killing people" by allowing the content but later walked it back by placing the blame on the spreaders of the misinformation using platforms like Facebook.
Read more here.
Website crackdown
a sign with information for the national suicide prevention lifeline
Congressional lawmakers are calling on technology companies to take the threat of websites that promote suicide seriously and limit their visibility after The New York Times published an investigation detailing how one such website allegedly contributed to the deaths of 45 individuals by suicide.
Wide array of lawmakers: A bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers issued a statement on Monday announcing it has requested briefings from search engines, web hosting companies, organizations that oversee content delivery networks and pertinent social media platforms to "better understand how this website is able to continue encouraging suicide."
"It is imperative that companies take the threat of such sites seriously and take appropriate steps to mitigate harm," the lawmakers added.
Briefings: They also said they have asked for briefings from the Department Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Surgeon General to "discuss this growing crisis and efforts to provide support for Americans and counter harmful online content."
Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) all signed the statement.
Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) led a bipartisan group of Congress members issuing a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday asking about options to take action on the site.
Read more here.
DHS EXPANDS BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expanding its recently announced bug bounty program for cyber vulnerabilities to include incentives for hackers to hunt down issues related to the Apache logging library log4j vulnerability.
The Hack DHS program, announced last week, will allow cybersecurity experts to hunt through some external DHS systems to find any vulnerabilities and to then receive payment for alerting DHS to those findings.
"In response to the recently discovered log4j vulnerabilities, @DHSgov is expanding the scope of our new #HackDHS bug bounty program and including additional incentives to find and patch log4j-related vulnerabilities in our systems," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tweeted Tuesday.
"In partnership with vetted hackers, the federal government will continue to secure nationwide systems and increase shared cyber resilience," he added.
Read more here.
Secret Service steps in
The U.S. Secret Service announced on Tuesday that it has chosen a senior agency official to lead the agency's efforts on the crackdown on COVID-19 financial scams.
The agency said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Roy Dotson of the Jacksonville, Fla., field office will serve as the National Pandemic Fraud Recovery Coordinator.
In a statement the agency said he will oversee "efforts across multiple ongoing Secret Service investigations into the fraudulent use of COVID-19 relief applications, with stolen benefits nearing $100 billion."
The agency said the release of money through the CARES Act - the $2 trillion relief package then-President Trump signed into law in March 2020 - attracted the attention of individuals and organized criminal groups throughout the world, adding that the exploitation of funds allocated during the pandemic is "an investigative authority" for the agency and its partners.
Read more here.
INTEL LAYS DOWN THE LAW
Intel has announced that unvaccinated employees who fail to meet the company's Jan. 4 vaccination deadline and do not receive a religious or medical exemption will soon be put on unpaid leave.
Unvaccinated employees' unpaid leave will begin in April, three months after the deadline, which was announced in November, according to The Associated Press.
The California-based tech company will consider employees' exemption requests until March 15. Then employees who do not receive an exemption will begin unpaid leave for a minimum of three months starting April 4.
Intel's Chief People Officer Christy Pambianchi confirmed that the employees on leave "will not be terminated" and will continue to receive their healthcare benefits while they are on leave, the AP reported.
Read more here.
BITS AND PIECES
An op-ed to chew on: New AI and free press standards fortify the fight against autocracy
Lighter click: These two things do not equate
Notable links from around the web:
The cybersecurity stories we were jealous of in 2021 (Vice Motherboard / Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai)
That fun TikTok video? It's actually an ad (The New York Times / Sapna Maheshwari)
Advertisers are sucking up student data, even after legal action, researchers say (CyberScoop / Tonya Riley)
One last thing: More NSO allegations
A United Arab Emirates (UAE) agency downloaded spyware from Israeli company NSO Group on to the phone of former reporter Jamal Khashoggi's wife months before Khashoggi's murder, new findings published Tuesday concluded.
The Washington Post cited findings from Citizen Lab that found that Hanan Elatr, then the fiance of Khashoggi, was arrested by UAE officials in Dubai in 2018. NSO Group's Pegasus software was downloaded onto her Android phone in just over a minute while she underwent hours of questions, with the phone returned to her days later.
"We found the smoking gun on her phone," Bill Marczak, a senior research fellow at Citizen Lab, told The Post after examining Elatr's phones.
Pegasus spyware has been used by governments and other groups to steal data, turn on microphones and record calls without the user knowing. NSO Group has come under fire in recent months for allegations that it had developed and sold Pegasus to foreign governments as a tool to spy on dissidents, journalists, and others.
A spokesperson for NSO Group strongly pushed back against the findings outlined by the Post on Tuesday.
Read more here.
That's it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill's technology and cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We'll see you Wednesday.
A look at some of today's top stories, the weather forecast and a peek back in history.
Bad air quality worsens during the "big four" holidays, when smoke from fireplaces and fireworks settles over the Phoenix area. Learn why holiday pollution forces many Valley residents to stay indoors.
Arizona is one of six states getting a federal emergency response team to help support strained hospitals in the ongoing COVID-19 surge, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday as part of his broader COVID-19 response plan, including the availability of at-home rapid tests.
Want to make your down-to-the-wire Christmas shopping easier for everyone, including yourself? Here's advice from favorite Phoenix small businesses.
Today, you can expect it to be mostly cloudy, with a high near 71 degrees. Cloudy at night, with a low near 57 degrees. Get the full forecast here.
Today in history
On this date in 1902, certain parts of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation were restored to the public domain by executive order.
In 1929, several boys, all under age 13, broke into a railroad car belonging to the Arizona Packing Co. in the Southern Pacific yards in Tucson and stole several whole hogs and assorted packages of pork. For most of the night, the Tucson Police Station resembled a packing house storage room as officers recovered and brought in loads of meat.
In 1936, the announcement was made that The Associated Press trunk line would establish a mainline office in Phoenix.
In 1944, during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, U.S. Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected a German demand for surrender, writing Nuts! in his official reply.
In 2011, a wave of 16 bombings ripped across Baghdad, killing at least 69 people in the worst violence in Iraq in months days after the last American forces left the country, heightening fears of a new round of sectarian bloodshed.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Holiday pollution forces many in Valley to stay indoors
A bedroom, bathroom, kitchen area and living room complete with a couch and a sense of security.
Theyre the things most take for granted, but for the hundreds of homeless living in and out of shared shelters in Bucks County, a private place to call home makes a world of difference.
With the addition of two private units, thats what the Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter is offering more than a roof over their heads but a sense of home. And hopefully, a place to start again.
Last August, the Family Service Association of Bucks County added two 787-square-foot, beige units behind its emergency shelter building in Bristol Township, on Library Way off New Falls Road, amid a spike in homelessness during the pandemic.
The 24-hour volunteer-run shelter, which serves as temporary housing for those in need of a safe and stable place to stay, can host around 75 people in its main building.
Between the shelter and 24 rooms at a local hotel, Family Service houses between 90 to 100 people in total.
Of those, one-third of the shelter's guests are children, and the new prefabricated homes allow another space for families to sleep in the same place, away from the communal quarters of the shelter.
The shelter's main building also has two private rooms with private bathrooms for families with children that can't be accommodated in either the men's or women's dorm rooms.
The new two one-bedroom houses were initially put in place to quarantine people who had COVID-19.
The entire year, we didn't have anyone who was COVID positive by the time we added these, so we said we'll have them open for people who are positive, but also for larger family groups, said shelter director Murielle Kelly.
At the time of interview, the shelter had its first COVID case with a family quarantining in one of the homes.
This prefabricated home, one of two located behind the Family Service Association of Bucks County in Langhorne, can house one larger family at a time.
The two modular units behind the Family Service Association of Bucks County each include a single bedroom with bunk beds.
They're now open to any family that is referred by the Family Service that needs housing, regardless of COVID status.
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The homes have a bedroom with bunk beds, a bathroom, living room, storage space and a kitchen area with no stove or refrigerator, as the shelter has a chef prepare nutritious meals for its guests.
In addition to larger families with either small or teenage children, the spaces are open to those who cant be accommodated inside the main shelter or if theres no space at the motel, Kelly said.
There are four beds in there; we had one family when they moved in, and (the mother) said, Oh, we'll just sleep out here, Kelly said, referring to the living room space.
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The fact that you can have a sense of privacy from the children, and this is something that you don't get in other settings, is nice, she said. You definitely feel a sense of home.
About five families have lived in the units since August, and the usual limit for each stay is 60 days.
But since the pandemic began, the length of time has sometimes gone up to 80 or 90 days per stay at the shelter as a whole.
The Family Service Association of Bucks County in Langhorne now offers additional private housing to larger families in the two modular units located behind the main building.
"Some people are staying longer than usual," Kelly said. "It just depends on the family, what's happening with them and what their situation is."
The number of people experiencing a housing crisis ballooned during the pandemic, with the average number of calls to the Bucks County Housing Link going up from around 800 calls to 3,000 per month, according to the Family Service.
"It's staggering in a wealthy county like Bucks County to know that this level of need exists," said Family Service CEO Julie Dees.
The Bucks County Department of Housing and Community Developments annual point-in-time homeless count from January showed 288 people living in transitional housing, emergency shelters or outdoors. Its a 13.5% drop from the January 2020 count.
"I like that we're able to bring awareness to the fact that, even in a wealthy county, there is significant need," Dees said.
Emergency shelter volunteers also work to help individuals and families experiencing homelessness get back on their feet.
While at the shelter, the people staying there have access to help searching for jobs and even transportation to job interviews.
"We have case managers who work intently with the residents to help them successfully move into permanent housing," said Dees of their efforts to deal with the underlying factors of homelessness.
"We have funds to help support their move into an apartment/unit and to help with the purchase of furnishings if needed," she said.
Forty-eight percent of the households the Family Service served in 2020 had successful permanent housing placements.
The organization's housing, including the two modular homes, are free to the guests, with everything funded by government programs or donations.
Related: Bucks County's hotel homeless living on the edge, but say its better than the streets. Here's a look inside
Federal CARES grant funding paid for the $500,000 project cost, according to Dees, who said the original idea from the Bucks County Department of Housing was to expand and build onto the existing shelter building.
Logistically, and for a whole lot of reasons, that just wasn't going to work, Dees said.
We were just kicking around ideas, like what can we do?, and somebody (said), how about mobile units?, she said. "So that's what we did.
A look inside one of the modular homes behind the Family Service Association of Bucks County.
Each of the modular units behind the Family Service Association of Bucks County has a full bathroom for families to use.
The families that have lived in the homes thus far have enjoyed having their own space and the feeling of being settled.
We had a person in a wheelchair, and it was him, his wife and I believe five or six children, Kelly recalled.
The first day we showed him the private unit, he just sat in his wheelchair, looking out into the sunset like, This is home, she said.
Upon seeing them for the first time, some local county officials were fans of the units, as well.
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"They said, 'I wish we could have a whole field of these units,' which would be wonderful," Dees said.
In reality, the homes are expensive to build, she added, and down the line, officials are aware that there will be expenses for upkeep and maintenance for the two they currently have.
"I do think we need at least a solid year of having these to understand the financial impact," she said.
Community members had initially expressed concerns about the units at a county meeting, worrying that the two new units might attract more homeless people to the area.
But Family Service says they havent experienced those issues.
Its been quiet, Kelly said. People really just want to feel at home, they just want to be off the street, have someplace warm to stay, have food to eat, and be able to provide for themselves and family.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County shelter offer homeless families new units for safety, privacy
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) Bosnian officials and religious leaders on Wednesday denounced suggestions voiced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his spokesman that the integration of Bosnia into the European Union will be challenging because of its large Muslim population.
Orbans spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has tweeted that the challenge with Bosnia is how to integrate a country with 2 million Muslims.
During his long speech on Tuesday in Budapest, right-wing populist Orban said Hungary supports Bosnias EU bid, adding that as an EU member, Hungary had to mobilize a lot of energy to overcome the enlargement fatigue that has taken hold of the European Union.
I am doing my best to convince Europes great leaders that the Balkans may be further away from them than from Hungary, but how we manage the security of a state in which 2 million Muslims live is a key issue for their security too.
Reaction in Bosnia was sharp, with some Bosniak parties asking for a ban on Orbans planned official visit to Sarajevo and the head of the Islamic community, Reisu-l-ulema Kavazovic, calling his statement xenophobic and racist.
If such ideologies become the basis on which the policies of a united Europe are based, then it takes us back to the times when the European unity was to be build on similar fascist, Nazi, violent and genocidal ideologies that led to the Holocaust and other horrific crimes, he said in a statement.
The Bosniak member of the countrys tripartite presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic, called Orbans statement shameful and rude.
It is not a challenge for the EU to integrate 2 million (Bosnian) Muslims, because we are an indigenous European people who have always lived here and we are Europeans, he said.
Bosnia, which is made up of Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, is going through its gravest political crisis since the end of the civil war in the 1990s. With tacit support from Russia and Serbia, Bosnian Serbs are threatening to form their own army, judiciary and tax authority, reviving fears of another bloody breakup of the Balkan country.
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During his speech on Tuesday, Orban also said Hungary wouldn't support EU sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik as threatened by Germany and some other member states because of his separatist stands.
Sarajevo has lost its nerve, it is attacking everyone -- Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, now Hungary. Not to mention Russia, Dodik said Wednesday, referring to support he has allegedly received from those countries.
Orban has been known for his anti-migration policies, claiming Muslim migrants are the greatest threat to Europes Christian values. He has also been supporting quick accession of Serbia into the EU despite the increasingly autocratic policies of his ally, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
More than 100,000 people were killed and millions were left homeless during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia when Bosnian Serbs tried to create ethnically pure territories in order to join them with neighboring Serbia.
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Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.
A Monroe infant whose donated organs helped save the lives of two others will be honored at this year's Rose Parade New Year celebration.
The Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency will sponsor a floragraph, a portrait made of flowers and seeds, of John Clarke Perry on the Donate Life float in the Jan. 1 parade in Pasadena, California. The parade kicks off the annual Rose Bowl college football game.
John Clarke died of an abnormal vessel malformation at 6 months old in November 2015. His parents, Jonathan and Holley Perry, then made the decision to donate his heart and lungs to other children in need.
John Clarke's heart was donated to Davis Boswell, an Auburn, Alabama, infant who battled illness shortly after his birth.
The family of John Clarke Perry holds a florograph of the late infant. The portrait, made of flowers and seeds, will appear on a float in the Rose Bowl parade New Year's Day.
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"After we donated his organs, we found out through a mutual friend on Facebook that they thought they knew who got his heart," Jonathan Perry said. "Through some research on Facebook the night that John Clarke passed away, there was a boy in Auburn, Alabama, that received the heart that was the same age as John Clarke, and they had told us that 6-month-old babies don't need hearts, it's just very rare. Ironically, they were telling the Boswell family the same thing, and their son needed a heart. It just so happened that the Lord put us together and the heart ended up being a perfect fit."
John-Clarke Perry will be one of 36 individuals honored with a floragraph on the Donate Life float. Each year, the float features three types of participants: riders who are recipients of organs, walkers who are living organ donors, and "floragraph families" whose loved ones are honored with memorial portraits of deceased organ and tissue donors.
MOR: Monroe child's heart beats on in Alabama boy
The Donate Life float will travel five-and-a half miles down Colorado Boulevard. The Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency has honored donors from different parts of the state each year and has sponsored a floragraph on the float for the last 16 years.
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Jonathan Perry said God continues to bless his family with something new to keep John Clarke's memory alive.
"Everything's coming full circle and then all of sudden getting a call about this Rose Parade, it's just another year going to reach people about organ donation," Perry said.
Perry said his entire family wife, Holley; three daughters, Emarie, Ella, and Evie Clarke; and mother, Carolyn will attend the parade and other festivities.
"One of the neat things is we actually get to go work on the float, me and my wife do where there's different shifts," Perry said. "You can sign up for 24 shifts to get it ready for the final parade. We've got an 8 to 12 that we'll actually be working on the float, cutting flowers and actually helping with the process."
More: Heart of LSU Tiger beats in Auburn boy, joins families
Community educator Leah Lopez of the Louisiana organ agency described John Clarke as a hero. She said the infant's story has inspired people who learn about registering for organ donation.
"The Perrys are tremendous advocates for donation and actively seek out opportunities to share John Clarke's story," Perry said. "We felt they were a wonderful fit for this year's theme, 'Courage to Hope,' because they have often said donating John Clarke's organs gave them peace and hope."
The parade will air on KNOE-TV and other stations across Louisiana at 10 a.m. Jan. 1.
Follow Ian Robinson on Twitter @_irobinson and on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3vln0w1.
Support local journalism by subscribing at https://cm.thenewsstar.com/specialoffer.
This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Infant organ donor from Monroe to be honored in Rose Parade
Sheikh Attia Omara, second from right in the back row, meets with religious leaders from the Austin area as part of interfaith efforts to build relationships between primarily Muslim, Christian and Jewish groups.
Sheikh Attia Omara said he feels he preaches better in the unique atmosphere out in Lake Travis area, which he has visited regularly as the community has started the early stages of building a mosque. For this reason, among others, he said he was excited to begin his new role as the imam for the Islamic Center of Lake Travis in early December.
Omara grew up in Egypt, where he attended school to become an imam. He moved to Austin in 2012 and took a job at the Islamic Center of Greater Austin and the Austin Peace Academy. He is taking over the job after a two-year vacancy left when Sheikh Mohamed-Umer Esmail, a well known member of the Austin Muslim community, died in September 2019.
I want to be part of building a new community. Most of the communities here in Austin are established, he said. I want to be part of building the community there in terms of programs, activities, building relations with neighbors and communities, other faiths and building this connection.
Sheikh Attia Omara grew up in Egypt and moved to Austin in 2012. He is taking over the job of imam at the Islamic Center of Lake Travis after a two-year vacancy.
As he takes on his new role, Omara is also studying to receive his PhD in Islamic studies with a minor in religious studies at the University of Texas. When he first arrived in the United States, he received his masters in adult and community education at Texas State University.
He said his first priority is to build connections with people in the Muslim community in Lake Travis.
The first thing is to build trust with community members, so to get to know everyone, he said. We've been doing programs like community potlucks, and we did a welcome dinner so that I can meet everyone.
More: 'A month of reflection and prayer' Muslim community celebrates second pandemic Ramadan
Shakeel Rashed, a board member at the center, said that hiring a new imam was the communitys big goal this year.
We had some very specific requirements. Our mosque is quite diverse in attendance, we have people from all over the place, he said. So we were looking for somebody who appreciates that diversity and promotes inclusion.
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Rashed said that one of the reasons Omara was a good fit is because of his experience teaching and working with kids.
The thing that our community is always most concerned about is the next generation, he said. And because (Sheikh Omara) was a teacher at the Austin Peace Academy, we know he is able to work with kids and ... he can get them more involved with ICLT.
With the new imam in place, Rashed said the community will focus on planning for a new mosque building. The center was building a mosque in 2017 when the site caught fire and burned the construction to the ground. Federal and local authorities investigated the possibility of arson but Travis County Fire Marshal Tony Callaway said at the time that the cause of the fire may never be known.
Rashed said the community is ready to continue its efforts toward building anew.
Its build time, he said. Now we actually have a leader who will be able to help us grow this community and sustain us. We always have plans for expanding the building and all of those things but what we are looking for right now is his ability to bring more people and engage more people within our community.
More: Lake Travis school district reaches next step in strategic planning process
Omara said he is also working on connecting with the community in Lake Travis beyond the center, including with other religious leaders in the area and in Austin as part of interfaith efforts to build relationships between primarily Muslim, Christian and Jewish groups in the area.
He said his philosophy as an imam is that when you help people grow spiritually, the benefits of that growth expand outward into the entire community.
Helping people grow spiritually is very important, he said. When we do that, you help individuals and you help the community at large because when people have this connection with God and they have the trust, and they have the concept of being faithful to God all the time, in my opinion it makes them more devoted citizens as well. So spirituality is the number one priority for me and I believe from spirituality so much good can come out.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Islamic Center of Lake Travis welcomes new imam after over two years
Jacob Elordi talks about objectification she faces as a man in Hollywood (AFP via Getty Images)
Jacob Elordi has spoken candidly about the objectification he faces as a Hollywood star, with the actor explaining that its definitely frustrating.
The Euphoria star, 24, discussed his experience, especially during his role in The Kissing Booth, during an interview with Mens Health, where he revealed that you learn quickly that what people take away from those movies is your stature and your figure.
You have all sorts of aged people around the world only talking about what you look like, he continued.
Elordi also acknowledged that men are often overlooked in conversations about objectification and unwanted attention, and that people may not realise their attitude is contributing to the problem because they are just following what they see on their screens.
I dont think its really a conversation that people have in regards to men, he said. It doesnt keep me up at night, but its definitely frustrating.
According to The Kissing Booth star, even on set he isnt free from the attention on his appearance, as he noted that there have been times where hes been objectified while hes been getting changed.
Youll go to a shoot and youll be getting changed or something, and someones like: Oooaaah, would you look? Can you imagine if I said to a woman: Daaaaamn, look at your waist! the star said, adding that he would never do that but believes other people feel comfortable doing so because they see it on their screens.
While Elordi said that he isnt seriously concerned by the global focus on his looks, he did note that the effect it may eventually have on his self-worth worries him, as he acknowledged that its a slippery slope to put all your value into the vanity of what your body looks like as your body is going to deteriorate.
This is not the first time Elordi has opened up about the issue he has with the focus being on his appearance, as he previously revealed that he was bothered by the attention on his body in the first of the three The Kissing Booth films.
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Prior to filming, the Australian actor had implemented a rigorous fitness regime because it said it in the script, he told Mens Health in July 2020, and because he wanted to live up to the expectations for his character.
However, the subsequent attention on his body, both on-screen during shirtless scenes, and from fans of the films, really bothered him, as everyone wanted to talk about my body.
At the time, I was super young and got thrown into a world where everyone wanted to talk about my bodyit really f***ing bothered me, he revealed. I dont identify with that whatsoever. I was trying to prove myself and be known as an actor.
While speaking with the outlet, Elordi noted that he had since found a more functional workout regime that prioritised his mental and physical health and better suited him, as it aligned with his goal to walk and run with my grandkids when Im eighty-something.
A jury found prominent Harvard chemistry and engineering professor Charles Lieber guilty of lying to federal investigators regarding his reception of Chinese funding for research projects.
The Justice Department accused Lieber, a nanoscience specialist, in January 2020 of concealing his involvement with Chinas thousand talents program, a government-funded initiative meant to foster scientific research. On Tuesday the jury in his trial found Lieber guilty of all six resulting charges, including two counts each of making false statements to investigators, failure to report a foreign bank account, and filing a false tax return.
Liebers defense team maintained that the professors actions were careless and not criminal in nature.
If there was a Nobel Prize for inventing something out of nothing, the governments case would win it, Liebers lawyer Marc Mukasey told jurors.
Video recordings of meetings with investigators showed Lieber explaining that he was paid in cash in China and held a bank account with over $200,000, although he did not end up using the money because he didnt believe it was the right thing. Prosecutors displayed evidence that Lieber signed a thousand talents agreement with the Wuhan University of Technology, and received up to $50,000 a month in salary.
Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department began a number of investigations into scientists receiving funding while working at American college campuses.
More from National Review
Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. As of this afternoon, most K-12 schools in Rhode Island are on holiday break. A big salute and thank-you to the teachers, and students, who have gotten through these last few months. And while things are likely to be choppy for a while, we all hope that this school year can get back to something resembling normal before it ends.
I didn't have a COVID numbers update in yesterday's newsletter because the Department of Health data were delayed. So here is the data for the last two days, combined: 17 COVID-related deaths, and 2,826 additional cases, along with 41,424 negative tests, for a 6.4% positive rate. There were 276 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, with 39 in intensive care.
It's been difficult to make sense of the Health Department data this week the state added a large number of "reinfections" from the past as new cases, and the hospitalization number seemed to have fallen early this week, but was later revised back upward. The hospitalization number is now about the same as it was a week ago, while new cases over the last seven days are also flat from a week ago, and up 19% from two weeks ago.
For the second week in a row, Foster had the highest COVID infection rate in the state last week, followed by Johnston and Coventry.
With demand soaring entering the holidays, Rhode Island opened two more rapid-testing sites. The available appointments were snapped up quickly.
Lifespan announced today that it will require proof of vaccination for most hospital visitors, starting Monday.
Nearly 50 years ago, when Dick Fossa first ran for the Town Council in North Providence, he did it reluctantly, only after a hard sell by the former mayor Sal Mancini. A half-century later, Fossa has never left the political game. Now chief of staff to the current mayor, Charlie Lombardi, Fossa has no plans to retire, even at age 85. Recently he spent time with The Journal's Tom Mooney to talk about his remarkable career, so far including that time he did the nearly impossible by upstaging Buddy Cianci.
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House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi reports that Rhode Island lawmakers are closer than ever to granting driver's licenses to people who are not in the country legally.
Marking the end to one of the state's saddest cases of child neglect, a judge sentenced Michele Rothgeb to 18 years in prison in the death of her adopted daughter and the mistreatment of other children in her care.
The owners of the East Side culinary institution Chez Pascal are selling their restaurant and moving to Singapore.
Finally, if you like to read about holiday traditions, some of Gail Ciampa's loyal readers shared their food-centric memories of Christmases past.
Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please encourage a friend to sign up.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The remarkable political career of North Providence's Dick Fossa
The students love their new gender-neutral uniform but conservative groups are upset
A row has broken out in the southern Indian state of Kerala after a government school allowed teenage female students to wear trousers. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi and Ashraf Padanna in Kerala explain the controversy over clothes.
On Wednesday morning, when Sringi CK waited at the bus stop to catch a bus to school in her brand new uniform, a compliment from an unknown woman made her feel special.
"This lady told me that I looked very smart and I felt very proud," the 17-year-old, who studies in class 11 at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in the town of Balussery, told the BBC.
But once Sringi reached school, she had to make her way through a throng of protesters - kept in check by dozens of policemen - who were unhappy that girls could now wear trousers and shirts, just like the boys.
Until the changeover, female students wore traditional long tunics, loose fitting trousers and waistcoats.
School principal Indu R told the BBC that last year girls, who are now in class 12, suggested they should be allowed to wear the same uniform as the boys.
She said she saw merit in their proposal since "most of our students wear jeans and tops outside like teenage girls anywhere else in the world" and the waistcoat was not suited for Kerala's humid weather.
"So we discussed it with the staff and then called a meeting of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The majority agreed so we decided to switch," Mrs Indu said.
"Only one or two parents expressed concern about the gender-neutral uniform and we told them that girls could wear longer shirts with full sleeves, they could wear a headscarf and even the waistcoat if they wanted.
"But very few girls have chosen them," she added.
Mrs Indu sent the BBC photos of a group of students in their new uniform, taking selfies, doing fist bumps, laughing and literally jumping for joy.
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Conservative Muslim groups are opposed to the new uniform for girls
Sringi, who's part of the group, says she loves her new uniform because it's "very comfortable" and allows her to be "very flexible".
"Ours is the first government higher secondary school that's gone for the unisex uniform. I feel like I'm part of a revolution," she adds.
The uniform change has the blessings of the Kerala government.
"The dress code and the entire system of schooling should change with the times," Education Minister V Sivankutty told the BBC. "We hope more schools will join the initiative to create awareness among teenage students against gender discrimination early."
But the new uniform has not gone down well with conservative Muslim groups who say their children are being "forced" to wear the new outfits.
"The decision was taken without calling a general body meeting of the PTA and now our girls are being forced to wear trousers and shirts like boys. It's also a huge financial burden on poorer families," said Mujahid Balussery, a member of the Muslim Coordination Committee against unisex uniforms.
But a bigger concern for Mr Balussery is his belief that a uniform change is part of the state's Communist government "agenda to impose their atheistic ideology on children" which he says will lead them astray.
"We cannot compromise on our faith," he says. "Girls and boys must keep their distinctive identities. Allowing girls to dress up like boys is like initiating them into free sex. It will lead to sexual liberation by ending gender differentiation."
Similar comments by other Muslim religious groups in the past week have evoked sharp criticism from many in Kerala and the rest of India, with critics saying it is an attempt by orthodox groups to impose restrictions on girls.
Kerala is often described as India's most literate and progressive state. It's often cited as the only state in the country that has achieved 100% literacy.
Girls make up 48.96% of total student enrolments in schools and a majority go on to acquire university degrees.
The previous school uniform was different for boys and girls
But critics say deep-rooted misogyny makes Kerala as patriarchal as the rest of India.
Principal Indu says the fuss over the new uniform is especially surprising since female students in many private schools in Kerala already wear trousers, and a government junior school had switched to unisex uniforms for younger children in 2018.
The idea behind introducing the new uniform, she says, is only "gender neutrality".
"From the time children are born, we differentiate between boys and girls - we buy them different toys, boys get guns and cars while girls get dolls, boys are dressed in blue while girls wear pink, and as they grow, their shoes and clothes become different too.
"But I think if girls feel more comfortable and confident in trousers and shirts, then they should be allowed to wear them. I feel all children should be given the same freedoms and same opportunities."
The owners of a now-defunct Key West staffing agency were charged by federal prosecutors this week with conspiring to facilitate the hiring of more than 100 undocumented workers by area bars, restaurants and hotels and to withhold income and employment taxes.
One of the owners, Igor Kasyanenko, was a decorated Key West police officer at the time the alleged crimes were committed, federal prosecutors say.
Another owner and an employee are also charged with knowingly providing Keys businesses with workers they knew or had reason to believe were not authorized to work in the United States, according to the Dec. 20 charging document.
Phoenix ADB Services owners Kasyanenko and Roman Riabov face a maximum five-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine if convicted on a charge each of conspiracy to defraud the United States. And, Phoenix owner Mikus Berzins and employee Andrejs Kozlovs face the same sentence on a charge each of knowingly hiring at least 10 aliens.
Riabov, Berzins and Kozlovs could not be reached for comment. A voicemail to a cell phone listed to a realty practice operated by Kasyanenko was not returned.
The U.S. Attorneys Office did not immediately respond to a question asking if the men were taken into custody.
The men were charged by an information brought by federal prosecutors, not by a grand jury. According to the charging document, Berzins, Kasyanenko and Riabov owned and operated Phoenix from October 2014 to October 2020. Kozlovs worked for the firm from August 2016 to October 2020.
The charging document states that Kasyanenko and Riabov entered into written contracts and verbal agreements with hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and elsewhere to provide labor staffing services.
Prosecutors say the clients knew or had reason to believe that the workers Phoenix provided werent authorized to work in the U.S. and that federal income and employment taxes were not being withheld from their gross wages.
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Berzins and Kozlovs are accused of helping various hospitality businesses not named in the information hire dozens of workers whom all involved knew were not authorized to work in the country.
Kasyanenko resigned from the Key West Police Department on July 25 after having worked there for seven years, according to police spokeswoman Alyson Crean.
He received a department commendation in August 2018, along with two colleagues, for stopping a 17-year-old boy from committing suicide by jumping off the roof of the Habana Plaza earlier that year. While one officer distracted the boy, Kasyanenko and another officer climbed onto the roof, sneaked up behind him and grabbed him before he could jump, according to the commendation.
Before he left, he was making $77,343 a year. While with KWPD, he was given written reprimands in January 2016 and in April 2016. The one in April was reduced from a 12-hour suspension from disciplinary action on Jan. 15, 2016.
Case reports were not available Tuesday, Crean said. He received counseling from a supervisor three times in 2015, but details were not available either on Tuesday.
Kasyanenko also has an active real estate broker license in Florida that was issued in 2020, according to the state license search website.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi in his State House office.
Rhode Island lawmakers appear closer than ever to granting driver's licenses to people not in the country legally and making big investments in housing affordability.
Those issues, along with marijuana legalization, should be on the agenda when the General Assembly returns next year, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi told The Journal in a wide-ranging interview previewing the year ahead.
That's if the COVID-19 pandemic doesn't derail the start of next year's legislative session.
'Heartbreaking milestone': RI COVID deaths hit 3,000 as Gov. Dan McKee tries to combat COVID surge
Shekarchi on Tuesday said he expects the House will convene in the State House in January and not move to a venue with more space and better ventilation, something he did last year and the Senate is considering again as infections rise.
While Shekarchi hopes his members wear masks, with Republicans objecting to Gov. Dan McKee's mask mandate, he is not requiring it.
Shekarchi said in the House floor lawmakers will have to wear a mask only if they are unvaccinated, as would be the case in a business holding 250 or fewer people.
Any unvaccinated lawmakers will be asked to sit upstairs in one of the two House galleries a floor above the chamber.
The other gallery will be reserved for House members who don't feel comfortable being around mask-less colleagues.
"We'll ask, and if they are vaccinated, they don't have to wear a mask," Shekarchi said. "If they don't want to tell us we will ask them politely to go to the gallery."
'Now is the time to act': Opening day for Rhode Island's latest masking mandate
On the first day back in session, the House, like the Senate, expects to vote on spending $119 million in federal American Rescue Plan money and likely override more than one of McKee's summer vetoes.
McKee vetoed three bills in July and Shekarchi said the House is seriously considering a three-fifths override vote on two of them.
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RI towns are in for a big payday: Here's how your town's spending COVID-relief money.
One involves auto-body shop mark-ups and would declare an insurer guilty of an "unfair claims practice" for ''refusing to compensate an auto body shop for their documented charges'' for paint, body and refinishing materials if they reflect automotive industry-recognized costs.
A second veto facing an override called for a registry of short-term rentals through websites such as Airbnb and VRBO.
The call for a short-term rentals database originated on tourist-heavy Aquidneck Island with the support of municipal leaders and residents who feel neighborhood streets are being transformed into hotel districts.
Immigrant licenses
After years of unsuccessful lobbying by immigrant-rights advocates, the Senate for the first time in June passed a bill that would allow the issuance of driver's licenses to people living in Rhode Island who are "unable to establish legal presence in the United States."
But the House had already passed the state budget and didn't take up the issue on the grounds that the Division of Motor Vehicles would have no way to pay for the program.
On Tuesday, Shekarchi said the initial license program had cost $7 million, but by charging more for those licenses than for a traditional driver's license, "we can work that down to a more reasonable number."
He said the state is looking at a permit system based on what is issued in Virginia.
"The Virginia model spells out what the driver's license does and does not do," Shekarchi said. "It cannot be used for voting and for things other than a driver's license, no naturalization rights."
Affordable housing
Asked how he thinks the state should spend the bulk of the $1.1 billion the state got from the American Rescue Plan, Shekarchi said that will be worked out through the normal House budget process that typically ends in June.
The one other thing he said about the money is that Rhode Islanders should expect some of it will go to housing, one of his long-time policy interests.
And the House might go further on housing than just new spending. Shekarchi is looking at overhauling the state's land-use laws.
"The zoning laws need to be looked at," he said. "They are impediments to affordable housing. Everyone wants affordable housing, but no one wants it in their back yard."
Specifically, Shekarchi said potential reforms include stricter enforcement of the law requiring that 10% of a community's homes be affordable and making it easier to convert factories, schools and other properties to housing.
And he is not ruling out more radical changes, like California's legalization of "accessory dwelling units" on residential properties, effectively getting rid of pure single-family zoning.
"It is something that needs to be looked at," he said.
'Superman Building'
Shekarchi said the owner of Rhode Island's tallest building, Providence's vacant Industrial Trust Building, has not asked the House for anything to help renovate the building.
More: Should Providence buy the 'Superman building'?
But Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor in September told Shekarchi he thinks a deal might be made to convert the tower to apartments and offices using existing programs.
RI Foundation: Use federal COVID aid to build homes, not to fix Superman Building
Shoreline access
Shekarchi anticipated legislation would emerge from a study led by Rep. Terri Cortvriend, and he said it's the kind of effort that has produced a lot of "misinformation."
Among the false issues he cited: that strangers would be able to set up their beach chairs and umbrellas in the backyards of waterfront homeowners, or sue for "slip-and-fall" injuries if allowed to exercise their constitutionally given right to shoreline access.
Commission seeks clarity: How much of RI's shoreline is the public entitled to?
Nursing homes
While not ruling out a "possible delay in all or part" of the new minimum-staffing requirements lawmakers imposed earlier this year on nursing homes, Shekarchi said legislative action may not be necessary.
He said the new law gives "a lot of latitude to the director of the Department of Health," who can declare the severe staffing shortage across much of the state's medical landscape including the nursing homes as an "unforeseen event."
"Maybe it's a delay of the penalties,'' or something else, he said. "We are working with the industry ... [and] our partners in government in the Senate. I also will talk to my members as well."
Marijuana
After negotiating all summer and fall with McKee and Senate leaders, Shekarchi again said an agreement on legalizing recreational marijuana is close and he expects to release a framework plan next month.
The sticking point has been whether a Senate-approved commission or the Department of Business Regulation will issue licenses; Shekarchi said talks are centered on a "hybrid" model, but would not elaborate.
What's next for pot in New England in 2022: VT sales starting, MA equity issues, RI says it's close and more.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI closer to driver's licenses for people not in the country legally
Tiktok lawyer begs followers to stop inundating him with confessions (Screengrab/ TikTok/@loloverruled)
A lawyer on TikTok is begging followers who see him as their attorney to not share their legal problems with him on TikTok.
Alex Peter, known on TikTok as @loloverruled, shared a video on TikTok on Sunday telling users that he was not their defence attorney.
I need to tell you something that is happening to me. Because a lot of you are saying that I am your defence attorney. I am not your defence attorney. I am not, he said.
I know its funny, but I am scared you guys are going to get me in trouble.
And you keep adding me in videos. And sometimes other people arent seeing these videos. But I am seeing these videos. And theyre saying their crimes. Stop doing that. I am not your lawyer, he said.
Mr Peter, who has over 580,000 followers, has made multiple videos sharing legal rights citizens have, including the right to remain silent and the right to have an attorney.
His followers appear to see him as their counsel and refer to him in their comments as our lawyer, which had led Mr Peter to implore them to stop.
His followers though have doubled down after Sundays video and have commented claiming more legal problems. Most of the followers, however, are likely joking.
Mr Peter has made a series of videos making fun of his plight on the video sharing platform.
Youre not just A criminal defence attorney. Youre OUR criminal defence attorney, wrote one user, prompting Mr Peter to make a video of the comment with a bemused expression on his face and The Red Army Choir playing in the background.
In one video, Mr Peter has put a caption on himself that read: Going to law school at my dream school and getting into a career in public defence so I can help people in tough situations.
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People asking if they can take ducks from the park, read the second caption, referring to one of the questions he had received on TikTok.
Is it illegal to take ducks from a park? Also do you want to see my totally not stolen park ducks? a follower had asked Mr Peter, of which he made a video of himself pouring a bottle of vodka as the theme music from Stanley Kubricks horror classic The Shining plays in the background.
His followers however, have not given in to his pleas to stop sharing their legal problems and continued to comment on the video with jokes.
Answer the question lawboy, wrote one user named Jenna.
Another user called Nik commented, Okay if not ducks.... squirrels? Squirrels fight dirty, so I need them for my fight club. That has to be legal, right?
Mr Peter said that while the situation was funny, he will continue to tell users to stop sharing their legal woes on TikTok.
I have made it very clear to everyone that while I am a lawyer, I am not their lawyer, and the things they write online are for public consumption, he told viral content aggregator The Daily Dot.
I think its very clear its a big joke, like when people admit to doing absurd thingslike pouring their milk before they poured their cereal, assassinating Abraham Lincoln, or doing some crime at a place that doesnt exist before that person was even born (thinking about the infamous Applebees incident in Dunwich, Oklahoma).
But as always I would reiterate: I am NOT your attorney and I also think its generally a bad idea to post that kind of stuff online, even in jest. I hope they stop doing it!
Despite his pleas, his fanbase appear to adore him and have helped him obtain supplies for social workers after the lawyer dropped an Amazon wish list.
He shared a video thanking them for their kindness with the caption Incredible kindness.
QuikTrip is among the new-to-OKC brands coming to the metro area in 2022.
The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday approved a zoning request to allow for the city's first QuikTrip truck stop location.
The Tulsa-based convenience store chain will set up shop at 4000 E Hefner Road, with the property planned along the southwest corner of the nearby Interstate 35 Service Road and Hefner Road.
"This solidifies it is coming, and it is a QuikTrip right by Frontier City. I don't know about y'all, but I'm excited about it," said Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice during the final hearing for the proposal Tuesday morning. "They assured me they plan on being good neighbors for their first store in Oklahoma City."
QuikTrip, Costco, or maybe Buc'ees?: Here's a look at new stores coming to OKC in 2022
Rendering of the planned QuikTrip truck stop to be located along Hefner Road and Interstate 35 Service Road.
With a unanimous vote, absent Ward 3 Councilwoman Barbara Young and Ward 5 Councilman David Greenwell, the council approved the planned unit development district designation for the location, which will house one of the chain's larger stores meant for heavier traffic.
"QuikTrip Corp. has been focused on expanding the footprint of our travel center network to geographies with strong truck traffic across the United States. We are excited to consider Oklahoma City as a potential market for our remote travel center concept, Aisha Jefferson-Smith, QuikTrips corporate communications manager, told The Oklahoman in September before plans were announced.
The company still has no plans to add additional, smaller convivence stores in the metro area. At this time it is unclear when construction of the truck stop is expected to begin or be completed.
Previously: QuikTrip considers Oklahoma City for travel center expansion
The new truck stop location will be located near Frontier City and will serve nearby highway traffic.
The chain has 900 locations across the country, with 81 in Oklahoma, but dating back to the company's origins has never opened a store in Oklahoma City.
Over the years the reason for QuikTrip's absence from the city has been attributed to a saturated convenience store market and what some believe to be a longstanding agreement between Bill Brown, former owner of Oklahoma City 7-Eleven locations, and QuikTrip co-founder Chester Cadieux.
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While there is no evidence of an official agreement, or that of a "gentlemen's agreement," in 2019 former QuikTrip spokesman Mike Thornbrugh chalked up the decision to stay away from Oklahoma City as "old school respect."
In a 2014 story in the Tulsa World, Cadieux said Brown gave him business advice and helped him during the early stages of QuikTrip's existence.
If it wasn't for Brown, we wouldn't be in business, Cadieux said. As long as Brown's family owns those stores, it would be unconscionable to open there.
The Brown family sold its local 7-Eleven stores in January 2020.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC's first QuikTrip gas station gets zoning approval
The Newark man charged with stabbing a woman in Belleville last month was identified by his child in a statement to police, records show.
Termaine Pines, 48, of Newark, was arrested Sunday at a Trenton homeless shelter. He was charged with attempted murder, burglary, aggravated assault and weapons offenses, related to a home invasion and bloody attack on Nov. 20 in a Van Rensselaer Street home.
The victim, a 54-year-old woman who lived in the building with her mother, arrived at the house and allegedly found Pines inside. He attacked her, leaving her bloodied and calling for help as he fled, prosecutors have said. The mother was found dead inside the house. A medical examiner has not yet determined the manner and cause of the older woman's death.
In a statement given to detectives one week after the incident, the child identified Pines in a surveillance video still, according to the affidavit of probable cause. The child also confirmed that Pines was their father.
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On the day of the stabbing, when officers responded to the victim's apartment, they found her a block away on Howard Place, bloodied from the attack and she warned them her mother may still be inside the apartment.
Police entered to find her 84-year-old mother unresponsive inside a bedroom. She was declared dead at the scene.
Surveillance video captured a dark sedan, which was later identified as Pines', parked nearby on Cleveland Street, police said in the affidavit. Video also showed Pines walking toward the Van Rensselaer home an hour before the incident, though footage captured by camera across the street did not show Pines walking past the address, according to the affidavit.
Pines remains in custody pending his first appearance in court. Currently he is only facing charges for the attack on the daughter as prosecutor's await the cause of death of the 84-year-old mother.
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Liam Quinn is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Email: quinnl@northjersey.com
Twitter: @Liam_D_Quinn
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Belleville NJ stabbing suspect was identified by own child, police say
A 32-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of murder in connection with a 2013 robbery-turned-shooting in Wilmington that killed one man and injured another.
A New Castle County jury found Anthony Dale guilty of two counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder for the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Tony Berry at Printz Convenience Market on June 7, 2013.
Dale, whose convictions carry a life sentence, will be sentenced in March.
Dale and Maleke Brittingham were named as suspects in the murder in 2019, six years after the shooting. By the time the two were named as suspects, the shooting had been deemed a cold case, Wilmington police said.
BACKGROUND: Wilmington police arrest 2 in 2013 convenience store homicide cold case
According to Wilmington police and the Delaware Department of Justice, on the day of the shooting, police responded to the convenience store, located in the 2700 block of Northeast Blvd. and found Berry, a store clerk, shot twice.
The state justice department said Dale, Brittingham and another man were attempting to rob the store when Berry tried to stop them. During the struggle, Dale killed Berry, while another man shot another store clerk three times.
The second clerk lived but was initially listed in critical condition.
According to his obituary, Berry left three children behind. He came from a large family with 10 siblings and at least eight nieces at the time of his death.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Kathy Jennings weighed in on the conviction, saying she was "deeply grateful" for those who "are fighting gun violence each day.
READ: Man pleads guilty in Wilmington murder cold case
There are few matters as pressing or essential as addressing the devastation of gun violence in our communities, Jennings said.
Brittingham pleaded guilty in June 2020 to a single count of second-degree murder.
The original charges of attempted murder and first-degree murder were dropped, court documents showed.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Man convicted of murder for 2013 double shooting in Wilmington
WASHINGTON Sen. Mitch McConnell is extending an open invitation to Sen. Joe Manchin come on over to our side.
McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader, said Tuesday that he was astonished by the angry response that Manchin, D-W.Va., elicited from the White House and his fellow Democrats with his Sunday bombshell that he would oppose President Joe Bidens signature domestic policy bill.
The Senate, McConnell noted, is an institution where the most important vote is the next one, leaving the Republican leader perplexed as to what drove Democrats to impugn Manchins integrity by accusing him of reneging on commitments to the president.
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Why in the world would they want to call him a liar and try to hotbox him and embarrass him? McConnell, who is just one Senate seat away from regaining the majority leader title, asked in an interview. I think the message is, We dont want you around. Obviously that is up to Joe Manchin, but he is clearly not welcome on that side of the aisle.
It is hardly a secret, McConnell said, that he has wooed Manchin for years, only to have Manchin, a lifelong Democrat, resist. And Manchin this week said he hoped there was still a place for him in the party.
Despite his break with Biden over the sprawling safety net and climate change bill, Manchin would not be an exact fit for the Republican Party. He is closer to Republicans than Democrats on some flashpoint cultural issues like guns and abortion. But he has a more expansive view than most Republicans of the role of government in social and economic policy. And in both of former President Donald Trumps impeachment trials, Manchin voted to convict.
But McConnell seemed to see the clash over the spending measure as potentially providing a new opening for a party switch that would both restore him as majority leader and shift the ground in Washington. And he is also not against stirring up trouble for Democrats however and whenever he can.
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Obviously we would love to have him on our team, said McConnell. I think hed be more comfortable.
McConnells appeal to Manchin came as the Republican leader celebrated the year coming to a close without Democrats advancing two of their most ambitious priorities: legislation to bolster voting rights and the sprawling domestic policy bill that McConnell characterized as part of a socialist surge that has captured the other side.
Considering how Republicans began 2021 in the minority in Congress, a newly elected Democrat poised to move into the White House and a public worn down by a pandemic and alarmed by an assault on the Capitol McConnell and his colleagues say they have had a successful year. In some respects, it was all the things they did not do that may have served them best.
They did not maneuver themselves into shutting down the government as they have in the past despite demands from the right that they never work with Biden. And they did not allow the government to default, with McConnell providing Democrats a circuitous path to raising the debt ceiling. Either could have created a backlash for Republicans.
We had a good deal of drama, McConnell said about the high-wire act over the debt ceiling, but in the end, we got the job done.
As Democrats spent months trying to hammer out the huge policy bill among themselves, Republicans were relegated to the sidelines. McConnell said Democrats inability to come together on it so far reflected a misreading of the 2020 elections, when voters gave them the White House but bare majorities in both the Senate and the House.
They did not have a mandate to do anything close to what they tried to do, said McConnell, suggesting that progressive ideology overcame their judgment.
The decision by McConnell and other Republicans to help Democrats write and pass a separate, $1 trillion public works bill was, McConnell said, a smart one, even though Republican supporters of the measure took heat from others in the party, notably Trump.
McConnell said that applying pressure to keep the policy bill separate from the infrastructure measure denied Democratic leaders leverage over Manchin, who helped negotiate the infrastructure measure, while delivering a bipartisan bill that met legitimate needs. He said that Trump and other Republican critics had been proven wrong.
I think it was a much smarter play to support the infrastructure bill, he said. I think it was, A, good for the country, and B, smart for us politically.
Democrats have not given up on either the social policy bill or winning over Manchin, meaning McConnell and Senate Republicans will have to maintain their campaign against the legislation into the new year. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the majority leader, also intends to press forward with voting rights measures fiercely opposed by McConnell and is threatening to try to change Senate rules if Republicans try to filibuster it again.
Democrats say McConnell is being complicit in allowing some states to impose new voting restrictions meant to target voters of color, a charge he rejects, saying that the impact of the new laws is being exaggerated. He said he was relying on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who recently reaffirmed her opposition to changing filibuster rules, to hold steady.
Kyrsten Sinema has been quite unequivocal that she is not going to break the Senate and eliminate the legislative filibuster, he said. Thank goodness for that.
One area where Biden and Senate Democrats have posted some victories is on judicial confirmations, with 40 judges being seated in the presidents first year, a number well in excess of other recent presidents. It is a subject of special interest to McConnell, since he spent the Trump era pushing conservative judges through the Senate.
Look, theres some advantages to having the White House, he said. Im not surprised, but the three Supreme Court justices and the 54 circuit judges we did are still there and I think will be good for the country for a long time to come.
McConnell said he believed his partys performance this year and the struggles of the Democrats were setting Republicans up for a strong midterm election next year and his potential return to running the Senate no matter what party Manchin is in. Despite Trumps efforts to encourage candidates he favors in key Senate races, McConnell said he was intent on avoiding the type of primary contests that in the past have hurt Republicans by saddling them with primary winners who falter in general elections.
I feel good about how we handled ourselves this year and I feel good about how the American public is reacting to what they are trying to do, he said of the Democrats. I believe it will be an excellent environment for us.
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Pennsylvania Republican David McCormick is drawing support from alumni of the Trump administration and allies of the former president ahead of the expected launch of his Senate campaign.
Among those advising McCormick are Hope Hicks, who worked both on former President Trump's 2016 campaign and in his White House; and Stephen Miller and Cliff Sims, who were both high-profile staffers in the previous administration. Other prominent Trump alumni, including former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and former press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, are also supportive of McCormick's expected bid, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The source also said McCormick is consolidating support among prominent Pennsylvania politicos, including Christine Toretti, a Republican National Committee member from the state; David Urban, a lobbyist who also has ties to Trump; former Pennsylvania GOP Chair Robert Gleason; lawyer Jim Schultz; and strategist Mike DeVanny.
The source noted not all of those people would be paid advisers to McCormick's campaign but will back him in some capacity.
"What this shows is that the campaign will have a veteran team of advisers with deep Pennsylvania roots and national reputations," the person said.
The group of Trump allies supporting McCormick was first reported by Politico.
McCormick himself has ties to the Trump administration. He was considered for various jobs in the Treasury and Defense Departments and his wife, Dina Powell, served as Trump's deputy national security adviser.
The news indicates McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, is likely angling his campaign around his support for Trump and his policies, though it's unclear how eager the former president is to get involved in the race after his endorsed candidate, Sean Parnell, dropped out following allegations of domestic abuse by his estranged wife and a lost custody battle.
McCormick is far from the only one to employ a Trump-centered strategy - candidates from Ohio to Wyoming to Arizona to Alaska have tapped strategists in the former president's orbit in an apparent attempt to curry favor with Mar-a-Lago.
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But the stakes are particularly high in Pennsylvania, where the race to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R) is anticipated to be among the most hotly contested in the country and thought to be key in determining which party controls the Senate.
McCormick moved closer to a Senate bid Monday when he formally filed paperwork to form an exploratory committee to look into a run. He is expected to launch his bid in January, and would be joining a crowded GOP field.
Businessman Jeff Bartos and former Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands have stayed in the race, though they've struggled to gain traction, and surgeon and television celebrity Mehmet Oz jumped into the race last month.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Rep. Conor Lamb, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Val Arkoosh and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta are running in the Democratic primary.
Five months after Jose Carlos Vazquez was abducted by suspected criminals, his family found his apparent remains on a hillside in northwestern Mexico on their first search attempt.
Despite their grief, they are considered "lucky" by some relatives of the more than 95,000 people missing in the violence-ravaged country.
Many relatives have spent years searching in vain for their loved ones, in stark contrast to the Vazquez family.
Vazquez's mother Yadira and sister Andrea had joined Seekers for Peace, one of the groups looking for missing Mexicans, many of whom are presumed to be victims of drug-related violence.
They had not heard from Vazquez since he was taken from his home in Magdalena de Kino in the state of Sonora, and feared the worst.
The search site has been the scene of confrontations between criminal gangs, and the group was only able to access it with a military and police escort.
After several hours looking they were about to give up when a member of the group found bones along with shorts, a T-shirt and a bank card believed to have belonged to Vazquez.
His relatives had no doubt -- they had found his remains.
"Oh, my son! The animals ate him!" his mother said when she saw bones believed to be those of the missing 28-year-old.
Finding the remains of a loved one on the first attempt is highly unusual in Mexico, where many relatives accuse the authorities of not doing enough to help them.
"It's sad to say, but how lucky that they recovered their son during the first search," Charlin Unger, another member of the group who is looking for her son, told AFP.
Over the years, these collectives have developed forensic skills as they often work without support from the authorities.
They have learned how to use picks and shovels to carefully dig for bones and even recognize the stench from bodies buried in clandestine graves.
"It was their first search and in that first search to find your loved one and in those conditions, it's something that hurts our soul," said group leader Cecilia Delgado.
Now the Vazquez family is awaiting the result of a DNA test so they claim the remains and hold a funeral.
str/yug/dr/bgs
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley on Wednesday spoke with his Russian counterpart amid heightened tensions over Moscow's military presence at its border with Ukraine.
Milley spoke by telephone with Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov to discuss "regional security-related issues of concern," according to a readout of the call.
"The phone call is a continuation of communication between both leaders to ensure risk reduction and operational de-confliction. In accordance with past practice, both have agreed to keep the specific details of their conversation private," the U.S. military said in the statement.
Russia has amassed roughly 100,000 troops at its border with Ukraine, sparking warnings from Western world leaders that Russia may move to invade the former Soviet state.
Russia has so far denied it is planning an invasion, and insists its forces are there in response to military moves by NATO which it claims are threatening.
Last week, Russia released draft security agreements demanding that the U.S. and NATO give legally binding guarantees that it will stop expanding further eastward, specifically by denying membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet bloc nations. Moscow also wants Western officials to promise that certain weapons would not be deployed to countries neighboring Russia.
The United States, meanwhile, has promised a "very meaningful and massive response" by Washington and its allies should Russia commit "renewed acts of aggression," likely referring to the Kremlin's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
"We've seen plans that Russia has to commit renewed acts of aggression against Ukraine that it could implement on very short order," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby also on Tuesday said the U.S. continues "to see a significant force presence near and around the Ukraine border" which "continues to be concerning."
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"We still don't know the full intent here. And there's no indication that [Russian President Vladimir Putin] has made a decision one way or another," Kirby told reporters.
In an attempt to use diplomatic channels to quell the unrest, U.S., Russian and NATO officials are planning talks in January.
Moscow will also start separate negotiations with NATO in January, per Reuters.
BOSTON After hosting an oversight hearing that top state health officials skipped, high-ranking lawmakers are now calling on Gov. Charlie Baker to consider a menu of pandemic management options, including quarantine and isolation shelters and a pause on school mask mandate exemptions.
Baker on Tuesday introduced an advisory recommending masking in indoor public places, outlined plans to have the National Guard assist the health care sector, and put a pause on non-essential, elective procedures at many hospitals. But the governor also said people should move ahead with holiday plans, citing gains made in the virus fight and encouraging anyone who is eligible to join the millions who have received COVID-19 vaccinations.
State Rep. William Driscoll, D-Milton
In a Tuesday letter to Baker, Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness Co-chairs Sen. Jo Comerford of Northampton and Rep. William Driscoll of Milton expressed support for the National Guard call-up but expressed concerns about numerous issues based on testimony they received last week.
"We have found ourselves in the mid-holiday season with increasingly high COVID transmission rates, along with at or near capacity hospitals throughout the state. We are still learning about the delta variant and navigating its surge, and now the emerging omicron variant could have monumental impacts given its potential increased transmissibility," they wrote.
More: Need a COVID booster shot? Here are upcoming clinics, vaccine sites on the South Shore
They said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of Boston University's Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Research, "reminded us that even if those who have been vaccinated generally become less ill with the virus, with exponential growth driven by omicron we could see real system destabilization due to surging numbers of critical patients, among them the unvaccinated and others in the minority of vaccinated patients who have comorbidities.
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"Given the spike in COVID cases within congregate care settings, it is imperative that the administration open quarantine and isolation shelters across the commonwealth," they wrote. "It is our understanding that there are critical, emergent capacity issues which threaten public health."
The lawmakers expressed alarm about the "potential for the situation to further deteriorate in the coming weeks, despite having a highly vaccinated population" and asked Baker to "urgently and more clearly define the details of a surge-related plan with specific goals regarding tests, vaccinations, boosters and hospital capacity thresholds."
More: Quincy, Brockton, Rockland, Randolph to get free home COVID tests
Citing the feedback they received at their Dec. 16 hearing, they recommended adoption of "temporary and durable steps," including:
Reinstating a mask mandate for all indoor public spaces, an idea they said has "broad support among public health, hospitals and medical experts."
Closing the race/ethnicity gap in pediatric vaccinations, an effort the lawmakers said should include coordination with local public health officials and "improved translation and explicit outreach efforts, as well as work to decrease the spread of misinformation."
Setting public targets and timelines for booster shots. "Greater clarity is needed regarding how many booster shots or tests the state hopes to achieve daily or by other parameters," they wrote.
Expanding in-school testing. "We ask that you strengthen the 'test and stay' program by including vaccinated students and also allowing those who have been exposed to COVID outside of a school context to qualify and participate," Comerford and Driscoll wrote.
Pausing mask mandate exemptions for schools that have reached the vaccination goal until after January "or a period when transmission and trends are dropping precipitously week-over-week and greater hospital capacity exists."
On Wednesday morning, Comerford and Sen. Cindy Friedman, the vice chair of the committee, issued a statement saying they were in concert with the calls from Senate President Karen Spilka for the Baker administration to take a more aggressive approach to omicron.
Asked why the Legislature isn't stepping in to act, Comerford and Friedman said in a statement, "It is the governor's responsibility, through his executive powers, to put temporary measures in place to protect public health in an emergency, which in this case means mitigating the current impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in real time as the situation continues to evolve. That's why the Senate is advocating for the governor to do more immediately."
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Baker urged to take bolder steps as omicron coronavirus variant surges
Common Council President Cavalier Johnson unveils a plan to curb reckless driving and make Milwaukee's streets safer during a press conference Tuesday at the Next Door Foundation on West Capitol Drive. Behind him, from left are, Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief Paul Formolo, Bob Gutierrez, South East Region Director at Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and Jordan Morales, the Sherman Park resident who constructed a makeshift traffic circle in his neighborhood to combat reckless driving.
With the Milwaukee mayoral race heating up, Common Council President Cavalier Johnson on Tuesday announced the steps he plans to take to address reckless driving when he becomes acting mayor in the coming days.
Johnson is one of eight candidates vying to fill the remainder of Mayor Tom Barrett's term when Barrett leaves to become ambassador to Luxembourg.
Others in the race include Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, former Ald. Bob Donovan and state Rep. Daniel Riemer.
Barrett's nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week and his departure is expected in the coming days so the Common Council can meet a Dec. 28 deadline to order a mayoral election in conjunction with the spring election cycle.
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He has not said exactly when he plans to resign, a move that will automatically make Johnson the city's acting mayor until voters elect their next executive.
In a press conference Tuesday, Johnson said combatting reckless driving would be his top priority when he becomes acting mayor.
"Residents are both rightfully terrified about the dangerous driving speeds and the reckless road behavior that has increased dramatically over the recent years, and that leaves them feeling scared to drive their vehicles, ride their bikes or even walk across the street at many intersections in the city of Milwaukee," he said.
Johnson traced the city's reckless driving problem to vehicles that are easy to steal but also societal challenges that he said needed to be addressed through economic development and measures that create stability in residents' lives.
He said while the city has taken steps to combat the problem, "clearly it has not been enough to move the needle."
He rolled out a plan that he said would "immediately" address the driving crisis. And while he said the planning was underway before his move to the Mayor's Office appeared imminent, the new position will empower him to take action such as directing department heads.
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On his first day as acting mayor, he said, he will declare reckless driving a public safety crisis, meaning he will direct all departments to focus on the problem.
While the Police Department's new Traffic Safety Unit has been out already, residents will notice in the coming months more efforts from the city's Department of Public Works to install permanent and temporary traffic-calming measures, he said.
The plan's effectiveness will be evaluated and it will be adjusted over time by stakeholders including schools and police, Johnson said.
He said his administration would work to put in place physical road improvements, better hold reckless drivers accountable and improve public education in conjunction with increased enforcement by police and bringing retired police investigators back to direct car theft investigations.
Johnson also said he would push for a new policy to tow unlicensed and unregistered vehicles of reckless drivers and create a traffic coordinator position in the Mayor's Office to work with city departments, residents and businesses.
He called for an "all hands on deck" approach to addressing the issue.
"Today, if I were to assure you of one thing, it's that you have a leader coming into the Mayor's Office who recognizes the urgency of this crisis and who will work with all earnestness with each and every one of you in a multitude of ways to address our reckless driving scourge," he said.
The plan got the approval of Sherman Park resident Jordan Morales, who recently took matters into his own hands with an improvised traffic circle that slowed drivers in his neighborhood.
City and state leaders also said they were committed to working together on the issue.
Assistant Police Chief Paul Formolo said police enforcement was just one piece of the needed response and that the department would work with other entities.
City Office of Violence Prevention Director Arnitta Holliman said her department would work with organizations that serve youth to support programming and education that prevent young Milwaukeeans from getting into a reckless driving situation and support those who are moving away from that behavior.
Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Common Council President Johnson shows reckless driving plan
A new era is arriving in Milwaukee.
Mayor Tom Barrett left office effective 5 p.m. Wednesday after 17 years at the city's helm, handing power to Common Council President Cavalier Johnson.
In a news conference in the Mayor's Office at City Hall on Wednesday, he called being mayor the "biggest honor and privilege of my life" and said it was "surreal" to leave.
"This is the hardest job Ive ever had in my life and it is the most rewarding job Ive had in my entire life," Barrett said before signing and handing his resignation letter to City Clerk Jim Owczarski. "I'm leaving this job filled with optimism for the future of this city."
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett signs paperwork formalizing the transition of authority to Common Council President Cavalier Johnson as Milwaukee City Clerk Jim Owczarski looks on during a press conference at Milwaukee City Hall on Wednesday. The announcement comes a week after the U.S. Senate confirmed Barrett as the next ambassador to Luxembourg.
The announcement comes a week after the U.S. Senate confirmed Barrett as the next ambassador to Luxembourg, and he had been expected to resign from the city's top job before Dec. 28.
Barrett's departure in the middle of his fifth term will mean Johnson becomes acting mayor until voters choose their next executive in a special election. Whoever is elected will serve out the remainder of Barrett's term, which ends in 2024.
Subscribe to our On Wisconsin Politics newsletter for the week's political news explained.
The council has a Dec. 28 deadline to order a special election to take place in conjunction with the Feb. 15 primary and April 5 spring election, saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars that would be needed if the election was held off the normal cycle.
A special council meeting will take place Thursday to order the election on those already scheduled dates.
Acting Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson enters the Mayor's Office as mayor for the first time moments after Tom Barrett's resignation became official Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, at City Hall in Milwaukee, Wis. Johnson, as the Common Council president, became the acting mayor under the charter of the City of Milwaukee.
Johnson is one of eight candidates who have filed to run to fill the remainder of Barrett's term.
Others in the race include Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, former Ald. Bob Donovan and state Rep. Daniel Riemer. Other names in the mix are Michael Sampson, Nick McVey and Sheila Conley-Patterson.
The race will be the first without Barrett in nearly two decades, and his departure will kick off a sprint to fill the job.
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Barrett was first elected mayor in 2004 after having been elected to the state Assembly in 1984, the state Senate in 1989 and Congress in 1992.
On Wednesday, the outgoing mayor highlighted successes of his tenure, including the development of the Menomonee Valley, Reed Street Yards business park, places like the Pabst Brewery and "literally thousands of new housing units that have gone up over the last 15 years."
Barrett called the last 21 months "extremely difficult," due to the pandemic, the isolation it created, and the unrest in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
He also acknowledged the challenges the new mayor will face, including record homicides in the last two years despite years of declines leading up to the pandemic.
Combating the rise in violence will require getting more funding for police officers, Barrett said.
The city has seen its police force decline due to budget challenges in recent years, and Barrett has floated the idea of implementing a structure in which the state would help support public safety services in the city.
"One of the challenges and one of the disappointments as I leave this job is our fiscal relationship with the State of Wisconsin. Without a doubt that has to be changed," he said. "I'm hoping that having a new face might enhance the chances that that will improve."
He said he would be sworn in as ambassador at 9 a.m. Thursday at the federal courthouse by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman. He anticipated he would depart for Luxembourg sometime next month.
No oath is required for Johnson to become acting mayor, Owczarski said. He will have the powers of both mayor and council president but will be unable to vote on the council.
Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
He told media as he walked to the Mayor's Office Wednesday evening that he was ready to lead the city.
Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett resigns, handing reins to Cavalier Johnson
It looks like a supersized pelican, bulbous head and wide wings on a slim fuselage topped with a gaping air intake for its Rolls-Royce AE3007H jet engine near a V-shaped tail.
And as the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton flew in last week from California to its new home at Naval Station Mayport, one other thing was obvious to observers there's no cockpit for a pilot.
That's because the Triton is an unmanned drone aircraft, flown remotely from a Naval Air Station Jacksonville operations center. The first of up to four planned for the VUP-19 drone squadron's new Mayport homeport, it will handle the Navy's East Coast surveillance and search-and-rescue operations.
They also will be joined by 200 maintenance personnel at the Navy base to handle housing and maintenance, Cmdr. Brian Conlan said.
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The first of up to four new MQ-4C Triton drones ass igned to Naval Station Mayport, after flying in from California early Thursday.
"This is the U.S. military's largest drone that we fly, and it's now homeported in Jacksonville, and that's the excitement for the local area," he said, with the 130.9-foot-wingspan drone behind him on the runway.
"It will bring a number of folks I have had in California for the last couple of years to be homeported here as well to support," Conlan added. "It truly is at the forefront of naval aviation and the direction we are going with intelligence surveillance reconnaissance aircraft."
Mayport beat out Naval Air Station Key West and the NASA Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., in 2017 to become the East Coast Forward Operating Base for the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System, according to the Navy.
Unique aircraft with unique capabilities
The 47.6-foot-long aircraft weighs just over 32,000 pounds fully fueled and can fly for more than 24 hours at altitudes higher than 10 miles, with an operational range of 9,430 miles, according to the Navy. Triton drones can survey 2.7 million square miles in a single mission, used for surveillance and search-and-rescues.
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The MQ-4C Triton drone has a huge 130.9-foot wingspan, a Rolls-Royce AE3007H jet engine behind that tall intake on the back.
Conlan said it can "hang out for a long time" over what it is surveilling.
"Manned aircraft are frequently encumbered by the altitudes we can get to as well as the time on target where we can stay," he said. "With the unmanned drone, we are no longer encumbered. We are all about endurance. We want to stay on top as long as possible, and the MQ-4C Triton enables us to do that."
The unmanned, unarmed, remote-controlled aircraft provide tactical and strategic mission capabilities as part of the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force. The drones require a ground-based crew of five: remote pilot, tactical coordinator, a pair of mission payload operators and a signals intelligence coordinator.
Mayport will operate a launch and recovery site for four drones as well as a maintenance hub for up to four more of the unmanned aircraft, according to the Navy. NAS Jacksonville is already the training hub for the drones and the home of the first operation squadron, VUP-19.
VUP-19 squadron Cmdr. Brian Conlan talks about the new MQ-4C Triton drone behind him, just flown in Thursday to Naval Station Mayport.
The morning flight from its California base was a "very small hint at its capability."
"We are truly covering all 24 time zones," Conlan said, not getting specific about its surveillance capabilities that include a nose-mounted sensor pod. "... The nice thing is that because of the altitudes it attains, it allows us to peer a little bit further into places than we are accustomed to. It's going to have a lot of fancy stuff in it."
The Navy selected Mayport after completing an environmental assessment to analyze the impact on the communities surrounding the three potential bases. Assessment results showed no significant environmental impact at any of the three locations, but the major factor in choosing Mayport was financial.
U.S. Navy: New Task Group Greyhound hits the seas out of Mayport and Norfolk bases
The Navy said existing drone facilities were already in place at NAS Jacksonville, making it the most affordable option of the three.
Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California is the West Coast home base for the Triton program, with three other sites outside the continental United States also selected, the Navy said.
The camera and sensor pod under the nose of a MQ-4C Triton drone.
Along with maintenance staff at the Mayport drone command hub, set to arrive by March, others will be based out of Navy facilities in Sigonella, Italy, the Middle East and West Pacific, Conlan said.
dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: MQ-4C Triton drone arrives at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville
MAE SOT, Thailand (Reuters) - Myanmar's oldest rebel force wants international help to establish a "no-fly zone" near the Thai border, after warning there was a danger of clashes with the army resulting in civilians being targeted by air strikes.
There has been an escalation in fighting recently between the army and the Karen National Union (KNU), prompting thousands of people to seek refuge in Thailand.
About 3,400 people have taken shelter in Thailand over recent days, Thai authorities said. Thousands more are stranded on the Myanmar side of the border, waiting to cross.
In a statement released this week, the KNU warned of a "high possibility" of military air strikes on civilians.
"These air strikes won't target military bases but civilian bases as in schools, hospitals, houses and villages," the head of the KNU's foreign affairs department, Saw Taw Nee, told Reuters, citing his experience from previous bouts of fighting.
A spokesman for Myanmar's military junta did not answer calls seeking comment.
The KNU urged the international community to identify a no-fly zone by seeking an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
Last month, the U.N. Security Council, in a rare statement that was agreed by its 15 members, expressed concern over violence across Myanmar and urged the military to exercise utmost restraint.
International efforts to end the conflict in Myanmar since a February coup have been limited to diplomatic initiatives and attempts to exert economic pressure through Western sanctions.
Since the military overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has said that more than 1,300 people have been killed by the security forces.
The military has said the figures from AAPP, a monitoring group cited by the United Nations, are exaggerated.
The KNU agreed to a ceasefire in 2012, ending an insurgency for self-determination that began soon after Myanmar gained independence in 1948, but its forces have been clashing with the army since the coup and it has allowed opponents of the coup to take shelter in territory it controls.
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The latest fighting had been triggered by the army's attempts to arrest people in the Lay Kay Kaw area, said Saw Taw Nee.
"They came and checked on the town which we allow. However, they didn't keep their promise and arrested people which we totally don't accept," he said.
The KNU said three of its fighters and 15 government soldiers had been killed in the clashes. Reuters could not independently verify the account.
(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Editing by Ed Davies, Robert Birsel)
Public Square Park: Scene of many local events, the park sits outside the Metro Courthouse.
The Metro Council on Tuesday approved the allocation of $49.2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, $40.2 million of which will bolster the creation of affordable housing.
But the remaining $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds slated to purchase 142 new vehicles including 128 new police vehicles proved a point of contention for some council members.
The council approved the $40.2 million allocation 34-1 with one abstention. The funds will be split between the Barnes Housing Trust Fund and a new Catalyst Fund designed to support fast action to preserve affordable units. The $9 million fleet allocation passed 25-8, with three council members abstaining.
Elected officials and COVID-19 Financial Oversight committee members are grappling with how to best prioritize the ARPA funds amid increasing pressure to put community support programs ahead of capital requests.
"We have been in the habit lately of using these funds to fund inanimate objects and things and not fully funding the human toll that this virus has taken on us," said Council member Ginny Welsch, who voted against the fleet allocation.
Metro is set to receive $267 million from the American Rescue Plan over two years. Of that total, the city appropriated $29 million as of Monday, according to Deputy Finance Director Mary Jo Wiggins. Tuesday's approvals bring the figure to $78.2 million.
"The intended use of these funds is much broader" than CARES Act dollars, Wiggins said, adding American Rescue Plan dollars can also be used for public safety measures.
The COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee is creating a survey through HUB Nashville to gauge community members' spending priorities, but the survey is not yet complete.
The council deferred until February a separate resolution that would ask the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee to review and propose a $70 million ARPA appropriation for economic development in disadvantaged communities and small business recovery.
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Council member Jennifer Gamble, also a member of the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee, said the panel put off fleet needs and other requests when allocating the first round of CARES Act funding, focusing instead on community needs like food, rent and mortgage relief and funds for small businesses.
"This time, we have more funding and more time to address all of the needs of the city," Gamble said regarding the oversight committee's support of funding for the vehicle fleets.
Debate over use of ARPA funds for police vehicles, equipment
The Metro Council is debating whether to use American Rescue Plan Act funds on new police vehicles.
President Joe Biden said in June that cities and states can use portions of the American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated to them toward public safety efforts.
The Metro Nashville Police Department referred to Biden's guidance in justifying the fleet request as well as a $6 million request for Tasers that has not yet been reviewed by Metro Council. The department reported its current Tasers are "obsolete" and will cease to function in less than a year.
Building the department's fleet would allow officers "adequate time to clean and sanitize vehicles between uses or transports," cut down on wait times for vehicles during shift changes, reduce response times and allow detectives to have department vehicles equipped for investigations, Metro Nashville Chief of Police John Drake wrote in a letter to council members last week.
More vehicles are also necessary for the police department's planned switch from five-day work weeks with 8.5-hour shifts to four-day weeks with 10.5-hour shifts.
At-large Council member Bob Mendes opposed the funds for new vehicles coming from American Rescue Plan dollars in a blog post last week, arguing that the funds should be spent on community members suffering from the pandemic first.
"The need is real, I appreciate it, but we need to figure out some way where the city's recurring revenue pays for our recurring expenses like fleet and focus our (COVID-19 relief) money elsewhere," Mendes said at the Budget and Finance Committee meeting Monday.
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake answers questions on the first day of joint training with MNPD and Mental Health Cooperative at Mental Health Cooperative offices on Monday, June 7, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn.
Council member Courtney Johnston, who serves on the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee, said the cost of the new "light fleet" vehicles could not be covered in a capital spending plan, which are designed for purchasing heavy equipment.
The Council "inherited a mess with fleet issues," she said Monday, noting that Metro Council approved a $996,500 allocation to purchase COVID-19 related response vehicles and technology for the Office of Emergency Management in October and $4.7 million for Nashville Fire Department vehicles and equipment in November.
"We're in a big hole, and I do think that it's appropriate to use these funds free funds, this gift to help get us out of the hole," Johnston said.
USA Today contributed.
Reach reporter Cassandra Stephenson at ckstephenson@tennessean.com or at (731) 694-7261. Follow Cassandra on Twitter at @CStephenson731.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville officials debate best use of American Rescue Plan Act funds
Associated Press
A former hermit in New Hampshire whose cabin in the woods burned down after nearly three decades on the property that he was ordered to leave has been charged with trespassing there once again, turning a shed that survived the fire into a makeshift home outfitted with a wood stove. There had been an outpouring of support for David Lidstone, 81 better known as River Dave" since he was arrested in July and accused of squatting on property owned by a Vermont man. Lidstone was a local celebrity to boaters and kayakers on the Merrimack River before his property dispute caught the attention of the masses, bringing in over $200,000 in donations to help him start a new, law-abiding life.
After major companies like MicroStrategy, Tesla, Galaxy Digital Holdings and Square doubled down on Bitcoin, many are wondering who could be next?
Companies that are operating in the social media sector, e-commerce or are simply tech-driven are more likely to offer crypto-related products and services and are more probable candidates for Bitcoin purchasing.
Twitter
First and foremost, there is Twitter, whose new CEO Parag Agrawal said people should expect this social network to move a lot faster than it has in the past.
Its no secret that Twitters latest boss, currently CEO of Block Jack Dorsey is a huge Bitcoin advocate.
He recently commented that if he wasnt CEO of both Twitter and Square (now known as Block), that he would be working on Bitcoin.
It seems, hes also putting that rhetoric into action, as he recently laid the groundwork and issued a white paper for Square to launch its own decentralised exchange for Bitcoin trading and enabled Bitcoin payments via Square/Blocks Cash App since 2018.
In October, Square announced that it would buy $50mn worth of Bitcoin, equating to 4,709 Bitcoins at the time.
In February, Twitters chief financial officer Ned Segal confirmed the company was considering the option of holding Bitcoin on its balance sheet.
With that said, it would not be unexpected to hear an announcement that Twitter has purchased Bitcoin.
Amazon
Amazon recently posted jobs for a digital currency project for a new division called Digital and Emerging Payments.
One of the postings said the company was looking for a leader to help us launch a new payment product starting with Mexico as our initial launch country.
This product will enable customers to convert their cash into digital currency which customers can enjoy online services including shopping for goods and/or services like Prime Video, the job ad said.
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After its CEO Jeff Bezos was replaced by Andy Jassy, previous head of Amazon Web Services, Amazon Web Services launched Amazon Managed Blockchain, which claims to be the leading cloud provider of blockchain services, supporting all major protocols and hosting 25% of all Ethereum nodes worldwide.
It is expected that Jassys experience with blockchain could allow him to be more open to the companys acceptance of crypto payments.
Google
Google has the potential to become more involved with crypto mostly because of its Google Pay service, which seems primed for crypto integration.
Users can already use BitPays card for their crypto assets through Googles payment app, but adding the ability for users to buy, hold and spend crypto directly in the app seems like an obvious choice in a world where crypto adoption has been growing.
Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, has also shared a positive outlook on the blockchain space and confirmed he owns an ETH miner.
A year or two ago my son insisted that we needed to get a gaming PC. I told him If we get a gaming PC we have to mine cryptocurrency. So we got an Ethereum miner on there and weve been making a few pennies and dollars since, he said.
That definitely got me interested and I started to study the technology behind it and found it to be fascinating.
Facebook
Facebook has two board members that are well-known pro-Bitcoiners Peter Thiel and Marc Andreesen.
Its stablecoin, Diem, is still, however, set to launch a pilot.
As the company slowly movies into the crypto scene and establishes itself with its stablecoin and digital wallet systems, it could become more realistic for it to hold Bitcoin on its balance sheet as well.
Also, its founder Mark Zuckerberg recently posted a picture to his Facebook page of his goats named Max and Bitcoin. Amusing as that may be, it has led to a good deal of speculation among the crypto community.
Mastercard
In early February, Mastercard announced it would soon start supporting cryptocurrencies directly on its network.
We are preparing right now for the future of crypto and payments, announcing that this year Mastercard will start supporting select cryptocurrencies directly on our network. This is a big change that will require a lot of work, the company said.
Mastercard is also working with the Gemini Exchange to offer a crypto rewards credit card and has also partnered with Bakkt.
We want to offer all of our partners the ability to more easily add crypto services to whatever it is theyre doing, Sherri Haymond, Mastercards executive vice president of digital partnerships, then said.
Resort and bar owners on a Philippine island popular with surfers and tourists were expecting a bumper Christmas holiday after Covid-19 restrictions finally eased. Then Super Typhoon Rai wiped them out.
The strongest storm to hit the archipelago this year cut a swathe through Siargao, a tropical paradise known for its sandy beaches, big waves and relaxed vibe.
Packing wind speeds of 195 kilometres (120 miles) per hour as it made landfall on the island last Thursday, Rai uprooted palm trees, shredded thatched roofs, smashed wooden buildings, and toppled power poles.
The widespread destruction left the island -- voted the best in Asia by Conde Nast Traveler readers this year -- unrecognisable.
"The day after the storm, we went outside and we were like 'wow, this is Siargao now, it's no more'," Claudine Mendoza, 27, a sous chef at a beachfront resort, told AFP.
"Even Cloud Nine is no more, it was really devastated," Mendoza said, referring to the island's surf break where a wooden boardwalk -- a favoured selfie spot for tourists -- was swept away by the typhoon.
The storm is a bitter blow for tourism operators, hitting them a week before the Christmas holidays when many Filipino families typically head to the country's famed beaches and dive spots.
Pandemic travel restrictions decimated visitor numbers to the island in the past two years, leaving many resorts, cafes, souvenir shops and tour guides struggling to survive.
But domestic tourism began to pick up in recent months as the government relaxed rules to boost economic activity -- though it kept a ban on foreign travellers entering the country.
"Everyone was so happy, the island was lively again," Mendoza said. "Then suddenly the storm came."
Now, business owners face expensive repairs or having to start from scratch, and their employees an uncertain future.
Some are wondering if it is even worth trying to begin again.
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"This typhoon is much worse for us than the pandemic -- the pandemic didn't cause any (structural) damage," said resort owner Anton Alvarez.
"We think we have the capacity to rebuild but there's no point in rebuilding if it's just us -- we need the whole of Siargao to rebuild."
- 'What will happen now?' -
With electricity across the island knocked out, there is no signal or internet, which has hampered efforts of disaster agencies to assess the full extent of the death and destruction caused by the storm.
A least 375 people were killed on the islands hit by Rai, national police have reported -- including 167 in the region that includes Siargao.
Farmers and fisherfolk have also seen their livelihoods destroyed, and thousands of families left homeless.
Elka Requinta, a marketing coordinator on Siargao, said the strength of the typhoon caught everyone by surprise.
"We didn't expect it to be this bad," said Requinta, 36.
"You have locals who were hit because I don't think there was a call for any evacuation from the government."
It could take months for power to be fully restored to the island, making it difficult for business owners to talk to their partners and investors about the future.
Alvarez said he would like to reopen his resort within 12 months, but admitted that was "pretty optimistic".
"What will happen now?" asked Mendoza.
"We don't know."
str-cgm-amj/jah
A North Carolina sheriff said he "will not waiver" after the Freedom from Religion Foundation requested he remove a Bible quote from a wall located inside the government office.
The quote I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13." can be seen in numerous photos shared on the Columbus County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
However, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, a national nonprofit group that promotes the separation of church and state, is demanding the quote be taken down, saying it promotes exclusion and violates the First Amendment by "government sponsorship of religious messages."
"The Columbus County Sheriffs Office must serve all citizens equally, whether Christian or non-Christian," foundation president Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement on Dec. 14. "A blatantly Christian message in a law enforcement division sends a message of exclusion."
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"This bible verse display promoting Christianity in a sheriffs office building is correctly viewed by a reasonable observer as an endorsement of religion, and is therefore unconstitutional," the foundation's attorney, Chris Line, said.
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On Tuesday, Sheriff Jody Greene addressed the demand in a Facebook post. "The verse is one of my favorite Bible verses, and it seemed fitting for all the adversity I have had to endure," Greene wrote. He said before officers execute a search warrant or "any service that puts our people in immediate harm's way," they always pray.
"I was raised in church. I have been in law enforcement for over thirty years. My training taught me to value God, family, and my country," Greene wrote. "Companies spend thousands of dollars on motivational classes, to come up with motivational slogans. My motivation comes from the greatest motivational speaker of all times, Jesus Christ."
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The sheriff added the quote was paid for with private funds and he intends to keep the quote up.
"I am not scared of much, but I am afraid of burning in hell," Green wrote. "Let me be clear, I will not waiver on my stance and Christian beliefs."
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As of Wednesday afternoon, the post has received thousands of reactions and comments, mostly thanking Greene and the department for standing for their beliefs.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sheriff denies request to remove Bible verse in North Carolina office
By Philip Blenkinsop
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Omicron will become the dominant coronavirus variant in Europe by the start of 2022 and three to four weeks is needed to determine the severity of the COVID-19 it causes, the World Health Organization's European head said on Wednesday.
Hans Kluge has warned countries to brace for a "significant surge" in cases.
He told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that Omicron, already dominant in Britain, Denmark and Portugal, was likely to be the main coronavirus strain in Europe "in a couple of weeks".
"There is no doubt that Europe is once again the epicentre of the global pandemic," said Kluge, the WHO Regional Director for Europe, adding that infections were up 40% from a year ago and Omicron was now taking over.
"Yes, I'm very concerned, but there is no reason for panic," he said. "The good news is... we know what to do."
People needed to adopt a "vaccine-plus" approach, with vaccinations and booster shots complemented by mask-wearing, while ruling out "non-essential" contacts over Christmas and New Year, he said.
Countries should also be ready to implement stricter measures, but lockdowns should only be used as a last resort, given the economic and social cost.
Kluge said it was not clear how long immunity lasted after a third dose. Israel is set to become the first country to offer fourth vaccine doses to more vulnerable people.
"But then let's remember that Israel was the first one to start. So I would say that a fourth dose in Israel is like a third dose in other countries," he said.
LESS SEVERE COVID?
Some studies suggest Omicron causes less severe disease than the Delta variant that is dominant in most countries, but scientists are still debating this point.
Kluge said it would likely be three to four weeks before the question was answered.
While the coronavirus could not be eliminated, it could be stabilised, allowing hospitals to handle more cancer and cardio-vascular diseases.
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Controlling the virus would come through vaccines, boosters, doubling the number of people wearing masks indoors, ventilation and use of new COVID-19 drugs.
Kluge said the good news from history was that every pandemic had ended.
"This virus has surprised us more than once so I would say I don't know when it will finish, but I think that we are on track that our lives will normalise next year, particularly if - we don't know if Omicron would be less severe," he said.
"The key issue is how do we survive the winter, how do we leave no one behind."
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
OSL has hired senior positions in digital, technology, execution services, product and sales, the exchange and its parent, BC Technology Group, said in an announcement shared with CoinDesk on Wednesday.
Martijn de Jong joins OSL as chief digital officer, overseeing marketing, design, CX, digital servicing, onboarding, data analytics and products. De Jong previously worked at Standard Chartered Bank as managing director and global head of digital platforms and innovation. He has also held senior positions at Aegon, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone.
Ricky Tsang is chief information officer, BC. He joins from Tencent where he was chief technology officer of Fusion Bank, a joint venture, licensed virtual bank in Hong Kong that includes Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, among others.
Jean-David Pequignot was named global head of execution services, OSL. Pequignot has about 20 years of experience in trading, sales, market structuring and structured products. He has held several senior positions in major banks, most recently at Westpac Institutional Bank, where, among other positions, he served as deputy chief executive, Hong Kong, and head of global markets Hong Kong.
Mark Hammond joins as head of product, OSL. He previously worked at Liquid, a regulated digital asset exchange, as chief product officer and head of flow products and API. Hammond oversaw electronic pricing and execution services at Citi, Standard Chartered Bank, and Merrill Lynch, and was head of engineering, data and security at a Sequoia-backed startup.
OSL also beefed up its sales teams, hiring UBS and Julius Baer veteran Shaun Lin as head of digital asset wealth sales in Singapore and JP Morgan and Credit Suisse alum Tim Griffin as head of prime sales, also in Singapore.
This has been a year of growth, OSL CEO Wayne Trench said in the announcement. Weve seen record platform volumes over the past several months as well as new product launches and the continued development of a strong pipeline of global customers across all business units.
On Dec. 8, OSL announced that it opened access to its exchange product to institutional investors in the U.S. and Canada, following the expansion of OSL Exchange to Latin American customers in October.
Also in December, OSL secured registration as a Money Services Business with the U.S. Department of Treasurys Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and hired RBS and Merrill Lynch veteran Jeffery Howard as its Head of North America Business Development and Institutional Sales.
BC Group and Standard Chartered on June 2 announced a partnership to launch a digital asset brokerage and exchange joint-venture with an initial focus on the European and U.K. markets.
READ MORE: How OSL Became the First Crypto Exchange to Win Over Hong Kong Regulators
When Jennifer Crumbley texted her son "Don't do it" on the day of the deadly Oxford High School shooting, she was reaching out to tell him not to kill himself, according to a new court filing.
This detail was disclosed Wednesday in a document seeking a lower bond for Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the shooting suspect, who are facing involuntary manslaughter charges in a novel case that seeks to hold parents responsible, in part, for a school shooting.
The couple are being held on $500,000 cash bonds each, though defense lawyers have asked a judge to reduce each to $100,000 cash, arguing the couple pose no danger to the public and have long ties to the community.
Defense attorneys for the first time gave their account of how the Crumbleys felt following the shooting, and why they believe the prosecution will not be able to prove its case, specifically, that the Crumbleys knew their son would shoot up his school with a gun they had bought him as an early Christmas present.
"The prosecution will not be able to prove that the Crumbleys ... knew their son was a danger to other students, or that they knew there was a situation that required them to take care to avoid injuring another," defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman wrote in the filing.
"The Crumbleys, like every parent and community member, are devastated by the school shooting," the filing continued. "The last thing they expected was that a school shooting would take place, or that their son would be responsible. This situation is entirely devastating."
Video: Mich. senators discuss Oxford school shooting on Senate floor
WATCH: School district faces 2 suits in Oxford shootings
OXFORD SHOOTING VICTIM: Michigan State honorsTate Myre on National Signing Day
The filing in Rochester Hills District Court then cited the Jennifer Crumbley's "Don't do it" text to Ethan Crumbley that has made international headlines. The distinction could be important if the prosecution plans to use the text as evidence Jennifer Crumbley knew her son was dangerous.
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"When Mrs. Crumbley texted Ethan, 'Don't do it,' ... the shootings had already happened, Mr. Crumbley had determined the gun was missing and had notified authorities, and Mrs. Crumbley was texting her son to tell him not to kill himself," the defense states in the filing, later adding:
"They did not know Ethan was a threat to anyone; and they certainly did not anticipate or cause the tragedy that unfolded at Oxford High School."
The Nov. 30 shooting left four students dead and seven other people injured, including a teacher. According to prosecutors, four days before the shooting, the Crumbleys bought the gun that was used in the massacre as an early Christmas present for their son, who is now facing first-degree murder and terrorism charges.
According to prosecutors, the parents did not have the gun properly secured, though the defense has disputed that, stating in court records, "the Crumbleys did have the gun at issue in a locked and hidden location."
The father of accused Oxford High School gunman Ethan Crumbley, James Crumbley is in the 52-3 District Courtroom of Judge Julie Nicholson in Rochester on Dec. 14, 2021, for a probable cause conference in their cases after being charged with involuntary manslaughter. The Crumbleys are represented by attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman.
The defense has argued that Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has filed "inappropriate" charges against the parents, and that their case will raise "unprecedented" legal issues.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lawyers: Oxford shooting suspect's mom texted son not to kill himself
Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia moved students to remote learning Monday amid a massive "sick out" staged by teachers at the high school after a 17-year-old student died of COVID-19 complications, according to multiple reports.
Officials said the "sick out," in which roughly 40 teachers participated by calling out sick from work at the school that day, "hindered and interrupted Olney's ability to operate and provide in-person instruction," local affiliate Fox 29 reported.
The high school sent out a letter to students' parents and guardians Sunday night to inform them that classes were moving online and staff is expected to teach remotely through Jan. 14, according to Fox 29.
The student who died, Alayna Thach, was a senior in the process of visiting colleges, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. She was an honor-roll student and wanted to become a life coach. Per Fox 29, she contracted the coronavirus in early December.
Thach's aunt, Hien Yem, spoke to local affiliate CBS 3 Philly on behalf of Thach's mother, telling the outlet that her niece's COVID-19 infection seemed mild at first, until things took a turn for the worse.
Hien also said that Thach was not vaccinated, but was scheduled to get the shot next month, in January, per CBS 3. Both of the student's parents are reportedly fully vaccinated.
Thach's family sent a statement to CBS 3 to say that they stood in solidarity with the teachers who were calling out in protest of in-person learning amid the COVID-19 surge, CBS 3 reported. They added that their daughter would have been in solidarity with the "sick out," as well.
Meanwhile, Olney Charter High School Principal James Thompson said of the "sick out," "I don't think this was the time or the way to go about this," according to CBS 3.
Olney Charter said it had performed contact tracing and was 100 percent sure Alayna had not contracted the virus from attending the school, per the outlet.
The striking opening shot of Abner Benaims plangent drama Plaza Catedral induces slight vertigo. The camera rises on an elevator attached to the outside of a partially built skyscraper, looking out across Panama Citys high-rise apartment complexes, and eventually, at the bay beyond. It should be uplifting, but a chilly, murmured voiceover and the opening drone of Matthew Herberts rueful score, are like the rainclouds that edge the blue sky in foreboding gray. The view ascends, but it evokes a sinking feeling.
The voice belongs to Alicia (a strong, subtle turn from Mexican actress Ilse Salas), who introduces herself and speaks elliptically, in her emotionless, removed way, of a loss she has suffered in her recent past, that has put her at odds with the world around her. She is an architect by training but a salesperson for an upscale property developer by profession, hence her visit to this half-finished penthouse, with the young family who are thinking of buying it.
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In the wake of losing her 6-year-old son in a freak accident, Alicia and her husband Diego (Manolo Cardona) divorced. She now lives in a smart, well-appointed apartment on the Plaza of the title, where one day she is waved into a parking space by a rangy 13-year-old who calls her Boss and goes by the nickname Chief. He is played by a terrifically surly, understated Fernando Xavier De Casta, whose murder mere months before the films release is a shattering blow revealed to us in a terse title at the end, and cannot but cast a retroactive pall over the project, even while it stands as a fine testament to his nascent talent.
Chief is an annoyance to Alicia, who is wrapped up in her self-imposed, grief-mandated, guilt-induced isolation. He flings coins back at her when she doesnt pay him enough, sneers at her as a gringa (shes Mexican, but not being from Panama apparently makes her foreign enough to warrant the slur) and insinuates vague threats about what will happen to her car if shes stingy. Alicia, with the grit of the hard-edged urbanite who is just too preoccupied right now to worry about checking her privilege, refuses to be intimidated. They settle into a frosty stalemate, which changes abruptly when one night Alicia finds Chief bleeding from a bullet wound to the stomach on her stairway.
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This is the third time a film of Benaims has been selected as Panamas entry for the international Oscar, but the previous two were documentaries (2014s Invasion and 2018s Ruben Blades Is Not My Name). This time, in his second fiction feature, Benaim brings some of his documentarian sensibility to bear on a story that might otherwise feel a little schematic. As it is, the entirely convincing snapshot he presents, of a city riven by divisions between the wealthy and the poverty-stricken, comes to glowering life in the gently thawing chemistry between his two protagonists.
And while Plaza Catedral never lapses into sentimentality, as Alicias unexpected and volatile connection to Chief evolves to provide her with the redemption perhaps even she does not know she is seeking, the truthfulness of the performances renders it moving and genuine, despite the inherent problematics of its focus on the poor boy primarily as an agent of change for the well-off woman.
The actors subdued, elegant downplaying is complemented by the cool restraint of Lorenzo Hagerman photography, which is especially attuned to the impersonal, somehow oblivious, coldness of more moneyed surroundings: the expensively neutral upholstery of Alicias spacious apartment; the angles and floor-to-ceiling windows of the office where her complacent boss Jack (played by Benaim himself) insists on sharing a celebratory drink with her at 10 in the morning. One shot, of a painstaking scale model of the Panama City skyline which is placed by a window that looks out onto the very same real-life view, is eloquent in its summation of an entire professional elite who literally get to build the world according to their own design or, conversely, get to look on the real world from a lordly perspective, as though it were their plaything.
It contrasts most markedly with a section toward the end when Alicia finally visits the grubby, ramshackle neighborhood where Chief lives, and of which its likely no architect ever troubled to build a model. That Benaim, who also wrote the screenplay, chooses to end his film here, in a moment of sudden violence that is a darkly cathartic culmination for both characters, is poignant in offering the slenderest, faintest tendril of optimism. Which somehow makes that final title, with the news of this promising, charismatic young actors horribly premature death, all the more crushing: an example not of life imitating art, but obliterating it.
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ST. PETERSBURG Police have arrested a man accused of robbing the Regions Bank at 3399 66th Street N. on Wednesday, St. Petersburg police said.
The robber, identified as 31-year-old Charles Chad Reschar, was captured on video handing a note to a teller. He implied he had a weapon but did not show it, police said.
Police did not say how much money Reschar made off with.
A Lafayette Police officer will get his job back after he failed drug screening, the Lafayette Fire and Police Civil Service Board ruled.
Officer Bernard Anderson was fired in June for violating Lafayette Consolidated Governments illicit drug policy after his screening showed he tested positive for marijuana metabolite.
He told Internal Affairs investigators he was taking a CBD supplement as a sleep aid and never ingested marijuana.
Because marijuana immediately begins to break down in the body, some drug labs choose to test for marijuana metabolite, which stays in the system longer and is specific to traditional marijuana, a doctor testified before the board.
Sen. Fred Mills, center, testifies on Dec. 21, 2021, in the discipline hearing of Bernard Anderson, right, who was asking the Lafayette Fire and Police Civil Service Board for his job back.
CBD (Cannabidiol) is derived from hemp plants, which are the same species as marijuana but contain virtually none of the psychoactive compounds that get people high. To be legal in Louisiana, CBD must contain less than 0.3% of THC.
The board voted 3-1 to give Anderson his job back with pay.
"I find that the lack of progress in testing and the technology that is available in something as innocent as sleep drops," board member Christina Olivier said, "that the city did not act in good faith and just cause."
Mickey Broussard was the one dissenting vote, arguing Anderson violated the city's drug policy.
In other news: ACLU clears first hurdle against Lafayette Police Department in case of violent 2018 arrest
Michael Corry, the attorney representing the police department and LCG, argued Anderson violated the citys zero-tolerance drug policy when his test came back positive.
Andersons attorney, Allyson Prejean, argued that because there is no specific policy for CBD and the test could not determine whether the positive test was attributed to CBD or marijuana, Anderson should get his job back.
Anderson was involved in an on-duty car accident on Dec 24, 2020, and, per department policy, had to take a drug test. The test came back positive for marijuana metabolite, Dr. Paul Bergeron testified. Anderson asked for a retest and the marijuana metabolite was still there.
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Bergeron said in some cases, consistent CBD use could lead to a positive drug test. He also testified he could not determine whether the marijuana metabolite came from CBD or an illegal THC product.
An Internal Affairs investigation was launched. Anderson told the investigator he had trouble sleeping so his wife suggested a CBD supplement. The manufacturer had given samples at the hospital where she worked as a nurse.
Other nurses she worked with had success with the supplement and had no problems when given random drug tests at work, she testified.
CONSIDER SUBSCRIBING TODAY: Help support local journalists like Ashley White
Anderson told the investigator he never ingested marijuana. He also took a computer voice stress analyzer. During the test, Anderson was asked if he had used illegal drugs or used marijuana in the past year, Det. Jonathan Sanchez testified.
Anderson answered no to both questions and Sanchez said did not detect any deception in the stress levels.
His wife, a co-worker and supervising sergeant all testified they had never known Anderson to take illicit drugs, use marijuana or appear to be under the influence of illicit drugs.
In other news: Defense argues man accused of killing Officer Middlebrook isn't competent to stand trial
Sen. Fred Mills was called to testify about his knowledge of CBD and the differences between CBD and illicit marijuana and argued there's no testing to tell the difference.
Anderson was fired on June 25 for violating LCGs zero-tolerance drug policy, which terminates employees who test positive for any level of illicit drug as outlined in the policy, Human Resources manager Rick Zeno testified.
Two other officers, Jonathan Rabb and Maverick Morvant, withdrew their appeals. Few details were shared about their discipline but Morvant was suspended for 30 calendar days and Rabb was suspended for 10 calendar days.
Contact Ashley White at adwhite@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Officer argues he used CBD supplements, not THC, gets job back
Florida authorities are on the hunt to find the Grinch who stole Christmas gifts and other items worth $1,600 from a home, according to the local sheriffs office.
A man broke down the door of a home in Lakeland around 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 20 and ransacked the place, the Polk County Sheriffs Office described in a post on Facebook. Once he entered, the thief stole wrapped presents from under the tree that were meant for the two girls, ages 11 and 8.
Lakeland is about 60 miles southwest of Orlando.
Given the nature of the crime, the Polk County Sheriffs Office have deemed the thief the Grinch.
This Grinch needs to be caught and held accountable for his criminal actions. Thankfully, detectives are working with Polk Sheriffs Charities and Toys For Tots to ensure these children have a Merry Christmas in spite of this horrible act, Sheriff Grady Judd said.
The department also wrote that those with information about the burglary and the person responsible may be eligible for a $2,500 cash reward through Crimestoppers.
According to the news release concerning the incident, the resident left her home early on Dec. 20 to meet family members. When she came home, she saw her door had been broken in and the house burglarized.
She also discovered all the wrapped Christmas presents were missing, as well as a company laptop and a flat screen television, the release added.
The victim reported the crime and detectives were able to pull some images of the burglar from the familys home security system, the sheriffs office said.
In the security footage, which was shared by the sheriffs office with the public, a man is seen entering the home and carrying a laptop as he passes through the frame. Judd said that he entered and exited the home multiple times to carry out the stolen goods.
The sheriffs office stated they believe the man may be driving a 2019 or newer dark 4-door Chevrolet Malibu, or similar model of vehicle. They do not have license plate information.
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This guys got eggnog for brains, Judd said in a news conference posted on Facebook. This is called the Grinch from Christmas 2021, and we want him in jail. We need your help.
Anyone with information about the crime is encouraged to contact Polk County detectives at 863-298-2600, or call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS to remain anonymous.
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Redeemer Lutheran Church, Vineland, members collected more than 500 food items to help feed those who are food challenged in the Vineland area.
In addition, the church was awarded a $500 grant from Thrivent Financial, which was donated along with the food to the Spirit & Truth Ministries and the Vineland Soup Kitchen.
Redeemer, which is at 2384 E. Landis Ave., serves the people of the greater Vineland area.
More: New, used and even worn out sneakers accepted for Womans Club of Vineland project
More: Families enjoyed holiday fun at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cumberland County
Dawn Amari, a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Vineland, presents a donation check to Cindy James, a representative of Spirit & Truth Ministries and the Vineland Soup Kitchen.
For church information, visit www.facebook.com/RedeemerLutheranVineland.
Send community news and event items to lvoit@gannett.com. Help support local journalism with a subscription to The Daily Journal/Courier Post/Burlington County Times.
This article originally appeared on Vineland Daily Journal: Vineland church donates food and money to help feed those in need
The first COVID-19 omicron variant case detected by the University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute was found this week from a UF Health patient, according to UF Health Shands CEO Ed Jimenez.
It is not clear if it is the first confirmed omicron case in Alachua County as the Florida Department of Health and the local health department could not be reached immediately to confirm.
Dr. Glenn Morris, head of the UF EPI, said he was not comfortable sharing whether the patient was an Alachua County resident because of privacy reasons. However UF Health spokesman Ken Garcia confirmed the patient had been treated as an outpatient in Gainesville.
Morris said the case was the first omicron isolate found by his team, which routinely sequences COVID-19 samples from Shands hospital and other parts of UF Health, including patients from neighboring counties.
According to Dr. Nicole Iovine, an infectious disease specialist with UF Health, finding one omicron case in Gainesville means that there are many more in the community.
Some may be infected and not sick enough to seek medical help, while others may not have been sequenced and passed through medical centers undetected.
"It's just the tip of the iceberg," she said. "Certainly there are other cases of omicron floating around in Alachua County ... There's no doubt in my mind."
Because the omicron variant is so much more transmissible, she said, it is likely to quickly replace the delta variant as the dominant COVID-19 strain in the area.
What's known so far about omicron, Iovine said, is that it has what is called "vaccine escape." Antibodies people have acquired from COVID-19 vaccines or infections have a harder time recognizing the variant with its many mutations.
Recent work from the EPI places omicron's possible COVID-19 surge with a projected peak in February of more than 150,000 infections a day in Florida, well above any previous peak since the pandemic began.
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Read about it here: UF study projects COVID-19 omicron surge with record infections but perhaps not as deadly
And even if illness from omicron is less severe than delta and other strains, as some early research indicates, the doctor said a smaller percentage of more cases is still a huge number.
The only people with significant protection against omicron are those who have received a booster shot, Iovine said. Natural immunity and vaccine immunity wane over time, but the booster doesn't just increase the numbers of the antibodies people already have. It actually increases the diversity of the antibodies, she explained, allowing your immune system to recognize different things.
With the holidays approaching, COVID-19 cases rising and many Floridians either unvaccinated or immunocompromised, Iovine said it is a "perfect storm for a surge."
The doctor and expert urged getting the booster shot or starting the COVID-19 vaccine series. The best way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe over the next few weeks, she said, is to mask indoors or celebrate outdoors with ventilation.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF Health patient in Gainesville infected with COVID omicron variant
PROVIDENCE, RI In 2020, many Rhode Island residents opted for small, low-key holiday celebrations as coronavirus cases soared nationwide and public health experts urged social distancing.
We werent used to Christmas without the trimmings; however, while the situation was not ideal, many of us realized large, stressful holiday gatherings arent all theyre cracked up to be. This year, many may again opt to keep Christmas simple and unhurried.
Doing so could mean letting someone else take care of the holiday festivities entirely. This includes the cooking.
If thats the route youre going this Christmas, we certainly wont blame you. Luckily, several local and chain restaurants in Rhode Island plan to be open on Christmas Day.
Also, here are the chain restaurants expected to be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, unless otherwise noted, according to lists compiled by The Pioneer Woman, Womans Day and Food Network.
Again, hours can vary by location. Always call ahead to make sure your local restaurant of choice is open on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
This article originally appeared on the Cranston Patch
PROVIDENCE Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Childrens Hospital and their affiliated hospitals will soon require most visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative PCR COVID test.
The requirement, effective Monday, is being implemented because of "rising COVID numbers and to ensure the safety of our patients and staff," health-system operator Lifespan announced Wednesday afternoon.
Explained: What you need to know about RI's new mask mandate as COVID cases rise
Lifespan also operates The Miriam and Bradley hospitals in Providence, and Newport Hospital.
Starting Monday, visitors to those hospitals will have to show a picture ID and proof of vaccination or results of a negative COVID PCR test administered within 48 hours of their visit, Lifespan said.
Rhode Island Hospital and other Lifespan hospitals will require most visitors to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test starting Monday.
Supple and demand: RI opens two more sites for rapid COVID tests, in Bristol and Newport
Exceptions will be permitted for end-of-life visitation, escorts for patients with disabilities, parents and caregivers of pediatric patients, birthing partners and in other designated circumstances at the discretion of the clinical care team, Lifespan said.
Lifespan's announcement comes three days after a renewed masking mandate went into effect in Rhode Island. The new regulation requires customers and staff to wear masks in indoor settings that hold 250 or more people. Operators of smaller venues, such as restaurants, have the option of allowing people without masks if they show proof of vaccination.
At your fingertips: Rhode Island residents can now use app to show they've been vaccinated for COVID-19
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Lifespan requiring COVID vaccination proof from most hospital visitors
Up and at 'em, Riverhead! It's me again, Diane Witek, your host of the Riverhead Daily. Here are the top 4 stories in Riverhead today.
First, today's weather:
Sun mixing with clouds. High: 36, low: 25.
Here are the top stories in Riverhead today:
Suffolk County Errol Toulon said Tuesday that the Elf on a Shelf has been arrested and currently incarcerated in the Suffolk County Correctional Facility. The Elf allegedly has been destroying kitchen countertops, making messes in bathrooms, and swinging from dining room chandeliers. The Elf has been charged with "silly mischief" and attempting to distract the sheriff from his duties. (Riverhead Patch) The New York State Department of Education announced yesterday that the Riverhead High School Regents exams, set for January, have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The statewide coronavirus test positivity rate was over 10 percent yesterday, with Suffolk Countys being pushed to nearly 14 percent. (RiverheadLOCAL) More than 130 acres on the northwest corner of Horseblock Road and Sunrise Highway in Brookhaven hamlet has been rezoned from residential to industrial. Part of the property has been used by the town for composting and other waste management purposes. The rezoning was intended to keep developers from making the land a residential subdivision. (Newsday) Noah Haynes, 18, was arguing with a 17-year-old victim inside LA Fitness on Deer Park Avenue in North Babylon around 7:15 p.m. when staff members asked them to leave. The teens fought in the parking lot, then Haynes returned and confronted the 17 year old in the locker room, authorities said. There, he allegedly slashed the teen in the neck with a metal object and pointed a handgun at him. Three gym members intervened and held Haynes down until police arrived but he fired one shot during the struggle; luckily no one was hit. (New York Post)
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From my notebook:
RiverheadLOCAL: "Suffolk County reached a daily coronavirus test positivity rate of more 13.7 percent yesterday, as public health experts warn families to take precautions against an expanding surge of the coronavirus led by the omicron variant." (Instagram)
NY Marine Rescue Center: "We're so happy that Bowie has found his forever home with Ocean Connections, Inc. Stay tuned for more updates." (Facebook)
Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps (RVAC): "Santa will be leaving RVAC shortly! Below is the link to track where he is! https://glympse.com/riverheadsanta." (Facebook)
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This article originally appeared on the Riverhead Patch
By David Lawder
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia continues to move away from commitments it made to join the World Trade Organization in 2012, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Tuesday, citing agricultural import restrictions and import substitution policies.
In an annual report to Congress on Russia's WTO compliance, USTR said Russia in 2021 introduced new tracking systems for consignments of goods through supply chains and has maintained non-science-based agricultural import restrictions.
"Over the past year, Russia has continued its trajectory of an economy moving away from the guiding principles of the WTO: non-discrimination, freer trade, predictability, transparency, and fair competition," USTR said in the report https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/enforcement/WTO/2021%20Report%20on%20Russia's%20WTO%20Compliance.pdf.
"Rather, Russia maintains restrictive at-the-border measures, institutes behind-the-border measures to inhibit trade, and implements an industrial policy seemingly driven by the guiding principles of import substitution and forced localization."
The United States has raised concerns about Russia's actions and will "use all appropriate means to resolve the matter and keep Russias markets open to U.S. exports," USTR said.
The report noted that U.S. bilateral work with Russia on agricultural trade issues has been limited since 2014 due to Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine, and engagement in the WTO on Russia's access barriers has been limited. But the agency said it will continue to meet with industry stakeholders to discuss their concerns and strategies to remove such barriers.
The report did not mention any new U.S. trade measures that could be taken against Russia should Russian President Vladimir Putin invade Ukraine. If that should happen, U.S. officials are considering tough export control measures to disrupt Russia's economy, a Biden administration official told Reuters, including halting Moscow's ability to import smartphones, key aircraft and auto parts and other materials.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Stephen Coates)
MOSCOW (AP) Russian and U.S. negotiators will sit down for talks early next year to discuss Moscow's demand for Western guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine, Russias top diplomat said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia in January will also start separate talks with NATO to discuss the issue, adding that separate negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will also be held.
Last week, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliances military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. Washington and its allies have refused to provide such pledges, but said they are ready for the talks.
Moscow presented the demands amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has stoked fears of a possible invasion. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conference call earlier this month that Russia will face severe consequences if it attacks Ukraine.
Putin has denied having plans to launch an attack but has described NATOs expansion to Ukraine and weapons deployment of the alliance weapons there as a red line.
We dont want a war, Lavrov said Wednesday. We dont want to take the path of confrontation. But we will firmly ensure our security using the means we consider necessary.
Speaking in a live interview with Russian RT television, Lavrov hailed Washingtons business-like approach that helped quickly agree on parameters of the future talks.
He added that Moscow would be ready to consider Washingtons demands, but warned that the talks mustn't drag out indefinitely.
I hope that they will take us seriously given the moves we take to ensure our defense capability, he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also hailed reaching a quick agreement on the start of the talks, but noted that they should be aimed at reaching concrete results and not become drawn out. He added that Moscow expects Washington to present a detailed platform for the talks and be ready for a constructive discussion.
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We want these talks, he said in a conference call with reporters. And, certainly, the talks are held to discuss each others positions.
A key principle of the NATO alliance is that membership is open to any qualifying country, and the U.S. has said it won't give Russia the kind of guarantee on Ukraine it seeks. In the meantime, the American side is conferring with its European allies.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Ukraine on Wednesday with Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
They emphasized the need for coordinated action to support Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity and reaffirmed that any further Russian military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences for the Russian Federation, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Separately, U.S. Army Col. Dave Butler, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, spoke Tuesday with Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff. He said the generals discussed regional security issues, but no details of the conversation were released.
Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and shortly after cast its support behind a separatist rebellion in the countrys east. The fighting, which started more than seven years ago, has killed over 14,000 people and devastated Ukraines industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.
Ukraine's security chief said Wednesday that the country now faces more than 250,000 troops amassed in western Russia.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said that 122,000 Russian troops are concentrated within 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) of the Ukrainian border and another 143,500 Russian soldiers are within a broader, 400-kilometer (250-mile) distance from it.
He added that the Ukrainian authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
If the situation exacerbates, it can't happen momentarily, Danilov said. It will require preparation, and we are watching it.
Moscow has rejected Western concerns about the troop concentration, saying it's free to deploy them wherever it deems necessary on its territory. It has denied the allegations of a planned invasion as a Western smear campaign and, in its turn, accused Ukraine of an intention to reclaim control of the rebel-held areas by force. Ukrainian officials have denied having any such plans.
On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that more than 120 U.S. private military contractors are currently operating in two villages near the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, training Ukrainian troops and setting up firing positions in residential buildings and different facilities. He also alleged that they stockpiled toxic chemicals in preparation for a possible provocation.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry strongly rejected Shoigu's claim as part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
In Tuesday's speech before top military brass, Putin warned that Russia will have to take adequate military-technical measures if the West continues its aggressive course on the threshold of our home.
They must understand that we have nowhere to retreat, Putin said.
Peskov on Wednesday wouldn't specify what those military-technical steps may include, saying only that they will imply an entire range of measures to ensure security of the Russian Federation and the deterrent parity.
Asked about Putin's warning, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the Russian leader's statement causes concern and underlined the need for a dialogue.
"Yes, my concern is great, but that means all the more that we must enter dialogue with every millimeter of our own action, Baerbock said in Berlin. And that also means that, if proposals are made that are not our basis for negotiations, we must speak to each other.
She stressed the importance of returning to four-way talks between Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine, and again expressed hopes of reviving talks in the NATO-Russia Council to prevent further escalation.
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Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.
Mild temperatures, clear skies and calm seas will greet Space Coast anglers and boaters through the Christmas holiday weekend. In between family commitments and holiday celebrations, anglers should get out and wet a line for their favorite targets.
Blackfin tuna and mahi mahi are offshore on the current edges. There have been cobia and kingfish on the reefs in 60 to 80 feet of water. Pompano and whiting are on the beaches. Snook, sheepshead and tripletail have been a target showing up in good numbers for anglers inshore.
And don't forget about freshwater where speckled perch (crappie) should be biting better with the cool down.
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Red grouper will be one of nine species of grouper plus hogfish available for harvest to Atlantic anglers after May 1.
Closures in effect: Anglers are reminded about these fishery harvest closures currently underway and ones about to begin and end.
Snook: The closure began Dec. 15 and runs through Jan. 31, 2022.
Spotted seatrout: No harvest of trout is allowed in the waters of eastern central Florida, from Volusia to Palm Beach counties, from Nov. 1 though Dec. 31. Harvest will re-open Jan. 1, 2022.
Grouper : Shallow water grouper are prohibited from harvest Jan. 1 through April 30, 2022. That includes gag grouper, red grouper, scamp and six other lesser species.
Hogfish: No harvest of hogfish is allowed in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida from Nov. 1 through April 30, 2022. Harvest re-opens May 1, 2022.
For complete fishing regulations in Florida go to MyFWC.com.
Mosquito Lagoon
Capt. Jon Lulay of 2 Castaway Charters in Titusville said his clients were able to get in on some great oversized redfish action. Using split crabs was the trick. There also have been good schools of black drum in the shallow waters around the islands in the lagoon. Use live shrimp on a popping cork in 2-3 feet of water. Trout are on the points of the islands. Even though trout opens to harvest Jan. 1, consider letting them all go. Trout are a depleted resource with the loss of seagrass beds.
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Offshore
Capt. Jim Ross of Fineline fishing charters in Rockledge said once the winds back down and anglers can get back offshore, to look for nearshore action on tripletail. He was right. Anything that floats has had a tripletail drifting underneath it. On the reefs, Ross said the king mackerel action has been steady drifting live baits or slow trolling dead baits. There have been some cobia around, too. Remember, this is the last week anglers can keep a grouper until May 1.
Surf
The calm shorebreak and mild temperatures will make the beach inviting to anglers pursuing pompano, whiting and bluefish. Use pieces if shrimp, sand fleas, Fish Gum or Fishbites EZ Flea or yellow crab to get bites. The fish are running the sand bar so cast there. Long cast with short rods and jigs will get bites from Spanish mackerel, bluefish and blue runners.
Sebastian Inlet
Anglers are catching flounder, sheepshead, black drum, Spanish mackerel and bluefish from the jetties and catwalks. Use mud minnows or finger mullet on a sliding sinker rig to catch the flounder from the T Dock, along the rocks by the wading pool or along the south shoreline. Fish for big redfish by drifting the inlet by boat with live croaker or crabs.
Indian River Lagoon
Ross said look for action to be in 3-5 feet of water where large schools of mullet have been along the eastern shoreline of the Indian River Lagoon through the Grant and Melbourne Beach areas. The cool air means the fish are looking for deeper spots and holes where the water temperature is more stable. That is where to find redfish, black drum, trout and croaker.
Freshwater
The cool weather will have speckled perch biting better. Use 1/32-ounce and 1/16-ounce jigs or live minnows over submerged structure to get bites. Reminder that the air boat ramp at the Stick Marsh is closed temporarily through mid-January as St. Johns River Water Management District completes construction on the S-96 structure nearby. Alternative launching locations include the concrete boat ramp located at Stick Marsh or the air boat ramp at the 512 Rec Pad (also known as Blue Cypress Recreation Area).
Ed Killer is florida today's outdoors writer. Friend Ed on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Space Coast anglers will have success targeting trout, bass and tripletail
Police have arrested a second suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a teen in South Fairmount last month.
On Tuesday, police announced the arrest of 22-year-old Keuntay Bazel on an aggravated murder warrant in connection with the death of Kristopher Teetor, 17.
Keuntay Bazel
Teetor was shot and killed while pumping gas at a BP station between Harrison and Queen City avenues Nov. 7.
Brian and Felisha Zimmerman told The Enquirer they weren't the teen's biological parents but had custody of him.
Kristopher Teetor, 17, was shot to death the evening of Nov. 6, 2021, after buying juice at the BP food mart in South Fairmont. Joseph Bazel III, 24, was arrested Nov. 23, 2021 and charged with aggravated murder for the shooting. Kristopher's brother, Brian Crouse Jr., 18, was shot and killed on July 25, 2017.
Brian said on the night he was killed, Teetor was at a gas station getting some juice and "apparently when he was checking out, he took his cash out, which we told him never to do. The shooter saw his money and followed him outside and he fought back, and then other guys ran up and shot him and went in his pockets.
"Every time wed get a phone call, we were worried. (Felisha) is in the bedroom and she collapses on the floor. She says, Kris is dead.
"Whats terrible is knowing that Kris life was taken over possessions. That $300 in the hood is a jackpot."
Last month, Cincinnati police announced the arrest of 24-year-old Joseph Bazel on an aggravated murder charge in Teetor's death. Cincinnati police officials said Joseph Bazel and Keuntay Bazel are related, but are still investigating how.
Joseph Bazel III, 24, is escorted out of his arraignment for aggravated murder by Deputy Sheriff Justin Morgan at the Hamilton County Justice Center, November 24, 2021. Bazel is accused of shooting and killing Kristopher Teetor, 17, the evening of Nov. 6, 2021, at the BP food mart in South Fairmont.
Enquirer reporter Amber Hunt contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Second arrest made in fatal South Fairmount shooting of teen
A group of 13 Democratic senators led by Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Jack Reed of Rhode Island has called on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to answer how Facebook handled misinformation enforcement ahead of the January 6th US Capitol attack. Citing documents and testimony shared by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, they say they want to know why the company "prematurely" removed safeguards it had in place before the 2020 presidential election.
"This action allowed misinformation, disinformation, and violent rhetoric to return to the platform immediately following Election Day and in the lead-up to the January 6th insurrection," the group said.
Many of the questions center around Meta's defunct Civic Integrity team. During her testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security, Haugen said that the company dissolved shortly after the 2020 election. That's a claim Meta has consistently disputed.
"We did not disband Civic Integrity," Guy Rosen, Meta vice president for integrity, told Time in October. "We integrated it into a larger Central Integrity team so that the incredible work pioneered for elections could be applied even further, for example, across health-related issues. Their work continues to this day."
To that point, the group asks Zuckerberg when Meta made the decision to disband the team and who ultimately made it. They also want to know what part of Meta is currently responsible for overseeing its efforts to prevent election-related misinformation, in addition to details like how many employees the company has assigned to that division. Beyond those questions, the group says they want to know how Meta plans to protect the integrity of future elections.
"While we acknowledge the efforts Facebook took to prevent the spread of election-related misinformation and disinformation, violent rhetoric, and harassment prior to the 2020 elections, it clearly was not enough to prevent lies about the election from taking root on the platform and fueling violence against our democracy," Klobuchar, Reed and the 11 other senators said.
The group stops short of threatening regulatory action against Meta. It's possible the Senate could call on Zuckerberg to testify much like Instagram head Adam Mosseri was asked to do earlier this month. While most US lawmakers agree more needs to be done to regulate Facebook and other social media platforms, Democrats and Republicans have found little common ground on how to approach the issue.
Carnegie Town Hall
Sioux Falls voters will get to decide whether the city's next mayor should see their pay increased by nearly $35,000 when they step into the voting booth this April.
The proposal, which passed a second reading at Tuesday night's Sioux Falls City Council meeting, originally called for the mayor's salary to be increased to $195,000, but an amendment brought by Councilor Janet Brekke and unanimously supported by the council brought the figure down to $165,000.
The city's charter set the mayor's salary at $75,000 in 1995, adding that it should be adjusted annually for inflation or deflation. As of Jan. 11, 2021, Mayor Paul TenHaken was paid $130,748.80.
More: Sioux Falls City Council advances proposal to put mayoral, council pay raise on 2022 ballot
Councilor Marshall Selberg, the item's primary sponsor, said he understood that some voters might have "sticker shock" when looking at the raise as he explained his support for Brekke's amendment.
Still, he reiterated his belief that a pay raise was necessary for a position that oversees 1,300 employees and a $650 million budget and yet makes less than many of the directors who report to them.
Brekke, who expressed her belief that a pay raise would do little to attract more people to the position, said her proposed figure may even be a little high, noting it would exceed the mayoral pay of many cities in the region, including Kansas City, Minneapolis and Des Moines.
Selberg noted in response that there was some challenge in doing an "apples-to-apples comparison" given the differences in the governmental makeup of various cities.
If approved by voters, city councilors would also see a pay raise, as their salary is locked by charter at 15% of what the mayor makes. That would put them at $24,750, an increase of over $5,000 from their current salary of $19,612.32.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls voters to decide if mayor will get a nearly $35k pay raise
GARDNER The clock is ticking to find a solution to the problem of what to do about the sewage sludge that is disposed at the landfill off of West Street in Gardner.
According to officials, the landfills capacity limit will be reached in three to seven years, so a decision about whether to expand the site or find an alternate method of disposing of sludge from the citys sewage system will have to be made fairly soon.
Meanwhile, a statewide coalition of environmental groups has been organized by the Athol-based Millers River Watershed Council (MRWC) to promote sustainable alternatives to expanding the landfill, which is located near the Cummings Conservation Area.
Just about everyone wants to find an economical solution to dealing with Gardners landfill sludge that is also environmentally friendly, and we are confident the city would find such a solution if it chose to look for one, said MRWC director Ivan Ussach. Weve looked at a range of alternatives that include everything from anaerobic digestors to composting to even hauling (sludge) to other locations. In terms of urgency, obviously this would have been great if things had been done several years ago, but here we are in 2021. The city has got to get on the ball and start moving now.
The West Street landfill in Gardner is predicted to reach capacity in three to seven years.
Comprised of groups including Gardner Clean Air, Mount Grace Conservation Land Trust, and the Athol Bird and Nature Club, the coalition aims to garner support for an approach to managing the citys sewage sludge that will keep the communitys air and water clean and will not disturb environmentally sensitive forest land near the site, according to Ussach.
The impacts (of expanding the landfill) run from potential leakage into local drinking water wells and the nearby Otter River theres plenty of evidence to show that landfill liners leak to digging up protected land that the city has paid money to protect, Ussach said. And theres the ongoing odor issues that have been documented for many years. Those impacts will continue unabated if things continue just status quo. No other municipalities in the state are planning to open or expand sludge landfills, and that should tell you something.
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Mayor Michael Nicholson said the city is reviewing possible plans for what to do when capacity at the landfill is reached.
We are exploring different options including expansion, hauling or anaerobic digestion, however, there are issues associated with each of those, Nicholson said. The only state that accepts hauled sewage sludge is New Jersey, and the shipping costs are astronomical, which would require significant increases in sewage rates to pay for. The city does not produce enough sludge on our own to support anaerobic digestion. As such, if we wanted anaerobic digestion, we have to truck in sludge from other places, which raises several concerns and environmental issues.
Nicholson said when Rutland, where he served as town administrator before being elected mayor of Gardner in 2020, decided to truck in sludge from other places, it was discovered by officials that the sludge contained contaminants that raised several environmental concerns.
I am not in favor of trucking in sludge from other locations and the side effects it could cause, so if we went the anaerobic digestion route, there would have to be a large amount of research done on the matter first, Nicholson said.
Alan Rousseau, an abutter to the landfill and co-chair of Gardner Clean Air, said an expanded landfill would not be the legacy Gardner deserves.
Threatening water supplies and stinking up the Cummings Conservation Area that the city, state and federal government paid to protect is not the way to go, he said. Neither is destroying rare geological features and vernal pools in the city-owned Wildwood Forest.
Nicholson said that there are several concerns among officials regarding the option of expanding the landfill, including its location and other environmental factors.
As such, we are exploring every option we can with as much research as possible, he said. No matter what option we choose, the city would have to have several inspections, permits and conversations with the Department of Environmental Protection who would have to fully approve of the final plan.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Gardner sludge landfill nearing capacity; officials seeking solutions
It may be awhile before the pilot who died when a small airplane crashed near the Monroe County Airport Friday night is identified.
Because the single-engine Piper PA-32 caught fire and burned at the crash site two miles south of the airport, DNA will be necessary to positively identify the pilot, Monroe County Coroner Joani Stalcup said in a news release.
Previous story: 1 dead after plane crash southwest of Bloomington
The aircraft went down in a wooded area off Tower Road. southwest of Bloomington at 8:10 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the plane was flying from Indianapolis Metro Airport to the Monroe County Airport.
The crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, a government agency that investigates aviation accidents in the United States. No preliminary information about the crash has been released.
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Indiana State Police Sgt. Mike Wood said his agency responded to the crash initially, and that federal investigators took over once they had arrived. "When there is an incident like this, we go to the scene and do what needs to be done until they show up and take over," he said.
Contact reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com, 812-331-4362 or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington plane crash that killed one still being investigated
A church service in the new building for the United Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Cuba.
The church leadership of Stone Lutheran Church in Ashland committed to a special project in 2021. They were presented with an opportunity to support the completion of a new building for the United Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Cuba and jumped on it, according to a news release from Stone Lutheran Church,.
More: Shoeboxes are filled with necessities and toys for kids in need overseas
Stone Church adopted the small Cuban church as its church sister abroad and immediately got to work, said the release, which added by the end of October and thanks to the generous donations from the congregation, Stone Church had raised a bit more than the targeted $2,000 necessary to complete the project.
Classroom teaching in new building for the United Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Cuba.
Despite the pandemic and political and social unrest in Cuba over the past couple of years, Stone Lutheran's sister church continues growing and strengthening through different programs and ministries, forming leaders reaching people for Christ and actively helping in the distribution of food and resources within the best of their possibilities, according to the news release.
As 2021 closes, they will have a new building that is the headquarters of a new church where Sunday service is celebrated and the community is reached, loved and fed.
Church members with supplies for community work in the new building for the United Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Cuba.
Our congregations generosity has encouraged and empowered the mission and ministry that we do together and is a tangible example of Christs love alive in the world today," Stone Lutheran Pastor Miguel Acosta said in the release. "By the love and the grace of our Lord, even though we are a small congregation nestled in a country area, we are going beyond our walls and touching lives overseas, as a member of the universal body of Christ.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Stone Lutheran supports completion of a new church building in Cuba
Directional signs pointing to various religions
Credit - Dimitri Vervitsiotis-Getty Images
In a society that largely takes the existence of God for granted, it can be difficult for non-believers to express themselves to friends and family. But there are some methods that can make it easier for atheists to broach this controversial subject.
In many families, its actually considered taboo to even discuss religion or politics at all. But if you stay true to that rule, youll end up ignoring your family members positions on some of the most important topics in life. And there are practical matters to consider, too, such as how to handle church invitations or questions about potential baptisms of any newly born children. Either way, if youre an atheist with believers in your family, the topic is bound to arise eventually.
Studies from the Pew Research Center have highlighted a rapidly growing group dubbed the nones, because they dont identify with a religion. Largely made up of young people who were raised in a faith but later left it, the nones are changing how religion is seen in the U.S. And while not every single none is an atheist, its clear that the younger generations are disregarding religion at rates never seen before, and that more Americans than ever are going to have to inform their families that they dont share their faith. With a stigma against atheists that often paints us as Satan worshipers or even worse, that task can be daunting for some non-believers.
But for many people who dont believe, the time for delay is coming to an end. And if you are a non-believer hoping to live your life honestly, and youre wondering what to do next, here are some tips:
PLAN OUT WHAT YOULL SAY AND WHEN YOULL SAY IT If deciding to tell loved ones about your de-conversion is the first step, then timing and planning the delivery is the second. Planning can prove to be very helpful in this area in that a spontaneous, off-the-cuff, announcement through an argument can catch your family off guard, leaving yourself and loved ones unprepared.
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THE EARLIER YOU SPEAK UP, THE BETTER OFF YOU ARE It may seem like a cliche, but, in the context of speaking out to family about controversial subjects, time generally does heal all wounds. Religious family members may be upset to hear about your lack of faith in the tradition that they practice, but time will always help those who truly love you to understand and accept that you simply arent convinced by the claims made by any world religions.
EVEN IF YOURE JUST STARTING TO HAVE DOUBTS, EXPRESS THEM Expressing your doubts in religious institutions as early as you begin having them can help you transition smoothly into an openly non-religious life while making sure your doubts arent misunderstood. This is not to say that the first time you question religion you should immediately tell your family that youre an atheist, but openly expressing doubt may help plant the seeds with religious family members for a future revelation. What it does mean is that, if you are sure that you want to share your secularism with your family and friends, then the earlier you make the information known, the earlier they can solve their own issues with your deconversion and accept your choices, hopefully ensuring everyones happiness.
DONT MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS DURING A FAMILY FIGHT As tempting as it may be to yell exactly how you feel when tempers start flaring, thats probably the worst time to make an important disclosure. As you might expect, it is usually considered bad form to come out in an argument about religionand it is certainly in poor taste to purposefully belittle ones beliefs. This type of confrontational behavior will ensure that your message is delivered to family in a time of stress or tension and will subsequently convey those negative feelings; in most cases, that only serves to make the acceptance process more difficult for you and your family in the long run.
ITS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE MINDS When talking to family about something as controversial as a difference of opinion over faith, its important to keep in mind that it isnt your job to convince them of anything. These are beliefs that have been flourishing and fortifying in some cases since childhood and today may provide comfort for those who fear the unknown or even retain a fear of purposelessness in a more general sense, and they will not be easily shaken. Nor is it your responsibility to de-convert your family; instead, think of it as your obligation to present your opinions in a logical manner, educate loved ones on your motives for separating from religion if prompted, and love your family no matter what they believe. After all, it is a persons actions that define themand not their belief system or lack thereof.
More from TIME
The percentage of Americans who are dropping religion increases every year, so the chances are if you arent questioning your faith, someone you love just might be. And wherever you are in your journey to answer the worlds most important questions, keeping these tips in mind will help you interact with family members about the contentious topics of religion and atheism without severing important familial connections.
Samuel Hall, founder of Patriots for America, addresses Val Verde County commissioners in Texas. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
The militia leader came before Val Verde County commissioners at their regular meeting in this border town 200 miles west of San Antonio wearing a straw cowboy hat, boots and a T-shirt emblazoned with the American flag.
He introduced himself as Samuel Hall, north Texas-based founder of Patriots for America. For the last two months, volunteers from his militia which doesn't disclose the size of its membership had coordinated with the sheriff of neighboring Kinney County to stop illegal immigrants. The militia patrolled in shifts, funded by donations. They approached ranchers in Val Verde about running operations on their land too. Hall hoped to win commissioners' blessing at Tuesdays meeting.
We are expanding our operations, said Hall, 40. The militia has been demonized pretty well by the left. My goal and my objective before you today commissioners is to let you know that our message is pure. Were not a bunch of guys that have a hate rhetoric. Were not a bunch of guys that beat our chest or have the wrong intentions or wrong message. We are a Christ-centered, faith-based organization. Were a bunch of believers.
Samuel Hall, second from left, and fellow members of Patriots for America in Del Rio, Texas. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Militias have staked out the border for decades, but Patriots for America has managed to do what many others have not: Patrol armed, with landowners permission, in concert with local law enforcement.
The militia arrived here after Gov. Greg Abbott declared the Texas border a disaster and launched Operation Lone Star last spring, allowing state troopers to arrest and jail migrants on misdemeanor trespassing charges. Since then, thousands of migrants have arrived, including a caravan of Haitians that overwhelmed U.S. Customs and Border Protection last fall, prompting criticism of some agents who were photographed on horseback chasing migrants.
Migrant deaths have increased in both counties this year. Sheriffs said there have been drownings in the Rio Grande and bodies recovered on ranches further north. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union and nine other groups filed a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice, requesting that it investigate Texas agencies and local governments involved in the operation. Among their concerns: County support for militias.
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Haitian migrant Junior Desterville, center, crosses the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Operation Lone Star goes hand in hand with white supremacist extremism including efforts to partner with vigilante groups, said Kate Huddleston, a staff attorney with the ACLU, noting it had yet to receive a substantive response from the Justice Department.
Were particularly concerned about violence due to the armed vigilante group presence and law enforcements willingness to work with them instead of ensuring that everyone in the county is safe, Huddleston said.
She said the majority of the more than 2,300 arrests under the program have been made in Kinney County, a conservative, rural ranching community of about 3,500 people.
The prosecutors are busy nonstop, Sheriff Brad Coe said during an interview at his office last week in the county seat of Brackettville, about 130 miles west of San Antonio.
Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe in his office in Brackettville, Texas. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Coe served for 30 years with the Border Patrol and still has Donald Trump stickers on his desk. Coe said he stays in touch with Hall, that ranchers have allowed the militia on their land and appreciate them in town.
When they go into the stores, restaurants, people love them. They say, We appreciate what you do, Coe said.
Coe said when he started working with the militias, he received pushback from the Texas Department of Public Safety, causing concern the state would pull resources from the county.
Travis Considine, a spokesman for the state agency, said it didn't support partnering with militias. But he said the department never threatened to pull resources from Kinney County.
We do not want to work with [militias], but we do not control the sheriffs, he said.
Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, center, looks on as Samuel Hall, right, addresses county commissioners. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez also had reservations about working with Halls group.
Hall insists his militia is law-abiding. They vet members with background checks. When they encounter migrants, they use their cellphones to alert the sheriff. They don't detain migrants, he said, which would be illegal.
"They can leave if they want," Hall said, although migrants they encounter are usually too tired. "They've given up on their trek."
Hall met Martinez twice before the commissioners meeting and asked the sheriff to approach local ranchers on his behalf. The sheriff said he talked to seven. They dont want them on their ranches because of liability, he said.
At Tuesdays meeting, Martinez looked on from the gallery as Hall appealed to the five commissioners, four of them Democrats.
When we do come upon illegal immigrants, it is our goal to comfort them, not be mean, not be intimidating. We give them food, we give them water, we attend to any medical needs that they have, Hall said, including three migrants they found a few nights earlier in Kinney County very scared, very cold.
They had been walking for a month and a half from Nicaragua. In Spanish, the translation was they had been persecuted by their own country so much that this was the only path that they felt they could take.
He noted that he had met with the countys chief executive the day before, Judge Lewis Owens Jr., a Democrat, who agreed the county was struggling to cope with the surge in migrants this year.
People on both sides of the aisle are fed up. We dont have the proper resources, we dont have the proper infrastructure, to handle this crisis. So what do we do? Well, we have Texans like Patriots for America, Hall said.
Hall choked up as he described how, after a Val Verde County rancher allowed them onto his property recently, they saw discarded migrant childrens clothes, shoes and a toddlers life jacket. He said Coe supported the militia because of their humanitarian message.
We dont come in with any intent to hurt anybody. We dont come in with any intent to cause any fights, he said. Were here to make a positive difference, but we need your support.
Militia member Kevin Caldwell, 58, a former business owner from north Texas, spoke next. He told commissioners he had just retired, bought an RV and was about to travel with his wife when Hall contacted him.
"I put all of my plans on hold to heed that call," Caldwell said, insisting militia members are not "vigilantes."
"Those volunteers are hardworking people like myself that are making sacrifices understanding that what's going on down here is not right. We are a nation of laws and we need to enforce those laws," he said.
Owens, a former developer and contractor, said commissioners wouldnt be deciding the matter at Tuesdays meeting, but noted that migrant flows into the area had not slowed.
Samuel Hall, right, of Patriots for America addresses Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens Jr., center, and County Commissioner Robert "Beau" Nettleton, right. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Its becoming a bigger and bigger problem, said Commissioner Robert "Beau" Nettleton, the lone Republican, who owns a landscaping company, runs a family ranch and had arrived chewing an unlit cigar. There was a guy on my porch, a scout, charging his cellphone. Weve got to do something on the north end of the county. Those ranchers are getting overrun. And these are not people looking for asylum.
Commissioner Gustavo Gus Flores, who owns a hauling and trucking company, agreed.
Owens noted that days before, Abbott debuted the first stretch of state-built border wall to the east in the Rio Grande Valley. The county executive had been fielding calls ever since about what the state planned to build locally. On Friday, Abbott announced another $38.4 million in funding for the state's border operation.
The administration has completely abandoned the American people on this issue, Nettleton said.
Yes, Hall whispered in the gallery.
Samuel Hall of Patriots for America. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Hall left the meeting feeling encouraged. Though the sheriff told him ranchers were not supportive, a couple were, he said, and there were a few commissioners I spoke with who seem open.
Owens, the county executive, was less optimistic.
I dont think theyre going to be needed in or welcomed in our county, he said, although he conceded, We agreed on just about everything we were talking about except them coming into our county.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Doyinsola Oladipo and Suheir Sheikh
DUBAI (Reuters) - Brazilian tourist Livya Feho used a 24-hour Dubai layover to visit the Expo 2020, in a city that remains one of the few international tourism hubs still open for travellers during a coronavirus-disrupted holiday period.
Feho, travelling from Israel to Brazil, snapped a few selfies at the global fair's main square, festooned with Christmas trees and other holiday decorations.
With the Omicron variant circulating in the UAE, was she not worried about catching COVID-19?
"Yes, a bit ...but I had the booster dose... and I am also using the mask. So I think I will be fine," she said.
Dubai, the Middle East's business and tourism hub, cannot afford another lockdown. Its economy, whose foundations have creaked under coronavirus restrictions, relies heavily on the travel industry.
It received 5.5 million visitors in 2020, despite global lockdowns, and this year had welcomed 4.88 million by the end of October, official data shows.
UAE infection numbers are rising again. There were 665 new cases on Wednesday, but tourists are still enjoying its glitzy hotels and night life.
Gabriela Pourova, a tourist from the Czech Republic, said she needed only a PCR test to land in Dubai.
"No matter how the risk right now is... I can just take my precautions and still enjoy Dubai," added Yvette Dbedevi, a tourist from Togo.
(Editing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; editing by John Stonestreet)
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
A trafficking survivor suing a Virginia police department has amended her complaint to claim that a former detective was threatened into keeping a protection racket and massive coverup quiet.
According to the suit, Fairfax County police officers let predators operate in exchange for free sexual services in a coverup that reached all the way to the then-chief. In one instance, the suit claims, a lieutenant threatened a detective who raised concerns, telling him to keep [his] mouth shut and dont utter the words human trafficking again.
The Fairfax County Police Department referred a request for comment about the allegations to the county, which did not respond to calls and emails from The Daily Beast.
The suit was originally filed in October by a 43-year-old woman who claims she was trafficked from Costa Rica in 2010 and forced to work as a prostitute in Fairfax County until 2015. She alleged she was forced to provide two local police officers with free services in exchange for information about when the department would be conducting raids. An updated version of the complaint filed last week contains the names of both officers, as well as additional allegations that the suit claims come from William Woolf, a former Fairfax County Police Department detective.
Woolf did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment, but the plaintiffs attorney, Vic Glasberg, claims he spoke to the cop at length about his former department after filing the original complaint.
Frankly, I view him as a latter-day Serpico, Glasberg said, referring to a famous NYPD whistleblower.
Around the time the plaintiff was allegedly being trafficked, the suit says, Woolf was the only FCPD officer assigned to work on the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force, for which the department had previously received a half-million-dollar grant. According to the suit, Woolfs fellow officers looked down on his work with trafficking victims, saying they were not real crime victims and disparaging him as a social worker.
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Trafficking Victim: They Made Me Have Sex With Cops
In 2014, Woolfs supervisor, Michael Barbazette, began demonstrating a substantial interest in Woolfs work with trafficking victims, asking to come along on interviews and at one point asking for a victims cellphone number, the suit claims. At the same time, the suit says, Barbazette began making Woolfs work substantially more difficult, denying his travel requests, refusing him overtime, and requesting a detailed daily report on his activities.
At one point, according to the suit, Woolf complained to his supervisor about Barbazettes behavior and about trafficking victims who said that they were being traded to the officers in exchange for protection from law enforcement. But Woolfs supervisor, Capt. James Baumstark, allegedly declined to help and ordered him to forget what he had been told, saying: Im a lifeguard and you are far off shore drowning, and Im not going to try to save you. (Baumstark did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.)
The next year, Woolf was aggressively interrogated by Lt. Vincent Scianna about flying to interview a sex-trafficking witness, the suit claims. It reports that Woolf claims Scianna turned off the recorder he had been using to tape the meeting and asked, You know what this is really about, dont you? before issuing the order to keep [his] mouth shut if he wanted to keep working in law enforcement. You have six kids. You have to think about them, the suit says Scianna added. (Scianna could not be reached for comment.)
Woolf agreed not to raise the issue of human trafficking again, and was assigned to work on child pornography and runaway cases, according to the complaint. Two days later, Chief of Police Edwin Roessler, who retired this year, called and said he wanted to make sure Woolf was willing to play ball. The suit says Woolf assured the chief that he was. (Roessler could not be reached for comment.)
Chief Edwin Roessler retired in January. Fairfax County Police via Facebook
A few years later, the FBI began investigating the trafficking ring in which the plaintiff claims she was victimized. Multiple women told the bureau stories strikingly similar to hers, saying they had been lured from Costa Rica to Virginia under false pretenses and forced to work as prostitutes. Several of the women claim the ringleader confiscated their travel documents and threatened to harm their families, according to a federal affidavit.
As part of their investigation, the FBI searched a cellphone used by the plaintiff and several other trafficking victims and found numbers belonging to Barbazette and another FCPD officer, Jason Mardocco, the complaint says.
Mardocco did not respond to a request for comment and Barbazette could not be reached. Neither was named in the original complaint, because the plaintiff said she did not know their names, but the police department identified them in response to a subpoena, according to a separate court filing.
The leader of the trafficking ring, Hazel Marie Sanchez Cerdas, eventually pleaded guilty to felony charges related to sex trafficking and served five years. In the meantime, the suit claims, the FBI forwarded the case to its Public Corruption Division to investigate Barbazette and Mardoccos involvement. According to the suit, the bureau eventually referred the corruption case back to the Fairfax police, which allegedly allowed the officers to resign quietly and maintain their pensions.
Woolf, meanwhile, resigned from the department in 2017 and went on to serve as the director of human trafficking programs for the Justice Department and a special adviser for human trafficking to the White House. He also founded his own anti-trafficking charity, Anti-Trafficking International, and serves as a senior fellow for the America First Policy Institute, a think tank stacked with Trump administration veterans.
Read more at The Daily Beast.
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Travis County has administered more than 1,993,342 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, as of Dec. 21, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
That's up 2.25% from the previous week's tally of 1,949,543 COVID-19 doses administered.
In Travis County, 70% of people living in Travis County are fully vaccinated as of Dec. 21. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers someone fully vaccinated two weeks after they've been given a single-dose shot (Johnson & Johnson) or a second shot (either Pfizer or Moderna).
More: Austin Regional Clinic testing COVID-19 vaccine designed to target variants
Texas reported 4,453,516 total cases of coronavirus, an increase of 1% from the week before.
The five counties with the highest percentage of their population fully vaccinated in Texas as of Dec. 21 are Presidio County (81%), Webb County (81%), Maverick County (78%), Hudspeth County (76%) and Starr County (75%).
Here are the latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Travis County as of Dec. 21:
How many people in Travis County have received a COVID-19 vaccine?
80% of people in Travis County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, for a total of 965,447 people
70% of people in Travis County are fully vaccinated, for a total of 838,432 people
For a county-by-county look at the vaccination rollout, see our COVID-19 vaccine tracker, which is updated daily.
How many people in Texas have been vaccinated so far?
69% of people in Texas have received at least one dose of the vaccine, for a total of 19,153,518 people
59% of people in Texas are fully vaccinated, for a total of 16,381,440 people
COVID vaccinations for kids and boosters
The percentages in this story reflect the total share of the population that has received vaccines. That now includes people as young as 5 years old, for whom vaccines have been authorized.
These weekly stories will be updated as more data on vaccination rates in children, as well as booster vaccination rates, are released.
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More: Williamson County COVID-19 vaccine tracker: 71% of people fully vaccinated
We pull data on local vaccine distribution on a weekly basis. Check back for our next weekly update mid-week for the latest numbers.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Travis County Texas vaccine rate: How many people are vaccinated?
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said his new media company will likely be up and running in the first quarter of 2022, telling Fox News in an exclusive interview that the platform is currently "under development" and will be a way of "getting our voice out to a lot of people."
The former president touted his new media organization, in an exclusive interview with Fox News this week, saying Trump Media & Technology Group will "be in great shape" and "moving along very well" in early 2022.
TRUMP'S MEDIA COMPANY TO PARTNER WITH RUMBLE
"Id like to say the first quarter of this year coming up," Trump said, when asked about a timeline. "We think well be in great shape, and you know, its moving along very well, and we think were going to be in great shape."
When asked what the plan and purpose of the new company was, Trump said it is about "getting our voice out."
"It is going to be, very simply, a way of getting our voice out to a lot of people," Trump told Fox News. "And when we get our voice out, there are a lot of people that want to hear this voice, because they dont hear it."
Trump slammed the media, saying it "certainly is not a free press."
"Its very corrupt, and we have to be able to get our voice out and this will be a way of getting our voice out loud and clear," Trump said.
"I truly believe we have far more than 50% of the public of the people of this countrymuch more than 50%," Trump said. "This is a way of getting a strong word out from a lot of different people who should be heard."
NUNES TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS, JOIN TRUMP MEDIA COMPANY AS CEO
Earlier this month, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) announced that Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., would resign from Congress at the end of the year, and join the company as chief executive officer.
"Devins been a fantastic leader," Trump told Fox News, adding that the companys main product is "under development right now." "He also understands big tech, and small tech, and he is very, very much involved in that, which is an ability in itself, and I think hes going to do a fantastic job."
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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 29: U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) testifies during a Republican-led forum on the origins of the COVID-19 virus at the U.S. Capitol on June 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. The forum examined the theory that the coronavirus came from a lab in Wuhan, China. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Kevin Dietsch
Trump went on to say that he has received "rave reviews for having picked" Nunes to lead the venture.
"He also loves our country and he wants to get another voice out thereobviously not just for the radical left, so this is a very big thing," Trump said.
He added: "It is far more important than money. This is a very big thing that were doing."
It is unclear, at this point, exactly what the TMTG platform and product will look like, or how it will function.
Earlier this month, TMTG announced a technology and cloud services partnership with video hosting platform Rumble.
"As part of our mission, TMTG [Trump Media & Technology Group] continues to align with service providers who do not discriminate against political ideology," Trump said in a statement last week, adding that the Rumble Cloud will serve "as a critical backbone for TMTG infrastructure.
TRUMP LAUNCHES NEW COMMUNICATIONS PLATFORM MONTHS AFTER TWITTER, FACEBOOK BAN
"TMTG has already launched Truth Social on the Rumble Cloud for invited guests only, and the initial Beta launch has been excellent. America is ready for TRUTH Social, and the end to cancel culture," Trump said in the statement.
Rumble will also provide video and streaming services for Truth Social as part of the agreement, while the companies are still in negotiations for Rumble to provide additional infrastructure and video delivery for TMTG's subscription service, TMTG+. The announcement also comes after Rumble agreed to go public earlier this month, with an implied $2.1 billion valuation.
The creation of Trump's media company comes after he was banned from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
TRUMP 'VERY APPRECIATIVE' AND 'SURPRISED' BIDEN ACKNOWLEDGED HIS ADMINISTRATION'S COVID VACCINE SUCCESS
Trump, in May, launched a communications platform, "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump," which appeared on www.DonaldJTrump.com/desk. That platform, first reported by Fox News, intended to serve as a "place to speak freely and safely" after his ban from sites like Twitter and Facebook.
That platform ran for a short while, and has since been dormant.
Trump currently communicates with supporters and the media by releasing statements via press release from 45office.com.
Meanwhile, a businessman, Trump reacted to the uptick in organized retail crime crime across the nation--specifically the rise in "smash-and-grab" robberies in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, New York and Minneapolis.
During the interview, Trump said the law enforcement community needs the support of the government and the public in order to combat the surge in crime.
TRUMP SAYS MANCHIN IS 'SAVING' BIDEN 'FROM HIMSELF' BY OPPOSING BUILD BACK BETTER
"We have to give the police and law enforcement their authority back," Trump told Fox News. "We have to give them their strength back, so that they can stopthey can solve this problem very easily."
But Trump suggested that police, in the current climate, are concerned to do their jobs with full force.
A boarded up Michael Kors store in San Francisco, California amid a rise in smash-and-grab theft.
"If they stop it now, and if they stop it strongly as they can, they don't want to lose their pension, they don't want to, you know, have their families be destroyed," Trump told Fox News.
"We have to give back their authority and their strength to our Police Department as opposed to 'defund the police," Trump continued. "What you read about is defund the police. We can't allow that to happen."
PSAKI SAYS ROOT CAUSE OF ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME IS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
He added: "If we give them back their respect and their strength we will see that end very quickly."
Trumps comments come as the National Retail Federation (NRF) reported that 69% of retailers have seen an increase in organized retail crime over the last year. The NRF also reported that 78% of retailers believe that "greater federal law-enforcement activity would effectively combat organized retail crime."
One incident last month left a California security guard dead as he tried to protect a news crew that was reporting on the crimes. Retired San Jose police officer Kevin Nishita was fatally shot during an armed robbery.
But the White House, earlier this month, said that the root cause for the spike in organized retail crime is the COVID-19 pandemic, while stressing that Biden administration officials are working with a number of communities across the nation to "crack down" on crime in those neighborhoods.
TRUMP WILL 'PROBABLY' ANNOUNCE 2024 PLANS AFTER MIDTERMS: 'A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL BE VERY HAPPY'
Crime is likely to be a top talking point for Republicans as they hit the campaign trail ahead of the 2022 midterm elections in November--a campaign that Trump plans to be "very involved" in.
Trump, during another exclusive interview with Fox News in November, said he planned to formally announce whether he will run for re-election in 2024 after the midterms.
When asked whether he will stick to that timeline, Trump said: "Most likely, yes. Most likely would be after."
TRUMP TO BE 'VERY INVOLVED' IN 2022 MIDTERMS, SAYS HE 'WILL STAY BUSY FOR GOOD PEOPLE'
"We have a big thing coming up--we have a very important election coming up," Trump said. "And the Republicans have to do well on that or we're not going to have a country left."
As for the Democrats, Trump said he doesn't know whether President Biden will run for re-election.
"I don't know whether or not he's gonna run, and we'll see, and my numbers have been very strong, it's like, stronger than I've ever had em, and Im honored by that," Trump said. "That's a question you're gonna have to as him, and then you'll have to ask that to the vice president also."
Meanwhile, Trump was asked what he would like for Christmas, and his hopes for the new year.
"Well, honestly, Id like to see, very simply, Id like to see our country do well," Trump told Fox News. "Were not doing well, were doing very poorly. Id like to see our country do well."
The former president pointed to the Biden administrations withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, marking an end to the United States 20 year war on terror.
"I think that was one of the lowest points in the history of our country with the way we withdrew," Trump said, noting that he did not disagree with the withdrawal, as he "was doing it and was the one that got it down to 2,000 soldiersbut the way they withdrew.
Trump went on to point to the border crisis and the surge in crime across the nation.
"The border is so bad, and the crime is so high," Trump said. "A lot of problems. A lot of problems."
"So, even if it was bad politically, Id like to see our country do great," Trump told Fox News. "It is much more important than politics."
He added: "That would be my true wish, and well see what happens."
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, Turkovac, has received emergency use authorisation by Turkish authorities and will be open to use from next weekend, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday.
Turkey began developing Turkovac this year, but the launch date for the vaccine has been beset by delays. President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey would make the shot available globally.
Turkey has already administered more than 125 million doses of vaccines using shots developed by China's Sinovac and by Pfizer/BioNTech, with more than 51 million having received two doses of the vaccines. It has also begun administering boosters shots.
Koca was speaking at the vaccine's manufacturing facility in the southeastern province of Sanlirufa.
Turkey's daily infection numbers have hovered around 20,000, while the daily death toll remains near 200.
(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Toby Chopra)
The Tuscarawas County YMCAs 2021 Turkey Trot fundraiser was successful thanks to support from the community. The 5K run, which takes place every year on Thanksgiving, brought in more than $15,000 in support of the Ys Annual Campaign.
This was the 50th anniversary of the Turkey Trot here in Tuscarawas County.
Fifty four YMCA members and staff volunteered their time to help make the race run smoothly. There were 756 registered participants ranging in age from 7 to 76. The overall male winner was Kevin Beachy with a time of 16.39 and the overall female winner was Madison DeBos with a time of 17.43.
Jason Eick, Race Director, stated, We are so excited and thankful to be able to hold our 50th anniversary Tuscarawas County YMCA Turkey Trot 5K as a in person event! This race is a holiday tradition for so many and we thank everyone who came out to run or walk with us this year! See you next year!
All proceeds from the Turkey Trot benefit the YMCAs annual campaign, which provides direct financial assistance to local youth and families who would otherwise not be able to afford membership or participation in Y programs like swim lessons, preschool, afterschool, youth sports, gymnastics, day camp, and Teen Leaders Club.
For more information on the Turkey Trot or the Annual Campaign, contact the Y at (330) 364-5511
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Tuscarawas County YMCA Turkey Trot a success
Darronte Matthews, left, and Sheridan Hurtig.
PEORIA A reporter has been promoted to weekend anchor for WMBD-TV and WYZZ-TV.
Darronte Matthews, an Eastern Illinois University graduate who has been with the news operation for more than two years, has taken the weekend role formerly held by Janie Bohlmann, said Shaun Newell, news director for the Nexstar Media Group stations.
Bohlmann departed last month for WSPA-TV, a CBS affiliate based in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Meanwhiletime, digital reporter Sheridan Hurtig is now also serving as news reporter for the stations.
'Absolutely heartbreaking': Why this Peoria bar owner says it's time for 'last, last call'
More: Reporter-anchor leaves Peoria's WMBD-TV news operation for East Coast position
Hurtig joined the stations in June after graduating from Bradley University a month earlier with a major in television arts and minor in journalism.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria reporters named to new news roles at WMBD-TV
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday barred two former Malta government officials and their immediate families from entry, citing suspicions of involvement in significant corruption.
The move targets Maltese ex-premier Joseph Muscat's former chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and former energy minister Konrad Mizzi, the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
"Specifically, there is credible information that Mizzi and Schembri were involved in a corrupt scheme that entailed the award of a government contract for the construction of a power plant and related services in exchange for kickbacks and bribes," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Representatives for Schembri and Mizzi could not immediately be reached for comment. The government in Malta made no immediate comment.
In 2020, Reuters and the Times of Malta https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-malta-daphne-money-trail-exclusive-idUKKBN23Q1MA revealed that an offshore company called 17 Black Limited made millions by profiting from a 2015 wind farm project purchased in Montenegro by Malta's state energy company Enemalta.
The purchase came after negotiations and several trips to Montenegro led by Mizzi.
Accountants for Mizzi and Schembri wrote in an email seen by Reuters that the two men stood to receive payments from 17 Black for services that were not specified.
Mizzi and Schembri have denied any wrongdoing.
Reuters had earlier established that the owner of Black 17 was Maltas wealthiest businessmen, Yorgen Fenech. He was accused in 2019 of ordering the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was looking into the firm. Fenech has denied the accusation and is awaiting trial.
(Writing by Susan Heavey and Crispian Balmer, Additional reporting by Chris Scicluna in Malta; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Mark Heinrich)
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers urged major airlines to back mandatory training for flight crew members to address violent incidents amid a record number of disruptive onboard incidents.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Wednesday it has received a record 5,779 unruly passenger reports this year, including 4,156 incidents related to a requirement passengers wear masks to guard against the coronavirus pandemic.
The FAA, which has pledged a "zero-tolerance" approach, said last month it had referred 37 unruly passengers to the FBI for potential criminal prosecution. The FAA has initiated 1,054 investigations and 325 enforcement actions.
On Wednesday, House of Representatives Homeland Security chair Bennie Thompson and Transportation and Infrastructure chair Peter DeFazio and two key subcommittee chairs sent letters to the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines urging them to require crew members to attend the Transportation Security Administration's Crew Member Self Defense Training Program.
The lawmakers want to ensure "they are equipped with the necessary skills to deter and mitigate dangerous situations as unruly passenger behavior spikes across the country."
They want airlines to provide crewmembers with paid time, travel and accommodations to participate in the training led by federal air marshals.
TSA resumed offering its free self-defense program in July after pausing the course due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lawmakers noted.
American Airlines said on Wednesday it holds "the safety of our frontline team members as our highest priority, and we appreciate these lawmakers' commitment to helping protect it. We are reviewing the letter."
The push comes amid a holiday travel surge. The TSA says it has screened 1.98 million or more passengers in each of the last six days.
The FAA and TSA announced on Tuesday that unruly passengers facing fines may be removed from TSA PreCheck screening eligibility.
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Last month, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland directed federal prosecutors to prioritize prosecution of airline passengers committing assaults and other crimes aboard aircraft.
To date, the FAA has issued more than $1.4 million in fines for unruly passengers. Many passengers who refused to wear masks have been hit with $9,000 or higher fines.
On Oct. 8, President Joe Biden instructed the Justice Department to "deal" with the rising number of violent incidents onboard planes.
U.S. prosecutors in Colorado have charged a 20-year-old California man with punching a flight attendant on an Oct. 27 American Airlines flight bound for Santa Ana, California, that forced the plane to land.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Howard Goller)
The U.S. population grew during the coronavirus pandemic at the lowest rate since the nations founding, according to statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday.
Population growth has been slowing for years because of lower birth rates and decreasing net international migration, all while mortality rates are rising due to the aging of the nations population, Census Bureau demographer Kristie Wilder said in a press release. Now, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this combination has resulted in an historically slow pace of growth.
The countrys population grew by 0.1 percent, or 392,665 people, to about 331.8 million from July 2020 to July 2021. That time frame marked the first time since 1937 that the population grew by less than a million within a year, and the lowest added number of people since 1900.
The U.S. added almost 245,000 people from international migration but just 148,000 from new births supplanting deaths, marking the first time that migration contributed more to U.S. population growth than births. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, however, new immigration fell by about half from the previous year.
Over 800,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.
I was expecting low growth but nothing this low, William Frey, a demographer and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told the Associated Press. It tells us that this pandemic has had a huge impact on us in all kinds of ways, and now demography.
Among U.S. states, 33 gained in population while 17 decreased in the number of residents. Texas and Florida saw the highest numerical population gains, while New York and California recorded the highest numerical declines.
More from National Review
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Tuesday finalized a reversal of a rule issued under then-U.S. President Donald Trump that sought to pre-empt California's vehicle emissions regulations.
The Department of Transportation said it was issuing final rules rescinding the Trump action, which sought to bar the most populous state in the nation from setting vehicle rules that might conflict with the federal government's authority to set Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements.
The program, in place since 1975, sets vehicle fuel efficiency requirements.
"States can now actively pursue solutions to address the climate crisis and environmental challenges in their communities," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
About two dozen U.S. states sued to block a pair of Trump actions that sought to remove California from vehicle emissions regulations, while major automakers had backed the effort. The Republican president often clashed with California.
Related video: Study finds dips in vehicle emissions have resulted in fewer deaths
Soon after Democrat Joe Biden was elected president in November 2020, General Motors Co reversed course and opted to no longer back the Trump administrations effort to bar California from setting its own emissions rules.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) separately has moved to reverse the Trump administration's 2019 decision to withdraw California's legal authority to set vehicle emissions rules and set zero-emission vehicle mandates.
The EPA in 2013 granted California a waiver for its tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions and zero-emission vehicle regulations.
A total of 14 states have adopted California's vehicle-emission rules and 11 have adopted its zero-emission vehicle mandates.
On Monday, the EPA finalized new vehicle emissions requirements through 2026 that reverse Trump's rollback of car pollution cuts and will speed a U.S. shift to more electric vehicles (EVs). The rule will reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by 15% through 2050, the EPA said, or more than 440 million barrels.
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If expressed in miles per gallon (mpg) requirements, the EPA rules would result in real-world average for new cars and trucks of about 40 mpg in 2026, versus 38 mpg under the August proposal and 32 mpg under the Trump rules.
Biden wants 50% of all new vehicles sold in 2030 to be EV or plug-in hybrid models but has not endorsed California's plan to phase out new gasoline-powered light-duty vehicles by 2035.
The Transportation Department next year is expected to finalize its rewrite of CAFE standards.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Matt Rourke/AP Photo
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into Tesla's "Passenger Play" feature.
"Passenger Play" allows drivers to play video games on the cars' touchscreens while in motion.
The NHTSA said this "may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash."
Tesla is under investigation by the US auto safety agency over reports that drivers can play video games on vehicles' front touchscreens while the car is in motion
A document published to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) site states the investigation was opened on Tuesday following a single complaint, and applies to roughly 580,000 vehicles.
"This functionality, referred to as 'Passenger Play,' may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash," the agency said in the document.
The NHTSA said it confirmed that this functionality has been available to drivers since December 2020. "Prior to this time, gameplay was enabled only when the vehicle was in Park," it said.
The New York Times spoke to a Tesla Model 3 owner in December who said he'd discovered he was able to play games including solitaire on his car's touchscreen while driving. The driver said he'd also seen people on YouTube driving while playing games in Teslas.
"I'm astonished. To me, it just seems inherently dangerous," he told The Times.
The NHTSA said it was in talks with Tesla about the feature the next day.
In Tuesday's document announcing the official probe, the NHTSA said the feature could be dangerous.
Tesla did not immediately respond when contacted by Insider about the NHTSA investigation.
The agency also opened an investigation into Tesla in August over the safety of its driver-assistance Autopilot feature, following 12 reports of Teslas on Autopilot crashing into emergency vehicles.
Read the original article on Business Insider
The Treasury Department on Wednesday announced it was issuing special licenses to ensure that some international aid could flow to Afghanistan, where the economy collapsed following the Taliban takeover in August.
The licenses will enable the U.S. government, international organizations such as the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations to operate in the country and offer humanitarian assistance despite sanctions. They will also allow Afghans living abroad to send money to their families in Afghanistan through remittances.
We are committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan, said Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo in a statement. Unfortunately, the economy faces grave challenges, exacerbated by the countrys long dependence on foreign aid, donor and private sector flight sparked by the Talibans takeover, drought, structural macroeconomic issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. government has labeled Afghanistans Taliban and the related Haqqani network as terrorists, severely restricting their access to global institutions and the outside money that supported the countrys economy before the withdrawal of U.S. forces this year and the swift demise of its previous government.
Biden administration officials face the awkward task of trying to help the Afghan people without also funding a Taliban government that the U.S.-led coalition supplanted after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and then fought for roughly 20 years.
As much as 80% of Afghanistans budget comes from the international community. Without greater access to foreign money, the Afghan economy is likely to contract by about 30% this year furthering the humanitarian crisis.
The State Department said the U.S. government plans to provide Afghanistan with an additional 1 million vaccine doses in the coming weeks. That brings the total U.S. donation for Afghanistan to 4.3 million doses, though the country has an estimated population of about 40 million.
Earlier in December, the U.S. government worked to transfer $280 million from the World Bank's Afghanistan reconstruction trust fund to U.N. organizations to address health and nutrition needs in the country.
A welding skills lab will take place at the East Jordan High School welding lab. Classes begin Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 and will take place from 4-6 p.m. every Monday and Thursday for 15 weeks.
EAST JORDAN A new after-hours Welding Skills Lab is being offered to participants of all ages interested in developing their welding skills to enhance a current career, start a new career or pursue a hobby.
The welding skills lab will take place at the East Jordan High School welding lab. Classes begin Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 and will take place from 4-6 p.m. every Monday and Thursday for 15 weeks.
The classes will be taught by East Jordan High School welding teacher David Muladore, who has 40 years of welding experience in the industry and in the classroom.
Upon successful completion, participants will earn American Welding Society (AWS) Level 1, 2 or 3 certifications.
Participants in the new welding skills lab will get a first-hand feel for the different welding processes and basic fabrication skills, Muladore said. Students will learn shop safety along with an understanding of level one welding processes which include O.A.W., G.M.A.W., S.M.A.W., F.C.A.W, and G.T.A.W. along with fabricating equipment such as sawing, shear, roller, grinding, plasma cutting and drilling.
The welding skills lab is open to participants of all ages, professional or hobbyist, but space is limited.
Cost for the program is $1,200 and includes all supplies and instruction. Scholarships are available through Northwest Michigan Works!.
Registration opened for the lab on Monday, Dec. 20, and a registration form may be found at www.charemisd.org. The registration deadline is Jan. 7, 2022.
To apply for a scholarship, or if you have questions, contact Corey Busch, Northwest Michigan Works! at (231) 492-8207 or email corey.busch@networksnorthwest.org.
More details about the welding skills lab are available on the Char-Em ISD website, www.charemisd.org.
The welding skills lab is being offered through a partnership between Char-Em ISD, East Jordan Public Schools, Northwestern Michigan College, and Northwest Michigan Works!.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Welding skills lab to take place in East Jordan beginning Jan. 20
(Reuters) -The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday it will reduce food rations for 8 million people in Yemen from January due to a lack of funding from donors, warning the cuts will push more people into starvation.
Families on reduced handouts will receive barely half of the WFP's daily minimum ration. Other food assistance and child malnutrition programmes are at risk of further cuts if more funding does not come through, the WFP said in a statement.
U.N. agencies, including the WFP, earlier warned of programme cuts, after only $2.68 billion of $3.85 billion requested from donors for this year had been received as of the end of October.
"WFP food stocks in Yemen are running dangerously low," the WFP's regional director, Corinne Fleischer, said in a statement.
"Every time we reduce the amount of food, we know that more people who are already hungry and food insecure will join the ranks of the millions who are starving. But desperate times call for desperate measures."
Five million people at immediate risk of slipping into famine will keep the full ration, the WFP said. The agency feeds 13 million people a month in Yemen.
Yemen, divided between the Iran-aligned Houthi group in the north and the internationally recognised government in the south, has been plunged into hunger by seven years of war, inflation and impediments to imports.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, and left millions on the brink of famine.
The average cost of a minimum food basket this year rose 140% in southern Yemen, and 38% in Houthi areas, the WFP said.
In June the WFP resumed monthly food aid in some Houthi-run parts of Yemen after limiting deliveries to every other month from April 2020 because of donor funding cuts, partly over concerns about obstruction to aid delivery.
The World Bank on Tuesday said it had approved $170 million in grants for Yemen for urban infrastructure, climate resilience and rural food insecurity projects.
(Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Frank Jack Daniel)
(Bloomberg) -- Discount carrier Wizz Air Holdings Plc will increase its presence in the U.K. after agreeing to buy takeoff and landing slots from Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA at Londons Gatwick hub.
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Budapest-based Wizz will acquire 15 daily slot pairs at Gatwick, where operations are restricted by a single runway, allowing it to increase its number of jets there from four to five, according to a statement on Wednesday. While no sale value for the slots was given, DNB Bank ASA estimates that they are worth 300 million-400 million Norwegian krone ($34 million-$45 million) at current prices.
The selling price was likely in line with that estimate, analyst Ole Martin Westgaard said in a note. The slots may have been worth almost 10 times that amount before the coronavirus pandemic upended air travel, according to DNB.
Norwegian Air said earlier it sold the excess slots at the London airport following a decision earlier this year to exit long-haul flying. The slots could have been taken away without compensation had they not been offloaded, the carrier said in a statement.
Wizz shares were little changed as of 9:57 a.m. in London, and have declined by 7.4% so far this year.
Boosting flights in Britain will bring Wizz a bigger share of Europes largest low-cost aviation market and help it take on rivals EasyJet Plc, which counts Gatwick as its biggest base, and Ryanair Holdings Plc. Wizz Chief Executive Officer Jozsef Varadi has been demanding that the U.K. return to rules compelling airlines to surrender slots unless they utilize 80% of them after the requirement was watered down at the height of the coronavirus crisis.
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Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. has also halted long-haul flights at Gatwick while retaining slots. IAG SAs British Airways mothballed short-haul routes but plans to gear up services again next summer with a revamped operation.
(Updates with analyst estimate of slots value in second paragraph.)
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) For nearly 10 years, Joseph Moore lived a secret double life.
At times the U.S. Army veteran donned a white robe and hood as a hit man for the Ku Klux Klan in North Florida. He attended clandestine meetings and participated in cross burnings. He even helped plan the murder of a Black man.
However, Moore wore something else during his years in the klan a wire for the FBI. He recorded his conversations with his fellow klansmen, sometimes even captured video, and shared what he learned with federal agents trying to crack down on white supremacists in Florida law enforcement.
One minor mistake, one tell, he believed, meant a certain, violent death.
I had to realize that this man would shoot me in the face in a heartbeat, Moore said in a deep, slow drawl. He sat in his living room recently amid twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, remembering a particularly scary meeting in 2015. But it was true of many of his days.
Before such meetings, he would sit alone in his truck, his diaphragm heaving with the deep breathing techniques he learned as an Army-trained sniper.
The married father of four would help the federal government foil at least two murder plots, according to court records from the criminal trial for two of the klansmen. He was also an active informant when the FBI exposed klan members working as law enforcement officers in Florida at the city, county and state levels.
Today, he and his family live under new names in a Florida subdivision of manicured lawns where his kids play in the street. Geese wander slowly between man-made lakes. Apart from testifying in court, the 50-year-old has never discussed his undercover work in the KKK publicly. But he reached out to a reporter after The Associated Press published a series of stories about white supremacists working in Floridas prisons that were based, in part, on records and recordings detailing his work with the FBI.
The FBI wanted me to gather as much information about these individuals and confirm their identities, Moore said of law enforcement officers who were active members of or working with the klan.
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From where I sat, with the intelligence laid out, I can tell you that none of these agencies have any control over any of it. It is more prevalent and consequential than any of them are willing to admit.
The FBI first asked Moore to infiltrate a klan group called the United Northern and Southern Knights of the KKK in rural north Florida in 2007. At klan gatherings, Moore noted license plate numbers and other identifying information of suspected law enforcement officers who were members.
Moore said he noted connections between the hate group and law enforcement in Florida and Georgia. He said he came across dozens of police officers, prison guards, sheriff deputies and other law enforcement officers who were involved with the klan and outlaw motorcycle clubs.
While operating inside this first klan group, Moore alerted the feds to a plot to murder a Hispanic truck driver. Then, he says, he pointed the FBI toward a deputy with the Alachua County Sheriffs Office, Wayne Kerschner, who was a member of the same group.
During Moores years in the United Northern and Southern Knights, the FBI also identified a member of the klan cell working for the Fruitland Park, Florida, police department. Moore said hed provided identifying information that was useful in that case.
His years as an informant occurred during a critical time for the nations domestic terrorism efforts. In 2006, the FBI had circulated an intelligence assessment about the klan and other groups trying to infiltrate law enforcement ranks.
White supremacist groups have historically engaged in strategic efforts to infiltrate and recruit from law enforcement, the FBI wrote. The assessment said some in law enforcement were volunteering professional resources to white supremacist causes with which they sympathize.
The FBI did not answer a series of questions sent by the AP about Moore's work as a confidential informant.
CREATING A CHARACTER
Moore was not a klansman before working for the FBI, he said. He said he joined because the government approached him, and asked for his help. As a veteran and Army-trained sniper, he said he felt that if his country asked him to protect the public from domestic terrorists, he had a duty to do so. He saw himself, he said, as a safety net between the violent extremists and the public.
He said he never adopted their racist ideology. To keep a lifeline to his true character, Moore claims to have never used racial slurs while in character even as his klan brethren tossed them around casually. On FBI recordings reviewed by the AP, he was never heard using racial slurs like his former klan brothers.
But he also acknowledges that successful undercover work required him to change into a wholly different person so that he could convince his klan brothers that he was one of them.
I laid out a character that had been overseas. That had received medals in combat. That was proven. That had special operations experience more experience than I had. But someone that they would feel confident would be a useful asset to the organization at a much higher level, Moore said.
It worked, and Moore was given high-level access and trust.
If youre not credible, if youre not engaged on all levels, you dont get to go home to your family. So you have to jump all in in order to keep you and your family safe, he said.
It also required Moore to lie to his wife, to her parents, to everyone. Nobody could know what he was doing. But eventually, Moores wife became suspicious of his activities, and he cracked. He told her and her parents what he was doing.
You cant tell them. And they continue to probe because they want to know whats going on in your life. So theres this concern that you have to lie to your own family and I didnt want to be lying to my family, he said.
Moore was also being treated for bipolar disorder and severe anxiety, which he'd gotten under control with medications. But given his struggles with mental illness, his wife didnt immediately believe him. Hed eventually take her with him to a few klan gatherings, a decision he regrets because it put her at risk.
When the FBI agents with whom he worked discovered that his wife knew, they ended the relationship with the agency, and Moore sought additional mental and physical health treatment through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Still, after some time away, the FBI would come back to him and recruit him for his second mission.
THE GRAND KNIGHT HAWK
In 2013, an FBI agent whod worked with Moore during his first stint as an informant recruited him again. This time he was asked to infiltrate the Florida chapter of a national group called the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
Within a year of becoming naturalized, hed become a Grand Knight Hawk of the klavern based in rural north central Florida. He was in charge of security and internal communications, and because of his military background, he was the go-to guy for violence.
It was at a cross-burning ceremony in December 2014 that Charles Newcomb, the Exalted Cyclops of the chapter, pulled him aside to discuss a scheme to kill a Black man. Warren Williams was a former inmate whod gotten into a fight with one of their klan brothers, a correctional officer named Thomas Driver. Driver, corrections Sgt. David Moran and Newcomb wanted Williams dead.
Moore alerted the FBI and was approved to make secret recordings over the next few months. By this time, hed become enmeshed in Newcomb's life: They drank together, hung out at barbecues, and talked about lifes problems. This allowed Moore to get close enough to record the three current and former Florida correctional officers as they planned Williams murder. He captured discussions of the murder plot that would lead to criminal convictions for the three klansmen.
And this wasnt the only person that they wanted to target, said Moore. There were other people in the community that they wanted to target. But this was the one that we could build a case on.
Over his decade inside, Moore said his list of other law enforcement officers tied to the klan grew. The links, he said, were commonplace in Florida and Georgia, and easier to identify once he was inside.
I was on track to uncover more activity in law enforcement, but the immediate threat to the public with the murder plot was a priority, Moore said. And I was only one person. There was only so much I could do.
Moore said the three current and former prison guards implicated in the murder plot case operated among a group of other officer-klan members at the Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler, Florida, a prison where new inmates are processed and given health checks. He said the officers he knew were actively recruiting at the prison.
Floridas Department of Corrections said that's not true.
Every day more than 18,000 correctional officers throughout the state work as public servants, committed to the safety of Floridas communities. They should not be defamed by the isolated actions of three individuals who committed abhorrent and illegal acts several years prior, the department said in an emailed statement.
Spokeswoman Michelle Glady has told the AP the agency found no evidence of a wider membership by extremist white supremacist groups, or a systemic problem. She said every allegation of wrongdoing is investigated by the department's inspector general.
That statement by the state is not accurate based on the facts, said Moore, who asserts he saw evidence of a more pervasive problem than the state is publicly acknowledging. He said he gave the FBI information about other active white supremacists who were working as state prison guards and at other law enforcement agencies. He said he also provided information about klansmen applying to be state prison guards.
After testifying in the murder conspiracy case against the klansmen hed spent years working with, Moores work with the FBI ended. Hed been publicly identified, and in 2018 he began life under a new name.
By then the work had taken an enormous toll on his mental and physical health. He says the character of Joe Moore, Grand Knight Hawk of the KKK, had to develop a kinship and almost familial relations with those he was investigating in order to make it out alive.
But he lost close friends, he said, who were angry that he had claimed fraudulent military honors as part of his alter ego.
Today Moore is worried that the men he helped put into prison know where he is and are looking for revenge. Theyre all due out in a few years.
Moore has installed motion-detecting surveillance cameras outside the home that allow him to monitor any activity, and carries a gun everywhere he goes.
He said, at this point, he believes coming out of the shadows and publicly discussing his story is the best way to protect himself and his family.
We have had to change our names. We have tried to move, we have had our address placed in confidentiality. However, there are people that have investigative capacities that have tracked us, theyve uncovered our names, Moore said. In recent months, people connected to the klan have appeared at his house, he said. Moore alerted the FBI and filed a report with the local sheriff's office.
Moore also does not want his work, and those of other confidential informants who put their lives on the line to help expose domestic extremists, to have been in vain.
He said he wants Floridas corrections and law enforcement leaders to conduct systemwide investigations to root out white supremacists and other violent extremists.
If you want to know why people dont trust the police, its because they have a relative or friend that they witness being targeted by an extremist who happens to have a badge and a gun. And I know as a fact that this has occurred. I stopped a murder plot of law enforcement officers, said Moore.
The city has recorded 143 infections since 9 December
More than 13 million people in the Chinese city of Xi'an have been ordered to stay at home as authorities attempt to tackle a Covid outbreak there.
The northern city has recorded 143 infections since 9 December.
Under the new restrictions announced on Wednesday, only one person per household is allowed to leave home every two days to buy essential goods.
China has a strict zero-Covid strategy, using mass testing and lockdown to stop outbreaks.
The country is on high alert for Covid as it gears up to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February.
Residents of Xi'an, known for its Terracotta Warriors, are not allowed to leave the city unless they have extenuating circumstances and approval from officials to so do. The restrictions came into effect at midnight on Thursday local time.
It is not yet known how long the restrictions will last.
Millions of tests have been conducted in Shaanxi province, where Xi'an is located.
Long-distance bus stations have already closed and checkpoints have been installed on motorways into the city. A large number of flights from Xi'an's airport have been cancelled.
Non-essential businesses have closed and local government employees have been told to work from home.
Last weekend authorities had already closed indoor facilities such as bars, gyms and cinemas as a precaution, according to state-run Global Times.
Officials say the outbreak is the Delta variant of Covid and have not mentioned Omicron.
State media have been reporting this week that Xi'an is facing a "dual epidemic" as there have been "several reported cases of haemorrhagic fever, a natural epidemic disease with a high fatality rate". However, this is reported as being a "common" seasonal disease in northern China, and predominantly concentrated in rural areas.
China has admitted that Covid-19 remains the "biggest challenge" to the Winter Olympics.
The country, where the virus was first recorded, has confirmed more than 113,000 cases and 4,849 deaths.
On 21 December, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a press conference to address the nation about growing concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
His message outlined the steps his administration is taking both to fight the spread of the disease and to assist both people and industries being affected economically by it. And with regards to helping affected businesses, PM Kishida gave all the people of Japan a very specific example of what we can do to help:
I am asking the people of Japan to use milk in cooking and to drink cups of milk always through the New Years holiday in order to prevent a mass disposal.
As Japan starts to cast a wider net to prevent spread of the omicron COVID-19 variant, central and local governments are scrambling to ensure there are enough quarantine facilities for those who have come in close contact with people confirmed as infected with the highly transmissible virus.
On Tuesday, the government instructed all omicron close contacts to be quarantined at a facility monitored by central or local government officials for 14 days. Until now, close contacts had been allowed to quarantine in their homes.
The health ministry notified prefectural governments today to start making preparations early on to make sure they can handle a rapid rise in infections, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno on Wednesday. With this, we hope to have the necessary system in place.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday that Japan will continue to ban foreign visitors from entering the country for the time being. The policy in place since late last month was set to end on Dec. 31 but will now extend into the new year. Japan will also have all COVID-19 cases tested to confirm whether they involve the omicron variant, he said.
We will reinforce measures to contain the infection, Kishida told the news conference.
Despite the gradual rise in omicron cases being detected in Japan, Kishida stopped short of asking people to refrain from nonessential outings.
Some experts overseas are urging people to refrain from going out if they have symptoms similar to a cold to prevent the spread of the omicron. In Japan, we are not seeing community infection, but please be sure to take precautions, he said.
Christmas is all about tradition, and we all have tried-and-true recipes we trot out every holiday. Each is delicious and much-loved. But how about starting a new tradition this season?
We couldnt resist the jelly doughnuts in The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, who operates Modern Love here in Omaha. What a lovely treat for the kids on a holiday morning!
We turned to the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook for a fresh take on green bean casserole. Its a dish you can make ahead.
Bookworm manager Betsy Von Kerens helped us find several cookbooks with holiday flair. When we asked for her favorite, she opted for the tried-and-true and shared with us her recipes for oyster stuffing and sweet potato casserole with a streusel topping.
Christmas dinner just wouldnt be the same without them at the table, she said.
Jelly Doughnuts (Sufganiyot)
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (one 0.75-ounce packet)
1 cup lukewarm unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite nondairy milk)
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3 cups white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for coating
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons refined coconut oil, melted
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast and milk and set aside. In a blender, blend up the water and flaxseed for about a minute until frothy and viscous. Set aside.
In a very large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt, then make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast mixture, the flax mixture and the coconut oil, then mix to form a dough. Add more flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough no longer is sticky, then turn it out onto a floured counter to kneed until the dough is smooth.
Wash out the mixing bowl, lightly coat it with nonstick cooking spray and add the dough ball. Toss the dough ball to coat with oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl somewhere warm and let the dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
Lightly flour the counter and a baking sheet. Turn out the dough onto the floured counter, knead it a couple of times, then roll it out until its about one-half inch thick. Using a floured 3-inch cookie cutter (or a drinking glass), stamp out your doughnuts and place them on the floured baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Squish the dough scraps back together and roll them out again to make more doughnuts, place them on the sheet, then cover the sheet with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the doughnuts rise for about 20 minutes.
While the doughnuts are rising, prepare the fryer at 350 degrees. Have ready a layer of paper towels or brown paper bags to drain. Pour some sugar into a shallow dish for coating the hot doughnuts.
Using a metal slotted spoon, lower the doughnuts into the oil, a few at a time so you dont crowd the fryer, and fry until golden brown, turning several times to keep the cooking even. Use the slotted spoon to transfer them to the paper towels or bags until cool enough to handle, then roll each one in sugar until completely covered.
Once all the doughnuts are fried and sugared, its time to fill them. Fit a pastry bag with a large round tip and fill it with the jam. Poke the tip into the side of each doughnut, then squeeze a couple of teaspoons of jam inside. If you overdo it, the jam will leak out, but thats OK. Serves 16.
Green Bean and
Leek Casserole
Ingredients:
2 bags (12 ounces each) steam-in-the-bag fresh green beans
cup butter
1 large leek (1 pound), cut lengthwise in half, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
cup all-purpose flour
teaspoon salt
teaspoon pepper
cup milk
cup chicken broth
1 cups shredded fontina cheese (6 ounces)
cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
cup diced red bell pepper
cup Italian-style panko crispy breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave bags of beans on high for 3 minutes, 30 seconds. Remove beans from bags to large bowl. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, melt cup butter over medium heat. Cook leeks in butter 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender.
Sprinkle flour, salt and pepper over leeks, cook and stir until well blended. Gradually stir in milk and broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil one minute. Stir in cheeses, cook about one minute, stirring constantly until melted. Pour over green beans in bowl, stir to combine. Stir in bell pepper.
Spoon onto ungreased 2-quart casserole. In small bowl, mix breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle over casserole.
Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and topping is golden brown.
Serves 12.
You can prepare this casserole up to four hours before baking, refrigerate and then bake as directed. Just increase baking time to 45 to 50 minutes.
Oyster Stuffing
Ingredients:
12 cups of dry bread cubes or coarse breadcrumbs
cup melted butter
1+ quart milk
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
cup diced celery
cup diced onion
4 eggs, beaten
1 pint oysters, roughly chopped
Directions:
Pour cold milk over bread cubes and let stand for a few minutes to allow bread to absorb milk. Saute onion and celery until onion is translucent. Stir in rest of ingredients, mixing lightly with a fork. Stuff cavity of turkey, being sure to leave enough room for stuffing to expand while roasting. Extra stuffing can be baked in a greased casserole at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
6-8 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 tablespoons butter
cup hot milk or half and half
teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg and/or cinnamon
teaspoon paprika
cup frozen orange juice concentrate
cup dark brown sugar
pinch allspice
1 to 1 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
Streusel topping (see below)
Directions:
For sweet potatoes: Combine all ingredients except nuts. Beat until light and fluffy. Fold in nuts and pour into greased 2 quart casserole or 9-by-13-inch pan. Top sweet potatoes with streusel mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes until sweet potatoes are heated through and topping is golden brown.
Streusel topping:
cup brown sugar
cup flour
6 tablespoons soft butter
cup chopped pecans, toasted
Combine brown sugar and flour. Work in softened butter, then stir in pecans.
This article originally appeared in the December 2017 issue of the Momaha Magazine.
A Bayard man killed by a Morrill County sheriffs deputy in a June 28 shooting charged at officers with a weed whacker as they tried to arrest him on a warrant, according to transcripts from grand jury proceedings reviewed by the Star-Herald.
A Morrill County District Court grand jury convened Oct. 26-Oct. 28 to hear testimony and evidence in the death of Larry Hunt, 58, of Bayard.
Sixteen jurors, and three alternates, were tasked with determining the cause of Hunts death, and whether there was any criminal conduct by any person that contributed to the mans death. The grand jury returned a no true bill, which is a finding that none of the officers committed any criminal conduct.
Investigators with the Nebraska special investigations team, just started this year to investigate officer-involved shootings, and other NSP investigators testified, as well as a firearms examiner who determined which officers' bullets had struck Hunt.
According to the grand jury transcripts, officers with the Nebraska State Patrol, Scotts Bluff County Sheriffs Department, Scottsbluff Police Department, Alliance Police Department, Gering Police Department and Box Butte County Sheriffs Department, all part of the WING (Western Nebraska Intelligence & Narcotics Group) drug task force, had planned to arrest Hunt on a warrant. The task force members were joined by a Bayard Police officer and two Morrill County sheriffs deputies.
Prior to serving the arrest warrant, the WING Task Force allegedly observed Hunt selling methamphetamine to a confidential informant. According to an arrest affidavit, authorities accused Hunt of selling meth on five occasions from March 22 to June 23.
Scotts Bluff County Sheriffs Deputy Matt Dodge, who had been leading the investigation that involved Hunt, described him as a street dealer. That was described as someone who sells methamphetamine in quantities of 3 grams or more. With sales of half an ounce to an ounce each time, Hunt faced a five to 50 years imprisonment on the drug charges in the warrant.
The task force had been granted a no-knock search warrant, allowing them to enter the RV he lived in at 123 Second Ave. in Bayard without notification to Hunt or other residents. As one team of officers closed in on the RV in a form described as a stack, with officers in a line behind an officer with a large shield, Hunt came out of the RV and saw them.
He fled, going into a tent-like structure that consisted of a tarp draped over forms. Most of the officers could not see into the tent, according to their testimony.
Officers testified they gave verbal commands, telling Hunt that they were law enforcement, that he needed to come out and that they did not want to use a Taser or shoot him. They testified that he threatened the officers, and body cameras worn by Nebraska State Patrol investigators captured audio of Hunt cussing at officers and threatening them.
While inside the tent, he threw a hammer, buckets and even a muffler at officers, all captured on video. Prior to coming out of the tent, Hunt started a weed whacker, which officers initially believed to be a chainsaw, and held it at the doorway, swinging multiple times.
Officers directly in front of the tent the officers who had approached the RV testified that they had discussed using non-lethal methods to apprehend Hunt as he yielded the weed whacker. Scotts Bluff County Sheriff Deputy Matt Dodge and others testified about Dodge using Oleoresin Capsicum spray, commonly referred to as pepper spray. He approached the doorway and sprayed it into the tent. However, Hunt did not exit the tent or stop the weed whacker.
Instead, he exited the tent, yielding it at shoulder level and head level, swinging it as he came toward officers. Dodge and another officer, Scottsbluff Police Officer Anthony Soucie, deployed Tasers as Hunt exited the tent.
The weed whacker was described as having three blades that were serrated plastic. The blades were 1-inch wide and 3 inches long. It did not have strings. Multiple officers testified that the weed whacker could have caused serious bodily injury if an officer was struck. Vests worn by officers dont protect against blades and do not give protection to their arms, neck or head.
The shooting occurred quickly, with NSP investigator David Hunter, one of the WING officers, testifying that just a split second had occurred between the time that Hunt exited the tent and shots rang out. Officers described the deployment of Tasers and the firing of guns by two deputies as happening simultaneously.
A timeline established by the Nebraska State Patrol investigators determined that only about five minutes had elapsed between the time officers approached the RV until Hunt had been shot.
Only three of the officers on scene that day had body cameras and all of those were investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol. In its findings, the grand jury recommended that all officers have body cameras.
The body cams were very helpful to our unanimous verdict.
The two officers who shot at Hunt saw that the man continued coming toward officers with the weed whacker aimed at them. Deputy Rhett Dye and Deputy Ricky Trevino both testified that they thought Hunt had been struck with the Tasers, and he continued to advance with the Tasers having no effect. However, the Tasers' probes had not made contact with Hunt, with some probes even being found in a nearby tire.
Trevino fired a 9mm handgun five times at Hunt but did not strike him. Dye fired a .223 AR-style rifle, striking Hunt four times.
I felt like my team was in immediate danger of either being killed or receiving very, very severe bodily harm, said Trevino, who testified that he thought Hunt had a chainsaw because from his vantage point he had not heard officers say it was a weed whacker.
Dr. Peter Schilke, a pathologist with Western Pathology Consultants in Scottsbluff, testified that the fatal wound was a shot that struck Hunts left chest and damaged his heart and aorta. However, he said, a shot that struck his left arm had perforated major arteries.
Hunt had significant quantities of methamphetamine in his blood stream, with 2,100 nanograms of methamphetamine and amphetamines identified in toxicology tests, Schilke testified. Just five nanograms of methamphetamine/amphetamine is considered a significant amount.
Ive seen methamphetamine overdoses with numbers similar to this, he testified.
Officers testified that the two deputies had followed protocol to use deadly force, because Hunt had could have caused serious bodily injury to officers. Use of Force Continuum allows officers to use deadly force against an individual who poses a threat to officers and to prevent serious bodily injury or death to officers or members of the public.
Multiple officers testified that they believed the weed whacker was a deadly weapon and could have caused serious injury to them, citing that it had the potential to injure officers by striking a femoral artery, the main blood vessel supplying blood to the lower half of the body.
Hunter, the investigator on the WING task force, testified that the weed whacker had the capability to eat through officers vests.
In my opinion, it would have slashed through the vest and any exposed portion of the body, he told the grand jury.
Dye was the only officer injured; he suffered a wound to his face after being struck by a rock that had been thrown by a weed eater as Hunt fell to the ground.
Prior to the shooting, Hunt had a significant criminal history, but he didnt have a history that involved weapons. He did have a history of resisting arrest and assaulting officers. In a pre-briefings, however, officers had not been concerned that he would have weapons.
After the shooting, the NSP special investigations team searched Hunts RV. Inside the RV they located $3,200 in currency, a toolbox that contained marijuana and two bags with significant quantities of methamphetamine. Dodge testified that with the quantities of methamphetamine in his possession, he would have likely faced federal charges.
At the time of the shooting, Hunts sister, Katherine, was only a half-block away. She had been detained as she left the property to avoid her alerting Hunt that officers were attempting to apprehend him.
According to testimony, the woman told authorities that her brother had made comments that he did not want to return to prison and she believed he would be capable of suicide by cop.
Katherine Hunt was not among the witnesses called for the grand jury.
Only law enforcement were called for the grand jury. Three of the officers' testimony was provided by video interviews because they are deployed with the National Guard in the Mideast.
Doug Warner, a Nebraska assistant attorney general, and Travis Rodak, Morrill County attorney, acted as legal advisers for the grand jury.
JOHNSTON Once the process is completed, its likely more than 1,000 refugees from Afghanistan will have been resettled in Iowa, according to a state refugee services worker.
Iowa has been taking in refugees from Afghanistan since the U.S. ended its military involvement in the country in August.
Mak Suceska, bureau chief for the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services within the Iowa Department of Human Services, and Kerri True-Funk, director of the Des Moines field office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, discussed the process for an upcoming episode of Iowa Press on Iowa PBS.
Suceska said as of mid-December, roughly 700 Afghans had been resettled in Iowa, and that while the number could fluctuate depending on myriad circumstances, he expected that figure to grow to more than 1,000 by the time the process is complete.
Suceska and True-Funk said the refugees are relocating in cities across the state, including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, the Quad-Cities, Sioux City and Council Bluffs.
Refugees come with a great sense of loss. So whatever opportunities they may have presented to them in a new home, there is going to be gratitude without a doubt, Suceska said. So a lot of the stories that we hear are paired with the challenges and hurdles families face, but also the successes, being grateful to be out of a dire situation and into a new place where it is safe, where there are supports and resources. We met with some families last week that are just very grateful to have the opportunity to start their new lives.
Suceska, a refugee himself who in 1993 came to Iowa as a child with his family as they fled war-torn Yugoslavia, said Iowa has a history of welcoming refugees, of which he said the state should be proud.
There has been an outpouring of support from top down, really across the state from our state leadership with Governor (Kim) Reynolds office to our Department of Human Services leadership as well as our community as a whole, really wanting to support these vulnerable individuals, Suceska said. With that legacy that they are accustomed to from the 70s and 80s, many of those former faith-based organizations, volunteers and sponsors have stepped up once again to try to help support.
Suceska said overall, refugees tell him they have found welcoming communities in Iowa.
I think Iowa, overall, with its legacy and the work that we have done, has been a welcoming state for some time, he said. It is very important to hear from our leadership that Iowa remains to be that way and we continue to build on that legacy to ensure that everyone coming to our state, specifically refugees, have a welcoming home.
True-Funk said programs and resources are in place to help refugees resettle, especially during their first three months here.
So once a family gets here, in that first 90 days we help them do everything from get a Social Security number to get initial doctor's visits, get medical assistance and (food assistance) benefits until they are able to get working and find housing, register their kids for school, True-Funk said. And we also have an initial employment program for people that dont have a lot of barriers to finding employment. So if they are willing and able to work we can help them find jobs.
All of that, even with the employment program, takes place within the first eight months that they are here. So it is really time-crunched, a lot of services in a short period of time. And then were able to give them some longer-term support through some of our additional programming.
The world is experiencing a refugee crisis, according to the International Rescue Committee, with United Nations data showing that 82.4 million people were forcibly displaced in 2020, a figure that has doubled over the past decade.
Remember that refugees arent refugees at the beginning. They are individual citizens, people just like you and I who happen to become refugees. So from war to climate change or other issues that may have affected people, that is where we have seen an increase in refugee resettlement and refugees as a whole, Suceska said. For Iowa and what that means for our country and even our state is that we will continue to help support to the best of our ability and as well as we can with our leadership that we have at the state level and locally. I think Iowa is poised well to answer that call.
Iowa Press airs on Iowa PBS at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and noon on Sundays. It also can be viewed anytime at iowapbs.org.
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I recently subscribed to a new internet service, which meant a technician had to come to the house to install equipment. He got a kick out of the wall-mounted phone in my basement. Not only is it wall-mounted, it also has a rotary dial. Yes, its old. I suspect it would make a good museum ar
Morocco has decided to maintain all passenger links with Spain halted, citing a laxity by Spanish authorities in testing and checking people before they board.
Spanish authorities fell short of taking serious action to monitor the health of passengers in its airports, the health ministry had said in a statement deploring what it described as a laxism that could pose a real risk for Moroccans health.
Morocco has taken a series of precautionary measures to contain the virus outbreak including a flight ban since November 29 and the imposition of the vaccine pass for access to public places.
It has also rolled out a mass vaccination campaign that has benefited so far nearly 25 million people.
Spain showed some resentment after the health ministrys statement and its foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares summoned Moroccos charge daffaires to complain.
Albares said the statement did not reflect reality and that Spain spares no effort to counter the pandemic.
Moroccos ambassador has not yet returned to Spain since the build-up of a diplomatic crisis due to the connivance of Madrid with Algiers and its Polisario proxies.
Spain had admitted Polisario leader last April under a false identity and without informing Rabat triggering a diplomatic crisis and a judicial procedure that cost the position of the former foreign minister who green lighted this fraudulent maneuver on Moroccos back.
Morocco had asked Spain to offer a clear-cut position on the Sahara issue and refrain from ambiguity regarding its territorial integrity.
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has agreed to fund 50 pc of the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study for the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project expected to enhance African integration, regional trade, and economic cooperation.
The funding agreement was signed remotely on Monday by IsDB Vice President Mansur Muhtar, Moroccan Economy & Finance minister Nadia Fettah, and Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbons & Mines (ONHYM) Amina Benkhadra.
Morocco and Nigeria have agreed to share equally the cost of the projects studies estimated at $90 million. The IsDB will support the Moroccan contribution and participate in the financing of the project with $15.4 million under Service Ijara operation.
For the Nigerian contribution, the IsDB Bank has agreed to contribute $29.7 million in the FEED study which aims at preparing the required studies for the gas pipeline and help taking the final investment decision by 2023 for the infrastructure project.
The IsDB funding will help to carry out the environment & social impact study in order to ensure the project compliance to all local and international environmental and social regulations and standards.
It will also finance land acquisition studies for agreeing with all countries to be crossed by the pipeline to ensure smooth implementation of the works at a later stage.
Morocco and Nigeria agreed to build the pipeline in late 2016 during a visit paid by King Mohammed VI to Abuja. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari also supports this landmark project.
Feasibility studies have shown the technical and economic viability of the project expected to attract world gas giants.
In December 2020, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) endorsed the Moroccan-Nigerian off-shore on-shore gas pipeline that will benefit 16 African countries with a total GDP of $670 billion.
The London-based Penspen consulting company had been chosen by Morocco and Nigeria to carry out the first phase of the FEED study of the 5,700 km long pipeline project.
The African Development Bank, AfDB, has approved the allocation of 104 million to Tunisia for the implementation of the 2nd phase of the Road Infrastructure Modernization Program (PMIR II).
The Abidjan-based financial institution is a press release said the program seeks to establish an efficient and sustainable transport system capable of developing intra- and inter-regional trade. It is meant to ensure greater accessibility to priority regions and the countrys main development centers in order to support growth and provide propitious conditions for youth employment.
The project the bank also stressed seeks to rehabilitate and upgrade over 230 kilometres of classified roads in the governorates of Gafsa, Kairouan, Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid and Siliana.
In addition, it will, the bank further noted, contribute to the periodic maintenance of 1,000 kilometers of roads, part of which will be carried out by 80 microenterprises created for this purpose. It will also support the development of a 22 lane road on the RN2 linking Enfidha to Kairouan.
The execution will create nearly 1,800 new jobs will be created.
PMIR II according to the statement is part of the Banks Ten-Year Strategy 2013-2022, which is intended to lay the foundations for sustainable and inclusive growth on the continent.
AfDB supported as of 30th November 2021 hundreds of projects in the North African country in several areas including health, social development, water, agriculture and energy, for a total of 1.8 billion.
Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers.
Moroccos foreign minister welcomed the momentum generated by the deal with the US and Israel saying an ocean of opportunities awaits this trilateral cooperation in support of regional peace and stability.
It is indeed our strong belief that the sea, be it the Mediterranean or the Atlantic Ocean, no longer separates our countries. It now connects them. And turned into an ocean of opportunities, said Moroccos foreign minister Nasser Bourita in an address marking the first anniversary of the trilateral deal.
Bourita highlighted the potential for the partnership between the two countries in the fields of health, education, security, economy, trade and investment, tourism, culture, agriculture, climate change, and sustainable development.
A year ago, the three countries signed a joint declaration before King Mohammed VI, under which the US recognized Moroccos sovereignty over its southern provinces, the Sahara, and Rabat resumed diplomatic ties with Israel.
We can concretize the Qualifying Industrial Zones. We can implement trilateral projects open to other countries and regions; and above all, we can and must expand the circle of those involved in our partnership, he said.
By asserting the recognition of Moroccos sovereignty over its Sahara, as well as by reactivating the relationship with the State of Israel, the Joint Trilateral Declaration carries a very high message of peace, Bourita said.
Bourita said Morocco highly values the wise decision of the United States to recognize Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as a realistic viable political solution under the auspices of the UN, of the long-standing regional dispute.
The Joint Trilateral Declaration is a valuable tool that can help move forward the cause of peace in the region, improve security and unlock new opportunities for all, he said.
Morocco, as a historic bridge-builder and credible actor of peace and stability, is firmly committed to help achieving a lasting peace in the region, Bourita said, reiterating Moroccos position in support of the two-state solution.
In His Majestys Vision (2017), the People are the raison detre and the purpose of political action. As such, People are at the heart of the Joint Declaration, he said.
Morocco welcomed the statement by Germanys foreign ministry in which Berlin supported the autonomy initiative and highlighted Rabats role in favor of regional peace and security.
Morocco appreciates the positive statements and constructive positions recently made by the new German federal government, Moroccos foreign ministry said in a statement on its official twitter account.
These statements augur well for a relaunch of bilateral cooperation and a return to normalcy in the work of the two countries diplomatic representations in Rabat and Berlin, it said.
Morocco also voiced hope that these German statements will be matched with action in order to enable a fresh start in bilateral relations on the basis of clarity and mutual respect, the ministry said.
On Dec.13, the German Foreign Ministry issued a statement underlining that politically as well as culturally and economically, the Kingdom of Morocco is an important link between North and South the country is a central partner of the European Union and Germany in northern Africa, and recalling that Germany and Morocco have maintained diplomatic relations since 1956.
The German Governments stance has remained unaltered for decades. Germany is supporting the Personal Envoy in his efforts to find a just, lasting political solution acceptable to all based on UN Security Council Resolution 2602 (2021). In 2007, Morocco made an important contribution to such a solution by presenting an autonomy plan, the German Foreign Ministry said.
Morocco recalled its ambassador to Berlin last May and suspended all cooperation ties and contacts with the German embassy in Rabat and German political organizations over what Rabat had described as German antagonism against Moroccos territorial integrity.
Steve Reeves reached the North Platte Police Departments top rung and received his full-time chiefs badge from his predecessor when the City Council Tuesday unanimously ratified his appointment as permanent chief.
Law enforcement officers and first responders from North Platte and Lincoln County erupted in a standing ovation after retired Chief Daniel Hudson pinned Reeves badge of office on him.
Hudson, who retired Nov. 2 after three years as chief, returned from his new home in Florida to cap the ceremony after Reeves took the oath of office from Mayor Brandon Kelliher.
Council members, who voted 5-2 on Hudsons last day to make Reeves interim chief, voted 7-0 after no debate Tuesday to give him the permanent job. Councilman Jim Carman was absent.
Reeves, a finalist for chief when Hudson was hired, became Hudsons deputy chief in July 2019. He was the only candidate forwarded to Kelliher last week by the citys Civil Service Commission.
I just want to thank everybody for their support, Reeves told the audience in the packed City Hall council chamber.
Photo: ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images
In August, New York City received some good news from the United States Census Bureau: Despite hand-wringing during the early days of the pandemic about the citys decline, its population actually grew from 8.18 million to 8.80 million over the last decade. New York State, however, does not appear to be so lucky.
Census data released on Monday shows that the Empire States population decreased by more than 319,000 from July 2020 to July 2021, marking the most significant population decline of any state in the U.S. at a loss of 1.9 percent. (Washington, D.C., had it rougher, with the swamp drained of almost 3 percent of its population.) When domestic migration was taken into account, New York suffered an even worse net population loss of 352,185 residents.
Many of the larger population trends held true over the past year, despite the skewing of the pandemic. Texas, which grew by over 3.3 million people between 2010 and 2020, saw the largest jump in its population, increasing by 1.1 percent or 310,288 people. Reports of Californians flooding the housing market in Idaho were on to something, with the Gem State experiencing the fastest rate of growth, at 2.9 percent.
In total, 16 other states suffered population losses in the time frame, which the Census Bureau described as a historically large number of states to lose population. With the country growing as a whole by just 0.1 percent the slowest rate in any year since American independence the agency naturally attributed the slow population growth to the pandemic. With American life expectancy dropping by 1.5 years due to COVID deaths, as well as a small decline in births during the pandemic, 2021 is the first year that the U.S. population grew by fewer than one million people since 1937.
Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
On Sunday, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia offered the American public a scapegoat in the shape of a state. He could not vote for the Build Back Better Act, he said, because of the people he represents. If I cant go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I cant vote for it. And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just cant, he told Bret Baier on Fox News Sunday, a sentiment he repeated in a statement released later by his office. His colleagues, he added, are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face. In Manchins threat assessment, the national debt takes precedence over the needs of his own voters.
Manchin represents one of the poorest states in the union. Immiserated by centuries of extractive capitalism, the people of West Virginia have been failed for nearly as long by members of both political parties. By opposing Build Back Better, Manchin joins an established tradition. Though the Democratic senators position is complicated by the political realities of his conservative state, hes much too hasty to declare defeat. The truth is hes bound to his own right-wing ideology and a collection of business interests.
The Washington Post reported Monday that Manchin proposed his own deal to the Biden White House last week. Though that deal included funding for ten years of universal pre-K in addition to reduced spending on climate-change provisions important to Democrats, it excluded an extension of the enhanced child tax credit that is said to have lifted thousands out of poverty in his home state. There may yet be ground for Biden and Manchin to negotiate even on the subject of child tax credits but Manchins expressed commitment to heavy means-testing could leave many needy families in the cold.
On the child tax credit alone, local advocates have urged Manchin to back the bill. There is no state thats more impacted by the CTC, Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, told the Associated Press. West Virginia, frankly, wasnt doing great before the pandemic. So this is absolutely needed now and in the long term. According to Allen, around 50,000 children in the state are in danger of slipping into poverty if the payments lapse, or the negotiations drag on so long that the Jan. 15 payment doesnt happen, the AP added.
Maybe that doesnt bother Manchin. The moderate allegedly told fellow senators he thought parents would waste monthly child tax credit payments on drugs instead of providing for their children, HuffPost reported. If Americans got paid leave, Manchin said, people would feign being sick and go on hunting trips, another source told HuffPost. The report may be shocking, but it isnt surprising. Theres been little public evidence that the needs of poor children and families weigh on Manchin at all.
His real priorities are perhaps most evident when Build Back Betters environmental provisions are considered. The legislative package would create a number of investments designed to lower greenhouse-gas emissions, a goal that is nearly impossible for the country to meet if this bill or another similarly expansive piece of environmental legislation fails to pass. Nothing can pass without Manchins key 50th vote in the Senate. The bill also included programs that would benefit coal miners, a key Manchin constituency, amid an energy transition that could otherwise cost them their livelihoods. Citing several BBB provisions, including the extension of an excise tax paid by coal companies to fund benefits for black-lung patients, the United Mine Workers of America called on its longtime ally to reverse his position on the bill. For those and other reasons, we are disappointed that the bill will not pass. We urge Senator Manchin to revisit his opposition to this legislation and work with his colleagues to pass something that will help keep coal miners working, and have a meaningful impact on our members, their families, and their communities, the unions international president, Cecil Roberts, said.
Other policies would help the nation move away from its reliance on fossil fuels including coal. Perhaps this bothers Manchin more than the prospect of impoverished families. Coal has helped make Manchin a wealthy man. As The Guardian reported in July, Manchin founded a coal brokerage called Enersystems, and though ownership has since passed to his son, he still controls a $5 million stake in the company that produced about $500,000 worth of income in 2020. He has raked in cash from oil and gas PACs, a sign of industry confidence in his vote.
With Manchin, dirty energy gets a major return on its investment at the expense of needy families. If Manchin cared for his constituents, hed work with them, meeting them where they are to pitch them on policies that work. Thats basic politics. Families know, for example, that the enhanced child tax credit has been helpful to them. Manchin simply doesnt hold their interests close. Theres competition for his attention, and powerful forces may have defeated poor families and black-lung patients for now.
Samantha Vance, 46, was another member of the founding group.
We just decided it was time for us to take this step, Vance said. Lee County has such a drastic need and we just felt like Auburn was a good starting point.
From the beginning of this process, the core group wanted to focus on reaching the people in Lee County and serving their needs.
Vance said they want to reach Auburn students and faculty, help those who have a need for food and to reach out to local veterans.
For Vance, her three kids and her husband Michael, who is a Marine, its beneficial that Ullmann has experience in combat situations.
Many of our veterans feel lost in traditional religion or feel shame or judgment, she said. A lot of times they will avoid organized churches because those people dont understand their lives. The thing about Father Timothy is not only does he understand it, hes lived it and can provide counsel.
Ullmann is originally from Colorado, graduated from the University of Colorado and went to two different seminaries, Concordia Seminary and Chancery for the Orthodox Church in America.
Currently, if you have completed a primary series, you are considered fully vaccinated. However, there may be some discussion coming soon about where you are considered fully vaccinated if you havent had your booster.
Wheres the best place to get a booster shot?
Most all pharmacies have them. They might not have all three products, but theyll have at least one. Doctors offices have them as well. You dont have to go back to the same location where you got your vaccine.
You can go to vaccine.gov to find locations near you that provide vaccine and booster shots. You will need to take your vaccination card so it can be documented. That is your record.
Who should be getting the booster shot right now?
Anyone 16 and older should be receiving their booster shot.
Is there anyone who shouldnt be getting a booster shot?
Right now, children 15 and under do not have a recommendation for boosters, and children younger than 5 years old arent receiving the primary series yet.
Can anyone get a booster right now?
They followed widespread and increasingly violent anti-government protests in 2019 that prompted Beijing to impose a sweeping National Security Law on Hong Kong, followed by a reorganization of the electoral process and transformation of the makeup of the Legislative Council to stack it with pro-Beijing loyalists.
The opposition camp criticized the elections, with the largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, fielding no candidates for the first time since the 1997 handover.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday there were multiple reasons for the decline in voter turnout.
It is not only the impact of the pandemic, but also the disruption and sabotage of anti-China elements in Hong Kong and external forces, Zhao said at a daily briefing.
Some overseas pro-democracy activists, including London-based Nathan Law, had urged a boycott of the vote, saying the elections were undemocratic. Under the new election laws, incitement to boycott the voting or to cast invalid votes could be punished by up to three years in jail and a 200,000 Hong Kong dollar ($26,500) fine.
I stg if jujubee makes her 15th rupaul appearance wearing a halloween express outfit again
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I'm seriously hoping that she'll get some justice from AS5 and Queen of the Universe...
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I tried watching Drag Race Italia and it's just dreadful.
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I couldn't get into it either. I enjoyed season 2 of Holland though.
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I should check out Holland S2, as I thought the first season was decent. Italia was irritating on multiple levels. What did you not like about it?
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I've never missed an episode of Drag Race EVER literally from the first day it aired... But Drag Race Italia episode 1 already had me feeling some type of way about it, I just didn't like it at all. I haven't gone back to give it a chance so my record is ruined lol
What do you think were some of the issues? I can't figure out what made me feel so uncomfortable.
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The shot editing is just bonkers and everybody just talks forever
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Is this instead of a UK s4 next year to give talent some more time to develop after the blandness that was s3 with all the newbie queens?
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UK4 just finished casting so that'll film in spring and air in fall like uk1 and uk3 did (and uk2 was supposed to)
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Baga chipz is stunning...Baga Chipz is class...Baga Chipz is sexy....She takes it up the aaaaaaa! (Shhhh)
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louder for the girlies in the back pls
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uk hun >>>>>>>>
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This has to be one of the most catchy verses written on Drag Race. It will just randomly pop up in my head when I'm doing anything, it's so so good. But listening to the song which is then followed by Blu... not doing that.
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RuPauls Drag Race UK vs. The World is the 14th competition series announced in the Drag Race franchise.
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14th this year,feels like.
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Before the official title of the show was revealed, I wondered why there were so many speculated UK queens in the cast, so this explains it. Or, they later made up the show title to suit the cast. Meh.
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It's a BBC production, so it makes sense.
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Is wow presents plus worth it?
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I would say it's worth it for a month or 2 if you want to binge some seasons of the international shows.
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I'll do it once I'm caught up with everything I'm already watching, I guess
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If you watch the international shows it's way better then finding links. I also enjoy watching Unhhh before it's released on YouTube.
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Only if you're really into Drag Race and willing to pay ~$5 for monthly access to it.
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Is it ever really a rumor that Jujubee is going to appear on any version of drag race? Lol I love her for it though.
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Jujubee...I hope it's worth it!
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I'll allow it I'll allow it
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It makes me sad that DR Thailand isn't as celebrated as it should cause it's iconique
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It's crazy that the co-host is part of this but not one of the amazing other queens. Pangina Heals is sickening but what about the other girls? :(
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Probably because Pangina is the best possible showing of Thai drag that knows English and has easy access to travel.
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It's everything people say they wish the other versions were. I'm glad it's coming back for season 3.
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I'll watch for Jujubee and Cheryl.
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Uk huh?
So they dont have to give money as the prize?!? Interesting.
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Idk, the new signing competition spinoff is 250k if I remember correctly so I think it depends on what channel its aired. I think its a bbc thing?
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I dont think itll be funded by the public starting next year so Im assuming theyll have a cash prize I couldnt seeing the US queens competing fo free
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I assume they would be getting money per episode and it's a free trip to the UK, so...
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What financial difficulties? Losing his sugar mama? Doesnt he have money/rich parents? I am floored. This man is out here ruining her life at every turn and the courts let him use that BS!?
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Yeah isnt she giving him like 40 thousand a month? But he cant afford a house on that.
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why doesn't he rent???
in this economy he doesn't need the luxury of owning
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Ughhhh men are trash. Also what a dumb ass judge I swear the law is shit and hates women.
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The law was made by white men to serve white men so..... yeah.
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Doesnt this loser have rich parents AND receives spousal support from Kelly? Dude, youre like 50yo. Get a fucking life.
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And he was her manager and producer on her talk show so he should have some savings.
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This is really a "Get a job. Get away from her" situation, except he doesn't even need to get a job.
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get a job, stay away from her
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Wtf?! He can certainly afford to rent an apartment or something. He's allowed to squat there just because he can't afford to buy a lavish mansion of his own?
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Idk about living the lifestyle he had while married? Especially because of their kids?
But his family must be loaded after managing Reba so long. You know this one made bank off Kelly's hard work
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What a weird title. I thought ONTD hated landlords?
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We hate men more
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No yall love this performative shit, none of you actually hate men lol. Like there's a man in ur icon...
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But this isn't really a landlord vs tenant case in the classical sense. I don't think he signed a lease to live in the house they used to share
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What lol
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Oh so he's paying rent, and she's evicting him without warning?
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he's her ex. she pays him support. he won't leave the home they once shared.
she isn't a landlord and he isn't a tenant.
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ONTD doesn't read strikes again!
Edited at 2021-12-22 01:30 pm (UTC)
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lmao what
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this was my thought exactly. This is practically a landlord tenant situation, worse if he isnt paying rent because then hes really a bum
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You really love being loud and wrong lmao
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This fucker
Also at the judge for siding with him
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Time to cut the power on ha and let him freeze to death
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Let some termites, rats, and roaches loose on the property tbh.
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I would fuck him up and hire people to dress up like ghosts and scare the shit out of him.
Or like steal all of his left sock.
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Its scant on details but is this only until the unresolved financial issue is resolved? Because I mean, bitch I can have money troubles too and split that mansion with him tf
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No wonder shes never getting married again
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Divorce is so fucking messy. I cant understand why anyone gets married, let alone rich ass celebrities. Dumb.
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I understand why men do, it's very beneficial for their lazy, useless asses but women dreaming of marriage puzzles me (but it shouldn't since most still delude themselves into thinking their relationship is ~different).
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Because most people don't actually know what they're signing up for.
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has he never heard of renting???
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A stranger? It's awful. An ex? Get the fuck out immediately. I would sell that shit. Ditch it. Leave him to drown-you're not as a MAN freeloading off ME what the fuck is THAT!!!!!!!!!
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A lot of people will not buy property until tenants have been evicted, so she probably will have difficulty to sell it with him there. My dad bought a garage for his cars and there were tenants living there and has it set up as an apartment, and he ended up having to pay them $10k out of his own pocket to make them actually leave so he could close on the property.
Im sure this guy is not gonna go for 10k either lol
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Yo fuck this dude
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Thats what got her into this mess to begin with
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Coal production is set to hit an all-time high according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) despite the curbing of production across several countries and aims for decarbonization following COP26. Coal demand has continued to increase through 2021 mainly due to the needs of large Asian countries that still rely on the fossil fuel, as well as gas shortages forcing European states to shift back to coal. Coal has experienced a dramatic rebound this year, with production levels set to hit an all-time high in 2021 and demand levels to peak in 2022. Even after worldwide power generation from coal started falling in 2019 and 2020, as many countries shifted away from the energy source, it is expected to rise by around 9 percent this year to reach 10,350 terawatt-hours.
The surge in demand is largely due to the faster-than-expected global economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic. Throughout 2020, demand for coal, oil, and gas dropped significantly as countries around the world imposed restrictions on movement. Many organizations saw this as the moment to push for a transition away from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives. However, as the energy demand has risen in 2021, some countries have found it hard to produce enough oil and gas, leading to shortages. Surging fossil fuel prices have also pushed consumers back to coal, which is more competitively priced.
IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol, voiced his concerns about the trend, Coal is the single largest source of global carbon emissions, and this years historically high level of coal power generation is a worrying sign of how far off track the world is in its efforts to put emissions into decline towards net zero.
Related: Are Oil Markets Already Oversupplied? One of the main problems with coal production is that it doesnt just release carbon emissions into the atmosphere but also sulfur dioxide, particulates, and nitrogen oxides. In fact, many view coal as the dirtiest fossil fuel, which explains why many governments are pushing policies to end coal production in favor of cleaner energy sources.
This may come as a surprise considering the recent participation of many state powers in the COP26 climate summit, which resolidified the Paris Agreements aim to curb fossil fuel production as part of a plan to decarbonize. But two of the worlds most populous countries, China and India, still rely heavily on coal to meet their energy needs. In fact, both decided upon a last-minute change of language in an agreement on fossil fuel from the phase out of coal to a phase down.
China and India are the worlds two largest coal producers, making up two-thirds of global coal demand. Although the two countries have committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 and 2070 respectively, their heavy reliance on coal makes many of their climate aims appear unrealistic. For example, while China announced it would no longer be investing in the construction of new coal plants overseas earlier this year, it is still pursuing plans to build 60 domestic coal plants.
And now it appears that even countries that are already undertaking strategies to phase coal out have experienced a hike in demand this year. Mainly due to low wind volumes and a hike in energy demand, Germany has had to rely on coal and nuclear power for electricity generation throughout 2021. This meant the contribution of coal and nuclear power for energy production reached 40 percent this year, compared to 35 percent in 2020, with renewables accounting for 41 percent compared to 44 percent last year. At present, Germany is planning to end nuclear power production by the end of 2022 and phase out coal by 2030.
Related: Are Oil Markets Already Oversupplied?
Even the U.K., which pledged to end coal production a year earlier than anticipated by 2024, had to fire up coal plants in September to meet electricity demand in the face of gas shortages and surging prices. During this time, coal contributed 3 percent of national power, rather than the average 2.2 percent. This was following a landmark period of time in which the U.K. run coal-free for three days in August.
But many believe that a significant injection of private investment is needed to speed up the phasing out of coal, otherwise, it would already be done. Naturally, companies running coal plants dont want to shut up shop before theyve achieved their full potential, even if their operations present a threat to the environment. Unless governments can offer financial incentives for them to stop production, states will require private investment to make this happen. The potential for coal mines to be converted into geothermal energy plants and others for renewable energy uses could provide the opportunity needed to encourage this type of investment. However, without these incentives, coal companies will likely continue operations so long as demand remains high and their leases stay active.
By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com
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A key corporate proxy at the forefront of the Washingtons attempts to counteract the increasing influence of China and Russia across the Middle East is the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC), in line with the U.S.-sponsored relationship normalisation deal signed last year between Israel and the UAE. A vital part of ADNOCs role in this agreement is to boost its crude oil output from the current 4 million barrels per day (bpd) to 5 million bpd by 2030 at the latest and last week saw an announcement from the company that it has discovered a new crude oil, condensate, and natural gas site that holds around 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
Located in the Block 4 onshore concession, the discovery is likely to have recoverable reserves of at least 480 million barrels, according to the operator of the site, Japans INPEX last week, based on a provisional recovery rate of 40 percent for crude oil and 70 percent for natural gas and condensate. It also marks the first such find in the Block 4 onshore concession and the initial signs are that further finds may well be discovered in the site, according to ADNOC. The new crude oil find will also significantly augment ADNOCs ongoing efforts to establish Murban as the centrepiece of what it intends to be the pre-eminent oil futures trading platform in the Middle East the ICE Futures Abu Dhabi platform (IFAD).
Launched on 29 March 2021 by ADNOC in partnership with the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), IFAD was built initially around a Murban futures contract, with this light, sweet crude oil grade accounting for around half of the UAEs total near-4 million bpd crude oil production before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to ICE and ADNOC at the time of the launch of IFAD, Murban futures were the second physically delivered futures contracts traded on a regional exchange after Dubai Mercantile Exchanges Oman crude futures, and Murban remained a deliverable grade in the Platts benchmark Dubai and Oman crude assessments. ICE and ADNOC partnered with BP, GS Caltex, INPEX, PetroChina, PTT, Shell, ENEOS, Total, and Vitol to launch the trading platform, but ICE subsequently announced additional agreements with Chevron, Trafigura, and Occidental to explore using the contract to price crude exports from the U.S. to Asia. At the end of November, ICE announced that over one million futures contracts had traded on IFAD since the launch equivalent to one billion barrels of Murban crude oil. Murban futures are adding to price discovery in Asia and [the] physical delivery mechanism has worked smoothly since launch and open interest continues to grow, Mike Muller, head of Vitol Asia told OilPrice.com.
The ongoing expansion of IFAD feeds into the corollary build-out of the strategically vital UAE port in Fujairah as a global crude oil storage hub. Already the worlds third biggest bunkering centre, Fujairah is set to continue to benefit from its highly advantageous strategic position outside the perennially politically sensitive Strait of Hormuz and outside the rest of the Persian Gulf as well. Fujairah offers an unencumbered direct port on the Gulf of Oman but on the eastern side of Oman itself which means that any oil kept there is able to avoid any blockade that Iran might again impose on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. This embargo option has become increasingly attractive to Iran following the finalisation of its Guriyeh-Jask oil pipeline. The pipeline allows Irans oil to flow without going through the Strait whilst it blockades 30 percent of the rest of the worlds oil supply. Fujairahs geographical position also allows any oil kept there to avoid any future problems that may arise with Oman if the Sultanate succumbs to Chinas current wooing of it to become part of its One Belt, One Road-related sphere of influence.
Fujairah is already the key hub from which the UAEs Murban oil is exported, making its way there through the 360 kilometre Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline from the Habshan onshore field in Abu Dhabi and capable of transporting 1.8 million bpd. ADNOC is also currently developing underground oil storage caverns in Fujairah that can hold 42 million barrels, including Murban, with the project expected to be completed in 2022. According to recent statements from the Fujairah port development authorities, it may add a tenth berth shortly as part of plans to boost overall storage capacity across the site in the next three to four years.
These energy-specific developments are, in turn, foundation stones in the UAEs broader Operation 300 Billion plan that intends to raise the contribution of the countrys industrial sector to AED300 billion (US$81 billion) from the current AED133 billion within the next 10 years. This objective itself part of the UAEs Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 - will be achieved in large part through the creation of 13,500 industrial companies over that period, covering the manufacturing, construction, electricity, gas, mining and quarrying sectors in the first instance.
Running in parallel with all of this are joint security initiatives with the U.S. and Israel, as analysed in depth in my new book on the global oil markets, with the latest development in this area being the defence deal signed in early December between the UAEs defence conglomerate, Edge, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). According to a statement from the two companies, they will produce 170 M advanced modular unmanned service vessels that will be usable for both commercial and military purposes, including carrying out advanced anti-submarine warfare. The new product will also be usable for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, mine detection and sweeping, and as a deployment platform for certain types of aircraft, according to Edge. This follows the agreement made just after the August 2020 relationship normalisation deal that the U.S. will provide the UAE with the latest F-35 fighter planes.
By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com
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Saudi Arabia has been warning for months that low global investments in new supply in recent years could lead to potential shortages down the road
Until global oil demand sees a structural declinenot just a pandemic-induced crashthe world will need supply to meet that demand
While oil markets are concerned about the immediate hit to demand from the Omicron COVID surge and a looming oversupply, officials at oil-producing countries and industry executives have been warning for months of a supply shortage in coming years unless investment in new projects rises materially. Last year and this year, investment in new oil and gas supply has been lingering at the lowest level in a decade and a half, setting the stage for a supply shortage around the middle of this decade when fewer new projects would have seen the light of day.
The expected lower supply by 2030 would have been great news for the global push toward clean energy and a significant cut in energy-related emissions if it werent for the fact that the world still consumes as much crude oil as it did before the pandemic. And it will continue to do so for at least another decade, most analysts and forecasting agencies and organizations say.
Until global oil demand sees a structural declinenot just a pandemic-induced crashthe world will need supply to meet that demand. The current natural gas crunch and energy crisis in Europe offer a cautionary tale of what could happen if supply and storage levels of a major source of energy are lower at a time when demand is risingprice spikes to records, an even higher volatility, and heightened geopolitical tension between major suppliers and large consumers.
Saudi Arabia Warns Of Crippled Supply
Saudi Arabia, the worlds biggest crude oil exporter, has been warning for months that low global investments in new supply in recent years could lead to potential shortages down the road. The International Energy Agencys (IEA) scenario of no new investment in oil and gasever againif the world were to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 is a sequel of the La La Land movie. Why should I take it seriously? Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said earlier this year.
Last week, the minister warned that global oil production could drop by a massive 30 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2030. Thats around 30 percent of daily global oil supply and around the same share of current global oil demand.
Related: Europes Gas Prices Jump To Record As Key Pipeline From Russia Halts Flows
Were heading toward a phase that could be dangerous if theres not enough spending on energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said last week, as quoted by Bloomberg. Insufficient investment could lead to an energy crisis, he added.
We have very serious concerns that the world could run short of energy if we are not careful in managing the transition, Saudi Arabias finance minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan also said last week, reiterating recent warnings from other officials and industry executives in Saudi Arabia, including from Saudi Aramcos chief executive Amin Nasser.
Sure, Saudi Arabia has a vested interest in warning against a rushed energy transition, but it is not the only onesome industry executives in the U.S. have also warned that continued underinvestment could spell trouble for future global oil supply.
Production Capacity Growth In Middle East May Not Be Enough
The oil industry is massively underinvesting in supply to meet growing demand, Greg Hill, president of U.S. oil producer Hess Corp, said earlier this year.
The energy sector is not investing enough to meet growing energy demand, including for crude, which could lead to a series of energy crunches down the road, oil expert Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit, told CNBC last month.
Saudi Arabia alone cannot supply the rise in oil production needed to avoid a crunch, Julian Lee, an oil strategist for Bloomberg First Word, wrote in a recent opinion piece on Bloomberg.
Thats despite the Saudi plan to raise its oil production capacity to 13 million bpd by 2027 from 12 million bpd now. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) plans to raise the United Arab Emirates (UAE) production capacity by 1 million bpd by the end of this decade to 5 million bpd from 4 million bpd now.
Still, this may not be enough, considering that the international oil majors pivot to more investments in low-carbon energy, and some of themsuch as BP and Shellhave said their respective oil production has already peaked.
Moreover, the worlds spare capacity is almost exclusively concentrated in the Middle East, a region prone to geopolitical tensions, flare-ups, and conflicts.
Investment Is Still Low
The oil industry continues to underinvest in new supply, while U.S. shale, while set to grow its production in 2022, is likely done with the massive 2-million-bpd annual output surge just before the pandemic hit.
Related: Oil Prices Crash On Renewed Omicron Panic
Upstream oil and gas investment must rise to the pre-pandemic levels of around $525 billion per year through the end of the decade so that the industry can ensure a demand-supply balance, Saudi Arabia-based International Energy Forum (IEF) and IHS Markit say. This year, upstream investment is still depressed for a second year in a row and is estimated at around $341 billion, they note.
Global annual upstream spending needs to increase by as much as 54 percent to $542 billion if the oil market is to avert the next supply shortage shock, Moodys said in October.
Oil Demand Is Still Going Up
More-than-a-decade low investment in oil and gas would be fantastic news for all the climate goals nearly every major economy has set out, if it werent for the simple fact that oil demand is here to stay and rise in coming years.
Peak oil demand is yearsif not more than a decadeaway, and when it peaks, it is not expected to plunge thereafter but only plateau, most analysts say.
Even the IEA, the agency championing net-zero by 2050, acknowledged in its World Energy Outlook 2021 in October that The world is not investing enough to meet its future energy needs, and uncertainties over policies and demand trajectories create a strong risk of a volatile period ahead for energy markets.
If demand remains at higher levels, this would result in tight supply in the years ahead, raising the risks of higher and more volatile prices. It is not clear that higher prices would trigger supply responses to the same extent as in the past, said the IEA.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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The global energy transition is facing plenty of problems, not least of which is rising costs, and will be a key factor to watch in 2022
Predicting the price of oil is always difficult, but with an energy crisis in Europe, OPEC+ controlling production, the energy transition underway, and Covid continuing next year is particularly difficult to read
Uncertainty has returned to oil markets at the end of the year as a new variant of Covid combines with inflation fears to threaten demand
Following the rebound in oil and gas demand in 2021, the market is headed to 2022 with renewed uncertainties about prices, demand, and the industrys longer-term prospects as Omicron COVID cases spike and investors continue to press companies toward decarbonization. Will oil and gas demand continue to recover and clean energy installations continue to surge next year? Or will risks lurking for some time materialize to hamper green energy rollouts and upend the rebound in global oil and gas demand?
The closer we get to the end of 2021, the more uncertain the 2022 outlook becomes, with Omicron spooking governments in Europe that have already started to tighten restrictions or re-impose strict lockdowns in the case of the Netherlands. The UK is not ruling out stricter measures, and many other European countries are tightening travel restrictions.
$100 Oil?
The Omicron impact on economies and fuel demand and the effect on oil demand recovery and prices will be a major theme throughout 2022, especially during the first few months of the year.
As difficult as it is to predict oil prices in normal circumstances, the uncertainties with the pandemic have made the task of forecasting even more difficult. Currently, outlooks range from oil averaging around $70 next year to hitting as high as above $100 per barrel at some point in 2022 or 2023.
OPEC sees a mild and short-lived Omicron impact on oil demand, while the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a temporary slowdown in demand recovery due to the new variant, but not an entirely upended demand trend.
In the early days of the Omicron variant spreading, JP Morgan said that oil could soar to $125 per barrel next year and $150 in 2023 due to OPECs limited capacity to boost production.
OPEC left the door open to potential immediate adjustments in its oil production policy with the Omicron uncertainty, so the cartels actions would be an important driver of oil prices next year, along with the COVID developments.
Oil prices rising to $100 a barrel is unlikely, at least for any sustained period next year, Simon Flowers, Chairman, and Chief Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, wrote in a recent post discussing the key themes in oil and gas in 2022.
Some analysts expect a harsh colder-than-usual winter in the northern hemisphere to exacerbate the energy crisis in Europe and deplete its stockpiles of natural gas in storage which are already at a decade low for this time of the year. This could prop up demand for heating with fuels other than natural gas, including oil products, potentially driving up oil demand even if lockdowns limit gasoline consumption.
When Will The Energy Crisis End?
A bad winter will push gas and power pricesalready near record levelshigher still, says WoodMacs Flowers.
A cold snap this weekend already sent Europes power prices surging to new records, as gas storage levels are low and electricity availability is low too after France shut down four nuclear reactors.
Natural gas prices are highly volatile and sensitive to (the lack of) extra supply from Russia, but they are set to fall in the spring with warmer weather.
Related: Gas Markets Could See Sudden Bout Of Volatility However, even at the end of the winter season in the spring of 2022, gas prices in Asia and Europe will remain higher than pre-crisis levels, with a structurally tighter gas market than before COVID, WoodMacs analysts say.
We expect LNG prices in Europe and Asia to settle at more than double the average for prevailing prices between 2015 and 2020 until new supply comes onstream in 2026, they noted.
A major risk to the gas market outlook next year and beyond would be whether gas will still be perceived as a reliable, cleaner-than-coal fuel to help a coal-to-gas switch and backup for renewables or as just another fossil fuel that shouldnt be considered the bridge fuel to clean energy sources anymore.
Will Rising Costs Hold Back The Energy Transition?
While Big Oil directs more investments to low-carbon energy, the pace of the capacity additions of the already mature solar and wind technology could slow because of higher costs, according to one risk Wood Mackenzie sees for a potential supercycle in metals and a continued surge in clean energy installations.
Despite the high commodity and transport prices, renewables are on track for record growth in 2021, the IEAs Executive Director Fatih Birol said earlier this month, noting however that if commodity prices stay high until the end of 2022, it would wipe out 5 years of cost reductions for wind power and 3 years of reductions for solar PV.
The world will still need double new annual capacity over the next five years to achieve the net-zero by 2050 scenario, the IEA said in its annual Renewables 2021 Market Report with a forecast to 2026.
According to WoodMac, rising input costs and wages, supply chain challenges, and logistics could hamper the roll-out and development of a raft of low-carbon technologies.
The booming U.S. solar industry is set to be torn between huge opportunities and major stumbling blocks in the coming months and years, and it will likely see a wild solar coaster ride in the next few years, Wood Mackenzie earlier this month.
Related: Are Oil Markets Already Oversupplied?
The U.S. solar market installed 5.4 GWdc of solar capacity in the third quarter, up by 33 percent from the same period of 2020 and the largest Q3 on record. However, costs continued to rise.
Installed costs increased across all market segments for the second quarter in a row, reflecting supply chain challenges. In every segment besides residential, year-over-year price increases were the highest theyve been since 2014 when Wood Mackenzie began tracking pricing data, last weeks Solar Market Insight Report 2021 Q4 by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie showed.
The outlook of U.S. renewable markets and economic growth became even more uncertain when Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a crucial vote in a divided Senate, said on Sunday that he would not support President Joe Bidens proposed Build Back Better Act.
It looks like uncertainty will be the single biggest theme in oil and gas markets in 2022.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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Gas flows on one of the major gas pipelines from Russia to Europe have reversed flows
A combination of weather-related and geopolitical factors have led to an energy crisis in Europe
A severe shortage of natural gas, declining wind power output, nuclear outages, and cold weather have conspired to hand Europe one of its worst energy crises on record. Yet, Europe's energy woes keep getting worse at every turn. European natural gas prices hit a new record high on Tuesday after a pipeline that brings Russian gas to Germany switched flows to the east while U.S. ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) destined for the European market are diverting to Asia where prices are even higher.
Westward gas flows through the 2,607-mile-long Yamal-Europe pipeline, one of the major routes for Russian gas to Europe, have been gradually falling since Saturday but have now reversed direction, a move the Kremlin says has no political implications.
Some western politicians contend that Russia is using its natural gas as a weapon in the political tussle tied to Ukraine, as well as delays in the certification of another controversial pipeline, Nord Stream 2. Russia, of course, has denied any connection.
"There is absolutely no connection (to Nord Stream 2), this is a purely commercial situation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call on Tuesday.
The litmus test of Gazprom's capacity to act as a swing supplier was its ability to drop production dramatically in 2020 and then to bring it back up again quickly in 2021. Yet, Gazprom has failed to bring any more spare production capacity online when needed most for one reason: it has none left.
Related: Russia Puts The Blame On Europe As Energy Crisis Worsens According to Vitaly Yermakov, expert with the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Gazprom has really been "firing on all cylinders", pushing its gas output to maximum levels at all of its key fields for most of 2021 so far. In fact, there was no sharp cyclical decline in output over the summer months.
Yermakov points to several reasons why Gazprom has been unable to cover the call for increased gas production or to fully refill gas storage in Russia and in Europe. First off, very low gas prices in 2020 forced extremely high withdrawals of gas from storage by producers in a bid to minimize transportation costs and reduce losses. Second, the combined effects of robust gas demand, extreme weather patterns, and limited LNG availability in Europe have resulted in extreme market tightness and high prices. Gazprom has actually done well by managing to meet all its contractual obligations and increased deliveries to Europe, but could not single-handedly address Europe's energy insecurity.
The latest reverse flows have only added to bullish factors for the gas markets, but there's one big winner: the United States.
Indeed, Alex Froley, an analyst at analysis consultancy ICIS, has told the Financial Times that a U.S. LNG tanker that was heading east close to India on December 15 has done an about-turn and is now heading into the Suez Canal, suggesting a supply to Europe.
On Tuesday, front-month wholesale Dutch gas price, the European benchmark, climbed more than 16% to a record high of 171.40 euros ($193.46) per megawatt-hour, while the equivalent British gas contract also hit a new peak at 4.29 pounds ($5.68) per therm.
U.S. LNG Wins
From a position of relative obscurity just five years ago, the U.S. LNG sector has rapidly risen through the ranks to challenge the heavyweights. U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity has expanded rapidly since the Lower 48 states first began exporting LNG in 2016. In 2020, the United States became the world's third-largest LNG exporter, behind Australia and Qatar.
And now the United States is set to become the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in 2022, surpassing Qatar and Australia over the course of the year once the new LNG liquefaction units, called trains, at Sabine Pass and Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana are placed in service by the end of the year.
Related: The Worlds Top Automakers Are Doubling Down On Electric Vehicles
Global LNG demand has hit record highs each year since 2015, thanks in large part to surging demand in China and the rest of Asia. Much of that global appetite has been steadily met by rising U.S. LNG exports, which have reached new records every year since 2016, a trend that appears set to continue.
Source: EIA
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (IEA) projects that U.S. LNG exports will hit 11.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2022, good for a 22% slice of the expected world LNG demand of 53.3 bcfd.
The U.S. expects to make key LNG export capacity additions next year:
Train 6 at the Sabine Pass LNG export facility
Train 6 will add up to 0.76 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of peak export capacity. The terminal began producing LNG in late November, with the first export cargo from this train expected to be shipped before the end of 2021.
Calcasieu Pass LNG
This new export facility has 18 liquefaction trains with a combined peak capacity of 12 million metric tons per annum (1.6 Bcf/d). Commissioning activities at Calcasieu Pass LNG started in November 2021, with the first LNG production expected before the end of this year.
All liquefaction trains are expected to be operational by the end of 2022.
By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com
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Enter Manhattan Associates. The company has been around for about 20 years and is a leader in providing warehouse management software, Chai says. It allows retailers to see their products flow in and out of different warehouses, and it partners with companies that can analyze this data in real time.
Retailers are realizing that they cant do this on their own, Chai says. So Manhattan Associates is going to benefit from the revamp of the supply chain, she adds.
Trimble
Trimble started out as a GPS hardware company. But over time, its become a software company as well, says David Kalis, a partner and portfolio manager at The Future Fund.
Heres just one example of how its used: A trucking company can use the software to know where all its trucks are, what their load is, what their mileage is all part of managing the supply chain for a trucking company.
Kalis is bullish on Trimble, which he expects to come out of the supply chain crisis as a winner as companies realize the need for this type of software.
Splunk
Local
Union members approve contract with Kellogg, ending strike
For more than two months, striking union members picketed day and night outside Kelloggs cereal production plant in southwest Omaha.
Then, in a matter of hours Tuesday, the striking workers were gone. Union signs that had been scattered around the premises were taken down.
The changes came after a majority of the approximately 1,400 members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union approved a new five-year labor contract that local union President Dan Osborn called fair.
Guitarist Tom Morello's donation to Omaha Kellogg's workers lifted their spirits Proceeds from the sale of a guitar auctioned off by musician Tom Morello helped to feed and energize striking Kellogg's workers in Omaha.
I have a huge sense of pride in all of our people who stood up for what they believe in and stood the line in an uncertain future in our quest to fight against corporate greed, Osborn said. Its a win for us and a win for the labor movement around the country.
According to the union, which has 450 members at the Omaha plant, highlights of the contract include no permanent two-tiered system of wages and benefits, maintenance of cost-of-living raises and no cereal production plant shutdowns through October 2026.
One Omaha union member who spoke on the condition of not being named estimated the union got at least 70% of what it sought.
I think its a win for the union body overall, the union member said.
In a statement, Kellogg Co. spokesperson Kris Bahner said the company was pleased that union members ratified the contract.
We are pleased that we have reached an agreement that brings our cereal employees back to work. We look forward to their return and continuing to produce our beloved cereal brands for our customers and consumers, Bahner said.
Kelloggs cereal brands include Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops.
Throughout the strike, which began Oct. 5, one of the main sticking points was the presence of a two-tiered employee system, with transitional and legacy employees. That system was created under the previous collective bargaining agreement ratified in 2015.
While the union wasnt successful in scrapping it, the new contract contains concessions from Kellogg Co that include allowing transitional employees with four or more years of experience to immediately move into the upper tier of legacy employees, which are now known as regular employees.
We made it better, Osborn said.
Osborn, who has worked as a mechanic for 18 years at the Omaha plant, also highlighted the cost-of-living adjustments employees on both tiers will receive, as well as overall wage increases. He also noted that lower-tier employees now will have access to dental insurance and upper-tier employees get increased pension benefits.
Kellogg's effort to hire replacement workers draws viral backlash A post on the Reddit community Antiwork encouraged people to clog Kelloggs application process by pretending to be a resident of Omaha or another city with a Kellogg cereal production plant.
Following union members overwhelming rejection of a previous contract proposal earlier this month, negotiations between the company and the union appeared to be at a stalemate with the company saying Dec. 7 that no further negotiations were scheduled.
However, Osborn said negotiations toward the latest agreement began on Dec. 10 following President Joe Bidens comments condemning Kelloggs efforts to permanently replace striking workers and also calling for negotiations to resume.
In a Dec. 12 letter to Kellogg Co. Chairman and CEO Steve Cahillane, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts also urged negotiations to resume.
Ricketts urges Kellogg to resume negotiations with striking union workers In his letter dated Sunday, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts noted union employees role in keeping store shelves stocked with Kelloggs products throughout the COVID pandemic.
Osborn thinks that Bidens and Ricketts remarks, along with those from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Vice President Kamala Harris, helped get Kellogg back to the negotiating table.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Ricketts expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
I am glad Kelloggs returned to the bargaining table and reached an agreement with the union, he said. Now the nearly 500 people who staff the Omaha Kelloggs plant can resume their important work. They are feeding the nation and world.
With union members scheduled to return to work on Monday, Osborn said union leaders will meet with plant leaders on Wednesday morning.
Well discuss what we all need to do moving forward, he said. There is a lot of damage to relationships. Were going to have to work diligently to repair those and get back to doing what we do best. Thats taking pride in our work and making cereal again.
At one point in mid-November, Kellogg Co. asked for and received a temporary restraining order against striking union members outside the Omaha plant after alleging union members engaged in menacing behavior.
Local union leader says no citations issued by police related to strike at Omaha Kellogg's plant Dan Osborn, president of the local union, said, There have been absolutely no citations issued by local law enforcement regarding the way we have been handling this legal work stoppage.
Osborn said that restraining order, as well as charges the union filed against the company to the National Labor Relations Board, have been dropped with the ratification of the contract.
Throughout the strike, union members have received support from many members of the public. Vehicles honking in support were a common sight at the Omaha plant at 9601 F St. Local unions and unions from other states provided food and supplies. One union even sponsored a musical performance to entertain striking employees.
Osborn expressed his deepest gratitude for those who supported the union.
We couldnt have stood the line without all of that support, he said.
He said he paid for the woman and her daughter to fly to Boston in July 2020. He picked them up at the airport and drove them to his Ludlow ski house. He admitted to witnessing the child perform sex acts with her mother.
Griffin said the activity was the mother's idea, but that was contradicted by the contents of Griffins chat communications with the girls mother and other parents of minor girls that were discovered later, the court documents say.
The girl told investigators that Griffin sexually assaulted her while she was in Vermont and addressed her using derogatory terms, the court documents say.
Griffin also apparently attempted to pay off a potential witness, another relative of the 9-year-old girl, by making an electronic transfer to that relative of $4,000, the motion for detention says.
Griffin worked for CNN but has been fired since being arrested, the network said Wednesday.
On Dec. 11, the day after Griffin's arrest, CNN reported that he had worked at the network for about eight years.
The charges against Mr. Griffin are deeply disturbing, said an unnamed CNN spokesperson quoted in the story.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has encouraged local districts in the meantime to impose their own student mandates for the COVID-19 vaccine.
San Diego Unified announced in September it would require all students 16 and older to get the COVID-19 vaccine to attend in-person classes starting Jan. 24. Unvaccinated students, unless they have a medical exemption, would have to transfer into the districts remote learning program, according to the mandate, which does not include religious or personal belief exemptions.
In his ruling, Meyer said that San Diego Unified will be required to allow students to attend in-person as long as they have received the 10 vaccines mandated by the state, which does not include the COVID-19 shot.
The judge also said that state law requires independent study programs to be voluntary and a forced transfer into such a program violates state law.
Meyer has five days to sign Mondays ruling during which the ruling cant be enforced.
Mark R. Bresee, an attorney for San Diego Unified, expressed disappointment with the ruling.
Israel was one of the first countries to vaccinate its population early this year. Last summer, it became the first country to conduct a nationwide booster campaign.
The experts recommendation still needs approval from the Health Ministrys director. If approval is given, the booster campaign is expected to begin next week.
PORTLAND, Maine A state health official says two-thirds of the patients who are in hospitals with COVID-19 in Maine during its surge in cases are not fully vaccinated against the disease.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from about 634 new cases per day on Dec. 6 to about 940 new cases per day on Dec. 20. The surge in cases came after months of the state doing a better job of controlling the spread of the virus than most.
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah said Wednesday that about three-quarters of the state is vaccinated against COVID-19. He and others have said unvaccinated pockets of the state are driving the surge in cases and hospitalization.
This is further evidence of the beneficial impact of vaccines, Shah said.
The Justice Department said last week that its fraud section had prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and had seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with the proceeds.
One of the best-known programs created through the March 2020 CARES Act, PPP offered low-interest, forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to meet payroll and other expenses during pandemic-related shutdowns.
Law enforcement early in the pandemic focused on fraud related to personal protective equipment, the Secret Service said. Authorities have now prioritized the exploitation of pandemic-related relief because the federal funding through the CARES Act attracted the attention of individuals and organized criminal networks worldwide.
Can we stop fraud? Will we? No, but I think we can definitely prosecute those that need to be prosecuted and we can do our best to recover as much fraudulent pandemic funds that we can," said Dotson, who is the Secret Service's assistant special agent in charge of the agencys field office in Jacksonville, Florida.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Health Department investigators on Tuesday afternoon still were trying to contact the individuals to ask about their symptoms, any travel history, vaccination status and close contacts.
Its not out of the realm of possibility that more omicron-caused cases of COVID are circulating in the community, Huse said.
Justin Frederick, the Health Departments supervisor of communicable disease epidemiology, said he still is seeing a lot of cases caused by the delta variant. But in the next week or two, I see that changing, he said.
Huse noted that it takes time to sequence the genomes of positive samples of the coronavirus, which is the step needed to differentiate one variant from another.
Frederick said about 5% of positive samples are sequenced by Nebraska laboratories. An additional 2% are sequenced by the CDC.
There are, however, multiple steps built into the process from the time public health departments identify positive samples to send for sequencing to the time those results are analyzed and reported to public databases, such as the CDCs.
Taylor had her daughter when she was 19 and her son a few years later. She lost custody of them for a couple years as she battled her own addiction to opioids and cocaine. She told them she wished she could fix all the dysfunctional things that happened when she was using.
"Then I thought, well, then my mom would have to go back and fix things, and then my grandma would have to go back, it would have to go on like that for generations," she said.
Taylor had lived in more than 50 places before she turned 18 foster homes, battered women's shelters, on the streets and faced sexual, physical and mental abuse.
"The things I blame on generational trauma are not feeling good enough, not feeling worthy enough, not feeling loved," she said.
She prayed to her creator to spare her children, and she told her son every day that she loved him.
White Earth Nation too worked hard to save its people from addiction, and many years lost no one to overdoses on the reservation. But then the pandemic arrived and proved too painful for some.
And now in Taylor's shaking hands, she holds her son's picture another face for the posterboard, lost January 11, 2021.
HONOLULU (AP) A hearings officer expects to issue a recommendation early next week on whether the Navy has to comply with Hawaiis order to empty fuel from a massive storage tank facility blamed for contaminating Pearl Harbor drinking water.
The Navy is contesting an order by the state Department of Health to suspend the facility's operations and empty the underground tanks after tests in recent weeks detected petroleum in the Navy's tap water system.
Hearings officer David Day listened to hours of testimony and arguments into Monday night as the Navy tried to convince him that the emergency order isn't necessary while the state, along with Sierra Club of Hawaii and Honolulu's water utility, argued the tanks pose an imminent peril.
Some families in military housing said the water caused ailments such as vomiting and rashes.
The Red Hill storage facility houses 20 giant fuel tanks that were built near Pearl Harbor in the early 1940s. It supplies fuel to all branches of the military in Hawaii and has been the site of a series of leaks in recent years. The tanks sit 100 feet (30 meters) above an aquifer that normally supplies one-quarter of urban Honolulus water.
The governor's statement on the proposal touted her management of the state's finances and efforts to attract business development, which are likely to be prominent themes in her reelection campaign.
We can return money to taxpayers, Kelly said in her statement, adding that the significant savings for every family would be delivered by next summer just months before the November general election.
Kelly's plan would provide $250 to individual tax filers and $500 to married couples filing jointly. The rebates would go to 1.2 million Kansas residents, costing the state about $445 million. People would get the rebate even if they didn't owe taxes for the year, Kelly's office said.
The Legislature would have to approve the plan after convening Jan. 10 for its next annual session. GOP lawmakers are expected to have their own proposals for cutting income taxes permanently.
Republicans were immediately skeptical of Kelly's plan, both because of its timing and because the tax relief would not continue after next year. Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. said they prefer permanent tax cuts.
Galloways public disclosure of confidential documents is an act of misconduct and/or gross negligence in the performance of the functions or duties of a CPA and provides cause to discipline Galloways license as a CPA, the board wrote in its complaint to the Administrative Hearing Commission.
Galloway sued in September in response to earlier threats of discipline from the board, asking a Cole County judge to block the Board of Accountancy from disciplining her over the matter. The lawsuit is pending.
Galloway's office has argued that the interviews were released to promote transparency and that allowing the board to discipline her would have a chilling effect on the work of state auditors.
By attempting to control information available to the public, a board of gubernatorial appointees is interfering with the Auditors central role in enforcing government transparency and accountability, according to a statement from the office released when Galloway filed the lawsuit.
Prosecutors in Albuquerque say they tracked down a suspect in a decades-old rape case by using open-source genealogy data.
Second Judicial District Attorney Raul Torrez announced an arrest Tuesday in the case from 1997 in which a man is suspected of forcing his way into a woman's home, holding her at knifepoint and sexually assaulting her.
It's the second time the office has filed charges using forensic genealogy, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
In the first case, a man pleaded guilty in 2020 to raping a woman who had been running along the Rio Grande on Christmas Eve five years earlier. Authorities connected him through a second cousin, twice removed, who uploaded his DNA to an online site, the Journal reported.
In the latest case, a contractor working for Torrez's office matched DNA, collected from a fork that the suspect discarded, to open-source genealogy data. Torrez said the suspect's DNA has been linked to several other rapes.
The president has been extremely clear for many, many years about some basic principles that no one is moving back on: the principle that one country does not have the right to change by force the borders of another, that one country does not have the right to dictate the policies of another or to tell that that country with whom they may associate, Blinken told reporters in Washington. One country does not have the right to exert a sphere of influence. That notion should be relegated to the dustbin of history.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper pardoned a man on Tuesday who spent nearly 24 years in prison after allegations that he sexually assaulted his 9-year-old daughter, then freed from a life sentence in 2016 after his daughter recanted her testimony.
The pardon in the case of Howard Dudley, now in his 60s, makes him eligible to file a claim for compensation under state laws for people wrongly convicted of felonies, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported.
I have carefully reviewed Howard Denice Dudleys case and am granting him a Pardon of Innocence, Cooper said in a statement. Mr. Dudley and others who have been wrongly convicted deserve to have that injustice fully and publicly acknowledged.
Dudley maintained his innocence from the start, turning down a plea deal in 1992. The Lenoir County man was convicted in April 1992 of first-degree sexual offense and taking indecent liberties with a minor. He was sentenced to concurrent sentences of natural life in prison and three years.
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) North Macedonias Prime Minister Zoran Zaev formally resigned Wednesday, in a move he had announced after his governing Social Democrat party's heavy defeat in October's local elections.
Zaev is set to be replaced by a former deputy finance minister, Dimitar Kovachevski, who was elected as the left-wing party's new chief on Dec. 13 after Zaev also relinquished the Social Democrats' leadership.
The results of the last elections, although local, had a national political weight for the political moment in which the country is, Zaev said in a letter explaining his resignation.
North Macedonias parliament is expected to formally accept Zaev's resignation on Thursday.
Within the next 10 days, President Stevo Pendarovski must hand the mandate to form a new government to a coalition led by the Social Democrats that controls a majority in the 120-member parliament.
The Social Democrats secured the majority avoiding an early election after striking a deal with a small ethnic Albanian party to join the government coalition that will control 64 seats.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Doling out pardons is a holiday tradition for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who around every Christmas grants them to a handful of ordinary citizens, typically for minor offenses committed years or decades ago.
But one name stands out on his desk: George Floyd.
Abbott has not said whether he will posthumously pardon Floyd this year for a 2004 drug arrest in Houston by a former officer whose police work is no longer trusted by prosecutors. Texas' parole board stacked with Abbott appointees unanimously recommended a pardon for Floyd in October.
Since then, the two-term Republican governor, who is up for reelection in 2022, has given no indication of whether he will grant what would be only the second posthumous pardon in Texas history. Floyd, who was Black, spent much of his life in Houston before moving to Minnesota, where his death under the knee of a white police officer last year led to a U.S. reckoning on race and policing.
DENVER (AP) Relatives, lawmakers and other supporters of a trucker sentenced to 110 years in prison after an explosive brake-failure crash that left four people dead rallied in Denver on Wednesday to plead for clemency.
Supporters of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos say the sentence is deeply unjust and truck drivers around the country have taken up his cause, using hashtags like #NoTrucksToColorado and #NoTrucksColorado.
Speaking at the rally at the state Capitol, Leonard Martinez, one of the lawyers representing Aguilera-Mederos, said the injustice of such long sentences needs to be addressed, both by reforming sentencing laws but also looking at the actions of prosecutors and judges.
This fight is not just for him but for all, he said.
The Colorado judge has said mandatory-minimum sentencing laws forced him to impose the long prison term after Aguilera-Mederos was convicted of vehicular homicide and other charges.
A Nebraska man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced Wednesday for 13 counts of sexual assault and sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl.
William Billy J. Quinn of Oxford was sentenced to 177 to 304 years in prison by Furnas County District Court Judge James E. Doyle IV. Under state sentencing guidelines, the 57-year-old Quinn must serve at least half of his minimum sentence before being eligible for parole.
Following a two-week trial this summer that was prosecuted by the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, a jury found Quinn guilty of 13 of 14 felony charges. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said 18 other defendants have been arrested for crimes associated with Quinns actions.
Todays sentence is essentially a life sentence imposed on Billy Quinn, Peterson said. The sentence issued by Judge Doyle sends a strong message that those who traffic children for sex will pay a substantial penalty for their acts.
Peterson said the investigation that began in 2019 involved many other agencies, including the Nebraska State Patrol, sheriffs offices in Furnas, Sarpy and Douglas Counties and police departments in Norfolk and Kearney.
LINCOLN More traveling, likely due to the states recovering economy, is fueling a decrease in state motor fuels taxes.
Beginning Jan. 1, the states tax rate on motor fuels will be 24.8 cents per gallon for the first six months of 2022, the Nebraska Department of Revenue reported on Tuesday. That is a decrease of almost 3 cents a gallon from the 27.7 cents per gallon charged during the past six months.
Nebraskas tax on gasoline and other fuels is adjusted every six months, based partly on total tax receipts and revenue needs for highway maintenance and construction. When the total tax collected on fuel rises, and meets or exceeds revenue needs, the tax is adjusted downward.
Miles traveled on Nebraskas streets and roads have increased in 2021 over 2020, according to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, with travel up 9.7%, or 168 million miles, in October (the most recent month available) over October 2020. Fuel tax receipts have also risen, and were up about 7.5% during July, August and September.
Following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, state fuel taxes had to be increased in 2020 to record-high levels 33.2 cents per gallon due to the decline in travel that began in March and April of 2020.
NORMAL An investigation into Rivian Automotive revealed a group of employees were not paid overtime for their work constructing the production line in Normal, authorities announced Tuesday.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced settlements following an investigation by his office and the Illinois Department of Labor into the electric vehicle company and three of its subcontractors.
The investigation found the subcontractors who were hired to construct the production line failed to pay overtime wages to their Mexican workers at the site, Raoul said.
The settlements require China-based Guangzhou Mino Equipment Co.; Spain-based IT8 Software Engineering, S.L.; Mexico-based LAM Automation to pay owed overtime wages and civil penalties, totaling $390,000, to 54 workers who were denied overtime wages they earned.
Any company doing business in our state must follow laws that require workers to be fairly compensated for the hours they work, Raoul said. This settlement should send a message that employers cannot hide behind subcontractors to avoid responsibility for stolen wages. I am committed to holding businesses large and small accountable for violating laws that safeguard workers and support law-abiding businesses in Illinois, and I appreciate the Illinois Department of Labors collaboration.
According to the Attorney Generals office, Rivian hired Mino to help build assembly lines at the Normal facility, and Mino subcontracted work to IT8. IT8 then subcontracted LAM to obtain part of the workforce Mino used to complete its work for Rivian.
IT8 and LAM helped laborers in Mexico obtain visas to work for IT8 and Mino at electric vehicle plants in the U.S., including Rivian. LAM was responsible for issuing payments to the workers, but Mino and IT8 shared significant control over their work and their conditions of employment and Mino used these workers for its own labor force.
The Department of Labor and Attorney Generals Office found employees at the Rivian plant typically worked between 60 and 80 hours per week, seven days a week. Illinois law requires an overtime premium of 150% of regular hourly wages for each hour worked over 40 in a week.
LAMs employees did not receive the full overtime wages required by law, Raoul said.
Mino and IT8 both agreed to pay $145,000 in overtime wages and penalties to the 54 employees. LAM will pay an additional $100,000, according to a statement from Raouls office.
Through the settlements, Raouls office is recovering nearly 270% of the overtime wages that employees should have received if they had been paid the required overtime premium rate, the attorney general said.
Michael Kleinik, director of the labor department, said this investigation and its resolution was done to try and prevent this from happening to workers in the future.
Local labor leaders said they appreciate the Workers Protection Unit of the Attorney Generals Office efforts to expose the exploitation of workers.
It is a bittersweet day that the Workers Protection Unit was able to bring the investigation to a close and find fraud, manipulation, and the cheating of wages for vulnerable workers, said Mike Raikes, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 197 based in Bloomington. It is sad that in the year 2021 we have contractors going to extreme lengths to intentionally break the law. These contractors knew they were illegally bringing in foreign workers, paying less than area standards and benefits, no overtime pay, and hurting our local workers, contractors, and economy by doing so.
Raoul encourages workers who have concerns about wage and hour violations or potentially unsafe working conditions to call his Workplace Rights Hotline at 1-844-740-5076 or to file a complaint online.
Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.
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We just wanted to provide an opportunity for students to stop just focusing on academics only, said College and Career Counselor Lisa Steve.
The Stanford-based district has been using Pathway Days at its high school for about three years now, Steve said. The monthly events give students a chance to explore options post-high school. The De-Stress Fest used the December day to provide activities for students to healthily cope with any stress they were experiencing.
The school had hosted a De-Stress Fest in 2019 as well, before the pandemic, Steve said. That event had just been in the gym, while Fridays was expanded to all of the school, with different activities in different rooms.
We wanted to provide a variety of different settings for students based on their needs, she said.
Quiet spaces included a therapy dog and board games, with yoga providing students with an active but calming option, Steve said. For those who had some energy to work off, there was a dodgeball tournament, which even included a faculty team.
The students really enjoy when they get to be involved with the faculty doing fun things, Steve said.
Even before the pandemic, school life could be a significant source of stress for teenagers, a 2014 American Psychological Association study found. Students reported feeling more stressed than adults did, and were more likely to feel their stress was above a healthy level.
The counseling department wants to encourage students to find healthy ways to cope with that stress, Steve said. Olympia High School is on a block schedule which means many of the classes are wrapping up at semester, adding extra stress as students know these finals will directly impact their final grades.
Part of the goal of the pathway days is to help students develop the soft skills that they will use in their adult lives, including stress management. It was great to see students being active and interested in developing those skills, Steve said. While this is the biggest event focused on de-stressing the counseling department does, it is a year-long topic for them.
Its always definitely a focus of ours, she said.
Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood
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NORMAL It has been 30 years, but to Janet Beach Davis, students still drive Heartland Community College.
She has been involved with the school for most of those 30 years across multiple roles. She started as a student in 1993, just the third year Heartland was in operation. Today she is a faculty member in earth science.
The idea of Heartland has always been student-focused and we always will be, she said.
Former President Rob Widmer and current President Keith Cornille agreed. Cornille said he believes the answer about what drives Heartland will be the same even for a 50th anniversary article 20 years from now.
Widmer was president from 2013 to 2018, the third person to hold the position. He spent more than 22 years at the college before retiring. Cornille was hired as the fourth president following Widmers retirement.
Allen Goben preceded Widmer as president, serving for three years. Goben had replaced Jon Astroth, who was president from 1991 to 2010.
Each president's strengths seemed to be exactly what the college needed at that time, Beach Davis said.
30 years young
Heartland is the youngest public community college in the state. The creation of District 540 brought all of the state into a community college district, but it was far from a straight journey to that point.
Several feasibility studies were done in the 1970s and 1980s. The era also saw multiple defeated referendums to create a community college district, according to an online history series published by Heartland. In 1985, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring all school districts with high schools to affiliate with a community college district by July 1, 1990.
Voters again rejected a new community college district in a 1987 referendum. The decision was taken out of voters hands in 1989 when the Illinois Community College Board decided to form a new district for the area.
Classes started at Heartland 30 years ago, in the fall of 1991, held in church basements, high school classrooms and other makeshift spaces. Eventually, the college found a longer term, but not permanent, home in Towanda Plaza.
Widmer joined the college in the spring of 1996. One of his early tasks as vice president of business services was to work with Astroth to raise money for construction of the Raab Road campus.
Theres a lot excitement in getting to build a college, Widmer said.
The excitement of growing a college attracted a lot of (early employees), he said.
Cornille was working at the College of DuPage at the time Heartland was starting, and thought how exciting it would be to be part of the start of a whole new college. Since he started at Heartland in 2018, he has been thankful for the work of the earlier employees.
A campus of its own
In 1997, the state awarded $31.3 million for a new Heartland campus, according a series of history articles published by the college. There was an 11th-hour push by downtown Bloomington business owners to locate the campus there, but work started on the Raab Road location in June 1998. Students showed up in August 2000.
It was like moving into your new house with your whole new family of 120 people, Beach Davis said.
Beach Davis had started at Heartland looking to take writing classes. After taking a course in earth science, she decided to get her associate degree at Heartland. She later received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, both from University of Illinois at Springfield.
"The same class that changed my life, that's the one that I teach," she said.
By 2002 the college was again looking to expand. After filling in various needs during Phase I of building, including the Workforce Development Center, the college began Phase II, which brought seven new buildings to campus from 2009 to 2011.
In 2011, talks began about one of the most interesting parts of Heartlands campus: the wind turbine. Being environmentally conscious has always been a focus for Heartland, Widmer said. The turbine furthered that, while also providing an education opportunity for students interested in alternative energy. Those opportunities have recently expanded with the addition of the Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage facility and program.
The college has faced plenty of other challenges since then. Widmers tenure as president was marked by Illinois budget crises, which left him, the board and the staff constantly unsure what state funding would look like. At the same time, they were trying to make long-term strategic decisions.
(Youre) trying to deal with that and at the same time youre growing, Widmer said.
Cornille praised Widmers leadership during the budget crises, though Widmer passed the praise on to the colleges employees.
Continued growth
Heartland's challenges continue, with the COVID-19 pandemic now dominating Cornilles tenure. While there has been a lot of bad with that, he said it has also been a chance for the college to look at some of its internal practices.
I think its been a good opportunity for us at the college to also learn, he said.
Alongside students, Beach Davis, Cornille and Widmer all pointed to a commitment to the community as an essential part of Heartland Community College.
The college needs to respond to the needs of the community, Cornille said.
One of the ways it is doing so is through the planned agriculture complex, which will bring resources to campus like test plots and garages large enough for farm equipment.
Its very exciting seeing that come down the road. Its a natural evolution for the college, and thats what we do well, Beach Davis said.
My desire is that we only strengthen those community partnerships (going forward), Cornille said.
Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood
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NORMAL Illinois State University will join the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and other colleges in starting the spring semester with remote learning. The university plans to resume in-person learning on Jan. 24.
Courses will be delivered remotely from Jan. 10 to Jan. 21, President Terri Goss Kinzy announced in a message to the campus on Tuesday. ISU offices and facilities are still scheduled to reopen on Jan. 3.
Winter session courses will also be moving online, spokesperson Rachel Hatch said.
The message cited the quickly climbing number of cases as the Omicron variant spreads as the main cause of the change.
In our planning efforts, we are working to anticipate the potential impacts of this highly transmissible variant on our campus community, Kinzys message said. Out of an abundance of caution, Illinois State will begin the Spring 2022 semester with two weeks of online teaching and learning.
While the universitys COVID dashboard is offline until January, Hatch said that the number of people tested last week was too low for meaningful data to be collected.
Students will still be able to return to on-campus housing as scheduled. However, all students, including those who have been vaccinated will have to provide a negative test taken within three days of returning to campus.
Faculty and staff will have up to a week after returning to campus to be tested, again regardless of vaccination status.
The university will also continue to require non-vaccinated students and employees to be tested weekly. While Kinzys message encourages campus community members to receive a booster and asks those who do to provide documentation, it does not add any additional requirements for those who have not received a booster.
It is critical to know that while vaccinated individuals may still test positive, they are significantly less likely to have severe disease, require hospitalization, or die, Kinzys message said. Vaccination is even more essential in the fight against the Omicron variant.
ISUs announcement comes a day after the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and University of Illinois Chicago campuses announced they would also start the spring semester with remote learning. UIUC will start with a week remote while UIC will start with two weeks of remote instruction. Both schools will require a negative test before returning to campus.
Schools ranging from the University of Washington to Cornell University to Princeton University have adopted similar response plans as the COVID variant has expanded. More than 30 colleges have issued booster shot requirements in recent weeks, and others say theyre thinking about it.
Illinois Wesleyan will require COVID-19 vaccines for the spring semester except for those who receive official exemptions, as it had planned to do since early this fall. In its latest COVID-19 update, from Dec. 17, IWU is also encouraging students to receive their booster shots before returning to campus.
The University of Massachusetts in Amherst was among the first to require the booster for students, saying all students must get shots unless they have medical or religious exemptions.
The boosters are our best protection, said Jeffrey Hescock, co-director of the universitys Public Health Promotion Center. This demonstrates that we take public health seriously, and our students do too.
Like ISU, IWU is requiring all students to be tested before returning to campus, including vaccinated students. IWU had planned on only requiring non-vaccinated students to test prior to retuning. However, vaccinated students only need to notify the university if they test positive, though it may request proof of a negative test later.
IWU spokesperson Ann Aubry confirmed the school plans to stick with the scheduled return but would monitor the situation.
This fall marked the start of the third school year hindered by the pandemic. Kinzys message acknowledge that students and employees may be feeling worn out and fatigued by the past 20 months.
I want to extend my most sincere appreciation for your flexibility and adaptability as we face yet another obstacle in our on-going battle against COVID-19, Kinzys message said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood
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NORMAL The Normal Police Department said a 12-year-old girl who went missing Tuesday evening was found safe.
NPD said in a Wednesday afternoon Facebook post that Mariah Walter was located. Officers reported she had run away around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday from her home in Normal.
NPD added in a press release that anyone who is considering running away, or knows someone who is thinking about it, should call Project Oz at 309-827-0377 to talk to a crisis counselor.
The Bloomington Police Department is also searching for 16-year-old Bryan Bell. He ran away Tuesday while in the Twin cities area, but BPD believes he may be in another part of Illinois or a nearby state.
This story has been updated.
Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison
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The Pantagraph is counting down the Top 10 stories of 2021. This is No. 10. What do you think are the top stories of the year? Join our conversation here.
NORMAL Seventeen Union Pacific freight cars jumped the tracks on Feb. 13, leaving a wide debris field near uptown Normal.
No injuries were reported, but about 1,500 customers lost power because of the train derailment that scattered semitrailers, containers and snapped utility poles, closed intersections and railway crossings and diverted Amtrak trains, with at least two cars coming within yards of a Hester Street apartment building.
The Federal Railroad Administration launched an investigation into the crash, but early reports indicate a worn wheel was behind the derailment.
A preliminary report submitted by Union Pacific to the federal rail agency identifies a wheel tread issue as the primary cause. Wheels with tread problems may not sit properly on the tracks.
Federal data shows Union Pacific has reported 12 crashes due to worn wheel tread since 1976. The most recent prior to the February derailment was in 2019.
The 7,698-ton train was traveling 24 mph southbound through Normal, hauling more than 100 cars, when it went into emergency. An engineer bailed off independent brake and brought the train to a stop, according to the report submitted by the rail company.
The Illinois Commerce Commission, which oversees rail crossings, conducted an independent investigation and also pointed to the wheel issue.
A Union Pacific spokeswoman also said the derailment was because of "extreme winter weather" and snow and ice on the track that contributed to the crash.
The frigid temperatures did not help matters when crews had to spend hours clearing the snow-covered debris that stretched from about West Vernon Avenue to South Fell Street just south of the ISU campus.
Above the West Vernon Avenue underpass, one overturned trailer was left wedged between the guardrail and a fence, with a portion hanging over the concrete wall. A snapped-off portion of railing landed in the roads median 14 feet below.
Normal has sought to be reimbursed nearly $20,000 from Union Pacific for the cleanup effort that cost the town $18,923 in overtime expenses, town officials said.
Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.
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EDWARDSVILLE A Wood River man who pleaded guilty to killing his father in 1993 is accused of striking a 6-month-old boy.
Shannon L. Musgraves, 44, of Wood River, was charged Dec. 17 with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and two counts of domestic battery (second subsequent offense), both Class 4 felonies.
The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department.
According to court documents, on Dec. 15 Musgraves allegedly struck a 6-month-old boy described in court documents as a family or household member, causing bruising and abrasions to the infant's head and torso. Musgraves allegedly struck the infant in the head with a ball.
His bail was set at $63,000.
In 1993 Musgraves, then 16, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of his father, Hollis Musgraves, an Alton city employee. According to court documents, Shannon Musgraves told police he shot his father six times but did not mean to kill him.
Court documents state that Musgraves had become upset with his father because of a remark Hollis Musgraves made about his mother.
Shannon Musgrave was sentenced to 30 years in prison. But at that time, Illinois law allowed a day off the sentence for each "good day" he served.
In March 2014, Shannon Musgraves was arrested and convicted in federal district court for unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He received a 46-month sentence.
Musgraves also was convicted of domestic battery in Morgan County in 2013.
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EAST ST. LOUIS Illinois State Police and community leaders in East St. Louis touted a partnership to combat gun violence and other crimes in the city during a press conference at East St. Louis City Hall Tuesday morning.
Brendan Kelly, director of the Illinois State Police, opened the event with thanking the year-long community collaboration in East St. Louis, which he says has led to making the area safer. Last year, the Illinois State Police's Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG) was implemented to assist the East St. Louis Police Department with violent crimes in the area.
"Case by case, victim by victim, violent crime is being investigated," Kelly said. "Victims of the families are receiving support. Trust is being strengthened. Violent offenders are being held accountable."
The Public Safety Enforcement Group consists of over 20 officers, including those from Illinois State Police, East St. Louis Police and federally assigned task force officers. The group handles investigations dealing with non-fatal shootings, aggravated assault, sexual assault and robbery.
Since October of 2020, the unit has opened nearly 400 investigations, and East St. Louis has witnessed a reduction in homicides and non-fatal shootings compared to the year before PSEG existed. From October 19, 2019 to October 18, 2020, East St. Louis had 41 homicides. From October 19, 2020, to October 18, 2021, there were 31 homicides. As of Tuesday, there has been a 12 percent reduction in non-fatal shootings in the area compared to last year.
Officials also praised the unit's clearance rate, which is 55 percent for homicides this year. Last year, the clearance rate for solving homicides in East St. Louis was 40 percent.
East St. Louis has one of the nation's highest murder rates. Between 2000 to 2018 there were 453 murders within the 14-mile borders, 83% of which were gunshot related, according to a 2019 Belleville News-Democrat investigation. Additionally, 75% of those murders went unsolved.
Mayor Robert Eastern III shared a personal experience of the impact and unsolved murder can have on a family.
"May 1991: There was a man who was murdered, and on the scene of the murder there was his two sons that came and was at his murder scene, and his murder was unsolved," Eastern said. "That murder devastated the family for quite some time. That man who was murdered was my grandfather and the two people who were at the murder scene was my dad and uncle, so his murder was unsolved."
Mayor Eastern III said his grandfather's case is the main reason he didn't hesitate to partner with the Illinois State Police. He said he's grateful for the community coming together to address crime and its effects on a family.
Carolyn Seay, whose 44-year-old daughter Dwonique was murdered in July in East St. Louis, thanked the Public Safety Enforcement Group for helping her family heal from the tragedy. She said within 24 hours of her daughter's murder, the unit had a suspect in custody.
"We're saddened as we approach the holidays," Seay said. "It's been real rough. I'm just holding on every day and just counting it as a blessing. She was 44 years old and she left us with a whole in our heart ... but with the help of my pastor and family members, we're holding on."
Seay said she didn't know how she'd get through the loss of her daughter without the help of the PSEG unit.
"Our belief in the PSEG model is simple and based on evidence," Brendan Kelly said. "The best way for police to build trust and credibility in a community is by passionately investigating all violent crimes so victims and their families see that police truly care about them. ... A critical part of PSEG's success is addressing the trauma that victims and victims' families experience when a violent act occurs."
Kelly said the Public Safety Enforcement Group has worked directly with community support services like Community Life Line and East St. Louis School District 189's Wraparound Wellness Center. The Wraparound Wellness Center, which started in January, is an extension of the district's traditional counseling resources to ensure students have access to trauma services in the evenings and during the weekend.
Dr. Tiffany Gholson, director of the Wraparound Wellness Center, said her group has partnered with the Illinois State Police and the East St. Louis Police Department to directly provide trauma services to victims and families through its SOS (Support on Scene) Team. She said the team is dispatched to the scene of any traumatic event involving a student in the area to provide support.
"We fully wrap around our families and our students, so we aren't just on the scene during the crisis," Dr. Gholson said. "We aren't just there at their house 24 hours later, which we are. We're at the funerals and then we make sure we do the heavy work afterwards."
Other speakers at Tueday's press conference included Kendall Perry, East St. Louis police chief; Steven Weinhoeft, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois; James Gomric, St. Clair County State's Attorney; Rep. LaToya Greenwood (D-East St. Louis); Sen. Chris Belt (D-Swansea); and Wyvetta Granger, CEO of Community Life Line
"It takes the community to be engaged," Wyvetta Granger said. "When we see something, we must say something, and we understood that if we all work together, we can find answers and we can be a part of the solution of our community."
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A former American Civil Liberties Union attorney who pushed for reforms within the Chicago Police Department, including changes to controversial enforcement actions by the agency, has been recommended for a seat on the federal bench.
Karen Sheley was among seven candidates whose names Illinois Democratic U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin sent to President Joe Biden as well-suited to fill a judicial vacancy in the Northern District of Illinois, Chicagos federal court.
They are candidates for a vacancy that will be created when U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly shifts to senior status, a semiretirement of sorts for federal judges, in October.
Whoever Biden chooses would have to be approved by the full Senate.
Sheley, who is now the general counsel for the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, declined to comment, referring all inquiries to Durbin and Duckworths offices.
Sheley worked at the ACLU of Illinois from 2008 to 2021, a stretch that included time as director of its police practices project.
She co-authored a scathing 2015 report about the Chicago Police Departments street stop policy that showed how it discriminated against minorities and led to constitutional violations.
The report showed that in a four-month period in 2014, the department made more than a quarter-million stops a far higher rate than New York City cops at the height of their controversial stop-and-frisk practices.
This led to changes in Illinois law related to police interactions with citizens. The Chicago police also signed an agreement with the ACLU to change its street stop policy.
Last year, Sheley wrote a letter to the editor in the Tribune rebutting another commentary piece in the newspaper that defended stop-and-frisk. In her piece, she criticized the polices overall use of Terry stops another term for street stops, named for the landmark 1968 U.S. Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio.
Even then, the American Civil Liberties Union objected to allowing police wide latitude about whom to stop and pat down. It was clear that a disparate impact in the application of the practice was inevitable, Sheley wrote. The intervening years have shown this to be true. ... There was a systemic policy of stopping a large number of people, which led to targeting (B)lack people, especially youth, by instructing officers to stop the right people at the right place at the right time.
Sheley has also helped push for Chicago police to implement reforms as part of a federally mandated consent decree. In 2017, months after the U.S. Department of Justice found a host of deficiencies with the Police Department in training and supervision, the ACLU filed a lawsuit alleging that the reform efforts didnt go far enough in addressing how cops should treat people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. That suit has since been folded into the current consent decree litigation.
To select the candidates for the federal bench, Duckworth and Durbin set up a screening committee of 12 distinguished members of Illinois legal community. That panel conducted interviews, contacted references and reviewed the professional records and application questionnaires of the potential candidates, according to the letter to Biden. Durbin and Duckworth said in the letter theyve also interviewed the candidates.
The other candidates include Jeffrey Cummings, a federal magistrate judge who previously served as a hearing officer on the Chicago Police Board; LaShonda Hunt, a U.S. bankruptcy judge; and Jeremy Daniel, a federal prosecutor and a former officer in the Marine Corp.
The three others are Lindsay Jenkins, a former federal prosecutor who once served as chief of the U.S. attorneys offices criminal division in Chicago; Nancy Maldonado, a lawyer who specializes in employment, fraud and civil rights cases, and once served on the Illinois State Police Merit Board; and Nicholas Gowen, a lawyer who focuses on litigating and arbitrating employment disputes and has served as chair of Chicago State Universitys board of trustees.
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An Aurora man identified by law enforcement as a member of the far-right group Proud Boys has been arrested on federal charges alleging he used a flagpole to assault officers while illegally on the U.S. Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 riot.
James Robert Elliott, 24, who also goes by Jim Bob, was charged in an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Washington with six counts, including civil disorder, assault of a federal officer, entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon and carrying out an act of violence on Capitol grounds.
Five of the six counts in the indictment are felonies, and the most serious counts carry up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Elliott was arrested in Batavia on Monday. He appeared via videoconference Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cummings, who ordered him released on electronic monitoring and a curfew requiring him to stay home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
What youre accused of doing is extremely serious and dangerous conduct, Cummings said in overruling a defense objection to the curfew.
During the 45-minute hearing, prosecutors said agents found bear spray in Elliotts backpack when executing a search warrant on his home. He also admitted in a post-arrest interview to membership in the Proud Boys organization, according to prosecutors.
The bare-bones, four-page indictment does not provide further details on the alleged assault of the officers.
Prosecutors, however, said in court that videos posted online as well as body-worn cameras on some of the officers at the scene showed Elliott among a large group of rioters trying to break through a police line outside the Capitol on the afternoon of Jan. 6.
Elliott was seen in the footage carrying an American flag on a pole emblazoned with a Greek phrase that translates to Come and take them, a phrase commonly used by individuals and groups as an anti-government rallying cry, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Bond said.
One video that has circulated online shows Elliott dressed in a black helmet, goggles and flak vest with a police radio attached, according to federal law enforcement.
Bond said videos from the incident show Elliott beckoning the crowd forward toward the police line and yelling, Patriots, what is your occupation? which is a paraphrase from the movie 300. Some in the crowd reply with the Spartan war cry, Har-oo! Bond said.
As the crowd surges toward police chanting Four more years! and attempting to break through some metal barriers, Elliott allegedly can be seen swinging the flagpole in a downward motion at police causing at least one glancing blow on an officers head.
Elliott then turns the flagpole and thrusts it horizontally toward an officers face, Bond said.
The cops are getting sprayed, theres a (expletive) fight right here! the person shooting the video yells.
Another video later shows Elliott moving through the inauguration scaffolding at the Capitol, where an unruly crowd was attempting to move past a police line and gain access to a staircase, Bond said.
After a munition explodes near Elliott, he bends over to check on a fellow rioter, then repeats his battle cry and disappears behind the scaffolding, Bond said.
Elliotts court-appointed attorney, Seema Ahmad, told the judge her client is fully employed and lives in his parents basement in Aurora with his fiancee and their 2-year-old twins. He has no prior criminal record.
Elliott was ordered to appear on the charges in Washington on Jan. 6 which coincidentally marks the one-year anniversary of the attack.
Elliott is at least the 20th person from Illinois to be charged in the Capitol breach, which has led to what prosecutors have described as among the largest criminal investigations in U.S. history.
More than 700 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for alleged crimes related to the assault, including more than 220 individuals who, like Elliott, are charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Most of those arrested in Illinois have faced only misdemeanor charges alleging they illegally entered the Capitol, but were not violent or destructive.
Last week, two downstate Illinois men were each sentenced to probation for entering the building through a door that had been breached an hour earlier. They stayed for about 20 minutes, snapping photos and even asking a police officer for directions to the nearest bathroom, court records show.
Last month, former Inverness tech executive Bradley Rukstales was sentenced to 30 days behind bars for his role in the attack the only person from Illinois to face time behind bars so far.
Elliott, meanwhile, is not the first person to be charged with using a flagpole as a weapon that day. Television and surveillance footage captured a surging crowd outside the Capitol pummeling outnumbered officers with poles, bottles, fire extinguishers, bear spray and other weapons as they made their way past barricades.
Earlier this year, Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, an Iraq War veteran, testified before Congress that he was called a traitor by the pro-Trump mob who beat him with a pole flying an American flag.
It was very scary, because I thought I was going to lose my life, Gonell said.
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Residents of the tiny village of Sorento fear that the Bond County CUSD 2 school board will vote to close their school just a few days before Christmas.
Some of them, including a member of the school board, further complain that the proposed closure has been kept hidden from the community of fewer than 500 people, and that the district's superintendent "buried" notice of public hearings on the subject.
The school board will vote on whether to approve closing Sorento School on Wednesday, according to the agenda published on Monday.
Initial conversations about closing the school rose out of discussion of a Boundary/Enrollment plan presented in late 2019. The district has schools in three towns: Greenville, Pocahontas and Sorento. The K-8 schools in Pocahontas and Sorento are much smaller than the elementary and junior high schools in Greenville, and the district was looking for ways to even out the class sizes, according to public documents.
The entire district's enrollment has decreased over the last several years, but the enrollment in Pocahontas and Sorento have dropped faster than other schools in the district.
Between September and December 2019, the board heard public comments about the plan, most of which urged against changing the boundary lines, according to school board meeting minutes.
On Dec. 9, the board first discussed the six options presented by Superintendent Wes Olson, none of which involved closing a school. Board Member Brian Zeeb, now the vice president, requested an "Option G" that would look at the costs and savings associated with closing Sorento School, the smallest school in the district, which Olson provided.
The school board didn't take any definitive action at the time. By March 2020, district focus switched to addressing COVID-19 and remote learning, and the the issue of school boundaries was dropped.
Comparing the early 2020 and late 2021 meetings
The district hosted three meetings for public feedback in both early 2020 and late 2021, but there are some stark differences.
Illinois code on closing a school requires at least three public hearings, the sole purpose of which is to discuss the decision to close a school building and receive input. The three hearings in December 2021 are labeled as those public hearings, both in the notice and on the agendas. The legal requirement for hearings didn't go into effect until July 2021; Olson said Monday that the district has never had hearings to close a school before this month.
In January 2020, when Bond County CUSD 2 held its first town halls, the new rules weren't yet in effect.
While those three meetings in 2020 were dominated by comments on closing Sorento School, they were formally for the purpose of gathering feedback on the Boundary/Enrollment study, which included other plans that didn't involve closing a school.
Notice of the 2021 hearings were posted on the school district's website on Dec. 5 exactly 10 days before the first hearing, as required but it was buried on the website. Rather than being posted on the home page, anyone looking for the notice would have to click through to the school board's page, then through to the little-used notice page to find it.
It is the only notice published in the 2021 archive, and there are no other archived years available, as of Monday. There's no specification in Illinois Code about how accessible notices posted on the website need to be.
Illinois school districts are required to provide notice for other mandatory hearings, but there are inconsistencies in how Illinois directs districts to provide notice. Notice of a budget hearing, for example, has to be published in a newspaper posting notice anywhere on website, however prevalent and visible, wouldn't fulfill a district's legal obligation.
Olson said the district met the legal requirements.
A school board member shared the notices
By Dec. 7, members of the Sorento community started posting about the notices after School Board Member Stephanie Gerl shared the public document, bringing attention to the hearings.
"I am sure most of you have heard through social media or otherwise that the Board of Education has scheduled hearings regarding the potential closing of Sorento School at the end of the 2021 2022 school year," Olson wrote in a letter to parents. "The Board of Education has not taken any action on this matter, but is required to post and conduct hearings, as a statutory requirement, should they want to take action."
Olson's letter shared information about the hearings, reiterating that it was first published on the website on Dec. 5. It was emailed to parents and published under the main announcements section of the district's website late on Dec. 13 more than a week after it was first posted and less than 48 hours before the first hearing.
Gerl said she met with Olson on Dec. 8 and he asked for her approval and input three days after the notice was published.
"The way they put it out for public viewing was very hidden, and (Olson) put that out before meeting with all of the board members," Gerl said in an interview Saturday. "That's bad form. That's bad leadership."
"My intent regarding the distribution of my letter to parents on (Dec. 13) was to provide supplemental notifications in addition to those required by statute to members of the school community," Olson said in an email to Sorento parent Melissa Goymerac, which she provided to the Belleville News-Democrat. "I am pleased that this supplemental notice served to increase the availability of this important information, and I certainly welcome quality feedback from the community."
The town halls in 2020 were first proposed by Olson in a public meeting. In a review of board minutes, there was no public mention of hosting hearings in December 2021. The 2020 town halls were also spread out geographically, with one each in Greenville, Pocahontas and Sorento; all three of the hearings this month are in Greenville.
Gerl is the only Bond County CUSD 2 school board member from Sorento; historically, she said one or two people from Sorento is typical on the seven-person board. She and three other members of the board were seated in April.
In the eight months since then, board meeting minutes indicate there has been no public board discussion about closing Sorento School or the Boundary/Enrollment Study. Gerl said there have also been no closed meeting discussions about either of those things since she's been on the board.
While some of the new board members had been heavily involved with providing public feedback on the Boundary/Enrollment Study in 2019 and 2020, they will have never discussed it with the whole school board before Wednesday and the proposed vote.
The board could also decide not to take any action on Wednesday. Once the three hearings have been conducted, Illinois code doesn't require a decision be made within any set amount of time.
Angry, upset, frustrated and defeated
Jennifer Hoxsey's daughter is a fifth-generation Greyhound. Hoxsey's father taught at Sorento School, and she said she moved back to Sorento specifically so her daughter could graduate from the school.
When Hoxsey first learned from social media about the hearings, she said it felt like a sucker punch and she had a surge of anger.
"You're going to decide three days before Christmas to close our kids' school?," she said in an interview Saturday.
While the notice provided by the district met legal requirements, Hoxsey said she felt it was unethical and disrespectful.
The two hearings last week were held at 5:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Hoxsey, who commutes to her job in Edwardsville, had to take time off to get to Greenville in time for both of those meetings. The 4:30 p.m. meeting was so early, Hoxsey said two board members weren't able to make it, which WGEL also reported.
Two years of attending school with COVID-19 have taken their toll on Hoxsey's daughter. Potentially closing her school is adding to her stress, Hoxsey said.
"She is angry. She is upset," Hoxsey said of her 10-year-old. "She is frustrated. She kind of feels defeated."
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DECATUR Cindy Ford heard such a clatter outside her Decatur home late Tuesday morning she sprang to the window to see what was the matter.
This, however, was no early visit from St. Nicholas dropping in from the North Pole but a military jet punching it through the sound barrier with a sonic boom that jarred and concerned people throughout Central Illinois.
Oh yeah, it shook the windows, it shook the house, I felt the floor vibrate, said Ford, whose home is located between South Shores and Mount Zion.
I felt it was either a huge accident out front or something had blown up very near my house.
But I think Tuesdays boom was even louder than that, she said.
Emergency phone lines in Decatur lit up with calls from anxious families wondering what the noise was when it hit around 11:28 a.m. Deputy Decatur Fire Chief Dan Kline said the vibration was so prominent he even thought something had dropped onto the roof of Fire Station No. 1.
It was a bang like someone dropped something heavy upstairs, he added.
The actual explanation had arrived by early Tuesday afternoon, however, when officials confirmed it was the sonic boom of an F-15 fighter jet.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency said in a social media post that the noise had "kicked off an immediate collaboration between federal, state and local officials" to identify the source and impact.
Further review found that the F-15 fighter jet had course-corrected above Central Illinois, creating a sonic boom. When the aircraft broke the sound barrier, the pressure wave created an audible noise and minor shaking in the region, the agency said, adding that no reports of damage were associated with the incident.
But the mystery boom noise had so rattled nerves that some officials were getting personal calls about it.
I live on the west side of town and I got calls from my neighborhood, and our administrative assistant lives on the east side of town and she got calls from her neighborhood, said Kline. So it was heard from east to west.
Springfield police Lt. Jason Brands said officers received numerous reports from residents who heard a loud noise, and that other local communities received the same type of reports from the public.
Other shocked listeners with some military experience said this sonic boom was louder and more resonant than other ones theyd heard before. Ellsworth Dansby, who lives south of Millikin University, said the sound was so intense he thought a train car had derailed near his home and blown up.
I have prior service in the military and was occasionally exposed to that (sonic booms), he said. And that must have been one heck of an F-15 that did that; in fact, if that really was an F-15, Id eat my hat.
Dansby, 70, has some theories it might have been some kind of high velocity spy plane or similar clandestine aircraft. And if it was, they wouldnt say it was a spy plane, he added.
But it was loud.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid
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Unsurprisingly, the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict exposed some fierce divisions among Americans. On one matter, though, there ought to be renewed consensus: It doesnt help to have guns displayed at political rallies and protests.
Although the National Rifle Association likes to say that the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, the Rittenhouse incident shows how making such distinctions in chaotic or violent situations is impossible. Unfortunately, the fog of war is increasingly a reality on American streets.
When the city of Kenosha was convulsed by violent protests last year, Rittenhouse was roaming the streets with an AR-15-style rifle. He said he was there to protect businesses. Others saw him as an aggressor. Tensions flared and Rittenhouse wound up shooting three people (one who was himself armed with a gun) and killing two. This month, a jury unanimously determined that Rittenhouse had defended himself lawfully. But if the encounter had turned out slightly differently, either of the victims couldve had legitimate self-defense claims.
No one should expect this to be the last such incident. Armed demonstrators have become a disturbingly familiar sight at American protests in recent years. A study by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project and the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund documented 560 armed protests over an 18-month period in 2020 and 2021. It found that armed protests are nearly six times as likely to turn violent or destructive as unarmed ones.
These incidents are taking a significant human toll. When armed militias descended on Louisville, Kentucky, during a protest over the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, three people were injured after an accidental firearm discharge. In Portland last year, a pro-Trump demonstrator was shot and killed after a day of clashes between protesting groups. All told, about one in every 62 protests involving firearms results in a fatality.
The National Rifle Association and its elected allies seem to think that this should be the new normal. They want civilians armed to the teeth in state after state, city after city. As awful as that prospect might be, it is nonetheless gaining traction. Twenty-one states now allow the open and concealed carry of firearms without a permit a status that gun activists call constitutional carry. Six states joined that list this year, most recently Texas in September (despite a majority of residents opposing the legislation).
Absent government intervention, this trend suggests that more incidents like Kenosha are all but inevitable. Authorities should do everything in their power to enact commonsense reforms before the next protest leads to the next round of needless bloodshed.
Bloomberg Opinion
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As of last week, more than 200 million Americans had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, constituting around 60% of the population. Its an important milestone, but so is the milestone of the nations 800,000th coronavirus death this week. With a new variant on the rise and a sizable minority of the country still holding out against the vaccines, infection rates continue to rise. What the U.S. is seeing now is what doctors are calling an epidemic of the unvaccinated. And its creating what psychologists call pandemic fatigue throughout society.
As the crisis drags on, its important to remember that it is almost entirely those holdouts who are driving infection and death rates today. Its been said repeatedly, but it cant be said enough: They are risking their lives and prolonging the pandemic.
According to The Washington Post, an average of more than 1.9 million vaccine doses per day were administered last week, an increase over the previous week by about 35%. Thats good news, but it doesnt change the fact that coronavirus deaths are up as well. That doesnt mean the vaccines arent working they absolutely do work; theres no ambiguity about that in the data. What it means is that, without the vaccines, the death rates would be soaring far higher.
The data is also clear about who is dying: The dead consist almost entirely of those who refused vaccination. No vaccine is perfect, and vaccinated people can still catch the virus, but their cases tend to be less severe and far less likely to land them in the hospital or the morgue. A recent study in Texas found that unvaccinated people of all ages in that state are 40 times more likely than vaccinated people to die from the disease. How such a sizable number of Americans can look at these facts and still refuse vaccination is a mystery that psychologists and historians will ponder in years to come.
The weird intersection of public health and politics throughout the pandemic has prolonged the crisis to the point that society is starting to suffer pandemic fatigue. With year three of the pandemic approaching, and the omicron variant now spreading through much of the country, the danger is real that even more exasperated Americans are going to give up on precautions like vaccination and masks.
To those who feel that impulse, we would point out that this crisis could be all but over by now if not for the vaccination holdouts. They are the ones giving the virus new opportunities to spread, making it necessary for the rest of society to continue the precautions. They are the reason this isnt over yet. Frustration over this seemingly never-ending pandemic is understandable but thats where it should be focused.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Fidelity Bank Ghana organized a virtual networking forum for over 40 entrepreneurs to connect, share their business stories and provide feedback to Fidelity Bank and its partners on the benefits of the banks youth support programmes.
The entrepreneurs, selected from different sectors of the economy, have benefitted from the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurship Program, which consists of the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund (FYEF) and Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF).
Fidelity Bank launched the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund (FYEF) to provide both financial and non-financial support to enable youth-related businesses to survive and thrive. Together with its partners, the bank will provide training programmes and up to GHC200,000 in financial support to strengthen and grow selected businesses.
As part of the Banks long-term youth development strategy to support the related UN Sustainable Development Goals, Fidelity Bank joined other corporate partners and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN), to launch EKNs Ghana chapter of the Orange Corners programme. The programme runs an accelerator to build the capacity of youth enterprises and provides low cost financing where necessary, using a revolving fund mechanism developed and managed by Fidelity Bank.
In his address at the maiden virtual networking forum, Julian Opuni, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Ghana, said: it is heartwarming to see that these young entrepreneurs are working hard and so effectively to grow and sustain their businesses. These flagship youth initiatives, the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund and the Orange Corners Initiative, were established to give them the necessary support and our aim with this event is to solicit ideas on how to improve these initiatives to continue to meet the dynamic needs of young entrepreneurs.
It is our hope that the SMEs that benefitted from our financial and training programmes will grow to become big businesses that will significantly impact Ghana and beyond, he disclosed.
Some of the young entrepreneurs who attended the networking forum expressed their appreciation to Fidelity Bank and its partners for the ongoing assistance to grow their businesses. They were optimistic that the feedback that they shared with Fidelity Bank will be incorporated into the programmes to benefit participants. Under the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurship Program, Fidelity Bank has disbursed over GHS 3 million loans to beneficiaries.
Fidelitys support of young entrepreneurs forms part of the Banks Together Were More brand promise that viewssuccess as a collaborative effort among key stakeholders working together towards a greater good. Fidelity has proven that by working together with entrepreneurs, they can help them realise their business dreams which ultimately contributes to the economic growth of the nation.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye has disclosed that the number of Covid-19 infections in the Greater Accra region is on the ascendency.
In an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', the GHS Boss said about 400 cases are recorded in the city daily.
He has therefore asked Ghanaians to adhere to all the Covid protocols to avoid being infected.
"People should not take things for granted because the numbers have started going up in Accrawere reporting about 400 cases a day now. The threat were facing is far far than last year Decemberwe need to apply all the protocols and get vaccinated" he urged.
Ghana currently has 156 new cases and 1,301 active cases.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/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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In 2019 and as part of the celebration of its 10th anniversary, End Point Homeopathic Clinic provided various items and monies to support children suffering from cerebral palsywhich is a group of lifelong disorders that affect a persons ability to move and maintain balance and posture.
As part of End Point Homeopathic Clinics corporate social responsibility and the founder-Dr Adu Boatengs extensive philanthropic works, a promise was made to the parents of the cerebral palsy children of YOA Foundation that the clinic will provide continuous support to them.
And yesterday, Tuesday, 21 December 2021, Dr. Adu Boateng and his End Point Homeopathic Clinic returned to the YOA Foundation founded by Bishop Dr. Yaw Owusu Ansah to donate various items to the children who are unfortunately affected by this lifelong condition.
Timing of Donations
The timing of the donation, being a few days to Christmas is remarkable, as it cushions the parents and the children to have a joyful festive season as other ordinary families would have.
Dr. Adu Boateng, on behalf of End Point Homeopathic Clinic, donated several items including 100 bags of rice, 100 bags of sugar, 100 pieces of cloths for the mothers of the children, cartons of milk, washing powder, toiletries, diapers, drinks, and other items worth about 100,000 GHS to the families of the cerebral palsy children.
Speaking at the donation event, Dr. Adu Boateng encouraged and urged the mothers of the cerebral palsy children who were present to continue providing the best care they can for these special needs childrendespite the obvious difficult circumstance they find themselves in.
Beyond the words of encouragement, Dr. Adu Boateng also used the opportunity to advise and educate the persons present, mostly women, that cerebral palsy is caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth. Hence, certain proper health checks such as screening as well as having any pre-existing medical problems under control before and during pregnancy could help in reducing the risk of cerebral palsy even though there is no foolproof way to prevent it.
Items Donated by Dr Adu Boateng and End Point Homeopathic Clinic
In receiving the donations, the delighted parents of these special needs children presented a citation to Dr. Adu Boateng and thanked him and his End Point Homeopathic Clinic for their love and support.
Many of the mothers mentioned that the donated items will go a long way to lessen their burdens and make this Christmas a joyous one as they are unable to hold any proper employment as a result of the constant care their children requireand sadly, some of the fathers of these children have abandoned them compelling the mothers to become lone carers and providers at the same time.
About Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic
Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic is an award-winning provider of quality healthcare and unparalleled services in Ghana; promoting and advancing the science of homeopathy for the past 12 years.
The clinic has branches at Spintex-Accra, Community 22 Tema, Takoradi, Kumasi and Techiman.
As a forward-looking health delivery outlet, Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic provides the very latest research-based homeopathic treatments with a service that is second to none. The clinic is committed to patient satisfaction as the primary driver of its healthcare delivery.
Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic has received several prestigious awards, including the Most Result-Oriented Homeopathic Clinic in West Africa, the Outstanding Homeopathy Hospital of the Year, Excellence in Social Responsibility, Excellence in Customer Service and Excellence in Innovationas well as the award for Excellent in Homeopathy Care of the Year.
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 Madagascan government minister has said he swam for 12 hours to safety after his helicopter crashed at sea during a rescue mission.
"It's not my time to die," exhausted Police Minister Serge Gelle said as he recovered on a stretcher.
Two other security officials travelling with him in the helicopter also survived the crash.
The team had been scouting an area in the north-eastern part of the country where a passenger boat had sunk.
At least 39 people died in that accident, officials said on Tuesday.
On Twitter President Andry Rajoelina mourned those who died and also paid tribute to Mr Gelle and the other two officers, who arrived in the seaside town of Mahambo separately.
Cest avec une profonde tristesse que jai appris le naufrage dun navire au large dAntsiraka et son terrible bilan. Mes pensees vont aux victimes et a leurs proches endeuilles.
Je prie solennellement pour le repos de leurs ames. pic.twitter.com/nZzJsaYMtL
Andry Rajoelina (@SE_Rajoelina) December 21, 2021
It's unclear why Monday's accident happened but Mr Gelle, 57, said after the crash he swam from "7:30 last night, until 7:30 this morning," to Mahambo.He said he had no injuries but added that he was feeling cold."I would just like you to broadcast this video for my family to see, my colleagues to see, the government members to see. [I am] alive and well," Mr Gelle told villagers at Mahambo.Police chief Zafisambatra Ravoavy told news agency AFP that Mr Gelle had used one of the helicopter's seats as a flotation device."He has always had great stamina in sport, and he's kept up this rhythm as minister, just like a 30-year-old... he has nerves of steel," Mr Ravoavy said.Mr Gelle had served in the police for three decades before his August appointment as minister.
Source: BBC
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Cal Bank PLC has held its Annual End of Year Thanksgiving Service at the Forecourt of the Cal Bank Head office in Accra as part of efforts to express appreciation to God for His Protection and Favour to the staff and customers throughout the year.
Delivering the sermon on the theme: "For Thou Art, Me", Senior Pastor at the Holy Hill Assemblies of God, Rev. Dr Kwadwo Bempah stressed on the importance of Thanksgiving and called for all to make the expression of Thanksgiving an integral part of their lives in order to attract the blessings of the world.
He said that since Cal Bank has made the Thanksgiving Service an annual ritual, God will also show them mercy and cause the bank to grow in leaps and bounds.
Managing Director of the Cal Bank PLC Mr Peter Owiredu, in his new year message, stated that in 2022, Cal Bank will reinforce all initiatives set for themselves in 2021.
"We have to ensure that we stay ahead of the market; In 2022, we will reinforce all the initiatives we set for ourselves in 2021 especially we would be looking at our Culture Change program which we have started this year and which most of you have already been introduced to".
He added that Cal Bank will also emphasize on its retail strategy in 2022 in order to ensure that the presence of the Bank is felt nationwide.
He also said that the Bank further aims to improve on its technological drive and further applauded the technology and digital team for their support in developing applications that improved the operations of the bank.
He charged all and sundry to put in their best to ensure that all strategic initiatives and targets, as well as financial performance, are achieved in 2022.
Cal Bank PLC also donated 10,000 to Street Academy; a non Governmental Organization that works directly with vulnerable and less privileged children.
The Bank also rewarded its long service staff as part of the occasion.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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The KGL Foundation on Friday, December 17, 2021, donated two (2) incubators together with Kokrokoo Charities to the management of the Kyebi Government Hospital.
In a presentation led by the founder of Kokrokoo Charities, Mr. Kwame Sefa Kayi, the Eastern Regional Minister, Honorable Seth Acheampong and other stakeholders, he indicated that the two (2) incubators will increase the total number of incubators donated to Hospitals across the country to 39 pieces in 2021 and was optimistic that more incubators will be donated in 2022.
The donation was received by Dr. Richard Nii Darku Dodoo, Medical Superintendent on behalf of the management and staff of the hospital. He expressed gratitude towards both the KGL Foundation and the Kokrokoo Charities and assured both parties that the donation would be put to use for the benefit of the public.
Dr. Dodoo went on further to state that the donation will lessen the pressure on the Eastern Regional Hospital because of the number of referrals sent to the institution. He indicated that an ongoing upgrade of the hospital includes a 10 bed NICU Unit and, when completed and handed over to management, will increase the total number of incubators to 12.
The founder of Kokrokoo Charities, Mr. Kwame Sefa Kayi, also Management, expressed his pleasure about the partnership with the KGL Foundation, and lauded them for the good work they constantly embark on in the provision of prime healthcare to the average Ghanaian.
In a related story, the Goaso Government Hospital in the Ashanti Region, also was presented with incubators to help lessen the rate of child mortality in the area. The donation, presented by Kokrokoo Charities was made possible by the KGL Foundation. In an interview, the CEO of the Foundation, Mr. Elliot Dadey stated the Foundations commitment to impacting and improving the lives of Ghanaians in the best possible way.
About the KGL Foundation. The KGL Foundation is a corporate social responsibility initiative set up on behalf of the KGL Group. The Foundation focuses on youth empowerment, arts & culture and health & sports. Their approach is to collaborate, innovate and empower all local grassroots organizers working in these areas, ensuring they have the resources to improve and safeguard their own societies.
Source: peacefmonline.com
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With the turn of events at Parliament on Monday where the members turned the Legislative House into a wrestlemania by throwing punches at one another over the controversial e-levy, many Ghanaians have been expressing their disappointment in their elected Members of Parliament(MP).
Some Ghanaians are ashamed that they participated in the election of the MPs in the 8th Parliament while others, on social media, have likened the Parliamentarians to kids having a squabble.
Joining the criticisms is seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt, who speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' on Tuesday, was unhappy with the behavior of the MPs.
Kwesi Pratt, in his submissions on the morning show, raised concerns over the Parliamentarians' disregard for the COVID-19 protocols.
"A lot of these Parliamentarians were not wearing masks . . . no masks and yelling. There was no social distancing as they tumble one another on the floor," he said.
Also, he narrated that, although he doesn't have time to watch Television, he, however, stayed glued to his TV set to watch the Parliamentary wrestling where the Majority and Minority chose to exercise their muscles at each other.
"As I was watching what was going on, I ask myself what sort of disgrace is this?''
He condemned the Parliamentary ''rambo style'' saying the MPs are giving Ghana a bad name as international media will be covering their fisticuffs.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt says he sees nothing wrong with the Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin absenting himself from Parliament which called for his First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, to take over the reigns resulting in a brawl between the Majority and Minority on Monday, December 20, 2021.
Just before the Certificte of Urgency final vote on the controversial e-levy Monday night, proceedings in the House turned into violence as the Majority and Minority members threw punches at one another.
What triggered the Parliamentary chaos was a decision by Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu to exercise his original vote in his capacity as a Member of Parliament(MP) during a division to approve the bill.
As critics slam the Parliamentarians for misbehaving in the House, the Speaker, Alban Bagbin has also been 'slapped' for not presiding over the proceedings.
He is said to have absented himself without giving prior notice to his Deputy Speakers and the MPs.
Some critics also smell something fishy about his absence as they claim it might have been a ploy to ruin the Majority voting.
But Kwesi Pratt has bailed out the Speaker, stressing his absence is not shocking for any person to read meanings into it.
He explained that he (Bagbin) has been incapacitated for awhile now, so might have stayed away from Parliament due to health reasons.
He therefore doesn't see why the Speaker should be blamed for the Parliamentary brawl.
''I'm not surprised that Rt. Hon. Bagbin didn't sit in his Speaker's seat. Because we all know he is sick and recently did an operation or surgery. Yesterday, Parliament sat from morning continuous and around 11:45 pm, when I was retiring to my bed, they were still in there. I don't know the time that they closed. So, a person who just had a surgery, how do expect him to stay all that long as Speaker? It's not possible," he said during Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kwadaso Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko says it is custom for MPs to accompany the President or Vice to the podium at any official function.
He noted that it is wrong for anyone to say MPs are in support of the Vice Presidents flagbearership bid, especially at a time where nominations have not been opened for the partys internal contest.
At the NPPs delegates conference held in the Ashanti Region over the weekend, MPs at the Heroes Park rose to escort the Vice President to the podium and this was interpreted as they (MPs) showing support for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumias candidature for flagbearer.
In an interview with Don Kwabena Prah on Happy98.9FMs Epa Hoa Daben political talk show, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko said, You know MPs always rise to escort the President to the platform when he is coming for an event and I think this is not something new. The Vice President came to the conference and we rose to walk him to the podium and that is just what happened and nothing more.
According to him, walking someone to the podium does not mean you support the individual or they will even win an election.
The MP urged Ghanaians to rather focus on the positives of the delegates conference rather than focus on who walked Dr. Bawumia to the podium.
We need to focus on the important things and leave the rest. It is not time to discuss who will lead the party in the next election yet. There are important matters at heart and those are what we need to focus on if we want the government to succeed, hence national development, he added.
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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Proceedings in Parliament towards the passage of the Electronic Transaction Bill, 2021 Monday night came to an abrupt end when a scuffle broke out between some Minority Members of Parliament (MP) and their colleagues from the Majority, leading to the failure of the House to approve the controversial bill.
The chaos, which defined greater part of proceedings in the House, came after the Minority vehemently challenged the decision by the House to consider the e-levy bill under a certificate of urgency following the recommendation by the Finance Committee for the House to do so.
Again, the decision by the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, to exercise his original vote during a division also escalated the confusion and disorder in the House.
Mr Osei-Owusu had announced that once a division had been called for by the Minority, he reserved the right to exercise his vote as an MP for Bekwai.
The agitated Minority MPs, who shouted on top of their voices and banged their hands on the table to register unwillingness to condone any illegality, contended that per Order 109 (3), a Deputy Speaker or any other member presiding shall not retain his original vote while presiding.
Counting
With the First Deputy Speakers insistence to ignore them, about 15 Minority MPs advanced from their seats towards the table, where the Clerks sat and were seen warning Mr Osei-Owusu to refrain from taking part in the counting process.
When the counting started at 10:55 p.m., the First Deputy Speaker announced for the Second Deputy Speaker to assume the chair and he left his seat to go and exercise his vote, angry Minority MPs rushed towards where the Speaker sat.
Fortunately, the timely intervention by some Majority MPs and security details in the House stopped the Speaker from being molested as he was escorted outside the Chamber, resulting in fisticuffs among some Majority and Minority MPs close to the Speakers seat.
The maze was quickly whisked away as disorder and confusion became the order of the day in the Chamber, and security personnel from Parliament were called in to restore law and order at about 11.55 p.m.
Outside the Chamber, quite a number of armed military and police men, who had also been called in to help calm matters, were also seen on the precinct of Parliament ready to be ordered to go into the Chamber once the confusion got out of hand.
Why the confusion?
The ensuing confrontation came soon after the Minister of Finance had moved the motion on e-levy bill be adopted by the House and it had been seconded.
But the Minority sought the leave of the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Andrew Asiamah Amoako, who was then presiding, to arrest the process of suspending Standing Order 80 (1) for the purposes of doing away with the notice of 48 hours.
Order 80(1) requires that no motion shall be debated until at least 48 hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Bawku Central, Mr Mahama Ayariga, contended that Articles 106 (13) and 103 (1) and Order 192, 197 and 191 made it inappropriate for the House to suspend the Standing Orders for the bill to be taken through a certificate of urgency.
He said the point at which a bill was determined to be of an urgent nature was before its introduction in the House but the Finance Minister, at the point where he was laying the bill introducing, did not pray Parliament to consider it under certificate of urgency.
Backing his argument with the Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, December 16, 2021, he said the bill was referred to Finance Committee as a non-urgent bill.
He argued that it was only when the Finance Minister appeared before the committee that he made an application to the committee to allow the bill to be considered under a certificate of urgency.
And so the committee cannot, on its own at its meeting, arrogate to itself the power to make a determination as to the urgency or otherwise of the bill, and recommended to the House to consider the bill under a certificate of urgency.
So, Mr Speaker, I rise to object to the consideration of this bill under a certificate of urgency on the basis of the on the Orders that I have sighted, and I urge this House to reject the motion on the grounds that it is a clear violation on the Constitution and the Standing Order of this House, he prayed.
Dismissal
Giving a ruling on Mr Ayarigas application, the Second Deputy Speaker dismissed the application on grounds that constitutional provisions and Standing Orders 119 were clear on such matters.
He said it was not within the power of the Speaker to determine that a particular referral to be urgent but it was the committee that should determine that a referral was of urgent nature for a bill go through all the processes of approval without a publication.
On that understanding, I think honourable member for Bawku Central your arrest can never be taken on board; so, we would go ahead with procedural motion, he said.
When he subsequently put the question of those in favour and against of the procedural motion, there was almost equal Ayes and Nos but the Speaker pronounced the Ayes as having it, causing uproar by the Minority.
Muntaka on Division
The Speakers decision on the voice vote prompted the Minority Chief Whip, Mr Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, to rise to challenge Speakers decision, using Orders 113 and 114. He therefore called for a division of votes.
But, the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said while it was within the right of Mr Muntaka to call for a division, the application was rather too late in the day.
You do not wait for Mr Speaker to finish his ruling and then when we are making progress you try to invoke the rules to frustrate government business.
Mr Speaker, what you are trying to do is not to genuinely invoke a rule for the purposes of ensuring fairness but you are invoking this rule to obstruct Parliament and frustrate business and this must not be countenanced as we have to make progress, he prayed.
Division
Before calling for the division, the Second Speaker suspended the House briefly to the displeasure of the Minority members who shouted, sang and banged their hands on tables as the House descended into more disorder.
When the sitting resumed, the First Deputy Speaker, who took the chair, said having adopted the bill to be taken under a certificate of urgency, it was not necessary for it to have come under 108 (1).
To settle matters on Minority challenging the Second Deputy Speakers decision on the voice vote, Mr Osei-Owusu put to a question that all those in favour of suspending the Standing Order requiring 48-hour rule for the bill to say Ayes and those against to say NO.
I think the Ayes have it, he announced, but the Minority Chief Whip, Mr Muntaka, based on Order 114, once again challenged the Speakers decision on the voice vote and called for division.
Heeding, the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Osei-Owusu directed the Clerks at the Table to clear the lobby for the House to start with a division, instructing ministers who were not members of the House not to return to the House.
Ahead of the voice vote, he told the House that he would exercise his original vote since he was a member of the House to the dismay of the Minority.
Contravention of practice
But the NDC MP for Bolgatanga East, Dr Dominic Ayine, drew Mr Osei-Owusus attention to Order 109 (3) which states that a Deputy Speaker or any other member presiding shall not retain his original vote while presiding.
He said at the commencement of public business and the resumption after suspension, Mr Osei-Owusu, as the First Deputy Speaker, took the chair as the Deputy Speaker and in the words of Order 109 (3), you are not entitled to an original vote.
And because you are not entitled to an original vote as the person presiding, it will be contrary to the practices, conventions of Parliament for you to hand over your seat and come down to engage in voting.
The reason why practice of the Orders and the Constitution did not give the person presiding a casting vote is because they wanted to prevent a situation where you descend into the fray while you are presiding. So, I am pleading with you to stick to the rules and respect the Orders of this House, he pleaded.
Rebuttal
In a sharp rebuttal, Mr Afenyo-Markin said Dr Ayine, in mounting an application, relied solely on the Standing Orders of Parliament, and therefore contended there was no such constitutional provision that denied a Deputy Speaker of his original vote.
Where there is the Constitution, which is the fundamental law, any Standing Order cannot stand in the way of the Constitution; so that argument he made did not survive.
In our Constitution, it is only the Speaker who is prohibited because that Speaker is not a member of Parliament, he said.
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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Dr Stephen Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso has said the police have tarnished his hard-earned reputation.
Earlier this month, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) announced the arrest of the Member of Parliament for flouting road traffic regulations.
Dr Amoah was arrested during a police operation around the Airport bypass to arrest drivers of V8 vehicles who were not complying with the Road Traffic Regulations.
According to a statement from the police, Dr Amoah and some V8 drivers were arrested for the offences of careless driving, dangerous driving and causing road obstruction among others.
However, speaking on Asaase Radio (December, 20), Dr Amoah said he believes the police have realized that the treatment meted out to him was not right, leading to the damage of his reputation.
It is unfortunate that theyve tarnished my reputation, and they know that what they did to me was not right and that the whole thing was blown out of proportion.
Stephen Amoah further noted that he has not yet considered the option of taking legal action against the police.
Source: asaaseradio.com
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Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has apologised to Ghanaians on behalf of Members of Parliament (MPs) for the melee that ensued on the floor of the House on Monday night during deliberations on the Electronic Transfer Levy Bill, 2021.
It is a very shameful and embarrassing moment for us in Parliament. And I think all of us must be bowing our heads down in shame for this gross deliration of responsibility and we must apologise to the people that we represent in Parliament, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stated at a press briefing on Tuesday in Accra.
He, however, expressed his disapproval over the way the First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu was unceremoniously called upon to preside even though he was not feeling well, adding that, it was the reason why he sat in briefly and he had to excuse himself.
Giving his rendition of accounts that led to the fisticuffs, he said the First Deputy speaker assumed the chair upon resumption from a break and during a vote by division had wanted to go take his medication, to the distaste of the minority.
I dont know of any constitutional provision or any standing orders that prohibit a Deputy Speaker, presiding from participating in the vote. There is no such provision he said.
He urged members of Parliament to resist the urge of always getting physical and should rather have the emotional intelligence to deliberate on issues.
He also explained that proceedings on Monday which were supposed to start at 1000 hours was delayed, as the Finance Committee was programmed to have a meeting at 1000 hours for us to be able to have a sitting at about 1200 hours.
Subsequently, we got to know that the Minority was having a meeting and so the finance committee then elected to have their meeting at 1200 hours he said.
Based on the happenings, he said he engaged the Speaker to have the Committee sit and finalise its work and have it printed and distributed to members with the proceedings proposed to start at 1500 hours.
But when we went for the meeting, the meeting lasted from 1200 hours to beyond 1600 hours, he added.
Touching on the E-Levy Bill, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the adjournment of the House to January 18, 2021 was necessary to enable the Finance Minister to hold further consultations with stakeholders.
If we take an adjournment, it would allow cooler heads to come back to this House and we can then come back to continue the transaction of business in a much more civil environment.
Source: GNA
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Russian President, Vladimir Putin has warned he is willing to take 'military measures' in response to 'unfriendly' Western action in Ukraine.
Giving the warning during a meeting at the defence ministry on Tuesday December 20, Putin said Russia will 'react toughly to unfriendly steps' and stressed 'that we have every right to do so'.
Referring to a Western bid to bolster Ukraine with weapons and military training, the Russian leader said; In the event that the clearly aggressive line of our Western colleagues continues, we will take adequate retaliatory military-technical measures, and react toughly to unfriendly steps.
And, I want to emphasise, we have every right to do so, we have every right to take actions designed to ensure the security and sovereignty of Russia.
Around 175,000 Russian combat forces are expected to be near Ukraines borders by January and pro-Russian separatists are attacking Ukraine troops daily. On the frontline in Donbas, Ukraine, Russian troops have been building up in support of pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk region.
Putin denies any Russian involvement in the region but it is feared he will use the conflict to justify an incursion deeper into Ukraine, threatening to bring war to Europes borders.
Dmitry Kiselyov, a media mogul known as Putin's mouthpiece also threatened to 'put a gun to America's head' if NATO forces are stationed in Ukraine and warned the alliance to back off 'otherwise, everyone will be turned into radioactive ash.'
Putin who also warned countries against taking America at its word, added; 'We need long-term legally binding guarantees.
'The United States easily withdraws from all international treaties that for one reason or another become uninteresting to them,' he added.
'What is going on, this tension that builds up in Europe, it is their fault, At each step Russia had to respond somehow.
'At each step the situation got worse and worse, degraded and degraded. And today we are in the situation when we need to decide something.'
Russia 'cannot allow' the West to put its weapons so close to Moscow, he added. 'If this infrastructure moves, if the US and NATO missile systems appear in Ukraine, then their flight time to Moscow will be reduced to 7-10 minutes, and with the deployment of hypersonic weapons - to five,' Putin said.
The Kremlin had also said that high-level talks between the US and Russia are underway over the list of demands, but said no agreements have yet been reached. The White House has said it will consult with NATO allies over the demands, but it was willing to make no promises.
Asked about those demands by the BBC on Monday December 20, Mr Kiselyov responded: 'If Ukraine ever joins NATO or if NATO develops military infrastructure there, we will hold a gun to America's head. We have the military capability.'
Russia is 'one hundred per cent' willing to use force to defend its red lines, Mr Kiselyov added, saying that it is a 'matter of life or death' for his country.
He also warned of the risk of a repeat of the Cuban Missile Crisis if NATO deploys missiles in regions where they can quickly strike Moscow. Kiselyov said;
'It would be good to harmonise our interests and not put Russia in a position where missiles could reach us in four minutes.
'Russia is ready to create a comparable, analogous threat, by deploying its weapons close to decision-making centres.
'But we are suggesting a way of avoiding this, of not creating threats. Otherwise, everyone will be turned into radioactive ash.'
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 President John Mahama has revealed the details of a meeting he held with Mr Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to the former President, the discussions on Tuesday, December 21, 2021) focused on the desire of Ghanaians to see the two major political parties working together for the interest of the nation.
Mr Mahama in Facebook post, however, stressed that at no time was there any discussion specifically about President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo requiring his intervention in the impasse on the E-levy.
Read his entire post below;
President Akufo-Addo did not seek my intervention on the E-Levy impasse.
I received Mr. Gabby Otchere Darko, at his request, at my residence on Tuesday 21st December, 2021
Among issues we discussed was the desire of Ghanaians to see the two major political parties working together for the interest of the nation
We discussed, also, how dialogue can be deployed to ensure Parliamentary issues are agreed consensually before coming on the floor to avoid what happened recently in the House.
We further discussed opening channels of communication between the leaders of the two parties including a possible meeting with the President at a future date.
At no time was there any discussion specifically about the President requiring my intervention in the impasse on the E-levy.
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An artists impression of a neutron striking a sample of superconducting uranium ditelluride in experiments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Crystals of uranium (dark gray) and tellurium (brown) are suspected of hosting spin-triplet superconductivity, a state marked by electron pairs with spins pointed in the same direction (blue). In neutron scattering experiments, incoming neutrons disrupt pairs by flipping one spin in the opposite direction (red), revealing telltale evidence of the pairs quantum mechanical state. Credit: Jill Hemman/ORNL
A Rice University-led study is forcing physicists to rethink superconductivity in uranium ditelluride, an A-list material in the worldwide race to create fault-tolerant quantum computers.
Uranium ditelluride crystals are believed to host a rare "spin-triplet" form of superconductivity, but puzzling experimental results published this week in Nature have upended the leading explanation of how the state of matter could arise in the material. Neutron-scattering experiments by physicists from Rice, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of California, San Diego and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University revealed telltale signs of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations that were coupled to superconductivity in uranium ditelluride.
Spin-triplet superconductivity has not been observed in a solid-state material, but physicists have long suspected it arises from an ordered state that is ferromagnetic. The race to find spin-triplet materials has heated up in recent years due to their potential for hosting elusive quasiparticles called Majorana fermions that could be used to make error-free quantum computers.
"People have spent billions of dollars trying to search for them," Rice study co-author Pengcheng Dai said of Majorana fermions, hypothetical quasiparticles that could be used to make topological quantum bits free from the problematic decoherence that plagues qubits in today's quantum computers.
"The promise is that if you have a spin-triplet superconductor, it can potentially be used to make topological qubits," said Dai, a professor of physics and astronomy and member of the Rice Quantum Initiative. "You can't do that with spin-singlet superconductors. So, that's why people are extremely interested in this."
Superconductivity happens when electrons form pairs and move as one, like couples spinning across a dance floor. Electrons naturally loathe one another, but their tendency to avoid other electrons can be overcome by their inherent desire for a low-energy existence. If pairing allows electrons to achieve a more sloth-like state than they could achieve on their ownsomething that's only possible at extremely cold temperaturesthey can be coaxed into pairs.
The coaxing comes in the form of fluctuations in their physical environment. In normal superconductors, like lead, the fluctuations are vibrations in the atomic lattice of lead atoms inside the superconducting wire. Physicists have yet to identify the fluctuations that bring about unconventional superconductivity in materials like uranium ditelluride. But decades of study have found phase changeswatershed moments where electrons spontaneously rearrange themselvesat the critical points where pairing begins.
In the equations of quantum mechanics, these spontaneous ordered arrangements are represented by terms known as order parameters. The name spin triplet refers to the spontaneous breakdown of three symmetries in these ordered arrangements. For example, electrons spin constantly, like tiny bar magnets. One order parameter relates to their spin axis (think north pole), which points up or down. Ferromagnetic order is when all spins point the same direction, and antiferromagnetic order is when they alternate in an up-down, up-down arrangement. In the only confirmed spin-triplet, superfluid helium-3, the order parameter has no fewer than 18 components.
"All other superconductivity is spin singlet," said Dai, who's also a member of Rice's Center for Quantum Materials (RCQM). "In a spin singlet, you have one spin up and one spin down, and if you put a magnetic field on, it can easily destroy superconductivity."
That's because the magnetic field pushes spins to align in the same direction. The stronger the field, the stronger the push.
Rice University physicists (from left) Pengcheng Dai, Chunruo Duan and Qimiao Si co-authored a study that revealed puzzling results about uranium ditelluride, a material long suspected of hosting a rare spin-triplet form of superconductivity. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
"The problem with uranium ditelluride is the field required to destroy superconductivity is 40 Tesla," Dai said. "That's huge. For 40 years, people thought the only possibility for that to occur is that when you put a field on, the spins are already aligned in one direction, meaning it's a ferromagnet."
In the study, Dai and Rice postdoctoral research associate Chunruo Duan, the study's lead author, worked with Florida State co-author Ryan Baumbach, whose lab grew the single crystal samples of uranium ditelluride used in the experiment, and UC San Diego co-author Brian Maple, whose lab tested and prepared the samples for neutron-scattering experiments at Oak Ridge's Spallation Neutron Source.
"What the neutron does is come in with a particular energy and momentum, and it can flip the Cooper pair spins from an up-up state to an up-down state," Dai said. "It tells you how the pairs are formed. From this neutron spin resonance, one can basically determine the electron pairing energy" and other telltale properties of the quantum mechanical wave function that describes the pair, he said.
Dai said there are two possible explanations for the result: either uranium ditelluride is not a spin-triplet superconductor, or spin-triplet superconductivity arises from antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in a way that physicists haven't previously imagined. Dai said decades of experimental evidence points to the latter, but this appears to violate conventional wisdom about superconductivity. So Dai teamed up with Rice colleague Qimiao Si, a theoretical physicist who specializes in emergent quantum phenomena like unconventional superconductivity.
Si, a study co-author, has spent much of the past five years showing a theory of multiorbital pairing he co-developed with former Ph.D. student Emilian Nica explains contradictory experimental findings in several kinds of unconventional superconductors, including heavy fermions, the class that includes uranium ditelluride.
In multiorbital pairing, electrons in some atomic shells are more likely to form pairs than others. Si recalled thinking that uranium had the potential to contribute paired electrons from any of seven orbitals with 14 possible states.
"Multiorbitals was the first thing that came to mind," he said. "It wouldn't be possible if you only had one band or one orbital, but orbitals bring a new dimension to possible unconventional superconductor pairings. They're like a palette of colors. The colors are the internal quantum numbers, and the f electrons in the uranium-based, heavy-fermion materials are naturally set up to have these colors. They lead to new possibilities that go beyond the 'periodic table of pairing states.' One of these new possibilities turns out to be spin-triplet pairing."
Si and Nica, who's now at Arizona State University, showed antiferromagnetic correlations could give rise to plausible, low-energy, spin-triplet pairing states.
"Spin-triplet pairing states are highly improbable in the vast majority of cases because pairs will form as spin-singlets in order to lower their energy," Si said. "In uranium ditelluride, spin-orbit coupling can change the energy landscape in a way that makes spin-triplet pairing states more competitive with their spin-singlet counterparts."
Si is the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor in Rice's Department of Physics and Astronomy and director of RCQM. Additional co-authors include Andrey Podlesnyak of Oak Ridge and Yuhang Deng, Camilla Moir and Alexander Breindel of UC San Diego.
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More information: Pengcheng Dai, Resonance from antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations for superconductivity in UTe2, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04151-5 Journal information: Nature Pengcheng Dai, Resonance from antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations for superconductivity in UTe2,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04151-5
A new technology solution which will provide low-power systems for use in bionic eyes, has been developed by Professor Richard Fu. Credit: Northumbria University
A new technology solution which will provide low-power systems for use in bionic eyes, has been jointly developed by academics from the Harbin Institute of Technology in China and Northumbria University.
Working in partnership with a research group led by Professor PingAn Hu from the Harbin Institute, Northumbria's Professor Richard Fu described their newly developed method for controlling the artificial synaptic devices used in bionic retinas, robots and visual protheses, as a "significant breakthrough."
The team discovered that injecting elements of the soft metal, indium, into a two-dimensional (2D) material called molybdenum disulphide (MoS 2 ), could improve electrical conductivity and reduce power consumption of the optical synapses used in the development of bionic eyes.
The technology was then tested within the structure of an electronic retina and found to produce the high-quality image sensing functions required.
The team's work has been published in a paper called "Ultralow Power Optical Synapses Based on MoS 2 Layers by Indium-Induced Surface Charge Doping for Biomimetic Eyes," in the scientific journal, Advanced Materials.
Professor Fu, who is an expert in shape memory, piezoelectric thin films, nano-materials and nanodevices, explained: "The current visual systems are based on physically separated sensors, memories and processing units. These systems often have high power consumption and difficulties of performing complex image learning and processing tasks. Therefore, our newly developed method is of great significance for the next generation artificial visual systems."
Bionic eye implants work inside the existing eye structures or in the brain. They are designed to achieve functional vision goalsas opposed to physical, cosmetic ones. Several bionic eye implants are in development, but currently very few are available, and are suitable only for blindness caused by specific eye diseases. However, as research continues, more and more people may soon benefit from high-tech bionic eyes.
Professor Fu's innovative ideas have already contributed to advances in piezoelectric materials-based biosensing and diagnostic tools, cell patterning and manipulation. He also has an international reputation for his work around advancement of shape memory thin films and polymers used in microsurgery and drug delivery. He has developed nano-structured smart materials for gas sensing and renewable energy applications.
A Professor in Smart Materials and Microsystems, Professor Fu, works within Northumbria's department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering.
More information: Yunxia Hu et al, Ultralow Power Optical Synapses Based on MoS 2 Layers by IndiumInduced Surface Charge Doping for Biomimetic Eyes, Advanced Materials (2021). Journal information: Advanced Materials Yunxia Hu et al, Ultralow Power Optical Synapses Based on MoSLayers by IndiumInduced Surface Charge Doping for Biomimetic Eyes,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202104960
The UK has set ambitious net zero targets, but is overlooking its imported emissions. Credit: Digifly840/Pixabay
Assessments of the UN climate conference COP26's success have been mixed, but none have been entirely positive. Achieving the Paris agreement's target of limiting global warming to 1.5 above pre-industrial levels is a goal described by UN secretary general Antonio Guterres as "on life support," while reports in the wake of the conference suggested that the world is on track for "disastrous levels" of global warming.
The response in some quarters has been to call for tough new targets, yet as the chief executive of the UK's Climate Change Committee noted, this is likely to simply "widen the gap between ambition and delivery."
This problem cuts to the core of rich nations' efforts to tackle climate change. The announcement of its sixth carbon budget in April 2021, for example, saw the UK commit to reducing carbon emissions by 78% compared to 1990 levels. As the government claimed, this "sets in law the world's most ambitious climate change target."
But these targets will never be able to properly challenge the climate crisis without first tackling the implicit "carbon colonialism" that underpins the UK's approach to climate change. Here, carbon is measured according to a two-tier system: rigorously within UK borders and far less carefully outside them.
This approach to the country's carbon footprint makes little sense in the face of the worldwide problem of climate change. Around 22% of global carbon emissions are caused by producing goods, like clothes and electronics, that are actually consumed in a different country. The UK is a notable consumerin fact, the third highest globallyof "imported emissions" like these. Nevertheless, climate targets set by the UK government focus on reducing emissions from within the country.
Mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been investigated for exploiting workers and causing environmental damage. Credit: Fairphone/Flickr, CC BY-ND
Currently, UK laws regulating emissions only apply to domestically produced products, whilst imported products are subject to voluntary standardsmeaning the companies that make them don't have to accurately report their emissions. This encourages "outsourcing" of emissions overseas. The dirtiest and most carbon intensive industries, such as fast fashion and construction, are transplanted to developing countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.
UK companies that wish to appear green can then more easily make claims of "zero deforestation" or "zero waste to landfill" in their supply chainseven if they're untruesince lack of enforcement in these countries means many claims go unchecked. The human and environmental exploitation associated with cobalt mining for phone parts in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a chilling example.
From the perspective of national targets, these industries' emissions have disappeared, contributing to the so-called success of the UK's decarbonisation strategy. But from the perspective of the planet, they haven't gone anywhere.
Supply chains
There's another complication. It's hard to assess the true extent of international supply chains because they're inherently murky. They cross borders, usually involve multiple companies, and are measured differently between countries. That makes calculating the emissions in these chains politically and technically challenging.
Shipping is often part of the complex web of product supply chains. Credit: Marco Verch/Flickr, CC BY-SA
However, UK laws don't offer any incentives for those involved in supply chains to detail the complex processes, and people, involved. This means that many supply chains are reported to both government and consumers in a highly simplified way, allowing companies to appear more compliant with emissions targets than they are.
This practice hides the true distances traveled by raw materials in the chains, as well as the real environmental impact of what they're used to make. The clothing industry offers an example of this problemeven industry leaders such as Stella McCartney admit that tracing the provenance of material used to make their clothes is "extremely difficult."
This system needs a serious overhaul, particularly in light of the government's announcement that emissions from shipping will form part of the UK's net zero commitments. In the case of the clothing industry, current assessments of the length of shipping supply chainsand therefore the emissions they produceare enormous underestimates.
If the UK is to achieve its carbon commitments, there needs to be better regulation of its supply chainsand less reliance on voluntary reporting of what goes on within them. And to truly tackle the climate crisis, we need to address the carbon colonialism that continues to influence environmental policy. Our environmental footprint does not begin or end at our borders: neither should the way we measure it.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
New research shows that attending a Cathedral Christmas Carol Service has a positive impact on mental health and well-being.
The research, by Professor Leslie Francis of the University of Warwick, The Very Revd Dr. Susan Jones, Dean of Liverpool Cathedral, and Dr. Ursula McKenna of Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, is titled "The contribution of cathedrals to psychological health and well-being: Assessing the impact of Cathedral Carol Services." The study was designed to discover what effect special events, such as the Christmas services at Liverpool Cathedral, had on those attending, whether regular churchgoers or occasional visitors. It used the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, part of a family of well-being measures that have been used in a number of correlational studies exploring the association between religion and positive psychology.
The research team tested 383 people before and after the Holly Bough Service, held on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, at Liverpool Cathedral in 2019, and then applied the same well-being measure to 802 people attending Christmas Carol Services in that same year.
In the test, participants were asked to respond to the same 29 statements before and after the service such as: I do not feel particularly pleased with the way I am, I find beauty in some things, I do not have a particular sense of meaning and purpose in my life.
The results showed real evidence that the Christmas carol services had a positive impact on those attending, with a robust difference between the scores between the first and second testmuch more than you would expect they would have increased by chance.
There have been a number of recent reports highlighting the growth in cathedral visitor numbers or showing the social and economic impact cathedrals have on their local communities and beyond, but there has been less work done to assess the psychological benefit on visitors and participants at special events.
This study is part of broader research into the positive impact of Anglican cathedrals on their local communities and the relationship between religion and happiness.
Commenting on the findings, Leslie Francis, Professor of Religions and Psychology at the University of Warwick, and Canon Theologian at Liverpool Cathedral, explained: "Collaborating with my research group, Liverpool Cathedral is committed to using the best scientific tools to evaluate its mission and ministry and to use that evidence to shape its priorities for the future.
"It is important to test research in peer-review journals before inviting the Church to take it seriously and I am pleased to say these findings can be taken seriously.
"But, as a scientist, further research is always needed to test and build on findings and we look forward to examining Christmas in other cathedrals, as well as other highlight events and services at different times throughout the year in Liverpool Cathedral," he added.
The Dean of Liverpool, the Very Revd Sue Jones, said: "I am really encouraged by these findings. We say that the cathedral is a place of encountera place to encounter the God who knows and loves us and a place in which people can feel affirmed and loved. And now we know that works; not just for churchgoers, but for all the people of Liverpool.
"The Cathedral is adding something to Liverpool's sense of wellbeing. And I praise God for that," she added.
Previous studies in this field include: the study of 814 visitors to four cathedrals in England (Coventry, Ely, Lichfield and Wells), Winter and Gasson (1996); a study of 514 visitors to St Davids Cathedral in Wales, Williams et al. (2007) and a study of visitors to Canterbury Cathedral, Bond, Packer and Ballantyne (2015). All reported that visitors identified the benefits of peace and quiet and of connecting spiritually and emotionally.
Ysseldyk, Haslam and Morton (2016) looked at visitors to three environments (cathedral, castle and shopping center), and reported that for some, visiting the cathedral impacted their sense of self-esteem.
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More information: Leslie J. Francis et al, The contribution of cathedrals to psychological health and well-being: Assessing the impact of Cathedral Carol Services, HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies (2021). Leslie J. Francis et al, The contribution of cathedrals to psychological health and well-being: Assessing the impact of Cathedral Carol Services,(2021). DOI: 10.4102/hts.v77i4.6820
This undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry shows a Komodo dragon at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. In 2021, construction for tourism in Komodo National Park has raised concerns from the United Nations officials, environmental activists and residents about damage to habitat of the Komodo dragon. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
On a dirt path, forked yellow tongue darting from its mouth, a member of the world's largest lizard species lazes on an island in eastern Indonesia's Komodo National Park as tourists snap photos. And about 18 miles (30 kilometers) away on another park island that harbors Komodo dragons, trees have been removed and concrete poured for new tourist facilities that have aroused the ire of residents and environmental activists.
The construction is part of an ambitious Indonesian initiative that has generated tensions between a government that wants to develop natural attractions for luxury tourism and conservationists who fear habitat for the endangered Komodo dragon will be irreparably harmed. United Nations officials have also voiced concerns about potential tourism impacts on this unique wildlife-rich park.
Encompassing about 850 square miles (2,200 square kilometers) of land and marine area, Komodo National Park was established in 1980 to help protect the famed dragons. Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry estimates around 3,000 of the reptiles live there today, along with manatee-like dugongs, sea turtles, whales and more than a thousand species of tropical fish.
Because of its biodiversity and beauty, the park became a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site in 1991. And it's one of Indonesia's crown jewels for tourism, typically drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world each year.
This undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry shows young Komodo dragons at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. The predatory lizards, which can reach a length of 10 feet (3 meters) and more than 300 pounds (135 kilograms), were recently moved from "vulnerable" to "endangered" status on the IUCN list of threatened species. The organization cited the impacts of climate change and deterioration of the dragons' habitatincluding human encroachmentas reasons for the change. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
For years the government has been trying to figure out how to best capitalize on the park, most recently designating it part of the country's "10 New Balis" initiativean effort to draw more tourists, as the island of Bali did before border restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are embarking into a new era of tourism in Indonesia based on nature and culture, focusing on sustainability and quality tourism," Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno told The Associated Press.
Part of that multimillion dollar tourism development is a project on Rinca Island, where more than one-third of the park's dragons are estimated to live on generally hot and dry terrain. The construction includes an expanded ranger station, viewing platform, boat dock, toilets and other infrastructure.
In this undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry, a Komodo dragon walks past a water buffalo at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. Because of its biodiversity and beauty, the park became a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site in 1991. And it's one of Indonesia's crown jewels for tourism, typically drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world each year. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
The project worries local environmental activists and residents within park boundaries who say their livelihoods as tour guides, boat drivers and souvenir sellers depend on the draw of the area's natural beauty.
"When we talk about the development in the conservation area, we have to think ... whether this is a wisely considered economic effect for the local peopleor the environmental effect," said Gregorius Afioma, a member of the local non-governmental organization Sun Spirit for Justice and Peace. "The situation now is like collective suicide.
"We think that this kind of business will eventually kill others' businesses and even themselves because they destroyed the environment," Afioma said, adding that local residents also fear they won't get construction jobs for the luxury tourist destination the Indonesian government is promoting.
This undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry shows part of Komodo National Park in Indonesia. Encompassing about 850 square miles (2,200 square kilometers) of land and marine area, the park was established in 1980 to help protect the famed dragons. Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry estimates around 3,000 of the reptiles live there today, along with manatee-like dugongs, sea turtles, whales and more than a thousand species of tropical fish. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
UNESCOthe United Nations body that designates World Heritage Site statushas also raised concerns about development in the park.
"The state party did not inform us, as required by the operational guidelines," said Guy Debonnet, chief of the body's natural heritage unit. "This is definitely a project of concern, because we feel that the impacts on the universal value (of the park) have not been properly evaluated."
During a meeting in July, UNESCO expressed other concerns, such as the project's reduction of the park's wilderness zone to one-third the previous area, addition of tourism concessions within the property, lack of an adequate environmental impact assessment, and a target to dramatically increase visitors.
"Third-party information transmitted to the State Party indicates that a target of 500,000 annual visitors for the property has been proposed, which is more than double the pre-COVID-19 pandemic visitor numbers," said a report from the meeting. "This raises the question of how this tourism model fits (Indonesia's) vision of moving away from mass tourism to more sustainable approaches."
In this 2008-2012 photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry people fish at a village on Rinca Island at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. Part of a multi-million dollar tourism development is a project on Rinca Island, where more than one-third of the park's dragons are estimated to live. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
At UNESCO's request, the country submitted more information about the project. But after reviewing it, the U.N. agency requested in October 2020 that Indonesia not "proceed with any tourism infrastructure project that may affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the property prior to a review of the relevant environmental impact assessment" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
IUCN is an international, non-governmental organization that provides UNESCO's World Heritage Committee with technical evaluations of natural heritage properties.
After multiple attempts to get permission from government authorities, The Associated Press was unable to gain access to the construction site, which has been closed to the public for months. But satellite imagery shows construction continued after UNESCO requested the project be paused. The government did not respond to an email last week seeking comment.
This undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry shows a Komodo dragon at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. The predatory lizards, which can reach a length of 10 feet (3 meters) and more than 300 pounds (135 kilograms), were recently moved from "vulnerable" to "endangered" status on the IUCN list of threatened species. The organization cited the impacts of climate change and deterioration of the dragons' habitatincluding human encroachmentas reasons for the change. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
As of Dec. 6, UNESCO still had not received the requested revised assessment, said Debonnet, the world heritage unit chief.
The Indonesian government also granted at least two business permits in Komodo National Park, including for projects on Rinca, Komodo and Padar islands, according to an email to the AP from Shana Fatina, president director at the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority, which helps coordinate government tourism efforts.
Some experts fear tourism expansion in the park could lead to disturbance of Komodo dragon habitat.
The predatory lizards, which can reach a length of 10 feet (3 meters) and more than 300 pounds (135 kilograms), were recently moved from "vulnerable" to "endangered" status on the IUCN list of threatened species. The organization cited the impacts of climate change and deterioration of the dragons' habitatincluding human encroachmentas reasons for the change.
This undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry shows Komodo dragons at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. The predatory lizards, which can reach a length of 10 feet (3 meters) and more than 300 pounds (135 kilograms), were recently moved from "vulnerable" to "endangered" status on the IUCN list of threatened species. The organization cited the impacts of climate change and deterioration of the dragons' habitatincluding human encroachmentas reasons for the change. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
This undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry shows a beach at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. Encompassing about 850 square miles (2,200 square kilometers) of land and marine area, Komodo National Park was established in 1980 to help protect the famed dragons. Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry estimates around 3,000 of the reptiles live there today, along with manatee-like dugongs, sea turtles, whales and more than a thousand species of tropical fish. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
This undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry shows Komodo dragons at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. The predatory lizards, which can reach a length of 10 feet (3 meters) and more than 300 pounds (135 kilograms), were recently moved from "vulnerable" to "endangered" status on the IUCN list of threatened species. The organization cited the impacts of climate change and deterioration of the dragons' habitatincluding human encroachmentas reasons for the change. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
This undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry shows a Komodo dragon at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. The predatory lizards, which can reach a length of 10 feet (3 meters) and more than 300 pounds (135 kilograms), were recently moved from "vulnerable" to "endangered" status on the IUCN list of threatened species. The organization cited the impacts of climate change and deterioration of the dragons' habitatincluding human encroachmentas reasons for the change. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
In this undated photo provided by researcher Bryan Fry, park rangers stand a kiosk at Komodo National Park in Indonesia. For years the government has been trying to figure out how to best capitalize on the park, most recently designating it part of the country's "10 New Balis" initiativean effort to draw more tourists, as the island of Bali did before border restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Bryan Fry via AP
Unless carefully managed, tourism projects could "have a big impact, not just from the number of people disturbing the behavior of the dragons and disturbing their prey, but also how much freshwater is being siphoned off," said Bryan Fry, an associate professor at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland in Australia. "That could dramatically impact the very delicate balance of these islands."
The opening date for the new Rinca Island facilities has yet to be announced. UNESCO's Debonnet said it is engaged in talks with Indonesian officials to arrange a monitoring mission to assess the impact of ongoing development on the park and review its state of conservation.
And while World Heritage sites are usually discussed by the UNESCO committee on two-year cycles, Komodo National Park will be discussed in 2022, said Debonnet. "That is kind of an indication that we see there is some urgency in this issue," he said.
2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
During the evening hours of Dec. 10, a flurry of tornadoes ravaged several states, claiming close to 100 lives and leaving whole communities in wreckage. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the storms were at least the 19th weather or climate disaster to cause more than $1 billion in damage this year, coming on the heels of droughts, wildfires, severe cold snaps, hurricanes, and other severe weather that 2021 had already wrought.
How communities prepare for and bounce back from such disasters is a focus of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center.
"A lot of what we're thinking about is motivated by the fact that climate extremes are changing," says Carolyn Kousky, executive director of the Risk Center. "Part of it is that extreme weather events are getting more frequent and getting more intense. But they're also changing in location, duration, and timing. That's been coming up with tornadoes, with people asking whether the tornado belt of this country is shifting. That raises a whole range of challenges for preparedness and response."
Kousky spoke with Penn Today about these challenges and the Risk Center's work, particularly in light of climate change's role in fueling an increasing number of natural disasters. Here are five of her takeaways.
The who, when, and where of disaster preparedness is shifting
When a hurricane begins brewing and projections are levied about its course, homeowners and businesses along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the Southeastern U.S. often know what steps they need to take, be it covering windows with plywood or lining garage doors with sandbags. Similarly, people who live in Oklahoma or Kansas may well know the parts of their home most resistant to a tornado's high winds and take warnings seriously.
Building codes and flood insurance requirements may also offer some protection and reassurance against disaster. But what happens when strong storms happen in areas where, historically, they haven't?
"Places that have been routinely dealing with climate extremes are going to be better adapted to dealing with them," says Kousky. "But as we're starting to experience events that are outside the ranges of normal, people are not going to be prepared."
Adjusting building codes to make structures more resilient to winds and water is a low-cost solution, but is one that takes time to return results.
"Infrastructure and buildings are very long-lived investments," Kousky says. "Even if we start implementing changes now, it's going to be some time before we start having an impact on risk reduction. And the risks are only escalating."
Recovery costs go well beyond the cleanup
Upon visiting the tornado-struck sites in Kentucky last week, President Biden pledged to meet 100% of the states' recovery needs. The asterisk on that statement? The federal government would pay but, thus far, just for the first 30 days of recovery.
"The costs and the impact of recovery are often much broader than people anticipate before going through it," Kousky says. "And recovery takes much longer than people assume it will."
Property destruction is what attracts news coverage and photographs. And, indeed, an influx of federal funding can begin to address the cleanup process. But disasters generally demand that people take time away from jobs and funnel their funds toward unplanned expenses, such as temporary housing and generators. Those costs are usually not covered by governmental funds.
What's more, Kousky points out, the costs of rebuilding can surge after a disaster, with demand driving up prices for building materials and labor. Add in the supply chain woes of the COVID-19 pandemic and those victims of the tornadoes and other 2020 and 2021 disasters may be faced with housing costs that far exceed what any insurance may cover.
Resources for recovery can vary widely
Recovery-aid programs vary from local to state to national scales. While support from these programs is critical, it tends to be delayed and insufficient. Its disbursement is made available following particular guidelines and declarations that may not always be transparent to disaster victims.
Households affected by smaller-scale but still damaging natural disasterssay, a hailstorm or localized floodingmight not be eligible for any governmental support and thus can rely only on their residential or business insurance, or perhaps a local charity.
"Unfortunately, what we know is that a lot of disasters are not included on most homeowners' insurance policies," Kousky says, and they catch residents by surprise after a disaster befalls them.
Larger-scale disasters, like the recent tornadoes and the extreme flooding and damage from this past summer's Hurricane Ida, for example, are more likely to trigger a major-disaster declaration by the president, which makes federal resources available.
After issuing that declaration, the president can then authorize either a local government-level recovery program, which is almost always put into effect, says Kousky, or a household-level program, which is only authorized some of the time.
Even the household-level program only meets a limited set of post-disaster needs. "Individuals can apply for cash grants," Kousky says. "The average is a few thousand dollars because they're not designed to bring you back to pre-disaster conditions; they're designed to make your residence safe enough to live in. So, for example, maybe they'll pay for a tarp for your roof but not a new roof. The aid is something, and it's important, but it does not make people whole by any stretch of the imagination."
More extensive disasters can compel Congress to activate community development block grants for disaster recovery. "That's a bunch of money," Kousky says. "State and local governments can get huge amounts of money and have enormous flexibility in what they do with these dollars."
But these dollars are incredibly slow to get to people, requiring federal processes and the creation of new local programs. "It can take around a year and a half," says Kousky. "This is not an imminent-recovery vehicle; it's more for long-term reconstruction."
Disasters' impacts are not felt equally
While some may consider natural disasters such as fires, storms, and droughts as the great equalizers, the effects ofand the recovery fromsuch events can expose inequities.
"One thing we've been focusing on more recently is how a lot of low- and moderate-income households are disproportionately harmed and locked out of financial resources for recovery," says Kousky. "Disaster aid is more limited than one might assume."
Not only might lower-income households have less savings to tide them over in the event of a disaster, but they're often less able to qualify for credit and loans to support them as they get back on their feet. They may also have more limited access to resources to apply for aid for which they might be eligible. In addition, the emotional and financial strain of recovery can lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes further down the line. "There are cascading impacts to well-being," Kousky says.
Recent work by Wharton's Risk Center has focused on private sector and public sector solutions that address equity. A 2019 Risk Center Digital Dialogue, soliciting policy recommendations from experts across the country, for example, took up the topic of improving disaster recovery among low-income households. And the Center itself is starting from the basics, says Kousky, for example, how can risk communication reach all populations, regardless of socioeconomic standing?
The Risk Center is helping test new tools to boost resiliency
Knowing that innovative approaches will be needed to effectively prepare communities and individuals for disasters to come, the Risk Center has a policy incubator that is testing these innovations in real-world scenarios.
In one project, they're working with New York City on improving recovery of low-income residents to escalating flood risk.
"We're focusing in particular on extreme rainfall events, which are going up and which New York and Philadelphia saw prime examples of this summer," Kousky says.
The program is piloting a new use of what's called parametric insurance. With this product, the insurer provides a payout as soon as a pre-defined event or metricsay, a certain rainfall amount or wind speedis met. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation through the Civic Innovation Challenge, the Risk Center is working with the Mayor's Office of Climate Resiliency and the Center for NYC Neighborhoods to pilot a parametric flood insurance policy that will allow for emergency grants to be made to households in need.
"The Center for NYC Neighborhoods would immediately get money to make resources available to people who have suffered as a result of the flooding," says Kousky. "The product is designed to solve two problems: One is the unmet needs problem, because even if someone has insurance it doesn't cover a lot of things. And the other is reducing the time between when a disaster hits and when dollars are made available. If you're talking about a low-income family that's already living on the edge, they can't wait for two months for recovery grants to come. This way they could get the money not two months after the event but two days after the event. That would be a huge deal."
Explore further How could rising sea level impact the National Flood Insurance Program?
Professor Sren M. Sindbk has directed the Northern Emporium project in the emporium Ribe, Denmark. The archaeological stratigraphy of the sites has secured an improved understanding of global trade flows in the Viking Age. Photo: The Museum of Southwest Jutland. Credit: The Museum of Southwest Jutland
Mobility shaped the human world profoundly long before the modern age. But archaeologists often struggle to create a timeline for the speed and impact of this mobility. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Danish National Research Foundation's Centre for Urban Network Evolutions at Aarhus University (UrbNet) has now made a breakthrough by applying new astronomical knowledge about the past activity of the sun to establish an exact time anchor for global links in the year 775 CE.
In collaboration with the Museum of Southwest Jutland in the Northern Emporium Project, the team has conducted a major excavation at Ribe, one of Viking-age Scandinavia's principal trading towns. Funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, the dig and the subsequent research project were able to establish the exact sequence of the arrival of objects from various corners of the world at the market in Ribe. In this way, they were able to trace the emergence of the vast network of Viking-age trade connections with regions such as North Atlantic Norway, Frankish Western Europe and the Middle East. To obtain a chronology for these events, the team has pioneered a new use of radiocarbon dating.
New use of radiocarbon dating
"The applicability of radiocarbon dating has hitherto been limited due to the broad age ranges of this method. Recently, however, it has been discovered that solar particle events, also known as Miyake events, cause sharp spikes in atmospheric radiocarbon for a single year. They are named after the female Japanese researcher Fusa Miyake, who first identified these events in 2012. When these spikes are identified in detailed records such as tree rings or in an archaeological sequence, it reduces the uncertainty margins considerably," says lead author Bente Philippsen.
The Northern Emporium Project excavated parts of the main street and a plot with houses and workshops in the Viking-age emporium Ribe, Denmark. The excavations followed the stratigraphy of floors and waste deposits metriculously in order to trace the changing activities and arrival of trade goods at the site. Credit: The Museum of Southwest Jutland
The team applied a new, improved calibration curve, based on annual samples, to identify a 775 CE Miyake event in one floor layer in Ribe. This enabled the team to anchor the entire sequence of layers and 140 radiocarbon dates around this single year.
"This result shows that the expansion of Afro-Eurasian trade networks, characterized by the arrival of large numbers of Middle Eastern beads, can be dated in Ribe with precision to 79010 CEcoinciding with the beginning of the Viking Age. However, imports brought by ship from Norway were arriving as early as 750 CE," says Professor Sren Sindbk, who is also a member of the team.
This groundbreaking result challenges one of the most widely accepted explanations for maritime expansions in the Viking Agethat Scandinavian seafaring took off in response to growing trade with the Middle East through Russia. Maritime networks and long-distance trade were already established decades before impulses from the Middle East caused a further expansion of these networks.
A selection of imported glass beads from the late eighth and early ninth century CE found in the emporium at Ribe, Denmark. As the new study shows, local glass bead production was largely replaced by long-distance imports around 790 CE. Credit: The Museum of Southwest Jutland
The construction of the new, annual calibration curve is a global effort to which the researchers from UrbNet and the Aarhus AMS Centre at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Aarhus University have contributed.
"The construction of a calibration curve is a huge international effort with contributions from many laboratories around the world. Fusa Miyake's discovery in 2012 has revolutionized our work, so that we now work with annual time resolution. New calibration curves are recurrently released, most recently in 2020, and Aarhus AMS center has contributed significantly. The new high-resolution data from the present study will enter into a future update of the calibration curve and thus contribute to improve the precision of archaeological dates worldwide. This will provide better opportunities to understand rapid developments such as trade flows or environmental change in the past," says Jesper Olsen, Associate Professor at Aarhus AMS Centre.
The Viking-age emporium Ribe, Denmark, has preserved an extremely detailed stratigraphy of housefloors, workshops and waste deposits from the period c. 700c. 900 CE. This has enabled the researchers in the Northern Emporium Project to chart the arrival of trade goods during the time when Viking-Age sea-trade emerged. The layers next to the hand of the archaeologist in the center of the picture is where the 775 CE Miyaki event is detected by radiocarbon dating. Credit: The Museum of Southwest Jutland
The global trends revealed by the study are essential for the archaeology of trading towns like Ribe. "The new results enable us to date the influx of new artifacts and far-reaching contacts on a much better background. This will help us to visualize and describe Viking Age Ribe in a way that will have great value for scientists, as well as helping us to present the new insight to the general public," says Claus Feveile, curator of the Museum of Southwest Jutland.
A selection among more than 3000 glass beads found at the Northern Emporium project's excavations in the emporium at Ribe, Denmark. The beads are sorted from oldest from c. 700 CE (bottom) to youngest from c. 900 CE (top). Segmented beads and other types imported from the Middle Eastern begin to appear in the middle rows, after c. 790 CE. Credit: The Museum of Southwest Jutland
Background facts
One of the most spectacular episodes of pre-modern global connectivity happened in the period c. 750-1000 CE, when trade with the burgeoning Islamic empire in the Middle East connected virtually all corners of Afro-Eurasia.
The spread of coins, trade beads and other exotic artifacts provides archaeological evidence of the trade links stretching from Southeast Asia and Africa to Siberia and the northernmost corners of Scandinavia. In the north, these long-distance connections mark the beginning of the maritime adventures that define the Viking Age. Researchers have even suggested that it was the arrival of silver and other valuable objects via Eastern Europe which sparked the first Scandinavian Viking expeditions.
It has proven difficult, however, to establish the time of arrival of the Middle Eastern beads and coins in relation to other developments in the Viking world, including the famous raids which shook Western Europe from c. 790.
The research was published in Nature.
Explore further Scandinavian trade 'triggered' the Viking Age
More information: Bente Philippsen, Single-year radiocarbon dating anchors Viking Age trade cycles in time, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04240-5 Journal information: Nature Bente Philippsen, Single-year radiocarbon dating anchors Viking Age trade cycles in time,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04240-5
Figure 1. Screenshots of the contact condition (a) and the no-contact condition (b) at 0, 920 and 3700 ms. (c) Time-series plot showing the dogs' median (black line) and mean horizontal gaze coordinates ( s.e. dotted line and dark gray shaded area) in the final familiarization trials and in the test trials. The shaded yellow and blue areas show the position of the launching and target ball. The dashed vertical line indicates the time when the target ball started moving (also in e). (d) Box plot showing the dogs looking times in the interest areas around the launching ball at the end of the video. The dots represent the individual looking times. (e) Time-series plot showing dogs' pupil size (in arbitrary units and baseline corrected). The orange and blue lines show the mean pupil size ( s.e.) in the contact and no-contact condition. (f) Difference curve derived from GAMM01. The dashed line shows the estimated difference between the no-contact and contact condition; the shaded area shows the pointwise 95% CI. Credit: DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0465
A pair of researchers at the Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna has found that dogs notice when objects in the world do not conform to the laws of physics. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Christoph Volter and Ludwig Huber describe experiments they conducted with pet dogs looking at objects depicted on a computer screen.
Prior research has shown that human babies and adult chimpanzees tend to notice if something they are looking at appears to violate the laws of physicsthings dropping upwards, instead of down, for example. In this new effort, the researchers have found the same is true for pet dogs.
The experiments by the researchers involved first teaching 14 adult pet dogs to watch a video while resting their chins on a cushioned fixture. The cushion was situated in a way that allowed for conducting eye tracking and also measuring pupil dilation in the dogs.
Once the dogs were trained, each was asked to watch a video that showed one ball rolling toward another. Eventually, the first ball collided with a second, forcing the first to stop moving as the second began to move in reaction to the collision. Next, each dog was asked to watch a similar video, only this time, the moving ball stopped rolling before it collided with the second ball. But the second ball behaved as if it had been hit, suddenly rolling into action anyway.
The researchers then studied the data from the biosensors. They found that the dogs stared longer at the balls while watching the second video. They also found that their pupils became more dilated. The researchers note that both reactions are typical for dogs who are more alert to something unexpected happening. Dilated eyes, for example, also occur in people and other animals when they encounter something that requires more visual attention. In this instance, the researchers suggest the dogs became more alert and watched for a longer period of time because they were expecting something else to explain why the second ball started rolling.
Explore further Dogs can tell when people are lying to them, study finds
More information: Christoph J. Volter et al, Dogs' looking times and pupil dilation response reveal expectations about contact causality, Biology Letters (2021). Journal information: Biology Letters Christoph J. Volter et al, Dogs' looking times and pupil dilation response reveal expectations about contact causality,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0465
2021 Science X Network
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
A team of researchers from the University of Udine and Istituto di Genomica Applicata, both in Italy, has found evidence that the wine grapes grown in modern times across Europe were first domesticated in the South Caucasus. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the group describes their genetic analysis of a large number of grapes across Europe and in the South Caucasus.
Wines made in Europe are famous the world over for their taste and quality, and include such varieties as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, merlot and cabernet. It is generally believed that the grapes used to make such wines were slowly cultured versions of ancient European grapes. In this new effort, the researchers have found that not to be the case.
In studying grape samples found across Europe and the South Caucasus (from 204 cultivated and wild varieties), the researchers found that their ancestors were domesticated grapes originally grown in the South Caucasus (a region straddling the Caucasus Mountains that includes Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia) for consumption, approximately 4,000 years ago. They also found evidence that the grapes slowly made their way westward into Europe, approaching the Mediterranean and then moving into southern Europeand once there, interbreeding with native grape varieties. The researchers suggest that such interbreeding helped the grapes survive the colder winters in Europe. And they further suggest that interbreeding with different native varieties in different parts of Europe led to the development of the different varieties that are known today. Once established, the grapes were bred for bigger size and tastier fruit.
The researchers also found an enzyme in the wild grapes that was not present in domestic varieties. The enzyme is known to incite the production of a growth hormone. In wild grapes, the hormones work to make seeds proportionally largebut grapes that produce smaller seeds are preferable for use in both direct consumption and wine-making. Thus, its absence made the domestic grapes a better choice.
More information: Gabriele Magris et al, The genomes of 204 Vitis vinifera accessions reveal the origin of European wine grapes, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Gabriele Magris et al, The genomes of 204 Vitis vinifera accessions reveal the origin of European wine grapes,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27487-y
2021 Science X Network
The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to launch on December 24, 2021. Credit: NASA-GSFC
Far above rain clouds, light pollution, and atmospheric distortion, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has a clear view of the universe. It has shown us distant galaxies, tracked interstellar objects as they soar through our solar system, and studied the atmospheres of planets that orbit other stars. In addition to its own stunning images and groundbreaking discoveries, Hubble uses its powerful vision to support many other past, ongoing, and future missions in space.
These missions represent a vast array of sciencefrom planetary probes that get up close to study the intricate dynamics of the gas giants' atmospheres, to observatories that look beyond our solar system into deep space to study the early universe.
An upcoming key example of support for such missions is Hubble's preparatory observations for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency, set to launch on December 24. Built to advance science goals motivated by Hubble's discoveries, Webb will have a head start on its mission to learn more about the oldest galaxies in our cosmos, mysterious planets beyond other stars, and much more. This type of mission collaboration has been an important part of Hubble's legacy.
Uncovering our solar system
Hubble has supported several of NASA's most important and compelling planetary missions. The science and images gathered from these missions have not only allowed us to further our understanding of our outer solar system but also provide us with a closer look.
Hubble's observations of Jupiter have assisted several missions studying the atmosphere, moons, and cosmic objects surrounding the gas giant. Monitoring activity in Jupiter's atmosphere for decades, Hubble has seen massive storms burst forward from beneath the clouds, and watched its largest storm, the Great Red Spot, shrink as its wind speeds increase. Following up on these observations and working in tandem with Hubble, the Juno mission has continued to learn more about these cloud layers and what makes the storms stir.
The New Horizons mission used Hubble observations to learn more about its target, the dwarf planet Pluto. Hubble discovered four additional Plutonian moons from its observations, two of which were found after New Horizons launched. Without Hubble's help, New Horizons would have discovered the tiny moons only a few months before its visit to Pluto, allowing for little time to properly plan all of the new observations. In June 2014, Hubble searched for and discovered another target for the New Horizons spacecraft, 2014 MU69, now called Arrokoth, the farthest and most primitive solar system object ever explored by humankind. New Horizons flew by Arrokoth in early 2019.
Hubble will help study the compositional components of the Trojan asteroids in support of NASA's Lucy mission, which launched in October 2021. These asteroids orbit the Sun in tandem with Jupiter and are thought to be left over from the formation of the solar system. Because Hubble can detect a small, dim satellite orbiting a larger asteroidsomething an Earth-bound telescope might missthe Lucy team is using Hubble to search for Trojan satellites prior to Lucy's launch. They made their first round of observations in the fall of 2018.
The next year they spotted something that might have been a satellite near Eurybates, a Trojan asteroid, and submitted an urgent proposal to use Hubble again. They were able to get their observations about a month later. Hubble discovered that Eurybates has a small satellite, subsequently named Queta. This discovery has become a "bonus" science exploration opportunity for the spacecraft as it will be visiting not seven but eight asteroids, targeted for a flyby in 2027.
Though searching for satellites is one of the mission's central goals, finding these tiny worlds before Lucy launched gives the team the opportunity to investigate their orbits and plan for more detailed follow-up observations with the spacecraft.
Exoplanets, stars, galaxies, and more
When Hubble launched over 30 years ago, astronomers had no way to prove that planets existed outside our solar system.
Today, thousands of exoplanets are known to exist. Hubble currently works alongside other space telescopes like TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which aims to find promising exoplanets orbiting our nearest and brightest stars. Hubble supports these TESS discoveries by obtaining ultraviolet spectra of the exoplanets' host stars to establish how radiation from stars affects their exoplanets' atmospheric chemistry and composition. Hubble also collects measurements of exoplanet atmospheres to search for evidence of clouds, hazes, and/or water.
Among many other goals, the James Webb Space Telescope will observe exoplanets where Hubble provided a confident detection of water in the atmosphere and measure its abundance.
Hubble is also supporting Webb through a series of preparatory science observations to identify potential targets for the telescope. Started in 2016, the program encourages astronomers to submit science proposals for Hubble observations to pave the way for Webb's observations. Once launched, the telescope will be able to immediately start probing deeper into stellar populations and building upon observations of galaxies and their forms.
Recently, Hubble had its eye on a relic galaxy, NGC 1277, whose stars were born 10 billion years agobut it has undergone no further star formation. Galaxies like NGC 1277 are called "red and dead," and are typically too far away to be studied in detail. Webb will be able to measure the motions of the globular star clusters in NGC 1277 and potentially learn more about the dark matter it contains, providing new insight into this type of galaxy.
NASA's Roman Space Telescope, set to launch in the mid-2020s, will observe many objects Hubble or Webb already studied. It won't focus on a single object, but rather build upon the large mosaics taken by Hubble due to Roman's large field of view and detectors. One example is the PHAT mosaic which covers a third of the Andromeda Galaxy and was created with over 400 Hubble images. Roman will capture this view in infrared light using only two images, opening a world of understanding about galaxies and their components.
The future of astronomy in deep space
The COSMOS survey began in 2002 as a Hubble program to image a wide and deep patch of sky, about the area of 10 full moons. Once Webb begins science observations in the summer of 2022, it will build on that legacy by surveying a half-million galaxies within that patch of sky, becoming the largest project Webb will undertake during its first year. Called COSMOS-Webb, this in-depth survey will allow scientists to learn more about dark matter and how it has evolved with galaxies and their stars over the universe's lifetime.
Gravitational waves are 'ripples' in space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the universe; these disturbances can be picked up with ground-based detectors like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and operated by Caltech and MIT. Because signals from a gravitational wave only give astronomers a very brief signal of spacetime disturbance without much directional information, astronomers then use telescopes that can be pointed very quickly across the sky and cover a vast area to hone in on the region of space where the signals originated. Gravity waves and light waves are physically different ways to transmit information, and observations using both are called multi-messenger astronomy, a rapidly growing field of astronomy.
Once astronomers have found the right galaxy where the cosmic event, such as the merging of two dense neutron stars, has occurred; Hubble is then focused on that area. Hubble can obtain a detailed spectrum of light and a sharp image of the galaxy to better understand the event, detecting radiation that is sometimes associated with the event producing gravitational waves. Once launched, Webb will also be used for in-depth study of these events.
Over its lifetime, Hubble's powerful vision has "set the stage" for Webb and several other missions that aim to uncover fascinating facts about our universefrom our cosmic neighborhood to the farthest reaches of space.
Explore further Image: Hubble views a galaxy with an explosive past
People in London, United Kingdom. Credit: John Simitopoulos, Unsplash, CC0, (creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
British people tend to overestimate the prevalence of different minority demographics, beliefs, and behaviors among the public, according to a study publishing December 22 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
Adrian Furnham at the Norwegian Business School in Oslo, Norway, and colleagues, asked 573 U.K. adults to make population estimates for the U.K. for each of 25 different characteristics, including socioeconomic, religious, health, and behavioral traits. Participants were also asked to complete an intelligence test and to rate their own religiousness, political beliefs, and optimism. They found that the accuracy of estimates was generally low, but respondents were most accurate for the prevalence of vegetarianism, car ownership, and voting. Estimates were least accurate for the proportion of the population who identify as homosexual, which was overestimated by 10% on average, while participants tended to underestimate the percentage of adults claiming state benefits.
Accuracy was significantly correlated with respondents' religiousness, political orientation, and intelligence but optimism did not seem to play a significant role. Incorrect guesses were more likely to overestimate than underestimate the true size of minority groups, and the tendency to exaggerate was strongly related to religious and political attitudes. People were most likely to exaggerate estimates relating to minorities, whereas estimates of affluence and education were less associated with ideology. The researchers found that nationality, sex, religiousness, intelligence, number of children, occupation, and political views were significantly correlated with the magnitude of an individual's estimate; together these individual differences accounted for 12% of the variation between respondents.
Although the study sample was not fully representative of the British population, the results suggest that the statistics people read and remember are biased by their existing beliefs. Perceptions of issues relating to welfare benefits and minorities appear to be particularly prone to bias, which the authors suggest may be related to feelings of social competition.
The authors add: "The study shows that people are generally quite inaccurate about social and demographic statistics of their own society. There is a clear tendency, for example, to overestimate minorities. The tendency to overestimate is related to IQ levels and a sense of being threatened."
Explore further Majority overestimates US gay population, could influence gay rights policies
More information: Furnham A, Arnulf JK, Robinson C (2021) Unobtrusive measures of prejudice: Estimating percentages of public beliefs and behaviours. PLoS ONE 16(12): e0260042. Journal information: PLoS ONE Furnham A, Arnulf JK, Robinson C (2021) Unobtrusive measures of prejudice: Estimating percentages of public beliefs and behaviours.16(12): e0260042. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260042
The French sailing vessel Iris arrived in Woods Hole, Massachusetts after a three-week long journey across the Atlantic Ocean where 17 Argo floats were deployed in support of ocean, weather, and climate research and predictions. While in Woods Hole, the Blue Observer crew picked up the additional floats for the second leg of the voyage in the South Atlantic, towards the island of St. Helena, off the coast of Namibia. During what is one of the largest missions by a sailboat to deploy profiling floats, the crew will release Argo profiling floats to predefined GPS positions, to replace those at the end of their life and to deploy floats in under measured ocean regions. This low-carbon footprint research mission was made possible through a new partnership between the private oceanographic company Blue Observer and international Argo program partners from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, NOAA, Canada and Europe. Credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and partners have joined together to launch approximately 100 new Argo floats across the Atlantic Ocean to collect data that supports ocean, weather and climate research and prediction. These will bolster the international Argo Program, which maintains a global array of about 3,800 floats that measure pressure, temperature, and salinity of the upper 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) of the ocean.
The French sailing vessel Iris arrived in Woods Hole, Massachusetts last week after deploying the initial batch of 17 Argo floats across the Atlantic. The Iris crew picked up the remaining floats, restocked its supplies, and departed Woods Hole this week for the second leg of the voyage in the South Atlantic, towards the island of St. Helena, off the coast of Namibia. The mission is one of the largest Argo float deployments in the Atlantic and is expected to last almost 100 days at sea, filling in crucial observing gaps.
This low-carbon research mission using an 82-foot sailing vessel was made possible through a new partnership between the private oceanographic company Blue Observer and international Argo Program partners from WHOI, NOAA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Europe.
"Coming at a moment when we need meaningful action to tackle the climate crisis, this low carbon emission research mission sets a strong example for future ocean observing research," said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator. "This voyage is a model of global public-private partnership that is helping us improve data that drive life-saving weather and climate forecasts."
During what is one of the largest missions by a sailboat to deploy profiling floats, the S/V Iris crew will deliver Argo floats to predefined GPS positions, replacing those at the end of their service, and deploying floats in some new, under-measured regions to strengthen the Argo array. The mission lifetime of each float is about five years. During a typical mission, each float reports a profile of the upper ocean every ten days, transmitting data to shore by satellite.
"Argo has revolutionized our ability to detect and monitor how the global ocean is changing as climate changes," said Peter de Menocal, president and director of WHOI. "The whole ocean warming trends observed by Argo floats is proof positive that climate change is due to greenhouse gas emissions."
Pandemic sparks innovative mission
The S/V Iris crew deploys one of 17 European Argo floats over the North Atlantic. The mission lifetime of each float is about five years. During a typical mission, each float reports a profile of the upper ocean every 10 days. Sensors record fundamental physical properties of the ocean, including temperature and salinity, with measurements relayed back to shore via satellite Credit: Blue Observer
The initiative was born during the international COVID pandemic, when deployment of Argo floats and other oceanographic instruments by research and commercial vessels was sharply curtailed by COVID-19 restrictions.
"About 1,000 Argo profiling floats must be deployed every year to sustain the Global Ocean Observing System," explained Mathieu Belbeoch, a manager of the Global Ocean Observing System and partner. "Often, they are deployed opportunistically by research ships, but these are very costly, and their trajectories are tied to specific missions and are not able to fill all the gaps or work in all seasons. Collaborations with citizens allow us to reach remote and not yet well sampled areas of the ocean, filling critical observational gaps."
The low-impact journey comes on the heels of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, with its urgent message of curbing the planet's warming emissions. This innovative collaboration between intergovernmental, public, and private sectors also takes place within the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and is funded by NOAA, WHOI, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Euro-Argo.
Argo has transformed ocean science
In more than two decades, the broad-scale global array of floats has grown to be a major component of the ocean observing system and has changed the way scientists think about collecting data and collaborating internationally on data management for the scientific and operational forecasting community.
"Argo's impact on ocean research has been profound: at least one paper a day is published using Argo data. The voyage of Iris will help us track vast regions of the Atlantic over the next few years by replenishing the array in very hard to access regions," said Susan Wijffels, senior scientist of physical oceanography at WHOI and an Argo Steering Team co-chair.
"The Argo program is a true demonstration of the value of international collaboration. Since 2001, Canada has launched over 600 Argo floats throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This OCEANOPS Blue Observer Mission is another example of partners working together to provide ocean data to the world," stated Timothy Sargent, Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
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Image from the epifluorescence microscope: Methanoliparia cells (green) from the laboratory cultures. The oil droplet that the archaea colonize can be seen as a reddish glow. The red dots display rare bacteria that in the culture. Credit: Rafael Laso-Perez/Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology; from: Zhou et al., Nature, 2021
Microorganisms can convert oil into natural gas, i.e. methane. Until recently, it was thought that this conversion was only possible through the cooperation of different organisms. In 2019, Rafael Laso-Perez and Gunter Wegener from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology suggested that a special archaeon can do this all by itself, as indicated by their genome analyses. Now, in collaboration with a team from China, the researchers have succeeded in cultivating this microbe in the laboratory. This enabled them to describe exactly how the microbe achieves the transformation. They also discovered that it prefers to eat rather bulky chunks of food.
Underground oil deposits on land and in the sea are home to microorganisms that use the oil as a source of energy and food, converting it into methane. Until recently, it was thought that this conversion was only possible in a complicated teamwork between different organisms: certain bacteria and usually two archaeal partners. Now the researchers have managed to cultivate an archaeon called Methanoliparia from a settling tank of an oil production facility that handles this complex reaction all by itself.
Enzymes just in case
This archaeon breaks down oil into methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). "Methanoliparia is a kind of hybrid creature that combines the properties of an oil degrader with those of a methanogen, i.e. a methane producer," explains study author Gunter Wegener from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology and the MARUMCenter for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen.
Now that the researchers have succeeded in cultivating these microorganisms in the laboratory, they were able to investigate the underlying processes in detail. They discovered that its genetic make-up gives Methanoliparia unique capabilities. "In its genes it carries the blueprints for enzymes that can activate and decompose various hydrocarbons. In addition, it also has the complete gear kit of a methane producer," says Wegener.
It doesn't look like much, but it's full of surprises: Bottles like these harbor the cultures of Methanoliparia. Credit: Lei Cheng
New pathway of methanogenesis
In their laboratory cultures, the researchers offered the microbes various kinds of food and used a variety of different methods to keep a close eye on how Methanoliparia deal with it. What was particularly surprising to see was that this archaeon activated all the different hydrocarbons with one and the same enzyme.
"So far, we have only cultivated archaea that live on short-chain hydrocarbons such as ethane or butane. Methanoliparia, on the other hand, prefers heavy oil with its long-chain compounds," says co-author Rafael Laso-Perez, who now works at Spain's National Center for Biotechnology (CNB). "Methanogenic microbes that use long-chain hydrocarbons directlywe didn't know these existed until now. Even complicated hydrocarbons with ring-like or aromatic structures are not too bulky for Methanoliparia, at least if they are bound to at least one longer carbon chain. This means that besides our other exciting results we have also found a previously completely unknown pathway of methanogenesis. "
In an oil field like this, Gunter Wegener and his colleagues found the microorganisms that now also live in their laboratory. Genetic information shows that they are widespread and even live in the deep sea. Credit: Yoshi Canopus/ CC-BY-SA-4.0
Detectable from the oil tank to the deep sea
The Methanoliparia cells cultured for the present study originate from one of China's largest oil fields, the Shengli oil field. However, genetic analyses show that these microbes are distributed all over the world, even down to the deep sea. "Our results hold an entirely new understanding of oil exploitation in subsurface oil reservoirs. Both the wide distribution of these organisms and the potential industrial applications make this an exciting field of research in the coming years," Wegener concludes.
Explore further All-in-one: New microbe degrades oil to gas
More information: Lei Cheng, Non-syntrophic methanogenic hydrocarbon degradation by an archaeal species, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04235-2 Journal information: Nature Lei Cheng, Non-syntrophic methanogenic hydrocarbon degradation by an archaeal species,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04235-2
A school of fish on a reef. Credit: Davide Seveso
An international research team led by Associate Professor Giovanni Strona from the University of Helsinki has identified a general macroecological mechanism that calls for a reconsideration of global conservation strategies.
"To truly understand how global change is affecting natural communities and to identify effective strategies to mitigate the ongoing dramatic biodiversity loss, it is fundamental to account for the overarching complexity emerging from biotic interactions. As we show in our new research, doing this might reveal important counterintuitive mechanisms," Giovanni Strona says.
The researchers combined a massive dataset of fish distribution and ecological traits for more than 9,000 fish species. Using artificial intelligence techniques, they generated thousands of networks mapping the interactions between corals and fish and those between fish prey and fish predators in all reef localities worldwide.
They quantified, for each locality, the degree of fish dependency on corals. This analysis confirmed what Strona and colleagues showed in another paper published earlier this year: coral loss might detrimentally affect, on average, around 40 per cent of fish species in each coral reef area.
The researchers also found that the dependency between fish and corals becomes stronger the further away they are from humans. This means that fish communities in remote reefs might be the most vulnerable to the cascading effects of coral mortality.
Areas of critical vulnerability
Next, the researchers asked whether the increased risk that stems from the potential cascading effects of coral mortality might counteract the benefits that remote fish communities experience because they are far away from direct impacts of human activities.
"For this, we devised a novel risk assessment framework that is applicable to any ecosystem. It combines local anthropogenic impacts such as overfishing and pollution and global impacts like climate and environmental change with the risk deriving from ecological interactions," explains Mar Cabeza, head of the Global Change and Conservation Lab at the University of Helsinki.
The framework revealed that taking into account ecological dependencies flattens the expected negative relationship between extinction risk for fish communities and remoteness.
"For example, the hotspots of risks for fish communities from local human-derived impacts and global change are almost perfectly the same as the hotspots of risk from fish coral dependencies. This produces a global map of risk for fish communities where no place is safe, regardless of distance from humans," Giovanni Strona says.
"The validity and relevance of these findings might extend far beyond reef fish, depicting a world where remote localities, rather than safe havens for biodiversity, might be, instead, areas of critical vulnerability," Mar Cabeza concludes.
The research was published in Nature Communications.
Explore further A future ocean too warm for corals might have half as many fish species
The new paper is the broadest study on the biodiversity of spiders of the Iberian Peninsula carried out using the DNA barcoding methodology. Credit: Cyclosa conica, Marc Domenech
Populations of peninsular spiders that make aerial spider webs and move around the air by ballooning (using the silk threads as parachutes) present a more homogeneous genetics structure and are better connected between them. However, species of nocturnal spiders, which hunt on the ground and have a low dispersal capacity, show less genetically connected populations and are more vulnerable to local extinction processes due to environmental factors.
This is concluded in an article published in the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity, led by Professor Miquel Arnedo, from the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the UB. Among the participants are the UB-IRBio experts Marc Domenecfirst author of the articleAlba Enguidanos and Cesc Murria, and Jagoba Malumbres-Olarte, from the University of the Azores (Portugal).
Genetic diversity of Iberian spider populations
In the context of the current biodiversity loss due to human activity, the use of genetic techniques to accelerate cataloging and identification of species for their preservation has become especially relevant. These techniques require databases that relate species to their genetic sequencing.
The new paper is the broadest study on the biodiversity of spiders of the Iberian Peninsula carried out using the DNA barcoding methodology, a comparative genetics technique for the identification of species. With this genetic information, the team revealed the existence of a taxonomic diversity that had been unnoticed to date.
The team provided more than 3,200 new sequences of spiders corresponding to 371 species that live in different oak woodlands of six national parks. Credit: Miquel Arnedo
The team provided more than 3,200 new sequences of spiders corresponding to 371 species that is, a quarter of the total of registered species in the Iberian Peninsula that live in different oak woodlands of six national parks: Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, Ordesa y Monte Perdido, Picos de Europa, Monfrague, Cabaneros and Sierra Nevada.
Populations of Iberian spiders are characterized by an exceptionally high diversity and a high endemic level. This high level of endemismand a relatively reduced distributionmakes peninsular populations to be more vulnerable to potential local extinctions, compromising the viability of the species. "In other populations of the European continent, the endemicity level is lower and this involves a broader distribution which guarantees the permanence of the species despite the potential extinction of some of their populations," notes Professor Miquel Arnedo, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences.
As stated in the paper, some peninsular species show a high genetic homogeneity in the area but others present a high variability between populations. "In different cases, the delimitation of species based on genetic information has revealed the existence of well differenced lineages within the same species," notes Arnedo.
"These lineages he continues could simply reflect populations that are less connected to each other. However, in some cases, this could indicate the potential existence of a hidden diversity that we had not found before, if we consider the morphological characters exclusively," adds Arnedo. "Therefore, we have found that species such as Eratigena montigena or Nuctenea umbratica have different lineages that had been unnoticed due to the strong morphological similarities between them. Future studies with these species will determine whether these lineages correspond to different species."
The study shows that better connected and genetically homogeneous populations are associated to diurnal spiders that live among plants. Credit: Marc Domenech
How to protect Iberian spider populations
The genetic structure of peninsular spider populations is associated to their functional features, as noted in the paper. The correlation of the patterns of genetic diversity at a peninsular scale with different functional and environmental variables enabled the researchers to determine that better connected and genetically homogeneous populations are associated to diurnal spiders that live among plants, hunt preys with aerial spider webs and move by ballooning. However, those associated with the ground, which are active and nocturnal hunters, are more vulnerable to local extinctions due to a lower genetic connection between populations.
Keeping the genetic variability in a population "is a fundamental factor to ensure the adaptation skills and deal with environmental changes since it is the substrate on which natural selection acts," says Marc Domenech (UB-IRBio), first signatory of the article.
"Regarding the species with a low dispersal capacity, if a population disappears due to some external perturbation, it is even harder to repopulate the area it occupied at the beginning," notes Domenech. "The fragmentation of the habitats is one of the most negative effects derived from the alteration of natural environments. Therefore, it is important to ensure the existence of biological corridors that ease the connectivity among populations that are separated by altered environments and that are inhospitable by these species."
The genetic structure of peninsular spider populations is associated to their functional features, as noted in the paper. Credit: Eratigena fuesslini, Marc Domenech
DNA Barcoding: A revolution in taxonomic studies
The DNA Barcoding methodology has changed the analysis of biodiversity yin several faunistic groups through new great-resolution bioinformatic tools to accelerate the classification and identification of species. Using this technology, it is possible to classify juvenile individualsmorphologically unidentifiableat a species and subspecies level. It is also an efficient technique to identify different life stages of the same species which are impossible to identify by other methodologies.
In the study field of Iberian spiders, the team led by Miquel Arnedo is working on a DNA barcode library of all Iberian spiders. This task will enable the future implementation of automated and large-scale identification systems to facilitate the monitoring of communities and habitats of interest, and therefore establish an early warning system to detect potential perturbations on the populations. "Extrapolating these results to other natural habitats will allow us to see up to what extent our results are generalizable," conclude the experts.
Explore further Environmental factors affect the distribution of Iberian spiders
More information: Marc Domenech et al, What DNA barcodes reveal: microhabitat preference, hunting strategy and dispersal ability drive genetic variation across Iberian spider species, Insect Conservation and Diversity (2021). Marc Domenech et al, What DNA barcodes reveal: microhabitat preference, hunting strategy and dispersal ability drive genetic variation across Iberian spider species,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/icad.12552
Like bridges and tall buildings, large mountains are constantly vibrating, excited by seismic energy form the Earth. An international team of researchers has now been able to measure the resonant swaying of the Matterhorn and make its motion visible using computer simulations. Credit: Jan Beutel
The Matterhorn appears as an immovable, massive mountain that has towered over the landscape near Zermatt for thousands of years. A study now shows that this impression is wrong. An international research team has proven that the Matterhorn is instead constantly in motion, swaying gently back and forth about once every two seconds. This subtle vibration with normally imperceptible amplitudes is stimulated by seismic energy in the Earth originating from the world's oceans, earthquakes, as well as human activity.
Every object vibrates at certain frequencies when excited, like a tuning fork or the strings of a guitar. These so-called natural frequencies depend primarily on the geometry of the object and its material properties. The phenomenon is also observed in bridges, high-rise buildings, and now even mountains.
"We wanted to know whether such resonant vibrations can also be detected on a large mountain like the Matterhorn," says Samuel Weber, who carried out the study during a postdoctoral period at the Professorship of Landslide Research at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and is now working at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF. He emphasizes that the interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers at the Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich, the Institute for Computer Engineering and Communication Networks at ETH Zurich, and the Geohazards Research Group at the University of Utah (U.S.) was particularly important for success of this project.
High alpine measuring devices
For the study, the scientists installed several seismometers on the Matterhorn, including one directly on the summit at 4,470 meters above sea level and another in the Solvay bivouac, an emergency shelter on the northeast ridge, better known as Hornligrat. Another measuring station at the foot of the mountain served as a reference. Extensive past experience from Jan Beutel (ETH Zurich / University of Innsbruck) and Samuel Weber installing equipment for measuring rock movements in high mountains made deployment of the measurement network possible. The data are automatically transmitted to the Swiss Seismological Service.
The seismometers recorded all movements of the mountain at high resolution, from which the team could derive the frequency and direction of resonance. The measurements show that the Matterhorn oscillates roughly in a north-south direction at a frequency of 0.42 Hertz, and in an east-west direction at a second, similar frequency (see animation). In turn, by speeding up these ambient vibration measurements 80 times, the team was able to make the vibration landscape of the Matterhorn audible to the human ear, translating the resonant frequencies into audible tones.
Amplified vibrations at the summit
Compared to the reference station at the foot of the Matterhorn, measured movements on the summit were up to 14 times stronger. For most of the team's data these movements were small, typically in the range of nanometers to micrometers. The increase in ground motion with altitude can be explained by the fact that the summit moves freely while the foot of the mountain is fixed, comparable to a tree swaying in the wind. Such amplification of ground motion on the Matterhorn could also be measured during earthquakes, and the team notes this amplification may have important implications for slope stability in the event of strong seismic shaking. Jeff Moore of the University of Utah, who initiated the study on the Matterhorn, explains: "areas of the mountain experiencing amplified ground motion are likely to be more prone to landslides, rockfall, and rock damage when shaken by a strong earthquake."
Such vibrations are not a peculiarity of the Matterhorn, and the team notes that many mountains are expected to vibrate in a similar manner. Researchers from the Swiss Seismological Service carried out a complementary experiment on the Grosse Mythen as part of the study. This peak in Central Switzerland has a similar shape to the Matterhorn, but is significantly smaller. As expected, the Grosse Mythen vibrates at a frequency around four times higher than the Matterhorn, because smaller objects generally vibrate at higher frequencies. The scientists from the University of Utah were then able to simulate resonance of the Matterhorn and Grosse Mythen on the computer making these resonant vibrations visible. Previously, the US scientists have mainly examined smaller objects, such as rock arches in Arches National Park, Utah. "It was exciting to see that our simulation approach also works for a large mountain like the Matterhorn and that the results were confirmed by measurement data," says Jeff Moore.
Explore further Monitoring the Matterhorn with millions of data points
More information: Samuel Weber et al, Spectral amplification of ground motion linked to resonance of large-scale mountain landforms, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2021). Journal information: Earth and Planetary Science Letters Samuel Weber et al, Spectral amplification of ground motion linked to resonance of large-scale mountain landforms,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117295
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket beat the rain and launched at 5:08 a.m. Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center to bring 6,500 pounds of cargo that includes a variety of medical experiments to the International Space Station.
There was some doubt about the launch as weather reports gave only a 30% chance of favorable conditions, according to a Monday forecast from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron. But, the spacecraft lifted off almost exactly as scheduled.
The mission capped off a busy week for SpaceX, which saw successful Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California for its Starlink program on Saturday, and from Canaveral with a Turkish communication satellite on Sunday, a record turnaround with just over 15 hours between launches.
The cargo mission is the 31st Falcon 9 launch in 2021, also a record, and the last planned for the year. It's the 24th resupply mission for the company to the ISS since it began the service in 2012.
Among the experiments headed to space are a handheld bioprinter called Bioprint FirstAid that would use human skin cells to create a 3-D printed tissue Band-Aid of sorts.
The experiment run for the German Space Agency looks to demonstrate how space travelers can use their own skin cells to create a tissue-forming patch to cover wounds and speed up healing, something that will be vital to long-term space missions to the moon and Mars, said project manager Michael Becker.
"On human space exploration missions, skin injuries need to be treated quickly and effectively," Becker said. "The personalized and individual bioprinting-based wound treatment could have a great benefit and is an important step for further personalized medicine in space and on Earth."
The experiment will also look at how the bioprinter could be used on Earth after the experiments are returned for study at Technical University Dresden in Germany.
Also flying up will be experiments that look at making monoclonal antibodies, and the challenges they have dissolving easily in liquids. Used as treatments for many human diseases including COVID-19, because of their tendency to remain crystallized, the treatment requires a clinical setting.
This experiment is for Merck Research Labs and focusing on cancer, with the ultimate goal of allowing the treatments at a doctor's office as opposed to having to head to a hospital.
NASA's Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science program will send up a study on antibiotic resistance in microgravity from Columbia University and an experiment from the University of Idaho that looks at how microgravity affects bacteria-resistant materials.
Other experiments headed to the ISS will look at heat-resistant alloys, potentially harmful microbe growth and human immunity, plant roots and shoots in microgravity in an effort to reduce stresses on their growth in space, and a commercial endeavor for Procter & Gamble's product Tide Infinity, a fully degradable detergent specifically for use in space.
2021 Orlando Sentinel.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Male elephant. Credit: Connie Allen
Male elephants are more aggressive when fewer older males are present, new research suggests.
The research, by the University of Exeter, suggests that the removal of old male elephants, which are often the targets of trophy hunting, could lead to increased human-wildlife conflict.
The study, in collaboration with Elephants for Africa, examined the behavior of 281 male elephants in an all-male area in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana, over a period of three years.
The elephants were divided into four age groups, adolescents (10-15 and 16-20 years), and adults (21-25 and 26+ years).
The results found that with fewer old bull elephants around, elephants were more likely to be aggressive towards non-elephant targets such as vehicles, livestock and other species.
The adolescent elephants, in particular, were more aggressive and fearful to non-elephant targets when they were alone compared to with other males. This indicates that socially isolated adolescents may also be an increased threat to people.
"Our research draws attention to what is often a rather overlooked area in animal behavior; that of the complex relationships and connections that occur between males in non-breeding all-male societies," said lead author Connie Allen of Exeter's Center for Research in Animal Behavior.
Male elephants. Credit: Connie Allen
"It appears the presence of more knowledgeable, older elephants in groups may play a key role in keeping the younger, less experienced males calm and lowering their perception of their current threat level, which means there's less risk of aggression towards humans and other species.
"Alternatively, older bulls may police other males aggression directed toward non-elephant targets."
Professor Darren Croft, of the University of Exeter, said understanding the causes of aggression in male elephants is essential for reducing human-elephant conflict.
"Old male bull elephants are often thought of as redundant and are targeted for trophy hunting," he said.
"These new results highlight the important role that old male elephants can play in shaping the behavior of younger males, which are more aggressive in the absence of old bullsincluding towards vehicles.
Male elephants. Credit: Connie Allen
"These findings provide an important message for wildlife managers and suggest that the removal of old male elephants from populations could lead to an increase in human-wildlife conflict."
Associate Professor Lauren Brent, of the University of Exeter, said: "Elephants are highly social animals. This study clearly shows how wildlife management can be informed by how elephants interact and react to each other.
"Future research on social behavior will continue to enhance conservation efforts of this iconic species."
The paper, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is entitled "Reduced older male presence linked to increased rates of aggression to non-conspecific targets in male elephants."
Explore further Old males vital to elephant societies
A bull moose stands at the edge of a wood on the Grand Portage Reservation. Credit: Tiffany Wolf, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine
Twenty-three percent of collared moose that died in Northeastern Minnesota over the past 15 years were infected with Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, a brain worm parasite transmitted by white-tailed deer that is one of the biggest threats to adult moose mortality in Minnesota.
A new study from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa published today in the journal Science Advances offers a new theory on the role of wolves in disease transmission among prey.
The study was conducted in and around the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indian Reservation in Northeastern Minnesota and in the northern superior uplands forest along the northwest Lake Superior shoreline, where the UMN and Grand Portage team have for years been studying moose in an effort to understand and reverse a long-term moose population decline. Researchers captured and tracked 94 adult moose, 89 deer (65 adults) and 47 adult wolves during the 20072019 study period.
The study found that:
Most deer and moose performed seasonal migration, with different habitat selections by the two species.
Deer and moose overlap increased during the spring migration and summer seasonsa time of greatest brainworm transmission risk.
Wolf pressure was linked to greater segregation of deer and moose across habitatsand reduced brainworm transmission risk.
"We often think of wolves as bad news for moose because they kill a lot of calves," said principal investigator Tiffany Wolf, DVM, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine. "But this suggests that wolves may provide a protective benefit to adult moose from a parasite-transmission perspective. Because brainworm is such an important cause of adult moose mortality in Minnesota, we can now see that the impact of wolves on moose is a bit more nuanced."
The findings give state and tribal managers new information to consider in drafting and implementing herd and wolf management plans in Minnesota and beyond. Maintaining healthy moose populations is a central goal of tribal managers, as moose are an important subsistence species for the Grand Portage Band and important to cultural preservation.
Key to the study were Seth Moore, co-principal investigator of the project. Edmund Isaac and Yvette Chenaux-Ibrahim, of the Grand Portage Band; Luiz Gustavo Oliveira-Santos, of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, who provided spatial ecology expertise; Virginia Tech assistant professor Luis Escobar, in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation; William Severud and Tyler Garwood in the VPM department; and James Forester in the University's Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology.
Explore further Pandemic interrupts longtime Isle Royale wolf, moose study
More information: L. Gustavo R. Oliveira-Santos et al, Spatial compartmentalization: A nonlethal predator mechanism to reduce parasite transmission between prey species, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances L. Gustavo R. Oliveira-Santos et al, Spatial compartmentalization: A nonlethal predator mechanism to reduce parasite transmission between prey species,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5944
FORT EDWARD The Cambridge man who police said sexually abused three children under the age of 11 has been sentenced to 23 years in state prison.
Trevor D. Hunt was sentenced in Washington County Court on Friday. Hunt was sentenced to 23 years determinate in prison and 20 years post release supervision on his plea to first-degree criminal sex act with a victim less than 11 years old, a felony.
He was also sentenced to seven years in state prison and 10 years post release supervision on his plea to felony first-degree sexual abuse.
Both sentences will run concurrently, meaning the total sentence would be 23 years.
Police said at the time of his arrest that it was believed that the abuse had taken place more than a decade ago when Hunt lived in the town of Cambridge and in the village of Hoosick Falls.
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GLENS FALLS A Queensbury woman has been arrested for filing a false report in connection with a stabbing incident that took place at a Union Street residence on Nov. 17, according to police.
Michelle Marks, 28, has been charged with third-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury, making a punishable false statement, third-degree falsely reporting an incident, unlawful possession of noxious matter, second-degree menacing with a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon with intent to use, all misdemeanors.
The Glens Falls Police Department responded to a potential domestic dispute between a man and a woman at around 1 p.m. on Nov. 17. Marks had suffered stab wounds to her lower abdomen that were severe enough to require treatment at the hospital.
Police said that she made a report stating that she had been stabbed by the man involved in the dispute.
Glens Falls Police later discovered that Marks had stabbed herself during the dispute. Police said she had also chased the man out of the residence, assaulting him with pepper spray.
The man was exposed to the pepper spray, but had no other injuries and did not require medical treatment.
Police said that Marks confessed that her original report was not accurate, and she was arraigned in Glens Falls City Court on Friday. She was released under her own recognizance and will appear in court on a later date.
Detective Lt. Seth French said that the stabbing was an isolated incident and that there is no further threat to the public as a result.
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Warren County Public Works Superintendent Kevin Hajos has been selected to serve on the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force, an organization tasked to help find ways to reduce the use of road salt on highways.
Hajos has led a team at the Department of Public Works that has begun a program to use salt brine on roads in the winter to minimize the impact of snow and ice, and to help supply towns in the county with salt brine. Brine is considered more environmentally friendly and less expensive than salt,
He was nominated for the task force by state Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury.
I am honored to have been chosen to sit on this task force as we work to ensure protection of the lakes and waterways that are such an important part of our lives and economy here in Warren County and the rest of the Adirondacks, Hajos said in a Warren County news release.
The 15-member task force has been asked to create a three-year pilot plan for road salt reduction practices. A final report on that study will be due to state legislators in the summer of 2024.
The task force will be chaired by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and state Department of Transportation.
We are very proud of the work Mr. Hajos has done implementing new solutions to reduce the levels of salt that run off into Lake George and our other water bodies, Warren County Administrator Ryan Moore said. His knowledge and experience will be of great value to this important task force.
Warren County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Rachel Seeber said Hajos has been a leader in the regions efforts to curb the use of road salt on our highways while continuing to keep our roads safe during winter weather, and she thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul for recognizing Hajos expertise.
We are eager to see what steps this task force will recommend to further protect our environment from the impacts of road salt, she said in the release.
A news release from the Governors Office identified 10 of the task force members, who, in addition to Hajos, include former state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens; Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board Executive Director Gerald Delaney; Adirondack Council Vice President for Conservation Megan Phillips; ADKAction Executive Director Brittany Christenson; Kristine Stepeneck, a member of the International Joint Commission the U.S. and Canadas watershed quality organization; Philip Sexton, the founder and managing director of WIT Companies, a sustainable winter management company; Robert Kafin, who chairs the Council on the Environment of New York City; and Hamilton County Superintendent of Highways Tracy Eldridge.
The Adirondack Daily Enterprise contributed to this report.
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Weis considers himself a storyteller.
I look at sacred scripture and biblical authors and I try to teach those lessons. Some of those lessons relate to the best moments and the worst moments of people on the path of life, Weis said. It is not the story of perfect people; they are stories about people who are more like us with flaws and problems. But we can learn that if those people can rise above it, then so can all of us.
Weis spoke of the importance of relationships he has fostered over the years at Beth Israel, with youth, with the community and with the Interfaith Council.
It is all about relationships we share, he said.
1:21 Menorah lighting returns to Vineland VINELAND Main Street Vineland will join the Jewish Federation of Cumberland, Salem & G
Asked if there was one thing he hoped the congregation would remember about his tenure, Weis said, I hope they remember that Judaism is aspirational. I hope that they aspire to live lives of honor and integrity and seeking justice. Better they forget about me and remember the Torah because if they remember the Torah, they will remember to be committed members of the congregation and the community.
Weis will remain as rabbi emeritus while Beth Israel brings in a new rabbi. He and his wife plan to remain in Northfield.
After 33 years, this is our home, said Weis. He will continue to teach at Stockton, and his wife, Susan Fischer Weis, will remain in her position as the director of the Board of Jewish Education of Atlantic and Cape May counties.
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But Pleasantville Councilman Tony Davenport, who lives in the neighborhood where the trash transfer station would be located, said he and many residents oppose the idea.
I grew up in the area. Ive been there 57 years, since I was 4 years old, Davenport said. I have watched the impact of AE Stone (and other industrial companies) on vegetation. Now its another entity to pollute the area.
Davenport said the decision should be based on quality of life, not just more ratables for the city.
We need an environmental study, Davenport said.
We want the DEP to look at it, said Commission Chair Maureen Kern, of Somers Point.
I think as a taxpayer not having shared services is a bad move. Its going to hurt the taxpayers, said Fred Akers, of Buena Vista Township, an environmentalist and volunteer board member at the ACUA.
Our view: Trash transfer station wont be easy to put in Pleasantville A property developer wants to set up a transfer station for construction debris on a rail li
In May, Pleasantville City Council approved the transfer station by a 5-2 vote, but the proposed station still needs a long list of approvals from city and county entities and the DEP, ACUA Executive Director Rick Dovey has said.
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While approaching the back of the house in the 300 block of North Seventh Street, officers saw through the window what appeared to be a dead man sitting in a recliner. When they entered through the front of the house, they found a dead woman on the landing of the stairs, according to court documents.
Both Enders and Pitoy suffered massive stab wounds and loss of blood, according to court documents. Investigators also observed additional injuries consistent with possible blunt force trauma.
Through a search of Motor Vehicle Commission records, police found Heffernan drove a 2003 Ford Winnebago.
Footage from various surveillance cameras showed a white RV seen heading east on the bridge onto Long Beach Island at 4:48 a.m. Sept. 29.
At 4:58 a.m., a Ring doorbell camera captured the RV approaching Enders home, and at 5:49 a.m., the vehicle was seen driving east on Seventh Street with its headlights off, according to a court affidavit.
At 6:42 a.m., another camera captured an individual, holding what appeared to be an orange garment or bag, in the backyard of Enders home. The individual jumped over the fence, walked between the two houses and cut through the property toward Sixth Street.
The state Department of Consumer Affairs will be also tasked with establishing a winter termination program for the 2022-23 winter season, protecting eligible customers from Nov. 15 to March 15.
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This extension will provide a buffer for families that still have arrears and allow additional time for them to work out a payment plan, said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who oversees the DCA. No one should have to choose between paying their utilities and paying for other necessities such as food, housing and medication.
Murphy previously replaced a shutoff moratorium with the Dec. 31 grace period in July while New Jerseyans statewide began pulling themselves out of financial descent triggered by pandemic-related shutdowns that forced thousands on unemployment.
The grace period was intended to allow residents to acquire financial assistance to prevent shutoffs ahead of fall and winter.
The six were identified as Tayron Brown, 25; Kavon Carter, 24; Brandon Clifton, 23; Javon Forman, 21; Kyree Weathers, 24; and Sylas Young, 19. Eight others also have been charged for their roles in helping a street gang called Gotti Boy Movement in the coronavirus-related fraud, Coffina said.
Investigators alleged the pandemic scam yielded $124,996 in funds from Paycheck Protection Program applications that were filed in the name of gang members and their affiliates.
Carter allegedly submitted an application claiming he was a barber with an annual income of more than $105,000 in 2019, even though he was incarcerated throughout 2019.
Carter received a check for nearly $21,000, as did five of his associates, Coffina said.
The alleged criminal actions that led to the racketeering charge started in September 2014, when shots were fired at a Pemberton Township police officer who was sitting in a cruiser in Sunbury Village, Coffina said.
And Petal already has been spruced up at Laran Bronze Inc. in Chester. It didnt look as if it had been vandalized, but there were signs of age, and some cracks we had to fix. We found pennies lodged into crevices, said Lawrence Welker, whose father and uncle co-founded the business in 1984.
All in all it just needed a little TLC to bring it back to what it used to be, Welker said. Its definitely a beautiful piece, a fun piece, very playful, and it tied into peoples lives in a certain way. The great thing about public artwork is, it can have that impact.
Frudakis, for whom Petal was his first major public commission, said he had been wondering about Petals fate.
+5 Tourists get final glimpse inside Lucy the Elephant before extensive renovation MARGATE Matt Correll decided to visit Lucy the Elephant on a whim Sunday.
People were really trying to keep her from going down with the mall, and Im glad she is still viable, he said. Hopefully she will be somewhere kids can enjoy her.
Owings, a retired teacher who lives with his wife, retired teacher Nancy Collier, in an early 19th century house in the heart of Burlington, is as bullish about the prospects for raising enough money to create a new home for Petal at the historical society as he is about the prospects of his historic river city itself.
As a writer, podcaster and economist not necessarily in that order I receive numerous emails asking for advice. People ask for my opinion not only on economic questions, but also about what kind of job they should get, if they should return to school, whether they should marry a given person, how to plan a wedding, which books they should read and, yes, what is the meaning of life.
I am reluctant to hand out advice, if only because a) I dont even know these people, and b) a proper answer is usually context-specific. Nonetheless, I think there are two pieces of advice that are appropriate for almost everybody, in response to almost any question. Here they are. Maybe I should just send all future requests for advice a link to this column.
The first piece of advice stems from what has been dubbed in Silicon Valley the small group theory. It goes like this:
When working on any kind of problem, task or question, embed yourself in a small group of peers with broadly similar concerns.
Theres something missing from the discussion of legitimacy and Roe, though, something that the commission report gets admirably clear: The term has a lot of different, and sometimes incompatible, meanings. Before we ask what decision in the Mississippi case would be best for the courts institutional interest, we have to consider what sort of institution it is supposed to be.
For much of U.S. history, the court played a role that was important but much more limited than the one it has performed during the last few decades. It set aside few laws only two federal laws in the first seven decades under the Constitution. As Americans struggled over monumental issues such as religious pluralism and the size of government, the court was mostly a bystander.
Over the last century, and particularly since World War II, the court has read the Constitution as giving it a much larger role in superintending the policies of the federal and state governments. As it accumulated more power, its conception of itself changed accordingly, as did everyone elses conception of it.
Atlantic County also has been in the hunt to diversify its economy with aviation industry investment. Its main draws are Atlantic City International Airport and the adjacent William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center.
The county has had some success, creating the National Aviation Research and Technology Park, leasing the space in its first building and fielding strong interest in a second building under construction.
In 2019, Atlantic County officials said they were negotiating with a charter plane maintenance and repair company, and the county would build a $4.5 million hangar for the company if it located at the airport. That airport is owned by the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which the county would need to pay to lease the ground for such a hangar. The financing, if the plan materialized, would have to be done by the Atlantic County Improvement Authority.
Back in 2015, a major report from consultant AngelouEconomics identified the aviation industry as the regions best bet for bringing good paying jobs to the area. The county responded by creating the Atlantic County Economic Alliance to help pursue that opportunity.
For Hua Yong, there was no option but to leave China.
Because of my works of art, I was put in jail all these years and persecuted by the government. So, I had no choice but to leave my homeland, said Hua.
The Beijing artist uses his work and social media to document and highlight the suffering of Chinese citizens.
He says Chinese authorities threatened and arrested him multiple times and forced him into a re-education through labor program for 15 months. He is now seeking asylum in Canada.
Canada has large immigrant communities, including in Vancouver where about 20% of the population is of Chinese descent. Many came here for educational and economic opportunities. But others, like Hua, moved to Canada in search of political refuge.
In reality, even though people are from China, I feel we dont have human rights there (in China), said Hua.
Critics say China has become more heavy-handed in recent years on the mainland and in Hong Kong.
In 2020, China imposed a new national security law targeting people who it says are responsible for acts of subversion or terrorism, limiting speech and the ability to gather.
Beijing state media claim the new law is needed to protect the people after months of violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
In response to the law, Canada created a work permit and two new pathways to permanent residency for Hong Kong residents.
Immigration consultants have seen a surge of interest from Hong Kong residents wanting to leave the territory for Canada.
While the Canadian government has made it easier for Hong Kong residents to move there, Canada has yet to see a surge in new immigrants from Hong Kong.
Canada received more than 3,000 applications for various visas from Hong Kongers in the first quarter of the program.
In contrast, an estimated 335,000 Hong Kongers moved to Canada before the British government handed over its former colony to China in 1997.
The expected tsunami of applications from Hong Kong to Canada in any category, including citizenship categories, just not there, said Richard Kurland, an immigration lawyer. And that means that theres no rush.
One likely reason is that many Hong Kongers still living in the territory already have Canadian passports and can return to Canada at any time.
While there may not be a tide of people migrating to Canada yet, Reuters reports Hong Kong residents moved record levels of capital to Canada, surpassing $40 billion last year.
I feel very safe here. Its a heaven for freedom, says Hua. You can have free speech.
One reason why Hua and people from Hong Kong choose to live in and be citizens of Canada.
Mujahid is a 12-year-old Uyghur refugee in Turkey.
I remember at home, we used to go to the pool with my father and have competitions, said 12-year-old Mujahid who is only using his first name for safety reasons. We would have fun with my dad. I was 4 years old then, very little. Sometimes I remember by looking at my mom and dads picture.
Mujahid added, The last thing (my parents) said to me was, Even if you forget us, we will not forget you.
Mujahid is one of dozens of Uyghur children who live in this Istanbul school, which teaches Uyghur language, math, religion and other subjects in the hours before and after public schools meet. Most of the students live with parents or relatives, but many, like Mujahid, live in this school. Their parents are all believed to be detained by the Chinese government.
Amnesty International says a million or more mostly-Uyghur Muslims from Xinjiang, the autonomous region of China where most Uyghurs live, have been detained in centers like this since 2017.
It is part of a systematic campaign Amnesty calls crimes against humanity that includes at least imprisonment, torture, and persecution.
China has denied abuses against Uyghurs for decades and says the modern-day centers educate and teach vocational skills to reduce poverty. The government also says some actions against Uyghurs are meant to combat Islamic extremism and that foreign accusations of human rights abuses are attempts to destabilize China for political gain.
As many as 50,000 Uyghurs work and live in Turkey, and the country is generally viewed as a haven for Uyghur refugees. But families and their lawyers say economic and security ties between Turkey and China have deepened in recent years, and so have threats to the Uyghur community.
Enver Turdi reported news in Xinjiang and continues to speak out against human rights abuses in China, even after a year of detention in Turkey.
Turkey holds and investigates people for months or a year and finds nothing, Turdi said. Once they have the correct information, they let people go. For me, its been three years, and they are still investigating. China cannot provide evidence.
Lawyers say families increasingly fear detainees will be deported to China where they could face imprisonment or worse.
If they stop abusing people and they leave us alone, I may go back some day, said Abdullah, 11, a Uyghur refugee at the school who is also using only his first name for safety reasons.
The boys say while many children here have parents with them in Istanbul, everyone they know in the school has missing family members.
Bugra Arkin owns a Uyghur restaurant in Los Angeles. He studied public policy in the United States and is an ethnic Uyghur Muslim from Xinjiang Province, China, where more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims, including his father, a publisher, have been held in re-education camps. The United States and human rights groups call Chinas suppression of Uyghurs and their culture a genocide.
In 2018, my father and my uncle, my cousins, some of my friends, they disappeared. And then I heard they were taken to the concentration camp, Arkin says.
But his family could get no information, and no Chinese lawyer would help.
Now in Los Angeles, Arkin was granted asylum in 2018. His wife, also a Uyghur, is a U.S.-trained lawyer who has joined the U.S. Air Force. Yet the couple received two frightening phone calls from a Chinese-speaking caller earlier this year.
She was threatening me, even death-threatening my 2-year-old daughter, Arkin said. She said, we are closely watching you; we will kill you. You are going to die.
He was told to stay silent but says he will not.
Even this can give me strength to speak up for my father and my Uyghur people, Arkin said.
Another asylum applicant, Jie Lijian, has also received threatening phone calls saying China is watching him and insisting he keep quiet.
In China, he was incarcerated repeatedly, burned with cigarettes and suffered beatings that cost him several teeth. All vivid memories, says this political activist from Shandong Province. He recalls two forced stays in psychiatric hospitals and torture in a police facility in 2009.
When we arrived in a compound, they pushed my head into a big water tank, said Jie. I think theyve been through this kind of training. They wont let you die but wont let you feel good. They make you suffer, to where you feel like youre suffocating on the brink of death.
Between 2015 and 2018, Jie took part in commemorations of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen massacre in China. Again, he was detained and tortured after reentering the mainland.
The Chinese government would torment its citizens using any method, said Jie. If you are killed, then you are killed. If you are disabled, then you are disabled. If you accuse them of wrongdoing, they will continue to arrest you, and whats waiting for you is prison (or) is a mental hospital.
China denies mistreating those in custody, but human rights groups have documented the torture of criminal suspects and activists and mass incarceration of ethnic Uyghurs.
Both men worry about the fate of their families in China, but say they feel compelled by their plights to speak out.
Emily Pei moved to Canada 12 years ago. Her journey from southern China to Canada was a decision made out of love.
My husband, hes Canadian, said Pei. He went to teach in China, and thats where we met.
Peis husband wanted to return to Canada, took her to Prince Edward Island for a summer visit, and the rest is history.
I just fell in love with PEI, so I said, Sure we can.
Pei says there are several ways immigrants arrive on the island.
You have mainly two pathways to come here, said Pei. One is through your skills. The other is through business. Depends on what kind of skill set you have.
Emily Pei moved to Canada 12 years ago. (VOA News)
Today, the former university instructor helps foreigners, including some from China, make a new home in Prince Edward Island with her company, Canada Ask. Pei says there is one main reason why someone from China would resettle on Prince Edward Island.
Most of them, they say for the education, for my children, Pei said.
Canada has been experiencing a labor shortage since before the pandemic. Immigration is one solution. From 2020 to 2021, even with the pandemic, 4% of new immigrants who are working or will soon arrive to work on the island are from China.
Jeff Young, director at Prince Edward Islands immigration office, estimates more than 2,000 people from China currently live on the island. He says they are here for different reasons.
They enjoy the fresh air, those sorts of things. The peace, the quiet, the tranquility. But the big reason they give us is for their kids, said Young. They want to come to Canada and come to PEI to build a better life for their children. Its a safe place. Its the work life balance. Theres activities for their kids to do. We do have a good educational system, which they appreciate for their kids.
Overall, not all of the islands residents stay. Some move to other parts of Canada. As Canadas smallest province, with just over 164,000 people, there are some limitations, including fewer private schools and a limited number of family doctors.
Pei is one who stayed to raise her family and has witnessed positive changes for the local Chinese community.
Compared to things 10 years ago, its much better now, with Chinese supermarkets, you know, said Pei. Before, I think only one or two. But now, maybe more than five (or) six now. So, the Chinese community is growing.
With an estimated 1.9% annual growth rate and a working-age population on the rise, in part because of immigration, Canadas smallest province is quickly transforming and becoming more diverse each year.
Many people from mainland China and Hong Kong have found a haven south of the equator in Australia to work, study and seek refuge.
Australia is (an) extremely beautiful, multicultural democracy, said Feng Chongyi.
Originally from China, Feng is a university professor in Sydney. In 2020, Chinas state media Global Times accused him of being an Australia spy, alluding to a 2017 trip back to China when Feng was questioned by authorities. Feng refutes the accusation and told the South China Morning Post its part of Chinas propaganda machine. He describes Australia as a paradise for intellectual freedom.
The 1980s generations like me were brought up to believe in democracy, he said.
In 1989, he witnessed Beijings violent crackdown on the pro-democracy student movement at Tiananmen Square.
I came here to escape China, Feng said.
Feng Chongyi, a China studies professor in Sydney, describes Australia as a paradise for intellectual freedom. (VOA News)
Fatima Abdulghafur also left China to seek freedom. She was born in the place she knows as East Turkistan. China calls it Xinjiang.
When I left China, its definitely because I saw I could be forever a slave, said Abdulghafur.
She is alluding to Chinas treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority group, where human rights groups say more than 1 million Uyghurs have been detained in camps.
My father was also taken to the camp, said Abdulghafur. My brother was taken to the camp.
Abdulghafur says her father died in a camp. Marriage brought her to Australia after she lived in the United States.
More than 650,000 Chinese-born immigrants live in Australia, making them the third most populous group behind people from England and India. That does not include people from Taiwan or Hong Kong, who also live in cities such as Sydney. Many are too afraid to speak to VOA.
Because they (Chinese government) do have very strong leverage, leverage (because) their family members (are) still in China, said Feng. Theyre scared.
For Hong Kong residents, Australia will provide pathways to permanent residency beginning next March. The new programs stem from an Australian commitment to Hong Kong shortly after Beijing implemented the national security law, which was a response to the 2019 pro-democracy protests, but critics say it limits free speech. Chinese state media say the law is aimed at protecting citizens.
Feng says over the years in Sydney, hes seen differences of attitudes between older members of the Chinese diaspora, who support more Western views, and the more recent Chinese immigrants, who express strong, patriotic views about their home country.
In 2008, its a sea change, change to opposite, said Feng. The Chinese students and Chinese immigrants again come out on the streets, but this time to support (the) Chinese government and suppress the Chinese democracy movement.
But that may be part of the allure of Australia for immigrants like Feng and Abdulghafur it offers freedom for people to openly express their views.
Fifty-one-year-old Kacey Wong is a contemporary visual artist. He was also a pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong. In the past decade, his protest art has appeared in many anti-government demonstrations.
Wong says after China imposed a draconian national security law on the former British colony last July, Hong Kong became shrouded in fear. He checked social media every morning to see if friends had been arrested overnight.
After finding himself on a list of cultural undesirables in a pro-Beijing newspaper, Wong accelerated his escape to Taiwan.
I have to leave Hong Kong in order to have an independent voice, he said. Nobody wants to live in a city that constantly provides fear.
Data from Taiwans National Immigration Agency show that the number of Hong Kongers relocating to Taiwan is on the rise.
In 2020, the figure almost doubled from the year before to more than 10,000 people, a record. And in the first seven months of 2021, more than 5,000 Hong Kongers arrived in Taiwan.
Lo Chih-cheng, a legislator with Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party, says there are enough mechanisms in place to help those fleeing Hong Kong on a case-by-case basis.
Lo says passing an asylum law would be a national security risk because it would open up the islands borders to passport holders from around the world, including those from China.
When it comes to the people from mainland China, I think its more complicated and more sensitive, because it is very likely that there could be spies pretending to be refugees and wanting to come to Taiwan, said Lo.
But human rights groups say the current policies make it too difficult for Hong Kongers to obtain permanent residency, especially those eligible for work permits. They say without an asylum law, the islands policy toward Hong Kong and China could easily shift, depending on which political party is in power.
The DPP government has shown goodwill toward these Hong Kongers, but will the future government follow suit in lieu of an asylum law? said Taiwan Association of Human Rights Wang Si. Therefore, we think that a refugee law is important in institutionalizing a permanent asylum framework.
Observers say Taipei lacks a law for refugees and asylum-seekers because it is afraid of provoking Beijing.
The law will apply to none but foreigners, yet the idea of listing people from Hong Kong, Macau and China as foreigners will largely offend China, said Jacob Lin, a human rights lawyer in Taipei. This has become a highly controversial political taboo.
Lin says Taiwan seldom denies entry to asylum seekers unless national security risks are present or the legal ground is weak. Taiwan is moving to relax restrictions for high school students from Hong Kong and Macau seeking to study in Taiwan, beginning in September 2022 a way to help teenage exiles.
Court records show Gee was never served with the warrant and was unaware of its existence. Financial difficulties forced him and his mother to move out of their home during the pandemic and they had not yet found a permanent place to live, making it difficult for authorities to locate the teen.
Gee said police officers told him not to worry about the warrant. He only needed to post $200 bond and hed be free to go. Its not like he would be spending the night in jail, he recalls them saying.
The teen, however, knew it wouldnt be that easy. He didnt have that kind of money, and he doubted his mother did either. The bond amount would be needed to keep a roof over their heads.
Gee called his mom anyway, and she confirmed his suspicions.
I told him I would see if I could raise enough money, but I wasnt sure I could do it that quickly, Kiwanna Williams said. I told him that he might have to stay in jail until I could come up with it.
In many cases, what officers may think of as an inexpensive, inconsequential ticket turns into a much larger ordeal for those who cannot afford to pay it, experts said.
If youre looking for a family-friendly activity that will give your kiddos the chance to exercise their imagination and enjoy some time outdoors, consider a trip to Storybook Island in Rapid City.
Part amusement park, part playground that brings beloved fairy tales to life, Storybook Island was founded in 1959 by Merle Gunderson (Rapid Citys parks superintendent at the time) with help from the Rapid City Rotary Club. Gunderson visited a park in Oakland, California, and after his visit he came home and decided that Rapid City needed a free-admission park, explains Jackie Laws, Storybook Islands executive director. So he enlisted the rotary club for donations and support to fund the park. Since then, Storybook Island has operated on sponsorships and donations from people and businesses in the Rapid City community.
After starting with just a few plywood sets on 2 acres for children to play on, Storybook Island now has 8.5 acres that have been developed exclusively for fun. We continually update and add new sets when the funds are available, says Laws. We are excited for the summer of 2022 because we will be adding new sets and updating existing sets. In total, 12 pieces will be refurbished and 21 new pieces will be brought into the park. We can do this because of wonderful sponsorships and donations given this year.
Here are the top five things to do and see at Storybook Island this year.
1. The Wizard of Oz set
Walk the yellow brick road with Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Cowardly Lion on the Wizard of Oz set. "This set was put in the park in 1982 by the Brewick family, says Laws. "They put it in the park for their 5-year-old daughter who died of leukemia in 1980. The Wizard of Oz was her favorite story.'"
2. The Cat in the Hat set
Visit the home of the Cat in the Hat and sit on his bench while he tells you a tale. This set was funded by Monument Health Rapid City Hospital, which gave $35,000 to place this set in the park in 2008, says Laws. Plus, while youre there you can enjoy scenes and characters from other beloved Dr. Seuss classics, such as Thing 1 and Thing 2 and Horton from Horton Hears a Who!
3. Ride the train
The train was purchased in 2015 and has given over 500,000 rides since, says Laws. From the train, your little ones get the chance to see all the sets in the park. Rides cost $3 per person. This helps keep admission to the park free in the summer, adds Laws.
4. The carousel
Our carousel was purchased in 2016 from the old Boondocks and has since been refurbished due to generous donations, says Laws. Always a crowd-pleaser, a ride on the carousel is fun for all ages even parents! And thanks to a carousel house that was added in 2019, the $3-per-person ride is open during the special events that take place in the park at Halloween and Christmas.
5. This years new sets
Even if youve visited Storybook Island countless times in the past, be sure to stop by this year and see the many new sets that are being installed. We here at Storybook Island have turned our focus onto creating all-ability playground equipment so all children can play together, says Laws.
For more information, visit StorybookIsland.org.
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The United States Department of Justice is no longer planning to appeal the Rosebud Sioux Tribes case against Indian Health Service, part of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services.
Tim Purdon, one of the attorneys representing the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, tweeted on Monday that he and Brendan Johnson, another attorney on the case, were "just told by DOJ that the United States will not seek rehearing of the 8th Circuit's decision here."
The case, along with this most recent decision, may help to focus attention on health inadequacies in tribal communities across the country, according to tribal leaders and attorneys on the team that represented the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
The Rosebud Sioux Tribe filed a lawsuit in 2016 against the IHS for inadequate health conditions, using the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty as a basis for legal action. A South Dakota federal court ruled in favor of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in 2020, but the U.S. Department of Justice, under the Trump Administration, appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
The suit was filed after patients were diverted, in 2015, from the Rosebud Indian Health Service hospital emergency room to hospitals at least 50 miles away, said Lisa White Pipe, council representative for Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
White Pipe said the emergency room was closed for months due to conditions that did not meet health standards as patients were diverted to hospitals at least 50 miles outside of the reservation.
During that diversion we lost nine tribal members, she said.
Bruce Finzen, one of the attorneys representing the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said the emergency room closure was part of a longstanding problem with inadequate (health) service extending beyond the emergency room.
The tribe based its argument on the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty, which included provisions for competent health care. Finzen said the treaty applied primarily to tribes of the Great Plains, but he said the effects could be felt elsewhere.
Problems persist nationwide, he said. Other tribes are going to be able to look at this decision and then point to the language of Indian Health Care Improvement Act and for once get the attention of the Congress to start funding the quality and quantity of health care thats required.
Finzen said that he, Johnson, Purdon and Tim Billion represented the Rosebud Sioux Tribe pro bono for Robins Kaplan LLP Law Firm. Johnson noted that all four have worked extensively on tribal issues.
I think numerous tribes across the country sent letters to the Biden Administration, said A. Gay Kingman, executive director of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmens Council, in a telephone interview.
Kingman also expressed thanks to South Dakota legislators who supported the Rosebud Sioux Tribes suit.
Kingman said she hoped the decision not to appeal would focus attention on health conditions faced in many Native communities. She stressed that the implications of the case range beyond the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
Were hopeful that now that attention has been called to it, Congress might put more money into the budget for Indian health care, she said.
White Pipe agreed.
Thats what we envision, she said, that we can pursue Congress for more health care funding so (people) wont have to be referred out to specialists and other appointments outside of the reservation.
Kingman said she also hoped to see intensified attention on Native health from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under Secretary Xavier Bacerra.
Wed sure like to see him come out and see the conditions, she said.
Kingman, too, recounted rough health conditions on reservations. She described the health challenges at the Pine Ridge Reservation.
You have people who live 80 miles away, 100 miles away, from a hospital, she said, adding that the reservation has only one hospital. They have to travel that distance, and the hospitals arent adequately staffed.
Kingman noted particular needs for facilities to help with giving birth.
Johnson, one of the attorneys representing the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, agreed that the upholding of the decision could yield far-reaching results.
It strengthens the argument to fund Indian Health Service appropriately, he said. We hope that our Congressional delegation continues to push for funding for Indian Health Services.
Johnson also called the case unusual.
This one is different because it dealt so squarely with a treaty right that is vital to every member of the tribe, he said. Its rare that you see treaties being utilized. And it has been rare to get victories.
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Three Sheriffs Office employees will retroactively receive a $4,000 signing bonus and more employees are eligible for the incentive following a Pennington County Commission vote on Tuesday.
The commission voted to revise the incentive program designed to recruit more correctional officers. The commission approved the program in August to distribute the hiring bonus over 18 months.
The commissions revision now makes new hires, rehires, employee transfers, reclassifications and employees promoted as eligible for the bonus, and distributes the hiring bonus to correctional officers hired, rehired, transferred, reclassified and/or promoted since Aug. 3.
We had some unanticipated consequences in terms of people moving internally the way the motion was made, Sheriff Kevin Thom said. It was penalizing those that were already employees that had not been able to receive the bonus that were going from one position to be a correctional officer that we thought should be eligible.
One employee was promoted on Oct. 5, one was rehired as a correctional officer Nov. 29, and the last transferred from the Care Campus to Corrections on Nov. 1.
In August, the Sheriffs Office told the commission that there was a 62% decrease in qualified applicants for correctional officer positions and 32% of those hired left their jobs within the first year.
A total of 19 correctional officers have received the hiring bonus since Aug. 3 13 for the jail and six with the Juvenile Services Center.
Steph McCoy with the Sheriffs Office said the number of applicants has doubled since the program was approved. The money for the program comes from the Sheriffs Offices budget.
Bridge project
During the meeting, the commission also approved right-of-way and utilities certificates for Sherman Street bridge near Silver City.
According to a memo from Highway Superintendent Joe Miller to the commission, the department contracted with KLJ Engineering to complete the design engineering to replace the bridge. The contract allows the department to have the project bid review ready prior to submitting the application for a Bridge Improvement Grant.
The grant requires counties to have a wheel tax in place to help afford bridge improvement projects. Miller said during the meeting that through November, the county collected $1,338,790 in 2021 from the tax. He said the department has about $3.5 million budgeted for bridge improvements and reconstruction for 2022.
Miller said of that, $2.15 million could be from the grants.
The commission also approved right-of-way and utilities certificates for bridge rehabilitation projects on Neck Yoke Road, Lower Spring Creek Road, and two bridges on 161st Avenue. Miller said the county is planning to apply for the grants for these projects as well.
Contact Siandhara Bonnet at siandhara.bonnet@rapidcityjournal.com
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Rapid City police saved Christmas for at least one family after officers recovered and returned their presents on Tuesday.
The presents were among a number items, including firearms and a pickup, that were stolen, according to Brendyn Medina, spokesperson for the department. After some quick work by police officers, they apprehended several juveniles who are suspects in several burglaries and thefts.
Medina said the department is still sorting out how many victims there may be from the crime spree.
"We're still working through the investigation to make sure people get their property back," he said.
The episode started when police were dispatched to the 6500 block of Wellington Drive around 7 a.m. Tuesday for a report of a vehicle burglary and stolen vehicle. The owner said a vehicle in the driveway had been burglarized and a pickup with a pistol and rifle inside stolen.
The police found the pickup in the 200 block of Bald Eagle Lane, but the firearms were not in the truck.
Police also responded to several other reports of vehicle burglaries on Enchantment Road and Wellington Drive where another rifle and pistol were reported missing and a number of Christmas presents stolen.
Security footage from residents in the area showed a distinctive white SUV associated with the burglaries. The vehicle was later found at the 200 block of Bald Eagle Lane.
The vehicle was registered to a resident of an apartment in the area. Police obtained a search warrant and found the four firearms reported missing as well as property associated with the burglaries.
Later, two officers returned the Christmas presents.
Medina said the Christmas season presents more of an opportunity for criminals.
"It may be tempting to leave gifts in the car, but this is one of the reasons to take valuables inside and secure the car to avoid situations like this," he said.
None of the vehicles showed signs of forced entry, police said.
Contact Siandhara Bonnet at siandhara.bonnet@rapidcityjournal.com
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Nelson was called up by Tucson on Saturday and did not appear in a game during his time with the Roadrunners. Over 25 games played for Rapid City, he has tallied 31 points on nine goals and 22 assists. He is the league leader in assists and is second in the ECHL in points.
Oral arguments from both parties involved in a federal lawsuit that will determine if fireworks will light up the sky above Mount Rushmore during the Fourth of July 2022 celebration will be heard Jan. 12 by a three-panel judge in St. Louis.
The Clerks Office of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said the case is the second on the docket for Jan. 12, where both sides will be allotted 15 minutes for oral arguments before a three-judge panel.
Noem had asked the Biden Administration to uphold a Memorandum of Agreement between the National Park Service and the state regarding the Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration. After the permit for the 2021 celebration was denied, Noem sued in federal court.
In June, a federal judge rejected Gov. Kristi Noem's efforts to force the National Park Service to grant the state permission to shoot fireworks from Mount Rushmore National Memorial to celebrate Independence Day this year.
The state then appealed that judgement to the Eighth Circuit Court.
Defendants in the case are Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and the National Park Service.
Last September, 16 states attorneys general filed a brief in the lawsuit in support of Noem's efforts.
A decision by the three-judge panel is expected at a later date following the oral arguments.
If youre an elk hunter who likes to hunt the Bitterroots most popular hunting district, you wont want to miss the fine print in the proposed hunting regulations this year.
The state is proposing a change in HD 270 elk hunting regulations that will impact many hunters who have automatically put in for one of the unlimited bull permits in the East Fork of the Bitterroot.
Currently, all hunters give up by getting one of the permits is an opportunity to put in for other trophy districts around the state.
Under the new proposal, hunters who get one of the unlimited HD 270 permits will no longer be able to hunt bull elk anywhere else in Montana.
My concern is thats a major change and its not highlighted anywhere, said Steve Brown of Stevensville. It would change everything for a lot of hunters who put in for the 270 permit.
Brown has been hunting the East Fork for decades. He also likes to hunt elk in other places in the state.
Part of what makes Montana great is all the different kinds of opportunities hunters have to hunt elk, Brown said. If you want to hunt thick timber, you can find that in the western part of the state. Or you can go to eastern Montana and hunt the wide-open country.
You will no longer be able to do that under this proposal if you put in for an East Fork elk permit, he said.
The unlimited bull elk permits for HD 270 were implemented years ago after biologists saw a large decline in elk numbers in the neighboring West Fork of the Bitterroot.
That decline in 270 never happened and the permit should have gone away, Brown said. There is no biological reason for it anymore.
The states Bitterroot-based biologist, Rebecca Mowry, proposed doing just that earlier this year. Instead of that happening, HD 270 ended up being included in a statewide proposal that would require all bull elk permit holders to hunt exclusively in the districts where their permit is located.
Brown said he would not have known about the proposed change if he hadnt reached out to Mowry and asked about the status of the HD 270 unlimited permit.
After I spoke with her, I went looking for it in the proposed regulations, he said. I couldnt find it anywhere until I accidentally downloaded the district-specific regulations.
The sentence outlining the change was under a column titled: Opportunity Specific Details and/or Restriction. A person reading the regulations for the first time wouldnt know anything had changed.
I dont think they were trying to hide anything, but I do think for a change as major as this one, it needs to be highlighted and hunters need to be made aware of it, Brown said.
Longtime Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association member Tony Jones said the group was also surprised to see the proposal.
We just found out about it last week, Jones said. We have not met as a group to make any kind of recommendation.
Jones said its hard to predict what would happen if the proposal was accepted by the Montana Fish and Game Commission. Some hunters use the HD 270 as a backup in case their hunting in other areas is unsuccessful.
If that was going to be the only place they could hunt, its hard to know if they would still put in for it or if it would drive hunter numbers higher because people cant go anywhere else, Jones said. It wasnt one of those things that we saw coming.
If hunters have opinions on the proposal, Mowry urges them to let the commission know.
Initially, I tried to make the case to the commission that 270 was the only unlimited elk permit offered in the state and it functioned differently than limited permits, she said. I found out during the commission meeting that they are proposed unlimited permits in other regions and the change to 270 was happening because of that.
Since the proposal isnt coming from the region, Mowry said people should consider commenting online to ensure that their concerns are captured by the commission.
The hunting regulation proposals for the upcoming season were approved by the commission last week and are now out for public review and comment through Jan. 14. To review the proposals or comment online, people can go to fwp.mt.gov/regproposals
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will hold public meetings throughout the state to provide information and answer questions. Hamiltons meeting is Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Bitterroot River Inn.
The other new proposal coming out of Helena for elk hunting in the Bitterroot Valley is for HD 260, which is located mostly on private lands along the river bottom.
The commission decided that any hunting district in the state that is 200 percent over the numbers in the state elk plan would automatically offer an unlimited antlerless elk permit.
HD 260, which is archery or special weapon district, already offers hunters an unlimited antlerless elk B permit. Under this proposal, hunters would be able to harvest a bull elk and two cows from the district.
The commission will make a final decision on the 2022/2023 hunting regulations at its meeting in February.
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U.S. population growth dipped to its lowest rate since the nations founding during the first year of the pandemic as the coronavirus curtailed immigration, delayed pregnancies and killed hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents, according to figures released Tuesday.
The United States grew by only 0.1%, with an additional 392,665 added to the U.S. population from July 2020 to July 2021, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The U.S. has been experiencing slow population growth for years but the pandemic exacerbated that trend. This past year was the first time since 1937 that the nations population grew by less than 1 million people.
I was expecting low growth but nothing this low, said William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's metropolitan policy program, Brookings Metro. It tells us that this pandemic has had a huge impact on us in all kinds of ways, and now demography.
Montana, however, was tied for second in the country in terms of percent growth, increasing in size by 1.7%. Utah also grew by 1.7%, while Idaho topped the nation at 2.9%.
According to the census, Montana reached 1,104,271 individuals this past July. That increase bumped Montana from 44th largest state to 43rd, prompting it to swap places with Rhode Island.
While 2020 saw deaths outrank births for the first time in Montana, the population still grew by 18,087 people between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021, according to the census, due to migration to the state.
Montana saw 10,502 births during that period, 12,022 deaths and 19,791 people move here in net migration.
Once theres a handle on the pandemic, the U.S. may eventually see a decrease in deaths, but population growth likely wont bounce back to what it has been in years past because of fewer births. That will increase the need for immigration by younger workers whose taxes can support programs such as Social Security, Frey said.
We have an aging population and that means fewer women in child-bearing ages, Frey said. We see younger people putting off having children and theyre going to have fewer children.
The population estimates are derived from calculating the number of births, deaths and migration in the U.S. For the first time, international migration surpassed natural increases that come from births outnumbering deaths. There was a net increase of nearly 245,000 residents from international migration but only about 148,000 from new births outnumbering deaths.
University of New Hampshire demographer Kenneth Johnson described the decline in natural population increase as stunning," saying it was the smallest spread of births over deaths in more than 80 years.
Of course most of this is COVID, but not all of it," Johnson said. U.S. natural increase was already at a low ebb prior to COVID with the fertility rate hitting a new record low each year and deaths steadily rising due to the population aging."
Between 2020 and 2021, 33 states saw population increases, primarily through domestic migration, while 17 states and the District of Columbia lost population.
States in the Mountain West saw the biggest year-over-year growth, with Idaho growing by almost 3%, and Utah and Montana each seeing population increases of 1.7%. The District of Columbia lost 2.9% of its population, while New York and Illinois lost 1.6% and 0.9% of their populations, respectively.
While the pandemic gave some the option of working remotely, data released last month by the Census Bureau shows there was no great migration in the U.S. because of it.
Some did take advantage of the opportunity, however. Tired of the heat, hurricane threats and traffic in Houston, tech worker Heidi Krueger moved to a small town south of Knoxville, Tennessee, in September. She can see the Great Smoky Mountains from her front porch.
Because I was working from home during the pandemic, it made it feasible to move and still keep my same job, Krueger said. As long as I have internet, I can still connect to our clients.
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I didnt really have this growing up, said Hicks.
He grew up in Mosby. In fact, most folks know him by the nickname Little Mosby. He ran things here and not always for the better, he said. Earlier this year, he returned home from a four-year prison term revoked time from an earlier gun charge, according to court records and seeing the escalating gun violence, wanted to make a change.
With the kids and females getting hurt, I couldnt stand by and do nothing, he said.
So far this year, 99 lives have been cut short by violence in the city. Eight were children; 13 women or girls.
Hicks said hes trying to set a better example. Not only for his own children he has a 20-year-old son and two daughters, both 16, and a baby on the way but to kids in the neighborhood.
If they see me doing good, hopefully this will start a trend, he said.
Tymesha Weston, pregnant with his fourth child, dressed as a reindeer in a brown onesie for the giveaway, said she was proud of Hicks. Hes come a long way, she said.
If youre looking for a measure, if only symbolic, of legislative supremacy to the executive branch, look to the inaugural ceremony: Technically, it is a session of the General Assembly, which will have been at work for three days before the swearing-in. The presiding officer at the inauguration is the Speaker of the House. This time: Republican Todd Gilbert.
More than pageantry, power and policy are yardsticks of legislative sway of which a governor must be mindful even a governor of the party that controls one chamber or both. Plus, the political calendar and redistricting can rapidly diminish a governors ability to bend the General Assembly to his will.
This ultimately means that, for a governor, the opportunities to be productive in the legacy sense of the word are fleeting.
The first year, a governor familiarizes himself with the job and is pretty much stuck with his predecessors budget. The second and third years can be ascendant, with a governor writing a budget thats all his and could be shaped for good or ill by mid-term elections to the House and Senate. The fourth and final year is about choosing a governors successor.
Chickahominy Pipeline held a virtual public meeting this month to try to address concerns by landowners about the pipeline going through their properties. Beth Minear, a company spokeswoman, said at that meeting that the company had not done a good job with outreach about the proposal.
The company began sending letters to property owners in the summer, and government officials along the route said they had little to no information about the proposal.
Im delighted, but not surprised, with the ruling, said Lynn Peace Wilson of Henrico County, who owns property in New Kent County along the proposed pipeline route and is worried about the health of the Chickahominy River if its built. From a vigilant citizens perspective, I count on the SCC to scrutinize complicated business and energy situations within the context of Virginia law.
The Southern Environmental Law Center issued a news release praising the decision.
UVa Student Affairs will provide students and parents with additional information about the mandate after the holidays.
With the holiday break on the way, we are optimistic that the Feb. 1 deadline will give members of our community adequate time to schedule and receive their booster shots and to upload the required document, the administrators wrote. We also strongly encourage all students and faculty who will participate in 2022 January term courses to get a booster vaccine before courses begin on Jan. 3.
Students, staff and faculty who have medical or religious exemptions from the vaccine requirement will remain exempt from the booster requirement. They must continue to comply with testing requirements and other public health policies.
The administrators said the booster requirement is based on several developments involving COVID-19, including a recent surge in delta variant cases and the arrival of the even more contagious omicron variant.
Virginia educators faced staffing shortages before the pandemic, which only intensified them. Teachers have lost state-mandated planning time and, if they teach elementary school, have few if any workforce-covered breaks. To add insult to injury, many also are covering for absent colleagues without fair compensation.
By not fairly compensating our educators or providing them with the working conditions they need, weve been asking them to devalue themselves. This tells our students, who are a largely underserved population in Richmond Public Schools, that such an approach is acceptable and discourages self-advocacy. Those are certainly not lessons we want our children to be learning.
Strong collective bargaining rights will now allow Richmonds educational staff members to be fairly treated, and are a vital tool in recruiting and retaining the high-quality people our children deserve. And when we talk about compensation, were not just talking about money. Educators also need and deserve adequate lunch time and breaks, along with unencumbered time at work as prescribed by state law. A satisfied educator is a better educator. And isnt that what we want?
Congressman Tom Rice said he should have voted to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Rice, the Republican representing most of the Pee Dee and Grand Strand regions, said that in retrospect he would not have been one of the 121 Republicans to vote in favor of an objection to Arizonas results and 138 Republicans voting in favor of an objection to Pennsylvanias results.
Because President Trump was responsible for the attack on the Capitol, Rice said, according to Politico. In the wee hours of that disgraceful night, while waiting for the Capitol of our great country to be secured, I knew I should vote to certify. But because I had made a public announcement of my intent to object, I did not want to go back on my word. So yeah, I regret my vote to object.
Arizonas results indicate that Biden received 49.36% of the vote in Arizona Trump received 49.06% to win the states 11 Electoral College votes. Pennsylvanias results indicate that Biden received 50.01% of the vote compared to Trumps 48.84%.
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More timely new Prison Policy Initiative briefings on the many challenges of incarceration | Main | With new OLC memo allowing home confinement cohort to stay home, what now of Prez Biden's nascent clemency efforts?
As reported in this CBS News piece, "Japan hanged three death-row inmates on Tuesday, its first executions in two years, amid growing criticism by human rights groups of the country's use of the death penalty." Here is more about those executed and unique way Japan goes about carrying out death sentences:
One of the three, Yasutaka Fujishiro, was convicted of killing seven people and setting fire to their house in 2004, while the other two, Tomoaki Takanezawa and Mitsunori Onogawa, were convicted in the 2003 killings of two pinball parlor employees.
Executions are carried out in high secrecy in Japan, where prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning they are hanged. Since 2007, Japan has begun disclosing the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, but information is still limited.
Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said at a news conference that the three had committed "extremely ghastly" crimes and the punishment was appropriate.
Furukawa declined to comment on the timing of the executions, often carried out during the year-end holiday season when parliament is in recess, which opponents say is an attempt by the government to reduce criticism. Japan's parliament had its final session of the year on Tuesday. "As justice minister, I authorized their executions after giving extremely careful considerations again and again," Furukawa said.
Japan now has 107 people on death row at detention centers, instead of regular prisons. It has maintained the death penalty despite growing international criticism, saying the punishment is needed to take into consideration the victims' feelings and as a deterrence for heinous crime.
Japan and the U.S. are the only two countries in the Group of Seven industrialized nations that use capital punishment. A survey by the Japanese government showed an overwhelming majority of the public supports executions, Furukawa said.
He defended the short notice given to inmates about to be executed, citing a "serious mental impact" on them if they learn their fate way in advance. Two death-row inmates recently filed a lawsuit against the government saying the system causes psychological distress and seeking compensation over mental suffering from living in uncertainty until the last day of their lives....
The executions were the first since Dec. 26, 2019, when a Chinese citizen convicted in the 2003 killing of a family of four in Fukuoka was put to death. He was one of three hanged that year. In 2018, Japan executed 15, including 13 Aum Shinrikyo cult members convicted in a deadly 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subways.
VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Francis has greeted an Afghan family he met during a visit this month to a refugee camp in Greece and who he helped resettle to Italy because the youngest child needs medical care.
Francis greeted the family at the end of his general audience Wednesday, during which he once again urged European countries to share the responsibility of welcoming in migrants.
All you need to do is open a door. The door of the heart. Lets not miss doing it this Christmas, he said.
Francis had stressed that message during his Dec. 2-6 visit to Cyprus and Greece, most poignantly when he met with refugees at a camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. It was his first trip back to Lesbos since he he brought back a dozen Syrian refugees aboard his plane at the end of a 2016 visit.
While there, he learned of the health care needs of the 1 1/2-year-old Afghan boy. The Vatican didn't identify the family or say what medical care he needs. He had scrambled onto the steps of the Vatican audience hall and was sitting there when the pope arrived for the encounter Wednesday morning.
The Vatican, working with the Rome-based Catholic charity SantEgidio charity, has also transferred to Italy the first dozen of an expected 50 asylum-seekers from Cyprus, mostly from Africa and Syria.
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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DES MOINES -- While Iowans are gathering with loved ones and friends for the holidays, the state --- like so many others in the nation --- is experiencing yet another surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The latest surge is fueled by the virus omicron variant --- which early research suggests is far more transmissible --- is once again putting severe stress on Iowas health care systems. Once again, hospitals are overflowing and health care professionals are over-worked.
COVID-related hospitalizations in Iowa are higher than they have been since December 2020, when the state was just beginning to come back down from the worst surge of the pandemic, according to state data.
Those hospitalizations are being driven by unvaccinated individuals. Those who are not fully vaccinated account for nearly 9 out of every 10 COVID patients in intensive care, and more than 4 out of every 5 COVID patients overall, according to state figures.
In Iowa, 62.5% of people eligible to get the COVID vaccines --- those who are 5 years and older --- are fully vaccinated, which is the 26th-highest rate in the country, according to federal data. And 44.8% of Iowa adults who are fully vaccinated have also received a booster shot; thats the fourth-best rate in the nation, according to federal data.
With COVID once again surging during the holiday season, the Des Moines Bureau asked medical experts from across the state to answer questions about how Iowans can be safe in the coming weeks.
SHOULD UNVACCINATED IOWANS TRAVEL OR GATHER WITH FAMILY DURING THE HOLIDAYS?
Dr. Jeremy Granger, medical director at UnityPoint Clinic in Sioux City:
In order to keep our families and communities safe, it is not recommended that unvaccinated Iowans travel or attend in-person gatherings during the holidays. However, if folks who are unvaccinated decide to do these things, they should wear a mask around others and in public places and practice good hand hygiene.
Dr. Timothy Horrigan, MercyOne Waverly Family Medicine:
Unvaccinated adults place themselves at very high risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus (both the delta and omicron variants) anyplace they travel without a mask or by gathering in a crowd. Unvaccinated adults are particularly vulnerable to exposure of the COVID-19 virus when gathering indoors without a mask and participating in high-exposure activities, such as eating meals.
IS IT SAFE FOR VACCINATED IOWANS TO TRAVEL AND GATHER WITH FAMILIES?
Dr. Dustin Arnold, chief medical officer, UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids:
The vaccine does protect against acquiring COVD-19 (by) reducing the risk of hospitalization and death. I would recommend masking and social distancing when possible while traveling.
Dr. Russel Adams, UnityPoint Health Allen Hospital in Waterloo:
Travel during these times is not 100% safe, but Iowans who are fully vaccinated coupled with having the booster injection if appropriate have less risk with air travel. Masking and social distancing when possible coupled with hand hygiene remain important, however.
IS IT SAFE FOR VACCINATED IOWANS TO GATHER WITH UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUALS?
Dr. Jeremy Granger, medical director at UnityPoint Clinic in Sioux City:
Those who have been fully vaccinated, and received the booster if appropriate, definitely have an added layer of protection against COVID-19 this holiday season. The safest possible scenario would be that every person attending the family gathering is also vaccinated, and we should still consider keeping the gatherings on the smaller side this year. If members of the family are still unvaccinated, you may want to consider a virtual gathering.
Dr. Timothy Horrigan, MercyOne Waverly Family Medicine:
Breakthrough infections are always a possibility for vaccinated adults. These infections can include all the usual symptoms of fever, cough and body aches, which can result in time off work or time away from family.
SHOULD IOWANS GET A COVID TEST BEFORE ATTENDING A GATHERING?
Dr. Dustin Arnold, chief medical officer, UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids:
Testing provides some reassurance. However, there are false negatives, so social distancing and masking and having good air movement is probably more efficacious in reducing transmission.
Dr. Jeff Brock, MercyOne Infection Prevention in Des Moines:
Those who are vaccinated do not need to test before gathering with family members unless they have had a recent close exposure to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, have any symptoms of infection, or just want to test to reduce the risk of exposing someone at high risk who has a weakened immune system. Testing is advisable for unvaccinated individuals before gatherings.
WHAT OTHER MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR IOWANS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?
Dr. Russel Adams, UnityPoint Health Allen Hospital in Waterloo:
Fully vaccinated with booster individuals still have risk of travel --- however the risk is less, but it remains important to wear a mask, social distance and hand wash frequently. Avoidance of exposure to individuals that are not vaccinated is very important. The safest plan is to not travel, but of course this option is difficult, especially during holidays and for the emotional and spiritual well-being.
Dr. Jeff Brock, MercyOne Infection Prevention in Des Moines:
The omicron variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. and it is spreading rapidly. While we still have a lot to learn about this new variant, we can help reduce transmission and slow this virus down through vaccination. Getting fully vaccinated, including the COVID-19 booster dose for those who are eligible, can help reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill.
Dr. Jeremy Granger, medical director at UnityPoint Clinic in Sioux City:
We recognize that its been a long 20 months and people are anxious to gather in person with their friends and families. Its extremely important at this time to remind the public that COVID-19 is still present in our communities, and that being fully vaccinated is your safest and most effective line of defense against this virus.
Sarah Ekstrand, spokeswoman, Iowa Department of Public Health:
Getting vaccinated is the best thing Iowans can do to protect themselves and their families from the risk of severe illness, hospitalization or death from a COVID-19 infection. Any Iowan who has questions about the vaccine should discuss them with their health care provider. Iowans should stay home if they are sick and seek testing if they have symptoms or are exposed to a COVID positive individual.
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Editor's note: Leonard Pitts is on vacation. His column returns on Jan. 4. Today, we are substituting Mary Sanchez.
The cadaver dogs were busy performing the grim duties of their training when the opportunists leapt into action.
They couldn't let a catastrophic loss of human life get in the way of pitching a hefty dose of politically expedient, anti-science rhetoric. To which countless others shook our heads and asked, "Is nothing sacred?"
The deaths and devastation by tornadoes across multiple states, but especially in Kentucky, are hard to comprehend.
It's one thing to know the escalating number of fatalities _ more than 80 at this writing, with dozens still missing _ and to also assess the leveled blocks of homes and businesses. But to carry the grief, the economic consequences and simply the sense of helplessness of such a tragedy, well, that's impossible for anyone but the people living it.
Coping with something of that magnitude is personal. That fact alone ought to make it somewhat sacrosanct.
Which is why the easy takes, the slaps at old rivals, were so numbingly predictable and at the same time, disappointing.
The attacks cut both ways; hard left and hard right.
Fox News published an article under the headline "Biden uses tornado tragedy to push climate agenda, suggests storms are 'consequence of the warming" not even 24 hours after a tornado raced for 200-miles through six states. Note the word "suggests" in the headline.
The first line claimed that Biden "used the tragedy to further his own beliefs on climate change."
No, the president was nuanced and accurate.
When asked by reporters if he could conclude that the tornadoes had been due to climate change, he'd said that it was too early to know for sure. He said that he planned to (gasp!) seek the advice of experts.
Then there was those who rushed to social media to jeer at Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, both Senators for Kentucky, for past stinginess when authorizing help for other communities in times of disaster also deserve chastising.
NPR, among others, came out with the incredibly clearheaded, spot-on article, which was headlined:
"The exact link between tornadoes and climate change is hard to draw. Here's why"
Scientists say that it's far from clear how tornadoes might be, or if they are, directly affected by the human-induced warming of the planet. But they suspect that the intensity and frequency of the tornadoes might be impacted.
Did the uncertainty of that statement make you cringe?
Remember that feeling. It could be a reaction to guide how you absorb information.
Scientists are constantly learning more about climate change and how it affects our weather. And for people who are extremely linear thinkers, sometimes shifting information means it's suspicious information. They're uncomfortable with differing answers all being correct, depending upon what was known at the time.
Stir in a politicized read on an issue or headline grabbing event, and it's easy to see how quickly what should remain a scientific assessment, begins to morph.
There's a path forward here. For the masses of the public who are neither adamant climate deniers, nor pounding the pulpit with tomes of irreversible apocalyptic doom.
Simply become more thoughtful. Not conspiracy laden in the face of tragedy, not pitched toward a narrative that favors a political team. But simply seek to be informed with the most accurate information available at the time and remain open to the reality that this too, could shift.
Then send a prayer, a donation if possible, to Kentucky. It's the right answer for now.
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SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man was arrested Monday and charged with helping another man assault a Woodbury County Jail inmate they had accused of being a snitch.
Dustin Dimmick, 32, is charged with one count of willful injury.
He is charged in the Jan. 20 assault of Nicholas Thompson in the jail. According to court documents, Beau Gries began punching and kicking Thompson, and Dimmick joined the assault. When Thompson tried to get up, he was thrown onto a cement staircase. During the assault, Gries and Dimmick accused Thompson of being a "rat" and a "snitch."
Thompson was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion and some loose teeth. He also suffered cuts and bruises.
Gries pleaded guilty in May to willful injury and was sentenced to five years in prison, a sentence he's currently serving concurrent with a 15-year sentence on a drug conviction.
Thompson was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for selling methamphetamine and five years in state prison on one count of forgery for possession of counterfeit $100 bills.
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LINCOLN, Neb. -- A Sioux City man pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempting to steal thousands of dollars from a credit union at the Tyson Foods plant in Dakota City.
Mike Obed, 22, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Lincoln to one count of robbery of a federal credit union. Sentencing was scheduled for March 16.
Obed was found in the ceiling of the Siouxland Federal Credit Union satellite branch at Tyson after authorities responded three times to burglar alarms at the credit union in the early morning hours of June 11.
Dakota County Sheriff's deputies found a damaged virtual teller machine and a piece of ceiling removed from inside the vault with a ladder set up under the hole. They found Obed hiding in the ceiling and a bag containing $218,000 in cash. A review of surveillance video showed a male in the vault room attempting to access the vault.
During questioning, Obed told authorities he was a former Tyson employee and had used his identification card to gain entry into the plant, court documents said.
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SPENCER, Iowa -- A Spencer man pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempting to slit a woman's throat and stabbing her numerous times.
District Judge Nancy Whittenburg sentenced Matthew Young, 25, to 30 years in prison after Young pleaded guilty in Clay County District Court to attempted murder and willful injury resulting in bodily injury. He must serve at least 17.5 years before he's eligible for parole. A charge of going armed with intent was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Young stabbed Cassandra Bicking, 26, on Oct. 24 at a home in the 300 block of Grove Street in Royal, Iowa. Sheriff's deputies responding to a call of a stabbing found Bicking with multiple stab wounds. Young was arrested later in the day at his Spencer home.
Young admitted in his written guilty plea that he tried to kill Bicking by trying to slit her throat and stab her in the chest. He stabbed her several times, causing injuries to her arms, neck and torso that required staples, stitches and multiple surgeries.
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SIOUX CITY -- MercyOne physicians are advising all eligible people 6 months and older to get a flu shot.
The health system said in a statement that flu vaccinations across the country and the state of Iowa are significantly lower than a year ago.
With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations once again rising, controlling flu cases is expected to play a key role again in keeping health care resources available, according to the statement.
"In 2020, we essentially had no influenza season because we were practicing COVID-19 mitigation measures, like masking, and had significant increases in influenza vaccinations," said Dr. Steven Joyce, a MercyOne Internal Medicine and Pediatrics physician. "This year, most mitigation measures are not being practiced and large gatherings have resumed. So far, influenza vaccination rates are woefully inadequate to provide community protection."
Iowa Department of Public Health data shows Iowa flu vaccination is down. Presently, 28.7% of Iowans ages 6 months and older are vaccinated compared to 38.5% receiving flu shots for the 2020-2021 flu season. Breaking that down even more, 21.1% of Woodbury County residents are currently vaccinated compared to 36% for the 2020-2021 flu season.
With holiday gatherings ahead, the statement said MercyOne is confident in the safety of the flu vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
"Receiving a flu shot can help prevent getting sick with the flu. While a flu infection is still possible, the vaccine can help reduce symptoms and the need for hospitalization," the statement said.
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SIOUX CITY Individual household in Woodbury County can apply for disaster assistance for damages caused by the Dec. 15 derecho.
The storm that swept through Iowa caused damage to houses throughout the county and surrounding areas. Last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds added Woodbury County to the disaster proclamation.
Individuals and households can apply for the Individual Disaster Assistance Grant Program and the Iowa Disaster Case Management Program through Community Action Agency of Siouxland in Sioux City.
The Individual Disaster Assistance Program offers grants to families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Qualifying households could receive up to $5,000 in lost property. Many items do have a maximum reimbursement amount.
For example, there is a $700 maximum for large kitchen appliances, $500 per person limit on bedroom furnishings and $500 on vehicle repair. The program also covers loss of food, up to $50 for one person and $25 for each additional family member. The application is available at https://bit.ly/3IZ2f1c.
Woodbury County Emergency Management is also still requesting all households in the county that received damage to report it at https://bit.ly/32hJCVs.
"By doing so, officials will be able to better assess the total amount of damage caused by the storms," according to a Woodbury County emergency management press release.
As part of the Disaster Case Management program, Community Action Agency of Siouxland will help connect individuals with resources needed as part of the recovery process.
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FULSHEAR, Texas (AP) Two people were killed after a small plane collided with a paraglider Tuesday morning near Houston, officials said.
The single-engine Cessna 208 had taken off from Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston when it collided midair with the paraglider at around 9:40 a.m. about 50 miles (80 km) to the southwest near Fulshear, Texas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
One person was on board each aircraft, the FAA said.
The paraglider landed in the yard of a home while the plane crashed nearby, close to a shooting range, according to the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Constable's Office.
The names of the two individuals who were killed were not immediately released by the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner's Office.
The plane had been headed to Victoria, Texas, about 140 miles (225 km) southwest of Houston.
The FAA and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
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MIAMI (AP) Two travelers are facing charges following a brawl with police at Miami International Airport, authorities said.
Mayfrer Serranopaca, 30, of Kissimmee, Florida, and Alberto Yanez Suarez, 32, of Odessa, Texas, were arrested in Concourse H following Monday evening's fight, according to Miami-Dade police reports. They were each charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest, while Serranopaca also faces six additional counts that include burglary and inciting a riot.
MIA Director and CEO Ralph Cutie said in a statement that the airport is experiencing record-high passenger numbers this winter travel season.
Unfortunately, that passenger growth has come with a record-high increase nationwide in bad behavior as well, such as the incident this evening at MIA, Cutie said Monday. Disruptive passengers face police arrest, civil penalties up to $37,000, being banned from flying, and potential federal prosecution.
Monday's confrontation, which was captured on video by another traveler, began when Serranopaca hopped onto a cart driven by an airport employee and refused to move until the worker gave him information about his delayed flight, according to the arrest report. The employee said he didn't work for the airline and didn't have any information about the flight. The worker eventually called for airport police.
Two officers responded and tried to calm Serranopaca, police said. Serranopaca attempted to incite the nearby crowd and began to fight with the officers, biting one of them on the head, authorities said. At one point, an officer broke free of the struggle and drew his firearm, though no shots were fired, police said.
As additional officers arrived and attempted to take Serranopaca into custody, officials said Yanez Suarez intervened and attempted to pull the police off of Serranopaca, prompting officers to arrest him, as well.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue treated Serranopaca and the bitten officer at the scene, officials said.
Serranopaca was being held on $29,500 bond, and Yanez Suarez was later freed on $15,000 bond. A defense attorney for Serranopaca didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment from The Associated Press. Court and jail records didn't list an attorney for Yanez Suarez.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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BELVIDERE, Ill. (AP) Police in northern Illinois are investigating the apparent shooting deaths of a man and his two young sons as a triple homicide and are searching for the man's missing vehicle.
Officers found the bodies of Andrew Hintt, 31, and his two sons, 5 and 7, at their home in Belvidere on Sunday night, police said Monday. Autopsies are pending.
Four shell casings were found at the scene, but no weapons have been recovered, police said.
The bodies were found after the boys' mother contacted the landlord to say she had not heard from anyone in the family. The landlord called 911 and officers responded, police said.
Belvidere Police Chief Shane Woody said the deaths are being investigated as a triple homicide.
Whoever did this horrific act is truly evil, he said Monday during a news conference. Belvidere is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Chicago.
Officers are searching for Hintts vehicle, a silver or gray 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk with Illinois registration: CT92923.
An online effort to pay for memorial services had raised more than $24,000 by Tuesday night.
These boys were energetic, loving, and they brought a smile to those around them," the GoFundMe page says. Their passing has left their friends and families with a void that will never heal.
Police asked anyone who knows anything about the vehicle's whereabouts or anything else regarding the case to contact the Belvidere Police Department at 815-544-2135 or Boone County Crime Stoppers at 815-547-7867.
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BEIJING (AP) Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday endorsed Hong Kongs first legislative elections held under new laws ensuring that only patriots who have shown loyalty to Beijing could run as candidates.
Sundays elections for the 90-seat Legislative Council were swept by politicians backed by Chinas ruling Communist Party. Just 20 seats were directly elected, and the turnout of 30.2% was the lowest since the British handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997.
All candidates were vetted by a largely pro-Beijing committee before they could be nominated.
Xi told Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie in Beijing on Wednesday that after the elections, he is certain Hong Kongers will join in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The execution of the new election system adheres to the one country, two systems principle," Xi said, referring to the increasingly threadbare framework under which Hong Kong was to retain its own political, social and financial institutions for 50 years after being transferred from British rule.
Our fellow Hong Kong citizens will promote the glorious tradition of loving their country and Hong Kong," Xi said.
The elections had been postponed for a year ostensibly due to a spike in COVID-19 cases after the opposition swept elections for district counselors.
They followed widespread and increasingly violent anti-government protests in 2019 that prompted Beijing to impose a sweeping National Security Law on Hong Kong, followed by a reorganization of the electoral process and transformation of the makeup of the Legislative Council to stack it with pro-Beijing loyalists.
The opposition camp criticized the elections, with the largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, fielding no candidates for the first time since the 1997 handover.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday there were multiple reasons for the decline in voter turnout.
It is not only the impact of the pandemic, but also the disruption and sabotage of anti-China elements in Hong Kong and external forces, Zhao said at a daily briefing.
Some overseas pro-democracy activists, including London-based Nathan Law, had urged a boycott of the vote, saying the elections were undemocratic. Under the new election laws, incitement to boycott the voting or to cast invalid votes could be punished by up to three years in jail and a 200,000 Hong Kong dollar ($26,500) fine.
Prior to her departure for Beijing, Lam, who is under a U.S. visa ban, said she expected to cover a wide range of issues on this particular duty visit because through two very decisive acts of the central authorities, Hong Kong is now back on the right track of one country, two systems.'"
In a joint statement released by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the foreign ministers of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States expressed grave concern over the erosion of democratic elements of Hong Kongs electoral system and growing restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly.
Protecting space for peaceful alternative views is the most effective way to ensure the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, they said.
Responding to the criticisms following her meetings Wednesday, Lam called them groundless" and said Xi had refuted" them.
The elections will serve Hong Kongs interests better and will be a very good start for Hong Kongs future democratic process, Lam said.
She quoted Xi as saying the elections brought the territory more in line with the real status of Hong Kong as a special administrative region under the principle of one country, two systems,'" and would lead Hong Kong to a more democratic society.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) Bosnian officials and religious leaders on Wednesday denounced suggestions voiced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his spokesman that the integration of Bosnia into the European Union will be challenging because of its large Muslim population.
Orbans spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has tweeted that the challenge with Bosnia is how to integrate a country with 2 million Muslims.
During his long speech on Tuesday in Budapest, right-wing populist Orban said Hungary supports Bosnias EU bid, adding that as an EU member, Hungary had to mobilize a lot of energy to overcome the enlargement fatigue that has taken hold of the European Union.
I am doing my best to convince Europes great leaders that the Balkans may be further away from them than from Hungary, but how we manage the security of a state in which 2 million Muslims live is a key issue for their security too.
Reaction in Bosnia was sharp, with some Bosniak parties asking for a ban on Orbans planned official visit to Sarajevo and the head of the Islamic community, Grand Mufti Husein Kavazovic, calling his statement xenophobic and racist.
If such ideologies become the basis on which the policies of a united Europe are based, then it takes us back to the times when the European unity was to be build on similar fascist, Nazi, violent and genocidal ideologies that led to the Holocaust and other horrific crimes, he said in a statement.
The Bosniak member of the countrys tripartite presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic, called Orbans statement shameful and rude.
It is not a challenge for the EU to integrate 2 million (Bosnian) Muslims, because we are an indigenous European people who have always lived here and we are Europeans, he said.
Bosnia, which is made up of Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, is going through its gravest political crisis since the end of the civil war in the 1990s. With tacit support from Russia and Serbia, Bosnian Serbs are threatening to form their own army, judiciary and tax authority, reviving fears of another bloody breakup of the Balkan country.
During his speech on Tuesday, Orban also said Hungary wouldn't support EU sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik as threatened by Germany and some other member states because of his separatist stands.
Sarajevo has lost its nerve, it is attacking everyone -- Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, now Hungary. Not to mention Russia, Dodik said Wednesday, referring to support he has allegedly received from those countries.
Orban has been known for his anti-migration policies, claiming Muslim migrants are the greatest threat to Europes Christian values. He has also been supporting quick accession of Serbia into the EU despite the increasingly autocratic policies of his ally, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
More than 100,000 people were killed and millions were left homeless during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia when Bosnian Serbs tried to create ethnically pure territories in order to join them with neighboring Serbia.
Associated Press writers Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, 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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WASHINGTON (AP) Mitch McConnell is done with subtleties. The Senate Republican leader is putting his party's courtship of Joe Manchin on full public display after the West Virginia Democrat's fractious split with the White House over the presidents big social and environmental spending package.
McConnell says Manchin feels like a man alone and if he were to switch parties, he would be joining a lot of folks who have similar views on a whole range of issues.
Whether Manchin is open to McConnell's appeal he has consistently said he still sees himself as a Democrat is uncertain. But it is clear that if he were to switch it would fundamentally alter the balance of power in Washington as well as seriously threaten Joe Biden's legislative prospects for the rest of his presidency.
McConnell dangled the prospect of Manchin retaining his prized Energy Committee chairmanship during an interview Wednesday and played up the West Virginian's growing distance from Democrats in his opposition to Biden's package.
A flip by Manchin would give Republicans control of the Senate and effectively end any chance of Democrats being able to get legislation or nominations through on party-line votes.
The rift escalated after Manchin said over the weekend that he couldn't vote for the social spending package that Democrats have pitched as their top domestic priority going into next year's elections.
I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just cant. Ive tried everything humanly possible. I cant get there, Manchin told Fox News Sunday."
That prompted a sharply worded response from White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said Manchin had in person given Biden a written proposal that was the same size and scope as a framework for the bill that Democrats rallied behind in October and that he had agreed to continue talks.
We will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word, Psaki said.
The White House had basically called Manchin a liar, McConnell said in a radio appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Show.
"It was astonishing. Usually when youve got a member who is a little bit out of sync with everybody else, you give them a lot of love. They did exactly the opposite," McConnell said.
He said he's had conversations over the years with Manchin about his party affiliation.
"If he were to join us, he would be joining a lot of folks who have similar views on a whole range of issues.
One big obstacle to a party switch would be Manchins vote in February in favor of the impeachment of former President Donald Trump for his actions during the violent insurrection at the Capitol. West Virginia voted for Trump by more than 2-to-1, and Trump has called for defeating Republicans who voted for impeachment.
But Manchin, the only Democrat in his state's congressional delegation, is popular back home. He was twice elected governor before his election to the Senate in 2010. He'll be up for re-election in 2024 should he decide to seek another term.
West Virginia is still coal country, and Democrat Manchin is chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. If he were to switch parties, McConnell and the Republicans could choose a new chairman.
Thats something we have talked to him about," McConnell said. "Obviously, I'm sure he enjoyed being a chair of the committee. It's important to West Virginia, and all of those things are things we have discussed.
McConnell also addressed questions about Manchin in an interview late Wednesday on Fox News, saying he admired Manchin's stand on the social spending package.
I think they will keep coming back to him. Ive suggested a good solution to his problem would be to come across the aisle and join us where he would be treated with respect," McConnell said.
Manchin has long faced questions about his place in the Democratic Party, and the talk took on fresh urgency in October when a Mother Jones article said he had been telling associates he was seriously considering leaving the party. But six days after the article was published, while sitting down with the Economic Club in Washington, Manchin rejected the reports, saying I dont think the Rs would be any happier with me than Ds are right now.
He added, So I dont know where in the hell I belong.
The question has been posed to him repeatedly in the past few weeks, coming to a breaking point Monday morning, hours after he had publicly voiced his opposition to Bidens bill.
I would like to hope that there are still Democrats that feel like I do," he said. Im fiscally responsible and socially compassionate.
"Now, if theres no Democrats like that, then they have to push me wherever they want.
Party switching in the Senate is rare but has been consequential. Republicans lost control of the Senate two decades ago when James Jeffords of Vermont quit the party to become an independent. Jeffords, upset with President George W. Bushs opposition to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, declared in May of 2001 that he would leave and caucus with the Democrats.
McConnell said Jeffords had become very uncomfortable on our side." He said Republican lawmakers courted him because we were always fearful he would do exactly what he ended up doing. So, no, I mean, we certainly didn't do anything like the White House did to Joe Manchin the other day."
While all this swirls, Biden is making clear that he believes he can still reach an agreement with the West Virginian on a social spending package.
Senator Manchin and I are going to get something done," Biden declared at the White House on Tuesday.
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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) The bipartisan New Jersey commission charged with drawing the boundaries for congressional districts for the next decade voted Wednesday to approve a map put forward by Democrats.
The vote was 7-6, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. Former Supreme Court Justice John Wallace, the 13th and tiebreaking member of the commission, sided with Democrats. He said the decision came down to the Republican map winning 10 years ago and that, to be fair, Democrats should win this time.
The new map could result in a nine to three Democratic advantage in the state's 12 U.S. House seats, according to the GOP, though the Democrats did not concede the breakdown. Currently, Democrats hold 10 seats to the GOP's two. Before Democratic pickups up in 2016 and 2018, the map was split evenly, with Democrats and Republicans each holding six seats.
Democratic commission chairwoman Janice Fuller said her party was uncomfortably comfortable with the outcome. She said she didn't consider the map to unfairly benefit Democrats and suggested there was political risk for some incumbent Democrats.
We did not go in with an extreme gerrymandered partisan Democratic map that we were gonna tweak at the edges, she said.
Republican commission chairman Doug Steinhardt said he was disappointed with the vote which he said was the antithesis of empowering voters.
Among the changes reflected in the new map is a reshuffle of the typically competitive 3rd District, which previously included Burlington and Ocean counties and is represented by Democratic Rep. Andy Kim. Ocean County was removed entirely from the district and replaced with parts of Mercer and Monmouth, which could help him in a reelection effort as Ocean County is a GOP stronghold. Kim's victory in 2018 was a Democratic gain from Republicans.
Another change is the addition of all of GOP-leaning Warren County to the 7th District, which is currently represented by Democrat Tom Malinowski. Malinowski picked up the seat in 2018 for the Democrats, defeating Republican Leonard Lance.
The 5th District, where Democrat Josh Gottheimer unseated a Republican incumbent in 2016, no longer has Warren County towns but added a few in Bergen County, the state's biggest county where Democrats have performed well recently.
Wallace said he used a handful of criteria to guide his decision, including that boundaries should be geographically whole where possible, and that political subdivisions by town should be maintained. He also said to conform with the federal Voting Rights Act, the map must have sufficient numbers of majority minority districts or places where nonwhite voters are in the majority and that competitive districts should be favored.
In the end I decided to vote for the Democratic map simply because the last redistricting map was drawn by Republicans, he said.
Steinhardt said after the meeting that Wallace amounted to a 7th Democratic member instead of a true independent.
Wallace was selected as the 13th member of the committee by the state Supreme Court under the constitution after the two parties failed to reach a consensus on the tie-breaking member. His name was put forward by Democrats. Republicans had submitted their own candidate for consideration.
Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said it was hard to ignore the fact that Democrats have such a big registration advantage over Republicans.
We have a million more Democrats than Republicans. There are only so many ways to mask the impact of that with competitive districts. You cant negate that kind of a profound disparity in registration. Youre gonna wind up with a map thats gonna have a Democratic advantage no matter what, he said.
Wednesdays vote is a result of the federal census, which happens every 10 years, and the requirement that seats in the House be allotted to states based on their population. New Jerseys population grew from 8.8 million people a decade ago to 9.3 million, a nearly 6% increase. The number of House seats, though, remained unchanged at 12.
The commission wrapped up its work early after holding 10 public hearings, some remotely and some in-person. The state constitution gives New Jersey until Jan. 18 to certify its map.
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An Iowa man charged earlier for his participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was arraigned Tuesday on a new federal indictment that includes a felony count that could carry up to 20 years in prison.
Leo Christopher Kelly, 36, of Cedar Rapids, who has been free on pretrial release, appeared via video for his arraignment. His attorney, Kira West, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The most serious of the seven charges Kelly faces is obstruction of an official proceeding. Two other charges of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a restricted building carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The remaining charges are misdemeanors carrying up to six months in prison.
A plea agreement apparently is no longer under consideration, according to the information that prosecutor Michael Gordon James provided Judge Royce Lamberth during the hearing.
The parties have discussed a negotiated plea but that will not occur in this case so this matter should be set for trial, James said.
Lamberth said he will set at trial date later. He scheduled a status update hearing for Feb. 25.
Kelly was arrested in Iowa on Jan. 18 after participating in an internet interview with members of an anti-abortion organization. Kelly said he followed the Jan. 6 crowd into the U.S. Senate chamber, where he said he remained for 30 minutes to an hour. Kelly said he was caught up in the moment, but that he wasnt armed and didnt vandalize anything.
He was released Jan. 19 by a federal magistrate who noted his extremely limited criminal history.
Federal prosecutors issued a new indictment on Dec. 3.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A jury pushed through its third day of deliberations with no verdict Wednesday at the trial of a suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright.
The court reported no questions from the jury at Kim Potter's trial, a day after jurors asked Judge Regina Chu what to do if they couldn't agree and she told them to continue deliberating. They got the case about midday Monday.
Potter, who is white, said she meant to use her Taser on Wright rather than her gun. She is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter. If convicted of the most serious charge, Potter, 49, would face a sentence of about seven years under state guidelines, though prosecutors have said they will seek more.
The judge has ordered that the mostly white jury be sequestered during deliberations meaning the jurors remain under the courts supervision in an undisclosed hotel and cannot return home until they have reached a verdict or the judge has determined they cant reach one.
However, Chu told jurors at the start of the trial that they would have time off on Christmas Eve and over the Christmas weekend. She has not indicated that she would change that plan if deliberations were ongoing.
I think the holiday will put pressure on them to agree, Joe Friedberg, a Minneapolis defense attorney who is not involved in the case but is following it, said Wednesday.
Jurors had also asked Chu on Tuesday if they could handle the officer's handgun, and she said yes. Prosecutors had told jurors they would be able to handle both Potter's gun and Taser, but the gun arrived in the jury room secured into an evidence box with zip ties.
During closing arguments, prosecutors accused Potter of a blunder of epic proportions in Wright's death in an April 11 traffic stop but said a mistake was no defense.
Potter's attorneys countered that Wright, who was attempting to get away from officers as they sought to handcuff him for an outstanding warrant on a weapons charge, caused the whole incident.
Wright's death set off angry protests in Brooklyn Center just as nearby Minneapolis was on edge over Derek Chauvin's trial in George Floyd's death.
Potter, who resigned two days after Wright's death, testified Friday that she didnt want to hurt anybody and that she was sorry it happened."
Chu told jurors that the state doesnt have to prove Potter tried to kill Wright.
The judge said for first-degree manslaughter, prosecutors must prove that Potter caused Wrights death while committing the crime of reckless handling of a firearm. This means they must prove that she committed a conscious or intentional act while handling or using a firearm that creates a substantial or unjustifiable risk that she was aware of and disregarded, and that she endangered safety.
For second-degree manslaughter, prosecutors must prove she acted with culpable negligence, meaning she consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm.
Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writer Kathleen Foody in Chicago contributed to this story.
Find the APs full coverage of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Jurors weighing the case of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright asked the judge after a full day of deliberations Tuesday what they should do if they cant reach a verdict.
Judge Regina Chu told them to continue working, as was explained in the initial instructions she gave them. The jurors resumed deliberations for about 90 more minutes, then ended for the day shortly after 6 p.m. The jury also deliberated for about five hours on Monday.
Former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter, who is white, is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter. If convicted of the most serious charge, Potter, 49, would face a sentence of about seven years under state guidelines, though prosecutors have said they will seek more.
Potter said she meant to use her Taser on Wright rather than her gun, and the jurors also asked if they could remove zip ties keeping Potters gun in an evidence box so they could hold it. The judge said they could, overruling an objection from Potter attorney Paul Engh that the gun should remain in the box for safety purposes.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence on the differences between the gun and the Taser, including weight, feel, size, color, and that the gun was holstered on Potter's right side and the Taser on her left.
Prosecutor Erin Eldridge said in her closing argument that the jurors would be able to hold both the Taser and the gun to compare them, to get a feel for the two, and to get a sense of all those differences that you heard about in court, and see for yourselves how different they really are.
The jury's question about deliberating, read in court by Chu, said: If the jury cannot reach consensus, what is the guidance around how long and what steps should be taken?
The judge then reread from the jury instructions, telling the jurors to continue to discuss the case with one another and deliberate with a view toward reaching agreement if you can do so without violating your individual judgment.
Potter's attorneys objected to the judge rereading that instruction, arguing that doing so inappropriately emphasized that paragraph over the rest of the instructions. Chu overruled.
Rachel Moran, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, noted that the jurors didnt say they were at an impasse.
Judge (Regina) Chu is going to let them keep deliberating if they dont express concern or distress about how its going, Moran said.
The judge has ordered that the jury be sequestered during deliberations meaning they remain under the courts supervision in an undisclosed hotel and cannot return home until they have reached a verdict or the judge has determined they can't reach one. Her order allows them to communicate with family members as long as they avoid discussing the trial.
During closing arguments, prosecutors accused Potter of a blunder of epic proportions in Wright's death in an April 11 traffic stop but said a mistake was no defense.
Potter's attorneys countered that Wright, who was attempting to get away from officers as they sought to handcuff him for an outstanding warrant on a weapons charge, caused the whole incident.
The mostly white jury got the case after about a week and a half of testimony about an arrest that went awry, setting off angry protests in Brooklyn Center just as nearby Minneapolis was on edge over Derek Chauvin's trial in George Floyd's death. Potter resigned two days after Wright's death.
Eldridge called Wrights death entirely preventable. Totally avoidable. She urged the jury not to excuse it as a mistake: "Accidents can still be crimes if they occur as a result of reckless or culpable negligence."
Potter attorney Earl Gray argued that Wright was to blame for trying to flee from police. Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun instead of her Taser because the traffic stop was chaos, he said.
Potter testified Friday that she didnt want to hurt anybody and that she was sorry it happened."
Chu told jurors that intent is not part of the charges and that the state doesnt have to prove Potter tried to kill Wright.
The judge said for first-degree manslaughter, prosecutors must prove that Potter caused Wrights death while committing the crime of reckless handling of a firearm. This means they must prove that she committed a conscious or intentional act while handling or using a firearm that creates a substantial or unjustifiable risk that she was aware of and disregarded, and that she endangered safety.
For second-degree manslaughter, prosecutors must prove she acted with culpable negligence, meaning she consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm.
Associated Press writer Kathleen Foody in Chicago contributed to this story. Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin.
Find the APs full coverage of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A federal labor board is reviewing a decision by one of its regional officials to deny a union from trying to organize fewer than 100 of the thousands of employees at Nissan's auto assembly plant in Tennessee.
A 3-2 decision Tuesday by the National Labor Relations Board now with a Democratic majority under President Joe Biden ordered a review of the June ruling that prevented a vote limited to 87 tool and die technicians at Nissans Smyrna plant, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside Nashville.
The NLRB's new order says the decision by an acting regional director raises substantial issues warranting review.
The regional official ruled against the smaller bloc vote after finding the few dozen workers share an overwhelming community of interest with the rest of the facilitys production and maintenance workers, and that the only appropriate unionized group through the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers campaign would be one representing about 4,300 plantwide production and maintenance workers. The union did not want the larger vote and didn't pursue it.
Three Democratic NLRB members picked by President Joe Biden voted to review that ruling. Two Republican members selected by former President Donald Trump voted against it.
The decision restores some hope for unions in what had been the latest failed foray in the uphill fight to gain traction at foreign-owned auto assembly plants in the traditionally anti-union South.
The union has argued that the 87 employees sought for a bargaining unit have extremely specialized skills for a job that others at the plant cannot do and should be eligible for standalone representation.
We are pleased to see the Board acknowledge the importance of this case, particularly within the scope of how employees choose to organize themselves under the NLRA," machinists union spokesperson DeLane Adams said. "Tool and Die Maintenance Technicians at Nissan Tennessee have fought hard for a union and deserve to have a voice on the job.
Meanwhile, the company has contended that the employees are not sufficiently distinct from other plant workers to be eligible for their own small unionized subgroup.
Nissan believes the Regional Directors decision is supported by the evidence," Nissan spokesperson Lloryn Love-Carter said. "Nissan remains committed to all of our employees before, during, and after the NLRBs process.
Nissan does work with organized labor in the rest of the world, but votes to unionize broadly at the U.S. two plants have not been close. Workers in Smyrna rejected a plantwide union under the United Auto Workers in 2001 and 1989. The Japan-based automakers other U.S. assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi, rejected facilitywide representation by the UAW during a 2017 vote.
The margin was much closer in 2014 and 2019 votes at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where workers twice rejected a factorywide union under the UAW.
The year after the 2014 vote failed, a group of 160 Chattanooga maintenance workers won a vote to form a smaller union, but Volkswagen refused to bargain. The German automaker had argued the bargaining unit needed to include production workers as well. The dust-up led to the 2019 factorywide vote.
Unions also have run into opposition from Republican politicians when they attempt to organize at foreign automakers in the South, including in Tennessee.
Tennessee does have a big union presence at an American automaker: The General Motors plant in Spring Hill has about 3,000 production and skilled trades workers represented by UAW.
There's also an open question about whether workers will unionize at four sprawling new factories planned by Ford in Kentucky and Tennessee by 2025, with an aim of hiring nearly 11,000 workers. Three of the plants two in Kentucky, one in Tennessee will be built with Fords South Korean corporate partner, SK Innovation, to produce electric vehicle batteries. A fourth, in Tennessee, will make electric F-Series pickup trucks.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) The trial for a truck driver charged with causing the deaths of seven motorcyclists in northern New Hampshire in 2019 is now expected to start in July more than three years after the crash to give the defense more time to find and work with a crash reconstruction expert.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 25, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, was days away from jury selection in November when his lawyers filed a motion saying they could no longer present their accident reconstruction expert at trial.
Their decision was based on information prosecutors provided to them about the expert's prior employment with the Massachusetts State Police that referenced disciplinary actions. The expert had been working with the defense since August 2019.
We've experienced significant difficulty in identifying an expert that's qualified, has appropriate resources and is willing to accept the case," defense lawyer Jay Duguay told Coos County Superior Court Judge Peter Bornstein during a status conference on the case Tuesday.
Unfortunately, I learned this afternoon that one of our more optimistic prospects had indicated that they were not interested in taking the case. So I do have inquiries out, and we are waiting to hear back from some folks," Duguay said.
Lawyers and Bornstein also talked about scheduling conflicts. Bornstein planned to issue an order Thursday with the new jury selection and trial dates. Another status conference was planned for January.
Zhukovskyy pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of negligent homicide, manslaughter, driving under the influence and reckless conduct stemming from the crash that happened in Randolph on June 21, 2019. He has been in jail since the crash.
The victims, members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, were from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Spurred by social media posts about auto break-ins, a man confronted a couple in a suburban Omaha park this summer, shooting one of them on the mistaken belief that they were involved in the break-ins, authorities said.
Manuel L. Mata, 25, has been arrested on suspicion of assault and weapons charges and is out on bail, according to court records.
For the couple, Keelin Johnson and Shevaun Nelson, it was a terrifying experience wounded and injured, they knocked on multiple doors before getting help, all the while fearing that their assailant was hunting them.
Court documents provide this account of what happened in the Aug. 22 shooting:
Nelson told authorities that she and her boyfriend, Johnson, were test-driving his gold Honda Accord late on that summer Sunday night and stopped at a neighborhood park about 11 p.m.
Within minutes of pulling into the parking lot of Stone Ridge Park, northwest of 156th Street and West Maple Road, the couple noticed a car a Dodge Challenger pull in behind them and block them in. A man got out of the passenger side, went to the trunk of his car and then approached the couple, coming up to Johnsons drivers side window.
Nervous about what was to happen and watching the man approach his vehicle, Johnson put the car in drive. As the man asked Nelson and Johnson if they were from the area, Johnson saw that the man was holding a gun in his pants pocket.
Believing that he was about to be shot or robbed, Johnson put his foot on the accelerator, drove over the curb and into the park.
The man shot at the car, striking Johnson and causing him to crash the Honda into a tree. Johnson suffered a bullet wound in his upper back and a non-penetrating bullet wound in the back of his head. Nelson was bruised by the crash and had a long cut on her leg.
Johnson and Nelson then fled their car and ran to neighboring houses seeking help. While they went to multiple homes, they could hear the mans loud car circling the neighborhood. Finally, they reached a home where someone agreed to call 911.
Before the shooting, Mata had been following neighborhood posts about thefts from cars, including one that involved the woman he lived with. Those posts included video of a car that bore some similarity to the one Johnson and Nelson were in. But court documents say a close comparison of the video with the Johnsons car definitively demonstrated that Johnson and Nelson were not the depicted theft suspects.
Through extensive detective work, authorities concluded that Mata was the person who fired on Johnsons vehicle, and they arrested him Dec. 10 without incident.
None of those involved could be reached for comment.
Matas next court date is a preliminary hearing in January.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Nebraska law restricts when deadly force can be used.
The only time you can use deadly force is if youre in fear for your life or somebody elses, Kleine said, adding that he wasnt speaking directly about this case.
You dont get to use deadly force even if its a theft situation, he said. If someone steals a bicycle off your front porch, you cant take a gun out and shoot them.
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Joined by two members of Nebraska's congressional delegation, Gov. Pete Ricketts saluted the Nebraska National Guard on Wednesday during a celebration in the Capitol Rotunda marking its 167th birthday.
"We would not have been able to get through this pandemic without the Nebraska National Guard," the governor said, pointing to its service in delivering supplies and assisting in early vaccination of Nebraskans.
And during the year before that, Ricketts noted, the Guard mounted recovery missions that saved the lives of Nebraskans, often by helicopters, including delivering hay bales to stranded livestock during the record flooding disaster that swept across large portions of the state.
Harrowing rescue missions were conducted in "wind, snow, rain and cold," he said.
"Words cannot adequately express the gratitude and pride I have for the Nebraska National Guard," the governor said at the ceremony in a rotunda decorated at this holiday time with a huge Christmas tree that hovered over dozens of members of the Guard who attended the event in uniform.
As governor, Ricketts acts as commander-in-chief of the Nebraska Guard.
"These young people make us so proud," Ricketts said. "They volunteer to serve."
"You just stand up and say 'I will,'" Sen. Deb Fischer said in adding her birthday greetings.
Fischer, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said members of the Guard "helped Nebraskans recover in the aftermath of record flooding" and have provided vital services during the pandemic while also fulfilling missions all around the world.
Rep. Don Bacon, who is a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general and former wing commander at Offutt Air Force Base, said the Nebraska National Guard has proven that it is "up to the task," whatever the mission.
"Thank you for serving Nebraska and our country," he said.
Bacon is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and represents metropolitan Omaha's 2nd District in the House.
Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard, said he is "very proud" of the members of the Guard and promised they will "always be ready."
The Nebraska National Guard is composed of 4,600 soldiers, airmen and civilians and has 25 readiness centers in 23 communities across the state.
Recent missions have taken members of the Guard to Cuba, Africa, the Middle East and the western Pacific along with disaster relief missions in the United States and border support activities.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) A Nebraska man will spend the rest of his life in prison for sex trafficking a 15-year-old girl.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that 57-year-old William J. Quinn of Oxford was sentenced to 177 1/2 to 304 years in prison on Wednesday by a judge in Furnas County. He isn't eligible for parole until serving at least half of the minimum sentence.
Quinn was found guilty this summer of 13 felony charges. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said 18 other defendants with connections to Quinn's actions also have been arrested.
Furnas County Attorney Morgan Farquhar said the victim suffered approximately six months of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse perpetrated by Quinn.
For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Omaha World-Herald.
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PIERRE, S.D. (AP) South Dakota legislators are set to meet next week to deliberate whether Republican Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg should be impeached for his conduct surrounding a fatal car crash last year.
A select committee of nine House members will convene on Tuesday and Wednesday to develop a recommendation to the full body on whether it should impeach Ravnsborg, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.
Ravnsborg was driving home to Pierre from a politcal fundraiser on Sept. 12, 2020, when he struck Joseph Boever as Boever was walking on the side of the highway. Ravnsborg told a 911 dispatcher he wasn't sure what he hit and it might have been a deer. He said he didn't realize he had hit a person until he returned to the crash scene the next day and found Boever's body.
He pleaded no contest this past August to making an illegal lane change and using a phone while drive. He was fined $500 for each count and had to pay $3,742 in court costs.
The select committee will have access to investigators' evidence during its deliberations. Rep. Jon Hansen said he doesn't know what the committee might recommend but to him it matters where Ravnsborg was when he hit Boever. When he reported the collision he said he was driving in the middle of the highway but investigators believe he was driving on the shoulder.
For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Argus Leader.
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"Get off our front porch. Get out of our front yard. And stay out of our backyard."
This might stand as a crude summary of two draft security pacts Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei A. Ryabkov delivered last week as Russia's price for resolving the crisis created by those 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine's borders.
Ryabkov's demands appear to be a virtual ultimatum, designed to be rejected by the U.S. and NATO and provide Moscow with a pretext for an invasion and occupation of part or all of Ukraine.
Among the maximalist Russian demands:
Written guarantees from NATO that it will not admit into the 70-year-old Cold War alliance any more ex-Soviet republics, specifically, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Offensive weapons are to be kept out of nations that border Russia.
The U.S. and Russia should keep their warships and strategic bombers away from each other's territory. The U.S. should forgo planting military bases in any of the five "stans," the Central Asian nations that once were part of the USSR.
NATO should withdraw military infrastructure it has placed in Eastern European states after 1997.
That date is significant. For not until 1999 did Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic join NATO. And the accession of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Slovenia came only in 2004.
Russia is calling for the creation of a security zone around its borders to include all of the former Soviet Union and beyond, where U.S. and NATO military bases would be prohibited.
That Ryabkov's demands were specific and made public suggests they are to be taken seriously and Russian President Vladimir Putin is behind them. The deputy foreign minister is calling for immediate negotiations over these security pacts to begin in Geneva.
Before dismissing these Russian demands outright, the U.S. should look closely to see if there are not some issues on which compromise is possible and common ground can be found so the Ukraine crisis might be defused. One senior U.S. official has been quoted as indicating such:
"There are some things in those documents that the Russians know will be unacceptable ... but there are other things that we are prepared to work with and merit some discussion."
The U.S. has already signaled, with President Joe Biden's warning to Putin about "severe ... economic sanctions" should Russia invade, that we are ruling out war and confining any U.S. response to nonmilitary means.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that the U.K. is also unlikely to send troops to defend Ukraine if Russia invades, as Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
Nor is the U.S. or NATO going to war for Georgia to validate its claims to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as we showed in 2008. That August, President George W. Bush sat immobile as Putin's Russia threw the invading Georgians out of South Ossetia.
Again, America is not going to war for Georgia or Ukraine. We have demonstrated that with our inaction in the Russian-Georgia war of 2008, in the Crimea and Donbass crises in 2014, and in the Ukraine crisis of 2021. So, why not find a way to convey this reality, to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine and war Kyiv would surely lose?
If Ukraine and Georgia are not going to be admitted to NATO or given Article V war guarantees, why not say so publicly now?
What is happening today is that, after decades of moving NATO east from the Elbe River to the Baltic states and borders of Russia itself, the chickens of NATO expansion are coming home to roost.
Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has doubled in size.
We now have outstanding U.S.-NATO war guarantees to 28 nations on the other side of the Atlantic, some of them tiny nations deep inside Eastern Europe, in the very shadow of Russia, the largest nation on earth.
The day cannot be far off when the U.S. is going to have to review and discard Cold War commitments that date to the 1940s and 1950s, and require us to fight a nuclear power such as Russia for countries that have nothing to do with our vital interests or our national security.
Ryabkov's call for U.S.-Russia negotiations at Geneva may be the place to begin a public reappraisal of our Cold War commitments.
For any concessions we make on not expanding NATO into Ukraine and Georgia, we can demand reciprocal Russian concessions. New arms agreements to limit U.S. and Russian missiles in Europe and to restrict the number of U.S. and Russia air and naval operations near the borders of our respective countries seem negotiable.
A Russian-Ukrainian war, which Kyiv would almost surely lose, would prove a disaster for both nations.
The winner would be China. For such a war would leave Russia no place else to turn for an economic, political and strategic partner. And U.S. interests are not served by the cementing alliance between Beijing and Moscow.
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Good news about COVID in December 2021 is hard to find, but Defense One published some of it on Tuesday, writing that scientists at the Armys Walter Reed Institute of Research in Maryland say theyve developed a vaccine which proved effective against all strains of the virus, including omicron, in Phase 1 (human) trials. (It still must go through two more trial phases before being approved for widespread use.)
Even before Tuesdays report, the possibility that the military might be on the verge of concocting a super-vax had begun attracting attention. Its vaccine, like some others in earlier stages of development, is produced by attaching the all-important spike proteins from a variety of coronaviruses, not just the one that causes COVID-19, to a nanoparticle. Preliminarypreliminary!results suggest that this technique might create antibodies that work against COVID and some seasonal colds and against known coronavirus strains that have not yet even appeared in humans.
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If the Army could help Americans prevent COVID, Future COVID, and some common colds at the same time, it would be, in this writers opinion, a pretty cool deal. But could it also increase vaccine adoption across the United States? Consider:
A significant chunk of the countrys anti-vax sentiment is generated in right-wing and libertarian communities by people who frequently identify themselves as patriots and position themselves in opposition to what they see as elitist liberal institutions.
Patriotism is traditionally identified with support for the military.
The Army is the military.
The Army is not typically thought of as liberal or elitist.
On the other hand:
Another pocket of vaccine skepticism exists among people who believe in, to put it simply, healing crystals and so forth.
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These types of individuals typically live in Santa Fe, New Mexico (possibly some other places too, we havent done the research), and typically dont care for gun culture or the Army. [Editors note: Los Angeles, Ben. Crystal people live in Los Angeles. Come on.]
What youd make up in Tom Clancy dads, in other words, you might lose in Marianne Williamson moms. Whats more:
The crystals culture increasingly overlaps with the right-wing patriot culture in some fascinating ways. Podcaster Joe Rogan, for example, is a muscular MMA bro who is also very into alternative medicine.
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The people who attacked police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6 were also patriots who theoretically supported law and order institutions like the police.
Nanoparticle sounds like something Bill Gates would put in your head to control your thoughts. (Its not. Its just a tiny friggin particle. But people have freaked out about their use in the mRNA vaccines.)
Ultimately its our guess, then, that the cultural concepts of free thinking and rejecting narratives would be more powerful than the concept of a patriotic vaccine. Weve reached out to representatives for Rogan and to the Lions Not Sheep apparel company for comment, though (really!), and will update this post if they respond.
For years, if you wanted to fix your own iPhone, Apple would refuse to sell you the spare parts or provide any service manuals. If you actually successfully repaired something, you might find a software lock preventing you from regaining the full functionality.
But starting in January, Apple will make spare parts, repair instructions, and repair software tools available to customers. The new Self Service Repair program is a stunning reversal of the companys longstanding policy of closely controlling repair.
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It is a big win for the plucky gang of advocates, fixers, DIYers and tinkerers who campaign for the Right to Repair so people can fix their own stuff. (Im proud to say that my organization, PIRG, was a leader in the fight.) Its also a huge course correction from one of the worlds biggest companies and includes its most valuable product, the iPhone.
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Its not only a win for consumers but also a win for the planet. PIRG found that if Americans used their phones for one year longer on average, it would have the same climate benefits as taking 636,000 cars off the road.
I see this as a win for democracy as well: proof that the public can mobilize, take on issues that need to be fixed, and make positive changes to how society is run, despite powerful opposition. That should give us hope we can fix other problems technology causes us, too.
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The goal of Right to Repair campaigns is to make sure that users and independent repair providers can access the parts, service tools and repair software needed to fix our modern gadgets and other equipment. Over the last 20 years, manufacturers have increasing locked out repair access by refusing to sell necessary materials like parts, or locking repairs with proprietary software tools. Independent repair technicians and consumers are fighting back.
In 2012, Massachusetts passed rules to make sure independent car mechanics had access to what they needed to fix cars, and after that breakthrough, advocates have been working to extend those rights to consumer electronics and other types of equipment. The Right to Repair isnt the only campaign to make changes to how tech companies operate. The growing resistance to how the largest tech companies behave has been dubbed the techlash. These companies actions have raised a host of concerns about privacy, market concentration, labor rights, and their ability to manipulate public opinion (all while seemingly avoiding taxes that other, often much less profitable, companies pay).
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In May, Axios declared that the techlash is a bust, citing that Big Tech profits were surging despite additional scrutiny. When a $5 billion fine for a company causes the stock prices to go upas was the case when the U.S. Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook for widespread violations of its customers privacyit can make you wonder if these companies are immune to our criticisms. As the Verges Nilay Patel wrote at the time, the biggest FTC fine in United States history increased Mark Zuckerbergs net worth. What lesson would you learn from that?
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Big Tech continues to inspire to a lot of saber-rattling in both houses of Congress about getting tough. Somehow, unlikely bedfellows as Elizabeth Warren, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Josh Hawley, and Ted Cruz have all aired similar criticisms. Yet, to date, Congress has done little to rein in Big Tech. Maybe thats why a Pew poll from this summer found that 68 percent of Americans feel that the tech companies have too much power and influence.
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According to John Ray, senior political analyst with YouGov, this attitude fuels the extraordinarily high polling support for Right to Repair: In 2019, 71 percent supported and only 7 percent opposed. Ray told me in a phone interview after his 2019 poll that more and more Americans across the political spectrum have come to the conclusion corporations have too much power in the modern economy.
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A similar portion of Americans support Right to Repair as believe big companies have too much power. What does it take to turn polling support into positive action?
Apple isnt the only company that has made changes as a result of Right to Repair campaigns. Microsoft agreed to release more parts and service information publicly and has redesigned its products to be easier to fix. Google has made phone repair software for Pixel 6 publicly available.
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These companies opposed Right to Repair efforts for years, so clearly these actions are not out of the goodness of their hearts. In every state where we press for repair-friendly reforms, we run into a cavalcade of opposition lobbyists. I calculated that $10.7 trillion worth of companies, including each of the Big 5, have taken part in the fight against Right to Repair reforms.
When you take on opposition like that, you need a couple of special tools in hand.
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First, you need a campaign that regular people can relate towhere they understand both the problem and the solution and how it can impact their life. If regular people cant understand the problem, or what your solution is, you cant expect them to respond in droves.
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Then you need to use facts to make a clear case as to what is happeningand bring the receipts. Some of our key supporting documentation includes iFixits detailed product teardowns showing how repair is made overly difficult, PIRGs many reports on the topic outlining how much money consumers could save or the scope of the environmental benefits, and most recently, the FTCs landmark Nixing the Fix analysis, which reviews and debunks all the major industry justifications for restricting repair.
You need to organize political power. Weve always had sky-high polling for Right to Repair, but most people werent very familiar with the idea (and a large portion likely still arent). The Right to Repair movement has been building momentum by informing a wide variety of Americans of whats in it for themincluding many small businesses, like repair shops that form the backbone of many of our communities. We also helped widen the base of support by organizing farmers to speak up about repairing equipment like John Deere tractors, building champions in rural America.
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Finally, you need to repeat your message and raise your visibility until the people powerful enough to effect change are forced to contend with your arguments. We started by running campaigns in a few states, and then watched the enthusiasm for our cause snowball over the years until Congress, the FTC and the Biden White House took notice. Shareholders for some of the worst-offending companies, seeing the regulatory risks for companies which are unprepared to function under new Right to Repair rules, have started pushing corporate boards to get ahead of the issue. Together, these forces have resulted in recent progress. We arent done, of course, but it does feel like weve crossed a threshold.
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Its been somewhat of a wild ride organizing support among repair shops, which are not staffed with political advocates. But these shop owners and workers who are most directly affected by the problem can best speak to the urgency of a solution. We spent long hours convincing them of the power of their story and getting them to share their stories and concerns with decision makers, the media, and the world.
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Some of the worlds most urgent problems come at the intersection of technology and society. Technology fuels climate change and inequality, all while undermining our ability to combat these problems by fanning the flames of social discord and sectarianism. Conversely, technology also has the potential to solve those same problems. For instance, we could be rebuilding our energy systems with clean power and using efficiency gains to end poverty and work less. As some have dubbed it, we are at the Star Trek or Mad Max crossroads.
But our approach to these issues cant be abstract or academicespecially in the face of organized corporate campaigns to maintain the status quo, no matter how apocalyptic the results may be. We need to be disciplined to make our case in ways that people can relate to, and dedicated enough to build a movement for change.
If the techlash can evolve to do those things, it wont be a bust. It might just save the world.
Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
In the new movie Dont Look Up, available on Netflix on Friday, astronomers played by Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio try to tell the world that a comet 9 kilometers wide will collide with the Earth in six months, utterly destroying most life and ending human civilization. This is decidedly not Armageddon but a dark comedy. When the astronomers appear on a talk show to get the message out, one host asks if the comet can land on his ex-wifes house, and the other chides the astronomers for not being light enough for their morning segment. Media training is recommended.
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Its a cliche that every disaster movie begins with someone ignoring a scientist, because our real-life disasters start the same way. Dont Look Up is a thinly veiled critique of societys feeble response to scientists warnings about the existential threat of climate change, and has special relevancy now because of the inability of many of us to understand and act on what scientists tell us about how viruses work. As an astrophysicist, I have felt sympathy for scientists trying to convey these dangers: Climate change is happening on scales too large to perceive easily; viruses are too small to be seen directly. I have also smugly assumed that if a mountain-size comet, plainly visible in the sky, were barreling to Earth at 25,000 mph, my colleagues and I could communicate the dangers.
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Dont Look Up has made me seriously question that. No one in the film grasps what must be done, the astronomers included. Like anyone watching this movie, I rooted for the astronomers trying to save the world and booed the talking heads and other idiots who couldnt see the danger. But as a scientist, too, I also found myself shaking my head and asking: Are we just as unteachable?
Scientists are expertly trained to imagine and quantify what might have happened in the past and how the future might unfold, and to plan accordingly. As depicted in the movie, there really is a Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA that plans and sponsors telescope surveys in Hawaii, Arizona, and around the world. Its congressional mandate is to find at least 90 percent of the estimated 25,000 near-Earth asteroids at least 140 meters in size (each capable of destroying a city with the energy of an H-bomb). Based on the rate of discovery, about half have probably been found; none found so far are on a collision course in the next century. Our ability to deflect any hazardous asteroid we discover is limited, but NASA is preparing for the eventuality. In November, it launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission. In September 2022, as one spacecraft watches, another will collide with a small asteroid to see how much momentum can be transferred to it (just the momentum of the spacecraft, or extra momentum from ejected surface rock?). We are probably safe for centuries to come. But when astrophysicists extrapolate from familiar examples like the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor or Meteor Crater in Arizona, the math tells us that planet-killer impacts are inevitable over hundreds of millions of years.
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Indeed, they have happened, and the impact of a 10-km-wide asteroid near present-day Chicxulub, in Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula, precipitated one of the largest mass extinctions on Earth, including the demise of all (non-avian) dinosaurs. The death of the dinosaurs had been an unexplained mystery until geologist Walter Alvarez and physicist Luis Alvarez in 1980 discovered traces of asteroidal iridium in a worldwide clay layer deposited about 66 million years ago.* They predicted an impact crater 100 miles wide and 20 miles deep. Incredibly, just such a crater was later found, buried under 2,000 feet of sediment in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Planetary scientists studying craters on other planets and moons, with paleontologists, have pieced together and widely publicized the events surrounding this impact, and how it led to massive loss of life on Earth. Today, everyone knows an asteroid killed the dinosaurs. And yet its easy to believe Dont Look Ups premise that the public has not internalized how destructive this would be. As someone working in this field, I found myself wondering, as I watched the movie, what I would say if I were in the place of Lawrences and DiCaprios characters.
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I would want to remind people that there was no warning. Until the instant the asteroid entered the Earths atmosphere, coming in at a steep angle from the northeast at 25,000 mph, it was probably a perfectly normal night in the Cretaceous. Everything changed in a blink of an eye. No triceratops had time to gaze at a space rock hurtling through the air, trailed by smoke, and contemplate its imminent demise; rather, literally one second later, the asteroid the size of Mt. Everest had buried itself most of a mile beneath the seafloor. The Earths crust stopped the planetary bullet, but tremendous energy was released in an instant, as much as 100 million H-bombs exploding simultaneously. More than 1 million billion tons of rock were launched into ballistic orbits. Seismic waves raced through the Earths crust outward in all directions. Much of the Earth would have experienced ongoing magnitude 9 earthquakes, stronger than any felt by any living person. Then came the fall of all the ejected rock back through the Earths atmosphere. One shooting star glowing from the heat of its reentry is pretty; the unrelenting glow from trillions of shooting stars turned the sky into an oven, and fern forests around the world into ash. Finally came the winds generated by the explosion, scouring every continent at hundreds of miles per hour, and then tsunamis taller than skyscrapers that would have crashed onto every shoreline across the world. In the years it took for the ash from the impact and the forest fires to settle out, no sunlight reached the ground. Would that convince the public of how unsurvivable a comet impact would be? Or would the media consultants explain to me that those numbers are just too unimaginable and meaningless?
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Maybe I could evoke a response by telling the story of what happened to the creatures in one place, like the Tanis site in North Dakota, the location of a remarkable discovery announced by paleontologists in 2019. Sixty-six million years ago, a river flowed there into the shallow sea intersecting North America, 2,000 miles from Chicxulub. The seismic waves from Chicxulub generated 30-foot-high surges of water called seiches, that piled up local freshwater fish and saltwater fish from miles away into heaps on the shore. There are hints of a triceratops carcass in the mess of tangled bones. As the fish lay there gasping for breath, the rock reentering Earths atmosphere fell as white-hot molten glassy beads. As the fossils at Tanis reveal, these glass beads got stuck in tree sap, filled ants nests, and collected in the gills of the dying fish. At this one site, the death tableau was buried and preserved in sediment soon after, before the hurricanes and forest fires, but this destruction was repeated everywhere around the world. Nearly everything was killed, including almost all four-legged animals over 50 pounds. Only 25 percent of all plant and animal species managed to leave any descendants at all. Would hearing that spur people to act? Or would the media consultants admonish me for being too doom-and-gloom?
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If Im honest with myself, I doubt I would fare better than the astronomers in Dont Look Up. Denialism is just too strong. Mammals are just lucky creatures whose ancestors happened to survive the Chicxulub impact, but its human nature to blame the dinosaurs for their own demise and believe our own rise was destined or deserved. If they really wanted to live, maybe the dinosaurs should have developed social media and a space program. (How would a tyrannosaur hold their smartphone anyway, with those tiny arms?) We forget what an evolutionarily perfect killing machine T. rex was. It was the largest predator in the Americas, and when it evolved, all medium-size predators went extinct. It was the master of its environment, and mammals were notuntil that environment disappeared.
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Astronomers, planetary scientists, and paleontologists have studied the Chicxulub impact and know what a comet impact today would entail. This is not the bailiwick of nonscientists. In Dont Look Up, the politicians calculate exactly how the comet will affect their midterm chances, the billionaires build business plans to profit off the comet, and the media analysts test how well the comet is polling. Their denialism is the dark joke that bleakly rings true. But the scientists denial is equally tragic. Their own lives depend on them getting politicians and the public to recognize what to do, yet they have no clue how to craft and market-test a message. They are constantly admonished to get some basic media training, but they seem to blow it off, oblivious to its importance, They figure the message is enough; it never seems to register with them that they need to learn how to reach people. They do try their best to engage the public, but they arent very smart about it.
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Scientific training prepares us to have excellent clarity of thought about the physical world; we are masters of understanding the physical environment. But the power to alter the physical world depends on collective effort, and therefore on changing hearts and minds in the human sphere. Politicians, industrialists, the media are masters of that human environmentuntil that environment disappears.
Im not prepared to say that the uneasy alliance of these factions we call human civilization will go the way of the dinosaurs. But as Dont Look Up reminds us, our inability to act effectively on threats from climate change to pandemics means we are a civilization of dinosaurs, each of us perfectly evolved to work with impressive efficiency within an environment that could disappear overnight.
Correction, Dec. 23, 2021: This piece originally misidentified Walter Alvarez as a physicist and Luis Alvarez as a geologist. Walter is the geologist, and Luis was the physicist.
Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/acting-combat-style-uk-soldiers-were-ordered-to-pretend-to-be-busy-amid-army-chief-visit-1091707653.html
Acting, Combat Style: UK Soldiers 'Were Ordered to Pretend to be Busy Amid Army Chief Visit'
Acting, Combat Style: UK Soldiers 'Were Ordered to Pretend to be Busy Amid Army Chief Visit'
British soldiers were ordered to pretend they were very busy during a surprise visit by the new head of the Armed Forces on Monday, The Sun has reported.
2021-12-22T05:44+0000
2021-12-22T05:44+0000
2021-12-22T05:44+0000
estonia
troops
soldiers
uk
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British soldiers were ordered to pretend they were very busy during a surprise visit by the new head of the Armed Forces on Monday, The Sun has reported. According to the tabloid, Royal Artillery troops stationed in Estonia were told to play-act, and bring special checklists with them, pretending they were performing Commanders' Functional Tests, when Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the new chief of defence staff, paid an unexpected visit to their base.What happened next, a source described to The Sun is "a pantomime".
R Bell Furry Bear Balls.What happens when the Russians turn up? 0
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estonia, troops, soldiers, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/alex-jones-michael-flynn-launch-separate-suits-to-dodge-january-6-committee-subpoenas-1091706089.html
Alex Jones, Michael Flynn Launch Separate Suits to Dodge January 6 Committee Subpoenas
Alex Jones, Michael Flynn Launch Separate Suits to Dodge January 6 Committee Subpoenas
InfoWars host Alex Jones and Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, have filed lawsuits attempting to avoid subpoenas for their phone records by a House committee probing the riot at the US Capitol.
2021-12-22T01:06+0000
2021-12-22T01:06+0000
2021-12-22T01:00+0000
alex jones
us
michael flynn
subpoena
congressional probe
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The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol has been gathering information on the planning process behind the events on that day, subpoenaing dozens of phone records from people connected to the Stop the Steal rally that immediately preceded the riot.In a lawsuit filed in a District of Columbia federal court on Monday, Jones argued that the courts subpoena of phone records from AT&T violates his First Amendment rights as a journalist and that the committee itself is improperly composed according to House regulations.According to the committee, Jones helped organize the Stop the Steal rally outside the White House, including reportedly soliciting a massive donation that provided 80% of the events funding."Mr. Jones has stated that he was told by the White House that he was to lead a march from the January 6th Ellipse rally to the Capitol, where President Trump would meet the group and speak," the committee said in a November 22 release announcing the subpoena. "Mr. Jones has repeatedly promoted unsupported allegations of election fraud, including encouraging individuals to attend the Ellipse rally on January 6th and implying he had knowledge about the plans of the former President with respect to the rally."Flynn, a longtime senior US military intelligence officer, was briefly a member of the Trump administration before resigning just three weeks into Trumps presidency. His resignation followed revelations he had concealed the nature of his communication with Sergey Kislyak, then Russias ambassador in Washington, DC. He later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about that conversation, but was pardoned by Trump in November 2020.In July 2020, Flynn posted a video replete with references to the QAnon conspiracy theory, which holds that Trump is locked in a secret battle with a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophile Democrats who run the globe. The ideology was a major motivating factor for many of the thousands of people who stormed the Capitol on January 6, believing it was the beginning of a prophesied Storm that would sweep away Trumps enemies.The attack on the Capitol came while Congress was convened in a joint session to certify the election results. While the rioters gained entry to the national legislature and sent lawmakers running for safety, they failed at their ultimate goal of overturning the results, and police and National Guardsmen soon cleared them from the building.Five people died in the violent upheaval, including a US Capitol Police officer and a female rioter who was shot by a USCP officer outside the House chamber as she attempted to break through a door.In the aftermath, Washington, DC, was garrisoned by tens of thousands of troops, who remained for months amid reported threats of further violence that failed to materialize. Trump was impeached on charges of inciting the insurrection, but acquitted by a minority of senators in a trial after he left office.
vot tak Excellent article. It is obvious these 2 israeli quisling played a role in fomenting the riot they now wish to conceal to avoid criminal prosecution. 1
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alex jones, us, michael flynn, subpoena, congressional probe
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/chris-noths-comments-about-rape-resurface-as-actor-faces-sexual-assault-allegations-1091721615.html
Chris Noths Comments About Rape Resurface as Actor Faces Sexual Assault Allegations
Chris Noths Comments About Rape Resurface as Actor Faces Sexual Assault Allegations
Three women have come forward with accusations against the 67-year-old, who has categorically dismissed them. A fourth woman, actress-director Zoe Lister-Jones has accused the Golden Globes nominee of predatory behaviour
2021-12-22T14:01+0000
2021-12-22T14:01+0000
2021-12-22T14:03+0000
society
sexual assault
rape
sexual harassment
chris noth
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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/0c/11/1091591220_0:108:2049:1260_1920x0_80_0_0_3beb4f9c5de0ecd398cdaacaa6c8506c.jpg
Chris Noths comments about rape have resurfaced as the Sex and the City star faces sexual assault allegations. In 2016, the actor gave an interview to Esquire, where he discussed his role in the movie White Girl. He portrayed a lawyer who helps drug addict Lea to get her boyfriend out of jail. Spoiler alert: Noth rapes the girl from behind when she falls unconscious after getting high on cocaine.The actor said he first rejected the part, thinking it was "too ugly", but then reconsidered saying he realised he was afraid of playing villains after years of playing heroes and nice guys. Noth then went on to say that the instinct of predator is firmly entrenched in the male psyche.Social media users drew attention to the similarities between the scene in the film and the statements made by women who have accused Chris Noth of sexual assault and rape.Last week, The Hollywood Reporter published an interview with two women who described in detail how the actor had allegedly raped them. One woman, going under the pseudonym Zoe, said she became acquainted with Noth in 2004 while she was working "in an entry-level position at a high-profile firm where Noth and other celebrities regularly had business". The actor, who was at the height of his popularity thanks to his role as Mr Big in Sex and the City, began flirting with her, she claims. Zoe alleges she was raped by Noth from behind while facing a mirror after she went to his apartment in Los Angeles to return a book.During the sexual assault, the actor didnt use protection, the woman alleges.The description of an incident given by the second woman, Lily, matches Zoes. She claims the incident occurred in 2015, when she was 25 and Noth was 60. The Sex and the City star invited her to "sample his collection of whiskeys". Lily alleges that the actor raped her from behind in front of a mirror.After the article was published, actress and director Zoe Lister-Jones, who worked with Chris Noth on Law & Order, posted a statement on her social media accusing the actor of predatory behaviour. On 18 December, a third woman accused the actor of sexual assault, which reportedly occurred in 2010 when she was 18.Chris Noth has categorically denied the accusations, saying the sexual encounters described in The Hollywood Reporters story were consensual. The actors publicist said Noth has no idea who the third woman is.The accusations follow the recent premiere of Sex and the City's reboot "And Just Like That", which came out on HBO earlier this month. The first two accusers said the publicity around the series, where Noth reprises his role as Mr Big, brought back "painful memories" of encounters with the actor.The LAPD said no formal charges had been brought against the 67-year-old, but that law enforcement was looking into the report the woman under pseudonym Zoe filed.
Ladyshadow Because the flaky women say something with no actual proof and he is declared guilty, where have these supposed vitcims been since the alegged events, before you destory someones life do some fact checking of both side of this story. 1
Ladyshadow Guilty until proven innocent, that's the new game the WOKE kids are playing. 0
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Max Gorbachev
Max Gorbachev
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Max Gorbachev
society, sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, chris noth
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/delhis-environment-minister-calls-for-joint-action-plan-to-curb-pollution-1091710481.html
Delhi's Environment Minister Calls For Joint Action Plan to Curb Pollution
Delhi's Environment Minister Calls For Joint Action Plan to Curb Pollution
Sputnik contacted Delhis environment minister Gopal Rai to talk about the deteriorating air quality in the city and find out what the city government is planning to do to control it.
2021-12-22T12:12+0000
2021-12-22T12:12+0000
2021-12-22T12:12+0000
new delhi
elections
environment
delhi
politics
politics
environment protection
air pollution
environment
elections
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Delhi is not only fighting the latest strain of COVID-19, the so-called Omicron variant, it is also faced with the problem of air pollution at this time of the year.The pollution menace has become so serious that the Supreme Court of India decided to intervene in the matter recently.Sputnik contacted Delhis environment minister Gopal Rai to talk about the prevailing situation and find out what the city government is planning to do to control it.Sputnik: Despite government efforts, Delhi continues to face air pollution problems. Have the cause of pollution and solution for it have been figured out? What is being done to get rid of this problem?Gopal Rai: According to a report by Delhi-based think-tank, the Centre for Science and Environment, the city's (total) contribution to air pollution is only 31 percent and the remaining 69 percent comes from outside Delhi.The main reason air pollution is worsening in the capital city, especially during the winter, is because the stubble is being burnt, and firecrackers have been let off during Diwali. We have come up with a two-pronged strategy to curb the menace of pollution one long-term and the other short-term.As regards the long-term strategy, in the past three to four years we have managed to convert around 1,500 factories that were operating on polluted fuel to Piped Natural Gas (PNG). Then our government is committed to providing electricity 24/7 - but we are ensuring that the generator sets which run on diesel are not used in commercial centres.We have also introduced an e-vehicle policy to ensure that pollution from vehicles can be controlled. All the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses are already running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and from next month we will introduce electric buses also.In addition to this, we are working on increasing the capital's green belt. For this, we have adopted a tree transplantation policy by which we are not only planting new drives but also transplanting old trees to other places.The national average of the green belt is 20 percent of the area of the city or state but eventually Delhi will have a 22 percent green belt which is more than the national average.As regards the short-term, we have come up with a winter action plan under which Delhi is the first to start a green war room. This works with several agencies in the capital, monitors the pollution and implements the plan.The Delhi government has also launched the Green Delhi App so that the people of Delhi can help to fight pollution. People can report any activity that is causing pollution and our agencies will take action against it.Several other campaigns such as Red Light On, Gaadi Off (Red light on, Vehicle Off), the anti-dust campaign, anti-open burning campaign have been launched to control the pollution from vehicles, construction activities and burning of coal or other things during the winter season.As far as stubble burning is concerned, last year with the help of the Pusa Institute of Technology we launched a bio-decomposer for the stubble, which is left after the harvest. It not only helped to decompose the stubble but also helped to increase the produce in the next harvest. It was so successful that this time more farmers have asked for bio-decomposer capsules.We even suggested that the federal government get other states to use bio-decomposers so that the stubble burning can be stopped and the after-effects of it can be controlled.Apart from all these plans, we have also asked the federal government to form a joint-action plan so that we can work with other states also to control the pollution because this menace cant be fought alone.Sputnik: Despite curbing building, the air quality has not improved. Do you think construction activities and use of diesel vehicles are still contributing to pollution?Gopal Rai: The studies show that the main sources of pollution in Delhi are vehicles and construction activities. So, as far as construction activities are concerned, we earlier introduced 14-point norms but as conditions got worse we had to stop building work across the city. Now, as the situation has eased a bit, the Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi NCR, and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has lifted the ban from construction activities. It allows work on the condition that the construction firms follow dust-control norms.Sputnik: The Delhi government will deregister 10-year-old diesel vehicles from 1 January 2022. Do you think this is a good way to curb the pollution?Gopal Rai: As I said earlier, there are many causes of pollution and we can only control it by curbing one source at a time.As far as the decision to deregister 10-year-old diesel vehicles, everyone knows that the old vehicles spread more pollution and this decision was handed down by the Supreme Court of India itself. So, the decision has been taken considering all the studies and analysis.Sputnik: What kind of support is being given by the federal government?Gopal Rai: It has been really unfortunate that, despite several requests, the Federal Minister of the Environment [Bhupender Yadav] didnt call for a joint meeting of state environment ministers to coordinate a joint action plan. I have written to him three times but there has been no response from him.I think that the role of the federal government is crucial because we have to work in harmony as this is a common problem especially in the states adjoining Delhi. I can only say that the federal government should actively work on it so that we can control pollution faster and in a much more effective way.Sputnik: Pollution of the Yamuna river is also a big concern. Delhi state chief Arvind Kejriwal vowed that the river would be cleaned but no significant progress has been made to date. Dont you think that the Delhi government has failed in keeping its promises?Gopal Rai: I dont think the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government has failed in fulfilling the promise. Yes, there has been a delay in cleaning the Yamuna river but everybody is aware that because of COVID-19 several works were put to a halt.Delhi state chief Arvind Kejriwal is committed to cleaning the Yamuna and we have even announced a six-point plan for it. The implementation of the plan has started and we are sure that in the next three years the Yamuna will be clean.Sputnik: Your party - Aam Aadmi - is contesting elections in other states, with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Goa the most prominent. What is the partys strategy apart from providing free electricity and free water?Gopal Rai: We have a single-line strategy: we are going to the people with the work done by the AAP in Delhi. We are asking people to give the AAP a chance, as they have already given a number of chances to other political parties in all the states.
https://sputniknews.com/20211103/diwali-night-may-plunge-delhis-air-quality-to-severe-level-study-warns-1090433718.html
https://sputniknews.com/20210625/as-algae-ammonia-level-rise-in-river-yamuna-delhi-households-strive-for-clean-drinking-water-1083239785.html
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new delhi, elections, environment, delhi, politics, politics, environment protection, air pollution, environment, elections, india, environment, elections, politics, uttar pradesh, air pollution, elections, politics, environment, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/dhs-to-redirect-trump-era-border-wall-cash-to-close-us-mexico-barrier-gaps-fix-erosion-issues-1091705739.html
DHS to Redirect Trump-Era Border Wall Cash to Close US-Mexico Barrier Gaps, Fix Erosion Issues
DHS to Redirect Trump-Era Border Wall Cash to Close US-Mexico Barrier Gaps, Fix Erosion Issues
DHS announced Monday it plans to use Trump-era border wall funds to undertake various activities, including the closure of gaps in the US-Mexico barrier and the installation of erosion control measures, among other initiatives.
2021-12-22T00:46+0000
2021-12-22T00:46+0000
2021-12-22T00:41+0000
us
alejandro mayorkas
department of homeland security (dhs)
border wall
trump administration
biden administration
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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday that it plans to use Trump-era border wall project funds to undertake a number of activities, including the closure of gaps in the US-Mexico barrier, the installation of erosion control measures, and the completion of prior construction on nearby patrol, maintenance, and access roads. A number of incomplete US Department of Defense projectsprimarily in Tucson, Arizonawill be completed to address a variety of safety concerns, the release detailed. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas authorized the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a subsidiary of the DHS, to carry out activities originally proposed in April. Shortly after Biden assumed office, his administration took swift action against Trump-era border wall efforts, issuing a proclamation on January 20 that suspended all US-Mexico barrier efforts and ordering the development of a plan to redirect funds and repurpose wall construction contracts.Biden's suspension of Trump's US-Mexico border wall efforts triggered a backlash from some Republicans, primarily those hailing from the southern US, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who inaugurated his first stretch of state-funded barriers on Saturday. Per CBP data, US authorities encountered more than 1.7 million migrants at the US-Mexico border during fiscal year 2021. Additionally, US border agents apprehended an estimated 1.66 million migrants at the southern border, exceeding the previous record-high of 1.64 million apprehensions in 2000.
TruePatriot How about installing all the parts that are laying on the ground that have cost more in maintenance so far than if they had been installed originally? 1
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Evan Craighead
Evan Craighead
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Evan Craighead
us, alejandro mayorkas, department of homeland security (dhs), border wall, trump administration, biden administration
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/dutch-prosecutors-demand-life-imprisonment-for-defendants-in-mh17-crash-case-1091719626.html
Dutch Prosecutors Demand Life Imprisonment for Defendants in MH17 Crash Case
Dutch Prosecutors Demand Life Imprisonment for Defendants in MH17 Crash Case
The District Court of The Hague later suspended hearings in the MH17 crash case until 7 March 2022, when the floor will be given to the defence team.
2021-12-22T11:53+0000
2021-12-22T11:53+0000
2021-12-22T11:53+0000
netherlands
mh17
europe
russia
mh17 crash
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The Dutch prosecutor's office is demanding life imprisonment for all four defendants (Russian citizens Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky, and Oleg Pulatov, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko) in the case of the MH17 plane crash, prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks said on Wednesday.He also asked that the court issue an arrest warrant for all of the defendants.Earlier in the day, prosecutor Thijs Berger said that they all deserve long-term punishment for destroying the plane and killing 298 passengers.Commenting on the trial, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the court is making attempts to put responsibility for the incident on Moscow.Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, crashed on 17 July 2014 in eastern Ukraine amid military clashes between the Ukrainian government and local self-proclaimed republics. All 298 people on board (most of them Dutch citizens) died. After the incident, Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass blamed each other for the crash. At the same time, the EU and the US immediately put the responsibility on Russia and slammed Moscow with several rounds of sanctions.The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was established to probe the case; however, Russia was denied any access to the investigation. Russia launched its own investigation and provided the JIT with evidence, including radar data showing that the plane had been shot down by a Ukrainian Buk missile that had been stored in Ukraine since 1986 and never went back to Russia after the break-up of the Soviet Union.However, all of that information was ignored by the Dutch investigators, who insisted that the Buk missile had come from the Russian military.
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netherlands, mh17, europe, russia, mh17 crash
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/eu-satellite-operator-takes-rts-german-tv-broadcast-off-air-1091714248.html
Moscow Vows Response to Berlin Forcing EU Satellite Operator to Take RT DE TV Channel Off Air
Moscow Vows Response to Berlin Forcing EU Satellite Operator to Take RT DE TV Channel Off Air
RT DE, which started broadcasting last week, immediately faced pressure from Berlin, as its YouTube page was deleted, while German authorities have launched an investigation into the broadcaster.
2021-12-22T08:46+0000
2021-12-22T08:46+0000
2021-12-22T09:37+0000
europe
germany
rt
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Moscow has vowed to respond to Berlin forcing the European satellite operator, Eutelsat, to take RT's German TV broadcast off air. In an exclusive for RT, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov didn't rule out Russia coming up with a mirror response to the RT DE channel being excluded from broadcasting in Europe. At the same time, the minister emphasised that Moscow has no desire to put pressure on media in the same way.Eutelsat has been forced to remove RT's 24-hour German-language channel from its platform due to a demand by the media regulator MABB (Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg).RT expressed confidence that a court will annul the German regulator's decision, and RT DE will again become available to Eutelsat clients.RT launched a 24-hour news service in German last week, broadcasting live news, talk shows, and documentaries from studios in Moscow and Berlin. Before that, RT DE proved to be number one among German-language media platforms by interactions on Facebook, bypassing Bild, Spiegel, ZDF, and other outlets.The broadcaster, however, is facing pushback from the German authorities. In August 2021, RT DE was refused a broadcasting license in Luxembourg after reportedly receiving a recommendation from Berlin. In September, YouTube also removed two RT DE channels without the right of recovery, citing alleged "violations of community rules".
discoversci Someone just doesn't want the truth to get out The people should hear all voices, not just the particular ones. EU's hypocrisy at its peak Of course, they have powerful masters from States behind them. 12
discoversci Invading Ukraine ? What's wrong with you dude ? What are you smoking ? Maybe booster jab for covid done you wrong ? How much are you getting payed for this B.S. trash online ? If anything, Russia is defending its borders as it always was. Imagine, if rockets were set up miles away from American border... American regime would be in total alert. But, now, that the same thing is happening on Russia's border, Russians should be just quiet now ? How about NO, huh ? 9
8
germany
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Evgeny Mikhaylov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/07/1080390164_0:0:1440:1440_100x100_80_0_0_46c187f2ab0908f86849a7d09a7def57.jpg
Evgeny Mikhaylov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/07/1080390164_0:0:1440:1440_100x100_80_0_0_46c187f2ab0908f86849a7d09a7def57.jpg
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europe, germany, rt
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/going-to-lenins-country-experience-of-foreign-graduates-of-russian-universities-1091721377.html
'Going to Lenin's Country': Experience of Foreign Graduates of Russian Universities
'Going to Lenin's Country': Experience of Foreign Graduates of Russian Universities
Foreign alumni of Russian universities took part in an online conference at the Rossiya Segodnya news agency and described how their education in Russia has affected their lives.
2021-12-22T13:38+0000
2021-12-22T13:38+0000
2021-12-22T13:38+0000
russia
students
university
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According to Kotchofa, the main advantage of a Russian education is its fundamental nature, with the foundation reinforced by practice. "We have internships with students every year, people have the opportunity to 'feel' the oil and the fields", he said, adding that during a global pandemic, it is important for Russia not to lose these traditions, to get international students back into the classroom, and give them a chance to practice.Furthermore, he believes that universities should not just train specialists in demand, but people who will then promote the Russian language around the world.Since 1960, over a million foreign students from 170 countries have graduated from Russian (Soviet) universities; there are associations of graduates of Russian universities in more than 80 countries. The objectives of these associations are to assist graduates in protecting their professional interests and rights, including problems of recognition of documents (diplomas) and academic degrees obtained in the USSR, Russia, and other CIS countries, assistance in further training or continuing studies, the establishment of business and partnership contacts.First Secretary of the Embassy of the State of Palestine Abdulla Issa told the conference how he became a graduate of the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute. For his part, MAX Innovation Capital CEO Liu Xin (China) said that 1,400 Chinese students are currently studying in Russia, whereas China fully recognises Russian diplomas. "There is a huge amount of trade turnover between the two countries, and I, as someone involved in international business, need such people who know Russian and Russia", Xin stressed. According to him, one in five employees at one of the American companies he runs knows Russian.Liu Xin himself found the language difficult to understand.Associate Professor at the Department of Theory and History of International Relations at RUDN University Adu Yao Nicaise (Cote d'Ivoire) came to Russia and enrolled at RUDN by chance; he had no relatives or acquaintances in Russia. Yet, his "impressions of this chance" were nothing but positive: he got his bachelor's, master's, and post-graduate degrees with honours and stayed on to teach at RUDN University, where he has been working at the Department of International Relations for 10 years now.Chairman of the Council of Alumni and Friends Association at RUDN (PFUR) Alamgir Jalil (Bangladesh) is also proud of having studied in Russia. His late father told his son a lot about the USSR, a country that helped in the war for the independence of Bangladesh. "We will always be grateful to Russia", he said.Vice President of the Lebanese-Russian Friendship Association Riad Najm (Lebanon) said that there are no problems with recognition of Russian diplomas in Lebanon, so Lebanese students are happy to go to Russia. "They come back without any problems, and the level of education received in Russia allows them to work and hold high positions", he said, adding that 150 Lebanese students are currently studying at RUDN University.
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russia, students, university
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/harvard-professor-convicted-in-us-for-making-false-statements-about-links-to-china-1091711866.html
Harvard Professor Lieber Convicted in US for Covering Links to China
Harvard Professor Lieber Convicted in US for Covering Links to China
The United States has convicted Harvard University professor Charles Lieber of concealing his affiliation with China's Thousand Talents Programme and the Wuhan University of Technology, the US Department of Justice said.
2021-12-22T07:47+0000
2021-12-22T07:47+0000
2021-12-22T08:06+0000
us
china
harvard
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China's Thousand Talents Programme was established by the Chinese government in 2008 in order to recognise and recruit outstanding international scientists and entrepreneurs. Washington has accused Beijing of trying to gain an economic and military advantage through the use of scientists involved with this programme.Lieber was convicted of making false statements to federal authorities, filing a false income tax return and failing to disclose foreign bank and financial accounts.According to the department, the professor lied to federal investigators in an attempt to hide his ties to the Chinese government while conducting research for the US Department of Defence.Lieber will later be sentenced later by a US Senior District Court. The date has not yet been announced.Lieber was arrested in January 2020 on charges of attempting to smuggle biological research to China. According to the Justice Department, the professor failed to provide the required information about his work at China's Wuhan University of Technology and other Chinese organisations from 2011-2017 and lied about his involvement in these organisations in 2018 and 2019.In June 2020, Lieber was indicted. In July 2020, he was subsequently charged in a superseding indictment.
Hess Jews are the world's worst traitor. For them, money above every thing. 0
1
china
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us, china, harvard
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/idfs-former-intel-chief-hayman-admits-israel-was-involved-in-soleimanis-assassination-1091705234.html
IDFs Former Intel Chief Hayman Admits Israel Was Involved in Soleimanis Assassination
IDFs Former Intel Chief Hayman Admits Israel Was Involved in Soleimanis Assassination
In a recent interview, a former leading Israel Defense Force official admitted for the first time that Israel played a role in the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, which was carried out by a US drone.
2021-12-22T00:13+0000
2021-12-22T00:13+0000
2021-12-22T00:08+0000
middle east
iran
assassination
israel
tamir hyman
qasem soleimani
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In the early morning hours of January 3, 2020, an SUV and a minivan were driving away from the tarmac at Baghdad International Airport carrying a number of dignitaries, including Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the head of the Shiita militia Kataib Hezbollah and deputy commander of Iraqs Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). However, the cars were being stalked by an MQ-9 Reaper drone owned by the US Air Force, which moments later fired a Hellfire R9X missile, destroying the SUV and killing both men.Just days after the strike, NBC reported that Israeli intelligence had participated in the operation, tipping off the Americans about Soleimanis airplane leaving Damascus airport in Syria for Baghdad. Last week, Donald Trump, who was US president at the time of the airstrike, griped in an Axios interview that he had felt pressured by Jerusalem to take the initiative on the operation.However, the admission of participation by Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman, former chief of the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate, in a recent interview with Israeli media, is a first by an Israeli official.Hayman noted there had been two significant and important assassinations during my term, which ended in October.The first, as Ive already recalled, is that of Qassem Soleimani - its rare to locate someone so senior, who is the architect of the fighting force, the strategist and the operator - its rare, he said. He called the Iranian commander the engine of the train of Iranian entrenchment in Syria, where Israel has carried out airstrikes for years against what targets it claims are Iranian facilities preparing to attack Israel.Israel has claimed the right to attack Iran in other ways, as well, including a series of espionage operations against the countrys nuclear program, which Israel claims aims at building a nuclear weapon to attack them with. These have included sabotage, as well as assassinations like the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian nuclear scientist, in November 2020.Tehran has repeatedly rejected claims that it pursues a nuclear weapon, which the countrys supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ruled in 2009 is a violation of Islams moral strictures. Instead, Iran says it wants to use the refined uranium to fuel power plants and for use in medical research facilities, but has increased the quality and quantity of uranium its producing in order to pressure the United States to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal that it unilaterally withdrew from in 2018, reimposing crushing economic sanctions against Iran."To the best of our knowledge, the directive has not changed and they are not heading toward a breakout, he told Israels Walla News. They are not heading toward a bomb right now: It may be in the distant future."*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries
ASmith_ Why would the purported ZOG Gov's Israel and USA assassinate the renowned destroyer of ISIS across the Middle East? Seems obvious ISIS was recreated by Obama and Hillary Clinton after Clinton met with relatives of the former ISIS Caliphate's family in exile in Europe for their green-light. Gadhafi had defeated and exiled the depraved ISIS Caliphate from its capital in Benghazi, Libya in a bloodless coup. The faustian bargin appears to be the USA Gov assassinate Gadhafi and give the Benghazi Central Bank $500 Million in cash plus Gadhafi's stockpiles of weapons to ISIS. 11
Wayne Gabler Is that supposed to surprise anybody, or are they just bragging again about what you seem to be able to get away as far as being a terrorist and nobody can do anything about it? 10
12
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middle east, iran, assassination, israel, tamir hyman, qasem soleimani
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/indian-tax-sleuths-launch-massive-raids-against-chinese-mobile-manufacturers-1091718330.html
Indian Tax Sleuths Launch Massive Raids Against Chinese Mobile Manufacturers
Indian Tax Sleuths Launch Massive Raids Against Chinese Mobile Manufacturers
India's tax department is carrying out massive raids on Chinese mobile manufacturing entities such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and OnePlus, which have a combined market share of over 46 percent in India.
2021-12-22T11:28+0000
2021-12-22T11:28+0000
2021-12-22T11:30+0000
tax evasion
china
huawei
xiaomi
mobile phone
border tensions
india
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India's tax department is carrying out massive raids on Chinese mobile manufacturing entities such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and OnePlus, which have a combined market share of over 46 percent in India. The operations are underway in at least 24 premises related to senior executives and offices of these companies in Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru.These Chinese firms allegedly produced illicit purchase bills to reduce their tax liability.In April, the Bombay High Court ordered ByteDance, the developer of the video-making platform TikTok, to deposit $11 million in India's leading state-owned banks as part of a case related to tax evasion. In 2020, shortly after a violent border clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley, the income tax department searched a dozen premises linked to Chinese individuals, claiming more than 40 bank accounts were created in various dummy entities to evade more than $133 million in taxes. The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi urged the Indian government and relevant departments to enforce the "law impartially to ensure Chinese citizens and companies' safety and legal rights".
https://sputniknews.com/20200908/after-tiktoks-ongoing-efforts-india-banned-mobile-game-pubg-cuts-ties-with-chinas-tencent-1080395949.html
china
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tax evasion, china, huawei, xiaomi, mobile phone, border tensions, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/iran-nuclear-deal-talks-to-end-within-weeks-sullivan-tells-israeli-paper-during-jerusalem-visit-1091734183.html
Iran Nuclear Deal Talks to End Within Weeks, Sullivan Tells Israeli Paper During Jerusalem Visit
Iran Nuclear Deal Talks to End Within Weeks, Sullivan Tells Israeli Paper During Jerusalem Visit
After meeting with US allies, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said the time for returning to the JCPOA would soon draw to a close. The US left the deal in 2018, claiming without proof that Iran was violating it.
2021-12-22T23:15+0000
2021-12-22T23:15+0000
2021-12-22T23:09+0000
jake sullivan
middle east
iran
israel
joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa)
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"There is still room for a diplomatic effort," Sullivan told Israeli daily paper Haaretz in a Wednesday interview, adding that within weeks, the US would know "whether Iran is ready for the diplomatic solution.The comments come as Sullivan traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to discuss Washingtons commitment to Israeli security. Jerusalem has long been opposed to the 2015 deal between Iran, the US, UK, Germany, France, Russia, China, and the European Union, which lowered economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for Iran accepting strict limitations on the nuclear fuel it could produce.The US pulled out of that deal in 2018, claiming alongside Israel that Iran had been secretly violating its terms and was still in pursuit of a nuclear weapon, even though that program had ended 15 years earlier and the countrys clerical leadership had denounced the use of all weapons of mass destruction as violations of Islam.As a consequence, Iran began increasing the purity of uranium-235 it produced and the volume it stored, backing away from the terms of the deal in a bid to pressure Washington to remove its sanctions and return to the deal.After US President Joe Biden took office in January, talks on reviving the deal began, with the seventh round in Vienna, Austria, concluding earlier this month without resolution.Israel and Saudi Arabia, two close US partners in the Middle East, have opposed reviving the deal without stronger limitations being placed on Iran, and the US and its allies have considered attempting to add them to the deal as well - a suggestion Tehran has balked at.Earlier on Wednesday, Axios published an article based on the testimony of four senior Israeli officials who met with Sullivan, reporting that the US laid out three possible near-term scenarios for what could happen with Iran.The Israeli officials also told Axios that the door to reaching a deal would close by the end of January 2022.Also on Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, who is preparing to assume command over the Israeli Air Force, told Israeli daily Yediot Acharonot on Wednesday that the IAF was ready to attack Iran tomorrow morning if necessary.In October, the Knesset approved a special $1.5 billion budget for preparing such a strike. However, the Times of Israel reported, citing an anonymous source, that contrary to Bars comments, planning the strike would take nearly a year.Israel has developed a reputation for being willing to carry out such operations, not the least of which was the 1981 airstrike on Iraqs unfinished Osirak nuclear power plant. As with Iran, Tel Aviv feared Iraq intended to use the plant to further its nuclear weapons program, although at the time, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein actually had a nuclear weapons program. Ironically enough, the fledgling Iranian Islamic republic, which was fending off an Iraqi invasion of Khuzestan Province and thus the most likely target for an Iraqi nuclear weapon, secretly helped Israel destroy the reactor.However, unlike Iraq, Iran has an extensive air defense system, most of its nuclear facilities are deep underground, and has no active nuclear weapons program, as Israeli military intelligence has admitted.
mandrake Probably better with no jcpoa deal since that will improve the chances that the jews will be gone into extinction, something the entire world, including the white trash in the us fly over states, will cheer and celebrate endlessly! 5
vot tak Excellent article. Very obvious the israeloamericans have no intention of returning to the JCPOA, and negotiating in bad faith. They will add terms impossible for Iran to accept, then claim the failure to reach an agreement was all Iran's fault. Standard israeloamerican bs. The sullivan quisling is in israel getting his marching orders. 5
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jake sullivan, middle east, iran, israel, joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa)
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/israel-could-attack-irans-nuclear-programme-tomorrow-if-needed-says-air-force-future-head-1091726758.html
Israel Could Attack Irans Nuclear Programme Tomorrow If Needed, Says Air Force Future Head
Israel Could Attack Irans Nuclear Programme Tomorrow If Needed, Says Air Force Future Head
Earlier this week, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan arrvied in Israel to hold detailed discussions with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Irans nuclear program, which Israel claims is used to develop nuclear weapons.
2021-12-22T17:37+0000
2021-12-22T17:37+0000
2021-12-22T17:37+0000
p5+1
middle east
united states
iran
nuclear program
israel
joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa)
nuclear weapons
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Israel has the wherewithal to attack Irans nuclear programme successfully tomorrow if needed, major-general Tomer Bar, incoming commander of the countrys Air Force, has said. Speaking to Yediot Aharonot, Bar, who commands the Force Design Directorate, suggested Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) will attack Tehrans nuclear facilities should talks between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of negotiators fail.The major-general has dismissed reports that a lack of funding was hindering IDFs missions. "We equipped ourselves with F-35s. We procured thousands of Iron Dome interceptors for multi-layer defense", Bar said.The commander also touched on last weeks report from The New York Times, which said that the United States had rejected Israels request to speed up supplies of Boeings KC-46 Pegasus refuelling aircraft. The jets were to be delivered under the $2.4 billion deal the United States and Israel signed last year. According to the newspaper, Israel considers the aircraft is "critical to striking Irans nuclear facilities". KC-46s characteristics allow the plane to refuel three jets at once in four minutes.Bar said that he doesnt know why the White House rejected Israels request, but stressed that he has not "yet exhausted the possibility of getting at least two [jets] in advance".His interview comes a week after media reports said that Israels Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had allegedly stated that Israel is preparing for a military option to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.Israel and Iran have had a tense relationship since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran. At the time, the supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini adopted a sharp anti-Israeli stance and cut off all ties with its neighbour. Over the years, both sides have engaged in tit-for-tat incursions, but have avoided a direct military conflict.Relations between the two sides have further deteriorated because of Iran's nuclear programme, which Israel considers poses a threat to its existence. In 2015, Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. Under the agreement, the Islamic Republic curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions and an arms embargo.Israel strongly opposed the JCPOA, with the country's former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arguing that the deal "doesn't block Iran's path" to [developing a nuclear] bomb, but instead paves Iran's path to it.Donald Trump, who was president of the United States in 2017, harshly criticised the deal too and in 2018 withdrew the nation from the accord despite warnings and criticism from other signatories. Upon taking office, new US President Joe Biden voiced his intention to revive the JCPOA. However, the personal desires of Democrat Joe Biden, have been somewhat hampered by the White House's pushing for more restrictions to be included in the agreement.Israel has voiced opposition to attempts to restore the deal. Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is intended only for peaceful purposes, citing the 2009 ruling of Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who condemned the use and development of weapons of mass destruction describing them as a violation of Islams moral structures.Earlier this week, US national security advise Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on the Iran nuclear deal.
mandrake Which is amlie of course. The friggin slimy jews can do squat vis a vis Irans nukes. Best to shut them up by extinction planning by the worlds long term strategist! The jews have forfeited the right to be part of mankind and should be brought onto the list of extinct species, asap! 13
Hajj Qassem Seeing as they have been claiming it's been needed for the past 20 years, why don't they do it? They don't even have the tankers need to get close enough, and by such time Iran would shoot both tanker and jet out of the sky and then proceed to light Israel up. 12
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p5+1, middle east, united states, iran, nuclear program, israel, joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa), nuclear weapons
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/madagascar-minister-survives-helicopter-crash-swims-for-12-hours-after-flying-to-shipwreck-site-1091714726.html
Madagascar Minister Survives Helicopter Crash, Swims for 12 Hours After Flying to Shipwreck Site
Madagascar Minister Survives Helicopter Crash, Swims for 12 Hours After Flying to Shipwreck Site
The official and his team were searching the area after a deadly boat accident when their aircraft suddenly crashed at sea. 22.12.2021, Sputnik International
2021-12-22T09:06+0000
2021-12-22T09:06+0000
2021-12-22T09:59+0000
madagascar
africa
shipwreck
helicopter crash
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A Madagascar minister managed to survive a helicopter incident during a rescue mission, as he was searching for passengers from the sunken vessel Francia near the northeastern shore of the island. Secretary of State for Police Serge Gelle self-ejected from the aircraft when it crashed into the ocean and swam about 12 hours to shore.In a video, published on Wednesday, he can be seen exhausted, but without any major injuries, saying "it's not my time to die".Gelle, as well as two other police officers, who survived the accident, reached land in the seaside town of Mahambo separately on Tuesday. According to Police Chief Zafisambatra Ravoavy, Gelle used one of the seats as a flotation device.The crash occurred while the minister was on his way to visit the site of a shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar. The vessel (a cargo ship, which was not allowed to carry passengers) sank on Monday with at least 138 people on board, according to the Maritime and River Port Agency (APMF). The official death toll has risen to 64, while 24 people still remain missing. The search operation is ongoing as some 20 people remain missing.
STABOU Youssef Alors les G.I's, pas besoin de captagon pour garder la Forme, juste un peu de banane plantain et l'aide du DIVIN !!! 0
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madagascar, africa, shipwreck, helicopter crash
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/pacific-collective-vows-to-oppose-japan-dumping-fukushimas-nuclear-waste-in-ocean-1091723668.html
Pacific Collective Vows to Oppose Japan Dumping Fukushimas Nuclear Waste in Ocean
Pacific Collective Vows to Oppose Japan Dumping Fukushimas Nuclear Waste in Ocean
In April, Japan announced that it would dump over a million tons of wastewater from Fukushimas crippled nuclear reactors in the Pacific Ocean from 2023. Soon... 22.12.2021, Sputnik International
2021-12-22T15:18+0000
2021-12-22T15:18+0000
2021-12-22T15:18+0000
fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant
pacific ocean
international atomic energy agency (iaea)
fukushima
fumio kishida
japan
china
nuclear waste
pacific
wastewater
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The Pacific Collective on Nuclear Issues, a group of civil society and student organisations, has categorically denied the veracity of a report released by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO), vowing to oppose Japan's planned mass disposal of wastewater stored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.The strong objection comes a day after TEPCO submitted a detailed plan to the nuclear regulation authority seeking the release of accumulated wastewater into the sea. TEPCO said it would use an underwater tunnel to dispose of 1.28 million tons of contaminated water of the plant at a depth of 12 metres in the sea.The group said that the Radiological Impact Assessment violates several issues, including laws and international nuclear treaties that protect the Pacific peoples and environment.The collective accused Japan of wrongly prioritising convenience and costs over the short term and long term environmental and human cost of their planned actions. The group urged the Japanese government to develop alternatives to TEPCO's plans for using an Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) method to "treat highly radioactive wastewater to safe levels" for discharge into the Pacific Ocean. TEPCO claimed radioactive contamination would be removed from wastewater under the ALPS method, except toxic tritium.The Fukushima nuclear plant suffered a triple meltdown in 2011 following a massive earthquake and tsunami. In October, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida assured people and foreign governments that Japan would address the concerns. However, the Japanese politician emphasised that the disposal of contaminated water in the ocean is the most realistic option.
Nonyank Serve it to the government as drinking water and see just how safe it is! 3
Wayne Gabler They should run a pipeline to the trench just offshore. Have it so the end is in the deep part as that part is alreadt 'dead water' and the trench is getting deeper. It could be the world's dump for toxic waste. The place where the plastic is would be suitable fore organic waste, that water also sinks and become food for fish. 1
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pacific ocean
fukushima
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pacific
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fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant, pacific ocean, international atomic energy agency (iaea), fukushima, fumio kishida, japan, china, nuclear waste, pacific, wastewater
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/pla-reveals-details-of-z-10-attack-helicopter-superior-to-foreign-counterparts-1091720612.html
PLA Reveals Details of Z-10 Attack Helicopter, 'Superior to Foreign Counterparts'
PLA Reveals Details of Z-10 Attack Helicopter, 'Superior to Foreign Counterparts'
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) revealed many details of the country's domestically developed Z-10 attack helicopter in a recent programme aired by... 22.12.2021, Sputnik International
2021-12-22T12:43+0000
2021-12-22T12:43+0000
2021-12-22T12:43+0000
asia & pacific
china
helicopter
attack helicopters
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As the first type of attack helicopter domestically developed by China, the Z-10 has been commissioned by the PLA in large numbers in recent years, including an aerial assault brigade affiliated with the 83rd Group Army, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.With a range of 1,120 kilometres, the Z-10 has an empty weight of about 5,100 kilograms. It has four external hardpoints that can carry air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles as well as rockets, plus a 23-millimetre calibre revolver gun, according to CCTV's report.The helicopter can be armed with up to 16 anti-tank missiles, four 7-barrel multiple rocket launchers or two 32-barrel multiple rocket launchers. For different missions, different configurations will be used. For example, missiles will be used against armoured vehicles and tanks, and rockets and the gun will be used against infantry targets, Zhang Zhengfei, an ace pilot at the brigade, told CCTV.When attacking a hostile tank group, the Z-10 will usually carry eight air-to-ground missiles and two multiple rocket launchers, Zhang said, explaining that the missile has an accuracy of 85 percent and each Z-10 sortie can at least destroy six enemy tanks.A standard group of four Z-10s can carry 32 anti-tank missiles, eight 57-millimetre calibre multiple rocket launchers and four guns, and this is enough to wipe out three tank companies, CCTV said.The Z-10 can also launch the 50 kilogram-class TY-90 air-to-air missile against hostile helicopters, the report mentioned.For defence, the helicopter is also equipped with armour made of composite materials that have a protective capability that far surpasses the strength of titanium alloy or steel, CCTV reported, noting that the materials are also lighter.The pilot of the Z-10 uses a specially made helmet that can display all key parameters and battlefield dynamics directly onto the visor. The pilot can even use the helmet to aim, as the weapons will point to wherever the pilot is looking to through the helmet, according to the report.Thanks to its good aerodynamic design, domestically-made engines, excellent handling and manoeuvrability, the Z-10 is easier to control, has a longer range and has a better multi-tasking capability than its foreign counterparts, like the Eurocopter Tiger, CCTV mentioned.In October, the Z-10 helicopter was spotted in PLA exercises near the island of Taiwan for the first time.Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times that the Z-10 has very strong firepower and world-class avionics systems, and it can attack both ground, sea and air targets.The Z-10 can play a unique role in amphibious landing missions, Fu said.Having a record of operations in Northwest China's high-altitude desert regions and Southwest China's Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the Z-10 can also handle China's high-elevation border regions, observers said.This article was originally published by the Global Times.
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asia & pacific, china, helicopter, attack helicopters
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/published-papers-show-us-asked-japan-for-military-aid-during-1990-gulf-war-reports-say-1091716032.html
Published Papers Show US Asked Japan for Military Aid During 1990 Gulf War, Reports Say
Published Papers Show US Asked Japan for Military Aid During 1990 Gulf War, Reports Say
Uncovered Japanese government documents show that in the wake of the 1990 Gulf War then-US President George W Bush asked Japan for logistical aid from its Self Defense Forces, Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.
2021-12-22T10:02+0000
2021-12-22T10:02+0000
2021-12-22T10:02+0000
operation desert storm
us
japan
kuwait
iraq
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The request was made to then-Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu who did not follow through, the Japanese news outlet said, citing the documents.The agency added that Japan did, however, deploy minesweepers to the Persian Gulf as a contribution to the end of the war.On 2 August 1990, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait with the aim of acquiring the nation's largest oil reserves that would cancel a debt Iraq owed Kuwait. Bush deployed US forces to Saudi Arabia and asked other countries to join the effort. On 16 January 1991, Bush announced the start of Operation Desert Storm that was aimed at expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The US-led coalition had positioned over 900,000 troops in the region, most near the Saudi-Iraqi border. A five-week bombardment of Iraq began after the country failed to withdraw its troops from Kuwait before the United Nations declared January 15 deadline. Iraq was driven out of Kuwait by February 24.
japan
kuwait
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operation desert storm, us, japan, kuwait, iraq
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/rafale-deal-india-imposes-11-mln-fine-on-french-missile-maker-over-delay-in-offset-commitments-1091708724.html
Rafale Deal: India Imposes $1.1 Mln Fine on French Missile Maker Over Delay in Offset Commitments
Rafale Deal: India Imposes $1.1 Mln Fine on French Missile Maker Over Delay in Offset Commitments
India has imposed and collected a penalty of nearly $1.1 million from French missile maker MBDA for delays in fulfilling its offsets commitments in the $8.7 billion Rafale fighter jet deal, The Times of India reported on Wednesday.
2021-12-22T07:06+0000
2021-12-22T07:06+0000
2021-12-22T07:06+0000
france
narendra modi
india
dassault aviation
rafale
mbda
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India has imposed and collected a penalty of nearly $1.1 million from French missile maker MBDA for delays in fulfilling its offsets commitments in the $8.7 billion Rafale fighter jet deal, The Times of India reported on Wednesday.Under the offset obligations agreed upon by India and France in the Rafale deal, nearly 50 percent of the deal's worth (almost $4.3 billion) has to be channeled into India in a bid to boost the country's domestic defence capabilities, the media reported.Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia (MBDA) entered into a joint venture with India's Larsen and Toubro (L&T) in February 2017, months after the Rafale deal was signed between Paris and New Delhi. The joint endeavour is manufacturing an advanced suite of weapons to be deployed in the Rafale jets.According to the report, Indian officials claimed that MBDA "slipped in discharging" its offset obligations for the first year between September 2019 and September 2020, leading to the government imposing a penalty on the manufacturer.MBDA has reportedly lodged a protest with the government over the fine.The fine over the delay in fulfilling the offset obligations comes months after India's federal auditor blasted the government's offset policy.According to a report by India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), it is mandatory for foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to spend 30 to 50 percent of the total contract value in India, through the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) route, or buying related goods and services from Indian suppliers or by transferring advanced technologies.The report claimed that only 59 percent of the overall offset contracts signed between India and foreign suppliers from 2007 until 2018 have been discharged to date.Since assuming office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been actively pushing to "achieve self-reliance and promote defence exports" under his "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (Self-reliant India) initiative. The Indian Defence Ministry has since August of last year issued two "Positive Indigenisation Lists" which call for an embargo on imports of certain defence systems and weapons so that they can be manufactured domestically.A total of 209 defence systems and weapons, including helicopters, next-generation corvettes, airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems, and tank engines, feature in the two federal lists.
https://sputniknews.com/20211217/france-ready-to-provide-additional-rafale-jet-to-india-defence-minister-parly-says-1091595216.html
Rot Hchild Since Napolean French Empire lost to Britain in the Battle of Waterloo, the Rothschild bankers took over France, then aimed their target at the German Empire. The rest is history. The French is still controlled by the City of London despite appearances to the contrary. It is the reason why France bombed Syria and not Israel, during the Syrian war with ISIS. 1
Dang! This should be a lesson to India not to trust the west when it comes to buying overpriced mediocre non technology transfer arms from France. Better to buy cheaper better Russian arms! 1
4
france
india
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Dhairya Maheshwari
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Dhairya Maheshwari
france, narendra modi, india, dassault aviation, rafale, mbda
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/recs-foreign-outlets-share-experiences-with-counterparts-from-russian-regions-1091724924.html
REC's Foreign Outlets Share Experiences With Counterparts From Russian Regions
REC's Foreign Outlets Share Experiences With Counterparts From Russian Regions
Moscow (Sputnik) - Foreign outlets of the Russian Export Centre JSC (part of VEB.RF Group) in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan conducted internships for the Export... 22.12.2021, Sputnik International
2021-12-22T15:59+0000
2021-12-22T15:59+0000
2021-12-22T15:59+0000
russian export center jsc (rec)
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This year we have launched internships for regional Export Support Centres at REC overseas offices for the first time. We are grateful to Export Support Centres for participating in this initiative. In one month of the internship, the staff of Export Support Centres, with the support of REC overseas offices, organised business missions for export companies in their regions and achieved a certain success," Ksenia Tagirova, REC Senior Managing Director for Non-Financial Products and Foreign Network Development, said.According to Tagirova, the cooperation between REC and regional Export Support Centres has developed excellently. Considering that many Export Support Centres are interested in exchanging experience, we plan to organise more internships in 2022, Tagirova noted. Based on the results of the meetings, the participants discuss specific terms of transactions and deliveries for 2022. Furthermore, the Belgorod company Unicorn Ltd has already concluded an export contract with the Azerbaijan company GreenStream to deliver sanitary and engineering products worth almost $800,000.Business meetings for regional exporters were organized by the staff of Export Support Centres together with REC overseas offices. A total of more than 20 companies took part in the events.In Baku, as a result of the work done jointly by Yekaterina Basheva and Ivan Chebotarev, specialists from Export Support Centres in Nizhny Novgorod and Belgorod, the business mission of four export companies from Nizhny Novgorod (KETON, which produces paint and varnish materials, Drobmash, which makes crushing and screening equipment, the lumber producing business Borskaya Lesnaya Companiya, and the decking material company Rentcar) has been achieved.Furthermore, business missions of nine Belgorod companies from a variety of industries (construction industry, food production, agro-industry, light industry, production of medical and dental equipment) have been conducted. Among the companies were Unicorn Ltd, Mega Toys, and Belgorod Hydromechanical Plant.In Tashkent, the joint work of the RECs representative office and Ilia Ryzhova, the lead foreign trade manager of the Tula Regional Fund Business Support Centre, has resulted in a business mission for nine companies from Tula Oblast. Among the companies were the producer of wooden poles for agriculture, Vinprof, the manufacturer of heat exchange equipment, Individual Entrepreneur Yemelyanov EO, Tula Mining Equipment Plant, Yasnogorsk Pumping Plant, food producer, Belev Pastila, consumer goods producer, Hozsfera, high-pressure pipe systems producer, Energomash, cosmetics company, Krasivoye Nachalo, and the producer of industrial robots and automation technologies, TOZ-Robototechnika.
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russian export center jsc (rec)
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/russian-ambassador-says-rt-de-under-pressure-in-germany-1091729126.html
Russian Ambassador Says RT DE Under Pressure in Germany
Russian Ambassador Says RT DE Under Pressure in Germany
The RT DE broadcaster is under pressure in Germany to make it difficult to launch broadcasting to local audiences, this contradicts the principle of freedom of speech, Russian Ambassador to Berlin Sergei Nechaev said
2021-12-22T17:21+0000
2021-12-22T17:21+0000
2021-12-22T17:21+0000
germany
rt
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According to him, "attempts to eliminate a strong competitor in the media field and restrict access to an alternative and at the same time exclusively professional point of view on world events are clearly discordant with statements about the inadmissibility of censorship, protection of freedom of speech, press and the right to information".Also on Wednesday, the federal German government said it had no role in the decision to take the RT DE broadcaster off air in Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.German regional media authority Mabb has started an investigation into RT DE for allegedly airing programmes in German without a broadcasting license soon after launch. The move was followed by European satellite operator Eutelsat taking the channel off the air on Wednesday, with RT branding the step illegal. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova suggested that Russia might retaliate.The launch of RT DE has been surrounded by controversy in the European Union, with German media and politicians accusing the broadcaster of manipulations with facts targeting Germans of Russian origin.
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germany, rt
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/top-hindu-groups-international-president-forced-religious-conversion-is-a-crime-against-humanity-1091719184.html
Top Hindu Group's International President: 'Forced Religious Conversion is a Crime Against Humanity'
Top Hindu Group's International President: 'Forced Religious Conversion is a Crime Against Humanity'
Founded in 1964, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) aims to organise and consolidate Hindu groups and serve and protect Hindu religion. The organisation, which... 22.12.2021, Sputnik International
2021-12-22T14:54+0000
2021-12-22T14:54+0000
2021-12-22T14:54+0000
religion
muslim
politics
politics
muslim
bharatiya janata party (bjp)
muslim
india
politics
religion
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India's top Hindu organisation Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has recently launched a nationwide public awareness campaign about religious conversions in the country. The 11-day campaign will last until 31 December.A VHP delegation recently met 329 Members of Parliament (MPs) of all parties during the Winter Session of Parliament. It told them that illegal conversions are threatening national security.It also urged that the constitutional provision of reservation should be denied tribal people who convert to other religions. The VHP has also demanded that the Narendra Modi government make a law against unlawful conversions.Sputnik contacted the VHP's international president Alok Kumar to talk about the ongoing campaign and the organisation's future plans.Sputnik: What prompted the Vishva Hindu Parishad to launch a public awareness campaign against religious conversion at this time of the year?Alok Kumar: In India, there are always elections in [this or that] state. Every election is crucial. In 2022, assembly polls will be held in eight states. So, whenever we held this campaign there would be an election going on somewhere. But honestly, this campaign is not related to any state polls.During the pandemic and thereafter, there has been a serious spurt in the number of religious conversions and establishment of churches and other activities. Therefore, we thought we should intensify our campaign.Almost none of these religious conversions are brought about by a change of conscience but rather are forced or the result of deception. And a conversion that is the consequence of deception or force is a crime against humanity and a crime against the constitution of India.So, we wish to make people aware of what the missionaries and the extremists are doing, their methods, including Love Jihad (an alleged phenomenon where Muslim men lure Hindu women for conversion to Islam through marriage). We wish to stop conversion of Hindus to these communities and also to bring back our brothers who converted in this generation or a few generations ago.Sputnik: Is there any data about conversions that may have happened during the pandemic which inspired the VHP to launch this campaign?Alok Kumar: The exact numbers may be difficult to obtain because in many areas Christians dont change their names because then the Scheduled Castes (SCs) might lose the reservation benefits.But we have made a district-wise study of the trends. We have done an analysis of the areas where the conversions are happening more intensely. We are working on countermeasures in those areas.Sputnik: Dont you think such a campaign will be actually politically beneficial for the Hindu-inclined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?Alok Kumar: First of all, I am not sure about it, and secondly, I am not much concerned about it. Religion is a spiritual matter, and we have not started this campaign to benefit any party.Apart from this, most of the conversions have occurred in the southern part of the country, and no elections are going on there.I also think at this time that everybody is trying to showcase themselves or their party as pro-Hindu in comparison with the BJP - be it the Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party or any other one.So, Hinduism has become a matter [of significance], for whatever reasons, which all the political parties are adopting. Therefore, [our campaign] is not designed to benefit any particular political party.Sputnik: How has the campaign been strategised to ensure people become aware of the illegal religious conversions?Alok Kumar: We have decided to hold several meetings in all the areas, run the campaign on social media, and also spread awareness through media organisations.We met 329 Parliamentarians during the Winter session of the Parliament. These lawmakers were from all political parties and belonged to every religion. For Odisha and other states, we will do it during the Budget Session.For the rest of the country, we have sought appointments with other parliamentarians too. We are happy that most of them have given us time for the meeting and we have conveyed the problems to them.Sputnik: As the VHP delegation met so many parliamentarians, what views do they share in general since they belong to parties driven by different ideologies?Alok Kumar: When we had a one-on-one talk with the lawmakers, an overwhelming majority of them agreed with what we said or suggested about religious conversions. Even Muslim MPs said that one of the ways to maintain peace in the country is that Hindus should follow their faith while Muslims should follow theirs and nobody converts.But I believe in public, they will have to toe their party line.Sputnik: The VHP has also put forward a demand to pass a law against unlawful conversions. Has the federal government responded to your demand?Alok Kumar: We have passed our resolution on to the federal government. We have passed a resolution over it for a central law. We have also forwarded a resolution to the party president and I believe the party will consider it.Sputnik: What is the VHP's plan for the future?Alok Kumar: As of now, we are focusing on this 11-day campaign and after this, we will take stock of the situation and then adopt our future strategy.
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https://sputniknews.com/20211222/trump-manchin-is-saving-biden-from-himself-by-opposing-build-back-better-1091729252.html
Trump: Manchin is 'Saving' Biden 'From Himself' by Opposing Build Back Better
Trump: Manchin is 'Saving' Biden 'From Himself' by Opposing Build Back Better
On Sunday, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin publicly announced that he will not vote for Joe Biden's sweeping "Build Back Better" plan, potentially tanking the legislative future of the bill.
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joe biden
donald trump
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sen. joe manchin (d-west virginia)
build back better
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Former US President Donald Trump suggested that Senator Joe Manchin is "saving" President Biden "from himself" by blocking the Build Back Better bill, according to Fox News.According to Trump, the Build Back Better package, should it be passed despite Manchin's current opposition, "would blow this country up".Bill Killed?Manchin's "no" on Sunday made waves across the Democratic Party, with fellow lawmakers lashing out at him for failing to uphold his "commitments" to Joe Biden. POTUS himself, however, assured reporters on Tuesday that he doesn't "hold a grudge" and remains determined to "do something" about the bill.Other Democrats, among them House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, vowed to hold more votes on Build Back Better in early 2022, refusing to "give up" on the president's ambitious social spending agenda. The bill's legislative fate has been tough: already trimmed several times in order to satisfy every Democrat in the House, it may be curtailed even more to win Manchin's vote. Initially, Biden's aspiration was to designate trillions of dollars for social benefits, expanded healthcare, a massive infrastructure overhaul, and climate goals. The president has been pushing the ambitious package since before his inauguration, touting his plan as a way to "heal" and "unify" America.Republicans, meanwhile, appear to be rejoicing over the potential legislative misfortunes on Biden plan's way through Congress, saying that Manchin's opposition to it is "exciting news" and calling to "kill the bill".
https://sputniknews.com/20211222/dems-struggling-to-get-something-done-on-bidens-bbb-plan-amid-senator-manchins-opposition-1091721920.html
USSuxRuskyNuts Like Trump ever did anything to help fix US infrastructure that's been degrading since the 60's! Trump is only interested in how him and his friends can enrich themselves more by getting those infrastructure dollars instead of using them to fix their highways, water systems, electrical systems and ports! His only interest is pandemic profiteering! 4
USSuxRuskyNuts Trump is nothing but a two bit conman! 4
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https://sputniknews.com/20211222/us-navy-seizes-1400-ak-47s-from-stateless-vessel-in-north-arabian-sea-1091733453.html
US Navy Seizes 1,400 AK-47s From 'Stateless Vessel' in North Arabian Sea
US Navy Seizes 1,400 AK-47s From 'Stateless Vessel' in North Arabian Sea
The US Navy confirmed on Wednesday that, earlier this week, the 5th Fleet had seized some 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and at least 226,000 rounds of ammunition from a stateless fishing vessel traveling in the North Arabian Sea.
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The US Navy confirmed on Wednesday that, earlier this week, the 5th Fleet had seized some 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and at least 226,000 rounds of ammunition from a stateless fishing vessel traveling in the North Arabian Sea. The weapons and ammo were discovered by Navy forces amid a flag verification boarding "in accordance with customary international law in the North Arabian Sea." The vessel's five-man crew were all identified as Yemeni nationals, and will be returned to their country of origin, according to US personnel. Although described as a "stateless vessel," the service noted in its Wednesday release that undisclosed findings suggested it had "originated in Iran."This comes several months after guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) seized what are reported to be illicit shipments of weapons and weapons components from two stateless dhows off the coast of Somalia. The seizure, conducted between February 11 and February 12, resulted in the confiscation of a cache of weapons, including thousands of AK-47-style assault rifles, light machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and heavy sniper rifles.
vot tak The couch their piracy in legal terms, but is still criminal piracy. 9
TruePatriot More US piracy on the open sea. 9
8
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The Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey (SBOANJ) has issued a notice informing horsepeople that Manalapan Township Committee is planning to redevelop Gaitway Training Center and Farm, which is located in the New Jersey township.
The notice states that it is very important that all horsemen and horsewomen affected by this change and Manalapan residents view the Redevelopment Plan listed below and please attend the meeting to have your voice heard.
The Manalapan Township Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 at 4 p.m. It will be a hybrid meeting attendees can come in-person to the courtroom, or sign in using the information provided here.
Click here to view the Redevelopment Plan.
(With files from SBOANJ)
Hundreds of area residents turned out Saturday to honor the men, women and children who rest in Culpeper National Cemetery, during the communitys Wreaths Across America observance.
After a brief cemetery near the cemeterys administration building, they flooded across the historic landscape to place wreathsall donated to the causeon 6,858 graves of U.S. military personnel and their loved ones. Created in 1867, the cemetery holds the remains of 11,000 people.
We are here because someone gave their life, event coordinator Sharon Croushorn told participants during the solemn ceremony. ... The freedoms we enjoy have not come without a price.
U.S. military men and women have sacrificed so Americans can worship as we sit fit and raise their children with the right to succeed no matter what ideal they pursue, Croushorn said.
The country they defend upholds justice and equality, and stands as a shining beacon of freedom and liberty to the world, she said.
Every branch of the U.S. military is represented in the people interred in Culpeper National Cemetery, Croushorn said. Saturdays ceremony included people representing each of the armed services.
He never feared taking chances or facing the unknown: "I am a gambling soul. Even as a small boy if someone say to me, 'Oh, I know you won't do that or you can't do this,' I look them in the eye and just do it. I take everything life give me and throw it in fate's face."
Mahmood's ill-fated story picks up in Tiger Bay, a port town where he hopes to reunite with his estranged wife and their three young sons. It's a bustling place, blasted, polluted, bruised by World War II, the kind of town where "you can have chop suey for lunch and Yemeni saltah for dinner." The town is multiracial but also plenty racist, with Blacks from the West Indies and Africa working as laborers and living in slums.
More prosperous but also emigres are the Volacki sisters, whose Jewish father moved there from Russia 50 years earlier and became a successful merchant. By the 1950s, Violet Volacki is running the family store. One night, answering the door after closing hours, she is killed, purportedly by a Black man. Without much in the way of evidence or witnesses, Mahmood soon becomes the chief murder suspect.
"The Fortune Men" revels in the sensual details of its life-and-death tale, from the starry Somali desert of Mahmood's youth to the smell of cooked food threading the air of Tiger Bay.
Over the years, Santa has arrived in different ways: a horse-drawn wagon, a convertible, and even a hot air balloon one time.
Im gonna have him in my snow tractor if I ever get the chance, Sandberg said.
Santa is not the only famous guest of the village, as the National Christmas Tree passed by on its way to Washington D.C. in 2018.
The village predates the citys Christmas parade, but the parade did spawn a unique event. On that Friday night, plus the Friday night before Christmas, the buildings are lit up and decked out.
Friday night at the parade is the only night where people can come in and see all the lights ... so then this one, the Friday before Christmas, you just feel like its so much more Christmas-y, Mitchell said. ...That first time that we had it on a Friday night, those lines were as long as they were for the parade.
Attendance usually varies depending on the weather, but when its warm and sunny, hundreds of people can stop by the village in a day. People even visit it when Santas not around.
During that public hearing, constituents can speak in favor of selling the property, opposing the property or even question the value proposed by the county.
After that hearing, the county can opt to sell the building within the next two months, selling to the highest bidder. Rien encouraged the commissioners to consider timelines for selling the building and opening bids or taking offers in an auction-type format. From her understanding, Rien said, people could verbally make offers rather than them having to be in a written bid.
Commissioners discussed having different replat options of the properties available, as potential buyers may not want to purchase both buildings and adjoining parking lots. Options for establishing a market value were also discussed by commissioners.
Since the state notified the county that it would be vacating the property, the two properties have been negotiating since then about arrangements as DHHS remains at the property.
Rien outlined that though DHHS has been making its previously agreed upon lease payment, it had not paid utilities since October.
GLADE SPRING, Va. Marilou Preston was just 21 when she started playing the piano at church. Now shes 86 and still making a joyful noise to the Lord on Sundays.
For the past 64 years, most of the morning worship services at Rock Spring Presbyterian Church in Glade Spring have included the piano and organ music of Preston.
She will retire at the end of the month as a volunteer who has served as organist perhaps longer than anyone at the church.
Its meant a lot to me. The church has depended on me, and Ive tried to be reliable and arrive on time, said Preston, who has rarely missed a Sunday worship service all these years.
The longtime organist became a member of Rock Spring Presbyterian Church in 1957, a year after she and her husband, Bob, were married. At the time, the church only had a piano, but after the death of a well-loved member of the congregation, Charles Brown Snodgrass, the church dedicated a new organ to his memory.
That was two organs ago. Preston now plays on the third organ the church has purchased.
Other helpers for the project include Lisa Quigley of the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy, Emily Mayo of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and residents Richard Smith and Susan Coleman. Erinn Linkous, a teacher at the school, worked with Highlands Fellowship Church to donate 70 lunches for the students. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy provided desserts and drinks. Mike Reid, who serves as deputy for the Washington County Sheriffs Office and a resource offer at the school, arranged for the use of a side-by-side to help students haul gravel to the trail work site.
I appreciate the students coming here with lots of energy and focus on getting the work done, said Smith, who is a leader in getting the towns new dog park built. We cleared out part of the large dog and older dog areas that we hope to have open by May 1.
Ahn said 90 students actually signed up for the service day, but there was room for only 58 students to participate.
Students tend to get excited about service projects, said Ahn, who takes his biology students on a coastal adventure each year to Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina, where they live on campus for a five-day learning experience.
Thats when Ellis realized a store front would offer her greater visibility in the community. Word of mouth from customers has already helped with sales.
I didnt think about a store front until I drove through the town square in Glade Spring this summer and saw this building. I noticed there was a for rent sign in the window, and I thought the building would be so cute for a boutique.
Ellis took the plunge and opened her downtown store.
She made a few cosmetic changes to the building, converting one room into two rooms so that she could have an office and a fitting room.
Now that she has a store front, she also offers curbside pickup for customers who want to order online and pick up at the store.
Business is looking good now, said the storeowner. Ellis has shipped merchandise to locations as far away as Alaska.
Ellis said the store front has allowed her to meet so many new people.
Were a friendly store. People are welcome to bring their children and even their fur babies. Wed love to see you.
A 43-year-old President of three Puyallup tribal smoke shops was sentenced Dec. 10 in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 14 months in prison for a sophisticated money-laundering scheme designed to evade state taxes on smokeless tobacco products, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Anthony Edwin Paul was ordered to pay $1,764,818 in restitution to the Washington State Department of Revenue, plus a $5,000 fine. U.S. District Judge James L. Robart told Paul, "Money laundering is an integral part of criminal activity. You turned the key that starts this conspiracy.
"This sophisticated scheme to avoid state tobacco taxes harms all our residents by cutting into state funds used to pay for healthcare and treatment for tobacco related illnesses, said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. "The scheme allowed non-tribal tobacco vendors to have a sales advantage over other retailers encouraging tobacco use and boosting their profit while they avoided paying state taxes.
"Mr. Paul conspired to defraud the state for his own greed, cheating Washington State residents out of millions of dollars that otherwise would have been invested into services for the community, said Bret Kressin, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. "Financial fraud and tax evasion are not victimless crimes, and IRS-CI will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who choose to commit these offenses.
According to records filed in the case, between 2009 and 2017, Paul was President of three smoke shops on the Puyallup reservation that sold significant quantities of tobacco products to TK Mac, a non-tribal tobacco distributor. Most of the sales were in cash, and TK Mac failed to report the purchases to the state, thus avoiding millions of dollars in excise taxes.
When TK Mac then resold the products for cash, the company had a problem, since large deposits of cash would have triggered state scrutiny of its tobacco business. So beginning in 2013 and continuing until 2017, Paul and his coconspirators engaged in a money-laundering scheme: The tribal smoke shops wrote checks to TK Mac as if the tribal smoke shops had purchased tobacco products from the non-tribal store. In fact, TK Mac simply provided the tribal smoke shops with large amounts of cash equal to the checks. No tobacco products changed hands, but TK Mac received an excise tax credit. As a result of this cash-for-check scheme, Washington State suffered losses of roughly $3.86 million. The overall scheme caused the state to incur several more million dollars worth of losses.
Paul had an interest in the success of TK Mac, as he had made loans to the owners of the non-tribal retail business, TK Mac, of nearly $2 million. The owners of TK Mac, Hyung Il Kwon and Tae Young Kim, have also entered guilty pleas for their roles in the scheme. One of the employees in the tribal smoke shops, Theodore Kai Silva, has also pleaded guilty. Judge Robart will sentence Kwon, Kim, and Silva in January 2022.
Following the indictment of Pauls coconspirators, the government seized more than $5 million from Kwon and Kim. The amount of restitution left owing from the cash-for-check scheme is $1,764,818. Judge Robart ordered Paul to pay that amount as restitution (joint and several with Kim and Kwon), along with the $5,000 fine.
The case was investigated by IRS-CI, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James Oesterle and Jonas Lerman.
TRIBES SHADY PAST
The Puyallup tribes history of run-ins with the law reaches back to the mid-1970s when tribal member Robert Satiacum established himself as an entrepreneur with his cigarette-liquor-gambling empire. It wasnt long before he became more and more entangled in lawsuits and allegations of serious crimes resulting in frequent raids, arrests and lawsuits. Much of his legal troubles came from selling items like bootlegged cigarettes without taking in or paying taxes.
On May 5, 1976, Satiacum and four of his employees were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of operating an illegal gambling business. In April 1982, he was ousted as Puyallup tribal chairman for allegedly arranging a contract murder attempt on his fellow tribal member, and political rival, Ramona Bennett. A single shot from a passing car narrowly missed Bennett, and Satiacum was arrested along with three other men and charged with racketeering, extortion, arson and conspiracy to murder.
With these legal problems, and more, facing him, Satiacum fled to Canada. He remained there as a fugitive for nearly nine years before being arrested in 1991 for failing to appear for sentencing in a child molestation conviction. Satiacum died that same year from a heart attack after being transported to a hospital from a Vancouver prison.
More gaming intrigue occurred in the late 1970s when Puyallup Tribal Chairwoman Bertha Turnipseed and two others were sentenced to 60 days in jail on charges of operating a gambling casino in Fife before gaming was legalized on the Puyallup reservation. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs had its eye on the tribe as well, rescinding the tribes line of credit in 1982 due to the tribes failure to provide required reports, invoices and other financial documentation of how monies were spent. The same occurred with the federal Department of Health and Human Services following an audit on the tribes health facilities that found $650,000 in federal health funds spent but not accounted for.
Former tribal council member and chairman David Bean has also not been without scrutiny concerning issues tied to his ownership of a smoke shop, resulting in him cutting a deal with the federal government and Internal Revenue Service. After his then-fellow council members Sylvia Miller, Roleen Hargrove and Larry LaPointe filed a formal complaint against him with the FBI, they met with FBI agents to express their suspicion of Beans alleged drug activity.
Members of Beans family were among six people in Pierce County arrested in October 2009 following a lengthy investigation of prescription drug dealing from the Indian Smoke Shop on Puyallup tribal trust Land in Milton, and the Lil Red Smoke Shop on tribal trust land in Tacoma. During the investigation, tribal members were busted with grocery bags full of pain medication bottles bearing labels from the Puyallup tribal clinic.
In February 2011, following a two-week jury trial, Billy Miranda Flores was convicted of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, three counts of distribution of oxycodone, possession of methadone with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The evidence at trial revealed that Flores was selling hundreds or even thousands of pills of Oxycontin (oxycodone), along with methadone, each day. He received 20 years in prison.Bill Celeya Flores, 60, of Tacoma, father of Billy Miranda Flores, was sentenced to 57 months in prison; Jay Timothy Morehead, 24, was sentenced to 18 months in prison; and Shelbie Ingham, 19, served a nine-month prison sentence. Tiny Bean-Flores, 29, of Tacoma, and Danny Sherwood also received sentencing.
Despite Covid-19, the Turks & Caicos Islands has been ranked as the 6th fastest growing vacation destination amongst American tourists.
Although many would expect the Coronavirus pandemic, and the news of new variants emerging worldwide to trigger a reduction in travel demand, nothing could be further from the truth for the Turks & Caicos Islands.
A new study by ParkSleepFly.com extrapolated Google search data for flights, vacations and hotels in popular tourist destinations around the world to discover the fastest growing vacation hotspots for US tourists.
The US travel site revealed that the Turks and Caicos Islands placed 6th in the top 10 countries increasing in popularity amongst American travelers.
It further disclosed google searches for flights to the TCI in 2020 were 196,900 compared to 451,700 in 2021, while vacation searches were 38,400 in 2020 compared to 35,600 in 2021 and some 216,400 searches for hotel stays were recorded for 2020 compared to 227,800 in 2021.
Turkey came in 5th and Puerto Rico 4th, following in third place is Indonesia, home to iconic destinations such Bali and Lombok, there has been a 61% increase in searches for flights, vacations and hotels in Indonesia this year.
Ranking in second place are the Maldives, the tropical South Asian island, famous for its crystal blue waters and idyllic landscape, is one of the most popular travel destinations for Americans, and Maldives holiday searches increased by 72.32% over the last year.
Gorgeous white beaches and deep blue waters line the coasts of the US Virgin Islands, which may explain why the destination is growing in popularity amongst US tourists, seeing a 98.64% increase in the total number of Google searches for flights, vacations and hotels in the US Virgin Islands, in 2021 compared to 2020.
The research also revealed the top 5 countries decreasing in popularity amongst American tourists.
The biggest decline in vacation popularity amongst Americans can be seen in China.
There has been a 75.03% decrease in Google searches for flights, vacations and hotels in China this year following the emergence of Covid-19 China imposed strict border policy, and suspended all visas on-arrival.
Puerto Rico is the most popular country for Americans searching for vacations with 1.6 million searches in the last 6 months.
Cancun, Mexico is the most in-demand city destination with US tourists.
On the other hand, Frankfurt, Germany is the city decreasing in popularity the most amongst US tourists, experiencing a decline of 61.38% between 2020 and 2021.
You can view the research in full at https://parksleepfly.com/fastest-growing-vacation-hotspots or https://www.money.co.uk/mortgages/relocation-report.
Customers at a traveling Cowlitz County food truck dont supersize their order, they double it.
Double Js has specialized in gourmet single and double burgers for nearly three years after longtime chef Jason Forster, 51, left his stationary Vancouver restaurant job to open a roving food truck with his wife, Jennifer, 46.
Together, the J-name couple opened Double Js food truck in 2019, and Jason Forster traded fine dining for comfort food, Jennifer Forster said.
He wanted to cook the food he likes to eat, she said.
A dream realized
At Double Js, topping-stacked burgers, and upgraded vegetarian or meat-lovers grilled cheeses, come prepared in minutes and served in to-go containers.
Double J's Food Truck Signature Fare: The Double J, featuring two beef patties, pepper jack cheese, American cheese, bacon, pickles, cream cheese, jalapenos and Double J sauce. Cost: $13. Address and hours: Tuesday afternoons at Central Welding Supply on Talley Way in Kelso; Thursday afternoons at Western World on Industrial Way in Longview; and Friday evenings at Explorer Brewing Company on Ash Street in Kelso. Info: 360-430-9411 or www.facebook.com/doublejsfoodtruck.
But dont let the convenience fool you. Behind the drivers seat, sandwiches are made with melted brie, sliced pears, tomatoes, basil and balsamic on white French bread.
Jennifer Forster said her husband was the chef at Vancouvers DuckTales Kitchen for years before the daily drive from their Rose Valley home north started to grow old.
It was time for him to make a change, she said. Weve dreamt about this for years.
Keep it simple
Each week local businesses request Double Js to set up shop in their lots during lunch or dinner, she added. They typically park Tuesdays at Central Welding Supply in Kelso, Thursdays at Western World in Longview, Friday mornings at NORPAC in Longview for workers and Friday evenings at Explorer Brewing Company in Kelso for the public, she said. Customers can view www.facebook.com/doublejsfoodtruck for weekly schedules.
Most weekends are reserved for private catered events. While the food truck specializes in sandwiches, Jennifer Forster said catered events have included salmon filets, Hawaiian cuisine and barbecue.
We cater to them, whatever their wants are, she said.
On the regular Double Js menu, the eaterys namesake is a stand-out signature dish, she added. The Double J stands high with two -pound beef patties; pepper jack, American and cream cheese; bacon; grilled jalapenos; pickles; and the eaterys signature sauce. A side of crinkled fries comes topped with Double Js special seasoning a recipe invented by Jason Forster, and only used at the food truck and his previous Vancouver job, Jennifer Forster said. On Thursday, customers made sure to grab ramekins of fry sauce a mayo and red relish mixture with some returning for seconds.
We just keep it simple and thats what worked for us, Jennifer Forster said.
Signature Fare New and longtime Lower Columbia restaurant owners and food producers share their signature dishes that defining menu item that creates the b
Signature Fare is a series featuring local restaurants signature menu items and prints every other Wednesday. Contact Daily News reporter Hayley Day at 360-577-2541 or hday@tdn.com for possible inclusion in the series.
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Editors note: Information is provided by the Cowlitz County Corrections Department and local law enforcement agencies. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Fraud A Woodland man reported $57 worth of sandwiches was fraudulently charged on his daughters credit card at an Illinois Subway.
Assaults
100 block of Sparks Drive, Kelso. Monday. Report of assault involving juveniles, one with a Glock handgun. The suspects are juvenile gang members, states the police report.
400 block of Pacific Avenue, Kelso. Monday. Report of two men assaulting another man after they exited a vehicle.
100 block of Morse Park Way, Longview. Monday. Report of juvenile assaulting another minor during a sleepover, then returning the next morning once the parent left and assaulting the minor again.
1500 block of Third Avenue, Longview. Monday. Report of the husband of an ex assaulting a man and taking his phone.
Burglaries
2700 block of Mount Pleasant Road, Kelso. Monday. A woman reported her car alarm sounded, then she found a light on in her basement, which is only accessed from outside the home.
3100 block of Hazel Street, Kelso. Monday. Report of commercial burglary.
900 block of Willow Street, Kelso. Monday. Report of burglary to a garage.
3100 block of Dover Street, Longview. Monday. Report of garage broken into and tools taken.
1800 block of First Avenue, Longview. Monday. Report of urine in bottles and lights on inside a commercial building.
200 block of 17th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Report of residential burglary.
600 block of Scott Avenue, Woodland. Monday. Report of fence cut and catalytic converter sawed off an RV in the North Fork Motors lot.
Thefts
5400 block of Pacific Way, Longview. Monday. Mail.
1100 block of 17th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Red power scooter parked under carport.
1200 block of 15th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Shopping cart.
1900 block of Belmont Loop, Woodland. Monday. Report of seeing someone possibly stealing catalytic converters.
Vandalism/malicious mischief
300 block of 16th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Report of about 13 people breaking a home window and trying to jump a person in what the caller called a fake gang.
1400 block of Cypress Street, Longview. Monday
100 block of Janice Avenue, Longview. Monday. Report of person driving into callers yard and peeling out.
1000 block of A Street, Woodland. Monday. Report of someone drilling a hole in a vehicle gas tank and collecting gas in a trash can.
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After discussing the Meals on Wheels program for more than an hour, Cowlitz County commissioners Tuesday approved contracts for the program despite Arne Mortensens objections.
In a 2-1 vote, the commissioners approved a $67,360 contract with the state Department of Commerce and a corresponding agreement with Lower Columbia CAP for the senior meals program covering unincorporated areas of the county. The difference covers county administration costs.
Gena James, Health and Human Services deputy director, said during the last contract period, volunteers delivered about 9,450 meals to 99 low-income senior citizens.
Like the past four years, Mortensen opposed the agreement, arguing the program is emotionally driven and does not benefit the county overall.
Commissioner Dennis Weber said an economic argument for the program is that it helps keep people living at the edge of their resources in their homes, rather than paying through Medicaid for people to live in assisted living or a nursing home.
A handful of citizens spoke in favor of churches or community volunteers providing meals to seniors in need instead of a government-funded program.
Commissioner John Jabusch said he was conflicted about the program because he agrees with some of what people expressed, but that money wont be spent in the citizens best interest if turned over to another county to administer.
James said the grant is required to go to an areas community action program, but could be used for something other than Meals on Wheels. The commissioners can discuss other options as the grant process begins later this winter, she said.
The commissioners also approved an agreement not to exceed $50,000 with Awakenings to provide substance use disorder treatment and recovery services for Drug Court participants. The contract is funded by money the Legislature sets aside in the states Criminal Justice Treatment Account.
Earlier this year, the commissioners approved the contract with the state accepting about $587,000 for July 2021 through June 2023 and approved agreements with Columbia Wellness and Cowlitz Family Health Center for services.
In other business, the commissioners approved a $60,150 grant from the Washington State Military Department to help fund wages and benefits for county Department of Emergency Management personnel through September 2022. The grant makes up about 15% of the departments budget and subsidizes two of its three full-time employees, said Director Ernie Schnabler.
The commissioners tabled several items until their Jan. 11 meeting to get more information, including:
Two amendments to the consolidated contract with the state Department of Health that would add funding for several programs, including Emergency Preparedness and Response, Foundational Public Health Services, Office of Drinking Water Group A, Maternal Child Health and COVID-19 Coordinated Response.
The new consolidated contract with the Department of Health for 2022-2024
A $9.4 million contract with the Department of Commerce for the Eviction Rent Assistance Program.
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In the iPhone 14 Pro series, Apple is aiming to put a 48MP sensor behind the main shooter, an analyst claims.
American tech giant Apple has been relying on 12MP sensors for the main cameras in its iPhones for the better part of a decade now. According to GSM Arena, this is finally about to change in the iPhone 14 Pro series, as the company is aiming to put a 48MP sensor behind the main shooter, an analyst claims. The 48MP sensors still output 12MP images after pixel-binning, but allows more data to be gathered for computational photography. Kuo stated that Apple might add a '48MP' feature that takes pictures in 48-megapixel resolution for when total resolved detail is key.
The company will then move to introduce another widely used smartphone tech, the periscope lens. It will make its way to the iPhone 15 series, scheduled to arrive in 2023.
As per GSM Arena, sadly, the analyst did not have any more info on the matter. Right now, the telephoto camera of the iPhone 13 Pro Max caps out at 3x, but anything longer wouldn't fit in a modern slim smartphone without the use of folded optics.
Apple supplier Foxconn's India plant shut this week after protests -sources
(Reuters) - Apple supplier Foxconn's plant near Chennai in southern India will remain shut this week following protests sparked by a food poisoning incident, three government sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The factory looked deserted on Tuesday, with a few cars including a police vehicle parked outside. No workers were seen at the site, which was manned by two guards and a few other security officials.
Foxconn and Apple were not available for comment.
The disruption comes as Apple, like other consumer products companies, is dealing with supply chain bottlenecks that have hit production. In October, the company warned that the impact of these supply chain problems would worsen during the holiday quarter.
"The factory has been shut since Saturday and will be shut till coming Sunday," said a senior official at the directorate of industrial safety and health in Tamil Nadu, of which Chennai is the capital. Two more senior state officials confirmed the suspension of activities at the factory.
All three declined to be identified because they were not authorised to speak with the media.
Police in India on Monday released dozens of those detained for blocking a key highway after the food poisoning incident last week at the plant that led to 150 employees being admitted to hospital.
The plant makes iPhone 12 models. Local media reported on Tuesday, citing sources, that Apple has started trial production of its flagship iPhone 13 at the factory recently.
The decision to suspend activities at the plant is the management's, a police officer from the office of the Superintendent of Police in Kancheepuram, a district in Tamil Nadu, told Reuters.
Employees at the plant who complained of food poisoning and other problems in recent months have been asked to register their problems with the state labour ministry, the officer said.
PRODUCTION IMPACT
"The impact on Apple is expected to be low as it is a lean period ... until at least February," said Navkendar Singh, India research director at market research firm IDC.
"In (the first half of 2022) we expect sales to pick up from new product launches and much needed easing of supply chain issues."
The factory also makes Amazon Fire TV sticks and some Xiaomi devices.
The unrest at Foxconn is the second such involving an Apple supplier factory in India in a year.
In December 2020, thousands of contract workers at a factory owned by Wistron Corp destroyed equipment and vehicles over the alleged non-payment of wages, causing damages estimated at $60 million.
Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple has bet big on India since it began iPhone assembly in the country in 2017.
Foxconn, Wistron and another supplier, Pegatron, have together committed roughly $900 million over five years to make iPhones in India.
Apple is also planning to bring the assembly of its iPad tablets to India, which is among countries including Mexico and Vietnam that are becoming important to contract manufacturers supplying American brands as they try to reduce their reliance on China amid rising Sino-U.S. tensions.
TAG Heuer and Porsche, Hublot and Ferrari, Bentley and Breitling: These partnerships are renowned and documentedand highly profitable.
If theres one thing that unites car people, its watches. The intricate mechanisms driving the movements of a tourbillon or chronograph look like tiny, cleaner versions of the engines that power the worlds most legendary cars like the Porsche 911 or Bugatti Bolide. Its mini mechanical fascination at its finest! The relationship between car brands and watch brands goes back to the very dawn of the auto itself. Jaguar, Bugatti, and Bentley used set clocks in the dashboards of their cars to monitor progress on the track; Oldsmobile was adding its own branded clock to cars back in 1915. TAG Heuer and Porsche, Hublot and Ferrari, Bentley and Breitling: These more contemporary partnerships are renowned and documentedand highly profitable.
Not all watches inspired by the love of cars are as great as the cars they accompany. Most, it must be said, are not. They often look outre or just plain infantile. Serious watch collectors tend to dismiss such pairings as hardly more exciting than a Happy Meal prize.
I wouldnt ask Rolex to design a car, and I dont want a watch designed or styled by a car company, is how Dave Corey, a horological and automotive enthusiast based in Philadelphia, puts it.
Still, a few watches inspired by the automotive life are truly iconic. Steve McQueens Heuer Monaco watches come to mind, as does the Rolex Daytona made famous by Paul Newman. This year saw dozens of new entries to the category. Here are the good, bad, and ugly of 2021s new wristwatches inspired by the love of cars.
IWC Pilots Watch Chronograph Edition AMG
IWC and Mercedes-AMG have worked together since 2004, but this is the first time the Pilots Chronograph has been offered in titanium. Thats important because along with the carbon-fiber dial, the watch contains two of the most prominent, feather-light materials found in the F1 cars that inspired it, especially the life-saving halo safety cage. Call it an aesthetically safe offering for a straightlaced collector with a secret flair for carbon-fiber. Price: $9,100
Breitling Premier B21 Chronograph Tourbillon 42 Bentley Limited Edition
Bentley and Breitling parted ways in August, so this watch, announced in April 2021, is one of the final products of their nearly 20-year partnership. It features a 42mm case in 18k red gold and a striking British green dial. A tourbillon sits in the 12-oclock position. The strap is golden-brown alligator; the sapphire caseback reveals a 22-karat gold oscillating weight. It is limited to 25 pieces. Price: $52,000
Bremont Jaguar E-Type 60th
The watch celebrates 60 years of the car Enzo Ferrari famously declared the most beautiful car ever made. It comes with a bezel and a strap of gray or green; the black dials on its face mimic the gauges set in the cars dashboard; the functional and diverting winding crown has a tire tread that matches the Dunlop tires the E-Types of the 1960s raced in. Price: $14,495
Girard Perregaux Tourbillion with Three Flying Bridges Aston Martin Edition
This is the first watch created in partnership between the two brands. It is made of titanium with black carbon, an open-work barrel body, and a movement that sits between the sapphire crystal front and back of the watchit looks like it floats between them. The strap design, in black calf leather and an innovative rubber insert injected with white gold, is meant to evoke the Aston Martin racing cars of the past. Only 18 will be made. Price: $146,000
Richard Mille RM 40-01 Speedtail Automatic
Richard Mille has long been obsessed with fast cars; the brand has supported multiple Formula 1 teams (Haas, Ferrari, and McLaren) and at least four star drivers including Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris. This heavy-handed automatic tourbillion honors McLarens fastest hypercar, the Speedtail. It is made from titanium, platinum, red gold, and carbon, with a contoured case and bezel. Just 106 will be made. Price: $992,500
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Countach DT/X
The twin-tourbillon watch commemorates the new modern version of Lamborghinis classic Countach, though it fails to capture the timeless classic elegance and passion of the original car itself. It has super-lightweight titanium tourbillon cages and replicates on the dial the engine bay vents of the car itself. Red and black details carried throughout the watch further reference the interior of the car. Just eight will be made. Price: $815,000
Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Annual Chronograph
This elegant specimen comes in a pocket-watch style that appears through the entire Torpilleur series from UN, but the annual chronograph design specifically echoes the clocks lodged in the dashboards of race cars from the 1930s and '40s. The timepiece comes in stately blue or crisp white on the dial. Price: $12,100
Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921
These charming Historiques have been around a long time, but this year, Vacheron is celebrating the 100 years with a novel threesome of precious-metal models: two new in white-gold and one limited edition in platinum. Its a droll tribute to the vintage art deco cars Gatsby would have driven. The Arabic-style numbers are oriented oblong on the white dialperfectly set to maximize ease of reading with just the slightest turn of the wrist, hands kept on the steering wheel. Price: $30,400-$51,000
Alsta Motoscaphe 120
This handsome, straightforward watch from the obscure Swiss maker comes in collaboration with motorcycle enthusiast Allen Farmelo, who founded the watch-blog Beyond the Dial. It comes with what is known as the destro crown orientation, a time-honored term that means the watch is styled for the left-handed user. For the motorcycle rider, this means that the crown of the watch wont dig into your wrist when youre winding on the clutch at, yes, 120 mph. Price: $895
TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph Special Edition
Partners since 1963, Porsche and Tag Heuer debuted this watch to honor the 911 Carrera race cars that Porsche has made since 1964. The 44mm-watch comes with a black leather or steel band, a gray dial, and a black ceramic bezel with subtle colorations that match Porsche Motorsports signature racing colors. Price: $5,850 (leather), $6,050 (steel)
Bovet 1822 Rolls Royce Boat Tail
The 200-year-old Swiss watchmaker partnered with Rolls-Royce this year to make two timepieces to accompany the $28 million Rolls-Royce Boat Tail. The his-and-hers watches come in white gold cases with matching dials and a wood veneer that looks like the top of a vintage wooden boat. Each comes engraved with the name of the owner; some have an image of the car or the image of the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament in the dial of the watch. It's a bit on the nose, no? The timepiece can be set into the dashboard of the car (thanks to a titanium holder on the dash) or used as a wristwatch, desk clock, or pocket watch. Price: Included with the car
Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Edition
The Mille Miglia is a decades-old car race that runs through the open public streets of Italy, traveling from Brescia to Rome and back and breakneck rate. Having been run since 1927, it is considered the most prestigious car rally in the world. The watch, made by Englands George Bamford, commemorates the race with a stainless steel case and diamond-carbon finish. The dial is dark gray with vibrant orange accents. The strap is rubber with sporty contrasting orange stitching and an orange calfskin lining. Just 33 will be made. Price: $7,970
Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon
The watch is one of a few in a series resulting from the multiyear partnership Jacob & Co. and Bugatti started in 2019. The latest of the lineup contains a miniature reproduction of the W-16 cylinder engine used in the Chiron, but the real insanity comes from the 190 baguette-cut white diamonds, 109 black sapphires, and 42 baguette-cut orange sapphires set into the white-gold case. Gaudy enough? This may take the cake for the worst car watch of the year. Price: $560,000
Porsche Design Chronograph 911 GT3
Porsche unveiled the new GT3 this year, so its only fitting the design house founded in 1972 by Ferdinand Porsche makes a watch to accompany it. The chronograph comes encased in titanium and shark blue or black versions. The strap comes with blue or silver stitching, and the winding rotor visible in the rearit looks like the wheels of the 911 GT3comes in six colors. Price: $8,050
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
With new major spending packages investing billions of dollars in electric vehicles in the U.S., some analysts have raised concerns over how green the electric vehicle industry actually is, focusing particularly on indirect emissions caused within the supply chains of the vehicle components and the fuels used to power electricity that charges the vehicles.
But a recent study from the Yale School of the Environment published in Nature Communications found that the total indirect emissions from electric vehicles pale in comparison to the indirect emissions from fossil fuel-powered vehicles. This is in addition to the direct emissions from combusting fossil fuelseither at the tailpipe for conventional vehicles or at the power plant smokestack for electricity generationshowing electric vehicles have a clear advantage emissions-wise over conventional vehicles.
"The surprising element was how much lower the emissions of electric vehicles were," says postdoctoral associate Stephanie Weber. "The supply chain for combustion vehicles is just so dirty that electric vehicles can't surpass them, even when you factor in indirect emissions."
Weber was part of the study led by Paul Wolfram '21 Ph.D.now a postdoc with the Joint Global Change Research Institute at the University of Marylandand that included YSE economics professor Ken Gillingham and Edgar Hertwich, an industrial ecologist from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a former YSE faculty member. The research team combined concepts from energy economics and industrial ecologycarbon pricing, life cycle assessment, and modeling energy systemsto find if carbon emissions were still reduced when indirect emissions from the electric vehicle supply chain were factored in.
"A major concern about electric vehicles is that the supply chain, including the mining and processing of raw materials and the manufacturing of batteries, is far from clean," says Gillingham. "So, if we priced the carbon embodied in these processes, the expectation is electric vehicles would be exorbitantly expensive. It turns out that's not the case; if you level the playing field by also pricing the carbon in the fossil fuel vehicle supply chain, electric vehicle sales would actually increase."
The study also considered future technological change, such as decarbonization of the electricity supply, and found this strengthened the result that electric vehicles dominate when indirect supply chain emissions are accounted for.
The research team gathered data using a National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) created by the Energy Information Administration, which models the entire U.S. energy system using detailed information from the current domestic energy system and a forecast of the future of the electric system. Wolfram completed a life cycle assessment that provided outputs of indirect emissions, which were then plugged into the NEMS model to see how a carbon tax on these indirect emissions would change the behavior of consumers and manufacturers. Weber assisted in modifying the NEMS code.
According to Wolfram, the study shows that "the elephant in the room is the supply chain of fossil fuel-powered vehicles, not that of electric vehicles." He notes that the faster we switch to electric vehicles, the betterat least in countries with a sufficiently decarbonized electricity supply, like the U.S.
Gillingham, whose research has focused extensively on alternative energy adoption in transportation, says this research provides a better understanding of how comprehensive carbon pricingwhich includes the full supply chaincan shift consumers toward electric vehicles.
Explore further Carmaker Stellantis secures supply of battery-grade lithium
More information: Paul Wolfram et al, Pricing indirect emissions accelerates lowcarbon transition of US light vehicle sector, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Paul Wolfram et al, Pricing indirect emissions accelerates lowcarbon transition of US light vehicle sector,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27247-y
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
Driven by legislators, automakers and growing consumer demand, electric vehicles are poised to rule the road over the next decade, and Illinois may be a key manufacturing hub in the auto industry's transformation.
Newly public EV startup Rivian is flush with cash and scrambling to keep up with orders for its electric truck, SUV and Amazon delivery vans at a former Mitsubishi plant in downstate Normal. Meanwhile, industry analysts expect Stellantis to convert its nearly dormant Belvidere Assembly Plant, which makes the Jeep Cherokee, into the automaker's first EV factory in the U.S. by 2024.
There's even an electric school bus factory being built in Joliet.
But with charging infrastructure lagging and new models just beginning to trickle out, there are still miles to go before EVs supplant gas-powered vehicles in many garages.
"We're not there yet," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights for car shopping website Edmunds. "I think in the broader market we're still in early adopter phase. Until we see more production roll out, we'll probably still be at that phase for a while."
Rivian, which launched production of its R1T electric truck in September, raised $13.7 billion through a massive initial public offering last month and is now worth more than Ford or General Motors. Buying stock in Rivian may be easier than getting your hands on the actual trucks.
The California-based startup has produced only 652 vehicles in its first three months of operation, according to its third quarter earnings report Thursday. The first two R1S SUVs rolled off the line this month, and Rivian is expected to deliver the first of 100,000 EV vans to Amazon, an investor in the company, before the end of the year.
In total, Rivian is projected to come up a "few hundred vehicles short" of an initial 1,200-unit production target it set for 2021, CEO R.J. Scaringe said during the earnings call.
"Launching and ramping production of three different vehicles within a few months is an incredibly tough challenge," Scaringe said.
Rivian has 71,000 preorders for its R1T and R1S models, which means anyone who puts money down now on the $70,000 EVs will have to wait until 2023 to take delivery, Scaringe said. The company announced Thursday it is building a second $5 billion assembly plant in Georgia to keep up with anticipated future demand.
Electric vehicle sales gained traction in 2021, making up 2.5% of the U.S. auto market through November, up from 1.6% for the same period in 2020, according to Edmunds. Tesla accounted for nearly two-thirds of the EVs sold in the U.S., with Volkswagen at about 8%, followed by GM and Ford at about 7% each.
Edmunds projects the U.S. EV market share will climb to 4% in 2022, surpassing 600,000 vehicles sold, with Tesla's market share dropping to 46% as new players enter the segment.
New federal and state legislation is designed to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.
The Biden administration released its EV charging action plan Dec. 13, outlining the steps federal agencies are taking to boost infrastructure, manufacturing and consumer adoption. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, signed into law in November, includes $5 billion in funding for states and a $2.5 billion competitive grant program for rural and disadvantaged communities to put the U.S. "on the path" to a national network of 500,000 charging stations.
A measure for increasing the maximum federal tax credit for EV buyers from $7,500 up to $12,500 is part of Biden's $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act, which was approved by the House in November and is now in the hands of the Senate.
In November, Pritzker signed the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act, which incentivizes EV manufacturers to locate in the state through tax credits, including up to 100% of income tax withheld for new jobs created. The legislation also allows local municipalities to abate property taxes for EV projects.
President Joe Biden has set an ambitious target of a 50% market share for EVs by 2030, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to see 1 million registered EVs on Illinois roads by thenpreferably built at Illinois plants.
Founded in 2009 by Scaringe, a 38-year-old MIT grad, Rivian has nearly 3,900 employees working at its sole production facility in Normal, a college town about 130 miles south of Chicago. Rivian said Thursday it plans to expand the plant's capacity from 150,000 to 200,000 vehicles per year.
Rivian, which has more than 10,000 employees overall, plans to break ground on the Georgia plant next summer and begin producing the "next generation" of EVs by 2024. The plant will employ 7,500 workers with an eventual production capacity of 400,000 vehicles per year, Scaringe said. Until then, Rivian's ambitions to become the Tesla of trucks will depend entirely on the production output at the Normal plant.
Stellantis, which was created by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot of France in January, is projecting more than 40% of its U.S. sales to be electric vehicles by 2030. Illinois could be at the center of those plans, with the Belvidere Assembly Plant near Rockford slated to build new electric versions of the Dodge Charger, Challenger and a crossover beginning in January 2024, according to industry analysts.
The sprawling plant, which has been laying off employees for several years amid dwindling sales for its only productthe Jeep Cherokee SUVcould be buzzing again with an all-electric future, said Sam Fiorani, vice president global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based research firm.
"The plant is a relatively large plant, and the Cherokee was supposed to fill it. But it is not anymore," Fiorani said. "Instead of having just one, they'll have at least three models built in Belvidere, so that will fill up capacity a little better."
Fiorani said Stellantis is expected to retool the Belvidere plant to launch its EV production, while moving production of the Cherokee to another plant outside of Illinois.
"While we won't comment on rumor or speculation about the future of any of our facilities, we can say that Stellantis is committed to bringing consumers an electrified future, investing $35 billion through 2025 on electrification and software," Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said in an email.
Biden's infrastructure bill also includes $5 billion for zero- and low-emission busses, with the White House saying it will "replace the yellow school bus fleet" with thousands of electric school busses nationwide.
Canadian EV truck manufacturer Lion Electric announced in May it was investing $70 million to convert a Joliet warehouse into a factory to produce up to 20,000 electric trucks and busses a year. Construction to repurpose the 900,000-square-foot building is finishing up and Lion will begin moving its manufacturing equipment into the plant early next year, company spokesman Brian Alexander said.
The Joliet facility will produce up to 15 different models in the next two years, including 11 trucks and four school busses. Lion, which is in line to receive $7.9 million in state tax credits if it meets investment and job creation goals, plans to hire 745 workers over the next three years, with recruiting efforts getting underway early next year, Alexander said.
"We're still planning to have vehicles rolling out of there by the second half of next year," Alexander said.
While EV manufacturing is gearing up, consumer adoption has a long way to go to hit Pritzker's goal of 1 million EVs by 2030. There are currently 33,390 electric vehicles registered in Illinois, or less than 1% of the state's 10.3 million vehicles, according to Dave Druker, a spokesman for the Illinois secretary of state's office.
The biggest obstacle may be building a charging infrastructure.
There are 46,341 public charging stations in the U.S., including 943 in Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's alternative fuels website. The network is far less developed for fast-charging stations, where drivers can fully charge their vehicles in 15 to 45 minutes, with 5,682 stations in the U.S. and 110 in Illinois. Most public stations use Level 2 chargers, which generally take hours to recharge an EV.
The lack of a robust charging network may make EVs more costly to refuel than gas-powered cars, according to a recent study.
Patrick Anderson, a Michigan automotive industry economist, became a lightning rod for criticism with an October report challenging the widely accepted notion that EVs are cheaper to operate than gas-powered vehicles. The study found the "real world" cost of driving 100 miles was $12 to $15 in an EV, compared with $8 to $12 in a gas-powered vehicle.
"A midpriced or luxury EV is going to cost an amount of fuel that is not significantly less and may be more than for an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle," Anderson said.
Anderson's study calculates the EV cost with home charging equipment and installation costs, "deadhead" miles spent driving to public stations and the higher cost of commercial charging. It also adds $200 per year for higher EV registration fees, which some states charge to recoup lost gas taxes used for road repairs.
In 2019, Illinois lawmakers briefly flirted with jacking the annual EV registration fee up to $1,000 before settling on the current $251 per yearwhich is $100 higher than gas-powered car owners pay.
The rising price of gas has already thrown a wrench in Anderson's numbers. At the time of the study, regular gas was calculated at $2.81 per gallon, while the current national average price is $3.30 per gallon, according to AAA. In Chicago, gas prices are much higher, averaging $3.84 per gallon, according to AAA.
Recalculating current costs for a Chicago driver using Anderson's methodology, the midpriced gas-powered car and midpriced EV using mostly commercial charging both cost about $12 per 100 miles of driving.
While a number of EVs get 300 miles or more on a full charge, reducing so-called range anxiety, Caldwell said the spotty public charging network may deter some buyersparticularly in less urban areasat least until Biden's infrastructure build out starts filling in the gaps.
"Automakers need to convince people this is something that can fit seamlessly in their lives," Caldwell said. "People have to think about an electric vehicle and where to charge it. That is probably going to be a big barrier to entry that we don't really talk about too muchjust change of behavior."
Caldwell said EVs will remain mostly the province of EAsearly adoptersthroughout 2022, but the introduction of electric trucks and SUVs will likely provide a significant bump to sales, and a glimpse of the road ahead. Light trucks and SUVs are far more popular than sedans across the entire auto market and are projected to account for 73% of the 15 million new vehicles sold this year, according to Edmunds.
In addition to Rivian, the Ford F-150 Lightning is set to launch in the spring, starting at just under $40,000, offset by a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. Ford recently stopped taking reservations on the EV truck after reaching nearly 200,000 preorders, the company said.
"The key to growth is meeting consumers where they want to buy, which in this country is SUVs and pickups," Caldwell said. "So I think the introduction of a lot of those products in the coming year will probably let us gage a bit more in terms of how fast we can get to that 50% target."
2021 Chicago Tribune.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
At Texas A&M, the increase is partially a result of planned growth in the College of Engineering and Mays Business School, according to a press release from the university following the first day of classes in August.
Were not trying to grow enrollment dramatically or anything like that, Joseph Pettibon, vice president for enrollment and academic services told The Eagle in September. But the intent is targeted and planned growth in some areas.
He said the College of Engineering has been aiming to have 25,000 engineering students by the year 2025, working toward that goal for nearly a decade. He also said that business is one of the majors in the highest demand so officials decided to increase the number of freshmen they were enrolling since the school had the capacity to teach a slightly larger number of students.
Pettibon said the university has been able to meet the demand of increased interest across the state in a degree from Texas A&M.
In some respects the number of students that apply to A&M continues to increase year over year, Pettibon said. And as that number has increased, weve also been able to continue to provide that opportunity to more students.
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We were accepting donations and this little girl, who was about 11 or 12, had a couple questions about the theatre and if it would be for children as well, Sale said. Her grandmother said she had a jar with all her babysitting money and wanted to donate all of her money. I burst into tears and never forgot that.
Sale said their efforts in the community were always done with others and appreciated everyone who contributed with them along the way.
Nelson said they are one of many people in the city who want to volunteer and have a great time doing so while finding ways to keep the downtown alive and beautiful.
They dont see a dilapidated eye sore (in the community) that wont change, they see an opportunity to create something charming and historic, Nelson said. They have volunteered throughout the whole community and have made an impact in downtown, both in business and in community development and they are just very special people.
Abigail Noel, the public relations manager and communications manager for Destination Bryan, said Singleton and Sale have been involved in the revitalization of Downtown Bryan for many years.
RICMOND Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin announced Monday he has chosen Aimee Rogstad Guidera to serve as his secretary of education, turning to the former head of a nonprofit that promotes use of data to improve student achievement.
Guidera is the first Cabinet secretary Youngkin has announced, underscoring the importance of the issue to the governor-elect, who ran on claims that Virginias schools are underperforming and teaching left-leaning content. He also has promised to increase the number of charter schools in the state.
Her leadership, intellect, and talent will be tremendous assets as we ensure Virginia kids are the best prepared in the country to succeed, and that they are taught how to think, not what to think, Youngkin said in a statement. She will help us recharge a system that has settled for too long.
The president of Guidera Strategy, she was founder and chief executive of the Data Quality Campaign. She led the national organization for over a decade, advocating for improved quality, accessibility and use of education data to increase student achievement.
Guidera previously served as the director of the Washington, D.C., office of the National Center for Educational Achievement. She started her career working on education policy at the National Governors Association.
Through her work, Guidera has supported charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run. Youngkin promised to vastly expand the number of charter schools in Virginia, which now has just seven. Youngkin said his goal is to bring up the number in Virginia to match North Carolina, which has more than 200.
Aimee will be a critical partner in restoring expectations of excellence; overseeing a record education budget to invest in teachers, facilities and special education; rolling out innovation lab and charter schools; and standing for a curriculum that prepares Virginias children for a dynamic future and removes politics from the classroom, Youngkin said.
Youngkin appeared to gain traction late in the contest for governor with Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe by pushing education issues, particularly emphasizing parents role. Parents matter became a mantra for Youngkins campaign after the second debate, in which McAuliffe said: I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.
The Republican called on every school in the state to have a law enforcement officer on its campus, or face losing state education funding. Heated school issues COVID-19 restrictions on students, whether teachers should talk about systemic racism, rules around transgender students, school choice and, school safety appeared to boost Youngkins popularity among the swing voters he needed to overcome McAuliffe in a state that had favored Democrats in recent years.
A Monmouth University survey late in the race found that education and schools had become one of the two issues voters cared about most, along with jobs and the economy; moving past COVID-19.
Guidera, who is originally from Maryland, moved to Virginia in 1995 with her husband and daughter, who attended Fairfax County public schools.
Youngkin takes office Jan. 15. Guidera, like other Cabinet nominees, will face confirmation by the General Assembly during its regular session, which starts Jan. 12.
Retailers big and small may run sales on Super Saturday, the final Saturday before Christmas. Prepare to shop or pick up orders in-store to get discounted gifts in hand by the holidays.
Cancel or return the item
You can usually cancel an order that hasn't processed or shipped and get a full refund. But even if you miss the cancellation period, you can likely return the item after it arrives.
Many retailers have extended holiday return policies. However, certain items or categories may be excluded. For example, Macys has a 90-day return window for most items, but a 14-day window for Apple products and tech accessories.
Check retailers websites for policy details. Read the fine print carefully to make sure you understand the conditions and deadlines.
Take a 14-day return policy, for instance. Does it mean the day that it leaves their warehouse? Is that when the clock on 14 days for returns starts ticking? Is it the day that it leaves there, or is it the day that it shows up at your doorstep? Thomas says.
A domestic assault Tuesday morning escalated to a man fleeing law enforcement and using a child as a shield against officers, according to Grand Island Police Department media report.
Just after midnight, an alleged assault by Miguel Samaniego, 39, of Grand Island against the mother of his child was reported. The GIPD release states the assault occurred in the presence of the child. But by the time officers arrived, Samaniego fled with the child.
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GIPD tried to stop Samaniego, but he fled and the pursuit was discontinued as the vehicle exited Grand Island eastbound on Highway 34.
According to a release from the Nebraska State Patrol, troopers picked up the pursuit, and made contact with Samaniego after he lost control of his vehicle at the junction of Highway 34 and Highway 2. Troopers gave verbal commands to the driver of the Jeep, but Samaniego did not comply and began driving south on Highway 2, then east onto Interstate 80. The Jeep reached speeds up to 100 mph as it fled eastbound.
Gordon said, The spawn was wood particles that already had the mycelium in it. We basically took bags of that that we had that I had made and we had stored under refrigeration and we dumped those into the mold. Essentially what they did is the mycelium reconnected all of those pieces of wood in the shape of our mold.
Mushrooms started to spring outside the mold within a week, Gordon said.
The resulting structure measuring 7 feet, 6 inches after drying, floats and works like a traditionally constructed canoe.
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The path to Guinness history started when Guinness Book of World Records reached out to CCCs senior director of college communications Scott Miller, Ayers said. I hadnt even considered getting it in the book. The Guinness Book of World Records people reached out to him. They wanted to start a new category, so (Miller) got me connected with them. We were able to fast track this whole new category.
This isnt the first mycelium fungi boat ever constructed, however, Ayers said. There was another girl who made one she works with Ecoactive out of New York. She was able to make a much smaller boat that she called the USS Mycelium. You can actually watch her first trip out on that on YouTube.
A Nebraska man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced Wednesday for 13 counts of sexual assault and sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl.
William Billy J. Quinn, of Oxford, was sentenced to 177 to 304 years in prison by Furnas County District Court Judge James E. Doyle IV. Under state sentencing guidelines, the 57-year-old Quinn must serve at least half of his minimum sentence before being eligible for parole.
Following a two-week trial this summer that was prosecuted by the Nebraska Attorney General's Office, a jury found Quinn guilty of 13 of 14 felony charges. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said 18 other defendants have been arrested for crimes associated with Quinns actions.
Todays sentence is essentially a life sentence imposed on Billy Quinn," Peterson said. "The sentence issued by Judge Doyle sends a strong message that those who traffic children for sex will pay a substantial penalty for their acts."
Peterson said the investigation that began in 2019 involved many other agencies, including the Nebraska State Patrol, sheriff's offices in Furnas, Sarpy and Douglas counties and police departments in Norfolk and Kearney.
YORK Robbie Lovejoy, Jr., 20, who is now a former York College student and lives in Walthill, has been sentenced to probation in a case that began with the beating of a man on the college campus, stealing his property and breaking into multiple vehicles in York last March.
Lovejoy was one of four men who were college students here at the time of the crime. All four are no longer students at the college in York. The other men accused were Isaiah Hernandez-Jasso, 20; Fernando Servin Jr., 20; and Prosper Gilpin, 20.
The victim told police he was on a walk, listening to music, around 5 a.m., and was in the area of the colleges prayer chapel when someone grabbed him from behind and pushed him to the ground. Two individuals punched and kicked him while he was on the ground. He attempted to fight back but could not. He sustained superficial abrasions to both knees. He stated that being punched and kicked caused him pain. The two individuals began going through his pockets but he did not have anything in them. The individuals took the hat he was wearing, which was then on the ground, and ran away.
KEARNEY Council chambers were packed Tuesday evening as Chief Jim Tacha recognized 10 members for their tenure and service to the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department.
I couldnt do what you do. You guys are running into places where people are running out, said councilman Randy Buschkoetter, who was among council members expressing their appreciation to the volunteers.
Collectively, the 10 members honored Tuesday represent 175 years of service.
One KVFD member was honored posthumously Emmett Maul served 45 years as a Kearney volunteer fire fighter.
I want to thank the families who support them, council member Tami Moore said to the many spouses, children and loved ones in the room.
Tacha told the council members he appreciates the support they provide the volunteers in the form of equipment, training and encouragement.
Robinson was initially charged with delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 2A felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; possession of more than one pound of marijuana, a Class 4 felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of two years in prison with 12 months of post-release supervision; and no drug tax stamp, also a Class 4 felony.
In York County District Court, Robinson was sentenced to a term of three years of traditional probation. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, to be served immediately, with credit for eight days already served. He was also sentenced to two more 30-day stints in jail, in the future, which can be waived if he is found to be in compliance with the terms of his probation. He was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution/fine.
Urbina had the opportunity to use her ESL endorsement in the third grade classroom, which included children from many ethnic backgrounds, including Vietnamese, Hispanic and African American. Teachers came from many different backgrounds, as well.
Being from a different culture, I walked in there and literally cried. Oh my God, I feel like I actually belong here, Urbina said. You dont see very many teachers that look like you, especially growing up. Being in a very diverse school with so many teachers of different ethnicities really touched me.
Under the guidance of her cooperating teacher, Jung Banh, Urbina taught English to Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking children. That was a rewarding experience.
I was little once and I came here not knowing any English at all, Urbina said. Now Im older and can give back to the little kids. I was once in their shoes. I know how they feel.
Additionally, Urbina taught math, science, grammar, reading and writing to the third graders. Banh taught her how to be a better teacher.
STEM Education Resources
Nevada Commits $4M from American Rescue Plan Funds to Expanding K12 Robotics Programs Statewide
The Nevada Department of Education on Wednesday announced that $4 million of federal American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds will go toward expanding access to STEM and robotics programs statewide.
The money will be invested in FIRST Nevada to help move the state education system closer to its goal of securing a robotics program in every school that serves K-12 students in Nevada, the governors office said in a news release. FIRST Nevada is a nonprofit working within public schools to promote robotics programs and STEAM education initiatives across Nevada.
Providing access for our students to emerging technologies and STEM programs is essential as we recover from COVID-19 and redefine education in Nevada, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert said. We are excited and grateful to have FIRST Nevada as a forward-thinking partner in moving us closer to our goal of ensuring each and every Nevada student is future-ready and globally prepared!
The investment in robotics expansion aligns with the departments Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils value of Access to Quality, as well as its stated goal that All students graduate future-ready and globally prepared for postsecondary success and civic life.
Inspiring Nevadas young people to develop technology-based skills and interests will ensure not only success for our next generation, but economic vitality for the future of our State, Gov. Steve Sisolak said in the announcement. I commend the Nevada Department of Education for establishing innovative programs and partnerships which will provide critical STEM and STEAM opportunities to our students and look forward to the expansion of FIRST Nevada programs Statewide.
FIRST Nevada offers a number of inclusive, team-based PreK-12 robotics programs to engage students, including FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, FIRST Nevada programs were active in half of Nevadas school districts and with more than 3,000 Nevada students and teachers participating in 270 robotics teams across the state.
The funds will help support robotics team retention post-pandemic and enable FIRST Nevada to increase the number of robotics teams in Nevada, the organization said, including providing tools, equipment, and resources to offer equitable access for students and teachers statewide.
Students who participate in FIRST programs are 2.9 times more likely to show interest in STEM, research shows, and they are 2.3 times more likely to be interested in a STEM career and 2.7 times more likely to show gains in STEM understanding. FIRST participants develop skills to become the innovators of tomorrow, such as improved problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, cooperation, time management, and strengthened communication skills.
Nevada school leaders are invited to contact Angela Quick at FIRST Nevada via email at [email protected] for information about starting a robotics program at their school.
Don't forget my "Mike's Miniatures" sale is only a three-day sale. It ends tomorrow at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, or 2:00 Eastern Time. [UPDATE: Sale has ended now.]
That's 7:00 p.m. Thursday in London, UK, and 6:00 a.m. Friday in Sydney.
Oed' und leer das Meer
Oed' und leer das Meer (it's a line from "Tristan und Isolde" used by T.S. Eliot in The Waste Land) is my favorite picture I've ever taken with a phone. An iPhone 4s. I had the most wonderful late-life fling a number of years ago which took me from Wisconsin to New York StateI moved here to be near her, which turned out to be a bad idea. The romance was all-in, too intense to last I suppose. It didn't end well, and my year of heartbreak was intense as welltoo much soalthough I'm over that now. The woman is Sara, who I used to refer to as "S." here on the website. The picture was taken on a remote beach of the Pacific Ocean north of the Marin Headlands near San Francisco. We had gone to California so I could meet her parents, and she showed me around all the places she loved when she was growing up. On that particular day it was cold, even though it was in June, and the clouds were low and dense. The beach was deserted.
Sara just loved lonely places. I remember sitting with her for an hour on a couch on the top floor of the Johnson Art Museum in Ithaca, where we could see for many miles up the magnificent Cayuga Lake, and once she took me to a grotto underneath a monastery where we sat in silence, meditating in the darkness. She had a secluded little hideaway spot in the Frick Gallery on the Upper East Side of New York City where she used to go and sit, and she took me there too.
Of course you know what a motif is. A lone figure looking out to sea is a motif; Google "woman looking out to sea" and hit "Images" and you'll see dozens of examples, or hundreds if you have the patience. Including both photographs and figurative artworks. I'd put my lowly phone snap up against any of them. Maybe that's because it's mine, I don't know. The print is lovely.
The picture to me seems to encapsulate our relationship; it's wild and romantic but somehow lonely too, and she has her back to me, which turns out to have been fitting. And of course you can't see her. She didn't like being seen. She was private, overly so. She didn't like having her picture taken, and I have very few pictures of her despite all the time we spent together. I was happy that whole year. She betrayed me badly in the end, but I'm over my anger now. I knew her for 22 years, more or less, although our romance lasted only a year. All too literally the woman of my dreams. Curiously, my feelings about her never really changed, and haven't even now.
She moved back to California six months after we broke up, and I haven't seen her since; I doubt I ever will again. The title means "Desolate and empty is the sea." I'm glad I had my phone with me, on that beach.
Mike
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The weekend before taking the reins as president of John A. Logan College almost a year ago, Kirk Overstreet walked through the quiet campus.
The walk gave him an up-close feel for the institution that he would begin leading after New Years Day.
Like most institutions, the college was in the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown. As he walked the corridors, he also saw evidence of ongoing remodeling and repair work necessary because of a fire a few months earlier.
On his self-guided tour, he noticed walls in need of a fresh coat of paint and made mental notes of subtle changes he would suggest ones that would give the college and its campus more flexibility.
Those two words change and flexibility have marked Overstreets first year as president of the college. In fact, the flexibility he preaches is evident the minute you step into his office on the Carterville campus.
Flexibility and change
Do you mind if I stand while we talk? he asked, pressing a button to raise his desk to a comfortable level for working while standing. He said he likes the flexibility the desk gives him. In his initial year at the helm, he has worked to make the college more adaptable and responsive just like his desk.
If you want the college to be successful, we cant be stagnant and sit in place, saying, This is how we do it; it is how we have always done it. That doesnt work. I like the idea of being flexible and willing to change. That is something I want to instill in everybody here the idea of constant change and that it is a good thing, he said.
Working with the colleges board of trustees, Overstreet has adapted his leadership team his cabinet to restructure roles and duties to make the college more effective and efficient. Several outreach programs including the annual Hunting and Fishing Days and Autumnfest events have been modified. Overstreet is even talking of expanding course and degree offerings at John A. Logan College.
A big piece of what we will do is to give more opportunities to our adult population so that they can come back to school and get the training they need to be successful in roles and develop the economic generation we need for long-term sustainability in Southern Illinois, he said.
He stressed the importance of college degrees to people, explaining a $500,000 difference in lifetime average earnings between those with associate degrees compared to high school diplomas.
For those looking to earn additional degrees, he stressed continuing efforts in strengthening relationships with nearby Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
We are looking to partner more with them, so that our students will have a chance to stay in Southern Illinois and put dollars back into the local economy, he said.
Looking forward
Overstreet explained that he wants to see the college expand its catalog, offering more weekend and evening courses to give people a way to earn certificates and degrees while working full-time.
He also is exploring the possibility of adding a hospitality program that potentially could include an on-campus laboratory hotel, and proposing the establishment of a police academy to train law enforcement officers for the region.
We are a long distance from other police academies in the state, so we have a lot of people here that could benefit from that, he explained. We could be an anchor for these programs and an anchor for the economy and for education in the region.
Big Piece of the Community
Overstreet said one of the focuses of the college must be the region.
The word community is not in our name, but we are a big piece of the community and when I say that, I mean everything: Williamson County, Randolph County, Jackson County. We are not just a Carterville institution, we are part of a larger piece, he said.
Overstreet stressed outreach efforts to businesses and high school districts in the area as well as work with other community colleges in the region and collaboration with SIU.
The fun thing about being at the community college is it is not just teaching history or math, but it is having a presence in all of our communities so that they know we are here for them, Overstreet added.
He said community colleges can adapt quickly to the needs of business, industry and the region.
Community colleges can be more agile and flexible than many educational institutions. We can build programs and get them up and running very quickly, he said.
Overstreet said despite the challenges stemming from the pandemic and recovery from the on-campus fire, he likes the direction of the college.
Its an exciting time to be here. I think is that there any that came of this year is that we are on the precipice of change positive change, he said. Sometimes it can be scary, but with what we are doing and with our collaborations with our sister colleges in the area and our affiliation with SIU, we have some great opportunities and that is exciting.
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CARBONDALE Several Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate students have been chosen for the highly competitive Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Program, a fellowship program designed to increase the number of minority full-time tenure track faculty and staff at higher education institutions in the state.
The seven Salukis selected are: Evelyn Aden, Dakota Rose Discepolo, Quianya Enge, Steven Gear, Jeffrey Payne, Olivia Slater and Daniel VanOverbeke.
State diversity program
Established in 2004 by the Illinois General Assembly, the program is open to any Illinois graduate student who is a member of an underrepresented group. The program dovetails with the Illinois Board of Higher Educations strategic plan, A Thriving Illinois: Higher Education Paths to Equity, Sustainability and Growth. After an extensive application process, the IBHE selected 47 new fellowship recipients and 56 continuing students.
Fellowship recipients receive a tuition waiver and monthly stipend. The fellows enjoy networking and conference opportunities as they prepare for careers in higher education. They agree to seek positions in Illinois higher education institutions, governing boards or education-related positions in a state agency after completing their graduate education.
Paul Frazier, vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion, said having seven graduate students selected for the fellowship program speaks to the quality of SIUs programs.
The DFI program is a wonderful initiative by the Illinois Board of Higher Education to keep its best and brightest students in academia within the state of Illinois after they complete their graduate education, Frazier said. We are very proud to have these seven fellows representing SIU and are looking forward to seeing their continuing positive impact in higher education for many years to come.
New SIU fellows
Aden, of Carbondale, Illinois, is a first-year MBA student who is already a double alumna of the university, having earned her masters degree in professional media and media management studies and her bachelors degree in art history at SIU. She has been involved in Photogenesis, a registered student organization, as well as Professional Photographers of America while a student. Aden is a photographer, videographer and graphic artist. Her goal is to work in an Illinois university or college that will allow her to continue to explore her multi-faceted creative pursuits and help others find theirs while also continuing to build her business.
Discepolo, a first-year doctoral student in animal science from Chicago, is a double SIU alumna with a masters degree in animal science and a bachelors degree in animal science with a focus on pre-veterinary science. She has been involved in a variety of research projects during her undergraduate career due to her involvement with the McNair Scholars Program, through which she participated in various projects including the Student Research and Creative Activities Forum and the Illinois Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program.
She was also president of the Native American Student registered student organization and active in the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science chapter. She rode on the SIU equestrian team for several years as well. After completing her doctoral degree, she plans to become an animal science professor, promoting opportunities in agriculture for minority students and those from urban areas with a goal of making careers in agriculture, and especially animal science, accessible to all students.
Enge, of Chicago, is a second-year doctoral candidate in educational administration and higher education. She earned a masters degree in workforce education and development at SIU and also a bachelors degree in inner city studies from Northeastern Illinois University. She is the chapter counselor for SIUs Delta Chi chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the international education honors society, and serves as a teaching assistant for the Chancellors Scholars Program. As a research assistant for the universitys Illinois Small Business Development Center, she has focused on developing ways to help people who have had encounters with the criminal justice system break down barriers they face when starting up a small business. Her goal is to become the director of a community college office of equity and inclusion.
Gear, of Kankakee, Illinois, is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in rehabilitation counseling and administration. He earned his undergraduate degree at SIU in criminology and criminal justice. Gear is active in the Graduate and Professional Student Council, Graduate Assistants United, the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He will work in higher education after graduating and his eventual goal is to create his own non-profit program to help people who suffer from substance abuse and mental illness.
Payne, of East Saint Louis, Illinois, is a masters student in counseling and rehabilitation education and expects to graduate in May 2022. He earned his bachelors degree in psychology at SIU. Payne is serving an internship with the Union County Counseling Services in Anna. He plans to become a licensed clinical professional counselor and after working in higher education, plans to open a private practice.
Slater, of Bloomington, Illinois, is a first-year doctoral student in pharmacology and neuroscience. She earned a masters degree in pharmaceutical sciences from the SIU School of Pharmacy and holds a bachelors degree in chemistry from SIU Edwardsville. She is involved in research investigating small molecules that have the potential to help patients who have sepsis. She plans to pursue a post-doctoral fellowship working in higher education before deciding on her chosen career path.
Returning fellow
VanOverbeke, of Lake Villa, Illinois, is doctoral student in economics and was initially chosen for the 2020-2021 academic year. VanOverbeke is a multiple SIU alumnus with bachelors degrees in economics, finance and business economics. He has also earned masters degrees in accounting, economics, agricultural economics and media in mass communication and media arts. He plans to continue his work in economic development research after graduation. VanOverbeke hopes to become an economics professor and initially to teach in Israel for a year after graduation
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Illinois state Sen. Kimberly Lightford and her husband were carjacked Tuesday night in suburban Broadview, police said.
No one was hurt, but at least one of the suspects fired gunshots at Lightfords husband, according to police.
Lightford, a Democrat from Maywood, and her husband were in a black Mercedes SUV and were in the near west suburb to drop off a friend, according to Broadview police Chief Thomas Mills.
Three masked individuals in a Dodge Durango SUV blocked the couples Mercedes in the 2000 block of South 20th Avenue about 9:45 p.m. The suspects ordered Lightford and her husband, who was driving, out of the Mercedes, said Mills.
The suspects drove off in the Mercedes and the Durango, police said. Mills said the Mercedes has since been recovered by police.
Broadview police were also trying to retrieve surveillance video to aid in the investigation.
Lightford, the second highest-ranking member of the state Senate, could not be reached for comment.
The carjacking occurred about 30 minutes after a Christmas event hosted by Broadviews village officials took place close to the scene of the crime, Mills said.
He said the number of carjackings in the town have been minimal, but other parts of Cook County have been struggling to contain them.
In Chicago, carjackings were up by about 32% through Sunday with 1,781, up from 1,352 during the same time last year.
The Cook County Sheriffs Department earlier this month acknowledged the steep rise in carjackings, with Sheriff Tom Dart sending letters to major automakers, asking them collaborate on addressing the crime.
Dart has suggested automakers create a 24/7 hotline for motorists and law enforcement to contact if they need to track a stolen vehicle,
His office has also created a consent form that car owners can submit to the sheriffs office, granting them permission to have their vehicles tracking information in case it gets stolen.
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A series of school threats allegedly made by 12- and 13-year-old students in Niles, guns confiscated from Evanston Township High School during a lockdown of the school and a nationwide warning of violence promoted on a social media app have made for a troubling December for area children, families and educators.
The perceived anonymity of social media, mental health challenges and the challenges of the pandemic all play a part in the uptick of student-generated threats against schools that have been reported across the country, a group of Illinois social workers say.
"The behavior is a way of students communicating that they need help or support," said Maria Sinkule, a school social worker in Addison and past president of the Illinois Association of School Social Workers, a statewide organization that provides professional development to school social workers. "The pandemic has exacerbated a lot of mental heath conditions in some of these individuals."
Tiffany Nelson, president of IASSW, agreed that students may make threatening statements as a call for help, particularly when they do so with anonymity.
Limits in socialization that are a result of the pandemic may have caused some underlying mental health issues to resurface or make them more apparent now, she said.
"Yes, this pandemic has put a strain on everyone's mental health, but we're really seeing it in students," said Tom Tebbe, a retired school social worker and executive director of IASSW. "What we're hearing from social workers across the state is they are overwhelmed with the need that is out there this year and the amount of services students require in order to function in school."
Tebbe suggested that remote learning, which occurred for much of the previous school year, slowed down the maturation of many children because they did not have the same social interactions.
At the same time, social media has changed the way people of all ages communicate, he said.
"Generally, the trend over the last several years has been that most of the filters have been removed from people's interactions with one another," Tebbe said.
When asked if recent threats of school violence are real signs that a student will be violent or destructive, Nelson acknowledged that it is a difficult question to answer.
"I think there are some students acting out, but we have a serious mental health crisis we need to address," she said.
"On our end, we need to continue to teach students how to appropriately use social media," Nelson added.
Over the course of a week, police in Niles investigated three reports of threats made against three different schools by middle school-age students. The first threat involved a Snapchat post from a 12-year-old at Gemini Middle School threatening a school shooting, police said. The other two threats were verbal, with a 13-year-old Culver School student threatening to commit a school shooting and a 12-year-old Emerson Middle School student, who was found in possession of a lighter, threatening to start a fire in the school, police said.
The children in the Gemini and Culver incidents have been petitioned to Cook County Juvenile Court on disorderly conduct charges, police said.
In November, Park Ridge police arrested a 17-year-old Maine East High School student for alleged threats she made on social media that were described by the school's principal as "hateful," and "racist and homophobic."
In all four cases, the incidents were reported to school officials, police said.
Last week, police departments and schools across the country shared that a post circulating on Tik Tok threatened school violence on a certain day that week, though no specific schools were named.
In a letter to parents regarding the Tik Tok post, Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Superintendent Eric Olson urged parents and students to report "any concerning message" to an adult, school official or the police, and to avoid promoting social media rumors. Parents were advised to "set rules for social networking, instant messaging, emailing, online gaming and using webcams."
State legislation passed in 2019 requires public schools to develop a Behavioral Threat Assessment Procedure for determining the type of resources that are needed, Tebbe said.
One of the best ways of preventing school violence and helping students in need of support is for students and parents to "speak up and say something," Sinkule said. Many school districts have anonymous tip lines for reporting concerning behaviors and social media messages, she said.
Parents must also monitor their children's social media accounts and communications and talk to their children about the importance of reaching out if they are feeling a certain way, Nelson said.
"Those conversations need to continue," she said. "They need to happen between parents and children."
School social workers can also continue to make parents aware of local resources, particularly when it comes to the mental health of children, Tebbe said.
"Part of our job is to point parents to the resources available to them," he said.
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BAMBERG Bamberg County Council gave final, third reading approval to its redistricting plan during its regularly scheduled Dec. 6 meeting.
What'll happen now at this point in time is it'll be sent to the state... and it's official as of tonight," County Administrator Joey Preston said.
The county has redrawn council districts to reflect changes in population, as noted in the last U.S. Census. The countys population dropped from 15,987 in 2010 to 13,311 in 2020, a 16.7 percent decline.
The administrator explained that the county adhered to the constitutional requirement of one person, one vote, with all seven council districts having a population in compliance with the requirement.
The mean district size based on the new census data for the county is 1,902 people.
The individual district populations were:
District 1 - 1,899
District 2 1,871
District 3 1,837
District 4 1,950
District 5 1,908
District 6 1,862
District 7 1,984
Preston has said the plan also adheres to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Under that act, the county has to work toward a plan with no retrogression, or reduction in the voting strength of a racial or ethnic group.
Districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 remain majority-minority districts as before, he said. Districts 5 and 6 remain anchored in the Denmark area and Govan remains in District 6.
Preston has noted that because of population shifts, District 4, while remaining anchored in the Denmark area, grows toward Bamberg.
Districts 1 and 2 remain anchored in the Bamberg area, with District 2 seeing no change at all because of its only slight population shift.
Districts 3 and 7 remain mostly rural, with their shared boundary shifting only slightly to ensure the town of Olar will be in District 7. The town of Ehrhardt remains in District 7.
No one spoke during a public hearing held during the Dec. 6 meeting.
Attorney Joey Opperman explained that the county's redistricting plan no longer has to go through the U.S. Justice Department for preclearance, which had once been a requirement under the federal Voting Rights Act.
The preclearance requirement mandated that states or localities with a history of racial voting discrimination get federal approval for election policy changes, including the maps that are redrawn every 10 years.
Because of the Shelby County v. Holder case in 2013, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is not enforceable in the same way that it was previously ... until Congress fixes that. So nothing goes to the Justice Department this year, Opperman said.
I don't mean to say that the Voting Rights Act is not in effect. It most certainly is. It's just the piece of the Voting Rights Act that used to require parts of the country and all of the state South Carolina to submit any plans to either the Justice Department or the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ... is not in effect," he said.
He continued, But what the law says you have to do to be compliant, that's all in effect. So if a local government or a state failed to do that in their plan, then they could be sued in federal court, and that law still has plenty of teeth on that. ... We've been very careful to ensure that the map that's been presented to council and adopted is compliant with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD
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The newly redrawn state Senate map could cost Orangeburg County some influence, a local lawmaker says.
S.C. Senate District 39 has been redrawn to reduce the number of Orangeburg County voters and increase the number of Berkeley County voters. The district is currently represented by Sen. Vernon Stephens, D-Bowman.
I am just concerned Orangeburg County has lost some of its power in some sense, Stephens said. That will maybe be a detriment as we continue looking at economic development.
Stephens believes the Orangeburg County legislative delegation has been one of the most pro-education delegations in the state.
There seems to be a very bright future, economic development-wise, and we want that to continue, he said.
Districts are redrawn following the U.S. Census to ensure each district has roughly the same number of people. Gov. Henry McMaster has signed the new House and Senate districts into law.
The newly redrawn District 39 now has about 27,943 residents in Orangeburg County and 65,208 residents in Berkeley County. About 12,832 residents are in Dorchester County.
There are a total of 105,983 residents in the new District 39.
The Black voting age population for District 39 has also changed under the new map. The Black voting age population is now 39%, with a white voting age population of 50%.
Stephens said the current district is the complete opposite in terms of population breakdown.
In 2010, the Black voting age population was about 49% and the white voting age population was about 39% for the district.
It made a complete flip, Stephens said.
The addition of a large portion of Berkeley County could also be a challenge for a Democratic candidate. The county has historically voted Republican.
During the 2020 election, Stephens did win the portion of Berkeley County he represents by about 261 votes. Berkeley County had about 3,500 people who voted in the 2020 election from District 39.
The district, as redrawn, has lost about 13,267 Orangeburg County residents, including residents of Eutawville, Santee, Vance, Providence and Elloree.
Senate District 36, represented by Manning Democrat Sen. Kevin Johnson, has gained those areas.
Stephens also lost about 5,000 individuals in eastern Calhoun County. In total, District 39 lost about 18,300 individuals to Johnson.
District 36 also has about 56,422 residents in Sumter, and about 31,144 people in Clarendon County. There are 105,832 residents in the newly redrawn District 36.
Stephens was joined by Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, as one of only two senators opposed to the Senate's maps. The Senate voted 41-2 to approve the maps Dec. 8.
The new Senate District 39 still includes the eastern portion of the City of Orangeburg, such as the Wilkinson Heights, Brookdale and Nix communities.
The district also includes Four Holes, Bethel, Bowman, Whetsell, Holly Hill, Rowesville and Branchville.
The district also reaches down into Dorchester County to include cities like St. George and Harleyville and into Berkeley County to include areas as far southeast as the western suburbs of Goose Creek.
The district no longer includes Colleton County.
Stephens noted District 39 was historically created as a minority district with a heavy Orangeburg County population.
You talk about regression, but I didn't want to go back to where the district came from some years ago, Stephens said.
Another concern with the new maps is the large Berkeley County population.
Looking at historical data, the portion of Berkeley County that District 39 picked up did vote Democratic during the 2020 presidential election, but Stephens said that is not a given with the growing population at Cane Bay and Nexton.
Stephens also said the remapping broke up communities of interest by taking Elloree, Santee, Providence, Vance and Eutawville away from other Orangeburg County towns like Holly Hill, Bowman and Rowesville.
He also noted Calhoun County has shared interests, such as the Regional Medical Center, with other areas that are traditionally part of the district.
Stephens noted District 36 will now cross Lake Marion and wonders how Clarendon and Sumter counties are connected to Orangeburg County
I have issues with that, he said.
Despite the redrawing of District 39, Stephens said he will continue to serve.
We are not going to give up, he said.
While he has not fully made up his mind about running in 2024, Stephens said, I probably will.
Johnson said he believes the remapping was fair.
I don't think everyone was 100% pleased with it, but most people are satisfied with how the lines are drawn, he said. I was surprised to be a part of Orangeburg County and Calhoun County. I am excited about it. I have many friends and acquaintances over there.
Johnson says he will strive to bring progress to the area and says he is no stranger to Orangeburg County.
I have worked with some of the Orangeburg delegation in the past, he said. Johnson said he recently collaborated with Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, on funding Highway 15 improvements.
When asked if he believes any of communities of interest were fractured by joining Clarendon and Orangeburg counties, Johnson said he believes the interests are the same.
The issues are what they have been for years, such as public education, health care, expanding broadband, he said. We will continue to work on those and make sure we can represent the people well and bring the needed resources into the area.
What benefits the north side of the lake benefits the south side, he said. I will continue that great working relationship.
Johnson said a number of individuals have already reached out to him from Orangeburg and Calhoun counties who have pledged their support.
It is like a coming home experience, he said.
Orangeburg County's other resident senator Hutto saw relatively little change in his district in The T&D Region.
The newly drawn Senate District 40 now includes the western suburbs of the city of Orangeburg, including Pecan Way Terrace, Orangeburg Country Club and Rivelon.
The district stretches to include Cordova, Norway, Neeses, North, Wolfton, Woodford and Springfield. The district continues to include all of Bamberg County.
The district stretches to include all of Allendale County and all of Barnwell County.
The new district has gained the northern portions of Aiken County from Salley down to Mount Beulah all the way to Monetta.
The newly drawn district is no longer representing the northwest portion of Hampton County and has slightly less representation in Colleton County.
Looking at the numbers, District 40 has 43,013 residents from Orangeburg County; Barnwell, 20,589; Aiken, 18,138; Bamberg, 13,311; Allendale, 10,419; and Colleton, 3,683. There are a total of 106,773 residents in the new District 40.
I think in many ways, it is the same community of interests, Hutto said about picking up Aiken County. There is a lot of farming and rural areas.
He also said like Allendale and Barnwell counties, Aiken County also shares the Savannah River site as an interest and the Lower Savannah Council of Governments.
Overall, Hutto said the Black voting age population may have fallen slightly lower, but the change is minor.
Although his district has not changed significantly, Hutto hopes are that the changes to District 39 will not mean the loss of a resident senator in the county.
It is just about growth, he said. A lot of districts were shifted to the coast and District 39 was one of those.
He noted Lake Marion and Interstate 95 were cited as commonalities between Clarendon and Orangeburg counties.
Hutto said it is not uncommon for a senator to live in a county that is not the dominant one of his or her district. District 36's dominant county is Sumter, but Johnson lives in Clarendon County.
Hutto said Stephens is a strong candidate with a good track record and a good campaigner, saying Stephens can hold his own in Berkeley County.
Rounding out the Senate remapping is Senate District 26, which is represented by Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington.
The new Senate District 26, which has not drastically changed its boundaries, consists of the western part of Calhoun County from St. Matthews to Sandy Run. The district has about 9,120 Calhoun County residents, 69,412 in Lexington County and 29,614 in Richland County. There are 108,146 residents in the new District 26.
One significant change is that the remapping resulted in a Columbia-based district being moved to Charleston.
This means Setzler and Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, are in the same district, anchored by downtown Columbia and the areas just west of the Congaree River.
The changes in district lines happened due to the fact that many rural and more Democratic districts either lost population or grew at a slower rate 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.
Growth was concentrated in areas like Horry County, Charleston County and the rest of the coast; York and northern Lancaster County near Charlotte, North Carolina, and around Greenville and Spartanburg.
Fourteen of the 16 districts represented by Democrats in 2021 either lost population or failed to gain people as fast as the state average. Such districts have had to expand to cover larger areas.
The new maps would likely not significantly change the Republicans 81-43 advantage over Democrats in the House and 30-16 advantage in the Senate.
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Bamberg School Districts 1 and 2 are sharing key personnel as they move toward consolidation to become Bamberg County School District.
The targeted school year for consolidation is 2022-23.
Bamberg County's two school boards named a single superintendent and deputy superintendent to lead the two districts as they prepare for consolidation during a joint meeting of the boards at the Bamberg School District 2 administrative office on May 3.
Dottie Brown was named superintendent of Bamberg-Ehrhardt School District 1 and Denmark-Olar School District 2.
Dr. Deonia Simmons was named the deputy superintendent of both school districts.
Brown and Simmons assumed their new positions on July 1.
Brown served as the interim superintendent for District 1, and Simmons had served as the interim superintendent for District 2.
The boards also unanimously named Devon Furr as director of finance for the two school districts and Ricky Padgett as director of technology for the districts.
During the meeting, the trustees said in a statement that both districts have been preparing for consolidation with the intention of reducing the decline in student population and creating opportunities for academic success for every student in the county.
Brown said in an email on Dec. 14 that the path is already being laid toward that goal.
To date, Bamberg Districts 1 and 2 have begun sharing key district office personnel such as finance, technology, superintendent and assistant superintendent, and federal programs. We have also begun the work of aligning curricula and textbook choices across the two districts, she said.
She continued, Once the consolidated board is seated -- and we hope that will be early in the new year -- we will be able to move forward with the nuts and bolts of consolidation.
She said a new website domain and new district logo -- and finalizing the merger of pupil data, finance systems and other technology platforms -- are among the things that will have to be worked on.
Additionally, we will begin work immediately on new board policies and school procedures, Brown said.
Expanding educational services is among the things she is most excited about with consolidation.
Im most excited about now being able to expand educational services, curricula and career program opportunities to all students in both districts. Im excited to bring staff and students and community together! she said.
She is least looking forward to what may be some of the toughest elements of consolidation, including the restructuring of personnel.
The parts that may be most challenging will be restructuring personnel and salary schedules, along with financial and pupil accounting database systems. But I have no doubt in our ability to tackle these challenges, Brown said.
There are other details that she said will decided at a later date, including whether a new centralized district office will be built.
That is something that will be decided by a new consolidated board, Brown said.
BSD2 Chairperson Beverly Bonaparte said she is most looking forward to students having more options for a quality education from a countywide district.
The transition has gone well. The administration and staff are working well to make consolidation work. I look forward to our county coming together to support our children, Bonaparte said.
BSD1 Chairperson Janeth Walker said, I am looking forward to our administration team and faculty members demonstrating to our community and others their commitment to developing our students.
Walker said the transition has gone fine.
It is impressive to see educators from different districts come together to work on common matters. This is another opportunity for Bamberg County schools to come together and work on something that will define us as a community, she said.
Walker continued, Education is important and working together as a community on education or other community-wide matters define successful communities. I believe our community will rise to the challenge.
Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD
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Wyomings 33 airports will receive $15.1 million in the first round of funding through the infrastructure package signed into law last month.
Airports can use the money to pay for runway, taxiway and terminal projects, among other things, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The states airports will be able to submit projects to the FAA in the coming weeks. The agency is encouraging projects that focus on safety, equity and sustainability.
The Casper/Natrona County International Airport will receive the second-largest share of the funding in Wyoming $1.34 million. The airport anticipates receiving roughly that amount each year for the next five, said Airport Director Glenn Januska.
Specifically, the initial round of funding will help to pay for airfield electrical work, Januska said. That includes upgrading to LED lighting on a taxiway and putting in a new lighting control panel at the air traffic control tower.
The infrastructure money will also help fund design work associated with an upcoming runaway resurfacing project.
Casper is one of nine commercial airports in the state to receive infrastructure money. Jacksons airport the states busiest as far as passenger traffic is earmarked to receive $3.38 million. The other seven, including airports in Cheyenne and Rock Springs, will each receive roughly $1 million.
An additional 24 reliever and general administration airports around the state will get funding through the infrastructure law.
The law is ultimately expected to funnel roughly $1.9 billion to infrastructure projects in Wyoming. The vast majority of the money $1.8 billion is earmarked to pay for highway improvement. Another $335 million is intended to pay for water infrastructure projects, with $225 million aimed at bridge replacement and repairs.
All three of Wyomings congressional delegates voted against the bill.
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It will soon cost you at least a dollar or two more to enjoy a Carib or Stag beer as bar owners say a price increase by Carib Brewery has left them with no other alternative but to charge customers more.
Carib Brewery, in a statement on Monday, announced a $1 retail price increase per bottle or can would apply to its Carib, Carib Pilsner, Stag, Carib Blue, Royal Extra Stout, Coors, Heineken, Guinness, Smirnoff Ice and Blue Moon products.
Korea Village is celebrating one of its sons for his academic achievements.
Dr Kiran Nandlal, who is no stranger to academic success, has a bachelors degree in petroleum geosciences at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St Augustine, but the Presentation College alumnus didnt stop there. After he was awarded a second scholarship which led him to Edinburgh, Scotland, to pursue his masters degree at the Heriot-Watt University in reservoir engineering, the scholar returned home to put his knowledge to use at the Ministry of Energy as a stipulation of his service to the country for being awarded the national scholarship.
As the Covid-19 death toll nears 3,000, many are still questioning what is considered a Cov
Tucson-based Raytheon Missiles & Defense has won a contract worth up to nearly $600 million through 2026 to produce hundreds of ship-defense missiles for the U.S. Navy and seven allied nations.
The Navy awarded a $578 million contract to produce 54 Standard Missile-2 Block IIIAZ upgraded rounds for the Navy, and 215 complete Standard Missile-2 variants for Chile, Denmark, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Spain and Taiwan.
The Navy has obligated about $37 million in fiscal 2021 funds under the contract. South Korea is the top foreign buyer with $232 million committed, followed by Denmark ($98 million) and Taiwan ($58 million).
With options, the contract could be worth up to $586 million, and 45% of the work is expected to be performed in Tucson, according to a Pentagon contract notice.
Raytheon Tucsons largest private employer with about 13,000 local employees restarted its SM-2 production line last year after multiple allied countries pooled resources to make a bundle purchase.
The company says it reconfigured and modernized its SM-2 missile factory to increase production efficiencies, and signed new agreements with several suppliers.
For each one of those milestones, her parents, her sister and all of us were cheering her on, Fregosi said. We didnt know what the end was, but we were going to shoot for the stars, and look at her now.
After going live on Facebook, Brylee started receiving donations from a handpicked list of toys specifically targeted to help patients at the pediatric therapy center. Out of a list of 100, Brylee received 91 toys.
As parents, we were very excited and very humbled that our daughter would think about giving back to others, Binger said. All of these things are toys and tools that are going to help other kids at TMC. Were just one family that has been helped in the last 10 years, theres thousands and thousands of others and this is just going to help.
When Brylee told Fregosi about her big birthday plan, Fregosi couldnt help but shed some tears.
She takes everything in that has been given to her and turns it into something better, Fregosi said. She is going to do something in this world.
Neuberg has not disputed that, but said it has to do with a fundamental difference that we have in terms of interpreting our constitutional mandate.
That includes Neubergs argument that while the panel is required to create as many politically competitive districts as possible, that is only to the extent that it does not interfere with other guidelines including following political and geographic boundaries as well as what she interprets as communities of interest.
That explanation didnt wash with Lerner.
She pointed specifically to how draft maps sought to create a legislative district that encompassed the Tucson suburban communities of Marana, Oro Valley and Casas Adobes. As crafted, that would have been a politically competitive district. She said it kept the district within specific school districts, reflecting the requirement for honoring communities of interest.
But what emerged in the final map as Legislative District 17 excluded Casas Adobes and instead extended a line around the Catalina Mountains to pick up Republican areas of east Tucson and Tanque Verde.
Even that, Lerner said, is misleading. Of the three that were listed as Democratic wins in CD6, one was the 2020 U.S. Senate race where Mark Kelly beat Republican Martha McSally, but only with 50.5% of the votes. The other was a win for Joe Biden in the presidential race, who got just a hair over 50%.
The newly approved CD6 stretches from midtown Tucson through Graham and Greenlee counties and most of Cochise County and up into Casa Grande.
The situation is similar in CD1, the other supposedly competitive district, which encompasses parts of northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale. This is not the map I would like, Lerner said.
She said it is a deviation from the current political situation where Arizonans have elected Democrats to five of the states nine congressional seats.
But Erika Neuberg, the independent who chairs the panel, dismissed the current breakdown of the congressional delegation as irrelevant to the commissions goals of drawing districts that represent communities of interest, geographic boundaries, federal voting rights laws and competitiveness, with the last factor allowed only to the extent it does not interfere with the others.
As it turns out, designing the main camera for NASAs new $10 billion space telescope is a little like that Tom Petty song. The waiting is the hardest part.
University of Arizona astronomer and regents professor Marcia Rieke first began working on the James Webb Space Telescope in 1998, when the project was in its infancy.
Since 2002, she has led the development team for the Near InfraRed Camera NIRCam for short which will allow Webb to peer into the deepest reaches of the universe in search of light made by galaxies more than 13.5 billion years ago.
Rieke and company handed over the finished camera to NASA in 2013. Theyve been waiting for it to be sent into space ever since.
We knew we would deliver well before the project launched, but there were a few extra launch delays that none of us had counted on, Rieke said recently from her office at UAs Steward Observatory. You just have to be patient.
Her long wait may finally end on Christmas morning.
An Ariane 5 rocket carrying the Webb telescope had been scheduled to blast off from a South American spaceport on Dec. 24. But NASA announced Tuesday that another last-minute delay, this time due to weather, has bumped the launch back to 5:20 a.m. Tucson time Dec. 25 at the earliest.
Rieke said she feels enormous relief that were finally getting there, but she isnt exactly holding her breath.
About a month ago, a digital display was installed in the lobby of Steward Observatory so people could follow along with the countdown to liftoff. The clock had been reset twice before the new delay announced Tuesday.
Bah humbug! Rieke said with a grin.
Crafted on campus
The successor to the 31-year-old Hubble Space Telescope has a much bigger primary mirror 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter, versus 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) for Hubble.
It is the largest telescope mirror ever flown into space, so it has to be folded up to fit inside the launch vehicle.
Then there is NIRCam, a $460 million package featuring two identical imaging systems that can scan different areas of space at the same time.
The light sensors at the heart of the camera were designed and largely fabricated, assembled and tested on the UA campus. They are made from titanium, molybdenum, silicone and a thin layer of the chemical compound mercury cadmium telluride.
The Astronomy Department has a machine shop downstairs thats certified by NASA to work with exotic metals and a clean room with a special vacuum chamber where parts can be tested in the simulated cold of space.
When the development process required work by one of the UAs design partners in California, the sensors would be packed into special shipping containers and sent via FedEx white glove service, Rieke said.
Occasionally, she would book a Southwest Airlines flight so she could hand deliver the sensors each weighing between 5 and 8 pounds to Lockheed Martins Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto or Teledyne Imaging in Camarillo.
It was always a little bit of an exercise going through security, because we didnt want them X-rayed, she said. I got to know some of the TSA people.
All told, Rieke estimates about 50 people at the UA had a hand in the development of NIRCam.
Today, she said, the team includes about 20 professional scientists and a fair number of students and postdoctoral researchers all of them eager to start using the roughly 900 hours of observing time they are guaranteed from Webb through 2025.
Most of the team is still in Tucson, though a few moved on to other universities while they waited for Webb to launch.
When people get faculty offers, they go, Rieke explained. But theyre still members of the team, and weve gotten very good at Zooming.
Designer pair
Webb also carries a camera and spectrograph designed by Riekes husband, fellow UA astronomy professor George Rieke.
The Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI, is designed to complement discoveries made by NIRCam and study the formation of stars and galaxies and the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system, among other things.
George Rieke and Gillian Wright from the Royal Observatory in Scotland are the science leads for that instrument. The entire space telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
The original rationale for the whole project was to discover the light from the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang, Marcia Rieke said.
If you had told me when I was a graduate student that I would be studying galaxies that are so far away that were seeing them only about a hundred million years after the Big Bang, I would say, Im not going to live that long.
But the new space telescope is anything but a one-trick pony.
Its going to get used for lots of things, she said. Webb is designed to be quite general purpose, which it better be if it costs $10 billion.
Rieke has been searching the universe for the most distant galaxies since the early 1980s, back when she had to manually scan the sky to find things without the aid of todays advanced sensors.
That was really hard work, and the galaxies that we studied then are ones that we will view as weeds in the (Webb) pictures, she said with a laugh. They are too close to be interesting now.
Rieke grew up reading science fiction in Michigan and majored in physics at MIT, before coming to Tucson to use a telescope on Mount Lemmon for her graduate thesis. Thats where she met George, who was the keeper of that telescope.
He hired her as a postdoctoral researcher in 1976 and they married in 1982. The UA has been home to infrared astronomys biggest power couple ever since.
Flight delays
Back when NASA was soliciting design proposals for NIRCam in 2001, the Webb mission had a preliminary launch date of 2009, though we all knew that was a joke, because it didnt seem feasible to build everything that quickly, Rieke said.
Since then, the project has been slowed by cost overruns, design changes, manufacturing flaws and a few mishaps during assembly.
The first believable launch date to come and go was in 2014, she said. And then that became something like 2016, and that became 2018, and that became 2020 and that became 2021.
Rieke previously worked on NASAs Hubble and Spitzer telescopes, so she was used to the occasional setbacks that come with space flight. Other members of the team were not.
The last two-year launch delay was really a psychological blow to the younger people on the project, the 70-year-old said.
In around 2014, I started hiring postdocs to work on the data that were going to get (from Webb). Most of those people are still here. For them, a two-year launch delay is like half of their professional careers so far.
Luckily, theyve had plenty of work to do while they waited.
NIRCam has undergone a barrage of preflight tests over the past eight years to make sure it will survive the shaking during blastoff and the unforgiving conditions in space.
In 2017, Rieke and company hooked their instrument up to the rest of the telescope and tested it at Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston as Hurricane Harvey raged outside.
More recently, telescope team members have been rehearsing what they will need to do during the six-month commissioning stage that will follow Webbs launch and deployment.
Weve also been preparing for our own science program. So weve actually ended up being quite busy in spite of the delays, Rieke said.
Whenever the launch finally happens, students and faculty from the Department of Astronomy are slated to gather in the main lecture hall at Steward to watch NASAs live stream of the big event.
For Rieke, it will be a moment of excitement and resignation.
A rocket launch is always scary, because its a controlled explosion, but theres nothing I can do about it. I just have to hope that everyones done everything right, she said. If it blows up, well all go home crying.
Very cool camera
The waiting wont end at liftoff, of course. Once in space, it will take Webb about a month to reach its final destination roughly 1 million miles from Earth, where it will enter a parallel orbit around the sun.
Assuming it unfurls as designed, a heat shield made from five layers of delicate film, each as thin as a human hair, will protect the spacecraft and allow the instruments inside to cool down to about minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit, the optimal temperature for observing in infrared.
Rieke said they wont even be able to activate NIRCam until its nearly as cold as the vacuum of space, a process thats expected to take about 33 days. It will take several days more after that before the instrument can begin collecting test images.
Well get reports on how all the different unfoldings and so on are going, she said, but it wont be until roughly the third week in January before we really spring into action.
Rieke said switching NIRCam on for the first time will be the scariest moment for her. By then, Webb will be parked in space roughly three times farther away than the moon is from the Earth, well beyond the reach of any potential repair mission from home.
If anything goes wrong out there, it is very likely to stay that way. Thats the reason for all the preflight testing, the redundancies, the checks on top of checks and, yes, even the delays.
You cant go fix it, Rieke said, so youve got to be sure everythings right.
She wont know that for sure until NIRCam is up and running sometime next year. For now, all she can do is wait.
I probably will withhold the celebrations until we get some light through (the telescope). Once we start getting some star images, Ill feel much better, Rieke said.
Then well uncork the champagne bottles.
Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@tucson.com or 573-4283. On Twitter: @RefriedBrean Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@tucson.com or 573-4283. On Twitter: @RefriedBrean
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Everything to the east is in CD6, the one that, depending on whose calculus you use, is either politically competitive or leaning Republican.
It was Republican David Mehl who pushed to keep that line as far to the east as possible. Mehl said he was ensuring that CD7 included not just downtown Tucson and the University of Arizona but also neighborhoods he said had a strong university connection, saying that even UA President Robert Robbins lives east of the campus.
That didn't impress Lerner, who said Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, lives nowhere near the that campus.
"We're not going to make a whole district around ASU,'' she said. "Where the president lives is not a community of interest.''
And Lerner said she saw a less altruistic reason for what Mehl was trying to do, saying the aim was to pack as many Democrats as possible into CD7 where Republicans have little chance of winning.
But it wasn't just in Tucson where Democrats were moved out of CD6. The final map extends an arm of CD7 the district that runs from Yuma to Tucson and then up to Phoenix suburbs into Cochise County to pick up the largely Democratic areas of Bisbee and Douglas.
A former Tucson insurance agent is headed to federal prison for more than four years for stealing a total of more than $1 million from her elderly clients.
Koreasa Kory Williams was sentence to 51 months behind bars and three years of supervised as part of a plea deal in U.S. District Court in Tucson, the Justice Department announced in a news release.
Williams, 46, who founded a Christian counseling service in Tucson earlier this year, was described by a prosecutor in a sentencing memo as a serial defrauder and thief on an enormous scale.
Initially charged with 65 counts of wire fraud and eight counts of aggravated identity theft, she agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud. The other charges were dropped, and a hearing will be held next month to discuss restitution to Williams victims.
A 2019 indictment said Williams targeted clients with annuities held by life insurance firms. For seven years from 2011 to 2018, she forged their signatures and submitted false paperwork to withdraw money from annuity accounts without their knowledge, then transferred it to her personal bank account, it said.
MIAMI (AP) Two travelers are facing charges following a brawl with police at Miami International Airport, authorities said.
Mayfrer Serranopaca, 30, of Kissimmee, Florida, and Alberto Yanez Suarez, 32, of Odessa, Texas, were arrested in Concourse H following Monday evening's fight, according to Miami-Dade police reports. They were each charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest, while Serranopaca also faces six additional counts that include burglary and inciting a riot.
MIA Director and CEO Ralph Cutie said in a statement that the airport is experiencing record-high passenger numbers this winter travel season.
Unfortunately, that passenger growth has come with a record-high increase nationwide in bad behavior as well, such as the incident this evening at MIA, Cutie said Monday. Disruptive passengers face police arrest, civil penalties up to $37,000, being banned from flying, and potential federal prosecution.
SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday demanded life sentences for four suspects in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, saying they caused deep and irreversible suffering to relatives of the 298 people killed.
Prosecutors said the four recklessly used a Russian missile to bring down the passenger jet, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
Public prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks made the sentence demand on the third day of a presentation of evidence supporting the indictment. The suspects are being tried in absentia.
The downing of MH17 with a Buk missile brutally ended the lives of all 298 people on board. Incredibly deep and irreversible suffering has been caused to the next of kin, Ridderbeks told the court.
Anton Kotte, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and his 6-year-old grandson when MH17 was shot down, said the sentence demand felt like a new start, but he added that with prosecution arguments and the deliberation of judges still to come, and the possibility for appeals, justice still felt a long way off.
We just started coming in the right direction ... but the outcome will be in the future," he said outside court.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An Iowa man charged earlier for his participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was arraigned Tuesday on a new federal indictment that includes a felony count that could carry up to 20 years in prison.
Leo Christopher Kelly, 36, of Cedar Rapids, who has been free on pretrial release, appeared via video for his arraignment. His attorney, Kira West, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The most serious of the seven charges Kelly faces is obstruction of an official proceeding. Two other charges of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a restricted building carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The remaining charges are misdemeanors carrying up to six months in prison.
A plea agreement apparently is no longer under consideration, according to the information that prosecutor Michael Gordon James provided Judge Royce Lamberth during the hearing.
The parties have discussed a negotiated plea but that will not occur in this case so this matter should be set for trial, James said.
The decision restores some hope for unions in what had been the latest failed foray in the uphill fight to gain traction at foreign-owned auto assembly plants in the traditionally anti-union South.
The union has argued that the 87 employees sought for a bargaining unit have extremely specialized skills for a job that others at the plant cannot do and should be eligible for standalone representation.
We are pleased to see the Board acknowledge the importance of this case, particularly within the scope of how employees choose to organize themselves under the NLRA," machinists union spokesperson DeLane Adams said. "Tool and Die Maintenance Technicians at Nissan Tennessee have fought hard for a union and deserve to have a voice on the job.
Meanwhile, the company has contended that the employees are not sufficiently distinct from other plant workers to be eligible for their own small unionized subgroup.
Nissan believes the Regional Directors decision is supported by the evidence," Nissan spokesperson Lloryn Love-Carter said. "Nissan remains committed to all of our employees before, during, and after the NLRBs process.
Bench, 30, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to die in 2015 for killing Braylee Henry after she bought gas at the Tee Pee Totem convenience store in Velma where Bench worked.
Bench argued among other things that the state lacked jurisdiction because he is a Choctaw Nation citizen and the killing took place within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation reservation. He also argued that the trial court erroneously handled jury selection, that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment because of his age at the time of the crime, 21, and that both his trial and appellate attorneys were ineffective.
Carl Lafata, a professor of criminal justice at Minnesota State University in Mankato, said such stops can erode community trust if they're used too aggressively. The Wright stop could have been a chance for Potter to teach Luckey the art of the job," he said.
"How do you do it in such a way that is safe, that is professional, that leaves that person with a good taste in their mouth? he asked.
After Potter and Luckey discovered that Wright had an outstanding warrant on a weapons charge, body camera video recorded them making a plan to arrest Wright.
Im just going to get him out and then cuff him up. I mean hes got a warrant, so Im going to get him cuffed up, Luckey said.
That should have been a point at which the officers' level of caution went up, especially in the midst of field-training a new officer, Higgins said. Learning how to correctly handcuff and control someone is a basic but critical process for police officers. If a trainee struggles to the point of risking someone's safety, a field training officer should step in, he said.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) The trial for a truck driver charged with causing the deaths of seven motorcyclists in northern New Hampshire in 2019 is now expected to start in July more than three years after the crash to give the defense more time to find and work with a crash reconstruction expert.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 25, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, was days away from jury selection in November when his lawyers filed a motion saying they could no longer present their accident reconstruction expert at trial.
Their decision was based on information prosecutors provided to them about the expert's prior employment with the Massachusetts State Police that referenced disciplinary actions. The expert had been working with the defense since August 2019.
We've experienced significant difficulty in identifying an expert that's qualified, has appropriate resources and is willing to accept the case," defense lawyer Jay Duguay told Coos County Superior Court Judge Peter Bornstein during a status conference on the case Tuesday.
Photo editor
Rick Wiley is the photo editor of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. From 1995-2004, he was director of photography at the East Valley Tribune in Mesa. From 1988-94 he was a photographer at the Tucson Citizen. He is a graduate of ASU (yes, that ASU).
Compelling stories of immigrants many of whom settled in Minnesota are told in powerful words and illustrations in this graphic novel.
"Our Stories Carried Us Here," edited by Julie Vang, Tea Rozman and Tom Kaczynski; Green Card Voices (201 pages, $24.99)
The American dream is alive, with a twist, in "Our Stories Carried Us Here," which offers 10 stories of young people who cross cultural barriers to make a new life in the Midwest.
The anthology includes a range of stories narrators come from familiar immigration points such as Mexico, Liberia, Guatemala and Vietnam, and less familiar destinations including Chad, Kazakhstan and Pakistan and an unexpected range of immigrant experiences.
We're introduced to Craig Moodie, a gifted student who emigrates from Jamaica to study at Macalester, the University of Minnesota, and later launch a career in neurogenetics, despite microaggressions along the way.
And Ruth Mekoulom, whose parents left Chad and Cameroon for North Dakota, to give her more educational opportunities as a deaf student.
After winning a temporary reprieve, a death row inmates challenge of his conviction and sentence was rejected Wednesday by an appellate court.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Wednesday that Miles Sterling Bench, 30, should remain on death row in connection with the 2012 Stephens County death of Braylee Henry, 16, despite his claims that the state did not have jurisdiction to try him.
The appellate court ruling is a reversal of its May ruling when it threw out Benchs murder conviction and death penalty based on the U.S. Supreme Courts McGirt ruling.
Rather, the Court of Criminal Appeals never let its May ruling become final and ended up vacating the decision after determining in another case that McGirt did not apply retroactively beyond someones direct appeal.
Bench claimed the state of Oklahoma did not have jurisdiction to try him because he is a member of the Choctaw Nation and the crime occurred within the Chickasaw reservation under the courts McGirt-related rulings.
As a result of the McGirt ruling, crimes involving American Indians that occur within much of eastern Oklahoma are not the jurisdiction of the state, but rather federal or tribal authorities.
A man charged in a 2019 fatal stabbing after fighting over a bicycle will receive mental health treatment after a judge declared him incompetent to stand trial.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine D. Little issued the order Monday for Lance Dylan Gatzman, 24, following a competency hearing in Tulsa federal court.
Based on the information provided, the Court finds, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Mr. Gatzman is presently incompetent to stand trial in these federal criminal proceedings, as he is suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense, Little wrote in a three-page order.
Gatzman faces one count of first-degree murder in Indian Country in connection with the Oct. 24, 2019, stabbing death of Christian Isaiah Jones, 21.
Jones was killed in the 1000 block of East Third Street in what is now considered to be Indian Country for purposes of federal enforcement of major crimes, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Courts McGirt ruling.
A man shot by a Tulsa police officer is suing the city of Tulsa and the officer who shot him, who has since faced a criminal charge himself.
Michael Delaney claims in a lawsuit filed Friday in Tulsa federal court that the city of Tulsa Police has a pattern of using unnecessary and excessive force on civilians, especially those who are not suspected of serious crimes.
Delaney was shot in the shoulder by Tulsa Officer Aaron Russell, 31, about 1 a.m. March 21, 2020, near 2800 S. Pittsburg Ave.
Delaney had just driven away from Russell when he was shot. He claimed later he feared he might be shot when he drove away from Russell after the officer had just ordered Delaney to exit his vehicle.
After he was shot, Delaney abandoned his vehicle several blocks away and was found hiding under a house by K9 officers. He was arrested on complaints of possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, assault with a deadly weapon, one felony warrant and three misdemeanor warrants.
He made statements to police that he ran because he knew he had warrants and didnt want to go to jail, a police spokeswoman said at the time.
Health and safety have always been core components of the Head Start program, Futrell said in the letter. Taking this step of getting vaccinated by January 2022 is another way to make sure our children, families and colleagues remain safe. A vaccinated workforce is a key component to building the Head Start program back and preparing for stronger, more vibrant opportunities ahead.
In the news release, OConnors office states the mandate will cost jobs and programing.
The states allege that the Head Start Mandate is not only beyond the Executive Branchs authority, contrary to law, and arbitrary and capricious, but it also violates the APAs Notice-and-Comment Requirement, the Congressional Review Act, the Nondelegation Doctrine, the Tenth Amendment, the Anti-Commandeering Doctrine, the Spending Clause, and the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 1999, according to the news release.
Tom Colbert became the first black person to serve as chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court when he was sworn in on this day in 2013.
Stewart said permit applicants are still required under state law to visit a DPS examiner in person to at least undergo a vision exam and be entered into the system.
We thought if we could push it off to another location it could help out in the appointment arena, as well, she said of the written exam. Also, proof of school enrollment and the proof of an eighth grade reading proficiency test are no longer required. We waived those during the pandemic, but that got passed in an emergency clause in the last (legislative) session, so they wont have to worry about that again.
But Scott said that Even if you look at parent-taught drivers ed, the parents still need the kids to get their permit so they can drive on city streets, even in a neighborhood.
Weve only got so many driving instructors, but the real issue is them not being able to get their permit at the DPS, he said. The pandemic, he said, only amplified an already-increasing problem with appointment delays. Over the summer, appointments were being booked up to 60 days in advance.
Despite arriving in far worse condition than a typical transplant patient and the extraordinary amount of inflammation in his chest caused by COVID-19, Blakes transplant in late January was a success.
From being hospitalized for nearly four months, Blake lost 55 pounds of muscle, and his hospital recovery was lengthier than for a typical transplant patient because he needed therapy to retrain his muscles for basic tasks.
But on Friday, Blake walked out of the Phoenix hospital breathing on his own, amid cheers and high-fives from the many doctors and nurses who treated him. He will spend the next three to six months close by, completing rehabilitation.
I just feel incredibly blessed and incredibly grateful for all the care that Ive received, for God watching over me, all the doctors and nurses who poured themselves into me, for the lungs that were donated, Blake said in a telephone interview mere hours after his release. I could write a book with all of the near-misses where they didnt think I was going to make it and all of that added up and here I am getting discharged from the hospital. Its a series of miracles.
Bodden, of Owasso, a military publication editor, first learned about the massacre, which happened during the Battle of the Bulge, several years ago while leading tours of WWII sites in Europe.
He began including the site, located in Wereth, Belgium, on his tours.
But what Bodden didnt realize then, he said, was the story had a tie much closer to home.
A few years ago, he was surprised to learn that one of the Wereth 11 is buried at Fort Gibson.
I knew I had to go, he said of visiting the grave of Mager Bradley.
After so many annual visits to the massacre site, it was sobering to stand at the final resting place of one of the victims, he said.
It brought a whole new experience for me to grapple with, he said.
It was an experience he didnt want to keep to himself.
Something to prove
Because the military was still segregated by race, Black troops often were grouped together in their own units under the command of white officers.
The 333rd Artillery Battalion was one such unit.
Republican incumbents mostly got what they wanted in their Christmas stockings when Oklahoma City-based Amber Integrated delivered solid poll numbers.
AIs Dec. 15-19 survey of 500 registered Oklahoma voters show Gov. Kevin Stitt leading likely 2022 Democratic opponent Joy Hofmeister 47%-32%, and the two best-known GOP primary challengers to U.S. Sen. James Lankford in single digits among Republican voters.
In a head-to-head-to-head matchup, Lankford was given the nod by 56% of Republican voters surveyed, compared with state Sen. Nathan Dahms 9% and Jackson Lahmeyers 8%.
Among all voters, Lankfords job approval stood at 48%, including 65% among Republicans.
That compared to an overall 51% approval rating for Stitt and 42% for U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, who is not on the 2022 ballot.
Opinions on Stitts performance were sharply divided by party, with 69% of Republicans giving him a thumbs-up and 29% of Democrats agreeing with that.
Independents were evenly divided on Stitts performance, 37%-37% with 25% noncommittal.
Focusing mainly on the development of stationery, Thien Long has transformed from a small workshop producing ballpoint pens into a national brand with millions of products after 40 years, accompanying generations of young Vietnamese on the journey to conquer the power of knowledge.
From the dream of a ballpoint pen made in Vietnam
John Loud from the U.S. created the world's first ballpoint pen in October 1888.
Nearly a century later, the first made in Vietnam ballpoint pen was produced in 1981 by Co Gia Tho founder and chairman of Thien Long Group.
At that time, most ballpoint pens were imported from Thailand in such small quantities that some people had to pump ink into them for reuse.
Co Gia Tho, then a pen dealer, was craving for producing his own ballpoint pens in Vietnam, bringing a greater supply to people.
The Thien Long TL-08 ballpoint pens, also the first ballpoint pens made in Vietnam, were churned out in a small factory in District 6, Saigon. Photo: Supplied by Thien Long
At that time, few were well aware of the concepts of a distributor or retailer.
Thien Long, with the desire to expand the market throughout Vietnam, took the initiative to offer ballpoint pens to small merchants in wholesale markets to get greater access to Binh Tay Market, Kim Bien Market, and Phung Hung Market.
However, not all markets supported Vietnamese goods.
Small businesses at Le Loi Stationery Market the largest stationery wholesale market in Saigon at the moment preferred selling foreign commodities.
In order not to depend on the market, Tho and his first colleagues brought their Vietnamese-made ballpoint pens to all the provinces and cities in the southwestern, central, and even northern parts of Vietnam.
Thien Long not only leads the stationery industry in Vietnam but it also ranks 17th among the worlds stationery brand. The company maintains a presence in 67 international markets. Photo: Supplied by Thien Long
By 1997, Thien Long had completely dominated the ballpoint pen market, becoming a name familiar to generations of students in Vietnam.
"Back in middle school, I could forget to bring along my books, but the Thien Long ballpoint pen was always with me, Phuong Nga, born in the 1990s, recalled.
My mom used to buy a whole big box of the pens and split them up among me and my two sisters.
To use the pen was to feel good.
I remember that I once carved some marks or wrote my name on my pens to prevent them from getting lost.
Now when Im at work, I dont use pens as often as before; however, sometimes seeing those familiar pens in the bookstore strangely makes me feel very happy and suddenly remember my childhood!"
to the leading brand of stationery in Vietnam
After four decades of development, Thien Long still persists with stationery even though the Vietnamese society has changed and the market has altered the way people receive information and knowledge.
With the advent of digital technology and a series of new means of exchanging and recording information such as phones and desktop computers in the 2000s, or the introduction of tablets and laptops now, Thien Long has firmly stuck to its choice. One of the reasons why Thien Longs ballpoint pens have stood the test of time is the determination of the management board and the creativity and dynamism of their team.
To increase competitiveness, Thien Long has worked with experts in the region, inviting them to Vietnam to cooperate and exchange the most advanced ballpoint pen production technology.
However, given their foresight, Thien Long's management has said that it is impossible to revolve around the pen but the company needs to expand its product lines.
By 1997, Thien Long had completely dominated the ballpoint pen market, becoming a name familiar to generations of students in Vietnam. Photo: Supplied by Thien Long
Thien Long's strategy of exploring the market with new products in addition to pens in 2008 was appreciated for the caution to find out about the needs and tastes of new-age customers.
As a result, the stationery products the Vietnamese brand later launched besides the pen quickly won over the hearts of both office workers and a new generation of students.
The products in the stationery group have achieved sustainable growth over the past decade, as recorded since it became a public company. Until 2016, Thien Long had become the No. 1 stationery brand in Vietnam with a 60-percent market share and the firm has continuously expanded its export markets as well. To date, Thien Long products have been available in 67 countries worldwide.
Journey of broadening Vietnamese knowledge in four decades
From the founding-day to today, Thien Long has always believed in the power of knowledge and youth.
Besides corporate activities, Thien Long Group also puts its heart in social programs to spread knowledge.
The most typical is the Supporting Candidates in Exam Season program that Thien Long has been persistently accompanying for more than 20 years.
Supporting Candidates in Exam Season has become a symbol of noble volunteerism and been an integral part of important university entrance exams in Vietnam.
On its accompanying journey, Thien Long is proud to have worked with the Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students, the Ministry of Education and Training, and Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper to fire up nearly 20 million candidates and their family members across the country as well as deploy 58,618 volunteer squads at all levels, with the participation of 1,018,231 young people and student volunteers. The total resources mobilized have neared VND200 billion (US$8.7 million).
"Over 20 years of extensive implementation on a national scale, the Supporting Candidates in Exam Season program has made a good impression while promoting the development of the Vietnamese youth and creating a useful activity for young people to contribute to and share with the community, said Le Tuan Anh, Deputy Chief of the Central Office of the Vietnam National Union of Students.
On that basis, the young are growing and living more meaningfully."
JERUSALEM -- Israel announced on Tuesday that it will offer a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to people older than 60, amid concern about the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
A Health Ministry expert panel recommended the fourth shot, a decision that was swiftly welcomed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as "great news that will help us overcome the Omicron wave that is spreading around the world."
Although the decision is pending formal approval by senior health officials, Bennett urged Israelis to get the dose as soon as possible, saying: "My message is - dont waste time, go get vaccinated." The decision follows the first known death in Israel of a patient with the Omicron variant. An Israeli hospital on Tuesday confirmed the death but said he had suffered from a number of serious pre-existing conditions.
The Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba said the man, in his 60s, died on Monday, two weeks after he was admitted to the coronavirus ward.
A hospital statement said the patient suffered from a variety of serious illnesses. "His morbidity stemmed mainly from pre-existing sicknesses and not from respiratory infection arising from the coronavirus, it said.
On Tuesday, the Health Ministry said there were at least 340 known cases of Omicron in Israel.
Israel has already this week expanded a travel ban to countries including the United States, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Canada to try to curb the spread of the virus.
Bennett's office said it had also approved reducing office attendance by 50% for public sector employees to encourage more remote work.
And Defence Minister Benny Gantz ordered the militarys Homefront Command to prepare for the eventuality of 5,000 new cases per day, his office said.
Novavax said on Tuesday the World Health Organization's (WHO) panel of experts had recommended a third dose of its vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, for immunocompromised persons.
The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, known as SAGE, issued a series of recommendations, including the use of the vaccine in persons with comorbidities, breastfeeding women, and those living with HIV.
After reviewing Novavax data the independent experts said the vaccine could be used in pregnant women if the benefits of vaccination to the pregnant woman outweigh the potential risks.
On Friday, the WHO issued an emergency use listing to Novavax's vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, the world's biggest vaccine maker, paving the way for its use in low- and middle-income countries where rollout has been much slower than in Europe.
Novavax said on Monday it had received the WHO's emergency use listing for the company's own version of the vaccine, which it will distribute in Europe and other markets.
The company also said on Tuesday it had begun administering its first booster doses of NVX-CoV2373 in a late-stage trial.
Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) of Cambodia Heng Samrin on Tuesday attended the groundbreaking ceremony of a project to construct its new administrative building, which is funded by a US$25 million donation from Vietnam during the formers state visit to the kingdom.
Before the groundbreaking ceremony, the two leaders had a meeting, during which they emphasized that Vietnam and Cambodia are two close neighbors with a tradition of solidarity, mutual support, and assistance that constitutes the pride and invaluable assets of the two peoples.
Future generations of the two countries need to maintain, preserve, and promote that tradition, like the way both sides have supported each other in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two sides agreed to maintain regular high-level contacts and exchanges via all channels in the future, promoting the role of the National Assembly of the two countries in strengthening bilateral relations, especially in institutional building, perfecting the legal system for the connection between the two economies, and creating a favorable legal framework for improving the efficiency of cooperation in all fields.
Senior leaders attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cambodian National Assembly administrative building in Phnom Penh, December 21, 2021. Photo: N.A. / Tuoi Tre
At the groundbreaking ceremony of the new administrative building project, Cambodian NA Chairman Samrin said he gratefully acknowledges and highly appreciates the Vietnamese Party, state, and people for donating $25 million to build such a meaningful project.
Construction on the project will be implemented in four phases, according to Leng Peng Long, secretary general of the Cambodian National Assembly.
The 12-story building will be constructed on an area of 27 meters wide and 49 meters long.
Secretary Long expressed his hope that the new building will become a symbol of friendship between the two peoples.
Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc lays a wreath at the statue of the late King Norodom Sihanouk in Phnom Penh, December 21, 2021. Photo: N.A. / Tuoi Tre
Earlier, after meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, State President Phuc, together with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, had visited and laid a wreath at the Independence Monument, the statue of the late King Norodom Sihanouk, and the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument.
Phuc began his two-day state visit to Cambodia at the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni on Tuesday and will conclude it on Wednesday before returning to Vietnam.
Photos of Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and King Norodom Sihamoni are on display on a street in Phnom Penh, December 21, 2021. Photo: N.A. / Tuoi Tre
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Vietnam's State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc joined talks with King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, as part of his state visit to the neighboring country on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This trip, marking Phucs first official visit to Cambodia in his role as state president, is among a series of activities to celebrate the Vietnam - Cambodia Year of Friendship and the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The meeting between President Phuc and King Sihamoni followed a welcome ceremony on Tuesday morning.
During the dialogue, the Cambodian leader believed that the visit will make important contributions to the two nations neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability.
The king congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in both internal and external affairs, which have elevated the countrys position in the region and the world.
Both sides vowed to give the top priority to fostering the two countries bilateral relationship.
They also expressed their delight at the activities to be held during the 2022 Vietnam - Cambodia Year of Friendship on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) meets with King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni in Phnom Penh, December 21, 2021. Photo: Vietnam News Agency
During his talks with PM Hun Sen, which took place later the same day, President Phuc congratulated Cambodia over the great accomplishments in socio-economic development and COVID-19 prevention and control.
The two leaders expressed their appreciation for the comprehensive development of the Vietnam-Cambodia ties over the past 55 years.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, both nations have made efforts to maintain mutual visits and high-level discussions as well as optimize bilateral cooperative mechanisms.
Two-way trade topped US$8.63 billion in the first 11 months of 2021, up 84 percent year on year.
The leaders agreed on further deepening cooperation in security and defense, and promoting connectivity between the two economies, especially in transport, telecoms, trade, investment, finance and banking, agriculture, tourism, and energy.
The two sides will speed up negotiations on mutual recognition of each others vaccine passports.
They reached consensus on the implementation of border treaties and agreements.
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Read what is in the news today:
Politics
-- Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chairman of the National Assembly of Cambodia Heng Samrin on Tuesday attended the groundbreaking ceremony of a project constructing a new administrative building of the Kingdom of Cambodia NA, which is funded by a US$25 million donation from Vietnam during the formers state visit to the kingdom.
-- State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc spoke with King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni in Phnom Penh on Tuesday as part of his two-day official visit to the kingdom at the kings invitation.
Society
-- An explosion caused by a homemade firecracker killed a 13-year-old child and injured two others, who are five and seven years old, in northern Bac Giang Province on Monday, local police said on Tuesday.
-- The Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association announced the sponsorship for 682 children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City in a program that costs more than VND100 billion (US$4.3 million) during a ceremony held on Tuesday afternoon.
-- Strong cold air will cause a cold spell in the northern and north-central regions from December 26 to 27, with mountainous areas in the north likely to experience frost, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.
-- Residents of Alley 778 down Tan Ky Tan Quy Street in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City have complained about a cow raising household for causing environmental pollution in the neighborhood for a long time.
Business
-- The number of tractor-trailers carrying China-bound farm product shipments that have been stuck at three border gates in northern Vietnam over the past weeks have mounted to 6,198, according to an official at the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
-- The Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Tuesday issued safety assessment criteria to allow spas and massage parlors to resume operations under strict coronavirus-safe protocols.
Sports
-- Singapore will take on Indonesia in their first-leg semifinal at the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup at 7:30 pm on Wednesday (Vietnam time).
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A bridge under construction in southern Vietnam was partially submerged on Tuesday after one of its piers tumbled down into a river.
Residents near the bridges construction site in Cai Doi Vam Town, Phu Tan District, Ca Mau Province heard a loud noise past 8:00 am on Tuesday as the structures main pier began to slowly collapse into the river below.
The gradual fall lasted for hours and only stopped after the column had sunk four meters lower than its original height, bringing two middle spans tumbling down with it.
One of the fallen spans was partially submerged, blocking the Cai Doi Vam River beneath.
No casualties or damage to vehicles were reported.
Local authorities fenced off the area and warned residents against approaching the site for their own safety.
The publicly funded project to construct Cai Doi Vam Bridge has a total investment capital of more than VND54 billion (US$2.3 million).
Construction began last year and was close to completion with only railings left to be installed when the accident happened.
TPM, the construction company hired to build the bridge, is looking into explanations for the incident and solutions to repair the damage.
Ho Hoan Tat, director of Ca Maus transport department, told Vietnamese news site VnExpress he was working with relevant units to examine the incident scene.
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The Ministry of Health logged 16,555 new coronavirus cases across Vietnam on Wednesday, together with 13,394 recoveries and 210 virus-related fatalities.
The latest infections, including 33 imported and 16,522 domestic transmissions, were reported in 60 provinces and cities, the ministry said, noting that 10,938 patients caught the virus in the community.
Hanoi documented 1,646 of the newest local cases, Ca Mau Province 1,193, Ho Chi Minh City 979, Khanh Hoa Province 798, Can Tho City 757, Hai Phong City 449, Thua Thien-Hue Province 351, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 297, Lam Dong Province 295, Dong Nai Province 265, Binh Thuan Province 259, Bac Ninh Province 246, Da Nang 171, Binh Duong Province 149, Quang Ninh Province 134, Ha Giang Province 100, and Quang Nam Province 85.
Vietnam had reported 16,316 locally-acquired infections on Tuesday.
The country has detected 1,582,783 community transmissions in all its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave erupted on April 27. A combined 1,170,667 of them have recovered from COVID-19.
Ho Chi Minh City leads the caseload with 497,162 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 289,613, Dong Nai Province with 95,761, Tay Ninh Province with 66,823, Long An Province with 39,831, Dong Thap Province with 37,976, Can Tho City with 35,682, Tien Giang Province with 31,851, An Giang Province with 30,165, Hanoi with 29,229, Khanh Hoa Province with 25,906, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 24,619, Binh Thuan Province with 23,942, and Da Nang with 9,787.
Vietnam recorded a mere 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in total in the previous three waves.
The health ministry registered 13,394 recovered patients on Wednesday, bringing the total to 1,173,484.
The toll has increased to 30,251 fatalities after the ministry announced 210 deaths on the same day, including 46 in Ho Chi Minh City, 27 in An Giang Province, 17 in Binh Duong Province, 15 in Tien Giang Province, 13 in Tay Ninh Province, and the remaining in 16 other provinces and cities.
Vietnam has logged 1,588,335 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the country early last year.
Health workers have given more than 141 million vaccine doses, including 1,037,045 shots on Tuesday, since vaccination was rolled out nationwide on March 8.
Over 76.2 million of the countrys 98 million people have received at least one dose while above 63.3 million have been injected twice.
The number of third doses including additional primary shots for immunocompromised people, boosters, and third jabs of Cubas Abdala vaccine has jumped to 1,553,348.
Vietnam aims to fully inoculate 100 percent of its adult population this year. Many provinces and cities are immunizing children aged 12-17 against COVID-19, using Pfizer-BioNTech shots.
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Police in Vietnam have broken up a gambling ring that transacted approximately VND2.15 trillion (US$93.7 million) and possessed many military weapons.
Officers under the Ministry of Public Security confirmed on Tuesday they had dismantled a gang that stored military weapons and ran a transnational gambling ring.
Nguyen Van Dien, the 46-year-old kingpin, and 15 of his subordinates have been arrested to facilitate police investigation.
Preliminary information showed that most of the members hail from Hai Phong City and had been convicted of various crimes.
Officers launched their investigation in late May as the gang appeared to participate in several organized crimes in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern provinces such as Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
On Monday, many teams of officers raided 14 locations and arrested the 16 suspects.
A gun and bullets belonging to the gang are confiscated by officers in this supplied photo.
They also confiscated two pistols, 120 bullets, some other types of weapons, about VND580 million ($25,250) worth of cash, an automobile, 23 mobile phones, and relevant documents.
Investigators stated that the gang previously operated a gambling racket in Cambodia.
After the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020, the suspects moved back to Vietnam to run several gambling websites.
They exchanged information with gamblers via chat apps such as Viber and Telegram and often performed their transactions in cash or via various bank accounts to hide their traces.
Deals related to the rings gambling activities have amounted to about VND2.15 trillion since early 2020.
Further investigation is ongoing.
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The Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association (VYEA) announced the sponsorship for 682 children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City in a program projected to cost more than VND100 billion (US$4.3 million) during a ceremony held on Tuesday afternoon.
The signing and announcement ceremony of the sponsorship, which is part of a program co-organized by the Vietnam Womens Union in Ho Chi Minh City, the VYEA, Phu Nu TPHCM (Ho Chi Minh City Women) newspaper, and other organizations, was attended by former Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh.
At the event, VYEA chairman Dang Hong Anh said that the association will strive to provide for the children until the age of 18 through various means, such as taking care of their personal needs, providing mentorships, and ensuring access to education and jobs.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh hands gifts to children orphaned by COVID-19 at a sponsorship event in Ho Chi Minh City, December 21, 2021. Photo: Cong Trieu / Tuoi Tre
In particular, the benefactors will give about VND2 million ($87) in monthly support to 16 children, who have been orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic and are living in extremely difficult conditions, until they are 18 years old.
In order to share a part of their losses as well as accompany the children on the way to overcome adversities, a helping hand from the community is crucial now, Anh said.
Before that, the Vietnam Womens Union in Ho Chi Minh City also gifted 318 children milk, necessities, and living expenses worth a total of more than VND650 million ($28,300).
In addition, 253 tablets worth over VND1.6 billion ($69,600) were also donated as learning tools to many students in need in the program.
A child and his mother attend a sponsorship event in Ho Chi Minh City, December 21, 2021. Photo: Cong Trieu / Tuoi Tre
Both the benefactors and beneficiaries shared their mixed feelings at Tuesdays event.
I was overjoyed to know that my children are receiving the sponsorship from the program, said Luu Thi Ha, a 42-year-old resident of Tan Binh District who lost her husband during the COVID-19 infection peak in Ho Chi Minh City in August.
Honestly, Im struggling to take care of all of my three children."
Luu Thi Thanh Mau, CEO of Phuc Khang Corporation, one of the benefactors, expressed her hope that the sponsorship will help the children continue their journey toward the future in a stable way.
Individuals and representatives of organizations receive certificates of merit from the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee during a sponsorship event in Ho Chi Minh City, December 21, 2021. Photo: Cong Trieu / Tuoi Tre
At the event, the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee granted certificates of merit to several members of the VYEA, as well as other individuals and organizations for their recent contributions to the prevention and control of COVID-19 in the city.
Ho Chi Minh City has documented more than 496,100 COVID-19 infections since the fourth virus wave hit Vietnam on April 27.
The latest coronavirus outbreak in the southern metropolis has taken away the parents of 1,517 students, according to the municipal Department of Education and Trainings statistics announced in September.
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Three men from the Hmong ethnic group in the mountainous regions of northwestern Vietnam have been arrested for alleged human trafficking, according to local border guards.
Border guards from the two provinces of Ha Giang and Lao Cai, in a joint operation with other functional forces, conducted a raid at a village in Ha Giang's Xin Man District to bust the illicit system trafficking ethnic minority women to China on Tuesday morning.
Three suspects of the Hmong ethnic group, Giang Seo Vu, 25, Trang Seo Pao, 45, and Pu Seo Tam, 29, were arrested while attempting to transport a local woman through the Vietnam-China border.
Their ring is believed to target women from ethnic minorities who were in dire straits.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the traffickers operated the racket in a sophisticated and deliberate manner, with support from Chinese partners in border areas.
The victims were reportedly enticed to begin a romantic relationship with them given a promise of a better future in China.
They were invited to eat out, visit their relatives, enter hotels, and go to different places.
The trapped women then lost direction following the traffickers' instructions.
Police are searching for other accomplices.
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Chris Noth has been dropped from US drama The Equalizer following sexual assault allegations made against him by two women.
Universal Television and CBS confirmed he would no longer be part of filming effective immediately.
Noth has played a former CIA director on the series which stars Queen Latifah. He will appear in at least one upcoming episode in the USA.
Two women accused Noth of sexual assault last week, describing similar alleged rapes by the 67-year-old actor more than a decade apart. Both say they met Noth in their early 20s.
Noth vehemently denied the allegations, which date back to 2004 and 2015. In a statement he called the claims categorically false. These stories couldve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago no always means no that is a line I did not cross, he said.
The encounters were consensual. Its difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I dont know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women, he added.
One of the women said his reprisal of his Mr Big character on the Sex and the City sequel, And Just Like That, prompted her to speak out.
Actors Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis said in a joint statement, We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth. We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.
Noth has also been dropped by talent agency A3 Artists Agency, following the allegations.
A representative for Noth declined to comment other than to reiterate that the actor stands by his statement and his denial.
After a third woman came forward to accuse him of assault in 2010 a representative said the details of that report were a complete fabrication and that Chris has no knowledge of who this individual is.
The Equalizer airs in Australia on Nine.
Source: Variety, The Guardian
The Federal Court this week ordered access to 63 piracy sites be blocked by Telcos.
Justice Victor Nicholas ordered Telstra, Optus, Vocus, TPG and Vodafone, among 48 other respondents, to ban websites that infringe, or facilitate the infringement of, copyright in large numbers of cinematograph films.
Roadshow Cinemas, Disney Enterprises, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros, Netflix, and Chinese media companies Television Broadcasts and TVB brought on the action to block the websites, which are all based out of Australia.
No Australian media or production companies were involved.
The telcos have been given seven days to block the sites.
Justice Nicholas also gave the companies the power to come back to the court if they discover new websites operating under the same brands as those blocked in his orders.
He acknowledged that the copyright holders had made reasonable efforts to identify the people behind the sites and that none of them had applied to be joined as a party in the proceedings, despite being notified of the legal action.
Source: Courier Mail, Torrent Freak
By Leslie Kuhnen
The University of Dayton Core program recognized three students with the Raymond M. Herbenick Award at its 34th annual graduation banquet in October, marking the first time in the programs history that a trio of students won the award.
This years winners were Anna Biesecker-Mast, Sebastian Quinones and Quinn Murray. All three were nominated and selected by Core faculty members.
The Herbenick Award is presented annually and recognizes a Core graduating student who best exemplifies the programs commitment to excellence in interdisciplinary integration. Created by the Department of Philosophy in 1999, it is named in honor of founding Core professor Ray Herbenick.
I was thrilled to be part of a three-way tie for the 2021 Herbenick Award, said Murray, a senior biochemistry major from Oakwood, Ohio. The other two award winners are hardworking and intelligent; Im flattered to be placed in the same category as them.
Murray joined the Core program as a biology major because he was drawn to the programs interdisciplinary curriculum, as well as the honors program credit it offers.
Rare is a student who has Quinns level of confidence and that ability to step outside the lines of conventional research and thought to take advantage of a writing assignment as an opportunity to explore and grow, and not simply to satisfy what is required, said Roger Crum professor of art history. That's what I so appreciated about Quinn and what stood behind my recommending him for the award.
Biesecker-Mast, a senior English and history major from Oakwood, Ohio, was nominated by Elizabeth Mackay, associate professor of English.
In my view, Anna was probably born to be a Herbenick Award winner, since she fully embodies and has embraced the humanities and interdisciplinary study with her declared double-major and a minor in womens and gender studies, Mackay said. She is a quintessential Core student. In many ways, within and outside of the University, Anna has represented and demonstrated the integrated knowledge for which the Core program strives.
Biesecker-Mast said she loved the interdisciplinary nature of Core from day one. She described the Core seminar as a unique space where a small group of students could discuss the complexities and interdisciplinary aspects of a lecture with a professor.
In Core, Ive taken classes in various humanities and social science disciplines together with the same group of 100 students for three years it is a vibrant academic community, Biesecker-Mast said.
Quinones, a senior English and history major from San Juan, Puerto Rico, initially knew little about Core, apart from it being an interdisciplinary living-learning program. He said it ended up being one of the best experiences of his life.
I met interesting people and made new friendships with people I admire and care deeply about, Quinones said. From my professors, I learned to become a better writer and researcher and the conversations were, at times, unforgettable. Overall, Core has helped mold me into the person I am today.
Quinones was nominated by David Darrow, professor of history.
Sebastian exemplifies Core in so many ways, from his enthusiastic embrace of interdisciplinary approaches to knowing, to his willingness to give back to the Core community as a writing fellow and spokesperson, Darrow said. In this and so many other ways, Sebastian personifies Core.
The Core Program offers an innovative, interdisciplinary two-and-a-half year curriculum that stresses the connections between disciplines while fulfilling many of the University's Common Academic program requirements. Courses address a common theme, "Human Values in a Pluralistic Culture," and are carefully coordinated so students experience the integrated character of the arts and sciences. Co-curricular speakers, arts events and other activities related to course content are an important part of the program. The 120 students selected each year represent a cross-section of new students with differing backgrounds and abilities.
For more information, visit the Core program website.
Photo: Raymond M. Herbenick Award winners (L to R) Anna Biesecker-Mast, Quinn Murray and Sebastian Quinones.
Georgia Kirchin from Peterborough suffers from a life-threatening condition. (SWNS)
A five-year-old girl with a life-threatening condition is asking Santa for a new heart this Christmas.
Georgia Kirchin, from Peterborough, has a condition called aortic stenosis, which means the blood-flow is restricted, and she needs a new heart to save her life.
The school girl is on the NHS donor waiting and is living day-by-day as she waits for a child's heart to replace her own.
Her family are trying to make the most of Christmas as they fear it could be Georgia's last, given that they've already spent almost two years waiting for a suitable organ to become available.
"We dont know how many more Christmases were going to get," Mum Jodie Kirchin, 32, explains.
"Its hard because you think, 'Is this the last time were going to do this? Will we be looking back on this as a memory soon?'"
Read more: Eating oily fish linked to reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes
Just like las year, the family's Christmas wish is for Georgia to get a new heart so they can begin making plans for the future.
Our Christmas wish is for Georgia to get her new heart," Kirchin continues. "Last year we thought maybe by this Christmas, now we think maybe by next Christmas.
"We try and take each day and carry on as normally as possible, we keep positive and really value everything."
Watch: Meet the young woman who can see her heart beat through her chest
When she was just five days old, Georgia was rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties and diagnosed with a heart valve defect, a hole in her heart, and under-size left pumping chamber.
Before she was five months old, Georgia had an operation to replace her heart valve with a donated one.
Unfortunately, however, due to drugs leaking into her skin during surgery, Georgia had to have half of her right foot amputated.
And in 2019 she developed cardiomyopathy - a disease of the heart muscle - prompting doctors to add her to the heart donor waiting list in October last year, which she has remained on ever since.
Story continues
The mum-of-two, who lives with husband Adam, 31, adds: Im grateful to have her [Georgia] at home with us and for every Christmas.
"It puts it all into perspective, its not about presents, food or decorations, but being together."
Read more: Mum who had a heart attack aged 45 warns women to look out for the symptoms she ignored
The school girl has asked Santa for a new heart this Christmas. (SWNS)
Mrs Kirchin said her little girl feels tired more easily this year and is also eating less.
Winter, and the pandemic, has also left the family constantly worrying about Georgia picking up an illness and having to go into hospital.
Its another year of her waiting and shes not getting any better, its really hard. Its scary, at the moment Georgia is stable but if she deteriorates quickly, they cant just order a heart," her mum continues.
We cant really plan much but were trying to make things as special as we can. We take things day by day.
We dont know how much time we have. We want to make the most of every day right now and not being able to see family has been hard, but we have to stay safe."
Read more: Girl with deadly heart condition home for Christmas after transplant
Georgia started school in September but because her condition makes her tired easily, she struggles to play with other children.
She gets frustrated and upset," her mum explains. "She asks when can she get her new heart and how will she get it? Why cant she run after her friends at school? Why does she have to keep going to the doctors and her friends dont?"
But the family - including big sister Millie, 10, who has also joined in asking Father Christmas for a heart for Georgia - are determined to stay positive.
Were always thinking of and wishing for Georgia to get her new heart," her mother adds.
Additional reporting SWNS.
Watch: 5-year-old with life-threatening heart condition gifted a puppy
Last week, a deputy in the outgoing Kyrgyz parliament, Osmon Turdumambetov, asked Kyrgyz Finance Minister Almaz Baketaev how much gold the Kumtor Gold Mine had produced under government management, where it was sold, and what revenues and taxes were received. The minister was unable to answer; the ministry followed up two days later with a reply that appeared to demonstrate a drop in revenue at the mine.
The Diplomat writes that Centerra Gold claimed the Kumtor mines output had fallen. The Finance Ministrys official response stated that budget revenues from the Kumtor Gold Company amounted to 6.99 million Kyrgyz soms in the first 11 months of 2021, down 2.6 million soms (27.2 percent) from 2020 revenues. The ministry noted that Kyrgyzaltyn purchases the mines outputs and further processes them for sale. The Kumtor Gold Company told they were surprised by the Finance Ministrys statement, claiming that the ministrys numbers only covered taxes on the companys gross income and not other taxes paid to the state.
Its unclear where Kyrgyzstan is selling its gold, as the country was suspended from the London Bullion Markets list of acceptable traders in September.
Back in mid-May, the Kyrgyz government took control of the lucrative Kumtor Gold Mine from Centerra, the Canadian mining company that had long run the mine through a subsidiary, the Kumtor Gold Company. The Kyrgyz state, via the state mining company, Kyrgyzaltyn, is the largest shareholder in Centerra. The mine has been a flashpoint for decades, with current President Sadyr Japarov rising to political infamy in 2012 on the back of strident calls to nationalize the mine.
Bishkek seized Kumtor following the passage of a law that allowed it impose external management for up to three months on any mining company operating under a concession agreement in Kyrgyzstan if it was found to have violated environmental regulators or endangered the environment. Tengiz Bolturuk, who had served as one of Kyrgyzstans three representatives on Centerras board of directors from December 2020 to May 17, was put in charge.
Three months later, the Kyrgyz parliament amended the law to extend the period of external management from up to three months to until the violations are resolved essentially until the government decides to relinquished control.
Centerra is pursuing Kyrgyzstan via international arbitration, but Kyrgyzstan is also pursuing Centerra. Also last week, Kyrgyzstan said it had filed a criminal lawsuit against Centerra over the companys alleged blocking of user and administrator access to Kumtors computers from May 2021. Centerra has pushed back, with a spokesperson telling Mining.com: As we have said previously, when government authorities confiscated computers and passwords of individual Kumtor employees, Centerras global IT systems restricted user access to preserve the integrity of the organizations global IT infrastructure and its confidential information. The mines safety systems were not impacted. The company claimed the lawsuit was just another tactic to divert attention.
In September, Centerra had warned that the Kyrgyz government actions were jeopardizing the mines safety and sustainability. The company noted that Centerras claims will be adjudicated in arbitration proceedings to be held in Stockholm, Sweden and conducted under the rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. Its unclear how long that process may take to play out.
Meanwhile, back in Kyrgyzstan a number of political figures have been called in for questioning over alleged corruption involving the Kyrgyz states relations with the Canadian company and the mine. Most dramatically, Kyrgyzstans first president, Askar Akayev, returned to Kyrgyzstan for the first time since his 2005 ousting in August to cooperate with the investigation. It was under Akayevs presidency that Centerra began operating the mine.
After another short visit last week, he was cleared of any charges related to corruption at the mine. Kyrgyzstans State Committee on National Security, which is handling the investigation, has not commented publicly on Akayevs case.
Two Kyrgyz members of parliament, Asylbek Jeenbekov (the brother of former President Sooronbay Jeenbekov) and Torobay Zulpukarov, were released from jail on December 9 a day after the outgoing Kyrgyz parliament voted not to revoke their parliamentary immunity. Both had been detained in June. This may just be a temporary reprieve, however, as the new Kyrgyz parliament will be sat on December 23.
Needless to say, there is a lot going on with regard to Kumtor. Theres the international aspect encompassing Centerras battle with the Kyrgyz state, which has effectively nationalized the mine. Then theres the domestic political battle stemming from the base necessity to pin blame on someone, and the real utility of Kumtor as a political weapon. There are few high-level politicians in the country in the last 30 years who have not had their hands in the golden pie in some way. And finally theres the economic question: Kumtor is one of Kyrgyzstans most lucrative assets, and a large employer. But there have been reports of domestic contractors being laid off at the mine, plus the apparent drop in revenue, which do not bode well.
In a statement to the diplomatic corps earlier this month, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Japarov (no relation to the president) said he considers Kumtor to be the root of all evils in Kyrgyzstans 30 years of independence: enslaving contract terms and constant looting from the top down. He characterized the Japarov government as cutting the Gordian knot of Kumtor. Time will tell.
Lithuania has reached the highest level of cooperation with the United States. Contacts of the Lithuanian authorities with the US officials take place regularly, The Baltic Word writes. On 1 December in Riga, on the margins of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis met with the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Landsbergis thanked him for the US contribution to regional security, and reminded that it was important to continue strengthening the Alliances forces in the region in view of emerging security challenges.
On the one hand this fact proves the evolutionary development of bilateral ties which strengthens both partners. On the other hand, the Lithuanian-US partnership, unfortunately, has negative influence on Lithuanian relations with other countries of the world. Paradoxically, but making friends with Washington has turned recent partners into enemies.
It seems as if Lithuanian authorities forgot that national interests of Lithuania are not the same as the US national interests. The consequences of such blind devotion has already lead to the deterioration of relations with one of the world superpower China. Lithuanias minister of foreign affairs has steered his Baltic state onto a collision course with Beijing, and hes showing no sign of slowing down, according to Politico.
First, Lithuania withdrew from Chinas 17+1 platform for Central and Eastern Europe, and later angered Beijing by opening a Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius. Vilnius voluntarily preferred only one mighty country to many other trusted partners in its foreign policy.
Marcus Tullius Cicer said that there was never a good war, or a bad peace. The Lithuanian government can not find balance in its foreign policy where numerous partners are always better than a single one. These are diplomatic principles which Lithuania does not follow any more. It is doubtful, that China will suffer more than Lithuania in case of significant decline in trade. At least it is silly to aggravate problematic issues instead of trying to solve them. It is well known that China is a longtime US opponent, if not an adversary. This is the US, not Lithuania, is interested in weakening China. Washington just uses Lithuania as a tool in its diplomatic war.
Lansbergis is very proud of his country independence. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the meaning of or Independence (in Lithuanian Nepriklausomybe) is freedom from outside control or support. At the same time, Mr. Landsbergis constantly asks Washington for support, he asks the EU for support. In other words, he does not want his country to be independent!
What else Lithuania could do in order to gain the US attention and money? It already called for the US military presence in the country, it is ready to by military equipment and vehicles, it is ready to buy expensive US liquefied natural gas, to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. What else should Lithuania do, to Lansbergis mind, to show the shortsightedness of Lithuanian foreign policy in sport, defence and trade? The only way out for such unsuccessful government is to step down in order not to make the reputational damage to Lithuania even harder than now.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ruled out an in-person meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden for now.
I think we have to see if, in the first instance, theres any progress diplomatically, Blinken said in a news briefing when asked if an in-person summit could happen to try to ease the tensions, CNBC reported.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro over the phone on Tuesday, according to a statement by Turkeys Communications Directorate.
Erdogan and Maduro discussed steps to improve bilateral relations. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional issues, Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday had a phone conversation with new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to congratulate him on his new post.
The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional issues, according to a statement by Turkeys Directorate of Communications.
Erdogan said he was hopeful that the two countries bilateral ties will be guided by common sense and a strategic view, emphasizing the need for close coordination and regular contact, read the statement.
He said relations between Turkey and the European Union should be advanced in line with a positive agenda based on the perspective of accession, it added.
Both leaders affirmed their willingness to continue close coordination between Berlin and Ankara, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.
He said Erdogan and Scholz also discussed bilateral relations and foreign policy issues, Anadolu Agency reported.
Scholz was sworn in as Germanys new chancellor on Dec. 8, after his Social Democratic Party (SPD) reached a coalition agreement with the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP).
The swearing-in was historic, as he took the baton from Angela Merkel, Germanys first woman chancellor, who held the top post for over 16 years, nearly breaking the record of the late Helmut Kohl.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, the press service of the head of state reported.
During the negotiations, satisfaction was expressed with the development of bilateral relations in various areas, including military cooperation.
In addition, the hope was expressed that the visit of the head of the Georgian Defence Department to Baku would contribute to the expansion of ties between the countries.
Pakistan, Turkey and Iran have launched the freight train project on Tuesday from Islamabad. The three countries also plan to launch a passenger train on the same route in near future.
Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI) freight train began its journey from Islamabad railway station towards its first destination in Zahedan, Iran, from where the Turkish train will lift the goods and proceed towards Istanbul.
The train service will greatly reduce the cost of transit of goods from Pakistan to Turkey which usually takes at least 30 days via the sea, Gohar Zia, director of Maxtelz Logistics, told Gulf News.
The train will take less than 12 days to complete the one-side trip of nearly 6,656 km. The train has a maximum capacity of twenty 40-feet containers.
Russia, Iran and Turkey have agreed to hold the next Astana format summit in Tehran in February-March 2022, depending on the coronavirus situation, Senior Assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji said on Wednesday.
"Yes, it [the summit] is planned. We are preparing to hold it early next year. It will depend on the pandemic situation. But in general we have agreed to hold the summit. Most likely, we will be able to hold it in February or March," the Iranian diplomat said.
Khaji said the issue was on the agenda of talks in Nur-Sultan and will be reflected in a separate provision of the guarantor nations final statement.
When asked whether the summit will be preceded by a foreign ministers meeting, he replied: "Yes, we have agreed on the matter. It will be next year. In January or early February we will hold a meeting of foreign ministers, and a summit will follow that."
He also said that the next international Astana format meeting on Syria will be convened within a few weeks after the summit of Russia, Iran and Turkey. "It [the date] depends on the summit, several weeks after the summit," TASS cited the Iranian diplomat as saying.
On July 1, 2020, Russian, Iranian and Turkish leaders held an online summit dedicated to Syrian regulation, discussing the prospects of a face-to-face meeting in Tehran when the epidemiological situation improves.
There are only "some weeks" left to revive the nuclear deal with Iran if it continues its nuclear activities at the current pace, U.S. negotiator Rob Malley said.
Malley, in an interview with CNN, warned of a "period of escalating crisis" if diplomacy failed to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
"It really depends on the pace of their nuclear process," said Malley, the US special envoy for Iran. "If they halt the nuclear advances, we have more time."
"If they continue at their current pace, we have some weeks left but not much more than that, at which point the conclusion will be there's no deal to be revived," he said.
"At some point in a not-so-distant future we will have to conclude the JCPOA is no more and we would have to negotiate a wholly different deal and we would go through a period of escalating crisis," Malley added.
U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price called upon Russia to stop inflammatory rhetoric following Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigus remarks about the situation in eastern Ukraine.
"Contrary to statements from the Russian Defense Minister, Russia and its proxies are responsible for escalating tensions, not Ukraine or the United States," he said in a Twitter post. "We call on Russia to stop using false, inflammatory rhetoric and take meaningful steps to de-escalate tensions to provide a positive atmosphere for discussions."
The spokesperson did not specify what statements he was referring to.
Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu said at the ministrys enlarged board meeting on Tuesday that more than 120 mercenaries from private US military companies were detected in the towns of Avdeevka and Priazovskoye in the Kiev-controlled areas of the Donetsk Region. They are setting up firing points, plotting military operations and training radical armed groups. According to Shoigu, canisters with unknown chemical substances were delivered to the town of Avdeyevka and the village of Krasny Liman.
Opposition United National Movement (UNM) Head Nika Melia has announced a mass hunger strike demanding imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili's release during the UNM rally held in Tbilisi.
Melia said that the hunger strikes will continue until Saakashvili's release. He added that people will start hunger strikes on Kakheti Highway, where the UNM central office is located, Agenda.ge reported.
"We do not have any other right except to attack, except to coerce, in order to make the regime step back... For this reason, I am now going to Kakheti Highway with my friends. I know that many of you will come there until Mikheil Saakashvili is released from captivity. This act of hunger will be termless," Melia told his supporters.
Saakashvili was arrested on October 1 after his clandestine return from eight years in political exile.
The reopening of international air routes, slated for January 1, will give more opportunities for passengers to fly to Vietnam.
The Government has agreed to resume routine international flights carrying passengers to destinations with a high safety level, including Beijing, Guangxi (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Taipei (Taiwan, China), Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Vientiane (Laos), San Francisco/Los Angeles (the US), and Phnom Penh (Cambodia), starting on January 1.
CAAV (Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam) Deputy Head Vo Huy Cuong said the reopening shows Vietnams strong determination to resume all socio-economic activities.
The reopening of nine international air routes is being implemented step by step to avoid panic among the public. Another 15 air routes will be reopened in the next phase.
The manager of a planning division of an airline told VietNamNet that, with the Governments decision on allowing to reopen some air routes, airlines will be able to cut operation costs and create two-way flight schedules.
The costs to serve irregular flights, especially ones from and to other countries, are high. If airlines can provide routine flights, the operation costs will be lower, which reduce airfares.
Moreover, the exemption of concentrated quarantine for passengers with full vaccinations and negative test results will help reduce passengers expenses. As such, passengers will have more opportunities to return to Vietnam once there are more flights.
Many overseas Vietnamese want to return to celebrate Tet, and want the Government to allow the resumption of commercial flights. However, many people have worries about airfare and quarantine costs, which would hinder repatriation. With the resumption of commercial flights from January 1, the concern will be lifted.
Experts point out that the medical policy for foreigners plays a very important role in attracting foreign travelers in the competition with other destinations.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) said as the pandemic is being controlled, other countries, including regional ones (Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia etc) have been running demand stimulus programs. To compete, Vietnam needs to loosen strict regulations to attract more travelers.
As international flights are open to all passengers, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said it would be better to set medical and epidemiological requirements without discriminatory treatment toward nationalities.
MOT also suggested that international tourists should be required to have insurance policies to cover medical treatment if their contract Covid-19 and need treatment in Vietnam; and passengers must install a medical declaration app before getting onboard to save time for procedures during their entry to Vietnam.
Its also necessary to clarify the requirements for people who do not use smartphones.
Vu Diep
Air ticket holders get help for flights abroad The Ministry of Transport has requested that localities facilitate conditions in which people who have tickets for international flights can access airports on time.
Handbags and leather shoes labeled as LV, Gucci, Nike and Chanels products are selling in many locations, from sidewalk shops to traditional markets to social networks.
The smuggling and trading of counterfeit goods and infringing upon intellectual property rights in 2021 has not decreased, said Nguyen Hung Anh, head of the Anti-smuggling Investigation Agency.
Fakes of famous brands include clothes, footwear, handbags, suitcases and watches.
Customs agencies have discovered many cases with large value, but these are a small number of the total number of cases.
On December 10, 2020, the agency, joining forces with the Sai Gon Port Customs Sub-department, examined a consignment of goods owned by Tan Cang Tay Ninh JSC and found counterfeit goods bearing LV, Gucci and Nike brand names, worth VND650 million.
On November 27, 2020, the department cooperated with Moc Bai International Border Gate customs agency to examine a transshipment goods consignment in four containers owned by Swift Freight Logistics.
The products were Nike and Adidas counterfeited footwear and clothes. There were also handbags and belts labelled as Hermes, LV, Chanel and Gucci products. The consignment was worth VND1.6 billion.
Nguyen Duc Le from the General Directorate of Market Surveillance said the real LV and Chanel products have high value of between tens of millions of dong and hundreds of millions of dong.
Meanwhile, consumers can buy products bearing the same brands from social networks at just hundreds of thousands of dong. Consumers know they are fake, but still buy them.
As such, they inadvertently lend a hand to institutions and individuals who make illicit profits, infringe on others rights and the legal benefits of rights holders.
Eighty percent of consumers know they buy counterfeit products or products with unclear origin, Le said.
Vu Thi Kim Hanh, Chair of the Vietnam Business Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Goods, pointed out that many counterfeit goods appear in the year-end sale season.
Counterfeited goods are advertised and sold recklessly on social networks, which causes big losses to authentic manufacturers, Hanh said.
She has asked appropriate agencies to regularly examine goods, impose heavy fines on violators, and promote communication campaigns against counterfeit goods. Counterfeit goods and intellectual property infringement are threatening the production of genuine enterprises.
Dang Van Dung Steering Committee 389 noted that its difficult to fight against counterfeit goods because of the promised profits, high demand and limited production capability of domestic enterprises. In many cases, civil servants even lend a hand to criminals. The sanctions against violators are not heavy enough to deter them.
However, he said the coordination between forces in the fight against smuggling and trade fraud has improved, especially since the day the Government set up Committee 389.
Luong Bang
Goods face strict customs inspections as smugglers continue to violate laws The General Department of Customs (GDC) said that risks in transit services continue to exist as smugglers try to carry prohibited goods into Vietnam.
Airlines are ready to resume routine international flights from January 1, 2022 after two years of interruption. However, they are concerned as regulations have not been released. Meanwhile, some problems still exist.
Under the MOTs plan on resuming international regular passenger air routes, air carriers are allowed to fly to Beijing, Quang Zhou (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Taipei (Taiwan), Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Vientiane (Laos), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), and San Francisco/Los Angeles (the US) from January 1, 2022.
In the next period of the plan, airlines will be allowed to fly on 15 more routes.
A manager of an airline said the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has not allocated the number of flights for each international route, which places difficulties for airlines preparing for flights. It takes at least one month to prepare the workforce, announce flight schedules, calculate airfares and run media campaigns.
Nguyen Thien Tong, an aviation expert, said Vietnam needs to learn a lesson from the tardiness in October about announcing and allocating flights.
At that time, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) only allocated flights on days just before departure, which made it impossible for airlines and passengers to draw up their plans. This was why many flights were canceled, and the occupancy rate was just 30-50 percent.
Tong stressed that it takes more time to reopen routine international air routes than domestic ones. This is about airlines and the aviation sector, as well as as ministries, branches and local governments.
The reopening of international flights are done with the principle of reciprocity, which means that Vietnams number of flights to other countries needs to be commensurate with the number of flights to Vietnam.
Vietnam is continuing negotiations with other countries, but not all countries want to resume flights to Vietnam at this time.
Concerns
There are also problems in flight procedures and the supervision process for pandemic prevention and control measures that need to be solved immediately to avoid repeating the mistakes during the first days of domestic route resumption.
Experts said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) need to negotiate with nine countries to obtain consensus about the vaccines accepted. Also, its necessary to come to an agreement about the form of vaccination certificates.
MOH needs a common form for vaccination certificates for domestic travelers as well. Many people have been fully vaccinated and have been given certificates, but their vaccination status has not been updated on the PC Covid app.
The app needs to be updated with information, including professional aviation information. Also, it needs to be internationalized with a version in English, and with a website version.
Vietnams air carriers all use modern check-in systems, which allow passengers to make declarations and connections with PC Covid app.
If problems continue, not only passengers, airports and airlines will suffer but Vietnams prestige will be affected. The agency that runs PC Covid has to take responsibility for errors, including pending issues or slow updating.
Its also necessary to decide which app foreign travelers have to install on their smartphones after entering Vietnam.
In a recent document, MOH asked visitors to install PC Covid. However, its unclear if the system will freeze if thousands of people install the app at the same time.
As for incoming international flights, diplomatic agencies need to give instructions to foreign travelers and overseas Vietnamese about medical declarations online, and negative PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) testing results and vaccination certificates.
There should also be a common form for certifying passengers who took a negative test 72 hours before departure time, and this also needs to be online.
Tong warned that if ministries and branches are slow in designing procedures related to entry/exit and anti-pandemic measures, airlines and passengers will suffer.
Vietnams international airports could see congestion, which would pose higher risks of getting infections among passengers. This is because, in addition to the international flights to be provided from January 1, 2022, there will be many domestic flights in the year-end and Tet season.
Airlines, travel firms and businesses have urged the Government to reopen the door. The Vietnam Aviation Business Association (VABA) warned that if Vietnam doesnt apply necessary policies, it will lose markets and competitiveness.
Nguyen Ha
Air tickets expected to be cheaper once regular air routes reopen The reopening of international air routes, slated for January 1, will give more opportunities for passengers to fly to Vietnam.
If private investors build electricity transmission lines, this would help ease the burden on the state. However, there must be a clear investment policy that will ensure benefits for the state, businesses and people.
The National Assembly Standing Committee has convened its sixth session to discuss the amendment of eight laws, including the Electricity Law. The Government proposed amending the law to allow all economic sectors to invest in electricity transmission lines.
National Assembly Chair Vuong Dinh Hue said the State is holding a monopoly in electricity transmission, including construction, operation and management.
If the State opens the field (transmission lines and transmission stations, including backbone lines such as the 500 KV North-South) to all economic sectors, including foreign investors, it needs to specify which kinds of projects private investors can build as well as the projects the State will assign to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).
Minister of Investment and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said the draft law would specify the types of transmission grid works allowed for private investors.
Allowing private investors to develop electricity transmission lines proves to be the best solution to settle the electricity shortage.
If private investors are allowed to participate in the development of electricity transmission network, this would help the State control electricity prices, and prevent price fluctuations and threats to the electricity system.
People will not have to incur additional costs, while state-owned companies would be relieved of the burden of developing transmission lines. The amount of money to be saved would be up to VND11 trillion a year.
Foreign investors now make up more than half of privately run electricity generation projects, so they will also invest in electricity transmission projects as well.
They will pour money into the electricity transmission network, while the State will still control the electricity regulatory unit. This will allow the system to operate effectively, Dien said.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) is drafting the eighth national electricity development plan. Localities have registered many electricity generation projects with total capacity of hundreds of thousand of MW. However, the development of transmission lines has not been mentioned.
Analysts say that while wind and solar power projects are booming, the investment in the transmission network is modest. This will lead to overloading of the transmission network, which will forces electricity plants to reduce generation capacity.
Tran Dang Khoa from EVN said that investment in electricity generation proceeds faster than investment in transmission lines. It takes 5-7 years to develop an electricity generation project using traditional fuel, but only six months to develop a solar power project, and 12-18 months to develop wind power.
Regarding investment in transmission lines, EVN has to strictly follow the procedures. It took 2-3 years to complete the 220 KV line.
Trung Nam Group was the first private investor to invest in transmission lines. It built the 500 KV Trung Nam Thuan Nam transmission line that receives input from its 450 MW solar power plant and other renewable power plants nearby.
The electricity volume transmitted from its 450 MW plant via the 500 KV transformer station and transmission line over the last year accounts for only 8 percent of the transmission capacity.
In the future, it will transmit the electricity of other plants as well the electricity from Van Phong Thermopower Plant.
However, there can be problems when private investors build transmission networks. Trung Nam Group is facing problems, including the arrangement of funding sources to maintain the operation of the 500 KV Thuan Nam transmission network, since the electricity selling price has not been fixed for the capacity of 172.12 MW (only 277.88 MW out of 450 MW have electricity selling prices fixed).
In a document to the Prime Minister, Ninh Thuan Peoples Committee said while waiting for the handover of the Thuan Nam Vinh Tan 500 KV line at zero dong to EVN, the plant transmits electricity to other projects in the province and bears transmission costs for the 500KV transformer station.
Its unfair for Trung Nam Group which has to bear the same electricity output cuts as other solar power projects, the document said.
Local authorities have proposed that EVN prioritize using electricity from the 450 MW plant at the highest possible level, and set an electricity selling price for the 172.12 MW capacity.
Hai Nam
42 wind power projects permitted to operate commercially A total of 42 wind power plants featuring a total capacity of 2,131.3MW have been approved for commercial operation as of mid-November, according to data released by Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).
Most foreign travelers are against the use of dog meat as food and some of them show harsh opposition, but there are some travelers who want to try dog meat.
Nguyen Anh Phuong (second from left)
Working as a tour guide for inbound tours for the last 10 years, Nguyen Anh Phuong has met many travelers who consider dog meat eating as odd. They show strong objection or dont want to hear the word dog meat at all.
Some travelers told me they wont accept the slaughtering of dogs and using dog meat as food. If they see dogs being attacked or killed, they will try to prevent the behavior, even though the dogs are not theirs, Phuong said.
Mostly serving Spanish and Portuguese speaking tourists, Phuong said that 50 percent of tourists from the markets protest against the use of dog meat as food in Vietnam. They grimace and turn their eyes away if they see dog meat sold at sidewalk shops or at traditional markets.
One day I led a group of tourists to the Old Quarter in Hanoi. A member of the group asked me why Vietnamese eat dog meat. Before I could reply, another tourist harshly waved his hands: Don't talk about dog meat, I don't want to hear it. It's scary and then turned away, Phuong recalled.
When going with tourists to rural areas such as Ninh Binh and Nam Dinh to enjoy the countryside, Phuong and tourists can see people carrying dogs in iron cages.
They ask me where the people are carrying the dogs. I try to explain that once families dont want to breed dogs anymore, they sell the dogs, Phuong said.
Quang Dinh, an experienced tour guide, said when seeing dog meat, most travelers show surprise and curiosity, but they are polite and dont harshly protest.
Every nation has its own culture. Spanish people, for example, eat rabbit meat, but British dont. They respect the culture of the host countries, he explained.
Most foreign travelers are against the use of dog meat as food and some of them show harsh opposition, but there are some travelers who want to try dog meat.
However, some tourists have an attitude of disparagement, considering the slaughtering of dogs as barbarous.
In this case, I have to explain to them why Vietnamese began eating dog meat in the past. And I tell them that the number of people eating dog meat has decreased. Many people love this animal. I myself have a cat and a dog at home and I never eat dog or cat meat, he said.
When foreign travelers try dog meat
Dinh and Phuong said not all foreign travelers oppose the eating of dog meat. Many travelers even ask about dog meat dishes and about the addresses of shops that provide high-quality dog meat.
There are many people who travel to experience and discover new things. They even want to challenge themselves. They want to try the things that exist only in Vietnam, such as fish sauce, pipe tobacco, dog meat and snake meat, Dinh said.
Sometimes I have led travelers to try some horror dishes such as clam worms. But I politely refused the proposal for dog meat. I told them that Vietnamese dont sell and dont eat dog meat on the first days of the lunar month, he said.
Kieu Thanh, a tour guide who mostly serves tourists from the US, said: A young man asked me to buy dog meat for him to try. I told him that I could find dog meat nearby. The man then decided to go to buy dog meat at a market, brought it to the hotel and asked the hotel to process the dog meat for him. I only heard the story from hotel officers after the tourist left, Thanh said.
Tour guides explanations
The fact that dog meat is sold at pavement shops and traditional markets affects foreign travelers thoughts about Vietnam. Because of their surprise and curiosity, tour guides have to give reasonable explanations about dog meat.
We usually have to ease travelers anger or displeasure when seeing dog meat at shops. The image of slaughtered dogs can be an obsession for travelers. We try to explain to foreign travelers that not many Vietnamese still eat dog meat, Thanh said.
There are not as many shops selling dog meat as seen in the past, she said.
Before serving groups of tourists from different markets, Phuong has to learn carefully about their cultures so that he can move with the times.
I explain to foreign tourists that every nation has its own culture. For example, when I visit their countries, I wont eat rotten shark meat or aged cheese, Phuong said.
Many tour guides, like Dinh, Phuong and Thanh, have supported Hoi An authorities decision not to use dog and cat meat.
I believe this will receive positive feedback from foreign travelers. I hope the move will be followed by other cities and provinces and all Vietnamese will say no to dog and cat meat, Phuong said.
Linh Trang
Hoi An says no to dog, cat meat, decision applauded by foreign travelers It's great that Hoi An has committed not to consume dog and cat meat. I will definitely come back to Hoi An to admire this beautiful, old and civilized city, a foreign traveler said.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An on December 21 in Phnom Penh as part of his State visit to Cambodia.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (Photo: VNA)
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An on December 21 in Phnom Penh as part of his State visit to Cambodia.
During the meeting with the Cambodian PM, President Phuc congratulated Cambodia over the great accomplishments in socio-economic development and COVID-19 prevention and control that the Cambodian Government and people have gained, which he said helped contributed importantly to Cambodias strong growth and enhanced position in the region and the world.
He wished Cambodia success in the organization of the communal elections in 2022 and general 2023, which will create a momentum for the country to realise its goal of becoming an upper middle income level country in 2030 and a high income level country in 2050.
PM Hun Sen hailed the significance of the Vietnamese Presidents state-level visit, which he said contributes to further consolidating the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable long-term cooperation between the two countries.
The two leaders informed each other on the socio-economic situation in their respective countries, and expressed satisfaction at the increasing effective and comprehensive development of the Vietnam-Cambodia cooperative relations throughout the past 55 years.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides have made efforts to maintain mutual visits and high-level contact and discussion, optimize bilateral cooperative mechanism. As a result, bilateral collaboration in national defence-security, trade-investment and between localities continued to make progress.
Trade and investment are the bright spots, with two way trade topping 8.63 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2021, up 84 percent year on year. Vietnam has had four more investment projects in Cambodia with total registered capital valued at nearly 90 million USD, almost four times the figure for the same period last year, raising the total valid Vietnamese investment projects in the neighbouring country to 188 valued at 2.85 billion USD, the fourth largest amount of an ASEAN country in Cambodia.
The two leaders hailed the outcomes reached at the 19th session of the Joint Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Commission for Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation held on December 19, 2021, which made a deep review of bilateral ties across the fields and outlined specific proposals to promote the ties.
The two leaders witness the signing of agreements (Photo: VNA)
They reached consensus on the directions for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the time ahead, focusing on the effective implementation of reached agreements between the two Parties and States. The two sides will maintain visits and contacts at all levels and bilateral cooperative mechanisms, and coordinate to organize activities in the Vietnam-Cambodia, Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Year in 2022 to mark the 55th anniversary of the two countries diplomatic relations.
The two leaders affirmed to further deepen cooperation in security-defence, including joint work to ensure border security and accelerate the search and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts who died during the war in Cambodia.
They agreed to promote connectivity, both hard and soft, between the two economies, especially in transport, telecoms, trade, investment, finance-banking, agriculture, tourism, energy and local cooperation. They pledged support for efforts to early complete a master plan on Vietnam-Cambodia economic connectivity to 2030, and to effectively carry out signed agreements, while coordinating to implement the pandemic-control customs clearance model for vehicles and goods at land and water border gates and continuing to study the building of border markets in border provinces.
The two leaders highly valued the completion of an agreement on border trade, and pledged to continue paying attention to facilitating business and investment activities of businesses of the two countries on the basis of mutual benefit.
They also agreed to promote partnership in education-training, justice, agro-fishery-forestry, natural resources-environment and tourism. The two sides will speed up negotiations on mutual recognition of each others vaccine passports/ COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
The two sides reached consensus on the full, serious implementation of treaties and agreements related to the border, including the two legal documents recognizing the result of the Vietnam-Cambodia land border demarcation and marker planting with about 84 percent of the total workload completed. The two sides will continue to conduct negotiations on the remaining 16 percent of workload, and coordinate to seek solutions to remaining issues in the spirit of solidarity and friendship towards building a peaceful, stable and cooperative borderline between the two countries.
PM Hun Sen expressed deep gratitude to Vietnam for its great support and help for Cambodias cause of national liberation and escape from genocide, and pledged to continue working to develop bilateral ties.
President Phuc thanked Cambodia for the precious support that Cambodian leaders and people gave Vietnam in its struggle for national independence and reunification and the present national construction. He asked Cambodia to continue creating favourable conditions for Cambodians of Vietnamese origin, especially regarding their legal status.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An (Photo: VNA)
The two leaders appreciated the effective coordination between the two countries in regional and international forums, especially the ASEAN framework. President Phuc affirmed Vietnams strong support for Cambodia as Chair of ASEAN in 2022, and expressed a hope that the two countries will continue to work together to uphold ASEANs principled stance on the East Sea.
The two sides underlined the importance of maintaining security, safety and freedom of maritime and aviation, building trust, using no force and not threatening to use force, respecting international law and addressing disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1992 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. They supported the full, serious implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea ASEAN and efforts to reach an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea in accordance with international law.
After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing and handing over of seven cooperative documents between the two Governments, ministries and sectors, along with many contracts and business agreements.
The same day, President Phuc hosted a reception for Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An.
Phuc thanked the Cambodian Government, mass organisations and people for providing support for the Vietnamese counterparts in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, including 50,000 USD donated by the Cambodia Vietnam Friendship Association.
Men Sam An stressed that Cambodia always treasures and thanks Vietnam for assisting Cambodia in the cause of national liberation and overthrowing genocidal regime as well as in national development at present.
She vowed to do her best to keep developing the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable long-term cooperation between the two countries.
The Deputy PM also agreed to step up people-to-people exchange activities and raise public awareness of the significance of bilateral traditional friendship, especially among young generations.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets Cambodian legislative leaders
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 21 met with President of the Senate of Cambodia Say Chhum as part of his State visit to the neighbouring country. (Photo: VNA)
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 21 met with President of the Senate of Cambodia Say Chhum as part of his State visit to the neighbouring country.
Phuc congratulated the Cambodian people on the great achievements they have recorded over the past time, particularly in security-politics and pandemic containment, saying the living standards of the Cambodian people have been improved significantly and Cambodias position has been advanced in the region and the world at large.
The Vietnamese leader expressed his hope that Cambodia will further prosper and grow in the time ahead.
For his part, Say Chhum said Phucs visit will contribute to tightening the neighbourliness and friendship between the two countries, and noted his belief that the Vietnamese Party, State and people will successfully implement the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress.
Both affirmed their resolve to consolidate the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship and comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation between the two countries.
They rejoiced at the active development of the bilateral collaboration across spheres and sectors, including the legislative ties, despite the complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phuc lauded the regular exchanges, coordination and mutual support between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Cambodian Senate, both bilaterally and at regional and international parliamentary forums.
They shared the view that legislative bodies of the two countries should further support and create favourable legal corridors to enhance the economic, trade and investment relations, as well as people-to-people exchanges, particularly between youngsters and localities, especially border ones.
The same day, President Phuc had a meeting with President of the National Assembly of Cambodia Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin, during which the two sides consented to maintain meetings and delegation exchanges at all levels and via various channels, including the parliamentary channel.
They said the NAs should carry forward their role in strengthening the Vietnam-Cambodia relations, especially in building institutions and consolidating the legal system to facilitate the connectivity between the two economies.
After the reception, the two leaders attended a ground-breaking ceremony of the new administrative building of the Cambodian NA, which is a gift of the Vietnamese Party, State and people.
Heng Samrin thanked the Vietnamese side for presenting 25 million USD to Cambodia to construct the building.
Source: VNA
Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Le Hoa Binh has approved 10 criteria for local massage and spa businesses to resume operation.
Among the conditions, staff and customers must be recovered Covid-19 patients or those who are fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. The facilities must ensure a minimum density of 4m2 per person and a distance of at least 1m between two people.
Southern police seize 50kg of drugs transported from Cambodia
The Southern Border Guard task force in collaboration with the police forces of Ho Chi Minh City and Long An province and the Anti-Smuggling and Drug Control Team of the General Department of Customs have detected a drug trafficking case, seizing 50kg of narcotics.
According to the police, the drugs were smuggled from Cambodia to Vietnam. The drugs were packaged as tea bags, hidden at the bottom of iron barrels and covered by live eels. The drugs were seized when traffickers were about to hand it over at Binh Dien market in HCM City.
State Bank to propose policies on national digital currency
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has issued a plan on development of non-cash payment in Vietnam in the 2021-2025 period. One of the important contents is that the State Bank will submit to the Government a Decree on a pilot implementation of financial technology (FinTech) activities in the banking sector.
The SBV will also study and propose policies on national digital currencies and non-cash payment service fees to enable users to access non-cash payment services at a reasonable cost.
MoMo gets $200 million, raises its value to $2 billion
MoMo has completed the 5th round of capital raising (Series E). The company has received $200 million from global investors including Mizuho, Ward Ferry, Goodwater Capital and Kora Management. This funding round is led by Mizuho - Global Bank of Japan.
With the new investment, MoMo's value now reaches $2 billion and is listed as one of the few unicorns (those with value of more than $1 billion) in Vietnam.
Ministry of Science and Technology deletes information on website about Vietnam's test kits
Information posted on the website of the Ministry of Science and Technology about the World Health Organizations recognition of the test kit produced by a local firm - Viet A Company - has been removed. The same thing happened with information about the British Ministry of Healths grant of a European standard certificate for this company's Covid-19 test kit. It is not clear why the Ministry of Science and Technology removed this information from its website.
HCMC records 34 Covid cases after return to school
A week after 9th and 12th graders in HCM City returned to school, the authorities discovered 34 Covid cases, including four teachers, three staff members and 27 students.
"The increase in the number of infections is within the school's expectations and is safely handled by educational institutions according to the scenario, said Trinh Duy Trong from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training. He said that teaching in classes with such cases is proceeding normally.
PV
The building holding Poco Loco has been vacant since 2014. Gomez said the chain plans two other smaller stores in Greater Waco.
Hispanic clout is growing in the marketplace, and retailers are noticing. Hispanic McLennan County residents accounted for about half the countys growth during the decade beginning in 2010 and comprise 26% of the countys population of more than 260,000 residents, census figures show.
The 25th Street corridor that now includes Poco Loco Supermercado also soon will be home to a new city of Waco fire station where the demolished 25th Street Theatre once stood. The movie house opened in 1945, closing as a theater in 1982.
Waco Mayor Dillon Meek said he took up store officials invitation to tour the site, and is happy about the investment in the 25th Street corridor.
The store is pristine, and the capital investment is significant, based on my observation, Meek said.
He also said ensuring Waco residents have access to nearby places to buy food is a priority.
Joy and excitement are the dominant emotions for this season, particularly for Christians who mark the pivotal arrival of God's son Jesus, born two millennia ago to humble human parents Mary and Joseph. They're there, too, for millions of others, who find joy and excitement in gift-giving to family and friends, parties, and acts of generosity.
It's why happy and merry are the adjectives frequently preceding holiday and Christmas, even if the greeting Nazis at Fox News have enjoyed waging a War on Christmas on those straying from a strict "Merry Christmas" in their greetings (this year's emphasis, though, seems to be the Fiery War On Our Christmas Tree).
A closer look at the Christmas story we find in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, however, finds a decided mix of emotions in its human players. Moments of happiness and joy arrived in the context of physical exhaustion from days of walking to Bethlehem, new parents' uncertainty of the future after a child's birth, shepherds terrified by a stunning night vision, death threats and whispers of menace to a newborn's parents and to strangers visiting from afar.
Tired, scared, sad or anxious at this time of year? You're not alone.
Addressing that suit, Lellas attorneys said, Before Mr. Lella began managing the restaurant, he was told by the other owners that he would not be allowed to fire the restaurants incompetent manager, Ms. Ogburn, because the owners feared she would invent some type of wrongful termination/discrimination claim. Nevertheless, after Mr. Lella presented Ms. Ogburn with a three-page sheet of managerial deficiencies which she refused to acknowledge or correct, she was fired in August 2020 with the full approval of Buzzard Billys and its other owners. As predicted, she has invented a fantastic story and has made many spurious allegations about Mr. Lella that have been reported in the paper and which nobody with Buzzard Billys believes to be true. After all, if the owners of Buzzard Billys believed Ms. Ogburns claims, they would have fired Mr. Lella long before he quit.
At a news conference Tuesday, state officials said they have no indication of who might be responsible for the egregious killings.
Make no mistake folks, these intentional killings are evil, despicable acts perpetrated against an endangered animal in its own natural habitat, said Hawaiis Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Chief Jason Redulla. Those responsible must be held accountable.
The killings are felonies that carry a penalty of up to five years in prison, Redulla said.
Suzanne Case, the chair of Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources, noted local outrage at visitors who harassed monk seals earlier this year and called for a similar response to the killing of the seal that was shot in the head.
It is past time for anyone who has information on the killing of this seal and the others to step forward, Case said. Earlier this year many people were outraged when a visitor slapped a seal on the back, and we trust the level of indignation we saw associated with that incident will be exceeded by the despicable shooting of (this seal) and the others taken by human hands.
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I think they will keep coming back to him. Ive suggested a good solution to his problem would be to come across the aisle and join us where he would be treated with respect," McConnell said.
Manchin has long faced questions about his place in the Democratic Party, and the talk took on fresh urgency in October when a Mother Jones article said he had been telling associates he was seriously considering leaving the party. But six days after the article was published, while sitting down with the Economic Club in Washington, Manchin rejected the reports, saying I dont think the Rs would be any happier with me than Ds are right now.
He added, So I dont know where in the hell I belong.
The question has been posed to him repeatedly in the past few weeks, coming to a breaking point Monday morning, hours after he had publicly voiced his opposition to Bidens bill.
I would like to hope that there are still Democrats that feel like I do," he said. Im fiscally responsible and socially compassionate.
"Now, if theres no Democrats like that, then they have to push me wherever they want.
Most of the turbines proposed for the three offshore wind projects approved thus far in New Jersey will be located about 15 miles from the coast, he said.
They are not going to be visual pollution, he said. Probably most people won't be able to see them.
In past presentations, government and wind industry officials have said the turbines may or may not be visible from the shoreline, depending in part on weather conditions.
But several shore communities including Ocean City, perhaps the center of opposition to offshore wind projects thus far, say today's turbines are much larger than those proposed in the past, and much more likely to be seen from shore.
We don't believe them when they say they're all going to be 15 miles offshore, said Suzanne Hornick, a leader of Protect Our Coast-NJ. The lease area is closer than that, and we know they will fill up that whole lease area. It could be as close as eight miles.
The group also cites environmental and financial concerns in opposing the projects.
Thus far, New Jersey has approved three offshore wind energy projects: two by Danish wind developer Orsted, and one by Atlantic Shores.
In Starr County, Posillico Civil plans to build an additional 1.2 miles on private property next to the 1.7-mile stretch, but no agreement has been reached with nearby landowners, said Francoise Luca, a Facilities Commission spokesperson. The location of the remaining 5.1 miles outlined in the Posillico contract has not been determined, Luca said.
During a Texas Facilities Commission meeting last month, John Raff, the deputy executive director, said the agency has found 23 landowners who would be willing to have a border wall built on their property. He didnt say where that property is or how many miles of barrier could be built on those tracts.
The commission has not said when it plans to award additional contracts to build other parts of the wall or how much the contracts will be worth.
The work is in progress and so there are no final costs, Luca said. Factors that may impact cost can include terrain, floodplains, waterways, subsurface conditions, materials and easements, to name a few.
She said the locations of border barriers depend on what the Texas Department of Public Safety determines are the highest-priority areas.
This has also been an interesting year where you had a major climate report in August. But more than anything, it's yet another year where climate change keeps popping up in extreme weather all over the world. But this year, perhaps a little bit more in the Western, richer countries than in the past: in Germany, in Belgium, horrible flooding in Tennessee, places like that. And not to mention the wildfires and 116-degree (47 Celsius) heat in Portland, Oregon. I mean, if you had to choose one weird thing, the Pacific Northwest is known for mildness, but there are records and then there are records, and theirs are so far off the scale that your eyes pop out. And that's what Portland was.
___
Rich countries aren't exempt. But when you're rich, you can flee that more easily. You can weather weather extremes when you're in the global North far better than you can in the South. But then, there come extremes that are so big, that wealth can't help you as much.
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WATERLOO A Minnesota man has been arrested in connection with a weekend chase in a stolen vehicle that ended with a crash in Waterloo.
Eric Lee King, 31, of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, was arrested Monday for eluding and first-degree theft after he was discharged from a local hospital where he had been taken after falling unconscious at the end of the pursuit.
He was also cited for driving while suspended and several stop light and stop sign violations.
Authorities said the owner of a GMC pickup with California plates left the vehicle running in the Fairfield Inn parking lot on LaPorte Road when someone drove away in the vehicle around 7 a.m. Saturday.
Black Hawk County sheriffs deputies spotted the truck a short time later in the area of San Marnan and Flammang drives. A chase ensued, at times reaching speeds of up to 100 mph in a 45 mph zone, until the pickup crashed into vehicles parked in the 100 block of Reber Avenue. A fence and garage were also damaged in the collision.
The driver ran off but was detained a short time later after becoming unresponsive. Court records indicate deputies found suspected drugs on King.
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WATERLOO -- Three outgoing City Council members were honored by the mayor at their last meeting, including one the mayor frequently butted heads with politically, and citizens also weighed in on Monday.
Councilors Sharon Juon, Margaret Klein and Pat Morrissey were given plaques by Mayor Quentin Hart honoring the final meeting of their term in office -- or in Morrissey's case, the end of two terms -- at the beginning of Monday night's council meeting.
"All those things we've been able to do the last four years sometimes gets overshadowed by politics," Hart said. "We don't always agree on everything ... but we can make sure, when it comes to the business of the citizens, that we show up."
Juon and Morrissey both declined to run for re-election this year. Incoming councilors Rob Nichols and Nia Wilder, respectively, were elected to fill their at-large and Ward 3 seats, while John Chiles won the Ward 1 seat held by Klein.
"This has been a joy -- probably one of the biggest honors of my life -- to serve the citizens of Waterloo," Juon said.
Morrissey thanked his family for "putting up with me" being on council for the last eight years.
"I'm not one of those who's backing out of this because he didn't enjoy it; I've got the wife who has missed me on Monday nights," he said.
Klein decided to forgo re-election to her Ward 1 seat in order to challenge Hart for mayor in what became a contentious and expensive mayoral race. Last week, a supermajority of the council, including Juon and Morrissey, voted to censure her for violating city code and policy with some of her past remarks.
But Klein was gracious Monday.
"I love Waterloo; I love it more now than when I started, because I've seen Waterloo," Klein said. "Like Mr. Morrissey, I've had a blast. Sometimes, the downs are more fun than the ups."
Retired Waterloo police officer Lynn Moller, whose political action committee Cedar Valley Backs the Blue promoted keeping the divisive griffin logo that was retired this year, and backed Klein and a slate of others who were defeated in November's election, wasn't as congenial.
"I'm not here to rain on anybody's parade tonight, but these last couple of years have not been the most joyous times on the police department," Moller said.
He blamed a "certain element of our local society, who have always had chips on their shoulders" as well as the council "buy(ing) into those accusations," and thanked only Klein "for truly understanding."
Residents Forrest Dillavou and Todd Obadal also thanked Klein for her work and lamented the censure process.
Morrissey's daughter-in-law, Jessica Young, praised Morrissey for his work, as did Wilder, who will be in Morrissey's seat Jan. 3. Wilder also thanked the majority of the council for voting to retire the logo and said she "won't be doing anything once I have that seat to get it back."
"I'm glad that you took the time to listen to those people when we said that we were uncomfortable with it," Wilder said. "We all deserve to feel comfortable in the place that we live. And if we don't feel comfortable, then something should be done."
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The district attorney's office in Jefferson County in Colorado is asking a judge to reconsider the 110-year sentence he imposed on Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, the office announced Tuesday.
Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was convicted in October of dozens of charges in connection with a fiery wreck on Interstate 70 in 2019 that killed four people and injured several others when the tractor-trailer he was driving slammed into heavy traffic.
Backlash over the sentence handed down to Aguilera-Mederos has grown in the past week, with a petition to Gov. Jared Polis for clemency gathering more than 4.5 million signatures. Truck drivers around the country have taken up his cause, using hashtags like #NoTrucksToColorado and #NoTrucksColorado.
Relatives, lawmakers and other supporters of Aguilera-Mederos rallied in Denver Wednesday to plead for clemency.
Speaking at the rally at the state Capitol, Leonard Martinez, one of the lawyers representing Aguilera-Mederos, said the injustice of such long sentences needs to be addressed, both by reforming sentencing laws but also looking at the actions of prosecutors and judges.
This fight is not just for him but for all, he said.
Aguilera-Mederos was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash and had no prior criminal record in Colorado.
Aguilera-Mederos was traveling as fast as 85 mph when his truck slammed into traffic on a section of Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Colo., where commercial vehicles are limited to 45 mph because of the road's steep grade.
He said at his trial his brakes had failed and when his emergency brake didn't work, he planned to stay on the shoulder to avoid traffic, but couldn't because another truck was in the way. Prosecutors said failing to use a runaway truck ramp several miles before the crash was among a series of bad decisions Aguilera-Mederos made that precipitated the wreck.
He was convicted of 27 counts, including vehicular homicide and assault.
A state law requiring the sentences be served consecutively, rather than at the same time, contributed to the lengthy sentence. But the judge said publicly it would not have been what he would have imposed if he had more discretion.
The law also allows the court to "reconsider its sentence in an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstances," according to a motion filed Friday by the office of District Attorney Alexis King, but the motion doesn't elaborate.
King's office requested an expedited hearing in another motion Tuesday. A Department of Corrections report evaluating factors such as the perceived likelihood of Aguilera-Mederos reoffending and whether he poses any danger to the public could be finished as soon as Thursday, according to a news release.
Prosecutors requested a status hearing be set for Friday or next Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Q: How is it legal for someone to use my name and phone number to scam someone? I got a call from Texas today, angry, that I was calling them.
A: Scam artists can use technology to show a different persons caller ID when making calls, a process known as spoofing. Under the Federal Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009, using caller ID spoofing to defraud someone is a crime. Experts advise if your number is being used in spoofing calls, record a voicemail message explaining that your phone number has been spoofed and scammers are using it without your permission.
Q: Why are the senators from Iowa against prosecuting the people responsible for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol?
A: Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to treat all forms of domestic extremism equally. Grassley questioned the Department of Justices approach to prosecutions of rioters. More than half of all Portland riot cases were or will be dismissed, but more than 400 defendants were charged in the Capitol riot. Grassley strongly condemned the riot and President Trumps role in inciting it in the immediate wake of the attack. But in October, Grassley stood on stage with Trump in Des Moines and happily accepted his endorsement. Similarly, in the days after the violence, Joni Ernst published an editorial in the Des Moines Register stating: To say Im saddened by what happened is an understatement. Im furious. This is not the America that I know, that I love, and that I fought for. Yet in May, Ernst joined Grassley and nearly all Senate Republicans in voting to block an independent and nonpartisan investigation of the Jan. 6 riot.
Q: Where does the electricity actually come from at electric car charging stations?
A: Most electric charging stations get their power from the grid, but not all electricity is generated by fossil fuels alone. In Iowa for instance, in 2020 MidAmerican delivered 83.6% of its Iowa customers energy needs using renewable sources, mostly wind. Some charging stations are solar powered, and advocates of electric cars envision a future where more and more of the electricity powering cars comes from renewable sources.
Q: I was wondering if anyone has a sure-fire remedy to get fog off of headlights?
A: There are a variety of commercial products available online and at retail stores to restore headlights by companies like Rain X and 3M. Some online advice sites recommend toothpaste and baking soda as effective cleansers for unfogging headlights. Both products are abrasive enough to take off the fog without scratching or damaging the headlights.
Q: How many suicides are known to have happened because of COVID?
A: According to the Suicide Prevention Research Center: Data from previous epidemics suggest suicide rates may initially appear to decrease during epidemics but may increase thereafter. A systematic review of suicide data from 21 countries and areas within countries found suicide rates did not increase during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calls are taken on a special Courier phone line at 234-3566. Questions are answered by Courier staff.
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~ * ~
I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and thinking about Santa Claus! Does Russia have a Santa Claus?
The answer is yes
We in America believe that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole! Then on the 25th of December he delivers gifts to all the children in the world
(link to north pole)
Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa is a historical, legendary and mythical figure believed by many children to bring gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
The Russian Santa Claus:
In Russia, Santa Claus is known as Father Frost or Ded Moroz. He is usually illustrated with his granddaughter, the snow maiden, Snegurochka riding with an evergreen tree and presents in a traditional Russian troika. A troika is a sleigh drawn by 3 horses yoked abreast. The above photo below the Santa photo reads, Happy New Year! (click to read about Father Frost)
Real Christmas is now celebrated in Russia on January 7. After the Russian October Revolution in 1917, the calendar was changed to place Christmas after New Years Day. This was done in order to place more emphases on the non-religious New Years Day. For this reason, the Russian Father Frost is associated with New Years Day rather than with Christmas
So the answer is yes: Russia has Christmas and Santa Claus, though different from in America, it just has a Russian twist to it
It works for me
WtR
Cobre Limited ( ASX:CBE ) is pleased to announce that the 2021 drill programme on Kalahari Metals Limited's (KML) Endurance Prospect in Botswana has now been completed.Following the previous announcement to the market (refer ASX Announcement 8 December 2021), the programme was extended to include two follow-up holes to test the lateral and vertical extent of alteration and copper (Cu) mineralisation intersected in the central portion of the Endurance Prospect. Provisional results from the follow-up holes are summarised in this announcement.- Both follow-up holes have intersected alteration zones with visible Cu-mineralisation demonstrating lateral and vertical continuity to the target hydrothermal system;- In addition to previously identified vein-hosted chalcopyrite mineralisation, further fine-grained copper sulphide mineralisation has been noted in hydrothermally altered sandstone host-rocks- indicative of a more proximal position to a potential Cu-Ag mineral deposit; and- Both follow-up holes display an increase in the quantity of visible Cu-mineralisation, and alteration associated with stockworks and veins.The recently completed drill programme, consisting of 10 diamond holes totalling 2,948m, was designed to test a range of targets based on earlier Reverse Circulation (RC) and stratigraphic drilling results. Encouraging results from this phase of work provide an important exploration milestone as targeting moves from a regional assessment of the extensive 25km long Endurance Prospect, to testing of focussed mineralised targets.Commenting on the provisional results at the Endurance Prospect, Cobre's Executive Charmain and Managing Director Martin Holland said:"We're delighted to finish off the 2021 exploration programme with encouraging results from the Endurance Prospect. The intersection of alteration and mineralisation in several positions along this prospect highlights the significant potential for finding economic mineralisation on KML's tenure.Over the course of 2021 we've completed 7,700m of drilling on the KML projects, allowing for a regional evaluation of several prospects and generation of a number of exciting targets. We look forward to testing these in 2022."Endurance 2021 Programme OverviewThe Endurance Prospect has been modelled as an extensive, 25km long anticlinorium located in a similar structural setting to ASX listed Sandfire Resources' ( ASX:SFR ) T3 and A4 deposits situated 5km and 10km to the north respectively. The recently completed drill programme has focussed on structurally related breaks in folded AEM conductors supported by detailed magnetic data, stratigraphic information from earlier RC and diamond programmes and soil sampling results (Refer Figure 1*). Several of the recently drilled holes have intersected alteration and complex vein stockworks often with associated (minor) Cu-mineralisation demonstrating the effectiveness of the targeting process and exploration potential of the prospect. The current announcement focusses on a target area in the central portion of the prospect (Refer Figure 2*) where two additional diamond holes (KIT-E-D028 and KIT-E-D029), totalling 614m, were drilled to test the lateral and vertical extent and distribution of alteration and mineralisation in intersected in drill hole KIT-E-D023.- Both follow-up holes intersected hydrothermal alteration, complex quartz-carbonate veins and stockworks with an increase in the quantity of visible Cu-mineralisation;- Mineralisation intersected includes both vein-hosted chalcopyrite as well as fine grained disseminated copper sulphide mineralisation along parting planes (Refer Figure 3*);- In addition to chalcopyrite, rare bornite was noted in KIT-E-D029; and- Quartz-carbonate veining styles and associated alteration minerals including dolomite, chlorite, hematite, sericite and K-feldspar along with zones of bleaching and albitisation (Refer Figure 4*) provide significant encouragement given the similarity in setting to known deposits on the Kalahari Copperbelt.A summary table comparing alteration and sulphide mineralisation between recent drill holes is provided in Table 1*. Northwest-Southeast sections through KIT-E-D023, KIT-E-D028 and KIT-E-D029 are provided in Figure 5*.Samples from the recent drill programme are currently being dispatched to ALS laboratories in Johannesburg for analysis.*To view tables and figures, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/5A7T8Z12 About Cobre LimitedCobre Limited (ASX:CBE) is a copper and base-metals explorer with projects in Western Australia and Botswana. The Company recently discovered a new high-grade VMS deposit enriched in Copper, Gold, Zinc and Silver in Western Australia, and is currently exploring approximately 8,100 km2 of tenements within the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB) in Botswana.
Contact Cobre Limited
Martin Holland
E: info@cobre.com.au
WWW: www.cobre.com.au
Cobre LimitedMartin HollandE: info@cobre.com.auWWW: www.cobre.com.au
Horizon Completes Further Toll Milling Campaigns
Perth, Dec 22, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) is pleased to advise that it has completed a further toll milling campaign treating low grade ore stockpiles from the Boorara open pit at the Lakewood toll milling facility in Kalgoorlie - Boulder.The first campaign comprised 69,700t milled at a reconciled grade of 0.92g/t Au for 1,857 ounces at a calculated recovery of 90%. The campaign generated approximately $770,000 after all costs under a profit-sharing arrangement with the toll mill owner.The ore grade reconciled 8% above the mine claimed grade and provided further valuable geological information on grade allocation processes. Gravity recovery was again high at 33% with reagent consumption and throughput rates in line with expectation.The second campaign is now underway and due for completion in January 2022.Commenting on the Boorara toll milling campaigns, Managing Director Jon Price said:"Due to the location of our projects so close to infrastructure in Kalgoorlie - Boulder, the Company has been able to continue utilising toll milling to generate cash and gain further geological and metallurgical information on the Boorara orebody.""It is extremely pleasing to see the uplift in grade from the lower grade stockpiles and reinforces our conservative approach to grade determination. We look forward to completing the second milling campaign next Quarter and continuing to evaluate our open pit and underground projects and complete planning for the large-scale exploration program in 2022."About Horizon Minerals Limited
Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.
Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.
Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.
Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal
BELEN A long-deferred plan to build a new hospital in Valencia County got a shot in the arm Tuesday, when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law a bill earmarking $50 million in federal relief funds for hospital construction costs.
The Democrat said she pushed for the funding to be included in a $478 million plan that New Mexico lawmakers approved during a special session that ended last week, adding she would not have signed the legislation if it had been stripped out.
I said we would get it done; we got it done, Lujan Grisham said during a bill-signing ceremony Tuesday outside a Belen health care clinic.
Many rural New Mexico hospitals have struggled with staffing and financial issues, which have been exacerbated during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A previous hospital in Valencia County closed its doors in the 1990s.
Given that backdrop, the governor said she would push lawmakers during the upcoming 30-day legislative session to create a new state fund to subsidize rural hospitals, especially in their initial years of operation. Such a fund, Lujan Grisham said, would likely require an appropriation of at least $100 million in order for it to be effective.
But financial issues are not the only issue facing hospitals.
Rep. Alonzo Baldonado, R-Los Lunas, who was one of several legislators in attendance at Tuesdays bill signing ceremony, said many local physicians are approaching retirement age or have already retired.
He also said selecting a site for the new Valencia County acute care hospital could prove a challenging task.
Its a game-changer if you can actually get it built, Baldonado said in an interview.
While the bill approved by lawmakers during the special session that ended last week does not specify the location of the new hospital, Lujan Grisham said Valencia County was particularly well positioned since voters there approved a 2006 mill levy to fund hospital operations.
While the mill levy has expired, the county has about $27 million generated by it thats in a bank account, Valencia County Commission Chairman Gerard Saiz said Tuesday.
We need to put that money to beneficial use, he told the Journal.
Saiz also said the exact location would be determined by whatever health care organization wins a public bidding process to build and run the hospital.
More federal funds
The money to pay for the construction of a new hospital will come from funding the state received under the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Other projects earmarked in the $478 million spending package include road repairs around New Mexico, broadband expansion, affordable housing and improvements to state parks.
Even with the governor signing the bill into law, roughly $724 million of the federal relief dollars remains unspent. Spending decisions about those funds will likely be made during the upcoming 30-day session.
While Lujan Grisham did not use her line-item veto authority to ax any of the proposed projects from the legislation, House Bill 2, she did strike out budget language requiring a local match be provided for funding aimed at providing housing for homeless individuals.
But the governors overall approval of the legislative spending plan stood in stark contrast to her April veto of a plan to earmark more than $1 billion of the federal relief funds.
That ultimately led to a legal dispute between the Governors Office and a bipartisan group of legislators.
The Supreme Court sided with the lawmakers last month, ruling Lujan Grisham could not spend the money without legislative approval. The Democratic governor then added spending of the funds to the agenda of the special session, which ended Dec. 17.
Going forward, Lujan Grisham cited housing issues, water projects and broadband as areas that could benefit from New Mexicos unspent federal pandemic relief funds.
She also said she was open to other uses for the federal dollars, including a proposal to build a new college of public health at the University of New Mexico that was shelved during the recent special session.
Commitment to hospital
The governors signing of the spending package crafted by the Legislature comes after she vetoed a bill in April that would have authorized funds from the Valencia County mill levy to be redirected, saying in her veto message such a funding shift would be undemocratic.
But Lujan Grisham met in July with health care administrators and elected officials in Valencia County, which has a population of about 76,000 people, and said Tuesday she made a commitment to moving the hospital project forward.
She also cited cases where Valencia County patients have died while being transported to hospitals in Albuquerque.
Richard Madden, a family medicine doctor in Belen, said building a new hospital in the area wont be easy but could bring big benefits to local residents.
Weve got some work to do, Madden said. But the patients need this.
City officials have put a cork in a plan to restrict alcohol use at Los Altos Park.
The proposal sponsored by City Councilor Diane Gibson would have banned drinking at the Northeast Albuquerque park, except during special events with permits. The City Council approved the bill Dec. 6, but Mayor Tim Keller vetoed it, taking issue with a separate provision in the legislation that required construction of a storage building for the security officers electric carts.
The City Council on Monday failed to overturn Kellers veto, falling one vote shy of the six required for an override.
Gibson said in an interview she was not surprised, but I am really very disappointed that we could not give more consideration to neighborhoods that are struggling and are close to Los Altos Park.
Some councilors had previously raised concerns that limiting alcohol would make the park less attractive to softball tournaments. Councilor Lan Sena, meanwhile, said she did not want to ban drinking at Los Altos Park when there are insufficient treatment options.
I think the issue here is further criminalizing alcohol addiction without getting to the root of the cause, Sena said.
The city already prohibits drinking at nearly all of its parks, except for at special events. Los Altos is, however, one of a few where the city allows regular alcohol consumption.
City Councilor Diane Gibson had advocated for new restrictions, citing Los Altos longstanding public safety challenges, neighborhood concerns and the citys massive ongoing investment intended to make it more user-friendly. The park is undergoing a $30 million transformation that will bring new softball fields, a pedestrian promenade, a BMX pump track and more.
Kellers veto message did not address the bills alcohol provision, focusing instead on its requirement that the city create a security cart storage facility within 50 feet of the park security guards office. Gibson and the citys Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Rael have sparred over the security cart storage facility during multiple council meetings, and Keller wrote in his veto that dictating the location of buildings for a project exceeds the authority of the council.
Councilor Isaac Benton, an architect, questioned the mayors veto justification. He also noted the veto did not tackle other parts of the bill.
Were throwing out a lot of babies along with the bathwater here, said Benton, who voted with Brook Bassan, Pat Davis, Trudy Jones and Gibson to override the veto.
But city Parks Director David Simon said in a statement to the Journal Tuesday that the city would consider the parks alcohol policy.
Councilor Gibsons bill raised important issues about alcohol sales and consumption at Los Altos Park. We will work to get input from our community on this matter and look at all options for regulating alcohol appropriately before reopening the park, Simon said.
Debbie Conger who lives near Los Altos Park and had urged the council to ban open alcohol containers and booze sales, except for at special events said she hoped the council would take up the issue again next year with the arrival of four new members, wondering why the city would allow something at Los Altos that it bars in nearly every other park.
I dont see how the police are going to be able to stop problems in that park if they allow the open consumption of alcohol, she said. I just dont see it.
Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE A third Santa Fe Trails Bus System employee has died after contracting COVID-19.
The Transit District worker, a supervisor, died Monday after being hospitalized for COVID since Thanksgiving, city spokesman Dave Herndon said. The supervisor had no contact with the public at the workplace, Herndon said.
The announcement comes amid a New Mexico Environment Departments Occupational Health and Safety Bureau investigation into the deaths.
Specifically, we are gathering additional information on COVID positive cases among Santa Fe Transit Division workers, said Stephanie Stringer, the departments deputy cabinet secretary of operations, in a statement sent last week in response to questions from the Journal.
If the state finds the city did not take steps to prevent worker exposure to COVID NMED will take appropriate enforcement action and seek corrective measures, Stringer said in her statement.
All employees have a right to a safe workplace and employers must protect against the spread of COVID in the workplace, she said.
Statewide to date, there have been 28 occupational fatalities related to COVID that NMEDs OSHA program has investigated or is investigating, according to Stringer.
Herndon said the city has had regular, open lines of communication with OSHA and will continue to do so.
The City has been stringent in following State guidelines, and formulating our own, he wrote.
He later added that the city reports to OSHA all positive cases within four hours as required, notifies all identified contacts and provides all employees with proper personal protective equipment and has ongoing cleaning and sanitizing of City buildings and equipment.
Jose Saenz, a bus driver for the Santa Fe bus system, professed little concern after the recent deaths of co-workers after they were hospitalized for COVID-19.
As for driving the buses they are pretty safe honestly, they do a lot of precautions, they fog the bus twice a week, Saenz said. They give us all the necessary equipment we need, face masks, gloves, anything to sanitize the buses.
The city agreed to the Journals request for a driver interview at the Transit Districts headquarters in Santa Fe, as District Director Thomas Martinez stood by.
The drivers are required to wear masks all the time as well as the passengers are required to wear the masks all the time on the bus, Saenz said as he prepared for his shift. Outside his bus, he wore shorts despite cold temperatures.
Saenz, 31, preferred not to say whether he had been vaccinated against COVID. The death of his co-workers raised awareness, Saenz said. I dont know how they contracted the virus or what. Saenz has driven for the district for about four years.
Santa Fe City policy requires employees provide proof of vaccination or submit results of a weekly COVID test, Herndon said.
Martinez said the district does its best to get (drivers) anything they need. He reiterated that drivers who are not vaccinated have to submit a weekly test. He declined to say if the deceased drivers had been vaccinated, citing family privacy concerns.
Eighty percent of city workers are vaccinated, Herndon said in a statement.
The city followed up an initial statement with one titled Policies and Positive Test Result Guidance for COVID-19.
Those policies include requiring all employees to comply with local and state laws and health orders, to have daily screenings and answer a daily questionnaire before starting work and to discuss intent to leave the state with a supervisor and discuss a quarantine strategy.
Herndon said the city has no concern that the public came in close contact with the drivers.
Santa Fes bus ridership has dropped post-COVID, Martinez said, annual ridership is around 300,000 now, down from about 800,000 pre-COVID.
Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE With just over one week before a new medical malpractice law takes effect, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday signed an emergency bill making changes to it in an attempt to avoid an interruption in health care services.
House Bill 11 was passed by lawmakers during a 12-day special session that ended last week. It was added to the special session agenda by Lujan Grisham after a push by a coalition of trial lawyers, hospital leaders, physicians and patient advocates.
Supporting New Mexicos medical providers and protecting the patients they serve is important business, Lujan Grisham said in a statement. Im glad to have the chance to sign into law this common-sense fix, and Im grateful to the Legislature for their quick action on this matter.
The law passed by lawmakers during this years 60-day legislative session thats set to take effect Jan. 1 adjusts New Mexicos caps for legal damages available to people harmed by medical wrongdoing or negligence.
However, concerns were raised about the new laws unintended impact on independent doctors a category that includes many surgeons who practice at hospitals across New Mexico and on independently owned outpatient clinics.
Specifically, backers of the legislative fix said some insurance carriers might have declined to provide insurance after Dec. 31 because of questions about legal liability.
In its original form, the new medical malpractice law set caps for legal damages at $4 million for 2022 and $4.5 million for 2023.
Under the bill passed this month, the caps for independent outpatient health care facilities will instead be set at $750,000 per injury or death for the next two years. They would then increase in future years.
While some legislators said the law should have been vetted more carefully before being approved in March, backers of the legislative fix said it was a necessary action.
Our governor and state Legislature worked together under urgent circumstances to preserve access to health care for thousands of New Mexican patients and prevent the closure of dozens of physician-owned small businesses, said Annie Jung, the executive director of the New Mexico Medical Society.
Their quick and decisive action saved lives, she added.
SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - The 6.2 magnitude earthquake off the coast of California had many feeling the impacts Monday afternoon.
The Bureau of Reclamation sent out engineers immediately to see any damage to Whiskeytown Dam and Shasta Dam.
The Bureau of Reclamation says they sent out operators and engineers to inspect the two dams visually, but they say Whiskeytown Dam is a different kind of dam.
Don Bader is the Northern California Area Office Manager. He says the inspection was necessary to ensure the dam's structure is sound.
"Whiskeytown is an earth-filled dam, so it's going to fail differently, the embankments are going to sluff, and the water will start seeping through, so we are out there looking at the dam, and making sure the earthquake causes no unusual seepage," Bader said.
Bader also says visual inspections are crucial to finding anything unordinary.
"Visual inspections were making sure nothing is out of the ordinary as far as damage to any of our structures, and making sure we don't have cracks in concrete, and we don't have embankments that have now failed due to the earthquake," Bader said.
Bader tells Action News Now that Trinity Dam was the top concern because it was closest to the earthquake, but inspections show it survived the shaking without issue.
The Bureau of Reclamation says it has crews on standby in case of any aftershocks.
CALIFORNIA - Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that California will provide students in K-12 public schools with rapid COVID-19 tests.
The tests will be given to students when they return to school from the winter break.
The state is also redoubling our efforts to keep kids safe and keep schools open," Newsom said. "We will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities by making at-home testing kits available to every K-12 public school student as they head back to the classroom from winter break.
The announcement came in Newsoms official announcement that healthcare workers will be required to receive a booster shot by Feb. 1, 2022, and be tested twice weekly if they have not received the booster shot.
Newsom also announced California will expand hours at testing sites for state-operated centers that have reached capacity.
In a news release Wednesday, the governors office said 87% of Californians aged five and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 8.7 million Californias have received the booster shot.
The announcements come after the omicron variant has become the dominant strain in the U.S. and the state looks to prevent a winter surge.
On Wednesday, the California State University announced students, staff and faculty will be required to receive the booster dose by Feb. 28, 2022, or six months after receiving the final dose.
Newsom's full announcement can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
CALIFORNIA - The 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission released final drafts for state and legislative maps, which could change things in Northern California.
These maps will impact how people can vote for the state's Congressional, Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization districts.
The guidelines state that districts must be of equal population and they must comply with the Voting Rights Act to give minorities equal opportunity.
The districts must also minimize the division of cities, counties, neighborhoods and communities of interest.
California lost a congressional seat for the first time ever when the 2020 census was released in April.
The current map has Congressman Doug LaMalfa in District 1 and Congressman John Garamendi in District 3.
In the new map, LaMalfas district would reach further south into Yuba and Colusa counties but would lose Plumas, Sierra, Nevada and Placer counties to District 4. It would gain all of Glenn, Colusa and Sutter counties and most of Yuba Countys population.
RELATED: California will drop to 52 congressional seats for the first time
LaMalfa may be losing Plumas, Sierra, Nevada and Placer counties but said he will continue to fight for water and better forestry. He says the new maps focus on agricultural areas and is optimistic about what's ahead.
For Garamendi, his district would push toward the Bay Area, or into District 1. So, he announced that he is running for District 8 instead to keep his long-term representation of Solano and Contra Costa counties.
The new assembly lines take part of Butte County from Assemblyman James Gallaghers District 3.
This is all for the next election next November and each representative still represents their current areas until then.
The Secretary of State must certify the maps by Dec. 27.
There will be more meetings between members ahead of that date and they're taking public comment for at least the next three days.
LaMalfas full response can be found below:
"These new independently drawn maps represent familiar territory. I am sad to lose the official representation of our friends and neighbors in Plumas, Sierra, Nevada and Placer counties, but will remain a friend and keep the open door as we continue to fight for better forestry, more water, and the other issues that affect them and all of Northern California The new maps are a bit more focused on the valley agricultural areas, where I have experience and many constituent relationships. I wish we could have a mega district and keep all of these counties we've represented as my team and I make deep connections with our people and the lands where they live. So it's a mixture of sadness in that but optimism with our renewed work in the new areas."
Max Steiner, who is challenging LaMalfa in the election provided the following statement to Action News Now:
"I welcome the opportunity to compete with Congressman LaMalfa in the newly drawn 1st Congressional District. I have served our great nation as a soldier and a diplomat and I believe the North State - regardless of how it's drawn - is tired of career politicians like Doug LaMalfa. My campaign has, and will continue to, focus on challenges impacting the district, forest management, wildfires, water storage, good jobs, and national security. I greatly enjoyed engaging with forestry professionals in Plumas and Sierra Counties who felt ignored by Congressman LaMalfa, and I look forward to engaging with voters in Yuba, Sutter, Glenn, and Colusa on issues that are important to them."
CHICO, Calif. - The Butte County Sheriff's Office is calling for new information to solve the 2014 murder of Chico State student Marc Thompson.
Action News Now spoke with the victim's father, Lawrence Thompson, who is still hoping for justice for his son.
"Marc was a great kid, really smart. I mean he was going somewhere," Thompson said.
On Sept. 3, 2014, Marc Thompson was found in the hills of Oroville in a burning car, shot to death.
"I try to not think about it. It is just always on my mind. You just don't know," Thompson said.
The burning car was north of the Gold Country Casino where Thompson believes his 25-year-old son was last seen alive.
"I think someone grabbed him from that casino parking lot. That fits the timeline," Thompson said.
Seven years later and Marc's death is still a mystery to Thompson and investigators.
"It was like I was conducting my own investigation, but I don't have the tools to get the data from the cell phone tower. I can't subpoena the video from the casino," Thompson said.
But this week, the Butte County Sheriff's Office announced a $50,000 reward from the Governor's Office for anyone who has information leading to the arrest and conviction for Thompson's murder -- that they say they are committed to solving.
"I am grateful that they are finally putting out the reward. I mean it's been like seven years, I wish they would have done it earlier," Thompson said.
The Sheriff's Office released this statement about the murders, it reads in part:
"Over the past several years, detectives have actively and zealously investigated this case, however it has remained unsolved. We very much want to bring closure to Marc's family and friends and see to it that the person(s) responsible for Marc's murder are held accountable."
"If it happened to Marc it could happen to anyone. So you need to hopefully get justice for Marc so it doesn't happen to your kid," Thompson said. "Everybody loved Mark. He loved movies, tv, he loved everything. He just loved life."
Local filmmaker Trudy Duisenberg made a documentary in 2019 called "Obligated to the Truth" about the young Black man who was murdered.
Thompson is hopeful that this and the new reward will help bring justice for Marc. If you have any information that can help please call (530) 538-7671.
REDDING, Calif. - People are planning to get together and travel for the holidays. Shasta County Public Health is urging people to get tested before their holiday gatherings.
Public Health recommends getting tested one to three days before any gatherings or travel.
Being in the know is always an empowering decision, said Anna Vietti, a community education specialist with the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency. Getting tested before or after you go anywhere is always a smart decision.
While public health said they haven't seen an increase in testing just yet. The agency believes it will see a bit of an increase. But it will take about a week before the data comes in due to a lag.
Some people told Action News Now they didn't feel like they needed to get tested because they were already vaccinated.
Know who they are and do you believe them when they tell you they're tested, said John Pratt who is traveling down to Southern California to visit friends and family. I'm not too worried about it.
Pratt said he already got the vaccine shot and booster.
Public Health is also urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks and keep the gatherings small and ventilated. If traveling out of town, the agency recommends getting tested three to five days when you come back.
CakeZone, the dessert brand from the house of Curefoods India Pvt. Ltd., today announced South Indian Actor Megha Akash as their brand ambassador for the coming year. The brand was launched by Curefoods India as part of their strategy to disrupt the online bakery market in the country.
A young and popular face in South Indian Cinema, Megha Akash has starred in some of the most popular Tamil and Telugu movies in the last two years and has a fan base across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Her most popular outing was with Superstar Rajinikanth in his record-breaking film Petta.
Speaking on the brand association, Pavan Kumar, Founder, Cakezone said, We are extremely delighted to have the effervescent actor Megha Akash on board as our brand ambassador for one of our newest and exciting bakery brand CakeZone. Her popularity and reach in the southern market will give CakeZone a fillip in this geography, much in line with our growth strategy. The characters that Megha has brought to life on the big screen exude a certain freshness and charm that resonates with CakeZones philosophy of spreading joy and being part of peoples happy occasions.
Commenting on her association with CakeZone, Megha Akash said, It is so exciting to be part of a young and vibrant brand like CakeZone that promises to make celebrations and special occasions sweeter with their offering. I admire the companys plans to make delicious and quality desserts widely available. Knowing how Curefoods India has come to become one of the most dependable food platforms in the country, I cannot wait to see how this association unfolds and for all the exciting campaigns we will create together.
CakeZone was launched with the idea of creating happy moments for people. The brand currently operates in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Vizag, Mysore, Vijayawada, Mangalore, and Guntur and is slated to expand to all major cities in India to become the biggest online bakery in the country. CakeZone offers a variety of cakes and desserts all under one shop, with a plethora of designs and flavours to choose from without compromising on taste and quality. The brand offers custom bakes with door delivery for a seamless celebration experience.
Havas Media Tribes the strategic partnership between Havas Media Group India and the Tribes Group has rolled out yet another unique and high decibel OOH campaign of the year. And this time it is for Swiggy Instamart the long-standing client of Havas Media Group. This multi-city, high-impact, extensive OOH campaign, also includes Asias biggest billboard at Bandra Western Express Highway (ROB) Mumbai.
Swiggy Instamart, a pioneer in quick commerce segment, wanted to occupy a distinctive space in the minds of consumers by establishing two of its core propositions: instant delivery & instant convenience. Since the business of delivery is all about speed, transit and ease, what better medium to break through the clutter and resonate with the audience than the out-of-home medium through vibrant and eye-catching visuals.
The month-long campaign featuring 36 different smart creatives & vernacular content (a crucial part of this campaign in order to maximise audience connect), utilises 5 lac sq ft of the display area on traditional billboards, hoardings, unipoles, FOBs and bus shelters across key locations in 19 major cities in India - Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Vizag, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Pune, Jaipur, Indore, Goa, Chennai, Kochi and Ahmedabad, including Asias largest site at Bandra, Mumbai. In addition to key arterial routes, malls and airports were also targeted, DOOH was used to penetrate residential clusters, and transit media formats such as cab branding, branding inside metros & metro stations were also used for effective & high visibility.
Apart from its superfast delivery promise & expansive range of grocery products, the campaign also highlights Swiggy Instamarts attractive offers for first-time users.
Ashish Lingamneni, Head of Brand, Swiggy said: With Instamart now present in 19 cities, the overwhelming response we are receiving for this instant grocery delivery service is a testament to our mission to bring unparalleled convenience to our consumers. As part of our 360-degree marketing campaign, we used OOH as a key lever to promote Swiggy Instamarts proposition. Havas Media Tribes has been instrumental in identifying the right locations across cities while maximising our reach and visibility. We have received a lot of positive response for this campaign
Gour Gupta, CEO & MD, Tribes Group said: The strategic alliance with Havas Media Group India is an exciting partnership that gives us an opportunity to create meaningful campaigns for marquee clients in this competitive environment. The objective of this campaign is not just mass visibility but also tracking the effectiveness by mapping the coordinates of the sites to the orders received in that region. We created a plan basis Instamarts serviceability area, wherein the coordinates of each site were checked and selected precisely. The execution by the team was seamless and was no mean feat, given the logistical challenges involved.
Saurabh Jain, Managing Partner - South, Havas Media said: "The Havas Media Group and Tribes strategic alliance reinforces Havass operating system of MX, that empowers our clients with tools to build more meaningful media experiences. For a disruptor brand like Swiggy, we had to take the high road, a category leadership stance in the post-lockdown world, by launching this high-impact and meaningful OOH campaign."
Havas Media Group has been working on this unicorn - Swiggys account since 2016 and also bagged the media duties of Swiggy Instamart, further consolidating the agency's relationship with Swiggy. The new OOH campaign by Havas Media Tribes is an extension of an engaging and ground-breaking work that the agency has been doing for the food aggregators key verticals including Swiggy Genie (pick up & drop service), Swiggy Access (private brands) and now, Swiggy Instamart.
There is no denying that 2020 has left an indelible mark on the way we lead our lives. While masks, sanitiser and bottles of handwash were still added to carts in 2021, ever-lasting favorites like Biryani, Samosa and grocery staples like bananas reminded us that things are still somewhat normal. As another year of ups and downs draws to a close, Swiggys sixth annual StatEATstics replays what India ordered, ate, and ferried in 2021.
Note: The StatEATstics order analysis is based on millions of orders received by Swiggy for food delivery, grocery on Instamart, pick up and drop service Swiggy Genie and HealthHub between January and December 2021.
Top food orders of the year:
Jab tak rahega Swiggy pe Samosa - The most binged snack of the year was the Samosa with about 5 million orders on Swiggy thats one Samosa for every New Zealander!
The Desi Samosa was ordered 6 times more than Chicken Wings. Pav Bhaji was Indias second favourite snack with 2.1 million orders
more than Chicken Wings. Pav Bhaji was Indias second favourite snack with 2.1 million orders However, the order history of the night bingers saw a twist. Post 10 PM, Indias night owls looking to satiate their cravings turned to Cheese-garlic Bread, Popcorn, and French Fries, more than any other eatables.
The rose-inspired dessert that rose to the top! With a total of 2.1 million orders, Gulab Jamun was the most ordered dessert on Swiggy. In second position was Rasmalai with 1.27 million orders.
India's top dishes in 2021: Weve been publishing this report for six years, and the mighty Biryani has topped the chartswell, for six years in a row!
In 2020, 90 Biryanis were ordered per minute and in 2021, India ordered 115 Biryanis per minute, or 2 (1.91) Biryanis per second.
Chicken Biryani is still the queen of our hearts and ordered 4.3 times more than her humble vegetarian counterpart.
The most common first dish ordered? Over 4.25L lakh new users made their Swiggy debut by ordering a Chicken Biryani.
Kasa kai Mumbai? While Chicken Biryani topped the charts in Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Hyderabad, Mumbai ordered twice as many Dal Khichidis as compared to Chicken Biryanis.
While Chicken Biryani topped the charts in Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Hyderabad, Mumbai ordered twice as many Dal Khichidis as compared to Chicken Biryanis. Speaking about Dal Khichidi, the search for healthy food on Swiggy doubled in 2021, and health-focused restaurants on Swiggy HealthHub witnessed a 200% increase in orders
Bangalore emerged as the most health-conscious city followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai
Mondays and Thursdays are when India eats the healthiest
Keto-The key to good health?
Keto orders grew by 23%
83% surge in vegan and plant-based food orders
Note: Swiggys food delivery is present in 500 cities across India
Grocery India wanted now!
Instamart delivered over 28 million packs of fruits and vegetables alone in 2021. Tomatoes, bananas, onions, potatoes, and green chilies were the top 5 fruits and veggies delivered in under 30 minutes.
This year, Indians ordered enough tomatoes to play the Tomatina festival in Spain for 11 years!
enough tomatoes to play the for 11 years! The total bananas ordered on Instamart outweighed the Statue of Liberty by 2.6 times. Talk about going Bananas!
Instant indulgence: 1.4 million packets of instant noodles, 3.1 million packets of chocolate, 2.3 million tubs of ice creams and 6.1 million packets of chips ordered online. In fact, chips were the top item ordered post 10 pm.
SOS, need it now: Over 70,000 packs of band-aid, 55,000 packs of diapers and 3 lakh packs of sanitary napkins were delivered in 15-30 minutes.
Over packs of band-aid, packs of diapers and sanitary napkins were delivered in 15-30 minutes. War against Covid-19 continues: 1 Lakh masks and over 4 lakh soaps and handwashes were ordered online.
Note: Swiggys express grocery delivery service Instamart was present in two cities at the beginning of 2021 and is currently present in 18 cities
Things India ferried in 2021
Food items approximated 48% of the total Genie orders . Interestingly, over 20,000 of these orders were for pet food .
approximated . Interestingly, . Between April- June 2021, Swiggy Genie delivered over 600 meals per day, prepared by Covid heroes such as Sathya Sai Trust, Hyatt Regency Delhi, Abhyutthanam Society, Massive Restaurants, Vogue Kitchens, as well as by home cooks and seva kitchens, specially to the recovering Covid-19 patients during the second wave.
The medicine category on Genie registered an increase of 288.79%. Customers ordered a wide range of over-the-counter medicines, including homeopathic and ayurvedic.
Did you know? A Swiggy Genie delivery partner from Bangalore travelled 42 km to deliver an Oxygen flowmeter.
Food and grocery followed by medicines, rounded off the top 3 categories for Genie deliveries
The long and short of it: The maximum distance travelled by a delivery partner was 55.5 KMs to deliver a food package in Bangalore. The shortest distance? To a store 200 meters away from a customers doorstep to pick up a tongue cleaner!
Note: Swiggy pick up and drop service Genie is present in 68 cities.
Despite a growing inclination towards veganism, Indians continue to enjoy their meat
While Chicken was Indias preferred choice of non-vegetarian food, Ready to Cook meats evolved into the new favorite category in meat for this year
Across Cities, Chicken Curry Cut was the most favorite meat item. Bhubaneswar and Central Goa however, preferred Chicken legs and breast.
Biryani is not only Indias favorite dish, but Chicken Biryani Cut is also a favorite on Swiggys Meat Stores. It was the fourth most ordered meat item.
Note: Swiggy Meat Stores is available in top cities
Swiggys believe it or not- 2021 edition:
Chennai turned out to be the most generous city where a Swiggy delivery partner was tipped Rs. 6000 for a single order
Bangaloreans' love for Dosas is awe-inspiring: Not only did Bangalore top the charts for ordering Dosas, Dosa batter was also very popularly ordered by people in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai - with Instamart delivering over 8 lakh Kgs of batter in 2021
of batter in 2021 A Biryani lover in Kolkata made a Swiggy Genie delivery partner to travel 39.3 Kms from home to bring her her favorite Mutton Biryani!
7-9 PM seemed to be the happy hours for food lovers with maximum orders being placed then
Talking about happiness, a Swiggy Genie travelled 43.3 Kms to deliver a box of brownies to a customer at the Hyderabad Airport- now thats a happy ending were glad we were a part of!
Pan Asian, Indian, and Chinese were the top 3 cuisines ordered, followed by Mexican and Korean.
Over 80% of customers opted to pay online, instead of paying by cash on delivery.
In a single order, a customer in Kolkata ordered 15.4 Kgs of Hilsa from Swiggy Meat Stores
A city-wise look at food preferences on Swiggy :
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) said that two Kashmir-related websites and 20 YouTube channels have been blocked because they "belong to a coordinated misinformation network operating from Pakistan."
The two separate directives for the channels and website were the first issued by the ministry under the new information technology guidelines, which will be announced on February 25th of this year.
They were provided as part of a "coordinated operation with intelligence services," according to the ministry.
"The channels were utilised to distribute divisive information in a planned way on issues such as Kashmir, the Indian Army, minority populations in India, Ram Mandir, (late CDS) General Bipin Rawat, and others," the ministry said in a statement.
The Naya Pakistan Group (NPG), which operates out of Pakistan and has a network of YouTube channels with a total user base of at least 3.5 million, is one of the 20 YouTube channels ordered to be disabled. According to the ministry, their videos have received over 550 million views.
Nucleus PR, a prestigious boutique firm headquartered in Bangalore, today announced the launch of its Reel Team that promises to transform the Instagram page of your business. Aimed at small businesses, the team will leverage the power of reels to enhance both reach and engagement for brand Instagram pages.
The NPR Reel Team will collaborate with entrepreneurs and the existing social media agency ecosystem to enhance the Instagram page visibility, as per the specific business requirements via reels.
Tarunjeet Rattan, Managing Partner Nucleus PR said: Consumers today want to consume quick information that entertains and educates them, in their language. Instagram Reels offers a rich potential to create content that connects with focused consumers along with the flexibility of bringing alive content with tonalities. We ran a pilot project for our existing clients for the last quarter, which yielded immense results and opened up avenues for this new venture.
Storytelling has always been the core of PR and social media today is less about hard sell and more about connecting with authentic communication that resonates with consumers. We now transform our creative skills to reels, to assist small business owners create, kickstart or simply be the conversation amongst their target audiences. A new journey that entails using the power of wordplay through a different platform".
Instagram Reels needs to be an essential part of your social media strategy that communicates a brand personality and connects with your audience inviting them in to create a community that aspires, connects and inspires together.
Nucleus PR handles clients across MNCs, SMEs and start-ups. Their strategic approach towards PR enables clients to leverage PR towards meeting their business goals. Their range of services includes overall reputation management, crisis communication and editorial services, among others. And now as they complete 14 years in the industry, they add an innovative REEL Team to their bouquet of services.
Welspun Group has launched its new corporate ad film, Many Reasons To Smile. Being popularly known among consumers for its home textile products like towels and bed sheets, Welspun is a leading conglomerate with a presence across diverse sectors, namely line pipes, warehousing, infrastructure, and flooring. The motivation behind the corporate campaign was to build salience and equity for Welspun as a group company and spur recognition for its various other lauded businesses.
The newly-released brand film brings alive the familiarity of Welspun in the daily lives of consumers, while highlighting the stories that make the brand warm, familiar and human. As Welspun works towards a happier planet, the film recognizes the idea of giving many reasons to smile to its various stakeholders, consumers and the communities whose lives they impact positively.
The Many Reasons to Smile campaign highlights the fact that we are guided by a strong consumer focus in everything we do, and we are growing with the communities we serve and operate in. The film embodies the joy of putting one's trust in a company that has made its presence felt in more ways than one, said Dipali Goenka, CEO & Jt. MD, Welspun India Ltd. We are telling a powerful story of who we are, what we offer and how we are championing our purpose. We are guided by our values to positively impact the stakeholders through innovation, technology, inclusive and sustainable growth," she added.
Conceptualized and executed by Ogilvy India, the digital film showcases how Welspun Group has been creating value for India's families and communities. Made in a montage style set against an original background score, universal images of happiness are creatively used in a free-flowing narrative: children playing with water; an old couple caught in the rain having their hair dried by their grandchildren with towels; a mother and daughter building a tent out of bed sheets, a warehouse professional wearing a satisfied smile while going about his job, a father and son enjoying playtime on the floor of their home. This simply highlights how Welspun Group has given these individuals many reasons to smile.
Commenting on this campaign, Piyush Pandey, Chairman of Global Creative & Executive Chairman, Ogilvy India, said, Making this ad was an interesting exercise. It was about touching peoples hearts while sharing the story of Welspun touching their lives in so many ways. I enjoyed being a part of the team in its creation. Welspun has great stories of sustainability and I look forward to sharing those in the coming days.
Federal Office for Gender Equality
Bern, 22.12.2021 - With the tensions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, stressful situations in families and relationships may increase over the coming festive season. The Conference of Cantonal Directors of Social Services (CDSS) and the Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE) are launching a social media campaign to better inform those affected by violence about the assistance offered by Victim Support Switzerland.
The campaign targets both young victims of parental violence as well as adults and elderly people who are affected by domestic violence. They can contact the existing support services in all cantons for help. The victim counselling centres and shelters will continue to offer their services as always over the festive season.
The campaign against domestic violence remains a priority for the Confederation and the cantons. The Domestic Violence and Corona Task Force was created at the start of the pandemic. In 2020, it ran two social media campaigns. A total of 2.3 million people were contacted, 600,000 of them were young people. The Task Force acts as an interface between the authorities, continuously monitoring the situation and ensuring coordination between the agencies involved. At present, the number of reports of domestic violence, though high, is mostly stable.
The task force comprises the responsible federal agencies (Federal Office for Gender Equality FOGE, Federal Office of Justice FOJ and Federal Social Insurance Office FSIO) and the responsible intercantonal conferences (Conference of Cantonal Social Services CDSS, Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors CCJPD and Swiss Conference against Domestic Violence SKHG).
Address for enquiries
Sina Liechti, FOGE Communications Officer
media@ebg.admin.ch, +41 58 467 42 04
Publisher
Federal Office for Gender Equality
https://www.ebg.admin.ch/ebg/en/home.html
General Secretariat FDHA
http://www.edi.admin.ch
The Chinese Communist Party no longer acts in ways its 20th-century kingpins had outlined in the partys founding principles. Domestically, it employs technologically repressive tools to force its population to abide by ideological dictates of obedience and collectivism. However, its strategy abroad has dramatically shifted to one which relies on the goodwill, narcissism, and stupidity of global elites. In its five-year plans, China has laid out in plain sight its desire to eliminate the economic and political sovereignty of nations both developed and poor. Its ambitions are reliant on a steady stream of capital inflows from financial institutions in order to fuel its globalist and expansionist agenda. By following the tenets of realist-leaning international relations theory, the CCP is playing a zero-sum geopolitical game to remake the world order to accommodate its rise. The U.S. government and intelligence community have given countless briefings and warnings to elected officials, financial hegemons, and corporate officers regarding their continued complicity and passivity vis-a-vis China. Yet, we have seen the admonitions fall not on deaf ears, but those of willful disdain for any sovereign-based approach to doing business. Populism, in its economic, political, and technological forms, may be the only hope for reversing course on our societys path toward the edge of the cliff.
Global elites have strategically championed the use of populism as a dirty word in the modern American lexicon to counteract its potent force for change. Mainstream media entities and their television lackeys have pushed a narrative of nativism and isolationism to make the term less palatable to the public. However, the populace is simply too vast and diverse to actually believe this propagandistic messaging for long. Populism, at its core, enforces the peoples will and claims against social hierarchies that are no longer willing to listen to their constituents. This potent force for change is required as the corporate internationalists have continued to refuse to abide by their governments requests to halt their sovereignty-diminishing business practices. In the face of government threats, legislation, and even corporate takeovers, the elites have continued to find alternate ways of engaging in semi-licit activities that ignore the peoples demands for economic safety and security. As a result, it is high time the public demand, and elect, leaders who envision a world in which the people have a say in domestic and foreign policy.
The CCP has quietly co-opted global elites for years, utilizing its influence organizations such as the United Front Work Department, to garner geopolitical wins for the CCP abroad. Ironically, these methods are quite similar to how U.S. institutions and Wall Street shaped the global order in the post-War World II era. If we are to counteract this strategy, utilizing globalist-centered policies will only exacerbate the problem, as fighting fire with fire portends idiocrasy. Corporate institutions will never listen to the will of the people unless they are forced to do so, and populist-centered economic and political legislation is the only legitimate tool that the government can utilize. Despite the Trump administrations efforts to employ export and trade restrictions on Chinese firms engaging in outright theft of sensitive technologies, capital markets have remained wide open and U.S. dollars continue to fund CCP-backed entities that create technologies aimed at rendering U.S. military and economic dominance useless. It is no coincidence that while Goldman Sachs alumni, among others, have conveniently dominated seats of power in the U.S. government since China had announced its reform and opening up strategy to the world, we have seen a slow-rolling of economic strategy toward combatting Chinese aggressiveness. For example, the Trump administration had envisaged greater economic freedom and decoupling from Chinese institutions. Yet, following the appointment of Goldman alum Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary, many of the policies that the campaign had formulated to properly secure American financial interests had been watered down. The valiant efforts of the hawks in the administration were tamed, and Munchins clique was able to pacify Wall Street by leaving capital markets virtually untouched.
The next U.S. administration must focus on ensuring that it is staffed by national security and economic experts whose focus will, and always will, be ensuring that the American populaces interest is at the forefront of every policy issue. The corporate internationalist sentiment that is still so entrenched in policymaking today is only feeding Chinas expansionist agenda. Organizations like the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees are needed to ensure that future administrations are staffed with employees loyal to the country first, above any personal or corporate interest. Populist officials must work downstream to win national and subnational elections to prop up the necessary human infrastructure to enable economic and national security policy that protects American innovation, security, and financial strategy. The new administration will also have to limit Chinas access to backdoor relationships with legacy officials, within both the foreign policy establishment and financial markets, in order to pursue a truly independent and forward-leaning competitive strategy. The U.S. has a systemic issue of allowing prior officials, often with antithetical views to the current administration, to exercise undue influence on and subvert U.S. domestic and foreign policy. In order to actually implement populist policies that benefit American workers, these practices must be halted immediately.
Global media will lambast any notion of populist sentiment in American policymaking as being combative with U.S. allies overseas. This, again, is a false idea. If nations acted in ways that are truly responsible to the sovereign, then global relations between the sovereign would naturally align. Unelected despots have compromised the idea that nationalism would actually bring populations closer together by allowing governments to freely define their shared interests, without the fear of upsetting their corporate financiers. The CCP is continuing to use the co-opted internationalist middlemen to obstruct cooperative economic and security policies among like-minded nations. America, because of its security and currency-based dominance, must set the example that obstruction in policy will no longer be tolerated. The result will be twofold: the ability of governments to finally rid themselves of the CCPs exploitative initiatives and the potential for the American public to once again speak for itself.
Image: Gage Skidmore
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If James Madison rose from his grave today, hed be astonished. Not that a demented, corrupt scoundrel was now serving in the same office he once heldas astonishing as that is. Nor that the federal government had metastasized into a liberty devouring leviathan that towers over his great state of Virginia. What would surprise him is that, after nearly 250 years, his Constitution, no matter how tattered and torn, has endured.
Our classrooms have abandoned an appreciation for the profound genius of the Founders and the institutional gifts they gave us. Instead, classrooms breed contempt for our history. The Founders priceless legacy is the notion that government is established to protect mens liberty and, because men are no angels, that government must be limited, accountable, and divided.
Even today, the most elementary constitutional lesson is probably still taught: the legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch enforces the laws, and the judicial branch adjudicates the lawsbut today thats a lie. Unlike the obvious panoply of deceit cascading from every corner of the government and complicit news media, this lie, although more toxic to our Constitution and more dangerous to our freedoms, goes largely unrecognized.
We have an all-encompassing de facto fourth branch of governmentthe administrative state, the magnum opus of the progressive movement. The movements name itself is diabolical. Who isnt for progress? Faster, bigger, betterits the zeitgeist of America. But the Progressives wanted a different type of progress: to progress beyond the Constitution.
Teddy Roosevelt was our first Progressive president but his real damage was running for a third term under the Bull Moose party, thereby splitting the Republican ticket and ushering in Woodrow Wilson, a true progressive. He was an intellectual blinded by his good intentions and bred with a malevolent contempt for a Constitution that obstructed his ambitions.
Wilson, our only president with a Ph.D. (indisputable proof it should be disqualifying), was corrupted at John Hopkins University by a faculty heavily influenced in the Hegelian tradition (belief in an all-encompassing organic state as opposed to American individualism). Wilsons 294-page thesis was an all-out assault on our Constitution: The period of constitution-making is passed now. We have reached a new territory in which we need new guides, the vast territory of administration. Wilson viewed the Founders separation of powers as an unpleasant wearing friction depriving expert administrators of the means of making its authority complete and convenient.
To Wilson, the Constitution was an anachronistic relic written in the age of fighting kings and wholly incompatible with the modern day. Appealing to the science of the day, he claimed The government is not a machine, but a living thing. It is accountable to Darwin, not Newton. Living political constitutions must be Darwinian in structure and in practice. They must evolve.
Article V of the Constitution describes precisely how it might evolve but, impatient for change, Wilson had a better idea: All that progressives ask or desire is permission to interpret the Constitution according to the Darwinian principle. So modest, so scientific.
But what Wilson wanted was to radically restructure it: If it could not stretch itself to the measure of the times, it must be thrown off and left behind. Wilson wanted the government to be run by an administration of executive agents...virtually supreme in all things. At his inauguration, it is a wonder the Good Book itself didnt leap from his hand as he swore to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.
Despite Wilsons scholarly rhetoric, he was only mildly successful in his diabolical assault on liberty. As history has repeatedly shownfrom the Reichstag fire to 9/11 to COVIDit takes a crisis for men to willingly surrender their freedom. For the Progressives, that crisis was the Great Depression.
Image: Surreal Constitution by Andrea Widburg.
Wilson was the father of the Administrative State but FDR was its architect. For an unprecedented four terms, FDR interpreted a new Constitution complete with a fourth branch. A branch where executive, legislative, and judicial power were all wrapped up into one. The Progressives dream of efficiency was the Founders nightmare of tyranny. FDR gave us an alphabet soup of virtually unchecked agencies whose experts could regulate every aspect of American life.
To understand the scale of the outrage, the Constitution was written on four pages; the U.S. Code, the law Congress wrote, is 2652 pages; the Code of Federal Regulation, that is, the law of the Administrative State, written by unelected bureaucrats, approved by no one, accountable to no one, is 175,496 pages.
No better example of the unconstitutional tyranny of the Administrative State is the harrowing story of Hillsdale College. Founded in 1844 on the principle of furnishing all persons who wish, irrespective of nation, color, or sex a literary and scientific education, it was the first to educate both freed slaves and women even before the Civil War. In the mid-1970s, the Department of Health Education and Welfare (HEW) insisted that, because Hillsdale received federal funds, it was required to execute a Title IX compliance form that would have subjected it to all federal regulations. (This requirement, incidentally, originated in HEW, not in Congress.) The college argued, however, that it did not receive federal funds; instead, some of its students received federal student loans.
After six years of fighting at the bureaucratic level, Hillsdale finally put the matter before a real Article III court. However, this was not the path to easy resolution. The system is set up so that the process is the punishment insofar as it bankrupts people fighting the government. In one wetlands case, the EPA demanded $37,500/day for noncompliance, with the potential of a failed Article III appeal doubling the penalty.
Hillsdales loyal supporters made it possible to fight on. In the 6th Circuit, Hillsdale defied the odds and won again but a similar case that Groves Community College brought in the 3rd Circuit failed. With a conflict in the two circuits, the matter finally ended before the Rehnquist Supreme Court which, sadly, ruled with the agency: If one student took a dime of federal money, then the school must comply. Unbroken, Hillsdale and Grove, along with 16 other courageous colleges, now refuses to allow a single federal penny to enter its school, directly or indirectly.
Madisons Constitution has survived, even if in practice it is unrecognizable from his original vision, but within it lies the blueprint for returning liberty to we the people. Today, one of the most important administrative state cases sits before the Supreme Court asking whether the agencies should be given complete deference, Chevron deference, for deciding ambiguities and omissions in Article I law.
While the entire administrative state needs to be abolished, just as it didnt appear overnight, it wont recede overnight as well. The first small step back from the abyss may start with this decision. To paraphrase the great Ronald Reagan, if fascism ever comes to America, it will come in the form of an administrative state.
Huck Davenport is a pseudonym.
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If Los Angeles district attorney George Gascon has his way, the City of Angels will have sex offenders and violent criminals in their teens roaming free, under the pretext that they are juveniles. Never mind that they may be repeat offenders. Never mind that such leniency will encourage gangs to get their work done by those who should be in school or on the playground.
Thankfully, there is growing outrage against Gascons abominable ideas, and a campaign to have him recalled is gathering steam. It must succeed so that Los Angeles is spared the fate of San Francisco, which Gascon (as DA in 2011-19) left in shambles and, in the words of former San Francisco deputy DA Nancy Tung, with the reputation of a city where you can commit a crime and get away with it.
In L.A., Gascons Restorative Enhanced Diversion for Youth Pathway (REDY) program extends the privilege accorded to juveniles who have committed relatively minor offenses to those accused of serious and violent crimes. Such leniency will only reinforce criminal behavior by giving juvenile delinquents an early taste of impunity. Moreover, this is a dangerous perversion of the rationale behind handling juvenile criminals with kid gloves.
Why would a DA, whose job, first and foremost, is to deter crime through efficient prosecution, even consider letting serious crimes go unpunished? Why would someone in the hard-nosed business of presenting evidence and bringing criminals to justice step out of his domain to entertain quixotic ideas about criminal sociology that are best left to experts and the deliberative process of legislation?
The answers are connected to the leftist-anarchist agenda for destroying America. At another level, they relate to Gascons zero experience as an attorney. Perhaps also to the complex, wrongheaded psychology of a former police officer who is striving too hard to project himself as a progressive using the language of the woke social sciences. Witness his propensities for abstractions, like the name of his REDY program and his statement that his focus is on long-term sustainable solutions. Even the left-leaning New York Times ran an article about Gascons reforms, asking, How Far is Too Far?
The leftist-anarchist agenda for America is backed by multi-billionaire George Soros. In his 2019 book, In Defense of Open Society, Soros outlined a case to re-engineer the U.S. justice system. In 2014, he contributed $50 million to the American Civil Liberties Unions Campaign to End Mass Incarceration, designed to cut U.S. imprisonment rates by 50% by 2020. He has poured millions into the election of progressive district attorneys -- active catalysts for change -- who will put his ideas into practice across the country, including in California, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and several other states. He has also backed campaigns to slash police budgets.
Unsurprisingly, wherever Soros has succeeded, the consequences have been disastrous; crime has risen precipitously and conviction rates have plummeted. Perhaps the worst is playing out in Los Angeles, the largest county and biggest jail system in the U.S. Here, Gascon has served his masters agenda faithfully. His very arrival was a surprise. Fresh from wreaking havoc as DA in San Francisco, the massively unpopular Gascon made an announcement a month before an election in which his position was in play that he was resigning his S.F. post to run in L.A.
Facing Jackie Lacey in the race for DA, Gascon received $2.25 million from Soros and additional funding from the Working Families Party, a group closely allied with the Communist Party USA, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Squad member Rep. Ayanna Presley, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who mobilized her supporters to work for Gascons campaign. In short, Gascon is beholden to the leftist-anarchist ecosystem.
The second factor -- his ignorance of the cut-and-thrust of the courtroom -- is best set out by Tung, his former deputy, who wrote scathingly of the massive attrition at his S.F. office and the demoralization of staff who know their supposed leader has never been in their shoes in court. She generously gave her boss a B-minus.
Once sworn in as L.A.s district attorney, Gascon, whose first meeting was with BLM, pledged to end tough on crime prosecutions, release inmates from overcrowded prisons and hold police accountable for misconduct. He wrote an open letter to the LAPD accusing them of engaging in unconstitutional policing. In addition, he said, juveniles would no longer be prosecuted as adults, regardless of their circumstances or criminal history. True to his word -- and to the horror of many, including his staff -- he introduced REDY as a pilot program in November and expanded it to include juveniles who have used weapons or force to commit robbery or sexual assault.
Like Tung, Gascons deputy in L.A., John McKinney, is frustrated and alarmed. He wants the new provisions removed, especially because sexual battery against children by older teens is a big problem in the county. He also describes other REDY provisions as grossly irresponsible and gravely impacting safety, citing a spate of smash-and-grab robberies by juveniles. He characterizes the program as political payback -- a means for Gascon to show Soros and his other supporters that he is promoting their political agenda. Public safety isnt part of the equation.
Gascon has also ignored harsh practicalities: there is a shortage of programs that accept youthful offenders from L.A. County. Those with strict eligibility criteria will not accept gang members, juveniles who used a weapon, or any antisocial youth seen as unresponsive to the treatment they provide. So these criminals will remain at large, without any oversight. Plus, with the advent of the pandemic, even appropriate candidates are being counseled via Zoom meetings. In all ways, REDY is a golden opportunity for adult felons to solicit a juvenile to commit violent crimes while they watch from the periphery.
With Gascon continuing to roll back all tough-on-crime measures like the death penalty, the elimination of criminal enhancement, and the prosecution of juveniles who commit serious crimes, its not difficult to understand why theres an effort to have him recalled. At a December 8th press conference, he boasted of turning around the criminal-legal system to make it more humane, more equitable -- again the newspeak beloved by the Left.
But L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, from the trenches of crime-fighting, had a sharp and relevant response. He said he had hoped Gascon would use the press conference to resign which is what anyone would expect from a DA who will not prosecute criminals, values offenders over victims, and has received a formal vote of no confidence from 31 cities.
The crime figures Villanueva gives also scream for Gascon to go: L.A. homicide rates rose 36% in 2020, and figures for 2021 so far make it 92%. Assault, arson, rapes -- all up. The sheriff links the uptick to the refusal to prosecute 2,690 cases that would normally have been prosecuted -- thats 30% of all cases.
Taxpayers are having to hire security to protect themselves. Private security executive Joel Glucksman has seen an 80% increase in requests this year, thanks to the revolving door at the back end because the DA doesnt want to prosecute and got rid of cash bail. Frustrated police officers keep arresting the same offenders who are released back onto the streets in short order.
Disastrous District Attorney George Gascon has got to go!
Image: Shaun Calhoun
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Another day, another dead person, another beneficiary of the George Soros chaos masterplan of "bail reform."
This travesty of justice happened in Chicago:
A Chicago man shot and killed the mother of his children while on bond for being a felon in possession of a weapon in April and then fled to Texas, prosecutors said Tuesday. The murder of Jessica Johnson, 30, came just a few months after Edward Roscoe, 29, allegedly dropped their 4-month-old daughter, killing her. Roscoe is the 61st person accused of killing, trying to kill, or shooting someone in Chicago this year while awaiting trial for a felony. A total of 93 victims are involved in those crimes 25 of them were murdered.
Had this monster been sitting in jail where he belonged, the woman he cold-bloodedly shot and killed as she likely cowered in a state of complete terror would still be alive. His dead baby daughter whom he somehow "dropped" would likely be alive, too.
The woman killed was one of 25 murder victims who can't speak up about this "bail reform." She's also one of 93 victims who've been victims of such attacks, the non-dead ones likely recovering in hospitals for gunshot wounds or still taking the flashbacks of terror at what might have happened. Sixty-one of these thugs have been "beneficiaries" of bail reform, which means no or low cash bail, meaning that they were permitted to await their trial dates in complete freedom, giving them the time to even the score with their hate targets ahead of their date with the judge and jury. This fiend was one of them.
Bail reform has been a plague for years now, enabling violent criminals to walk free ahead of their trials. The Soros left and its allies have been calling it a matter of economic justice, given that many thugs don't have the same kind of money as people with productive jobs:
The ACLU calls it "smart justice" and is running a Campaign for Smart Justice on its website here:
After an arrest wrongful or not a persons ability to leave jail and return home to fight the charges typically depends on access to money. That's because, in virtually all jurisdictions, people are required to pay cash bail in order to secure their freedom. Originally, bail was designed to ensure people return to court to face charges against them. Now we know that simple solutions like court reminders often can achieve that purpose. And, the money bail system has morphed into one that perpetuates widespread wealth-based incarceration.
Here is their "logic":
This bail system has increased the jail population and made America's incarceration problem worse.
Memo to the leftists there: This bail system has also kept criminals off the streets and allowed many innocent people to retain some general "alive-ness." The crime rate and what bail reform does to the crime rate do not figure in their logic.
Crime in fact has shot up based on bail reform, and while murder is the worst of it, there are other significant crimes flaring up like sea monsters coming up from the deep. In San Francisco, Soros-financed district attorney Chesa Boudin has pursued a no-bail policy for looters, which is why any apprehension of these criminals always leads to the revolving door of justice. A bunch who got let out -- 14 mass looters who benefited from bail "reform"-- just got let out as described in this story here. That's far from the only case: "To be a victim of crime in San Francisco is a complete nightmare under District Attorney Boudin," said one victim, in this story here.
It also contributes to crime itself. Bail reform's defenders claim that bail reform is all about letting non-violent criminals out to wait. But obviously, that's open to interpretation. The fiend who killed the Chicago woman was out on bail for possession of a stolen firearm, something that by leftist definition was a "non-violent" offense. The career criminal who was out on a flimsy bail for trying to run over his girlfriend with a car earlier and then went on to use his car to run down children at a parade in Wisconsin may have been classified as 'non-violent' too, given that his crimes didn't involve guns or knives. If he wasn't, and was indeed classified as violent, that's even worse.
Meanwhile, the gaslighting surrounds this problem, like some kind of toxic penumbra.
Here's some crap from CNN's so-called fact-checkers about this, confidently spewing the Fake News:
Facts First: There's no clear evidence linking bail reforms -- which have been in place for years in some cities -- to the recent rise in violent crimes. In fact, the majority of cities that have seen increases in crime have not eliminated cash bail. Many variables have contributed to the increases Graham is referencing but CNN has seen no evidence to suggest that bail reform is a major factor.
Maybe these clowns can tell that to the 25 and climbing murder victims in Chicago alone who were killed by beasts on bail.
Sixty-one violent thugs let out of jail on bail reform, only to go on to kill others, is 61 too many. It's time to make the purveyors of this vile philosophy of bail reform start to pay up whenever another victim is murdered by one of their precious killer beneficiaries.
Image: Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free
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Medical triage is necessary when there are insufficient medical resources to meet all immediate patient needs in a specific location. When three soldiers are bleeding out after a battle and there is only one surgeon on site, that doctor must decide who gets care first. The same is true when there are three COVID patients in respiratory failure and only enough ivermectin for one.
A recent announcement by "Doctor" President Biden turns triage upside-down: he is taking medical care away from those who need it and offering care where it is not required.
Biden announced that he is transferring 1,000 military doctors and nurses to various civilian hospitals in order to facilitate vaccinations in light of the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19. A real doctor would call this triage malpractice.
Early data clearly shows that omicron is highly contagious and also not hazardous to public health. The CDC reports that 73 percent of all new COVID cases are omicron. Yet there has been only one death in the whole USA. That man was in the high-risk group i.e., he had serious pre-existing medical conditions. Furthermore, unless and until his autopsy data are released, we don't know if he died because of COVID damage or because of his pre-existing condition while the COVID antigen was simply in his blood.
Omicron was first reported in South Africa, and, therefore, they have the best, admittedly short-term, clinical information there. Their data and our experience suggest that omicron is much less hazardous to health than the delta variant, which in turn was less medically damaging than the original COVID.
In other words, COVID is behaving like other viruses. As it mutates, it becomes more contagious and less impactful with each new strain. So why do our president-wannabe-doctor and his bureaucrat-with-M.D. mouthpiece, Anthony Fauci, warn us that this winter will be a "season of illness and death" unless we follow their draconian mandates, especially vaccination and multiple boosters? Why is Biden gearing up to respond to omicron as if it were Ebola?
Biden and Fauci do this to keep the COVID scam, their big con, going. They hype up Americans' fear so they can justify their authoritarian, in fact dictatorial, mandates and actions.
The reason there is an insufficient number of health care workers is that thousands have been fired for believing "my body, my choice." They chose not to be injected with experimental gene therapy called mRNA technology and were willing to pay the penalty for exercising their medical freedom during Biden's time of medical tyranny.
Our veterans are literally dying while waiting in line for medical care. An internal audit by the V.A. Office of Inspector General concluded that "47,000 veterans may have died" waiting for medical care that did not come in time to save them. By transferring care providers out of military facilities, the president is doing the opposite of proper medical triage. He takes away care providers from those who desperately need them to give care to those who do not need it at all.
Can our veterans sue the president for malpractice or at least practicing (bad) medicine without a license? Lord knows they meet the legal definition of "standing": injury in fact due to action of another.
Deane Waldman, M.D., MBA is professor emeritus of pediatrics, pathology, and decision science; former director of the Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation; former director, New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange; and author of the multi-award-winning book Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine.
Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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"America is back," proclaimed Joe Biden as he gathered with world leaders earlier this June, at the G-7 summit.
French president Emmanuel Macron rather unsubtly declared that "it's great to have a U.S. president who is part of the club and very willing to cooperate."
If you followed the Democrats in the media and beyond, you wouldn't be blamed for believing that upon occupying the White House, Biden would instantly transform the hell they claimed President Trump left behind into heaven.
A great deal was made about democratic values and dignity for people "of color" and other minorities being restored.
Biden himself claimed, "'Everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity."
Then reality hit everybody.
Following the disastrous U.S. Afghanistan pullout, which left U.S. allies in the dark, Macron was among the first to be individually antagonized. Australia withdrew from a multi-billion-dollar defense deal with France and struck a new defense deal with the U.S. and U.K., shutting France out. Macron was understandably livid.
The rest of the promises melted into thin air as Biden waded from one catastrophe to another, ruining everything, from the U.S. economy to watching crime soar in U.S. cities to the border disintegrating into an unlocked gate.
What about respecting democratic values?
Parents protesting against their children being indoctrinated with left-wing propaganda were branded as domestic terrorists. Political opponents are being imprisoned in solitary confinement for participating in a protest.
An already obsequious mainstream media establishment was ordered to prostrate into total submission by covering Biden more favorably.
But this ignominious list of assaults on democracy keeps growing.
The latest victim is Simon Ateba, a White House correspondent for Today News Africa, a news organization that covers U.S.-Africa relations.
A few weeks ago, following the emergence of the omicron COVID variant after an announcement from a medical researcher in South Africa, the Biden administration imposed a travel ban on eight southern African countries including South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi.
That issue is significant to the African countries penalized because 57 countries have reported cases of the omicron variant. Some of the sanctioned African countries are not among them. But those countries' nationals were banned from entry to the U.S. merely because South African scientists discovered omicron. To Africans, the whole thing was illogical. After all, a variant being identified by a scientist in one country doesn't mean that the virus originated in that country. As we now know, omicron has found its way across the world.
The ban was illogical and unscientific.
If there had to be a ban, it should have been applicable to all 57 foreign countries where the variant was present, which is a questionable thing in itself, given that the mild variant is alive and well and spreading in the States anyway.
Simon Ateba rightly challenged White House press secretary Jennifer Psaki about the travel ban and even got into a verbal tussle with her when he suggested that the ban was racist since the omicron variant of COVID-19 has now been confirmed in 57 countries.
For attempting to sow discord in the White House echo chamber also known as the press room, a displeased Psaki shut him down and attempted to move on to another correspondent in the room, even as Ateba persisted in trying to get an answer.
Psaki offered denials of any punishment to African nations, but it was pablum. Ateba continued to interrupt Psaki and other briefing guests such as the White House's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Orwell once said that "speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act."
By following the ethics of journalism, holding the powerful accountable, and persisting until satisfactory explanations were offered, Ateba was merely doing his job.
But in an era of perpetually slobbering news media, Ateba's conduct was seen as an act of rebellion.
So there was more to come.
Simon Ateba went on Tucker Carlson Tonight to talk about his ordeal.
This was obviously too much for Psaki to tolerate. First, Ateba dared to challenge her and Dr. Fauci. Then he appeared on TV alongside Tucker Carlson, who in her mind is the second worst person in the world after President Trump.
Ateba was punished.
Last Friday, Ateba returned on Tucker Carlson Tonight to provide details about his punishment.
"Since I came on your show two weeks ago, I've not been called on at the White House to ask any questions. I've raised my hand many times. Some people told me it was a really bad idea to have come on this show and I shouldn't have come and I don't really know what happened ... and I've come now for a second time."
"We [Today News Africa] rely on subscriptions and donations. It is expensive to go to the White House and not have any questions [answered] because of coming on shows or trying to point out that the reason the Biden administration banned only African nations over the omicron variant, it wasn't based on any science. It was based on a lie."
Mr. Ateba has also pointed out that African reporters were not allowed to ask questions when African leaders visited the White House.
These bans are a frontal assault on the freedom of the press. It is ironic that this is occurring at the heart of U.S. democracy i.e., the White House press room in Washington.
If they had any ethics, the entire press would have walked out and refused to participate in the press briefings until Mr. Ateba was allowed to speak his mind and challenge the Biden administration's baseless travel ban. They would have castigated the White House for punishing Ateba merely for appearing on a show that is critical of the Biden administration.
If they had any morals, the likes of Joy Reid, Al Sharpton, and BLM, who cannot stop talking about race, would have made a great deal of noise that a non-white person is being silent for challenging the White House's discriminatory policies against non-white people.
But nothing of the kind happened.
There was not even a new espresso machine sponsored by Tom Hanks urging Ateba to "Keep up the good fight for truth, justice, and the American way."
Apart from Fox News, few have covered this disgraceful de facto ban on Mr. Ateba.
We all know what the reaction would have been if such actions had been taken by President Trump's press secretary.
This should come as no surprise. Since their party was founded in 1829, the Democrats have had a history of discrimination against non-white people.
They defended slavery, which caused the Civil War. They founded the Ku Klux Klan. They imposed segregation. They perpetrated lynching, and they fought the civil rights acts of the 1960s.
This is systemic racism.
This is a totalitarian cult that respects only those who follow orders and adhere to groupthink. No dissenters are allowed. If the dissenter happens to be a non-white person, he is the recipient of the most vicious of racist attacks.
Just recall how conservative African-Americans such as Larry Elder, Candace Owens, Winsome Sears, and Herman Cain have been treated.
To sum it up, the White House seems to have followed the Democrat record of systemic racism by doing the following:
Impose travel ban on countries populated mostly by non-white people.
Silence a non-white journalist for valid questions about the racist travel ban.
Block African reporters from asking questions when any African leader visits the White House.
These are a continuation of the Democrat's dubious record of systemic bigotry and totalitarianism.
Unfortunately, most African-Americans who have been brainwashed to vote Democrats will never know of this since it is barely covered.
Image: Screenshot from shareable Fox News video.
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Coughing all over the place during his rare public appearances, multi-vaxxed Joe Biden gives all appearances of having COVID. But if he does, he's got politics on his mind and therefore isn't about to be honest about it.
The latest nonsense then comes from White House spokesweasel Jen Psaki, who's making curious claims.
Following a report that Biden was exposed to COVID by a staffer who caught the disease, Psaki tried to spin the obvious to us about whether Biden has COVID, this time with a positively Jesuitical evasion about the president's status.
She claimed this:
.@PressSec says Biden is asymptomatic after his close contact last week with a staffer who later tested positive for COVID-19.
"He's asymptomatic. I spent several hours with him this morning and he is feeling great," she said. darlene superville (@dsupervilleap) December 21, 2021
Asymptomatic? As in, has the disease, but isn't coughing all over the place? That not only is dishonest based on the fact that he is coughing in public appearances but also implies a positive test for COVID. Asymptomatic people with COVID don't cough all over the place the way old Joe does.
It sounds as if she revealed more than she meant to with that remark, given that it appears quite realistic to suspect that Joe has COVID.
Twitchy has an excellent roundup of the public skepticism of that claim seen on Twitter here.
It's worth asking more about because Joe has been a coughing wreck for weeks.
Here's the news from less than three weeks ago, on Dec. 3:
President Biden explained Friday that his cough and raspy voice is due to a grandson who had a cold and not the coronavirus. He is tested for the virus every day and recent results were negative, he said. "I'm okay," he told a reporter who noted the difference in his voice after he concluded his remarks at the White House on the latest jobs report. "I have a [coronavirus] test every day." "What I have is a one-and-a-half-year-old grandson who had a cold who likes to kiss his pop," Biden added. "It's just a cold."
He didn't name the grandson, but the only one who matches that profile is the new offspring of his son Hunter Biden and his latest wife. (That's the same Hunter Biden who's quite the artist these days and supposedly the relative Joe never discusses business with. Seems they meet a lot, though. In any case, it's unknown whether the kid gave senile old Gramps any cold.)
A month earlier, Psaki herself tested positive for COVID. Of course, she would have no problem working in the same room with Coughing Joe, as she has natural immunity. That's a lot of COVID floating around the White House with its hyper-vaxxed staff, yet somehow, none of it ever lands on Joe.
Now, why would Biden be so eager to deny he has COVID despite his obvious symptoms? President Trump had no problem admitting he had COVID. Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the U.K. and President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil never hid the fact that they were sick with COVID, either. But Biden is showing all signs of having caught COVID himself, and the White House spin machine is working overtime to deny anything amiss to the public.
Why is he being so dishonest about this?
Most likely because he's been hollering and haranguing the public to get vaccinated. He's been so obnoxious about it that he even told a Kentucky tornado victim trying to get over injuries and the shock of losing all his possessions in the mega-storm to get vaccinated, showing his complete tin ear on how to deal with victims of natural disasters. He might have even spread a little COVID there as he said it, given the White House COVID Petri dish. Who knows? He seems to be in the clutches of some kind of Big Pharma corporate interests, which would involve forcing the vaccine on everyone, given the high profits and zero risk of lawsuits for vaccine injuries.
We all know that Biden's vaccinated many times having made a public show of it.
Now he's caught COVID? Like millions of others who've been vaccinated?
What it sounds like is that his vaccination agenda might just be more important than public health and decisions about one's body. Biden catching COVID puts that priority on the rocks, given that the public can see that these vaccines don't work very well and certainly don't stop anyone from catching COVID.
That affirms what vaccine skeptics have been saying all along that the vaccines are jury-rigged, they don't work very well, and many people would be better off skipping the vaccine and relying on natural immunity as a defense. With the very mild omicron variant going around and acting as a natural vaccine, that seems reasonable, as does the idea of learning to live with COVID and focusing on effective therapeutics such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.
But all of that flies in the face of Biden's hard vaccine agenda. If Biden has COVID, it would be Exhibit A of why that idea makes less and less sense, because the vaccines don't seem to prevent anything.
Fact is, the most vaccinated places on Earth, such as Gibraltar and Israel, have some of the highest COVID cases. It's as if the vaccines make people more, not less vulnerable to catching the new variants. Substack here has an excellent piece on the "pandemic of the vaccinated."
What we see here, if it's eventually found out to be true that Joe has COVID, is Biden putting his political agenda ahead of the public's health. Besides the bizarre desire to force vaccinations on everyone, there are also uncomfortable questions about the 25th Amendment which raises the question of whether there will be a President Kamala Harris at some time in the near future.
All of these things rank higher to Joe than the actual truth about the vaccines and about Joe himself. Can't this administration act with honesty? Seems they can't, given that the lies coming from them seem to be reflexive.
Image: Twitter screen shot.
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The Salvation Army, having faced a massive backlash because of November's "Let's Talk About Racism" guide, doesn't seem to have learned its lesson. It's now announced that, in January, it will be offering a two-day racial justice forum in Illinois. This turn to the left does not bode well for an organization that has already seen a significant drop in charitable donations since it decided to embrace leftist politics.
Since its founding in 1865, the Salvation Army has been one of the most effective charitable organizations in America. Its members have reached out to and helped the poor, the hungry, and the broken, both physically and spiritually. However, in November, the Salvation Army issued a guidebook entitled "Let's Talk About Racism," which seemed to be trying to shift its salvation focus to Critical Race Theory. The pushback was so great that the Salvation Army pulled the guidebook. Despite having done so, though, in some regions, the Salvation Army saw a precipitous decline in both volunteers and donations.
One would think the beat-down it took in November and December, in terms of both public opprobrium and financial losses, would have caused the Salvation Army to think twice about adding a big dollop of Marxist-inspired Critical Race Theory to its core theology. One would be wrong, however, to think that. Fox News reports that the Salvation Army's Metropolitan Division is offering a two-day long racial justice forum:
The Salvation Army is hosting a two-day racial justice forum in Illinois in an effort to "help alleviate the pain of suffering humanity within our communities and institutions" after the organization sparked controversy last month with a racism guide that it has since retracted. The Young Adult Racial Justice Forum, hosted by the Salvation Army Metropolitan Division, will take place in Hoffman Estates near Chicago on Jan. 8-Jan. 9 and will feature theologian and activist Esau McCaulley as a guest speaker. "We believe racial justice is an urgent issue close to the heart of God," the event description states, "and therefore are eager to create opportunities to disciple our soldiers and stakeholders in ways that will encourage deeper holiness and to provide those in our ranks with the resources to help alleviate the pain of suffering humanity within our communities and institutions."
One can get a sense of Esau McCaulley's politics by noting that he is a regular contributor to The New York Times. He's also steeped in the litanies of Black victimhood. In May 2020, he wrote about Ahmaud Arbery, who had just been killed after three White men believed he was a thief, played vigilante, and tried to "round him up," only to end up in a scuffle that resulted in Arbery's death. All three men have since been convicted of murder.
Image: Salvation Army WWI poster. Public domain.
In the article, McCaulley lists Black people unjustly killed because of racism. Some of those names reflect the tragedy of America's racist past (Emmett Till, the four little girls murdered in 1963's 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and Medgar Evers), a past that is truly long gone.
One name in the list, though, stands out: Trayvon Martin. Martin wasn't killed by White supremacists. He was a hulking kid, involved in drugs and crime, who was trying to beat George Zimmerman to death when the latter shot him. Only someone deep in Critical Race Theory would say Martin's death was the same as Till's or those little girls' deaths.
McCaulley's embrace of Critical Race Theory over Christianity shines most clearly in his article entitled "Why Christians Must Fight Systemic Racism." It's a very defensive article in which he insists he's not a communist and that he doesn't consider all White people racist. However, to the extent that he insists that America, the least racist country in the world, which has made racism illegal in both the public and private spheres, is systemically racist, he's advancing a purely Marxist doctrine.
Critical Race Theory exists in America because Marxists were unable to make headway with classic Marxist economic doctrines. Therefore, they went for America's weak underbelly, which is its racially fraught past. Whenever Blacks preach the CRT gospel, they can ignore the pathologies of their communities, the most profound of which is the absence of fathers, something traceable to the welfare state having supplanted men in the Black family. That's your systemic racism.
Ironically, the best antidote is what the Salvation Army used to sell: not a racist hustle but a religious approach to life, one that encouraged family and faith, both of which are the greatest bulwark against lives of poverty, crime, and despair. But since the Salvation Army is in the process of abandoning its core product, one can only wonder whether it will continue to do good and how much longer it will survive.
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The Belyana were some of the largest wooden ships ever built. Yet, they were only meant for a single journey.
They were built to transport huge quantities of timber along the Volga and Kama. Instead of just floating the logs down the rivers, they were fashioned into enormous ships and these large vessels were rowed or floated downriver. At their destination, the vessel was disassembled and the wood sold. Between the 16th and the 19th centuries, hundreds of belyanas were built every year and floated down the rivers.
With more than a fifth of the world's forests, timber production is one of the countrys oldest economy. Wood was logged in winter. Loggers would spent the entire winter in the forest cutting down trees and preparing them for transportation. After the spring flood, when rivers returned to normal flow, construction of belyanas started. They took the entire summer, finishing in autumn. First the hull was built using spruce beams and pine boards. The flat bottom was made of spruce and the walls were made of pine. About 240 pine and 200 spruce logs were needed to build a medium-sized belyana. The vessels were originally built without a single nail and only later, in the 19th century, did iron nails begin to be used. No tarring was performed, and the logs were simply tied tightly together. The lack of tar gave the belyans a whitish appearance, from which comes its name. Belyana means faded or white.
The load of logs, beams and planks was distributed in even rows with wide openings between them so as to provide quick access to its bottom in the event of a breach or other accident. In addition, properly laid logs dry faster, which protects them from rot. Like the hull and the superstructure, the deck too was made of a load, usually of cut boards. Two cabins were installed near the stern, and served as a balance and as quarters for the crew. A high transverse bridge was built between their roofs with a cabin cut in the middle, where the pilot was located. Belyanas were richly decorated with flags of the state as well as that of a particular merchant, which most often depicted the blessings of saints or some symbols appropriate to the occasion.
Small belyanas had a draught of 2.5 to 2.8 meters and could carry up to 1,600 tons. Medium belyanas had a draught of approximately 3.5 m and could carry 3,200 tons. The large ones measured up to 120 meters long and 25 meters wide, and had a draught of 5 meters. They could carry 12,800 tons of wood, comparable to a modern container ship.
Each belyana was crewed by 15 to 35 sailors, while larger ones had up to 100. Most of them worked on the pumps that pumped water from the hull, which tended to flood during the journey.
The belyanas had no propellers and moved by the action of the river. A huge rudder placed in the stern of the vessel allowed the pilot to navigate the belyana.
After a 2,000 to 3,000 km journey along the Volga, the belyana would reach its destination, which was usually Saratov, Tsaritsyn (today's Volgograd), and Astrakhan, where the timber and hull were dismantled for firewood or went to sawmills for final processing. The boats' cabins were sold as ready-made houses.
Belyanas flourished in the middle of the 19th century, when steamboats ran on wood, which had to be brought to the towns of the lower Volga. Up to 500 steamships on the Volga needed large quantities of firewood to propel them. After ships started to run oil, the demand for wood decreased. Besides, with the development of the railway system, the cost of transportation by rail became cheaper than by water, and belyanas became obsolete.
Wear OS may be poised to get the next-gen version of Google Assistant thanks to the Pixel Watch. According to a new report from 9To5Google, the Pixel Watch could be coming with this version of Googles digital assistant tool. Worth keeping in mind is that the Pixel Watch itself hasnt been confirmed by Google yet. Let alone that the next-gen version of Google Assistant is coming to the Pixel Watch.
But, evidence has been mounting that makes it seem more and more likely that Google does plan to release a smartwatch thats part of its now famed Pixel brand. And if the report is accurate, and the next-gen version is coming to Googles own wearable, then using it will be a lot faster. Something which could be a major benefit to people who tend to use the feature on their smartwatches.
Think about it. You probably use Google Assistant from a smartwatch in a pinch when you dont have your hands free to use your phone. Or to type the search query. Which is likely to happen when you need the results quickly. So why is this a good thing for users? Because the next-gen version processes speech directly on the device. Which translates to faster responses.
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In addition to the next-gen Google Assistant, the Pixel Watch may be powered by Exynos
The next-gen version of Google Assistant isnt the only potential new detail about this watch. Its also possible that Samsungs Exynos chipset for wearables could be powering this device.
Thats because the watch would need a powerful enough smartwatch chip to process the speech directly on the hardware. 9To5Google also notes some evidence found points to the possibility Google could use Samsungs components. Though again, this isnt something thats set in stone.
That being said, Googles options could be to use an entirely new chip that Samsung makes specifically for the watch. Additionally, it could also use the same chip thats in the Galaxy Watch 4. Which would mean the Galaxy Watch 4 could potentially get the new version of Google Assistant down the road as well.
The Essential Phone turned a few heads when it arrived in mid-2017 but was short-lived. The company behind it, founded by Android creator Andy Rubin, ceased operations last year. However, some members of the team regrouped to form a new company called OSOM. They are now working on their first product, an Android smartphone called OSOM OV1. The companys CEO and founder, Jason Keats, recently shared some information about the upcoming device. Keats also offered up the first look at the new phone.
OSOM OV1 is a throwback to the Essential PH-1
OSOMs first product is a throwback to the Essential PH-1 and hence the name OSOM OV1 (vault 1). Though not a sequel, the new device is designed to evoke a feeling of continuity, Keats has revealed. But the similarities may not end with the name. The OSOM OV1s design efforts are being looked after by the same person who led the design team at Essential. It will reportedly have more throwback to the original device. The new phone wont keep Essential PH-1s modular system though.
Speaking of design, we can see the OSOM OV1 features a triangular camera module at the back, with two cameras and an LED flash. Theres also a capacitive fingerprint scanner. The device has its power and volume keys on the right. And unlike most other devices, the OSOM branding is towards the top rather than the bottom. The device will reportedly run on a Qualcomm chipset.
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Unfortunately, we dont have any other information regarding the new phones specifications and features, neither do we know anything about its front design. We expect it to sport a centered punch-hole display with minimal bezels. OSOM plans to share more details about the OSOM OV1 at MWC 2022 in February. The company is targeting a summer 2022 release for the phone.
It is a privacy-focused Android smartphone
The Android smartphone market is pretty crowded and its quite difficult for newcomers to attract buyers. Perhaps thats why Essential had to pack it up within a few years. But OSOM is looking to carve a chunk of the market for itself with its privacy-first approach. The name stands for out of sight, out of mind, stressing that privacy is its primary goal. The acronym OSOM is also somewhat homophonic with awesome.
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Keats says the new company will try to avoid the mistakes Essential made. One of the things that hurt Essential was, it wasnt entirely clear what the point of Essential was, what we were building for, and that hurt us, he said. That was probably the biggest thing that prevented us from being successful.
Though the OSOM OV1 will run stock Android at its core, the company plans to accomplish its goals with three key pillars: privacy, simplicity, and choice. It will implement this approach across hardware, software, and marketing. The firm reportedly already has three separate pieces of software in development, though Keats isnt sharing many details about those.
What he revealed though is that OSOMs version of Android will offer better customization and privacy controls to users. Compared to stock Android, it will be 100-fold more powerful at letting users what apps are doing and what information they have access to.
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Though making software is harder than making hardware, Keats claims OSOM will give as much importance to hardware. Were still gonna build a great flagship-grade Android phone that people who like Android will wanna buy, he said. The company is spending a lot of time and money on making sure features like camera and app are up to snuff at launch.
As said before, OSOM plans to unveil the OSOM OV1 in the summer of 2022. It will be available in the US, Canada, and a handful of countries in Europe at launch. In the US, the company doesnt plan to sign up partnerships with carriers. Time will tell whether the phone manages to survive or it will be a repeat of the Essential PH-1.
(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 22 - The Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has attracted over 620,000 visitors so far, according to Paolo Glisenti, the Commissioner for Italy's participation at the World Fair.
"We are satisfied," Glisenti said at a recent event organized by Costa Cruises, a golden sponsor of the Italy Pavilion.
"The Italy Pavilion has become a reference point, a place of listening at the international level with over 500 events of these six months".
Glisenti said the pavilion, which features a replica of Michelaneglo's David, has also attracted over six million virtual visitors online.
Expo 2020 Dubai opened its doors on October 1 and runs until the end of October. (ANSA).
Police discover 308 unvaccinated health workers on the job Six medical, dental practices, two pharmacies closed
(ANSAmed) - ROME, DEC 22 - NAS Carabinieri health police have discovered 308 unvaccinated doctors and healthcare workers who were irregularly working, investigative sources said Wednesday.
During the operation, which began in November and ended today, Carabinieri police monitored 6,600 healthcare workers.
A total of 135 doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare workers were reported to prosecutors for working although they had been suspended because they had refused the vaccine against COVID-19.
The vaccine is mandatory for health workers in Italy.
Six medical and dental practices and two pharmacies where the health workers were employed were closed and seized by police.
(ANSAmed).
A new campaign is encouraging hairdressers and makeup artists with experience of working with people of colour to join the film and television industry.
The initiative is targeted at professionals currently working in areas including black hair salons, on photo-shoots, music videos, theatre and other live events.
Organised by skills body ScreenSkills, it is being backed by actors, directors and producers and aims to support the changing face of film and TV.
The initiative has been backed by producers including Barbara Broccoli, of the James Bond franchise
Sixteen places will be available for the first round of the training and suitable candidates will be given paid placements on high-end television productions.
Both Netflix and ITV Studios are among the companies who have committed to offer placements in 2022.
ScreenSkills said that all applicants will need extensive experience in working with black hair or with make-up for people of colour, though it is not expected that candidates will have both.
Hairdressers and make-up artists experienced in working with black hair and make-up for people of colour are being invited to join the film and television industry.
Paapa Essiedu, the Emmy-nominated star of I May Destroy You, said: My experience of working in the screen industries is that it doesnt work unless everyone is able to work in a way that makes them feel comfortable and confident.
A character starts with the actor but is finessed and completed with the help of so many people including hair and make-up.
When I started acting, my white peers would just get their hair cut by hair and make-up for their part.
The same wasnt true of my hair.
I would have to take time out of my day and use my budget to go to a barber my time wasnt seen as having the same value as my peers.
This sounds like a great initiative. I hope that it attracts people into the industry who havent known how to get in before.
It is really important that the process that is creating greater equality in front of the camera is replicated in crew like hair and make-up as well.
Barbara Broccoli, producer of films including the James Bond franchise, said: We have a great need of diversity behind the camera as well as on-screen.
This programme is a really exciting and practical way of finding talented new hair and make-up artists to support our actors of colour.
Those interested in applying can register for a free place on the introductory evening on the ScreenSkills website.
The session will discuss working in hair and make-up on film and television productions and offer an overview of the world of production.
Stretched nurses have pleaded with the public to get vaccinated and boosted over Christmas to ease the strain on the NHS.
Staff at Kings College Hospital in south-east London said that, while social distancing and wearing masks is important, getting both jabs as well as boosters is the best thing that people can do to prevent themselves from getting Omicron.
Nicky Barlow, 30, a critical care sister who works in the Covid intensive care unit at Kings, said they have found patients being admitted to hospital with coronavirus are younger than before.
Nurses in a critical care unit at Kings College Hospital (Victoria Jones/PA)
She told the PA news agency: We are very stretched from a nursing point of view, weve had lots of sickness due to Covid positive cases and contacts.
The nurses are all very tired because theyre all having to take on a lot more responsibility than they normally would due to the stretched staffing. Were seeing the majority of patients that are coming in with Covid are not vaccinated and theyre also younger as well this time around.
Outlining what can be done to ease the stress on them, she added: The majority of Covid patients that are coming in arent vaccinated.
All the patients that have had their vaccine seem to have not as bad symptoms. I would (say) get vaccinated. Ive been vaccinated, Ive had my booster, I would encourage all the staff to have their boosters. I think thats the best thing that we could do.
Wearing masks and social distancing is helpful too.
Medical staff urged people to protect themselves at Christmas and look after those around them who are more vulnerable (Victoria Jones/PA)
Dr Laura Jane Smith, 39, is a respiratory consultant in one of the hospitals two wards for Covid patients.
She told PA: Theres only so much that people can do, but the things that really make a difference is looking after themselves and really thinking hard about getting their vaccinations.
What were seeing is that they (the vaccines) do make a huge difference to the severity of disease. People might still have some hesitancy and I just advise them to try and make sure theyre getting really good information from trusted sources and just rethink to try and protect themselves and their loved ones.
We all treat everyone the same, unvaccinated, vaccinated or whatever, but we see what a difference it makes, and so we really hope that people could reconsider that decision.
Stretched nurses have pleaded with the public to get vaccinated and boosted over Christmas to ease the strain on the NHS (Victoria Jones/PA)
Kate Amy, 26, a labour ward midwife, encouraged those who are waiting to give birth to try and minimise contact with others before having their babies.
Were here to care for you, Covid or no Covid. Were still here, were still committed. Birth is always a wonderful thing, no matter what form it comes in, she said.
If you are able to minimise contacts that will be brilliant to keep you safe and to keep staff members safe. But overall, no matter what, were here to care for you and well keep you safe.
Dr Tom Best, a consultant in the critical care unit at Kings College Hospital, said he hopes people have a better understanding of how they can end up catching Covid (Victoria Jones/PA)
Dr Tom Best, 53, a consultant in the critical care unit at Kings College, said he hopes people have a better understanding of how they can end up catching Covid.
I think people do need to know and people do know the potential consequences and how dangerous and beastly this virus can be, he said.
I think we just have to look after each other, protect ourselves and look after those around us that are more vulnerable. Thats the thing we can do for the Christmas holidays.
The World Health Organisation has warned that no country can boost its way out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rush for wealthy countries to roll-out the additional Covid vaccine doses is making it harder for other nations to get hold of the jab and is likely to prolong the pandemic, according to the World Health Organisations director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu.
He also warned that it is wrong for any nation to think that boosters alone can guarantee that everyone has a safe festive season.
He told a WHO press conference: No country can boost its way out of the pandemic and boosters cannot be seen as a ticket to go ahead with planned celebrations, without the need for other precautions.
His comments came as new figures showed that more than 30 million extra doses of Covid-19 vaccine have now been given in the UK.
A record 968,665 booster and third doses were reported for the UK on Tuesday. The previous record was 940,606 doses on Saturday.
It means a total of 30.8 million booster and third doses have now been delivered, with 6.1 million in the past seven days, according to the figures which have been published by the UKs four health agencies.
The head of the WHO said that some nations are in the middle of blanket booster roll-out while distortions in global supply mean that only half of WHOs member states are on target to vaccinate 40% of their populations by the end of the year.
Vaccinator Rosie Buchanan (left) giving paediatric nurse Jordan Reid her the booster jab (Liam McBurney/PA)
He said: Blanket booster programmes are likely to prolong the (Covid-19) pandemic, rather than ending it, by diverting supply to countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage, giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mutate.
Its important to remember that the vast majority of hospitalisations and deaths are in unvaccinated people, not un-boosted people. And we must be very clear that the vaccines we have remain effective against both the Delta and Omicron variants.
He added that the global priority must be to support all countries to achieve our targets of vaccinating 40% of the population of every country by the end of this year, and 70% by the middle of next year.
Around 58% of all adults in the UK have now had a booster or third dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
This is up from 46% a week ago.
Police have appealed for witnesses after a 14-year-old boy was killed on Tuesday when a van collided with a bus stop in Greenwich.
The boy was pronounced dead at 4.35pm after being taken for treatment at a south London hospital following the collision. His family have been informed and are being supported by specialist police officers.
The London Ambulance Service, Londons Air Ambulance and London Fire Brigade attended the scene at the junction of Eltham Road with Kidbrooke Park Road.
Two other pedestrians, a 40-year-old woman and an eight-year-old boy, suffered injuries and were taken to hospital. Their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
The 40-year-old van driver stopped at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, and taken to a south London police station. He was later released under investigation.
Officers from the Roads and Transport Policing Command are investigating.
Detective Inspector Lucie Card, leading the investigation, said: This is a tragic incident which has resulted in the death of a 14-year-old boy.
Our investigation into what happened is well under way but we need anyone who witnessed what happened to come forward and speak to us.
Likewise, I would also ask any motorists in the area to review any dashcam footage that may have captured this collision.
It is vital that with give this childs family answers about what led to his death just a few days before Christmas.
Like mariners shipwrecked in The Tempest, tormented by a conspiring God, or Macbeth at Dunsinane, the cast and crew of Shakespeare in the Parks Merry Wives faced promethean odds. As told in the new HBO Max documentary Reopening Night, the Public Theaters endeavor to open Merry Wives as the first large-scale theater event in New York City last summer was as Shakespearean as its subject.
And here I was thinking this was going to be a boring documentary, playwright Jocelyn Bioh, who reset the comedy among a diasporic African community in Harlem, told Variety last week at an intimate premiere for the new doc.
Theater was the last thing on my mind, she said, recounting when director Saheem Ali first asked her to retool the little known comedy into a needed telling of Black joy. There were big questions for me: Why should we be doing this right now? Can we do it? And if we do, what are we going to say?
Beyond the monumental task of rehearsing a new play while innovating first-ever theater COVID protocols, the production, staged at the Publics outdoor Central Park venue, faced one impasse after another.
As the documentary recounts, extreme heat and torrential rain stalled much of the plays technical rehearsals. A nightmarish storm canceled their first performance, and, a few weeks later, a COVID case in the cast postponed opening night and stalled the production. The productions Falstaff, Jacob Ming-Trent, sustained a serious injury during a performance, and understudies and covers, seven or eight at a time, circled in and out of the cast through a revolving door.
We opened into chaos, Oskar Eustis, The Publics longtime Artistic Director, told Variety Monday. Still, not going on with the show was never on the table.
For me, he said, it was important that the first big theatrical event in New York City was free and in the park. It wasnt premium tickets on Broadway, and that was a statement we were dedicated to make, whatever came our way.
Aphorisms aside, the Publics efforts last summer, as documented in the film, were a test-case for COVID protocols in theater across the country, innovating many of the systems shows on and off-Broadway use today and studied closely by the citys many unions and trade associations.
We had to rethink everything about what we do, the productions director, Ali, told Variety. For example, when we started, there were no in-person auditions happening in New York City. We were the first to do it, watched closely by Actors Equity. We had to entirely redesign the rehearsal room. In an intimate and free space, how do we acknowledge that we need a boundary for safety?
Beyond that, he continued, we were returning to theater after a profound racial reckoning, and we had to figure out how to empower actors in a new way and grapple with a production of Shakespeare that had an all-Black cast for a reason.
Clear on Monday, however, as the cast and crew of the summers production took their seats in a small screening room inside HBOs headquarters, Reopening Night is more than a document of one production at a pivotal moment in the history of theater: Its the story of why we bother to make theater at allabout the toilsome, frustrating, petty process of putting it together, and about the collective natureunlike anything else in artof gathering to make and watch a play. Armageddonthe pandemic, the weather, the insurmountable oddswere merely propellant for Merry Wives. Reopening Night, and the endeavor it describes, is about dedicating oneself to art in the first place.
Without dismissing the fact that wed been through a pandemic, without dismissing the fact we went through a profound racial reckoning, we fell down in 2020, the films director, Rudy Valdez, said on Monday about the need to document the production. We fell down as a country. We fell down as individuals. We fell down as artists. And, to me, telling stories isnt about watching someone fall down. Its about watching somebody stand back up.
Reopening Night is available now on HBO Max.
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Handcuffs on dark background illuminated by flashing lights of police car with copy space
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) Florida authorities said they found cocaine and methamphetamine wrapped around a man's penis during a traffic stop, but the man denied the drugs were his.
Pinellas County sheriff's deputies said they stopped a vehicle driving without its lights on at 4 a.m. last Saturday. WFLA-TV reports the driver was arrested on charges of DUI and marijuana possession.
Authorities said they found a gun under the passengers seat while searching the car and discovered the drugs while searching the passenger.
The man said the drugs were not his, but didn't say who the drugs belonged to, according to the arrest report.
Yunusa Bawa, a community health worker, injects a man with AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in Sabon Kuje on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Dec 6, 2021. As Nigeria tries to meet an ambitious goal of fully vaccinating 55 million of its 206 million people in the next two months, health care workers in some parts of the country risk their lives to reach the rural population. (AP Photo/Gbemiga Olamikan)
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Nigeria destroyed more than 1 million expired doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday after authorities said they could not be used before their expiration date.
Faisal Shuaib, head of Nigerias National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said health officials in Africa's most populous country were left with little choice after receiving the donated doses that didn't have much shelf life left.
We had developed countries that procured these vaccines and hoarded them," he said. At the point they were about to expire, they offered them for donation.
Last week Shuaib had announced that Nigeria would no longer accept such donations, though he did not specify publicly what officials considered too short a shelf life.
Only 2% of Nigeria's 206 million people are fully vaccinated, and health officials have set an ambitious goal of vaccinating more than a quarter of the population by February. While hesitancy has been high, the country's vaccination rate has nearly doubled over the past week.
Nigeria has been seeing a spike in confirmed infections since it detected the highly-infectious omicron variant in late November, recording a 500% increase in cases over the past two weeks, according to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control.
The 2,123 new COVID-19 infections it confirmed on Tuesday was the highest daily tally since last January and the second highest since the pandemic began.
If we are going to overcome this COVID-19 pandemic, we have to do better job of ensuring better supply of the COVID-19 vaccines," said Shuaib. "No country will be able to eradicate COVID-19 ... until all countries are able to eradicate it.
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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
Samuel Hall, founder of Patriots for America, addresses Val Verde County commissioners in Texas. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
The militia leader came before Val Verde County commissioners at their regular meeting in this border town 200 miles west of San Antonio wearing a straw cowboy hat, boots and a T-shirt emblazoned with the American flag.
He introduced himself as Samuel Hall, north Texas-based founder of Patriots for America. For the last two months, volunteers from his militia which doesn't disclose the size of its membership had coordinated with the sheriff of neighboring Kinney County to stop illegal immigrants. The militia patrolled in shifts, funded by donations. They approached ranchers in Val Verde about running operations on their land too. Hall hoped to win commissioners' blessing at Tuesdays meeting.
We are expanding our operations, said Hall, 40. The militia has been demonized pretty well by the left. My goal and my objective before you today commissioners is to let you know that our message is pure. Were not a bunch of guys that have a hate rhetoric. Were not a bunch of guys that beat our chest or have the wrong intentions or wrong message. We are a Christ-centered, faith-based organization. Were a bunch of believers.
Samuel Hall, second from left, and fellow members of Patriots for America in Del Rio, Texas. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Militias have staked out the border for decades, but Patriots for America has managed to do what many others have not: Patrol armed, with landowners permission, in concert with local law enforcement.
The militia arrived here after Gov. Greg Abbott declared the Texas border a disaster and launched Operation Lone Star last spring, allowing state troopers to arrest and jail migrants on misdemeanor trespassing charges. Since then, thousands of migrants have arrived, including a caravan of Haitians that overwhelmed U.S. Customs and Border Protection last fall, prompting criticism of some agents who were photographed on horseback chasing migrants.
Migrant deaths have increased in both counties this year. Sheriffs said there have been drownings in the Rio Grande and bodies recovered on ranches further north. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union and nine other groups filed a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice, requesting that it investigate Texas agencies and local governments involved in the operation. Among their concerns: County support for militias.
Haitian migrant Junior Desterville, center, crosses the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Operation Lone Star goes hand in hand with white supremacist extremism including efforts to partner with vigilante groups, said Kate Huddleston, a staff attorney with the ACLU, noting it had yet to receive a substantive response from the Justice Department.
Were particularly concerned about violence due to the armed vigilante group presence and law enforcements willingness to work with them instead of ensuring that everyone in the county is safe, Huddleston said.
She said the majority of the more than 2,300 arrests under the program have been made in Kinney County, a conservative, rural ranching community of about 3,500 people.
The prosecutors are busy nonstop, Sheriff Brad Coe said during an interview at his office last week in the county seat of Brackettville, about 130 miles west of San Antonio.
Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe in his office in Brackettville, Texas. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Coe served for 30 years with the Border Patrol and still has Donald Trump stickers on his desk. Coe said he stays in touch with Hall, that ranchers have allowed the militia on their land and appreciate them in town.
When they go into the stores, restaurants, people love them. They say, We appreciate what you do, Coe said.
Coesaid when he started working with the militias, he received pushback from the Texas Department of Public Safety, causing concern the state would pull resources from the county.
Travis Considine, a spokesman for the state agency, said it didn't support partnering with militias. But he said the department never threatened to pull resources from Kinney County.
We do not want to work with [militias], but we do not control the sheriffs, he said.
Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, center, looks on as Samuel Hall, right, addresses county commissioners. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez also had reservations about working with Halls group.
Hall insists his militia is law-abiding. They vet members with background checks. When they encounter migrants, they use their cellphones to alert the sheriff. They don't detain migrants, he said, which would be illegal.
"They can leave if they want," Hall said, although migrants they encounter are usually too tired. "They've given up on their trek."
Hall met Martinez twice before the commissioners meeting and asked the sheriff to approach local ranchers on his behalf. The sheriff said he talked to seven. They dont want them on their ranches because of liability, he said.
At Tuesdays meeting, Martinez looked on from the gallery as Hall appealed to the five commissioners, four of them Democrats.
When we do come upon illegal immigrants, it is our goal to comfort them, not be mean, not be intimidating. We give them food, we give them water, we attend to any medical needs that they have, Hall said, including three migrants they found a few nights earlier in Kinney County very scared, very cold.
They had been walking for a month and a half from Nicaragua. In Spanish, the translation was they had been persecuted by their own country so much that this was the only path that they felt they could take.
He noted that he had met with the countys chief executive the day before, Judge Lewis Owens Jr., a Democrat, who agreed the county was struggling to cope with the surge in migrants this year.
People on both sides of the aisle are fed up. We dont have the proper resources, we dont have the proper infrastructure, to handle this crisis. So what do we do? Well, we have Texans like Patriots for America, Hall said.
Hall choked up as he described how, after a Val Verde County rancher allowed them onto his property recently, they saw discarded migrant childrens clothes, shoes and a toddlers life jacket. He said Coe supported the militia because of their humanitarian message.
We dont come in with any intent to hurt anybody. We dont come in with any intent to cause any fights, he said. Were here to make a positive difference, but we need your support.
Militia member Kevin Caldwell, 58, a former business owner from north Texas, spoke next. He told commissioners he had just retired, bought an RV and was about to travel with his wife when Hall contacted him.
"I put all of my plans on hold to heed that call," Caldwell said, insisting militia members are not "vigilantes."
"Those volunteers are hardworking people like myself that are making sacrifices understanding that what's going on down here is not right. We are a nation of laws and we need to enforce those laws," he said.
Owens, a former developer and contractor, said commissioners wouldnt be deciding the matter at Tuesdays meeting, but noted that migrant flows into the area had not slowed.
Samuel Hall, right, of Patriots for America addresses Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens Jr., center, and County Commissioner Robert "Beau" Nettleton, right. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Its becoming a bigger and bigger problem, said Commissioner Robert "Beau" Nettleton, the lone Republican, who owns a landscaping company, runs a family ranch and had arrived chewing an unlit cigar. There was a guy on my porch, a scout, charging his cellphone. Weve got to do something on the north end of the county. Those ranchers are getting overrun. And these are not people looking for asylum.
Commissioner Gustavo Gus Flores, who owns a hauling and trucking company, agreed.
Owens noted that days before, Abbott debuted the first stretch of state-built border wall to the east in the Rio Grande Valley. The county executive had been fielding calls ever since about what the state planned to build locally. On Friday, Abbott announced another $38.4 million in funding for the state's border operation.
The administration has completely abandoned the American people on this issue, Nettleton said.
Yes, Hall whispered in the gallery.
Samuel Hall of Patriots for America. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
Hall left the meeting feeling encouraged. Though the sheriff told him ranchers were not supportive, a couple were, he said, and there were a few commissioners I spoke with who seem open.
Owens, the county executive, was less optimistic.
I dont think theyre going to be needed in or welcomed in our county, he said, although he conceded, We agreed on just about everything we were talking about except them coming into our county.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Marysville, CA (95901)
Today
Foggy this morning, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High around 55F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 48F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. President of the Regional Council of Ile-de-France Valerie Pecresse calls for unconditionally returning 51 Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan.
At a press briefing with Armenian and French reporters in Yerevan, she said that what happened with Armenia in 2020 by Azerbaijans and Turkeys initiative was an important warning to Europe, Armenpress correspondent reports.
Mrs Pecresse also said that during her visit in Armenia she met with President Armen Sarkissian, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan. During those meetings we talked about the 2020 war. I expressed my full solidarity with the Armenian people in overcoming this difficult trial, she said, recalling that since November 2020 both Ile-de-France and the French Senate have come up with a number of initiatives aimed at adopting resolutions on recognizing Nagorno Karabakh.
According to her, the French government has also clearly stated that the responsibility of that war fully falls on Azerbaijan, as the latter has unleashed the war together with Turkey and also with the support of several Syrian jihadists.
I think that what happened in Armenia was an important warning to Europe, and it would be very wrong by our side to underestimate its importance and think that what had happened doesnt threaten us because the history of Europe is full of lessons that dangers have risen when they have been underestimated, Valerie Pecresse said.
Valerie Pecresse serves as the President of the Regional Council of Ile-de-France since December 18, 2015. She is running for president. The French presidential elections will take place in April 2022.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Pashinyans Office reports.
The meeting was also attended by Armenian deputy PM Mher Grigoryan and Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin.
The inter-agency delegation led by the Russian deputy PM arrived in Armenia for the session of the Armenian-Russian inter-governmental commission on economic cooperation.
Welcoming the guests, PM Pashinyan highlighted the holding of the session of the Armenia-Russia inter-governmental commission in Yerevan, wishing a productive work.
The Russian deputy PM in turn thanked for the reception and said that the bilateral contacts have been quite intensive this year, as several business missions, representatives of Russian business, who are deeply interested in working in Armenia, have visited the country.
Pashinyan and Overchuk discussed also the agenda of the Armenian-Russian cooperation and the economic ties. They touched upon the 2021 bilateral trade turnover volumes and praised the growth registered in the field.
Both sides emphasized the importance of making joint efforts to develop the commercial and investment partnership and fully utilize the potential existing in the field.
The sides also exchanged views about the prospects of restoring the transportation communications in the South Caucasian region and the activity of the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan working group led by the deputy prime ministers.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The President of the Regional Council of Ile-de-France Valerie Pecresse says that the 2020 Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against Armenia was a warning for entire Europe.
I think that what happened in Armenia was an important warning for Europe, and it would be very wrong for us to underestimate its importance and think that everything that happened here doesnt threaten us, because Europes history is full of lessons that threats have emerged at times when they were underestimated, Pecresse, the head of the French region of Ile-de-France and a candidate for the French presidency in 2022 said at a press conference in Yerevan as part of her visit to Armenia.
Photos by Mkhitar Khachatryan
During her visit the French politician had meetings with the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, the Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan and discussed the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war and the post-war situation. In this context, Pecresse called on the Azerbaijani authorities to unconditionally release all remaining Armenian POWs.
Pecresse believes that France can play a role in the solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in several arenas. One of these platforms, according to her, is the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, while the other would be raising the issue at the level of Europe.
You know that in January France will assume the presidency of the European Union, and I believe we have an important role here to convince other European countries to be more involved in solving the conflicts of the region, she said, welcoming the December 14 meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders under the mediation of the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
In addition, Pecresse is planning to organize an international conference in Paris in support of Armenia. She said the agenda of the conference would include issues of establishing and maintaining peace, as well as other important issues such as the preservation of cultural and spiritual heritage in Armenia and Artsakh.
Valerie Pecresse said she is very close to Armenia, and this trip is her third visit. Her first visit to Armenia was in 1990 when she was working at the French embassy in Moscow, when she flew to Armenia after the devastating Spitak earthquake. Pecresse recalled the French humanitarian support and the important role it played in rehabilitation works. Her second visit took place in 2018 after Yerevan hosted the La Francophonie summit and shed arrived in her current capacity to strengthen the ties between Ile-de-France and the city of Yerevan and to develop cooperation with the Armenian province of Tavush.
Recalling her 2018 trip, Pecresse spoke about her visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial, where she planted a tree at the memory park. She even re-visited the memorial during this trip and saw the tree which shed planted, and once again paid homage to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Pecresse and her delegation also visited the Yerablur military cemetery to pay tribute to the memory of the fallen troops. Then, they visited the Zinvori Tun (Soldiers Home) Rehabilitation Center where veterans of the 2020 war are being treated for their injuries.
As another reason for her visit, Pecresse noted that she is personally greatly involved in the protection of Christians.
We attach importance to the issue of protection of Christians because we arent naive, our eyes arent closed, and we think that today there are certain dangers threatening Armenia, but these dangers are also hanging over France and Europe, she warned.
Pecresse said she dedicates her visit to the youth, especially the mostly young men who died in the 2020 war and the over 80,000 IDPs. The youth is the future of this country, and it is highly important that they live and prosper in their own country, on their land. I know that migration is a very concerning problem in your country today, but Armenia is a very strong and resistant country, its democratic system is resistance, and this years democratic elections once again reaffirmed this.
She further noted that France ought to be more involved in Armenia in developing educational and cultural partnership, including by opening a French Institute.
Certainly, commercial relations are also very important, Pecresse added.
Pecresse announced that an agricultural lyceum will be opened in Tavush, and it will be named after the late French-Armenian politician Patrick Devedjian.
According to a press release from the Finnish Ministry of Defense, Finnish Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen has authorized the Armed Forces to enter into a procurement contract with Sako Ltd for the procurement of new rifles. The procurement contract covers the procurement of a sniper rifle intended for the use of snipers, and a rifle intended for the use of infantry group support snipers. In addition, the agreement covers equipment, spare parts, maintenance tools and training provided by the manufacturer.
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Based on the AR10/15 models of a semi-automatic rifle in 7.62 NATO caliber, Rifle System M23 features additional benefits compared to the currently fielded one (Picture source: Twitter account of Finnish MoD)
The procurement was preceded by Sako Ltd's and the Armed Forces' joint development work on a rifle system in the years 20202021. The first weapons will be delivered to the army before the end of 2022, and the intention is that training in the rifle system will begin in 2023.
Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen has also authorized the Armed Forces to sign an enforcement document with Sweden that enables joint procurement for Finland and Sweden. The Enforcement Document, signed on 21 December 2021, is a continuation of the cooperation agreed earlier in September, where Finland and Sweden signed a regulatory document on joint procurement of firearms systems and related technology. On 21 December, a regulatory document was also signed which in the future will make it possible to jointly procure ammunition. The total value of the procurement contract with VAT is approximately 10 million euros. The contract contains a provision for additional procurement for Finland, whose total value without VAT is a maximum of EUR 525 million. Sweden's provision for additional procurement will be specified later.
The new weapons are also related to the ongoing build-up of the infantry's night combat capability.
Semi-automatic Sniper Rifle 23 is equipped with a high-quality optical sight, which together with a high-performance sniper cartridge makes it possible for the sniper to fight various objects at a distance of up to 800 meters.
Marksman Rifle 23 is more simplified in its weapon-mounted equipment and is designed for use by Jaeger (Hunter) and infantry sections. This weapon increases the section's combat range up to 600 meters.
Based on the AR10/15 models of a semi-automatic rifle in 7.62 NATO caliber, Rifle System M23 features additional benefits compared to the currently fielded one, such as integrated weapon-mounting available for versatile accessories, including tactical night sights, and suppressors, increased accuracy, as well as a design that is both lightweight and ergonomic.
This project builds a completely new capability, and replaces most of the old 7.62 Sniper Rifle 85s currently in service, as well as completely replaces the 7.62mm Sniper Rifle Dragunov, sums up the Inspector of the Infantry, Colonel Rainer Peltoniemi. The rifle system has been developed together with Sako, and the weapons will be produced in Finland. This project improves our security of supply and promotes retaining skills and technology in Finland, as well as the ability to manufacture and repair weapon systems here.
The new weapons are also related to the ongoing build-up of the infantry's night combat capability. (Picture source: Finnish MoD)
According to information published by the INQUIRER.NET website on December 20, 2021, the Philippine armed forces will receive this month 20 Sabrah light tanks produced by the Israeli company Elbit Systems.
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Artist rendering of Sabrah light tank that will be manufactured by the Israeli company Elbit System. (Picture source Elbit Systems)
In January 2021, the Israeli company Elbit Systems announced that it has been awarded a USD172 million contract to supply an undisclosed number of Sabrah light tanks and Pandur II direct-fire support vehicles to the army of a country in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to information from Col. Anthon Abrina, the Armor Divisions chief of staff of the Philippine Army, the acquisition of Israeli Sabrah light tanks as well as Pandur II 8x8 armored vehicles armed 105mm and 120mm cannons are part of the modernization program of the Philippine armed forces.
According to the military balance 2020, the Philippine army doesnt have combat vehicles armed with 105 or 120mm. The Philippine army only has 7 FV101 Scorpion armed with a 73mm cannon and also a few M113A1 tracked APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) armed with a 76mm L23A1 gun.
The Sabrah is a light tank based on the ASCOD 2 tracked chassis manufactured by General Dynamics European Land Systems Santa Barbara. It is fitted with a two-man turret armed with an Elbit Systems Land 105mm gun and one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. Each side of the turret is equipped with a bank of four smoke grenade dischargers. The turret drive is fully electric with elevation and traverse stabilization.
Standard equipment of the Sabrah turret includes a fire control system, laser range finder, and one panoramic sight with advanced Electro-Optic sensors (Day, Night-Vision, and LRF) for effective day, night, and all-weather fighting conditions. The panoramic sight is used for observation and target aiming.
The Sabrah 105 mm gun system is fitted with an automatic loading system with 12 rounds ready to fire. It has an effective firing range of 3,600m with a rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute. The vehicle carries a total of 36 ammunition, with 24 rounds stored in the hull. The gun can fire a wide range of NATO ammunition including HEP-T (High-explosive), HESH (High-explosive squash head), APFSDS (Armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot) as well as advanced ammunition, T-MP-HE M110.
Union Health Ministry alerted States and Union Territories about the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron
New Delhi: Amid the emergence and spread of Omicron variant of coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold a meeting to review the COVID-19 related situation in the country on Thursday, said sources.
Union Health Ministry on Tuesday alerted States and Union Territories about the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, and said that based on current scientific evidence, Omicron is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
The ministry further added that greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action is required at the local and district level.
With the administration of 57,05,039 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 138.96 crore.
On Friday, the WHO issued an emergency use listing to Novavax's vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India
In August 2020, US-based vaccine maker Novavax, Inc had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India. (Photo: AFP/File)
New Delhi: Novavax said on Tuesday the World Health Organization's (WHO) panel of experts had recommended a third dose of its vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, for immunocompromised persons.
The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, known as SAGE, issued a series of recommendations, including the use of the vaccine in persons with comorbidities, breastfeeding women, and those living with HIV.
After reviewing Novavax data the independent experts said the vaccine could be used in pregnant women if the benefits of vaccination to the pregnant woman outweigh the potential risks.
On Friday, the WHO issued an emergency use listing to Novavax's vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, the world's biggest vaccine maker, paving the way for its use in low- and middle-income countries where rollout has been much slower than in Europe.
Novavax said on Monday it had received the WHO's emergency use listing for the company's own version of the vaccine, which it will distribute in Europe and other markets.
The company also said on Tuesday it had begun administering its first booster doses of NVX-CoV2373 in a late-stage trial.
The Modi government is misusing this gap in the definition of Aadhaar to extend the power of the State to identify and monitor citizens
Prime Minister Narendra Modi displays a neophytes zeal for the use of Aadhaar, an idea that he had strongly opposed when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. But Mr Nandan Nilekani, in a meeting with Mr Modi soon after he became Prime Minister in 2014, persuaded him about the virtues of Aadhaar, and Mr Modi became a convert. So, the Narendra Modi government in its first term in office brought the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016. Then finance minister Arun Jaitley made it into a money bill which need not get the Rajya Sabhas approval because the BJP did not have a majority in the Upper House. This was the first act of subterfuge. Then the government decided that Aadhaar should be linked to all bank accounts. So, of the 140 crore bank accounts in the country, 120 crores are now linked to Aadhaar, says Saurabh Garg, CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). He also disclosed that newborn children will be issued Aadhaar at the hospital soon. So, it is not surprising that the Modi government is now eager and anxious to link the Aadhaar number to voter registration as well.
But law and justice minister Kiren Rijiju went about his job in a round-about manner. First, he said that the move was based on the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee which included members from all parties. But he forgot to tell us that not all the recommendations of a standing committee are always accepted by the government of the day. And as Nationalist Congress Party Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule pointed out, the government should bring forward a comprehensive electoral reform bill which would include reservations for women. Of course, electoral reform of the comprehensive kind is not what this government wants. It is also true, of course, that it is the same with all other governments as well.
Mr Rijiju tried to soften the blow by saying that fresh voter registration will now take place four times in a year instead of one. The second reform of the bill is gender neutrality. Earlier, if a man was in service, his wife was counted as a voter. But this was not the case with a working woman. The husband was not recognised as a voter because of his working wife. So, the term spouse has been inserted. The third reform in the bill is that the Election Commission should give a notification before it can requisition a building for election purposes.
But the crux of the Election Laws Amendment Bill 2021, as passed by the two Houses of Parliament earlier this week, is that of linking the Aadhaar number to voter registration. It might appear that this is a facilitatory measure where a new voter can register himself or herself by using the Aadhaar card. But the intention of the government is something else. The law minister said that this is to weed out voters who are registered in more than one place. Or those who possess more than one voter identity card. The government says that the way to end this malpractice is to connect it with Aadhaar. It is basically an expansion of the use of Aadhaar.
But neither the Supreme Court nor Parliament had spelled out what the Aadhaar number is meant to be for. Is it a social security number as it is in the United States? All governments have fought shy of making this clear, or clarifying what its position is. It was initiated by the Manmohan Singh government under Nandan Nilekani, who mooted the idea, as a way of streamlining the beneficiaries of government subsidies. And that is what it should be. And even under the 2016 Act, it remains to identify the beneficiaries of subsidiaries. The question of whether it should be extended for other purposes has stayed unsettled. The Narendra Modi government is misusing this gap in the definition of Aadhaar to extend the power of the State to identify and monitor citizens. The Supreme Courts judgment that there can be legitimate reasons for State intrusion into the privacy of the citizen had been used by Mr Rijiju to defend the use of Aadhaars new function. At the same time, he has said that the Election Commission would use Aadhaar to check the identity of the voter and no other data would be brought into the public domain. It is of course true that given the Leviathan that the modern state is, it can even enter the minds of the citizens through psychiatric means as had happened in the former Soviet Union. And it can do so without Aadhaar as well.
So, the issue is not about the misuse of Aadhaar to violate the privacy of the citizen. The basic question is: what is Aadhaar, and what is it meant for. If the government brings in a law making Aadhaar an all-purpose identity card meant for all things, there would be no need for a separate voter identity card either. Aadhaar should suffice. But no single identity marker can serve all purposes. This dream of the State streamlining the lives of citizens should not be allowed. The use of Aadhaar should be restricted to the beneficiaries of State subsidies, whether they are farmers or wage workers.
Prime Minister Modi, with his love for technology, is enthused to bring everything into digital order, and all that he wants is to keep a close eye on every citizen. He is busy constructing Big Brother with digital reach. For a man and a party which believes the State is God, the surveillance apparatus is considered legitimate. Mr Modi looks upon Aadhaar as a remote-control device to monitor citizens. This idea must be challenged. His ideas such as one nation, one election or one nation one ration card is to establish the dictatorship of the State.
This is one of the evil ideas that both socialism and fascism share the supremacy of the State and the subservience of the individual. All political parties in India, from the left to the right end of the spectrum, want to use the State as an instrument to rule over the people. That is why most of the Opposition parties who criticise the BJP on this issue sound weak and false. The Supreme Court has, sadly, failed to check the expanding tentacles of the State.
by Paul Nguyen Hung
A parish in the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City has lost as many as 70 members to COVID-19. After pastoral activities resumed on 2 December, the parish build a Bethlehem cave in the church square. The pandemic has sparked communal self-help, including many non-Christians who received help at a time when they had no food or medicine.
Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) The parish of Binh An, in the diocese of Ho Chi Minh City, has set up a simple Bethlehem cave in the church square for the upcoming Christmas at a time when the country is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Established in 1955, Binh An parish has three priests for a congregation of more than 5,000, a community with plenty of vocations. In over 60 years it has given the mission 21 priests, 2 deacons, 33 nuns and 10 men religious.
Because the pandemic has been going on for a long time and is affecting everyone in this area, we built only a Bethlehem cave in the churchs square, said Fr Peter Tran speaking to AsiaNews.
More than 70 people have died from COVID-19 in Binh An parish since April. Three of its sections have been placed under tight quarantine lasting nearly two months, affecting more than 500 people.
On 2 December the parish began to reorganise its pastoral activities and resume celebrations, in compliance with the measures required by the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of the infection.
In the previous months, Caritas and volunteers handed out rice, vegetables and other essential items to families in isolation. They also helped people, especially migrants, experiencing physical and mental stress caused by isolation.
Volunteers also distributed free meals to lonely and sick people living in squalid boarding houses on the edge of town.
Over the past six months, Binh An parish has demonstrated the spirit of mutual help in the community, Mr Joseph Nguyen told AsiaNews.
Fr Joseph inh Hien Tien, the parish priest, and the other priests worked with the pastoral council and volunteers to support poor families and those who found themselves living these difficult times in residential areas, he added.
They were interested in everyone, Catholics and non-Catholics, and many people said they were very impressed for the help they received at a time when they had no food or medicine.
Two Chinese companies are awarded the contracts. Over the next two years, Power China will build 679 schools while Sino Tech will build 321. For UNICEF, decades of wars and violence have brought one of the best education systems in the region to its knees. In the first six months of 2021, Sino-Iraqi trade reached US$ 16.3 billion.
Baghdad (AsiaNews) The Iraqi and Chinese governments recently signed a number of contracts that would see two Chinese companies - Power China and Sino Tech build a thousand schools in the Arab country over the next two years. Chinese developers will be working with Iraqi companies.
The contracts are part of a framework agreement that highlights the growing relationship between the two countries, thanks also to the growing US disengagement from the area. Iraq has become a major destination for Chinese investment in the Middle East while China is the biggest buyer of Iraqi oil.
According to a housing ministry official, Hassan Mejaham, Iraq needs some 8,000 schools to meet current needs. Despite its oil wealth, wars, endemic corruption, and jihadi insurgencies have left Iraq with a broken infrastructure.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi oversaw the signing of the deal between China and Iraq. Power China is set to build 679 schools, while Sino Tech will build the remaining 321 with construction set to begin shortly and be over in two years.
Some schools should be ready by next year, reducing pressures on existing educational facilities, but the two countries are already involved in the next steps with plans for a second phase, with 3,000 schools, and a third phase, with 4,000.
Experts and international organisations have underscored for a while the shortcomings of Iraqs educational system and broken-down schools. Decades of conflict and underinvestment in Iraq have decimated what was once the region's best education system, UNICEF wrote on its website, noting that one out of every two schools is damaged and requires restoration.
For the UN Fund for Children, nearly 3.2 million school-aged Iraqi youngsters are out of school, this in a country of 40 million people, the World Bank warned, where the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated already low levels of education.
Zhou Rong, a senior researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that the China-built school projects will boost non-government "people-to-people relations and cultural exchanges at a time when US influence in the Middle East is waning.
However, the link between the two countries goes far beyond culture, with bilateral trade reaching US$ 16.4 billion in the first six months of this year, especially in the Kurdistan area, a gold mine for Chinese investors.
Iraq was China's third largest trading partner in West Asia and North Africa last year with US$ 30.1 billion in trade, while Beijing imported more than 60 million tonnes of Iraqi crude.
Today's headlines:High school students in India refuse canteen food cooked by a dalit; in Fukushima an underwater tunnel is being studied to pour radioactive water into the sea; one person is dead and dozens are missing in a jade mine accident in Myanmar; in China a 66 million years old dinosaur embryo has been discovered.
ISRAEL
A panel of government experts has given the go-ahead for the administration of the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, reserved - for now - for the over-60s, health care workers and the immunocompromised. The booster can be administered four months after the third dose, to make up for a drop in antibodies. The advisory has yet to receive final approval from the Ministry of Health.
INDIA
For over a week now upper caste students at a high school in Jaul, in the northeastern Indian state of Uttarakhand, have been refusing canteen food because it isprepared by a Dalit cook, once considered untouchable and casteless. Despite the laws, the episode confirms once again the persistence of a discriminatory attitude and "caste racism" in the country.
JAPAN
The operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, scene of the worst disaster since Chernobyl, wants to build an underwater tunnel to release 1.3 million tons of contaminated water into the sea. Enough to fill about 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools, it is stored in huge tanks at an annual cost of about 0 million and space is running out.
CHINA
A group of scientists has discovered a perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo that was preparing to hatch from its egg, just like a chicken. The discovery took place in Ganzhou, southern China. Researchers estimate it is at least 66 million years old and is a toothless theropod dinosaur (oviraptorosaur), which they have nicknamed Baby Yingliang.
MYANMAR
At least one person is dead and dozens are missing after a landslide occurred this morning in a jade mine in northern Myanmar. The disaster struck the Hpakant quarry, in Kachin State, near the border with China, the main reference point for the precious metals market. The sector, which claims numerous victims every year, uses low-paid migrant workers.
UZBEKISTAN
The khokim (governor) of the Fergana region, Khairullah Bozorov, told the regional assembly that residents with obesity problems will receive up to 500 sumo (about 40 euros) for every kilogram lost. The governor referred to WHO data that excessive weight is the most common cause of disease, with a global average of 55%, in Uzbekistan it is 80%.
LAOS - THAILAND
The project to build a hydroelectric plant in Laos is causing deep concerns in Thailand. Concerns include relocations of many villages, impact on fish fauna and safety. The Sanakham Dam, a billion, 684-megawatt electricity project, will be built on the Mekong. China's Datang International Power Generation is among the developers .
RUSSIA
In the Russian Orthodox Church, opposition to the anti-Covid vaccine QR-Code (Green Pass) is growing. While in the past this opposition was the prerogative of conspiracy-minded and radical minorities, today it is the Metropolitan of Ekaterinburg in the Urals, Evgenij (Kulberg), who has issued a "manifesto" against the "quasi-religion" of digital profiling, in controversy with Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeev).
May each one of us draw near to the creche in our own homes or in the church or in another place, and try to make an act of adoration, inside: I believe you are God, that this baby is God. Please, grant me the grace of humility to be able to understand. The pontiff urges Europe to open its heart to migrants. Francis also met with Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis spoke to about 5,000 people gathered in the Paul VI Hall for todays general audience, dedicated to the upcoming Christmas and the birth of Jesus, the event history cannot dispense with.
In his address, the pontiff said that we must ask for the grace of humility, without which we do not look to God, but to ourselves, as in a mirror. He also urged each of us to approach the manger scene to perform an act of worship to God. He also called on non-believers to see Jesus as well.
I would like to accompany to Bethlehem all those who have no religious restlessness, who do not pose the question of God, or who may even fight against religion, all those who are improperly identified as atheists.
I would like to repeat to them the message of the Second Vatican Council: The Church holds that the recognition of God is in no way hostile to man's dignity, since this dignity is rooted and perfected in God. [] Above all the Church knows that her message is in harmony with the most secret desires of the human heart (Gaudium et Spes, 21).
It was an angel who announced the birth of Jesus, and he did so to some lowly shepherds. And it was a star that showed the Magi the way to Bethlehem (cf. Mt 2:1, 9.10). An angel is a messenger from God. The star reminds us that God created the light (Gn 1:3) and that the Baby would be the light of the world, as He would define himself (cf. Jn 8:12, 46), the true light that enlightens every man (Jn 1:9).
The shepherds personify the poor of Israel, lowly people who interiorly live with the awareness of their own want. Precisely for this reason, they trust more than others in God. They were the first to see the Son of God made man, and this encounter changed them deeply. The Gospel notes that they returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen (Lk 2:20).
The Magi are also around the newborn Jesus (cf. Mt 2:1-12). The Gospels do not tell us who the kings might have been, nor how many there were, nor what their names were. The only thing we know for certain is that they came from a distant country in the East (perhaps from Babylonia, or Arabia, or Persia of that time), they set out on a journey seeking the King of the Jews, whom they identified with God in their hearts because they said they wanted to adore him.
The Magi represent the pagan peoples, in particular all those who have sought God down through the ages, and who set out on a journey to find Him. They also represent the rich and powerful, but only those who are not slaves to possessions, who are not possessed by the things they believe they possess.
May each one of us draw near to the creche in our own homes or in the church or in another place, and try to make an act of adoration, inside: I believe you are God, that this baby is God. Please, grant me the grace of humility to be able to understand.
[W]e must ask for the grace of humility: Lord, that I might not be proud, that I might not be self-sufficient, that I might not believe that I am the centre of the universe. Make me humble. Grant me the grace of humility. And with this humility, may I find You. It is the only way; without humility we will never find God: we will find ourselves.
The reason is that the person who is not humble has no horizon in front of him or her. They only have a mirror in which to look at themselves. Let us ask the Lord to break this mirror.
Humility is the only way that leads us to God. At the same time, specifically because it leads us to Him, humility leads us also to the essentials of life, to its truest meaning, to the most trustworthy reason for why life is truly worth living. [. . .] Without humility we are cut off, we are cut off from understanding God and from understanding ourselves.
At the end of his address, Francis said, During my visit to Cyprus and Greece, I was able to once again personally touch wounded humanity in refugees and migrants. I also noted how only some European countries are bearing most of the consequences of this migratory phenomenon in the Mediterranean area, while in reality, a shared responsibility is necessary from which no country can exempt itself.
The pontiff thanked Italian authorities for allowing him to bring a group of people he met during his visit. [S]ome of them are here among us today. Welcome!
As a Church, we will take care of them during the coming months. This is a small sign that I hope will serve as a stimulus for other European countries, so that they might allow the local ecclesial communities to take care of other brothers and sisters who are in urgent need of being relocated.
In fact, there are many local Churches, religious congregations and Catholic organizations who are ready to welcome and accompany them toward a fruitful integration. All that is needed is an open door!
This morning, before the general audience, Francis met with the Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk in the study of the Paul VI Hall. In this regard, the Holy See Press Office released a statement.
During the conversation conducted in a spirit of fraternity, some topics of shared concern were discussed, for which both share a commitment to seek concrete human and spiritual answers.
During the meeting, the Holy Father thanked Metropolitan Hilarion for his greetings and those of Patriarch Kirill on the occasion of his eighty-fifth birthday. For his part, the Pope expressed sentiments of affection and closeness to the Russian Church and to Patriarch Kirill himself, who recently celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday.
Francis also remembered with gratitude the journey of fraternity undertaken together and the conversation they had in Havana in 2016.
by Vladimir Rozanskij
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev, president of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Relations, is in the Vatican today. "The meeting with Kirill will take place when all the conditions have matured." The patriarch wants to see the pontiff again. The problem of Orthodox religious schools, with religion has regaining a pivotal role in the life of Russian society.
Moscow (AsiaNews) - A new meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) "is in the hands of our ecclesial diplomats, it will take place when all the conditions have matured," according to comments of the President of the Moscow Patriarchate's Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society, Vladimir Legojda, in an interview with Izvestija. The interview was published today. the smae day Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev, head of the Department for External Relations of the same patriarchate, is in the Vatican.
In the long interview, Legojda reiterated the patriarch's desire to meet the Pope of Rome again, but the timing of these meetings "depends on the maturation of the right conditions. In Cuba there was an urgency for the Middle East, now it depends on many other factors."
The patriarchal representative then commented on the situation of Orthodox religious schools in the country, after the unfortunate attack in Serpukhov by a former student with mental problems, who detonated a bomb in front of the monastery where he had studied. The bomber died, seriously wounding several people, mostly pupils of the nuns' school.
Legojda assured that the patriarchate is following the investigation very carefully, "children must be taken care of". In his opinion, the problem of non-believers forced to attend religious schools can be solved with a real welcome: "They should not be chased away, but loved even more".
The growth of aggression among adolescents and young people in Russia worries the Church, which would like to see greater selection in the films and stories that are shown in the media. "It would be naive to think of banning movies with murders, because it would lead everyone to kill each other," Legojda comments, "but one cannot deny the responsibilities of the media in the situations we see repeated almost every day."
He notes that this is first and foremost about unverified information, which leads people to believe even the wildest hypothesis. "In a culture dependent on literature and print" adds the patriarchal appointee, "it was easier, because at least there were editors, while the internet has radically shifted the parameters."
According to Legojda, this does not mean that it is necessary to shut down the Internet, "but the role of education becomes decisive, to foster a deep understanding of society, authority, the life of every real person. Civilizations have been built on systems of formation". Along with public education, the educational role of the family is fundamental, along with schools and universities, and religious associations.
Religion today has regained a central role in the life of Russian society, Legojda comments, "because people seek answers to the main questions of life and the world, so even if you don't accept religion, you still can't ignore it."
Religious studies, from the history of religion to specific doctrines are "the keys to world culture, to the building of tradition." Knowing authentic religious doctrines protects against forms of religious extremism and other radical expressions, dictated mostly by ignorance.
The pandemic has forced the distinction of priorities, even in the religious field. "One should not be afraid of death, but neither should one run toward it, putting everyone else in danger as well," Legojda warns. For the Church it is a very serious test, which has involved many people starting with Orthodox priests, among whom there are many "antivaksery," the Russian expression for no-vax.
Patriarch Kirill and many high hierarchs, however, have actively campaigned for vaccination, starting with the influential metropolitan of Pskov Tikhon (Sevkunov), son of a prominent immunologist. In any case, entry to Orthodox churches will remain free of the obligation to have certificates, while subject to necessary precautionary measures.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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ACC
The Dearborn-based automaker became aware of the issue on July 15th when Michigan Assembly Plant employees discovered that three of the four stations that perform radar calibration were using an incorrect program. The subsequent investigation revealed a lower alignment than intended, which spells trouble for the adaptive cruise control system and the AEB system.From delayed activations to false-positive activations, there are plenty of things that may go wrong due to this condition. A review of field reports found no incidents pertaining to the misaligned/AEB radar module.In the Broncos case, the affected population was produced between February 26th and July 13th. As for the Ranger, make that June 5th through July 13th according to documents filed with the National Highway Safety Administration. The Ford Motor Company has already informed its dealers of the upcoming recall, whereas known customers will be notified via first-class mail in the period from February 7th, 2022, to February 11th, 2022.Because the module isnt defective by and of itself, service technicians will not replace it. The fix comes in the guise of precise adjustment of the target position, a remedy that shouldnt take more than an hour from start to finish. Of course, there will be no charge and no reimbursement for this service.Going forward, the Bronco prepares for a very exciting 2022, although production still isnt up to snuff. Ford simply cant make them fast enough, and Jeep is probably laughing in the competing automakers face right now with the 2022 Wrangler s optional 4.88:1 axle ratio and 100:1 crawl ratio.Ford, however, has the last laugh based on the ridiculous price gouging of its greediest dealers. Ford enthusiasts can also look forward to a Wrangler Rubicon 392-shaming variant of the Bronco, the long-awaited Raptor thats been recently photographed with 37-inch rubber shoes from BFGoodrich.
SUV
Fortunately, our spy photographers also stayed tuned, and they captured several Maserati Grecale prototypes. The latest is the one in the photo gallery, which was spotted while going through winter testing.Earlier this month, we had a different Grecale prototype spotted, which was all red , but this one comes in blue. While Maserati is having a bit of fun with the Grecale-badged camouflage, the Italian company was testing various versions of its upcomingFor example, the prototype seen in the photo gallery is supposed to be the Grecale Trofeo , which should be the top-of-the-line version. You can observe that it is different from the exhaust, which looks production-ready and something worthy of the Trident badge.Moreover, this is a performance-oriented model, so you should expect an exhaust such as the one featured on this prototype. In addition, you can also spot different brake calipers, which are painted red, but we think that does not compliment the body of the blue SUV that much.Customers of the Maserati Grecale will be able to choose the color of their brake calipers, so at least they can have an SUV that will suit their taste. The Grecale is supposed to become the most affordable Maserati, so it will bring new customers to the Trident brand. It was named after a Mediterranean wind, and it follows the trends of the automotive industry premium SUVs with sporty styling.Maserati's newest product is set to rival the Porsche Macan and Jaguar's E-Pace. It will also compete with the more expensive versions of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and even the Volvo XC60. Those interested in Italian SUVs will also consider the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, which has provided its Giorgio platform (or significant parts of it) for the creation of the Grecale.
The next generation of internet wireless has created mayhem at a global level. Ever since it was invented, conspiracy theories have begun about how the new technology will affect us in the future. Are they right? Faster than the previous generations, 5G s benefits include less latency, better connectivity, and easier communication. What's the cost, you might wonder.Plane manufacturer giants Boeing and Airbus have raised concerns regarding the new technology. Boeings CEO David Calhoun and Airbus Americas CEO Jeffery Knittel wrote a joint letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to say the upcoming 5G rollout on January 5 could cause interference that could "adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate."Their concerns are over the radar altimeters that pilots of commercial airlines use to make safe landings with low visibility conditions. An analysis claims the 5G interference could affect hundreds of thousands of flights each year, creating delays or causing them to divert. The CEOs added that the impacts of allowing 5G to deploy, "are massive, and come at a time when our industry is still struggling," after the events of the health crisis.Their newly developed proposal urges to limit the power of 5G transmissions near airports and asks Bidens administration to work with the Federal Communication Commission to adopt a similar plan.We are collaborating with aviation authorities, government leaders, airlines, and industry groups to ensure the continued operational safety of aircraft throughout the aviation system worldwide, it added in their joint statement.Giant telecom operators Verizon and AT&T had hoped to start using the 5G cell service on December 5, after obtaining licenses worth billions in February. They postponed the launch several times, and, in November, they confirmed their intention to deploy 5G on January 5, 2022.
Arkansas isn't exactly an automotive hotbed either. I should know, I live here. But northwest Arkansas is by far the most innovative and popular area in the state right now. Canoo has decided to setup not just research and development centers there but also their very own headquarters.In addition, Canoo will also have a low-volume production facility there in Bentonville, Arkansas. It will likely be responsible for the very first production vehicles to ever roll off of a Canoo line.That's a surprise considering that Canoo had plans to build vehicles in the Netherlands and has already started work on another production facility in Oklahoma. Now it seems the Canoo believes they'll be faster to market by shifting early production to Arkansas.The brand is also shifting some responsibilities at the leadership level during this transition. Peter Savagian, former CTO, will leave his role at the end of this year.Sohel Merchant will take over the position. He had been serving as the Senior VP of Complete Vehicle Engineering and has been in the automotive industry for more than 20 years.Other additions to the team include Ram Balasubramanian, who will take over as Chief Information Officer, Dean Harlow, as Executive Vice President, and Ramesh Murthy, who will now be the Chief Financial Officer.This is a big shift for Canoo after they were under fire from the SEC in May of 2021 . Despite the difficulty, they still think that they can produce up to 6,000 vehicles in 2022. They also say that the vehicle will start at just $35,000. That would be sincerely ground-breaking at this point.
If that's the case, then you might as well make sure you're carrying around one hell of a home. And unlike turtle shells, which are usually one occupancy, Cornelia , a tiny house from New Frontier Tiny Homes (NFTH), is a home that can accommodate up to four people.By now, I'm sure you've heard of NFTH, as autoevolution has featured a number of their works over the months. NFTH initially started out as a father-son project back in 2015. Little did this crew know that they would be attracting the attention of teams like Disney and Dunkin Donuts some time down the road. Or did they?By the looks of homes like Cornelia, you can bet that this team had a solid understanding of what the public wants and need. Time to dive into this mobile home and see what NFTH is all about.If you happen to check out the manufacturer's website, one of the first things you'll notice is that Cornelia is marketed as a sort of artist's corner or retreat. This feeling or idea is sustained by features like a fold-down desk, floating bookshelves, and a 270-degree view of the world around from the loft bedroom. For a person like myself, someone people call a "writer," this sort of setup is absolutely magical.As it stands, Cornelia starts off at 155,000 USD (137,516 EUR at current exchange rates). Sure, it may sound like a lot, but you have to consider that you're really buying a structure worthy of being called home, with a triple-axle trailer to make sure you get to your plot of preferred land.For me to go through all the features Cornelia includes would take us about an hour to really get into things. So to give you an idea of what to expect for this sort of cash, know that NFTH uses corrugated aluminum, Shou Sugi Ban-charred Cedar, and a pergola completed from Western Red Cedar. Maple boards make up the interior siding and ceiling, while EPDM roofing, Typar Rainscreen and Housewrap, and closed-cell spray foam insulation make sure the elements stand no chance of getting in.Upon entering the home, the first space you'll encounter is the living room or study, that little writer's corner I mentioned, but there's also room for a modular couch in case you want to extend the sleeping capacity. From the living room, you'll be led towards the rear of the home. /there's a fully-equipped kitchen, bathroom, and above these two spaces, the loft bedroom, accessed by a ladder.Stainless steel faucets and sink, butcher block countertop, cedar shelves, two-burner electric stove, and convection oven are available in the kitchen. While there's no mention of a fridge, there's room for a mini-fridge for sure. To the right of the kitchen, a bathroom is fitted with a sliding door, waterless toilet, tile shower with glass door, and wall-mounted vanity and sink. While the colors you see are part of this particular project, if you ever end up buying a Cornelia, you will be the master of this dream Speaking of masters, check out the bedroom. It's here that a king-size bed awaits your weary bones, assuming you make it up the ladder. If you do, you'll be sleeping above the world below with that 270-degree view of the surroundings, perfect for lazy mornings and late nights. Recessed LED lighting and reading lights make sure your creativity is ready to go no matter the hour of the day.Now, remember, this sort of home is a fully customizable one, so make sure you let NFTH know exactly what you want, and they'll do their best to work the ideas into the plans. But bring some extra cash if you choose to do so.Starting to get the idea why tiny homes like Cornelia are starting to attract so much attention? Well, stay tuned because there are a plethora of manufacturers building some amazing mobile homes
It all sounds like a script from Punk'd, right? Well, real-life can sometimes be more surprising than a reality show with celebrity pranks. As AFP notes, Jean Alesi was taken into custody on Monday, around 4 pm, for property damage, after he went to the police station to clear his brother.As L'Equipe has learned, Jean Alesi only wanted to play a bad joke on his brother-in-law and decided to stick a large firework, acquired in Italy, into the frame of a window at the unnamed brother-in-law's office.The window frame of the architect's office was damaged, it seems, and Alesis brother-in-law filed a damage complaint against the former Ferrari driver but told local media representatives that he has no problem with Alesi. It is worth noting that the former F1 star's brother-in-law is currently separated from Alesi's sister, which means that this might not be the best time for bad jokes.According to the Nimes deputy prosecutor, Antoine Wolff, Jean Alesi borrowed his brother Joses vehicle and drove it to his brother-in-law's office with his son and a friend of his son.After placing the large firecracker in the window frame and lighting it up, Alesi fled the scene with the vehicle's lights off.A concerned neighbor from the French town of Villeneuve-les-Avignon (Alesi's hometown) decided to take a look at what was going on after hearing an explosion and noticed the car as it sped off, which prompted a call to the police.Early in the morning, Jose Alesi, Jean's brother, was arrested, as he was the registered owner of the vehicle. Jean Alesi did the right thing and went to the police station to clear his brother's name, admitting his actions.The former racing driver stated that he did not imagine causing such damage, as the deputy prosecutor told the media.It appears that the case's prosecutor, Antoine Wolff, does not share Alesi's sense of humor, as he stated that he is quite skeptical about the notion of a joke that was carried out at 10 pm, and "without the person concerned knowing about it."While the bad joke is poorly timed, and we advise against any attempt to replicate it or do something inspired by it, it also represents the definition of a prank.
The 5.7 liter Chrysler HEMI engine may not be the top dog as it was in the 2000s. Even so, there's still more than enough life to squeeze out of these old Mopars than most will give it credit for. It's more than enough engine for a restomod project, as long as you have enough quality parts backing it up.That's where this car doesn't disappoint. The HEMI engine is breathed on with ceramic-coated tubular headers with a Mopar performance wiring harness. The V8's power is fed through an A518 four-speed automatic transmission. Complete with a Bouchillon Performance Engineering flexplate and HGM Electronics Compushift controller.This sweet car rides on AlterKtion coil-over shocks with a Reiley MotorSports sway bar and USCT frame connectors. Behind the 18 inch wheels sit four-wheel disk brakes with Willwood calipers. It's all brought together with a set of grippy Bridgestone Potenza performance tires.Unlike lesser restomod projects, the interior of this creation is also top-notch. A fully custom dashboard, stitched leather bucket seats, and the touch screen infotainment and navigation screen give the car almost all of the modern features most drivers can't live without. Overall, it's one hell of a great package. It can be all yours if you can place a bid higher than $46,000 when the sale ends tomorrow.You could buy a nice BMW for that kind of money, or even a really nice Lexus. But there's just no comparing those kinds of modern cars to restomods like this one. One is BUILT, and the others are BOUGHT. Learn the difference, and put some respect on the name people.
The AM1000 is by far the best-selling eMTB from Frey, which is why the company released six versions of it so far, V6 anniversary model included. What makes the bike so popular is the fact that it offers some premium features at a price that wont break the bank. The bike is not cheap by any means, but considering the offer, it is a great value for money. From high-quality components to a powerful motor and high-capacity battery, the AM1000 is definitely a competitive product.Freys V6 version of the bike keeps the Bafang Ultra mid-drive motor which boasts a peak power of 1,500W and a maximum torque of 160 Nm.The battery of the AM1000 V6 has the same capacity as the previous model, but it is now built-in, which helps with the overall look of the two-wheeler and integrates better with the vehicle. While the company doesnt offer any details regarding the range of its AM1000, the large 48V 21 Ah battery is said to offer among the best ranges in the eMTB industry.Back to the anniversary V6, the bike now comes in multiple colors: black, Sheen Green, Areo Blue, Rose Dust, and Jet Black. Several frame sizes are available as well: M, L, and XL.For its new AM1000 V6 e-bike, Frey now offers customers for the first time the possibility to order just the V6 frame kit as a separate product, giving riders the option to build their perfect custom bike. The kit includes the frame, the rear shock absorber, the motor system, the battery, and the charger. If you take advantage of Freys New Years promotion, which runs until January 15, you can purchase the frame for $2,980, or $2,022, if you are a loyal customer who already bought their V3 version of the bike or an earlier one.As for the entire AM1000 v6 bike, it starts at $5,180, with returning clients paying only $4,980. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in April 2022.
Cargo vessels could not operate without the help of tugboats these smaller vessels that tow container barges between two terminals in inland waterways. Switching from conventional fuel to electricity when it comes to these maritime helpers could have a significant positive impact on the atmosphere, the water, and the ports where they are operating. After all, the ultimate goal in line with the 2050 deadline for net-zero carbon emissions is to replace as many of the current conventional ships as possible with cleaner, more efficient alternatives. Located in the South Street Seaport Historic District of New York, Zeeboat wants to help create cleaner ports and waters by introducing a fully-electric tugboat. As its name suggests, its all about zero emissions and electric propulsion. The future boat will have an efficient hull designed by The Shearer Group Inc. (TSGI), based on fluid dynamic calculations. By increasing the water flow to the propeller, the combination of the towboat and the barge is supposed to be 10% more efficient than standard towboats.Also, together with an azipod drive system, this innovative hull design is said to improve the boats overall efficiency by 30%, compared to traditional vessels, while also enabling safe operations to the highest standard.The Zeeboat manufacturer is collaborating with two other partners for this clean energy project. Shift Clean Energy will provide the battery energy storage systems, and Industrial Service Solutions (ISS) will be in charge of the general contract, project management, and vessel support services. The first four electric Zeeboats are expected to start operating in U.S. waters by 2025.Zeeboat claims to be building the first electric tugboat in North America, but theres also another company claiming to be building the first one in the U.S. Crowley Maritime Corporation is building the eWolf in Coden, Alabama. Since this ship is due to make its debut in 2023, it might win this title after all.
If youre a long-time Android Auto user, you probably know already that last year, Google killed off what was considered by many the best music app this platform ever had.
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Made from 1993 to 2002, it came with a naturally aspirated or a twin-turbocharged version of the same 3.0-liter straight-six , and a choice of two manual transmissions, one with five speeds and the other with six, and a four-speed automatic.Every petrolhead knows that the engine powering it is the famous 2JZ, which supports a huge amount of power, hence the numerous 1,000+ hp Supras out there. The one depicted on video down below is said to have no less than 1,500 horsepower, not at the crank, but at the wheels. Thus, it is punchier than modern hypercars, and quicker off-the-line too.According to the description of the clip, it features a sequential transmission for better power delivery and was clocked at 209 mph (336 kph) after half a mile. The best thing about this wolf in sheeps clothing is that you cannot tell that it hides an unbelievable amount of thrust beneath the skin, as it looks almost stock. The only things giving it away are the drag radials, and parachute, which was actually deployed at the end of this race.As for its rival, it was none other than the big bad Tesla Model S Plaid , an electric dragster that poses as a hyper sedan. It is capable of completing the quarter-mile in a hair over the 9-second mark, at 154+ mph (248 kph), and it used to be the production vehicle king until the Rimac Nevera proved to be even faster. With some prepping and a skilled driver holding the wheel, the Model S Plaid needs less than 2 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph (97 kph), so beating it into submission would require an even crazier build. But was this fourth-gen Supra its daddy on that day? Only one way to find out.
Purchased five months ago, the four-door First Edition in the featured video leaks oil from the front left dampers even though it shows fewer than 4,500 miles (7,242 kilometers) on the clock. Tommy Mica of The Fast Lane highlights that it seems like a premature failure that should not have occurred. Id be very disappointed if we had to pay for that out of pocket.I would be disappointed as well given that Ford advertises the Bronco as their ultimate off-road machine, the Jeep Wrangler competitor that took 25 years to materialize. Considering TFLs reach, it would be crazy for the dealer to oppose the warranty-backed fix with a lame justification.Even if the Bilstein damper is replaced under warranty, theres a hindrance The Fast Lane cant escape. More specifically, the Ford Motor Company is churning out Broncos are full steam, and so does Bilstein with their ESCV shock absorbers. Ongoing part shortages that go beyond the microchip crunch may also include the replacement damper needed by this Bronco.Speaking of which, the peeps at Cars.com had to wait seven weeks between the diagnosis of their F-150s issue and the repair. The hybrid-powered truck had its aerodynamic dam ripped out by a tire tread, and the bill for the repair totaled $1,161 including the actuators and dealers labor fee.Turning our attention back to the orange-painted First Edition, this isnt the first problem The Fast Lane has experienced with it. Right after the crew purchased this rig in July 2021, the molded-in-color hardtop started to rattle and the headliner was already peeling off. How did they solve these niggles? Well, they went straight to the Bestop Corporate Office in Colorado to install a $269.99 Bimini Top mesh top and a $1,099.99 TrekTop soft top.
ADAS
Named the Emirai xS Drive, Mitsubishis new vehicle constantly monitors both the driver and the passengers via near-infrared cameras and radio-wave sensors. It is also equipped with an(Advanced Driver Assistance System) meant to provide adaptive control of the headlights.The monitoring system allows the camera to detect when the driver is sick or drowsy through facial expressions and other body information (such as closed eyes, an open mouth, abnormal respiration rates or pulse rate, and so on). Variations in skin tone caused by heartbeat changes can also be detected thanks to the face-tracking and image-processing technology integrated by Mitsubishi.In case the driver shows any signs of physical distress, the system will suggest stopping the car and can also activate the vehicles automated emergency-parking feature. Mitsubishi s Emirai xS Drive does the same for its passengers, detecting their presence, position in the car, and body weight. If a child is left behind, the monitoring system will alert the driver and others nearby. Their presence in the vehicle would be determined by radio waves from a sensor, which would be processed using the signals reflective and transmissive properties, as explained by the Japanese manufacturer. The smart system will even be able to accurately detect them even if theyre wrapped in a blanket and positioned in the cameras blind spots.For a safer driving experience during nighttime, the Emirai xS Drive will help drivers by enabling headlight control to adapt the curve and slope of the road ahead and the drivers direction of view. Moreover, using external cameras, the system will be able to alert drivers of potential hazards and approaching cars, without the driver having to look.Right now, we don't have any other information on the vehicle except for this rendering of the high-tech Emirai xS Drive but Mitsubishi will display the concept car at the CES.
HP
Lamborghini purists would fall sick at the sight of Chois V3 unicorn Lamborghini twin-turbo Huracan. But for tuners, this V3 might be the coolest, craziest Lamborghini build in the entire world.Condons looking to challenge this crazy build Lamborghini to a drag race in his 1,001Bugatti. Condon is working with Precision Performance on a 1,400 HP Nissan GT-R, informally known as the BUG KLR Unfortunately, here in the state of California, we can only find 91 octane. So yes, it's detuned to 850 HP. That said, Alex Choi has like a thousand plus horsepower, so it doesnt even matter, Condon said.Alex Choi pulls up out of nowhere in his controversial V3, ready to hit the tarmac. The Lamborghini is in an iridescent wrap, with an obnoxious wing hanging at the back. His license plate reads, WHAT STO.They line up the cars on the street and hit the gas pedal, warming their engines before they finally see whos boss. Condon rides with Choi and hands over his keys to his best friend, Luke.Off the line, the Bugatti takes the lead, but the Lamborghini comes dramatically, throwing flames and popping through the tunnel. They dont really do a legit drag race from the line at the end of the day. However, they join a group of Lamborghinis, and Alex does a flame show.Condons Bugatti is clearly no match for the V3 Lamborghini, even with a tune. He has a better chance of racing his tuned 1,400 HP GT-R against Alex Choi.
This news comes now more than twenty years after the very first Pagani rolled out of the factory in Italy. It might be easy to keep track of the latest Pagani Huayra to find its way to Manny Khoshbin's place , but older models aren't as easy to find.Puro means Pure in Italian, and that's the goal of the new program. To provide a pure history and inspection of each Pagani that gets checked.Cars can go through the rigorous process at Pagani Automobili in San Cesario or at any one of a number of specialized dealers around the world. Pagani says that once vehicles are inspected and certified, they will receive a Puro Book. This book contains the extensive findings from the inspection.It also comes with a full vehicle history from the day it rolled off the line, throughout any service or modifications, all the way to the day the inspection is completed. It will be finalized with a certificate of authenticity signed by Horacio Pagani himself. That's quite the package.That warranty mentioned at the outset isn't a bad deal either. It will cover every part or piece inspected "in the years to come," according to Pagani. So no specific date or mileage, but any extra coverage must be nice on a car that costs this much. Of course, there's no word on exactly how much the Pagani Puro program costs to take part in either.We suspect none of the participants will really care. Having a similar package has helped many Ferrari's increases in value, and the same will likely be true here.
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The package is based on the Big Horn or Laramie trim levels and combines an aggressive look with impressive off-road capabilities, all packed with Tuscanys three-year/36,000-mile warranty and FMVSS compliance. The beasts name says it all, being inspired by the Badlands area in South Dakota. Its not for the first time, as Ford got the same idea for their Bronco Badlands To earn its name, the Ram 1500 Badlander was fitted with a BDS Premium Suspension Lift-Kit and a full Fox Racing Shocks kit with 2.5-inch Performance Elite Series coilovers. These will make the rather bland 1500 sit six inches higher than it used to from the factory. Configured with either 20 or 22-inch Badlander wheels and 37-inch BFGoodrich T/A KM3 tires, it will surely be at home on any terrain. Of course, all these updates come with appropriate speedometer and tire sensor recalibrations.Not much has been done to the mighty 5.7-liter HEMI V8 under the hood except that Tuscany Motor Company installed a performance exhaust system for a great deep rumble. The engine still delivers 395and 410 lb-ft (556 Nm) of torque to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF, which should please anyone.About that rugged luxury in the intro, Tuscany took the liberty to install custom-made, Badlander branded leather seats. The same leather can be found on the door panels, while a full custom gauge kit replaced the standard instrument panel. The car was also fitted with tinted windows all-around, to keep out the prying eyes.The price of this beast depends on the pickup truck that is used as a base for the build, but we can tell its close to the six-figure territory for a complete vehicle. This is significantly higher than the base price for the Ram 1500 Laramie, which hovers at around $50,000.
The UK government is focusing on a real green industrial revolution, and part of that has to do with obtaining affordable, low-carbon nuclear power. As its name suggests, the Small Modular Reactor program, developed by Rolls-Royce , wants to combine advanced nuclear technology with a groundbreaking module manufacturing and assembly system that would make the final solution cheaper and scalable.A single one of these SMR power stations could power one million homes. But in addition to providing on-grid and off-grid electricity, these modules would also support the production of green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and other alternative fuels for decarbonizing transportation. Instead of a huge bespoke facility, each module would be factory-built and assembled and then easily transported via truck to where its required.This innovative green-tech business is now fully funded, with over $649 million (490 million) secured. The most recent investor is the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), a sovereign wealth fund established in 2005 and one of the biggest of its kind in the world. With an investment adding up to over $112 million (85 million), QIA now owns 10% share in the equity.It represents a huge step forward in our plan to deploy more home-grown, affordable clean energy - ensuring greater energy independence for the UK, highly skilled jobs and bringing cheaper, cleaner electricity to peoples homes, said Business and Energy Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng.Since most of this investment will be focused in the northern part of the UK, and almost the entire supply chain is also expected to be local, the SMR project has the potential of becoming a major asset for the country. But theres still a long way to go the first SMR units are due to become operational by the early 2030s.
The methanol initiative is part of the companys Net Zero at Power Systems program, which focuses on developing and adopting climate-neutral solutions for all its applications.According to Rolls-Royce, methanol can present various advantages in the companys efforts to make transportation more sustainable. The fuel will be produced in plants by using the power-to-X process, which allows the conversion of green electricity into carbon-neutral gases or liquids like methanol.Moreover, the characteristics of this fuel allow it to be stored and refueled at ambient temperatures. Methanols combustion in a pure methanol engine can be climate-neutral and emit considerably less toxic gases. It can be put in tanks and maneuvered easier in vessels since it requires fewer safety measures than hydrogen or ammonia tanks. Aside from these factors, it also represents a cost-efficient alternative.Rolls-Royce says that the fuel can also be used with emission-free fuel cells, not only in combustion engines. Hydrogen can be synthesized from methanol using a reformer, which can then be utilized in fuel cells to produce electricity. This would allow vessels that dont have enough room for hydrogen tanks to operate sustainably.Currently, the company is working on new high-speed four-stroke engines that will be compatible with methanol. The engines are said to be based on mtu (a renowned product and solution Rolls-Royce brand) technologies. Once fully developed, theyre set to be available to customers as soon as possible.Apart from the investment in methanol engines, the business is also focusing on new technologies that are expected to help cut CO2 emissions, which include new fuel cell systems and smart-ship solutions that allow semi- and fully autonomous operation.
For such a rare beast, with the total production capped at 82 units, it is surprisingly easy to buy one, because there are several listed for grabs on the second-hand market at the time of writing. One of them is being advertised on Mobile by a Russian used car dealer.To make it yours, youre looking at a cool 3.1 million, or almost $3.5 million at todays exchange rates. The supercar is said to be in stock, with only the delivery miles under its belt, though surprisingly, the vendor used official Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 pics in the ad.Finished in grey over the black interior and decorated with copper accents, it features a plethora of equipment and the usual carbon fiber trim and Alcantara and leather upholstery. Since it is based on the Aventador, which officially bid farewell to the world with the Ultimae Edition , it packs the same 6.5-liter V12 engine.This is Lambos last naturally aspirated V12, and in the Sian FKP 37 , named after Ferdinand Karl Piech (FKP) and his year of birth (1937), it has electric assistance. The combined output of 808 horsepower allows it to accelerate from naught to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in just 2.8 seconds. Those brave enough will eventually see 217 mph (350 kph) on the speedometer, where the road and legislation allow it.Now, if you had $3.5 million burning a hole in your bank account, would you actually consider buying an FKP 37 instead of a full-blown hypercar like the Bugatti Chiron? We dont know about you, but the Molsheim model is more appealing, not to mention a lot more powerful.
First of all, behind the space race cliche, theres a $447 billion industry thats going to reach a whopping $3 trillion before 2050, according to Bank of Americas estimates. So, the stakes are huge when it comes to the infrastructure required for this industry, including launch sites. We know that there are plenty of licensed spaceports on the U.S. territory, but it turns out that only the vertical ones have a strategic value, because this is whats required for future launches.According to a recent study for the Pentagon, cited by the Camden authorities, the U.S. is at risk of depending on the few vertical spaceports currently available. Out of 12 launch sites in total, only two on the East Coast are vertical. One of the ways of counteracting this serious risk is to invest in more vertical launch sites. One of them is Spaceport Camden, which recently got the green light from FAA.Camden County was actually the official Gateway to Space in the past century, so this new license has a historic significance for the heritage region and the industry overall. Both an alternate launch site for the Apollo program, and a location for rocket testing, Camden will contribute to 12 small vehicle launches each year.Camdens main advantage is the vertical lift low latitude sites located on the East Coast provide free boost velocity from the earths rotation. This means less fuel required to reach the orbit and the possibility of a bigger payload. By becoming the third launch space of this kind in the U.S., this Georgia spaceport will help take the pressure off the other similar locations, while attracting commercial space activities that will boost its own economy.Plus, as the location of the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, this region will also benefit from military workforce that can transfer its skills, after retirement, into the booming commercial space industry.
Located below 31 degrees of latitude, on the Atlantic seaboard, this strategic spaceport in a historically-important region is ready to expand American key operations in space.
The Volkswagen T2, also known as Volkswagen Bus in the U.S. or Bulli in Germany, is considered the symbol of the hippie counterculture of the 1960s. The car still carries a powerful message today and attracts attention whenever one shows up. This is why classic car fans always appreciate a well-maintained T2 when they see one, and also why these beauties have sky-high prices.Even though a properly restored model could easily reach $50,000, you can always undercut the market with a cheaper import. After all, the model was produced for decades after it ended its career in the U.S. market, with Brazil production going as far as 2013 To be imported without restrictions in the U.S., these cars must be older than 25 years, and this is why Kombis produced in the '90s make for the perfect Volkswagen Bus replacement. Besides being cheaper, they benefit from the more up-to-date features and are in better condition, as this 1994 Volkswagen Kombi listed at Hemmings Auctions shows. The best part is it could be yours by Christmas, as long as your bid will meet the owners reserve.The car shows the owner did not skimp on maintenance, with only minor rust signs on the undercarriage. The exterior was painted two years ago and it shows no evidence of significant bodywork. Included is an aftermarket roof rack which can be accessed using the ladder constructed of aluminum tubing and wood steps.The air-cooled engine is a 1.6-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder with a single carburetor, and the seller reports it starts easily and has no known issues. Indeed, the engine bay looks promising, with no sign of leaks or drips. Its paired to a manual gearbox and as such requires stick-shift training for proper operation. Courtesy of the recent model year, this Kombi even has power steering.Inside the car is where the magic of this Kombi resides, and its what makes it perfect for a camper van project. The two rear seats fold down into a bed and you can see in the pictures it has a fridge and several storing compartments that can be useful. An old Pioneer radio CD is there to warm up the atmosphere with speakers spread throughout the van, as shown in the photos. Especially as theres no sign of a cabin heater. Coming from Brazil, this is expected though.The car is sold on a clean Florida title so you will have no problems driving it home if youll be the lucky bidder. The auction closes on December 24th, with the highest bid at the time of writing of $7,500. This is still under the owners reserve, but we presume it will prove a lot cheaper than a restored U.S. model from the 70s.
The Summer of 43 was the setting for Hitlers ambitious (and insane) push toward the Black Sea . With Stalin pushing back to the North, the Axis war machine would need oil to subjugate the Balkan peninsula. While the British slammed Germany every night, American daylight raids were being cut down by the Luftwaffe. Thats why destroying their fuel supply seemed logical.Romania had an incredible oil industry, with massive refineries that looked appealing in the crosshairs of a bomb sight. So, in the early morning of August 1, no less than 178 B-24 Liberator bombers took off from bases in Libya and Southern Italy. It would be a one-way trip, heading for Syria once the bombs were away, so each aircraft took off overloaded with fuel for the long flight. With strict orders for radio silence, there was no room for error for the planes or the nearly 2,000 airmen.The road to hell is paved with the greatest of intentions, so Colonel Jacob Smart decided to send everything he had. This meant the entire 9th Air Force along with three Bombardment Groups from the 8th Air Force (respectively). In theory, more bombers are better but the crews from different forces didnt have enough time to learn each others movements. Radio Silence only exacerbated the issues.This became evident once they crossed the Adriatic. To cross the Pindus mountains of Albania, everyone needed to climb up to 11,000 feet to maintain formation. However, without touching the radio, one half of the planes went to maximum boost for a straight shot while the others chose to save fuel. Of course the weather turned to thick clouds, effectively cutting the two groups off from each other.Meanwhile, the refineries below were chugging along at about half of their capacity. Surrounding them was an entire Nazi division of anti-aircraft guns that used the terrain to their advantage. Anticipating the high-altitude attacks common in Western Europe, the defenders placed hundreds of 88mm guns on mountain tops for the best range and visibility. Anticipating this, the American commanders decided to attack at tree-top levels to avoid German radar.The airmen even went so far as to build a mockup of Ploiesti in the Sahara Desert to train for this unprecedented attack. Unfortunately, Nazi intelligence had spotted the bombers crossing Italy, giving the flak gunners plenty of time to get ready. The 8th Air Force and the 9th Air Force were separated by the mountains, and both groups unfortunately arrived over their targets simultaneously. It would have been manageable had they held formation, but each group dropped below the clouds heading towards each other with confusion clearly seen by the enemy gunners.Flak guns are terribly accurate, as my grandfathers navigation desk was destroyed 3 times in the skies over Germany. But instead of firing vertical and hoping for a hit, the guns atop the mountains were able to fire down into the formations like shooting fish in a barrel. This caused many crews to drop their bombs on whatever targets they could find and make an escape.With the oil fires filling the skies with acrid smoke, the Germans were still able to down 53 bombers, each with 10 men onboard. Whats more, the confusion over the target led to only a fraction of the refineries being damaged. Because they were only running at a 3rd of their capacity, Romania was making more oil than ever before less than a month after the raid. Black Sunday cost the Allies 310 men, with 190 being captured as POWs. One of the worst defeats in U.S. history is used to teach new Airmen of all nations, and thats why their story should never be forgotten.P.S. The museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force is in Savanna, Georgia and it has an incredible exhibit dedicated to this mission. It was made possible by donations from veterans including my Grandad who now reside at the great airfield in the sky.
There is however one last hurdle to overcome, one that has proven a very tough nut to crack for more than a decade now: the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST ). And we call it hurdle because, well, thats what this has become, after the initial launch deadline of 2007 came and went.And so did some other deadlines, including the one the European Space Agency and NASA were planning for December 22. That didnt happen, because of a data connection cable that was not working properly, and the launch was pushed to December 24. And now, this is not happening either, this time on account of bad weather.The telescope is set to launch on top of an Ariane 5 rocket from the ESA spaceport in French Guiana, and the new date is now Christmas Day, provided nothing else happens in the meantime.Now, dont get us wrong, delays and postponements are not something were not used to in space exploration, but finally having Webb up there is something people have been expecting for too long. After all, work on it started in 1996, and over $10 billion have been spent on it so far.With that in mind, having Webb depart Earth this year would be the coronation of what may very well have been the most exciting year for the industry, so, fingers crossed.Once launched, Webb will have to position itself almost one million miles away from Earth, and use its most impressive mirror (6.5-meter/21.3-ft in diameter) to look way, way back into the Universes history.
The Biden administration announced Tuesday it has approved two major solar projects on federal land in California's desert and moved to solicit interest in more solar power developments in other Western states.
Why it matters: The administration is using federal authority to press ahead with its clean energy plans after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he would not support President Biden's centerpiece climate and social policy legislation, per the New York Times.
The big picture: The Bureau of Land Management approved the Arica and Victory Pass solar projects on federal land in Riverside County, Calif., which have a combined infrastructure investment of about $689 million, per a BLM statement.
The two projects will be run by the San Francisco-based developer Clearway Energy and generate up to 465 megawatts of power with up to 400 megawatts of battery storage enough to power some 132,000 homes.
A third California solar farm planned for 500 megawatts is nearing final approval, according to an Interior Department statement.
Meanwhile, the BLM is "soliciting interest for utility-scale solar energy development on nearly 90,000 acres of public land located across Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico," the Interior Department said.
What they're saying: "Renewable energy projects like Arica and Victory Pass on public lands create good-paying jobs and are crucial in achieving the Biden-Harris administrations goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035," BLM director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a statement.
An international court is examining whether the Honduran government was complicit in the killing of Vicky Hernandez, a 26-year-old trans woman fatally shot on the night of the country's 2009 coup d'etat.
Why it matters: Legal advocates say the case could set a legal precedent across Latin America, which has the world's highest concentration of trans murders, according to activists.
It's also the first case to ask the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' whether a government has failed to protect a transgender person.
Background: In June 2009, Hernandez's body was found around 7am local time on a San Pedro Sula street. An examination at the scene by first responders judged her time of death to be the middle of the previous night, when a curfew was in place that allowed only military and law enforcement outdoors.
She had been shot in the head, Kacey Mordecai, a senior staff attorney with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which brought the case before the court, told Axios.
Two other trans women reported that on the night of Hernandez death, a police patrol car, or "military patrol," drove up to them and Hernandez, who was a sex worker. The three women scattered as they were approached, per testimony given in November by Claudia Spellmant, who had spoken to the two women at Vicky's funeral.
Attorneys with RFK Human Rights say they have not seen evidence from authorities that a final autopsy report was ever completed.
Honduran human rights group Cattrachas alleges that Hernandez was the victim of an extrajudicial killing, citing the circumstances and timing of her death.
The other side: There is no evidence at all, and nor can it be rationally inferred, that those responsible for Vicky Hernandezs death were members of the public safety forces, simply because a patrol car trying to avoid lamentable tragedies happened to be nearby, Sonia Escobar Rodriguez, the government's lawyer for the case, wrote in an argument summary shared with the New York Times.
The big picture: The case and the government's response highlight the broader dangers and inequities for transgender people in Honduras, Mordecai said.
"Our case is about Vicky's death. It was the moment that cost her her life. But to me, what it represents, it's really about her life in Honduras and how she wasn't able to live as Vicky Hernandez."
What they're saying: "They told me to fight and fight, so that Vicky's death does not go unpunished," Rosa Hernandez, Vicky's mother, told the Los Angeles Blade from her home in San Pedro Sula.
The Inter-American court required the state to protect Vicky's relatives after her mother received three phone calls from someone claiming to be a Honduras police representative. The state acknowledged the calls took place and said they weren't meant to be intimidating.
The bottom line: Even if the court requires Honduras to pay damages to Hernandez' family, systemic changes like training police and legally recognizing trans people's names and genders are still needed to fight anti-trans discrimination in the country.
He charged that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his political team have sought to stifle dissent and enrich themselves or their cronies instead of tackling poverty in the country.
Marutian voiced the allegations during a session of the city council that approved, by 44 votes to 10, a motion of no confidence in him tabled by the pro-government My Step bloc. The council also elected one of his deputies, Hrachya Sargsian, as Yerevans new mayor.
The bloc controlled by Civil Contract officially announced its decision to replace the mayor after meeting with Pashinian on Friday. It said Marutian quit Civil Contract in December 2020 and is not running the Armenian capital with sufficient efficiency.
The move followed months of growing friction between Pashinian and Marutian. The latter actively participated in the Pashinian-led mass protests that toppled Armenias former leader, Serzh Sarkisian, in May 2018. The protests were sparked by Sarkisians attempt to prolong his decade-long rule and fuelled by popular discontent with widespread corruption and injustice.
Speaking shortly before the vote of no confidence, Marutian accused the ruling political team of having deviated from the revolutions values.
I thought that a [true] revolutionarys supreme goal must be to improve the lives of other people, he said. In reality, as soon as they came [to power] they started improving their own lives, despite the fact that the countrys poverty rate continued to hover at around 30 percent.
The former TV comedian singled out the Pashinian governments secret decisions to sharply raise the salaries of ministers and other senior government officials. He claimed that during his tenure he routinely received phone calls from unnamed various officials asking for privileged treatment of their cronies doing business in Yerevan. He did not name any of them.
Marutian said this was a key reason for his subsequent rift with Pashinian. I didnt expect such phone calls when I was joining the team, he said.
And now these people are saying that Hayk deviated from the revolution, he went on. This is said by people who at this difficult moment for the country are buying cars worth $200,000 and spending a whole month justifying, together with the entire team, that decision.
Marutian further alleged that Armenias most high-ranking officials have repeatedly pressured him to fire municipal employees criticizing the government on social media. I said in response: My dear friends, we did the revolution so that people are not fired and persecuted for their views like they were in the past, he said.
Senior members of the municipal council loyal to Pashinian hit back at Marutian. One of them, Armen Galjian, rebuked the ousted mayor for not countering what he called opposition attempts to stage a counterrevolution after Armenias defeat in last years war with Azerbaijan.
Where was the Yerevan mayor during the counterrevolution? he said. Was he locked down in his office with a mask on his face or busy preparing to leave the party?
Galjian also said that Marutian has never told council majority leaders about the privileged treatment allegedly sought by senior officials.
Armenian parliament deputies representing Pashinians party responded to the accusations with harsher criticism and personal insults. Parliament speaker Alen Simonian, whose new expensive limousine has raised eyebrows in the country, said Marutian is slandering the countrys leadership to justify his treason and ineptness.
You must instead recall the names of your more than two dozen friends whom you have deceived and betrayed, Simonian wrote on Facebook.
Pashinian himself has not publicly commented on the dramatic falling-out with his erstwhile political ally.
The prime minister had chosen Marutian to lead My Steps list of candidates in the last municipal elections held in September 2018 and won by the pro-government bloc. Relations between the two men deteriorated after the 2020 war over Nagorno-Karabakh. Marutian increasingly distanced himself from Pashinians team in the following months and pointedly declined to support it during snap parliamentary elections held in June.
Earlier this month, the Haykakan Zhamanak daily belonging to Pashinians family alleged that Marutian has defected to the Armenian opposition and even secretly met with former President Robert Kocharian. The mayor categorically denied that.
Marutian on Wednesday defended his track record and insisted that he is still supported by the majority of Yerevan residents.
Most of the residents randomly interviewed by RFE/RLs Armenian Service in the streets praised him. Some condemned the ruling partys decision to replace the mayor.
I am very saddened by his removal from his post because he has delivered on everything that he promised during the election campaign, said one middle-aged woman.
Others were unimpressed with Marutians three-year tenure. What has changed [in Yerevan?] Not much, said a young woman.
Virtually no respondents had ever heard about Hrachya Sargsian, Yerevans new mayor. Sargsian, 36, told reporters that he is happy with Mr. Marutians work and plans to complete the programs that we launched in 2018.
The conservative lawmaker, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Bighash, arrived in Yerevan earlier this week together with several other members of an Iranian parliamentary group promoting closer ties with Armenia.
They held a series of meetings with Armenian parliament deputies before being received by Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenias Security Council.
A statement released by the council cited Ahmadi-Bighash as saying that the region is very important to the Islamic Republic.
In particular, he stressed that regional peace and stability and inviolability of the borders are the red lines for Iran and Tehran will not tolerate any territorial change in the region, the statement said.
Other Iranian lawmakers as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made similar statements in early October amid Irans mounting tensions with Azerbaijan that followed Bakus decision to levy hefty fees from Iranian trucks transporting goods to and from Armenia.
The vehicles use a road mostly passing through Armenias southeastern Syunik province which is sandwiched between Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan exclave and also borders Iran. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly threatened to forcibly open a corridor to Nakhichevan, drawing strong condemnation from Armenia.
Mojtaba Zonnouri, a senior Iranian parliamentarian and cleric, accused Aliyev on October 3 of trying to cut Irans access to Armenia with the help of Turkey and Israel. Zonnouri was apparently among 165 members of Irans parliament who issued a joint statement warning against any geopolitical change and alteration of the borders of neighbor countries.
Armenias government regularly expresses readiness for conventional transport links with Azerbaijan. Grigorian told Ahmadi-Bighash and other visiting Iranian lawmakers that the Armenian governments position matches Irans foreign policy priorities.
The tensions between Tehran and Baku have eased in recent weeks. Amir-Abdollahian visited the Azerbaijani capital on Wednesday.
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Sally Ann Howes, who began her acting career as a child and was best known for starring in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opposite Dick Van Dyke, died on Dec. 19. She was 91.
Her death was confirmed by her nephew, Toby Howes, who tweeted: I can also confirm the passing of my beloved Aunty Sally Ann Howes who died peacefully in her sleep yesterday. My brother & I thought Sally Ann might hold on until the Christmas screening of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as this would have greatly appealed to her mischievous side.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is often broadcast on Christmas Day in the U.K.
In a career that spanned five decades, Howes racked up 40 film and television credits, having spent the latter half of her career focusing on the theater, including a part in Stephen Sondheims A Little Night Music at the New York City Opera in 1990.
Born in London to actors Bobby Howes and Patricia Malone, Howes spent much of her childhood at the familys home in Hertfordshire when London was evacuated during World War II.
At the age of 12 she made her screen debut in 1943 film Thursdays Child, after being recommended by a casting agent friend of her fathers.
The film, about a schoolgirl who becomes a successful child actor, was in many ways prophetic, launching Howes film career.
She was soon contracted by Ealing Studios, where she starred in films including Dead of Night opposite Michael Redgrave.
Howes went on to land parts alongside Derek Bond and Cedric Hardwicke in the screen adaptation of Charles Dickens Nicholas Nickleby, and in The History of Mr Polly, where she played John Millss love interest.
In the 1950s Howes, a soprano, traded the big screen for the boards and focused on the theatre, which she once described as a drug. She was particularly enamored with musical theater, although she would continue to make the occasional television show and film appearance, including in The Fifth Column with Richard Burton.
In Londons West End she starred alongside her father in Lerner and Loewe musical Paint Your Wagon for an 18-month run before making her Broadway debut in 1958 as Eliza Doolitle in My Fair Lady, which earned her a Life magazine cover profile and turned her into a household name.
Howes was taking the role over from Julie Andrews, not an easy task given Andrews star-power at the time, and The Sound of Music actor would go on to have a distant hand in shaping Howes career.
After Howes was nominated for a Tony award for her performance in Lerner and Loewes Brigadoon at the New York City Opera in 1962 (becoming in the process the first artist to be nominated for starring in a revival), the show was made into a television series, with Howes reprising her role as Fiona.
Thats where legendary producer Albert Cubby Broccoli, the man behind the big-screen adaptation of Bond, reportedly first noticed her. He was apparently hoping to emulate Disneys Mary Poppins, which had come out in 1964 and starred Andrews, by making a musical adaptation of Bond writer Ian Flemings childrens novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
After Andrews turned down the part of Truly Scrumptious, Howes stepped in, playing opposite Dick Van Dyke in the film, which was directed by Ken Hughes from a screenplay he co-wrote with Roald Dahl.
While Howes could sing, she was apparently less comfortable dancing and required a crash course of lessons before taking on the part in the Edwardian-set movie about a magical car.
Although it has now achieved cult status, the film was not an instant success, and Howes spent the remainder of her career focusing on the theater, with occasional forays into film and television. Her last on-screen appearance was in the limited series Secrets in 1992.
Howes is survived by one son.
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Over the past year, Laredo has seen numerous shooting threats at its schools. It turns out, this trend is not exclusive to Laredo.
School districts around the state have seen a rise in shooting hoaxes. Whether its due to following social media or for other undetermined reasons, districts are working with law enforcement agencies to quell this unfortunate trend.
According to the FBI, the suspects in these cases have historically been high school students or older. However, there has been a rise in students around the ages of 11-12 getting involved.
Michelle Lee, FBI spokeswoman, told the San Antonio Express-News that the reason for this uptick is unclear, but that increase in shooting threats was seen even before the Nov. 30 shooting in Oxford, Michigan four students were killed and seven people were injured by a 15-year-old suspect in the deadliest school shooting at a K-12 campus in the US since May 2018.
We regularly work with our law enforcement partners to determine the credibility of any threats, the FBI said. As always, we would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious to report it to law enforcement immediately.
Within the current school year, UISD has faced shooting threats at both middle and high schools. Threats were found in the form of bathroom writings and shared online through social media sites. KGNS reported Thursday that 10 similar cases had occurred at different schools since August.
Just this past week, a shooting threat was found at Antonio Gonzalez Middle School in which the student was detained and transported to the Webb County Juvenile Village on Terroristic Threats C/B charges, UISD stated.
Unfortunately, whether it be mental anguish or a form of social media pressure, it has not stopped.
This week, an anonymous threat on TikTok sent shockwaves through the nation, calling for a National Shoot Up Your School Day on Dec. 17. This prompted the social media platform to issue a statement regarding threats on their platform.
We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we're working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok, said TikTok in a statement.
Furthermore, TikTok provided an update stating that searches for violence against school posts were not found, and the social media giant has partnered with local authorities, the FBI and DHS to ensure that any credible threat is found and acted on.
The San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle contributed to this report.
cocampo@lmtonline.com
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) The increase in COVID-19 cases has derailed the traditional holiday open house at the Connecticut governor's historic residence.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday that he and his wife Annie made the difficult decision to not hold the event in-person and instead make the 31st annual open house at the 1909 Georgian Revival style home a virtual event.
Sometimes I just sit and get overwhelmed by the goodness of my God. I realize its so easy to miss when He has blessed me, when He has answered my prayers, when He has turned my mourning into joy.
Recently, my husband and I were talking to a friend we met in college. Our conversation turned to that of how we ended up living in San Antonio. Its a tale of a thousand small coincidences that all had to take place in order for us to be where we are now.
Its a story in which I cried for months, not wanting to leave the city and the life I loved. And yet through it all, God has turned my tears into some of the best laughter; my loss of friendship into some of the best life-long friends; and my loss of job into a brand-new educational journey and career.
Oftentimes, when it seems as if God is taking things from you, He is really just clearing a place for what you had no idea you wanted or needed.
And yet, somehow, we still miss it when He speaks to us through His gifts and His blessings. Something bad happens and we blame God, but we dont credit Him for anything good.
In fact, oftentimes we simply take the credit ourselves.
James 1:17a says that every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect (The Passion Translation). His desire is for our good. He freely pours out mercy and grace and forgiveness in our imperfection. God is not a God who rewards us for good behavior and punishes us every time we do wrong. But as His child He corrects, uplifts, extends mercy and blesses us with what we do not deserve.
If youve ever read Psalms, you know that its a constant shift between a psalm of weeping and a psalm of joy. I used to laugh at that when I was little, thinking David couldnt remember what happened just one chapter before. And yet I find myself doing the exact same thing in my own life.
Just as David said in Psalm 31:22, I find myself humbled and having to say, I spoke hastily when I said, The Lord has deserted me. For in truth, you did hear my prayer and came to rescue me (The Passion Translation).
We just finished a holiday built around giving thanks, and yet we so often forget. Schedule thanksgiving into your daily life, not just one day a year.
Praise God for the ways He hears us, for the answers He gives, and for His unending love and faithfulness to us through it all.
NEW YORK (AP) Pedro Almodovar has a theory that his films with male protagonists, like his autobiographical 2019 film Pain and Glory, are darker and more somber.
I look inside myself when I talk about male characters, says Almodovar.
Parallel Mothers, which Sony Pictures Classics begins releasing in theaters Friday, returns Almodovar to more melodramatic territory. Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit play young mothers who meet at the hospital where their newborns are accidentally switched at birth. This secret plays out in unpredictable ways while the film also investigates another hidden past: Spain's mass graves from the Spanish Civil War.
In recent years, a national dialogue in Spain has brought renewed interest and political discord over exhuming the graves from Francisco Franco's regime, which began with the 1930s civil war and ended with his death, in 1975. Some 19,000 of an estimated 114,000 victims have been recovered in the last four decades.
Parallel Mothers may not be as self-reflective as Almodovar's last film, but it's the 72-year-old director's most politically introspective movie and his first to grapple with the legacy of Franco's reign. Almodovar emerged as a filmmaker in Spain's liberated post-Franco years.
When Parallel Mothers was screening this fall at the New York Film Festival, Almodovar met a reporter at a midtown hotel where he spoke sometimes in English, sometimes through an interpreter, about a film that, like his 1999 masterpiece All About My Mother, is centrally concerned with motherhood.
Ill continue to be interested in mothers, he said. "You can have a thousand different mothers, and they can birth a thousand different genres."
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AP: You've made an acclaimed short film, The Human Voice, with Tilda Swinton, and now Parallel Mothers during the pandemic. Have the last two years reframed anything for you about filmmaking?
ALMODOVAR: It made me aware of the solitude in which I was living. Because loneliness, despite the fact that I was condemned to confinement, was something that I already experienced in recent times while writing. I think that now I am overcoming loneliness by going out a little more, going to eat with friends, and precisely because it seemed very sad to me that when I was condemned to confinement, I discovered that I was already used to being confined.
AP: You began the pandemic writing wonderful diaries about your movie watching.
ALMODOVAR: At that moment, I was sick. I got the virus the first week. Even before the first week. I had just arrived from LA after being at the Oscars at the end of February. Then I felt like I had a flu and stayed at home. Three days later, they called for the quarantine. The days were so long that I tried just to talk and write something about the situation. One day, I was disobedient and went into the street to see Madrid completely deserted. It's a very impressive image that I wanted to have. So I pretended to go buy something just to see, just to see the town.
AP: It must have felt ironic that in the midst of a pandemic you were making a movie where swabs and lab tests, in proving the children's maternity, is central to the plot.
ALMODOVAR: When I was writing the movie a year before, it was like science fiction. But when we made the film, it did feel very familiar.
AP: What initially interested you in making a film that deals with the mass graves from the Spanish Civil War?
ALMODOVAR: This has come to me with maturity, in cinematographic terms and also in personal terms. Its been some time since Ive been wanting to make a movie about the mass graves, which Spanish cinema has not really touched on. One of the things that really struck me was when in about 2013, 2014 some UN rapporteurs came to take a look on the ground at what was happening in Spain. They were very struck by the fact that it was the great-grandchildren who were the ones demanding that we look at this problem of the past. Spain has a very bad relationship with the past. For the 40 years after the war, there was this almost pathological fear to speak of the war. There was this silence that enshrouded Spain. Its a generation born during democracy that are asking for the graves to be exhumed.
AP: Your entry point to that history, though, comes through a melodrama that cloaks the film's more political intentions.
ALMODOVAR: I didnt want to only make a movie only about the mass graves. I did it through a character that has a legacy from her mother, who saved her and raised her because she was an orphan. To open the mass grave is to demonstrate that they existed. What Franco did to them was to take all humanity away, to condemn them to non-existence. I was attracted to telling the story through this mother because shes committed to unearthing historical truth at the same time that she, in her personal life, is hiding that truth.
AP: Your early films in the 1980s followed years of censorship in Spain and contributed significantly to a new post-Franco period in the arts. Youve said before that Franco had to die for you to live. Was Parallel Mother motivated by a new surge in fascism?
ALMODOVAR: When I started making movies, he had just died. I would have never been able to make movies if he was still alive. In Spain, because we had that awful experience of civil war, it was as if we were inoculated against it. Even though I could see the far right growing in France of course Trump happened here, Bolsonaro happened in Brazil there was a part of me that thought that the far right wouldn't actually arrive in Spain because of that traumatic experience.
But sometimes I think this is the Trump effect. The fact that he was able to give voice to his far-right leanings emboldened others around the world. They lost their fear. It all boiled up, including in Spain. Now there are things happening that were impossible in the 90s and the 80s. There are more homophobic attacks, more xenophobia. Its a very negative feeling to see that all the values we fought for, we yet again have to rise up and fight for.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
There are distinct pleasures to be had in watching Ralph Fiennes play the lead in an action franchise at this stage in his career.
For as fun as he is as erudite bon vivants, scoundrels and snobs, you always leave wanting more M. Gustav, more Laurence Laurentz, more Harry Hawkes. In that spirit, The Kings Man, a prequel to Matthew Vaughns irreverent Kingsman series, provides a definite service, and Fiennes is as charming as ever. But its also hard not to wish he had a better movie than this to exhibit both his singular charisma and combat skills.
The Kings Man, which jumps back in time to World War I to the early days of the bespoke spy agency, is an improvement to the last Kingsman movie, which among other deranged choices had Julianne Moore feed someone a burger made of human flesh that she ground and grilled herself. This one is decidedly quainter than that, but its still a Kingsman movie manic, cheeky and vulgar and its not going to sell anyone who wasnt already on board. The Kings Man also has the uneasy tension of its real historical context which the film wants to use for both sincere emotional beats and fodder for irreverence.
At its heart, this is an origin story about a fictional spy agency that blames WWI and 20 million deaths on an embittered Scottish cashmere farmer. But this mysterious man, who is seen only in shadows until a big reveal at the end, is played like an angrier and more sadistic but no less ridiculous Fat Bastard. And he is able to manipulate world leaders (Tom Hollander plays King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas) with his sphere of influence that includes Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Bruhl), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner) and Gavrilo Princip (Joel Basman).
Fiennes, who also executive produced, plays the Duke of Oxford who were introduced to as his wife is gunned down in front of him and his young son during the Boer War. He returns to England with one mission: To protect his son Conrad.
A few years pass and Conrad has grown into a dashing and patriotic lad, played with admirable dignity by Harris Dickinson, who wants nothing more than to join the army. Fearing the front lines, the Duke tries to convince Conrad to join his little spy group composed of himself and two domestic servants, Polly (Gemma Arterton) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou), and manipulate world politics behind the scenes. After almost preventing the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, their first adventure as a foursome involves going to Russia to either sell Rasputin on entering the war or kill him.
The whole sequence is jaw-droppingly perverse as they try to lure Rasputin, who Ifans plays like a madcap cartoon rock star, with Conrad and poisoned baked goods that he promptly expels with grotesque theatricality. In true Kingsman fashion, this also includes Fiennes removing his trousers, upper thigh licking and Rasputin dancing his way through a fight set to the 1812 Overture. Subtlety is not in their vocabulary, so some whiplash is to be expected when the film suddenly turns into a war drama, and then back to absurdity again.
At a certain point, it becomes clear that not only is The Kings Man a tonal mess, its also just a set-up for a movie with an even more enticing cast thatll leave you feeling even more conflicted.
But you have to admire a modern franchise that has an appreciation of bespoke tailoring as a core principle. If only The Kingsman movies didnt also hold such juvenile humor in equally high esteem.
The Kings Man, a 20th Century Studios release in theaters Wednesday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for some sexual material, language and strong/bloody violence. Running time: 131 minutes. Two stars out of four.
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MPAA Definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lbahr
His hair is graying. His nerves are fraying. Denzel Washingtons Macbeth is a man quite literally running out of time even before he meets those witches.
At 66, Washington is certainly at the older end of the spectrum of conceivable Macbeths. But it makes wonderful sense: In Joel Coens brilliantly imagined, brilliantly executed The Tragedy of Macbeth, we confront a man who knows in his bones his aching bones that the witches prophecy has given him his last chance to be what wants, no, deserves! King of Scotland.
For an actor of Washingtons unique skill set, not to mention facility with Shakespearean verse, Macbeth at any age would be right, frankly. But theres something wonderful about the fact that it took this long, with all the experience and seasoning Washington now brings to bear. Still, this isnt simply a matter of an actor meeting a role at the right time.
No matter how cursed or unlucky the so-called Scottish play is in theater lore, the stars seem to be aligned here. First, the movie stars: As Lady Macbeth, Frances McDormand is a perfect partner to Washington in age (64) and every other way, adding her signature clear-eyed urgency and a few legendarily icy stares to an often caricatured role. And boy, do these two look right together. Maybe its true, as somebody said, that the Macbeths have the only good marriage in Shakespeare though the bar is not high. (Those teenagers Romeo and Juliet had a very short one.)
Completing the dream trio is director Coen (McDormands husband, in his first solo outing without brother Ethan), creating an austere and chilling yet gorgeous and stylish cinematic universe. Its a world in black and white and gray, full of fog, shadows and mist a chiaroscuro vision that seems half real, half fantasy.
Designer Stefan Dechants set, built onto sound stages, is populated by Brutalist-type structures, high walls, long corridors and tall staircases and dirt paths outside. The key sensation is emptiness: There seems barely a prop around except for swords, doing their vicious work. It feels vaguely medieval but unconnected to a specific period and thankfully not 2021, either. Most strikingly, Coen and superb cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel present a film literally wrapped in a box, in what they call an academy-ratio square frame.
As befits the bard's briefest tragedy (albeit with a long list of murders most foul), Coens film clocks in well under two hours. We begin, as we should, with the three witches, and the ominous fair is foul, and foul is fair line meaning all is not what it seems, an understatement of Shakespearean proportions. In a terrific creative decision, Coen gives us only one actor, the wonderful veteran Kathryn Hunter, as a shape-shifting contortionist who morphs at will into three identical figures.
Despite a few judicious cuts, the language is preserved and the story is, of course, the same: After the witches prophesize that Macbeth will become king, he decides, propelled by the tough-love urgings of his wife (When you durst do it, THEN you were a man) to hasten the process by murdering much-loved King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson, excellent).
Washingtons Macbeth, who often speaks in a soft voice even a whisper is racked with indecision beforehand. But what if we fail, he asks. We fail? his wife replies, but in McDormands reading, its essentially, Look at us, what the heck do we have to lose? (Dont answer that, folks.)
And so the bloody cycle begins. This Macbeth is, as always, about politics, power, and the corrosive effects of ambition. It is not, however, about sociopaths. It feels more about mediocrity and the desperation that brings than monstrosity.
Theres much acting talent here beyond the leads. Corey Hawkins, a standout in pretty much anything he does, is a dashing presence as noble Macduff, who has the distinction of killing Macbeth (this swordfight doesn't disappoint) once he apprises him that he was untimely ripped from his mothers womb very bad news if you're Macbeth. As Macduffs doomed wife, Moses Ingram makes much of her one scene.
Washington, whos played Shakespeare onstage numerous times ( and onscreen in 1993 ) recently said that its where I started, and where I want to finish. As a student at Fordham University, he played Othello, a role he prepared for by listening to recordings of Laurence Olivier in the library.
When he speaks of finishing, one hopes he isnt referring to anytime soon. After all, King Lear awaits right, Mr. Washington?
But as for his Macbeth, its McDormand who perhaps said it best when asked recently about casting the role. You dont make lists for a generations Macbeth, she said. One is born, and then they play it.
Sounds about right.
The Tragedy of Macbeth, an A24/Apple release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for violence. Running time: 105 minutes. Four stars out of four.
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MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 not permitted without a parent or adult guardian.
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Follow AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JocelynNoveckAP
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Rain and snow showers fell in California on Wednesday in the first wave of a wet weather pattern that is expected to spread throughout the state and last through Christmas and into next week, forecasters said.
Forecasters warned that holiday travel, especially through high passes, would be affected by multiple rounds of rain, mountain snow and gusty winds.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The state of Tennessee is facing a lawsuit over its decision to deny public access to a report recommending how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic that a contractor undertook at the request of Gov. Bill Lee's administration.
The Public Citizen Litigation Group helped file the lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court against the state's Department of Human Resources last week over its decision to deny a public records request for the document prepared by McKinsey & Co. The records request was filed by the plaintiff in the case, Thomas Wesley, a state employee who filed the request as a Tennessee citizen, according to Wendy Liu, an attorney with the group.
The consulting firm was required to provide a government efficiency assessment and review to identify potential performance improvements and assist the states response to the COVID-19 pandemic including but not limited to cost efficiency, citizen and state employee experience, overall government effectiveness, state government department review, and fiscal benchmarking and forecasting.
Court documents show an attorney for the Department of Human Resources denied the request in September shortly after it was filed, saying the records are subject to the deliberative process privilege and contain confidential information that is subject to the exception for information regarding operational vulnerabilities.
The lawsuit counters that the report does not fall under a deliberative process exemption, which the attorneys note isn't in state law or rules but was described in a 2004 intermediate appeals court decision. Under that ruling, the court determined that certain documents could remain secret if officials deem them part of their decision-making process.
The report isn't exempt from disclosure because it does not reflect conversations or deliberations among high government" and is not a draft report, but a final one, the plaintiff's attorneys wrote.
Additionally, the lawsuit says the operational vulnerabilities exception is meant to apply to the state's computer systems or technical networks. Even if there were information deemed confidential due to operational vulnerabilities in the report, the state was required to redact those sections and still produce the report, the lawsuit says.
The information in the report which contains information about Tennessees COVID-19 response in connection with the States operations as a public employer is directly relevant to public employees and all Tennessee citizens," Liu said in a statement. "There is no basis for Tennessee to withhold the McKinsey report from public access.
Gov. Lee's office regularly cites deliberative process to exclude certain documents when producing records requested by The Associated Press, often when it comes to communications of members of his team.
It is important to protect conversations between the governor and his closest advisors so they can have frank conversations, said Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. There is a reason for that, but it seems this exemption has been expanded to any advice that the governors administration may receive.
In my view, this particular governors admin has used this exemption more aggressively than other administrations, Fisher added.
Early in his administration, Lees office also cited executive privilege more than a dozen times as a reason to withhold some records, though his team argued they were using the term interchangeably with deliberative process. Tennessee statutes, including the states open records laws, do not define executive privilege. The Tennessee Constitution does not mention it.
Lee has since faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers and public health advocates over his handling of coronavirus outbreak in Tennessee. At times when Tennessee had among the worst virus rates in the country, the governor refused calls to issue a statewide mandate and instead stressed the importance of personal responsibility. Most recently, he's joined legal challenges seeking to block the implementation of federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
At the same time, he's also faced criticism from Republicans who are unhappy the governor issued any sort of restrictions early on in the pandemic.
McKinsey's work has been at the center of debate over the Lee administration's no-bid contracting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McKinsey's services have drawn additional scrutiny because of the state's legal action against the firm over claims about its role in the opioid epidemic. Last April, Attorney General Herbert Slatery announced that Tennessee will receive $15.2 million from a larger $573 million settlement with McKinsey, targeted for its role in helping opioid companies promote their drugs.
Lee, a first-time politician, vowed to make government more transparent when he took over the top elected office in 2019.
However, the governor has not yet followed through on a promise to overhaul Tennessees public records and open meeting laws that he initially promised during his transition.
Several major holidays have passed since around 600 employees at ExxonMobils Beaumont complex were locked out pending a contract negotiation, and now Christmas has arrived more than eight months later.
More back-and-forth between the company and the United Steelworkers Union is likely ahead in the weeks to come after the holidays, but for right now the men and women of USW Local 13-243 are focused on making Christmas feel normal.
On Tuesday, that feat was a little easier for hundreds of ExxonMobil workers and their families thanks to a toy drive that provided presents for 260 kids.
The union opened up its hall, which has also doubled as a food pantry for the past several months, and treated the kids of locked out workers to a day of games and bounce-house fun funded by donations from local community members and union organizations across the region.
Mark Morgan, bargaining chair with Beaumonts USW Local 13-243, said that most of his fellow workers have expressed that this Christmas has been a hard one, especially with the vote to decertify the union hanging in the air, but it was important to make sure that families had a day of peace just like anyone else.
Its been stressful having to worry about 600 families, Morgan said. We just have to make sure the kids dont have to be caught up in this.
Like most weeks since the lockout began, families came to fill up their carts with donated groceries from the USWs pantry and have a bite to eat with their brothers and sisters, but on Tuesday, they also came away with toys, bikes, scooters and even gift cards for older kids.
Volunteers and staff with the local, decked out in festive costumes, were abuzz during the afternoon, handing out gifts organized for each family.
Some of the gifts were purchased with donations from the unions international organization, but most were donated by community members thanks to one concerned person worried about workers and their families.
Chante Tebo, a nurse with Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas, and her husband, a federal prison guard, reached out through their jobs and community connections to organize a toy drive for the USW, netting over 3,000 presents for kids.
Tebo, the oldest of five kids, said she has been watching how her brother and sister, who are both union members, have been struggling through the lockout and knew they couldnt be the only ones.
When the last government shutdown happened, I know it was hard for us when my husband couldnt work, but that wasnt nearly as long, Tebo said. I knew if it has been hard for (my brother and sister) it has to be bad for lots of people.
She said that her family jumped on board as did local community leaders like Ward II Beaumont City Councilman Mike Getz, who made a considerable donation and the drive took off.
The holiday season and the signs that the lockout will likely continue into the future has seemed to draw support from other politicians, some of whom stopped by the union hall on Tuesday.
Beaumont Mayor Robin Mouton, whose husband is a USW member, visited with workers, as did Roxanne Acosta-Hellberg, Republican candidate for Jefferson County Clerk.
Some local state representatives, like Rep. James White (R-Hilister) and Rep. Joe Deshotel (D-Beaumont), have sent letters of support for the end of the lockout to company executives and were recently joined by Harris County leaders.
Earlier in the week, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia sent letters to ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods urging the company to end the lockout after union members shared comments at a commission meeting.
Advocacy and the seemingly never-ending picket outside the Beaumont facility have been a part of the USWs fight over the lockout, but all of that seemed to fade into the background for at least a few hours on Tuesday.
USW District 13 Representative Bryan Gross said it was good to see so many families enjoying themselves and coming together in solidarity thanks to the help of the community.
We cant replace the income theyve lost or end the stress theyve felt, but maybe they can have some relief this Christmas, Gross said.
jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com
twitter.com/jd_journalism
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Wichita police chief who was one of the first law enforcement officials to call the death of George Floyd a murder and received praise for his handling of Black Lives Matter protests has announced that he is leaving the department.
The Wichita Eagle reports that Gordon Ramsay announced Friday morning that he plans to resign from his position on March 1. He said his diversification of the police department is one of his proudest accomplishments.
Ramsay said he wanted to spend more time with family and is weighing a run for St. Louis County Sheriff in Duluth, where he was the police chief before getting hired in Wichita.
That is an exciting prospect for me and that is something that I am considering, he said. I have a passion for policing and community. Those two things energize me and I love it, but I need a little break.
Ramsay was named chief of the Wichita Police Department in 2016 as community activists demanded more transparency and accountability for police.
Ramsay, who is white, handled Black Lives Matter protests by organizing a picnic where he fielded questions for nearly an hour. Videos of police officers dancing with people at the cookout went viral.
His deputy chiefs include a Black woman and a Hispanic man. There are more minorities and women in the department now than ever, he said.
The face of the department has been forever changed, he said. Im really proud of that.
In 2020, Ramsay again made waves amid unrest. He was one of the first police officials to call the death of George Floyd in Minnesota that year a murder. Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was later convicted of murder in Floyd's death and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison.
But some of his initiatives have been criticized for not going far enough. He initiated a Citizens Review Board in the aftermath of the killing of Andrew Finch, an unarmed man shot to death on his porch by a Wichita police officer in a swatting incident in December 2017.
The review board has limited access to information provided by the department and is only allowed to review cases that are not tied up in litigation. Four years after the Finch shooting, the review board has not been allowed to review the incident.
City Manager Robert Layton, who hired Ramsay in 2016, said he had made a significant contribution to the community" and that he expects a replacement to be named in 2022.
Russian soldiers stand in formation by a Sukhoi Su-35 fighter plane as Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships fly by during a Victory Day parade at the Russian militarys Hmeimim base, located southeast of the Syrian city of Latakia, May 9, 2021.
Indonesia has abandoned a deal to purchase Sukhoi fighter-jets from Russia and has narrowed its acquisition choice to U.S.-made F-15s and French-made Rafales, the Indonesian air force chief said Wednesday.
Air Marshal Fadjar Prasetyos revelation followed recent visits to Jakarta by senior officials from France and Russia to boost ties and show their commitment to countries in the Indo-Pacific.
Regarding the Sukhoi Su-35, with a heavy heart, yes, we have abandoned that plan. We cant just keep talking about it, Fadjar told reporters.
Fadjar said Indonesia was no longer interested in Russias Sukhois because of a protracted acquisition process, and a fear of U.S. sanctions, although Moscows envoy to Jakarta said Wednesday that the deal was not dead yet.
Russia and France, which have territories and a military presence in the Asia-Pacific, had both voiced concern about AUKUS, a newly signed, American-led regional defense pact. France, in particular, was furious about being shut out of the trilateral deal, through which a French deal to sell nuclear-powered submarine to Australia collapsed.
The F-15 EX team has come to me and they told us if we signed an agreement today, we will receive the first units around 2027, Fadjar said.
The Indonesian air force chief did not give details about its potential purchases or indicate whether its acquisitions would include both F-15XS warplanes and Rafales. He said his force had proposed adding a maximum of three squadrons that is, 12 to 24 planes per squadron of F-15EXs and/or Rafales.
Officials at the Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, have repeatedly refused to comment on the fate of the Sukhoi deal. On Wednesday, they could not be immediately reached to confirm the news announced by Fadjar.
Earlier this year, Indonesia said it planned to acquire eight of Boeings F-15EXs. The Indonesian Air Force currently has 33 F-16s. In June, Indonesia also signed a letter of intent to buy 36 Dassault Rafale fighter-jets.
So when the French foreign minister visited Jakarta last month, the country was hoping for a Rafale sale after Australia dumped a deal it had signed to purchase submarines from France.
After Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom signed the AUKUS pact in August a move that also infuriated China some analysts predicted Indonesia might ditch its Sukhoi purchase plan in favor of France.
Indonesia will likely settle on those fighter jets least likely to incense either China or the U.S., giving Frances Rafale bid an advantage over the others, unless a new contender appears on the horizon, Indonesian analyst Johannes Nugroho wrote in an article published by the Lowy Institute, an Australian think-tank.
A Russian air force Su-35 takes off at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, in Syria, Sept. 26, 2019. [AFP]
Worry about US sanctions?
Lyudmila Vorobieva, the Russian ambassador to Indonesia, said there was still a chance the Sukhoi deal would materialize.
I have no new information about that. We still hope that Sukhoi deal will come through, she told reporters. Its up to the Indonesian side to go on with it.
In March, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto visited Russia but he did not say whether the Sukhoi deal came up during talks with Russian officials.
In 2018, Indonesia reached an agreement to acquire 11 Sukhoi Su-35s worth U.S. $1.14 billion.
Under the deal, Indonesia agreed to pay for the warplanes through a barter agreement in which Jakarta would exchange a $570 million (8.3 trillion rupiah) package of Indonesian commodities including crude palm oil, rubber and coffee.
But the purchase never happened amid concerns that Indonesia could face U.S. sanctions for buying weapons from Moscow.
A year earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had signed into law the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions (CAATSA), which imposed sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea.
Under the legislation, countries that engage in significant transactions with North Korea, Iran, or Russia through the purchase of military equipment could be placed under U.S. sanctions.
Upgrading military
According to a draft presidential decree that circulated in June 2021, the Indonesian government planned to spend U.S. $125 billion during the next three years to upgrade and modernize its military arsenal.
The government proposed spending $79.1 billion on military equipment, $13.4 billion in interest on 25-year loans from foreign sources, and $32.5 billion on contingencies and maintenance.
Many in the country criticized the plan to spend so much money on the military during a time of pandemic, when so many people had lost their jobs or seen their salaries slashed. The decrees fate is not yet known.
Since taking office in 2019, Defense Minister Prabowo has visited weapons-producing countries including the U.S., Russia, China and France to secure defense deals.
In addition to plans to buy Rafale and F-15Xs, the Indonesian Defense Ministry earlier this year also unveiled plans to acquire 15 C-130J transport aircraft made by Lockheed Martin in the U.S., and two French Airbus 330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) planes.
Last month, Indonesia also ordered two Airbus A400M transport aircraft in an agreement signed on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow.
This undated handout photo released from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Dec. 22, 2021 shows an aerial view of damaged buildings on Thitu (Pag-asa) Island in the disputed Spratly Islands, days after Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) struck the southern and central regions of the archipelago.
Typhoon Rai (Odette), the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines and Vietnam this year, caused severe damage to some of their major outposts in the South China Sea, according to the Philippine Coast Guard and Vietnamese media.
The hardest hit were Thitu, an island under the Philippines control and known to Filipinos as Pag-asa, and Southwest Cay, a maritime territory held by Vietnam.
Satellite images taken before and after the category-5 super typhoon struck show that the islands changed in color from green to brown, as winds and rains knocked down trees and destroyed plants.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) posted several photos of Pag-asa on social media after the typhoon, known as Odette in the Philippines, slammed the island last week.
The island is the only Philippine-controlled outpost in the South China Sea with a civilian population of around 200. Its also the largest and most important feature in the Kalayaan Island Group, hosting a naval port and an air strip.
The island is also claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Aerial photos show almost all the buildings and structures on the island were destroyed by the typhoon, said the coast guard, adding that no fishing boats were found to have survived either.
The ABS-CBN news channel quoted a PCG spokesman, Commodore Armand Balilo, as saying that the newly-built coast-guard station on Pag-asa was totally washed out.
Residents on Pag-asa were evacuated before the typhoon and there have been no reporst of fatalities. However, the coast guard is calling for relief supplies to be delivered and damaged structures to be reconstructed or repaired.
The typhoon made landfall in the southern Philippines on Dec. 16. At least 375 people were reported killed and 56 are still missing. Officials are still assessing the scale of the economic impact.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel walk toward a building damaged by Typhoon Rai on Philippine-claimed Thitu (Pag-asa) Island in the South China Sea, Dec. 21, 2021. [Philippine Coast Guard via Reuters]
Vietnamese outposts affected
Meanwhile Vietnam, while being spared the brunt of the typhoon, which didnt strike the mainland directly, had to evacuate thousands of people from central coastal areas.
Local media said some of the outposts in the Spratly Islands, including Southwest Cay and Sin Cowe Island, were badly affected.
On Southwest Cay, the typhoon known in Vietnam as Typhoon Number 9 destroyed 90 percent of the trees and many houses as well as solar panels. The cay and Sin Cowe Island had sheltered hundreds of Vietnamese fishing boats operating nearby, the Voice of Vietnam said.
Southwest Cay is the second largest of the Vietnamese-occupied features after Spratly Island. Its also claimed by China, the Philippines and Taiwan.
North Vietnamese forces took the island from the Saigon regimes troops in 1975.
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First, let me wish all my readers for a Happy Holiday from my family to yours!
Q: We have been walking out in the woods like lower levels of October Mountain that we can get to with roads closed, Balance Rock State Park in Pittsfield State Forest, and Springside Park. When we are in deep woods and forested places, we almost constantly encounter plants that are green all winter. Can you give me a few names of the more common ones that we can learn about? I dont know of any books, but the internet might also help if we have some names.
Al and Peter, Dalton
A: The woods are quiet. And until snow cover is deep, the fallen leaves now yellow and brown, and highlights the occasional green. This is a favorite time of mine to wander the Berkshire woods with the hardy evergreens to cheer me along before the snow piles too deeply.
The killing frosts have put to rest most of the forest greenery, except for the brave and resilient plants that retain colorful leaves throughout the year. In moist woods, some ground vegetation is still vigorous and ignores the freeze. Christmas, polypody and evergreen wood ferns, shining club moss, princess pine and everyones favorite, the diminutive creeping vine we call partridgeberry, checkerberry or teaberry, remain unyielding to winter. At higher altitudes, mountain laurel often forms impenetrable thickets of shiny green leaves. American yew, also called ground hemlock, is another low growing evergreen that often catches my attention. Many of these evergreen plants grow beneath open stands of pine, hemlock and spruce trees, also evergreen, that facilitate one of the more popular traditions at this season the Christmas tree.
Some of my familiar evergreen friends before deep snow covers them are:
Partridgeberry or squawberry is a common woodland plant that grows vine-like, close to the ground, and seems to especially enjoy the company of white pine and moist woods. In summer, it grows twin flowers that make one bright red fruit favored by grouse and mice. If not eaten the fruit may last a year on the vine, making it an ideal choice for a small berry bowl.
Wintergreen or checkerberry often prefers cool, shaded woodlands, sometimes among evergreens. Nibble part of the leaf and learn why it is so named (weaker flavor in winter, though). It often has only one red berry if the deer havent gotten them.
Princess pine, running ground pine, club moss or Christmas green are all common names for this slow growing woodland groundcover, once harvested to excess for wreath making. A better alternative is white-pine boughs with pinecones. Although diminutive today, 300 to 410 million years ago, club mosses attained the size of trees and contributed to the formation of coal deposits. Somewhat resembles large, magnified moss.
Shining club moss, a small upright growing woodland plant, has no flower but retains its cheerful green through the snowy winter months. It grows so slowly it should only be harvested prudently, if at all.
Evergreen wood fern and Christmas fern are unlike most other ferns that are sensitive to frost. These two remain green throughout the winter and, along with shrubs like holly and rhododendron, make attractive landscape additions when planted in shady places. Another evergreen fern that in some places covers boulders is the polypody fern.
Q: I have been meaning to ask you about how many birds are extinct in the U.S.? I know of the passenger pigeon and wonder about the ivory-billed woodpecker. There must be more.
Phillip, Bennington, Vt.
A: Lets list those birds that are extinct in North America. There are additional extinct species in addition to the two you mention: labrador duck, last seen in Elmira, N.Y., 1878; heath hen, last seen on Marthas Vineyard, 1931; great auk, last pair killed in Newfoundland, 1844; Carolina parakeet, last seen in the wild in 1910, declared extinct in 1939 some 20 years after the last captive pair died at the Cincinnati Zoo; Bachmans warbler, last seen in South Carolina, 1962, but not declared extinct until Sept. 2021; and the dusky seaside sparrow, last seen in Florida in 1987, it was declared extinct in 1990. The Eskimo curlew, last spotted in Texas in in 1962, is considered to be extinct but remains on the critically endangered list. (Of the two you mention, the last passenger pigeon was shot in 1901 with the last known in captivity, Martha, dies in 1914. The ivory-billed woodpecker was last seen in Louisiana, mid-1950s, and in Cuba, 1987. It was reportedly rediscovered in eastern Arkansas in 2004, but has not been seen again. It was officially declared extinct by U.S. Fish and Wildlife in September.)
While we are on the subject, let us investigate a variety of species not yet extinct but close: mass.gov/2020-marks-30-years-of-the-massachusetts-endangered-species-act
READER COMMENTS:
GOLDFINCHES
Tommy, of Stockbridge, wrote: For a few months I have not seen any goldfinches and just recently I have been seeing a few, maybe four to six at a time at our bird feeder.
CEDAR WAXWING REPORTS
NatureWatch readers were quick to respond to another reader's question about the lack of cedar waxwings in his yard and if anyone else has seen them:
Liana T., of Sandisfield, wrote: "A handful of cedar waxwings came back briefly this morning for the few berries left on the lower branches of the hawthorne, [and] Dec. 19, I had a lot of cedar waxwings devouring my hawthorn berries in November. Within two weeks, the tree went from being magnificently dense with berries to mostly nude. If I parked my car in the wrong spot, it would get covered in red bird poop. Country living!
William P., of North Adams,wrote: Not many, say half dozen were in a bush in our side yard. We watched them outside our dining room for two days and they ate every berry there. No idea the name of the bush.
Mary S., of Pittsfield, wrote: "A big flock, I would say 40 or 50 birds worked at eating in three red berry shrubs in our backyard. They ate a good number, and with them were some robins. After a couple days they left, leaving enough for another flock.
COPPER BEECH
Tom F., of Lenox, (apparently a lover of Copper Beech and trees in general) following The Naturewatch story about Gails Tree on Nov. 20, 2021, wrote: I grew up on the Elm Court estate, and the coppers there were always great for climbing. Have you ever seen a weeping copper? There is one across from Frommel Court on Old Stockbridge Road and another one is across from The Church on The Hill at the Stonewall Inn."
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The new coronavirus variants spread has implications for the hospital system in the coming months, but Berkshire Health Systems leaders are confident that they will be able to manage any rise in cases this holiday season.
Cops and Courts Reporter
Amanda Burke is Cops and Courts Reporter for The Berkshire Eagle. An Ithaca, New York native, she previously worked at The Herald News of Fall River and the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise.
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.
Danny Jin, a Report for America corps member, is The Eagles Statehouse news reporter. He can be reached at djin@berkshireeagle.com, @djinreports on Twitter and 413-496-6221.
Business writer
Tony Dobrowolski's main focus is on business reporting. He came to The Eagle in 1992 after previously working for newspapers in Connecticut and Montreal. He can be reached at tdobrowolski@berkshireeagle.com or 413-496-6224.
Theres a reason these stories resonated with us. They give us pause; they serve as reminders and lessons to not take any day for granted. They show us what our neighbors are going through and in turn it can inspire us to help them. Theyre the moments we overcame what we once thought was impossible, which lead to moments worth celebrating, both as old traditions and new memories.
(If these stories don't load on the app, visit BerkshireEagle.com.)
Reminiscing on time spent with family and friends
Across the country, families are reuniting. For immigrants, its more complicated. As vaccination rates shot up this spring and summer, family reunions abounded. Vaccinated parents saw their adult children again; aunts and un
Reuniting: For many, this has been a year of long-awaited reunions and gatherings. But for families and friends living far away from one another, their reunions are still to be had.
We understand, Michelle Lopez said. They have to protect the population [in Mexico], and the medical system is great, but its easily overwhelmed because its an island. We understand the health protections. Its just sad.
5 facts about Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) Dia de los Muertos is celebrated by many members of the Latino/Hispanic community members of the Berkshires. Recently, we asked Laura Cabrera to help us better understand the celebration of Dia de los Muertos, and a few of the traditions that go along with it. Here are a few facts she shared about Dia de los Muertos
Dia de los Muertos: This quote from Laura Cabrera who lives in Pittsfield but grew up celebrating Dia de los Muertos in Veracrus, Mexico resonated, especially for this time of the year, when many of us are preparing special dishes for loved ones just as our parents or grandparents did for us.
"When Im cooking, I hear the words of my grandmother and I feel they have not died," Cabrera says. "For me, she lives on with me because I carry her in my heart. The words that she left me, I think if we transmit to our children, our traditions, beliefs or myths will never die."
Remote learning: Though young people in the Berkshires and across the country were at lower risk for developing serious complications from COVID-19, their education and development both academic and social were highly vulnerable because of remote learning and limited social interaction with peers. It's a double-edged sword ... trying to keep children safe from the virus and yet the distance may be creating more problems.
Learning that we shouldn't take our health for granted
'I'm on the right side of the dirt:' Love, luck and living with cancer at the Relay for Life Dalzell was 23 and working with animals it was her dream job when a beautiful bull terrier kicked her in the stomach. Dalzell went to a hospital with a sharp pain, and the doctors found a mass. I had zero symptoms, she said. The whole story is pretty amazing.
Three laps at the relay for life: Three stories of cancer survivors show us that sometimes bad luck can turn out to be a blessing in disguise, or at least push us in the right direction. One walker tells the story of how a dog kicking her in stomach lead to the discovery of ovarian cancer, which she says she wouldn't have otherwise found. Other walkers describe how cancer pushed them to dig deep and find strength they didn't know they could muster.
I wouldve expected myself to fall apart, one walker said. And I did. But, then this calm came over me. You dig down into yourself and, at some point, it just comes naturally. You tell yourself, Ive got this. Its gonna be fine.
'My daughter was gone.' A Dalton girl lost years to a rare illness. Inside her mom's fight for answers EAGLE INVESTIGATIONS: For most of her life, Teagan, 10, has suffered from an autoimmune disorder. Last year, advocates won a major battle when the state Legislature approved a bill to force insurers to cover treatments for the ailment known by the acronym PANDAS, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars for families like Teagans.
A rare illness: A Dalton girl living with PANDAS, an autoimmune disorder that sets in abruptly and causes on-and-off, debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder, tics, rages, depression, and a host of other psychological, neurological and motor symptoms.
The disease manifests as ritual, depression, paranoia. During a flare, her handwriting degrades; she refuses to leave the house, shower or brush her teeth. Her long hair condenses into knots, as loose strands reach for the ceiling. This is the story of a mother's journey to find a diagnosis while trying to keep her daughter as safe and happy as she can be.
From cancer to COVID: This is the story of Rick Bua, a 67-year-old cancer survivor who was one of the first Massachusetts residents to test positive for the virus. In this story, he recounts finishing his chemo treatments in the spring of 2020, and only a few weeks later feeling very sick again. He is admitted to the hospital with a COVID-19 diagnosis. A year later, he received his vaccine and feels grateful to have his health back.
When our neighbors need help
Maggie Curtin kept a secret for much of her adult life: She couldn't read. But then, LitNet was created In honor of the Literacy Network of South Berkshire's 30th anniversary, we look back at one of the organization's first student-tutor pairings: Maggie Curtin and her tutor Andrew Pincus. The day I had the breakthrough that I was going to be able to read, I cried for a long time, Curtin said. The pain of all those years needed to be released.
Reading: Maggie Curtin kept a secret for much of her adult life: She couldn't read. She graduated high school in 1963 and got through by memorizing a handful of words. Curtain didn't know she had dyslexia, and didn't know there were solutions out there to help her.
The day I had the breakthrough that I was going to be able to read, I cried for a long time, Curtin said. The pain of all those years needed to be released.
'Kimber would be dead': How an overdose safety hotline saved a North Adams woman's life EAGLE INVESTIGATIONS: On a day that could have been her last, a woman struggling with substance use disorder in North Adams remembered a business card in her wallet and picked up her phone. Call by call, the Never Use Alone program is saving lives.
Safety hotline: Recovery does not always happen in a straight path or overnight. When trying to help others struggling with addiction and working to achieve sobriety, sometimes the most important thing we can do is listen without judgement and be there for them.
For one North Adams woman, it was a business card in her wallet that reminded her she was not alone and had options.
"We do this because we have some underlying trauma," she said. "Usually, mental health issues. Everybody is struggling. Some people do it with legal things like alcohol or gambling. It doesn't make anybody 'less than.'
Pittsfield entrepreneur, 8, directs profits to help homeless PITTSFIELD First, she went door to door selling candy bars. Last summer, she ran her own lemonade stand. Now, she has her own apparel company.
A helping hand: A Pittsfield entrepreneur sells sweets, beverages and apparel, and then donates the proceeds to help those in need. Meet Hadley Light, a now 9-year-old, who just wants to help others in her community.
I feel really good about it, Hadley said, because I know that when people are buying my products, I know Im going to give money to stop homelessness so more and more people can have homes and food.
Remembering those we have lost
Birthday wishes: Two of Terri Wilbur's grandchildren, twins Alex and Zoe, would have turned 10 this year, and Wilbur wrote them a birthday note she sent to the The Eagle. It is a circumstance in which time does not heal all wounds.
On 9/11, a day unlike any other unfolds at The Berkshire Eagle, North Adams Transcript Several former and current Eagle staffers who were on duty Sept. 11, 2001, tell their stories of that day in their own words.
Remembering Sept. 11: Twenty years ago, Clarence Fanto left his home in Lenox and began driving to Pittsfield, where he worked as managing editor of The Berkshire Eagle. As he drove, Fanto admired the crystal-clear blue sky above and thought, "This is going to be one of the best days of the year."
Then he turned on his radio.
"I heard the first report of the first plane crashing into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center," Fanto said.
Eagle staffers recall their personal accounts of Sept. 11, 2001.
How a reporter reunited a young woman with a photograph of her late father after 18 years This story is about a photograph that sat stashed away in a reporters desk for almost 19 years and helped a young woman reconnect with a deceased dad she barely knew.
An old photo: Reporters are notorious packrats. Desks are filled with old coffee cups, napkins with scribbled phone numbers, filled notebooks, red and black pens and stacks of old newspapers and clippings. During a yearly purge, one reporter finds an old photograph he used for a story in 2003 while cleaning his desk. This story gave us pause because it made us reflect on why it is we hold onto old things and how one object can bring back different memories to each person.
Celebrating diversity in our community
Amid Juneteenth's designation as a federal holiday, Berkshire residents talk of freedom While Juneteenth its a combination of the words June and 19th has been celebrated by African Americans since the late 1800s, Saturday
Juneteenth: While Juneteenth has been celebrated since the late 1800s, this year was the first time the date was commemorated as a federal holiday.
Juneteenth, also historically known as Jubilee Day and Emancipation Day, marks the day when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, learned that they legally were free from enslavement. In conversations with The Eagle, several Berkshire County residents shared what the day means to them, and what it means to be free.
North Adams ushering in a historically diverse City Council Elections brought not only more gender diversity to the mayor's office, but also more racial diversity and LGBTQ representation to the City Council.
Council winners: For the city of North Adams, the November election was a historical moment for three reasons: the city elected its first female mayor; elected its first openly transgender councilor; and elected its first Black person to the City Council. We spoke to Ashley Shade and Michael Obasohan to hear their thoughts on making history.
Indigenous People's Day: President Joe Biden made the first-ever federal proclamation of Oct. 11 as Indigenous Peoples Day, with a promise to honor the trust and treaty obligations of the federal government to tribal nations.
How to move forward against the odds
Uprooted in Alford? Even as small farm's bounty arrives, its future is cloudy Here she is, poised to lose her farm at the end of this growing season, a soil toiler in these Berkshire Hills, uprooted again.
Need roots: When you're at the grocery store picking up carrots, how often is it that you think about the farmer that picked it, or the farm from which it came? For customers of Molly Comstock, they care an awful lot. Comstock is a farmer who has been planting and harvesting crops in Alford, but this season may have been her last in that location. This resilient farmer has moved locations before and she's looking for a new home now.
In Clarksburg, water isn't coming out of the faucet. Fixing the problem is expensive, and nobodys getting paid. EAGLE INVESTIGATIONS: What happens in a tiny water district when nothing comes out of the taps? Volunteers get to work, against long odds and with scant resources. Meet the heroes of the Briggsville Water District in Clarksburg.
No running water: Clean, accessible water is a basic human need, and unfortunately, in the small town of Clarksburg, water isn't coming out of the faucet and the pipes are crumbling. Who is going to fix this problem?
People want government to fix things? said Carl McKinney, a former Clarksburg town administrator said. Government is a collection of us. We are the government.
The people who set up the district? Theyre all dead, McKinney said.
Circumstances aside, at PALC graduation, the pomp satisfaction, too is palpable PITTSFIELD Before Sarina Mead and 44 other graduates could gaze upon the high school diploma with their names etched in ink, they each had o
Graduation: Celebrating the end of high school is a major achievement for many young adults. The ceremony signifies the official beginning of the next chapter in their lives as many enter adulthood and the working world. However, for some teens, they enter the "real world" earlier because of circumstances that are beyond their control: taking care of family members who are sick or need help. It's a selfless act, but it can be debilitating to find a job without a high school diploma. These are the stories of those who were there for their families and went back to earn their degrees despite the hardships.
CHESHIRE Offers to buy one of Cheshires most historic and visible properties and most in need of repair are coming in, with a sales decision possible next week.
Quote You can make any offer you like." Daniel Testa, asset manager for CastleRock REO, which is selling an historic property at 12 South St. in Cheshire
In August, the company holding a mortgage on the former Beechwood House bought it for $172,500. Today, the distressed mansion and 1.7-acre site at 12 South St. are on the market for about one-fourth of that $43,900 in cash, through an online company that specializes in the sale of previously foreclosed properties.
Thats the price range that brought out prospective bidders in August. Some of them might be pursuing purchase once again.
Daniel Testa, CastleRock REOs asset manager for the property, said that since the listing for the vacant building went live this week, he has received several offers.
A small sign out on Route 8 names the listing price, but Testa said thats just a reference point.
You can make any offer you like, Testa said. Ill probably go to highest and best offer next week.
Back in the day, 12 South St. was one of Cheshires premier addresses. The building, built just after the American Revolution, housed an early American tavern and, later, became a summer refuge for New Yorks elite. Barry Emery, a town historian, dates the home to 1795.
In the late 1800s, people locally started calling it Beechwood, rather than the Wolcott house, the name of its original owner, Moses Wolcott.
In the 1900s, as ownership continued to change, it served as a hotel and, by the middle of the 20th century, as the Beechwood Nursing Home and Beechwood Rest Home.
The latest ownership change arrived in August, when Peoples Choice Home Loan, the holder of a $136,500 mortgage, bought the property from the estate of Peter J. Krutiak, who had died in 2019.
As of the previous fiscal year, the estates property was valued at $115,300. The property cards shows that the land is worth more than the building.
The CastleRock REO listing is short on property descriptions, other than to note that the building has six bedrooms and six bathrooms, with 6,390 square feet of space.
Named after the discovery of red-headed black bats in what was then known as Baker Cave, the Red Bat Cave was established in the mid-1920s in New Ashford. While the structure hasn't been a tavern for some time, it was a hot spot for Williams students in the middle of the 20th century.
Since the 2010-11 school year, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, my alma mater, has lost half of its student population, which is by far the most of any state college, according to recent reporting in The Eagle.
Mitchell Chapman: MCLA must address falling enrollment PITTSFIELD 1,277. According to a factbook published by the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' Office of Institutional Research, that was the undergraduate student population at the college last fall. Eight and a
While disheartening, Im not surprised, as Ive written about the colleges declining enrollment in the past, like in 2019, when I argued that it needed to change course to avoid falling into a death spiral, noting that its status as a public college does not grant it immunity from mergers and consolidation, if not outright closure.
Looking over the data, Im not convinced that MCLA is not in said death spiral, but I have hope that it can pull itself out of this rut it rebuilt before, when it rebranded from North Adams State College to MCLA in 1997, the last time before this year that its student population dipped below 1,000. But in order to do so, it must take a close, honest look at itself, and figure out whats not working.
Zooming in
MCLA's enrollment dropped by half in 10 years by far more than any other state college EAGLE INVESTIGATIONS: A stark enrollment decline at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has led to a reduced course schedule, loss of part-time faculty and the closing of a residence hall.
Some of the recent decline can be attributed to the pandemic, as the states other colleges and universities have also struggled to attract students at a time where the need to preserve public health has stifled the traditional college experience by limiting social interactions among peers, and at times necessitating that otherwise in-person classes be held virtually. The economys volatility no doubt prompted many to either put off enrolling in college or reconsider it altogether, especially as the pandemic has reshaped the workplace and jobs market.
But the college cannot huddle behind state and national college enrollment trends, as it is solely responsible for its own destiny. Furthermore, The Eagles reporting found that MCLAs decline is significantly worse than those of other rural public four-year colleges, as well as its peers in the state college system. This does not mean that its impossible for MCLA to turn itself around and chart a course for prosperity, but it does represent adversity the college must overcome, as it finds itself in a challenging higher education market.
The most important questions behind MCLAs decline are: How did this happen? Why arent students coming? What has made MCLAs situation especially dire?
Recent history offers lessons
The colleges innate ability to produce negative press might have something to do with its decline. Going back to 2015, when Greg Summers was offered and ultimately turned down MCLAs presidency, it seems like the college could never go long without controversy. Some notable incidents are:
In 2016, the colleges student newspaper, The Beacon, reported that then-vice president of institutional advancement Mary Hastings had been fired by MCLA President James Birge after she refused to terminate five other employees and refused severance pay when it was attached to a gag order. Later that year, MassLive reported that MCLA faculty may vote no confidence on Birge, citing early and ongoing opposition to Birges leadership, which The Eagles reporting later disputed.
In 2017, tensions erupted when the college published survey results that excluded anyone who wasnt Caucasian, which was the culmination of long-term dissatisfaction with the colleges diversity initiatives. As such, the school was papered up with the survey results in protest, which started a long-term conversation on how the college could do better.
In 2019, due to some administrative fumbles, the colleges radio class was removed, leading to an uproar from communications students and alumni, which hit critical mass when the incident was picked up by WAMC. It was later reinstated as an independent study.
Last year introduced many elements outside of MCLAs control, but one thing it could control was its communication, which it bungled in regards to a set of emails in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, which The Eagle reported that many saw as divisive, and prompted a change.org petition asking MCLA to do better that has amassed more than 600 signatures a remarkable amount given the colleges size.
This year, the college had to close down in the spring after a cluster of students tested positive for COVID-19, which was an unfortunate result of their insistence on in-person learning, and they were criticized for outsourcing commencement, in which a computer-generated voice mispronounced the names of many and spoke the dead names of transgender students.
Browsing through The Beacons website now, you can find a recent story about how in extreme cases, the college is shutting off the meal plans of students who arent attending classes, which one student government senator described as cruel and unusual. And I have to agree I dont think any circumstances justify using starvation as a tool on a college campus.
MCLAs recent history and its severe dip in enrollment paint a picture of an organization that often creates problems for itself that find their way into student and local media, and it has been shedding students at an alarming rate. It needs to desperately change course, and that might only come through a change in culture and strategy.
FRUITLAND - The Fruitland Police Department with the assistance of the Idaho State Police and the FBI continue to search for missing 5-year-old Michael Joseph Vaughan.
According to an update from the Fruitland Police Department, over the last few weeks search efforts have included more ground searches in a remote forested area north of Weiser, ID. Investigators continue to work every lead that comes in. To date, the number of leads investigators have received has risen to 738.
"We continue to comb through the data collected since July 27, 2021 and it is a monumental task, but we remain committed and steadfast in our efforts," said a statement from the Fruitland Police released on social media Wednesday. "The Fruitland Police Department is forever grateful for the continued support you show for members of this agency."
The reward for Michaels safe return remains in place and has increased to $52,206.00 for anyone having information leading to safe return of Michael and will be available until March 31, 2022.
The Fruitland Police Department is forever grateful for the continued support you show for members of this agency.
As most of us prepare to spend a Christmas holiday gathered at a table with family and friends, the Fruitland Police Department asks you keep those who are unable to gather in your prayers, specifically 5-year-old Michael Joseph Vaughan. There will be an empty seat that his familys table and for many of us in this community, an empty place in our hearts until Michael comes home.
MECOSTA COUNTY New cases of COVID-19 in Mecosta County have ticked down for a second week in a row, according to local health officials.
The District Health Department No. 10 identified 125 new cases from Sunday, Dec. 12, to Saturday, Dec. 18, down from 166 the prior week (Dec. 5-11). Known exposures included household and community contacts; school, day care and care facility; recent travel; and social gathering. One death linked to COVID-19 occurred last week, reported Friday, Dec. 17.
Weekly case totals have been oscillating between 150 and 250 new cases since mid-September, with the largest one-week total occurring two weeks ago at 226 (Nov. 28-Dec. 4). The largest one-day total occurred Nov. 12 with 106 new cases. COVID-19 related deaths have also increased, with nearly half (46.47%) of the 67 total pandemic deaths occurring since Sept. 14.
On Monday, Dec. 20, DHD No. 10 reported 36 new cases and one COVID-19 related death over the weekend, and Tuesday, Dec. 21, it added 13 more new cases, bringing the total number of cases in Mecosta County to 5,861 with 67 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020. As of Monday, Dec. 20, 5,056 individuals have recovered and 725 cases remain active.
Statewide, there have been 1,434,837 total confirmed cases and 25,984 related deaths, as of Monday, Dec. 20. All 83 counties remain in the high level of community transmission, as they have been for several months.
Community transmission level, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is based on the case rate and the positivity rate for a particular area. Case rate is determined by the number of new cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period, in this case Dec. 13-19. Positivity rate is the percentage of positive Nucleic Acid Amplification tests in a seven-day period, in this case Dec. 11-17.
Here are the rolling seven-day totals from the CDC's COVID Data Tracker for area counties, as of Tuesday, Dec. 21:
Mecosta County: 144 cases (331.39 case rate), 17 hospital admissions and a positivity rate of 19.17%.
Osceola County: 98 cases (417.73 case rate), two hospital admissions and a positivity rate of 22.1%.
Lake County: 47 cases (396.52 case rate) and a positivity rate of 20.97%.
Newaygo County: 229 cases (467.54 case rate), nine hospital admissions and a positivity rate of 22.95%.
Isabella County: 260 cases (372.11 case rate), 10 hospital admissions and a positivity rate of 12.21%.
Wexford County: 137 cases (407.36 case rate), 12 hospital admissions and a positivity rate of 18.27%.
STATE OFFICIALS URGE VIGILANCE
As the omicron variant sweeps across the country, state officials urge Michiganders to take action now.
On Tuesday, Dec. 21, one day after the CDC reported that omicron accounted for 73% of new cases nationwide last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a statewide goal of adding a million more Michiganders who have received a COVID-19 booster by the end of January 2022. Currently, 2 million have received booster shots.
"As omicron becomes the dominant COVID-19 variant in the United States, we all have to step up this holiday season to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe," Whitmer said during a news conference Tuesday in Grand Rapids. We must all take action to protect ourselves and help our healthcare workers and hospitals do their jobs. I encourage every Michigander who is eligible to get their booster shot.
The new variant became a concern nearly a month ago as it swept through South African and was detected in Europe. The World Health Organization highlighted omicron because it has more mutations than previous variants. While much about the new variant remains unknown, early research suggests that vaccination and boosters still offer protection.
We know from preliminary data that the booster offers more robust protection against omicron. A 15-minute appointment to get your booster can help keep you out of the hospital and save your life, Whitmer said. If you still have not gotten vaccinated yet, know that it is not a matter of if you will get sick but of when. We have safe and effective vaccines. Please get your shots."
In addition to Whitmer, Dr. Shelley Schmidt, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at Spectrum Health, spoke about her experiences taking care of critical COVID-19 patients.
Since the beginning of this pandemic, I have never taken care of a patient dying from the vaccine," Schmidt said. "I have taken care of dozens and dozens who are dead from this virus.
According to data from the state, "in October, unvaccinated people had 4.3 times the risk of testing positive for COVID-19 and 13.2 times the risk of dying from COVID-19 than people who were fully vaccinated." In addition, "from Jan. 3, 2021, through Dec. 15, 2021, people who were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated represented 85.1% of COVID-19 cases, 88.1% of hospitalizations and 85.5% of deaths."
While Whitmer did not announce any statewide mandates, both her and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Elizabeth Hertel encouraged residents to take the following steps:
John Carl D'Annibale/Times Union
As Michiganders gear up for snow, many are getting ready to start up their snowmobiles.
Designated state trails are open now until March 31 for recreational use. The trails will be groomed and maintained as snow begins to accumulate throughout the state.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, why former President Trump canceled his January 6th press conference.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Special edition analytica Anacon India and India Lab Expo attracted more than 5455 visitors at the Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad
From December 16 to 18, analytica Anacon India and India Lab Expoback in its physical avatar was held at HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabadconcluded its special edition successfully. Continuing the bounce back sentiment, the business community enthusiastically took part, with 194 exhibitors including both onsite plus online showcasing their solutions and innovations to the visitors. In terms of visitors, the special edition for the laboratory and analysis industry attracted more than 5455 visitors.
We are happy that the special edition of analytica Anacon India and India Lab Expo once again delivered a successful platform for exhibitors, partners and buyers to meet, greet and do business successfully. The exhibition halls displayed an atmosphere of confidence and the energy to exchange business on the floor, said Bhupinder Singh, CEO of Messe Muenchen India.
Face to face interactions again
All the exhibitors, visitors, buyers and partners took full advantage of face-to-face meetingson site.
Amy Thakker, Deputy ManagerMarketing & Sales at the Shimadzu Analytical (India) expressed: It was great to exchange ideas and meet personally again. I was especially excited about the new technologies presented here as well as to maintain existing contacts.
Jimit Upadhyay, Sr. AssociateService Marketing from Mettler-Toledo India added There has been a huge influx of visitors, much more than anticipated and many have expressed interest towards our products on display. This platform has helped us meet our old clients and introduced us to a lot of new clients.
High-class supporting program
The industry not only exchanged information at the booths, but also at the high-class supporting program. The topics were tailored to the market requirements. The seminar focused on topics namely USPSupporting Public Health response for COVID -19 or Nitrosamine ImpuritiesUSPs Tools and Solutions organized by U.S. Pharmacopeia. The conference partner, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), also organized the session on Lab of Future.
Onlinethe exhibition beyond three days
The fair extended its scope to the digital world. Through online participation options, analytica Anacon India and India Lab Expo carried together a premium audience of top business and technology leaders and influencers across the globe. The digital event platform was frequently used to access company profiles, see products and services, to hold B2B meetings, to learn from the conference and to network.
Positioning back in Mumbai & Hyderabad in 2022
With new trends & technologies transpired in last 18 months, the event gave more than enough reasons to look forward to the next edition, which will be back to the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC), Mumbai from April 20 to 21, 2022 and HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad from September 15 to 17, 2022.
To add value and capacity building in Indian healthcare sector
Apollo Medskills and IIM Lucknow have decided to join hands and announce the beginning of a relationship between the two institutions with a unique perspective to benefit the healthcare fraternity. The first of many, under this initiative they have launched an Executive Programme in Healthcare Management (EPHM).
The programme is designed by taking the necessary inputs from both public and private health sector of India and similar economies in the region.
The uniqueness of this programme is the Experiential learning that every participant receives by way of attending the Immersion programme. All participants will have the opportunity to experience the concepts they have been acquainted with in the classroom in a real time campus immersion at IIM Lucknow and a field visit at Apollo hospitals.
Speaking on the occasion of the launch of EPHM programme in collaboration with IIM Lucknow, Dr Srinivasa Rao Pulijala, CEO, Apollo MedSkills Limited, The EPHM Programme Director, said: The on-going developments in Indias healthcare industry is paving way for creating millions of jobs in the sector. The Executive Programme in Healthcare Management will definitely nurture and shape the career of hundreds of youth who aspire to take the leadership roles in the health industry."
The latest updates on the new normal chronicling the lies, distortions, and abuses by the ruling class.
In high school circa 04 while the other kids managed their Xanga pages and MySpace Top 8s (back when social media was all fun and games, before the MetaVerse threatened to digitally conquer the world), I watched Big Daddy Patriarch Bill OReilly.
Bill drove hard to the paint, especially that one time when he decided to DO IT LIVE!
Every year post-Thanksgiving like clockwork, Bill went balls-to-the-wall railing against the War on Christmas waged by creeping secularists.
The Culture War was a lot simpler back then.
In those days, maybe because as a teenager conservatism seemed counterintuitive and Western institutions didnt seem important, or maybe because the left wasnt yet fully toxic, the concept of a War on Christmas was amusing, and seemed absurd.
By now, though, I have developed a deeper appreciation for turn-of-the-century GOP culture war talking points.
Christmas is about universal goodwill and holy communion the exact opposite agenda of the ruling oligarchs, who prefer their peasants atomized and stultified with terror at all hours of the day.
The corporate media, accordingly, has some propaganda slop for the peasants to desecrate that day marking Christs birth.
Jimmy Kimmel ft. Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion!: Ultra-Cringe Stabby Vaxx-Fest Propaganda Set to Music
Who are the audience members laughing at this travesty in the background and what darkness has Warlord Fauci done to their souls?
Warlord Fauci: You May Remove Your Mask at Christmas Parties Momentarily to Safely Eat a Cookie or Drink Some Eggnog
Via CNBC:
It is very prudent to wear a mask, Fauci said. Thats what I do. You can briefly lower your mask to safely eat a cookie or drink some eggnog , but try to keep it on as much as possible.
Is Warlord Fauci not gracious this Christmas season? Does he not exude holiday cheer? Do even the most battle-hardened warlords not have a soft underbelly of goodwill?
German Stasi Snatch and Grab Santa Off the Street for Non-Mask Compliance
NEW Police arrested "Santa Claus" today at a Christmas market in Germany because he was not wearing a mask.pic.twitter.com/m7SyhEkWUb Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 13, 2021
This despite the German authorities acknowledging themselves that outdoor COVID transmission is extremely rare:
In an open letter to the German government and state premiers, five leading members of the Association for Aerosol Research (GAeF) write that The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 viruses takes place indoors almost without exception. Transmission outdoors is extremely rare and never leads to cluster infections as can be observed indoors.
Surely we must Trust the Experts and Respect the Science?
Surely this isnt about training the unwashed filthy masses to reflexively submit to nonsense because governing authorities say so?
Surely?
Hessische Polizei Beamten gehen mit Zollstocken durch die Menschenmenge in Frankfurt am 11.12.21 pic.twitter.com/1dkqehSnPt Sternenstaub (@wirsindsoviele) December 12, 2021
Cold Turkey: Possibly No Booze For Britons This Christmas
The ongoing COVID lockdown-induced planned supply chain demolition continues to wreak havoc on the delivery of consumer goods.
Via BBC:
Britain could face shortage of wine and spirits at Christmas In addition, businesses are reporting increased costs of around 7% and often more by freight forwarders to account for driver retention.
HuffPo: How To Deal With Anti-Vaxxers During Holidays Christmas
Via HuffPo, ft. an alleged expert with a heavy valley girl accent/syntax.
The kind who ends sentences in a nasally tonal uptick so that everything becomes, like, a que-estION even when its a statement chased swiftly with an affirmative ri-iiGHT? and head nod to round things out to, like, build consensus.
Nothing says holy communion like:
a vaxx pass QR check at the door
nasal swab/rape for entry
orchestrated shaming campaigns
elbow-bumping masked up grandmothers
Gibraltar, With 118% Vaxx Rate, Cancels Christmas
Via RT:
The government of Gibraltar recently announced that official Christmas parties, official receptions and similar gatherings have been canceled , and advised the public to avoid social events and parties for the next four weeks More than 118% of Gibraltars population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with this figure stretching beyond 100% due to doses given to Spaniards who cross the border to work or visit the territory every day . Gibraltars entire adult population has been fully vaccinated since March, and masks are still required in shops and on public transport.
Elites Dont Abide By Their Own Christmas COVID Restrictions, Throw Xmas Party at UK Gov. HQ
Via the Guardian:
Witnesses have come forward to detail party games and festivities beyond midnight in Downing Street during the winter 2020 lockdown [critics] accused Johnson of taking the British public for fools for following the rules, adding: The prime minister doesnt deny there was a Downing Street Christmas party last year. He says no rules were broken. Both of those things cant be true .'
So whatever happened to the UK NHSs all in this together talking points?
Surely that was not merely a vapid PR marketing plot to keep the serfs well-contained inside their homes while the nations owners party in lavish government Christmas orgies?
Surely?
Boris Johnson Questioned About COVID Hypocrisy, Babbles About Vaxx Efficacy Instead of Answering
Flap flap flap, Get your booster n dont ask questions. https://t.co/yUeQkgxONa Rosco (@RoscoL999) December 17, 2021
German Corporate Santa Now Shilling Big Pharma Products
https://twitter.com/AnonCitizenUK/status/1467919147015327757?t=HOHCsU-Viqk9dORzZJWTbA&s=03
Corporate State Santa Supplemental #1: Norwegian Postal Service Turns Santa Into a Homosexual in When Harry Met Santa
Not necessarily COVID-related but just to give a broader sense of what barbarism theyve done jolly old Saint Nick this season:
Corporate State Santa Supplemental #2: White Male Cis Scum Santa Gets Replaced By a Nasally Feminist Elf Voiced By Sarah Silverman in Santa Inc.
Jesus Christ.
Such is the cultural diversity in childrens media that leftist academics are always on about.
Transgender Claus to make the transgender youth feel more comfortable (always, of course, to protect the youth so that questioning turning Santa trans becomes tantamount to a hate crime against innocent protected-class children) and for the sake of cultural diversity or whatever is definitely, for sure on his way down the chimney.
Oh, wait here zhe is, right on cue.
Lunatic Mother Threatens Son With No Santa Presents or Grandma Time for Xmas Unless He Cooperates With Vaxx
Afterward, after he caved in, to add insult to injury, she shamed him on the internet for virtue signal brownie points.
Originally posted to Reddit (now deleted):
How brave. How loving. How liberal.
Ben Bartee is a Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs. Follow his stuff via his blog, Armageddon Prose, Substack, or Patreon.
COVID case numbers are already starting to decline in southern Africa, seen as the epicenter of the omicron explosion, but that hasn't stopped the EU from further tightening restrictions related to travel.
Because according to Reuters, the European Commission on Tuesday agreed to new rules that will make the EU's COVID vaccine travel passport (what they call a "travel certificate") will be valid for nine months after the completion of the "primary vaccination schedule" - which right now only includes the first two doses.
The new rules will be binding for all 27 member states starting Feb. 1.
The decision, made by the bloc's governing commission, which has purview over issues related to intra-bloc travel, comes just as Germany's Robert Koch Institute, the primary source of public health policy, recommended on Tuesday that "maximum contact restrictions" should be imposed, starting immediately, to combat a looming tide of infections caused by this latest winter wave (to which the new omicron variant is now contributing).
As for the new EU-wide travel rules, they will replace a non-binding recommendation the EU Commission put forward in November.
Also, it's worth pointing out that the nine month timeline leaves the door open for the EU to require boosters, potentially as often as every six or nine months.
Interestingly enough, Reuters also pointed out that travel measures restricting intra-bloc travel being imposed by a smattering of individual member states are helping to undermine the authority of the EU Commission. But the pass does leave room for governments to impose restrictions on indoor events and activities within their respective territories.
Still, once the new rule is in place, EU member states will in theory be obliged to let fully vaccinated travelers with a valid pass access their territory. Though they still could - as an exception justified by a deteriorating situation - impose further requirements, such as negative tests or quarantines, as long as they are proportionate.
Manitoba is padding the end of the winter break for K-12 students in a bid to buy time while public health officials assess the risk of the Omicron variant and how best to resume learning in the new year.
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Manitoba is padding the end of the winter break for K-12 students in a bid to buy time while public health officials assess the risk of the Omicron variant and how best to resume learning in the new year.
On Wednesday the last day of school before upwards of 200,000 students go on vacation Education Minister Cliff Cullen announced the return-to-school date will be Jan. 10.
Most students were originally scheduled to resume in-person learning Jan. 6, after a two-week-long break.
"Buying ourselves some time is critical in this fight," Cullen said during an afternoon news conference held via Zoom.
"This will buy time for us to get vaccinated. It will buy us time to make sure that we get rapid tests into all the hands of those who want to use rapid tests, and just buy us more time to get prepared for, hopefully, a safe return to schools come January."
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba dducation minister Cliff Cullen.
School staff will still be expected to report to work Thursday and Friday for a mix of professional development and to prepare for instruction, however it may be delivered.
Manitoba Education expects school divisions to be prepared with contingency plans for both code orange and red on the provinces pandemic response system. The latter involves universal remote learning for all but the young children of essential workers.
Cullen said public health will ultimately make a call about what classes in early 2022 look like by taking into account data about health-care capacity, the impact of the new variant and the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against Omicron, among other things.
He could not say Wednesday when the public can expect an update, although the minister insisted there will be as much advance notice given as possible.
This will buy time for us to get vaccinated. It will buy us time to make sure that we get rapid tests into all the hands of those who want to use rapid tests, and just buy us more time to get prepared for, hopefully, a safe return to schools come January. Manitoba education minister Cliff Cullen
While schools will be closed to the public for K-12 learning in turn, requiring families to scramble to find child care, the province indicated daycares will remain open for children under age 12.
Diana Metrik said the child care sector was not consulted about the decision, which came as a surprise to her and her colleagues at Earl Grey Childrens Centre in Winnipeg.
"If the goal of this winter break extension was to provide a circuit breaker (in response to) the increased amount of cases, then theres absolutely no sense to bring the same children that go to the school, to bring them to daycare," said Metrik, assistant director of the centre based out of Earl Grey School.
ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew.
"We already are struggling with staffing. Theres currently about 70 ads on the Manitoba Child Care Association job opportunities board."
Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew echoed the concerns of child care centre operators during a scrum with reporters.
"What considerations and preparations are being made to keep them, their workers and their children and families safe? We really need to see much more support offered to the child care centres," said Kinew.
Both the Manitoba Teachers Society and Manitoba School Boards Association are in support of the decision to extend the break by four days, including a weekend.
What considerations and preparations are being made to keep them, their workers and their children and families safe? We really need to see much more support offered to the child care centres." Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew
"There will be a small sigh of relief that at least we know that, if necessary, there will be a bit of preparation time in-school or at work in the beginning of January in case we need to pivot," said James Bedford, MTS president.
While Bedford said schools are far better positioned to go remote now than they were in March 2020, he indicated access to technology and high-speed internet remain key barriers to student participation.
Despite the late announcement, Alan Campbell, president of the school boards association, said he is hopeful students, families and front-line education staff will now be able to take a moment to rest over the holidays.
Campbell said it is his understanding every division will be receiving shipments of rapid test kits to ease anxieties about Omicron.
As of Wednesday, rapid tests have been shipped to 17 of Manitobas 37 public school divisions and a total of 63 schools located in First Nations and northern communities.
The Division scolaire franco-manitobaine team received approximately 16,000 tests in bulk late Tuesday.
In order to package them into kits of five and distribute those to each francophone elementary school in Manitoba before the final bell rang before vacation, superintendent Alain Laberge said division staffers were on the task at 6:30 a.m.
"It takes a village to protect a village," he said.
with files from Carol Sanders
maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
* UPDATE: The province announced early Wednesday morning that it will be delaying the return to school for students to Jan. 10. This move is designed to give public health officials additional time to assess the risk of the omicron variant in Manitoba. However, K-12 school staff will still be returning to work on Jan. 6 to prepare for the new winter semester. *
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FILE Education Minister Cliff Cullen
* UPDATE: The province announced early Wednesday morning that it will be delaying the return to school for students to Jan. 10. This move is designed to give public health officials additional time to assess the risk of the omicron variant in Manitoba. However, K-12 school staff will still be returning to work on Jan. 6 to prepare for the new winter semester. *
With local kindergarten to Grade 12 schools entering their final day of classes before the holiday break, Education Minister Cliff Cullen says the province doesnt currently have plans to push students back into remote learning to kick off the upcoming winter term.
The Spruce Woods MLA told the Sun on Tuesday that its too early to tell what kind of real impact the omicron variant will have on Manitoba schools.
His message comes mere days after Brandon School Division officials confirmed that the highly infectious omicron variant had been detected in at least three local institutions: Linden Lanes, Meadows and Riverheights schools.
"Our goal has always been to get students in classrooms where possible," Cullen said over the phone. "But if we get advice from public health [that says] this is the safest way to go in terms of remote learning, then thats something were prepared to look at."
In December 2020, then education minister Kelvin Goertzen said the province was mandating a two-week remote learning period for students in grades 7 to 12 for the beginning of January 2021.
This shift to online learning was designed to reduce the risk of COVID transmission in schools following an extended Christmas break where large-scale gatherings were more likely to occur.
However, Cullen said on Tuesday that this years holiday season is a bit different, since vaccines werent widely available to the public last December.
The education minister also pointed to the fact that children aged five to 11 have been getting immunized at an impressive rate since they became eligible in late November, with 42.7 per cent of kids in that age group receiving their first shot as of Monday.
On top of that, Cullen said the province will continue to provide K-12 schools with additional safeguards in the form of additional ventilation funding and rapid COVID tests for students in kindergarten to Grade 6.
"We will get those out to school divisions around the province over the next couple weeks, with the hope that they will have those kits in hand so we can hopefully get back to a safe return in January."
On Tuesday afternoon, Brandon School Division officials confirmed that the rapid antigen test kits will be distributed to local K-6 parents who want them throughout today.
Otherwise, Cullen told the Sun that Manitoba Education will keep a close eye on the spread of the omicron variant throughout the holiday break and is ready to change its back-to-school strategy in January if necessary.
"Theres a lot of information being gathered," he said. "Were watching what is happening in other provinces as well in terms of the increase in cases and what that may mean to [Manitoba] schools in the new year."
As of Tuesday afternoon, the province has identified 2,268 COVID cases attached to K-12 schools since Sept. 7.
The BSD is currently contending with COVID exposures in at least 15 different institutions, including an official outbreak in a Grade 5/6 Meadows School class that is impacting nine people.
kdarbyson@brandonsun.com
Twitter:@KyleDarbyson
Opposition parties are demanding to know where help for businesses and individuals will come from as the fourth wave of the pandemic pushes COVID-19 case numbers higher and forces businesses to scale back.
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TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN (FILE) Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont
Opposition parties are demanding to know where help for businesses and individuals will come from as the fourth wave of the pandemic pushes COVID-19 case numbers higher and forces businesses to scale back.
New restrictions for businesses came into effect Tuesday. Gyms, movie theatres and restaurants are limited to 50 per cent capacity with proof of immunization required.
The provincial government is also no longer performing contact tracing for most people who test positive for COVID-19. The provinces website stated that instead, it is advising people to inform close contacts themselves and ask them to get tested.
Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said on Dec. 16 the province was shifting resources from contact tracing to vaccination. However, public health officials will work with schools, personal-care homes, child-care facilities, shelters and health-care facilities to determine and notify those close contacts.
None of these changes are sitting well with the Liberals or NDP. Theyre asking why in the face of surging cases nearly two years into a pandemic people and businesses are being told through actions that they are on their own.
"Its not a good sign that the Conservatives are not doing contact tracing for every COVID case," said Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont. "This is saying the government is expecting this to get so out of control [that] contact tracing will be of no use. We need to let that sink in."
Lamont pointed out Roussin warned the public last August there would be a fourth wave, and added that relying heavily on vaccines is a "hail Mary" for the Tories.
One of the key components of handling a highly contagious virus is to keep track of who is infected and who they have been in contact with. Lamont said this could be managed if the Emergency Measures Organization of Manitoba called on volunteers to help with contact tracing.
Now that businesses are once again being told to lower their capacities, the government should be stepping in to help keep them afloat, he said.
"The government is forcing business to close. If they really wanted to help businesses, they should loosen the purse strings and support them," Lamont said. "The PCs need to be a lot more creative and less stingy with their supports. We need to see an expansion and extension of the bridge grant program, and the province needs to look at what else they can do to buy from these businesses in their time of need."
Lamont suggested a government procurement program to buy products and services from Manitoba businesses, such as buying hotel rooms and placing seniors in them with medical supports instead of forcing them to go across the province. They could also work with chambers of commerce to buy gift cards from local businesses, like hotels and restaurants, to ensure cash flow, and give some to frontline workers as gifts or auction them to recoup costs.
NDP Leader Wab Kinew agreed the government should be doing more to support businesses and their employees. Kinew said he knows as of Tuesday morning, restaurants are laying off staff, and the ones who are left are making less in tips because of capacity limits. A lot more businesses are sounding the alarm over their situations.
"They are vulnerable and in a dangerous position already," Kinew said.
In a statement, the NDP critic for economic development and training, said his party is also calling on the province to provide financial supports to businesses that are impacted by the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions and additional resources to help them enforce public health orders.
"Workers and local business owners are doing everything they can to adapt to new restrictions and keep their customers safe, but they shouldnt have to carry that burden alone," Jamie Moses stated.
Kinew said they are again demanding Premier Heather Stefanson call in the military to staff up hospitals. The eight nurses who arrived in the province as part of a request for help from the federal government is not enough, according to Kinew. To shore up his stance, he pointed to Quebec, which deployed the military to help manage surging cases and hospitalizations.
"The military has the logistics, the equipment and the nurses to help get us through another wave."
The big difference between Quebec and Manitoba is Quebec deployed its military while they still had capacity to protect. Manitoba is already at capacity and the COVID cases are surging, Kinew said.
This all stems back to years of provincial cutbacks to health care, according to Kinew. The province, under then-premier Brian Pallister, was warned by doctors and hospital staff that cutting back on funding and services would leave the province vulnerable to a major emergency, he added.
"Its not just cuts, but inaction.
"Back in 2020, we were all told to stay home for a month to give the medical system time to catch up and build capacity. Its nearly two years later, and we are still here."
The provincial government did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
kmckinley@brandonsun.com
More than a third of Australias largest listed companies have poor modern slavery disclosures, indicating they dont understand the risks in their supply chains, according to a new report.
Monash University researchers analysed the quality of 239 modern disclosure statements from ASX 300 companies, introduced after Australia created new laws to root out the problem, and graded each disclosure between A and F, in a report published on Tuesday.
Garment workers in Bangladesh, which has been linked in the past to forced labour. Credit:AP
Fail grades were assigned to 36 per cent of companies, according to the report, while only six companies were given a top mark.
The research indicated a clear divide between the biggest and smaller firms in the quality of their statements, lead researcher Nga Pham said in a statement.
An updated plan to protect the Great Barrier Reef drafted by the Queensland and Commonwealth governments responding to a recommendation by UNESCO that the reef be placed on an in danger list recognises that climate change is its greatest threat.
But the updated Reef 2050 Plan is undermined by both governments 2030 emissions-reduction targets, critics say.
A UNESCO team is expected to inspect the reef next year before voting on its future status. The Australian government has been lobbying for it to be kept off the endangered list.
A UN body has recommended adding the Great Barrier Reef to its in danger list. Credit:Eddie Jim
The plan recognises global warming is the most significant threat to the reef, but also includes both governments 2030 emissions targets of 26-28 per cent and 30 per cent. If adopted globally, these targets would not put the world on track to arresting climate change before the reef was largely killed.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size As thousands wait in long queues for the PCR Q-tip ahead of Christmas, many are turning to the 15-minute rapid antigen tests sold over the counter. PCR tests are still considered the gold standard in COVID-19 detection. But rapid results help health authorities screen for cases faster, cutting off the virus spread, and lightening the load on PCR labs. Ahead of Christmas, the Prime Minister says one in four people waiting for PCR tests was not a close contact of a case or showing symptoms, but rather was trying to comply with travel rules imposed by South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland. (Western Australia has, in effect, shut its border.) One of the big reasons weve got those queues in Victoria and NSW is youve got people who are required to get PCR tests before they travel into other states. Now, that needs to be looked at, Scott Morrison says. Rapid antigen testing in those situations would certainly be a more effective option. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has already said she will consider moving away from PCR tests to requiring only a rapid test to enter the state after January 1. Meanwhile, high demand for rapid tests and global supply chain issues are leaving some shelves bare and sometimes pushing up prices. Business and union groups, and now NSW Labor, have called for the federal government to subsidise rapid tests as it does PCR tests to ensure more Australians can use them. The US government, facing major supply headaches of its own just as Omicron cases are soaring, has pledged to fund half-a-billion free rapid tests, for example. We cant have a situation where people get a PCR and clog up the system simply because they couldnt afford or couldnt locate a rapid test, says NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns. But what is the difference between the two COVID-19 tests? And when do you have to join the hordes seeking a PCR test?
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Rapid antigen tests can now be bought at supermarkets and pharmacies. Credit:Kate Geraghty What are rapid tests and how are they different from other tests? The rapid antigen tests are not the finger-prick antibody tests you might have heard about early in the pandemic those test our blood for the virus-killing proteins made by our immune system after it encounters the virus. These antibodies can take some time to show up in your system, so blood tests are not good at picking up early infections (which is also when people are most infectious). Instead, the antigen tests, as with PCR, test for the virus itself. Both tests involve collecting a sample from where we shed viral particles the nose and mouth. But, as Doherty Institute Microbiological Diagnostic Unit deputy director Deborah Williamson explains, the rapid tests dont need to go quite as far up the nose as the famously eye-watering PCR swab. Thats known as the brain tickler, she says, with the Q-tip inserted high up the nose and then the back of the throat. Loading PCR tests amplify their sample in the lab to see if it matches the coronavirus genetic code (PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction, the lab technique that spins up DNA). The tiniest fragments of the virus can be found this way, even if its already dead. That makes PCR tests almost 100 per cent accurate, but it also means results are slower, taking many hours, and more expensive about $100 per test compared to $5 to $30 for an antigen test (though PCR tests are free, covered by Medicare). The rapid tests, meanwhile, are more like a pregnancy test, Williamson says, except, obviously, its quite different bodily fluid being sampled. They use a little chemistry set to test for a particular protein of the virus, known as an antigen, in your nasal swab by seeing if it reacts to a solution. The swab is placed in a dropper of solution to drip onto the paper of the test container for results. These take about 15 minutes to emerge (one line on the test means negative, two lines mean positive). Some tests use mouth saliva instead of a nasal swab (see below for more details).
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While rapid tests were at first approved only for use by trained healthcare workers, Australia later followed the UK in allowing home testing kits to be sold in chemists and supermarkets. There are now 15 home tests authorised for use in Australia by its medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). They can be used in all states and territories, except Western Australia. For those with symptoms or those exposed to COVID-19, a PCR test is still recommended, and a negative PCR test result is often required by workplaces, airlines or border checkpoints for entry, or for people leaving quarantine. If you get a positive result from a rapid test, you need to have a PCR test to confirm the result, and you should isolate while you wait. Loading How accurate are rapid antigen tests? Because the rapid tests are not amplifying the viral sample, Williamson says, they are inherently less sensitive than PCR. At the tail end of Melbournes second wave in October 2020, she ran a trial across the emergency departments of three major Melbourne hospitals. About 2500 people who needed a PCR test for COVID-19 got an antigen test too, and the team could compare the results as well as the logistics of rolling them out. People found the kits pretty easy to use, she says. And we did find the rapid tests were about as sensitive as the manufacturer had said. It found about 77 per cent of all cases in their [main] two-week infectious period. But it was more sensitive in the first seven days of symptoms. A review of similar trials around the world found that, when used as a one-off diagnostic tool in this way, rapid tests would pick up about 72 per cent of cases with symptoms, but only 58 per cent of those without symptoms, and some brands were better than others. That means a lot of cases will slip through the cracks as false negatives. Rapid tests have since been improving. The home tests approved in Australia must all reach a sensitivity threshold of 80 per cent to win registration (meaning they identified at least 80 per cent of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases). Those that found at least 90 or 95 per cent are categorised with high sensitivity or very high sensitivity respectively.
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Some experts have warned against the widespread use of rapid tests due to their sensitivity limitations. But when the tests are used frequently to screen the same people, say for testing frontline workers every few days, errors can be cancelled out, and their overall accuracy climbs back up close to PCR tests, which are harder to use continuously. A major trial in the UK city of Liverpool found regular screening with the rapid tests helped flatten overall caseloads, when paired with the PCR. In countries such as France, the US, the UK and now Australia, rapid testing has helped take the load off PCR labs when caseloads are rising. The Delta variant is twice as infectious as the original strain of the virus that emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, meaning the amount of virus people shed (viral load) is higher. (Omicron appears more infectious again.) So tests like these might pick [new variants] up more often, says Associate Professor David Anderson, a microbiologist at the Burnet Diagnostics Initiative. When we first were trialling the different kinds of tests, the original strains didnt have as much viral load to work with ... Rapid tests are much better than the finger-prick antibody tests at least for finding infectious people. Loading In late 2020, the World Health Organisation began rolling out millions of antigen tests to the developing world, which has struggled to access testing equipment just as it has struggled to access vaccines hoarded by wealthier nations. But Anderson urges caution here in the West. People might do the test wrong at home or even lie, so you can get a false sense of security with these ones ... They work best for screening. How do you do the test? Before performing a rapid test on yourself, the TGA recommends washing your hands with soap and water and checking the tests expiry date on the back of the foil pouch containing the swab.
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Not every traveller will be checked at the border, but Queenslands police compliance regime could tighten if health authorities become concerned about the threat of the Omicron variant.
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said not every person crossing the road border or entering via airports would be checked by officers, as the state recorded more than 257,000 people entering since Monday.
Queensland Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski. Credit:Matt Denien
He previously said in recent weeks that as things progressed and the state moved beyond 80 per cent vaccination rates, travellers would not necessarily be intercepted.
But he said that could change if Chief Health Officer John Gerrard told police he was concerned about Omicron.
Modelling for the intermediate scenario suggests a hard lockdown could suppress the outbreak by the end of January, assuming 60 to 80 per cent of Australians received a three-month mRNA booster by then. Looking at the impact of increasing uptake over time, a rapid booster program would likely enable control with minimal public health safety measures by end of March, the modellers wrote on December 17. Scientists are looking closely at whether the Omicron variant causes different symptoms from earlier variants. Credit:AP The epidemic peak could be delayed with public health safety measures until the boosters kick in, allowing the program to have greater impact. The modellers noted this could be achieved faster by infection-acquired immunity if many individuals are exposed to and recover from the virus and add natural immunity to the mix.
However, in all three scenarios hospitals are overrun, as modellers assumed Omicron had the same severity as Delta; a conservative approach that has been taken globally for modelling purposes, but something which has yet to be proven and looking more unlikely. Loading Deakin Universitys Chair of Epidemiology Catherine Bennett said the point of modelling was not to scare people with the numbers, but for it to be used as a decision-making tool about whether public health interventions should be ramped up. Its setting a benchmark that tries to understand how using the various components, like mandating face masks, or increasing density limits, can actually contribute to slowing down spread and gives an indication of what could happen if we did nothing to control it. The critical problem for decision-making is that the future is unpredictable models cannot always predict numbers accurately but what they offer are insights into potential scenarios, not absolute forecasts.
Without using modelling to measure different scenarios, Professor Bennett said governments would be forced to manage a pandemic in the dark, and may needlessly resort to extreme measures like hard lockdowns. Modelling case numbers can elicit strong public policy responses and encourage people to quickly change their behaviour. If people understand how well basic health interventions might work to change an outlook, then thats why you do the modelling because it helps people say sure, Im happy to get my booster a month earlier if that makes a difference, it can help stop spread, and were less likely to go into lockdown, she said. Often the worst-case scenarios are the ones that are reported on in the media; detailing what might happen if the appropriate interventions are not taken to control an outbreak. What is not reported as much is the less severe scenarios that can occur when public health interventions, like mandating face masks and reducing density limits, are increased.
Early into the pandemic last year, preliminary models predicted hundreds of thousands of Australian deaths, surging case numbers in NSW, or overflowing hospitals in Victoria. So far, almost none of this has come to pass, in part because we refused to allow 60 per cent of the population to be infected, by closing our borders and instituting lockdowns. Loading But we have never reached the worst-case scenario because our governments have always increased public health measures to prevent the most horror outcomes. Melbourne University epidemiologist Tony Blakely, who provided modelling for the Victorian governments 2020 road map, said he believed 200,000 daily cases might be overestimating it, but said that infections would continue to rise. This is to an extent under our control. If we dont want to reach 200,000, we will probably stop that happening because this modelling leads to conclusions as to how you can beat the model, Professor Blakely said.
The Dohertys forecasts should serve as a kick up the pants for political leaders and encourage them to introduce restrictions like mandatory mask-wearing indoors in Victoria and NSW, he said. All pandemic models have a range of dozens of different scenarios ranging from optimistic, intermediate to pessimistic. In most cases, Australia has fallen somewhere within the range of what the models have suggested. Professor James Trauer, head of epidemiological modelling at Monash Universitys School of Public Health, said he felt a number of governments, including NSW, needed somebody to ring some alarm bells to increase the sense of urgency of where the pandemic was heading in Australia. While behavioural changes detailed in the Doherty modelling might get case numbers down, Australia could still reach really huge numbers. It could still be 100,000 cases a day, which is still pretty extreme, he said.
Predicting what may happen with a new variant, when there are still critical unknowns about Omicron, including how severe it is, is extremely difficult. But it is important to note that the scientists took a cautious approach and used what was known about the severity of the Delta variant to form the basis of their modelling and forecast scenarios that might unfold in hospitals if health interventions were not taken, an approach that has been used globally. It could still be 100,000 cases a day, which is still pretty extreme. Professor James Trauer Professor Trauer, who has done modelling for the Victorian government, argued it was still possible to have a more severe epidemic, even with a milder virus, that proved to be twice as contagious. You could still end up with a hugely increased burden on the hospitals than what we are seeing with Delta, he said.
Lab-grown embryos raise ethical questions Professor Jose Polo in front of images of model embryos. Credit:Monash University In a world-first, Australian scientists from Monash University successfully developed blastocysts in the lab - tiny model embryos developed not with eggs and sperm but with repurposed skin cells. The breakthrough is a huge technical achievement in itself - the team had to create a way to reprogram the cells, and then get them to aggregate in the shapes resembling a human embryo in its first few days. More broadly, it has the potential to provide groundbreaking insight into the causes of infertility, miscarriage, birth defects and why embryos sometimes fail to implant in the womb. The scientists insist there are no ethical issues from their model cells because they would not be able to develop on their own. But some questions remain about how much and for what purpose the model embryos could be used for. Either way, the discovery promises to push the bounds of scientific knowledge and medical ethics. New vaccine puts bite on malaria Credit:
While vaccines for COVID-19 understandably got a lot of attention this year, it was another vaccine that may end up having a greater impact in the short term. Developing a vaccine for malaria has remained a holy grail for virologists for decades, with the disease one of the deadliest on record - in 2020 241 million people were infected, and 627,000 died from it. Those numbers are fairly typical for the disease, which is caused by bacteria spread by mosquitoes, and which affects people in the developing world, especially in the global south, particularly hard. The vaccine is only about 30 per cent effective, requires up to four doses, and the protection it provides fades after just months. But its a start, and other vaccines are now expected to follow, including some being developed in Australia. Folbigg case highlights intersection of science and justice A younger Kathleen Folbigg and her children (clockwise): Patrick, Sarah, Caleb and Laura. Credit:AAP, supplied In an almost unprecedented move, 90 scientists in March backed a petition for Kathleen Folbiggs release, saying the science which was used to convict her had significantly changed, and that she should be released. Ms Folbigg was accused and eventually convicted of murdering her four young children, who all died in mysterious circumstances, with none reaching their 10th birthday. What seemed a cut-and-dried case in the late 1990s is now anything but, after testing and advances in genetics revealed that Ms Folbigg and two of her children carried mutations in the CALM2 gene which is known to regulate the heart beating among other things. Her other two children had a separate genetic mutation which may also have caused an early death. The NSW Court of Appeal denied Ms Folbiggs appeal despite the scientific backing, finding there was no error of law in the 2019 judicial inquiry which upheld her guilt. The case has raised concern among some of Australias most senior scientists that the justice system is getting science wrong in a legal setting. Ms Folbigg remains behind bars, with efforts underway to have her officially pardoned based on the new scientific evidence. Climate conference criticised as cop-out
Prime ministers Scott Morrison and Frank Bainimarama at the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November drew international attention and arguably the most ambitious goals from any similar meeting, but scientists from around the world say its still not enough to limit global warming to 1.5C, seen as the bare minimum to deal with the slowly unfolding disaster. Australia also did not cover itself in glory, coming to the table with a lacklustre pledge and a display sponsored by fossil fuel giant Santos. The meeting followed a year where extreme weather events were again a feature across the globe, and the Great Barrier Reef was listed as in danger by UNESCO, before the body backed down and gave the Australian government until next year to prove it was doing more to save the natural wonder. However, despite the bad news there were glimmers of hope - the US and China agreed to work together to tackle climate change, and the push for green energy is growing around the world as more companies see the writing on the wall and pivot to the emerging technologies in the face of shifting public sentiment and dollars. Buzz around Australias oldest rock art Traditional owner Ian Waina inspects a painting of a kangaroo that is more than 12,700 years old. Credit:Peter Veth and the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation Australian scientists announced in February that they had confirmed the oldest known piece of indigenous rock art. Of course, it was a drawing of a kangaroo. Researchers from the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia confirmed the painting, in Western Australias Kimberley region, was between 17,100 and 17,500 years old, making it the oldest known in situ painting in the country. The researchers dated the painting not by testing the piece itself, but by testing an ancient wasp nest which had been made on top of it. That means it is actually the wasp nest that is a little over 17,000 years old, while the painting could be much older, but is at least that old, as the nest was made on top of the pigments. Its part of a huge body of work being done by archaeologists to understand early human settlement in Australia, a history which stretches back over 60,000 years.
We touched the sun An artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. Credit:NASA Humankind has touched the face of the sun. Well, at least a probe we sent has. NASAs Parker Solar Probe crossed the coronal boundary of our star back in April, although it has taken until just the past few days to compile all the data. What scientists have found is a treasury of information about the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere, including that it was dustier than expected. Despite being a constant presence in our lives, we are actually still mostly in the dark about the sun, and almost all the knowledge we do have comes from observations made on earth. Having a probe touch the sun itself promises to fundamentally change what we know about the beating heart of our solar system. Swearing bird a ducking delight Ripper, the duck who swears Credit:Andrew Haysom/Getty Images
Millions of dollars in federal government funding is being used by Jewish schools and community groups to fortify buildings, including the installation of blast-resistant walls, air-lock entrances, security cameras and safe rooms.
The Ages examination of $31.4 million of grants in the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years in the electorate of Macnamara which takes in the suburbs of St Kilda and Caulfield where much of Melbournes Jewish community lives found $12.3 million in grants were for security measures through the Safer Communities Fund.
Sam Tatarka outside the Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre. Credit:Eddie Jim
In 2015, Mount Scopus Memorial College became the first Jewish school in the state to station armed guards at its gates. Since then, security measures have increased significantly across Melbournes Jewish community.
Grants included $1.02 million to the Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre to build a blast-resistant wall and secure point of entry; $960,000 to the Yeshivah Beth Rivkah schools for intercoms, swipe-access systems, evacuation and lockdown systems, blast-proof windows and blast-protectant perimeter fencing; and $495,000 to Sholem Aleichem kindergarten and primary school to hire a security guard and security trainer, fit out a safe room, and install security cameras, bollards and swipe access.
After waiting almost two years to properly open their doors, restaurants are again being forced to close. For some, its the lunch service, for others its whole days of the week. Because they simply cant get enough staff.
Many venues had been desperately holding out for this years Christmas parties and group bookings to make up for forced closures. From coast to country, restaurants that had been eagerly anticipating a summer holiday boom are now making the difficult decision to decline bookings. Across the state, job ads go unanswered.
Many hospitality venues are struggling to find staff. Credit:Jessica Shapiro
A recent report from the National Skills Commission found 63 per cent of hospitality businesses experienced greater difficulty recruiting staff this year compared with 2020.
So it comes as no surprise that the hospitality sector has been urgently calling for a return of international students, skilled visa holders and working holidaymakers.
A Mark McGowan leg tattoo. Credit:Jack of All Fades Perth At the same time he has turned WA into the Hotel California sung about by the Eagles thanks to the brief period you could visit the lovely place and subsequent border changes that meant you could never leave. For the most part, keeping other Australians out has played well for Mr McGowan, but he does have his detractors. Human Rights advocates for one, anyone with extended family outside of WA and of course eastern media commentators and newly minted New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet. Mr Perrottets biggest zinger was when he described his WA counterpart as being like Gollum from the fantasy series Lord of the Rings because of his wish to hoard the states precious GST.
The fight to keep the GST will continue to play out at the upcoming federal election, despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison and federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese saying the carve-up would not change, as Mr McGowan looks sure to play a visible role in WA to win seats for Labor. The dog days of Doctor Who Reduced to enough lower house members to operate a tandem bicycle, the Liberal party lost opposition status to the Nationals after the March election and turned to Cottesloe MP David Honey as its new leader. Dr Honey came up trumps in a leadership vote where the only other potential candidate for the job, Libby Mettam, did not run against him. But Ms Mettam has been far more prominent in the media with her role as the opposition health spokeswoman and from chairing an inquiry into sexual harassment on fly in, fly out sites.
Dr Honeys apparent lack of presence on televisions and radios compared to Ms Mettam and opposition leader Mia Davies has earned him the nickname Doctor Who after the British science fiction character. Its a title he has even added to his Twitter profile. The moniker is at least a bit kinder than Mr McGowans assessment of the Liberal leader after the premier called him a first-rate idiot and a moron on the floor of Parliament the art of debate has really hit the dark ages before withdrawing the comments. But the Liberal leaders most memorable moment from the year was a Parliament gaffe where he mispronounced chihuahua five times adding in letters so it sounded like he was saying chi-chuana before getting it right. Dr Who-ney decided it was a good idea recently to lean right into the chihuahua jibe by visiting a rescue organisation for the breed, possibly in search of new companions for the new season of Parliament in 2022 and some zany adventures.
A social media post from the visit was the latest in a series of memes and fire-side chat videos being pumped out by Dr Who-neys young staffers to try and boost his profile and take him from I dont know who that is to I think I saw you on TV once? Theres a way to goes just from the online presence given the good doctors 2200 Facebook followers versus Mark McGowans 444,000 when it comes to being able to directly engage with the masses. Just your friendly neighbourhood clan After the 2017 election the Liberal party thought it had hit rock bottom. But the past term of government must seem like the halcyon days of opposition now for the Liberals with a handful of state parliamentarians, the party strapped for cash ahead of a federal election and factions warring over the future of the organisation.
A report by party elders into whats wrong with the Liberals was released in August and concluded unethical, underhanded and corrupt practices had left it a penniless political wasteland on the verge of extinction. WhatsApp chats between a group of Liberal powerbrokers known as The Clan which included members like former federal minister Mathias Cormann and state MPs Nick Goiran and Peter Collier and orchestrated pre-selections of candidates were covered by an addendum to the report. It is our view that the chat messaging corroborates the incriminating evidence obtained by the review committee and supports our conclusions and recommendations, the report authors said. This odious behaviour has shamed the Liberal Party and trashed its reputation. It is contrary to Liberal Party principles and values. There has been a lot of bluster from parts of the party to expel MPs like Mr Goiran but a lack of numbers makes such overtures unlikely.
The Liberals say they are making changes to the partys structure but we may not have seen just how low it will go until the other side of next years federal election. Meanwhile, at the Nationals The year began with the explosive testimony from outgoing Nationals MP Jacqui Boydell who called out the partys treatment of women. Steps were taken in the party to address the concerns brought up by Ms Boydell in a year where bad behaviour towards women behind close doors of the nations parliaments was not going away and was kept in the spotlight. Just as Nationals leader Mia Davies thought the year was over one of the partys MPs, James Hayward, was charged with child sex abuse offences reducing the opposition to one less politician to deal with the giant stack of parliamentary work required to try and hold the government to account after he was suspended and then quit the organisation.
Ms Davies has called for Mr Hayward to resign from Parliament but it is unclear whether he intends to stay and collect his paycheck and as to what plea he will enter to the charges. High-flying friends Its been a while since Australia had a chopper-gate. The WA version was not nearly as explosive as the events which saw former federal speaker Bronwyn Bishop exit politics, when she took a $5227 helicopter charter flight from Melbourne to Geelong to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser, but did raise some eyebrows. Basically, Attorney-General John Quigley accepted a helicopter ride from his millionaire friend John Poynton to former federal Perth MP Tim Hammonds birthday party in Yallingup.
The flight was not declared and took place two months after Mr Poynton, a former Crown director, appeared before the NSW Crown inquiry, which ultimately made no adverse findings against his conduct. WA Attorney-General John Quigley. Credit:Philip Gostelow The ministerial code of conduct states that ministers should declare gifts such as free flights, but a loophole is provided for gifts from family members or personal friends. Mr Poynton was always going to be a likely witness at the eventual Perth Crown inquiry but Mr Quigley did not declare any helicopter rides given Mr Poynton was a close friend. He was a witness before a New South Wales royal commission; there was no royal commission in Western Australia, Mr Quigley said this year.
The royal commission concluded that the person to whom the leader of the opposition referred was a person of integrity, credibility and should play a part in the future of Crown. That is what the royal commission found. There was nothing that concerned me, but I am not going into any more on this. It is pointless. The premier defended Mr Quigley and said ministers were entitled to private lives. Crown created a few headaches for the Attorney-General during the year after he denied telling Nine News Perth reporter Gary Adshead that the head of the WA Royal Commission into Crown would not have been appointed if he had known about certain business connections. If Parliament were a musical ...
Culture and the Arts Minister and Thespian David Templeman has made a tradition out of rounding out the lower house sitting year with a bit of a sing-song. Previous renditions have seen the years events sung to the tune of Leonard Cohens Hallelujah, Monty Pythons Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and Simon and Garfunkels the Sound of Silence. This year Mr Templeman channelled his inner-Blue Eyes to take the song My Way, as popularised by Frank Sinatra, and fill it with lyrics about Clive Palmer, the missing and then found Carnarvon girl Cleo Smith, anti-vaxxers, GST fights and through it all WAs temerity to face off against the rest of the country and do it Our Way. Youve got mail
Amidst all the abhorrent death threats sent to WAs politicians, Police Minister Paul Papalia and the WA Police force finished the year with one of the stranger pieces of correspondence. Mr Papalia and the police received letters containing dead mice and human faeces from an alleged perpetrator from Shoalwater. Maggots were crawling out of some of the letters and WA Police was even kind enough to provide photos of said excrement-stained letters to the media. Given weve all been through enough in the past two years we might just leave those images out of this article. WAP [Wet ah ... particles]
The advent of regular political livestreams from the premier and health officials, which can run from 20 minutes to an hour, has resulted in some lighter moments not always seen by the public in nightly television news bulletins. Last year it was Mr McGowans response to a question on whether you could go for a run and eat a kebab under tough community restrictions and immortalised in knitwear, this year it was a reminder to keep your phone off in social settings like cinemas and press conferences. Following the January-February lockdown an independent investigation called by the state government was undertaken by former WA Chief Health Officer Tarun Weeramanthri into hotel quarantine ventilation and practices because of COVID-19 infecting a security guard within the system. Professor Weeramanthris scientific explanation of aerosols versus droplets when it comes to the continuum of particles, during a presentation of his interim findings, at a time when what we thought we knew about the transmission of COVID-19 was changing, took a turn when a cameramans phone started blasting Cardi Bs chart-topping 2020 banger WAP.
Kudos to the professor for being able to get right back on topic in a manner of seconds. What about actual laws and policies? There were quite a few bans. Old growth forrest logging and puppy farming were banned. Picketing within 150 metres of an abortion clinic was banned.
Bikie logos and tattoos were also banned. Putting a road through the Beeliar Wetland was another thing banned. Billionaire Queenslander and McGowan foe Clive Palmer was pretty much banned. COVID-19 continued to be banned in WA. The police were banned from using SafeWA check-in data to solve crimes after ministers promised the publics information would not be used for anything other than contact tracing. The law change came after police had taken advantage of a loophole in the apps terms and conditions which did not care for the sanctity of a politicians promise.
Large corporate mining companies were supposedly banned from destroying ancient Aboriginal heritage sites, although many Traditional Owner stakeholders say new legislation to do this does not actually do this. Loading Labor did not quite go the full Queensland circa-1922 and abolish the upper house but it did use its unprecedented majority to create a whole-of-state electorate, thus nobbling the conservative hold on power in the chamber. Whether it will result in a reduced focus on regional towns, as warned by the Nationals, will take some time to be seen. Male fly-in, fly-out workers sexually assaulting colleagues and mining companies that did not report some rapes to the safety regulator were called out and shamed to fix up a workplace and health and safety system in much need of an overhaul. The public and private hospitals continued to go through the ringer and a new health minister was put in place just as WA gets ready to lift its border with the rest of the nation and the world to let COVID-19 with the state ban on the virus to be somewhat lifted.
Christmas can be a joyful time of year, but if youre staying with friends or family during the festive season it can be fraught with misadventure, misunderstandings and plain overstaying your welcome.
As one of Americas founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, once quipped: Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days. Even back in the 1700s Mr Franklin knew that a few days of stinking up a loved ones home was more than enough, especially during the festive season.
You may want to limit your stay, even if your Aunty Bea has an amazing pool. Credit:iStock
So, how long is too long? Well, a few days is long enough, etiquette expert Amanda King says.
Founder of the Australian Finishing School, Ms King said there were many things to consider in terms of etiquette and manners over the holiday season.
Singapore: Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews says the threat of extremism in Australia will rise as international borders reopen following the re-emergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Andrews is in Indonesia to meet with Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Mahfud MD and to enhance counter-terrorism ties with Australias near neighbour.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews is in Jakarta for talks. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Andrews believes there is a need to deepen the countries level of collaboration and information sharing in the current regional security landscape.
The ability for people to travel more freely over the coming months is going to be significant, she said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has a set of actions under his sleeve to deal with the West over Ukraine. (Photo: Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS)
Russia has no space to back down in a standoff with the United States over Ukraine and will be compelled to take a firm stance unless the West abandons its "aggressive stance," Reuters said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed his demand for reassurance from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not initiative any military expansion eastward, blaming the West for Europe's growing frictions.
Putin made the remarks to military officials as Russia called for a swift response from the U.S. and NATO to its proposals for a binding set of security guarantees from the West.
Moscow has firmly stated it urgently needed a response from the U.S. to its broad security demands and warned once again of a possible Russian military reaction unless immediate political action was taken to allay its fears.
"If our Western colleagues' confrontational posture persists, we will take appropriate military-technical response measures and will respond strongly to unfriendly moves," Putin said in quotes by Reuters.
Putin did not specify the nature of these actions, but his language echoed that of Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who has previously warned that Russia may reposition intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe in reaction to what Russia perceives to be NATO's preparations to do the same.
Russia denies accusations brought by Ukraine and the U.S. that it is preparing to invade Ukraine as soon as next month, with tens of thousands of Russian forces stationed near the country's border.
Russia has denied any such plans of military action on its neighbor, but it has demanded legal guarantees that would prevent NATO expansion and military deployment in the country.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is working with European allies to combat "Russian aggression" through diplomacy, but that U.S. President Joe Biden opposes the guarantees requested by Putin.
Some of Russia's plans are obviously unacceptable, according to Washington, but the U.S. will react with more definite proposals on the framework of any talks in the next coming days.
Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, spoke with his Russian counterpart, Yuriy Ushakov, over the phone, according to Emily Horne, a representative for the White House National Security Council.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymr Zelenskiy said on Friday that he was willing to meet with his Russian counterpart Putin for "straight talks... we don't care in what format." However, Russia has stated repeatedly that such a meeting would be pointless without a clear agenda.
The Indian automotive industry is driving into 2022 with a positive mindset in its quest to reach the pre-pandemic levels of sales volume, having built a solid foundation in 2021 amid semiconductor shortage hampering production.
With demand still buoyant in the passenger vehicle segment despite challenges of commodity price increases, many automobile manufacturers are upbeat to embrace new technologies, specially in the electric mobility space which is expected to witness a slew of launches in both four- and two-wheeler categories in the coming year.
Although the Omicron variant of COVID is still a concern for many automakers, they feel that the learnings from the past two years will come handy in carrying out business, having adopted digitisation in large scale, even if there were to be a third wave.
In an interaction with PTI, Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R C Bhargava expressed hope that 2022 would pan out to be better for the industry as compared to 2021.
"This year, we had a lot of production loss due to shortage of semiconductors. I think the situation will be much better in 2022," he said, adding the economy is going to grow faster, which is again a positive factor.
"So all these put together, except for the uncertainty related to the Omicron variant, I think it indicates that 2022 would be a much better year," he stated.
While acknowledging that 2021 has turned out to be a very challenging year for the industry, SIAM President Rajesh Menon also expressed hope for a better churn in the
"The auto industry is hopeful that the new variant of Omicron of COVID would not play a major spoilsport and the society and economy would be able to sustain with reasonable health and safety precautions. We are hopeful that once the semiconductor crisis eases out, the industry can expect to do better in 2022," he stated.
Favourable government policies such as the extension of FAME-II scheme till 2024, enhancement of incentives for two-wheelers and launch of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for auto and auto component sector for about Rs 26,000 crore and PLI for advanced chemistry cell for about Rs 18,000 crore will provide enormous support to the sector as it adopts advanced technologies, Menon noted.
While the recently-announced incentive scheme of Rs 76,000 crore for semiconductor manufacturing over six years is encouraging, he said the announcements for setting up scrappage centres, inspection and certification facilities would result in scrapping of vehicles which are not road worthy, thereby creating demand.
Sharing the optimism, Tata Motors President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Shailesh Chandra said, "Looking ahead, we expect the demand for passenger ICE and electric vehicles to remain strong even as concerns about the supply of semiconductors and high input costs continue alongside the uncertainties connected with the Omicron variant."
Mahindra & Mahindra Executive Director (Auto and Farm Sectors) Rajesh Jejurikar noted that overall, the industry has been through a tremendous learning curve, be it in terms of managing resources, supply chains, adopting technology and digitisation to improving customer experiences and innovating quickly to respond to changing dynamics.
"I feel these learnings will stand us in good stead as we move forward. We are already seeing a strong demand curve and with the improvements in the overall economic environment, I remain optimistic that 2022 will be a much better year for the PV industry as compared to 2021," he added.
Yet, Honda Cars India President and CEO Gaku Nakanishi said the outlook for 2022 remains "cautiously optimistic owing to concerns about constant rise in the cost of raw material as well as supply-side constraints".
"Even though uncertainty around the pandemic situation still continues, the robust demand in the domestic market and our export push gives us confidence to do well going forward," he stated.
A Hyundai spokesperson noted: "At present, the automobile sector is witnessing multiple changes with the government driving a variety of initiatives in parallel to boost the auto sector through product-linked, scrappage policy, etc."
"We are cautiously optimistic as the government has undertaken a gamut of initiatives to promote investments and growth in the entire manufacturing value-chain in India," the spokesperson said.
From luxury carmakers' point of view, Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Martin Schwenk said, "The demand outlook is positive. We have created a good foundation this year... We can come back to what we had in the total market prior to the pandemic crisis... I would definitely see for the luxury segment that we will be able to go back to the growth rates we had until say 2018 on an annualised basis."
Expressing similar views, Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon noted that the segment is showing encouraging signs and the pace is expected to pick-up in the coming months.
Yet, he said, "The luxury car industry will take on an average two more years for sales to reach pre-pandemic levels of 35,000-40,000 units a year. The industry needs a stable policy for the segment to grow. Taxation and duty structures make it difficult for the segment to expand."
Schwenk also pointed out that there is "always a disclaimer because everyone is wondering what's happening next now with whatever variant of the virus".
Reflecting on the challenges faced by the auto industry in 2021, Menon said the second wave of COVID pandemic and subsequent staggered state-wise lockdowns in April and May and supply chain disruptions due to the ongoing global semiconductor shortage had a severe impact on the industry.
Rising commodity prices put enormous cost pressure on the industry and hence there have been several price increases across vehicle segments in 2021, he stated.
As for auto component makers, industry body ACMA President Sunjay Kapur said in 2022, all segments of the vehicle industry, especially the two-wheeler sector, are expected to demonstrate robust performance.
"That apart, strong global demand for India made components and the thrust on EVs have given rise to several opportunities that the component manufacturers can harness," he said.
Kapur noted that after two consecutive years of decline, India's Rs 3.4 lakh crore automotive components industry is estimated to grow 10-15 per cent in this financial year.
(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.)
Government on Wednesday said Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has in August introduced a new registration mark for new vehicles i.e. Bharat series (BH-series)
A personal vehicle bearing this registration mark shall not require assignment of a new registration mark when the owner of the vehicle shifts from one state to another. This vehicle registration facility under Bharat series (BH-series) will be available on voluntary basis to defence personnel, employees of Central Government/ state governments/ Central/ state public sector undertakings and private sector companies/organisations, which have their offices in four or more states/union territories. This will facilitate free movement of personal vehicles across states/UTs of India upon relocation, said Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
The motor vehicle tax will be levied for two years or in multiple of two. After completion of the fourteenth year, the motor vehicle tax shall be levied annually which shall be half of te amount that was being charged earlier for that vehicle.
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Business, the B2B unit of the telecom company, and announced on Wednesday a collaboration to deploy hybrid cloud solution for a group of five milk producer (MPCs).
The cloud solution, by leveraging Cloud and Power servers, will accelerate the digital transformation of the MPCs. These large MPCs comprise Paayas in Rajasthan, Maahi in Gujarat, Shreeja in Andhra Pradesh, Baani in Punjab, and Saahaj in Uttar Pradesh.
It will enable the MPCs to strengthen support to milk farmers and securely record and access key information. The MPCs will be able to make direct and timely digital payments to over 500,000 affiliated milk farmers. Of the over 500,000 farmers supported by the MPCs, most farmers are from small or marginal income groups, with a maximum of women entrepreneurs contributing up to 25 lakh litres of milk each day from more than 14,000 villages.
For without their own data centres, the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model can provide an inexpensive, fast, fundamental system that can scale up or scale-out as required. This model tends to work well for businesses that need scalable workloads and control over their data.
"Clients are looking for solutions that are scalable and secured. Through the joint value proposition, we have offered producer a modern and secured data centre infrastructure to run their data-intensive workload on a hybrid in a very cost-effective manner, said Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, chief executive officer of Enterprise Business, Business, which is a unit of Bharti Airtel.
"We are witnessing a considerable surge in demand for highly secured and cutting-edge digital technology from enterprise and government organizations. and Airtel will collaborate and complement each other's capabilities to address the growing needs of digital transformation of enterprises in India," said Ravi Jain, director - server sales, IBM India/South Asia.
will acquire Prione Business Services, the e-commerce giants joint venture (JV) with Catamaran Ventures subject to regulatory approval.
Catamaran belongs to Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy; the two partners announced in August they would discontinue the venture when its term ends in May 2022.
will acquire Catamarans shareholding in Prione in compliance with applicable laws including all assets and liabilities, said an spokesperson on Wednesday. The businesses of the Joint Venture shall continue under the leadership of the current management and on receipt of regulatory approvals, the board of Prione & Cloudtail (owned by Prione) will take steps to complete the transaction in compliance with applicable laws.
Prione, which had successful run for seven years, was coming up for renewal on May 19, 2022. The JV had enabled over 300,000 sellers and entrepreneurs to go online. It also enabled 4 million merchants with digital payment capabilities, providing these small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and merchants access to millions of customers across the country.
The relationship between Murthy and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos dates to 2014, when Prione, a 49:51 JV, was formed. In 2019, the JV was restructured after the government issued Press Note 2 stipulating that foreign e-commerce marketplaces cannot sell the products of their group on their platforms.
Following this, Catamaran Ventures increased its stake in Prione to 76 per cent, reducing Amazon Asias stake to 24 per cent. Priones mission was to enable small and medium businesses (SMBs) to grow in e-commerce, which was at a nascent stage in India. Last year, Prione enabled 52,000 SMBs and its goal this year was to assist 100,000 businesses. With operations in Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, Prione had over 700 employees and has a reach in at least 150 Indian cities.
A major chunk of Priones revenues came from its ownership of Cloudtail, one of the biggest and most profitable retailers on Amazons platform.
In August this year, concerted pressure from the government, powerful traders lobbies and regulatory scrutiny prompted Amazon and Catamaran Ventures to announce that it would discontinue the JV when it ends on May 19, 2022. With that announcement in August this year, Cloudtail technically ceases to be an Amazon group company, making it compliant with the foreign direct investment (FDI) e-commerce rules on paper.
With the countrys online market projected to soar to $1 trillion, this was a major setback for the American e-commerce giant. Analysts had said that the future of Cloudtail was uncertain. They had said Amazon may reach out to large brands to take over the business from Cloudtail and it may even be sold to other players.
But now Amazon has decided to acquire Prione. Amazon had been facing the heat from various Indian regulatory bodies of late. The Consolidated FDI Policy of the ministry of commerce and industry, brought into effect from 15 October 2020, has restricted with FDI in engaging in retail trading by means of e-commerce. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate initiated an investigation against Amazon for violation of various provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Legal experts said Amazon acquiring full stake in JV Prione Business Services would have a significant impact on its business as it would enable Amazon to retain biggest asset in the e-commerce market battle and ensure no adverse consequences for the business. Salman Waris, managing partner at technology law firm TechLegis Advocates & Solicitors, said the deal would still need regulatory approvals and can face hurdles from the Competition Commission of India (CCI). "But with Priones originally stated mission to enable small and medium businesses to grow in e-commerce, the announcement comes as a good to the overall ecommerce market ecosystem," said Waris. "The earlier announced end of the JV could have seen several small businesses being left in the lurch and forced to reconfigure themselves and re-enter the market in their individual capacity, specially as Cloudtail provided logistical, commercial and operations-based assistance to many vendors and registered MSMEs."
Distribution and startup Ripplr has raised USD 12 million (around Rs 90 crore) in a funding round with a mix of equity and debt from Japanese firm Sojitz Corporation and Stride Ventures.
The pre-series- B funding round also saw participation from existing investors 3one4 Capital, Zephyr Peacock India Growth Fund, and Chand Family Office.
The Bengaluru startup had raised USD 3 million series-A round in January 2021.
Angels who support early-stage investments such as the Licious founders Vivek and Abhay; and the Kaleyra founders Aniketh and Ashish, also participated, the Bengaluru startup said.
The Ripplr cofounders Abhishek Nehru and Santosh Dabke told PTI that they will use USD12 million to build and scale up an asset-light and tech-enabled FMCG distribution network. This will involve entering new geographies and building robust tech capabilities, product development, attracting new talent.
Set up in 2019 Ripplr is a plug-n-play integrated distribution network for brands offering distribution as a service (DaaS) to brands and supports brands in managing and digitising distributor operations, financial and backend operations, creating visibility, and a management layer for
Its distribution network has 10 micro warehouses across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Pune, and Hubli and coverers around 30,000 retailers having long-term partnerships with all major FMCG brands like HUL, Britannia, ITC, Reckitt Benkiser, Godrej, Dabur, and Nivea among others. And we want to make our platform reach out to 100 cities covering 1 lakh retailers over the next 12 months.
(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.)
Electric vehicle company e-Ashwa Automotive on Wednesday launched 12 models of Lithium-ion battery-operated scooters and motorcycles under its own brand at prices ranging between Rs 58,000-Rs 1.30 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
Earlier this month, the Ghaziabad-based company had announced the roll-out of a range of EVs--two-wheelers and three-wheelers (passengers and cargo)-- both for B2B and B2C segments under its own brand.
These new low-speed two-wheelers can run up to 25km/hour with a mileage of 70-100 Km and can be fully charged within 3-4 hours in case of Lithium battery and 6-8 hours in case of lead battery, e-Ashwa Automotive Pvt Ltd said in a release.
The models will be available across its 670 retail network and franchisees pan-India.
Electric two-wheelers market is growing at a much higher pace than any other electric vehicles in the country and we aim to tap this opportunity by launching a wide range of e-scooters and e-bikes to suit the needs of various customers, Vikas Gupta, Founder & CEO of e-Ashwa Automotive said.
For the last three years, e-Ashwa had been selling EV products of other brands under strategic tie-up with various and three-wheelers under its own brand.
The company claims to sell over 6,000 EV products under different categories including e-scooters, e-motorbikes, e-rickshaws, e-auto, e-loaders, e-food cart and e-garbage vehicles.
The company has recently set up a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.
(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.)
Minko, a financial technology start-up that provides credit to retail shops, has raised $1.5 million in a seed- round led by LC Nueva. Shanti Mohan, founder and chief executive officer of LetsVenture, Kunal Shah, founder of CRED, were other investors in the round.
Minko plans to use the fund to hire talent for its technology and sales teams and expand business across India.
The company announced that it offers distributors a B2B payments stack integrated with its flagship product, Minko Credit, thereby offering a technology platform to offline businesses.
Founded by Sanket Shendure and Sanmati Shendure, Minko started product development in January 2021. The founders hail from a family of entrepreneurs and have over 15 years of experience in FMCG product distribution.
Besides its flagship product Minko Credit, the company added three new products in six months - Minko Invoices, Minko QR Code, and Minko Gold. With the development of a digital B2B invoice payment stack embedded with credit, the company aims to move a large portion of retailer-to-distributor payments online, the majority of which still happens via cash and cheque.
We expect demand for our short-term credit product, Minko Credit, to increase manifold as we continue to bridge the largely unmet credit gap of $250 billion for this segment, said Sanket Shendure, co-founder of Minko.
In six months, Minko has earned business from more than 10,000 retailers and distributors of brands like Unilever, Parle Agro, Coca-Cola and Haldirams. From its current presence in Goa, Maharashtra and Bihar, the company aims to expand to other states in 2022 and get over 100,000 retailers and distributors.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Rail Corporation (DMRC) to file an affidavit furnishing the details of its bank accounts along with the balance amount in connection with a Reliance Infrastructure subsidiary's plea for the execution of an arbitral award of over Rs 4,600 crore against it.
Justice Suresh Kumar Kait noted that the has Rs 1642.69 crore available in its bank accounts, and said that if the Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL) does not want to accept the corporation's offer of taking over its debts to the extent of the award, the court can't force it to do so.
(DAMEPL says) if it has money in hand, in escrow account, at least it can bargain with banks for restructuring etc. Suppose it passes on total liability to you, to pay to the lenders, it will lose the bargaining power. It is a decree holder, you (DMRC) are a judgement debtor. If your offer is accepted, no issues. But when it is not accepting that, this court can't force it that you accept in this fashion, the judge said.
The judge further observed that while the attachment of the DMRC's properties was not permitted, there was no such embargo with respect to its bank accounts.
Here, properties cannot be attached as per Section 89 (of The Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002). The option left with court is that how much money is left in the bank account. That can be taken care of, the court stated.
The is directed to furnish the details of banks accounts ... in Delhi or outside Delhi. It will also be mentioned in the affidavit, how much amount is lying in a particular account, the court ordered.
Lawyer Prateek Seksaria, appearing for DAMEPL, informed that its lenders have rejected the DMRC's proposal of taking care of its liabilities and contended that no special treatment can be given to the government in the present execution proceedings.
The government should set an example by paying the award instead, argued the lawyer who claimed that even after the deposited Rs 1000 crore in the escrow account, over Rs 6,000 crore was still due.
He submitted that DAMEPL is entitled to the amount awarded in the arbitration proceedings as well as the benefit of any surplus which may be utilised to restart its businesses.
DAMEPL's counsel further relied on the DMRC's affidavit to state that the corporation has over Rs 5800 crore in its bank accounts as on December 17, with Rs 1642 crore being its earning and over Rs 2400 crore and Rs 1700 crore being its project allocation fund and deposit fund, respectively.
He prayed that at least the admitted earnings of the DMRC should straightaway be appropriated towards execution of the award.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Parag Tripathi, appearing for the DMRC, told the court that they have no instructions with respect to the banks concerned rejecting the proposal and reiterated that the corporation taking over DAMEPL's debts to the extent of the award and negotiating with the lenders would be in public interest.
The government says we are in negotiations with the bank. Reliance, the award holderthey come and say that banks are interested in we (DAMEPL) getting the money and they have rejected the government's proposal. If this is so, this is very seriousSomething needs to be examined by the banking division also, the solicitor general stated.
Tripathi urged the court to grant the DMRC an opportunity to work out a solution and submitted that if the bank accounts are attached and metro services are stopped, nobody would gain anything.
If metro is stopped tomorrow, there will be a huge issueI will work it out because as an instrumentality of the state, when I sit with the banks, the ability to get a roll over of the amount as a loan from bank will be much greater, he said.
The DMRC had told the court that it would deposit Rs 1,000 crore in favour of DAMEPL while suggesting taking over its debt to the extent of the award money.
The DMRC had stated that since the corporation was facing a financial crunch, undertaking a sudden liability would impact public interest and authorities were, therefore, working out a solution.
It had also claimed that the amount liable to be paid was approximately Rs 5,000 crore which was lesser than DAMEPL's claim.
An arbitral tribunal in its May 2017 award had ruled in favour of DAMEPL, which had pulled out from running the Airport Express metro line over safety issues, and accepted its claim that the running of operations on the line was not viable due to structural defects in the viaduct through which the train would run.
The concession agreement between the two was signed on August 25, 2008.
Under the agreement, the DMRC was to carry out the civil works, excluding at the depot, and the balance, including the project system works, were to be executed by DAMEPL, a joint venture of Rinfra and a Spanish construction company -- Construcciones Y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles -- with a shareholding of 95 and five per cent respectively.
The Airport Express line was commissioned on February 23, 2011, after an investment of over Rs 2,885 crore, funded by the DAMEPL promoters' fund, banks, and financial institutions.
In November, the Supreme Court had dismissed the DMRC's plea seeking a review of its judgement which upheld the 2017 arbitration award in favour of DAMEPL, enforceable against it.
The next hearing in the matter would take place in January.
(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.)
Adding 33 'unicorns' in a single year has helped India displace the United Kingdom to be third in the list of countries that are home to such enterprises valued at over USD 1 billion each, according to a report released on Wednesday.
India was placed fourth when it comes to the number of unicorns last year. However, the US and northern neighbour China, who occupy the first two ranks, are way ahead, according to the data compiled by Hurun Research Institute.
The US added 254 unicorns and now totals 487 in the coveted list, while China added 74 to take its tally to 301 start-ups having a valuation of over USD 1 billion, it said.
The top-two occupants are home to 74 per cent of the unicorn universe, it said, adding that the overall list saw 673 'new faces' and 201 drop-offs.
Of the drop-offs, 28 per cent or 162 were 'promoted' out of the unicorn list, after going public or being acquired, while seven per cent or 39 were 'demoted', after their valuations dropped below USD 1 billion.
The institute took into account companies incorporated in this century to determine a unicorn and the list is updated till November 2021.
The UK added only 15 unicorns to take its total to 39, and hence got displaced by India, it said.
"India is in the midst of a start-up boom, more than doubling its unicorns to take the country's official tally of unicorns to 54, and overtake the UK to third place in the world," Hurun Report India's Managing Director and Chief Researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said.
He said that in addition to the domestic companies, there are 65 unicorns founded by Indians abroad, mainly in Silicon Valley.
The Indian unicorns list is led by edtech start-up Byju's with a valuation of USD 21 billion and followed by Inmobi (USD 12 billion), Oyo (USD 9.5 billion) and Razorpay (USD 7.5 billion), it said.
Bengaluru is home to the highest number of unicorns among Indian cities, it said, adding that the financial capital, nearby cities of Pune and Thane, and Gurugram also have candidates.
(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.)
Diversified business entity on Wednesday said its Master Chef frozen snacks has entered into a strategic partnership with Ice Cream, owned by South Korean conglomerate Lotte group, to enhance distribution reach.
The partnership will enable Master Chef to leverage 100 Ice Cream carts to make available its range of 15 easy-to-cook snacks, the company said in a statement.
This allows Master Chef to use Ice Cream's pushcart distribution network during peak season for frozen snacks, November to March, which is generally the non-peak season for ice cream in markets where winter is dominant, it added.
Usually, the frozen foods industry registers a 30 per cent increase in sales in winter as compared to summer months.
ITC Vice President and Business Head (Frozen Foods) Ashu Phakey said, "With a strong distribution model in the ice cream space, we are confident that Havmor Ice creams consumer-centricity and extensive reach will complement our capabilities in creating innovative products to enhance the overall value offering for the customers."
Terming the partnership as a win-win initiative for both the and their channel partners, Havmor Ice cream Managing Director and CEO Komal Anand said it helps ITC Master Chef enhance availability during winter season while also allowing Havmor Ice Creams' channel partners generate incremental revenues during winter months.
"Expanding pushcart operations is an integral part of Havmor Ice cream's strategy to enhance its reach. Given that the frozen supply chain in India is evolving, leveraging the existing eco system to expand reach at optimized cost will continue to remain a focus area," Anand 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.)
co-founder prima facie misused his official position to acquire a valuable property at an "inadequate consideration", a special court here has said while denying bail to businessman Gautam Thapar, his co-accused in the case that pertains to the sale of a property at a prime location in Delhi.
Special CBI court judge M R Purwar denied bail to Thapar on Tuesday and the detailed order was made available on Wednesday.
The case pertains to the allegations about the sale of a property situated on Amrita Shergill Marg in Delhi to a company owned by the wife of Rana Kapoor, for which a separate FIR was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Mumbai.
Thapar was named in the charge sheet filed by the central probe agency.
After perusal of the charge sheet and other documents, the court noted that prima facie it came to light that Rana Kapoor, the then MD and CEO of Yes Bank, abused his official position to acquire a valuable property at an inadequate consideration although its actual value was higher.
Further, Gautam Thapar (accused number 2), promoter of Avantha Realty, and Rana Kapoor's wife Bindu (accused number 4), through their respective abetted in the commission of the said offences by Rana Kapoor, the court said.
As per the CBI investigation, it came to light that Rana Kapoor, in conspiracy with Thapar and Bindu Rana Kapoor, was able to fraudulently induce the bank to release the property for sale at an inadequate value.
It has also come to light that further abused his official position to give additional loans to various group of Gautam Thapar, which were not utilised for the purpose for which it was given and major portion was used for ever greening of the existing loans with Yes Bank, the CBI said.
The Kapoors were also able to induce the bank to grant the loan of Rs 400 crore, to Avantha Realty against a sham rental agreement entered between two group of Avantha Group and thus cheated Ltd, it said.
"In this view of the matter, from the charge sheet and connected papers thereto prima facie, the allegations are to the effect that the applicant along with co-accused indulged in the commission of offence, which resulted in serious dent to the financial health of the state," the court said.
Another allegation is to the effect of grant of loan of Rs 530 crore to a firm called Solaris, although it utilisation was for different purposes than it what was sanctioned for. Thus, the applicant (Thapar) is involved in a grave and serious economic offence affecting the economy of the country, the court said.
"Considering the facts of the matter, the gravity and nature of the offence and in the larger interest of the society, I am not inclined to allow the prayer by using discretion in favour of the applicant. The application is, therefore, deserves to be rejected," the court added.
Thapar is currently in judicial custody and is lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in August.
The ED is also probing the alleged transaction between Thapar's Avantha Realty, and the latter's wife, and has filed a money laundering case after taking cognisance of an FIR filed by the CBI.
Rana Kapoor is in judicial custody after being arrested by March 2020 in case pertaining to scam at the bank.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
State-owned on Wednesday dispatched the first shipment of 51 loco wheels to the from its forged wheel plant (FWP) located at Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.
Visakhapatnam-based Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) has set up the plant at a cost of around Rs 1,700 crore with a production capacity of one lakh pieces of forged wheels per annum.
The first dispatch of 51 loco wheels was flagged off to Lucknow workshop of the on Wednesday from FWP in Lalganj, Raebareli, General Manager (Projects) Sanjay Kumar Jha told PTI over the phone.
The consignment was flagged off by its Director (Commercial and Personnel) D K Mohanty and its Director (Operations) A K Saxena, he said.
The production will help reduce dependence on imports, making India 'Aatmanirbhar' in the production of forged wheel and save foreign exchange (forex) outgo, Jha said.
RINL, under the Ministry of Steel, produces special steel, including wire rod coils, rounds, billets of different grades and dimensions.
It is the first shore-based integrated steel plant in the country.
(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.)
Steel made at Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant in Wales is behind the world's largest offshore wind farm due to be completed by 2026, the Indian steel major said on Wednesday.
The Dogger Bank Wind Farm, capable of providing green energy for 6 million homes in the UK, will make use of steel processed into hollow sections at the Indian steel major's Corby and Hartlepool sites in north-east England and fabricated to build the first two phases of the wind farm.
said hundreds of tonnes of its products, able to endure the harsh North Sea conditions, will be used for the giant wind farm project located 130 km off the north-east coast of England.
We are proud to be able to help support UK jobs and manufacturing through this project, said Sandip Biswas, Chairman of the Board of UK.
Huge amounts of steel will be needed to help the UK achieve its net-zero goals to build everything from renewable energy and low-CO2 transportation to hydrogen production and distribution. At the same time, we have targets for our own decarbonisation as a steelmaker.
"Our own transition to a decarbonised future will rely on a secure supply of competitively priced renewable energy whether that be to create hydrogen for future steelmaking or power new low-CO2 furnaces. The more we can help in delivering these landmark projects the better, he said.
The Dogger Bank wind farm is being developed in three 1.2 gigawatt (GW) phases Dogger Bank A, B and C.
This is another great example of how we're taking advantage of UK skills and expertise to build the world's largest offshore wind farm, said Steve Wilson, Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director.
Our transition pieces are among the largest to be installed on an offshore wind farm, and this UK-manufactured steel will form some of the supporting components," he said.
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40 per cent), Equinor (40 per cent) and Eni (20 per cent).
In November 2021, SSE Renewables and Equinor, 50-50 joint venture partners in Dogger Bank C, announced Eni will take a 20 per cent stake in the final phase, with SSE Renewables and Equinor maintaining 40 per cent stakes each, in a deal which is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2022 subject to regulatory approvals.
In the first two phases of construction the vast GE Renewable Energy turbines, each one rated at 13 megawatts (MW) enough to power a home for two days with a single rotation will sit on foundations featuring products used in safety-critical transitions pieces. These steel structures form the junction between the tower above the surface of the sea and the foundations below the water.
Fabrication Sif and Smulders were awarded contracts to provide the wind turbine foundations for the first two phases of Dogger Bank in November last year, with Dogger Bank C awarded a year later.
Tata Steel is one of Europe's leading steel producers, with steelmaking in the Netherlands and the UK, and manufacturing plants across Europe. The company supplies high-quality steel products to the most demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering. The work for the wind farm is being carried out by one of its many contract
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Validus Wealth plans to grow AUM five times in next 3 years Mumbai, Dec 22 (PTI) Validus Wealth, a private firm launched by the key management team of DSP Merrill Lynch led by Atul Singh after its merger with the Swiss private banking major Julius Baer, is eyeing to grow the assets under its custody at least five times over the next three years.
The company has crossed the USD 1-billion mark in three years of operations. The three-year-old company manages funds of a little over USD 1 billion (around Rs 7,550 crore) from around 1,500 rich families across its 11 offices now which include cities such as Chandigarh, Salem, Goa and other major metros.
Crossing the first USD 1 billion was a challenge but we have done that within the three years of launching the business in November 2018. In fact, 70 per cent of these assets came to our custody in the past 12-18 months as we had closed March 2020 with Rs 2,500 crore which doubled to Rs 5,000 crore in March 2021 and since then topping Rs 7,500 crore mark as of last month, Atul Singh, the founder & chief executive of Validus Wealth told PTI on Wednesday. He attributed the spike in AUM to the higher risk appetite of the rich since the pandemic hit the world.
"Going forward we have an internal target of growing to be amongst the top private wealth managers in the country with at least Rs 40,000 crore of assets under our custody over the three five years, which will be an over five-fold jump from where we are now," Singh said. But he was quick to add that it does not mean overtaking the entrenched players like IIFL Wealth, Edelweiss Wealth and Kotak Wealth, which respectively are the top three players in the USD500-billion strong professional wealth advisory industry in the country.
As much as 60 per cent of the funds are parked in equities and the rest in debt, Singh said. It can be recalled that in 2012, Bank of America had agreed to sell its overseas operations to the Zurich-headquartered Julius Baer and the sale and merger of its India business along with 150 employees and USD 6.5 billion AUM in March 2015.
Atul Singh was heading the private banking vertical of the Wall Street major at that time and after the merger sale to he also headed Julius Baer India till 2017 when he decided to launch Validus. Validus was earlier known as WGC Wealth when it was promoted by Wadhawan Global Capital, which was also the promoter of troubled Dewan Housing Finance Corp. Validus later bought out by its employees, resulting in its new avatar. Singh said the company has reached operating breakeven in June this year, which will lower its capital requirement now.
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Ltd on Wednesday said it plans to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore through (NCDs).
In this regard, the company is holding a meeting of its duly constituted committee of the directors next week, Ltd said in a filing to the BSE.
"The company proposes to offer rated, secured, redeemable, non-cumulative, aggregating up to Rs 1,000 crore," the filing said.
The above issuance is pursuant to the board of directors' resolutions passed at their meeting held on May 7, 2019, and October 3 last year.
Ltd is a diversified natural resources company whose business primarily involves producing oil and gas, zinc-lead-silver, copper, iron ore, aluminium and commercial power.
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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener has ruled out the possibility of a pre-poll alliance with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Goa, but said he may think of tie-ups with non-BJP outfits post-results if the ensuing assembly elections throw up a fractured mandate in the coastal state.
He said the AAP will contest on all the 40 seats of the Goa assembly and the party's chief ministerial candidate will be declared in time to come. The Delhi chief minister praised BJP stalwart late Manohar Parrikar and said those who are feeling "suffocated" in the state's ruling party can join the AAP. Talking to PTI during his visit here, Kejriwal said his party may go for post-poll tie-ups with non-BJP outfits in Goa if there is a fractured mandate and "if it is very necessary". "Post-elections, if it is a fractured (verdict) and it is very necessary, we may ally with non-BJP parties, Kejriwal said. The Delhi chief minister ruled out the possibility of a pre-poll alliance with the TMC, whose chairperson Mamata Banerjee is projecting the opposition alliance led by her party as the main anti-BJP bloc in Goa. The TMC has tied up with Goa's regional outfit MGP for the polls due in early 2022. Why should we go in for an alliance with the TMC in Goa? We are not forging an alliance with them, the AAP leader asserted. Kejriwal said there is "no understanding, discussions...nothing is happening" with the TMC from the AAP's side. Pointed out that he had once referred Banerjee as like his elder sister, Kejriwal said, I had said Mamata didi was like my elder sister, but that does not mean we will have an alliance with her in Goa. I have several elder sisters, elder brothers in the country, I don't have alliance with everyone of them. Political alliance is something different, he stated. Asked whether he considers the TMC as a 'like-minded' party, the 53-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician said, It's not about that. There are so many like- minded people. There is nothing of the TMC in Goa. Kejriwal said the AAP has no tolerance for corruption and money that would come in the state coffers would be diverted for welfare of the people of Goa like it is happening in Delhi if his party comes to power here. Asked about the BJP's statement of the AAP-ruled Delhi being a "half state", the CM said, If Delhi was a full state, we could have given more things free. If we can handle health and education, we can also handle police and land (which fall in the Centre's domain). It is not a rocket science to run a government, he said. Kejriwal said the only thing that is required to run a government is to have clean intentions. He described former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar as one of the great leaders. Late Manohar Parrikar's ideology has been discarded by the BJP. It is shameful that his son has to plead to the party for a ticket (to contest polls), he said. Kejriwal said, Those who are thinking that the BJP has neglected the legacy of Parrikar and are feeling suffocated (in the saffron outfit) can join the AAP.
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The is planning to identify and train at least one ' Steward' in each district across the country amid rising Omicron scare.
The initiative aims to empower all healthcare workers engaged in management and administration with the essential knowledge and skills to ensure rational utilisation and avoid any wastage of medical Oxygen, especially in resource constraint settings.
These trained professionals would be responsible for leading the training on therapy and management in their respective districts and also support audit of oxygen delivery and preparedness for a surge scenario.
"Oxygen is life saving and critically important in the treatment of several illnesses, not just Covid-19. The country witnessed an increased oxygen demand during the pandemic. Hence, the rational use of oxygen has become mandatory and need of the hour", said Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar while inaugurating the National Oxygen Stewardship Programme on Wednesday.
Commenting on the programme, Dr. Pawar said, "It will enhance the skills of our healthcare workers in Oxygen therapy with necessary focus on essential knowledge and skills. This will also train our participants to avoid wastage or overuse of oxygen in resource constraint settings."
Detailing the Government's efforts in ensuring increased oxygen availability, the Union Minister said: "Government of India has sanctioned more than 1500 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants of which 1463 have been commissioned which include, 1225 PSA plants which have been installed and commissioned under PMCARES Fund in every district of the country." The states have also been asked to install PSA plants in public health facilities and facilitate installation of PSA plants in private health facilities, she added.
Dr. V.K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog underscored that resource constraint is faced by all countries but it is important that the available resources are used prudently. Towards this effort, he lauded this initiative for its focus on ensuring efficiency in oxygen administration. He also highlighted the recently launched 'Oxycare' dashboard as another important initiative towards oxygen administration.
---IANS
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Chip-maker has reportedly notified employees that those who are unvaccinated will have to get the jab or submit an exemption by January 4, else they will be put on unpaid leave.
According to a report in The Oregonian, the tech giant told workers that those who don't receive an exemption for religious or medical reasons will be on unpaid leave, beginning in April.
"It told employees that they had a January 4 deadline to be vaccinated or seek an exemption, citing a government mandate for federal contractors," the report mentioned late on Tuesday.
will review employees' exemption requests until March 15.
Google has also told its employees that they will lose their salaries and eventually be fired if they fail to fully vaccinate themselves and follow Covid-19 rules as mandated by the US administration.
Google reportedly said that they will be placed on a 30-day administrative leave if they fail to get vaccinated or submit an exception by January 13.
"If they're still not in compliance after the 30 days, they could face unpaid leave for up to six months and then be terminated," according to an internal memo.
Most US employees will fall under their vaccine requirements, which stems from President Joe Biden's executive order.
The US administration has ordered companies with 100 or more workers to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated or regularly tested for Covid-19 by January 18.
Google has asked its more than 1,50,000 employees to upload their status to its internal systems.
As the Omicron variant threat looms, Google is also reconsidering its plans to ask full-time employees to return to offices by January 10.--IANS
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As many as 80 medical doctors from different parts of the country have appealed to the government to disallow events, which are to be organised in January.
The letter addressed to Chief Minister MK Stalin and the minister of health, medical education, and family welfare Ma Subramanian points out that the potentially super-spreader spectacles pose a grave health risk to the public.
"Prohibiting non-essential activities such as events, which lead to unnecessary mass gatherings, is essential to prevent the rapid spread of Covid-19 and to protect public health as well as to ease the pressure on health-care professionals," says Dr Deepshikha Chandravanshi, one of the doctors who signed the letter.
According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the plea comes in the backdrop of several countries around the world imposing new safety guidelines in response to rising COVID-19 cases and the threat of the Omicron variant.
"Non-essential events such as have no place in a country battling a deadly contagious virus," says PETA India CEO Manilal Valliyate. "PETA India is calling on officials to heed the professional opinions of these medical doctors and call off jallikattu events to protect the bulls from cruelty and the public from a life-threatening disease."
Since the government legalised jallikattu in 2017, at least 22 bulls and 69 humans have reportedly died, while more than 4,696 humans have been injured, a PETA India statement noted.
The animals' rights organisation has documented extreme cruelty to bulls during these events, which are attended by up to thousands of people. Video footage of 2021 events show masses of unmasked people in close proximity, conditions ripe for the spread of Covid-19, particularly the easily transmissible Omicron variant.
PETA India claimed that it has extensive video footage which shows that during jallikattu, participants force terrified bulls into the arena by biting their tails, yanking their nose ropes, and jabbing them with weapons. The panicked bulls often slam into humans and barricades, often breaking their bones or dying, the statement observed.
Jallikattu is organised every year in January, in Tamil Nadu, as a part of Pongal celebrations. In the traditional event, a bull is released, and people try to grab its hump on and hang as it attempts to escape.
It was banned several times but is being organised after an ordinance was brought in 2017.
--IANS
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Four more patients infected with Omicron variant of have been found in Jaipur out of whom a foreigner is undergoing treatment in Delhi.
Principal of SMS Medical College, Jaipur, Dr Sudhir Bhandari told reporters here that genome sequence test has confirmed four people to be infected with the Omicron variant.
He said three of them have been admitted to the RUHS hospital here for treatment while the foreign national is undergoing treatment in Delhi.
Also, Bhandari said all the three infected persons admitted in Jaipur are asymptomatic.
"They do not have any major symptoms of nor do they have any travel history," he said.
The state currently has 217 active cases of infection. So far, 8,961 deaths have occurred due to the infection in the state.
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Faced with a vaccine evading Omicron variant, Oxford university and AstraZeneca announced that they have begun the work to develop a Covid shot that specifically targets the new strain.
Early this month, all major drug makers including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, and AstraZeneca had announced plans to quickly investigate and adapt their shots to the highly mutated Omicron variant.
"Like with many previous variants of concern, and together with our partners AstraZeneca, we have taken preliminary steps in producing an updated vaccine in case it is needed," Sandy Douglas, a research group leader at Oxford, was quoted as saying to the Financial Times.
"Adenovirus-based vaccines [such as that made by Oxford/AstraZeneca] could in principle be used to respond to any new variant more rapidly than some may previously have realised. [They have] really important advantages, especially where need and logistical challenges are greatest," he added.
A study published in the journal The Lancet on Monday showed that the protection offered by the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, named Covishield in India, declines after three months of receiving two doses.
The findings by a team of researchers led by University of Edinburgh suggest that booster programmes are needed to help maintain protection from severe disease.
The results are consistent with several studies rendering two doses of nearly all widely used vaccines less effective against the highly transmissible variant. However, a third messenger RNA shot has shown to increase antibody levels.
"Together with Oxford university, we have taken preliminary steps in producing an Omicron variant vaccine, in case it is needed and will be informed by emerging data," AstraZeneca was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The AstraZeneca shot, with partnership from Oxford and India's Serum Institute, was widely deployed with more than 2 billion doses globally - the majority being supplied in poorer nations.
However, several countries restricted its use after the emergence of a rare side effect involving blood clots, the report said.
In a yet to be peer-reviewed paper posted on preprint on Tuesday, Douglas's team highlighted the speed at which it would be possible to make a new adenovirus-vectored vaccine such as AstraZeneca's at scale.
According to researchers, "their work will help the vaccines to hit the 100-day development target, taking little more than three months from pathogen identification to mass production, potentially including the distribution of millions of doses from manufacturing sites globally", the report said.
Meanwhile, US top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci, this week, said that existing vaccines and booster shots against Covid are sufficient to prevent Omicron infections. He advised against changing the vaccines to fight the new, highly contagious strain of the virus at this time.
"Our booster vaccine regimens work against Omicron. At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster," Fauci said.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency showed that a booster dose increases protection against symptomatic disease to 75 per cent.
Even the European Medicines Agency has warned that it would take time to reach a global scientific consensus on whether Omicron-targeted shots are needed, the report said.
--IANS
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: Fourteen more Omicron cases have been reported in Telangana, taking the total number of cases of the new variant in the State to 38, the State Health Department said on Wednesday.
Of the 14 cases, 12 are passengers who arrived at the international airport from countries other than those declared at risk by the Centre, while two are from "at risk" countries, it said in a bulletin.
The bulletin said four samples are awaited with regard to their Omicron status.
Meanwhile, reported 182 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,80,074, while the death toll rose to 4,017 with one more fatality.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 91, followed by Hanumakonda (18) district, a bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM today.
The number of recoveries outnumbered fresh cases with 196 people recovering from the infectious disease. The cumulative number of recoveries till date was 6,72,447.
The number of active cases was 3,610, the bulletin said.
It said 37,353 samples were tested today and the total number of samples tested till date was 2,93,95,688.
The samples tested per 10 lakh population was 7,89,782.
The case fatality rate was 0.59 per cent and the recovery 98.87 per cent.
According to the bulletin, of the 2,77,67,000 target population for vaccine coverage, 2,74,49,556 have received the first dose which is 99 per cent.
It said 1,70,41,233 have taken the second dose which is 61 per cent.
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Amid the emergence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, a Delhi-based doctor said that a booster dose of COVID vaccine is a must as the protection cover of two doses declines over three to six months.
Speaking to ANI, Dr S K Sarin, Director, ILBS Hospital, Delhi said, "In my opinion, a booster dose is a must. When you have two doses of any vaccine, your protection level, especially after three to six months goes down. If you have a third dose or a booster, then the chance of having a severe infection, hospitalisation reduces."
"We have to consider this in the context of the Omicron in India. I think healthcare workers, frontline workers and people with some comorbidities must get a booster shot. I believe the government must be thinking about it," Dr Sarin added.
Meanwhile, India reported 6,317 fresh COVID-19 cases and 318 deaths in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.
The country's active caseload currently stands at 78,190, the lowest in 575 days.
With 6,906 new recoveries reported across the country in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries mounted to 3,42,01,966. The new fatalities pushed the COVID death toll to 4,78,325.
According to the Ministry, 213 cases of Omicron variant of have been reported in the country so far. Out of this, Delhi topped the list with 57 confirmed cases followed by Maharashtra (54 cases) and Telangana (24 cases).
With the administration of 57,05,039 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 138.96 crore.
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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the response of the city government over a plea seeking direction to the authorities not to force Covid-19 vaccination citing the petitioners are suffering from some ailment and unable to take the jab.
Justice Rekha Palli was hearing a petition filed by a craft instructor and a drawing teacher in two different government educational institutes filed through advocate Abhimanyu Yadav.
Listing the matter for February 3, she asked the respondents including the to file a reply in the matter.
However, the court refused to stay the two government orders issued in September, and October for mandatory vaccination of all government employees including frontline and healthcare workers, teachers, and other staff working in schools or colleges by October 15.
In the plea, the teachers claimed that such directions are arbitrary and not in consonance with the spirit of the Constitution.
It further said that the grounds for making Covid-19 vaccination mandatory and whether such mandatory action can adversely affect the right of the petitioners or citizens to earn their livelihood, is an issue that requires consideration.
Additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal appeared on behalf of the
--IANS
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Delhi on Wednesday reported 125 fresh Covid-19 cases, highest in last six months. According to the health department, the city had reported 134 Covid cases on June 22. The capital city has seen a steady everyday rise in cases since the outbreak of new Omicron variant of the
However, no Covid related death has been reported in the last 24 hours. Delhi's death toll remains at 25,102. The infection tally, however, has climbed to 14,42,515 in the capital city.
The number of active cases has also seen a surge at 624, highest in last five months. As per the Delhi Health Department data, the city had total 657 active cases on July 16.
Delhi's Covid infection rate continues to be at 0.2 per cent in the last two days. With 58 patients recovering in a day, the total number of recoveries has gone up to 14,16,789. A total of 289 Covid patients are being treated in home isolation at present.
With 98.21 per cent recovery rate, the active Covid rate in Delhi stands at 0.043 per cent. The Covid death rate in the city stands at 1.74 per cent. The total number of Covid containment zones has increased to 184 in the city.
Meanwhile, a total of 63,313 new tests -- 56,511 RT-PCR and 6,802 Rapid Antigen - were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of Covid tests to 3,21,64,981 so far.
Out of 1,17,481 vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours, 37,295 were first dose and 80,186 second dose in the national capital. The total number of cumulative beneficiaries vaccinated so far stands at 2,51,08,956, according to the health ministry data.
--IANS
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is set to achieve the milestone of providing at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible people, according to government data.
According to Co-WIN dashboard, 1,47,86,476 people in the national capital have taken at least one dose of Covid vaccine by 7:30 pm on Wednesday.
According to district authorities, 1,48,33,713 people, aged above 18, are eligible for vaccination against the novel infection. Also, as per the draft roll published on November 1, 2021, the total number of electors in stand at 1,47,95,949.
Over 2,52,14,677 crore doses have been administered in the city since the inoculation exercise started on January 16. As many as 1,04,28,201 people have received both the doses.
Over 1.02 lakh people were vaccinated against the infection in on Wednesday.
Authorities in northwest Delhi district administered the maximum number of doses (29.63 lakh) followed by southwest Delhi (29.36 lakh) and west Delhi (27.22 lakh).
In view of the threat posed by the new Covid variant, Omicron, the authorities have increased the pace of vaccination in the city in the last few weeks.
Government officials said district authorities have set up special facilities to contact people who are eligible for the second dose, but have not taken it.
"We call up such people and ask them to take their second dose immediately," an official said.
The authorities are also identifying clusters having low vaccination rate.
"Anganwadi workers, self-help groups and non-government organisations go to such clusters and convince people to get vaccinated," the official added.
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Bihar Chief Minister on Wednesday launched a statewide social reform campaign against alcoholism, dowry, and child marriage from Motihari in East Champaran district.
India's first civil disobedience movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in Champaran district in 1917 to protest against the injustice meted out to tenant farmers in the area.
Addressing a public meeting at Gandhi Maidan here, the chief minister declared that there would be no compromise on total prohibition in the state.
Without social reforms, development becomes meaningless, he said.
Kumar recalled that the state had its first brush with prohibition in 1977 when his mentor Karpoori Thakur ruled Bihar.
With a regime change, the ban on liquor was done away with. We reimposed the same following demand from women.
This has resulted in manifold benefits for the people of Bihar," said the chief minister.
The government had on April 5, 2016, banned the manufacture, trade, storage, transportation, sale, and consumption of liquor in the state.
We introduced prohibition in the state since alcohol is a bad thing. I know that majority of people are in favour of a liquor ban in the state. Mahatma Gandhi said liquor destroys lives. Pleas from our women had made us take the decision, Kumar said.
The chief minister said "some people are always up to mischief and they indulge in acts that go against our well-intentioned move.
Strict action is being taken against those who are violating the prohibition law in the state, he said.
The chief minister also urged people, particularly women, to make efforts to eradicate social evils like child marriage, dowry, and all types of addictions including liquor consumption.
He further said that he would attend only those marriage functions where no to dowry' is prominently mentioned on invitation cards.
Further, the chief minister instructed officials that permission for holding marriage receptions should be given only after taking declaration from the parties concerned that "no dowry demand has been made".
Kumar appealed to the villagers and the Anganwadi workers to report cases of child marriage to the police and help prevent such a social evil by convincing parents about the ill effects of child marriage.
The chief minister's campaign will culminate with programmes in Patna and Nalanda on January 15.
After addressing the public meeting, the chief minister chaired a review meeting on liquor prohibition and other social reforms taken up by the state government in East and West Champaran districts.
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The Centre does not agree to conclusions drawn by Reporters Without Borders about press freedom in for various reasons, including very low sample size and little or no weightage to fundamentals of democracy, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a question on being placed at 142 out of 180 countries in the Index, compiled and published by the Reporters Without Borders this year, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the adoption of the methodology by the publisher of the report is "questionable and non-transparent".
"The Index is published by a foreign non government-organisation, Reporters Without Borders. The government does not subscribe to its views and country rankings and does not agree to the conclusions drawn by this organisation for various reasons, including very low sample size, little or no weightage to fundamentals of democracy, adoption of a methodology which is questionable and non-transparent, lack of clear definition of press freedom, among others," he said.
The minister asserted that the government is committed to ensure right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Constitution of
Replying to questions on the safety and freedom of journalists as well as on Tripura police recently booking 102 people, including media persons, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, he said, "Police and public order are state subjects under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, and the state governments are responsible for prevention, detection, registration and investigation of crime and for prosecuting the criminals through their law enforcement agencies."
The central government attaches "highest importance" to the safety and security of "every citizen of the country, including journalists", he said.
"An advisory specifically on safety of journalists was issued to states/UTs on October 20, 2017, requesting them to strictly enforce the law to ensure the safety and security of media persons," Thakur added.
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A high-level delegation of the (IOC) from Delhi and a forensics team on Wednesday began probing the cause of fire in Haldia Refinery in Purba Medinipur district that claimed the lives of three people and caused burn injuries to 44 others on the previous day, officials said.
The condition of 38 injured workers who are undergoing treatment in various super-specialty hospitals in Kolkata, with some having 15-25 per cent burn injuries, is stated to be stable and they are under observation; while maintenance work in other units of the refinery is undergoing despite some protests by workers over safety concerns, they said.
The state government demanded that a compensation package for the dead and injured workers be announced, to which the IOC said that it is being prepared and will be made public soon.
State minister and Tamluk MLA Saumen Mahapatra visited the site and held talks with the high-ranking IOC officials who came from Delhi.
He demanded compensation for the affected workers, and complained that IOC was not geared for such an accident as their hospital did not even have a burns ward, and urged the officials to establish it.
"The family members of the three contractual workers who unfortunately lost their lives in yesterday's incident have been contacted for extending all possible support in this hour of grief.
"The senior IOC management is continuously monitoring the situation, and we will provide all necessary assistance, relief and compensation to the affected workers. We are working on the compensation package and it may be announced soon. There were some protests by workers over safety concerns but maintenance job in other units is on stream," an IOC spokesperson said.
A private hospital in Kolkata, in which 10 injured IOC workers are being treated, said that a medical board comprising plastic surgeons, pulmonologists and critical care consultants have been formed and
a dedicated clinical and nursing team is round-the-clock monitoring the patients admitted in the burns ICU unit.
IOC had on Tuesday said in a statement that the primary cause of the incident at the motor spirit quality (MSQ) improvement unit of the Haldia Refinery seemed to be a flash fire.
The 47 injured people were given first aid and shifted to the Haldia Refinery Hospital, where three of them succumbed to their injuries, while the rest were brought to Kolkata through a 'green corridor'.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the deaths of the three workers, and wished for the speedy recovery of those undergoing treatment.
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A high-level team of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Wednesday arrived at West Bengal's Haldia from Delhi to probe the cause of the refinery fire that claimed the lives of three people and caused burn injuries to 44 others on the previous day.
Among those injured in the blaze, 38 are undergoing treatment at various super-specialty hospitals in Kolkata and their condition is stated to be stable, while three contractual workers were discharged after preliminary treatment, an IOC spokesperson said.
"The family members of the three contractual workers who unfortunately lost their lives in yesterday's incident have been contacted for extending all possible support in this hour of grief.
"The senior management of the Indian Oil Corporation is continuously monitoring the situation, and IOC will provide all necessary assistance, relief and compensation to the affected workers," the spokesperson added.
IOC had on Tuesday said in a statement that the primary cause of the incident at the motor spirit quality (MSQ) unit of the Haldia Refinery seemed to be flash fire.
The 47 injured people were given first aid and shifted to the Haldia Refinery Hospital, where three of them succumbed to their injuries, while the rest were brought to Kolkata through a 'green corridor'.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the deaths of the three workers, and wished for the speedy recovery of those undergoing treatment.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The has imposed a fine of less than 1 million euros on European missile maker MBDA for delay in fulfilling its offset obligations under the Rafale aircraft deal, sources said on Wednesday.
French aerospace major Dassault Aviation is the manufacturer of the Rafale jets while MBDA supplies the missile systems for the aircraft.
India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with in September 2016 to procure 36 Rafale jets at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore, and the offset obligations were part of the contract.
As a part of the deal, 50 per cent of the total contract value has to be reinvested in India as offsets in each year between September 2019 and September 2022.
The sources said the has imposed and collected a fine of less than 1 million euros from MBDA for delaying its offset obligations for the September 2019-September 2020 period.
MBDA has deposited its penalty but has also lodged its protest with the defence ministry, they said.
MBDA did not respond to PTI's request for a statement on this matter.
The first batch of Rafale fighter aircraft came to India in July last year.
The CAG had in September last year said that Dassault Aviation and MBDA are yet to fulfil their offset obligations of offering high technology to India under the Rafale aircraft deal, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General's report released on Wednesday.
In its report tabled in Parliament, the auditor had said that Dassault Aviation and MBDA proposed in September 2015 to discharge 30 per cent of their offset obligations by offering high technology to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), but the two firms were yet to do it.
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The former royal family's property dispute worth Rs 15000 crore, going on for nearly two and a half decades, has been settled with the mediation of the
In the settlement of this property dispute, the grandson of late Maharani Gayatri Devi has been given the ownership rights over the Jaimahal Hotel. At the same time, the has also settled the dispute over Rambagh Palace, in this agreement.
With this decision, the dispute over property worth thousands of crores has come to an end. Along with this, the estrangement that arose due to property disputes in the former royal family is also expected to reduce.
The dispute started about 24 years ago after the death of Jagat Singh in 1997. Former Maharaja Mansingh handed over his property to Jagat Singh, the only son of Maharani Gayatri Devi. But after the death of Jagat Singh, this matter continued in the courts for almost 24 years.
Jagat Singh was married to Priyanandana of the Thailand royal family. However his marriage with Priyanandana did not last long. After the separation of Jagat Singh and Priyanandana, their children Devraj and Lalitya started living with Priyanandana in Thailand.
Priyanandana had moved the court because during her stay in Thailand, the Jaimahal Palace was taken over by Vijit Singh, son of Prithviraj Singh, who was Maharaj Mansingh's second wife's son.
After this, Priyanandana moved the court to get the rights of her children in this property.
Now, the settlement has come through the mediation of Justice Kurian Joseph, a retired judge. According to the agreement former Maharaj Mansingh of the royal family and former Maharani Gayatri Devi's grandson Devraj and granddaughter Lalitya are the successors of late Jagat Singh.
According to the agreement, the full rights of Jaimahal Palace, now a five-star hotel located in the heart of city, have been handed over to Devraj and Lalitya. The control of Vijit Singh from Jaimahal Palace has been completely removed.
The share rights of Rambagh Palace Hotel have been handed over to Jai Singh, son of Maharaja Mansingh and Vijit Singh, son of Prithviraj. Devraj Singh and Lalitya have also been mentioned in this Supreme Agreement and a clause about compensating them from the share of Rambagh Palace has been mentioned.
Both the hotels are under the Tata Group presently.
Both entities have accepted the decision, confirmed officials.
--IANS
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(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.)
As the Winter Session of Parliament concluded on Wednesday, a day ahead of the schedule, the productivity of was registered to be approximately 82 per cent and that of was nearly 48 per cent.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi shared the information while briefing media after both the Houses were adjourned sine die.
"The productivity of was approximately 82 per cent and that of was approximately 48 per cent," Joshi said.
The Minister said the Winter Session 2021 of Parliament which commenced on November 29 and was scheduled to adjourn on December 23, has been adjourned sine die today (Wednesday).
He said the session was curtailed one day earlier than scheduled on completion of essential government business.
The session provided 18 sittings spread over a period of 24 days, said Joshi while adding that 13 Bills (12 Bills in and one Bill in Rajya Sabha) were introduced during the session and a total of 11 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament.
The passed Bills include the Appropriation Bill relating to the Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2021-22 which was passed by Lok Sabha, transmitted to and will be deemed to have been passed by both Houses after the expiry of 14 days under Article 109(5), the Minister said.
Three Bills replacing the Ordinances, namely, the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 (9 of 2021), the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 (10 of 2021) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 (8 of 2021) which were promulgated by the President before Winter Session, 2021 were considered and passed by the Houses.
One Bill namely the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was referred to the Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament.
Some of the other important Bills including three ordinances replacing Bills passed by Houses of Parliament are the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021; the Dam Safety Bill, 2021; the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulations) Bill, 2021; the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2021; the Institute of Phar Bill, 2021; the High Court and Supreme Court Amendment Bill, 2021; the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021; and the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021
Two Short Duration Discussions under Rule 193 were also held in Lok Sabha on COVID-19 pandemic and various aspects related to it, and Climate Change.
In Rajya Sabha, the Minister said one discussion on the situation arising out of cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus in the country was held.
Joshi stressed that the Opposition did not participate in any of the Short Duration discussions, despite themselves demanding it in the all-party meeting. He also added that the first priority was given to the price rise discussion.
The BJP leader also took a dig at Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien who threw Rajya Sabha rule book on reporters' table during the discussion on the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 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.)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that all FIRs in 99 per cent of police stations are registered on the central government's online portal CCTNS, which is accessed by all 16,347 police stations in the country.
Chairing a meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs on the topic 'Cyber Crime: Threats, Challenges and Response' here, Shah said that the work of making analytical tools against cyber crimes has been completed up to 40 per cent.
He said that in the last seven years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has taken many important steps to tackle cyber crime, an official statement said.
"In the last seven years, the work of setting up the infrastructure to deal with cyber crimes in the country has been completed fully up to the police post level," he said.
Shah said efforts are being made to train police personnel and lawyers for the prevention of cyber crime.
"Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) has been implemented in all 16,347 police stations in the country. In 99 per cent of police stations, including newly established police stations, 100 per cent FIRs are being registered directly in CCTNS," he said in the meeting attended by several MPs.
The home minister said as public representatives, it is the responsibility of the MPs to try to spread awareness about cyber crimes.
"The central government under the leadership of Prime Minister is committed to deal with every aspect of this new menace," he said.
Shah referred to various e-initiatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs to deal with cyber crimes such as the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) which facilitates victims and complainants to report cyber crime online.
So far more than 6 lakh complaints have been received and 12,776 FIRs have been registered, he said.
The home minister said the National Cybercrime Threat Analysis Unit (NCTAU) has issued 142 cyber crime prevention advisories and has blocked 266 mobile apps while 3,800 forensic services were provided by the National Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory (NCFL).
He said that seven Joint Cybercrime Coordination Groups (JCCTs) have been constituted which include all States and Union Territories.
Shah said the National Cybercrime Training Center (NCTC) registered 8,075 police personnel for online training and issued 1,877 certificates.
The home minister said 960 cyber security tips were issued by the authorities and these are constantly being issued on social media.
The initiatives focusing on cyber awareness and cyber hygiene promotion among general public through social media handle of MHA @CyberDost, regular SMSs to citizens, etc. are being taken so as to strengthen the mechanism to deal with cyber crimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner were discussed.
During the discussions, the MPs gave constructive suggestions for further strengthening and improvement of response mechanism to effectively deal with the menace of cyber crimes, challenges and response, including the importance of cyber hygiene for prevention of cyber crimes.
(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.)
blocked railway tracks at various places in for the third day on Wednesday, affecting the movement of 128 trains.
According to Ferozepur division railway officials, 59 trains were cancelled, 34 trains short originated and 35 trains were short terminated.
Out of 128 trains which were affected, 104 trains were mail or express trains, while 24 were passenger trains.
Divisional Railway Manager (Ferozepur division) Seema Sharma said the railways have established help desks at all stations to provide all possible guidance to the passengers.
We are trying to run the trains between short distance stations to avoid any hassle to the passengers, she said.
under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee launched the agitation on Monday, demanding a complete loan waiver, compensation to families of those who died during the year-long anti-farm laws stir, and withdrawal of criminal cases slapped against them.
They are also demanding a compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for damaged crops, release of pending dues for sugarcane crop and abolition of contract system.
The have been squatting on railway tracks at different places in Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur since Monday.
But on Wednesday, they started their protest at Moga and Fazilka railway stations also.
Farmer union leader Satnam Singh Pannu said the protesters will not leave the tracks till their demands are fulfilled.
A delegation of farmers also had a meeting with senior police officials, but it remained inconclusive.
(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.)
Mumbai on Wednesday reported 490 new positive cases, a jump of more than 160 from the previous day, but did not record any fatality caused due to the infection, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.
The city had reported 204 cases on Monday and 327 on Tuesday.
With the addition of cases, the overall infection count in the city climbed to 7,68,148, while the death toll stands at 16,366, he said.
A total of 45,014 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking their cumulative number in the city to 1,32,91,717, the civic official said.
Mumbai now has 2,419 active cases after 229 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day following recovery.
So far, 7,46,784 patients have recuperated in Mumbai and its recovery rate is 97 per cent.
The overall growth rate of the COVID-19 infection stood at 0.03 per cent between December 15 and December 21, while the case doubling rate was 1,962 days, he said.
The civic body said that presently Mumbai has 14 sealed buildings (where more than five residents have tested positive in each of them), but no containment zone in slums and 'chawls' (old row tenements) since the past few months.
This year, Mumbai reported the highest cases at 11,163 on April 4 and most number of deaths at 90 on May 1 during the second wave of the pandemic.
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British Prime Minister has confirmed that he will not introduce any further Covid restrictions in the before Christmas, but warned that the situation remains "finely balanced" ahead of the new year.
In a video posted on social media by Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: "People can go ahead with their plans". However, he urged caution and suggested people should take a test before meeting elderly relatives.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister warned that the rapid spread of the variant meant curbs could still be imposed after Christmas, Xinhua news agency reported.
Another 15,363 cases have been found in the UK, the biggest daily increase since the Covid-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total cases found in the country to 60,508, the Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed Tuesday.
The reported 90,629 cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 11,542,143, according to official figures released on Tuesday.
The country also reported a further 172 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the UK now stands at 147,433, with 7,801 Covid-19 patients still in hospital.
More than 89 per cent of people aged 12 and over in the UK have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 81 per cent have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 52 per cent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a vaccine.
--IANS
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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister on Wednesday said his government will not allow any drug trafficker to go scot-free and the law will take its own course in a case against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
Majithia (46) was booked under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on Monday on the basis of a 2018 status report on a probe into a drug racket operating in the state.
The report was filed in the and Haryana High Court by the anti-drug Special Task Force (STF) chief, Harpreet Singh Sidhu.
Majithia is the brother-in-law of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and the brother of former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal. He had earlier denied all the charges against him.
Addressing a gathering here, Channi reiterated his government's commitment to eradicate the menace of drugs from Punjab, while adding that there is no "political vendetta" as far as the case against Majithia is concerned.
The SAD has alleged that the case was filed due to "political vendetta".
Channi also took a dig at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal for withdrawing his statement against Majithia with a written apology.
In 2018, Kejriwal had tendered an apology for having levelled "unfounded" allegations of involvement in the drugs trade against Majithia, following which the latter had decided to withdraw a court case against the Delhi chief minister.
"See the kind of politics the AAP is indulging in. It apologised to a person who was facing accusations of pushing youngsters towards drugs," the chief minister said.
He also asserted that his government will not let the culprits involved in heinous acts of sacrilege to run away from the clutches of law.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the Congress government in the state is now gradually winning the trust of people when it comes to governance, which had touched the "lowest ebb due to misrule, coupled with gross inefficiency during the regime of (Parkash Singh) Badal as well as Amarinder Singh".
Transport Minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also hit out at the Badals.
"The reign of terror unleashed by the Badals has been suppressed to a considerable extent and it would disappear in the times to come provided the Congress is given another chance to serve the people of Punjab," he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid a rise in cases and the threat of its Omicron variant, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Wednesday directed district magistrates to ensure no Christmas and New Year gathering takes place in the national capital.
However, restaurants and bars will continue to operate with up to 50 per cent of the seating capacity. Marriage-related gatherings are permitted with a maximum of 200 people in attendance.
The DDMA directed the district magistrates (DMs) to identify potential COVID-19 superspreader areas ahead of Christmas and New Year.
"All social/political/cultural/religious/festival related gatherings are prohibited throughout NCT of Delhi... All district magistrates and DCPs shall ensure that no cultural event/gatherings/congregation takes place for celebrating Christmas or New Year in the NCT of Delhi," the DDMA order stated.
The national capital logged 125 cases on Wednesday, the highest since June 22, when it had reported 134 cases of the infection.
The district magistrates and deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) have also been directed to tighten the enforcement machinery to ensure people follow social-distancing norms and wear masks.
"All district magistrates shall conduct an intensive survey of the entire area under their jurisdiction and identify those pockets, colonies markets and crowded places which have the potential of becoming superspreaders of and its Omicron variant," the DDMA said in the order.
It said concerted action shall be taken in identified pockets according to the prescribed protocol which includes test, track and treatment, prompt and effective containment measures and enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour.
It stated all DMs and DCPs shall deploy a sufficient number of enforcement teams on the field for keeping utmost vigil at public places to enforce strict adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour to avoid any possible surge in COVID-19 cases.
Taking note of incidents of violations, DDMA said that since restrictions are not being strictly complied with, all DMs and DCPs will conduct surprise checks and take strict penal action against defaulters.
India has so far recorded 213 cases of the Omicron variant of across 15 states and Union Territories out of which 90 people have recovered or migrated, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
Delhi has recorded a maximum of 57 cases of the Omicron variant followed by 54 in Maharashtra, 24 in Telangana, 19 in Karnataka, 18 in Rajasthan, 15 in Kerala and 14 in Gujarat.
The national capital's first case of Omicron was reported on December 5 when a 37-year-old fully-vaccinated man who arrived in the city from Tanzania was found infected with the latest variant of coronavirus.
The DDMA also directed authorities to convene meetings with RWAs, market associations and inform them about "persistent increase" in Covid cases and also the emergence of the Omicron variant.
They should also be requested to take all requisite steps ensuring strict compliance of Covid appropriate behaviour such as wearing of masks, maintaining social distancing and frequently hand sanitising.
"MTAs (Market Traders Associations) should implement 'No Mask No Entry' policy at shops and workplaces," the DDMA said.
Following a meeting of the DDMA on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that samples of all Covid-positive patients would be sent for genome sequencing.
The genome sequencing of all positive cases started on Tuesday.
He had also made an appeal to the public to not let their guards down and wear masks to arrest the spread of coronavirus.
In an order issued on December 15, DDMA had extended till December 31 midnight its COVID-19-related curbs such as the ban on social and cultural gatherings and the cap on bars and restaurants to operate with 50 per cent of seating capacity.
In an order, the DDMA said the currently permitted and restricted activities in Delhi will continue up to the intervening night of December 31 and January 1.
Under a phased reopening with an improved COVID-19 situation in the city, the DDMA has permitted most of the activities. However, political, social, cultural, religious and such other gatherings are still not permitted.
(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.)
Even as the newly reported Omicron variant is poised to replace Delta as the dominant variant across the world, a study led by an Indian-origin researcher shows that many mutations in the variant allow it to bond with human cells far more efficiently than previous strains.
The Omicron variant was first identified in South Africa in late November, and has since spread rapidly to 106 countries. The variant is now the dominant strain in many countries including the US, the UK, Denmark among others.
Of all the variants of coronaviruses so far, Omicron is the most heavily mutated with more than 30 mutations on its spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells. The variant also harbours a high number of mutations in regions of the spike protein that antibodies recognise, potentially dampening their potency.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Canada, studied Omicron using cryo-electron microscopy -- a technique that provides images of the virus at incredibly high resolution.
The results, published pre-print and not peer-reviewed yet, showed that "Omicron has far greater binding affinity than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus" due to new bonds created between the virus and human cell receptors, Dr Sriram Subramaniam, lead scientist, was quoted as saying to the Daily Mail.
In addition, the researchers tested Omicron against human and monoclonal antibodies, finding that the variant is more resistant to these immune system particles than other variants.
"The Omicron variant is unprecedented for having 37 spike protein mutations - that's three to five times more mutations than any other variant," Subramaniam, a biochemistry professor at the University, was quoted as saying in a statement.
According to Subramaniam, the increased mutations on the spike protein are important for two reasons: "Firstly, because the spike protein is how the virus attaches to and infects human cells. Secondly, because antibodies attach to the spike protein in order to neutralise the virus."
The team probed Omicron's mutations through microscopic imaging, and found that some of the mutations create additional bonds between the virus and ACE2 receptors - a human cell receptor located throughout the body, the report said.
These new mutations appear to "increase binding affinity", Subramaniam said, indicating that Omicron can attach more strongly to human cells.
The researchers compared Omicron's binding affinity to that of the Delta variant and the original strain of the
"Overall, the findings show that Omicron has far greater binding affinity than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, with levels more comparable to what we see with the Delta variant," Subramaniam said.
Subramaniam's team also examined the Omicron spike protein's ability to evade both human antibodies and antibodies from monoclonal antibody treatments.
This analysis confirmed real-world data, showing that Omicron is more capable of evading antibodies than previous variants - meaning that treatments are less successful, the report said.
"Notably, Omicron was less evasive of the immunity created by vaccines, compared to immunity stemming from natural infection in unvaccinated Covid patients," Subramaniam said, adding "this suggests that vaccination remains our best defence against the Omicron variant."
Both the Omicron variant's increased binding affinity and its capacity to evade antibodies are "likely contributing factors to its increased transmissibility," Subramaniam said.
--IANS
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Prime Minister on Wednesday invited suggestions from students and alumni of the IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology), ahead of his visit to the institutes' Kanpur campus in Uttar Pradesh on December 28.
The Prime Minister will be addressing the convocation ceremony of
Calling upon students of IIT-Kanpur, other IITs and the IIT alumni network spread globally to share ideas for the Prime Minister's speech, PM Modi in his tweet said, "I look forward to being at on the 28th of this month to address the convocation ceremony. This is a vibrant institution, which has made pioneering contributions towards science and innovation. I invite everyone to share suggestions.
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Russia's Sputnik-V vaccine and its one-shot version Sputnik Light booster demonstrates high virus-neutralising activity (VNA) against the highly-contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19, providing a strong defence against severe disease and hospitalisation, according to a study.
The Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), an investor in Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines, in an article titled Sputnik Light booster after Sputnik V vaccination induces robust neutralising antibody response to B.1.1.529 (Omicron) SARS-CoV-2 variant said that the vaccine is expected to provide a strong defence against severe disease and hospitalisation.
The study was conducted using sera with a long period after vaccination (more than 6 months after vaccination) as an indicator of Sputnik V's long-lasting protection, Sputnik-V said in a statement on Wednesday.
Sputnik V elicits a strong and long-lasting T-cell response, and as 80% of epitopes in the spike protein are not affected by the mutations in the Omicron variant, Sputnik V is expected to provide long-lasting protection against severe disease by Omicron, it said.
Sputnik V's long-lasting T-cell immunity contributes to 80% efficacy against Delta on months 6-8, the statement said.
Sputnik Light as a booster significantly increases virus neutralising activity against Omicron based on sera 2-3 months after revaccination.
Virus neutralising activity against Omicron 2-3 months after a Sputnik Light booster in this preliminary laboratory study is higher than VNA against the wild-type virus 6 months after Sputnik V vaccination.
Based on these data the expected efficacy of Sputnik V with Sputnik Light booster against Omicron infection could be more than 80%, as Sputnik V showed the efficacy of more than 80% against wild-type virus 6 months after vaccination, according to the study.
Individuals who are 100% revaccinated with Sputnik Light as a booster developed neutralising antibodies against Omicron and demonstrated their high level 2-3 months after the revaccination.
Sputnik Light booster is expected to provide strong protection against infection, severe disease and hospitalisation by Omicron.
Sputnik Light booster is recommended to strengthen the efficacy of vaccines against Omicron. Boosting by Sputnik Light can strengthen and lengthen the quickly waning efficacy of many vaccines in light of the combined Delta and Omicron challenge.
Sputnik Light is a universal booster to other vaccines, including Sputnik V. Sputnik V and Sputnik Light were developed on the basis of a safe and well-studied over 30 years of technology and have not been associated with rare serious side effects as myocarditis or pericarditis, the study said.
Sputnik Light has already been registered in more than 20 countries as a standalone vaccine and a universal booster to other vaccines helping to increase their efficacy (including in Argentina, UAE, Bahrain, the Philippines, and San Marino).
Sputnik V has been authorised in 71 countries with a total population of over 4 billion people.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Sputnik V efficiency against omicron.
(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.)
As many as 104 people who arrived in Tamil Nadu from various countries have tested COVID-19 positive till date, of whom 82 were detected with the 'S gene drop' variant of coronavirus, state Minister Ma Subramanian said on Wednesday.
The samples of the 82 passengers have been sent to the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bengaluru, for genomic sequencing analysis, the Minister for Medical and Family Welfare said.
"All the 82 passengers are fine", he told reporters.
On test samples already sent to inStem, Bengaluru last week, he said the department has received the results of 13 people who were tested, of which one was confirmed to have the 'Omicron' variant of the coronavirus, the 'delta' variant in eight and four 'non-sequence'.
On December 15, Tamil Nadu declared its first Omicron variant of coronavirus, which was a 47 year-old passenger who arrived from Nigeria.
Meanwhile, to step up surveillance at international airports, the government has requested the Centre to allow the health department to conduct COVID-19 tests of all international passengers arriving to Tamil Nadu, as against the current practice of testing those arriving from 'at risk' countries, the minister said.
On the vaccination front, he said the 16th state-wide mega vaccination camp would be held on December 26 (Sunday), targeting 93 lakh people who are eligible to receive the second dose of vaccination.
Earlier in the day, Subramanian declared open 'digital display boards' at the Government Kilpauk Medical College premises, following the announcement made in the state assembly.
In the first phase, 25 government medical college hospitals would be equipped with such digital display boards, totally costing Rs 1.25 crore, which would inform patients about the services offered in the respective hospitals, he said.
The information displayed on the boards would be in Tamil and English, he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Omicron effect: bans gatherings for Christmas, New Year celebrations
Amid a rise in cases and the threat of the Omicron variant, the Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Wednesday directed district magistrates to ensure no Christmas and New Year gathering takes place in the national capital.
It ordered the district magistrates (DMs) to identify potential COVID-19 superspreader areas ahead of Christmas and New Year. Read more
I-T raids continue on Chinese mobile firms, OPPO says cooperating
With the Income Tax department conducting searches at several premises of Chinese mobile companies across the nation, smartphone brand OPPO said on Wednesday it will continue to cooperate with authorities as per procedure.
According to sources, the smartphone companies were allegedly violating rules and norms to evade taxes and were on the radar of several probe agencies, including the I-T department. Read more
Appropriate public issue pricing crucial: chief to investment bankers
Seeking to send out a strong message, Chairman Ajay Tyagi on Wednesday said it was incumbent upon the merchant banker community to not only follow the regulations in letter but also in spirit as he emphasised that appropriate pricing is crucial for public issues.
While urging merchant bankers to engage in wider consultations as for a proper balance between the issuers' aspirations and investors' interests, he also said that "needless to say, will not shy away from taking required action if it finds any intermediary not adhering to its mandate". Read more
High-level IOC team in Bengal's Haldia to probe refinery fire
A high-level team of the (IOC) on Wednesday arrived at West Bengal's Haldia from to probe the cause of the refinery fire that claimed the lives of three people and caused burn injuries to 44 others on the previous day.
Among those injured in the blaze, 38 are undergoing treatment at various super-specialty hospitals in Kolkata and their condition is stated to be stable, while three contractual workers were discharged after preliminary treatment, an IOC spokesperson said. Read more
Private equity and venture capital investment may hit record $70 bn in 2021
Private equity and venture capital investment will hit a new high of $70 billion in the calendar year 2021, according to projections by Bain & Company which analyses trends in private equity investing. Out of this, about half has flowed into just two sectors: consumer technology (e-commerce, edtech, fintech) and IT services and SaaS (software as a service) which has become an attractive business for investment. Read more
variant three times more transmissible: Centre warns states
The Centre has told states that the variant of coronavirus, based on current scientific evidence, is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta strain, asking them to ensure prompt and focused action if there is any sign of a surge. Read more
IPO hard sell: boasts Rs 37-trillion before overseas investors
Ahead of its initial public offering (IPO), Life Insurance Corporation of Indias (LICs) top management is impressing upon potential global investors the scale and size of the insurance behemoth that trumps the size of many economies in the world. At a closed-door meeting with global investors, the largest asset manager in the country boasted of its nearly Rs 37 trillion assets under management (AUM). Read more
How India negotiated work-life as Covid kept hitting back-to-office plans
Another uneasy year gone in a heartbeat. A year when the goalpost kept shifting. When we swung from hope to despair many times over, and came to settle somewhere in between. As the January of 2021 dawned on us with the promise of a Covid vaccine, a partial return to office appeared a possibility. And hybrid became the dominant concept in any conversation around office life. Read more
IPO pipeline expected to swell by over Rs 2 trillion in 2022: Report
After the record-breaking IPO rally with as many as 65 issuers collecting a whopping Rs 1.35 trillion so far this year, the market frenzy is set to continue next year with new issues worth over Rs 2 trillion ($26 billion) in the pipeline, according to a report. Read more
Disinvestment's tough climate call: The hurdle in govt's fund-raising path
Among the many reasons for Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with private equity and venture capital fund managers on Friday last week was to get a sense of how they read the governments plans. At this stage, the of BPCL, the Mumbai-based oil and gas producer, is likely to take place only in financial year 2022-23, although it was originally slated to be complete by this financial year. Read more
While it is known that Covid infections give natural antibodies, a new study has shown that people who are unvaccinated but were previously infected by the Covid variant may have very little protection against the new vaccine-evading Omicron.
To measure antibody levels, researchers from the Medical University of Innsbruck, in Austria, compared the blood of those who had beaten against Omicron, Daily Mail reported.
Only one out of seven samples produced enough of the infection-fighting proteins to neutralise Omicron.
"This essentially means the antibodies did not recognise Omicron as a threat due to its heavily mutated nature compared to the variant," the researchers said.
On the contrary, Covid survivors who were also fully vaccinated showed an increased ability to combat the strain, suggesting that prior infection alone offers virtually no protection against catching Omicron, the report said.
The team also tested two doses of the Pfizer jabbed with Omicron and found that it fared better - nine out of 20 samples produced enough antibodies to fight off the new Covid variant before it caused infection.
A similar test for two doses of the Moderna jab showed only one out of 10 was successful in generating antibodies against Omicron, the report said.
Overall, the best results were found in five samples taken from those who had both survived a previous Covid infection and then later got a vaccine - a group of people the researchers dubbed the 'super-immune', the report said.
Although the study has small numbers, it added to research demonstrating Omicron's ability to dodge immunity, Professor Lawrence Young, a microbiologist from the University of Warwick in the UK was quoted as saying.
He stated it was "dangerous" to infer any findings from the study, and added that the study reinforced the importance of getting a booster.
"It's dangerous to extrapolate what this data means for immune protection in vaccinated individuals other than reinforcing the value of booster - which is likely to be similar to the super immune individuals in this study," Young noted.
--IANS
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(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.)
Microsoft co-founder has warned against the rising cases around the world, saying that the world could be entering the worst part of the pandemic as the variant will result in the "worst surge" the world has seen so far.
In a series of tweets, said he has cancelled most of his holiday plans after his close friends have been infected with the variant.
" is spreading faster than any virus in history. It will soon be in every country in the world," he said.
Noting that the "big unknown" is how lethal the variant is, Gates claimed: "Even if it's only half as severe as delta, it will be the worst surge we have seen so far because it's so infectious."
He advised people to take booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it gives the best protection.
"In the meantime, we all have to look out for each other, especially the most vulnerable, whether they live down the street or in another country. That means wearing masks, avoiding big indoor gatherings, and getting vaccinated. Getting a booster gives the best protection," he tweeted.
also claimed that the pandemic wave due to Omicron would last less than three months.
"If there's good news here, it's that omicron moves so quickly that once it becomes dominant in a country, the wave there should last less than 3 months. Those few months could be bad, but I still believe if we take the right steps, the pandemic can be over in 2022," he further said.
Omicron, which was first detected in South Africa in November, has been declared as a "variant of concern" by the WHO.
Speaking at a briefing on Monday, WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was no evidence that the variant was "spreading significantly faster" than the previous dominant version, Delta.
The World Health Organization has urged people to cancel some of their holiday plans to protect public health, as the Omicron variant spreads globally.
"An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled," said Ghebreyesus, adding that "difficult decisions" must be made.
(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.)
In a major crackdown on mobile manufacturers and distributors in India, the Income Tax department has conducted raids on the offices and manufacturing units of mobile phone-making firms from Greater China -- Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, Dixon, Foxconn, and Rising Star India -- across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The raids are being conducted at more than 25 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Guwahati, among others. Offices of some fintech companies were also reportedly raided. The search was based on tip-offs regarding concealed income and tax evasion; in some places, digital data on concealed income was seized.
According to sources, state investigation wings of the income tax department were not aware of these raids. A senior income tax official said that raids are still going on in several places and the department will update once the search and seizure operations are over. Top officials of some of these companies like Xiaomi and Oppo are also reportedly being interrogated.
A Xiaomi spokesperson said: As a responsible company, we give paramount importance to ensuring that we are compliant with all Indian laws. As an invested partner in India, we are fully cooperating with authorities to ensure they have all the required information."
An Oppo statement read: "As an invested partner in India, we highly respect and abide by the law of the land. We will continue to fully cooperate with authorities concerned as per the procedure."
E-mailed queries to the others remained unanswered until the time of going press.
The raids started on Tuesday evening when I-T officials conducted a surprise raid at several offices of Redmi, Oppo, and Foxconns manufacturing unit at Sunguvarchatram near Sriperumbudur.
In August, similar raids were conducted at several offices of the Chinese government-controlled telecom vendor ZTE in India. Top executives of the company, including its Chief Executive Officer Li Jian Jun, were interrogated over alleged tax evasion to the tune of hundreds of crores and also reported failure to deduct tax at source (TDS) for several financial years. The telecom major was allegedly making profits on the trading of telecom equipment over the years but reporting losses on books.
The Indian smartphone market is mainly dominated by Chinese players with Xiaomi having around 23 per cent, Vivo nearly 15 per cent, Realme around 15 per cent, and Oppo having around 10 per cent market share, based on Mobile Devices Monitor data.
According to the media reports, the Indian government had sent notices to major Chinese players like Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and OnePlus, asking for details on the data and components used in their phones. In 2020, too, Chinese companies faced heat when the government banned as many as 220 Chinese applications in India, including top social media platforms with millions of Indian users.
As many as 1.32 crore candidates were trained and oriented across the country as on November 21 this year under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
Under Mission, the ministry is implementing PMKVY with an objective to impart short duration training and certification to youth including rural poor and unemployed youth, and to make them employable for better livelihood across the country.
Under the scheme, there is provision to provide facilities to target groups such as conveyance cost, boarding and lodging, transportation, post placement support, reward money, etc. in the country covering rural areas.
"Under PMKVY, as on November 21, 2021, around 1.32 crore candidates (0.67 crore trained in short term training and 0.65 crore oriented in recognition of prior learning) trained / oriented across the country," Minister of State for and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
He also said that under PMKVY, placement opportunities are being provided to STT (short term training) certified candidates, while RPL (recognition of prior learning) is not linked with placements as it recognizes the existing skills of candidates.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister has directed the officials concerned to prepare a concrete action plan for setting up a drone unit in the state.
In a meeting with senior officials on Wednesday, he has also directed them to chalk out plans to compile the rich history of villages and cities in the state, a government spokesperson said.
The chief minister proposed the drone unit, given the importance of unmanned aircraft in various fields such as disaster relief, agriculture, and law and order, the spokesperson said.
He has also mulled over starting certificate or diploma courses on drone technology in industrial training institutes, for which necessary help will be taken from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
According to the spokesperson, Adityanath has also directed the officials to chart rules and regulations on use of drones.
Meanwhile, in a bid to document the rich mythological, historical and cultural history of cities and village panchayats in the state, the chief minister has sought compilation of data in this connection.
"Every village, every city has its own story of settlement and it should be written down," the spokesman said, quoting Adityanath.
Further, the chief minister has directed the urban and rural development departments to chalk out plans to celebrate 'Gram Diwas' and 'Nagar Diwas' respectively on lines of Day, the spokesman said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur - ranked 5th in the Engineering category by NIRF Ranking 2020 and 58th by QS 2021 Asia Ranking - has recorded the highest placement offers in the history of accounting to 1,600 job offers with the highest CTC of Rs 2.4 crore per annum. Around 35 international job offers were also received.
According to a statement issued by the premiere institute, two students received the package of Rs 2 crore per annum whereas more than 21 offers were in the range of Rs 1 crore per annum. Due to the early progress, has concluded the first phase of placement for this year by December 11 and the second phase is proposed to start in the second week of January 2022.
It started with the Career Development Centre (CDC) of receiving 276 pre-placement offers (PPO) where students were given eight-weeks internship opportunities with the beginning of placement for the academic session 2020-21. Over 30 companies participated on the first day, extending over 130 placement offers to the final year students.
placed 1,500 plus students on the seventh day (i.e December 7, 2021) of its placement drive which surpassed all the previous years' total placement figures. IIT Kharagpur students bagged over 22 offers in the CTC range of Rs 0.9 - Rs 2.4 crore of which over 10 offers were made by domestic companies.
The total number of international offers is more than 35. The average number of hires per company has also increased, leading to an overall increase in the number of offers per day. More than 245 companies have participated in this placement season thus contributing to this milestone.
This year companies across all sectors including software, high-level coding, analytics, consulting, core engineering companies, banking/finance, high-frequency trading, etc, have participated in the process.
Recruiters such as Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Honeywell, Microsoft, MasterCard, Dr Reddy's, Tata Steel have offered more than 10 PPOs each. By Day-8 of the placement drive, over 1000 offers have been bagged by the students, out of which 30 are international offers from countries such as Japan and Taiwan and companies including Accenture, TSMC, Sony, Rakuten, and Valuance.
In the first phase of the placement session, Google, Microsoft, Micron Technology, Uber, Honeywell, Excel and many more valuable partners have led to this successful run, the statement said.
--IANS
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(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.)
Declaring the results for recent for the Panchayat Samiti members in four Rajasthan's districts, the state Election Commission on Tuesday said that 278 candidates and 165 candidates have won the polls.
Other winners in the for 568 members in 30 Panchayat Samitis in the four districts -- Baran, Kota, Ganganagar and Karauli -- included 97 independents, 14 BSP candidates, and 13 of CPI(M), the poll panel said.
With the ruling dominating the panchayat elections, state president Govind Singh Dotasra described the poll results as encouraging and claimed that his party will 20 out of 30 panchayat samitis' Pradhan seats.
state president Satish Poonia too hailed the result saying that it was a splendid performance by any opposition party in the Panchayati Raj in the state's history.
Elections for Zila Parishad members too had been held in these four districts, where counting was done on Tuesday at the respective district headquarters.
According to the information available on the website of the Commission, voting was held for 106 members in the four Zila Parishads. Of these, Congress has won 59 and 35 seats. Full results are yet to come.
Rajasthan's four districts -- Baran, Kota, Ganganagar and Karauli had gone to polls for the elections of Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members.
The elections were held in three phases in which a total of 2,251 candidates had tried their luck. Of these, 1,946 candidates were in the fray for Panchayat Samiti members and 305 were in the fray for Zila Parishad members.
Three out of 106 Zila Parishad members and six out of 568 Panchayat Samiti members were elected unopposed.
"The results of Panchayati Raj elections in four districts are encouraging for us. In more than 20 out of 30 panchayat samitis, the Congress is going to make its pradhans." Dotasra said in a tweet.
This victory is a victory of people's faith in the Congress party and the good governance by its government. Many thanks and congratulations to all the voters and party workers for this," he added.
BJP state president Poonia too said this is a splendid performance of any opposition party in Panchayati Raj elections in the history of the state.
He said the Congress had Zila Parishad boards in these four districts, but now the BJP has snatched two Zila Parishad boards from Congress with the blessings of the people.
The BJP's resounding victory in Kota and Baran Zilla Parishad elections will give a big boost to the BJP from Hadoti division to entire Rajasthan, he said.
He said out of total 33 Zila Pramukhs in the state, 17 are from BJP and now with two more Zila Parishad boards are formed in Kota division, BJP will have 19 Zila Pramukhs.
Poonia said the BJP has also performed brilliantly in the Panchayat Samiti elections.
The results of Panchayati Raj elections in all the phases so far are against the ruling Congress government. It is clear from this that the public has given a mandate against the Congress government in coming times, he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Election Commissioner of India Sushil Chandra and Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey on Tuesday reviewed preparedness in for the upcoming Assembly polls.
The EC team held meetings with representatives of political parties and district level officials, a release said.
During the day, the EC launched various Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiatives, including a fusion song on ethical voting that is a mix of rap, jazz and traditional cultural music.
It also launched a folder on 'Assured Minimum Facilities in English and Braille, a guide for BLO (Booth Level Officers) on PwD (person with disabilities) appropriate behavior and accessible election in Braille, a special poster on how to use EVM/VVPAT etc.
A video tribute to BLOs and a song 'Math Maruya Re' was also released, along with several IT initiatives for poll management developed by the chief electoral officer of in association with prestigious institutes in the state, a release from the commission said.
It also started an online course on 'Democracy and Electoral Management in India' designed and conducted in association with University, as well as a 'Booth Election Management Plan (BEMP)' portal for polling officials.
The Webcasting Data Analytics system, designed to capture real time information from webcasting feeds, to help in tracking crowding inside polling stations and counting of voters, was also launched.
Goa Foward Party general secretary Durgadas Kamat said his outfit, during the meeting, told the EC to not impose the poll code of conduct during Christmas and New Year season as it would adversely impact business.
He also said the GFP has informed EC the recruitment being done in state government departments currently must be seen as a move to induce people to vote for the ruling BJP.
Polls to the 40-member Goa Assembly is likely to be held in early 2022.
(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.)
When the 2017 Assembly elections were held in Goa, the had put up a good show by emerging as the single largest party with 17 seats in the 40-member House, but it failed to form government and could also not keep its flock together, with its strength now reduced to just two.
However, the party is still trying to put up a strong face ahead of the Assembly polls due early next year, saying it is not deterred by the desertions.
On Monday, Pradesh Committee's working president Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco became the latest MLA to quit the party over the last five years.
Notably, his name had figured in the first list of eight candidates announced by the last week for the forthcoming state polls.
Before Lourenco's resignation, BJP's election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis had said, The Congress has been reduced to a rickshaw party with three wheels, and soon it will turn into a bicycle party with only two of them remaining."
Fadnavis had predicted that Pratapsingh Rane will also quit the Congress. But, Rane is still with the Congress.
The biggest jolt the Congress came in 2019 when a group of its 10 MLAs, led by then leader of opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, left the party together and joined the ruling BJP.
This year, as the next Assembly election draws closer, more MLAs quit the Congress one after the other.
Following the 2017 Assembly polls, Vishwajit Rane, Goa's current health minister, was the first to resign from the Congress as well as from the Assembly soon after taking oath as an MLA.
After him, two other MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte also resigned from the party.
All the three were later re-elected in by-elections on the BJP's ticket.
Recently, Luizinho Faleiro and Ravi Naik, both former chief ministers, also left the Congress.
The party is now left with only Pratapsingh Rane and Digambar Kamat, both of whom are also former CMs.
On Tuesday, the Aam Aadmi Party's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took a dig at the Congress, saying, "Fifteen are sold, only two are remaining, they are the last stock. Little stock is remaining.
However, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat has remained unfazed and expressed confidence that he will lead the Congress to a thumping victory in the 2022 state polls and that his party will form government.
The Congress has successfully faced many storms, floods and tsunamis. Our functionaries have the strength and mettle to defeat opportunists, Kamat recently said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aam Aadmi Party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday assured a "corruption-free and honest" government in Goa, if the is voted to power in the Assembly polls due next year.
Kejriwal told reporters here that the guarantee was made based on the track record of the AAP's Delhi government, where its own minister was sacked for seeking a bribe from a shopkeeper.
Ministers or MLAs won't be spared from punishment, if they are found demanding bribe, the Delhi chief minister said.
"We will provide the first corruption-free and honest government in Goa," he claimed.
If the is voted to power in Goa, its government will also stop petty level corruption by introducing doorstep delivery of services, Kejriwal said.
We have already introduced doorstep delivery of services in Delhi. All the government services would be available at your doorstep, he said.
In Delhi, government officers visit an applicant's residence to collect the documents, and a similar system will be introduced in Goa, he said.
"Right from your panchayat work to the assistance from chief minister, everything will be at your doorstep, he said.
The leader also claimed that if his party comes to power in Goa, people will see huge changes within a month in the way of the government's functioning.
The government will also help the industrial houses to conduct their business in the state, he said.
The AAP government would facilitate the re-entry of industries, which have left the coastal state, by providing them all the required assistance, Kejriwal said.
On pre-poll alliance with the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has jumped into the fray in Goa, he claimed the Mamata Banerjee-led party is "not even in the race".
There are 1,350 parties in the country, should I start mentioning everyone, he said, when asked about his silence on the TMC.
Kejriwal said the TMC does not have even have one per cent vote share.
You cannot win the election merely on posters. You need to work and take your achievement to the people while asking for votes, he said.
The AAP had contested the 2017 Goa Assembly elections, but did not win a single seat in the 40-member House.
The TMC has announced that it will contest all the 40 seats in the forthcoming elections in the coastal state.
(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.)
Congress leader Vadra on Wednesday recalled the iconic dialogue from Bollywood movie 'Deewar' to counter critics that her party had lost base in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, saying, "Mere Paas Behen Hai" (I have sister).
In a video clip uploaded by the Congress general secretary on her twitter handle, a journalist is seen seeking her response to the rival parties' remarks that the Congress had been speaking about women in its rallies as it had no base left in
To this, she asks the journalist whether he has heard the dialogue from Deewar in which Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor played brothers.
"Amitabh tells Shashi Kapoor, 'mere paas gaadi hai, mere paas bangla hai, yeh hai, woh hai, toh Shashi Kapoor ne kaha, mere paas maa hai (I have a car, I have a bungalow... so Shashi Kapoor says, I have mother).
"Toh main keh rahin hun, mere paas behen hai (I have sister)," Priyanka said in a apparent reference to women in
"I have sisters ....sisters will bring change in politics. #ladki hoon lad sakti hoon," her tweet in Hindi read.
The Congress has already announced 40 per cent reservation for women candidates in the 2022 polls.
On Tuesday, Priyanka had said the prime minister's programme in Prayagraj on women empowerment showed that Modi had bowed before them and that the unity of the sisters will usher in a revolution.
Priyanka, who is also the Congress in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, had earlier released the party's election manifesto for women titled 'Shakti Vidhan'.
(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 entry of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in ahead of the ensuing Assembly elections jazzed up the colourful politics of the coastal state during the year.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also vying to dethrone ruling BJP in the state and has embarked on a campaign to repeat its performance in Delhi Assembly elections.
Elections to the 40-member Assembly are due in two months. Recent visits by Banerjee, Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi heated up things in the otherwise susegad (derived from Portuguese word sossegado, meaning quiet) atmosphere in the small state.
The fag end of the year witnessed a series of resignations by MLAs switching political affiliations ahead of the Assembly elections. The strength of the Assembly was reduced to 34 as six MLAs quit recently.
Congress MLAs Luizinho Faleiro and Aleixo Lourenco joined Trinamool, while Ravi Naik joined BJP. The ruling party lost MLA Alina Saldanha to AAP and another BJP MLA Carlose Almeida also quit on December 21. Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte joined BJP.
After emerging as the single largest party in 2017 Assembly polls by winning 17 seats, the decline of the Congress, which now has just two MLAs, has baffled political observers.
Besides BJP, Congress, and AAP, Forward Party, Nationalist Congress Party, and Goa Su-Raj Party are also in the fray for the February polls.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda also visited the poll-bound state.
As many as 188 people died at the Goa Medical College and Hospital between May 9 and 14 amid interruptions in oxygen supply. The state has since ramped up oxygen capacity in various hospitals.
On a positive note, Goa became the first state to cover all eligible population with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
A semblance of normalcy on coronavirus front saw the resumption of tourist season. Chartered flights began arriving to the beach destination ahead of the New Year celebrations.
The state education department also gave its nod to resume schools in a phased manner. Classes for eighth to 11th standard have resumed in the state.
While the BJP-led government earned credit for bringing the coastal state's economy back on track, it also faced criticism for alleged scams. The government put on hold recruitment in the Public Works Department after ruling and opposition MLAs alleged massive corruption.
BJP minister Milind Naik resigned from the state cabinet after Congress claimed he sexually exploited a woman.
There were protests after the state government approved three infrastructure projects cutting through Western Ghats amid concerns over loss of biodiversity. The opposition accused Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of backing these projects at the cost of environment.
The projects, which will cut through Mollem National Park and the adjoining Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, include the expansion of a national highway from the capital Panaji to Belgaum in neighbouring Karnataka, the doubling of a railway track that will run through Goa's Mollem forest and Karnataka's Kali tiger reserve, and building a power transmission line through the forest.
Modi was in Goa on the state's 60th Liberation Day, celebrated to mark the success of 'Operation Vijay' of the Indian military which freed Goa from Portuguese rule on December 19, 1961. While the day is always celebrated with much enthusiasm, this year's celebrations had an added dimension with Assembly elections a couple of months away.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Secretary of State on Tuesday (local time) spoke with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and reaffirmed the importance of robust defense and economic relations between the counties.
"Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Simonyte reaffirmed the importance of our robust defense and economic relations for the security and prosperity of the Transatlantic region and the world," US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
"The Secretary underscored ironclad U.S. solidarity with our NATO Ally and EU partner Lithuania as it faces geopolitical challenges to regional stability, security, and economic prosperity," read the statement.
Blinken noted troubling public reports that People's Republic of (PRC) customs authorities are not clearing Lithuanian shipments or shipments with Lithuanian components, and that they are rejecting import applications from Lithuania, the statement said.
Blinken underscored that such measures would raise serious concerns, including under trade principles, and appear to constitute a form of economic coercion.
Blinken highlighted U.S. support for Lithuania in the face of these actions and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to work with like-minded countries to push back against the PRC's coercive diplomatic and economic behavior, the statement 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.)
has issued a new regulation under which all foreign organisations or individuals will be banned from spreading religious content online in the country, citing national security interests, a media report said on Wednesday.
No organisation or individual will be allowed to disseminate information about religious ceremonies on the internet unless they have a licence from China's religious regulator, Hong Kong-based South Morning Post reported quoting new regulations.
The regulations are the first of their kind to tighten control of online religious affairs, coming two weeks after a national religious work conference attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which he called on to strengthen the management of online religious affairs.
In his address to a national conference on work related to religious affairs on December 4, Xi stressed upholding the principle of developing religions in the Chinese context, and providing active guidance for the adaptation of religions to socialist society.
He said it is imperative to further uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation, strengthen the management of online religious affairs, and effectively address prominent problems that affect the sound inheritance of religions in China, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The new rules, titled Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services, state that people applying for a licence to disseminate religious content online must be an entity or individual based in China and recognised by Chinese laws, and its main representative should be a Chinese national, the Post report said.
State security authorities will manage domestic organisations and individuals and prevent them from conspiring with foreign bodies to use religion to conduct activities that endanger national security on the internet, the regulations said.
Under the rules, applications must be made to the religious affairs department of the local government for a licence that will be valid for three years.
Content prohibited under the rules includes that which uses religion to incite subversion of state power, oppose the Communist Party's leadership, undermine national unity and social stability and promote extremism, terrorism or national separatism.
The new measures said that except for licensed religious groups, religious schools, temples and churches, no organisation or individual may preach on the internet, conduct religious education and training, and publish or repost preachers' comments, the report said.
Organising and conducting religious activities and live broadcasting or recording religious ceremonies such as worshipping Buddha, burning incense, chanting, mass and baptism will be banned, it said, adding that no organisation or individual is permitted to raise funds in the name of religion on the internet.
China is currently in conflict with the US, EU and western countries over issues related to religion, especially human rights violations against Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Over the years, Beijing, which is cagey about the spread of Christian sects in China, also faced criticism for a periodic crackdown on churches.
On Tuesday, China announced sanctions against four members of the United States Commission on Religious Freedom, a federal commission that monitors religious freedom, in response to Washington's latest sanctions over Xinjiang.
Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethics studies at Minzu University in Beijing, said the new measures, especially the ban on foreign organisations and individuals' religious activities online, underlined Beijing's focus on national security and religious order.
Today's situation is very complicated. European countries and the US have slandered us just to hinder China's development some religious forces will certainly cooperate with their political goals, Xiong told the Post.
(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.)
Chinese leader on Wednesday endorsed Hong Kong's first legislative elections held under new laws ensuring that only patriots who have shown loyalty to Beijing could run as candidates.
Sunday's elections for the 90-seat Legislative Council were swept by politicians backed by China's ruling Communist Party. Just 20 seats were directly elected, and the turnout of 30.2% was the lowest since the British handed over to in 1997.
All candidates were vetted by a largely pro-Beijing committee before they could be nominated.
Xi told Chief Executive Carrie in Beijing on Wednesday that after the elections, he is certain Hong Kongers will join in realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The execution of the new election system adheres to the one country, two systems principle," Xi said, referring to the increasingly threadbare framework under which was to retain its own political, social and financial institutions for 50 years after being transferred from British rule.
Our fellow Hong Kong citizens will promote the glorious tradition of loving their country and Hong Kong," Xi said.
The elections had been postponed for a year ostensibly due to a spike in COVID-19 cases after the opposition swept elections for district counsellors.
They followed widespread and increasingly violent anti-government protests in 2019 that prompted Beijing to impose a sweeping National Security Law on Hong Kong, followed by a reorganisation of the electoral process and transformation of the makeup of the Legislative Council to stack it with pro-Beijing loyalists.
The opposition camp criticised the elections, with the largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, fielding no candidates for the first time since the 1997 handover.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday there were multiple reasons for the decline in voter turnout.
It is not only the impact of the pandemic, but also the disruption and sabotage of anti- elements in Hong Kong and external forces, Zhao said at a daily briefing.
Some overseas pro-democracy activists, including London-based Nathan Law, had urged a boycott of the vote, saying the elections were undemocratic. Under the new election laws, incitement to boycott the voting or to cast invalid votes could be punished by up to three years in jail and a 200,000 Hong Kong dollar ($26,500) fine.
Prior to her departure for Beijing, Lam, who is under a US visa ban, said she expected to cover a wide range of issues on this particular duty visit because through two very decisive acts of the central authorities, Hong Kong is now back on the right track of 'one country, two systems'".
In a joint statement released by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the foreign ministers of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States expressed grave concern over the erosion of democratic elements of Hong Kong's electoral system and growing restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly.
Protecting space for peaceful alternative views is the most effective way to ensure the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, they said.
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issued a alert Wednesday, forecasting strong winds and heavy snow over the weekend amid keen attention from the outside world about whether leader will again visit Mount Paektu on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his ascension to power.
Extreme cold weather is expected from Friday night to Sunday, with the temperature in the region of Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, likely to drop to as low as minus 35 to minus 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim has a history of visiting the mountain, considered one of the most sacred places in the country, ahead of major political decisions, reported Yonhap news agency.
Speculation arose that he could do so again in the run-up to a plenary session of the North's ruling Workers' Party later this month where the could announce its key domestic and foreign policy directions for the new year.
This month's meeting comes as is set to mark the 10th year since Kim took over the helm of the reclusive regime. The 37-year-old formally rose to power on December 30, 2011, 13 days after his father Kim Jong-il died.
In October 2019, Kim rode a white horse to visit Mount Paektu -- eight months after his failed summit with the US in Hanoi -- and slammed Washington for imposing "ceaseless sanctions and pressure" on Pyongyang.
He visited the mountain again in December that year followed by a four-day plenary session of the ruling party at which Kim said he no longer sees a reason to stick to his earlier commitment to suspend nuclear and long-range missile tests.
--IANS
int/dpb
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Singapore suspended quarantine-free travel bookings and Australia boosted its readiness on Wednesday by announcing new vaccination funding for clinics and pharmacies. As surging Omicron infections just days before Christmas forced authorities to impose new curbs and expedite booster shots, Israel said it would administer a fourth dose of vaccine to people over the age of 60 and medical personnel. It has become the first nation in the world to do so on such a widespread basis.
Meanwhile, Frances health minister Olivier Veran said the country could soon have around 100,000 new Covid-19 cases a day, up from around 70,000 currently as the country battles a fifth wave of the epidemic.
Governments globally have tightened social mobility restrictions and made urgent pleas for citizens to vaccinate as Omicron emerges as the dominant strain of the coronavirus, upending reopening plans that many hoped would herald the start of a post-pandemic era in 2022.
In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways said it would cancel some passenger flights in January after the Asian financial centre tightened quarantine rules. Wednesday also saw Japan report its first suspected case of community transmission of Omicron.
Countries are also looking to shorten the time between second vaccination shots and boosters. However, wary of public lockdown fatigue, there is reluctance to return to the strict curbs imposed during the spread of the Delta variant earlier this year.
In fact, the British government from Wednesday reduced the Covid-19 self-isolation period to seven days from 10 days for people in England who get a negative result on a lateral flow test two days in a row.
Another nine people have been reported dead, bringing the total deaths due to severe flooding in to 17, authorities in Selangor state said.
Selangor state Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said at a press briefing more bodies have been found as floodwaters start subsiding, adding that the state government has mobilized all necessary resources to aid the victims, Xinhua news agency reported.
"At this time, our focus is to ensure search and rescue operations are carried out effectively and that they reach all who need it," he said.
The number of displaced persons due to flooding in has risen to over 69,400 in seven states plus the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur as of 10:00 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to data from the Malaysian social welfare department.
The worst-hit state is Pahang along the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, with over 42,000 people being evacuated to flood relief centers, followed by Selangor state with over 23,000 evacuated.
The country's meteorological department has warned of more rain in the Peninsula Malaysia, with rain and storms expected in several states on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told a meeting with chief ministers this morning that it was found that states such as Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang had been prepared to face the floods, especially during this time of the year, according to state news agency Bernama.
He said while east coast states have been prepared to face annual floods, the situation in Selangor state is unexpected, and acknowledged that there have been problems with the disaster management response.
"I don't deny (the weakness) and will improve in the future. The responsibility is not that of the federal government alone, but also the state governments and the frontliners in the districts."
"In Selangor, there is a problem. We are transparent about this, and I do not want to cover for anyone," he said.
--IANS
int/shs
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European equities edged slightly higher on Wednesday, with optimistic that the Omicron variant would only have a limited economic fallout, even as global cases surged and more countries announced restrictions.
Europe's STOXX 600 rose 0.1% at 0857 GMT and the MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 50 countries, was also up 0.1%. Asian shares were broadly higher amid thin year-end liquidity.
But London's FTSE 100 was down 0.2% and Wall Street futures were in the red.
The slight gains in Europe come even as Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands and South Korea have reimposed lockdowns or other restrictions on activity in recent days.
"It looks like each successive lockdown has been less severe in terms of economic impact than the previous ones. I think that's partly because there's been a lot of adaptation in the economy," said Arnab Das, global market strategist at Invesco.
Das said were holding on to that hope this time around as well.
"Maybe the restrictions won't be as severe, as comprehensive or as long-lasting as in 2020 and 2021," he added.
The World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Monday that it would be "unwise" to conclude from early evidence that Omicron is a milder variant than previous ones.
An Imperial College London study likewise found that the Omicron variant has shown no sign of being milder than the Delta variant.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Americans about the fatal risk of being unvaccinated and brought military personnel to support overwhelmed hospitals.
Currency market moves were generally muted as trading slowed before the Christmas holidays. The U.S. dollar index was a touch higher, up 0.1% on the day at 96.547, while the euro was down 0.2%.
The Australian dollar, which is often seen as a liquid proxy for risk appetite, was slightly lower at $0.7149.
The Turkish currency was highly volatile again, as traders digested measures proposed by President Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish central bank to guard local currency savings against precisely such swings. A measure of expected volatility jumped to its highest on record.
German Bund yields hovered near three-week highs amid improved risk sentiment in equity markets, while hawkish comments from the European Central Bank also helped.
European gas prices hit a new record high after a major pipeline for Russian gas coming to Europe switched direction to flow east. Oil prices were steady.
Some western politicians and industry experts have accused Russia of withholding gas deliveries to Europe amid political tensions over Ukraine, as well as delays in the certification of another pipeline, Nord Stream 2. Russia denies any connection.
Over the Christmas period, investors will be paying attention to any unexpected increase in tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Invesco's Das said.
Russia rejects Ukrainian and U.S. accusations that it may be preparing an invasion of Ukraine as early as next month by tens of thousands of Russian troops poised within reach of the border.
Elsewhere, cryptocurrencies picked up slightly, with bitcoin up 0.7% at $49,273.32, still well below the all-time high of $69,000 hit in November.
Graphic: Global asset performance http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/COMMODITIES-ASSETS/010031B62XZ/index.html#section/assets
Graphic: World FX rates http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/GLOBAL-CURRENCIES-PERFORMANCE/0100301V041/index.html
(This story corrects typo in headline)
(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
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Ambassador of to the UN TS Tirumurti on Tuesday (local time) said that the aspirations of the Palestinian people for Statehood and Israel's security concerns can be fulfilled through an open and direct dialogue based on the internationally agreed framework.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Palestine, Tirunurti said, "Both the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for Statehood and Israel's legitimate security concerns can be fulfilled through an open and direct dialogue between Israel and Palestine based on the internationally agreed framework. We reiterate that there is no alternative to direct peace negotiations between the parties."
Ambassador of to the UN highlighted that thirty years ago, the community helped open a channel for direct talks between Israel and Palestine through the Madrid peace conference.
A similar effort is required now to overcome the present impasse. stands ready to support all efforts aimed at resumption of direct negotiations and facilitating the peace process to achieve a two-State solution, he stressed.
Talking on the implementation of resolution 2334, Tirunurti said, "Resolution 2334 was adopted by this Council to reaffirm the community's firm commitment towards preventing the erosion of the two-State solution. It calls upon parties to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, stresses that all settlement activities must cease, and underscores the need to exert collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final status issues." Tirunurti further stated that the recent developments on the ground, as revealed in the Secretary-General's report, indicate that resolution 2334 is yet to be implemented in its letter and spirit.
"Violent attacks against Palestinian and Israeli civilians have continued during the reporting period. So have the acts of destruction, provocation and incitement. We condemn all such acts. Prospects of possible eviction of the Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah remain high. Tension continues to prevail at the holy sites of Jerusalem. Settlement activity has resumed after a brief hiatus," he added. Tirumurti further said, "We call upon the parties to immediately make concrete efforts to reverse these negative trends. Unilateral actions that unduly alter the status quo on the ground pose serious challenges and undercut the viability of the two-state solution. These must be avoided in the interest of peace and stability. Instead, parties must engage in constructive steps that create conducive conditions for the resumption of peace talks." "We acknowledge that some steps have recently been initiated in this regard. The Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have opened a channel of communication. Steps have been taken to stabilise the fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority and improve the socio-economic conditions of Palestinians, including through progressive easing of restrictions in the Gaza Strip for commodities and construction materials and increasing work permits for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza. Successful conclusion of the prisoner exchange talks would help the process further. We encourage everyone to build on such measures and create more avenues of co-operation, which can help overcome the trust deficit," Tirumurti said.India's support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict is consistent and well known.
We believe that durable and long-lasting peace can be achieved between the people of Israel and Palestine only through a two-state solution which entails the establishment of a sovereign, viable and independent State of Palestine, within recognized and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace and security, Tirumurti added.
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Oil prices settled more than 3% higher on Tuesday, rebounding on renewed risk appetite the day after a sharp fall, but investors remained cautious as the variant cut holiday travel plans, dimming the near-term fuel demand outlook.
"This is a pragmatic market that wants to be bullish but knows relief rallies, like the one this morning, will not last," said Tamas Varga, oil analyst at London brokerage PVM Oil Associates.
"The upside is likely to be limited and more restrictions will be greeted with renewed selling," he added.
Brent crude settled up $2.46, or 3.4%, at $73.98 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $2.51, or 3.7%, to $71.12 a barrel.
Countries across Europe were considering new curbs https://www.reuters.com/world/omicrons-global-spread-prompts-renewed-lockdowns-delayed-reopenings-2021-12-21 on movement as the fast-moving variant swept the world days before Christmas, throwing travel plans into chaos and unnerving financial
"Measures are likely to be temporary thanks to the rapid rollout of boosters in many countries, not to mention the number of people that will contract it if it continues to spread at the rate it has," said Craig Erlam, senior analyst at OANDA.
infections are multiplying rapidly across Europe, the United States and Asia. In Japan, a single cluster at a military base has grown to at least 180 cases.
Still, Moderna Inc https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-says-booster-dose-its-covid-19-vaccine-appears-protective-vs-omicron-2021-12-20 stirred hope on Monday when it said a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appeared to protect against the Omicron variant in laboratory testing.
On the supply front, OPEC+ compliance with oil production cuts rose to 117% in November from 116% a month earlier, two sources from the group told Reuters, indicating production levels remain well below agreed targets.
U.S. crude oil inventories were expected to have fallen for a fourth consecutive week, while distillate and gasoline stockpiles likely rose, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday.
The poll was conducted ahead of reports from the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, due on Tuesday, and the EIA, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy, due on Wednesday.
(Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London; Jessica Jaganathan in Singapore; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Lisa Shumaker, David Evans and David Gregorio)
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Russian President warned that was prepared to take military steps in response to unfriendly Western actions over the Ukraine conflict, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric.
He also called for serious negotiations on Russian security demands put to the United States and during his first call with new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who in turn called for de-escalation.
Meanwhile, Russian and US negotiators will sit down for talks early next year to discuss Moscows demand for Western guarantees precluding Natos expansion to Ukraine, Russias top diplomat said on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that in January will also start separate talks with to discuss the issue, adding that separate negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will also be held.
The Russian president has for weeks accused the United States and the Washington-led military alliance of stoking tensions near Moscows borders.
Putin told defence ministry officials that if the West continued its obviously aggressive stance would take appropriate retaliatory military-technical measures. Putin has denied having plans to launch an attack but has described Natos expansion to Ukraine and weapons deployment of the alliance weapons there as a red line.
Russian President and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed European security issues and the Ukrainian situation during a phone conversation on Tuesday.
According to a Kremlin press release, Putin informed Scholz of Russian proposals for long-term and legally binding security guarantees that prohibit the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from expanding eastwards and deploying offensive weapons near
They also discussed the problems of resolving the internal conflict in Ukraine, and Putin told Scholz that "Kiev is still stubbornly evading the fulfillment of its obligations under the 2015 Minsk agreements."
As for Russian-German relations, the leaders expressed common interest in further developing bilateral ties and maintaining contacts through various channels.
Earlier in the day, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron also held a phone conversation to discuss European security issues and the Ukrainian situation.
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United States Secretary of State on Tuesday (local time) said there will be "massive consequences" for if it engages in further acts of aggression against
"We are working in very close coordination with allies and partners not only to show our shared concerns but to put in place what would be a meaningful and massive response if commits renewed acts of aggression against Ukraine," Blinken said during a press briefing.
"We have seen statements coming out of NATO, European Union, and G7 -- all making clear that there will be "massive consequences" for if it engages in further acts of aggression against Ukraine," he said.
"We are engaged in diplomacy and deterrence. President Biden when he first met with President Putin in Geneva some months ago. Biden said to Putin that our strong preference is for a more predictable and stable relationship between Russia and the United States. But if Russia continues to engage in reckless, regressive actions, we will respond and will respond strongly," Blinken added.
Earlier this month, during Biden and Putin's video call, Biden warned that the US and its allies would respond with "strong economic and other measures" if Russia acts militarily against
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The defense minister, Ben Wallace, met with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the situation near Ukraine's border, the Ministry of Defence said.
"The Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP spoke to Secretary General @jensstoltenberg this afternoon to discuss the situation on Ukraine's border. The and are united in support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," the ministry tweeted on Tuesday.
Wallace noted that the United Kingdom and NATO will continue to observe the escalation of the situation near Ukraine's border and stressed to "remain deeply concerned by the buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine's border."
Tensions between Russia and the West have worsened in recent weeks amid reports on Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border. Moscow pointed to NATO's expansion of military activity near Russian borders, which it deems a threat to its national security. On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry unveiled proposals to the United States and NATO on security guarantees, which, in particular, stipulate the alliance not expanding into Ukrainian territory.
On Monday, Wallace said that in case of escalation on Ukraine's border, it is unlikely for any member country of the alliance to send its troops to to challenge Russia, because is not yet a NATO member. Therefore, he added, member countries are doing everything in their power to prevent such an event, like imposing economic sanctions on Russia.
has been aspiring to join NATO since the 2008 Bucharest summit when the alliance agreed that both Ukraine and Georgia would one day become its members, however neither country has entered the formal process for membership yet.
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In the months after Boris Johnson signed his post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, the coronavirus masked the economic damage of leaving the bloc. As the pandemic drags on, the cost is becoming clearer and voters are noticing.
Brexit has been a drag on growth. The prime minister had hailed the signing of the trade accord as the moment when took back control of its destiny. But a November poll by Savanta Comres shows a majority of the British population would now vote to re-join the EU.
In recent days, David Frost, Johnsons key partner in negotiating Brexit, resigned, becoming the third Brexit minister to quit.
A year on from the signing of the trade deal, here is a look at how Brexit affected British business and the
Trade
Britains trade with the EU has declined since the country quit the bloc, with firms hit by new customs paperwork and checks.
As of October, UK goods trade with the EU was 15.7 per cent lower than it would have been had stayed in the EUs single market and customs union, according to modelling by the Centre for European Reform, an independent think-tank.
Even before completed its split from the EU at the end of 2020, Brexit had reduced the size of the UK by about 1.5 per cent, according to estimates from the Office for Budget Responsibility. That was due to a fall in business investment and a transfer of economic activity to the EU in anticipation of high trade barriers.
Brexit has exacerbated a crunch in the UK labour supply. 200,000 European nationals left Britain in 2020, pushed away by tougher immigration rules.
Brexit has pushed financial firms to move at least some of their operations, staff, assets or legal entities out of London and into to the bloc but the shift has been smaller than predicted, in part because the pandemic has hampered staff relocations. UKs financial firms, meanwhile, are still waiting for full access to the EUs single market.
US President on Tuesday (local time) said that people who are "not fully vaccinated" have "good reason to be concerned" about the spread of the variant.
"If you're unvaccinated, you're at a high risk of getting sick. And if you get sick you're likely to spread it to others, including friends and family. We should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked," Biden said in White House remarks.
Biden said that unvaccinated people have a "significantly higher risk" of ending up in the hospital or dying from COVID-19.
"If you're among the majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated and especially if you got the booster shot, the third shot... you have much, much less reason to worry. You have a high degree of protection against severe illness," Biden said.
He further said that because the variant "spreads so easily" that even fully vaccinated individuals will get COVID-19. He added that they have seen breakthrough cases at the White House but these cases among the vaccinated "are highly unlikely to lead to serious illness."
"Vaccinated people who get Covid may get ill. But they're protected from severe illness and death. That's why you should still remain vigilant," he said.
Biden further stated that because the variant "spreads so easily" fully vaccinated individuals will get COVID-19. He said that they have seen breakthrough cases at the White House but these cases among the vaccinated "are highly unlikely to lead to serious illness."
"Vaccinated people who get Covid may get ill. But they're protected from severe illness and death. That's why you should still remain vigilant," he added.
He also urged the Americans to get their booster shots amid a surge in coronavirus cases. "Folks, the booster shots are free and widely available," he said.
"I got my booster shot as soon as they were available. And just the other day, former President Trump announced he got his booster shot. Maybe one of the few things he and I agree on. People with booster shots are highly protected. Join them. Join us," Biden stated.
A new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25.
As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year.
On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'. The WHO has classified Omicron as a 'variant of concern'.
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The US is rolling out new measures to fight COVID-19 variant by providing an additional USD 580 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to support seven partners who are working tirelessly in the global fight against
This additional USD 580 million is a significant contribution to turn vaccines into vaccinations; strengthen public health capacity; support communities in need, and provide urgent, life-saving relief, read a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Multilateral organizations are playing an indispensable role in these efforts, and with this additional USD 580 million, the US is supporting seven such partners to continue and accelerate the critical work they are doing to help end the pandemic, strengthen public health capacity, and provide urgent relief.
With the emergence of the variant and continued challenges like equitable access to life-saving care and vaccines, the world is at a critical point in the global response to this virus.
The US funding includes USD 280 million for the World Health Organization (WHO), including USD 50 million for the Contingency Fund for Emergencies; USD 170 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); USD 75 million to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); USD 20 million to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP); USD 20 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); USD 10 million to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); and USD 5 million to UN Women to assist their efforts to support women and girls.
These resources reflect the deep commitment of the and the American people to a healthier, more secure world, in keeping with President Biden's commitment to elevate our global ambition to end the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, added US Secretary of State's statement.
Blinken further said, "Later today I will host a meeting with foreign ministers to discuss and coordinate how we are addressing the variant. COVID-19 is not only a health crisis, but a security, economic, humanitarian and development crisis. I call on my counterparts to fulfill and bolster their commitments in fighting the pandemic. We must work together, and we must act quickly, to end this pandemic."
To date, the US has shared over 330 million safe and effective vaccine doses to more than 110 countries and economies worldwide.
The Government is providing more than USD 19.6 billion for life-saving health, economic, and humanitarian COVID-19 assistance to our partners to fight this virus and its impacts. These funds are delivering shots in arms, lifesaving supplies to hospitals, and support that reaches most vulnerable communities, read the statement.
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden accelerated efforts to fight this pandemic, promising to deliver 200 million vaccine doses in the next 100 days.
"Since his announcement, we have shared more than 50 million doses. While we know vaccines are a critical aspect to help end this pandemic, we also need to work with our partners to increase testing and surveillance, get life-saving equipment and resources to those most in need, and ensure that the most vulnerable have access to vaccination sites," said Blinken.
"The rapid spread of the Omicron variant reinforces that we must all continue to accelerate our efforts to end this pandemic and that none of us are safe until all of us are safe. This is a global pandemic that requires global solutions," added Blinken.
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Both the primary and secondary markets may be in for correction in the coming weeks, says Raamdeo Agrawal, chairman, Motilal Oswal Financial Services. He tells Ashley Coutinho that foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) may return once the market corrects 10-15 per cent from current levels.
Edited excerpts: What is your outlook for Indian equities? We have had a wonderful last one year from Diwali to Diwali and there might be some consolidation from here on. Foreign portfolio investors have stepped up their selling as they consider India to be among the most expensive markets in the ...
The price of 10 gram of gold decreased by Rs 230 on Wednesday, with 24 carat gold trading at Rs 48,410 and 22 carat at Rs 47,410.
The price of 1 kg of silver decreased by Rs 500 and the precious metal is selling at Rs 61,400.
In Delhi, the price of 24-carat gold stands at Rs 51,700, while in Mumbai it is at Rs 48,410, according to the Goodreturns website.
The price of 10 gram of 22-carat gold in Delhi and Mumbai is at Rs 47,450 and Rs 47,410, respectively.
In Chennai, 10 gram of 24-carat gold is selling at Rs 39,680 on Wednesday, while 10 gram of 22-carat gold is selling at Rs 45,540.
In Kolkata, 24-carat gold is selling at Rs 50,510, while 22-carat gold's price is at Rs 47,450, according to the Goodreturns website.
The price of gold varies across the country due to excise duty, state taxes, and making charges.
In Chennai, the price of 1 kg of silver is at Rs 65,200, while in Delhi and Mumbai, the metal is selling at Rs 61,400.
Silver is selling at Rs 61,400 per kg in Kolkata and Bengaluru, while in Hyderabad, the metal is selling at Rs 65,200 a kg.
Shares of surged 9 per cent to Rs 192.35 on the BSE in Wednesdays intra-day trade after billionaire investor Radhakishan S Damani (RK Damani), Gopikishan Shivkishan Damani & family increased their stake in the company to 22.76 per cent at the end of December 20, 2021, according to disclosure made by the company to the stock exchanges.
Since March 30, 2020, they have acquired an additional 6.30 million equity shares or 2.03 per cent stake in via open market purchases, the company said. CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS
Meanwhile, as on September 30, 2021, RK Damani (11.34 per cent), Gopikishan Shivkishan Damani (8.46 per cent) and RK Damani & Gopikishan Shivkishan Damani (1.34 per cent) collectively held 21.14 per cent stake in India Cements, as per the shareholding pattern data.
Despite today's run-up, the company's stock has underperformed the market by falling 4 per cent, as compared to 3 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex in the past one month. In the last six months, it declined 5 per cent, as against 8 per cent rise in the benchmark index.
For July-September quarter (Q2FY22), had reported a soft operating performance, mainly led by the sharp increase in input costs and weak realizations. EBITDA declined by 43 per cent on year and 18 per cent sequentially to Rs 134 crore. Blended EBITDA/tonne softened to Rs 566 vs. Rs 1,114 in Q2FY21 and Rs 833 in Q1FY22.
The loss of volumes in the core markets, together with the increase in the price of coal and dilution of selling prices, resulted in the EBIDTA margin coming down during the September quarter. The company's on-going efforts in controlling the fixed cost, administrative overheads, marketing overheads and contract labour continued during the quarter under review, India Cements said while announcing Q2 results on November 11, 2021.
Cement demand is expected to remain on track with the Centre and states giving push to infrastructure spending and affordable housing. At the same time, the risk of cost pressures is staring at the industry due to high fuels and petcoke costs and constraints in the availability of coal. All these factors are expected to put pressure on output and earnings margins in the coming months, the company had said.
'"While an improvement in capacity utilization on a sequential basis aided it to improve its unitary freight, employees and other expenditures on better operating leverage, a sharp increase in input costs weighed on the company's overall performance," an analyst at Reliance Securities had said in Q2 result update.
Notably, the planned capacity expansion in the Central region is still not in sight and the company will have to choose either to accord priority to plant upgradation or capacity addition. Thus, we found no reason to raise the target multiple, the analyst said.
At 10:09 am; India Cements was trading 5 per cent higher at Rs 185.85 on the BSE, as compared to 0.62 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. Trading volumes on the counter jumped an over three-fold with a combined 9.18 million equity shares having changed hands on the NSE and BSE. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 232.05 on November 10, 2021.
Shares of hit a record high of Rs 1,179, on rallying 7 per cent on the BSE in Wednesdays intra-day trade on healthy outlook. The stock of auto ancillary company was quoting higher for the fifth straight trading day, gaining 18 per cent during the period. Thus far in the calendar year 2021, the stock has zoomed 196 per cent, as compared to 18.9 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.
In past 11 trading days, the stock has surged 37 per cent, after the company announced a fresh round of capex and investment spends. The auto components maker announced on December 10, 2021 that it has entered into a joint venture (JV) agreement with FRIWO AG Germany to manufacture and supply various electric vehicle components in the Indian subcontinent with a planned capex of Rs 390 crore in the next six years.
expects surge in two wheel electric vehicles (EV) over next 5-6 years in India. The company plans to invest Rs 71 crore in one or more tranches as equity investment to partly fund the above expenditure. The remaining funding requirement will be met through mix of internal accruals, equity investment and debt.
The joint venture will help the company to further strengthen EV product portfolio and accelerate development and manufacturing of various EV components in India to fulfil increasing client requirements and to offer high-quality customized e-solutions in record speed.
Minda will benefit from PLI scheme incentives for its investments in advanced technology components and EV parts. The company is awaiting more details from the government before finalizing investments.
Minda is increasing alloy wheel capacities from 180,000 MT to 280,000 MT by March 2022. It is increasing Bawal plant capacity from 120,000 MT to 180,000 MT and Gujarat plant from 60,000 MT to 100,000 MT. Amid strong demand, further capacity expansions are expected, said analysts at Emkay Global Financial Services in Q2 result update.
The brokerage firm expects growth momentum to continue over FY22-24E with revenue CAGR of 22 per cent, driven by a cyclical upturn in underlying PV/2W segments, higher content in core businesses such as switches, lightings and acoustics, improving presence in alloy wheels, sensors and controllers, and growing content per vehicle led by EV penetration.
Central Bank of India has entered into a co-lending partnership with Ugro Capital to offer loans to MSME borrowers under priority sector, subject to the compliance with the applicable law(s) including the applicable guidelines issued by the RBI.
As per the bank's press statement, the participation from both the entities in this co-lending arrangement will result in greater expansion of portfolio by Central Bank of India (CBI) and Ugro Capital. Ugro Capital is a RBl regulated non-banking finance company with pan India branch network and has a track record of good customer acquisition.
Under this arrangement, Ugro Capital will originate and process loans to MSME borrowers as per jointly formulated credit parameters & eligibility criteria and Central Bank of India will take into its book 80% of loans under mutually agreed terms. Ugro Capital will also service the loan account throughout the life cycle of the loan. This co-lending arrangement is expected to help both the entities to offer convenient experience to the customers as well as help expand their reach across India.
Central Bank of India reported a 55.5% jump in net profit to Rs 250.02 crore on a 3.8% decline in total income to Rs 6,503.39 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.
Central Bank of India is a public sector bank. The Government of India held 93.08% take in the bank as on 30 September 2021.
Shares of Central Bank of India rose 0.95% to Rs 21.20 while Ugro Capital gained 1.77% to Rs 201.55 on BSE.
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India Cements rallied 5.46% to Rs 186.25 after billionaire investor Radhakishan Damani and family acquired 62,98,686 equity shares or 2.03% stake in the company from 30 March 2020 to 20 December 2021.
Post transaction, ace investor Radhakishan Damani and family increased their shareholding to 7,05,56,435 equity shares or 22.76% stake from 6,42,57,749 equity shares or 20.73% stake held in India Cements. The deal was executed as open market purchase.
Radhakishan Damani has been increasing his stake in the cement company marginally since last year. Mr Damai held 19.89% stake in the company in the March quarter of 2020 and raised it to 20.4% in July 2020.
India Cements' consolidated net profit declined 56.8% to Rs 32.53 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 75.38 crore posted in Q2 FY21. Net sales rose 13.3% to Rs 1,234.85 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 1,089.96 crore posted in Q2 FY21.
India Cements is primarily engaged in manufacture and marketing of cement and cement related products.
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Ugro Capital announced that it has signed a co-lending agreement with Central Bank of India.
Under this partnership, the two entities aim to disburse upto Rs. 1000 crore to UGRO Capital's varied MSME segments under its programs like Pratham, Sanjeevani, Saathi, GRO MSME and Machinery financing, in next 12 months.
The Co-lending arrangement with Central Bank of India will work towards providing formal credit to underserved MSMEs at affordable rates across all product categories of U GRO Capital. For the same, the bank will leverage U GRO's digital technology platform driven by a Data Tripod of GST, Banking and Bureau, in addition to the company's deep sectoral understanding and multi-channel distribution reach.
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leader will be in on a two-day visit commencing on Wednesday during which he will also visit his Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad.
leader will be on a two-day visit to Kerala, from today his parliamentary constituency in Kerala''s Wayanad
At 10 am, will attend the remembrance meeting of C Moinkutty, an Ex-MLA in Parish Hall, Engapuzha, Kozhikode.
Thereafter, at 11 am, Gandhi will flag off Rahul Brigade's Ambulance at Engapuzha, Kozhikode.
The MP from Wayanad will travel to his own constituency at 3 pm and inaugurate the office of an MLA, T Siddique from Kalpetta LAC, Wayanad.
After the office inauguration, Gandhi will also inaugurate Achoor (Athimoola) - Chathoth Road under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana at Pozhuthana, Wayanad at 4 pm.
(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.)
Tech giant now lets users customise how its Voice service handles incoming calls.
According to Engadget, users can now configure the app to forward calls from either individual or groups of contacts to a linked phone number or your voicemail.
Separately, users can set a rule that plays custom voicemail greetings for specific contacts. And if they want to avoid taking calls unless necessary, they can tell it to screen individuals.
The tech giant said the new options allow users to route incoming calls in ways that complement their existing workflows.
To start using the feature, users can head over to the Voice website and click the cog icon located toward the top of the interface. Then click "Calls," followed by "Choose a rule."
Note that on the mobile app, it's only possible to view rules you have already set; you can't establish new ones -- at least not yet, the report said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 22 (ANI/PRNewswire): Greenway Health announces its Board of Directors has named Pratap Sarker as Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2022.
Sarker, who has served as President of Greenway Health since August 2020, succeeds Richard Atkin who has served as CEO since 2018.
Atkin will transition to the role of Executive Chairman of the Greenway Health board.
"Pratap Sarker brings the ideal combination of leadership, experience and vision as the new Greenway Health CEO for this next chapter in the evolution and growth of the company," said Atkin. "As we continue to enhance our product offerings, invest in our technology platform and deliver measurable client outcomes, we are uniquely positioned for continued growth in 2022. With a seamless transition to CEO, Pratap's leadership will continue to be invaluable to the expansion of solutions we offer our clients nationwide."
"Greenway Health is primed for growth and market opportunity," said Sarker. "Together with a strong senior management team, we will continue to evolve our company and transform the healthcare technology sector with products and services that enhance practice growth and deliver innovative, client-centric solutions. I look forward to guiding Greenway Health into its next phase as an industry leader in this exciting market."
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., U.S., this leadership update comes at the one-year anniversary of Greenway's global expansion to Bangalore, India, in December 2020.
"We established our India Center of Excellence to help drive continued growth for Greenway in the new, global and competitive landscape among health technology providers, and we have already made great strides in hiring some of the best and brightest talent located in India," said Sarker. "With continued opportunities for career advancement and growth across all Greenway departments and locations, we are building a team that is prepared to meet the market growth and industry needs to come, as we continue to deliver innovative, customizable health technology solutions and services to our clients."
Sarker joined Greenway Health in 2020 as President. His vision and ownership for client relationship building and his passion for growth has revolutionized the Greenway brand, helping to actualize the company's purpose of creating successful providers and empowering patients, resulting in healthier communities. Prior to joining Greenway Health, Sarker spent three years as President at Conduent, where he led a multi-billion-dollar business in mission-critical technology and BPO services.
Sarker, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University, has over 25 years of experience and achievements garnered from helping organizations drive results through strategic development and a focus on execution.
This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
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New Delhi [India], December 22 (ANI/Mediawire): Students who have given the ISCE ISC semester 1 exam are all set to advance the preparation for semester 2 exams.
ICSE ISC Semester 2 Board Exams 2022 will be conducted in March or April 2022 as per the bifurcated syllabus uploaded on the official website of CISCE.
Students can also get a glimpse of the marking scheme from the website.
CISCE keeps on updating the new information regarding the ISCE ISC Semester 2 Board Exams.
Some of the recent updates are discussed below for better awareness.
Specimen Sample Papers Released
CISCE has released the Latest SyllabusICSE ISC Specimen Sample Papers Class 10 & 12 For Semester 2 Board Exams 2022 on its official website.
These Latest SyllabusICSE ISC Specimen Sample Papers For Semester 2 are designed as per the reduced and bifurcated syllabus discussed by CISCE. The semester 2 exams will be conducted descriptively.
And based upon this the questions in the specimen paper are also descriptive.
Students should check these specimen sample papers at the earliest to have a better glimpse of the paper pattern and the typologies that will be asked in the exam. For more information they also visit their official website or click here (https://www.cisce.org/publications.aspx)
Once the students are done with the entire preparation, then these sample papers will be very useful.
Sample papers will make sure that your preparation is aligned with the type of questions being asked in the board exams.
Students can visit the official website of CISCE and check these official specimens without any hassle.
Chapter-wise mock tests are available
Once the students are done with the particular chapter, then they need not to wait till the end to check the command on a particular chapter.
Additional mock tests are also available on the official website. These mock tests are designed in a chapter-wise format.
Students can check out these mock tests for a better understanding of each chapter. These are available for both the ISC and ICSE Semester 2 Board Exams 2022.
Students can prepare with these available mock tests to enhance their preparation for the upcoming exams.
Mock tests will offer the opportunity to the students to answer writing. As in semester 1, the exams were taken in the MCQ format only.
So, the students need to practice descriptive answer writing to succeed in the ICSE ISCSemester 2 Board Exams 2022.
To get more information about the chapters and the topics for the semester 2 exams, students can visit the official website of CISCE.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAuPjjQZKGE)
Students can also start doing their preparation with Latest SyllabusOswaal ICSE ISC Question Bank for Semester-2Board Exams 2022 in which, the students will get different benefits:
* Strictly as per the Semester-2 syllabus for ICSE ISC BoardExams 2022(March-April)
* These ICSE ISC Question Bank for Semester-2Board Exams 2022IncludeQuestions of the both -Objective & Subjective Types Questions
* Chapter-wise and Topic wise Revision Notes for in-depth study
* Modified & Empowered Mind Maps & Mnemonics for quick learning
* Unit wise Self -Assessment Tests
* Previous Years' Board Examination Questions and Marking scheme Answers with detailed explanation to facilitate exam-oriented preparation.
* Examiners comments & Answering Tips to aid in exam preparation.
* These ICSE ISC Question Bank for Semester-2Board Exams 2022Include Topics found Difficult & Suggestions for students.
Here is the recommended link for Latest SyllabusICSE Question Bank Class 10 for Semester 2 board exams 2022, click here (https://bit.ly/3eai2ft)
Here is the recommended link for Latest SyllabusISC Question Bank Class 12 for Semester 2 board exams 2022, click here (https://bit.ly/3mq9mGj)
Final Thoughts
To excel in the board exams, it is very important to take both semesters seriously.
The latest specimen and mock tests are available for the students on the official website.
Students can check them out and have better clarity about the exam pattern and marking scheme.
For further updates, keep on visiting the official website and study tuned!!
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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): Renu Electronics has announced the acquisition of Phoenix Contact HMI IPC Technology GmbH to form Renu Electronics GmbH.
This will be a 100% owned subsidiary in Germany.
Renu Electronics now gets to add 50 more members to its increasing base of manufacturing and engineering capabilities in Europe.
Phoenix Contact and Renu Electronics have been working together for several years. Phoenix Contact HMI IPC Technology GmbH (formerly known as Sutron Electronics GmbH) has been a part of the Phoenix Contact Group since 2008. Part of the HMI portfolio of Phoenix Contact has been developed and produced by Renu Electronics. This move further strengthens the business relationship between the two companies. Both companies will use the synergies for further strategic development in their respective technologies. The deal is expected to be completed by December 31, 2021.
Ajay Bhagwat, CEO of Renu Electronics Pvt. Ltd., said, "We are very pleased that we can strengthen our base in Europe with this acquisition. It enables us to have excellent manufacturing and development capacities in Germany with which we can better support our customers. We look forward to growing our business relationships with Phoenix Contact and various other European customers from Germany, supported by our business activities in India."
Renu Electronics is a fast-growing global company headquartered in Pune, India. It provides electronic products and services in the fields of factory automation, home automation, and automotive electronics. The main strengths of the company lie in the areas of engineering and manufacturing. For the past 31 years, Renu Electronics has served customers around the world, fulfilling its mission of "Making Humans Efficient".
For more information please visit website (https://renuelectronics.com/?utm_source=PRArt2 & utm_medium=pr & utm_campaign=PRDec2021 & utm_id=PR).
Phoenix Contact is the global market leader for components, systems and solutions in the field of electrical engineering, electronics and automation. The family company currently employs around 17,100 people worldwide and achieved sales of 2.4 billion euros in 2020.
The product range includes components and system solutions for the generation, transport and distribution of energy, device, and machine construction as well as control cabinet construction.
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New Delhi [India], December 22 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Tesla Power USA hosted the "India Business Meet" at the Pride Plaza Hotel in Aerocity, New Delhi.
The program was attended by John H. Vratsinas, MD & Global CEO, Kavinder Khurana, Managing Director, India, Sandeep Avasthi, Business Head, India.
"We are gearing up for installing 5000 Two-Wheeler EV Charging Points Pan-India in the near future at our Franchise-owned Tesla Power Shops. This is our commitment to encourage the use of EV's and contribute to as much sustainability of the environment as we can. Our support to power these vehicles is hundred percent and we look forward to offer them charging points support to increase the acceptance of EV 2-Wheelers," said Kavinder Khurana, MD.
Sandeep Avasthi, Business Head, stated, "The major factors that's helping us to spread our horizon PAN India is the-Longest warranty with the largest service network."
John H Vratsinas (MD and Global CEO) announced, "This is the first time in modern Indian history that India is leading the world in new technologies and infrastructure for the growth of E-Vehicles. I believe India will create the best model of EV charging infrastructure that the West will follow."
Tesla Power USA Inc. is among the fastest growing brand of batteries in India. They have 200+ Distributors and 250+ Tesla Power Shops in 20+ States in India.
Tesla Power Shop, as a concept, is a hybrid and unique model of service, sales revival & EV Charging Points. This hybrid Retail model is being adopted across the country and appreciated internationally.
The Company launched their American Technology-based products such as Inverter Batteries, Automotive Batteries, Two-Wheeler Batteries, Tractor, Trucks, Solar, Hybrid VRLA, SMF VRLA Batteries, Lithium Ion Batteries, Home UPS, Solar UPS, and Industrial UPS. Their quality products and continuous expansion policy helps Customers, Dealers, Distributors, Franchisees and C & Fs join Tesla Power USA.
Keeping in mind skill development and a young vibrant people culture, the Tesla Thunderbolt Program offers full time employment opportunities to young engineers of the country. The program is a full time all-round mentorship and employment. The Program plans to induct 500 young engineers and set them on a competent career path within the organization.
To Watch the Video, Click on the Link Below:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpdTrM_uu2k & feature=youtu.be) Tesla Power USA Inc. Announces Entry into EV Scooters and EV Charging Stations | Tesla Power USA
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Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], December 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): Silicon Valley-based The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) has announced its Rajasthan chapter as the 'Best Chapter' amongst 61 other chapters across 15 countries in the recent TiE Annual Chapter Excellence Awards held concurrent to TiE Global Summit 2021 in Dubai.
Dr Ravi Modani, President, TiE Rajasthan received the award on the chapter's behalf. Kumar Mangalam Birla was conferred with the 'Global Entrepreneur of the Year' award during the TiE summit.
"It is an honour to receive this prestigious award in a year that has witnessed unprecedented changes. TiE Rajasthan has been nurturing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state for almost 20 years and this award comes as a testimony to the vision, energy and enthusiasm of our preceding chapter leaders, members and present team. We are poised to expand our outreach, connect with and empower more student founders, women entrepreneurs as well as successful business owners in tier-2 and tier-3 cities of the state," said Dr Modani in his acceptance speech.
Notably, TiE Rajasthan has also announced the winner of 'Best Chapter Champion Award' for TiE University, a Global startup program for collegiate students during the summit. The world's tallest building Burj Khalifa was specially illuminated with TiE colours for this world's largest entrepreneurial summit by TiE.
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Amid a steep rise in the incidents of cyber frauds, the Reserve Bank of India has come up with a new rule to make the online transactions more secure. It has asked all the merchants and payment gateways to remove customer data on debit and credit cards saved with them. The central bank has asked them to use encrypted tokens for all transactions starting January 1 next year. But after the auto debit rule, this new regulation will only add to the woes of consumers and merchants. We take a look at how these rules will impact you and the digital commerce sector as a whole. From hassles, lets now move to what is happening in the world of markets as the year 2021 comes to an end. Foreign portfolio investors, or FPIs, have been taking some money off the table since the indices hit new all-time highs and valuations surpassed historically high levels. So far in December, FPIs have sold equities worth over Rs 33,000 crore and this trend is expected continue for the rest of 2021.
So the question is, when can investors get a respite from FPI selling? Not just markets, this year was also great for startup companies. At least 42 of them went on to attain the unicorn status. More startups entered this coveted club in 2021 than all previous years combined. India is now home to about 80 unicorn startups. Without a doubt, this has been the most successful year for Indias startup ecosystem. Unlike Indias evolving unicorns, the giant Siberian rhino which may have been the origin of the unicorn myth could not adapt to changing climate and went extinct about 39,000 years ago. Now, as countries realise the harmful effects of global warming, they are moving towards net-zero emissions. Recently, India also pledged to cut its emissions to net zero by 2070 at a global summit on climate change in Glasgow. Heres an explainer for you on net-zero emissions and what it may take for India and the world to achieve this target in this episode of the podcast.
Indian cities' air pollution was even higher than the WHO set standards and worse than most cities even on the days pollution was at its lowest
The C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute invites scholars, software developers, and researchers to advance the science of digital transformation with artificial intelligence (AI) designed to harden information security (Infosec) and secure critical infrastructure.
Cybersecurity is an existential issue, said Thomas M. Siebel, Chairman and CEO of C3 AI, a leading enterprise AI software provider. We are assembling the best minds on the planet to develop innovative AI to attain a step-function improvement in securing IT, OT, and critical infrastructure systems.
Advanced AI and machine learning offer the best opportunity to design robust defensive systems, said C3.ai DTI Co-Director S. Shankar Sastry of UC Berkeley, whose area of research expertise is cybersecurity. This call for proposals will help design the defenses necessary to securely shield the digital transformation of our economy.
We aim to develop AI techniques to identify and neutralize malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and prevent the weaponization of innocent insiders, said C3.ai DTI Co-Director R. Srikant of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an expert in AI and networks.
Immediate Call for Proposals: AI to Transform Cybersecurity and Secure Critical Infrastructure.
Topics for research awards may include, but are not limited to, the following:
AI techniques to identify previously unknown malware, ransomware, and zero-day vulnerabilities, enabling isolation and neutralization AI-enabled network and system crawlers that can continuously search and identify persistent access mechanisms (backdoors), bots, remote access toolkits (RATS), stagers, and Trojans AI forensics and attribution techniques to identify sources of attacks AI techniques to automate simulated adversarial attacks to identify system and network vulnerabilities AI techniques to accurately identify and enable the neutralization of phishing attacks Change management techniques to prevent the weaponization of innocent insiders AI techniques to detect the presence of advanced persistent threats and insider threats AI-enabled network and/or system crawlers that access and continuously evaluate system security levels AI techniques, perhaps in supervised or unsupervised learning, to provide early detection of system and/or network anomalies that might be indicative of unauthorized access, denial of service, or data exfiltration Techniques and methods to enable the development of AI algorithms that are resilient to adversarial attacks AI techniques to identify concentration risk in the software and computer supply chain Change management to transform organizational behavior to manifest best practices in cyber hygiene Techniques to respond to attacks at the organizational and societal level
This third call for proposals is open now, with a submission deadline of February 7, 2022. Researchers are invited to learn more about C3.ai DTI and how to submit their proposals for consideration at C3DTI.ai. Award winners will be announced in March 2022, with a start date around June 1, 2022. Award winners may take part in the annual C3.ai DTI Research Symposium, to be held March 22-24, 2022, in Miami, Florida.
Up to USD $10 million in cash awards will be funded from this third call, ranging from USD $100,000 to $1,000,000 each. In addition to cash awards, C3.ai DTI recipients will be provided with significant cloud computing, supercomputing, data access, and AI software resources and technical support provided by Microsoft and C3 AI. This will include unlimited use of the C3 AI Suite hosted on the Microsoft Azure Cloud, and access to high-performance computing resources at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. All science developed from C3.ai DTI funded projects accrues to the public domain.
Establishing the New Science of Digital Transformation
C3.ai DTI focuses its research on AI, machine learning, IoT, big data analytics, human factors, organizational behavior, ethics, and public policy. The Institute supports the development of ML algorithms, data security, and cybersecurity techniques. C3.ai DTI research analyzes new business operation models, develops methods of implementing organizational change management and protecting privacy, and amplifies the dialogue around the ethics and public policy of AI.
About C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute
C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute represents an innovative vision to take AI, ML, and big data research in a consortium model to a level that cannot be achieved by any one institution alone. Jointly managed by the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, C3.ai DTI attracts the worlds leading scientists to join in a coordinated and innovative effort to advance the digital transformation of business, government, and society, and establish the new science of digital transformation. To support the Institute, C3 AI will provide $57,250,000 in cash contributions over the first five years of operation. C3 AI and Microsoft will contribute an additional $310 million in-kind, including use of the C3 AI Suite and Microsoft Azure computing, storage, and technical resources to support C3.ai DTI research.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211221005200/en/
Desktop Metal (NYSE:DM) and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) today announced a partnership to accelerate the industrialization and adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) in South Korea starting with the installations of the Desktop Metal Shop System and Production System P-1 platforms.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211221005388/en/
Created by the inventors of binder jetting and single-pass inkjet technology, the Production System is an industrial manufacturing platform powered by Desktop Metals patent pending Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology. It is designed to achieve speeds up to 100 times those of legacy powder bed fusion additive manufacturing technologies and enable production quantities of up to millions of parts per year at costs competitive with conventional mass production techniques. The platform consists of two printer models including the P-1, a solution for process development and serial production applications. (Photo: Business Wire)
KITECH is a leading research institute that facilitates the development of manufacturing technologies for companies across South Korea, with a focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The installation of Desktop Metals state-of-the-art binder jet solutions will enable KITECH to help drive adoption of these production-focused technologies with SMEs to address use cases in automotive, consumer electronics, heavy industry, and oil & gas market segments. KITECH plans to leverage Desktop Metals solutions to manufacture components at industrial scale volumes and develop new materials for a variety of AM applications.
We at KITECH are very excited to partner with Desktop Metal on the installation of its industry-leading metal AM solutions, said Dr. Chung-Soo Kim, Project Manager and Sr. Researcher at the 3D Printing Manufacturing Process Center, KITECH. Metal binder jetting is disruptive to most other metal AM technologies because of its ability to produce components at unprecedented speeds and low costs. The adoption of binder jetting will change the development environment in the additive manufacturing industry in South Korea.
With Desktop Metals solutions, we can extend our capabilities beyond the limitations of laser-based additive manufacturing solutions and make significant contributions to the future of key South Korean industries, including automotive, shipment building, oil & gas, and consumer electronics, said Dr. Dong-Hyun Kim, Head and Principal Researcher at the 3D Printing Manufacturing Process Center, KITECH.
Metal binder jetting is ripe for adoption in Asia-Pacific, and we are honored to partner with KITECH to further scale the technology in South Korea," said Ric Fulop, Founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. With our shared vision, the installation of these binder jet solutions will serve as a catalyst for innovation, development and commercialization of AM 2.0 technologies in the region, and accelerate the transformation of the manufacturing industry worldwide.
Created by the inventors of binder jetting and single-pass inkjet technology, the Production System is an industrial manufacturing platform powered by Desktop Metals patent pending Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology. It is designed to achieve speeds up to 100 times those of legacy powder bed fusion additive manufacturing technologies and enable production quantities of up to millions of parts per year at costs competitive with conventional mass production techniques. The platform consists of two printer models: the P-1, a solution for process development and serial production applications, and the P-50, a large form factor mass production solution for end-use parts. The Production System combines Desktop Metal engineered binders with an open material platform, allowing customers to produce high-performance parts using the same low-cost metal powders used in the metal injection molding industry. An inert processing environment enables compatibility with a variety of materials, including high-performance alloys and even reactive metal powders, such as aluminum and titanium.
Featuring the most advanced single-pass print engine in the binder jetting market, the Shop System offers a turnkey solution for producing complex, end-use metal parts in a fraction of the time and cost of conventional manufacturing and comparably priced legacy AM technologies. The system includes all of the equipment machine shops need to begin binder jetting - from printing through sintering - and is designed to scale throughput with a range of build volume configurations. In addition, Desktop Metal software for build preparation and sintering simulation, in combination with metal powders and process parameters optimized to deliver exceptional part quality and repeatability, make it easy for businesses to get up and running with binder jetting in days instead of weeks or months.
For more information on Desktop Metals metal binder jetting technologies, please visit www.desktopmetal.com.
About the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH)
KITECH (Korea Institute of Industrial Technology), founded in 1989, endeavors to contribute to the industrial development of Korea by supporting the development and application of production technologies and nurturing global SMEs. We implement technology transfers and dissemination to SMEs, provide technology support utilizing its technology, human resources, and infrastructure, develop technologies to overcome technological hardships experienced by SMEs, and conduct in-depth research for demand-oriented production technologies. For more information, visit https://eng.kitech.re.kr/main/.
About Desktop Metal
Desktop Metal, Inc., based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is accelerating the transformation of manufacturing with an expansive portfolio of 3D printing solutions, from rapid prototyping to mass production. Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, metallurgy, and robotics, the company is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make additive manufacturing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world. Desktop Metal was selected as one of the worlds 30 most promising Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum, named to MIT Technology Reviews list of 50 Smartest Companies, the 2021 winner of Fast Companys Innovation by Design Award in materials and Next Big Things in Tech Award for sustainability. For more information, visit www.desktopmetal.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words believe, project, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, strategy, future, opportunity, plan, may, should, will, would, will be, will continue, will likely result, and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks, uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties set forth in Desktop Metal, Inc.'s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Desktop Metal, Inc. assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211221005388/en/
IQM Quantum Computers (IQM) strengthened its European leadership and opened its fourth European office in Paris. This news follows the most recent announcements from the company:
IQM opened an exclusive quantum fabrication facility in Finland.
IQM has delivered the first milestone of the Finnish quantum computer co-innovation project with VTT; the 5-qubit quantum computer is now operational.
IQM, as part of the Q-Exa consortium, is building a quantum computer in Germany that will be integrated into an HPC supercomputer for the first time.
IQM France will collaborate closely with customers in the aviation, space, and cybersecurity verticals using IQMs co-design approach. IQM is also part of Atoss Scaler program, and this subsidiary will focus further on HPC integration and offer quantum accelerators to supercomputing centers worldwide.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211221005096/en/
IQM Quantum Computers (Photo: Business Wire)
Through this new subsidiary, IQM joins the French quantum ecosystem that consists of world-renowned universities and research institutes and a fast-growing start-up scene and provides excellent industry infrastructure. IQMs expertise and reach, combined with this vibrant ecosystem, will create significant opportunities for partnerships and collaboration in Europe and across the globe.
In the first phase, IQM France aims to tap into the extended talent pool of quantum students, postdocs, and experienced professionals. The plan is to start with a core team of business developers, products managers, quantum scientists, and engineers in 2022. The aim is to create a center of excellence in specific industry verticals and systematically grow in subsequent years.
IQM Frances office will be in the central hub at Spaces Les Halles on 40 rue du Louvre, Paris. Dr. Bjorn Potter will take on the role of Country Manager for France in addition to his role as Global Head of Products at IQM. Dr. Potter, who recently joined IQM, holds a PhD in physics and has extensive experience with digital technologies in the Aerospace and Cybersecurity industries. Dr. Potter has held several international leadership positions with a focus on technology and innovation, among others at Airbus.
I am excited to see IQM start its French operations in the Paris region, where I have been working for several years. The Paris team will build the bridge between the various IQM teams around Europe and the high-quality French quantum ecosystem. The team will enable local operations for collaborative IQM projects in strategic industrial areas, said Dr. Potter.
Speaking about this announcement, Dr. Jan Goetz, CEO and cofounder of IQM, said, France plays an integral role in the quantum scientific research and has been on our roadmap for a while. Im extremely pleased to announce the operations of our French entity today, especially at a time when the French quantum plan is gaining momentum. This French subsidiary together with our co-design teams in Bilbao and Munich and the quantum hardware and software teams in Espoo, Finland, will strengthen European quantum leadership.
The Paris region is proud to welcome a major European quantum computing player to the epicenter of the French quantum ecosystem. We support IQMs local setup and growth to help them make the most of the excellent research and talent available. We are also convinced that IQM will thrive in Frances #1 aerospace region, said Alexandra Dublanche, President of Choose Paris Region and Vice President in charge of Recovery, Attractiveness, Economic Development, and Innovation of the Paris Region.
We are very thankful to Choose Paris Region and also Business France for the active, pragmatic, and timely support, which allowed us to set up IQM France in a very short time, Dr. Potter added.
In March 2021, Dr. Goetz presented on deep tech and building global tech leaders topics at the Scale-Up Europe event, where President Emmanuel Macron was an attendee. This presentation was part of the Scale-up Europe initiative facilitated by Sifted.
About IQM Quantum Computers:
IQM is a Pan-European leader in quantum computers.
IQM provides on-site quantum computing for research labs and supercomputing data centers and offers full access to its hardware. For industrial customers, IQM delivers the quantum advantage through a unique application-specific co-design approach.
IQM is building Finlands first commercial 54-qubit quantum computer with VTT, and an IQM-led consortium (Q-Exa) is building a quantum computer in Germany that will be integrated into an HPC supercomputer to create an accelerator for future scientific research. IQM has offices in Bilbao, Munich, and Espoo and employs over 130 people. More information: www.meetiqm.com
Links to the quoted press releases:
IQM opens its exclusive quantum fabrication facility in Finland
IQM has delivered the first milestone of the Finnish quantum computer co-innovation project with VTT; the 5-qubit quantum computer is now operational.
IQM, as part of the Q-Exa consortium, is building a quantum computer in Germany that will be integrated into an HPC supercomputer for the first time.
Registered office:
IQM Finland Oy, Keilaranta 19, 02150 Espoo, Finland
Choose Paris Region is the agency in charge of promoting the attractiveness of the Paris region in terms of international business. The agency works in partnership with all the regions key players to create an appealing and coherent territorial offer, ensure promotion of the region, and offer a tailor-made service to support international businesses and professionals in their expansion.
https://www.chooseparisregion.org/
Headquarters:
Choose Paris Region, 18 rue de Londres, 75009 Paris
[email protected] - +33 800 019 011
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211221005096/en/
DSG Japan Corporation celebrates its first anniversary since launching Mirafeel in December 2020, the worlds most advanced baby pants diaper using the finest Japanese technology a revolutionary refastenable pants diaper with front reclosable seams enabling the best fit possible for babies of all sizes.
Designed and manufactured in Japan, Mirafeel comes with soft pleated waist gathers and a cushiony soft 3 dimensional topsheet providing an unrivalled gentle touch for babies delicate skin. In addition, its proprietary Thin Dry absorbent core is one of the thinnest and most efficient absorbent cores available in the market.
Besides delivering the best functionality, Mirafeel places equal importance to product aesthetics, commissioning renowned Japanese artists in designing both its product and packaging.
As a digital pioneer, Mirafeel is the first brand in Japan to launch exclusively online, available to be purchased only via its home website and social media channels. With the convenience of consumers in mind, both single purchase and subscription delivery services are offered together with unparalleled customer service.
Having been well received in the market, Mirafeel was awarded both the Good Design Award 2021 and Good Parenting Award 2021, a testament to both its product quality and its relentless focus on supporting the needs of families in Japan.
Statement from the Founder of DSG Japan Mr. Brandon Wang:
Throughout our 48-year history we pride ourselves on being the first mover in terms of product innovation and supporting the needs of families. Our most recent venture in Japan strikes at the heart of our beliefs Japanese technological innovation is amongst the best in the world, and we are honoured to have been able to establish our facility here and serve Japanese consumers over the past year. In addition to forming close connections with our end users, we are also proud to have Ms. Chihiro Kondo (a well-known actress and model) as our Brand Ambassador. As a mother of 2 children, I believe she can also share her candid parenthood experiences with families with young children, which would bring us even closer to our consumers daily lives.
For more information https://mira-feel.com/
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211219005128/en/
Whats new: China Three Gorges Corp. (600905.SH) plans to invest nearly 41.2 billion yuan ($6.47 billion) in building three offshore wind farms in southeastern Chinas Guangdong province, the state-owned energy giant said Monday.
Each of the wind farms, planned for the ocean near Yangjiang city, will have capacity to generate 1 million kilowatts of electricity. They are expected to start operation in 2024.
After completion of the projects, China Three Gorges Corp.s Yangjiang new-energy unit will have total wind power capacity of 5 million kilowatts, becoming the worlds largest offshore wind farm operator.
The background: China has been offering generous subsidies for wind power projects as the worlds biggest energy consumer aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
With advances in technology and operation, the cost of offshore wind projects has fallen. China has slashed subsidies in recent years and will end them in 2021 to make producers of electricity from renewable sources compete with coal-fired utilities and achieve grid-price parity.
Without central government subsidies, the expected return rate on investments in offshore wind projects will fall to 6% from 8%10%, consulting group Wood Mackenzie said.
China installed 300 million kilowatts of new wind power capacity in the first 11 months of 2021, according to data released by China Electricity Council, an increase of 29% from the same period last year.
Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full story in Chinese, click here.
Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (hello@caixin.com)
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Debt /
In Depth: How one Chinese province is struggling to deal with its debt mountain
Southwest Chinas Guizhou province is renowned as the home of iconic liquor maker Kweichow Moutai Co. Ltd., the most valuable company on the Shanghai stock exchange. But its also renowned for being one of the poorest provinces in the country and one of the most heavily indebted.
In December 2019, the cash-strapped government received a generous and controversial present from Kweichow Moutai, which is controlled by the provinces state-owned assets watchdog. The company handed over 50.2 million shares, worth 57 billion yuan ($8.9 billion) at the time, which market participants said aimed to help the authority repay its borrowings and demonstrated how local governments could leverage their assets to clean up their debts.
But the gift has had little impact on improving Guizhous finances and the province is still struggling to cope. And not only with financing its official spending obligations, but also with controlling the debts of dozens of local government financing vehicles (LGFVs).
FINANCE & ECONOMY
A housing development under construction in Huaian, East Chinas Jiangsu province, on Dec. 5. Photo: VCG
Property /
Chinese property markets liquidity struggles continue despite signs of policy easing
Chinas real estate market is still cooling, although several policy curbs have been eased and the financing environment is looking brighter.
Although sales and investment shrank and inventory rose during the week of Dec. 10-16, new housing sales by floor space in 58 surveyed cities dropped 0.1% compared with the same period last year, which is a slower contraction rate than the 25.7% and 25.2% declines in the previous two weeks, analysts with brokerage Huaxi Securities Co. Ltd. wrote in a Sunday note.
Developers land purchases remained sluggish last week, falling 75.4% year-on-year to 39.7 billion yuan ($6.2 billion) in 100 surveyed cities, the note said.
Davos /
World Economic Forum puts off Davos event until summer
The World Economic Forum postponed its annual gathering of world leaders and business executives to early summer in light of continued uncertainty over the omicron outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Davos, Switzerland, event was scheduled to take place Jan. 1721. The organizers didnt specify new meeting dates. The omicron variant has been spreading rapidly worldwide, prompting travel restrictions involving many countries.
An online series of State of the World sessions will be held instead, to focus on shaping solutions to the worlds most pressing challenges, the organizers said.
Quick hits /
Richard Lis FWD withdraws U.S. IPO plan with pivot to Hong Kong
BUSINESS & TECH
A Tsingshan booth at an Expo in Shanghai on June 5. Photo: VCG
Carbon /
China prices for carbon credits hit four-month high as trade surges
Prices of carbon dioxide equivalents in China reached a four-month high Monday as companies rushed to buy carbon credits before the first compliance period comes to an end.
The price jumped 5.4% from the previous day to close at 49.18 yuan ($7.71) per ton Monday, the highest since ending the day at 50.20 yuan Aug. 24, according to official figures (link in Chinese).
Trading volume on the national emissions trading system (ETS) has also surged. During the week through Dec. 17, volume totaled 53.67 million tons and accounted for 41% of the cumulative trading amount this year. On Thursday, volume hit a new high of 20.48 million tons, with a total value of 817 million yuan.
Sexual harassment /
China drafts rules to outlaw pick-up artists, workplace sexual harassment
Chinas top lawmakers are deliberating draft revisions to a law that would provide greater protection for women against workplace discrimination and sexual harassment as well as better protecting their personality rights and helping guard against psychological manipulation.
The amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women were submitted Monday to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) for a first reading. Drafts usually go through three readings before being passed by the legislature.
Zhihu /
China hauls in New York-listed Zhihu for publishing illegal information
Cyberspace regulators in Beijing summoned Quora-like question-and-answer site Zhihu Inc. for repeatedly allowing the publication and spread of what it described as illegal information on its site.
At the meeting, which was held at the direction of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), Zhihu was ordered to immediately rectify the issue, according to a statement (link in Chinese) Monday by the Beijing municipal cyberspace information office.
Corruption /
China seeks to end revolving door of graft between politics and business
Chinas top anti-graft authorities warned government officials against using the revolving door between politics and business to seek illegal profits, highlighting the case of a senior disciplinary inspector in the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration who was punished for such acts.
Stressing the importance of self-discipline in preventing corruption, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and National Supervisory Commission noted in an article (link in Chinese) published in their affiliated magazine that the chain of interests surrounding the officials should be resolutely cut off.
Quick hits /
China rare-earths pact spurs speculation of bigger consolidation
Nature lists Chinas Mars mission chief as one of 2021s most important scientists
GALLERY
Super Typhoon Rai pummels Hainan province
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As Southeast Asian countries reopen their borders and ease pandemic restrictions, demand for imports from China is rising and ports are growing congested, driving up shipping costs.
As of Monday, the shipping rate for Chinese exports to Southeast Asia climbed to nearly $4,000 per container, 10 times as much as in previous years, Caixin learned.
Costs started surging in early November and more than doubled within a month as there have been few ships available, a Shanghai-based freight forwarder told Caixin. A shipment of farm machinery was delayed two weeks, during which freight rates skyrocketed, he said.
Cruise ship operator Royal Caribbean has offered a 25% refund to about 2,500 passengers after they were made to wait for almost a day to get a Covid-19 test Wednesday in Hong Kong. The ship, which set sail on Sunday, was ordered to cut its journey short and return to dock at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, after local health authorities found that the passengers included nine close contacts of Covid cases. All nine tested negative
Jan 06, 2022 05:04 PM
Californias legal cannabis industry is in dire territory. Licensed businesses are already struggling with the states high taxes, which have made it nearly impossible to compete against a behemoth black market. Those levies are about to increase on Jan. 1. The cultivation tax for flower per dry-weight pound will increase from $154.40 to $161.28. This comes on top of an existing 15% excise tax on retail.
Cannabis industry leaders have warned lawmakers and the governor that the industry is nearing collapse. Some have threatened to pull out of California and boycott the state. Some cities and counties that rely heavily on the industry have joined them in calling for immediate relief.
The City of Rio Dell in Humboldt County passed a resolution Tuesday, December 14, calling on the state to reform its cannabis tax system.
This is a case where what is going up should be going down, and whats going down needs to be going back up, said Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes. Its upside down. The state needs to correct this. The state needs to respond. They are by far taking the lions share of cannabis tax receipts and they risk killing the concept of the small legal cannabis farmer. Thats not good for anyone in Humboldt.
Weve been able to pave roads and invest in public safety, in good part because of cannabis legalization and how weve approached it, added Rio Dell city manager Kyle Knopp. But the states taxation system is now putting these local benefits at risk, perpetuating the black market and shutting down legal North Coast cultivators.
State Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) has also called the current tax structure unsustainable. He plans to introduce legislation that would shift the cultivation tax to the excise tax an idea that one critic characterized as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
Read more at the Times-Standard.
The five nominees in the category will be announced on February 8, 2022, with the Oscars ceremony to follow on March 27.
Here are the shortlisted films, in alphabetical order by title:
Affairs of the Art Joanna Quinn (U.K./Canada)
Angakusajaujuq: The Shamans Apprentice Zacharias Kunuk (Canada)
Bad Seeds Claude Cloutier (Canada)
Bestia Hugo Covarrubias (Chile)
Boxballet Anton Dyakov (Russia)
Flowing Home Sandra Desmazieres (Canada)
Mum Is Pouring Rain Hugo de Faucompret (France)
The Musician Reza Riahi (France)
Namoo Erick Oh (U.S.)
Only a Child Simone Giampaolo (Switzerland)
Robin Robin Dan Ojari, Mikey Please (U.K.)(
Souvenir Souvenir Bastien Dubois (France)
Step Into the River Weijia Ma (China/France)
Us Again Zach Parrish (U.S.)
The Windshield Wiper Alberto Mielgo (U.S./Spain)
Heres a few thoughts on the the winners and losers in the shorts category:
Winners
Netflix: The streamer, which won the short category last year with If Anything Happens I Love You, offered just one film this year the charming Aardman special Robin Robin and its shortlisted. After scoring 51 Annie Award nominations earlier today, Netflix is now well positioned in the Oscar race as well.
National Film Board of Canada: The venerable government-funded Canadian filmmaking institution has three shortlisted films: Claude Cloutiers Bad Seeds, Sandra Desmazieress Flowing Home, and Joanna Quinns magnificent Affairs of the Art. The latter is one of the greatest works of hand-drawn animation Ive seen in many years and I fully expect this film to go all the way.
International animation: Twelve out of the fifteen shortlisted films were made outside of the United States. Some of them we anticipated, like Affairs of the Art, Robin Robin, and Souvenir Souvenir. But theres also quite a few surprises, like Angakusajaujuq: The Shamans Apprentice, Boxballet, Only a Child, and Step Into the River. Also surprising: the Chilean film Bestia, an excellent film that we predicted would be shortlisted, but also half-expected it not to be because of its challenging subject matter. All in all, this category has greatly benefitted from the expansion from ten to fifteen films, opening the doors for quirky films that may have otherwise been overlooked.
Reza Riahis The Musician: Speaking of quirky films, The Musician is not only unique for being cut-out animation, a technique that is rarely recognized by the Academy, but also because its director is Iranian. If nominated, Riahi (who grew up in Iran and now lives in France) would become the first Iranian nominated in the animated short category. Iranian and Iranian diaspora artists and filmmakers have been nominated 22 times at the Oscars, winning three times, but theyve yet to be recognized in the animated short category; The Musician is a unique and thought-provoking film that has a shot at breaking that barrier.
Losers
Pixar: The beloved Disney-owned studio has either been nominated or won in this category for the last six years in a row. This year, its two submitted productions Twenty Something and Nona were both left off the shortlist. While both films are significantly lacking in the story department, that hasnt stopped the Academy in the past from nominating Pixar shorts. But Academy members woke up this year and didnt give an automatic slot to Pixar. Its not a total loss for Disney though; Walt Disney Animation Studios had one of its two submissions Us Again shortlisted.
Apple: The tech giant, which was nominated in the last edition in the animated feature category with Wolfwalkers, had pegged its 2022 animation Oscar hopes on a single short, Blush. Its a solid production and could have been a likely Oscar contender if not for the baggage associated with the film. Blush, you see, is the first new production from the John Lasseter-led Skydance Animation, and by the looks of it, Academy voters arent quite ready to welcome Lasseter back with open arms into the industry. Starting next year, Apple will release Skydances first two Lasseter-produced features Luck and Spellbound and well be watching closely to see how the Academy reacts to those films.
Another hugely notable development: the European animated documentary Flee, the years most acclaimed indie animated feature, made the shortlist for both international film (as Denmarks entry) and documentary feature. It is also qualified for animated feature, meaning it can now potentially be nominated in all three categories.
Among critics groups, Flee has won six times for animated feature, six times for documentary, and twice for international feature, so its been competitive in all categories. How the Academy places the film will say a lot about the organizations tastes.
The ten films shortlisted in the visual effects category are listed below in alphabetical order by title:
Black Widow
Dune
Eternals
Free Guy
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Godzilla vs. Kong The Matrix Resurrections No Time to Die Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Spider-Man: No Way Home
All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 29, 2022. Branch members will vote on the final nominees.
Correction: Only A Child was incorrectly identified as a British film. It is a Swiss film. The director Simone Giampaolo lives in the U.K.
Pictured at top: Affairs of the Art, Flee
Photo: The Canadian Press Brigadier-General Jennie Carignan of the Canadian Armed Forces joins soldiers during a lunch with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont. on Monday, July 15, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The Canadian Armed Forces is facing fresh calls to create an exception for victims of sexual misconduct and their confidantes from having to report incidents to their commanders.
The request is one of dozens of recommendations contained in a new report released today following nearly two years of consultations involving survivors and military officials.
The government agreed to the consultations as part of its $600-million settlement deal with Armed Forces members and defence personnel who experienced inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace.
The report says the so-called duty to report was a "recurring topic of concern" during the consultations, echoing past criticisms about forcing victims and their confidantes to report incidents when they are not ready or dont want to.
It also raises concerns about the effect on support services for victims given longstanding ambiguity around whether the requirement also applies to military medical personnel and clergy.
While the military has previously resisted changing the duty to report, Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, who is leading culture change in the Armed Forces, has indicated an exemption could be coming.
Photo: Contributed
A Chilliwack man received a five-year prison sentence for nearly stabbing another man to death over loud music.
The B.C. Supreme Court judge found it 'ludicrous' that David Jonathan Michael Kehoe, 30, claimed the aggravated assault was actually an act of self-defence.
According to the court judgment, Kehoe was returning to his home after a night that involved a few beers in August 2018 when he heard loud music outside his suite. Outside were three young men, including the victimwho is identified in the court decision as a Mr. Sagrott.
Kehoe began yelling at them.
When they did not appear to notice him, he threw eggs at them, Supreme Court Justice Alan Ross said in his decisions for sentencing.
The egg-throwing didnt get much attention either. Kehoe then went to an apartment door to confront them, which led to a physical confrontation involving a Taser baton by one of the three men. They then left.
Kehoe returned to his apartment only to emerge again, this time wearing a hoodie with a large kitchen knife in the pocket. He was caught on surveillance video trailing the three.
As he approached, he produced the knife.
The intoxicated Sagrott stopped, possibly in an attempt to calm things down.
He posed no threat to Mr. Kehoe, Ross said.
Kehoe stabbed Sagrott twice, once in his chest and once in his side. He was immediately taken to hospital. He suffered a traumatic right punctured lung, internal bleeding, a liver laceration and leakage of injected medication into the surrounding tissue.
Without surgery, he would have died, Ross said.
The court heard Kehoe has a history of violent offences and that he attempted to go after the others after stabbing Sagrott.
He was only deterred by being struck on the head by Mr. Silvester's baton, Ross said.
With credit for time already in jail, Kehoes time to be served is 1,434 days or 3.9 years.
Photo: The Canadian Press
Despite rising cases of the Omicron variant in the province, B.C.'s top doctor says people should not get tested if they don't have symptoms.
While the province has seen a significant rise in the number of fully vaccinated individuals contracting COVID-19, health officials don't recommend everyone gets tested for the virus even if they have mild symptoms.
But that doesn't mean that they should continue their regular activities.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry told reporters in a press briefing on Tuesday (Dec. 21) that the recently identified strain poses a threat to public safety.
"Right now, there are a number of respiratory viruses circulating. And COVID is one of them," she said. "If you're vaccinated [and] you have mild symptoms, self-isolation and self-monitoring and caring for yourself... are important things that you can do.
"You don't necessarily need to get a test."
In particular, asymptomatic individuals should not be going for testing, emphasized Henry.
"We need to make sure that we're testing those people where this makes a difference in the care that they get. Whether they need to be monitored more carefully [and] whether they need more support."
B.C. ramping up testing in wake of soaring cases of COVID-19
The province is also gearing up to dramatically expand the use of rapid antigen COVID-19 testing in the coming months as the variant spreads while supplies of tests grow.
In addition, the province is already expecting 200,000 Panbio Rapid POC antigen tests from Ottawa by Dec. 31. Also, B.C. has itself purchased 500,000 BTNX nasal-swab tests with an expected delivery of late December.
As case counts continue to climb, Henry noted that the public health's ability to do "one-on-one testing and follow-up on a daily basis" goes down. As a result, the province is developing support to manage the increased caseload, which will involve redeploying people to support testing.
B.C. will also be coming out with additional information for people on self-care and regarding when to go for testing and seek medical attention.
Find out more information about if you should get tested for COVID-19 with the BC Centre for Disease Control online.
Photo: The Canadian Press Travelers look at the arrival and departure screens at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported more than 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday said California will require healthcare workers to get booster shots against the coronavirus.
With Omicron on the rise, were taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared, the Democratic governor said in a news release.
California follows New Mexico in the new mandate, his office said.
The most populous state already required all healthcare workers to be vaccinated by September, with exemptions for medical reasons or personal beliefs.
His office would not say when the new requirement would take effect or if there would be an option for frequent testing instead, promising more details during an event Wednesday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.
California is poised for a surge in new coronavirus infections as a far more contagious version of the disease spreads among holiday parties and family gatherings forced indoors by a series of winter storms.
But experts say the nation's most populous state is likely to avoid the worst scenario spikes in hospitalizations and deaths because most Californians have either been vaccinated or already been infected. That gives the state a higher level or protection against the omicron variant that, while not guaranteeing people won't get sick, means they are less likely to need to go to the hospital.
It's a highly transmissible respiratory virus and people are going to get it. And they are going to get it every winter, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. We have to go toward measuring our true success with a disease, which is how we're doing with hospitalizations.
California has fared far better than many other states so far, with areas in the Midwest and Northeast seeing the biggest surge in cases and hospitalizations amid frigid temperatures that have kept people indoors.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists California as a place with high transmission of the virus, along with nearly everywhere else in the country. But in the last week California averaged 114 new cases per 100,000 people, less than half of the national rate.
Meanwhile, coronavirus related hospitalizations have been rising slowly in California, up 9% in the last two weeks to 3,523. Thats less than half of what it was during the late summer peak fueled by the delta variant and one-fifth what it was a year ago, before vaccines were widely available.
But while hospitals overall have fewer patients than last winter, many have fewer workers to treat the patients they do have. The staffing shortage comes as businesses in general are having trouble finding workers, including hospitals. A recent study by the University of California-San Francisco estimated the state's nursing shortage could persist until 2026.
The staffing shortages we are experiencing are worse than ever, said Kiyomi Burchill, group vice president for policy for the California Hospital Association.
More than 70% of the state's nearly 40 million residents have been fully vaccinated while 42% have gotten a booster shot.
But as of Monday a new variant, omicron, is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the United States.
Much about the omicron coronavirus variant remains unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. Scientists say omicron spreads even easier than other coronavirus strains, including delta. Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance at preventing an omicron infection but even without the extra dose, vaccination still should offer strong protection against severe illness and death.
Computer models used by state officials to forecast the virus say hospitalizations will stay steady through the holidays and dip slightly in mid-January.
I'm on the fence a little bit about how horrible is this, said Dr. Brad Pollock, associate dean for public health sciences at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Were going to have more people infected because of the more transmissible variant. It may be a little less virulent, which means it causes less symptoms.
Indeed, on Monday, the state reported about 26,000 new cases, the largest single-day tally in nearly a year. In San Diego, researchers recently discovered the highest levels of coronavirus since February in a wastewater treatment plant that serves about 2.3 million people.
Every time we've seen that kind of increase in the wastewater, a couple of weeks later we see an increase in cases, said Rob Knight, a professor at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom, who imposed the fist statewide shutdown order in March 2020, warned that cases would likely rise and re-imposed a rule requiring everyone to wear masks at public indoor gatherings. Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city, once again canceled its in-person New Year's Eve celebration, moving to a virtual event as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday that he didn't anticipate another lockdown because I think we're so much better protected than we were."
However, Garcetti said he believed restrictions such as masking indoors will continue into February and perhaps even March, depending on vaccination, hospitalization and infection rates.
While 70% of Californians have been fully vaccinated, that still leaves 30% or roughly 12 million people who haven't. The California Department of Public Health says people who are not vaccinated are seven times more likely to get infected, nearly 13 times more likely to be hospitalized and nearly 16 times more likely to die from the coronavirus.
Places in California with lower vaccination rates, including Riverside and San Bernardino counties, have seen jumps in hospitalizations recently.
The problem is there are counties in California, particularly in central California and eastern California, where they have had neither high vaccination coverage or a lot of prior infections, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. We can expect in those communities that there may be an increase in hospitalizations for people at high risk for severe consequences.
Photo: The Canadian Press Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen.
Canadas housing minister says the federal government plans to take a tougher stand on investment properties to help cool housing prices.
The broad strokes of the agenda were outlined in the mandate letter the prime minister gave to Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen.
Among the marching orders to Hussen was to dissuade Canadians from snapping up income properties by reviewing rules around down payments and policies to curb "excessive profits."
Hussen says tamping down on the rush for investment properties and flipping, as well as discouraging foreign investors from holding on to vacant homes, is also part of a push to rein in rising home prices.
He says the government would draw a line between mom and pop-style landlords and large real estate trusts that own hundreds of units as a passive investment vehicle and may not care whether they are occupied.
The point is to reduce the speculative demand in the market and help cool these astronomical increases in prices, Hussen said in an interview Tuesday.
The Canadian Real Estate Association projected in a report this month that the national average home price will have risen by 21.2 per cent year-over-year to $687,500 by the end of 2021.
The high cost of housing, particularly in major urban centres like Toronto and Vancouver, drove political parties to promise multiple measures to address housing affordability concerns.
The governments economic update last week included a one-per-cent tax on foreign-owned vacant homes, which the Finance Department estimates will bring in $200 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Hussen says other measures the Liberals have in mind are beyond the reach of the federal government and will require negotiations with provinces and territories.
Among these are a promised ban on blind bidding when sellers opt not to reveal the details of competing bids or the right to a home inspection prior to purchase.
Hussen is familiar with such negotiations, having been part of the federal push to sign child-care deals with provinces before getting a new ministerial mandate after the Sept. 20 election.
But he is equally no stranger to going around provinces directly to municipalities with funding, and may do so with a proposed $4-billion fund to accelerate the development of affordable housing projects.
The money could help offset the cost of land to build new projects, help local governments hire more planners to speed up approvals, or let cities rewrite zoning rules to push builders to add affordable units to a proposed development.
If cities dont want to go along with the governments plan and give in to Not In My Backyard sentiment, Hussen said, they wont have a chance to apply for the cash.
There has to be a national conversation, I believe, to overcome, sometimes what I think is unreasonable opposition to affordable housing in neighborhoods, Hussen said.
These are well thought out, well regulated, well supported plans and sometimes, I find, that there is NIMBYism that goes on. It's just discouraging.
Hussen said hell be looking for feedback on the governments plans when he speaks with provinces, cities and housing providers at a summit early next year.
Photo: The Canadian Press
Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday demanded life sentences for four suspects in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Prosecutors said the four recklessly used a Russian missile to bring down the passenger jet, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
Public prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks made the sentence demand at the end of a three-day presentation of evidence. The suspects are being tried in absentia.
The downing of MH17 with a Buk missile brutally ended the lives of all 298 people on board. Incredibly deep and irreversible suffering has been caused to the next of kin, Ridderbeks told the court.
Prosecutors accuse Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Igor Pulatov as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, who were separatist rebels fighting Ukrainian government forces in 2014, of forming a team that aimed to bring down Ukrainian planes using a missile system trucked in from a Russian military base.
Prosecutor Thijs Berger told judges earlier Wednesday that it's legally irrelevant that the suspects wanted to shoot down military and not civilian aircraft.
Legally speaking they were ordinary citizens, they were not allowed to commit any violence, he said.
The trial is being held in the Netherlands at a high security courtroom near Schiphol Airport because nearly 200 of those on board were Dutch citizens.
Wednesdays sentence demands came amid soaring tensions between Moscow and the West over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has drawn fears of an invasion. Russia has denied plans to attack its neighbor.
Defense lawyers for Pulatov, who is the only suspect who is represented in court, will make their presentation to judges in March. Verdicts aren't expected until September next year at the earliest.
Prosecutors had spent the previous two days explaining in meticulous detail the indictment and evidence backing it up to the panel of judges.
Prosecutors plotted in detail the route they say the Buk missile took to and from the launch site in an agricultural field near the village of Pervomaiskyi, using witnesses, social media posts, photos and video and intercepted phone calls and mobile phone location data.
They also discussed the forensic evidence gathered from the wreckage and bodies of victims that were recovered from eastern Ukraine and returned to the Netherlands for examination. Earlier in the trial, judges visited a hangar on a Dutch military airbase where the wreckage is stored to view the mangled wreckage fragments.
The prosecutors concluded that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile belonging to the Russian 53rd Anti Aircraft Missile Bridade that was driven to the launch location by orders of and under guidance of the suspects.
The prosecutors also cited tapped conversations between Dubinski and Kharchenko discussing shooting down what they initially thought was a Ukrainian war plane.
Prosecutors argue that Girkin and Dubinskiy were senior separatist rebels while Pulatov and Kharchenko were their direct subordinates.
Together they are responsible for the deployment of the Buk telar used to shoot down flight MH17, prosecutors said in a written summary of their arguments.
Photo: WVPD
West Vancouver police are asking for the public to help identify a suspect who perpetrated an unprovoked assault on a senior.
The incident happened just out of nowhere at 7:30 a.m. Dec. 18, outside the Eddie Bauer store at Park Royal mall, police say.
The victim, an 80-year-old man, was walking alone when he noticed a stranger walking toward him.
The victim said a friendly Good morning, The other guy didnt say anything. The suspect turned and walked beside the victim for a little bit and then just turned and shoved him to the ground and walked away, police said in a press release. This incident is particularly disturbing, given that this assault was totally unprovoked.
The victim was left with a sore hip but declined the offer of an ambulance.
The incident was captured by surveillance cameras at the mall. Investigators have shared the video with other police departments in hopes the attacker is known to police elsewhere.
Police describe the wanted man as six-foot-one with a slim build. He was wearing black pants and a black jacket with orange shoulders and an orange hood.
Anyone with information is asked to call West Vancouver Police at 604-925-7300 regarding police file 21-14296.
Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, arrives with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland .
The Trudeau government is pushing back at U.S. President Joe Bidens televised message to vaccinated Americans that they can gather safely for the holidays despite the spread of the Omicron variant.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and top health officials are urging Canadians to limit contacts during the holidays to control the spread of COVID-19 and ease effects on exhausted front-line health workers.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada is not the United States and has a lower death rate from COVID-19 than its neighbour.
In a televised address viewed far beyond the U.S. on Tuesday, Biden said Americans can safely celebrate the holidays with friends and loved ones if they are fully vaccinated, especially if they have a booster shot.
Biden also told unvaccinated Americans to get a COVID-19 shot, saying it was their patriotic duty to do so.
Biden said the arrival of vaccines means Americans are now protected from hospitalization and death, which was not the case at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Photo: CTV News
As British Columbia ramps up for COVID-19 booster shots, Interior Health is calling on qualified health-care workers to help with immunizations and provide support at immunization clinics throughout the region.
B.C took a hard line with unvaccinated health care workers by setting an Oct. 26 deadline for workers to get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, those who did not comply were placed on unpaid leave and given until Nov. 15 to get their first dose or be fired.
Now Interior Health is looking for qualified health-care providers who may include:
Retired nurses
Midwives
Practicing and non-practicing physicians
Nursing students
Dentists
Dental hygienists
First responders, including paramedics and firefighters
Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians
Chiropractors
"Qualified health-care providers residing in the Interior Health region who are interested in helping with the provinces continuing immunization efforts are encouraged to reach out to Interior Health," states a news release from Interior Health.
The province plans to introduce enhanced rapid testing and booster shot programs to fight the highly contagious Omicron variant.
"It's about buying us time to understand and prepare," Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday at a news conference. "We need to protect our health care system for everybody who needs care."
Exploding numbers of Omicron cases in Ontario, Quebec and the United Kingdom helped persuade officials to take stronger action to help slow the variant.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has blamed the United States for creating a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that is affecting millions of people and allowing it to worsen.
"A man-made crisis is being created despite knowing that it can be averted if (Afghanistan's) accounts (in the US) are unfrozen and liquidity is put into their banking system," the Prime Minister said, Dawn newspaper reported.
The Prime Minister made these remarks at a ceremony held at Foreign Office to celebrate the successful holding of the extraordinary session of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on Tuesday.
On the other hand, amid the deteriorating economic situation in Afghanistan, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday (local time) said that Washington is looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy so as to provide money to the people of the cash-strapped nation.
"We are looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy to get more money into people's pockets. And doing that, with international institutions, with other countries and partners, trying to put in place the right mechanisms to do that in a way that doesn't directly benefit the Taliban but does go directly to the people," Blinken said during a press briefing.
He further stated that Afghanistan is facing a difficult humanitarian situation.
"We're very conscious of the fact that there is an incredibly difficult humanitarian situation right now, all it could get worse as winter sets in, and so that's an area of intense focus for us, working closely with allies and partners," Blinken said.
US Secretary of State said, "I am focused right now on the situation in Afghanistan, including the humanitarian situation, we continue to be the largest single providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan."
The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crises.
A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban have plunged a country, already suffering from high poverty levels, into a full-blown economic crisis.
The international community, from governments to non-governmental organizations, has been providing various assistance to the Afghan people.
Despite a general amnesty by the Taliban, announced in August, mutiple reports say that more than 100 killings of former Afghan national security forces and others associated with the former Government have taken place.
At least 72 killings were attributed to the Taliban, and in several cases, the bodies were publicly displayed, UN News reported.
According to the UN, women and girls face great uncertainty when it comes to respecting their rights to education, livelihoods and participation. Some 4.2 million young Afghans are already out of school, the majority of them are girls.
(ANI)
Also Read: Pak opposition demand Imran Khan's resignation over bad governance, high inflation
Cemex signs five-year agreement with HCL Industries
22 December 2021
HCL Industries has signed a five-year agreement with Cemex, which will see it focus on global end-to-end transformation of IT lifecycle management, including IT managed services, digital transformation, infrastructure and application services, alongside end-user support.
Cemex selected HCL Technologies because we have a vision of working smarter to cater to the global companys fast-growing operations, said Fausto Sosa, vice-president of Information Technology at Cemex. HCL is the best partner for us on our digital transformation journey because it has the right expertise. With the delivery of platforms like Cemex GO, well see a 21st century digital adoption in the construction industry.
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With the help of downtown businesses and the Chattanooga Police Department, the Chattanooga Fire Department was able to swiftly apprehend the suspect believed to be connected to a string of recent arson cases. Brandon England, 23, has been arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated arson.
England was located at a homeless camp in the 2100 block of Market Street.
He admitted to starting the fire "due to having personal life issues and mad about a city garbage truck hitting him and his bicycle four days prior."
The string of intentionally-set fires in downtown Chattanooga forced the evacuation of two apartment buildings very early Tuesday morning and had Chattanooga Fire Department companies working at multiple locations.
There were 11 dumpster and trash fires from Main Street to Cowart Street.
It is believed the fires were all set at the same time, around midnight. Two apartment buildings (one at 14th & Market and the other at East Main & Market) had to be evacuated because smoke from the dumpster fires went throughout the structures, setting off the fire alarms and sprinkler systems.
Both buildings were ventilated to clear out the smoke.
At this time, all of the fires are out and there are no injuries. CFD investigators were on the scene.
Chattanooga Fire Department Green Shift units worked to get all of the fires out quickly.
Our firefighters did an outstanding job responding to so many fires in different locations all in the same timeframe and they were able to get everything extinguished quickly. Our investigators then worked to build the case and bring this to a close, said CFD Operations Chief Rick Boatwright. We appreciate all of the assistance we received from the community and CPD.
Most people go to their local citys Facebook page expecting to find the latest information and important updates affecting the community. However, during the month of December, anyone searching on the City of Collegedales Facebook page also found, to their enjoyment, the Collegedale Christmas Story posts featuring Santa and the Grinch.The idea was conceived as the Collegedale Community Development Center staff was decorating the office for the holidays and the Parks and Recreation Department team showed up in their Santa suits.We took a funny picture that day giving a shout-out to the building department, said Kirsten Ert, senior community planner and social media coordinator for the City. We posted that the Santas are here to get permits for their shop expansions right here in Collegedale.Ms. Ert soon realized that posts like this could be something special by including all the departments in the city, bringing some Christmas cheer to the staff and the community. She pitched the idea to Christina Clark, supervisor of Parks and Recreation Department, and the Collegedale Christmas Story on Facebook began.I thought about a rough storyline and how I could incorporate all departments to highlight the wonderful work they do every day, said Ms. Ert. As it is in many small cities, we all do more than our traditional job descriptions so since the social media coordinator role was added to my responsibilities, Ive tried to find ways to connect more with our residents in positive ways. I hope this helped spread some Christmas cheer.Once the filming and taking photos began, the story really became refined. Ms. Ert and Ms. Clark made sure every post had at least one staff member make an appearance in the story of an intruder (the Grinch) spotted at City Hall stealing Christmas presents. Santa Clause is alerted and without hesitation, he flies in from the North Pole to assist in finding and returning all Christmas presents to City Hall.As Christmas Day is soon approaching, the Collegedale Christmas Story will come to an end. The final post will feature Santa at the Collegedale Airport where he will be flying off to get started on his big day.To learn more about this Collegedale Christmas Story, go to Facebook or Instagram @CityofCollegedale.
The Hamilton County Health Department thanked the community and recognized the one-year anniversary of administering the COVID vaccine.
Sabrina Novak, Hamilton County Health Department administrator, said, "As we move forward into a new year, we want to take this time to pause and reflect on the successes, difficulties and losses our community has endured during this pandemic.
"Until late December 2020, the tools we had to fight this virus were COVID testing, masks, hand washing, and social distancing. In late 2020, the Health Department received news that we would soon begin to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The sense of excitementthat we were finally reaching a turning point in the pandemicprovided a light of hope in such bleak times.
"The Health Department is now close to giving a total of 200,000 vaccines to individuals in Hamilton County, which accounts for over 42 percent of the total number given, numbers that seemed so daunting in the beginning. This milestone is due to the dedication and commitment of Health Department staff and volunteers, community members coming to be vaccinated, and our partners who saw the need for our community and opened their doors to us. These partnerships allowed us to safely and efficiently provide both testing and vaccine to residents. There are too many partners to adequately list, but they spanned the gamut from local government and faith based organizations, to nonprofits and private businesses. They played a pivotal role in the Health Department being able to react quickly to this virus and provide the community with tools needed to curb its rapid spread.
"The past two years have taken a heavy toll on all of us. Nothing in this pandemic has been straightforward or consistent, other than the fact that it required all of us to be flexible and adapt to an ever-evolving situation, sometimes daily. From losing loved ones to COVID-19, to the connections our staff made with residents, only to find out that they passed away from COVID a few days later. This year has not been easy but has proven our resolve and tenacity. We recognize the very real losses and express our condolences to everyone who has lost someone to COVID. Each one of the 744 Hamilton County deaths from COVID as well as the 800,000 deaths in the U.S. is a life gone- a real loss to their friends, family and community.
"We understand that COVID fatigue is real and that people are tired and ready for a sense of normalcy, but now is not the time to be complacent. Omicron is another reminder that COVID is still very real and still spreading across the globe. We encourage people to meet this holiday season and enjoy time with loved ones, but as you do, please continue to practice good public health measures like washing your hands, wearing your mask, testing for COVID before you gather, and most importantly, getting your vaccine."
Vince Dean announced on Tuesday that he will seek another term as the Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk. Mr. Dean has served in this office since leaving the Tennessee General Assembly in 2014.
He said, "I look forward to four more years of doing what my life calling has been: serving the citizens of Hamilton County."
Mr. Dean spent 27 years as a Chattanooga Police officer. While an officer, he served part time on the East Ridge City Council, where he was appointed Mayor in 2005. In 2006 he was appointed to the Tennessee General Assembly as the District 30 State Representative. He served there until winning the seat he currently holds in 2014.
Since taking office, Mr. Dean has gained the respect and admiration of most all of the attorneys that serve the Hamilton County Court System. He has worked closely with defendants to reduce the amount of outstanding debt to the court system. He streamlined the payment process by creating a one stop shop where defendants can pay both Sessions Criminal fines and Circuit Criminal fines in one location. Just recently he announced that a similar office will open for expungement services after the first of the year.
Retaining qualified Deputy Clerks, paying competitive wages and being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, has been a top priority, Mr. Dean said. I think we have done an excellent job of that. We are constantly searching for ways to make our office run more efficiently, while not sacrificing the excellent service we provide.
Public service has not just been a way of life for me, it has been my entire life. I sincerely appreciate the trust that has been placed in me and am committed to continue my dedication to this office.
The Chattanooga City Council on Tuesday confirmed Mayor Kellys appointment of Tom Hutka as incoming administrator for the Department of Public Works, effective January 2022.
Mayor Kelly said, The around-the-clock mission of Chattanooga Public Works is critically importantclean water, safe streets, diverting our waste from landfill. Identifying experienced and transformational leadership for DPW has been a top priority since taking office, said Mayor Kelly. Toms proven track record as a civil engineer and public works administrator will be a major asset for our ability to manage and improve the bedrock infrastructure and services that Chattanoogans rely on every single day.
Mr. Hutka has more than three decades of experience serving in local government, coming to Chattanooga most recently from Broward County, Fl., where he was the director of Public Works for a jurisdiction of nearly two million residents. Over the course of his career, he has also served in the capacities of city manager, deputy county manager, commissioner of Engineering and Construction, and Capital Program manager across various cities and counties.
Im very excited about the opportunity to work for the residents of Chattanooga, and look forward to providing the very best customer service for a great community, said Mr. Hutka.
Mr. Hutka holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and a masters in Public Administration from Harvard University. He will transfer his professional-engineering license for practice in Tennessee.
"Throughout the hiring process, Tom consistently expressed a strong commitment and enthusiasm for getting to know and working alongside everyone currently serving on the Public Works teamto both keep our city running smoothly and safely, as well as to help improve performance, morale, and work toward Mayor Kelly's vision for One Team and One Chattanooga, said Mayor Kellys COO Ryan Ewalt.
Involving more of Chattanooga and increasing ease of access when it comes to serving in the citys government was addressed during Tuesdays City Council agenda session.
The Chattanooga City Councils Education and Innovation Committee discussed ways of diversifying the voices within various city boards and leadership positions in the government. Administrator Chris Anderson said there are currently 39 boards and commissions used by the city of Chattanooga.
These various boards and commissions are responsible for the way our city grows and how rules are interpreted and forced, Mr. Anderson said. The makeup of these boards is obviously very important, and we want them to look like the rest of Chattanooga.
He said that according to information the city has collected, 50 percent of board members are male, 26 percent are female, and 24 percent has not been collected yet. He said 53 percent of these members are Caucasian, and 13 percent are African-American, and the rest are unknown yet. Mr. Anderson said data collection is ongoing.
He said the city is 31 percent African-American, and they make up only 19 percent of the Commissions. He said Hispanic people make up around nine percent of the population, but only make up one percent of board members. Last week, Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod expressed her concern over what she called a lack of diversity and equality when it came to appointing people of color and women into government roles.
Were in situation where we have these boards that dont reflect the communities they serve, Mr. Anderson said. And by extension, they dont reflect what people look like or identify with who come before them to be heard.
Mr. Anderson said the E&I committee will be working with the office of equity and inclusion to expand and diversify the recruitment pool. He said the two committees will work to create material that is easily shared in Chattanoogas communities.
For anybody who might be interested in serving the city on a board or commission, you the council members will be able to get that info out there to them, Mr. Anderson said. Hopefully well be able to pull from a larger pool of Chattanoogans, and we get boards and commissions that look more like the city we serve.
Councilman Darrin Ledford said that some boards and commissions require what he called background experience, which is something that can limit who would be qualified to serve on that board. He suggested that the boards that need people be in contact with the council, so they know what kind of candidates they need to reach out to.
Im thinking of the process more than anything, Councilman Ledford said. I think some people jump on these boards thinking its one thing, and then jump off once they realize its a lot of work and is volunteer and it takes time away from their families.
Anderson said the boards need to do a better job of explaining what they do, and what they require when it comes to candidates. Certain boards, such as Form Based Code, will only consider candidates with a background in that area.
Councilwoman Carol Berz said that a notable issue in the past is having people who simply apply for a board or commission position in order to fill out their resume, and then having those people simply be absent after getting the position. Mr. Anderson said the citys managers now have the ability to track attendance for their boards and commissions.
If we find out someone missed something like eight of 12 meetings, most boards have bylaw language that allows us to remove that person for inactivity and replace them with someone who will consistently be there, Mr. Anderson said.
Councilwoman Jenny Hill said there will be a clarified description of the job that a candidate can get, and he said that Chris will be available for consultation.
If we all keep this at the front of our minds as we do this work, we will chip away at this imbalance and build a better Chattanooga, Councilwoman Hill said.
In time for the holiday season, local emergency responders and fire departments in Hamilton and Marion Counties and Catoosa and Walker Counties have received $11,000 through Tennessee American Waters Firefighting Support Grant program.
The grants provide supplemental funding for critical equipment, training and community education in communities served by Tennessee American Water.
As a water provider, we are proud to support our local heroes with additional gear and resources to save lives and protect our community, said Grant Evitts, president of Tennessee American Water.
The following area departments received funds:
Hamilton County
Chattanooga Fire Department - special flotation baskets for the new fire/rescue boats which are positioned for prompt responses to areas above and below the Chickamauga Dam
East Ridge Fire Department pike poles for safer and more efficient fire suppression
Elder Mountain Volunteer Fire & Rescue rescue tools to safely lift, haul, or extricate patients from low angle falls and vehicle accidents
Catoosa County
Catoosa County Fire Department CPR Pocket masks for Catoosa County citizens who participate in their free CPR/AED courses
Walker County
Rossville Fire Department new pagers for timely response to emergency calls
Marion County
Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department fire/rescue boat purchased with Tennessee American Water grant and Marion County government funds
Jasper Highlands Volunteer Fire Department 1.5 nozzles for the two cross lays on the truck
Sequatchie Volunteer Fire Department new safety vest and repair of pagers for safety of firefighter and response times to emergency calls
Suck Creek Mountain Volunteer Fire Department replacement of fire hall air compressor to properly maintain pressure on fire truck air brakes
West Valley Volunteer Fire Department updated storage equipment to properly store uniforms and for easier cleaning
Whitwell Volunteer Fire Department thermal imaging camera to locate smoldering fires behind walls
Governor Bill Lee appointed Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Robert Philyaw to serve as chair of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) for the remainder of his three-year term. He joined TCCY in 2020 as a commission member.
Its nice anytime the Governor looks your way, but its more exciting to think about what we do at TCCY, said Judge Philyaw. I have the opportunity to be even more involved in the research and work that they do at the statewide level, and see how it affects children and families across the state.
The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth advocates to improve the quality of life for children and families, and provides leadership and support for other child and family advocates. It consists of 21 commissioners from across the state, who volunteer their time. It consists of 21 commissioners from across the state, who volunteer their time.
The staff does a really good job up there. Historically, TCCY has lobbied the legislature and picked issues they want to champion, push hard for, or push hard against, said Judge Philyaw. A couple years ago, we decided to walk that back a little. Our role is not so much to lobby, but to be the experts with the information to help the legislature, Governors office and youth agencies make good decisions.
Prior to his role with the Juvenile Court, Judge Philyaw worked with youth in a variety of roles. Its important to him to advance the TCCY mission of leading systems improvement for all children and families through data-driven advocacy, education, and collaboration.
I want to continue the great work, but I really want to take that and have the reputation of being available with the best information, the best data, the best practices, said Judge Philyaw. What we hope to do at TCCY is to be the repository of vast data and proven practices, and be there to provide that information and assist decision makers at every level.
Judge Philyaw received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from Christian Brothers University. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, where he received the Deans Award for Academic Excellence and the Deans Distinguished Service Award.
Sister Wives fans called Christine Brown and Kody Browns November 2021 separation ages ago. The decision to part ways didnt come as a surprise. In fact, the only real surprise is that Meri Brown and Kody havent called it quits, too. While the separation wasnt shocking, Brown family followers still have questions. They want to know how a polygamist divorce works. Paedon Brown, Christine and Kodys adult son, recently explained it on Instagram.
Who is Paedon Brown?
Paedon Brown is Christines third child and Kodys seventh. He is Christines only biological son. Paedon joined the National Guard shortly after graduating from high school and appears to now live in Utah, along with several of his siblings.
All the photos were terrible. What a bunch of goofballs #SisterWives pic.twitter.com/7kyxf5sA6f Christine Brown Sister Wife (@SWChristine2020) January 27, 2020
Paedon is one of the more polarizing members of the Brown family and doesnt always get along with his family. He has had very public battles with several of his sisters on Instagram and Twitter. His conservative views are vastly different than the views of Gwen and Mariah Brown, both of whom have publicly dragged Paedon.
Paedon Brown explains exactly how a polygamist divorce works for curious Sister Wives fan
Paedon was feeling open and honest recently. The 23-year-old took to Instagram to answer fan questions about polygamy. One follower questioned how spiritual divorces worked. Paedon explained that while his parents were never married according to the government, they were married according to their church. He said they would seek a spiritual divorce through the church, the same way they entered into a spiritual marriage through the church. He did not mention where his parents are in that process.
Christine Brown and Kody Brown on Sister Wives | TLC
Legally, there is nothing to be done. Christine was never married to Kody. She doesnt have the same legal avenues as someone seeking a traditional divorce. Instead, Kody and Christine are pretty much left on their own to hash out money and property details. While Kody signed the deed over to Christine for her Flagstaff home before she sold it, the mother of six appears to own a slice of Coyote Pass still. How the former flames will deal with that remains to be seen.
Is Meri Brown going to leave Kody Brown, too?
Christines decision to leave Arizona and settle near her kids in Utah has been praised by family followers who have watched the Browns devolve further and further into dysfunction. Now that Christine is forging head with an independent life, fans are waiting for another wife to do the same. For years, it has looked like Meri, Kodys first wife, was on her way out. So, is she going to leave too?
Meri Brown, Sister Wives | TLC
It doesnt look like it. Meri recently addressed the belief that she will separate from the Browns. She even noted that her sister wives have repeatedly brought the topic up. Meri insists she is in it for life. In a recent Sister Wives segment, she revealed that she doesnt plan to spiritually separate from the family. She said, Im not going anywhere, yall. Youre stuck with me. Whether you like it or not.
RELATED: Sister Wives: Brown Family Followers Are Stymied by Robyn Browns Pettiness After She Appears to Take Swipe at Ysabel Brown
Disney+s venture into Korean dramas has hit hot water. BLACKPINKs Jisso and Jung Hae-ins K-drama Snowdrop is facing controversy once again after its premiere on Dec.18. In March, rumors circulated of the K-dramas synopsis that angered netizens. Snowdrop occurs during a pivotal point in South Korean history during the Democratic movement.
Netizens petitioned for the K-dramas cancelation. They believed it distorts historical facts and glamorizes a main character who is a spy. JTBC responded to the rumors and proceeded with the drama. Since its premiere, netizens have petitioned again for its cancelation.
Actors Jung Hae-in and Jisoo in Snowdrop K-drama | via JTBC
What is Snowdrop K-drama about?
Snowdrop takes place in the backdrop of the 1987 Democatrica Movement in South Korea. The protests and actions of citizens called for a stop to an authoritarian government and pushed for the first democratic elections. The K-drama begins with Im Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in). He stumbles into an all-female dormitory after being wounded.
Soo-ho happens to meet freshman Eun Young-ro (Jisoo). She willingly helps him hide from the government despite its serious repercussions. But Soo-ho hides a secret that puts both of them in peril. Amid political turmoil, the two characters start to fall in love.
Netizens petitioned to end Snowdrop K-drama over its synopsis
RELATED: Disney+ Is Venturing Into the World of K-Dramas
In March 2021, Snowdrop faced controversy as an unfinished synopsis circulated online. According to Soompi, the K-dramas supposed storyline caught the attention of netizens who became angered over its distortion of historical facts. Netizens created a petition to stop the production of the K-drama and its premiere.
JTBC addressed the Snowdrop K-drama controversy and explained netizens took parts of the synopsis out of context. Snowdrop is a black comedy that satirizes the presidential elections taking place in the 1980s under a military regime during the North-South tension on the Korean peninsula. It is also a melodrama about the young men and women who were victims of that situation, said JTBC.
Based on the synopsis, netizens believed, the male lead is a spy who has infiltrated the activist movement, while another male character is a team leader at the Agency for National Security.
In their public announcement, JTBC explained netizens accusations are far from the truth about the K-dramas storyline and not the intention of the production staff.
The resurfaced petition has gained over 200,000 signatures to stop the K-drama
JTBC Releases Statement Regarding The Controversy Surrounding K-Drama "Snowdrop", Denying Any Historical Distortionhttps://t.co/dGc1BV61gV Koreaboo (@Koreaboo) December 21, 2021
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While Snowdrop has gained attention for its sweet and developing love story between Soo-ho and Young-ro amid a tense atmosphere, the K-drama faces backlash. After premiering two episodes, netizens brought back the original petition to have the K-drama canceled.
According to The South Korean Herald, a petition was posted on Cheong Wa Daes website (the executive office and official residence of the Republic of Koreas head of state). The petition states JTBCs original statement about the K-dramas storyline is false. JTBC claimed Snowdrop would not focus on the pro-democracy movement in its K-drama storyline.
However, the female lead character saves the life of a North Korean spy after mistaking him as an activist in the pro-democracy movement in the first episode, states the petition. Many activists were tortured and died after being falsely accused of being North Korean spies. I believe that the content of the drama defames the value and reputation of the democratization movement.
Since its posting, the petition has received over 200,000 signatures. It meets the requirements for Cheong Wa Dae to respond within 30 days. JTBC responded and states the storyline will be resolved in future episodes.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were trailblazers in the world of hip-hop music. They won the first ever Grammy for rap, but Will Smith boycotted the ceremony because the rap categories werent televised. Smith shared other groundbreaking moments in his music career in his new autobiography, Will.
Will Smith | Matt CampbellAFP via Getty Images
Will Smith was the first rapper to stay at this hotel chain
As hip-hop rose in popularity in the 80s, rap artists went on tours selling out major venues. By this decade, rock stars already had reputations for trashing hotel rooms. Smith said some chains flat out refused to book rappers, until mogul Russell Simmons sold them on the Fresh Prince.
When the Four Seasons Hotels would not allow rap artists to stay during their tours, Russell convinced them to allow DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, opening the doors for future hip-hop artists to use the chain, he wrote. Russell Simmons was orchestrating the global destruction of all barriers to hip-hop, and me and Jeff were one of his battering rams. We were the Clean group, the respectable group for Russell, we were the perfect weapon against all naysayers. We were at the tip of the spear.
Will Smith broke more barriers than just hotels
The Four Seasons was just one in a list of milestones Smith wrote about in his book. These included television and radio, too.
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We launched Yo! MTV Raps, blasting hip-hop into daytime television, he wrote. Daytime radio was terrified to put rappers on live, so they always forced rappers to prerecord interviews to make sure we didnt say anything crazy. Me and Jeff were among the first wave to be allowed to speak live on the radio during the day.
On tour with more volatile artists
In 2021, The Four Seasons would banning entire industries of artists from staying with them seems outrageous. To better understand the 80s, consider the political backlash against rap. One of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Princes earliest tours put them on a bill with Public Enemy and 2 Live Crew. Part of Public Enemys act included hanging a man in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. 2 Live Crews explicit lyrics and simulated sex acts also provoked controversy.
This was an era when authority be it government, business, law enforcement, even many parents was skeptical and fearful of the growing influence of hip-hop and hip-hop artists, he wrote. Rap concerts were met with stringent scrutiny, particularly when we toured through southern states. When youre on tour with Public Enemy and 2 Live Crew in Georgia, South Caroline, Mississippi, and Alabama, rest assured your ass was gonna get stringently scrutinized.
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Smith recalled meeting with local authorities in every city in which they performed. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince werent in the crosshairs themselves. However, they paid attention to how their fellow artists navigated the issue of free speech.
Given the high stakes, these meetings would inevitably escalate into social debate and legal interpretation, he wrote. Chuck D knew the law he had local advocates, community leaders, and legal scholars arming him with the counterarguments and information necessary to defend his First Amendment rights. And when all else failed, he had bail money preorganized. But what was not gonna happen was some local sheriff telling him he couldnt perform his show exactly the way he wanted to perform it. He hung a Klansman every single night of that tour.
People wait to be vaccinated by a member of the Western Cape Metro EMS (Emergency Medical Services) at a mobile "Vaxi Taxi" which is an ambulance converted into a mobile COVID-19 vaccination site in Blackheath in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. The omicron variant appears to cause less severe disease than previous versions of the coronavirus, and the Pfizer vaccine seems to offer less defense against infection from it but still good protection from hospitalization, according to an analysis of data from South Africa, where the new variant is driving a surge in infections. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., center, shakes hands with Deputy Chief Bryan Warner on Dec. 20 after signing an executive order asserting the tribes treaty right for Cherokee citizens to hunt and fish within the reservation.
Sometimes, it can feel like you cant win when it comes to helping a person in pain. It can feel like saying anything will just add more hurt. (As we outlined yesterday, there are definitely some sayings to avoid.)
It may feel as if the best course of action is just to avoid the person, but that will make an isolating situation feel even more so for them. Here are four life-giving ways to respond to someone in pain:
Offer the ministry of presence.
When we look at the story of Job and his friends and all they got wrong, there is a brief moment when they got it right. In the first week, they showed up, mourned beside him, cried with him. They knew there was nothing they could say or do to fix his pain so they simply showed up. Pastor Rick Warren says it this way, The deeper the pain, the fewer words needed.
Offer the ministry of absence.
There is a time to be there and a time to step away, to release loved ones from the expectation of social events, meetings, small group gatherings, etc. Check in, but give permission to others to take all the time they need. This allows the Holy Spirit to move in the silence and space.
Keep showing up.
Grief and pain, no matter what kind it is, can impact everyone differently. Some need to be around others. Some self-isolate. Some want to talk. Some dont want to talk at all. Your efforts of texts, meals, or phone calls can be met with radio silence or little feedback and so often that can be taken as they dont want my support. But grief moves like scribbles across a page and while one day a person may need to be alone in the safety of their own darkened room, another day they can need someone to reach out. So be consistent. Check in. Dont give up and dont take it personally if it feels as if your efforts are rebuffed. Let them know: Im here, Im waiting and Im willing to walk beside you in your pain. It can be the very thing God uses to remind them of His presence in the dark.
Practice compassion and patience.
We all deal with our hurt and disappointments in unique ways. While you may not fully understand your grieving friends pain or their emotional response to it, you can choose to use it as an opportunity to practice compassion and patience. The word compassion means to, suffer with and like Jesus had compassion on the crowds of hurting people he encountered (Matthew 20:34; Matthew 14:14; Mark 8:2; Matthew 9:36), we too can enter into the pain of another, choose to feel what they feel, be patient with them in their healing and act like Christ in that moment.
And friend, if you are the one in grief, show yourself some compassion, patience, and kindness as well.
We live in a world full of all kinds of hurts and brokenness. We all know what it is like to have our pain worsened by the unhelpful, well-meaning words of another which is why learning to enter the pain of others is such an important practice for us. Becoming beacons of hope and comfort in hurt is exactly what a brokenhearted world is looking for and may be the very thing that brings healing to the deepest of wounds.
This season, support the work of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, which provides resources like the Spiritual First Aid course for pastors and church leaders.
Pastors Brian From and Aubrey Sampson host The Common Good podcast Monday through Friday from 4 to 6pm (CT) on AM1160 Hope for Your Life. Aubrey is the author of The Louder Song: Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament and the upcoming Known: How Believing Who God Says You Are Changes Everything. Brian leads Four Corners Community Church in Darian, Illinois. They are passionate about civility, compassion, and unity in a divided world.
How should parents talk to their kids about Santa Claus? Al Mohler weighs in
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Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr. suggested to Christian parents that they shouldn't treat Santa Claus as an imaginary figure.
In an episode of his podcast The Briefing that was posted on Friday, a listener asked Mohler about his views on how parents should talk to their children about Santa Claus.
Mohler recommended that parents do not speak of Santa Claus as an imaginary figure, but instead, when asked about him, focus on the historical figure of Saint Nicholas.
There is something you're able to say to a child which is, you know, there was an early Christian who lived long ago who was very kind to children and gave gifts, Mohler explained.
But the reality is, you don't have to say there never was a Santa Claus, you just have to say, you know, our attention at Christmas isn't toward any particular human being at all.
Mohler went on to state that Christmas is about the baby born in Bethlehem's manger and that is something that took place, not just as a story but is true.
Christians need to be generous. The reality is that Christians need to love children. And so, we don't have to go around talking about how much we don't believe in Santa Claus; we go around talking about how much we do believe in Jesus, he added.
Mohler was also asked by a different listener about whether Nativity displays violated the Second Commandment, which prohibits the creation of any graven image.
The Southern Baptist leader explained that while he was not fond of putting images of Jesus in his office or home, he did not consider the practice to be inherently wrong.
I'll simply say, I do not believe that having a Nativity scene in your home obscures the truth of Christmas, said Mohler. But it does need to be the opportunity to tell the truth about Christmas.
Recently, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Noto, which is based in Sicily, issued an apology when its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus did not exist and that his red outfit was created primarily to help market Coca-Cola.
I express my sorrow for this declaration which has created disappointment in the little ones, and want to specify that [Bishop Antonio Staglianos] intentions were quite different, said diocesan spokesman the Rev. Alessandro Paolino in a post shared on the diocese's Facebook page.
He also said that the diocese certainly must not demolish the imagination of children, but draw good examples from it that are positive for life.
Santa Claus is an effective image to convey the importance of giving, generosity, sharing. But when this image loses its meaning, you see Santa Claus aka consumerism, the desire to own, buy, buy and buy again, then you have to revalue it by giving it a new meaning, Paolino said.
Lutheran LGBT ministry suspends ELCA's first trans-identified bishop over alleged 'racist' actions
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A group that supports LGBT Lutheran clergy has suspended the membership of the first trans-identified bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, accusing the church leader of racist actions and words.
Bishop Meghan Rohrer, the head of the California-based ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod who uses they/them pronouns, was suspended by the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries board of directors last week. ELM is an organization that organizes queer seminarians and rostered ministers to confront barriers and systemic oppression.
As a result of the suspension, Rohrer will not be included in the ELM Proclaim communications and events and will not be invited to events exclusively sponsored by ELM.
Additionally, ELM asked Rohrer to remove any references to the LGBT Lutheran group from any of the bishops articles, biographies, publications and reports.
In a statement Monday, the ELM board claimed that Rohrer was suspended due to an existing pattern of behavior that put the bishop at odds with ELMs Mission, Vision, and Values specifically as it pertains to being an anti-racist organization.
This suspension is not only a response to recent harm done by the Sierra Pacific Synod Council and Bishop Rohrer to the Latinx community in Stockton, CA. This is a decision that ELM staff and Board have been discerning for much of 2021, continued the board.
The Accountability Team has attempted to work with Bishop Rohrer to specifically address how the bishops racist words and actions have harmed members of the ELM staff, board, and community. In September, Bishop Rohrer declined the Accountability Teams invitation for continued work to repair these relationships.
The board stated that its members hope and pray that ELM and Bishop Rohrer can work together to repair our relationships and proclaim together the liberating, life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ.
The boards statement didnt elaborate on what Rohrers racist words and actions were. Recent reports have indicated that the Rev. Nelson Rabell-Gonzalez of Mision Latina Luterana in Stockton, California, was fired by Rohrer on Dec. 12.
In May, Rohrer was elected to head the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod, winning the fifth ballot with 209 votes, narrowly defeating the Rev. Jeff R. Johnson, who received 207 votes.
Before the election, Rohrer served as pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Francisco and was the community chaplain coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department.
All of us are proud of our colleague, Bishop-elect Megan Rohrer, who made history as the first openly transgender person elevated to the role of Bishop by a major Christian denomination in the U.S., tweeted the police department at the time.
Rohrer was installed as bishop in September, saying in a statement that taking on the new leadership position would not be possible without a diverse community of Lutherans in Northern California and Nevada prayerfully and thoughtfully voting to do a historic thing.
My installation will celebrate all that is possible when we trust God to shepherd us forward, stated Rohrer at the time.
Rohrers election and installation did not come without criticism, as the Exposing the ELCA blog labeled it a complete slap in the face to God.
The ELCA is thumbing its nose at God, His Word and Truth and effectively showing that they are part of the uber left and its rejection of Christianity, posted the blog.
How can God-fearing, Bible-believing individuals remain in the ELCA? How can churches remain?
Christian Rep. Madison Cawthorn calls higher education a scam, urges conservatives to drop out
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Partially paralyzed Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, who attended a Christian college for one semester before dropping out, urged conservative youth on Tuesday to drop out of college if they arent studying medicine, law or engineering because higher education is a scam.
People will call me a radical for believing that you should be a Christian, you should get married young, you should have as many kids as possible, you should try and have a great job, you should be as successful as you possibly can. Theyll say Im extremist for that, Cawthorn said at AmericaFest 2021.
The large patriotic celebration of all things red, white and blue was organized under the banner of Turning Point USA and held in Phoenix.
I genuinely just care about dining room politics, the 26-year-old added. I care about that young family whos sitting around the dinner table. And what are they thinking about when theyre seeing their young children eat? Theyre thinking about 'am I going to be able to send them to a good school?' he continued before boasting about being homeschooled.
One, I think you should home school. I was homeschooled all the way through, he said to cheers. I am proudly a college dropout. If you are not becoming an engineer or a doctor or a lawyer, I highly encourage you to drop out. Its a scam.
While some may find the congressmans comments shocking, his attitude towards higher education isnt uncommon, as many former students have been left with diminishing financial returns in post-college employment and large student debts.
Some 32.1% of the U.S. population 25 years of age and older holds at least a bachelors degree, according to data from the American Community Survey.
In recent reports, however, as college-educated women grapple with the diminishing returns from degrees, many men have cited diminishing returns as they are now completely choosing to forgo college.
If I was going to be a doctor or a lawyer, then obviously those people need a formal education. But there are definitely ways to get around it now, Daniel Briles, 18, who graduated in June from Hastings High School in Hastings, Minnesota, recently told The Wall Street Journal. There are opportunities that werent taught in school that could be a lot more promising than getting a degree.
But in a September report titled The Great Divide: Education, Despair and Death, husband and wife research team, Anne Case and Nobel Prize winner Angus Deaton Princeton University, contend that Americans who dont have a college degree face a bleak and deadlier future compared to those who do.
They found that increasing deaths by drugs, alcohol and suicide, known as deaths of despair, are largely concentrated among Americans without a college degree. Meanwhile, a college degree appears to act as a talisman against them. The research built on previous work examining the relationship between mortality and education in America.
Cawthorn was left partially paralyzed at age 18 after a 2014 car crash, which occurred while returning from spring break with a friend in Florida.
In a deposition cited in The Citizen-Times in Aug. 2020, Cawthorn revealed that he had enrolled in Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia, in 2016 but dropped out after only one semester.
The small evangelical Christian school is a magnet for homeschoolers because it is known to place graduates into federal government positions successfully.
Cawthorn, who was studying political science at the time, earned mostly D letter grades. He testified that his injuries from the crash that left him paralyzed affected his ability to learn. When he was further questioned about his reason for leaving the school by an insurance-company lawyer, he said it was because of Heartbreak. He said his then-fiance left him for another classmate because she didnt get along with my mother.
In his speech to the crowd on Tuesday, Cawthorn urged conservatives to save America by embracing the America-first doctrine.
The MAGA doctrine that Donald Trump started, when people say Donald Trump is the leader of the Republican Party, I say, 'I think he started a revolution in this country where now we are the leaders of the conservative movement,' he said.
Ill tell you, Im a devout Christian. Ive got a great relationship with my Lord and Savior. And so, of course, I love being able to help people. I love taking care of people. I think we should send missionaries out into the world. We should bring people to Christ, he continued.
Cawthorn said he believes America should have a strong economy and the way we should do that is by encouraging people to be able to go out and take risks.
Instead of taking out that $100,000 student loan as an 18-year-old, which is worthless as an 18-year-old, why doesnt the government allow us to be able to take out a $10,000 business loan at 18 to be able to go and create an economy and create work and create all these great things, he said.
Cawthorn argued that there needs to be a greater focus on domestic issues, like taking care of veterans, rather than the U.S. trying to police the whole world. He also dismissed the notion that the U.S. is not a nation of Christians.
I think the most important thing for us to do is to save souls for Jesus Christ. But thats our jobs as Christians, and I believe we are a Christian nation, he said. Almost every single one of the signers, they were regular church-attending Christians. If anybody wants to tell you they were atheists or deists, theyre idiots. Dont listen to them.
When people say were not a Christian nation and were founded by racists, by evil men, thats wrong, he maintained. The people who founded this nation should be revered and they should talk to the next generation as the heroes of the 18th century.
He also urged followers of Christ to engage in civil disobedience.
I used to pray all the time. I would say, God, why did you not let me be alive in the 1940s fighting against World War II or be alive during the revolution. I want to be a warrior for you. I want to save my country. I want to do all these great things. But you have me born in 1995, the height of the most peaceful and prosperous time the world has ever known, he said.
[Well] guys, Im sorry for praying that prayer. I think God has answered in a big way. He said, you know what? Heres tyranny, here are people trying to censor your speech, here are people trying to control every bit of your life.
Cawthorn said he was aware some Christians might point to Scripture that calls them to obey the government placed over them but argued that it isnt that simple.
I understand that, but does anybody know what the preamble to the constitution says? What are the first three words? We the people, he recited. So in our founding documents, it says we are the authority. It says that people like me, a congressman, I serve you, and so, when the government is not working on your behalf, it is your duty to disregard their orders.
The catalytic incarnation
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The incarnation of God and His Kingdom in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth is the merger of the Transcendent and the immanent. In His incarnate state, Jesus has both eternal Being and temporal existence.
Jesus The Christ, therefore, is the Great Singularity: perfectly God and perfectly human. This means the incarnation of Jesus Christ is a singularly profound Event with catalytic implications for individuals and the civilizations, nations, societies, institutions, cultures, and environments they build and inhabit.
Oddly enough, the exponentially expanding technology of our times provides a powerful apologetic for the reality of the pre-existent, catalytic Christ.
In my book, Who Will Rule the Coming Gods,I quote Dr. Seth Lloyd, an MIT Professor and physicist who describes the universe as a quantum processor. Quanta are bits of information. However, the computer does not create the information, but the information is used to build the computer. Computer technology came into existence because of the pre-existence of information
Therefore, information must exist prior to its processor, hence, God precedes the creation of the universe, and is its Creator and Programmer. So, as John writes, In the beginning was the Logos (Word, Information), and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God... All things came into being through Him ... And the Logos became flesh flesh, and dwelt among us.
John 1:1-14 reveals the stunning apologetic:
The Logos-Word was already present before the beginning, as information precedes and even calls for the machine that can utilize it.
The Logos-Word brought into existence everything that exists just as information is the stuff of life, in the form of DNA, and the electronic content without which a computer would not exist.
The Logos-Word was and is catalytic, transforming darkness into light and the very nature of creation, including the human.
The Logos-Word entered creation in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Agent of catalytic transformation. So, the program enters the machine and catalyzes its operations. The incarnate, catalytic Agent transforms all into whom He enters and all who enter into Him, both instantaneously and progressively.
On the heavenly scale the man and woman who have received the catalytic Christ are seen in the eyes of the Father as being as holy as His only begotten Son, and, on the finite, immanent scale, as one who is in the process of sanctification the inner and outer working of relationship with Christ.
The great question this Christmas is whether civilization can exist without the catalytic Logos-Word made incarnate in Christ and conformed to His singular nature through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Many have pondered that issue in other historic periods. General Douglas MacArthur was charged with transforming Japan from the state Shinto worldview that many thought led to that nations involvement in the Second World War, and MacArthur asked for missionaries and Bibles.
In 1967 I had a direct encounter with the fruit of the effort in Japan to look to God for transformation. I met Mitsuo Fuchida, a leading fighter pilot in the Pearl Harbor raid. I encountered Fuchida at a most unlikely place a Southern Baptist Church in Alabama. Fuchida was there to preach the Gospel of Christ, whose catalytic effect had transformed him and his worldview.
A decade later I met another participant in the Second World War who came under the transforming power of the catalytic Incarnation, Wernher von Braun. This rocket scientist pondered the tragedy of Germany, his native country, and the role he played in it. He would ultimately announce that contemplating science led him to Christ: For me, the idea of creation is not conceivable without invoking the necessity of design ... It would be an error to overlook the possibility that the universe was planned rather than happening by chance.
Stan Grant, an Australian Aboriginal, writes about the receding of Christianity in his native Australia, and its impact on Christmas. The decline of Christianity and the spread of secularization reflects a cynicism that has pervaded society and has fractured bonds of tradition and family and community and faith, particularly Christian faith.[1]
David Kupelian surveys the intensified secularism in the United States and Western civilization now and writes that the problem is the societys decline of family, community, and particularly Christian faith ... In short, quoting sociologist Philip Rieff, we have swapped a sacred order for a social order.
The result is an ignoring of reality at every turn, and people manifesting an abiding contempt for biology, the lessons of history, the fundamental laws of economics, the transcendent value of human life, and especially for God and His laws.[2]
And that raises a crucial question:
Is civilization in its highest form even possible without the acknowledgment and transforming power of the catalytic Person born in Bethlehem 20 centuries ago, and living continually among us through His Holy Spirit?
We will find out in the years ahead if the sense of transcendence dims and the power of the machine intensifies exponentially.
[1]With Christianity receding and many abandoning hope, today's Christmases are not like those of my childhood - ABC (AU) News
[2]Restoring election integrity: The one and only way to save America from tyranny and destruction | GLA NEWS | Shines A Light On Truth
Christian women's shelter won't be forced to admit trans-identified males, federal judge rules
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Amid a yearslong legal battle, a federal judge ruled this week that the city of Anchorage, Alaskas nondiscrimination ordinance barring LGBT discrimination does not force a Christian battered womens shelter to admit trans-identified biological males.
In an order handed down Monday, Judge Sharon Gleason of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska determined that Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center of Anchorage does not have the standing to sue the city over a revision to its ordinance declaring that places of public accommodation cant discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity because the center is not a place of public accommodation.
Therefore, the faith-based homeless shelter created to serve battered women fleeing domestic abuse and homeless women, part of a ministry to the underprivileged that includes a soup kitchen, will not have to admit trans-identified males.
Gleason granted in part a motion from the city to dismiss the case due to lack of standing as the municipality contends that the statute does not apply to the Hope Centers shelter operations. According to the ruling, the city cited the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling this past summer in favor of a Catholic foster care agency removed from Philadelphias foster program over policies preventing placement of children with same-sex couples.
The municipality contended that the Supreme Court ruling makes clear that Hope Center is not a public accommodation.
The judge ruled that the Hope Center may seek damages for its self-censorship based on that provision for the limited time period between the ordinances passage and the Municipalitys disavowal of prosecutorial intent because section 5.20.020 arguably
applies to Hope Centers conduct.
Attorneys for Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative religious liberty legal nonprofit representing the center, praised the judges order.
Vulnerable women deserve a safe place to stay overnight, and were pleased that they can sleep soundly, at least for the time being, due to the courts order, ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson said in a statement. Downtown Hope Center serves everyone, but its overnight womens shelter exists to provide a safe place for women, many of whom have survived sex trafficking, rape, or domestic violence at the hands of men.
Anderson said that Anchorage officials have twice targeted the center for operating according to its religious beliefs and for serving the citys homeless population.
She hopes that the courts order puts an end to this.
Faith-based nonprofits should be free to serve consistently with their faith without fear of unjust government punishment, stated Ryan Tucker, director of ADFs Center for Christian Ministries. This is especially true for ministries that help homeless women who have suffered sexual abuse or domestic violence. Because no woman should be forced to disrobe next to a man, we are pleased the court has allowed Downtown Hope Center to continue protecting women and operating according to its religious beliefs.
Mondays decision stems from years of litigation that began when a trans-identified male, referred to as Jessie Doe in the lawsuit, filed a complaint with Anchorages Equal Rights Commission in 2018.
Doe alleged that Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center violated the Anchorage Municipal Code by refusing admission to the shelter. Doe allegedly showed up drunk and injured. The charity contends that it referred Doe to a hospital and paid for a taxi ride.
At the time, the municipal code declared it unlawful for a place of public accommodation to refuse, withhold from or deny to a person any of its accommodations, advantages, facilities, benefits, privileges, services or goods of that place on account of sex [or] gender identity.
The Equal Rights Commission filed a complaint against Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center, accusing it of unlawful discrimination.
Later that year, the center filed a lawsuit against the city. ADF insisted in a legal brief that the shelter did not have to abide by the nondiscrimination provision because it was not a public accommodation but a religious ministry.
While a federal court sided with Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center in 2019 and city officials subsequently dropped their lawsuit on behalf of Doe, the city amended the municipal code earlier this year in what religious liberty advocates saw as an attempt to force the shelter to admit trans-identified males.
The Anchorage Assembly altered the definition of public accommodation to include facilities of any kind, whether licensed or not, whose goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations are made available to the general public. Previously, the definition of public accommodation only applied to a business or professional activity.
In a previous interview with The Christian Post, attorney Christy Allen alleged that Anchorage was displeased with the earlier court ruling finding that the initial laws did not apply to Downtown Hope Center and they rewrote the law to basically include homeless shelters within those definitions. The change to the definition prompted the Downtown Hope Center to file another lawsuit against the city, the claims of which Gleason addressed in her Monday ruling.
This week in Christian history: Christmas Conference,' Pius IV elected
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Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance.
Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births, notable deaths and everything in between.
Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings might be previously unknown by most people.
This week Dec. 19 through Dec. 25 marks the anniversary of the Methodist Churchs Christmas Conference, the election of Pope Pius IV, and the conversion of a pioneering Irish preacher to Methodism.
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Postcard from Beaumont
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If Beaumont is known at all, its known for its contribution to the Texas oil boom during the first half of the last century.
This medium-sized city (population 115,282) sits near the Gulf of Mexico coast in southeast Texas, a short drive from the border with Louisiana. It was here where oil was discovered in 1901.
The eruption of the Lucas geyser transformed what had been a very small town literally overnight. With oil as the industry, Beaumonts fortunes have ebbed and flowed.
One legacy of the past is a spectacular church the kind of landmark you would never expect to find in Beaumont.
At first glance, St. Anthonys Cathedral Basilica (Roman Catholic) looks somewhat typical.
Built between 1903 and 1907 using bricks salvaged from Civil War-era buildings, the church with its dedication to Anthony of Padua was elevated to the dignity of a cathedral upon the creation of the Diocese of Beaumont in 1966. It later received its minor basilica title from Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 after an extensive renovation was carried out by Rolf Rohn of Rohn & Associates.
With the Basilica of St. Clement, an ancient church in Rome, serving as inspiration, the $6 million renovation transformed the cathedral of a diocese in flyover country into what it is today. So much so that casual connoisseurs of all things ecclesiastical architecture and religious art are surprised, as they generally think churches like this can only be found in Europe.
While parts of the design are compromised by the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council the altar faces westward toward congregants in the pews and the communion railings are long gone the interior is up there with the best churches anywhere in the United States.
Among the most notable details are the baldachin, as the canopy above the altar is called, and the apse at the east end with its painted murals. There is also a small collection of holy relics, as typically found at a Roman Catholic cathedral or basilica. Outside, the west fronts bronze doors, which were crafted in Poland, feature numerous reliefs.
Besides St. Anthonys, also worth visiting are St. Marks Church (Episcopal) and First United Methodist Church. In particular, the Methodist church combines the familiarity of Gothic pointed arches with modernist architecture a welcome deviation from the brutalist style that dominated buildings around the time of its construction in 1968.
Outside of the churches, the interwar-era Temple Emanuel (Reform Judaism) has beautiful stained-glass windows depicting the prophets Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel, Moses and Isaiah.
If you go
Besides Sunday masses and other regular services, St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Docents are available for free guided tours if arrangements are made ahead of time.
The closest major airport is about 90 miles away in Houston. From New Orleans and Dallas, the drive is four and five hours respectively.
Stay at the Holiday Inn & Suites Beaumont-Plaza.
Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter.
Why are some pastors dying by suicide? Understanding the tragic trend
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Suicide is a tragic trend on the rise in America. Sadly, there has also been an increase in suicide within the Church and among beloved pastors.
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Senators soften language in Build Back Better bill restricting religious childcare, pre-K funding
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A Senate committee has removed some of the controversial language in the Build Back Better bill that would restrict funding and aid for faith-based childcare and pre-K programs unless they adhered to federal anti-discrimination law.
The proposed federal legislation had garnered concern from multiple faith groups that argued the bill would ban faith groups from obtaining federal assistance due to their religious views.
According to a report by the Washington, D.C.-based Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance (IRFA) published Monday, two developments have emerged regarding the legislation.
On Dec. 11, according to IRFA, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released revised language that removed the proposed nondiscrimination requirements that would have banned religious hiring and religiously selective admissions in child care and pre-K programs.
Child care certificates are confirmed to be indirect government funding that allows child care providers to include religious teaching and activities. However, religion continues to be banned from the pre-K program, which is a grant-funded program, explained the Alliance.
The language for both programs stresses the many legal obligations of participating programs without clearly emphasizing the protections for faith-based organizations and small organizations that will enable a wide range of them to know they are welcome in these programs.
IRFA noted that while they approve of the changes made to better include religious groups, they still maintain some concerns about the proposed legislation as written.
Championed by the Biden administration, the Build Back Better Act is a major piece of proposed legislation that creates programs and establishes funding for a host of issues, including education, child care, taxes and immigration.
On Dec. 1, an interfaith coalition sent a letter to Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., the chair and ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee, respectively, expressing concerns over how the BBB bill would impact their childcare and education services.
According to the letter, the current child care and universal pre-Kindergarten (UPK) provisions in the Build Back Better Act will suppress, if not exclude, the participation of many faith-based providers; and faith-based providers are what more than half of American families choose for child care.
While language in the BBBA does not preclude parents from selecting sectarian providers, the subsequent provisions in the bill text make it virtually impossible for many religious providers to participate, stated the letter.
According to the faith groups, the bill would define all providers as recipients of federal financial assistance, whether the funds come via certificates (in the child care program) or direct grants (in the prekindergarten program), which would trigger federal compliance obligations and non-discrimination provisions.
Additionally, according to the letter, BBB would apply nondiscrimination requirements to both the child care and universal pre-K sections that do not generally attach to FFA.
Signatories of the letter included Catholic Charities USA, two committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and the Council of Islamic Schools in North America, among others.
Although the bill passed the House, it has become stalled in the Senate, in part because Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., expressed opposition to it.
Top CBP official tells Congress fentanyl seizures at border up 308% in fiscal year 2021
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An official with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection told members of Congress Wednesday that fentanyl seizures at the United States-Mexico border have increased by 308% in the fiscal year 2021.
Troy Miller, the senior official performing the duties of commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, appeared before the House Appropriations Committees Homeland Security Subcommittee to discuss the continued surge in crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border and the resources that CBP needs to respond to the situation and carry out its duties effectively.
Members of the committee asked Miller questions about various topics, including the seizure of illegal drugs by CBP officials.
Our fentanyl seizures are up 308% in fiscal year 21, Miller said.
He also noted that heroin seizures have increased by 14%, cocaine seizures have increased by 100%, and methamphetamine seizures have increased by 20% in the same period.
Miller shared the statistics regarding drug seizures following a question from Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., about the huge gaping holes in our southern border where we dont know whats coming over.
According to Palazzo, The COVID pandemic obviously did not keep the cartels from working overtime.
He cited statistics finding that in the fiscal year 2020, CBP seized [58,000] pounds of Cocaine, 5,700 pounds of heroin, 177,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 4,700 pounds of fentanyl.
As Palazzo noted, the amount of fentanyl seized by CBP last year is enough to kill every American two times over.
The congressman also expressed concern that as our CBP agents and others are misdirected, criminals and hard narcotics have an easier time entering the country.
As the amount of drugs seized at the border continues to increase, the number of encounters between immigration officials and migrants continues to rise.
CBP Data shows that more than 178,000 migrants were apprehended at the southwest border in April, marking a 3% increase from March, when 173,348 people were apprehended.
So far, in the fiscal year 2021, which began last October, there have been 749,613 encounters at the southwest border. In all of the fiscal year 2020, there were just 458,088 such encounters. In all of the fiscal year 2019, there were over 977,000 encounters.
Critics of President Joe Biden attribute the surge in border crossings to actions taken by the new administration to reverse the Trump administrations immigration policies, including his rescission of the former presidents national emergency at the border, the reversal of a policy requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims are adjudicated and the suspension of construction of the border wall.
While Bidens critics have blamed the president for the surge in crossings at the border, some contend that the rise in border crossings is consistent with a pattern of seasonal changes combined with a backlog created by the border's closing during the pandemic.
Former President George W. Bush pointed the finger at Congress for the situation during a recent appearance on Fox News.
He alleged that the system is broken because Congress has failed to act.
California Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, who heads the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, argued in March that Biden's "words and actions" have given a haphazard and de facto green light to human traffickers around the world to apply their profane trade on the dreams of the most vulnerable.
The border surge led to overcrowding at shelters that hold unaccompanied minors who cross the border illegally.
The crowding at CBP facilities, including a facility in Donna, Texas, came as the U.S. continued to grapple with the coronavirus. While the pods in the Donna facility had capacities of 260 people, one pod held more than 400 unaccompanied children at one point during the border surge.
The overcrowding at the Donna facility and other similar locations raised concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, as migrants tested for the virus earlier this year had a higher positivity rate than the American public as a whole.
In Brownsville, Texas, migrant families tested had a 12% positivity rate. At the time, the positivity rate among the American public at large was 3.5%. A group of migrants who arrived at a shelter in Harlingen, Texas, in February reportedly had a 25% positivity rate.
The border crisis has seemingly reflected negatively on the Biden administration. A Real Clear Politics average of polls taken over the past month shows that most Americans (51%) express disapproval of the presidents handling of immigration policy.
At the same time, the Real Clear Politics average of polls shows that a majority of the American people (53%) approve of Bidens performance as president overall.
Christian gift box sales raise $1.2M for Israeli businesses as thousands close during pandemic
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Although many cant travel abroad due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions, Christians can have a taste of the Holy Land delivered to them this Christmas season, and at the same time, support struggling Israeli businesses as thousands have closed due to declining tourism.
The quarterly Artza subscription gift boxes provide customers with nine artisanal goods from the Holy Land and the stories behind them as well as provide a source of revenue for Israeli businesses and charities.
The past 20 months have been brutal on Israeli small businesses, Itai Schimmel, the founder of Artza, told The Christian Post in a recent interview. Over 40,000 businesses have been forced to close permanently and an additional 20,000-plus have had to close temporarily.
It has been totally heartbreaking to see more and more storefronts boarded up each morning, Schimmel described. Those [are] small businesses that rely so heavily on the tourist industry.
Borders into Israel have been closed for almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cities of Bethlehem and Nazareth, which usually host tourists all year round, particularly during the Christmas season, have struggled with zero source of income.
Over 70% of both Bethlehem and Nazareth inhabitants businesses rely on tourism. To see the Bethlehem markets empty for a second year in a row is truly heartbreaking, the Israeli resident stressed.
Artza gift boxes are meant to help local artisans stay afloat. The boxes contain food, crafts, and other items made by Israeli artisans. To date, Artza has helped over 42 small businesses and seven charities. Subscribers have raised over $1.2 million for small businesses.
Helping small businesses and charities is one of our two core missions at Artza, Schimmel said. With every box, we source products from a different region or city in Israel and source the most beautiful hand-crafted gifts, ceramics, foods, spices art and more from the local small businesses and charities that bring that city to life.
Schimmel told CP that theyve had business owners cry with gratitude on to phone ... as we placed our orders, claiming that the organization has helped provide them with enough revenue to remain open for a few more months.
We feel truly grateful to be able to connect people from across the world to these businesses and charities in Israel, he said.
Our other core mission is to bring the stories of the Bible to life, to connect our subscribers to their faith, to the places, stories, characters and Land of the Bible, he added.
Every box brings another region to subscribers, allowing them to visualize, taste, feel, smell each region. Accompanied with photography and stories, each box teaches the history of each region and alludes to Scripture related to those regions.
It is a box with meaning. So that next time you read the Bible, you can say, Hey, I know this place. I have experienced it myself. Schimmel stated.
Schimmel established the idea for the faith-filled boxes in March 2020 during the early days of the pandemic.
He noticed how small businesses were being affected and how tourists could no longer visit Israel. He wanted to help. He recalls thinking, How can we keep people connected?
We decided we would create a quarterly subscription box that arrived once every three months to your doorstep, Schimmel maintained. And each box brings another area of Israel and the Bible to life in a meaningful, immersive and fun way, one which you can share with others, and at the same time, support small local businesses and charities in Israel. It is a journey, the gift that keeps on giving.
Christian women's shelter sues city over complaint saying it must admit transgender females
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A faith-based women's shelter in Alaska has filed a lawsuit against the state's most populous city for pressuring it to admit men who identify as women.
The Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center of Anchorage filed the lawsuit earlier this month in response to issues surrounding a complaint against the nonprofit over a recent incident in which staff sent a trans-identified person to a hospital rather than allow the biological man to stay at the facility.
"The Anchorage Municipal Code prohibits public accommodations from denying services based on sex or gender identity or stating those services will be denied. It also forbids property owners or their agents from communicating any preference or limitation on the use of real property based on sex or gender identity," read the lawsuit, in part, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
"Hope Center has not violated this law. It is not a public accommodation, and the code exempts homeless shelters, like Hope Center. But the last eight months, Anchorage has used the code to investigate, harass, and pressure Hope Center to admit men into its women's only shelter, and to stop Hope Center's exercise of its religious beliefs."
Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative law firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is representing Hope Center, directed The Christian Post to a statement on their website.
"If Anchorage succeeds, it would not only force a religious ministry to abandon its mission and message, but also force homeless women to sleep alongside and interact with men in intimate settings even though those women may have been beaten, raped, or sexually assaulted by a man the day before," said the ADF.
The district court lawsuit came in response to a complaint filed against Hope Center by the transgender person before the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission earlier this year.
Identified in court documents as "Jessie Doe," according to the plaintiffs, the person showed up drunk at the shelter in January and was then given a cab ride to a hospital paid for by the shelter.
Dee Ennis, deputy municipal attorney for the Municipality of Anchorage, provided a statement to CP on Thursday, explaining that the commission's investigation was still pending, but had not been completed "due in large part to the noncooperation of the Hope Center."
"No decision had been reached by the AERC or enforcement action taken prior to the filing of this complaint in federal court," continued the statement.
"There is strong federal policy not to intervene in local agency proceedings prior to any enforcement action or state court review of local code interpretation. Just as filing of this lawsuit was premature, so is requesting injunctive relief from the federal court."
Fentanyl overdose leading cause of death for 18- to 45-year-olds in the US
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Fentanyl became the top killer in American adults aged 18 to 45 between 2020 and 2021, with drug overdoses exceeding the number of COVID-19 deaths in the age group, according to an analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nearly 79,000 people between the ages of 18 and 45 died of fentanyl overdoses between April 2020 and April 2021, according to Families Against Fentanyl, which analyzed the government data.
While 37,208 people in that age group died of fentanyl overdoses in 2020, the number rose to 41,587 in 2021.
The founder of the opioid awareness organization, James Rauh, who lost his son to an overdose, called it a national emergency, according to Fox News.
Americas young adults thousands of unsuspecting Americans are being poisoned, he said. It is widely known that illicit fentanyl is driving the massive spike in drug-related deaths. A new approach to this catastrophe is needed.
A fact sheet created by Families Against Fentanyl details that illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, or IMFs, are present in most street drugs. Most fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, is manufactured in chemical or pharmaceutical companies in China.
While legal fentanyl is prescribed to numb the effects of extreme pain, just two milligrams of fentanyl can kill a person. On the other hand, it would take 30 milligrams of heroin to cause a fatal overdose.
In the first five months of this year, over 42,600 people died of fentanyl overdose an increase of more than 1,000 fentanyl deaths per month compared to the same time period in 2020.
Overdose fatalities rose possibly due to prolonged and widespread lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last December, the CDC issued an emergency health advisory, saying This represents a worsening of the drug overdose epidemic in the United States. In May 2020, the Well Being Trust, a mental health advocacy group, estimated a possible 75,000 additional deaths of despair, including suicide as well as drug and alcohol abuse, over the ensuing several years, due to the shutdown measures.
Families Against Fentanyl has launched a petition asking the U.S. government to designate illegal fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, which it reports would enable the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Department of Defense and other relevant federal agencies to better coordinate their efforts and immediately publish the necessary administrative directives to eliminate the threat posed by these deadly substances.
As the southern border became more porous in 2021, federal authorities have seized a record amount of drugs. Data compiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection reveals that authorities confiscated 11,201 pounds of fentanyl, up from 4,791 pounds the year prior. In a statement released last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that it seized more than 20 million counterfeit pills containing fentanyl this year.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order Wednesday, authorizing sanctions against any foreigner engaged in illicit drug trafficking or production.
I find that international drug trafficking including the illicit production, global sale, and widespread distribution of illegal drugs; the rise of extremely potent drugs such as fentanyl and other synthetic opioids; as well as the growing role of Internet-based drug sales constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, the order reads.
Christian filmmaker Devon Franklin and wife Meagan Good to divorce: 'Thankful to God for the testimony'
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Hollywood filmmaker and preacher DeVon Franklin and his wife, actress Meagan Good, announced Tuesday that they're filing for divorce.
The couple shared identical posts on Instagram Tuesday night announcing their split. They posted a photo of themselves embracing while sitting down together outdoors with their backs turned away from the camera.
The divorce comes after nine years of marriage.
"After much prayer and consideration, we have decided to go into our futures separately but forever connected," Franklin and Good shared in the joint statement.
"We celebrate almost a decade of marriage together and a love that is eternal, they continued.
The couple met while working on the 2011 film Jumping the Broom. Franklin and Good got engaged in May 2012 after courting for a year and were married a month after their engagement.
There's no one at fault, the two shared of their split, adding, We believe this is the next best chapter in the evolution of our love.
"We are incredibly grateful for the life-changing years we've spent together as husband and wife. We are also extremely thankful to God for the testimony being created inside us both and for blessing our lives with each other," the statement concluded.
There was much speculation online that the high-profile Christian couple was headed toward divorce, but as recently as Dec. 2, Franklin celebrated his wife on her new Amazon Prime series, Harlem.
"I'm so proud of my love @Meagangood! She's one of the most talented actors on the planet AND she's funnier than you may know but I'm so glad you finally get a chance to see her do it all as Camille Parks in the new Amazon show #Harlem," the Breakthrough filmmaker posted on Instagram.
Good and Franklin co-wrote the book, The Wait, where theyshared the importance of waiting until marriage to be intimate.
The news of their divorce comes as a shock to many because, in 2019, Good revealed that she and Franklin were ready to start a family.
As a guest on STEVE, the Steve Harvey show, with her Intruder co-star Michael Ealy, the conversation segued into talking about whether Good and Franklin would start a family.
I'm going to say this, and its funny because I usually dont talk about it because I was one of those people who knew I would be a mother later in life, Good told Harvey after he asked her about it. We talk about it a lot. Like, [Ealy] basically tried to convince me to start like last year. But now I think Im in a place now where Im actually ready.
Miss Florida praises God for her success but says she never prayed to win pageant
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Miss Florida pageant winner Ashley Carino acknowledged this week that God is the reason she is where she is today but added that she never specifically asked God to win the statewide beauty pageant.
I was raised in the Church, Carino, the second runner-up of the recent Miss USA contest, shared in an interview Tuesday with CBNs PrayerLink.
The Puerto Rican native, who moved to Florida when she was 5, stressed that life is about serving God despite the challenges that come our way.
For me, God has always been my stepping stone. Religion and faith have been an important part of my life, and I know I am not where I am today if it wasnt for Him, the 27-year-old testified.
She added that her New Year's resolution has always been "for God to give me new opportunities and this year, I actually asked that."
"I had already signed up for Miss Florida USA. But instead of asking, 'God, I want to win Miss Florida USA,' I was just asking for opportunities," she said. "He delivered an abundance of that."
God has opened doors to so many opportunities. Its just been a whirlwind, Carino continued.
One of the things God has blessed Carino with is a bigger platform to launch anti-bullying campaigns.
Carino said she was bullied in middle school and high school because she wore a back brace due to scoliosis. But it was the love and support of her parents that got her through that difficult time. Ever since she has dedicated her platform to speaking out against bullying.
I experienced emotional abuse to name-calling, to pushing and it escalated to physical abuse, she revealed during a press conference earlier this month with the Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez addressing an incident that happened at a high school in her hometown.
But what helped me is the support of my parents ... that they didnt chuck it up to simply childs play. The reality is that bullying can have serious effects.
Carino, who works as a psychosocial rehabilitator, is partnering with Osceola County School District to implement an anti-bullying campaign in classrooms.
Not every child has the same coping mechanism. So it is important that as parents and as teachers, we dont just consider this childs play or a rite of passage, she explained. At our school systems, we will have zero tolerance for bullying.
With aspirations to one day work for NASA, Miss Florida, who studied aerospace engineering at the University of Central Florida, was asked during the CBN interview to respond to those in the scientific field who dispute God and faith.
"Science is man-made. It's an explanation that we've created for natural phenomenons. For me, science is there to test our faith. It's definitely not there to dispute the existence of God. That is something that I always tell people ... to remember that science is something that man has created for explanations as to what's going on in the world."
Crowned Miss Florida earlier this year, Carino has publicly praised God for her blessings.
I look back on my life and this past year and I cant believe how incredibly blessed I have been, Carino wrote in an Instagram on her birthday in August. Not only have I had the great fortune to share my life with my amazing family and friends, but I have been able to see this year turn my dreams into reality, and I know the best is yet to come!
I want to thank God for all He has done for me, for His unconditional love and outpour of blessings, she continued. [B]ecause of Him wherever I go my steps are sure; I dont need sight because I walk by faith.
California university fires medical ethics director amid lawsuit over COVID-19 vaccine mandate
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The University of California-Irvine has fired a professor of medical ethics who has been contending that the school's vaccine mandate is unconstitutional given the science of natural immunity.
In a Friday essay on his Substack, Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, the now-former professor of psychiatry at UC-Irvine School of Medicine and director of the medical ethics program at UCI-Health, bid farewell to the university where he has enjoyed teaching for over a decade.
Kheriaty filed a federal lawsuit in August against the university's vaccine mandate. The lawsuit failed at the district court level and is appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He makes a constitutional claim that the vaccine mandate violates his equal protection as established by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
Kheriaty told The Christian Post in a phone interview this week that he caught COVID-19 in July 2020 and recovered soon thereafter. He contends that the immunity he has to the virus is longer lasting and more robust than any immunity conferred by the vaccines. Because he already had the virus, he did not feel it necessary to take the vaccine.
"And yet I'm being unjustly discriminated against because I [have] this form of immunity rather than the form of immunity that is supposedly conferred by the vaccines. With each passing week, the efficacy of these vaccines, particularly against the new variants, becomes more apparent," Kheriaty said.
"But the university has not revised its policy or changed its approach to COVID mitigation even in the face of mounting and what is now irrefutable evidence that the vaccine efficacy against infection was short-lived, unfortunately. I wish that wasn't the case, but it's undeniable now."
The Christian Post reached out to UC-Irvine for a statement on Kheriaty's termination. The university declined in an email Monday evening, saying that the institution doesn't comment on personnel matters.
The California psychiatrist until very recently was the director of UC-Irvine's Medical Ethics Center. He is now working with the right-of-center think tank Ethics & Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. as the Bioethics and American Democracy Program director.
He emphasized that natural immunity is more robust than vaccines because when someone is exposed to the whole virus, that person makes antibodies and forms an immune response involving both antibodies and T-cells against all the different parts expressed on the virus, the epitopes.
By contrast, the COVID-19 vaccines were designed to produce antibodies against the spike protein part of the virus. It is now known that the spike protein mutates to avoid vaccine immunity, Kheriaty said.
"The variants that are going to be selected for are going to be the variants that have a better chance of escaping vaccine immunity," the professor said. "It's much harder to escape natural immunity by viral evolution because natural immunity has far more weapons against the virus than does the vaccine immunity."
Immunologists understood and predicted that this virus, like other viruses, will mutate and become less deadly because if it kills off too many of its hosts, it cannot propagate, Kheriaty continued.
He noted that this is now happening with the emerging variants like omicron.
Those variants may be more transmissible but are not as severe or lethal. He believes the virus is well on its way to becoming endemic, meaning that everyone is eventually going to be exposed to it and form natural immunity in addition to whatever immunity that vaccines conferred temporarily.
"We have to do whatever we can to protect the most vulnerable, those who are in high-risk categories. Particularly the aged have access to really excellent treatments when they are inevitably exposed. But for the rest of us, it's time to get back to normal life. It's time to recognize that this virus is not going away but moving into a phase where we can all manage to live with it and manage it when people get sick."
"We have to stop discriminating against people on these arbitrary bases and forcing a minimally effective therapeutic like the mRNA vaccines on people that are not high risk from COVID or have natural immunity or have other concerns about these vaccines," he continued.
Kheriaty felt he had to take legal action in light of his profession as a medical ethicist.
"If I don't practice what I preach, I have no credibility to speak on these things," he told CP. "That's what it came down to for me. Do I really believe what I say when I get up in the lecture hall to the medical students when I talk about moral integrity, doing the difficult thing, following your conscience when it is unpopular?"
When asked why there has been such widespread inattention to the science of natural immunity, Kheriaty suggests three possible answers.
The first is that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posited that any step before vaccination, such as testing people for antibodies or T-cells or asking people for prior tests, could slow down the efficiency of the "needle in every arm" rollout, he said.
Public health authorities wanted simple messaging an all-or-nothing policy that was not tailored or individualized to people's specific circumstances, Kheriaty added. Thus, any step in the process that would have slowed down that efficiency process was seen as unnecessarily cumbersome.
A second possible reason, Kheriaty opined, is that the CDC was worried that people would deliberately get infected with COVID-19 rather than get the vaccine.
"We need to give people accurate information, in that sometimes people act in ways that are contrary to what we might advise, but that is no reason to mislead or lie to them about what science shows," he said. "The issue around natural immunity is not whether people will go and get infected with the virus deliberately, but what about the people who have already been infected with the virus. That's the relevant group that we're talking about here."
Kheriaty's third theory, which he believes is most operative, is that acknowledging the science of natural immunity would be an admission of policy failure.
"These are people who will never, ever admit that they were wrong, no matter how much evidence there is to support that conclusion. The two most basic statistics in epidemiology that every student learns in every new disease that students learn about is incidence and prevalence," he explained. "Incidence is the number of new cases that happen over a time period, how many people are getting infected with COVID every month. Prevalence is the total number of cases, not just new cases, over a given time period."
"It's amazing that two years into this pandemic that we don't know with any degree of certainty how many people have had COVID," he continued. "It's possible to discover that through population-based randomly sampled T-cell testing or through what the CDC should have been doing sequential population-based randomly tested antibodies. But they never did that, and they are not doing it. Once you acknowledge natural immunity, the natural next question is, 'How many people have it?' And the CDC would be forced to answer that question."
The California doctor estimates that the percentage of Americans who have gotten the virus is approximately 60% of the population, perhaps higher with the new wave.
"The CDC would see that as an admission that all of these COVID measures that we took from the lockdown to masks to social distancing and so forth, which did enormous harms, didn't stop this virus or the spread," he said. "Still, a majority of Americans have been infected with COVID, and most of them, almost all healthy Americans under the age of 50, have had no problem with the virus."
Recognizing natural immunity, he contends, is "disincentivized by all the various people who will make a lot of money off the vaccines."
"We know that there are hundreds of billions of dollars are at stake in terms of the vaccine rollout, and if suddenly half of your market or more than half of your market no longer needs the vaccine, that's taking $100 billion profits and cutting them in half," he detailed. "That's a lot of money, and that kind of money buys a lot of influence."
Earlier this year, Kheriaty and his lawyer sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the CDC inquiring about the number of people infected with COVID-19 more than once who subsequently transmitted the virus. Though the number of reinfection cases is small, the CDC admitted that there had been zero cases of reinfection and transmission of the virus to another person. Meanwhile, what is known as "breakthrough" infection those cases which break through the vaccine protection can subsequently transmit the disease.
Those who have survived COVID-19 and have natural immunity are the safest people to be around, Kheriaty maintains.
"The [COVID] vaccines do not produce what is called sterilizing immunity, which means not only do I not get reinfected, but I don't transmit," he said.
He criticized the rhetoric encouraging people to get vaccinated for the "sake of other people."
"The COVID vaccines don't prevent transmission," he said. "I think that social solidarity type of argument would have more force for a sterilizing vaccine [like] the measles one. But it doesn't work when you're talking about the COVID vaccines, at least the ones we have right now."
He predicted that "maybe in five years we'll have a sterilizing vaccine for COVID."
"But that's not where we are with the current vaccines, and that is becoming clearer every day," he said.
Texas AG investigating push to prescribe experimental puberty blockers not approved by FDA for kids
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The Texas Attorney Generals office is investigating two pharmaceutical companies for their promotion of well-established drugs as puberty blockers despite the fact that they have not received approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
The Office of Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that it was investigating Endo Pharmaceuticals and AbbVie Inc. under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
These pharmaceutical companies allegedly advertised and promoted hormone (puberty) blockers for unapproved uses without disclosing the potential risks associated with these drugs to children and their parents, Paxton said in a statement.
Medications Supprelin LA and Lupron Depot are approved to treat children with Central Precocious Property (CPP), when the puberty process begins prematurely. And Vantas, along with other forms of Lupron, has been prescribed for palliative treatment of prostate cancer. These drugs are now being used to treat gender dysphoria even though they are not approved for such use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Attorney Generals Office cites the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act as the source of Paxtons authority to investigate the pharmaceutical companies, explaining that the law gives the attorney general the power to investigate false, misleading, and deceptive conduct by businesses in Texas. In addition to sending out a tweet declaring that I will not allow pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of #Texas children, Paxton detailed some of the concerns pertaining to the experimental use of puberty blockers for children and teenagers.
I will not allow pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of #Texas children. I have officially opened an investigation. https://t.co/WCS5A0qiR5 Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) December 14, 2021
The manufacture, sale, prescription, and use of puberty blockers on young teens and minors is dangerous and reckless, Paxton said. These drugs were approved for very different purposes and can have detrimental and even irreversible side effects.
Earlier this year, the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden elaborated on some of the detrimental and even irreversible side effects of puberty blockers when announcing that it would no longer prescribe the drugs for experimental use on children younger than 16 who are struggling with gender dysphoria. In a statement, the hospital warned that these treatments are potentially fraught with extensive and irreversible adverse consequences such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, infertility, increased cancer risk, and thrombosis.
The American College of Pediatricians lists additional side effects of puberty blockers, which include mood disorders, seizures, [and] cognitive impairment.
In response to concerns about the side effects of puberty blockers, Arkansas became the first U.S. state to ban doctors from prescribing experimental puberty blockers, hormonal drugs and performing gender reassignment surgeries on children and teenagers with gender dysphoria by passing the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act.
President Joe Biden's Department of Justice condemned the SAFE Act, filing a statement in an ACLU lawsuit against the Arkansas law declaring that federal law bars the state of Arkansas from singling out [trans-identified] minors for specifically and discriminatorily denying their access to medically necessary care based solely on their sex assigned at birth. The Biden administration contended that the law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
A federal judge ultimately agreed with the Biden administration, striking down the SAFE Act shortly before it was set to take effect.
Shortly thereafter, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott asked the states Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate whether prescribing puberty blockers to children with gender dysphoria or subjecting them to other experimental procedures constituted child abuse. The agency found that performing such procedures and prescribing such drugs to minors did constitute child abuse.
In a previous interview with The Christian Post, Dr. Paul Hruz of Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, expressed concern that using Lupron as a puberty blocker could affect childrens bone density. A study published earlier this year reached a similar conclusion, indicating that puberty blockers led to reduced growth in both height and bone strength among minors who took them.
Additionally, informed consent documents that a hospital in California asked children seeking to take puberty blockers and their parents state that If your child starts puberty blockers in the earliest stages of puberty, and then goes on to gender-affirming hormones, they will not develop sperm or eggs. This means that they will not have biological children.
A trans-identified doctor has also raised questions about the consequences of puberty blockers. Dr. Marci Bowers, who performed elective cosmetic surgeries on prominent trans-identified reality star Jazz Jennings, told Wall Street Journal contributor Abigail Shrier in an exclusive interview that if youve never had an orgasm pre-surgery and then your pubertys blocked, its very difficult to achieve that afterwards.
I worry about their reproductive rights later. I worry about their sexual health later and their ability to find intimacy, Bowers added.
Texas begins building its own border wall to curb surge in illegal immigration
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the state has begun construction on a border wall, which it's working to build to counter what it views as the Biden administrations lackluster enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
Texas has officially started building its own border wall, Abbott announced in a tweet Friday. [President Joe] Biden allows open border policies and refuses to enforce laws passed by Congress to secure the border and enforce immigration laws. Texas is stepping up to do the federal governments job.
Texas has officially started building its own border wall.
Biden allows open border policies and refuses to enforce laws passed by Congress to secure the border and enforce immigration laws.
Texas is stepping up to do the federal governments job. https://t.co/K7CbIPs75p Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 17, 2021
Abbott also shared a series of photos originally posted by Fox News reporter Bill Melugin showing the construction. Texas has officially started building its own border wall, he said. The first wall panels have gone up in Starr County in the [Rio Grande Valley].
Melugin noted that while the construction is occurring on state land with state money, the contractor building the wall was building the wall spearheaded by the Trump administration until Biden stopped construction of the wall when he took office. The Fox News reporter included a picture of the first panels in what will be a 1.7 mile stretch designed to help fill gaps where there is no federal wall.
These are the first panels in what will be a 1.7 mile stretch designed to help fill gaps where there is no federal wall. More projects planned.
Governor Abbott will be at the construction site tomorrow to hold 12pm ET announcement/details. @FoxNews will air it live. pic.twitter.com/gG5yggbDcp Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 17, 2021
Shortly before former President Donald Trump left office, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf announced the completion of the 450th mile of new border wall system built under this administration. In a statement, Abbotts office elaborated on the states effort to pick up where the Trump administration left off by restarting the wall's construction.
Open-border policies have led to a humanitarian crisis at our southern border as record levels of illegal immigrants, drugs and contraband pour into Texas. The state of Texas is working collaboratively with communities impacted by the border crisis to arrest and detain individuals coming into Texas illegally. Our efforts will only be effective if we work together to secure the border, make criminal arrests, protect landowners, rid our communities of dangerous drugs, and provide Texans with the opportunity and support they deserve.
Texas first announced plans to construct a border wall at a press conference in June, with Abbott authorizing a $250 million down payment. The governor described the construction of a wall as necessary because of concern that the problems people are continuing to suffer on the border are just continuing to get worse.
At the time, the most recent statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed that more than 170,000 migrants illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in April. The crossings continued to increase throughout the summer, reaching a record high of 213,593 in July.
While the number of encounters between illegal migrants and law enforcement officials had dropped to 173,620 in November, the most recent month with statistics available, the number of border crossings remains significantly higher than the 101,099 recorded in February 2021, Bidens first full month in office.
Critics of the Biden administration have attributed the border surge to the Biden administrations reversal of two of the Trump administrations immigration policies, in addition to the halting of wall construction. The Migrant Protection Protocols required migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases were adjudicated, while Title 42, implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, allowed border officials to turn away illegal immigrants due to a concern about public health.
A federal court ruling forced the Biden administration to restart the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the Remain in Mexico policy, earlier this month. The Department of Homeland Security has vowed to vigorously contest the ruling and criticized the Migrant Protection Protocols for its endemic flaws, imposed unjustifiable human costs and failure to address the root causes of irregular migration.
Public opinion polling suggests that Abbott is not the only one dissatisfied with Bidens immigration policies. The RealClearPolitics average of polls taken over the past month-and-a-half reveal that the presidents approval rating on the issue of immigration is deeply underwater, with 34.7% of Americans approving of his immigration policy and 60.6% expressing disapproval.
The net disapproval rating of 26% on the issue of immigration is far higher than his overall disapproval rating, as well as his disapproval ratings on the economy, foreign policy and the coronavirus pandemic.
Abbott is scheduled to appear at the construction site Saturday to offer more details on the project. He has previously described the states border wall construction project as the most robust and comprehensive border plan the nation has ever seen.
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There are 8 planets in our solar system, and NASA estimates that there are at least 100 billion planets in our Milky Way galaxy. God decided to make Earth habitable, and to create man to live on this particular planet.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1). Why is Earth singled out in the first verse of the Bible? Why is this one planet so much more important to God than all the other planets in the Universe?
Theoretical physicist Paul Davies said, Scientists are slowly waking up to an inconvenient truth - the Universe looks suspiciously like a fix. The issue concerns the very laws of nature themselves Change any one of them and the consequences would be lethal.
Fred Hoyle, the distinguished cosmologist, once said, it was as if a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics.
Frank Tipler is an American mathematical physicist and cosmologist, and the author of The Physics of Christianity. Tipler said, When I began my career as a cosmologist some 20 years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would be writing a book purporting to show that the central claims of Judeo-Christian theology are in fact true, that these claims are straightforward deductions of the laws of physics as we now understand them. I have been forced into these conclusions by the inexorable logic of my own special branch of physics.
James Joule, propounder of the first law of thermodynamics, was a devout Christian. Joule said, It is evident that an acquaintance with natural laws means no less than an acquaintance with the mind of God therein expressed."
In addition to one planet, God used one star in His divine drama to point the way to the Messiah.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him' ... the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him" (Matthew 2:1-2; 9-11).
With billions of stars in the Milky Way, God selected one of these stars, or some other heavenly body or extraordinary stellar event, to guide the Magi to the exact location of the Savior's birth.
Dr. D. James Kennedy said, "The star of Bethlehem was a star of hope that led the wise men to the fulfillment of their expectations, the success of their expedition. Nothing in this world is more fundamental for success in life than hope, and this star pointed to our only source for true hope: Jesus Christ.
The most important piece of the equation is not one planet or one star, but one Savior. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus because he will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
The Incarnation involved God taking on human nature in order to ultimately be sacrificed on the cross for sinful man. Bethlehem and Golgotha, the manger and the cross, the birth, and the death, must always be seen together (J. Sidlow Baxter).
The Apostle Peter proclaimed, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).
One planet, one star, one Savior.
George Truett said, Christ was born in the first century, yet He belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries.
Do you marvel at the splendor of the Universe, while failing to see the glory of the babe born in Bethlehem? Nature confirms that there is a God, but you will need to know the Savior if you desire to be reconciled to God (John 8:19; 10:14; 14:7).
Robert Baer said, Bethlehem was God with us, Calvary was God for us, and Pentecost is God in us. Everything is lined up for you to believe in Christ as your Savior. God arranged one planet, one star, and one Savior so that you could enjoy an eternal relationship with your Creator.
Like the wise men, will you approach Bethlehem in humility? Will you bow down in repentance and worship the King as you receive Christ by faith? If you refuse to open Gods gift to you this Christmas, you may never again be presented with this opportunity.
Like a shooting star in the sky, this window in time to meet the Messiah will come and go. Spiritual blindness and the curse of sin cause people to reject Gods free gift of forgiveness and perfection in Paradise (2 Cor. 4:4; Romans 6:23). Why not break the spell today as you reach out to God with these words from your heart:
God of Heaven and Earth. Your majestic wonders are far above my capacity to fully appreciate them. I believe you came here Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, and then rise on the third day. Wash away my sins. I desire to follow you as my Lord and Savior. You are the only one who can save me Jesus. Forgive me, lead me, and fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit in order to live as your disciple. Amen.
In the words of the marvelous Christmas hymn: O come all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Pastor hails victory as court throws out $21K fine for holding worship service for homeless
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A magistrates court in central England has thrown out a case against a pastor whom police had fined $21,000 for holding a church gathering for the homeless in a car park during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Nottingham Magistrates Court has ruled that Pastor Chez Dyer, 47, who organized an outdoor service for the Church on the Streets in Nottingham during the February lockdown, that she will not have to pay the fine and ordered the government to pay her legal fees, said the Christian Legal Centre, which supported the clergy.
I am so relieved that this case has been thrown out and justice has finally been served, Chez was quoted as saying. We stood in the gap for the most vulnerable when others would not or could not. We had people who urgently needed our support and some who said we had prevented them from committing suicide. We were the spiritual doctors who were not on furlough. People were suffering and needed us.
Around 30 people took part in the outdoor service Chez held in February, for which she was handed the fine.
Officers from Nottinghamshire Police said at the time that tents and a sound system had been set up, and food was being served.
While churches in England were permitted to hold limited in-person services during the lockdown, Nottinghamshire Police said at the time that the pub car park was evidently not a place of worship. They said the event had taken place despite previous warnings and that the fine was issued as a last resort.
The pastor said at the time that a place or worship includes premises when being used for religious gatherings, even when their primary purpose is not for religious gatherings, such as a community center.
However, she was convicted in her absence and was unaware of the proceedings against her, CLC said, adding that the court had fined her $21,000 in her absence.
This Christian ministry was supporting the most vulnerable in their community materially, emotionally and spiritually during the lockdown. How was it that they were the ones chased down by police in riot vans? CLC Chief Executive Andrea Williams asked. It is state overreach to shut down Churches and their ministries when they are very often the final hope.
Williams added that she hopes the outcome of this case sends a clear message to the government and police of the vital role Christian ministry plays in our communities and how it must be protected, supported and encouraged at all times.
Chez added: We reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ during the toughest of times. This is what the church is and what the church should do. For this, however, I was treated like a criminal. We are a church with limited financial resources, so to face fines of this magnitude for helping the homeless was devastating.
I hope my story can show people the vital role Christian street ministry plays in our country.
17 Missionaries leave Haiti after kidnapping, everyone doing reasonably well CAM reveals
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The 17 missionaries who were kidnapped in Haiti are now all doing reasonably well and have left the troubled Caribbean nation where they spent each day of their captivity praying, singing and calling on their kidnappers to repent, said David Troyer, general director of the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, on Friday.
A U.S.-flagged plane left Haiti with the remaining freed hostages yesterday afternoon.
Everyone, including the 10-month-old baby, the 3-year-old and the 6-year-old boys, seem to be doing reasonably well, Troyer revealed in a statement formally confirming the release of all the missionaries who were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on Oct. 16.
The international charity first announced the release of the final 12 missionaries 11 days after the release of three others on Dec. 5. Some two weeks prior to that, the gang released two missionaries described as sick adults.
Troyer, who took the opportunity to thank a long list of supporters during the two monthslong hostage crisis, did not say whether a ransom of $1 million for each missionary was paid to the gang for their release, but he said the group forgives them.
We do not know all of the challenges you face. We do believe that violence and oppression of others can never be justified. You caused our hostages and their families a lot of suffering. However, Jesus taught us by word and by His own example that the power of forgiving love is stronger than the hate of violent force. Therefore, we extend forgiveness to you. The hostages told you plainly how you can also be forgiven by God, if you repent, Troyer said, choking up. Our desire is that you and all who hear or read this statement may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Savior, the Son of God, and the Prince of Peace. Jesus died for all so that all can be saved.
He further explained that on Oct. 16, when the missionaries realized that they were being kidnapped after leaving an orphanage where they had gone to verify aid was received from the charity, the group began singing the chorus, The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them, based on Psalm 34:7 and it became one of their favorite anthems during their captivity.
Troyer said the missionaries also spent much of their time together during their captivity and prayed for the gang, among other things.
The hostages were able to spend their captivity together as a group. They spent many hours of each day praying, singing and encouraging each other. Unfortunately, they did not have a Bible, but they recited Bible verses by memory among themselves. They prayed for their captors and told them about Gods love and their need to repent, he said, asking for continued prayers for the missionaries as they return to normal life.
In discussing best practices learned from the kidnapping of the missionaries, which included 16 Americans and one Canadian, Troyer acknowledged that while all the missionaries were aware of the dangers of working in Haiti before, and tried to take proper security precautions, they intend to improve their security protocols.
We appreciate the desire of our staff to minister, even in dangerous places. However, this event has given us a heightened awareness of the need to strengthen our safety protocols and better instruct our people about the dangers involved, Troyer explained.
He asked the media to give the missionaries privacy as they return to normal life and noted that a press conference will be held at the headquarters of Christian Aid Ministries in Berlin, Ohio, at 10 a.m. on Dec. 20, where more information will be provided.
The steel industry came roaring back in 2021 after bearing the brunt of the pandemic last year, taking succor from a strong revival in end-market demand and an upswing in steel prices.
The pandemic put most commodities on a slippery ground last year and steel was no exception. A slowdown in demand across major end-use industries put a dent on the steel industry for much of the first half of 2020. In particular, the pandemic dealt a fresh blow to the U.S. steel industry, which reeled under the effects of the U.S.-China tariff war.
However, demand for steel picked up on the resumption of operations across major steel-consuming sectors such as automotive, construction and machinery, following the easing of lockdowns and restrictions globally. Steel prices have also witnessed an unprecedented surge this year on the back of an upturn in demand across key markets, tight supply conditions and low steel inventory throughout the supply chain.
Stocks of several steel companies have also popped this year driven by the positive momentum of the industry. Notable among them are Commercial Metals Company CMC, EVRAZ plc EVRZF and United States Steel Corporation X.
The rebound across major end-use industries such as construction and automotive represents a tailwind for the steel industry. An upturn in industrial activities is driving demand for steel. Demand remains robust across construction and manufacturing sectors. The automotive industry has rebounded following pandemic-led shutdowns on the back of strong customer demand. Order activities in non-residential construction and equipment also remain strong. Demand in non-residential construction is nearing pre-pandemic levels. Steel makers are also seeing improved conditions in the energy markets. However, the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus may disrupt economic activities and impact steel demand over the near term.
Steel prices have also escalated to record highs this year. Strong demand and persistent supply shortages have also led to a spike in U.S. steel prices this year to historically high levels, allowing domestic steel companies to churn out record profits despite an uptick in costs of raw materials, including ferrous scrap and headwinds from supply-chain and logistics issues.
After plummeting to a pandemic-led low of roughly $440 per short ton in August 2020, the benchmark hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices witnessed a significant rally, breaking above the $1,900 per short ton level in August 2021 on the back of a mismatch between supply and demand.
However, HRC prices have come under pressure since October after peaking in September 2021, pulled down by shorter lead times and a downturn in demand in automotive, resulting from production cuts by carmakers in the wake of the semiconductor shortage. Nevertheless, HRC prices (currently hovering below $1,700) remain elevated notwithstanding the recent correction, as they are well above the year-ago levels and nearly four-times higher than the August 2020 low.
Despite a slowdown in steel demand in the automotive space amid the ongoing chip crunch, healthy demand in other end markets including construction and supply disruptions due to mill outages and scheduled maintenance are likely to lend support to HRC prices through the balance of 2021 and into 2022, driving the profit margins of steel companies.
The massive infrastructure development project is also expected to be a significant catalyst for the American steel industry and U.S. HRC prices in 2022. On Nov 15, President Joe Biden signed the more than $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law following months of debate in Congress. The bill includes about $550 billion in new spending on roads, bridges, tunnels and the electric grid, as well as airports, broadband and other infrastructure improvements.
The U.S. steel industry has been urging for infrastructure package since the early days of the pandemic. The massive infrastructure spending would have a beneficial effect on the domestic steel industry, given the expected increase in consumption of the commodity that is used to make almost everything from rail tracks to roads to bridges and tunnels. Per the American Iron and Steel Institute, demand for domestic steel could increase by as much as five million tons for every $100 billion of new investment.
3 Steel Stocks Set to Run Higher
The steel industry has pulled off a comeback after being hobbled by the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic last year. Strong demand across major markets aided by higher industrial activities, still-elevated steel prices, and a sizable infrastructure investment augur well for the industry heading into 2022. Based on strong fundamentals, we have shortlisted stocks that are expected to continue their winning streak in 2022.
For this, we have taken the help of the Zacks Stock Screener to choose stocks that have a market cap of more than $1 billion and currently carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best investment options. Moreover, these stocks have gained more than 20% this year.
You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Here are the three steel stocks that meet the criteria:
Commercial Metals: Texas-based Commercial Metals, sporting a Zacks Rank #1, is gaining from robust steel demand, driven by elevated spending on the residential and construction sector in North America and recovery in the manufacturing sector. It continues to witness stellar demand for steel products across most end markets. In North America, the company is gaining from strong rebar demand, supported by the solid construction growth along with robust merchant bar and wire rod demand. Strength across the key end markets in both North America and Europe is supporting solid steel sales volumes. CMC also continues to gain from its ongoing network optimization efforts. It also has solid liquidity and financial position, and remains focused on reducing debt. These factors have contributed to its share price rally of around 65% this year.
Commercial Metals has expected earnings growth of 10.5% for fiscal 2022. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2022 earnings for CMC has been revised 6.6% upward over the last 60 days. The company has also outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters. In this time frame, it has delivered an average earnings surprise of roughly 7.4%.
EVRAZ: U.K.-based EVRAZ, carrying a Zacks Rank #1, is benefiting from higher steel, vanadium and coal product sales prices and improved activities in steel-consuming industries. Cost-reduction, productivity and customer focus initiatives are also driving its margins. EVRZF also remains focused on de-leveraging its balance sheet and is on track with its key development projects. These factors have contributed to its share price appreciation of around 27% this year.
EVRAZ has expected earnings growth of 9.5% for 2022. The consensus estimate for earnings for 2022 for EVRZF has been revised 31.9% upward over the last 60 days.
United States Steel: Pennsylvania-based United States Steel, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, is gaining from strong demand across end markets, its Best for All business model and higher domestic steel prices. It is witnessing strong consumer-driven demand. The investment in Big River Steel is also expected to be accretive to Xs earnings and will generate significant synergies. Cost-saving initiatives and efforts to improve operation efficiency are also driving its results. Driven by these factors, its shares have popped roughly 35% year to date.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings for United States Steel for 2022 has been revised 60.3% upward over the last 60 days. X has also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average being 24.5%.
Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022
In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2022?
From inception in 2012 through November, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained an impressive +962.5% versus the S&P 500s +329.4%. Now our Director of Research is combing through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Dont miss your chance to get in on these stocks when theyre released on January 3.
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United States Steel Corporation (X): Free Stock Analysis Report
Commercial Metals Company (CMC): Free Stock Analysis Report
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In the latest trading session, Crown Castle (CCI) closed at $198.58, marking a -1.76% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 1.78% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 1.61%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.95%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the operator of wireless communications towers had gained 11.09% over the past month. This has outpaced the Finance sector's loss of 3.34% and the S&P 500's loss of 2.63% in that time.
Crown Castle will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.72, down 26.18% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.62 billion, up 8.73% from the year-ago period.
CCI's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $6.89 per share and revenue of $6.31 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +1.62% and +7.99%, respectively.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Crown Castle. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. Crown Castle currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
In terms of valuation, Crown Castle is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 29.34. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 17.9.
It is also worth noting that CCI currently has a PEG ratio of 2.93. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.9 as of yesterday's close.
The REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry is part of the Finance sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 113, putting it in the top 45% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.
Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America
A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.
The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?
Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Crown Castle International Corporation (CCI): Free Stock Analysis Report
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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) The pipeline is built and being filled with natural gas. But Russias Nord Stream 2 faces a rocky road before any gas flows to Germany, with its new leaders adopting a more skeptical tone toward the project and tensions ratcheting up over Russias troop buildup at the Ukrainian border.
The pipeline opposed by Ukraine, Poland and the U.S. awaits approval from Germany and the European Union to bypass other countries and start bringing natural gas directly to Europe. The continent is struggling with a shortage that has sent prices surging, fueling inflation and raising fears about what would come next if gas supplies become critically low.
The U.S. has stressed targeting Nord Stream 2 as a way to counter any new Russian military move against Ukraine, and the project already faces legal and bureaucratic hurdles. As European and U.S. leaders confer on how to deal with Russia's pressure on Ukraine, persistent political objections particularly from EU members like Poland add another challenge to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's key projects.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed the pipeline, and the country's new leader, Olaf Scholz, did so as her finance minister. But his new government took a more distanced tone after the Greens party joined the governing coalition. The Greens' campaign position was that the fossil fuel pipeline doesn't help fight global warming and undermines strategic EU interests.
New German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have said the project doesnt meet EU anti-monopoly regulations.
Nord Stream 2 was a geopolitical mistake, Habeck recently told the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. The question is open if it will be able to start operating, adding that further aggression meant nothing is off the table.
Officials have not said what sanctions or other tools might be used on top of existing U.S. sanctions against ships connected to the project.
As chancellor, Scholz has been cautious in his comments, and its not clear if hes willing to go as far as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has said it's very unlikely that gas will flow if Russia renewed its aggression" toward Ukraine.
Pressed on whether an invasion would halt the pipeline, deputy German government spokesman Wolfgang Buechner said Nord Stream 2 is an undertaking of a private business that is largely completed and that regulatory approval has no political dimension. He stressed that military aggression would have high costs and sanctions," without saying what those might be.
Scholz "never makes things completely clear, said Stefan Meister, an expert on Russian energy policy at the German Council on Foreign Relations. So I am not sure under which conditions he would really agree to stop the pipeline."
Still, Meister said, there was a new tone, a new rhetoric from the new German government.
The pipeline would double the volume of gas pumped by Russian-controlled gas giant Gazprom directly to Germany, adding to a similar pipeline under the Baltic Sea and circumventing existing links through Poland and Ukraine. Gazprom argues it would allow more reliable long-term supply and help save billions in transit fees paid to Poland and Ukraine. Gazprom says the pipeline is part of its role as a long-term supplier of affordable energy to Europe, which is heavily dependent on natural gas imports.
Pipeline critics say it increases Russias leverage over Europe, pits member states against each other and deprives Ukraine of key financial support. Europe also went into winter with scant gas reserves that have sent prices soaring to eight times what they were at the start of the year, with Putin using the crunch to underline his push for final approval of the project.
Gazprom didn't sell gas above its long-term contracts this summer, further increasing unease about Russian motives. Analysts say existing pipelines have enough capacity for Gazprom to have sent more, but it filled domestic reserves first.
For now, the approval process for the pipeline is on hold. German regulators say they can only approve a company formed there, so the Swiss-based Nord Stream 2, owned by a Gazprom subsidiary, is creating a German arm. A decision wont come in the first half of 2022. The European Union's executive commission then must review the project.
Analysts say those decisions are legal, bureaucratic ones not subject to politics.
Critics say Nord Stream 2 doesn't meet an EU requirement to separate the gas supplier from the pipeline operator to prevent a monopoly that could hurt competition and mean higher prices for consumers.
Nord Stream said it undertakes all necessary efforts to ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations" and has permits by the four EU countries it passes through.
Even if the pipeline clears regulators, it's not necessarily in the clear because of Polands opposition. EU members can sue in the European Court of Justice if they disagree with regulators, said Alan Riley, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a lawyer specializing in European antitrust and energy issues. EU anti-monopoly rules could bring years of litigation, even a ruling temporarily halting pipeline operations until the case is decided.
This could go on for some time, Riley said. Final approval is not a slam-dunk by any means.
Konstantin Kosachev, a deputy speaker of the upper house of Russian parliament, deplored the artificial obstacles against quickly launching Nord Stream 2. While some argue that Europe has grown more dependent on Russian gas, the country has met all its obligations, he said.
The opponents of gas projects by Russia and the EU nations fear not that Russian supplies would fail, but just the opposite, that all problems would be solved, leaving no opportunity to accuse Moscow of harboring ill intentions or using energy as a weapon, Kosachev said.
Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz accused Russia's Gazprom in an EU complaint of abusing its dominant position on the European gas market. The company alleged in a statement Wednesday that Gazprom aimed to create an artificial deficit of gas" to pressure Europe into approving Nord Stream 2.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Germany has treated the pipeline as a purely commercial project and voiced hope that the certification process would steer clear of politics.
We just need to be patient, Peskov said in televised remarks, adding that the pipelines operator stands ready to meet German regulators demands. We hope that the project will be certified once the regulator completes its work.
Even if it never starts, Nord Stream 2 has been worth it for the Kremlin's geopolitical goals because it has sowed division among EU members and between Germany, the EU and the U.S., said Meister of the German Council on Foreign Relations.
Without being online, the pipeline has already repaid the Kremlin, he said. Politics and security always trump the economy in Russia.
___
Associated Press journalist Yuras Karmanau contributed from Kyiv, Ukraine.
WASHINGTON - While the country grapples with the latest coronavirus explosion due to the fast-spreading omicron variant, Anthony Fauci on Tuesday reassured those Americans who are vaccinated and boosted that they would have considerable protection from serious illness. But the nation's top infectious-disease expert joined other public health officials nationwide in reiterating to the millions who remain unvaccinated that they are "very vulnerable" to infection from the country's new dominant variant.
Fauci went one step further in predicting that omicron, which is even faster-spreading than the delta variant that sent infections spiking earlier in the year, "is going to find" those who are unvaccinated.
"That's why I worry about the people who refuse to get vaccinated. When you're dealing with any SARS-CoV-2 or covid-19 virus, it's a problem," he said to MSNBC's Alicia Menendez. "When you're dealing with one that spreads so rapidly and you are unvaccinated, the virus is going to find you."
His comments come as many Americans are flooding pharmacies and test centers for shots and at-home test kits ahead of the Christmas holiday. Similar warnings have been issued by President Biden and health experts in states such as Alabama and Arizona who fear what the latest surge in cases could mean for the unvaccinated.
"If you are not vaccinated, you are out of luck," Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told AL.com.
Biden insisted Tuesday that the United States would not lock down or close schools, and he announced plans to distribute a half-billion free at-home tests. But he also told unvaccinated Americans that they have a "patriotic duty" to get vaccinated.
"You have an obligation to yourselves, to your family and frankly, I know I'll get criticized for this, to your country," he said in the White House State Dining Room. "Get vaccinated now. It's free, it's convenient. I promise you, it saves lives."
Although early reports suggest that many people infected by omicron experience only mild symptoms - and that those who are boosted appear to be protected against severe illness - the White House is bracing for a new surge of hospital patients in the coming weeks. That surge is likely to be driven by unvaccinated Americans, as well as those with limited immune protection.
More than 189,000 new covid infections were reported Tuesday in the United States, bringing the country's seven-day average to 155,467, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. The country's cases have increased by about 27 percent in the last seven days; states such as New York, Illinois and Ohio are reporting the most new daily infections.
While more than 69,000 people are currently hospitalized, the rate of hospitalizations remains about the same compared to last week, data showed as of early Wednesday. Deaths, however, are increasing, as about 1,330 people are now dying each day of the virus. In Texas, Harris County Public Health reported this week that an unvaccinated Houston-area man in his 50s may be the first U.S. fatality publicly attributed to omicron.
Sixty-two percent of the country is fully vaccinated. Twenty-seven states have a vaccination rate that trails the national figure. Less than a third of the fully vaccinated population has received an additional vaccine dose.
In Alabama, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country at 47%, the omicron onslaught is raising concern after the state's health-care system was pushed to the brink during the delta-driven surge in September. Marrazzo emphasized to local media that monoclonal antibody treatments that showed success in limiting hospitalizations months ago are not effective this time around against omicron.
"The best thing you can do is make sure you are as boosted as possible," Marrazzo told AL.com. "I think if we can get enough people to embrace the tools we have, we can as a society hopefully avoid anything looking like a total lockdown."
In Arizona, which has a vaccination rate of 57%, health experts are warning of a potential increase in cases and hospitalizations, even as both remain lower than they were last week. Will Humble, executive director of the nonprofit Arizona Public Health Association, told KTVK that he feared hospitals would be overrun from the omicron surge next month.
"January of 2022, I think, is going to be the worst of the entire pandemic," Humble said. When asked about omicron, Humble added: "I liken it to those 'outbreak' movies that you see, where everyone is walking around in ignorant bliss for a period of time, before it really hits. I think that's where we are right now."
But even as omicron spreads across the United States, some Republicans and conservative pundits have pushed back on the repeated warnings from Biden, Fauci and other public health experts. Florida's state-sponsored commercials promoting vaccination have been pulled from the air and replaced with new ads that make no mention of vaccines, according to WPLG.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., accused the president Tuesday of vilifying unvaccinated Americans.
"To me, it is immoral, it's disgusting, and it is absolutely sickening to me that the president of the United States would try to vilify people who are trying merely to exercise a health-care choice," Biggs told Fox News.
When Ben Carson was asked on Fox about whether testing should not apply to those not showing any coronavirus symptoms, the former housing secretary during the Trump administration said officials should consider altering current recommendations for who gets tested.
"I personally think we should seriously give thought to not testing people who are asymptomatic," said Carson, a former neurosurgeon. "We're going to end up with a real problem. We're going to have massive numbers of people who test positive. What are we going to do? Are we going to shut everything down? It doesn't make any sense."
On MSNBC, Fauci said he foresees an abundance of "breakthrough infections" among the vaccinated population. He then directed attention back toward the unvaccinated population, which may suffer only "minimal symptomatology" and brush off the seriousness of omicron.
"But there are a lot of people that are going to get seriously ill if you are unvaccinated," he said, "and that's the reason, why despite the recalcitrance on the part of so many people to get vaccinated, we continue to encourage them, particularly in the context of this new variant, to please get vaccinated."
With the omicron variant spreading rapidly, the United States is all but certain to see a sharp rise in breakthrough coronavirus infections among vaccinated people. These cases were relatively rare in the pre-omicron days, but the new variant has shown an ability to slip past the body's first line of immune defenses. That means many Americans who have gotten the shots will at some point test positive.
Coronavirus vaccines act like a shield against disease, not an impenetrable barrier, and they offer protection against the omicron variant. Health authorities say booster shots of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are the best defense against serious illness, providing robust protection against severe disease. Your likelihood of developing a breakthrough infection is lowest if you have gotten the additional shot. The initial two-shot vaccine regimen still offers protection, but it's not as effective against the omicron variant without boosters.
If you do get a breakthrough infection, here's some advice on how to navigate it.
- What should I do if I test positive for the coronavirus?
While some breakthrough cases are asymptomatic, experts say most tend to bring mild to moderate symptoms. A cough, a sore throat, muscle aches and a low fever are common, but keep in mind that breakthrough symptoms do not always resemble the version of covid-19 seen in unvaccinated people. Some patients report headaches, nasal congestion and sneezing - signs of illness more typically associated with colds or allergies.
When you are feeling sick, or when you think you have been exposed to the coronavirus, the most important thing you can do from the get-go is to get tested. Laboratory-based polymerase chain reaction tests, or PCR tests, are most accurate, but at-home tests do a good job detecting symptomatic cases, too.
"Even if you think it's just allergies, it would be best for you to go ahead and get a covid test and make sure you don't have it before you go to work or school or church, because those symptoms can be very mild," said S. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist hospital.
A positive test, whether done at home, in a doctor's office or at a testing center, should be taken seriously, said Rob Murphy, an infectious-disease expert at Northwestern University.
Whether you have symptoms or not, you should first contact your health-care provider to determine the next steps. If you tested positive with a rapid test at home, a doctor may order a lab-based test for confirmation. Depending on your medical history, the doctor may recommend at-home care or clinical treatment.
You should also contact family members, friends, colleagues and anyone else you've had close contact with and tell them you have the coronavirus.
From there, follow the isolation recommendations from health officials (more on that below).
- How long should I isolate or quarantine with a breakthrough infection?
If you do not have any symptoms but have tested positive for the coronavirus, you should isolate from others for 10 full days, beginning the day after you took the test. If you develop symptoms during that time, you must start the clock over, according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you are symptomatic, start the 10-day period after first developing symptoms, the CDC said.
There is no doubt it can be tough for some people to isolate, particularly when there are multiple people under one roof. Murphy recommended using a separate bedroom and bathroom if possible and sanitizing high-touch surfaces if you have to share. He also advised wearing a mask and encouraging others in the house to do the same, staying at least six feet from other people and pets and, when weather permits, opening windows for ventilation.
The CDC also recommends avoiding sharing personal items such as dishes, utensils and towels.
While isolation is for people who have been infected, quarantine is for those who have been only exposed and possibly infected. People who have come into close contact with an infected person may need to quarantine. The CDC defines close contact as being within six feet for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
Those who have not been fully vaccinated should quarantine for a full 14 days after their last exposure to the person with the coronavirus, according to the CDC. Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine unless they develop symptoms, but they should get tested five to seven days after exposure and wear a mask indoors in public places for two weeks after exposure or until receiving a negative test result, the CDC said.
- If others in my household are sick, too, can we be together?
Yes, assuming everyone in the household has contracted the virus, there is no longer a need to separate from them, experts said.
- How can I treat breakthrough covid-19 at home? What supplies should I have on hand?
Many people with breakthrough infections may not need any special care. There is a good chance your symptoms will clear in a few days. But if you are uncomfortable, some at-home and over-the-counter remedies might help take the edge off.
Sterling N. Ransone, a family physician in Deltaville, Va., and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, recommends getting a thermometer and a pulse oximeter, the fingertip device that measures oxygen in your blood. These can help you send valuable information to your doctor if your symptoms worsen. "If they can get me those kinds of numbers, I can give them much better advice on what we can do," Ransone said.
Acetaminophen can help relieve aches and pains, and cold medications with expectorant can loosen up chest congestion. But it is important to note that these will alleviate symptoms only temporarily - they will not get rid of the virus faster. Consult with your doctor before taking them, follow the dosage recommendations on the label, and make sure they do not interfere with any other medications you might be taking.
Electrolyte fluids such as Gatorade and Pedialyte can ease symptoms and prevent you from becoming dehydrated. It is good to have a few of these in your fridge.
It is also worth keeping extra masks handy. N95s, KN95s and surgical masks are now easy to order online.
Putting together a kit with these items can save you a trip to the store if you do end up getting sick. "We have everything ready, so if we were to start feeling ill we could go home and we've already preplanned," Ransone said. "We don't risk exposing our friends and neighbors."
- How long will I be contagious?
You are considered contagious during the entire 10-day isolation period. Although it's unlikely, if symptoms such as a cough or fever persist past that point you may still be contagious, said Murphy, executive director of Northwestern's Robert J. Havey MD Institute for Global Health.
"With these breakthroughs, the whole clinical course is so mild that many of them pretty much recover in a day or two and they're just waiting to get out of isolation," he said.
Murphy said it may take a while for a loss of taste and smell to return, but that does not mean you can still spread the virus.
- Do I need to test negative before rejoining the community?
No. Once you hit the 10-day mark, you should be fine to commingle again, as long as your symptoms are improving and you have gone 24 hours without a fever without using fever-reducing medication. You may still test positive after this point, but health officials say you are not contagious.
- Should I ask my doctor about coronavirus therapies?
Yes. If you are vaccinated, you are probably going to bounce back from a case of covid-19 without medical intervention. But it can't hurt to ask, especially if you have any conditions that put you at higher risk for severe illness.
That said, our armory of tools for combating covid-19 is changing. The omicron variant has hobbled the use of monoclonal antibodies, laboratory-made molecules that excelled against the other variants. Only one monoclonal antibody treatment, sotrovimab, is expected to work against the omicron variant, and it's not easy to get.
Other new treatments will become available soon. Federal regulators Wednesday authorized an antiviral drug from Pfizer that appears to reduce the risk of severe illness in high-risk patients when it is administered in the first few days of symptoms. Merck has developed a similar drug that has not yet been authorized.
Overall, experts emphasize that vaccines and booster shots are still the best defense. "If you're counting on monoclonals instead of getting vaccinated," said Long, of Houston Methodist, "it's time to get vaccinated so your body can go and make its own, more effective antibodies."
- What should I do if my symptoms become more serious?
If your symptoms get noticeably worse after a few days, call your doctor. You may need clinical treatment.
Trouble breathing is an immediate cause for concern, said Ransone, the family physician. "If they cough so much they can't catch their breath, or they're so short-winded they can't get a whole sentence out, that's something that needs to be evaluated in person," he said.
Other signs of an infection becoming more severe include a temperature moving above 102 degrees, confusion and blue coloration in the face.
If you feel seriously ill and you can't reach your doctor quickly, head to the nearest emergency room, experts said. Ask a friend or family member to drive you if possible, but note that everyone in the vehicle should be wearing a mask. If nobody is available, don't take public transportation, which could expose more people - just call 911.
"If you need medical care, you shouldn't delay, said Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "Call an ambulance."
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The music shortlists for Oscar consideration, announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, might just be the most star-studded lineup in history.
Nearly all of the 15 songs on the list for potential nomination have been written or recorded by pop superstars, and the approximately 375 members of Oscars music branch are going to have a difficult time paring the list down to five best-song nominees.
The most interesting matchup involves spouses Jay-Z (cited for his song Guns Go Bang from The Harder They Fall, Jay-Z also serving as the films producer) and Beyonce (for her Be Alive from King Richard).
Three songs on the shortlist are by past Oscar winners: H.E.R., last years surprise victor for Fight for You, has Automatic Woman from Bruised in contention; La La Land songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are co-writers of The Anonymous Ones from Dear Evan Hansen; and Jennifer Hudson is one of the writers on Here I Am (Singing My Way Home) from the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect. Hudson could potentially be in the running for Best Actress come nominations morning.
James Bond theme No Time to Die already a Grammy winner for writers Billie Eilish and Finneas is a likely lock for a nomination. Songs from animated movies are always serious contenders, and this year they include Lin-Manuel Mirandas Dos Oruguitas from Encanto and U2s Your Song Saved My Life from Sing 2. Should Miranda go all the way, he would complete his EGOT with the win here.
Sparks has So May We Start? from Annette, Ariana Grande Just Look Up from Dont Look Up, and Idina Menzel Dream Girl from Cinderella.
Music royalty from earlier generations who could snag nominations include Van Morrison for Down to Joy from Belfast, Brian Wilson for Right Where I Belong from the documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road and Carole King, co-writer with Hudson on the song from Respect.
Twelve-time nominee (thus far without a win) Diane Warren is back in the mix with Somehow You Do from the obscure drama Four Good Days, and the well-liked CODA is also on the list with Beyond the Shore, by veteran pop producer Marius De Vries.
Most of the 15 original scores on Oscars 2021 shortlist were predictable, including two by Radioheads Jonny Greenwood The Power of the Dog and Spencer and two by movie-music veteran and past Oscar winner Hans Zimmer: the sci-fi Dune and the 007 epic No Time to Die.
But this years list was also surprisingly diverse, including one woman and four persons of color: Mexican-American composer Germaine Franco was cited for her colorful Encanto score. Three African-American composers also made the list: Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe for Candyman, Jeymes Samuel for The Harder They Fall and Kris Bowers for King Richard.
The only other past Oscar winner to gain a spot on the list is Alexandre Desplat, for The French Dispatch, although four previous Oscar nominees are also included: Daniel Pemberton for Being the Ricardos, Nicholas Britell for Dont Look Up, Alberto Iglesias for Parallel Mothers and Carter Burwell for The Tragedy of Macbeth. Two period pieces round out the list: The Last Duel by Harry Gregson-Williams and The Green Knight by Daniel Hart.
Conspicuous by their absence: Nathan Johnsons score for Nightmare Alley, which may have been unveiled too late for most voters to see; and two songs by The National from Cyrano.
Music-branch voters chose from 84 eligible songs and 136 eligible scores. Voting for the final five nominees in each category begins Jan. 27, and the nominations will be announced on Feb. 8. The 94th Academy Awards are on March 27.
The alphabetical lists follow. The Academy announced only the film titles and song titles, not the specific composers or songwriters.
Music (Original Score)
Being the Ricardos
Candyman
Dont Look Up
Dune
Encanto
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
The Green Knight
The Harder They Fall
King Richard
The Last Duel
No Time to Die
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog
Spencer
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Music (Original Song)
So May We Start? from Annette
Down To Joy from Belfast
Right Where I Belong from Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road
Automatic Woman from Bruised
Dream Girl from Cinderella
Beyond The Shore from CODA
The Anonymous Ones from Dear Evan Hansen
Just Look Up from Dont Look Up
Dos Oruguitas from Encanto
Somehow You Do from Four Good Days
Guns Go Bang from The Harder They Fall
Be Alive from King Richard
No Time To Die from No Time to Die
Here I Am (Singing My Way Home) from Respect
Your Song Saved My Life from Sing 2
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The Capitol Police gained new powers when Biden on Wednesday signed into law a bill authorizing the police chief to unilaterally request emergency backup from the National Guard and federal law enforcement, an effort to streamline a process that resulted in delays during the Jan. 6 attack.
When the bill cleared Congress last week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said in a statement that Jan. 6 showed us that every minute counts during an emergency. Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police were quickly overwhelmed at the Capitol on Jan. 6 when a crowd filled with Trump supporters breached the building where lawmakers were certifying Bidens election victory, leading to five deaths and dozens of injured police officers.
Our report found that Capitol Police officers and their law enforcement partners were left alone to defend the Capitol and our democracy itself from violent insurrectionists, while the Chief of the Capitol Police was delayed in obtaining approval to request help from the National Guard, Klobuchar said. This legislation will help ensure the Capitol Police Chief has the authority needed to call for reinforcements at the Capitol swiftly during emergencies.
A bipartisan investigation into the failures of Jan. 6 concluded that the need to await Capitol Police Board approval during an emergency hindered the ability to request National Guard assistance quickly. On Jan. 6, the law required the Capitol Police chief get approval first from the Capitol Police Board, a group that oversees the force and consists of the House and Senate sergeants at arms, the architect of the Capitol, and the police chief. The new law removes that requirement and also mandates that the board appear publicly at joint oversight hearings, something that hasnt happened since 1945, according to the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
This bipartisan bill addresses a major security challenge that was evident on January 6th, and is part of our ongoing effort to strengthen Capitol security moving forward, said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
HONG KONG (AP) A monument at a Hong Kong university that commemorates the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre was removed by workers early Thursday over the objections of its creator from Denmark.
The 8-meter (26-foot) tall Pillar of Shame, which depicts 50 torn and twisted bodies piled on top of each other, was made by Danish sculptor Jens Galschit to symbolize the lives lost during the bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijings Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
Workers barricaded the monument at the University of Hong Kong late Wednesday night. Drilling sounds and loud clanging could be heard coming from the boarded-up site, which was patrolled by guards.
The dismantling of the sculpture came days after pro-Beijing candidates scored a landslide victory in the Hong Kong legislative elections, after amendments in election laws allowed the vetting of all candidates to ensure that they are patriots loyal to Beijing.
The removal also happened in the same week that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam traveled to Beijing to report on developments in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, where authorities have silenced dissent following the implementation of a sweeping national security law that appeared to target much of the pro-democracy movement following mass protests in 2019.
The Pillar of Shame monument became an issue in October, with the university demanding that it be removed, even as activists and rights groups protested. Galschit offered to take it back to Denmark provided he was given legal immunity that he won't be persecuted under Hong Kong's national security law, but has not succeeded so far.
No party has ever obtained any approval from the university to display the statue on campus, and the university has the right to take appropriate actions to handle it at any time, the university said in a statement Thursday.
Latest legal advice given to the university cautioned that the continued display of the statue would pose legal risks to the university based on the Crimes Ordinance enacted under the Hong Kong colonial government."
The university said that it had requested for the statue to be put in storage and would continue to seek legal advice on follow-up actions.
In October, the university informed the now-defunct candlelight vigil organizer, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, that it had to remove the statue following the latest risk assessment and legal advice.
The organization had said that it was dissolving, citing a climate of oppression, and that it did not own the sculpture. The university was told to speak to its creator instead.
When reached by The Associated Press, sculptor Galschit said he was only aware of what was happening to the sculpture Wednesday from social media and other reports.
We dont know exactly what happened, but I fear they destroy it, he said. This is my sculpture, and it is my property.
Galschit said that he would sue the university if necessary to protect the sculpture.
He had previously written to the university to assert his ownership of the monument, although his requests had gone largely ignored.
Over 100 pro-democracy activists have been arrested since Beijing implemented the national security law in Hong Kong. It outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion to intervene in the citys affairs. Critics say it rolled back freedoms promised to Hong Kong when it was handed over to China by Britain in 1997.
The Pillar of Shame monument has been erected for over two decades, and initially stood at Hong Kongs Victoria Park before eventually being moved to the University of Hong Kong on a long-term basis.
Each year on June 4, members of the now-defunct student union would wash the statue to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre. The city, together with Macao, were previously the only places on Chinese soil where commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown was allowed.
Over the past two years, the annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong had been banned by authorities, who cited public risks from the coronavirus pandemic.
Some 24 activists were charged for their roles in the Tiananmen vigil last year, during which activists turned up and thousands followed, breaking past barricades in the park to sing songs and light candles despite the police ban on the event.
As the Omicron variant continues to turn up in wastewater treatment plants around the city, a growing number of prominent Houston restaurants and bars are temporarily ceasing service out of caution or in response to positive tests among staff for the virus.
Popular Heights gastropub Better Luck Tomorrow announced Monday it would be closing indefinitely in response to breakthrough COVID cases detected in its staff.
"Despite widespread vaccinations among our staff, COVID has broken through," the restaurant shared in an Instagram post. "We are closed as of today while we take steps to further the health of our staff and guests. We look forward to seeing you all again as soon as possible."
The closing follows a rash of similar cessations announced across Houston in the past week. On Sunday, Chris Shepherd's Underbelly Hospitality group announced a temporary halt of service at all Houston concepts, including popular spots Georgia James, the Hay Merchant and One/Fifth. The restaurant group cited Omicron for the stoppage, which began on Sunday and went through Tuesday night.
"Thanks to Omicron, all Underbelly Hospitality concepts will be closed Sunday, December 19 through Tuesday, December 21," the group stated. "We're so sorry for the inconvenience, but we're taking every precaution to keep our staff and guests healthy. Please stay safe, and we'll see you soon!"
Midtown cocktail bar Double Trouble is slated to reopen Wednesday at noon after closing for the weekend to allow staff time to be tested for the virus. The bar noted the decision to close was a precautionary measure.
Other notable closures from the past week include Heights small plates spot Squable and EaDo's Tiny Champions. Squable on Friday announced breakthrough cases among vaccinated staff as its reason for suspending service. The restaurant remains closed as of this writing.
As first reported by the Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook, Tiny Champions on Friday sent a text to patrons informing them all reservations would be canceled for the weekend. The restaurant noted on Instagram that Omicron was the reason for the closure and offered a limited interim takeout menu in lieu of in-person dining. Tiny Champions resumed dine-in service Tuesday.
New American spot Nobie's in Upper Kirby on Monday also informed patrons it would be closing due to COVID-19. The restaurant plans to reopen Tuesday, December 28 following the holiday weekend.
On Monday Judge Lina Hidalgo raised Harris County's official COVID-19 threat status to "Level 2: Orange" and advised residents to remain vigilant after the county recorded its first reported death linked to the Omicron variant.
"I know for folks in Harris County this feels like whiplash," Hidalgo said. "I feel the impulse to tune out the latest news and just be sick and tired of all this. But as we've been expecting, the Omicron variant of of COVID-19 has arrived in full force."
Steve Prezant/Getty Images
A Texas woman who was arrested in late November for allegedly brandishing a firearm in the parking lot of an H-E-B has just been met with a lawsuit delivered by witness Diane Reyes, according to KRIS TV in Corpus Christi.
Reyes' report states that on Wednesday, November 24, she drove to the Annaville Corpus Christi grocery store to buy food for Thanksgiving dinner with two friends and her 6-month old daughter in tow. Upon arrival, Rossie Dennis, 60, allegedly pointed a gun at the car and threatened to shoot Reyes over a parking space.
Sunday, Dec. 26
On this date in 1864, the Supreme Court of the Territory of Arizona held its first session in Prescott.
On this date in 1874, the citizens of Arizona, California and New Mexico petitioned the Postmaster General for daily mail service from San Diego to Mesilla, New Mexico.
On this date in 1929, the Southern Arizona Automobile Company at Douglas was destroyed by fire. The loss was estimated at $200,000.
Monday, Dec. 27
On this date in 1919, the city of Phoenix attempted an experiment with a municipally operated store selling government blankets, underwear, beans and corned beef in an effort to combat the high cost of living.
Tuesday, Dec. 28
On this date in 1866, the Rev. Charles M. Blake held the first Presbyterian Church service in Arizona in a log cabin in Prescott.
On this date in 1881, Marshall Virgil Earp of Tombstone was shot in the back and crippled for life.
On this date in 1903, a fire started in the furnace room of the Arizona State Capitol. Because of the distance of the building from the nearest fire hydrant, nearly an hour elapsed before firefighters were able to turn their hoses on the blaze. The only loss was two and a half cords of cedar firewood.
On this date in 1929, it was announced that military airplanes would be used to make serial photographs of the ancient irrigation canals of the Gila and Salt River Valleys before all traces of them were destroyed by modern farming and irrigation.
Wednesday, Dec. 29
On this date in 1863, Gov. Richard C. McCormick, the first Territorial Governor, and a party of newly appointed officials reached Navajo Springs where McCormick administered the oath of office to his party, read his proclamation and raised the flag.
On this date in 1919, fire broke out in the 96th Aero Squadron camp at Douglas and 250 aerial bombs exploded, causing $100,000 damage.
On this date in 1931, the University of Arizona College of Law was elected to membership in the Association of American Law Schools.
Thursday, Dec. 30
On this date in 1853, under the terms of the Gadsden Purchase, the U.S. agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for 45,535 square miles of land below the Gila from the Rio Grande to the Colorado River.
On this date in 1911, the Federal Court sat for the last time in Tombstone. After adjourning there the court was scheduled to reopen in Phoenix under a new judge to be appointed by President William Howard Taft.
On this date in 1916, as a result of a very close, contested election, Thomas E. Campbell, Republican, and George W.P. Hunt, Democrat, both took oaths of office as Governor of Arizona after which Hunt refused to vacate the Governors office and Campbell opened a temporary office in his home.
On this date in 1929, the annual meeting of the Arizona Pioneers Historical Society was held in the Societys new quarters in the University of Arizona stadium building.
Friday, Dec. 31
On this date in 1908, Dr. James Douglas was named president of the Phelps Dodge Corp.
On this date in 1914, 300 Arizona saloons reported a rush of business as they prepared to close at midnight in compliance with the new prohibition amendment.
On this date in 1934, the second earthquake in two days shook Arizona with damage reported from Phoenix to Nogales.
Saturday, Jan. 1
On this date in 1875, four convicted murderers escaped from a jail in Tucson.
On this date in 1877, the 9th Territorial Legislature, the last one to meet in Tucson, convened.
On this date in 1915, giving women the right to vote becomes law in Arizona.
On this date in 1921, a damage suit was brought against the Arizona Eastern Railroad alleging negligence. According to the complaint, 34 ostriches died or were killed in transit.
On this date in 1927, the first seven in a series of 50 earthquake shocks occurred. The shocks lasted three days and caused extensive damage in areas of Arizona, California and Mexico.
CHICAGO (AP) A Chicago firefighter has died days after he was badly burned helping battle an apartment building fire that killed one person and injured two others.
After MaShawn Plummer, 30, died Tuesday at the Loyola University Medical Center, his body was moved to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office in a procession that included fire trucks, ambulances and police vehicles.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. (AP) Chuck Hunt, the husband of the first woman to serve as governor of Massachusetts, has died.
Hunt died Tuesday in hospice care in his Williamstown home of end-stage kidney disease and surrounded by his family, former acting Gov. Jane Swift said in an email. He was 67.
A private man who farmed and worked in construction, Charles T. Hunt III was thrust into the public eye in 2001 when Swift, a Republican who had been elected lieutenant governor, was named acting governor when Gov. Paul Cellucci was appointed U.S. ambassador to Canada.
Hunt became a full-time father to the couple's three daughters during his wife's political career.
He was the states best-known stay-at-home father during those years, a role he relished," the email from Swift said. "He dedicated himself and his time wholeheartedly to raising his daughters. He was a full-time dad, and he was great at it. He handled the criticism, lack of respect for stay-at-home fathers and mean-spirited press with dignity and grace during that period of his life."
A standout athlete in high school, he worked as a high school athletic director, football and baseball coach for a time, operated heavy equipment, and worked at his family dairy farm and several other area dairy farms.
Farming was his passion, and he was clearly at peace on his tractor," according to the email from Swift.
In fact, it was through a shared commitment to saving the state's dairy industry that Hunt and Swift met, marrying in 1994.
Swift asked Wednesday on social media for donations in her husband's name to Wonderfund, a nonprofit that supports children involved with state child welfare officials.
Hunt cared (quietly) and deeply about children whose childhoods were marked by abuse & neglect," she wrote.
Calling hours are scheduled for Sunday at the Flynn & Dagnoli Funeral Home in North Adams. A funeral Mass is scheduled for Monday morning at Sts. Patrick and Raphael Church in Williamstown.
OLD LYME Revisiting America: The Prints of Currier & Ives exhibit can be seen through Jan. 23 at the Florence Griswold Museum, at 96 Lyme St.
Currier & Ives, a prolific printmaking firm based in New York City in the 19th century, was founded by Nathaniel Currier in 1834, and expanded by partner James Merritt Ives in 1856, according to a museum announcement.
The firm, dubbed the Grand Central Depot for Cheap and Popular Prints, produced millions of affordable copies of more than 7,000 lithographs, the press release said. Revisiting America displays lithographs from the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, which has a collection of nearly 600 Currier & Ives prints donated by Conagra Brands.
Currier & Ives the announcement said.
Revisiting America provides an opportunity for viewers to contemplate the complexities and contradictions of Americas past, the news release said. For many people, what could be more iconic representations of America than the prints of Currier & Ives? For others, they are reminders of harmful stereotypes of the poor and Indigenous and enslaved peoples.
Museum curator Amy Kurtz Lansing has expanded upon the exhibitions original scholarship with a section discussing artist Frances Flora Bond Palmer, examples of how Currier & Ives images were rediscovered and used in the 20th century, an explanation of lithography, and additions pertaining to the Griswold family.
Such prints were reproduced on Christmas cards, collectibles, stamps, everyday dishes, and glassware, the announcement said. Examples of these items are on display.
Connecticut artist George Henry Durrie, whose snowy views of country homes appeared in nearly a dozen Currier & Ives lithographs, are the among the most commonly reproduced as evocations of Thanksgiving and Christmas, the announcement said.
Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (until 4 p.m. in January). The museum is closed on Christmas and New Years. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $8 for students, free to those 12 and under.
For information and a virtual tour of the exhibit, go to FlorenceGriswoldMuseum.org or call 860-434-5542.
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) A former jailer in Webster County is facing charges accusing her of helping an inmate escape.
The Fort Dodge Messenger reports that 30-year-old Michelle Renee Valenti of Fort Dodge faces several felony charges in connection with the Dec. 11 incident in which an inmate, 43-year-old Jordan Mefferd of Fort Dodge, was able to break out of the jail. Mefferd was taken back into custody hours later, and now faces a felony escape charge.
The jury deliberating at Kim Potter's manslaughter trial in the shooting death of Daunte Wright asked a judge whether the officer's handgun could be freed from an evidence box so they could hold it.
Their question Tuesday went to the heart of the former police officer's claim that she made a tragic mistake when she grabbed her gun, instead of her Taser, and shot Wright during a traffic stop April 11 in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.
Prosecutors had highlighted the differences in the look, feel and weight between Potter's gun and Taser, and had promised jurors they would be able to handle them during deliberations.
Taser-gun mix-ups are rare but have happened in several states in recent years.
Here are some questions and answers about such incidents:
HOW FREQUENTLY DOES THIS HAPPEN?
Experts agree that such incidents are rare and probably happen fewer than once per year throughout the U.S. A 2012 article published in the monthly law journal Americans for Effective Law Enforcement documented nine cases dating back to 2001 in which officers shot suspects with handguns when they said they meant to fire stun guns.
The phenomena of weapons confusion is well known in policing, according to the prosecution's use-of-force expert, Seth Stoughton, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He testified that he knew of fewer than 20 cases since Tasers were introduced in 1993 in which officers used their firearms instead. He said the manufacturer has taken steps to try to prevent such errors and it's become an important part of the training officers get.
WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?
Reasons that have been cited include officer training, the way they carry their weapons and the pressure they feel during dangerous and chaotic situations. To avoid confusion, officers typically carry their stun guns on their weak sides, away from handguns holstered on their dominant hands side. Thats how Potter carried hers.
Jurors at Potter's trial heard testimony from a state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent about the differences between the two weapons and how officers use them, with photographs to illustrate.
Sam McGinnis testified that the holsters on Potters duty belt require an officer to take deliberate actions to release the weapons. The gun holster has a snap, while the Taser holster has a lever. The black handgun weighs just over 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms), while the mostly yellow Taser weighs just under a pound (0.45 kilograms), he said.
The Taser and gun also have different triggers, grips and safety mechanisms that must be engaged before firing, McGinnis testified. The Taser has a laser and LED lights that display before it is fired, which he demonstrated for the jury, while the handgun does not.
WHAT DOES THE DEFENSE SAY?
The defense brought in a use-of-force expert to testify that in chaotic situations like Wright's traffic stop, a persons ingrained training takes over.
Laurence Miller, a psychologist who teaches at Florida Atlantic University, said that the more someone repeats the same act, the less they have to think about it. He said that when a person learns a new skill, memory of an old skill might override that, resulting in an action error in which an intended action has an unintended effect.
You intend to do one thing, think youre doing that thing, but do something else and only realize later that the action that you intended was not the one you took, he said.
We are in a human business, defense attorney Paul Engh said. "Police officers are human beings. And thats what occurred.
Bill Lewinski, an expert on police psychology and the founder of the Force Science Institute in Mankato, Minnesota, has used the term slip and capture errors to describe the phenomenon.
Lewinski, who has testified on behalf of police, has said officers sometimes perform the direct opposite of their intended actions under stress that their actions slip and are captured by a stronger response. He notes that officers train far more often on drawing and firing their handguns than they do on using their stun guns.
Other experts are skeptical of the theory.
Theres no science behind it, said Geoffrey Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina and an expert on police use of force. Its a good theory, but we have no idea if its accurate.
Alpert said a major factor in why officers mistakenly draw their firearms is that stun guns typically look and feel like a firearm.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER CASES?
In one of the best-known cases, a transit officer responding to a fight at a train station in Oakland, California, killed 22-year-old Oscar Grant in 2009. Johannes Mehserle testified at trial that, fearing Grant had a weapon, he reached for his stun gun but mistakenly pulled his .40-caliber handgun instead.
Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison. His department paid $2.8 million to Grants daughter and her mother.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a white volunteer sheriffs deputy, Robert Bates, said he accidentally fired his handgun when he meant to deploy his stun gun on an unarmed Black man, Eric Harris, who was being held down by other officers in 2015.
Bates apologized for killing Harris but described his deadly mistake as a common problem in law enforcement, saying This has happened a number of times around the country. ... You must believe me, it can happen to anyone.
Bates was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. Tulsa County ultimately agreed to pay $6 million to Harris estate to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit.
In 2019, a suburban St. Louis police officer, Julia Crews, said she meant to use her stun gun but mistakenly grabbed her service revolver and shot a suspected shoplifter, Ashley Hall, who suffered serious injuries. Crews resigned and was charged with second-degree assault. That was eventually dropped at Halls request after the victim and the former officer agreed to participate in restorative justice mediation. Separately, the city of Ladue agreed to a $2 million settlement with Hall.
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Find the APs full coverage of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Oklahoma health officials announced Tuesday that theyve detected the states first confirmed case of the omicron COVID-19 variant.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health didnt release any information about where the case originated or whether the person was vaccinated.
The variants appearance in the state had been expected as it has been spreading throughout the United States.
Early research is indicating that the mitigation methods weve been using to combat COVID-19 are still the best way to detect and prevent severe illness from the omicron variant," interim Commissioner of Health Keith Reed said in a statement. Getting your COVID-19 shot is the best way to protect yourself and others, even from new variants like this one."
Oklahoma was one of the last states to confirm the presence of omicron. Federal health officials said Monday that omicron is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of infections last week.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Oklahoma declined over the past two weeks, going from 1,245.43 new cases per day on Dec. 5 to 788.14 new cases per day on Dec. 19, but the number of daily deaths increased during the same time period, from 17.71 deaths per day to 28.33 per day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
About 53% of Oklahomans are fully vaccinated, well below the national average of 61.6%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
GREENWICH Sammy, a Belgian shepherd, paid a visit to local students recently as part of the Marshall Legacy Institutes annual CHAMPS presentation on the importance of her former work as a mine detection dog.
Sammy, who retired from her work in the fall of 2019 as a mine detection dog, visited with the third-, fourth- and fifth-graders on the Stamford campus of North Mianus School on Nov. 17.
North Mianus has been actively involved with CHAMPS, or Children Against Mines Program, for the past 11 years and has helped to sponsor three dogs Palmer, Emily and Hawk who are all currently in active service throughout the world.
After six years of dedicated and lifesaving work sniffing out landmines in Sri Lanka, MDD Sammy is retired and serves as MLIs canine ambassador.
Retired Col. Perry F. Baltimore III, a West Point graduate and one of the founders of the MLI, accompanied Sammy on her visit to the campus. He received a surprise visit there from Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo, who presented him with a proclamation honoring his partnership with Greenwich Public Schools and celebrating his pending retirement from the MLI.
We thank Col. Baltimore for his partnership with North Mianus, Principal Angela Schmidt said. His years of dedication to our country and children worldwide has made this planet a safer place to live.
The proclamation designated Nov. 17 as Col. Perry Baltimore and CHAMPS Day in town.
Camillo praised Baltimore for his 27 years of service in the military and for his work with the MLI, in which he has helped children all over the world who have been exposed to the dangers of land mines.
Also, Camillo honored Baltimore for personally supporting several Greenwich elementary schools and forming connections with teachers and administrators. He also noted the friendships that North Mianus School has formed with countries across the world that have experienced the dangers of landmines.
The MLI was founded by Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan in 1997 to extend the legacy of Nobel Peace Laureate George C. Marshall by locating, securing and applying skills and resources to alleviate suffering, restore hope and create conditions that nurture stability in countries affected by conflict.
In 1999, the MLI launched the Mine Detection Dog Partnership Program. Using government and private donations, dogs are purchased and trained for landmine removal organizations within a mine-affected country. There are currently more than 900 mine detection dogs working in 24 countries; MLI has donated more than 250 of those dogs.
The highly trained explosive-sniffing dogs are sent to the neediest of countries, and local handlers are trained to safely and effectively employ the lifesaving dogs to locate the deadly devices so they can be removed.
For more information on the Marshall Legacy Institute, a Virginia-based nonprofit, visit www.Marshall-Legacy.org.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) A group has submitted petitions asking Ohio lawmakers to pass a bill allowing adults to legally use and grow marijuana plants.
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol on Tuesday submitted more than 200,000 signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State. That office and county boards of election will verify if the group collected the nearly 133,000 valid signatures from 44 counties required to place the issue in front of lawmakers.
INYO COUNTY, Calif. (AP) Altitude sickness and severe storm conditions likely caused a man to fall to his death while trying to climb Mount Whitney in the eastern Sierra Nevada, authorities said Tuesday.
The Inyo County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Eric Goepfert, 50, had planned a five-day, four-night trip in the backcountry. His wife called the sheriff's office when he didn't come home as planned Dec. 17.
Two days later, searchers using an avalanche probe found Goepferts body under deep snow at the base of the Ebersbacher Ledges.
Investigators said they believe Goepfert was experiencing headache and nausea, which are symptoms of acute mountain sickness. Two major storms also ripped through the eastern part of the Sierra mountain range and the snow, high winds, and single-digit temperatures likely caused him to fall 30 feet (9 meters), they said.
Goepfert served in the U.S. Army and was an active Army reservist.
Whitney lies on the boundary of Sequoia National Park and Inyo National Forest and is the most frequently climbed peak in the Sierra Nevada, according to the National Park Service.
It rises to around 14,500 feet (4,420 meters) and is the tallest peak in the U.S. outside of Alaska.
The mountain has claimed several lives over the years.
In April, Saulo Sifuentes Escalante, 36, of Conroe, Texas fell to his death during a day hike to the peak.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Amid a surge in coronavirus hospitalizations in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced $100 million in emergency funding Tuesday to ramp up hospital and nursing home staffing and make more testing, treatments and vaccines available.
As I have been warning for the past few weeks, we are entering another pivotal moment in the fight against COVID-19, Hogan said. We will continue to constantly monitor this surge and take additional actions as needed.
Hogan said he's also mobilizing the Maryland National Guard to provide support personnel to expand testing sites and hours.
The emergency funding includes $50 million to stabilize hospital staffing and another $50 million to expand the availability of COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines at hospitals and nursing homes, Hogan said. The state also will provide $30 million for schools to purchase testing resources, he said.
Hogan, who is working from home after testing positive for the coronavirus himself on Monday, made the announcement via video. He said he was only experiencing cold-like symptoms, something he attributes to getting vaccinated. He urged others to do the same.
While 91% of adults in the state are vaccinated, staff will continue to work to reach those who still aren't, he said.
Right now that remaining 9% is responsible for more than 75% of our COVID-19 hospitalizations, pushing our hospital systems and our health care heroes to the brink," he said. Were pleading with those people. Please do not wait until its too late or until you get too sick. Go out now and get vaccinated.
Maryland reported 6,218 new cases on Tuesday, the highest number of cases reported on one day during the pandemic. The seven-day average testing positivity rate grew to 11.6%, a 1.4% change from a day earlier.
The National Guard will provide support personnel to expand testing sites and hours. Annapolis and Prince Georges County testing sites will expand operations sites to six days a week, officials said. Testing at the State Center site in Baltimore will also expand, with at-home rapid test kits available on site.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations grew to 1,392, an increase of more than 180% in the last month. Hogan said projections show that the hospitalizations could surpass 2,000 with a peak in mid-to-late January, which is typically the peak of flu season.
The number of coronavirus deaths has not been updated since Maryland officials took state health department servers offline amid an apparent cyberattack earlier this month. The state reported 11,022 deaths on Dec. 4. Health officials began reporting case numbers and positivity rate data again Monday after a more than two week interruption.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) Long before the pandemic and mobile apps, Greeks took pride in their delivery culture, the ease with which hot meals, repaired items, coffees and cold beers could appear in minutes by motorbike or carried on a hanging tray.
This Christmas season, a life-saving service has been added to the list.
Booster shots are being delivered by taxi as the country races to shore up its defenses before the widely expected impact of the omicron variant.
Health services are distributing the shots also using municipal vans or with doctors simply sent out on foot to reach older people, and people with disabilities like Athens resident Eleni Louka.
The 74-year-old, recovering from a lumbar fracture, got her booster Wednesday after health care workers arrived in a commissioned cab.
I would get it at the (vaccination center) but I have terrible pains and I cant even sit in the car, Louka told The Associated Press from her home in the capitals northern Halandri district. I just do what the doctors tell me: I get my shots and I take my meds.
Although only two-thirds of the population in Greece is fully vaccinated, booster-shot uptake has seen a surge in recent weeks with nearly 30% of the population now having received their third vaccine dose.
The country is fighting a sharp increase in COVID 19-related deaths with more than 4,000 deaths since Nov. 1 out of a total 20,000 that has put pressure on the public health service.
Starting in mid-January, country residents over age 60 will face a 100-euro ($112) monthly fine if they fail to get vaccinated or get their booster shot in time.
People with disabilities can qualify for an exemption but doctor and health visitor Evgenia Papadima, who administered the shot to Louka on Wednesday, says they may be among the most vulnerable to illness.
With omicron coming, weve got to get people vaccinated and for people who have to remain at home, weve got a solution for them, she said. Weve reached about 100 people with our (local) booster program, so were very pleased.
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Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An Iowa man charged earlier for his participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was arraigned Tuesday on a new federal indictment that includes a felony count that could carry up to 20 years in prison.
Leo Christopher Kelly, 36, of Cedar Rapids, who has been free on pretrial release, appeared via video for his arraignment. His attorney, Kira West, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The most serious of the seven charges Kelly faces is obstruction of an official proceeding. Two other charges of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a restricted building carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The remaining charges are misdemeanors carrying up to six months in prison.
A plea agreement apparently is no longer under consideration, according to the information that prosecutor Michael Gordon James provided Judge Royce Lamberth during the hearing.
The parties have discussed a negotiated plea but that will not occur in this case so this matter should be set for trial, James said.
Lamberth said he will set at trial date later. He scheduled a status update hearing for Feb. 25.
Kelly was arrested in Iowa on Jan. 18 after participating in an internet interview with members of an anti-abortion organization. Kelly said he followed the Jan. 6 crowd into the U.S. Senate chamber, where he said he remained for 30 minutes to an hour. Kelly said he was caught up in the moment, but that he wasnt armed and didnt vandalize anything.
He was released Jan. 19 by a federal magistrate who noted his extremely limited criminal history.
Federal prosecutors issued a new indictment on Dec. 3.
KINGSLAND, Ga. (AP) A judge in south Georgia has temporarily blocked backers of a proposed rocket launching complex from purchasing any land until a court hearing scheduled for early next year.
Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett Sr. on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order barring the purchase of 4,000 acres of land for Spaceport Camden until a Jan. 5 court hearing.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) More than a dozen New Mexico lawmakers are petitioning state utility regulators to study the potential costs and benefits of publicly owned electrical power for the state.
The lawmakers in a petition released Tuesday said they believe public ownership of the electrical utilities that serve New Mexico likely would benefit customers, businesses and state, local and tribal governments as mandates aimed at curbing pollution and growing renewable energy development kick in over the next two decades.
The lawmakers, most of whom are liberal Democrats, want to make their case before the Public Regulation Commission during a meeting next month.
We no longer need to trade off the environment and the economy against each other as we have abundant natural resources in New Mexico," state Sen. Liz Stefanics said in a statement. "We must look at alternative ways to structure the provision of energy so that we can meet our goals as quickly and equitably as possible.
The request comes after the Public Regulation Commission issued two major rejections involving the states largest electric provider in recent weeks. The five elected commissioners voted unanimously against Public Service Co. of New Mexico's proposed exit from the coal-fired Four Corners Power Plant and a proposed multibillion-dollar acquisition of the investor-owned utility by global energy giant Iberdrola.
The commissioners had voiced concerns about whether the proposals were in the public interest, among other things.
Stefanics and her colleagues argue that a formal study would help determine whether implementation of public power would be in the public interest, stabilize electricity rates, generate revenues and result in the deployment of more renewable energy.
Supporters of the rejected PNM merger had argued that bringing in Iberdrola and U.S. subsidiary Avangrid would have made available more capital and boosted purchasing power that could help meet emissions benchmarks and renewable energy mandates.
But the petitioning lawmakers say that under the current model, plant ownership and energy investments by investor-owned utilities require a return on equity that often creates an incentive not to invest in energy sources with fixed capital costs and no fuel costs.
The petition points to two possible models that could be studied a state owned and operated electric power authority with municipal and tribal local control over generation or a community choice system where investor-owned utilities maintain transmission and distribution with the option for municipal and tribal control over generation.
The lawmakers say it would be up to the New Mexico Legislature to make the ultimate decision about whether a public power retail electric service at just and reasonable rates is feasible.
That process must begin with an understanding of what is possible, the petition states.
According to the petition, more than 2,000 communities in 49 states and several U.S. territories have a public power utility and as a whole, public power utilities have lower rates than other types of electric utilities.
The petition suggests that the study, if allowed by the commission, should also look at potential downsides such as whether public power adoption could expand the urban-rural divide or decrease market competition.
FRANKFORT Michigan Shores Residential Cooperative implemented an energy plan to reduce its carbon footprint and save residents money.
Michigan Shores Residential Cooperative reported in a news release that over the last four years areas of excess energy consumption were identified and corrected beginning with lighting.
Michigan Shores is a 54-unit residential cooperative apartment complex in Frankfort that was created in 1991 for residents age 55 and older, helping them with independent living.
Because lighting accounts for a large part of the community's electrical budget, this was the first area addressed, said Shirley Robert, cooperative manager, in a news release. With the assistance of our electrician, and with rebates from Consumer's (Electric), virtually all of the facility's fluorescent lights were replaced with comparable LED lamps. With a two year payback, the cost of this effort has already been recovered and any future savings of approximately 20% energy consumption flow directly to the cooperatives budget.
Next on the agenda was DTE Energy, which supplies natural gas to the community.
Robert said DTE installed timed thermostats in 54 Michigan Shores apartments, which allowed for automatic temperature reduction for times when residents were away from home or sleeping,
She said that the residents also had low-flow shower and faucet heads made available.
"Following these upgrades, DTE also provided a rebate to help offset the installation of high efficiency boilers to provide heat and hot water for all the residents. The rebate and savings were timely as the 30-year-old system had reached the end of its natural life," part of the release states.
Robert said two electric vehicle charging stations were recently installed for Michigan Shores residents and guests. Previously, residents were unable to recharge vehicles onsite.
The release states that Michigan Shores is one of the first commercial sites in the state to take part in the new Consumers Energy program.
More information on Michigan Shores is available at michiganshores.coop.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) An advertising-technology billionaire has formally resigned his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and rebuked the faith over social issues and LGBTQ rights in an unusual public move.
Jeff T. Green has pledged to donate 90% of his estimated $5 billion fortune, starting with a $600,000 donation to the LGBTQ-rights group Equality Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Green said in a Monday resignation letter to church President Russell M. Nelson that he hasnt been active in the faith widely known as Mormon for more than a decade but wanted to make his departure official and remove his name from membership records.
I believe the Mormon church has hindered global progress in womens rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights, he wrote. Eleven family members and a friend formally resigned along with him.
The church didn't immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment Tuesday, but in recent years has shown a willingness to engage on LGBTQ rights that is unusual for a conservative faith. It maintains its doctrinal opposition to same-sex marriage and intimacy, but the faith didn't block a 2019 ban on so-called conversion therapy in Utah and in November high-ranking leader Dallin Oaks called for a recognition of both religious rights and LGBTQ rights.
Still, the church has taken positions over the years that have been deeply painful for many in the LGBTQ community. Green, for his part, said most church members are good people trying to do right, but he also worries about the faiths transparency around its history and finances.
Green, 44, now lives in Southern California. He is the CEO and chairman of The Trade Desk, an advertising-technology firm he founded in 2009.
He also mentioned concerns about a $100 billion investment portfolio held by the faith. It was the subject of an Internal Revenue Service whistleblower complaint in 2019, from a former employee who charged the church had improperly built it up using member donations that are supposed to go to charitable causes.
Leaders have defended how the church uses and invests member donations, saying most is used for operational and humanitarian needs, but a portion is safeguarded to build a reserve for the future. The faith annually spends about $1 billion on humanitarian and welfare aid, leaders have said.
The church has also come under criticism for conservative social positions. Women do not hold the priesthood in the faith, and Black men could not until the 1970s.
In recent years, though, the faith has worked with the NAACP and donated nearly $10 million for initiatives to help Black Americans. It has also worked with Equality Utah to pass a state LGBTQ nondiscrimination law, with religious exemptions.
Another prominent onetime Latter-day Saint sued the faith this year, accusing it of fraud and seeking to recover millions of dollars in contributions. James Huntsman is a member of one of Utahs most well-known families and brother of a former governor. The suit was later tossed out.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Federal officials are sending a 23-person U.S. Navy team to Indianas largest hospital to help relieve staffers exhausted and overwhelmed by a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The U.S. Army North in San Antonio said Monday that medical personnel from the Navy team, including physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists, will travel to IU Health Methodist Hospital, just north of downtown Indianapolis, at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Indiana Department of Health told the Indianapolis Business Journal that the hospital would receive four doctors, 14 nurses, two registered technicians and three administrative staffers.
The hospitals parent, Indiana University Health, had requested staffing assistance from FEMA.
IU Health spokeswoman Lisa Tellus said the Navy team will work at the hospital for 30 days, starting this week, and be integrated into its medical units in areas of greatest need."
The move comes as Indiana's hospitals have warned that they are running out of beds amid a surge in COVID hospitalizations that has left patient-care workers exhausted.
Indiana's hospitalizations from COVID-19 had tripled in recent weeks to 3,029 on Dec. 15. By Monday, that total stood at 3,002. The pandemic high was 3,460 on Nov. 20, 2020.
State health officials reported Monday that only 16% of intensive care unit beds were available statewide.
Several hospital systems, including IU Health and Ascension St. Vincent, have enlisted the Indiana National Guard for help during the latest surge.
On Sunday, three large hospital systems, including IU Health, placed a full-page ad in The Indianapolis Star pleading with Hoosiers to get vaccinated, boosted and tested, and to wear masks.
The situation is dire, read the ad, which coincided with the news that Indiana health officials identified the first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in an unvaccinated Hoosier.
We have more patients in our hospitals than we have beds. Were converting available units into critical care wards, just to make room," the ad said, also stating that health care workers are exhausted and running out of steam.
Indiana has the nations ninth-lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate for a fully vaccinated population at 51.7%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico's governor signed a nearly $500 milling spending bill Tuesday that draws on federal pandemic relief funds to expand high-speed internet access, bolster roads, upgrade state parks, expand nurse training programs and help teachers pay off their student debts amid a shortage of educators.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, approved all proposed spending in the bill and vetoed a requirement that local governments contribute to related affordable housing projects. The governor said that requirement was unreasonable given economic distress.
A bill-signing ceremony in Belen marked a truce in a monthslong standoff between the governor and a handful of state senators over which branches of government can allocate $1.7 billion in federal pandemic aid.
Lujan Grisham initially asserted sole authority over the aid approved in March by President Joe Biden and Congress. Legislators including Republican Sen. Greg Baca of Belen and unaffiliated Sen. Jacob Candelaria of Albuquerque challenged the governor at the Supreme Court and successfully defended the Legislature's oversight of the federal relief funds.
Baca highlighted a provision of the bill that sets aside $50 million for the possible construction of an acute care hospital in Valencia County, which encompasses rapidly growing communities on the southern outskirts of Albuquerque.
The bill signed on Tuesday provides $133 million for high-speed internet infrastructure. Spending can go towards alternatives to underground fiber-optic cable such as satellite networks.
It assigned $142 million to road and highway infrastructure projects, $25 million to housing assistance, $20 million for upgrades to the state's network of state parks, $15 million to nurse training programs and $15 million toward advertising aimed at attracting tourists to the state.
The state will spend another $10 million to pick up litter, $7 million on outdoor recreation programs and $5 million on food banks.
The state already used $600 million in federal pandemic relief to replenish the states unemployment insurance trust fund, avoiding payroll tax increases on local businesses.
Lujan Grisham previously authorized spending on sweepstakes prizes for people who got vaccinated and supplementary wages to agricultural workers that harvest and process the states renowned chile crop.
Of the state's original $1.7 billion allocation in federal aid, legislators have wrapped more than a half-billion dollars into the state general fund to allow more time for spending decisions in the coming years.
Leading legislators are highlighting the need for workforce training and education programs to expand and diversify a state economy that is closely tethered to oil production, tourism and federal military and research facilities.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Nigeria destroyed more than 1 million expired doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday after authorities said they could not be used before their expiration date.
Faisal Shuaib, head of Nigerias National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said health officials in Africa's most populous country were left with little choice after receiving the donated doses that didn't have much shelf life left.
We had developed countries that procured these vaccines and hoarded them," he said. At the point they were about to expire, they offered them for donation.
Last week Shuaib had announced that Nigeria would no longer accept such donations, though he did not specify publicly what officials considered too short a shelf life.
Only 2% of Nigeria's 206 million people are fully vaccinated, and health officials have set an ambitious goal of vaccinating more than a quarter of the population by February. While hesitancy has been high, the country's vaccination rate has nearly doubled over the past week.
Nigeria has been seeing a spike in confirmed infections since it detected the highly-infectious omicron variant in late November, recording a 500% increase in cases over the past two weeks, according to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control.
The 2,123 new COVID-19 infections it confirmed on Tuesday was the highest daily tally since last January and the second highest since the pandemic began.
If we are going to overcome this COVID-19 pandemic, we have to do better job of ensuring better supply of the COVID-19 vaccines," said Shuaib. "No country will be able to eradicate COVID-19 ... until all countries are able to eradicate it.
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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) The bipartisan New Jersey commission charged with drawing the boundaries for congressional districts for the next decade voted Wednesday to approve a map put forward by Democrats.
The vote was 7-6, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. Former Supreme Court Justice John Wallace, the 13th and tiebreaking member of the commission, sided with Democrats. He said the decision came down to the Republican map winning 10 years ago and that, to be fair, Democrats should win this time.
The new map could result in a nine to three Democratic advantage in the state's 12 U.S. House seats, according to the GOP, though the Democrats did not concede the breakdown. Currently, Democrats hold 10 seats to the GOP's two. Before Democratic pickups up in 2016 and 2018, the map was split evenly, with Democrats and Republicans each holding six seats.
Democratic commission chairwoman Janice Fuller said her party was uncomfortably comfortable with the outcome. She said she didn't consider the map to unfairly benefit Democrats and suggested there was political risk for some incumbent Democrats.
We did not go in with an extreme gerrymandered partisan Democratic map that we were gonna tweak at the edges, she said.
Republican commission chairman Doug Steinhardt said he was disappointed with the vote which he said was the antithesis of empowering voters.
Among the changes reflected in the new map is a reshuffle of the typically competitive 3rd District, which previously included Burlington and Ocean counties and is represented by Democratic Rep. Andy Kim. Ocean County was removed entirely from the district and replaced with parts of Mercer and Monmouth, which could help him in a reelection effort as Ocean County is a GOP stronghold. Kim's victory in 2018 was a Democratic gain from Republicans.
Another change is the addition of all of GOP-leaning Warren County to the 7th District, which is currently represented by Democrat Tom Malinowski. Malinowski picked up the seat in 2018 for the Democrats, defeating Republican Leonard Lance.
The 5th District, where Democrat Josh Gottheimer unseated a Republican incumbent in 2016, no longer has Warren County towns but added a few in Bergen County, the state's biggest county where Democrats have performed well recently.
Wallace said he used a handful of criteria to guide his decision, including that boundaries should be geographically whole where possible, and that political subdivisions by town should be maintained. He also said to conform with the federal Voting Rights Act, the map must have sufficient numbers of majority minority districts or places where nonwhite voters are in the majority and that competitive districts should be favored.
In the end I decided to vote for the Democratic map simply because the last redistricting map was drawn by Republicans, he said.
Steinhardt said after the meeting that Wallace amounted to a 7th Democratic member instead of a true independent.
Wallace was selected as the 13th member of the committee by the state Supreme Court under the constitution after the two parties failed to reach a consensus on the tie-breaking member. His name was put forward by Democrats. Republicans had submitted their own candidate for consideration.
Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said it was hard to ignore the fact that Democrats have such a big registration advantage over Republicans.
We have a million more Democrats than Republicans. There are only so many ways to mask the impact of that with competitive districts. You cant negate that kind of a profound disparity in registration. Youre gonna wind up with a map thats gonna have a Democratic advantage no matter what, he said.
Wednesdays vote is a result of the federal census, which happens every 10 years, and the requirement that seats in the House be allotted to states based on their population. New Jerseys population grew from 8.8 million people a decade ago to 9.3 million, a nearly 6% increase. The number of House seats, though, remained unchanged at 12.
The commission wrapped up its work early after holding 10 public hearings, some remotely and some in-person. The state constitution gives New Jersey until Jan. 18 to certify its map.
LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday it plans to fine the owners of the shuttered Oyster Creek nuclear power plant $150,000 for security violations at the New Jersey site.
The agency would not reveal the nature of the violations, citing security concerns, but said the site's overall security program remains effective.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) A Fargo pawnshop worker accused of shooting at a fleeing robber accused in a string of thefts has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless endangerment.
Kyle Ramsey was working at the Mister Money pawnshop in June when the store was robbed by Hunter Havisto, police said. Owner Daryn Kapaun has said Ramsey fired at the robbers car to mark it for police.
FOLSOM, Pa. (AP)
A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a smoke shop employee gunned down last week in the Philadelphia-area business, police said.
Shawn Williams, 39, of Chester is charged in Delaware County in the death Friday afternoon of 45-year-old Sameer Abdullah, the Ridley Township police department said Tuesday.
Police earlier posted a photo of a man they alleged entered the Empire Smoke Shop and Phones store in Crum Lynne and shot and killed an employee. Police said Abdullah, who was found behind the counter, was shot multiple times with a revolver.
Police said the motive for the slaying hasn't been determined, but it wasn't a robbery. They said that by all accounts, the victim was hard-working and well-respected." They credited tips from the public that led to what they called the quick arrest of this dangerous individual."
Court documents don't list an attorney for Williams, who faces murder and weapons charges.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) A man accused of firing a handgun as he walked through his neighborhood, striking homes and vehicles, is charged with reckless endangering and weapons offenses, New Castle County police said.
Officers were called to East Salisbury Drive in the Edgemoore Terrace community on Tuesday for a report of a person shooting a gun and were notified of other reports of gunfire nearby, police said in a news release on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) Joe Biden will spend his first Christmas as president at the White House with family and is giving up his New Years tradition of sun and St. Croix for the chill of Delaware this year, his spokesperson said Wednesday.
The decision to spend Christmas at the White House was unexpected from a president who heads home to Delaware for the weekend as often as possible. During his first year in office, hes spent more than 25 weekends at his Wilmington home or his Rehoboth Beach house, where its easier for friends and family to stop by and for the Bidens to enjoy bike rides or outings to the beach.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Researchers studying the wreckage of the last U.S. slave ship, buried in mud on the Alabama coast since it was scuttled in 1860, have made the surprising discovery that most of the wooden schooner remains intact, including the pen that was used to imprison African captives during the brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
While the upper portion of the two-masted Clotilda is gone, the section below deck where the captured Africans and stockpiles were held is still largely in one piece after being buried for decades in a section of river that hasn't been dredged, said maritime archaeologist James Delgado of the Florida-based SEARCH Inc.
At least two-thirds of the ship remains, and the existence of the unlit and unventilated slave pen, built during the voyage by the addition of a bulkhead where people were held as cargo below the main deck for weeks, raises questions about whether food and water containers, chains and even human DNA could remain in the hull, said Delgado.
It's a stunning revelation, he said in an interview.
The discovery enhances the research value of the Clotildas remains and sets them apart from all other wrecks, Delgado said. The finding was confirmed in a report that was provided to The Associated Press and led to the site becoming part of the National Register of Historic Places in November.
Its the most intact (slave ship) wreck ever discovered," he said. "Its because it's sitting in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta with fresh water and in mud that protected it that it's still there.
For Joycelyn Davis, a sixth-generation granddaughter of African captive Charlie Lewis and vice president of the Clotilda Descendants Association, the story of what happened more than 160 years ago is best told through the people who were involved, not a sunken ship. But she said she's excited to learn more about what has been discovered, adding: I think it's going to be a surprise for us all.
The Clotilda was the last ship known to transport African captives to the American South for enslavement. Nearly 90 feet (27 meters) in length, it departed Mobile, Alabama, for an illegal trip to purchase people decades after Congress outlawed such trade in 1808.
The ship had been sent across the ocean on a voyage financed by a wealthy businessman whose descendants remain prominent in Mobile. The Clotilda's captain transferred its human cargo off the ship once it arrived in Alabama and set fire to the vessel to hide evidence of the journey. But most of the ship didn't catch fire and remained in the river.
Shown on navigational charts since the 1950s, the wreckage was publicly identified as that of Clotilda in 2019 and has been explored and researched since then, Delgado said.
The state has set aside $1 million for preservation and research, and additional work planned at the site in early 2022 could show what's inside the hull, Delgado said. But far more work is needed to determine whether the ship could ever be pulled out of the mud and put on display, as some have suggested.
Generally, raising is a very expensive proposition. My sense is that while it has survived, it is more fragile than people think, said Delgado. A recovery could be a very delicate operation and also a very expensive and lengthy process.
Freed after the South lost the Civil War, some of the enslaved Africans who were transported to America on the Clotilda settled in a community they started called Africatown USA a few miles north of downtown Mobile.
A documentary about the now-impoverished community by Alabama-born filmmaker Margaret Brown titled Descendant will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and descendants of the Clotilda captives are planning an annual gathering in February. Work is underway on a new museum that's meant to be a catalyst for tourism and new development in the area.
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Reeves is a member of AP's Race and Ethnicity Team.
Whether youve been naughty or nice, hes coming.
As we approach the home stretch before Christmas Eve, children all over the world who observe the holiday are minding their Ps and Qs. To help you know when Santa is coming to your neighborhood (and subsequently when to make sure the kids are asleep, dreaming of sugar plums), there are many tracking services that will begin offering updates on Dec. 24.
It all started with a misprint in a department store ad in 1955 when children called the Continental Air Defense Command in Colorado looking to talk to Santa. Since then, NORAD has made sure to keep up with the movements of the red suited elf and his reindeer. In addition to its website that provides up to date information, the organization has launched a mobile app and is active on most popular social media platforms.
An easily accessible way to track Santa is available through Google. All December long, the site features a variety of online games, puzzles and holiday features like an online yule log. You can even design your own elf as you watch the countdown to the start of Santas annual journey.
Using state of the art technology, you can follow along with precise updates of Santas location around the globe. It can even keep you updated on how many presents he has delivered. The tracker will be going online at 5 a.m. EST on Dec. 24. The app is also available from the Apple and Google app stores.
Santa Update provides a way to stay in contact with the big man himself. With updates around the year, Santa Update isnt limited to just Christmas Eve. Through the service, you can email, call or text him with updates on your Christmas list. Make sure to tune in on the morning of Christmas Eve though to hear the start of the live radio broadcast that features reporters around the globe and even a reporter who follows Santas sleigh in real time.
SPOONER, Wis. (AP) Officials in Spooner have reopened a middle school after a mysterious chemical leak in November triggered an evacuation and left dozens of students sick.
Wisconsin Public Radio reported that the school district announced the school would reopen on Tuesday. But parents said they're upset that the district hasn't provided clear answers about what students were exposed to or whether the problem has really been resolved.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Gov. Tom Wolfs administration has taken the extraordinary step of marshaling state employees to handle investigations for a Philadelphia nonprofit struggling to hire enough caseworkers to field allegations of the neglect or abuse of older people.
Secretary of Aging Robert Torres took that step over the summer, after Department of Aging staff raised an alarm internally about how Philadelphia was handling cases. The Associated Press asked about the assignment of state employees to aid the nonprofit Philadelphia Corporation for Aging after reviewing internal department emails received through an open records request.
Although the latest state data still has some errors, the nonprofit likely has not been complying with state laws that require caseworkers to promptly see potential victims, limit workers' case loads and set deadlines to resolve cases, according to state officials and data provided by the Department of Aging to the AP earlier this month.
I think we have an obligation to help them out, and were making some progress, but not progress that any one of us, especially myself, is satisfied with because obviously we need to move at a quicker pace, Torres told the AP in an interview last week.
In August, Torres ordered improvements at the Philadelphia nonprofit, citing three particular cases where state inspectors were worried that caseworkers had not adequately helped people in dire need.
Neither Torres, his agency nor the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging has been willing to disclose any details about those cases, including whether those people lived or died.
Besides mandating changes, Torres assigned six state employees to help the Philadelphia nonprofit, apart from their normal duties of monitoring how county-level agencies handle allegations of neglect or abuse.
The employees have taken on more than 420 cases over four months in Philadelphia, according to the state Department of Aging. As a result, routine duties of monitoring other counties are being put off.
Another five state Department of Aging staff are helping the Philadelphia nonprofit with other tasks, the department said.
The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging is one of 52 local agencies across Pennsylvania, some of which are county-run while others are nonprofits that have state contracts to carry out what are called protective services cases for people 60 and over.
Most calls involve an elderly person who lives alone or with a family member or caregiver. Poverty is often a factor.
The Department of Aging discloses little about what it knows about how county agencies may not be meeting standards, and it answers to no other agency.
Many of the county-level agencies have seen the pandemic worsen long-term difficulties in hiring and retaining caseworkers, but Philadelphia's situation is particularly acute.
The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging itself isn't answering questions about its caseworker ranks, turnover and salary, or its number of open cases.
All a nonprofit spokesperson was willing to say Friday in an emailed statement was that, at its peak, 60% of its investigator positions were vacant. It has now narrowed that to 22%, the spokesperson said.
The Department of Aging said the Philadelphia nonprofit has 50 investigator positions. As of Dec. 10, the nonprofit had told the state that 32 positions were filled, although five of those caseworkers were on leave, according to information from the Department of Aging.
The Philadelphia nonprofit has also hired a contractor for support and protective services workers from other counties to help on a part-time basis, the department said.
Still, in recent months, Philadelphias caseloads for individual workers have far exceeded 30 active cases, the limit in state law, state officials say.
Cases are supposed to be closed within 20 days, but data in the states case management system showed an eye-popping 3,100 open cases in Philadelphia, according to the Department of Aging. Torres cautioned that, in some of those cases, people have been connected with service providers and caseworkers simply arent updating that information in the system.
The Philadelphia nonprofit also is falling far short of meeting the state law when it comes to seeing a potential victim within 24 hours of a case being classified as an emergency or a priority, according to state data. The Department of Aging cautioned that some of the entries were incorrect, and were missing information like a date for when the call was taken or when a face-to-face meeting was conducted.
Torres has thus far defended the Philadelphia nonprofit, saying it had an almost a perfect storm of vacancies and turnover in its brass amid the pandemic.
Torres, however, could not give a time frame for when Philadelphia must stand on its own or face losing the state's contract. The priority is hiring more caseworkers, and trying new strategies to find eligible applicants, Torres said.
So I would like to tell you Id like to see this done within the next three months," Torres said. "I mean, Im sure its something that it cant happen fast enough to my satisfaction. But theres some practical realities that were dealing with here. Thats why it makes it hard for me to tell you in three months, this is going to happen or the contract is going to be gone."
But, he said, at some point if performance doesnt improve, then I think theres going to be a different conversation.
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Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter.
BURTON, Mich. (AP) Two police officers were shot Tuesday in Genesee County during a violent confrontation with a gunman who was killed after a chase on foot, authorities said.
One of the injured officers, a sheriff's deputy, was in critical condition while a Burton officer was in fair condition, Sheriff Chris Swanson said.
JERUSALEM (AP) The United States and Israel need a common strategy as world powers negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran, the White House's national security adviser said Wednesday.
Jake Sullivan spoke ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other Israeli security officials in Jerusalem. He said the meeting comes at a critical juncture for both of our countries on a major set of security issues."
World powers and Iran renewed negotiations in Vienna last month to restore an agreement to curb Irans nuclear program. Negotiations took a pause last week to allow Irans negotiator to return to Tehran for consultations.
Bennett said that what happens in Vienna has profound ramifications for the stability of the Middle East and the security of Israel for the upcoming years.
The original deal, struck in 2015, offered Iran relief from sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program. The agreement unraveled after the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran.
Since then, Iran has resumed its nuclear program, enriching uranium and operating centrifuges beyond the limits set under the deal.
Israel has been critical of the attempts to reach a new deal with Iran, saying the international community is giving in to nuclear blackmail. It says any new agreement must make improvements over the original deal, and that the talks must be accompanied by a credible threat by the U.S. to use military force against Iran if necessary.
Israel considers Iran its regional arch-enemy, and says it will take any steps needed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
On Wednesday, Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth published an interview with the incoming Israeli Air Force commander, who said Israel was capable of attacking Iran tomorrow and destroying its nuclear facilities.
There is no situation in which we operate there and I dont come home and say, I carried out the mission, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said.
Later Wednesday, Sullivan went to the Israeli-occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Abbas' office said the president raised concerns about Israeli practices that he said undermine hopes for a two-state solution with Israel. These include Israeli settlement construction and its 54-year occupation of territories that Abbas' administration seeks for a future independent state.
It said Abbas also pointed out the importance of continuing to work on strengthening bilateral relations with the U.S., relations that suffered under the previous administration of President Donald Trump.
Abbas' office quoted Sullivan as affirming the U.S. commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Israel and the Palestinians have not held substantive peace talks in over a decade. Bennett opposes Palestinian statehood, but has said he wants to improve their economy and living conditions.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) As New Jersey races to grab the leading role in offshore wind energy projects on the U.S. East Coast, a commonly heard criticism is that people don't want to see the structures on the horizon when they're at the beach.
On Wednesday, New Jersey energy and environmental regulators addressed those concerns, saying the farther away from the shoreline the turbines go, the more expensive the electricity they generate will be.
During an interview with reporters from several media outlets, the state's environmental protection commissioner, Shawn LaTourette, said the roughly 15-mile distance from shore envisioned for the state's early projects is not set in stone.
The approach is not offshore wind at all costs, said LaTourette. We must ensure balance. If that means turbines being arrayed in a different way or at a different distance, then that's what it means. It is not a fait accompli.
But Joseph Fiordaliso, president of the state Board of Public Utilities, cautioned that even though his board has the power to require the turbines to be placed farther offshore, cost is an important part of the equation in locating them.
This energy has to be transmitted back on shore, he said. The farther we go out, the more expensive it's going to be to get that energy onshore. That certainly is a consideration.
Most of the turbines proposed for the three offshore wind projects approved thus far in New Jersey will be located about 15 miles from the coast, he said.
They are not going to be visual pollution, he said. Probably most people won't be able to see them.
In past presentations, government and wind industry officials have said the turbines may or may not be visible from the shoreline, depending in part on weather conditions.
But several shore communities including Ocean City, perhaps the center of opposition to offshore wind projects thus far, say today's turbines are much larger than those proposed in the past, and much more likely to be seen from shore.
We don't believe them when they say they're all going to be 15 miles offshore, said Suzanne Hornick, a leader of Protect Our Coast-NJ. The lease area is closer than that, and we know they will fill up that whole lease area. It could be as close as eight miles.
The group also cites environmental and financial concerns in opposing the projects.
Thus far, New Jersey has approved three offshore wind energy projects: two by Danish wind developer Orsted, and one by Atlantic Shores.
Those three projects combined aim to provide enough electricity to power over 1.6 million homes. New Jersey has set a goal of generating 100% of its energy from clean sources by 2050, and plans to solicit additional wind energy projects every two years until at least 2028.
The next round of applications should happen in the second half of 2022, BPU officials said.
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Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at @WayneParryAC
Does world's wealthiest man Elon Musk actually live in a modest, sub-$100,000 Texas home like he claims? It's not so simple, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
In a piece published Wednesday, WSJ Austin reporter Rob Copeland reports that the billionaire has spent the last year staying at the Austin-area mansion of fellow billionaire friend Ken Howery as Musk evaluates property for sale outside the state's capital city. Located on the edge of the Colorado River in the private, gated community of Watersedge, the $12 million property Musk has stayed at features a waterside pool, gatehouses and a private boat slip.
"For roughly a year [Musk] has also been living in a waterfront estate in Austin owned by a rich friend nicknamed 'Kenny,' people familiar with the matter say" Copeland writes. "A home so extravagant that it was the most expensive listed in the Texas capital when it was sold just a few years ago."
A co-founder of PayPal, Howery is an old associate of Musk's and the living arrangement between the two billionaires has remained a closely guarded secret, according to Copeland, who cited a number of unnamed sources close to Musk with knowledge of the agreement. The Boca Chica, Texas home Musk rents near SpaceX's base of operations in the state allegedly costs $50,000, according to the billionaire.
"Mr. Musks stay is so secret that some friends of Mr. Howery said they were unaware of the arrangement," Copeland writes. "Mr. Musk has also engaged a series of real-estate agents to show him Austin-area mansions for purchaseand toured some houses personally, some of the people say."
The material possessions and living quarters of the world's richest man have become part of an ongoing narrative surrounding Musk, who this year was awarded "Person of the Year" by Time Magazine in a profile that proudly stated "The world's richest man does not own a home."
Musk's decision to rent a home in Boca Chica from SpaceX seemingly coincided with his previous stated desires to pare down the material possessions in his life. In May of 2020, Musk tweeted that he planned to "own no house" in the future and subsequently sold off four of his Los Angeles residences in 2021 for a total of $62 million. In November the billionaire reportedly found a buyer for his seventh and final California propertya $30 million estate south of San Franciscoleaving him, in a technical sense, homeless.
Contrary to his "no home" claim, however, Muskwho officially relocated Tesla headquarters to Austin in Decemberhas been evaluating large properties outside the capital city and has taken particular interest in a custom-built mansion owned by jewelry magnate Kendra Scott, according to Copeland.
"[Musk's] personal financial advisers have sent a slew of requirements to brokers, including a desire for a large expanse of land that is currently unavailable in properties on the market," Copeland writes. "Mr. Musk has toured several homes in person, two of the people say. Among the homes he expressed interest in, those people say, is a custom-built mansion owned by the noted jewelry designer Kendra Scott."
Wherever Musk lands, it seems that large estates are back on the menu for the world's richest "homeless" man.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permanently granted access to abortion medication by mail last Thursday, lifting previous requirements for patients to obtain the pills in-person. While the move is a victory for abortion access advocates, it may not have much of an impact on states like Texas, which currently bans the medication by mail.
On Dec. 2, a Texas law went into effect banning the use of abortion-inducing medication after seven weeks of pregnancy. The law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 24, also prohibits mailing the medication. Violators of the law face a state felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
Medication abortion, which was approved by the FDA in 2000, allows the termination of pregnancy at or before 10 weeks and typically involves taking the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. Under current Texas law, abortions are banned at around six weeks into pregnancy. SB 8, which says private citizens can sue doctors or anyone else who helps facilitate an abortion after cardiac activity is detected in the womb, is likely to be challenged in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.
Seth Chandler, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center, says the FDA's latest ruling presents a challenging conflict between what the federal government says is permissible and what the Lone Star State says is prohibited. There's not a clear cut answer on how it will impact the state's law, he says.
"It's a difficult question because there's not an explicit conflict between the FDA saying a use is permissible and a state saying it's prohibited," Chandler explained in regards to which rule takes precedent. "Just because the FDA has authorized the drug doesn't mean that states are powerless to regulate the use of that drug."
On the other hand, Chandler says the action begs the question as to whether Texas's restriction constitutes an "undue burden" on the current right to get a pre-viability abortion. Fetal viability is the point at which a fetus can survive outside of the womb, which is generally considered to be in the range of 24 to 28 weeks, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that researches reproductive rights.
Chandler painted a hypothetical scenario in which a patient who is five weeks pregnant seeks an abortion using the medication. "There's a lot of regulation but ultimately the Texas law permits it and the federal law permits it," Chandler says. "The question is going to be whether it constitutes an undue burden on the right of abortion, to say, 'No, you've got to go see a doctor in person and get the prescription delivered to a pharmacy rather than through some mail order operation.'"
Another example of a potential scenario is a person at 10 weeks of pregnancy seeking an abortion by getting the medication prescribed via a telemedicine visit. "The FDA says, 'Fine, go ahead.' But Texas says it's impermissible and, in fact, it's a crime for a person to send [abortive medication] via the mail. However, it doesn't say it's a crime to use it."
There are also serious enforcement issues for the state to consider, Chandler adds, such as how it will administer the law against telemedicine doctors in other states who prescribe abortive medication or patients ordering the pill from outside of the country. "Extradition from another state is going to be challenging," Chandler says. "There are also constitutional questions about the extent to which Texas can apply its laws outside of Texas' borders."
The ruling also raises questions as to whether telemedicine providers will continue to provide services to Texas patients in light of the FDA's ruling and the state's conflicting laws or if they will be too fearful to do so.
"I think a number of legal issues raised by the new Texas law are kind of on the borderline," Chandler says."The issue as to whether the FDA guidance preempts the Texas law is on the borderline. The issue of how does Texas enforce its statute is on the borderline with respect to mailings made outside the state of Texas, and whether prohibiting telemedicine in this context while permitting certain in-person prescriptions of the abortion pill constitutes an undue burden is also on the border."
The hunt is on for Elon Musk's new home. The Tesla CEO is reportedly on a hush-hush to buy a private mega-mansion somewhere in Austin, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal. This is quite different from the public persona Musk has crafted in recent months, during which he claimed to sell off most of his possessions to live in a $50,000 Boca Chica rental house.
Though he reportedly has registered to vote in Cameron County, near Boca Chica and the Space X headquarters, it's always been assumed that Musk would eventually land in Austin. Earlier this year, his company Tesla moved its headquarters from Silicon Valley to East Austin. It's possible that he's been here even longer considering Musk and his then-partner Grimes also both tweeted about being in Austin and without power during February's deadly winter storm.
Details on exactly where, when, and if he's buying property remain unknown, which seems to be de rigueur when dealing with Musk. What has been confirmed by the WSJ is that the eccentric billionaire has been staying in a West Austin mansion owned by Ken Howery, a fellow billionaire and co-founder of PayPal Holdings. Howery most recently served as the U.S. ambassador to Sweden under the Trump administration.
"Since his term ended," the WSJ writes, "Mr. Howery has been traveling the world, including chasing tornadoes and other extreme weather events as a hobby, people who know him say."
Because Howery is out chasing tornadoes with Helen Hunt and friends, it's left his massive mansion on the Colorado River free for Musk to tweet and troll and do whatever it is he does.
Maja Hitij /TNS
According to a host of insiders who spoke to the WSJ on condition of anonymity, Musk has toured a handful of properties, and has expressed interest in buying the custom-built home of Kendra Scott, the Austin-based jewelry designer and one of America's wealthiest self-made women.
Scott is amenable to selling her abode, according to the Journal, but Musk has failed to show up to "several" appointments.Whether or not Scott was left bejeweled and waiting patiently for Musk was not disclosed, but it paints a rather vivid picture.
And so the quest to find his "trophy property" continues, and Musk and co. have reportedly tapped a series of high-end Austin realtors to help find it. Only problem is it might not exist.
"His personal financial advisers have sent a slew of requirements to brokers, including a desire for a large expanse of land that is currently unavailable in properties on the market," writes the WSJ.
It hasn't stopped Austinites from gossiping that Musk, who is among the richest people to ever walk the planet, is their new neighbor. Engel & Volkers owner Michele Turnquist, of the biggest players in high-end luxury real estate in the Capital City, was on the receiving end of the gossip this year when she sold a $39 million property, the most expensive listing ever in Austin. According to the WSJ, rumors swirled that the buyer was the Tesla CEO, though they were not true.
"Ive had five people tell me, 'You know, Elon bought your listing,'" Ms. Turnquist tells the WSJ. "I tell them that if Elon bought my listing, I wouldnt know."
We may never know where Musk ends up, and we'd be willing to bet that most Austinites don't really care.
If youve been searching for tickets to the sold out Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road concerts in Houston, youre in luck. Weve rounded up tickets you can still buy safely online at fairly reasonable prices. The Elton John concerts in the Toyota Center are all set for Friday and Saturday, January 21 and 22 at 8p.m. and all thats missing is you.
By using online ticket resellers like Vivid Seats, StubHub, and Ticketmaster, you can buy sold out event tickets at major Houston venues without the worry of being scammed. For detailed information on the guarantees provided by these online ticket marketplaces, keep scrolling.
100% Buyer Guarantee with Vivid Seats
Elton John Concert Tickets - Toyota Center, Houston, TX Vivid Seats vividseats.com Buy Now
As of January 4, tickets start at $154.
With Vivid Seats 100% Buyer Guarantee, you can purchase resell tickets to the most popular events with peace of mind. Vivid Seats guarantees your tickets are authentic and valid by putting licensed, certified, and professional ticket resellers through a rigorous evaluation process. Should your event be cancelled and not rescheduled, Vivid Seats will refund the full cost of your tickets, including delivery charges. In some cases there may be a restocking fee that will be deducted from your refund.
Ticketmaster Verified: A Safe way to buy sold out tickets
Elton John Live at the Toyota Center ticketmaster.com Buy Now
As of January 4, tickets start at $196.
Ticketmaster Verified guarantees your sold out event tickets are 100% authentic and issued in your name after purchase. Once the tickets are yours, they cannot be counterfeited; so you dont have to have anxiety about your tickets authenticity at the entrance. Put simply, Ticketmaster boasts that the seat you buy is the seat you get.
Getting the StubHub Fan Protection Guarantee
Elton John Concert Tickets - Houston, TX Toyota Center stubhub.com Buy Now
As of January 4, tickets start at $175.
StubHub customers get valid tickets to any event or their money back with the StubHub Fan Protect Guarantee. Even if an issue arises with your order, the customer service team at StubHub works to find replacement tickets for you. If your event is canceled and not rescheduled, you can count on receiving either a credit worth 120% of the amount you paid for the event or a cash refund. The choice is yours.
COVID-19 Protocols at the Toyota Center
The Toyota Center does not require patrons to wear masks, although they are strongly encouraged to do so. At the time of publication, the tour promoter is not requiring proof of vaccination, or a negative Covid-19 test to attend the concert. Ticket holders should watch their email for any alerts that update these protocols.
More information about Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour
If you've never seen (Oscar, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning) Elton John in concert, don't miss your chance! The 74-years young Rocket Man puts on an amazing performance. From the Pinball Wizard to The Lion King soundtrack Elton John's career spans generations of music lovers. Named for his epic 1973 album, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," this tour allows Elton John to say farewell with a set list that takes fans on a musical journey of his greatest hits.
Additional concerts in the Lone Star State - Elton John's Farewell Tour in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston
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BRANFORD Let the fundraising begin.
The Branford Land Trust must raise $1.75 million to buy a rare parcel containing a portion of a scenic salt marsh, part of Medlyn Farm and its more than halfway there to reaching its ambitious goal.
The land trust, in partnership with local environmental groups, is purchasing a 20-acre section of Medlyn Farm south of Route 146 along the Jarvis Creek salt marsh, opposite the farm stand.
This unspoiled property is unique both in the town and the shoreline, a land trust member and state official agree.
There are so few open, flat parcels of farmland like this in town very few, said land trust board member Lauren Brown.
It has beautiful views of the marsh, she said. Also its important for marsh migration as the sea level rises. It will offer a place for the Sound waters to go and protect upstream properties.
I would say this is a pretty rare property, said Brian Thompson, director of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protections Land and Water Resources Division. There just arent a lot of available open, undeveloped properties like this anywhere on the Connecticut shoreline.
Much of the marshland in the state is obstructed by manmade structures, he noted.
In a lot of places, marshes are right up against the edge of a road or a seawall theres nowhere for them to go as the sea level rises, Thompson said, adding that rising sea levels is a very slow process.
The land trust is working with the Guilford Land Conservation Trust, the DEEP and the Seedlings Foundation.
So far, the land trusts Jarvis Creek Farm fundraising campaign has raised $1.15 million, thanks to a $500,000 EPA Long Island Sound Improvement Grant and $650,000 from two Branford families.
Raising the remaining $600,000 is an unprecedented effort for the BLT and it is undertaking a communitywide fundraising effort, according to a spokesperson for the land trust.
Calling it an all-hands-on-deck effort, the purchase also is supported by Audubon Connecticut, Connecticut Audubon Society, Friends of Historic Route 146, Guilford Land Conservation Trust, Menunkatuck Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut and Save the Sound.
Branford has stepped up to protect important properties like this before, land trust President Pete Raymond said in a written statement.
He noted that over the years, our residents have come together to help preserve treasured places, such as Beacon Hill, the Hoadley Creek Preserve, Red Hill Woods and the Supply Ponds and Pisgah Brook Preserves.
The fields at Jarvis Creek Salt Marsh will be a special attraction for hikers and walkers, according to Brown.
The woods are beautiful, she said, but its nice to be out with sky overhead, more places for people to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
The public widely enjoys the outdoor spaces that the land trust owns, noted Brown.
The pandemic showed us how much people enjoy the outdoors, thats for sure, Brown said, adding that many of the land trusts trails and properties saw an uptick in visitors.
This purchase also would help preserve the natural beauty found on Route 146, a state designated Scenic Highway, that is cherished by many people, Brown said.
A large part of the reason it got that designation was because of the views along the road: the farms, the historic buildings, the woods, rock outcrops, she said.
The purchase of the property, which was put up for sale in 2020, will protect the farmland from imminent development, land trust members said, and noted the family has the option to farm the land for several more years.
Salt marshes are more than scenic
Salt marshes provide critical ecosystem services such as protecting estuarine water quality, providing places for outdoor education, research and outdoor recreation, critical fish and wildlife breeding and foraging habitat, and flood and erosion control, DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said in a release.
Salt marshes like those at Jarvis Creek are critical to coastal resilience and help prevent the marshes from drowning as sea level eventually rises, according to Brown.
Preserving non-rocky upland areas allows salt marsh ecosystems to migrate to higher ground and this can help sustain a healthy amount of marsh and provide those critical ecosystem services, according to a land trust spokesperson.
The Jarvis Creek estuary also is important to many vulnerable species, including the salt marsh sparrow and smooth cordgrass. Those who walk the nearby network of hiking trails have reported seeing river otters, American bitterns, glossy ibis, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, American kestrels, ospreys, clapper rails, marsh hawks, black bellied plovers and more.
The property also is part of the well-trodden Branford Trails Stony Creek section, which allows people to walk from the center of Stony Creek to the Hoadley Creek Preserve and on to the Stony Creek Quarry and Van Wie Preserves, Red Hill Woods and the Westwood Trails in Guilford, almost entirely on protected open space.
The land is part of the towns history, as well. Part of the area originally inhabited by the Totoket and Menunkatuck, indigenous communities of Quinnipiac, the first parcel of what is now Medlyn Farm was acquired by John Rogers in 1758, according to the land trust.
The Medlyn family has farmed there since 1911, and the farm has been a popular source for fresh produce, dairy products, eggs and firewood throughout the years.
Contributions can be made online at www.branfordlandtrust.org, or by sending checks noted Jarvis Creek Farm to the Branford Land Trust, P.O. Box 254, Branford, CT 06405. Donations that exceed the fundraising goal will be added to the BLT Stewardship Fund, ensuring responsible management of BLT properties in perpetuity.
CLINTON This is the final week or so of the Beautiful New England: The Oil Paintings of Michael Bilbow-Finucane exhibit at the Henry Carter Hull Library at 10 Killingworth Turnpike.
Bilbow-Finucane is a Connecticut native with a focus on all aspects of New England and marine scapes, an announcement said. His connection to nature and love for the local scenery is apparent in this vivid attention to detail, light, movement and texture.
Previously known as "implied status", maintained status is a way to extend your stay in Canada.
How can I get maintained status in Canada? Previously known as "implied status", maintained status is a way to extend your stay in Canada.
How can I get maintained status in Canada? Previously known as "implied status", maintained status is a way to extend your stay in Canada.
How can I get maintained status in Canada? Previously known as "implied status", maintained status is a way to extend your stay in Canada. Daniel Levy Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif
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Under Canadian immigration law, all temporary residents have an automatically imposed condition that they are required to leave Canada after their authorized period of stay.
However, Section 181 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) states that a temporary resident is able to apply to extend their period of authorized stay in Canada before it ends. Individuals who exercise this ability can remain in Canada until Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes a decision on their application. During this process, the applicant is considered to continue to have legal status as a Canadian temporary resident.
To benefit from maintained status (previously known as implied status), one must closely follow the laws and guidelines provided by the Canadian government.
Get a free legal consultation on how to extend your stay in Canada
An applicant needs to be aware of when their temporary status is due to expire, how their extension application may affect their temporary residence conditions in Canada, as well as rules regarding remaining in Canada during the extension process.
First, one must be careful to submit their extension application before their existing status expires. IRCC encourages you to submit your application with enough time to spare so that you avoid potential complications to your Canadian immigration status.
Second, one needs to understand how their extension application impacts their conditions in Canada. The IRPR states that if an applicant applies to renew their existing work or study permit before their current permit expires, they can continue to work or study in Canada under the conditions of their previous permit while a decision is made. However, if you apply for a different type of permit, then you must stop working on the date that your current permit expires. For example, if a work permit holder now wants to obtain a study permit, then they must stop working when their current permit expires.
Third, applicants must understand how leaving Canada may impact their temporary residence status in Canada. Maintained status applies only as long as you remain in Canada. If you are on maintained status and leave the country you may be allowed to re-enter Canada as a temporary resident as long as you have a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or you are exempt from the requirement to have a TRV. But, you will not be able to resume working or studying in Canada until a decision is made on your application to extend your status. In addition, upon seeking to re-enter Canada, you may need to provide the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer with evidence that you have enough financial support to sustain yourself while awaiting a decision on your extension application.
Hence, it is important for you to be aware that if you are on maintained status, you give up your right to work or study once you leave Canada.
There are two likely scenarios once IRCC reviews your extension application.
If your application is approved, you will be provided with a new date for the period of your authorized stay in Canada.
If your application is refused, you are considered in status until the day the decision was made on your extension application. In this event, you have lost your status and can not continue to work or study in Canada as per the conditions of your previous permit. You have 90 days to apply to IRCC to restore your status. During the processing of the restoration application, you cannot work or study while you wait for IRCC to make a decision.
Finally, proof of your application to extend your status is generally regarded as sufficient to demonstrate you are legally in Canada on maintained status. This may be beneficial if you are asked for proof by your employer or school, or to assist you with re-entry to Canada.
Get a free legal consultation on how to extend your stay in Canada
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Businesses around the world are finding ways to emerge from the global pandemic, from offsetting the talent shortage, to optimizing business models to expedite the digital transformation process.
The answer to these challenges may come from Vietnam. Southeast Asias emerging technology hub is one of the worlds fastest-growing economies, and one that has a successful history of weathering COVID-19 far better than most.
In March 2021, the International Monetary Funds annual assessment of Vietnams economy reported: Despite COVID-19, Vietnams economy has remained resilient, expanding by 2.9 percent in 2020one of the highest growth rates in the worldand growth is projected to be 6.5 percent in 2021, thanks to strong economic fundamentals, decisive containment measures and well-targeted government support.
Digital transformation will be a key contributor to this growth and is very much a focus for Vietnams Government. In June 2020 the Government released its National Digital Transformation Programme with the aim of achieving an average digital economy growth rate of 20 percent by 2025.
Leading industry players in Vietnam had already joined forces to drive the countrys digital transformation. In 2019, the five largest ICT companies in the country including FPT Corporation, Viettel, CMC, VNG, and MobiFone, founded the Vietnam Digital Transformation Alliance with the goal of Vietnam being a top four ASEAN country in digitalisation.
Vietnam today
From a country whose economy was heavily dependent on agriculture 30 years ago, Vietnam has climbed 27 positions in the United Nations Industrial Development Organizations (UNIDO) Competitive Industrial Performance (CIP) Index.
GDP growth in 2020 was 2.91 percent, putting Vietnam among countries with the highest GDP growth rate. It has been ranked fourth in Southeast Asia for digital readiness and ninth in a ranking of Southeast Asias digital nations. It has a population of 97 million people, median age of 32.5, and more than 400 universities and colleges.
The country has enjoyed a growing trade surplus in recent years. Imports and exports were on par at $US162 billion in 2015 and in 2020 Vietnam recorded $US281.5 billion of exports and a trade surplus of $US19.1 billion.
Several recently signed trade partnerships contributed to this result: the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership; the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement; and the Vietnam-U.K Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect in 2020.
The Google, Temasek and Bain, e-Conomy SEA 2021 report flags Vietnam to be the fastest-growing internet economy in Southeast Asia in the next 10 years. It estimates that, by 2030, Vietnams internet economy will rank second in Southeast Asia, reaching $US220 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV).
While foreign direct investment in 2020 was down 25 percent on 2019 to $US28.5 billion as a result of COVID-19, there have been some very significant projects.
In October 2020 LG Electronics and Trung Nam Land JSC inked an agreement to transform Da Nang the biggest city in the Central Coast into a centre of technology and R&D, creating a mini Silicon Valley in Vietnam.
Da Nang is also chosen by Vietnams largest ICT firm FPT Software and Japan-based IT solution provider Smart Holdings to develop their joint venture. It provides digital transformation solutions to smart cities, focusing on the manufacturing, automotive and construction industries.
In March 2021, Intel revealed plans to invest $US475 million in an assembly and test facility, pushing the companys total investment in the country to $US1.5 billion.
In addition to the formation of the Vietnam Digital Alliance, 2019 also saw launch of Make in Vietnam by the Ministry of Information and Communications. It represents a drive to have digital products created, designed and manufactured in Vietnam for both domestic and overseas markets.
Dr Truong Gia Binh, Chairman of FPT Corporation, says the Government is aiming, with its National Program for Digital Transformation, for the digital economy to account for 30 percent of Vietnams overall economy within 10 years, and requires digital transformation to be a goal for all levels of the administration The government wants every ministry and every province to have a program for digital transformation.
He says the plan also calls for universal access to optic fibre broadband services and 5G, and for Vietnam to have 100,000 digital businesses and a 1.5 million strong digital workforce.
To date, Vietnam has 236 universities, 149 of which are offering IT training, adding more than 50,000 IT engineers to the countrys workforce annually. Vietnam is among ten nations with the highest number of IT students in the world.
A fast-growing economy, a well-focused government support and a robust talent pool make Vietnam the destination for enterprises seeking to expand their global footprint or shift their supply chain. Many of them have made great strides with the support of Vietnams pioneering IT player FPT.
FPT A major digital player in Vietnam
FPT was founded in 1988 and is today Vietnams largest information technology service provider, and one of its fastest growing.
It has revenues of $US1.3 billion and 36,000 employees, and delivers world-class services in smart factory, digital platform, RPA, AI, IoT, enterprise mobilisation, cloud, AR/VR, embedded systems, managed services and other services from delivery centres across the United States, Japan, Europe, Australia, Vietnam and the Asia Pacific.
The company has a strong focus on digital transformation. In April 2021 it set a target to grow its digital transformation revenue from overseas markets to $US209 million in 2021, a 50 percent increase from 2020.
As Vietnams leading IT firm, FPT has been contributing significantly to the national digital transformation program. FPT has been working with 40 out of 64 cities and provinces of the country to change the way people work and create a better standard of living. It has initiated seven sub-programs for industry 4.0 infrastructure, digital government, digital economy, digital society and mass digital transformation education.
In June 2020, FPT became the first technology corporation in Southeast Asia to form a strategic partnership with Canadas Mila AI Research Institute. The three-year agreement includes plans for the establishment of a world-class AI hub in Vietnam.
Dr. Binh said FPT aimed to become the leading AI centre in Southeast Asia with the aid of Mila. Vietnams young technology talents will have opportunities to approach, experience and learn AI in-depth. And FPTs AI applications will be upgraded and improved continuously to help businesses effectively solve operational problems, build digital businesses for breakthrough in the new normal, he said.
In tandem with developing Vietnams technology talent pool, FPT also helps global enterprises leverage the dynamic workforce to accelerate digital transformation as a lever to post-pandemic rebound.
In 2020, FPT announced a collaboration with German automotive supplier Schaeffler on Schaefflers global pilot project for new digital manufacturing concept deployed at its plant in Dong Nai province.
In September 2021, FPT unveiled a strategic collaboration with the global oilfield services provider Halliburton to accelerate digital transformation by lowering innovation costs and time to adoption across the petroleum exploration and production sectors.
Most recently, its subsidiary FPT Software has inked an agreement with Airbus to support more than 140 airlines and 9,500 commercial aircraft worldwide in optimizing operations and preparing for a green post-pandemic reboot.
Vietnam is going from strength to strength as a digital nation in a world where digital technology will become ever more important. The country looks forward to offering its potentials and capabilities to businesses worldwide seeking success in the digital economy.
Learn more
Learn more about how to make digital transformation a reality with FPT.
In 2019, New York City saw the launch of The City, a local nonprofit news platform built with considerable foundation and donor funding; one of the publications goals has been to engage with New York communities underserved by legacy media outlets. The Citys Open Newsroom initiative, a program dependent on a series of listening sessions in partnership with local libraries and community centers, plays a part in aiming to meet this goal.
Nic Dawes, The Citys executive director, spoke with CJR about the Open Newsroom, how The City imagines its audience, and the importance of integrating community engagement as a core function of a newsroom. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
How does the Open Newsroom model work, and whats unique about it?
You know, I dont think Im going to claim that any single element of what we do is unique. But I think were bringing together a bunch of things that other people have tried in a way that really works for the New York context.
When The City was first conceived, back in 2018, when the realization started to set in that even in the media capital of the world, we were seeing really deep erosion in local reporting capacity, the first gap that people clearly saw a need to plug was coverage of city agencies and neighborhood stories that had the potential to resonate citywide. At the same time, there was an appreciation from the beginning of The City that there had been no good old days as such. There was a time when there were a lot more reporters covering New York City, but a lot of people were consistently left out of that coverage, or in some cases were framed or treated in that coverage in ways that granted them very little agency, and which reflected a pretty narrow normative framework, of relevance of values, and so on.
The Open Newsroom, from the beginning, was an attempt to ensure that we didnt just plug gaps that had emerged in the old model, but to build a new model, one that was pretty distinct, both in its values and its audience and in the way that it went about building its coverage and agenda. When you find ways very intentionally to listen to your audience and develop journalism thats responsive to their concerns, you actually start to think about accountability a little differently. It becomes not just a question of where can you shine the light and where can you generate impact through traditional investigative methodsalthough those remain critical. It can also involve really discovering the information needs of your communities, understanding where their troubles and pain points are, and speaking to elected leaders, city agencies, and other powerful actors in a way thats informed by those inputs. And also, theres an accountability dimension to explanatory work that emerges out of these contexts, because people who are empowered with a sense of how to navigate their city and its processes engage accordingly with those who exercise power and make choices.
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Thats really the sort of guiding thread through all of this. At the outset, we started off with in-person meetings at the Red Hook Public Library or the community center in Mott Haven in the Bronx. Wed bring groups of people together for conversations, both generally on whats going on in their world and what matters to them, and sometimes on specific topics. We had a very successful series of events on special education, for example, which also have created a network of sources and a basis for a whole range of coverage on that issue, which has, of course, been especially fraught during the pandemic. And during the pandemic, we migrated these events online, but we continued to work with community groups and libraries in order to bring in a wide array of people to these conversations.
What kind of insights emerged from these conversations?
One is that it was very quickly clear to us that peoples most urgent concerns during the pandemic were for basic information about what was going on with evictions, with rental assistance programs, and with unemployment. So we developed, essentially, news products out of those listening sessions: text messaging service, both on rental and evictions and on jobs. Jobs and housing came up as the two most urgent concerns in the meetings we conducted during the pandemic. And while a good few thousand people signed up for the emails and text messages, what was really striking was that those explainers and news updates foundby farthe largest search audience of anything on the site.
So clearly what was happening in these relatively small off-the-record conversations: the questions that were getting asked there were the ones that people were also asking to a search engine, and that were resonating much more widely. And we found something similar happened when we started conducting Open Newsrooms around New Yorks huge, complex, sprawling citywide election. We held these various conversations that started very open-ended: Whos powerful in your neighborhood? Whom do you yell at when you have a problem? How do you get results? And then delved into things like the technicalities of ranked-choice voting and so on. We developed another newsletter and a whole set of explainers off the back of those conversations, which again found a much bigger audience through search than just about anything else we do. We actually ended up creating a new staff role focused on producing stories that help people to navigate the complexities of New York life.
In the new year, we hope to have some kind of regular open-ended sessions in a range of different neighborhoods across New York, primarily choosing neighborhoods which are less covered and less likely to have access.
How do you measure that?
Well, actually, someones created an open-source coverage map of New York. You can see which neighborhoods get the most mentions. Its a scraping tool. And we can argue about whether its accurate or not, but itll confirm the basic impression that brownstone Brooklyn and Manhattan below the park get a lot more coverage than outer boroughs, generally, and particularly the lower-income, less English-language-speaking parts of the city.
How does your partnership with libraries and community centers work?
We started with the Brooklyn Public Library, which has many, many branches and an incredibly smart strategic outreach team. And we formed a really good relationship with them. They have some convening power, and they have great spaces. And that relationship really developed and deepened further, during the pandemic, and we launched our largest and most complex Open Newsroom project, called Missing Them, which grew out of the insight that almost all the people who are getting obituaries early in the pandemic were white, often male, affluent. Missing Them was an attempt to memorialize every New Yorker whod been lost to covid-19 in a more equitable way. So we asked people to send in requests for obituaries, and we assembled a team of volunteer editors, journalists, students, and others to create the obituaries with input from the families. It ended up sparking several investigative stories, and we built a kind of online memorial. And then with the Brooklyn Public Library, we did a couple of virtual memorial events where we brought people together, had poetry and music. Brian Lehrer did an amazing show where his listeners read out all of the names on our list over the course of the show, an incredibly powerful thing.
That was probably the kind of high-water mark of our collaboration with the library. But the library is very thoughtful about community information needs. They are really open to partnership. And we found a really strong, clear, obvious alignment [with] our mission to serve people relevant information. In the run-up to the election, we did multiple events with libraries. We provided voter guides, we had people on hand to explain ranked-choice voting, to walk people through how to think about the different council candidates, the various other elected officers, public advocate, and so on, in addition to the mayoral race. Libraries also see the kind of two-way exchange, the conversation about what community information needs are and the attempt to build meaningful response to that, as very closely aligned with what theyre trying to achieve. So its just a really natural fit. And if you can, if we can triangulate it a little bit with community groups as well who are able to bring people along who might not otherwise hear about the different work from the library. That just enriches the conversation on one level.
Im thinking through how newsrooms think about the idea of a reader or an audience and it strikes me that often theres this one-to-one idea: I have a reader in mind, and this reader always reads me. But it strikes me that some of what youre describing is a little different from that, right?
Very much. We are doing work at the moment to be more thoughtful about the different types of readers whom we have, when we meet them, where we meet them, and how we can do things that are useful and relevant to them. One of the things that strikes us coming out of that research is that we have a very diverse coalition of readers. Some of them are people who subscribe to our general newsletter and come to us pretty much every day. Maybe small-dollar donors are people who see themselves as deeply involved in the civic life of the city, and who identify with investigative journalism, also our explanatory and political reporting, and who derive some sense of their own agency from their knowledge of whats going on in city government and city politics and civic affairs. We have a lot of other readers who come to us because they have urgent and specific problems that they need to address.
Someone who comes to us to find out about how to deal with a looming eviction has a very different set of needs. Or someone who comes to us because they werent able to afford to place an obituary in a mainstream paper. And we want to be able to serve both.
And you could say, on one modelIm presenting sort of two extreme ends of the spectrum hereone is a relatively affluent, highly media-savvy group of people whove been frustrated that they dont have good local news. And now they come to us to get it. And the other is a group of people who are economically vulnerable, often marginalized to varying degrees by the media, who come to us because they have really urgent concerns that we may be able to provide information to address. Of course, theres a huge range of people between those two poles, who may simply want to figure out how to vote someday or may want to understand why the subway that they always take to work is running slower. Or if you want to use our covid tracking tool to see what infection rates in their neighborhood, also, they can make day-to-day risk decisions. We want to be relevant across those different groups. So we dont have a single ideal readerwe might have six different reader types whom we imagine and we need to serve in order to fulfill our mission in a city like this one.
What are your takeaways from this process, things that you have learned along the way that you think would be good for newsrooms interested in doing this sort of thing to keep front of mind?
One is that I think its critical to have a high degree of integration between the people who are leading the responsive journalism and everything else in the newsroom. It should be seen as a core editorial function, not a clip-on. It should inform your thinking about all your beats, it should inform your choices about your news budget. And there should be really strong processes, not just intentions for sharing information and insights and building new products that come out of this work. It should be central from both a strategy and a crunchy process perspective. The more weve integrated, the more impactful its been for us.
And the other thing I would say is sometimes I get the impression that you have one group of people that talks about audience growth and numbers and scale and another that talks about community and mission. My sense from this work is that actually a lot of our most powerful audience growth has come out of community listening. We should be putting these things together: our audience work, our product work, and our community listening work at a fundamental level.
And the last thing I would say is that I think weve all had a temptation, understandably, to want to be inventing the future of journalism and claiming the new thing. Or claiming to be the originators of new things. I think were reaching a point with a lot of this work where theres a gathering body of expertise out there in the world. And its starting to be possible to build on that foundation that a lot of incredibly smart and thoughtful people have laid over the last five years at the intersection of community listening, membership work, and mission-driven journalism more broadly. Im not at all embarrassed to say that we dont claim to have invented any of this stuff. But were seeing it come together for us in ways that are customized for New York City and combined in ways that maybe you need us to draw on that growing pool of expertise. And thats a great place to be.
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EXPLORE THE TOW CENTERS COVID-19 CUTBACK TRACKER: Over the past year and a half, researchers at the Tow Center collected reports of a wide range of cutbacks amid the pandemic. Theres an interactive map and searchable database. You can find it here.
Below, more on recent media trends and changes in newsrooms:
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Lauren Harris is a freelance journalist. She writes CJR's weekly newsletter for the Journalism Crisis Project. Follow her on Twitter @LHarrisWrites.
Thirty years ago this week, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Mikhail Gorbachev, its final leader, resigned in a televised address from his presidential office. Actually, he spoke not from his office but a TV facility in the Kremlin that had been mocked up to look like it. According to Conor OClery, a former Moscow correspondent for the Irish Times, nearly thirty staffers from CNN were on hand to film the address. An Associated Press photographer and ABCs Ted Koppel were also hanging around. Tom Johnson, CNNs president, furnished the pen with which Gorbachev signed away his power after his own felt tip ran dry; he then surrendered the nuclear briefcase in a corridor as CNNs crew filed past with its equipment. In the end, only the Western media was still interested in what Gorbachev had to say, OClery writes. The Soviet Union expired in a fake presidential office, crowded with Americans, and with the stroke of a German pen provided by a Western media executive.
The dissolution of the USSR had been expected, if not inevitable, for some time, and was all but sealed earlier in December 1991, when the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarusthen still Soviet republicsmet at a snowy hunting retreat and declared the union a dead letter in front of a small group of journalists. Press freedom, long curtailed in the Soviet Union, had started to flourish after the mid-eighties, when Gorbachev initiated the process of glasnost, meaning greater openness in public affairs; he envisioned this as being limited, but lost control of his reform project as journalists started to publish information about the Soviet system. As Ann Cooper, who was NPRs Moscow correspondent at the time, has written, two publications in particular, Ogonyok and Moscow News, pushed the envelope; the latter would sell out so quickly at newsstands that many people had to read display copies in glass cases outside the papers offices. In August 1991, when Communist hardliners tried and failed to take power in a coup, journalists were among those who led the fightback, shooting footage of protests and confronting coup leaders with sharp questions. By that time, the press was incredibly free, and doing good journalism, Cooper told me yesterday. It was such a striking contrast with when everything was controlled by the party and the press was just horribleit was very propagandistic, it was boring, it was gray.
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Recently, Cooper used an image of people reading Moscow News on the street to open a panel discussion that she convened, at Harvards Shorenstein Center, to assess where the press stands now in the fifteen countries that emerged from the USSRs ashesa critical question for the state of democracy in a region of three hundred million people that stretches from the European Union to the borders of China and North Korea. Thirty years ago, she said, there was hope that many of the fifteen countries would institutionalize media freedom, but the reality is not exactly what we imagined back then. The Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have been success storiesReporters Without Borders now ranks them all among the thirty best countries in the world for press freedombut other post-Soviet nations still have harshly repressive media environments, not least Turkmenistan, which RSF ranks as the third worst country in the world for press freedom, and Belarus, where the dictatorial president, Alexander Lukashenko, has led a brutal recent clampdown on independent journalism, as Charles McPhedran has reported for CJR. Other countries, Cooper says, fall in between, boasting dedicated, if small, cadres of independent reporters working through fluctuating political conditions. They include Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
The latter country has been in the news in the US a lot lately, due to the specter of Russian invasion along its eastern border, and in November, Ukraines media also made headlines among Western media reporters after Adnan Kivan, a construction mogul, abruptly fired the entire staff of the Kyiv Post, a punchy English-language news outlet that he owns. Brian Bonner, the Posts editor, told CJRs Maria Bustillos at the time that he thinks Kivan got tired of powerful people complaining to him about the Posts aggressive coverage (Kivan denies this); staffers from the paper have since launched a new site, the Kyiv Independent, and pledged to rely on reader donations for funding rather than a rich owner or an oligarch. Oligarchs control much of Ukraines press landscapepart of a broader phenomenon of concentrated media ownership across post-Communist Europe that dates back to the rapid privatization of the early nineties and persists to this day, especially in the TV industry. If the Post symbolized Ukraines culture of vibrant independent journalism, Kivans decision demonstrates its ongoing fragility.
Moldova, a small country nestled between Ukraine and Romania, tends to get less Western media attention, but thats started to change in the last year following the election of Maia Sandu, a pro-Europe liberal, as president, beating a candidate openly backed by the Kremlin. There, too, a committed community of investigative journalists has worked to expose corruption and abuse, as much of the rest of the media has remained under oligarchic and political influence. Sandu has promised to root out corruption and has won praise from Western leaders, including President Joe Biden, who namechecked Moldova as a beacon of hope for global democracy in a recent speech at the United Nations. Corina Cepoi, a Moldovan journalist who appeared on Coopers recent panel, said that the government has already started to push for reforms that would create more transparency around media ownership in the country and perhaps begin to diversify it. Cooper told me, however, that other Moldovan reporters with whom shes spoken remain somewhat skeptical that Sandu represents a clean break with the past.
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Among the post-Soviet countries, Russia still looms largest. State-backed disinformation campaigns have snaked out beyond the countrys bordersSandu, for instance, has alleged that she was the target of pro-Russian fake news as she ran for election in Moldova last yearas the climate for independent journalism within Russia itself has grown increasingly hostile, with officials tarring many news organizations and journalists as foreign agents and effectively outlawing others while also expelling foreign correspondents, including, recently, the Dutch newspaper reporter Tom Vennink. Dmitry Muratov, a high-profile Russian journalist, came of journalistic age in the Glasnost era; after the USSR fell and press freedom flowered, he cofounded Novaya Gazeta with some financial support from Gorbachev, who donated some of his Nobel Peace Prize winnings to the publication. Two weeks ago, Muratov himself was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, as a prominent example of the official threats journalists now face the world over. Journalism in Russia is going through a dark valley with some reporters fleeing the country, Muratov said in his Nobel lecture. That has happened in our history before.
The conditions for independent journalism may differ between post-Soviet states, but its importance is not in question. In many places, it is barely able to survive; where it has taken root, Cooper told me, it is often still dependent on financial support from Western governments and NGOs that started funding post-Soviet media thirty years ago, and might have hoped that it would be able to support itself by now. Its tempting, Cooper said, to look at the media landscape in the former USSR and ask, well, gosh, what really was accomplished? Was thirty years enough? The answer, she says, is that thirty years actually wasnt enough.
Below, more on press freedom around the world:
The United Arab Emirates: Dana Priest reports, for the Washington Post, that in the months before the Saudi state assassinated the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, officials in the United Arab Emirates detained his fiancee Hanan Elatr and infected her phone with Pegasus, a spyware tool developed by an Israel firm. An analysis of Elatrs phone that was conducted by Citizen Lab, at the University of Toronto, provides the first indication that a UAE government agency placed the military-grade spyware on a phone used by someone in Khashoggis inner circle in the months before his murder, Priest writes. The UAE continues to deny using Pegasus.
Dana Priest reports, for the Washington Post, that in the months before the Saudi state assassinated the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, officials in the United Arab Emirates detained his fiancee Hanan Elatr and infected her phone with Pegasus, a spyware tool developed by an Israel firm. An analysis of Elatrs phone that was conducted by Citizen Lab, at the University of Toronto, provides the first indication that a UAE government agency placed the military-grade spyware on a phone used by someone in Khashoggis inner circle in the months before his murder, Priest writes. The UAE continues to deny using Pegasus. Egypt: On Monday, a court in Egypt sentenced two journalists, Alaa Abdelfattah and Mohamed Oxygen, to five and four years in prison, respectively. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Egyptian authorities have held Abdelfattah, a freelance journalist and blogger, and Oxygen, a blogger whose real name is Mohamed Ibrahim, since September 2019, while investigating them under terrorism and false news charges. Mondays verdict cannot be appealed and the terrorism charges remain pending.
On Monday, a court in Egypt sentenced two journalists, Alaa Abdelfattah and Mohamed Oxygen, to five and four years in prison, respectively. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Egyptian authorities have held Abdelfattah, a freelance journalist and blogger, and Oxygen, a blogger whose real name is Mohamed Ibrahim, since September 2019, while investigating them under terrorism and false news charges. Mondays verdict cannot be appealed and the terrorism charges remain pending. China: Muyi Xiao, Paul Mozur and Gray Beltran, of the New York Times, obtained documents showing how the government of China has employed private contractors to flood global social media with a campaign to burnish its image and undercut accusations of human rights abuses. Much of the effort takes place in the shadows, Xiao, Mozur, and Beltran report, behind the guise of bot networks that generate automatic posts and hard-to-trace online personas. Chinese officials have used the campaign to track down critics outside China and trace their connections to the mainland, in some cases threatening their family members.
Muyi Xiao, Paul Mozur and Gray Beltran, of the New York Times, obtained documents showing how the government of China has employed private contractors to flood global social media with a campaign to burnish its image and undercut accusations of human rights abuses. Much of the effort takes place in the shadows, Xiao, Mozur, and Beltran report, behind the guise of bot networks that generate automatic posts and hard-to-trace online personas. Chinese officials have used the campaign to track down critics outside China and trace their connections to the mainland, in some cases threatening their family members. The UK: Tim Tate, a documentary filmmaker in the UK, has accused the British government of deceitfully withholding documents that would shine a light on its reaction, in the nineteen-eighties, to the book Spycatcher, in which Peter Wright, a former intelligence operative, accused British agencies of various abuses; public files are typically released after thirty years in Britain, but officials have cited legal exemptions to block the publication of documents that Tate is trying to review. The British government tried to block Spycatcher from being published in Australia, and also tried to gag newspapers in the UK from reporting details of Wrights claims. The Guardian has more.
Other notable stories:
ICYMI: Biden, Manchin, and the stakes behind the slogans
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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
Tyler Scott Halsey worked himself to death trimming trees in 96-degree heat, his parents say.
They alleged in a lawsuit against his employer, Townsend Tree Service, that his supervisor did not offer enough water or rest breaks and disabled the air-conditioning in work trucks so there was no respite from the stifling heat and humidity of southeast Missouri on a mid-summer day.
Missouri employers arent required to pay workers compensation death benefits if there are no dependents, other than $5,000 for funeral expenses. Halseys parents hoped to get around workers compensation exclusive remedy by naming the supervisor, Jeff Alan Richarson as a defendant. Co-employee liability has long been a quirky area in Missouri law, resulting in conflicting court opinions that apparently gave the parents lawyers hope there was a fighting chance of collecting on a wrongful death claim.
A panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals dashed those hopes Tuesday, finding that the Missouri Supreme Court had closed the door on co-employee v. co-employee lawsuits for all but the most egregious actions in a decision issued Nov. 9. In Brock v. Dunne, the high court ruled that employees can sue only co-workers who intentionally cause injury or purposefully increase danger of injury. Otherwise the duty to provide a safe workplace falls solely on employers.
The 8th Circuit panel, reciting portions of the Brock case, said there is no direct evidence demonstrating that Richardson acted with the purpose to cause or increase the risk of injury and any inference he did so would be unreasonable, speculative or forced.'
The panel rejected other arguments made in the the appeal and affirmed a decision by the U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau that dismissed the parents lawsuit.
Halsey, 23, had worked for Townsend Tree for only four days when he became disoriented and passed out as he and his co-workers were packing up after a day spent trimming trees in Stoddard and Butler counties on July 22, 2016. Richardson said in a deposition that Halsey started speaking gibberish and then keeled over. He was taken to a hospital in Poplar Bluff and died a day later. The coroner determined heat stroke was the cause of death.
Halseys body temperature had risen to 108 degrees, the U.S. Occupational Safety Administration said in a press release. The agency fined Townsend Tree $12,471 for workplace safety violations. The agency said Halseys death was the 16th heat-related workplace death it investigated that year.
Richardson testified that he had worked for the tree service off and on for five years and did not receive any training on heat injury prevention until the week after Halsey died.
Townsend Tree Service paid $23,000 for medical and funeral expenses, according to court filings. Halseys parentsAndrew Halsey and Tammy Kennedyfiled a lawsuit that named Townsend Tree Service, its owner Townsend Corp. of Indiana and Richardson as defendants.
Missouri law clearly protects employers from lawsuits filed by their employees if they carry workers compensation insurance, but whether employees can pursue lawsuits against co-workers who are responsible for their injuries has been a murkier area of law.
Historically, Missouri statutes did not say that co-workers were immune from lawsuits, but the employer-employee relationship complicated the legal analysis of the duty that employees owe to other employees, the Supreme Court said in the Brock decision.
Over the years, appellate case law applying these competing common law doctrines developed and evolved, attempting to delineate the basis for the common law liability for co-employees, the decision says.Unfortunately, this jurisprudence shifted and swung like a pendulum, causing confusion for litigants, employees, and employers.
The state legislature added to the confusion in 2005 by adopting a law that required the courts to apply strict construction when interpreting workers compensation statutes. Afterward, trial courts began ruling that co-employees enjoyed no immunity for their role in causing workplace accidents.
The legislature amended the law in 2012 to state that co-employees are immune from liability for workplace accidents unless they engaged in an affirmative negligent act that purposefully and dangerously caused or increased the risk of injury.
It was not clear until the Brock decision was released last month exactly what that meant. The Supreme Court ruled that because Brock did not show his supervisor removed the safety guard for the purpose of causing injury or increasing the risk, his tort claim must fail.
The 8th Circuit said the same principle applies to Richardsons actions.
The appellate panel also refused to allow the parents to pursue a tort claimagainst the parent company under a theory that it had assumed control over workplace safety protections at Townsend Tree Service. The panel said Townsend Corp. did offer advice on safety measures, but control was left up to Townsend Tree.
The panel also rejected a third theory that the parents lawyers hoped would keep the lawsuit alive. They argued that Halsey was not eligible for workers compensation benefits because the heat stroke that killed him was caused by his obesity, an idiopathic condition. Missouri courts have ruled that workers whose accidents are caused by an idiopathic condition are not eligible for workers compensation benefits. For example, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that a carpenter who fell because of a stroke that was caused by a previous motorcycle accident was ineligible.
The appellate panel said any decision about whether Halsey suffered an idiopathic condition is best left up to the state Labor and Industrial Relations Commission. The commission decided in 2020 that Halsey was eligible for benefits.
Townsend Corp. has posted heat safety advice on its website. In a section devoted to safety tips, the company advises employees who work in the summer heat to protect themselves by drinking water frequently, working in the shade when possible or even sitting in the truck and running the AC.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)A plan to build a $1.1 billion seawall around much of downtown Charleston is leaning toward relying on concrete structures, although many would like to see the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers include less intrusive solutions such as living shorelines and enhanced marshes.
The Post and Courier of Charleston obtained public comments through a Freedom of Information Act request. Those comments show residents, nonprofit groups and even the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources all want more natural characteristics included.
I am seriously concerned that a more naturalistic approach was not the result of this study, one resident wrote in September.
The 8-mile (12.8-kilometer) project would include a wall rising 8 feet (2.5 meters) above tidal flood levels. The plan includes dozens of gates that would close and block off roads, streams and walkways when a storm approaches. Pumps would push out water when the gates close.
Jaclyn Pennoyer, a spokesperson for the Corps Charleston District, wrote in an email that the agency considered three nature-based protections for the citybuilding living shorelines of oyster reefs, adding sediment to existing marshes and uncovering long-filled tidal creeks.
But none of these options would protect Charleston against hurricane surge of several feet, she wrote. Thats the Corps mandate for protection. Some oyster reefs are included in the most recent version of the plan. But they would parallel stretches of the surge wall, not replace it.
Reefs, enhanced marshes or improved creeks as stand-alone perimeter protection do NOT appreciably reduce the risk of damages from coastal storm surge, Pennoyer wrote. Additional nature-based solutions could be included and funded by the City of Charleston to address rainfall and tidal flooding.
Western Carolina University Professor Robert Young said its true that a reef would be drowned by a strong storm surge. But he said said greener strategies would add environmental benefits. And he said storm surge isnt the only challenge to Charleston. Rising sea levels are already causing more frequent but less severe tidal flooding.
Its better to create sort of a multi-layered approach to gray infrastructure than it is to just build a dang seawall, Young said.
Living shorelines work best at protecting the edge of a marsh or high ground from erosion. South Carolina is now letting landowners install their own versions to protect property or marsh.
In recent years, researchers have started purposefully placing oyster shells and other products to shield marsh, said Peter Kingsley-Smith, a senior marine scientist with the state Department of Natural Resources. Bags of shells, cement castles, logs of coconut fiber and even crab traps have all been tried, Kingsley-Smith told the newspaper.
These methods can preserve marsh grasses, which are important wildlife habitats and absorb carbon gases.
The Coastal Conservation League commissioned an alternative Charleston plan that proposes oyster reefs to slow down waves, earthen levees and engineered wetlands in different sections of the city.
Outgoing executive director Laura Cantral acknowledged thats not enough to stop storm surge. But she argues the wall would work better with those features.
The Corps mandate is to address storm surge, we get that, she said. We also believe many of these nature-based solutions make the overall objective of the wall more effective.
One issue is that the Corps calculates a cost-benefit ratio to determine which projects are worth paying for. It doesnt account for benefits from greener options, said Natalie Snider of the Environmental Defense Fund. Congress told the Corps to consider incorporating these elements into plans in 2018 and 2020, she said.
Weve just seen the Corps be slow on the uptake of really developing and relying on these features, Snider said.
The cost-benefit ratio for the Charleston project as now designed is more than 10 to 1, making it one of the most attractive for the federal government to fund in the Southeast.
About the photo: Flood waters reflect East Battery as a king tide rolls into the historic Battery causing flooding in Charleston, S.C. Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. Charleston has remained relatively unscathed this hurricane season. That means more time to mull a $1.75 billion proposal by the Army Corps of Engineers that features a sea wall along the citys peninsula to protect it from deadly storm surge during hurricanes. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LOS ANGELES (AP)Drought-stricken California is facing a week of heavy mountain snowfall and widespread rain from another series of the kind of storms that were not expected to be likely this fall and winter due to La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean.
Successive waves of precipitation moving into Northern California from Tuesdaythe first day of winterthrough Sunday afternoon will coat parts of the Sierra Nevada with 1 to 5 feet (0.3-1.5 meters) of snow and possibly up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) at some higher elevations, the National Weather Service said.
The mountain range, where ski resorts had struggled to open this fall, is already sporting glistening peaks after recent storms. The snowfall is important because the Sierras winter snowpack normally is a significant source of Californias water.
We had a big storm already recently. Were just getting over shoveling and all that so now were preparing for the next one, said Karla Brennan, owner of The Cork & More, a longstanding deli, cheese and wine store in South Lake Tahoe. I think its going to be a white Christmas.
Snow can sometimes hit the area as early as Thanksgiving. It was welcome this year when it finally arrived.
Everybodys saying that theyre having a record-breaking December, Brennan said. All of a sudden, it happened in the past two weeks. When the snow came, the cars came up.
In October, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that a the Pacific Ocean was showing signs of a new La Nina, the flip side of the El Nino ocean-warming pattern, that tends to cause changes in weather worldwide.
Forecasters said much of California would have a 33% to 50% chance of below-normal precipitation, while only the states far northern tier had equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation.
But the storm track has trended farther south than is usual during La Ninas. After a series of mid-December tempests, Californias overall snow-water equivalenta measurement of how much water is in the snowpackjumped from 19% of normal to date on Dec. 10 to 76% of normal on Dec. 17, according to the latest U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook.
While the current wet trend is positive, it is too early to know if it will last through January and February. The snowpack normally doesnt reach its maximum until April and last spring there was minimal runoff because much of the water was absorbed by the drought-parched landscape.
Forecasters noted that this weeks storms will also have potential for significant low-elevation snow, including over Interstate 5 north of Redding, the northern region where last weeks storms shut down the vital highway for nearly 24 hours.
Little break in snowfall is expected after Tuesday and major travel difficulties are anticipated the mountains, the weather service said.
Gusty winds will further reduce visibilities during this event with local whiteout conditions possible, forecasters said. Holiday travelers should prepare for winter driving conditions by packing chains, warm winter clothes, and extra food and water.
The wet weather pattern will begin to affect Southern California late this week.
The Los Angeles weather office said water vapor imagery over the Pacific shows an atmospheric river developing as moisture streamed from an area east of Hawaii.
Atmospheric rivers suck up water from the Pacific and dump it in the form of snow and rain when they arrive at the West Coast.
Rain and high-elevation snow will likely occur Wednesday through Thursday, followed by unsettled and showery weather through the weekend, forecasters said.
About the photo: A pedestrian carries an umbrella while looking toward the skyline from Dolores Park in San Francisco on Dec. 13, 2021. California is facing a stormy holiday week, with heavy mountain snowfall and widespread rain elsewhere. Forecasters say successive waves of precipitation moving into Northern California from Tuesday through Sunday afternoon will coat parts of the Sierra Nevada with 1 to 5 feet of snow and possibly up to 8 feet at higher elevations. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The state Capitol building in Denver is seen on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. The Mile High City has already shattered its 87-year-old record for the latest measurable snowfall set on Nov. 21, 1934, and was a little more than a week away from breaking an 1887 record of 235 consecutive days without snow. The scenario is playing out across much of the Rocky Mountains, as far north as Montana and in the broader Western United States, which is experiencing a megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change.
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100%
Website dtcc.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 92987 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 331197 bytes (323.43 kb uncompressed).
This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-12-22, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
Fanosak.ir scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team
This CoolSocial report was updated on 10 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
The total number of people who shared the fanosak homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the fanosak homepage on Twitter + the total number of fanosak followers (if fanosak has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the fanosak homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the fanosak homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the fanosak homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if fanosak has a Facebook fan page).
Basic Information
PAGE TITLE | | | | | | DESCRIPTION | | | | | | KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS
CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site.
Domain and Server
DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE Persian UTF-8Persian SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux
The language of fanosak.ir as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server. Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0)
Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.
Referring domains for fanosak.ir by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.
Facebook link
FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days.
Twitter account link
TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
Congratulations, loc.edu got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site:
Loc.edu scored 63 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team
This CoolSocial report was updated on 28 Mar 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
loc.edu is very popular in Facebook. It is liked by 100 people on Facebook and it has 9 twitter shares.
The total number of people who shared the loc homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the loc homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the loc homepage on Twitter + the total number of loc followers (if loc has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the loc homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if loc has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the loc homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button.
Basic Information
PAGE TITLE Homepage | LeMoyne-Owen College | Memphis TN DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS college, student, financial aid, lemoyne, services, financial, march
The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site.
Domain and Server
DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Microsoft-IIS/6.0 (ASP.NET) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2003
Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Operative System running on the server. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of loc.edu as detected by CoolSocial algorithms.
Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.
Referring domains for loc.edu by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.
Facebook link
FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The URL of the found Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The type of Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages.
Twitter account link
TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
Voorjaarsprijzen.nl scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team
This CoolSocial report was updated on 1 Apr 2015, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the voorjaarsprijzen homepage on Twitter + the total number of voorjaarsprijzen followers (if voorjaarsprijzen has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the voorjaarsprijzen homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the voorjaarsprijzen homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if voorjaarsprijzen has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the voorjaarsprijzen homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the voorjaarsprijzen homepage on Delicious.
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PAGE TITLE Voorjaarsprijzen DESCRIPTION Culinaire hotelarrangementen, barbecues, relaxpakketten of een vakantie naar Curacao: met de Winpas van de Staatsloterij maakt u kans op 160 prijzen t.w.v. ruim 26.500! KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS wincode, unieke, prijzen, eenmalig een nieuwe, jouw unieke, eenmalig een, een nieuwe
The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage.
Domain and Server
DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE Dutch UTF-8Dutch DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Microsoft-IIS/7.5 (ASP.NET) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 R2
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WEST HARTFORD The town will begin a national search for a new town manager as Matt Hart is leaving the position to become executive director of the Capitol Region Council of Governments.
Hart was appointed as West Hartfords town manager in 2017, when he came to the town after holding the same position in Mansfield.
Mayor Shari Cantor said she will nominate Rick Ledwith, the towns executive director of human resources, to serve as acting town manager in the interim.
Cantor said Hart played a big role in some of the most significant economic development projects in the history of the town.
Matt has been an excellent town manager, providing steady leadership to West Hartford during an incredibly challenging time, Cantor said in a statement. Matts many accomplishments include keeping West Hartford a safe, vibrant and prosperous community through his unfaltering leadership during the pandemic. I am fortunate to consider Matt a friend and I will miss him, but I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role.
The Capitol Region Council of Governments is comprised of a group of leaders from the Hartford region. The council said it was formed to initiate and implement programs that benefit towns in the area.
West Hartford is among the 38 metro Hartford municipalities that guides the council, with Cantor serving as West Hartfords policy board member.
New Britains mayor, Erin Stewart, was recently named chair of the council and issued a statement praising Harts appointment.
Matt Hart has been an effective and well-known leader from municipal government from the Hartford area, Stewart said. We are excited to have him join CRCOG and look forward to his leadership in helping to advance regional programs that will benefit the residents of our region.
Jon Colman, the chair of the councils ad-hoc search committee, said Hart was by far the best candidate they found in their comprehensive search.
Hart said hes honored to serve as the councils next executive director. He will begin in the new position on Feb. 28.
I look forward to joining the team and working with CRCOGs policy board and staff to advance the organizations strategic priorities and vision, particularly during this extraordinary time, Hart said.
Hart will succeed Lyle Wray, who served in the position since 2004.
Hart will leave the town manager position in early February. The nomination of Ledwith to serve as acting town manager will likely happen at the next town council meeting.
Ledwith, the town said, has served a number of roles in West Hartford since 2001. Ledwith has held the position of executive director of human resources for the last 15 years. The town said Ledwith has worked with every municipal department and the school district while in that role. Ledwith and his wife, Tara, have lived in town for 25 years.
West Hartford is incredibly fortunate to have someone of Ricks experience and expertise able to step into the role of acting town manager, Cantor said.
In a statement, Ledwith said hes looking forward to serving as acting town manager.
I am humbled that Mayor Cantor has put her trust in me, Ledwith said. I truly love this community and I look forward to this new challenge.
SYDNEY (AP) New COVID-19 cases in Australias most populous state surged to a pandemic record Wednesday, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison met with state leaders to discuss preventative measures.
Morrison emerged from the national cabinet meeting again rejecting lockdowns and mask mandates imposed by the federal government. He said policies on mask wearing were best left to state governments and to Australians who should follow commonsense behavioral measures.
New South Wales state on Wednesday recorded 3,763 new cases, up 706 from Tuesday, though the number of omicron cases was not known because genomic sequencing is not routinely carried out there.
State and territory leaders were expected to press Morrison to reduce the gap between second vaccine doses and booster shots. Morrison said any decision on reducing the gap from five to four months would be made by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization.
Australia has been battling the omicron variant of COVID-19 for about four weeks and cases have been steadily rising in populous New South Wales and Victoria states.
Victoria reported 1,503 cases on Wednesday, of which about 60 were reportedly omicron.
Morrison said Australia is taking the highly transmissible omicron strain very seriously," adding that "what were dealing with is a much greater volume of cases.
The cases themselves don't necessarily present the challenge, as we've always said. What really matters is how many people are experiencing serious illness and how many people are having to draw on the considerable resources of ICUs and our hospital system, he added.
Morrison said state and territory leaders told him that despite the increase in cases they have not yet seen any significant impact on the hospital system.
The federal government from Wednesday will pay doctors and pharmacists an additional $10 to administer booster shots, Morrison said.
He said that mask wearing indoors is highly recommended whether it is mandated or not and that compliance with commonsense rules would ensure Australians celebrate Christmas with fewer disruptions.
My message is to stay calm, get your booster, follow the commonsense behavioral measures as you're going into Christmas and we look forward to that, Morrison said.
WASHINGTON (AP) Mitch McConnell is done with subtleties. The Senate Republican leader is putting his party's courtship of Joe Manchin on full public display after the West Virginia Democrat's fractious split with the White House over the presidents big social and environmental spending package.
McConnell says Manchin feels like a man alone and if he were to switch parties, he would be joining a lot of folks who have similar views on a whole range of issues.
Whether Manchin is open to McConnell's appeal he has consistently said he still sees himself as a Democrat is uncertain. But it is clear that if he were to switch it would fundamentally alter the balance of power in Washington as well as seriously threaten Joe Biden's legislative prospects for the rest of his presidency.
McConnell dangled the prospect of Manchin retaining his prized Energy Committee chairmanship during an interview Wednesday and played up the West Virginian's growing distance from Democrats in his opposition to Biden's package.
A flip by Manchin would give Republicans control of the Senate and effectively end any chance of Democrats being able to get legislation or nominations through on party-line votes.
The rift escalated after Manchin said over the weekend that he couldn't vote for the social spending package that Democrats have pitched as their top domestic priority going into next year's elections.
I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just cant. Ive tried everything humanly possible. I cant get there, Manchin told Fox News Sunday."
That prompted a sharply worded response from White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said Manchin had in person given Biden a written proposal that was the same size and scope as a framework for the bill that Democrats rallied behind in October and that he had agreed to continue talks.
We will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word, Psaki said.
The White House had basically called Manchin a liar, McConnell said in a radio appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Show.
"It was astonishing. Usually when youve got a member who is a little bit out of sync with everybody else, you give them a lot of love. They did exactly the opposite," McConnell said.
He said he's had conversations over the years with Manchin about his party affiliation.
"If he were to join us, he would be joining a lot of folks who have similar views on a whole range of issues.
One big obstacle to a party switch would be Manchins vote in February in favor of the impeachment of former President Donald Trump for his actions during the violent insurrection at the Capitol. West Virginia voted for Trump by more than 2-to-1, and Trump has called for defeating Republicans who voted for impeachment.
But Manchin, the only Democrat in his state's congressional delegation, is popular back home. He was twice elected governor before his election to the Senate in 2010. He'll be up for re-election in 2024 should he decide to seek another term.
West Virginia is still coal country, and Democrat Manchin is chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. If he were to switch parties, McConnell and the Republicans could choose a new chairman.
Thats something we have talked to him about," McConnell said. "Obviously, I'm sure he enjoyed being a chair of the committee. It's important to West Virginia, and all of those things are things we have discussed.
McConnell also addressed questions about Manchin in an interview late Wednesday on Fox News, saying he admired Manchin's stand on the social spending package.
I think they will keep coming back to him. Ive suggested a good solution to his problem would be to come across the aisle and join us where he would be treated with respect," McConnell said.
Manchin has long faced questions about his place in the Democratic Party, and the talk took on fresh urgency in October when a Mother Jones article said he had been telling associates he was seriously considering leaving the party. But six days after the article was published, while sitting down with the Economic Club in Washington, Manchin rejected the reports, saying I dont think the Rs would be any happier with me than Ds are right now.
He added, So I dont know where in the hell I belong.
The question has been posed to him repeatedly in the past few weeks, coming to a breaking point Monday morning, hours after he had publicly voiced his opposition to Bidens bill.
I would like to hope that there are still Democrats that feel like I do," he said. Im fiscally responsible and socially compassionate.
"Now, if theres no Democrats like that, then they have to push me wherever they want.
Party switching in the Senate is rare but has been consequential. Republicans lost control of the Senate two decades ago when James Jeffords of Vermont quit the party to become an independent. Jeffords, upset with President George W. Bushs opposition to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, declared in May of 2001 that he would leave and caucus with the Democrats.
McConnell said Jeffords had become very uncomfortable on our side." He said Republican lawmakers courted him because we were always fearful he would do exactly what he ended up doing. So, no, I mean, we certainly didn't do anything like the White House did to Joe Manchin the other day."
While all this swirls, Biden is making clear that he believes he can still reach an agreement with the West Virginian on a social spending package.
Senator Manchin and I are going to get something done," Biden declared at the White House on Tuesday.
HONOLULU (AP) Hawaii health officials reported another 707 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases Tuesday, the fifth straight day of elevated infection numbers.
Hawaii had a seven-day average of about 100 daily cases in early December. Now, after several days of high case counts, there are more than 5,600 active cases among Hawaii's 1.5 million residents, according to the state Department of Health.
Health officials said there were at least 50 omicron variant coronavirus cases as of Monday. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said last week that early data suggests omicron is more transmissible than the delta variant.
Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green said he wants more testing and vaccination sites to be established.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Green sent a memorandum to Gov. David Ige and other state officials saying Hawaii has enough federal funding to set up more vaccine booster and testing sites across the islands.
It stands to reason that now were seeing the large omicron surge that we get as many people boosters as possible," Green said, adding that only 22% of vaccinated people have received boosters.
Vaccinated U.S. travelers to the state are no longer required to take tests prior to their arrival. Anyone who is not vaccinated must be tested before departure to Hawaii or face a quarantine upon arrival.
On Oahu, where the vast majority of the new cases are being reported, Mayor Rick Blangiardi said last week that officials had no plans to set up more coronavirus testing or vaccination sites before the holidays.
Its really hard to do before Christmas. Its really a manpower issue, he said. Were just going to encourage people who are available to get their third shots to get them.
Oahu has a test positivity rate of 9% and the statewide average is 7%.
WASHINGTON (AP) The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection on Wednesday requested an interview with Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of former President Donald Trump's closest allies in Congress, as the committee closes in on members of its own chamber.
In a letter to Jordan, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democratic chairman of the panel, said the panel wants the lawmaker to provide information for its investigation surrounding his communications with Trump on Jan. 6 and Trump's efforts to challenge the result of the 2020 election.
We understand that you had at least one and possibly multiple communications with President Trump on January 6th, the letter reads. We would like to discuss each such communication with you in detail.
The request is the second by the nine-member panel this week and launches a new phase for the lawmakers on the committee, who have so far resisted going after one of their own as they investigate the insurrection by supporters and his efforts to overturn the election.
Jordan is a staunch supporter of the former president's false claims about voter fraud. The lawmaker brought those claims up during an October hearing on a motion to hold former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon in contempt for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena.
In that hearing, Jordan admitted once again that he spoke with Trump on the day of the attack.
Of course, I talked to the president, Jordan told members of the Rules Committee, in response to questioning from the panels chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. I talked to him that day. Ive been clear about that. I dont recall the number of times, but its not about me. I know you want to make it about that."
A request for comment from Jordan's office was not immediately returned.
The panel is also seeking information regarding Jordan's meeting with Trump and members of his administration in November and December 2020, and in early January 2021, about strategies for overturning the results of the 2020 election. The letter goes on to say the committee is also interested in any discussions Jordan may have had during that time regarding the possibility of presidential pardons for people involved in any aspect of the Capitol attack or the planning for the two rallies that took place that day.
Thompson writes that Jordan has already publicly signaled a willingness to cooperate with the panel's efforts to get answers about Jan. 6, citing the lawmaker's quote from that October hearing: I've said all along, I have nothing to hide. Ive been straightforward all along.
On Monday, the committee sent a similar request to Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who the panel believes had an important role in efforts to install then-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark as acting attorney general in late 2020.
Perry rejected the committee's request Tuesday, calling the committee and its investigation illegitimate.
In response, Tim Mulvey, a committee spokesperson, said that while the panel prefers to gather evidence from members cooperatively, it will pursue such information using other tools if necessary.
The panel has already interviewed about 300 people as it seeks to create a comprehensive record of the Jan. 6 attack and the events leading up to it.
Trump at the time was pushing false claims of widespread voter fraud and lobbying Vice President Mike Pence and Republican members of Congress to try to overturn the count at the Jan. 6 congressional certification. Election officials across the country, along with the courts, had repeatedly dismissed Trumps claims.
The suburban Minneapolis police officer on trial for fatally shooting Daunte Wright has said she mistakenly used her gun when she was trying to grab a Taser during a chaotic attempt to arrest the Black motorist.
Policing experts say that regardless of Kim Potter's intent, the fatal shooting was preceded by smaller mistakes or questionable decisions that added up to a dangerous situation as she was training a new officer. They also say the tragic outcome shows how important it is for veteran officers like her to have not just the savvy to train rookies, but the willingness to correct them instantly in risky situations even if it means the trainee might lose face.
The number one priority isnt the long-term outcome of training an officer, its the short term of safety, said Brian Higgins, an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the former chief of police and director of public safety for Bergen County, New Jersey.
Knowing when to step in is a difficult decision sometimes, and Im sure many times field training officers look back and go Wow, I should have stepped in sooner.
Potter, who is white, is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 killing of Wright, who was pulled over in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center for having expired license plate tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. The jury began deliberating on Monday.
Potter was training a newer officer, Anthony Luckey, that day, and she testified that if she had been alone, she most likely wouldn't have pulled over Wright, who was 20 years old. She said the air freshener was trivial and that many people were having difficulty renewing their tags at that stage of the pandemic.
But Potter said Luckey wanted to make the stop and she allowed it because its important for trainees to have many encounters with the public.
Policing experts agree that it's good for trainees to interact often with the public so that they learn the intangible skills the job requires. But using traffic violations as a way to check for more serious lawbreaking criticized by some as pretext stops has come under scrutiny, especially because some of these stops have led to the deaths of Black people in recent years.
Carl Lafata, a professor of criminal justice at Minnesota State University in Mankato, said such stops can erode community trust if they're used too aggressively. The Wright stop could have been a chance for Potter to teach Luckey the art of the job," he said.
"How do you do it in such a way that is safe, that is professional, that leaves that person with a good taste in their mouth? he asked.
After Potter and Luckey discovered that Wright had an outstanding warrant on a weapons charge, body camera video recorded them making a plan to arrest Wright.
Im just going to get him out and then cuff him up. I mean hes got a warrant, so Im going to get him cuffed up, Luckey said.
That should have been a point at which the officers' level of caution went up, especially in the midst of field-training a new officer, Higgins said. Learning how to correctly handcuff and control someone is a basic but critical process for police officers. If a trainee struggles to the point of risking someone's safety, a field training officer should step in, he said.
When an officer has made a decision to place someone under arrest, that's when you enter in many cases the real dangerous situation, he said. And that's why handcuffing and controlling the subject is critical, regardless of what the charge is.
Ryan Getty, a professor at California State University at Sacramento who has specialized in developing police field training, said field training officers usually don't allow trainees to make arrests on their own until the latter half of their training program. Although Luckey had gone through field training programs at other police departments, he was in the second of four phases with the Brooklyn Center police force.
Usually the (field training officer) takes over if its a violent arrest or warrant, Getty said.
Luckey, Potter and the third officer who responded to the scene, then-Sgt. Mychal Johnson, all approached Wright's car, with Luckey taking the lead as Wright stood outside his car.
As Luckey struggled to handcuff him, Potter tried to assist, placing her hand on Wrights arm.
That move made sense to the police training experts, who said training officers will usually try to nonverbally take charge of an arrest where police lose control.
When its clearly going south, then the (field training officer) needs to step in and take charge, Lafata said.
But then Wright made a break for his car and got behind the wheel.
Potter's former chief, Tim Gannon, testified that he saw no error by Potter in procedure. But he faulted Luckey for not moving Wright away from his open car door.
What training tells us to do is to move him to the rear of the car away from the open door or close the door behind him, testified Gannon, who resigned two days after the shooting the same day Potter quit.
Lafata and Higgins highlighted the same error. You want to avoid any sort of opportunity for the person to get back into the car and flee, said Lafata, who previously served as a state trooper in Michigan.
When prosecutors questioned Potter about why she didn't step in at that point, she testified that she wouldnt do that to a rookie in front of a suspect.
Gannon agreed in his testimony, calling it an action he would not have addressed until afterward.
Higgins said a general good rule is to let a trainee officer work through his or her actions and afterward try to critique it.
But if there is any concern having to do with safety, you have a responsibility to train them and keep them safe, he said. If her concern was that his actions were unsafe because he did not position the individual correctly during the arrest, she has to interject herself.
Field training officers dont want to be the bad guy or girl, but ensuring someone is trained properly is critical in policing where the health and safety of everyone involved can be at stake, Higgins said.
Once Wright jumped into his car, the situation became chaotic, with Potter pulling her handgun while yelling, Ill tase you! Ill tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!
Getty questioned whether Potter was even qualified to be a field training officer because she made the fatal error of grabbing her handgun instead of a Taser.
When it comes to panic time, if they dont have that experience, they just go back to how they are trained, he said, adding that field training officers are supposed to be the best of the best officers.
___
Find the APs full coverage of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkish authorities have arrested an American diplomat working for the U.S. Consulate in Lebanon for allegedly providing a fake passport to a Syrian man, Turkeys state-run news agency reported Wednesday.
The Anadolu Agency said the suspect, identified by his initials D.J.K., was detained at Istanbul Airport on Nov. 11, and was later formally arrested on suspicion of selling the forged passport for $10,000.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The University of Utah says its racist-incident team is investigating separate reports of men dressed like the KKK in dorms and excrement smeared on a door of a Black students room.
The reports came in the fall but drew attention Sunday night after a student questioned on Instagram why they had not been addressed, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Two former White House Chiefs of Staff will share their unique perspectives at the 2022 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC).
Reince Priebus, the first chief of staff to President Donald Trump, and Thomas Mack McLarty, chief of staff to President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1994, will participate in a moderated discussion and share their insiders view of the issues driving the current debate in Washington.
The CUNA GAC is the biggest credit union advocacy event of the year. As a bipartisan organization, we believe its important to hear from influential voices across the political spectrum, said Todd Spiczenski, CUNA Chief Products and Services Officer. said Todd Spiczenski, CUNA Chief Products and Services Officer. This glimpse behind the curtain will benefit credit union advocates looking to maximize their impact in Washington.
Priebus will share his opinions, triumphs, and failures from his tenure in the Trump White House, as well as his insights on the current political climate.
A common mistake that many organizations make is thinking that their logo, their name, and their taglines are their brand.
This isnt true.
Your brand is what you stand for and how you stand out. Its the experience the market trusts you to deliver.
If you simply take your logo and taglines and paste them everywhere, youve failed to truly activate your brand.
The automobile industry has great examples of companies living their brand. Volvos brand promise is safety, Teslas is technology innovation, and Subarus is the rugged outdoors.
These companies didnt just create a brand, they activated it in a way thats practical, functional, and emotional. It shapes the way they operate and innovate, and the products they develop. Volvo isnt going to make a car that doesnt pass safety tests, Tesla isnt going to make a car without driving assist and other innovations, and Subaru isnt going to make a car that doesnt feel at home on loose mountain roads.
Now think about what brand activation means for your credit union. Imagine curating your members and employees in the same way Subaru curates customers who will only buy a Subaru. This is the key to building long-term value loyalty, retention, and engagement of both your members and staff.
NIH Federal Credit Union is an excellent example of brand activation in the physical environment. This branch is about how you feel when you are in the space.
The credit union had previously built branches that told you what it was about- we are a member of the bio-medical community. The branches were clean and functional, but they didnt make you feel any differently than any other nicely appointed branch facility.
But with their recent branch transformation, they pivoted from this explicit association to healthcare to conveying a feeling of wellbeing. Green walls, natural materials, calming spaces, places where members feel at ease.
This shift from telling to showing activated their brand and helps their market identify with the credit union at a deeper level.
There are steps you can take to put this idea into practice, and they start with understanding what your brand actually is and what your credit union stands for.
Talk to your stakeholders to discover your internal vision, business goals, and generally how you want to be perceived.
Talk to existing members and develop an understanding of how they see you.
Look at how you stack up to the competition. Is the brand youre building or refining truly differentiated in the market? Are you really giving members a reason to choose you?
And finally, audit your brand to make sure its authentic and something that is embraced by not only members but your team, and that it aligns with your actions and value proposition.
Learn more
Want to learn more about activating your brand as part of holistic strategy to help your credit union compete in an increasingly digital world?
Watch our video on how (and why!) to drive branch traffic in a digital world, and start a conversation with our team today!
STORY LINK Pound Canadian Dollar Exchange Rate Subdued as Omicron Weighs on Pair
Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) Exchange Rate Muted as Omicron Stifles Growth
Pound (GBP) Stumbles Following Disappointing Growth Figures
Canadian Dollar (CAD) Boosted by Retail Sales but Capped by Oil Market
GBP/CAD Exchange Rate Forecast: Will Canadian Growth Figures Boost Currency?
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The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate dipped this morning following disappointing growth figures for the UK, but has since traded within a narrow range. The Omicron variant continues to place pressure on both currencies as well as oil prices driving movement in the Canadian Dollar (CAD).At time of writing the GPB/CAD exchange rate is at around $1.7149, virtually unchanged for this mornings opening figures.The Pound (GBP) dipped at the opening of this mornings session following disappointing growth data, but has since traded within a narrow range as the Omicron variant continues to weigh on the Sterling.Todays growth figures for the third quarter indicate that the UK economy grew slower than previously thought even before the impact of the Omicron variant was felt. The countrys economy grew by 1.1% in the third quarter under forecasts of 1.3% as supply issues continue to affect the building and manufacturing sectors.What little growth the UK saw was largely supported by the hospitality and arts sectors, as well a 2.7% boost to household spending as consumers returned to the shops. The impact of the Omicron variant has been felt most acutely in these sectors, and business leaders had repeatedly called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier in the week to intervene. Following these calls, Sunak yesterday announced a 1bn bailout package for the hospitality sector.Whilst the package was warmly received by some and may have helped support the Pound, many felt that the Chancellor had not done nearly enough to support businesses during a crucial trading period. Ian Hoskins, who runs Liverpools Ma Pub Group, was one of those critical that the measures would not be enough:The point is that it costs me more to stay open than when we are closed and while I dont think anyone is expecting to have all lost Christmas sales reimbursed by the government, the 6k grant is a drop in the ocean at this time of year. Thats not being ungrateful thats the truth.Many businesses have accused the government of giving mixed messaging and implementing a lockdown by stealth, as guidance on social mixing has led to a sharp decline in bookings and footfall.The Canadian Dollar (CAD) was boosted overnight by optimistic retail sales figures, but has remained subdued as the oil markets remain uncertain in the face of the Omicron variant.Retail figures for October jumped well above forecasts of 1% to 1.6% as the countrys automotive industry continued its recovery after previous supply issues. Analysts were quick to point out however that tightening restrictions in response to the Omicron variant may see the economy take a turn for the worse.Andrew Grantham, CIBC senior economist, felt that the country would soon feel the impact of the Omicron variant:Even though these restrictions have focused more on bars, restaurants, gyms and other such services, rather than retailers at this stage, public concern regarding the recent outbreak is still likely to be disrupting footfall and driving more shopping activity online again.Ongoing uncertainty in the oil markets is likely to also continue to affect the commodity-tied Loonie as investors remain uncertain of demand in the face of tightening restrictions worldwide. The price of crude oil rose just 0.1% today to $71.24 a barrel.Looking to the week ahead, the UK is not set to see any further significant data releases. Its likely that Sterling will continue to see headwinds as the UK government responds to the Omicron variant.Canadas October growth figures are currently forecast to show a rise which could provide a boost to CAD. Much like this weeks retail sales figures however, it may provide little respite to the currency if analysts feel that a slowdown in the face of the Omicron variant is inevitable.
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TAGS: Forecasts
Like all the patients in my Intensive Care Unit, the lady I saw this week was desperately ill.
Coronavirus had ravaged her lungs, her blood pressure was plummeting and she required ventilation. It was touch and go.
Just a few hours earlier, she'd managed to tell me, while struggling hard for each breath, her biggest regret; that she hadn't been vaccinated.
A person walks past a coronavirus test centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire this Tuesday
She is not alone that unvaccinated status is what marks out the vast majority of Covid patients in ICUs around the country right now.
Suffering
It was impossible not to feel sympathy for her. Mortal illness is a terrible thing to behold, even if, as an intensive care specialist of many years' standing, you have faced it day-in, day-out.
But it is especially poignant when, as in this woman's case, you know the sheer pointlessness of her suffering.
Had she had her jabs and as a fifty-something she would certainly have been offered two vaccinations and a booster by now she would very likely be living her life in the company of her loved ones and not fighting for her very survival.
That is why my sympathy for her and all those like her is matched by frustration. Because her story is playing out hour after hour in critical-care wards across the land.
People queue outside a vaccination centre in Edinburgh as the Covid booster vaccination programme is ramped up
In an interview this week, Michael Bartley, a critical care matron at King's College Hospital in London, said '80 to 90 per cent' of Covid patients in the beds he was responsible for were unvaccinated.
That statistic is echoed in the teaching hospital where I work in the South of England.
Almost all of the Covid patients in my intensive care unit are unvaccinated. (At the height of the pandemic and before the vaccines, Covid patients occupied 90 per cent of beds in my unit.)
They require round-the-clock care at enormous public expense every critical-care bed costs about 1,500 per day to run while putting immense pressure on the NHS in terms of cancelled surgeries and growing waiting lists.
The impact of the backlog in NHS treatment a record waiting list of 5.7 million and counting has yet to play out fully.
But I have no doubt that will eventually be shown to have led to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths and protracted, painful illness.
Almost two years into the pandemic, we urgently need to tackle this and to do that we need our critical-care beds for patients who are there unavoidably.
Vaccinations have demonstrably weakened the link between coronavirus infection and serious illness and death.
Yet too many people dismiss vaccination as an intervention they can do without or they believe the lies and malicious misinformation being peddled by anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theories on social media.
They have blood on their hands, and their deluded followers not only risk their own lives, but are holding the country to ransom with the threat of further restrictions and a New Year lockdown with all the devastation that brings businesses and individuals.
At the start of the pandemic, my hospital, like so many others, was a war zone.
For weeks at a time, the number of patients requiring ventilation was triple our usual capacity, requiring us to adapt everything from post-surgery recovery wards to operating theatres in near-frenzied fashion.
Despite our efforts, mortality rates doubled to about a third of those admitted, rather than the usual 15 per cent.
I slept at the hospital often because there was simply no time to go home. My enduring memory of that time was emerging from a fitful sleep to see the nurses who'd been on night-shifts, their weary faces bearing the angry pressure marks of their PPE.
They reminded me of Spitfire pilots returning from battle in World War II and, certainly, they were engaged in a daily life-or-death struggle.
A great deal has changed since then, thank God. We have far better treatments and vastly improved knowledge, as well as the vaccines.
And despite gloomy forecasts from government scientists, the current surge in people testing positive for Covid in the wake of the Omicron variant has not translated into hospital admissions.
These have remained flat, more or less holding level since July.
Of my current unvaccinated patients, some have pre-existing conditions and others do not. They span all ages, and many are only in their 30s and 40s, including people who were fit and healthy before they were infected.
Heartbreak
Some of them will die and I would not wish their final moments on anyone. A Covid death is terrible to see.
Anyone who dies before their time represents an individual tragedy and leaves a legacy of heartbreak for their family.
But in the unvaccinated, that tragedy is somehow even harder to bear.
So many of those who are able to speak are desperate to share their regret at not getting vaccinated.
'I wish I could turn back the clock, doctor,' one said to me this week.
A member of the medical staff at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast, which has been transformed into a vaccination centre
In another case, the family of a patient who was being ventilated begged me to administer the vaccine. They did not realise that it was too late.
And let me be blunt: while the Hippocratic Oath obliges me to do my level best for every non-vaccinated patient, it is difficult not to feel impotent fury at the impact their irresponsibility has had on my colleagues and everyone else.
As doctors, we cannot choose who to treat. But the fact is every bed taken by an unvaccinated Covid patient could instead be occupied by someone who requires life-saving treatment or surgery and who no jab could help.
While some unvaccinated individuals are merely ignorant, others are deeply selfish.
Irrational
Of course, in a free society, every adult has a right to refuse medical treatment, even if it could save their life, but it is clear to me that those who do refuse the vaccine should expect to face consequences.
That's why, despite my instinctively liberal leanings, I firmly support vaccine passports.
They are what's known in government as a 'nudge' a minor inconvenience and I am convinced they would lead to about 80 per cent of supposedly fervent anti-vaxxers queuing for their jabs.
Experience dictates that as soon as you place a small obstacle in the way of someone holding on to their largely irrational beliefs, those beliefs very often melt away.
There will always be the die-hard refuseniks of course, clinging to absurd conspiracy theories or grossly misguided notions of vaccination being a civil liberties issue.
Some NHS staff, for example, are staunchly refusing to have a Covid jab but you never hear them complaining about the other mandatory vaccinations in the NHS, such as Hepatitis B.
Here on the frontline, such beliefs ring hollow. Sadly, the lady I mentioned at the start of this article later died.
Hers was another tragic and avoidable loss and her dying words should shame both those who reject the vaccines and the fools who perpetrate lies about their benefits.
The writer is a senior Intensive Care Consultant at a hospital in the South of England.
Surely it cannot have been the intention of those who fought so long and hard to take Britain out of the European Union to make Brexit Britain more like Europe.
That would be too ridiculous for words.
The plan was to strike out in a new and distinctive direction, free of Brusselss red tape and with an emphasis on entrepreneurial endeavour, less government and lower taxes.
Yet on the eve of tomorrows first anniversary of a Brexit trade deal with the EU, Britain has never looked more European.
The continental economies of Europe are notorious for saddling their workers not only with high income taxes, but onerous supplementary social charges in order to pay for generous health and welfare benefits. That is now our direction of travel too.
From next April, National Insurance contributions (NICs) for both employers and employees will rise 1.25 per cent, supposedly to pay for social care and the always cash-thirsty NHS.
Surely it cannot have been the intention of those who fought so long and hard to take Britain out of the European Union to make Brexit Britain more like Europe. Pictured: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (centre right), President of the European Council Charles Michel (front R), French President Emmanuel Macron (L), Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Brussels on December 15
Frozen
This means workers will pay NICs at a rate of 13.25 per cent and, given that the basic rate of income tax stands at 20 per cent, even those on modest incomes of, say, 25,000 a year, now face an effective marginal rate of tax of 33.25 per cent. Very European indeed.
But it doesnt stop there. Income tax thresholds have been frozen which means many low-paid workers will start paying tax for the first time and those on only moderately decent incomes will drift into the 40 per cent tax bracket.
Most European economies are also fond of levying high taxes on business, which might explain the EUs sclerotic economic performance for much of this century.
For the past decade, even when we were inside the EU, Britain was going in the opposite direction, steadily cutting taxes on company profits.
No longer. Incredibly, even though weve now left the EU, we are heading for European levels of corporation tax, which will rise from its current 19 per cent to 26 per cent by 2024. The upshot of all this is clear. The British tax burden is the highest in modern times.
State spending now accounts for over 40 per cent of GDP. Taken together it means were heading towards a European-style high-tax, big-government economy. Its not exactly the Brexit we were promised.
Of course, coping with Covid has been expensive. Pandemics, like major wars, increase the scope and size of government. But even when the pandemic fades, there is no reason to think that the state will shrink.
Indeed, its remarkable how little weve taken advantage of what was meant to be a new freedom. Its one of the reasons that Lord Frost (pictured with Boris Johnson), the Governments tough and highly experienced Brexit negotiator, resigned last weekend
Boris Johnsons Government is a cheerleader for net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and has made levelling up the poorer North with the richer South its core mission (especially now it has so many Northern MPs).
Forcing us to go green and moving resources around the country will, by definition, require massive state intervention, and that spells yet higher taxes and bigger government.
It doesnt get more European than that.
Indeed, its remarkable how little weve taken advantage of what was meant to be a new freedom. Its one of the reasons that Lord Frost, the Governments tough and highly experienced Brexit negotiator, resigned last weekend.
Probably the biggest Brexit win was using our new-found independence to approve and procure Covid vaccines and start their roll-out, without waiting for the EUs sluggish regulatory processes to grind into action.
Weve also allowed Swiss shares to be traded on the London stock market (a practice banned by Brussels in 2019), ended VAT on womens sanitary products, reformed alcohol duties in line with the strength of the drink, moved falteringly towards establishing freeports, and introduced a points-based immigration system which treats EU and non-EU citizens alike. All of the above were possible because weve broken with Brussels. All worthwhile, no doubt. But hardly game-changing. In truth, the way to transform post-Brexit Britain is via regulatory reform.
It is complicated, unglamorous and doesnt lend itself to politicians soundbites. But it is where the promise of Brexit lies. Lord Frost was preparing a report on which rule changes would make the biggest difference. Sadly, what momentum there was behind this initiative is now at risk with his departure.
The EU styles itself as a regulatory superpower because the size of its market allows it to establish global rules and regulations for doing business. But its rules are dominated by whats known as the precautionary principle, which militates against risk-taking. This is Britains opportunity. We could start by scrapping the EUs onerous GDPR rules on digital privacy.
If we had fewer, better regulations covering cutting-edge technologies such as gene therapy, cyber security, digital investment, artificial intelligence, robotics and medical advances areas in which we are already ahead of the EU then the chances of a genuine Brexit dividend become possible.
Divorce
It all appeared so much more straightforward five years ago during the Brexit referendum campaign.
The Leavers made out it would all be so simple, when its been anything but. The Remainers claimed it would be a calamity, when it hasnt.
I interviewed the main players on both sides of the argument for BBC TV. I dont remember the Leavers telling us wed need to pay a divorce bill of 40 billion.
I remember George Osborne (then Chancellor) telling me on air that Airbus would likely up sticks and leave. Its still here, investing more than ever
Nor did the Leavers have much to say about the peculiar position of Northern Ireland, which still bedevils Brexit to this day. They said a free trade deal with the EU would be a piece of cake, when it has proved to be painful, protracted and far less efficient than the single market.
But Remainers got so much wrong, too. I remember George Osborne (then Chancellor) telling me on air that Airbus would likely up sticks and leave. Its still here, investing more than ever.
The boss of the London Stock Exchange predicted the City of London would lose over 200,000 jobs. In fact, at most 7,500 jobs left for European financial centres, dwarfed by the hundreds of thousands of extra jobs created in finance since the referendum.
We were told to expect recession and mass unemployment. Brexit caused neither.
Unicorns
That great guru of global banking, Jamie Dimon, the billionaire CEO of Americas biggest bank JP Morgan, forecast a new financial golden age for Frankfurt and Paris on the back of Londons misery.
It never happened. And today nobody is hiring more people faster in London than JP Morgan.
Around 29.4 billion of new investment has flowed into Britains high-tech industries this year, over twice as much as in 2020, twice as much as Germany and three times as much as France.
Over one-third of all investment in European high-tech is now made in Britain, which boasts 116 unicorns (tech start-ups worth over $1 billion), more than France, Germany and Sweden combined. Only America and China have more.
For those who want to bring their companies to market and raise capital, Britain is easily the largest market in Europe, again behind only America and China.
Clearly Brexit has deterred none of this.
It shows the promise that awaits if we ever get around to creating the sort of light-touch regulatory environment in which the technologies and entrepreneurs of tomorrow will feel welcome.
If we fail, it will be because the current Johnson Government, despite being full of those who led the Brexit charge from the top down, in 2021 inexplicably rushed headlong in the wrong direction.
Comments made by Chris Noth when playing a rapist in a 2016 indie film, saying 'there's always dirty little secrets in a lot of men' and 'the instinct to be a predator is firmly in the male psyche', have resurfaced in the wake of allegations of sexual assault made against the actor.
The star, 67, famous for playing love interest Mr. Big in Sex And The City, was cast as a predatory New York lawyer in gritty drug drama White Girl. In one scene the character rapes a vulnerable young woman from behind after she passes out drunk.
Social media users have drawn attention to the similarities between the scene and the recent allegations of rape made by two women, who both accused Noth of raping them from behind - one in 2004 and one in 2015. Noth vehemently denies the allegations and says the encounters were consensual.
One Twitter user wrote: 'If you watch that harrowing scene and read his accusers' accounts, the similarities are hard to miss.'
Others drew attention to press interviews Noth gave about the film at the time, including one with Esquire in which he said: 'I think [writer-director Elizabeth Wood] tapped into something, that there's always dirty little secrets in a lot of men, who, when given the opportunity, will go to a place they wouldn't even admit to themselves maybe, when it comes to sex.'
He continued: 'There are a ton of predators out there, and the instinct to be a predator is firmly entrenched in the male psyche, I think.
'...Given the opportunity human beings can go to a very ugly place. My main point is I think that no one can really know anyone, and there's a lot of different things that can happen to a person under certain circumstances.'
Chris Noth was cast as a predatory New York lawyer in gritty drug drama White Girl. In one scene the character rapes a vulnerable young woman after she passes out drunk, pictured. The scene, and comments the actor made while promoting the film, have resurfaced
While promoting White Girl, Noth, pictured on December 8, said 'there's always dirty little secrets in a lot of men' and 'the instinct to be a predator is firmly in the male psyche'
Speaking in 2016, Noth explained he almost refused to play the bad guy in White Girl, admitting to Amny: 'I just thought it was too ugly.'
Social media users have taken to Twitter in recent days to comment about Noth's appearance in the indie film, which follows a New York college freshman as she tries to get a drug dealer out of jail.
American author Morgan Jerkins said on Twitter: 'One thing I can't get out of my head about the Chris Noth allegations: he plays a rapist in a movie called "White Girl."
'And if you watch that harrowing scene and read his accusers' accounts, the similarities are hard to miss.'
'The Chris Noth allegations are especially disturbing when recalling a certain scene from the movie White Girl,' another said.
A third added: 'I feel like no one is mentioning that Chris Noth played a NYC attorney that raped an intoxicated young girl from behind in the indie film White Girl.'
Last week, Noth was accused of rape by two women, who both shared details of their alleged assaults with The Hollywood Reporter - with one of the women saying she was just 22 when Noth, then 49, attacked her and left her needing stitches.
The report led another woman to come forward and accuse Noth of groping her, while actress Zoe Lister-Jones recalled behavior that made her describe him as a 'predator'.
On Monday evening, the actor's Sex and the City co-stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, issued a statement about the accusations made against him, saying: 'We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth.
'We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.'
In White Girl (above), Noth plays a sleazy lawyer who takes advantage of a vulnerable woman. The role has been highlighted by social media users in the wake of recent rape allegations
Reaction: Social media users have took to Twitter in recent days to comment about Noth's appearance in the indie film, which follows a New York college freshman as she tries to get a drug dealer out of jail
Noth (pictured in White Girl), who has vehemently denied the allegations, played a sleazy New York lawyer in the director Elizabeth Wood's White Girl, who raped a woman while she was unconscious
Noth's wife, Tara Wilson has yet to comment publicly on the allegations, however she was seen without her wedding ring on Monday when she was pictured for the first time since the accusations were published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Exclusive DailyMail.com images show Wilson, 42, climbing into the back of an SUV outside the couple's Los Angeles home along with their younger son Keats.
In the report, both accusers who went by pseudonyms Zoe, now 40, and Lily, now 31 claimed that Noth raped them from behind in front of a mirror. He has vehemently denied their allegations.
The first attack allegedly took place in 2004, while the second reportedly occurred in 2015, three years after Noth married his wife, Tara Wilson, with whom he has two children.
Both women claimed that the recent publicity surrounding the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That... 'stirred painful memories' of their encounters with Noth and 'triggered' them to go public with their claims.
The first, Zoe, said she met Noth while working 'in an entry-level position at a high-profile firm where Noth and other celebrities regularly had business' in 2004.
She claimed that the actor who was then at the height of his Sex and the City fame and, according to Zoe's then-boss was seen as a 'god' by her and colleagues began flirting with her in the office.
Noth, pictured with his wife Tara Wilson this month, has denied the allegations against him
Wilson, 42, was seen without her wedding ring on Monday when she was pictured for the first time since the allegations were made against her husband
Wilson didn't appear to be wearing her wedding ring on Monday (left); she was last seen wearing it at the And Just Like That premiere on December 8 (right)
At the time, Noth had been dating his now-wife Wilson for three years; the pair began their relationship in 2001 after first meeting at The Cutting Room, a New York jazz club owned by the actor where Wilson, who was in her early 20s at the time, worked as a bartender.
However, according to Zoe, Noth began leaving 'flirty' messages on her voicemail which she was alerted to by her boss.
Zoe claimed that she was raped by Noth in his West Hollywood apartment when she returned a book he had lent her.
She said he 'kissed her' as soon as she walked through the door, then moved her to his bed and removed her shorts and bikini bottoms before raping her 'from behind' while they were 'facing a mirror.'
She also claimed that the actor did not use protection, that he 'laughed at her' when she asked him to get a condom and that she was left bleeding after the assault, and had to go to the hospital to get stitches.
'It was very painful and I yelled out, "Stop!"' she told THR. 'And he didnt. I said, "Can you at least get a condom?" and he laughed at me.'
'I had stitches. Two police officers came. I wouldnt say who it was,' she said, claiming that she feared she would 'not be believed' and could 'be fired' if she publicly accused Noth of rape.
One woman claimed that the alleged attack took place in Noth's Greenwich Village apartment ( pictured) and that he raped her from behind, in front of a mirror
Noth and Wilson (pictured in 2002) met while she was working as a bartender at New York jazz club The Cutting Room, which the actor owns
Noth's second accuser, Lily, who is now working as a journalist, told a similar story to THR, alleging that the actor raped her in his home in Greenwich Village after they struck up a flirty relationship while she was working as a server at former New York nightclub No.8 in 2015, when she was 25.
At the time, Noth who was then 60 years old had been married to his wife for three years and the couple had one child together, Orion, who was born in 2008. They have since had a second son, Keats, born in 2020.
Lily said she was 'truly star-struck' when he began 'hitting on her' and ended up going with him to a restaurant.
Afterward, Noth invited her back to his home to 'sample his collection of whiskeys' and says he began trying to 'make out with her' when they got there.
'I should have said no more firmly and left,' she said, claiming that 'the next thing she knew' he had pulled down her pants and sexually assaulted her.
She said that she mentioned the fact that he had a wife and child, only for the actor to tell her that 'marriage is a sham' and 'monogamy is not real.' Lily claimed Noth then raped her from behind in a chair in front of a mirror.
'He was having sex with me from the back in a chair. We were in front of a mirror. I was kind of crying as it happened,' she said.
After the report was published, Zoe Lister-Jones (pictured) described Noth as a 'sexual predator'. She is not the Zoe making the allegation in the report
In her Instagram story (pictured), Lister-Jones said she was 'relieved' by Big's death because she remembers him being 'consistently sexually inappropriate' with a female promoter
After the alleged assault took place, Lily said she went to the bathroom and put on her skirt, claiming that she 'felt awful' and 'totally violated.'
'All of my dreams with this star I loved for years were gone,' she added.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Noth admitted that he had 'consensual encounters' with the two women, but he strongly denied any accusations that he assaulted them.
'The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false,' the statement reads.
'These stories couldve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago no always means no that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual.
'Its difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I dont know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.'
Though Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD initially told Deadline on Thursday that 'there is no investigation at this point' into the claims against Noth, an LAPD spokesperson later told People that they are 'looking into the nature of the report' and trying to figure out 'when, where or even if a report was filed.'
Lister-Jones also recalled him sniffing her hair when she guest starred on Law and Order: Criminal Intent
Lister-Jones concluded her statement by cursing out Noth's character on Sex and the City, claiming that he capitalized on the role to seduce women
However, Officer Madison added: 'At this time, there's no record of a report being filed. Without a report, there is no investigation.'
Late on Thursday, actress Zoe Lister-Jones also detailed her encounters with the embattled actor, claiming that he was 'sexually inappropriate' to women who worked at a New York City club he owned, and sniffed her neck while drunk on set of the detective show.
'Last week, my friend asked me how I felt about Mr. Big's death on And Just Like That, and I said honestly, I felt relieved,' she wrote on Instagram.
'He asked why, and I told him it was because I couldn't separate the actor from the man, and the man is a sexual predator,' she went on, before detailing some of her experiences.
Then a third woman accused Chris Noth of sexual assault for allegedly groping her at a Manhattan restaurant in 2010 when she was 18.
The unnamed 30-year-old Canadian tech executive claimed Noth, then 55, groped her while she was working as a hostess at the Da Marino restaurant in Midtown, the Daily Beast first reported.
Noth came in intoxicated, allegedly telling her, 'I love Canadian women' as he pressed against her.
'I remember how electrifying his hand, the hand I watched hold Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, felt grabbing me,' the accuser said.
She claimed Noth then followed her into the back office and began kissing her and pressing her against a desk.
She alleged that that he pulled down her tights and touched and clung onto her so strongly that after she managed to push and kick him away, her 'limbs hurt in the morning.'
'It felt as though I was the only person in the universe who could hear me saying no,' she told the outlet.
Despite her protests, Noth allegedly carried on until she told him 'not here,' convincing him that they could carry on somewhere else.
'I haven't been able to shake the memory of how the kitchen staff looked at me as I emerged from the office with Chris Noth,' she said.
Noths publicist told the Daily Beast that the actor 'denies this as ever happening and has no idea who this woman is.'
The cold weather here to stay for awhile, and your coat will soon be on heavy rotation. To look like a fashion plate from head-to-toe (regardless of what lies beneath!), it's time to figure out which shoes to pair with your heavy outer layer.
While on the streets of New York City, stars like Kim Kardashian and Olivia Palermo have proven that there's power in a great coat/shoe combo.
Daily Mail has curated some failproof pairings below. Not only do these matchups provide ample sartorial inspiration for those looking to shop, they also serve as easy-to-copy formulas for styling what you already have in your closet.
As stars like Kim Kardashian and Olivia Palermo have proven on the streets of New York City, there's power in a great coat/shoe combo
COLOR PLAY: Shades in the same color family or ones that sit opposite on the color wheel make a bold statement
While prepping for her highly anticipated appearance on Saturday Night Live, Kim was rocking a ton of edgy looks in the Big Apple.
The billionaire mother-of-four was spotted leaving NBC studios wearing a massive oversized Balenciaga padded leather coat on top of a grey Yeezy x Gap sweatshirt.
Playing with shades in the same color family, Kim teamed her burgundy coat with hot pink over-the-knee satin boots by Balenciaga.
Opposing colors on the color wheel (i.e. purple and yellow or orange and blue) also make for an interesting and unexpected combination.
Shades in the same color family or ones that sit opposite on the color wheel make a chic statement: Shop it: Matilda Coat by Guess, $348; guess.com. Crinkled glossed-leather slingback pumps by Bottega Veneta, $930; net-a-porter.com
Making the streets her runway, Olivia Palermo's coat/shoe combo never disappoints - whether she's pairing a bold print with a pop of florescent or going all neutral.
The Stedman Coat by Babaton, $348; aritzia.com. Amaya Chocolate Croc by Flor de Maria, $495; flordemariacollection.com
Sheryl coat by Guess, $458; guess.com. Celine by SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker, $450; sjpbysarahjessicaparker.com
NEUTRAL IS A NO BRAINER: Monochromatic pairings look effortlessly polished
Olivia Palermo is the queen of street style. Between casual struts around her Dumbo neighborhood to attending numerous events and fashion parties, the 35-year-old entrepreneur continually brings her A-game.
Making the streets her runway, Olivia's coat/shoe combo never disappoints - whether she's pairing a bold print with a pop of florescent or going all neutral.
Traditionally, women match their shoes to their handbags.
But by coordinating metallic brown booties to her camel coat, 25-year-old actress Hailee Steinfeld looked polished in her of-the-moment ensemble while in Midtown Manhattan.
By coordinating her metallic brown booties to her camel coat, 25-year-old actress Hailee Steinfeld looked polished in her of-the-moment ensemble while in Midtown Manhattan
Sage quilted padded faux leather coat by Stand Studio, $495; net-a-porter.com. Nash Leather Ankle Boot by Cougar, $170; cougarshoes.com
Olivia Palermo is the queen of street style. Between casual struts around her Dumbo neighborhood to attending numerous events and fashion parties, the 35-year-old entrepreneur continually brings her A-game
The Shauna Plaid Coat with Detachable Shearling Collar by Polorgeorgis, $1,000; pologeorgis.com. Lynden Dark Cognac by Steve Madden, $119.95; stevemadden.com
The Rylan Leopard Printed Fur Trench Coat by Pologeorgis, $5,000; pologeorgis.com. Kate 100 leopard-print pony hair pumps by Christian Louboutin, $895; net-a-porter.com
TURN IT UP A KNOTCH WITH PRINTS: A patterned coat or a printed shoe (or both!) packs a serious punch
Donning a coat and a shoe in a bold pattern (i.e.leopard, plaid or floral) is sure to turn heads.
Get the daring look right by keeping the rest of the look clean and simple with solid coordinating colors.
To pair a solid shoe with a patterned coat (and vice versa), opt for a shade featured in the print to draw everything together.
A disabled teen who has undergone 49 surgeries received 500 Christmas cards from strangers - after his mom put out a request on Facebook in an attempt to 'cheer him up.'
Nicholas Black, 16, from Deland, Florida, has several severe medical conditions and has been forced to spend the festive season living in a hospice.
This year, his mom, Elizabeth, 38, wanted to do something to put a smile on his face during the holiday season - so she asked for help on social media.
She posted about his diagnosis in a few different Facebook groups and asked people send him some cards - and she was shocked by the response she got.
Delighted Nicholas has now received hundreds of cards in the mail from all around the world - which has 'really brightened his day' and 'given him something to look forward to.'
A disabled teen who has undergone 49 surgeries received 500 Christmas cards from strangers - after his mom put out a request on Facebook in an attempt to 'cheer him up'
Nicholas Black, 16, from Deland, Florida, has several severe medical conditions and has been forced to spend the festive season living in a hospice. He is pictured in 2018
As a baby, he was diagnosed with scoliosis, hydrocephalus, syringomyelia, and Chiari malformation and now, he needs 24/7 care from doctors. He is pictured on Halloween in 2016
This year, his mom, Elizabeth, 38, wanted to do something to make him smile during the holiday season - so she asked for help on social media. They are pictured together in 2019
Elizabeth, a single stay-at-home mom, said it has been a 'wonderful' surprise for her son, and has 'put a big smile on his face' when he needs it most.
She explained: 'Nicholas loves it when the postman brings him mail so I thought it would be cool to put our address out there to see what people send.
'He can get very down and its so difficult to watch him go through it and I hoped it would cheer him up.
'I never expected this many I expected hed get maybe three cards a day but he gets more than 30 cards to open each day!
'It has put a huge smile on his face it really brightens his day and gives him something to look forward to.'
When he was a baby, Nicholas was diagnosed with scoliosis, hydrocephalus, syringomyelia, and Chiari malformation.
The conditions mean he is unable to walk and has to have a constant supply of oxygen so he lives in a home hospice under 24/7 care of doctors and nurses.
She posted about his diagnosis in a few different Facebook groups and asked people send him some cards - and she was shocked by the response she got. They are pictured in 2016
Nicholas has now received hundreds of cards from all around the world - which has 'really brightened his day' and 'given him something to look forward to'
The teen has had 49 surgeries in his lifetime and can't go to school, so Elizabeth said he doesn't have many friends and often gets 'down. He is pictured in November 2020
Elizabeth said getting the mail in the morning has become 'something for him to look forward to every day' and has given him the boost he needed. He is pictured in 2018
The teen has had 49 surgeries in his lifetime and can't go to school, so Elizabeth said he doesn't have many friends and often gets 'down.'
Besides the hundreds of cards, Nicholas has also received some gifts - like wrestling figurines - since he loves to watch the sport.
They have come from all over - including the U.K., Puerto Rico, Italy, Australia, and Canada.
Elizabeth said getting the mail in the morning has become 'something for him to look forward to every day' and has given him the boost he needed.
'We never expected this many people to want to send one but it's been wonderful. People really are amazing, I'm forever grateful,' she added.
Cards can be sent to: Nicholas Black, 924 1/2 North Amelia Ave. Deland, Florida 32724.
Princess Madeleine of Sweden has seemingly drawn inspiration from the Duchess of Cambridge by wearing a similar festive look to the British royal.
The youngest of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia's children stepped out with her husband and three children to take part in an annual royal tradition which saw them receive the Royal Palace in Stockholm's official Christmas trees.
Looking typically chic, Madeleine, 39, sported a black high-neck jumper featuring long arms, teamed with a red check midi skirt and thigh-high black boots.
The festive outfit appeared to be almost identical to the one worn by Kate, 39, three years ago when she joined Prince William at a Christmas party celebrating military families whose loved ones were away for the holiday at Kensington Palace.
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Princess Madeleine (pictured left) of Sweden has seemingly drawn inspiration from the Duchess of Cambridge (pictured right) by wearing a similar festive look to the British royal
The youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia stepped out with her husband and three children to take part in an annual royal tradition which saw them receive the Royal Palace in Stockholm's official Christmas trees (pictured)
Proving her fashion prowess, Madeleine's billowing skirt featured a bow tied around her waist to showcase her slender frame.
Adding a touch of glitz to her look, she teamed her eye-catching outfit with a sparkling gold bangle and a silver watch.
Madeleine, who is usually based in the US with her family, kept her wavy locks loose and added a smattering of glamorous makeup to her ensemble.
Kate, meanwhile, teamed her tartan skirt by Emilia Wickstead with a button-down cardigan and matching black boots.
Princess Madeleine is mother to Princess Leonore, seven, Prince Nicolas, six, and three-year-old Princess Adrienne.
The festive outfit appeared to be almost identical to the one worn by Kate (pictured right), 39, three years ago when she joined Prince William at a Christmas party celebrating military families whose loved ones were away for the holiday at Kensington Palace
Looking typically chic, Madeleine (pictured with her family), 39, sported a black high-neck jumper featuring long arms, teamed with a red check midi skirt and thigh-high black boots
In October last year the Swedish royal palace announced that the princess's children were among the five grandchildren of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to have their royal titles dropped.
It is hoped the move will give them 'a greater opportunity to shape their own lives' according to Princess Madeleine.
Following the official announcement, Princess Madeleine took to her Instagram page to state that the decision would give her children more control over their own lives.
She posted a picture of herself with her three children next to a statement which read: 'This change has been planned for a long time.
'Chris and I think it is good that our children now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives in the future as individuals.'
Madeleine and Christopher moved their family to Florida in 2018.
A psychologist has revealed a lesser-known secret to spotting a cheater.
Instead of taking note of your partner's behaviours or facial expressions, Daniel Acon suggests analysing what your partner says.
In a recent Instagram video, Mr Acon, from the US, said if your partner acts suspiciously and accuses you of cheating without any hard evidence, this could be a red flag they are unfaithful.
But he started by saying: 'Disclaimer: this only works if you haven't broken their trust, otherwise, they might be justified in how they feel about you.'
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Psychologist Daniel Acon (pictured) shared how to spot a cheater based on what they say
'If you're dating someone and they start accusing you of cheating or they're worried that you're talking to other people without any evidence, it usually means that they're cheating and talking to other people,' Acon says.
'They're just worried that you're doing the same thing.'
He added how the psychological term for this behaviour is called 'projection' and said: 'People tend to project what's inside of them onto other people.'
While many were 'mind blown' after watching the video, others disagreed with the tip.
'Not really. What if someone has anxiety and fear of abandonment,' one person wrote in the comments.
'What about the trauma of being cheated on?' another asked, to write Mr Acon responded with: 'Absolutely, I didn't say this was every single time.'
A third added: 'I have a fear, not because I'm doing it myself but I'm scared to get hurt while I let my protection wall down.'
'If you're dating someone and they start accusing you of cheating or they're worried that you're talking to other people without any evidence, it usually means that they're cheating and talking to other people,' Acon says (stock image)
It follows after Australian relationship expert Louanne Ward revealed the key signs to look out for that signal you might be the other woman or man.
Relationship expert Louanne Ward (pictured) shared the most common signs that you may be an innocent bystander in a complicated love triangle
'For anyone who has been on the receiving end of an unfaithful partner there are often many unanswered questions,' Louanne told FEMAIL.
'And if you have ever been subject to a cheating partner it's likely that you have felt a deep rage and dislike for the third person who has caused such pain in your relationship.
'But what if the third person is oblivious? There's another side to every story. How do you know if the person who is chasing you is already taken and you're the other woman or man?'
According to Louanne, there are two main scenarios in this situation: your partner loves the thrill of having multiple partners or your partner is leading a double life.
'People who are repeat offenders and are in relationships who have affairs are often seasoned professionals so it's hard to know at first if you are being perused by someone in a relationship,' Louanne said.
'Let's look at the scenario. You have finally met somebody they are everything you have been looking for but for some reason something just doesn't seem right.
'Listen to the warning bells and consult this check list. If its sounding familiar you could very well be involved with someone who is already in a relationship.'
Thrilled shoppers have shown off their $200 Bell Tents from Kmart after scoring the in-demand budget buy on Black Friday.
One woman has shared her luxury tent online, along with others who were lucky enough to nab the buy before it sold out in stores around the country; the tent is still flying off shelves within hours of a restock.
The tent features spacious room with wide fly screen doors and can sleep up to eight people, making it perfect for glamping getaways.
Thrilled shoppers have shown off their $200 Bell Tents from Kmart after scoring the in-demand budget buy on Black Friday.
Kellie Bencic from Australia shared photos of her glamping set up which attracted instant attention online.
'So happy with the $200 bell tent. Heaps bigger than I expected, and bonus room over Christmas,' Kellie said online.
Her glamping post received more than 1000 likes and hundreds of comments from keen travellers and aspiring glampers.
Kellie Bencic from Australia shared photos of her glamping set up which attracted instant attention online.
'This looks awesome what a great setup, I'd love to be staying there,' a woman wrote on Facebook.
'Your tent looks absolutely fabulous, I bought myself one too and can't wait to use it,' another said.
Mum Jayde shared the product news to the Kmart Inspired Homes Facebook group just in time for Black Friday shopping.
The huge tent can comfortably fit eight people inside and has already caught the attention of hundreds on social media
'Kmart Australia coming through with the Black Friday goods,' Jayde shared online.
Her social media post was 'liked' more than 1,100 times as many were encouraged to buy the tent themselves after learning the price.
Kmart Australia has launched the bell tent for only $200 (pictured). Similar designs by alternative brand range from $499 up to $1500
Similar tent designs from alternative brands range can cost up to $499 to a whopping $1500 to buy and rent for occasions, thus making the Bell Tent a bargain.
The popular $200 Kmart purchase did indeed sell out fast on Black Friday and according to the Kmart website is unavailable in WA, QLD and NT.
Many are already enquiring with Kmart on when the popular Bell Tent will be back in stores.
An Australian woman has gone viral on TikTok after sharing her decadent rocky road recipes for a perfect Christmas treat or gift.
Celia Gercovich, from Ballarat, shared two videos showing her own recipe for her delicious version of rocky road with chocolate, red frog lollies, scotch fingers, marshmallows and TimTams that have collectively racked up more than 8million views.
In her first video, Celia makes her four ingredient rocky road by mixing chopped up red frog lollies, marshmallows, and scotch finger biscuits with melted dairy milk chocolate.
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Celia Gercovich, from Ballarat, shared two videos showing her own recipe for her delicious version of rocky road with chocolate, red frog lollies, scotch fingers, marshmallows and TimTams that have collectively racked up more than eight million views
'This is my version and it is delicious four ingredients and youve got the best slice ever,' the foodie said.
She then puts it in a circular cake tray with baking paper on the bottom, drizzles over a bit more melted chocolate, presses the mixture down to get rid of gaps and smooth the top and places it in the fridge for a few hours to set.
Celia's recipe took TikTok by storm gaining more than 3.1 million views in only a week so she made a second video in response, incorporating an extra ingredient viewers suggested.
Celia chops up a Cadbury dairy milk bar to melt as well as raspberry or red frog lollies, scotch finger biscuits, TimTams and marshmallows, she then combines everything in a bowl, pours over melted chocolate and mixes so the chocolate coats the lollies and biscuits
'Someone in the comments mentioned about adding TimTams and I thought that's a great idea,' she starts the clip.
Celia repeated the original recipe adding chopped up double-coated TimTams and sprinkled a few extra crumbs over the top before putting it in the fridge to set.
'I do chop everything up quite small because I feel like I like my rocky road so that when you have a bite of it youve got a little bit of everything,' she advised.
She then puts it in a circular cake tray with baking paper on the bottom, drizzles over a bit more melted chocolate, presses the mixture down to get rid of gaps and smooth the top and places it in the fridge for a few hours to set
Her follow-up video was even more successful with five million views and attracted hundreds of comments from people keen to try the rocky road and suggesting additional ingredients.
'I tried that and it turned out amazing I recommend everyone to try it,' one viewer said.
'Try honeycomb like violet crumble,' a second suggested.
'Dont be shy use hazelnut chocolate, you wont regret,' said a third.
Recipe: Celia's Rocky Road Ingredients 1 x packet marshmallows 1 x packet raspberry lollies 7 x double coated TimTams 6 x Scotch finger biscuits 360g Cadbury dairy milk chocolate bar Method 1. Chop up marshmallows, raspberry lollies, scotch finger biscuits and six of the double coated TimTams into small pieces 2. Put the the chopped pieces into a bowl and mix 3. Chop up the dairy milk chocolate bar into smaller pieces, place in a bowl and melt in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds 4. Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into the bowl with the lollies and biscuits and mix to combine 5. Put some baking paper in the bottom of a cake tin or container, pour the mixture in 6. Press down with a spoon to get rid of gaps and smooth the top 7. Chop up your remaining TimTam into large crumbs to sprinkle over the slice and place it in the fridge for a few hours until fully set 8. Once the rocky road is set, take it out of the tray and cut into bite sized pieces Advertisement
In another clip, Celia shows how she cuts up the set rock road slice into bite sized pieces.
'It doesn't have to be perfect rocky road doesn't look neat and tidy,' she said.
The Ballarat woman also asked her followers what confectionary she should add to her recipe next with people suggesting Clinkers, Turkish delight, Maltesers and Oreos.
What was once an out of tune vintage piano ridden with scuff marks has been transformed into an at-home bar with LED lights, a varnished counter and wine rack.
DIY pro Julie, believed to be from the UK, impressed thousands after sharing before and after images online.
While the project took three months to complete, she said it was completely 'worth it' and was thrilled with the impressive end result.
Previously other creative DIY enthusiasts have upcycled old cabinets into cocktail bars, but none have attempted to do so with a piano.
DIY pro Julie, believed to be from the UK, upcycled an old piano and turned it into a home bar
While the project took three months to complete, she said it was completely 'worth it' and was thrilled with the end result (pictured)
After acquiring the Grotrian Sternberg instrument, she watched a series of YouTube videos to understand how to dismantle the piano correctly.
'I would suggest to wear safety glasses and gloves as the wires are sharp and spring around everywhere when removing,' she said.
Julie didn't reveal exactly how she transformed the piano into a bar, but it was no longer able to function as an instrument afterwards.
One notable error Julia pointed out, which she's planning to fix, is how the new images of the piano keys were placed on backwards.
With assistance from her partner, a glass rack was added under the top counter of the piano and the LED lights change to different colours.
The finished look was outstanding and adds a point of difference compared to upcycled cabinets into similar wine bars.
With assistance from her partner, a glass rack was added under the top counter of the piano and the LED lights change to different colours.
The social media post was quickly flooded with words of praise and was 'liked' by more than 3,800 people.
'I was a bartender almost 30 years and this is awesome!!!' one person wrote.
'Excellent idea, time for a whiskey neat and some Miles Davis,' another added.
A third said: 'Shut the front door! That's amazing! You would have no trouble selling that if you chose to.'
Australia's very own 'skincare whisperer' who has been entrusted with famous faces like Miranda Kerr and Megan Gale has shared the affordable product she swears by for glowing and moisture-rich skin.
Jocelyn Petroni, who opened her own salon in Sydney's eastern suburbs in 2016, is well-known for using designer products on her A-list clientele but she's finally found a budget beauty buy that's worth the hype.
'My choice of topical oil preparation to pamper and restore dry, dehydrated skin to a glowing state is Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
Jocelyn Petroni, who opened her own salon in Sydney's eastern suburbs in 2016, is well-known for using designer products on her A-list clientele but she's finally found a budget beauty buy that's worth the hype
'My choice of topical oil preparation to pamper and restore dry, dehydrated skin to a glowing state is Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel,' she told Daily Mail Australia
'The light-weight gel absorbs easily and deeply into the skin, creating a protective film to resist moisture loss. The Dry Skin Gel's unique gel-to-oil texture means that a little goes a long way with leaving my skin feeling hydrated.'
At just $14.95 for 100ml of the gel it's a price point most Australian women would agree with for the sake of hydrated skin this summer.
'Having a good oil and water content in the skin means the skin is hydrated and nourished. This prevents premature ageing and keeps the skin protected as well as glowing from within,' she said.
Bio-Oil is known for its ability to minimise the appearance of scars over time.
The company recommends those looking to treat a scar apply the oil twice-daily in a circular motion.
Another way to keep your epidermis in check is to feed your skin from the inside out, which Jocelyn does with the aid of Vida Glow (pictured with Rita Ora)
At just $14.95 for 100ml of the gel it's a price point most Australian women would agree with for the sake of hydrated skin this summer
Clinical trials show that the ointment has the power to improve the look and feel of stretch marks in two weeks and scars in eight weeks.
It does so with powerhouse ingredients like vitamins A and E and chamomile extract, which work to both soothe and restore the damaged skin.
Another way to keep your epidermis in check is to feed your skin from the inside out, which Jocelyn does with the aid of Vida Glow.
'Ingestible beauty products undeniably benefit the skin from a holistic approach,' she said.
Jocelyn Petroni in her Woollahra salon
'Taking a hydrolysed marine collagen supplement like Vida Glow hydrates the entire body including skin, which increases the skin's resilience against ageing.'
And if you're torn between buying certain beauty products, the mother and beauty expert always splurges on a serum over a cleansing wash.
'One of the most important steps in your skincare routine is your serum. Serums contain active ingredients in high concentrations, so using a serum is where you are going to see visible results. Save on cleanser, spend on serum,' she said.
Foodie Leah Itsines has launch a new 'healthy' hot chocolate, claiming it helps to improve sleep quality and boost essential minerals in the body.
The 26-year-old from Adelaide co-founded her latest business venture 'Yes Please Health' on October 11 and the 'Night Night' hot chocolate has quickly become the best-selling product.
Priced at $39.95 for a 200g tub, each serve contains a mere 35 calories when made with water and is low in sugar compared to alternatives.
In the past week alone the brand has sold 3000 tubs of the 'game changing' drink, with the brand completely selling out of the in-demand buy.
Leah, who is the younger sister of fitness star Kayla Itsines, told FEMAIL the product is set to be restocked online on December 23.
Australian foodie Leah Itsines (pictured) has launched a 'healthy' hot chocolate. Priced at $39.95 for a 200g tub, each serve contains a mere 35 calories when made with water and is low in sugar compared to alternatives
The 26-year-old from Adelaide, Australia co-founded her latest business venture 'Yes Please Health' on October 11 and the hot chocolate has quickly become the best-selling product
The powder, which can be mixed with hot water, cold water or your preferred milk of choice, is described by customers to taste like 'hot cocoa' rather than a sweet hot chocolate.
The 'super delicious' drink is made with magnesium, passionflower and ziziphus to assist those who have difficulty falling asleep while also being perfect guilt-free snack to enjoy before bed.
'It's like a hot chocolate with benefits!' Leah said.
The magnesium in particular is the key ingredient and vitamin known to contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
The product costs $39.95 for a 200g tub
The product is also gluten free and Australian made with no artificial colours and is distributed from Adelaide.
'We come from a cooking background, so we are sticklers for our products not only performing as they should, but taste is one of the most important things,' she added.
'The best thing is, the brand is founded by real, everyday Aussies who understand firsthand the health issues that we and our community have - and have created products based on true wants and needs.'
The powder, which can be mixed with hot water, cold water or your preferred milk of choice, is described by customers to taste like 'hot cocoa' rather than a sweet hot chocolate
Leah launched the brand alongside her fiance Mitch, who both have a passion for health, good food and nutrition
Leah launched the brand alongside her fiance Mitch, who both have a passion for health, good food and nutrition.
They also co-own BARE guides - a healthy eating online platform helping people learn how to eat healthy through education, recipes and resources.
'We've always wanted to delve into physical products to be able to give our community more - so we decided to make a separate company,' she said.
'Our aim is to provide the community with products that make you feel good from the inside out.'
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French fashion influencer Camille Charriere tied the knot in a seriously chic wedding in Paris.
Camille, 34, who founded the blog Over the Rainbow in 2010, wed French film producer Francois Larpin in a small civil ceremony on December 10 before partying the night away with 180 friends at the historic Maxim's de Paris.
The bride, who is from Paris but lives in London, turned heads in a sheer upcycled lace gown by American-British designer Harris Reed, which she wore over a pair of lace panties from La Perla.
The couple stayed at the five-star Le Bristol hotel, the bride's mother entertained guests with a performance of Say A Little Prayer, and Mary Kate Olsen crashed the after-party, dancing with guests until the early hours, Vogue reported.
Va-va-voom! Camille Charriere turned heads in a sheer upcycled lace gown by American-British designer Harris Reed, which she wore over a pair of lace panties from La Perla, pictured
Man and wife: Camille, 34, one of the original style bloggers, wed French film producer Francois Larpin in a small civil ceremony on December 10 before partying the night away with 180 friends at the historic Maxim's de Paris
Here come the girls! The bridal party, including Charlotte Tilbury's niece Bella, were given the theme the 'Roaring 2020s' and turned out in coordinated vintage-inspired outfits
The happy couple: The elegant Camille and Francois at the opulent Maxim's on their wedding night
Party on! Guests, including wedding crasher Mary Kate Olsen, let loose on the dancefloor until the early hours
Celebrate! Camille and Francois party the night away in Paris with 180 family and friends
Camille and Francois met in 2019 and became engaged on a holiday to Sicily last year.
They had originally hoped to wed in Italy with all of their friends and family but scrapped the plan after rearranging the date twice due to Covid. Instead they decided on a smaller wedding in Paris, shortly before Christmas.
'It was a bit of a mission to get a date from the French administration, so we sent out our save the dates just two months ahead of the event,' she told Vogue.
'My reasoning was that with COVID things are so unpredictable, I would rather try to put this together in two months than risk spending another year on it only for it to be moved again.
She added: 'We had originally planned something a lot smaller but our venue pulled out a month before the big day so we had to rush to Paris to visit other places.
Bride and groom: Camille and Francois pose on a bed in their suite in Le Bristol, capturing their wedding looks
Glam squad: Bride Camille with makeup artist Celia Burton and hairstylist Laurent Philippon before the evening celebrations
Radiant: A beaming Camille shares a light-hearted moment with podcast co-host Monica de La Villardiere
Big squeeze! Guests share an embrace with the bride - revealing her La Perla panties underneath her sheer lace dress
Making their entrance: Camille arrived draped in an exquisite designer coat, while the groom was dashing in navy
Seriously stylish: Sustainable fashion brand owner Emma Reynaud strikes a pose in a slinky black evening dress and glasses
Party people! Charlotte Tilbury's niece Bella (second from left) and British model Jean Campbell (right) in their finest frocks
Dark and moody: Guests Gaetan Petitcollot and Katia Bloch behind the bar at the historic Maxim's de Paris
'The only reason we had overlooked Maxims in the first place was because we thought it would be too big. But we truly could not have hoped for a more historical and special place to celebrate.'
The couple wed at the town hall in the 6th Arrondissement, where Francois' late mother lived, before joining a small group for festive carols.
Camille looked elegant in a twinkling top and skirt for the civil ceremony, which she paired with point toe pumps and faux 'snowflake petals' in her hair.
Movers and shakers: Model Tom Abihdana and DJ Fiona Zanetti pose for a photo during dinner at Maxim's
All glammed up: A group of guests pose for a photo at Maxim's de Paris, showing off their party finery
Let me take a selfie! Chipi Menendez, left, and Julien Dufour pose for a photo in the mirror at Maxim's de Paris
The bridal party, including Charlotte Tilbury's niece Bella, were given the theme the 'Roaring 2020s' and turned out in co-ordinated vintage-inspired outfits.
Before the evening's celebrations, she changed into the Harris Reed creation, made with lace sourced from a Parisian couture atelier.
Cocktails, speeches and a sit-down dinner followed and the night ended with dancing.
Photos show Camille and her friends partying the night away.
The bride added: 'Looking back, Im just so grateful we were able to get all our friends together.'
BBC podcast presenter Deborah James, who has incurable cancer, has shared a post saying she hopes she can restart treatment soon after she marked five years since her diagnosis.
The former deputy head teacher turned cancer campaigner, 40, from London, a mother-of-two, has been living with stage four bowel cancer since she was diagnosed in December 2016, and was told early on that she might not live beyond five years.
Earlier this summer, she was told she had an aggressive new tumour that had wrapped itself around her bile duct - requiring a life-saving stay in hospital - and a stent fitted to stop her liver from failing.
Posting on Instagram this month, she said she felt she was 'on a London hospital tour', and explained how the stent 'stopped working'.
BBC podcast presenter Deborah James, who has incurable cancer, has shared a post saying she hopes she can restart treatment soon after she marked five years since her diagnosis
The former deputy head teacher turned cancer campaigner, 40, from London , a mother-of-two, has been living with stage four bowel cancer since she was diagnosed in December 2016. Yesterday she shared an upbeat post from hospital, above, but did not share more details
She explained having a 'quick replacement operation' had turned into a 'nightmare', adding: 'I'm now at the mercy of hopefully some super 'magic medicine miracle' - but then I always have been, and any chance is a chance right? All I ever say Is all I want is hope and options.'
She continued: 'At about 4pm today I really thought all hope was lost, But luckily a few chats later with my oncologist, and just talking through what pathways we can try is all I need.
'To be given a realistic glimmer of them is enough to help me keep the faith. So I'm not sure what my next steps look like, but as always it's one at a time.
'It's all rather ironic that on this same night, five years ago I was desperately wondering how I'd put one foot in front of another when I heard the words 'you have cancer'.
'If there's one thing I've learnt over five years - its that somehow you can keep walking, even when it's scary, but you must always keep the faith.'
The former deputy head teacher turned cancer campaigner, 40, from London , a mother-of-two, has been living with stage four bowel cancer since she was diagnosed in December 2016, and was told early on that she might not live beyond five years
In a post yesterday, Deborah revealed she was back in hospital and received a PET scan. She added: 'Went nuclear! PET scan. Please be kind and tell me I can start treatment soon.' She did not share any more details.
The mother-of-two has spent the last few months recovering from an infection, after she was rushed to hospital with a fever.
She shared an update on Instagram last month, writing: 'Apologies for being quiet on here but it turns out Im pretty ill at the moment. All your messages have brought a smile to my face at a really tough time.'
She continued: 'Im using all my energy to recover and today is the first day Ive felt able to give you an update.
The social media star has documented her battle with cancer online since being diagnosed and campaigned for better awareness around bowel cancer diagnosis
'Despite so desperately wanting a break from these hideous cancer treatment side effects, it seemed my body had other ideas.
'On Wednesday I was admitted with what we now know was another septic infection. I was so ill my incredible husband had to blue light me quickly to A&E.
'This time all my Bowel issues have come to ahead and Im currently dealing with a condition called infectious colitis. Essentially I have a bacterial gut infection that is causing colitis - (Bowel inflammation) and is also in my blood stream.
'I never knew you could poo so much in the space of 5 minutes! And I look about 8 months pregnant! Im being looked after well, pumped continually full of antibiotics and fluids but of course feel incredibly weak and tired from no sleep.'
Last month she revealed how she was rushed to A&E after experiencing 'spiking 40 degree temperatures' on Tuesday (pictured)
She added: 'Whilst Ive always wanted to show every side of cancer, right now living through this all is hard and isnt something I want even my kids to be witness to.
'Im just getting through it day by day, second by second and my family have been incredible at rallying around to support.
'Im making slow progress and hoping things continue to improve.'
BOWEL CANCER: THE SYMPTOMS YOU SHOULDN'T IGNORE Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. Such tumours usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. Symptoms include: Bleeding from the bottom
Blood in stools
A change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks
Unexplained weight loss
Extreme, unexplained tiredness
Abdominal pain Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they: Are over 50
Have a family history of the condition
Have a personal history of polyps in their bowel
Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease
Lead an unhealthy lifestyle Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy. More than nine out of 10 people with stage one bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis. This drops significantly if it is diagnosed in later stages. According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute. Advertisement
Thanking fans for support, she added: 'Keep telling those close to you that you love them. Having good health is such a blessing - never take it for granted.'
The Instagram post came just days after she revealed her chemotherapy is working.
The podcast host, who admitted she has suffered the 'hardest three months' of her life, posted on social media and indicated her battle with the disease had turned a corner, revealing: 'MY CHEMO IS WORKING! Words, I wanted to hear, but didn't allow myself to think might happen.'
She continued: 'I think I've been preparing for the worst actually. I have to say waiting for these scan results has been incredibly hard. In my head I've gone to hell and back.
'These are the first scans since my previous drugs stopped working, my liver packed up, and I got sepsis.
'We started me back on what was my first line 'nuclear chemo' and it's fair to say it's floored me.
'Despite the snippets of smiles and glam dresses I choose to share here (because they are the moments in my day that make me smile), behind closed doors this has been the hardest 3 months since my diagnosis physically (and mentally).'
She revealed doctors have said she is 'stable', adding: ' Essentially the cancer that was rapidly growing and causing my liver to fail, has been halted at least temporarily.
'And my lymnodes are even shrinking! Am I cured? No. Will I ever be - No. Do I still have active cancer - sadly yes.
'But this buys me more time. At least until my next scan!'
Adding she is 'on her knees' after having intensive chemotherapy for years, she said: 'I'm of course over the moon by this news, and know how close I am to have receiving the other side of the coin.
'But it hasn't really sunk in because I've had my head down the loo for the last 3 days due to chemo and been asleep minus the fleeting windows of prancing you might see!'
She finished the post by writing: 'But cheers to the blessing of another day, another chance, more options, and more life I didn't think I'd see! One day at a time!'
In April, James shared that her cancer, which has been kept at bay by pioneering treatment, was back again and she was forced to endure a 12th operation.
In December 2016, the West London mother-of-two, a deputy head, was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer.
She has frequently said that as a vegetarian runner, she was the last person doctors expected to get the disease.
After sharing her experiences on living with the disease on social media, Deborah became known as the 'Bowel Babe' and began writing a column for the Sun.
Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi has hinted that he is expanding his property development business into the Alps - months after it emerged Prince Andrew was being forced to sell his 17 million chalet.
London-born Edo, 37, runs the property development and interior design firm Banda, which he started age 23.
Its aim is to design homes for affluent clients in 'undervalued' parts of London, getting them value for money.
However it now appears the Italian property developer is expanding to the Alps, after he shared several images on his Instagram page of snow backdrops alongside the words: 'Banda in the mountains.'
It comes after reports in September that the Duke of York was close to selling his 17million Swiss chalet to settle a legal dispute with the former owner.
Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi has hinted that he is expanding his property development business into the Alps
Edo's property business Banda has been based in London - however last night he shared several shots of snowy chalet buildings alongside the words: 'Banda in the mountains'
Edo shared several snaps on his Instagram stories last night which showed an unidentified snowy wooden chalet with beautiful white mountains in the background.
Text over the top of the images read: 'Banda Design Studio in the mountains.'
The expansion abroad would mark the first time the property developer has worked internationally.
He previously worked to develop residential properties for high-end clients in London.
The move comes after reports in September that the Duke of York was close to selling his 17million Swiss chalet to settle a legal dispute with the former owner (pictured)
The father-of-two posted several images of snowy mountains and tagged his development company Banda Property in the snaps (pictured)
His mantra was challenged by property experts on social media, who argued that 'there is nothing undervalued in Notting Hill' - where one of Edo's latest projects was.
They described the affluent in the west London district as 'a super prime residential destination'.
Banda's Instagram page recently shared a series of images of a glamorous refurbishment in Leinster Square, on the cusp of Westbourne and Notting Hill.
Edo holds directorships in a number of companies, some of them alongside his mother and his brother-in-law, Tod Yeomans.
The French socialite Isabelle de Rouvre, 74, sued Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, both 61, last year over 6.6million she claimed they still owed her
Ahead of the 2016 London mayoral election, Edo wrote an article for Property Week urging the future mayor to insist on redevelopment projects in central London.
Edo's apparent decision to expand into mountain property comes as his father-in-law Prince Andrew was set to sell his ski chalet in Verbier.
The Duke of York is understood to have reached an agreement with Isabelle de Rouvre, 74, to drop proceedings with the imminent sale.
The French socialite sued Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, both 61, last year over 6.6million she claimed they still owed her.
The Yorks bought the seven-bedroom Chalet Helora from Miss de Rouvre in 2014 for 16.6million, but she alleged they missed the final instalment on January 1, 2020.
The Yorks became friends with Miss de Rouvre after regularly renting the chalet for holidays with their children, Beatrice and Eugenie (pictured)
She took the case to the Swiss courts demanding the money for the property in Verbier, equipped with an indoor swimming pool which costs up to 22,000 a week to rent.
But now that it is being sold for close to the asking price of 17.3million, she has agreed to drop proceedings, The Sunday Times reported.
The Yorks intend to repay their debt once the sale goes through. It was first reported the chalet was for sale last year. A source said: The matter is close to being resolved to everybodys mutual satisfaction.
The Yorks became friends with Miss de Rouvre after regularly renting the chalet for holidays with their children, Beatrice and Eugenie.
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife bought it with a mortgage and private funding from the Queen as a long-term family investment, sources claimed.
When the sale is complete, the duke will no longer own any property, it is believed.
A woman from New York re-created the classic Christmas movie The Holiday, and flew all the way across the globe to switch houses with a stranger in London - leading her to find her very own Jude Law.
A few weeks ago, Camille Wyand, 25, spotted an ad on Instagram advertising a home swap and was paired with Lizzie Frainier, an editor and travel writer from Tooting, south London.
On December 6, she jetted around the world to the U.K. and settled into a week-long stay with three new roommates.
Meanwhile, Lizzie prepared to move into Camille's one-bedroom apartment in the West Village in New York City, but didn't head to the Big Apple until two days later, giving the pair a chance to bond before the adventure began.
A woman from New York re-created the Christmas movie The Holiday, and flew all the way across the globe to switch houses with a stranger in London
A few weeks ago, Camille Wyand (right), 25, spotted a home swap ad on Instagram and was paired with Lizzie Frainier (left), an editor and travel writer from Tooting, south London
On December 6, Camille jetted to the U.K. Meanwhile, Lizzie moved into her apartment in New York City. Camille is pictured in New York (left) and in London (right)
The idea came from the 2006 flick The Holiday, which stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law. In it, two women - from England and from Hollywood - swap homes
But things got interesting for both of them after they fell in love with local men in their new locations
And although Camille didn't hook up with a neighbor or someone's brother, like Kate and Cameron did in the movie, she did have a fling while on holiday
'That night, we went to grab pizza and wine to get to know each other,' Camille recently told Jam Press.
'It felt like we had known each other for years because we got along so well and loved chatting with each other. We were instantly great friends.'
In the 2006 flick The Holiday, which stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law, two women - one from a quiet English village and the other from star-studded Hollywood - decided to swap homes after they both admit they've been in a rut.
But things start to turn around for both of them after they fell in love with local men in their new locations.
And although Camille didn't hook up with a neighbor or someone's brother, like Kate and Cameron did in the movie, she did have a fling while on holiday.
As part of the home swap, which was organized and paid for by the platform HomeExchange and the dating service Thursday, she was also set up with a dating profile. And that's how she met 28-year-old Paddy James.
As part of the home swap, which was organized by HomeExchange and the dating service Thursday, she was also set up with a dating profile. And that's how she met Paddy James
The 28-year-old technology consultant, who lives in Clapham, England, took Camille to a restaurant in central London, and the pair said they had a 'really good' first date
Camille said they had 'great chemistry' and that they 'bonded over their love for travel.' She gushed: 'The conversation flowed so easily, and it went by way too fast'
The technology consultant, who lives in Clapham, England, took Camille to a restaurant in central London, and the pair had a 'really good' first date.
'We decided to go on our date on the Thursday, I was really nervous but so excited, we had been texting and had great chemistry texting,' Camille, who works as a strategy consultant, said.
'It was really fun, we had a great time getting to know each other, hearing about his friends and life, sharing with him about mine, bonding over our love for travel and different travel stories.
'We also both work in consulting, which was a funny coincidence, but talked about shared experiences with that, the conversation flowed so easily, and it went by way too fast.'
'I saw Camille was flying over from the U.S. for a house swap and was intrigued by her story, I saw her profile on the Thursday app I sent her a message about going on a date,' Paddy explained to the outlet.
'The date was really good, sometimes first dates can be awkward but it felt very natural with Camille, it was really fun.'
The pair arranged to go on their second date on December 12, the day before she had to fly back to the States, and they visited The White Horse - the pub that was featured in the movie
Camille said her and her new beau even re-created one of the scenes of the movie
The pair arranged to go on their second date on December 12 - the day before she had to fly back to the States and they visited The White Horse in Surrey, the pub that is featured in the movie.
'It was so much fun being in the pub, they have a spot where there's a picture of The Holiday movie poster hanging up and we got some pictures sitting under that, we even re-created the scene where Jude Law walks in and spots Cameron Diaz,' gushed Camille.
Camille thinks her beau resembles Graham, the character played by Jude.
'I've had an amazing time here,' she said. 'Paddy kinda looks like Jude Law and overall he was really sweet and kind like the character, he is a great guy.
'I really thought we would just go on one date and it would be a funny story given the situation. I wasnt expecting to hit it off so well with him like we did.'
Unfortunately, a long-term romance may be unlikely due to the 3,460-mile distance - but all hope is not lost. Both Paddy and Camille plan to travel to see each other again.
She continued: 'I was so sad to leave, of course sad to leave Paddy, but I had also made some new friends while in London so was sad to leave them as well. I guess I will have to come back!'
Paddy added: 'Of course, I would see her again its just a shame she is now 3,460-miles away.
'I have actually never been to New York, so it would be amazing to go. I need to start saving!'
Camille recently shared her experience on TikTok, where it has blown up, and the internet is enthralled with their love story.
Unfortunately, a long-term romance may be unlikely due to the 3,460-mile distance - but all hope is not lost. Both Paddy and Camille plan to travel to see each other again
Paddy said: 'I have actually never been to New York, so it would be amazing to go. I need to start saving'
Camille recently shared her experience on TikTok, where it has blown up, and the internet is enthralled with their love story
The video has racked up over 1.1 million views so far and over 112,000 likes.
One person said: 'YOU ARE LIVING MY DREAM. I wanna do his next year!'
Someone else said: 'Im crying this is amazing please get married.'
'Oh he's CUTTTTTEEE,' another person added.
Someone else wrote: 'WHATTTTT I LOVE THIS.'
'Oh youre KIDDING What a dream,' added another user.
'Im literally watching The Holiday right now,' wrote a fan of the movie.
'Wait stop, does he have a beautiful accent too? So happy to see real people finding joy with this idea!,' commented another viewer.
Speaking about her The Holiday home swap, Camille added: 'Overall, this experience has been so amazing and one I will remember forever.
'I've gotten to meet such great people along the way. The responses I have gotten on my TikTok have been so sweet.
'I know there are other women that are starting to do swaps too and Im so Im excited to follow along on their journeys too!'
When most of us think of champagne we visualise expensive bottles - but not anymore, with Aldi's 13.99 fizz becoming Britain's second-bestseller.
The own-label, award-winning budget bubbly has become sought after in the UK and is second only to Moet & Chandon in sales.
Veuve Monsigny has overthrown Lanson, one of France's most celebrated names and which is usually priced at around 35 a bottle, according to figures from the data firm IRI, reported The Guardian.
Aldi's champagne was born almost ten years ago, in 2012, at the Philizot & Fils winery in the heart of Champagne, France.
Aldi's 13.99 fizz (pictured left) has become sought after in the UK and is second only to Moet & Chandon (pictured right) in sales
Veuve Monsigny has overthrown Lanson (pictured), one of France's most celebrated names and which is usually priced at around 35 a bottle, according to figures from the data firm IRI
Lovingly produced by husband and wife duo Stephane and Virginie Philotz, Veuve Monsigny is matured for over 48 months that's two and a half years longer than the minimum requirement for Champagne, and more than 12 months longer than any other UK supermarket own brand Champagne.
The budget price hides an award-winning product, with the fizz placing second in a national taste test of champagnes carried out by Good Housekeeping last year, just behind a 23.99 offering from Waitrose.
Veuve Monsigny has also won a number of accolades over the years, including a bronze award at the International Wine Challenge.
Britons spend around 400million a year on champagne but producers have been hit hard by production problems and delivery issues which mean costs have increased.
The price of champagne went up by 8 per cent in the three months to September, according to Wine and Spirit Trade Association figures. Even Aldis Veuve Monsigny costs 1 more than last Christmas.
Yet Aldi's champagne (pictured left) is not the only cheap bubbly to win plaudits. An annual champagne taste test by Which? placed Lidl's even cheaper Veuve Delattre Brut (pictured right), which is 12.19, above the Aldi product
Research by Aldi previously showed the nation will enjoy approximately 480million glasses of bubbly this festive period, and Aldi itself has recorded record Champagne sales to date, now selling over 2miIIion bottles annually.
Earlier this month, Aldi launched the 'UK's cheapest champagne bar' in the West End selling its Veuve Monsigny for just 2.33 a glass.
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, told FEMAIL: 'We are extremely proud of our award-winning Veuve Monsigny Champagne - it's up there with the best bubbles available, and we hope our Champagne and pop-up bar help spread some well-deserved cheer among the public this festive season.'
Yet Aldi's champagne is not the only cheap bubbly to win plaudits. An annual champagne taste test by Which? placed Lidl's even cheaper Veuve Delattre Brut, which is 12.19, above the Aldi product.
They praised the Lidl champagne for its 'subtle, complex aromas, fresh acidity and clean, fruity taste'.
James Franco explained in a new interview this week that he has been 'examining' his past behavior and 'changing who I was' since several women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2018 allegations that led him to settle with two accusers for $2.2 million this summer.
Franco, 43, broke his silence on SiriusXMs The Jess Cagle Podcast this week, saying that he has remained quiet all this time because he knew he 'needed to listen' and examine the 'behavior' and 'patterning' that he has been blind to.
'I've just been doing a lot of work. And I guess I'm pretty confident in saying like, four years, you know?' he said.
'I [was] completely blind to power dynamics or anything like that, but also completely blind to people's feelings,' he admitted, confirming that he did sleep with students at his acting school but thought it was 'cool' because it was 'consensual' and they were all adults.'
The actor also revealed that while he has been sober and attending meetings for alcohol addiction, he also battled sex addiction for 20 years, cheating on 'everyone' he dated before his current girlfriend Isabel Pakzad, whom he has been with since November 2017.
James Franco explained this week that he has been 'examining' his past behavior and 'changing who I was' since several women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2018
In January of 2018, five women told the Los Angeles Times that Franco had been sexually inappropriate or exploitative with them. One detailed how Franco removed plastic guards from actress' vulvas during a sex scene while simulating oral sex.
Two of the women, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, sued Franco in 2019, claimed that he tried to 'create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education' while they attended his Studio 4 acting school.
Franco settled for $2.2 million in July.
At the time of the initial allegations, Franco made brief comments about 'taking responsibility' but insisted that what was being said about him was not 'accurate.'
He has limited his public exposure since, until sitting down with the The Jess Cagle Podcast for an interview that will debut tomorrow, December 23.
He told Cagle how he chose to 'pause' after the allegations came out.
'In 2018 there were some complaints about me and an article about me and at that moment I just thought I'm gonna be quiet,' he said.
'I'm gonna be, I'm gonna pause. Did not seem like the right time to say anything. There were people that were upset with me and I needed to listen.
'I've just been doing a lot of work. And I guess I'm pretty confident in saying like, four years, you know?' he said
He confirmed that he did sleep with students at his acting school, but thought it was 'cool' because it was 'consensual' and they were all adults'
'There's a writer, Damon Young, and he talked about, you know, when something like this happens, the natural human instinct is to just make it stop. You just want to get out in front of it and whatever you have to do apologize, you know, get it done,' he went on.
'But what that doesn't do is allow you to do the work, and to look at what was underneath. Like, whatever you did, even if it was a gaff or you said something wrong or whatever, there's probably an iceberg underneath that of behavior, of patterning, of just being blind to yourself, that isn't gonna just be solved overnight.
'So I've just been doing a lot of work. And I guess I'm pretty confident in saying like, four years, you know?' he said.
Franco also discussed how he's long been in recovery for substance abuse, but since 2016 has also been tackling his sex addiction.
'I was in recovery before, for substance abuse. And there were some issues that I had to deal with that were also related to addiction. And so I've really used my recovery background to kind of start examining this and changing who I was,' he said.
'[Sex is] such a powerful drug. And I got hooked on it for 20 more years.
'And the insidious part of that is that I stayed sober from alcohol all that time. So, and I went to meetings all that time. I even tried to sponsor other people. And so in my head, it was like, "Oh, I'm sober. I'm living a spiritual life." Where on the side, I'm acting out now in all these other ways. And I couldn't see it.'
Franco also admitted that he had been unfaithful to all of his girlfriends for years.
'I could never be faithful to anybody. So I cheated,' he said. 'I cheated on everyone before Isabel.
Franco sad he has battled sex addiction and cheated on every girlfriend prior to his current girlfriend, Isabel Pakzad (pictured in 2019)
'People that I got together with or dated, I'd see them for a long time, years. It's just that I couldn't be present for any of them. And the behavior spun out to a point where it was like I was hurting everybody.'
He recalled his sponsor chastising him for cheating, but telling him that if he's single, there's nothing wrong with sleeping around which Franco said he 'ran' with.
'[My sponsor was] like, "Look, the cheating is dishonest. I don't think that's good for your sobriety, but if you're not dating someone and you wanna go and hook up, like whatever happens between two consenting adults is fine,"' Franco said.
'The problem was, I took that and I ran with it and used it as an excuse to just hook up all over the place. And it was like, well, we're being honest here. Right?' he said.
But he admitted that he didn't think about the power dynamics at play when he pursued people he worked with, or those who attended his acting school.
'I [was] completely blind to power dynamics or anything like that, but also completely blind to people's feelings. I didn't wanna hurt people,' he said.
'I'll admit, I did sleep with students,' he said. 'Over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students. And that was wrong.
'But, like I said, it's not why I started the school. And I wasn't the person who selected the people to be in the class. So it wasn't a master plan on my part, but yes, there were certain instances where, you know what, I was in a consensual thing with a student and I shouldn't have been.
'I suppose at the time my thing was, if it's consensual, OK. Of course I knew, I talked to other people, other teachers, yeah, it's probably not a cool thing. [But] at the time, I was not as clear-headed as I've said. So I guess it just comes down to my criteria: If this is consensual, it's cool. We're all adults,' he said.
Sarah Tither-Kaplan (pictured above) was one of actresses who have come forward to publicly call Franco out for alleged sexually inappropriate and exploitative behavior
The other student named in the lawsuit was Toni Gaal
In the new interview, Franco also admitted that it was 'hurtful' when his longtime collaborator and costar Seth Rogen said that he had no plans to work with him in the future.
Initially, when the allegations came out in 2018, Rogen told Vulture that he would continue to work with Franco.
But in May, he publicly revised his position, telling Britain's Sunday Times that he would not.
'I also look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now,' he said.
Speaking on the podcast this week, Franco said he 'absolutely loves' Rogen, whom he worked with for 20 years but 'what he said is true, you know, we aren't working together right now and we don't have any plans to work together.'
'Of course it was hurtful, you know, in context, but I get it, you know, he had to answer for me cause I was silent,' he went on. 'He had to answer for me and I don't want that. And so that's why, it's one of the main reasons I wanted to talk to you today is I just, I don't want Seth or my brother or anyone to have to answer for me anymore.'
The allegations against Franco came in January of 2018, when five women described misconduct to the Los Angeles Times.
One of the women, Violet Paley, said she had a consensual relationship with the actor, but claimed that he once forced her into performing oral sex on her while they sat in his car.
Franco also admitted that it was 'hurtful' when his longtime collaborator and costar Seth Rogen said that he had no plans to work with him in the future
In May, Rogen said he has not worked with Franco recently has does not have a plan to do so right now
The other four women were students at Studio 4, Franco's now-closed acting school, and claimed he asked women both on set and in class to perform topless or even completely nude.
One of those students, Sarah Tither-Kaplan, claimed that while at Studio 4, she had enrolled in Francos Sex Scenes master class. In one short video for the class, she appeared topless. That video was then uploaded to Vimeo without her knowledge, she claimed.
And a still from the video ended up on at least one adult website, according to Tither-Kaplan.
'Now, if you Google me, you can see me naked. Before Ive ever been on TV or before Ive ever had any real credits or before any of this of course I regret that. I dont want that,' she said.
But landing a role in Franco's film The Long Home was a huge break for her that proved uncomfortable.
While on set, Tither-Kaplan was asked if she would be willing to appear in a nude orgy scene, which she admittedly agreed to do because she saw her appearance in the film as a big break in her career.
Tither-Kaplan appeared with several other women in the scene, and they each wore nothing but a piece of plastic known as a genital guard.
She claimed that when it came time for Franco to simulate oral sex on the actresses, he removed the guard and continued to act out the scene with no barrier between his mouth and the women's vaginas.
Her willingness to appear in the nude orgy shoot got Tither-Kaplan asked back to film another scene. This time, it was an unscripted bit that required her to be topless while wearing an animal skull and dancing around in a circle with other women.
James Franco, pictured here in Los Angeles in November 2017, agreed to pay $2.23 million to resolve a sexual misconduct lawsuit
One of the actresses declined to appear topless in the scene and was not asked back on set by Franco, according to Tither-Kaplan.
'I got it in my head pretty quickly that, OK, you dont say "no" to this guy,' she said of Franco.
An actress who appeared alongside her in those two scenes confirmed Tither-Kaplan's account, while Franco's lawyer said: 'The allegations about the protective guards are not accurate.'
The casting director on the film, Cynthia Huffman, also commented on the claims by saying she 'personally checked on all the actresses' during the shoot.'
'James is all about giving up and comers, actors and actresses and young filmmakers a break in this business,' said Huffman.
'I feel horrible that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable but we went to great lengths to make sure all the actresses in the nude scenes felt comfortable and safe.'
Meanwhile, Paley said that Franco was a mentor who was helping her on a script she was working on back in 2016, which eventually led to a relationship between the two.
It was at the start of that relationship when she claims Franco forced her into performing a sex act.
'I was talking to him, all of a sudden his penis was out,' said Paley. 'I got really nervous, and I said, "Can we do this later?" He was kind of nudging my head down, and I just didnt want him to hate me, so I did it.'
She said that she was able to stop only when she claimed to see people approaching the car.
Hilary Dusome and Natalie Chmiel said they became disenfranchised with Franco and his acting classes back in 2012 when they were selected to appear in what they were led to believe was a short art film.
It was midway through the shoot, which took place at a strip club, when they claim Franco asked them if they would be willing to go topless. When none of the women volunteered, he allegedly stormed off the set.
'I felt like I was selected for something based on my hard work and my merit, and when I realized it was because I have nice [breasts], it was pretty clear that was not the case,' said Dusome. 'I don't think he started teaching with bad intentions, but he went down a bad path and damaged a lot of people in the process.'
Chmiel echoed this, stating: 'He just took advantage of our eagerness to work and be a part of something bigger. We were all these up-and-coming actors who were so hopeful.'
Franco's lawyer again denied these allegations.
Franco later spoke on TV to Seth Meyers, stating: 'There are stories that need to get out. There are people that need to be heard.
'I have my own side of this story, but I believe in, you know, these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will, you know, hold back things that I could say just because I believe in it that much.
'And if I have to take a knock because I'm not going to, you know, try and, you know, actively refute things, then I will, because I believe in it that much.'
Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal went on to sue Franco, as well as his partners in the school, Vince Jolivette and Jay Davis. They reached a settlement in July.
Franco, Jolivette, and Davis said they 'continue to deny the allegations in the complaint' but 'they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues,' according to a 'public statement' section in the settlement.
'And all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood. All agree on the need to make sure that no one in the entertainment industry regardless of sex, race, religion, disability, ethnicity, background, gender or sexual orientation faces discrimination, harassment or prejudice of any kind.'
Noth has since been fired from one TV gig and lost a $12 million deal to sell his tequila brand
He has denied the allegations but he has admitted that he had 'consensual encounters' with the women
Noth met Wilson when she was a bartender at a bar he owns in 2001 and they married in 2012; they share two children, Orion, 13, and Keats
Another woman has since come forward to claim Noth assaulted her, while actress Zoe Lister-Jones called him a 'sexual predator'
Last week, The Hollywood Reporter published allegations from two women who say that Noth raped them, with each sharing similar details of their assaults in 2004 and 2015
Wilson, 42, was seen putting the couple's younger son, 18-month-old Keats, into the back of an SUV before climbing into the car herself amid rumors that she and Noth will not spend the holidays together
He kept his left hand firmly in his pocket during the outing - which came one day after his wife of nine years, Tara Wilson, was pictured without her wedding ring outside their home in Los Angeles
The Sex and the City star wore a green beanie, a pair of khaki-colored trousers, and a black zip-up jacket
Noth, 67, was seen stepping out for a walk near his summer home in Massachusetts on Wednesday
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Chris Noth has doubled down on his vehement denial of allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted two women while expressing his 'hope' that he will spend Christmas with his wife and kids, as he stepped out near his home in the Berkshires, two days after she was pictured in Los Angeles without her wedding ring on.
The 67-year-old actor emerged in Massachusetts on Wednesday, when he spoke with a photographer to once again deny sexual assault accusations from two women, who aired their allegations in an explosive report in The Hollywood Reporter last week.
When asked for further comment on the matter, Noth simply said: 'You have my statement right? My statement is out, I rest by my statement, I'll now let the chips fall where they may. My statement is my statement, that's all I can give.'
In his statement, Noth denied any accusations that he sexually assaulted two women - although he admitted to having 'consensual encounters' with them, both of which are understood to have taken place while he was in a relationship with his wife, Tara Wilson.
After the photographer suggested that Noth is 'innocent until proven guilty', the actor replied: 'Well yeah, but you know that's the way it is', before saying he 'hopes' that he will get to spend the holidays with his wife of nine years and their two sons.
He then flashed a smile and a peace sign at the camera, before walking off. He kept his wedding finger concealed in the pocket of his black jacket during the outing, which comes just two days after Wilson, 42, was pictured without her wedding ring as she emerged outside their home in Sherman Oaks, California, 2,800 miles away from where Noth was seen.
Chris Noth has doubled down on his vehement denial of allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted two women while stepping out near his summer home in the Berkshires on Wednesday
When asked for further comment on the matter, Noth, 67, simply said: 'You have my statement right? My statement is out, I rest by my statement, I'll now let the chips fall where they may. My statement is my statement, that's all I can give'
The Sex and the City actor flashed a grin and a peace sign at the camera, having told a photographer that he 'hopes' he will spend Christmas with his wife of nine years, Tara Wilson, and their two sons
Hours before Noth spoke to a photographer, he was seen sporting a grey beard and grinning for the cameras while strolling near the property
The actor's cheerful outing comes less than a week after he was accused of rape by two women in an explosive report in The Hollywood Reporter
Hours before he spoke to the photographer, Noth was pictured grinning for the cameras while stepping out for a walk near his summer home, having apparently fled New York City in the wake of the allegations being brought to light.
Although Noth's outing comes less than a week after he was accused of rape by two different women on Thursday, the actor appeared to be in good spirits during his walk, when he was seen flashing a wide smile straight at the camera.
The report - which featured allegations from two women using the pseudonyms Zoe, now 40, and Lily, now 31, who claim that Noth raped them in 2004 and 2015, respectively - is said to have left the actor's wife, Tara Wilson, devastated, with sources saying that she is 'very upset' and planning to spend Christmas away from her husband, with whom she shares two sons.
Further speculation about the future of the couple's relationship was prompted this week when DailyMail.com published exclusive images of Wilson, 42, outside the family's home in Sherman Oaks, California, without her wedding ring on, nearly 3,000 miles away from the Berkshires property where her husband is currently staying.
In the wake of The Hollywood Reporter article, on other woman has come forward to accuse Noth of groping her, while actress Zoe Lister-Jones recalled behavior that made her describe him as a 'predator'; he has since lost a planned $12 million deal to sell his tequila brand and was fired from the series The Equalizer.
However, Noth appeared determined not to let any stress from the scandal show as he emerged from his summer home today with a smile on his face - although he broke his cheerful expressions at points during his walk, when he was seen looking lost in thought while staring down at the ground.
Wilson was seen getting into an SUV outside the family's gated home in Sherman Oaks, and she did not appear to be wearing her wedding ring
Noth met Wilson, with whom he shares two sons, in 2001 and they tied the knot in 2012. The two women who accused him of rape said that he attacked them in 2004 and 2015, respectively
It has been reported that Noth's wife is not going to spend Christmas with him. She was seen in Los Angeles on Monday, nearly 3,000 miles away from the Massachusetts property where Noth is understood to be staying
It is unclear whether Wilson is planning to travel to Massachusetts with her children to join Noth for the holiday, however sources claim that the couple may well spend Christmas apart, with one insider alleging to Page Six on Monday that the couple's marriage is 'hanging by a thread'.
'Tara is upset and things are hanging by a thread,' the source claimed. 'She just wants to protect the kids [Orion, 13, and Keats, 18 months]. That is her number one priority.'
On Monday, Wilson was pictured outside of the family's gated Los Angeles home in blue leggings, a green puffer coat, and Ugg boots outside the home she shares with Noth. She did not seem to have a ring on her finger, though she was wearing a large rock at the And Just Like That premiere earlier this month.
Apparently unaware of the camera, she looked tired as she held her phone in her hand and climbed into the car, after putting her youngest son into the backseat.
Wilson and Noth share two children: Orion, 13, and Keats, 18 months.
This is the first time that Wilson has been pictured since last Thursday, when The Hollywood Reporter published its report on the allegations.
Noth has vehemently denied that he assaulted the women, but did admit to sexual relations with them, describing the incidents as 'consensual encounters.'
Whether or not the incidents were rape or consensual, a source told The Sun that Wilson was caught unawares that he was having anything to do with other women.
Noth's cheerful expression did break at certain points during his walk, when he was seen looking lost in thought
Noth kept his own wedding finger concealed in the pocket of his black jacket when he stepped out for a walk
Despite the furious scandal surrounding the rape allegations against him, Noth put on a brave face and even smiled at the cameras as he walked past
The actor had a scruffy grey beard and wore a green beanie for his walk - which comes after a third woman spoke out to accuse him of groping her
'He may be non-monogamous, we have established that his wife didn't know,' the source said.
'If anything, he is guilty of that. She is in LA and is very upset she's not doing well. They planned to spend Christmas together but that is now unknown.'
The source, a friend of Noth's, also insisted that the actor is 'no Weinstein' and that 'all his friends are sticking by him.'
On Monday evening, the actor's Sex and the City co-stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, issued a statement about the accusations made against him, saying: 'We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth.
'We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.'
Noth met Vancouver-born Wilson in 2001 when he was in his mid-40s and she was in her early 20s. Wilson was a bartender at the New York jazz club The Cutting Room, which Noth co-owns.
In the wake of the allegations, Noth has lost a planned $12 million deal to sell his tequila brand and was fired from the series The Equalizer
At one point he pointed towards the photographer, before breaking into an amused smile
The star was last seen outside of his apartment on New York's Upper East Side, just hours after the allegations were published
Noth may well be planning to spend the holidays at his home in Great Barrington, which he has owned for several years, however it is unclear whether his wife and children will join him
The actor has not spoken out publicly since the allegations were published, however he gave a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in which he vehemently denied all accusations of assault
They welcomed their first son in 2008, got engaged in 2009, and married in Hawaii in 2012, with then-four-year-old Orion serving as ring bearer. Their second son arrived in early 2020.
It's unknown whether Wilson was made aware of the allegations against her husband before they were published. The Hollywood Reporter had reached out to Noth prior to publication, which would have given him at least some time to break the news.
In the report, both of Noth's accusers who went by pseudonyms Zoe, now 40, and Lily, now 31 claimed that he raped them from behind in front of a mirror. The first attack allegedly took place in 2004, while the second reportedly occurred in 2015, three years after Noth married his wife, Tara Wilson, with whom he has two children.
Both women claimed that the recent publicity surrounding the Sex and the City reboot 'stirred painful memories' of their encounters with Noth and 'triggered' them to go public with their claims.
The first, Zoe, said she met Noth while working 'in an entry-level position at a high-profile firm where Noth and other celebrities regularly had business' in 2004.
She claimed that the actor who was then at the height of his Sex and the City fame and, according to Zoe's then-boss was seen as a 'god' by her and colleagues began flirting with her in the office.
Wilson (pictured with Noth earlier this month) was seen climbing into an SUV outside their gated home in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles - almost 3,000 miles away from Noth's home in Massachusetts - on Monday
Wilson was pictured in blue leggings, a green puffer coat, and Ugg boots outside the home she shares with Noth
Wilson didn't appear to be wearing her wedding ring on Monday, though she did have it on earlier this month
Wilson, 42, is reportedly 'very upset' and 'not doing well' since the report
She was seen putting her younger son, Keats, into the backseat of the vehicle before climbing in herself
At the time, Noth had been dating Wilson for three years. However, according to Zoe, Noth began leaving 'flirty' messages on her voicemail which she was alerted to by her boss.
Zoe claimed that she was raped by Noth in his West Hollywood apartment when she returned a book he had lent her.
She said he 'kissed her' as soon as she walked through the door, then moved her to his bed and removed her shorts and bikini bottoms before raping her 'from behind' while they were 'facing a mirror.'
She also claimed that the actor did not use protection, that he 'laughed at her' when she asked him to get a condom and that she was left bleeding after the assault, and had to go to the hospital to get stitches.
'It was very painful and I yelled out, "Stop!"' she told THR. 'And he didnt. I said, "Can you at least get a condom?" and he laughed at me.'
'I had stitches. Two police officers came. I wouldnt say who it was,' she says, claiming that she feared she would 'not be believed' and could 'be fired' if she publicly accused Noth of rape.
Noth's second accuser, Lily, who is now working as a journalist, told a similar story to THR, alleging that the actor raped her in his home in Greenwich Village after they struck up a flirty relationship while she was working as a server at former New York nightclub No.8 in 2015, when she was 25.
Lily said she was 'truly star-struck' when he began 'hitting on her' and ended up going with him to a restaurant.
Afterward, Noth invited her back to his home to 'sample his collection of whiskeys' and says he began trying to 'make out with her' when they got there.
Noth has two sons with Wilson - Orion (left), 13, who was born in 2008, seven years before the alleged second attack took place, and Keats (right), 18 months, who was born in 2020
Noth met Vancouver-born Wilson in 2001 when he was in his mid-40s and she was in her early 20s. Wilson was a bartender at the New York jazz club The Cutting Room, which Noth co-owns
The couple welcomed their first son in 2008, got engaged in 2009, and married in Hawaii in 2012. Their second son arrived in early 2020 (pictured in 2002)
'I should have said no more firmly and left,' she said, claiming that 'the next thing she knew' he had pulled down her pants and 'was standing in front of her' before 'thrusting his penis into her mouth.'
She said that she mentioned the fact that he had a wife and child, only for the actor to tell her that 'marriage is a sham' and 'monogamy is not real.' Lily claimed Noth then raped her from behind in a chair in front of a mirror.
'He was having sex with me from the back in a chair. We were in front of a mirror. I was kind of crying as it happened,' she said.
After the alleged assault took place, Lily said she went to the bathroom and put on her skirt, claiming that she 'felt awful' and 'totally violated.'
'All of my dreams with this star I loved for years were gone,' she added.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Noth admitted that he had 'consensual encounters' with the two women, but he strongly denied any accusations that he assaulted them.
'The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false,' the statement reads.
'These stories couldve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago no always means no that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual.
Last Thursday, The Hollywood Reporter published explosive allegations against Noth (seen in Sex and the City reboot And Just Like that with co-star Sarah Jessica Parker), with two women claiming that he raped them
One woman claimed that the alleged attack took place in Noth's Greenwich Village apartment ( pictured) and that he raped her from behind, in front of a mirror
'Its difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I dont know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.'
After the report was published, Zoe Lister-Jones described Noth was a 'sexual predator'
Though Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD initially told Deadline on Thursday that 'there is no investigation at this point' into the claims against Noth, an LAPD spokesperson later told People that they are 'looking into the nature of the report' and trying to figure out 'when, where or even if a report was filed.'
However, Officer Madison added: 'At this time, there's no record of a report being filed. Without a report, there is no investigation.'
Late on Thursday, actress Zoe Lister-Jones also detailed her encounters with the embattled actor, claiming that he was 'sexually inappropriate' to women who worked at a New York City club he owned, and sniffed her neck while drunk on set of the detective show.
'Last week, my friend asked me how I felt about Mr. Big's death on And Just Like That, and I said honestly, I felt relieved,' she wrote on Instagram.
'He asked why, and I told him it was because I couldn't separate the actor from the man, and the man is a sexual predator,' she went on, before detailing some of her experiences.
Then a third woman accused Chris Noth of sexual assault for allegedly groping her at a Manhattan restaurant in 2010 when she was 18.
In her Instagram story on Thursday, Lister-Jones said she was 'relieved' by Big's death because she remembers him being 'consistently sexually inappropriate' with a female promoter
She also recalled him sniffing her hair when she guest starred on Law and Order: Criminal Intent
She concluded her statement by cursing out Noth's character on Sex and the City, claiming that he capitalized on the role to seduce women
The unnamed 30-year-old Canadian tech executive claimed Noth, then 55, groped her while she was working as a hostess at the Da Marino restaurant in Midtown, the Daily Beast first reported.
Noth came in intoxicated, allegedly telling her, 'I love Canadian women' as he pressed her against 'his erection.'
'I remember how electrifying his hand, the hand I watched hold Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, felt grabbing me,' Ava said.
She claimed Noth then followed her into the back office and began kissing her and pressing her against a desk.
She alleged that that he pulled down her tights and touched and clung onto her so strongly that after she managed to push and kick him away, her 'limbs hurt in the morning.'
'It felt as though I was the only person in the universe who could hear me saying no,' she told the outlet.
She said the actor also felt her tampon and asked if she was at the end of her period before continuing to grope her.
Despite Ava's protests, Noth allegedly carried on until she told him 'not here,' convincing him that they could carry on somewhere else.
'I haven't been able to shake the memory of how the kitchen staff looked at me as I emerged from the office with Chris Noth,' she said.
Noths publicist told the Daily Beast that the actor 'denies this as ever happening and has no idea who this woman is.'
Walgreens announced that it's limiting customers to purchases of four at-home COVID-19 test kits, due to an 'unprecedented increase in demand' in recent weeks.
CVS is limiting purchases to six test kits per person, while Walmart is limiting customers to eight tests per person when ordering online.
These announcements come as the Omicron variant fuels case increases across the country and families seek to safely gather for Christmas.
In New York City, where case rates have more than doubled in the last week, people are waiting in hours-long lines to get tested.
President Biden announced Tuesday that his administration is purchasing 500 million at-home rapid tests, to be distributed freely to Americans in an effort meet some of the demand - but the deliveries won't start until January.
In New York City, people are waiting in hours-long lines to get tested for Covid while at-home rapid tests are in high demand. Pictured: A Covid testing line in Times Square, December 2021
Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS are all limiting purchases of at-home rapid tests as demand skyrockets in the latest Covid surge. Pictured: QuickVue at-home tests shown for sale at a CVS in Washington state, November 2021
The Omicron variant, now causing the majority of new Covid cases in the U.S. - with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that in now accounts for 73 percent of new cases - is pushing the country's surge into worrying territory.
The U.S. is now reporting an average of 140,000 new cases a day, according to Johns Hopkins.
That's a 50 percent increase from late November, when the nation reported about 90,000 new cases a day.
These high case numbers are stretching the nation's testing infrastructure - especially in places like New York City, which has reported record cases in the past week.
As Americans seek to gather safely with family and friends during this surge, demand has increased for at-home rapid tests.
Unlike PCR tests, which must be done in a laboratory and can take days to provide results to patients, at-home rapid tests can be purchased at a pharmacy and done at home, with results available in minutes.
Rapid tests typically identify antigens - proteins on the surface of the coronavirus - while PCR tests identify the virus' genetic material.
PCR tests are more accurate and considered the gold standard, but rapid tests may still be very useful for identifying whether someone is infectious and capable for spreading the virus to others.
In response to the demand, Walmart and major pharmacy chains are limiting the number of rapid test kits that people can buy.
Walmart has set a limit of eight tests for an online order - meaning consumers can get four packages of the Abbott BinaxNow and other popular test kits, which include two tests each.
Physical stores can set their own test purchase limits depending on their inventory limits, Walmart said.
'We do have strong inventory levels nationally in store,' Walmart said in a statement. 'However, inventory is more limited online depending on the zip code.'
Similarly, Walgreens has limited both online and in-store purchases to four test kits per customer.
'Due to the incredible demand for at-home rapid testing, we put in effect a four item purchase limit on at-home COVID-19 testing products in our stores and digital properties,' Walgreens spokesperson Emily Hartwig-Mekstan told CNBC.
Rapid test kits often contain two tests, as the tests are more accurate when patients test themselves multiple times. Pictured: Rapid test kits ready to be distributed, at a community center in Chelsea, Massachusetts, December 2021
Walgreens is continuing to 'work diligently with our supplier partners to best meet customer demands,' Hartwig-Mekstan said.
This 'unprecedented increase in demand' for rapid at-home Covid tests began after Thanksgiving, Hartwig-Mekstan told CNBC.
CVS has also limited sales of test kits to six per person.
The pharmacy chain announced that products may be temporarily out of stock for online orders, as in-store inventory is CVS's priority.
In New York City, demand for tests has skyrocketed, with local outlets reporting hours-long waits at testing sites across the city.
'Some New Yorkers said they spent over four hours in line,' local news site THE CITY reported.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio closed 20 brick-and-mortar testing sites recently, but has now pledged to reopen that same number of locations.
'We're going to keep expanding test capacity constantly as we fight Omicron,' de Blasio said at a press conference this week.
The Biden administration seeks to address the situation in NYC and across the country by providing free at-home rapid tests to Americans who want them.
President Biden announced on Tuesday that his administration will purchase 500 million at-home rapid tests.
Americans will be able to order these tests from a government website at no cost.
At the same time, the administration is setting up new federal testing sites to help states that need additional capacity.
The first of these sites will be set up in NYC this week.
The administration is also working to further accelerate rapid test production using the Defense Production Act.
While the increased tests are a welcome measure for experts who have long said the Biden administration needs to make testing more accessible, the initial delivery of free at-home tests will start in January 2022 - after the holiday travel rush.
Test production company Abbott Laboratories has also faced criticism for reportedly destroying test components over the summer, when Covid case numbers dropped.
Abbott is currently making 50 million tests a month, and expects an increase to 70 million in January, according to CNBC.
Dozens of FTSE 350 companies have an annual dividend yield of zero per cent whilst 30 have yields below 1 per cent, new analysis has found.
Fund manager GraniteShares, which specialises in exchange-traded funds, said that 11 blue-chip FTSE 100 firms and 61 mid-cap FTSE 250 firms have no dividend yield whatsoever.
It has also predicted that dividend payouts will still be lower than their pre-pandemic levels this year and only 'gradually recover' into 2023.
Zero per cent: GraniteShares, which specialises in exchange-traded funds, said that 11 blue-chip FTSE 100 firms and 61 mid-cap FTSE 250 firms have no dividend yield whatsoever
But as the UK has come out of the worst of the global health crisis, it noted that far fewer London-listed firms had reduced their dividend payments to shareholders in some form in 2021.
In 2020, just over half of FTSE 100 businesses and more than 100 on the FTSE 250 either cut, suspended or cancelled their dividends, as did many more listed on junior shares indices.
Some of the biggest names to cut dividends included Antofagasta, Standard Chartered and Shell, the latter of which cut its dividend for the first time in 75 years as oil prices collapsed into negative territory.
This subsequently caused dividends to slide to their lowest levels since 2011.
But, this year, one firm on the FTSE100, six on the FTSE 250, and five on the Small-Cap Index have reduced their dividends.
GraniteShares believes the pressure on shareholder returns has boosted demand for UK retail investors using short trading and leverage strategies, such as its triple-leveraged long- and short-single stock exchange-traded products (ETPs).
Its most popular stock with both long and short traders was Tesla, the share price of which took off considerably last year before declining in the early months of 2021, flatlining for a few months and then shooting up in value again.
Weak rebound: The recovery in dividends this year is very welcome, but the expectation is that investors will have to wait for a full recovery,' said GraniteShares founder Will Rhind
Its founder and chief executive Will Rhind said: 'The recovery in dividends this year is very welcome, but the expectation is that investors will have to wait for a full recovery with payouts still lower than they were in 2019.
'As investors look to replace these lost returns, many sophisticated ones have turned to using leverage and short investment strategies, which has fuelled strong growth in our single stock 3x long and 3x short ETPs.'
GraniteShares' analysis come a few days after AJ Bell released new forecasts estimating total dividend payouts to substantially slow in 2022, growing by just 2 per cent to 83.7billion compared to an annual jump of 20billion this year.
However, it suggested this could be a sign of enhanced 'dividend cover' - the ratio of a firm's net income divided by the dividend paid to shareholders. This can help firms strengthen their balance sheet and ensure more stable payouts to investors.
The Manchester-based trading platform expects Glencore to disburse the largest increase in dividends of 1.48billion, with Shell and HSBC trailing far behind in second and third place with 575million and 453million rises, respectively.
It also expects mining giant Rio Tinto to be the highest-paying stock next year, followed by Shell and British American Tobacco, something it admits 'may have ESG-oriented investors gnashing their teeth.'
The UKs highest court has blocked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from accessing 1.4billion of his countrys gold in the Bank of England vaults.
In a judgement this week, the Supreme Court ruled that only Juan Guaido, who is recognised as Venezuelas legitimate leader by Britain and more than 50 other countries, could access the vital wealth.
Maduro, who was re-elected in 2018 in controversial polls, said he needed the gold to help Venezuela fight Covid-19.
Bullion ban: The Supreme Court this week blocked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (pictured) from accessing 1.4bn of his country's gold
But the Supreme Court said Maduro should not be recognised as president for any purpose.
Maduro has been trying to pull the bullion, which is about 15 per cent of Venezuelas foreign currency reserves, out of the Bank of England since 2018.
But the Bank refused to release it, as Venezuela has been hit with sanctions by countries over corruption, human rights violations and the suppression of democracy.
The Bank of England is the second-largest keeper of gold in the world, and holds enough to cover the entire country in gold leaf. It only owns two bars itself the rest of the 400,000-odd bars worth more than 200billion are guarded on behalf of the UK Treasury and the central banks of other countries from India to Australia.
For a time, the vaults below Threadneedle Street briefly contained two bars recovered from Nazi Germany by the Tripartite Gold Commission of Britain, the US and France.
The Bank vaults have never been burgled, but in 1836 a sewer worker accidentally found his way in through a disused drain.
He tipped the Bank off, mysteriously arranging to meet the directors one night in the vaults, and was rewarded with a gift of 800 for his honesty, which would now be worth more than 90,000.
The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.61 per cent or 44.25 points to 7,341.66 this afternoon, while the FTSE 250 index closed up 1.14 per cent or 260.49 points to 23,080.79.
Britain's economy grew more slowly than previously thought between July and September, with revised Office for National Statistics data showing growth of just 1.1 per cent compared to a preliminary estimate of 1.3 per cent.
That was slower than the economy's 5.4 per cent bounce-back in the second quarter when many coronavirus restrictions were lifted.
The Prudential Regulation Authority has imposed a 5.4million financial penalty on Metro Bank for failing to act with due skill, care and diligence in relation to the regulatory reporting of its capital position.
Metro Bank was also found responsible for failings in its regulatory reporting governance, controls and investment in the period between 13 May 2016 and 23 January 2019.
The UK's third-largest homebuilder Taylor Wimpey will drop contract terms that lock leaseholders into rents that double every 10 years, ending a year-long probe into the company by the Competition and Markets Authority.
Britains competition watchdog described the resolution as a huge step forward for leaseholders, who have faced totally unwarranted obligations that lead to people being trapped in their homes, struggling to sell or obtain a mortgage.
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The Financial Conduct Authority will consult on a redress scheme for the thousands of people who invested in the British Steel Pension Scheme.
The 2017 scandal involved 7,700 BSPS members receiving advice to take their funds out of the pensions scheme, which they took and ended up losing 'significant sums of money as a result,' the National Audit Office said in a statement at the time.
Earlier this year, MPs accused the FCA of being 'unfit for purpose' and blasted its apparent inability to help wronged consumers affected by the scandal.
Consultation: The Financial Conduct Authority has announced it will consult on a redress scheme for people who invested in the British Steel Pension Scheme
The consultation is expected to be launched in March 2022, and will require the FCA to gather evidence and engage with shareholders.
The FCA outlined its expectation that firms which will have to repay former investors 'should retain assets and should not try to avoid their responsibilities.'
It warned that it will take 'such action as it deems necessary if a firm attempts to avoid redress liabilities'.
It has sent out a letter to bosses of the firms who gave pension transfer advice to BSPS members between 1 March 2017 to 31 March 2018.
It said in a statement: 'Under a redress scheme, firms would be required to review advice they gave to BSPS members to transfer their pension. If the advice was unsuitable and resulted in a financial loss, the firm would be required to provide compensation.'
Former BSPS members should continue to check whether they received unsuitable advice and find out how to complain via the FCA's dedicated web page.
If the firm involved has gone out of business, those affected should consider making a claim with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the FCA said.
The FCA said any redress would be dependent on the investors BSPS transfer advice.
The NAO launched an investigation into the FCA's handling of the scandal in October, and is aiming to publish its findings in spring 2022.
It is estimated that around 47 per cent of steelworkers received 'unsuitable' pension transfer advice, prompting the FCA to call the debacle a 'highly exceptional case'.
In August, the FCA slapped its first 1.3million fine on an adviser involved in the matter, describing him as 'seriously incompetent' in providing retirement savings transfer advice to BSPS members.
After suffering through two national lockdowns and a pingdemic, the hospitality industry is once again in turmoil.
The spread of Omicron has seen cancellations soar as families frantically try to reduce their risk of catching the virus ahead of Christmas.
After weeks of pleas from business owners for extra financial support, Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday announced a 1 billion bailout for the hospitality industry. But is it too little, too late?
In limbo: Michael Raphel, left, and Jay Rahman, right, are co-owners of JM Socials restaurant group
Here Michael Raphel, 40, who co-owns a chain of six restaurants in Cheltenham and Oxford, tells Fiona Parker how Omicron has wreaked havoc on his business...
Saturday, November 27
The first Omicron case has been confirmed in the UK. But my partner Jay and I do not know how worried we should be.
It could be weeks before scientists decide whether or not it is a serious threat.
However, there is already a ten-day isolation rule for anyone who comes into contact with an Omicron case. What if this leads to another pingdemic?
Nearly half of our staff were off work in August and we had to shut our chicken restaurant for a fortnight. In a good week, our business, JM Socials, will turn over around 75,000, but we lost a third of our takings that month.
Sunday, November 28
We had three restaurants open for takeaways during the first lockdown. So I am ordering 2,000 worth of boxes and packaging today to prepare for the worst.
JM Socials has around 90 employees working across our restaurants and many are becoming anxious.
Some are worried about the virus itself, while others are concerned about their jobs and hours.
We furloughed 40 front-of-house staff and waiters earlier this year, but that scheme was closed in September. What happens if we need to send employees home again?
Tuesday, November 30
Our restaurants are closed on Mondays and this morning our managers took cancellations for more than 40 individual diners.
They are all sincere and apologetic. A third say they or a member of their group has tested positive.
After weeks of pleas from business owners for extra financial support, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a 1bn bailout for the hospitality industry
The rest just do not want to risk catching it. I understand why they feel like that and I value the safety of my staff and customers above everything else.
But with each diner spending around 50, it is a big financial hit.
Thursday, December 2
Every morning Jay and I meet with our operations managers. Today it is decided an email will be sent to all staff instructing them to wear face masks once again.
It has to be done, but it is hard not to see this as a step backwards. I also know it isnt easy for the employees.
Wearing a mask in a hot kitchen is far from comfortable and waiters who rely heavily on tips cannot smile at their customers. Fortunately, our wonderful workforce are all happy to comply.
Saturday, December 4
Cancellations are coming thick and fast and it looks like we are now going to have to factor in plenty more for the weeks ahead.
Since yesterday, bookings for 66 diners at Bhoomi, the South Asian restaurant in Cheltenham where I am based, have fallen through.
That is going to amount to more than 3,300 in losses. Things are even worse at Prithvi, where Jay is based.
His team has taken 55 cancellations and there are only 12 tables in the whole restaurant. We do fine dining at Prithvi and the average customer will spend around 100, so thats another 5,500 gone.
Tuesday, December 7
A waiter at our restaurant Bao + BBQ tested positive today. He came in early before the others had arrived and took a lateral flow test.
Fortunately, he has no symptoms and it doesnt look like he will be too poorly. Like previous staff who had to self-isolate, he will receive 96.35 a week in Statutory Sick Pay.
It has been months since we have had a positive case in our team and I hope it is not the first of many.
Staff who test positive and are forced to self-isolate receive 96.35 a week in Statutory Sick Pay
Thursday, December 9
With so many cancellations, we cannot afford to keep our front-of-house team on 38 hours a week so they have been cut to 25 hours.
As these employees are paid 12 an hour, they will be going home with 300 before tips, rather than 456 which is a big blow ahead of Christmas. It is not a decision we ever wanted to make, but it is essential to avoid cutting jobs.
Last night the Prime Minister confirmed he was going ahead with Plan B restrictions and I am hoping this will lead to a drop in cases. However, it will almost certainly put more people off eating out in the short term.
Friday, December 17
This is by far the worst day we have had for cancellations so far 131 diners in total. Our managers are usually busy taking calls from customers who want a spontaneous meal on a Friday night.
But we have hardly welcomed any of these last-minute bookings tonight. I suppose it is now two days since Professor Chris Whitty told the nation to prioritise social interactions.
I listened out for any announcement about help for business and there was none. But I was not feeling optimistic about this when the press conference began.
Sunday, December 19
We have received fantastic news about our Bhoomi restaurant in Oxford it is going to be featured in the Michelin Guide. It has prompted a surge in bookings, which are very much welcomed.
Today the papers are full of speculation about a future lockdown. A part of me hopes this will happen. If we could furlough staff and claim grants, a lockdown would be an improvement and help protect my staffs jobs.
Monday, December 20
The wait is over, for now. The Prime Minister ruled out any immediate restrictions tonight.
But that just means we are stuck in this no-mans land where the Government is not shutting us down but wont help us survive either.
We still have energy and water bills, supplies to buy and of course wages to pay. If this carries on, we will have no choice but to cut even more hours.
Tuesday, December 21
At last, the Chancellor has finally committed to some support. Of course I would welcome a 6,000 grant, but without knowing which restrictions will be brought in, it is difficult to say how much help this will be.
If we go back to takeaway and outside dining only, our restaurants would suffer a considerable drop in income and I just dont know whether the grant will be enough to cover our payroll and overheads for the period.
The No. 1 concern for us is to cover wages. Our staff will always be our priority.
Hundreds of Kellogg's workers have finally ended an 11-week strike at cereal factories across four states after their union secured wage increases.
The five-year contract ends the stalemate between the Frosties maker and its 1,400 factory workers in Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Tennessee that started in early October.
At the height of the stand-off the cereal giant had even threatened to permanently replace strikers, drawing criticism from President Joe Biden.
Highlights of the new agreement include: no two-tiered pay system, in which longer-tenured workers were paid more; no factory closures through October 2026, a 'significant' boost to the pension scheme and better pay across the board.
BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN: Protesters outside the Kellogg's factory on the first day of the walkout on October 5
Workers walked out of the Battle Creek location, the site of Kellogg's headquarters, early on October 5
'This agreement makes gains and does not include any concessions,' said Anthony Shelton, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM).
'Our entire Union commends and thanks Kellogg's members. From picket line to picket line, Kellogg's union members stood strong and undeterred in this fight, inspiring generations of workers across the globe, who were energized by their tremendous show of bravery as they stood up to fight and never once backed down,' he added.
Around 1,400 workers went on a strike since October 5 after their contracts expired, as negotiations over payment and benefits stalled amid a tightening labor market.
Union workers complained about plans to move plants to Mexico, as well as reduced health care and retirement benefits, and cuts to holiday and vacation pay.
Workers were pulling 12-hour shifts on a seven-day week schedule during the pandemic last year, the union said.
'It will be difficult to go back. There is a lot of tarnished relationships that we will work diligently to repair,' said Dan Osborn, president of the local union in Omaha, adding the employees would return to work on December 27.
The labor strike saw Senator Bernie Sanders rally with the striking workers in Michigan, while it also triggered calls for a boycott of Kellogg's products by consumers on social media platforms Twitter and Reddit.
'Well deserved, Kellogg's workers! Also happy I can buy Cheez-its (sic) again,' a Twitter user said on Tuesday, while another tweeted: 'Froot Loops party!'
Shares of the Eggo waffles maker declined 3 percent in late-morning trade.
LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA: Workers protest under union president Kerry Williams in October
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Nearly 300 union workers were rallied by union president Rob Eafen in October
Kelloggs workers arent the first food workers to strike during the pandemic.
Earlier this summer, more than 600 workers at a Frito-Lay plant in Topeka, Kansas, walked off the job to protest working conditions during the pandemic, including forced overtime. That strike ended in July when workers ratified a new contract.
Workers at Nabisco plants in five states went on strike in August to protest plans by Nabiscos parent, Mondelez International, to move some work to Mexico, among other issues, according to the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, which also represents the Kellogg's workers.
That strike ended last month when workers ratified a new contract.
On LinkedIn, Mekuli says: 'I tend to go after what I want and I don't stop until I get it. If I am to fail. I pick myself up and try again!
Fellow officers say she shouldn't be disciplined as her superiors were the ones in the wrong
Mekuli, who had worked as a real estate agent, only joined the force in February earning $42,500 a year
Her father says she has been crying over the publicity last Thursday's party has garnered
She grinded her backside against Lt. Nick McGarry and another, so far unidentified, man, also believed to be a cop
Vera Mekuli, 26, is the rookie NYPD officer who gave lap dances to at least two men at her precinct's Christmas party, DailyMail.com can reveal
This is the 'highly motivated' rookie cop whose raunchy lap dances at a New York Police Department Christmas party have thrown the department into turmoil.
Glamorous Vera Mekuli, 26, gave at least two fellow officers a steamy time during the 44th precinct's party last week.
Already Lt. Nick McGarry has been demoted to the transit bureau for allowing the junior officer to grind on him.
But Mekuli might escape disciplinary action. 'She shouldn't be disciplined at all,' said one detective close to both her and McGarry.
'She shouldn't be disciplined at all. She's a rookie and was trying to get cool points,' said one detective who knows both her and Lt. indicated -> measured) in support of an updated mineral resource estimate to be completed as part of the ongoing Prefeasibility Study, which will also determine the initial mineral reserve estimate for the Ashram Project. Based on the drilling to date, the Company anticipates a large portion of Ashram's current inferred and indicated resources will be converted to indicated and measured resources.
All four (4) drill holes collared in mineralization starting at depths of 1.4 - 4.7 m (core length), consistent with previous drilling, with three (3) of the drill holes remaining mineralized over their entire length. The grades of the infill drilling at Ashram continue to remain strong compared to the current resources' head grades, with wide intervals of greater than 2% REO common.
In addition, the NdPr oxide distribution (i.e. % of Nd+Pr oxide of the total REO) continues to remain very strong compared to active global producers, and commonly ranges from 19 - 24+%, including a 21% NdPr oxide distribution in EC21-187's 302.0 m interval of 2.19% REO. The high distribution of NdPr oxide at Ashram is a result of the monazite dominate rare earth mineralogy and unique chemistry and equates to a relatively high-value end-product that Ashram could supply the market with over the long-term. Grade over width and corresponding NdPr oxide distributions are presented in Table 1, with drill hole highlights and locations presented in Figure 1.
Table 1: 2021 drill hole results for infill drill holes at the Ashram Deposit
Drill hole EC21-182 was completed as a vertical step-out at the northern margin of the deposit. The hole collared in mineralization before trending out of and back into at depth, indicating the geometry of the deposit in this location flares out near surface. The northern margin of the deposit remains open with mineralization continuing to be intersected in step-out holes, as is evidenced by EC21-182.
Drill holes EC21-183 and 187, were part of a group of four (4) holes (EC21-183, 184, 187, and 193) which targeted the region beneath the shallow bay (<1.5 m water depth) on Centre Pond, in the north-central area of the deposit. These drill holes were completed at various orientations, resulting in the drill holes crossing the deposit at different oblique angles, and were primarily completed to help constrain the geological model. The drill holes continue to re-enforce the strong mineralization (and NdPr distribution) in this area of the deposit.
Drill hole EC21-185 was completed in the central area of the deposit and returned strong mineralization, as expected, at 2.14% REO (20.3% NdPr oxide distribution) over 222.7 m, including 2.35% over 93.5 m. This drill hole ended in strong mineralization with the last 15 m of the hole averaging 2.88% REO, and the last sample assaying 2.69% REO.
As the Ashram Deposit is known to continue for more than 600 m in depth, and remains open, the 2021 drill holes were ended at pre-determined depths below the anticipated pit shell, and therefore, most holes completed as part of the infill drilling at Ashram ended in mineralization, including EC21-182, 183, 185, and 187.
The Company notes that it carried out its field programs while adhering to all federal, provincial, and regional restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company successfully navigated the process to enter Nunavik with authorization obtained to complete its planned field activities. Mineral exploration has been recognized as an essential service in Canada and the Province of Quebec. The Company is also pleased to report that no cases of COVID-19 were documented related to the 2021 exploration program.
Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QAQC)
A quality assurance / quality control protocol following industry best practices was incorporated into the program and included systematic insertion of quartz blanks and certified reference materials into sample batches, as well as collection of quarter-core duplicates, at a rate of approximately 5%. Drill holes were sampled from top to bottom and shipped to Activation Laboratories in Ancaster, ON, for analysis.
Lab analysis included major oxides and multi-element, including the rare earth elements, by ICP-OES/MS following a lithium borate fusion (package 8-REE) and fluorine by Fusion Specific Ion Electrode-ISE (Code 4F-F). Standard drill core sample preparation was completed and comprised of crushing to 80% passing 10 mesh, followed by a 250 g riffle split and pulverizing to 95% passing 105 (package RX1).
About the Ashram Deposit
The Ashram Deposit ranks as one of the largest REE (and fluorspar) deposits globally, consisting of a monazite dominated, single mineralized body outcropping at surface, and has a footprint approximately 600 m along strike, over 300 m across, and 600 m deep, remaining open in several directions. The deposit hosts a measured resource of 1.6 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.77% rare earth oxide (REO) and 3.8% F, an indicated resource of 27.7 Mt at 1.90% REO and 2.9% F, and an inferred resource of 219.8 Mt at 1.88% REO and 2.2% F, at a cut-off grade of 1.25% REO (Effective Date July 5th, 2012). Note, mineral resources are not mineral reserves as they do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of the Mineral Resources will be converted into Mineral Reserves.
Figure 1: 2021 drill assay highlights - Ashram Deposit
NI 43-101 Disclosure
Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P.Geo., Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a Permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and 'Qualified Person' as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.
About Commerce Resources Corp.
Commerce Resources Corp. is a junior mineral resource company focused on the development of the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit located in Quebec, Canada. The Company is positioning to be one of the lowest cost rare earth producers globally, with a specific focus on being a long-term supplier of mixed rare earth carbonate and/or NdPr oxide to the global market. The Ashram Deposit is characterized by simple rare earth (monazite, bastnaesite, xenotime) and gangue (carbonates) mineralogy, a large tonnage resource at favourable grade, and has demonstrated the production of high-grade (>45% REO) mineral concentrates at high recovery (>70%) in line with active global producers. In addition to being one of the largest rare earth deposits globally, Ashram is also one of the largest fluorspar deposits globally and has the potential to be a long-term supplier to the met-spar and acid-spar markets.
For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.commerceresources.com or email info@commerceresources.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
COMMERCE RESOURCES CORP.
" Chris Grove "
Chris Grove
President and Director
Tel: 604.484.2700
Email: cgrove@commerceresources.com
Web: https://www.commerceresources.com
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements, which includes any information about activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward looking statements in this news release include that we expect to complete an updated mineral resource estimate and a prefeasibility study for the Ashram Project, that we anticipate that certain of Ashram's inferred and indicated resources will be converted to indicate and measured resources; that an open-pit shell is planned for the Ashram Project; and that the Company is positioning to be one of the lowest cost rare earth producers globally. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include: that we may not be able to fully finance any additional exploration on the Ashram Project; that even if we are able raise capital, costs for exploration activities may increase such that we may not have sufficient funds to pay for such exploration or processing activities; the timing and content of any future work programs; geological interpretations based on drilling that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral recoveries assumptions based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that, with further test work, may not be comparable; testing of our process may not prove successful and even if such tests are successful, the economic and other outcomes may not be as expected; the availability of labour and equipment to undertake future exploration work and testing activities; the required permits to build and operate the envisaged open-pit shell may not be obtained in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all; and despite the current expected viability of the Ashram Project, conditions changing such that even if metals or minerals are discovered on the Ashram Project, the project may not be commercially viable; The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
SOURCE: Commerce Resources Corp.
View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/678980/Commerce-Resources-Intersects-219-REO-over-3020-m-including-294-REO-over-355-m-at-the-Ashram-Deposit-Quebec
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2021) - Amex Exploration Inc. (TSXV: AMX) (FSE: MX0) (OTCQX: AMXEF) ("Amex or the Company") is pleased to announce the exercise of 3,115,000 warrants at a strike price of $2.10 and 203,087 broker warrants at a strike price of $2.10 adding close to $7 million to the treasury. The warrants were offered in connection with a $15,750,000 financing which closed on June 17, 2020. With the exercise of these warrants there are no remaining outstanding warrants.
Victor Cantore, President and CEO commented, "We would like to thank our existing shareholders for their continued support through the warrant exercise and extend a special thank you to Mr. Eric Sprott who has maintained his ownership in Amex. We are pleased to add this capital to the Company, putting us on stronger financial footing entering 2022. Our exploration program is delivering exceptional results and is continuing at an excellent pace. We will provide a review of our accomplishments from 2021 and discuss our plans for 2022 in early January. Until then from all of us at the Amex Exploration team we wish you a healthy and happy holiday season."
About Amex
Amex Exploration Inc. is a junior mining exploration company, the primary objective of which is to acquire, explore, and develop viable gold projects in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Quebec. Amex is focused on its 100% owned Perron gold project located 110 kilometres north of Rouyn Noranda, Quebec, consisting of 117 contiguous claims covering 4,518 hectares. A number of significant gold discoveries have been made at Perron, including the Eastern Gold Zone, the Gratien Gold Zone, the Grey Cat Zone, and the Central Polymetallic Zone. High-grade gold has been identified in each of the zones. A significant portion of the project remains underexplored. In addition to the Perron project, the company holds a portfolio of three other properties focused on gold and base metals in the Abitibi region of Quebec and elsewhere in the province.
For further information please contact:
Victor Cantore
President and Chief Executive Officer
Amex Exploration: +1-514-866-8209
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 statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, without limitation, the planned exploration program on the HGZ and Denise Zone, the expected positive exploration results, the extension of the mineralized zones, the timing of the exploration results, the ability of the Company to continue with the exploration program, the availability of the required funds to continue with the exploration and the potential mineralization or potential mineral resources are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "to earn", "to have', "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, failure to meet expected, estimated or planned exploration expenditures, failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, general business and economic conditions, changes in world gold markets, sufficient labour and equipment being available, changes in laws and permitting requirements, unanticipated weather changes, title disputes and claims, environmental risks as well as those risks identified in the Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described and accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108254
NEW YORK CITY (dpa-AFX) - Pfizer Inc. (PFE) said that it will supply the United Kingdom an additional 2.5 million treatment courses of its investigational candidate PAXLOVID (nirmatrelvir [PF-07321332] tablets and ritonavir tablets). It is in addition to the 250,000 treatment courses previously contracted by the UK Government, pending authorization and recommendation for use, bringing the full amount of treatment courses to 2.75 million. Pfizer expects to produce PAXLOVID up to 80 million courses of treatment by the end of 2022, with 30 million treatment courses available in the first half of the year. If authorized or approved, Pfizer will offer oral antiviral therapy through a tiered pricing approach based on the income level of each country to promote equity of access across the globe. High and upper-middle income countries will pay more than lower income countries. Pfizer noted that it continues to invest up to about $1 billion to support the manufacturing and distribution of PAXLOVID, including exploring potential contract manufacturing options. It has entered into agreements with multiple countries and has initiated bilateral outreach to approximately 100 countries around the world. If authorized or approved, PAXLOVID will be administered at a dose of 300 mg (two 150 mg tablets) of nirmatrelvir with one 100 mg tablet of ritonavir, given twice-daily for five days. One carton contains five blister packs of PAXLOVID, as co-packaged nirmatrelvir tablets with ritonavir tablets, providing all required doses for a full five-day treatment course. 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.
LONDON, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brydg, is a scale-up technology business bringing a fresh look to the way property is financed in the UK. It can announce that after five years of lending it has now provided over 1 billion of secured real estate loans to developers and property owners.
This December alone, Brydg has provided over 55 million worth of secured loans to SMEs and borrowers looking to refinance.
Brydg's sophisticated financing platform enables it to service the commercial real estate sector and to provide scalable solutions to loan orignators and institutional capital allocators to complete deals more rapidly and efficiently.
Speaking about this impressive performance, Peter Matthews, Director of Brydg said:
"Brydg's scale is growing bigger and bigger every month as we attract new clients and with access to efficient capital our existing clients grow rapidly too. To hit the landmark of 1 billion within such a short period proves that Brydg has truly transformed and democratised the property market."
"Our ambitions continue as our unique technology gives us the ability to scale. Our target will now be to double that 1bn within the next two years."
"Using sophisticated and proprietary Artificial Intelligence coupled with advanced technologies and data science forms the basis of our speedy approach to underwriting secured loans. And our track record clearly demonstrates our reach and service, and we have ambitions well beyond what we have achieved so far. We can see a clear path for Brydg to transform the UK's real estate market to be more efficient and save costs for all parties in a real estate transaction."
Nicolas Guilloteau, Partner at Spice Capital, an institutional funder in Brydg commented:
"The marriage of team and tech at Brydg is quite unique for capital allocation at scale. We're proud to have been working with Brydg for the last 5 years in supporting their growth and are excited for their future!"
About Brydg
Brydg is authorised and regulated by the FCA.
Brydg is democratizing real estate as a technology business built for scale and is an accredited British Business Bank lender supporting many SMEs as well as the broader CRE sector.
Its team comprises real estate and credit veterans coupled with serial innovators and quantum technologists. Together they are capital futurists with an ethos of innovation, speed, transparency, and risk management. Brydg offers the most advanced real estate lending experience available for institutional investors and loan originators.
Its sophisticated and proprietary, Artificial Intelligence assisted underwriting approach is formed through decades of lending experience coupled with advanced technologies and data science.
Brydg's sophisticated financing platform enables them to service the commercial real estate sector and to automate significant tasks in the financing process. This allows Brydg to provide scalable solutions to brokers and investors to complete deals more rapidly.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks were little changed in cautious trade on Wednesday as concerns persisted about the outlook for global recovery amid an increase in Covid-19 cases around the world. The benchmark DAX was down 6 points at 15,441 after rallying 1.4 percent the previous day. Consumer major Beiersdorf AG rose over 1 percent. The company said that it has reached an agreement with the shareholders of Chantecaille Beaute Inc., USA, to buy prestige skin care business Chantecaille. Delivery Hero shares jumped 5.4 percent. The food delivery group said it would scale down its Foodpanda operations in Germany and sell the subsidiary's Japan unit. Banks Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank as well as automakers BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen all were seeing modest losses. 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.
NAY PYI TAW, MM, Dec 22, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - The Myanmar Government looks forward to re-start development projects and accelerate bilateral economic and technical cooperation with the People's Republic China (PRC), its largest trading following disruptions caused by the pandemic and recent social unrest.The Ministry of Information (MOI) and Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations (MIFER) said in a joint statement that Myanmar enjoys a special 'paukphaw' or kinship with its close neighbour and has received substantial economic and technical support from the PRC over 71 years of bilateral ties.Having achieved national stability in recent months, and with the health situation stabilizing after receiving substantial vaccines from the PRC, a major priority for Myanmar is to implement projects involving PRC development assistance, amounting to 3.8 billion renminbi (RMB).Myanmar's State Administration Council (SAC) has reviewed an original list of 97 projects that were proposed by the previous government in late 2020 in response to the PRC's offer of 4.0 billion RMB in development assistance to Myanmar. The offer was announced during President Xi Jinping's visit on 17-18 January 2020.Following the review, the SAC has consulted with various Ministries to revise the list so as to prioritise projects that can be effectively implemented and which are better suited to the current needs of Myanmar. The SAC also reviewed and revised 15 projects under a separate 200 million RMB PRC grant specifically dedicated for Rakhine State.The latter grant involves projects related to the environment and improving medical access and rural transport. Myanmar Government appreciates these corporate social responsibility initiatives by the PRC which will contribute to the success of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC).The CMEC includes road and rail infrastructure stretching 1,700 km from Kunming in China's Yunnan Province through several regions in Myanmar to Kyaukpyu along the Bay of Bengal. The site of a proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Deep Sea Project, Kyaukpyu is of special significance for infrastructure-related and economic cooperation between the 2 countries.The Kyaukpyu SEZ is a priority project revised and shortlisted by SAC from a list of 33 bilateral agreements signed during President Xi's visit. Prior to 2020, China had agreed to provide grants totaling 4.9 billion RMB to Myanmar between 2014 to 2019. Over this period, 1 project has been completed, 12 are ongoing and 18 are at proposal stage, with a combined value of 6.01 billion RMB.Implementation of the revised list of PRC-funded development programmes and related projects in the coming months will enhance bilateral cooperation after nearly 2 years of disruption caused by the pandemic and domestic issues, the 2 Ministers said.They said the SAC is confident that bilateral cooperation to improve infrastructure, especially in less developed parts of the country, and to create jobs will be enhance economic recovery as Myanmar prepares for multi-party national elections which are scheduled to be held by August 2023.To further improve bilateral cooperation, the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) has agreed to a pilot project starting next year to accept the RMB as an official settlement currency for border trade.This settlement, which will substantially improve border trade especially for perishable goods such as fresh agriculture products, will be facilitated by 3 banks - Myanmar's state-owned Myanmar Economic Bank and the PRC's Bank of China (BOC) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). This decision follows the recent relaxation of travel restrictions at 2 Myanmar-PRC border checkpoints after COVID-19 infection rates were reduced nationwide.Myanmar's pandemic control has been greatly supported by vaccines donated by or procured from PRC pharmaceutical giants Sinovac and Sino Pharm. The Government remains on target to vaccinate at least 50% of Myanmar's population above the age of 18 by the end of this month. The majority of all vaccines used in Myanmar originate from the PRC.The 2 Ministers, on behalf of the Myanmar Government, also announced that:i) With the improved vaccination rates and national stability, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in fiscal 2020-2021 (November-October) is expected to decline by a single-digit - much less severe than forecasts of some international economists. Myanmar Government expects GDP to record modest growth in 2021-2022.ii) The Health Ministry is assessing carefully new COVID-19 variants such as Omicron before relaxing travel protocols. Apart from helping to implement development and economic projects, the easing of travel lanes will also facilitate visitor arrivals from the PRC as Myanmar prepares to revive its tourism sector.iii) The Government has improved security and provided assistance to Chinese factories that suffered attacks by the People's Defensive Force which had waged a terror campaign against civilians. As such disturbances have declined sharply, the Government is confident that PRC investments to Myanmar will improve soon.Since the 1 February 2021 Proclamation to declare a state of, civil disobedience and terrorism activities carried out by the outlawed People's Defensive Force (PDF) have led to deaths of 198 administrative officials and at least 12 Buddhist monks and many injuries. The PDF has also destroyed roads and bridges, schools, government offices and telecommunication towers as well as branches or offices of state-owned and private banks."Myanmar has achieved national stability due to efficient handling by the security forces and the clear wish of the general population to resume normal economic and social activities. We are confident that the normalized situation will provide assurance to investors and lead to the improvement of bilateral cooperation with the PRC, a country that enjoys a long and trusted relationship with Myanmar," said Minister of Information, Mr Maung Ohn."Myanmar Government has recently reviewed development and economic projects involving the PRC. This review is to ensure effective implementation of development assistance that can address the current needs of the country. Myanmar Government will do its best to protect all foreign direct investments, including those from the PRC. We also look forward to increased border trade through RMB-kyat settlement," said Minister of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, Mr Aung Naing Oo.- Issued by Ministry of Information and Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, Union Government of Myanmar.- For more information, please contact mediacontact@e-information.gov.mm or myintkyawmoi@gmail.comSource: Ministry of Information, Union Government of MyanmarCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Enevate, a pioneering battery innovation company featuring extreme fast charge and high energy density battery technologies for electric vehicles (EVs) and other markets, met and exceeded its goals for 2021.
"I am extremely proud of the achievements of our team during this past year as we successfully executed to our roadmap," said Enevate CEO Robert A. Rango. "We met a number of important milestones including ramping plans to significantly expand our pre-production manufacturing capability, securing additional investment, and expanding our hiring to bring in the best and brightest scientists, engineers and executives in the EV battery industry. As global auto markets pivot away from internal combustion engine vehicles to EVs, Enevate is well positioned to provide our pioneering EV battery technology to auto and battery manufacturers leading the global mobility revolution."
Here is a recap of several of Enevate's most significant achievements:
Surpassed Major Milestone for Li-ion Battery Patents
Enevate reached a major milestone of 100 patents issued worldwide, and now has 117 patents and more than 380 additional patents in process, bringing the company's total issued and in process patent portfolio at the close of 2021 to nearly 500. Enevate has more patent families directed to silicon battery technologies than all our competitors combined.
Secured $81M Series E funding Led by Fidelity Management Research Company, Bringing Total Investment to Nearly $200 Million
That latest round, which included existing investors Mission Ventures and Infinite Potential Technologies, has enabled Enevate to begin ramping for a significant expansion of its pre-production line designed to guide EV and other battery customers toward implementing larger-scale battery manufacturing utilizing Enevate's silicon anode-based batteries, and the hiring of additional personnel with an emphasis on scientists and engineers.
Signed Production License Agreement with South Korea's EnerTech International
This production agreement represented a major milestone in Enevate's technology roadmap with commercialization of Enevate's silicon-dominant XFC-Energy battery technology in the transportation, mobility and reserve power markets scheduled for 2022. EnerTech International is a leader in delivering lithium-ion cells and uses state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to produce large format batteries in high demand by rapidly growing markets.
A Cleaner, More Environmentally Friendly Battery Technology
Enevate received third-party verification that its XFC-Energy battery technology may allow for up to 26 percent reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for manufacturing of EV batteries compared to conventional lithium-ion EV batteries (21 percent for NCA and 26 percent for NMC cells [kg CO2 eq. cradle-to-gate, per 1 KWh cell capacity]).1 These results point to the potential to lower an EV's carbon footprint at the start of life, which is significant because battery manufacturing is the highest contributor of CO2 emissions for the manufacturing of an EV.
Full Speed Ahead in 2022
Enevate's patented XFC-Energy technology stands to be a game changer for the EV industry, providing a path to produce extreme fast-charge EV batteries at low cost and high-volume production. Enevate is currently working with multiple electric vehicle and battery manufacturers to commercialize its technology as early as 2022 in e-motorcycles and for the 2024-2025 automotive model years, utilizing existing manufacturing infrastructure with minimal investment required, a core goal of its development.
Enevate's technology transfer and intellectual property licensing business model is ideal for any company that operates or plans to operate battery manufacturing facilities. Enevate provides EV battery manufacturers with the ability to use existing manufacturing infrastructure with minimal additional investment, enabling an entirely new generation of EVs that will eliminate the customer pain points with EV ownership.
ABOUT ENEVATE (www.enevate.com)
Enevate develops and licenses advanced battery technology for electric vehicles (EVs), with a vision of EVs charging as fast as refueling gas cars, accessible and affordable to everyone, and accelerating EVs' mass adoption. With a portfolio of nearly 500 patents issued and in process, Enevate's pioneering advancements (leveraging accelerated battery testing and machine learning) in silicon-dominant anodes and cells have resulted in battery technology that features five-minute extreme fast charging with high energy density, low-temperature operation for cold climates, low cost and safety advantages over conventional batteries.
Enevate's vision is to develop and propagate EV battery technology that contributes to a clean and sustainable environment. The Irvine, California-based company's investors include Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi (Alliance Ventures), LG Chem, Samsung Venture Investment Corp, Fidelity Management Research Company, Mission Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Tsing Capital, Infinite Potential Technologies, Presidio Ventures a Sumitomo Corporation company, Lenovo, CEC Capital, and Bangchak. Enevate, the Enevate logo, HD-Energy, XFC-Energy and eBoost are registered trademarks of Enevate Corporation.
1 Enevate CO2 emissions information in accordance with international standards ISO 14044:2006, section 6.1 critical review. Further information available from Enevate Corp., 101 Theory 200, Irvine, CA 92617.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211222005140/en/
Contacts:
Bill Blanning
bblanning@enevate.com
+1 (714) 916-4309
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2021) - Provenance Gold Corp. (CSE: PAU) (OTCQB: PVGDF) (the "Company" or "Provenance") is pleased to provide an update on the focus of exploration priorities to our shareholders. The Company's current focus is the White Rock property and our recent acquisition, the Eldorado property, and these will be our priority in 2022. Both may contain significant tonnages of bulk mineable gold mineralization.
The Eldorado property will receive early focus in 2022 as historic data suggests it could hold an up to multimillion ounce drilled gold resource. The Company is currently in an early stage of data acquisition, verification and compliance that will result in the completion of a NI-43-101 resource technical report. As part of this effort, a drill program that will focus on quality control, data validation and verification of historic assay results will be completed as soon as is practical. Field work will start in March weather permitting after the winter season. Drill permitting can then begin when the government agencies approving drilling applications have cleared the drill sites. This process is expected to take approximately 30 days.
The Eldorado property is located in eastern Oregon near the Idaho border in mining-friendly Malheur County. Significantly, there is ongoing permitting for new mine development in close proximity to the Company's new acquisition. Provenance has consulted regulators regarding the Eldorado property and as a result of these discussions believes the Company will be successful in permitting the various stages of the project as the Company moves it forward. Provenance holds the right to acquire 100% interest in the Eldorado property, subject to a retained royalty to Nevada Select Royalty Inc. ("Nevada Select"). Nevada Select is an arms-length subsidiary of Gold Royalty Corp. (NYSE: GROY), a leading growth and Americas-focused precious metals royalty company.
The right to acquire the Eldorado project was awarded to the Company by Nevada Select in large part due to the hard work and substantial progress made to date on the White Rock property in Nevada, USA. While Provenance already holds significant properties in Nevada, the Eldorado acquisition enables the Company to potentially develop its gold portfolio significantly in 2022.
The White Rock project will receive additional drilling, with already approved drill permits following the completion of work during the early part of the year at Eldorado. This year Provenance drilled 34 holes into a portion of the available targets on the large four-square kilometer initial target area at White Rock. After adding and integrating the historic 67 drill holes with the Company's holes, the Company plans to complete the first NI-43-101 technical report before renewed drilling starts some time mid-year.
These two resource reports will afford the Company initial gold resource estimates on two major gold properties within 2022. The Company is currently in a favorable cash position and is very mindful of dilution and shareholder value. As a result, the Company only plans to initiate select and strategic funding until such time as both initial resource estimates have been made public.
Rauno Perttu, the Company's CEO stated "We are excited to commence an initial resource estimate for our White Rock property and feel this is a major asset for the Company in its own right. However, whenever you get an opportunity to acquire something as significant as the Oregon property for only a couple dollars or less per ounce in-ground value, you can't ignore the major value it immediately adds to the Company. We are committed to the long-term success of the Company and to proving up real resources within a finite timeline. These properties along with the others in our portfolio should fast track these plans exponentially in 2022".
The Company will be issuing a series of updates starting early in 2022 on the progress of all the Company's projects as well as a full wrap-up and report on the White Rock drill program completed this year. As noted, the Company will also be releasing an initial resource estimate when available in the new year.
On behalf of everyone at Provenance, we wish you a Happy Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year.
Figure 1 - Historic surface placer mining at Eldorado has exposed parts of the ore zone. The exposed rocks are gold-mineralized.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5654/108315
Rauno Perttu, P. Geo., a Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101), and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this News Release.
About Provenance Gold Corp.
Provenance Gold Corp. is a precious metals exploration company with a focus on gold and silver resources within North America. The Company currently holds interests in three properties in Nevada, USA. For further information please visit the Company's website at https://www.provenancegold.com or contact Rob Clark at rclark@provenancegold.com.
On behalf of the Board,
Provenance Gold Corp.
Rauno Perttu, Chief Executive Officer
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange, nor its regulation services provider, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108315
MUNICH, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, announced recently it became the official partner of the non-profit foundation Plant-My-Tree to broaden its contribution to a greener and more sustainable planet with action taken to reforestation, which is also a special Christmas Green Campaign.
The Germany-based foundation Plant-My-Tree is a certified TUV Rheinland organization that can offer certificates for each donated tree and donator. Under the partnership, Sungrow made the donation, supported important reforestation projects in Germany, and was given personalized certificates in its customers' names, illustrating a joint effort to the climate protection through carbon dioxide compensation.
"It is our responsibility to protect the environment. We feel obliged to make our contribution so that future generations will find a basis for life as well. Our commitment to climate protection creates sympathy among our partners, customers, and employees," said an activist from Sungrow who has joined the Christmas Green Campaign.
Ecological reforestation efforts foster biodiversity and slow down the progress of climate change.
"The 1,000 planted trees are allowed to grow for 99 years. In 80 years alone they provide up to 292 trillion liters of oxygen. In a team effort we already planted 600 of them in December, 2021" she added.
As a dedicated player in the renewable industry, Sungrow has been maintaining and protecting the planet since its foundation in 1997 and embeds sustainability across everything the Company does.
Its accumulative inverters shipments reached 182 GW as of June 2021 -- a number equivalent to generating around 257,300 GWh of clean electricity per year and eliminating 205.8 million tons of carbon dioxide.
For more about Sungrow social responsibility activities, please check the CSR report here.
About Sungrow
Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 182 GW installed worldwide as of June 2021. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 24-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 150 countries. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.
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BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), one of China's five largest state-owned electricity producers, released Report On Sustainable Development Committed By Chinese Companies In Turkey (hereafter referred to as the Report) at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday.
The press briefing was presented by Hakan KIZARTICI, the Chief Commercial Counselor of Turkish Embassy in China and Zhang Jinting, Director of International Communication and Culture Center of China International Communications Group, together with representatives from other five peer Chinese companies co-writing the report. Turkish and Chinese scholars including Altay Atli, a renowned Turkish Economist and Steven Dong, a professor of Communication University of China attended online.
The report was co-written by SPIC together with Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation Ltd. (CNCEC), CRRC Corporation Limited (CRRC), China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd (CEEC), and China National Machinery Industry Corporation (SINOMACH), and was written in Chinese, English and Turkish versions. Themed on "seeking new opportunities in global low-carbon trend to realize green dream in Turkey", the Report is closely related to the common concern of "carbon peak and carbon neutrality". It presents how Chinese companies support and play an important role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including affordable and clean energy, climate action, industrial innovation, decent work, economic growth, and so on, covering highlights and good practices of those Chinese companies in terms of responsibilities in the fields of economy, employee, customer, environment and the public.
Zu Bin, Board Director of SPIC, said that many Chinese companies have been taking root in Turkey in the energy, construction, and transportation fields in recent years. Collectively, they have presented a positive image of Chinese companies upholding inclusiveness, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.
He said, the Report was a demonstration of achievements already made by Chinses companies in contributing to Turkey's sustainable development, as well as a promotion of Chinese companies' pursuit of sustainable development in Turkey. It not only was a summary of the good past, but also will exert a positive impact on the future of Chinese companies to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, enhance integration, and share the fruits of development with all related parties in Turkey.
Altay Atli and Steven Dong made comments on the report, praising SPIC and its peers for their dedications to local economic development, environmental protection and the improvement of people's well-being in Turkey and other countries.
As a Fortune Global 500 enterprise, SPIC's assets totaled 1.5 trillion yuan (USD 235.5 billion), and its total installed capacity has exceeded 192 gigawatts with clean energy reaching 60% as of the end of November 2021. The installed capacity of photovoltaic, new energy and renewable energy power generation all ranked top in the world. Breakthroughs in integrated smart energy, hydrogen and energy storage has also been achieved, and an innovative path integrating green electricity development with ecology, transportation, rural revitalization is taking shape.
SPIC has always been committed to contributing to Turkey's energy transition and development through projects undertaken by its six subsidiaries there, and cared for the local environment protection and community, thus gaining profound friendship with Turkish counterparts and the public.
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BANGKOK, Dec 22, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - JWD InfoLogistics PCL (SET: JWD) Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Charvanin Bunditkitsada discusses the company's strategy and outlook in The Executive Talk by ShareInvestor.com.1. What have you learned, and what opportunities have you found from the Covid-19 crisis?Since the Covid-19 first appeared last February (2020), everyone has been in a panic. The logistics industry in Thailand and globally was almost frozen, especially in Q2. To cope with it, JWD, for the very first time, launched the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to keep our operation going on track. We could not stop, because it would affect our customers. Since then, we have been executing BCP 4 times already. The most important lesson we have learned is that a business must adjust itself in order to survive. For example, we set up online meetings and interviews. But yes, there are always opportunities within every crisis. And chance belonged to those who adjusted themselves quickly. Covid-19 has uncovered rapid growth in B2C, Last-mile delivery, Online, and E-commerce business. They emerged even before Covid-19 hit the world. But because of the pandemic, the potential of this sector has never been better. Online trading has shown its high potential, just like traditional channels. JWD could see this trend clearly and started adjusting business even before the pandemic. For example, we signed a JV partner with our potential partners from many companies. We faced difficulties from travel restrictions within the region. However, JWD and our partners could find the solutions to get through them.2. How do you adjust your business in response to the increasing oil price?Years ago, when we were facing the swinging oil price, we kept the customers informed about this factor and the necessity that we might need to increase our service fee regarding the oil price. For the recent crisis, we admit that it significantly impacts our income and revenue. However, we have EV technology that JWD has already signed a contract with our Japanese supply partner. Thus, this February, we will launch the first trial of EV lorry in our freight. Moreover, we have cooperated with the Chinese partner to bring more EV trucks. Therefore, to achieve our 'Green logistics' mission and maintain the ESG policy, we must implement more EV transports.3. Confronting the container imbalance.This issue directly impacted our customers. I received an email from customers in Los Angeles explaining their difficulties in acquiring the containers from Thai suppliers, which led to their lack of confidence in trading with Thai companies. I clarified the situation and pointed out the problem's actual cause, which was the consequence of imbalanced freight between large nations. Therefore, when it lacked supply, the freight price increased. But I don't believe that the sea freight companies would take advantage of raising the freight price. So, it's about balancing the freight account. Although these issues didn't impact us directly, we took the opportunity to support our customers by providing temporary storage while the cargo was on the waiting list.4. Business adjustment in the era of digital disruption.Talking about digital means the backend or freight management system and the robotic technology that replaces human labor. JWD was the first logistics company to implement such technology and has been operating under an IT solution initiative for over ten years. Besides, we have also applied Business Intelligence (BI), such as providing a dashboard for the management team to oversee the operation in each unit. I also have my dashboard to receive daily income and revenue reports.5. Generation gap managementJWD will soon turn 43 years old. We have a wide gap between the old generation who are almost retired and young new-graduated employees. With more than 2,000 employees, we brainstorm experience and know-how from the seniors with the enthusiastic, progressive juniors. I admit we have a strong HR department. Plus, we are the rising sun industry. While everyone has struggled with the pandemic, we still have acquired positive effects. Thousands of employees from other sectors were assigned to work from home, leave without pay, and even dismissed. We did none of these. Therefore, I believe our staff knows how lucky they are with the company's position these days.6. Investment in Cambodia and ASEANJWD has been expanding business to Cambodia for over five years. We operate three significant parts - first, food cold chain and supply chain management. We cooperate with the Cambodian partner who holds the Pizza Company and Swensens franchise. Second, we invest in the Phnom Penh special economic zone with an estimated 14.6 percent share. Lastly, the inland container port, located in Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone. They have grown quite well and just picked up from the Covid-19 impact. Especially these days, customers prefer inland transportation to the sea-freight due to the cost.7. Logistics business is the backbone of the economy.Yes, this is very important. As I said, no matter what crisis, all businesses seek survival. Logistics plays a significant role in supporting their backend, transportation management, storage management, air-freight, sea-freight, etc. Logistics cannot stop working. But of course, in a bull economy, we have a lot to do. The higher volume brings about a higher supply. Therefore, the increased competition is the customers' stage of judging and bargaining the price and service. Logistics is an exciting business. Most of the time, we must decrease our costs because we profit from the customer cost.8. Art Storage business.Forty-three years ago, JWD started our first business in moving and relocation services such as home and office move, including exhibitions related to Art. A couple of years before the Covid-19 pandemic, we started the JWD Art Space, aiming to provide Fine Art logistics solutions, and cooperated with the Ministry of Culture. We see the pain point within relocation, import, and export of Fine Art. Some artworks have a high value. The collectors usually obtain numbers of artwork. Commonly, they hang them on the wall. However, when the amount of work has risen. Keeping these sensitive paintings in a common storage room will damage them long-term. I am personally a collector. So, I have found our potential in Fine Art management. We have an art specialist team who experienced more than 20-30 years in this industry. Customers relied on us. Besides, we also set up art exhibitions at JWD Art Space. One of our events received over 30,000 visitors, which means at least 1,000 per day. We have been delighted with the project. We aim to improve the art industry and introduce more Thai artists to collectors. We want to build a connection between them. Consequently, we never charged any entrance fees. Many students came here, and we see this as an opportunity to bring Thai artists and artworks to the global market.9. What is your most potential challenge these days?After Covid-19, I admit that JWD has performed exceptionally well. We have grown three quarters in a row. Therefore, my most potential challenge is how to develop further. How can we maintain our performance until the end of this Q4? While the Omicron seems threatening the economy and brings us an unclear scenario, how can we reach our next year's target, especially the top and bottom lines? Can we grow as expected? These are our challenges.10. We must not be proud of our past achievements.I believe that as a listed company when we achieve something, others keep an eye on us. Because we are in the market and must work transparently, other competitors can always follow or imitate us - for example, cold chain management. Nowadays, everyone jumps into this service which I am very appreciative of. Thus, we aim to create new products regarding new trends, long-term potential, and sustainability. After that, the commercial team and I must pursue new products and services that could solve the problems for our customers, either B2B or C2C. We must admit that when there are many players in the market, profit margin and everything we did in the past will naturally decrease. Most commonly, they usually compete with price war campaigns. But, as a result, we must not stop and constantly search for new business opportunities.11. What's your inspiration for work?My inspiration. I was only 29 years old when I first took the responsibility in this position due to my father passing away. However, my father's goal to register the company in the capital market had inspired me. And I made it. Indeed, there are many things he wanted to do, and I have achieved most of them so far - just a few things to go.12. What's your goal?My next goal is to grow JWD following our 5-year strategy as we announced to the investors and shareholders that we will reach 10,000 million THB by 2025. We are becoming a powerful regional logistics supply chain company, especially in Vietnam, where we hold shares in Transimex Corporation PCL. Moreover, we have received a 5-star CG score for two years in a row. We are one of the listed companies qualified in the THSI (Thailand Sustainability Investment) list. We were awarded the 'Rising Star' and 'Best IR Awards' from SET. We have been trying to transfer a family business into a logistics leader that everyone follows.About The Executive Q&A SeriesThe Executive Q&A Series is presented by ShareInvestor, Asia's leading financial internet media and technology company and the largest investor relations network in the region. For more information, email admin.th@shareinvestor.com. Website: www.ShareInvestorThailand.comSource: JWD InfoLogistics PCLCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / December 22, 2021 / CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (OTCQB:CLSH)(CSE:CLSH), the 'Company' or 'CLS', a diversified cannabis company operating as Cannabis Life Sciences, today proudly announced that City Trees won two first place awards at the 2021 High Times Cannabis Cup: People's Choice Edition. The largest pool of judges in history have awarded City Trees wins in the categories of Sativa Concentrates: Apricot Crumble Sativa Live Resin Sauce, and Sativa Vape Pens: Apricot Crumble Sativa Live Resin Vape.
"This is a fantastic way to cap off a record year for City Trees. Our team is dedicated to producing the highest quality products from our state of the art innovation lab, and these awards are further testament to our hard work and dedication to our craft. We take pride in choosing the best cultivators to source fresh frozen and for this limited edition we knew The Grower Circle was a perfect fit to leverage our respective strengths to produce award winning products." Said, Director of Laboratory Operations, Dominick Monaco, Pharm.D.
City Trees award-winning and limited release products will be available to purchase from a small group of hand-picked retail accounts that have supported City Trees over the past year. Apricot Crumble Live Resin sauce and Apricot Crumble Live Resin cartridges feature a multidimensional flavor profile, with high levels of terpinolene, myrcene, and limonene which provide for bright and fresh notes of citrus, layered with notes of pine. Floral and herbaceous, this concentrate is reminiscent of warm pie cooling in a bakery.
Beyond these two awards City Trees has had a record breaking year and accumulated several accolades including:
Awarded top-performing brand of Nevada, November 2021 by Leaflink, which considers data and analytics across a multitude categories, states, and markets
Milestone reached of selling over one million dollars of one gram cartridges in 90 days, 09/02-12/01-2021
Recognized as winner for fastest growing THC Distillate and top-selling THC Distillate in Leaflink List, 2021 in the concentrate category
Continued to hold ranking of number one selling tincture brand in the state of Nevada according to BDS Analytics
Number one brand for the entire concentrate category in units sold in the state of Nevada during October, selling over 46,000 units, according to BDS Analytics
About CLS Holdings USA, Inc.
CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (CLSH) is a diversified cannabis company that acts as an integrated cannabis producer and retailer through its Oasis Cannabis subsidiaries in Nevada and plans to expand to other states. CLS stands for "Cannabis Life Sciences," in recognition of the Company's patented proprietary method of extracting various cannabinoids from the marijuana plant and converting them into products with a higher level of quality and consistency. The Company's business model includes licensing operations, processing operations, processing facilities, sale of products, brand creation and consulting services. https://www.clsholdingsinc.com/
Twitter: @CLSHoldingsUSA
Founded in 2017, City Trees is a Nevada-based cannabis cultivation, production and distribution company. Offering a wide variety of products with consistent results, City Trees products are available in numerous dispensaries throughout the state of Nevada. https://citytrees.com
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and 'forward-looking statements' as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, the 'forward-looking statements'). These statements relate to, among other things, the impact of the COVID-19 virus on our business, the results of our initiatives to retain our employees and strengthen our relationships with our customers and community during the pandemic, the effect of our initiatives to expand market share and achieve growth during and following the pandemic, results of operations and financial performance, anticipated future events, and the effectiveness of our business practices during the pandemic. The continued spread of COVID-19 could have, and in some cases already has had, an adverse impact on our business, operations and financial results, including through disruptions in our cultivation and processing activities, supply chains and sales channels, and retail dispensary operations as well as a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession. Due to the uncertainties associated with the continued spread of COVID-19 and the timing of vaccinations, it is not possible to estimate its impact on our business, operations or financial results; however, the impact could be material. In some cases, you can identify forward looking statements by terminology such as 'may,' 'might,' 'will,' 'should,' 'intends,' 'expects,' 'plans,' 'goals,' 'projects,' 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'estimates,' 'predicts,' 'potential,' or 'continue' or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, are uncertain and involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be considered together with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable law, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to reflect actual results, later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. See CLS Holdings USA filings with the SEC and on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com for additional details.
Contact Information:
Corporate:
Chairman and CEO
Jeff Binder
President and COO
Andrew Glashow
888-438-9132
Investor Relations:
investors@clsholdingsinc.com
SOURCE: CLS Holdings USA, Inc.
View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/679043/Significant-2021-Wins-CLS-Holdings-USA-Inc-Announces-Its-Branded-Product-Division-City-Trees-Takes-First-Place-Wins-of-High-Times-Cannabis-Cup-in-Two-Categories
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 22, 2021 / Jackpot Digital Inc. (the "Company" or "Jackpot") (TSXV:JJ) (TSXV:JJ.WT.A) (TSXV:JJ.WT.B) (TSXV:JJ.WT.C) (OTCQB:JPOTF) (Frankfurt & Berlin Exchanges:LVH3). Jackpot Digital is pleased to announce that it has signed a binding letter of intent with Sac & Fox Casino, located in Powhattan, Kansas, to install two (2) Jackpot Blitz Electronic Table Games ("ETGs"), subject to obtaining the customary regulatory approvals.
President & CEO Mr. Jake Kalpakian states "We are delighted to be working with the Sac & Fox Casino. Kansas represents yet another new jurisdiction added to our growing roster of markets and customers as we continue our expansion into the regulated land-based casino market. Guests of Sac & Fox will now be able to enjoy a fun and entertaining Jackpot Blitz ETG poker experience."
Mr. Kalpakian adds, "Momentum continues to build with our expansion into land-based casinos. Our relationships with tribal casinos throughout the United States are advancing nicely, and we continue to build partnerships and grow our footprint in the marketplace. More and more casino and cardroom operators are recognizing that our product provides an unrivalled live poker experience. Furthermore, the clean, hygienic advantages of the Jackpot Blitz table are becoming more valuable in today's COVID world."
Sac & Fox Casino's General Manager, Eric Wright, comments "It is really exciting to be the first to offer Jackpot Blitz to Kansas and our friends in nearby Missouri. This cutting-edge technology gives us the ability to satisfy the needs in an area that does not offer Hold 'em close by, as well as keeping up to date with the future of poker in casinos. With Jackpot Blitz, our fans of live poker action can enjoy anytime of day play without the delay for dealer changes, set-ups, and human error."
About Jackpot Digital Inc.
Jackpot Digital Inc. is a leading electronic table games manufacturer for the cruise ship industry and regulated casino industry. The Company specializes in multiplayer gaming products, including poker and casino games, which are complemented by a robust suite of backend tools for operators to efficiently control and optimize their gaming business.
For more information on the Company, please contact Jake H. Kalpakian, President and CEO, at (604) 681- 0204 ext 6105, or visit the Company's website at www.jackpotdigital.com.
On behalf of the Board of Jackpot Digital Inc.,
"Jake H. Kalpakian"
________________________
Jake H. Kalpakian,
President & CEO
Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered speculative.
The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.
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.
Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking". Forward-looking statements may include, among others, statements regarding future plans, subject to obtaining the customary regulatory approvals, costs, objectives, economic or technical performance, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this News Release, words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "enable", "feel", "seek", "project", "predict", "potential", "should", "might", "objective", "believe", "expect", "propose", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "estimate", and similar words are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, projections and estimations, there can be no assurance that these assumptions, projections or estimations are accurate. Furthermore, there are no assurances whatsoever that the applicable regulatory approvals will be obtained by Jackpot. Readers, shareholders and investors are therefore cautioned not to place reliance on any forward-looking statements as the plans, assumptions, intentions or expectations upon which they are based might not occur.
SOURCE: Jackpot Digital Inc.
View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/679050/Jackpot-Digital-Signs-Sac-Fox-Casino-in-Kansas
The Baltic state has offered energy-intensive, international-facing industries up to an 85% discount on a surcharge levied on electricity consumers since May 2017 and made the scheme wider ranging this year, in a move approved by the European Commission.The European Commission has approved the extension of a Latvian program which reduces the amount of funding available to incentivize renewable energy plants. The EU's executive body yesterday announced its approval, under the bloc's state-aid rules, of Latvia's extension of a scheme to partially exempt some businesses from making their full ...
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2021) - Getchell Gold Corp. (CSE: GTCH) (OTCQB: GGLDF) ("Getchell" or the "Company") wishes to convey a message from Mike Sieb, President, reflecting on the continued success and advancement of the Fondaway Canyon Gold Project and a glance towards the increased activities planned for 2022.
President's Message and Letter to the Shareholders
Dear Shareholders,
As the year comes to a close, I find myself inspired by the impressive drill results and the heightened potential of the Fondaway Canyon gold project.
The Company has drilled 16 holes through its 2020 and 2021 drill programs, with the results of 10 holes released to date representing the most consistently successful drill campaign that I have been directly involved with during my career.
Our first year of exploration at Fondaway Canyon in 2020 was a truly transformational year for the Company with the validation of a new geological model evidenced through the discovery of three new gold zones: the Colorado SW, the North Fork, and the Juniper zones. The early wide-spaced drilling demonstrated the presence of high-grade shear veins enveloped in thick bands of mineralization and extended the mineralization model a remarkable 800 metres down dip from surface.
That set the stage for 2021, where the focus of this year's drilling was to further delineate and expand upon the mineralization discovered in 2020. There were ample areas to target with the mineralization open along strike and down-dip.
The 2021 drill program remained focused within the 1 x 1 kilometre Central Area, a nexus for the gold mineralization and host to a near surface sizable historic resource in addition to the extensive gold zones discovered in 2020. In 2021, ten drill holes have been completed, FCG21-07 through FCG21-16, for a total 3,874 metres. The results from the first four 2021 holes released to date continue to intersect substantive mineralization, highlighted by hole FCG21-08, the most northwestern hole, intersecting the Colorado SW mineralized zone extending for over 200 metres downhole, and hole FCG21-10, intersecting the North Fork gold zone extending 82 metres downhole. The latter interval, hosting the highest-grade gold intercept in the 40+ year drilling history at Fondaway Canyon and reporting 47.0 g/t Au over 1.5m, is a prime example of the structures that promote the high-grade concentration of gold at the Project.
January and February 2022 promise to be a very active period with continuous news flow as the Company releases results from six 2021 drill holes for which assays have yet to be received. In addition, with the bulk of the outstanding warrants expiring in January, the Company's capital structure will be significantly strengthened, as will the treasury. It is anticipated that the Company will have in excess of $4 million before the start of the 2022 exploration field programs, providing a solid financial position moving forward. With this capital injection, continual news flow, and a supportive gold market, the Company is poised for an excellent start to the new year.
The forthcoming 2022 exploration program will include an aggressive increase to the drilling budget, as the Company has successfully secured an additional drill rig for the entirety of the drill season. The doubling of drilling capacity will support an accelerated advancement of the Fondaway Canyon gold project and the increased activity will further elevate the news flow throughout the year. Complementing the field activity, we expect that in the latter part of 2022, the data from these first two years' drill programs completed at Fondaway Canyon under the Getchell Gold Corp. banner will bring a major revision and update to the resource model.
Adding the second drill rig will also enable the maiden drill testing of the high-grade copper-gold-silver Star project at the start of the drill season, without impinging on the advancement of the Fondaway Canyon gold project. The Star project is known for historic small-scale mining of exceptionally high-grade mineralization. Over the last year, the Company has identified multiple compelling geophysical targets, received drill permits, and constructed drill pads in preparation for the forthcoming drill program. The drill program at Star should provide a tangible boost to an already energized slate.
This is a very dynamic and opportune time for our entire team, and we are very thankful for the support and feedback that we receive from our shareholder partners. I anticipate that Getchell Gold Corp. will continue to grow as one of the more notable Nevada focused junior explorers and I look forward to 2022 with high expectation.
Wishing everyone a safe and joyful holiday season.
Mike Sieb, President, Getchell Gold Corp.
** Interested media and investors are invited to watch a recently produced 5 minute corporate video that summarizes the Fondaway Canyon Central area, including updated 3D drill highlights, by following the embedded link to the video or by visiting the Company's website at www.getchellgold.com.
About Getchell Gold Corp.
The Company is a Nevada focused gold and copper exploration company trading on the CSE: GTCH and OTCQB: GGLDF. Getchell Gold is primarily directing its efforts on its most advanced stage asset, Fondaway Canyon, a historic gold producer with a significant in-the-ground historic resource estimate. Complementing Getchell's asset portfolio are Dixie Comstock, a historic gold producer with a historic resource and two earlier stage exploration projects, the Star and Hot Springs Peak projects, both having historic production. Getchell has the option to acquire 100% of the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties, Churchill County, Nevada.
The Company reiterates that its near-term strategy to advance its assets is not impacted by the COVID-19 Corona virus. The Company continues to monitor the situation and is in compliance with all government guidelines.
For further information please visit the Company's website at www.getchellgold.com or contact the Company at info@getchellgold.com or at +1 647 249-4798.
Mr. William Wagener, Chairman & CEO
Getchell Gold Corp.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States.
Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the private placement and the completion thereof and the use of proceeds. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including: the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, capital expenditures and other costs, and financing and additional capital requirements. Although management of Getchell have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108300
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2021) - City View Green Holdings Inc. (CSE: CVGR) (OTCQB: CVGRF) ("City View" or the "Company"), announces that it intends to extend the exercise period of 6,700,000 outstanding share purchase warrants. Each of the warrants is exercisable for one common share of the Company at a price of $0.15 per share. The exercise price will remain unchanged with the proposed extension. The warrants were originally issued on December 13, 2019, and currently expire on January 31, 2022. The new expiration date for these warrants will be April 30, 2022.
City View has also negotiated debt settlements with arm's length and non-arm's length creditors. Pursuant to debt settlement agreements, the Company has settled aggregate debt of $270,395.30, in consideration for which it has issued an aggregate of 3,862,790 common shares at a deemed price of $0.07 per share. Certain debt settlements constituted a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101") as a private company wholly-owned by Rob Fia, President, CEO and a director of the Company, was issued 302,679 shares in settlement of $21,187.50 debt. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the participation in this debt settlement transaction by the insider does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. All common shares issued in connection with these debt settlements will have a hold period expiring April 23, 2022, in accordance with the policies of the CSE and applicable securities laws.
The Company also announces that it has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers and consultants to purchase up to an aggregate of 3,900,000 common shares of City View pursuant to the Company's share option plan. The options are exercisable for a period of 3 years at a price of $0.10 per share. The options, and any underlying common shares issued on exercise thereof, will have a hold period expiring April 23, 2022, in accordance with the policies of the CSE and applicable securities laws.
For further information contact:
City View Green Holdings Inc.
Rob Fia, CEO & President
Email: rob@cityviewgreen.ca
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
About City View
City View is a leading consumer packaged goods company focused on the development of cannabis-infused edibles. With the receipt of its Cannabis Act processing licence on April 30, 2021, City View will incorporate cannabis-infused food production at its Brantford, Ontario high-capacity facility. In addition, City View owns a 27.5% stake in Budd Hutt Inc. ("Budd Hutt"), a retail-focused cannabis company with access to cannabis cultivation and production licences in Alberta and other retail opportunities across Canada. Through its relationship with Budd Hutt, the Company anticipates securing shelf space, product placement, and distribution opportunities for our white label partner products. For more information visit: www.cityviewgreen.ca .
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are not composed of historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, among others, availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, delays in the development of projects, and ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108302
2021 copper production and 2022 guidance to be published in January 2022
Phase 2 remains on track for early start-up in Q2 2022
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2021) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) Co-Chairs Robert Friedland and Yufeng "Miles" Sun are pleased to announce that Kamoa-Kakula's Phase 1, 3.8 million-tonne-per-annum (Mtpa) concentrator plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has exceeded the upper end of annual copper production guidance with more than 100,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate produced year-to-date, as at December 22, 2021. The figures are on a 100%-project basis and metal reported in concentrate is prior to refining losses or deductions associated with smelter terms.
Ivanhoe's 2021 production guidance for contained copper in concentrate produced from Kamoa-Kakula was 92,500 to 100,000 tonnes, which was originally projected to be 80,000 to 95,000 tonnes. The annual production guidance was also previously increased in November, reflecting the successful completion of ramp-up of the Kakula Phase 1 concentrator.
Kamoa-Kakula's 2021 copper production to the end of the year, as well as guidance for 2022 copper production, cost of sales and cash costs, including the start of Phase 2 operations, will be provided in January 2022.
"Kamoa Copper's performance marks an excellent end to what has truly been a banner year for Ivanhoe Mines," commented Founder and Executive Co-Chair Robert Friedland. "We would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to the team at Kamoa-Kakula, who consistently exceeded expectations during the construction and development of the world's newest world-scale copper mine, and have continued that outperformance as we have moved through ramp-up and into full production.
"The Phase 2 expansion remains significantly ahead of schedule, and we are well on the way to doubling annual copper production to approximately 400,000 tonnes starting early in Q2 2022. So far in December, we have seen feed grades in excess of 6% copper and recoveries have also been exceeding our design recovery of 86%, which bodes well for our ability to efficiently ramp-up future expansions at Kamoa-Kakula. Our management team now envisions the Phase 3 concentrator will enter production by the end of 2024.
"Finally, we would like to extend warmest wishes for a peaceful holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year to all our employees, partners, stakeholders and shareholders. We look forward to an exciting 2022 as we continue to build Ivanhoe Mines into the next major, carbon-neutral global miner by doing things differently our team is re-inventing the responsible supply chain of the 'electric metals' that the world desperately requires for the energy transition."
A side-by-side aerial of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 (foreground) concentrator plants. The Phase 2 plant is expected to double annual copper production to approximately 400,000 tonnes.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/108330_a9912e8854b7a977_002full.jpg
Qualified Persons
Disclosures of a scientific or technical nature regarding development scenarios at the Kamoa-Kakula Project in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Steve Amos, who is considered, by virtue of his education, experience and professional association, a Qualified Person under the terms of NI 43-101. Mr. Amos is not considered independent under NI 43-101 as he is Kamoa Copper's Head of Projects. Mr. Amos has verified the technical data disclosed in this news release.
Ivanhoe has prepared an independent, NI 43-101-compliant technical report for the Kamoa-Kakula Project, which is available on the company's website and under the company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com:
Kamoa-Kakula Integrated Development Plan 2020 dated October 13, 2020, prepared by OreWin Pty Ltd., China Nerin Engineering Co., Ltd., DRA Global, Epoch Resources, Golder Associates Africa, KGHM Cuprum R&D Centre Ltd., Outotec Oyj, Paterson and Cooke, Stantec Consulting International LLC, SRK Consulting Inc., and Wood plc.
The technical report includes relevant information regarding the assumptions, parameters and methods of the mineral resource estimates on the Kamoa-Kakula Project cited in this news release, as well as information regarding data verification, exploration procedures and other matters relevant to the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release.
About Ivanhoe Mines
Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal projects in Southern Africa: the development of major new, mechanized, underground mines at the Kamoa-Kakula copper joint-venture in the Democratic Republic of Congo and at the Platreef palladium-rhodium-platinum-nickel-copper-gold discovery in South Africa; and the extensive redevelopment and upgrading of the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kamoa-Kakula began producing copper concentrates in May 2021 and, through phased expansions, is positioned to become one of the world's largest copper producers. Kamoa-Kakula are being powered by clean, renewable hydro-generated electricity and are projected to be among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of metal produced. Ivanhoe Mines has pledged to achieve net-zero operational greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Mine. Ivanhoe also is exploring for new copper discoveries on its Western Foreland exploration licences in the Democratic Republic of Congo, near the Kamoa-Kakula Project.
Information contacts
Investors: Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834 / Media: Matthew Keevil +1.604.558.1034
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements in this 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. These statements reflect the company's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release.
Such statements include without limitation, the timing and results of: (i) statements regarding the expectation that the Phase 2 concentrator is expected to begin operations in Q2 2022; ii) statements regarding Kamoa-Kakula's Phases 1 and 2 combined are forecast to produce approximately 400,000 tonnes of copper per year; and (iii) statements regarding the expectation to start up the Phase 3 concentrator in Q4 2024.
As well, all of the results of the Kakula definitive feasibility study, the Kakula-Kansoko pre-feasibility study and the Kamoa-Kakula preliminary economic assessment, constitute forward-looking statements or information, and include future estimates of internal rates of return, net present value, future production, estimates of cash cost, proposed mining plans and methods, mine life estimates, cash flow forecasts, metal recoveries, estimates of capital and operating costs and the size and timing of phased development of the projects. Furthermore, with respect to this specific forward-looking information concerning the development of the Kamoa-Kakula Project, the company has based its assumptions and analysis on certain factors that are inherently uncertain. Uncertainties include: (i) the adequacy of infrastructure; (ii) geological characteristics; (iii) metallurgical characteristics of the mineralization; (iv) the ability to develop adequate processing capacity; (v) the price of copper; (vi) the availability of equipment and facilities necessary to complete development; (vii) the cost of consumables and mining and processing equipment; (viii) unforeseen technological and engineering problems; (ix) accidents or acts of sabotage or terrorism; (x) currency fluctuations; (xi) changes in regulations; (xii) the compliance by joint venture partners with terms of agreements; (xiii) the availability and productivity of skilled labour; (xiv) the regulation of the mining industry by various governmental agencies; (xv) the ability to raise sufficient capital to develop such projects; (xvi) changes in project scope or design; (xvii) political factors; (xviii) unforeseen delays or stoppages in shipping and transportation of goods and equipment; (xix) water inflow into the mine and its potential effect on mining operations; and (xx) the consistency and availability of electric power.
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 below and under "Risk Factors", and elsewhere in this release, as well as 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 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 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 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 below in the "Risk Factors" section in the company's 2021 Q3 MD&A and its current annual information form.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108330
-Increasing demand from food chains and restaurants in the region is expected to offer revenue-generation opportunities for the Europe poultry cage market
- Germany is predicted to lead the region's poultry cage market with a strong growth rate. The Government of Germany launched campaigns and special programs to drive sales in the country's poultry cage business.
ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Europepoultry cage market is expected to clock a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period from 2021 to 2031. The market is estimated to attain the valuation of US$ 614.2 Mn by 2031. In order to address the growing demand for poultry cage products, market players are enhancing their production lines. Furthermore, significant product innovation and integration of newer features in poultry cages by market players are likely to work in the favor of the market in the years to come.
In Europe, there is a growing need for animal-based food items as the population grows. Due to their numerous health advantages, meat, eggs, various meat products, and other such food items are becoming immensely popular among customers. Meat and poultry items have proven to assist in improving immunity, particularly during illnesses.
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The poultry cage market in Europe is being influenced by the rising trend of procuring poultry products from local as well as organic farms. Poultry raised utilizing organic agricultural practices is popular among health-conscious Europeans.
Owing to the increasing demand for poultry products, market players have boosted their manufacturing capacity. The single bird and colony cage categories are expected to have majority of market share and retain its dominance during the forecast period.
Innovative cages that are sanitary, efficient, and low-maintenance are being developed by manufacturers to boost sales in the Europe poultry cage market. Due to the rising demand for feeders, incubators, hatchers, and hen houses, the poultry cage market is predicted to observe considerable growth during the forecast period.
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Key Findings of Market Report
Rising meat consumption is anticipated to drive revenue-generation opportunities for Europe poultry cage market during the forecast period
poultry cage market during the forecast period Due to the growing demand for high-quality poultry items, market players are investing in modern machinery to assure quality. In addition, increase in farm size is likely to fuel sales in the Europe poultry cage market in the years to come.
poultry cage market in the years to come. Developing nations of Europe are gradually increasing their poultry production capacities and encouraging products from organic and local farms. They are driving the demand for poultry cages, including feeders, incubators, hatchers, and poultry houses. This is anticipated to boost the sales of poultry cages during the forecast period.
are gradually increasing their poultry production capacities and encouraging products from organic and local farms. They are driving the demand for poultry cages, including feeders, incubators, hatchers, and poultry houses. This is anticipated to boost the sales of poultry cages during the forecast period. Advanced poultry farming technology, such as automated feeding equipment, is more efficient in scaling feeds, resulting in less wastage, which is likely to influence growth of the market
In order to satisfy the growing demands for turkeys, ducks, hen, and ducks, breeding and production of these birds is essential. Thus, there are different kinds of cages for safe and healthy production and breeding of eggs and birds.
Firms such as Big Dutchman and FACCO have launched virtual platforms where farms can demonstrate to their customers how they produce poultry items and manage their farms. This increases brand awareness by creating a relationship and clarity between buyers and sellers.
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Europe Poultry Cage Market: Growth Drivers
Some European countries are taking steps to establish non-cage poultry-keeping practices. This factor is likely to support the growth of the Europe poultry cage market.
poultry cage market. Rapid expansion of online distribution channels and offline distribution channels is likely to drive the Europe poultry cage market in the near future
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The 420
California pot companies warn of impending industry collapse [Los Angeles Times]. Huh? The letter signed by more than two dozen executives, industry officials and legalization advocates followed years of complaints that the heavily taxed and regulated industry was unable to compete with the widespread illegal economy, where consumer prices are far lower and sales are double or triple the legal business. Four years after broad legal sales began, our industry is collapsing, said the letter, which also was sent to legislative leaders in Sacramento. The industry leaders asked for an immediate lifting of the cultivation tax placed on growers, a three-year holiday from the excise tax and an expansion of retail shops throughout much of the state. Its estimated that about two-thirds of California cities remain without dispensaries, since its up to local governments to authorize sales and production. I wonder if there are ice cream edibles in Pelosis freezer.
MMT
Monopoly Money: The State as a Price Setter [Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Oeconomicus]. From 2002 (!), still germane; recommended today by Mosler. From the Abstract:
The case of Colonial Africa illustrates how taxation can serve as a launching vehicle for a new currency. Prior to colonization, African communities were engaged in subsistence production and internal trade and, therefore, had little need for European currency. After colonizing Africa, the Europeans employed a system based on taxation that endowed the new currencies with value. The colonial government, in need of real goods and services such as cash crops and wage labor, imposed a tax liability on the population, denominated in European currency. Taxation compelled the members of the community to sell their goods and/or labor to the colonizers in return for the currency that would discharge their tax obligation. Taxation turned out to be a highly effective means of compelling Africans to enter cash crop production and to offer their labor for sale. In any systemdemocratic or authoritarianthe government can ensure the value of any currency through these three basic powers: the power to levy taxes, the power to declare how tax obligations must be satisfied, and the power to issue currency. These powers are the basis for securing the purchasing power of State money. Contrary to the conventional idea that taxation finances government expenditures, here the primary function of taxation is guaranteeing that a particular monetary unitthe one issued by the government will be demanded in exchange for any and all other real goods and services and will, thereby, dominate a countrys monetary system.
Hmm. Interesting historical connection to file away.
Book Nook
The Underground Man at Age 50 [The Honest Broker]. Around the same time The Underground Man was published, Macdonald told Newsweek magazine: Freud was one of the two or three greatest influences on me. He made myth into psychiatry, and Ive been trying to turn it back into myth again in my own small way. Given this predisposition, I cant help seeing the underground man as a canny reference to those unconscious and troubling aspects of the human psyche that are deeply buried, not in soil but in the recesses of our minds, and come back to the surface under prodding or in a crisis. Macdonalds novel is filled with these buried artifactsthats actually a trademark of his stories, in which the crime is often the least interesting part of the tale. Almost every character in these pages has some past scandal or tragedy they would prefer to repress. In order to highlight these psychic depths, Macdonald constructs a story that involves the childhood experiences of many of its main characters. Against these long-term psychological case studies, he superimposes two different crimes separated by 15 years. In the first instance, three youngsters steal a cara seemingly minor infraction, hardly worthy of a detective novel. This incident seems connected, for a variety of reasons, to a series of later crimes, including murder, kidnapping, and theft. I dunno. I prefer Rex Stout to Ross Macdonald. I prefer tropes and genres to myths, perhaps. Light irony, thats the ticket!
The Gallery
This strikes me as photo-style framing:
Newyork Street Corner, 1913
Edward Hopper (American, 1882-1967) pic.twitter.com/EZ2j9uZ1cA Olga Tuleninova (@olgatuleninova) December 22, 2021
(Manet often gives me the same feeling.) This, on the other hand, doesnt strike me that away:
Jean Augustin Franquelin (1798-1839)-
-The Mariners Wife [c.1825] pic.twitter.com/jTU9ZoCyy4 Olga Tuleninova (@olgatuleninova) December 22, 2021
I think, however, that an AI would classify the geometry of the two paintings as the same (see the right of the Hopper and the left of the Franquelin), although the artists made different decisions at the left. Is there any art critic who discusses framing? I cant bring one to mind. Readers?
Groves of Academe
Professor who hid clues to location of cash prize in syllabus is disappointed to discover no one claimed it: Today I retrieved the unclaimed treasure' [Daily Mail]. A Tennessee university music professor hid a cash prize on campus to see if his students fully read the class syllabus only to find the crisp $50 bill he had placed in a locker still there at the end of the semester. Kenyon Wilson, the associate head of performing arts at Tennessee at Chattanooga, decided to hide $50 in a random music locker and bury the combination for the locker in the middle of his syllabus. The hint read: Thus (free to the first who claims; locker one hundred forty-seven; combination fifteen, twenty-five, thirty-five), students may be ineligible to make up classes and He even went so far as to set the combination lock on a certain number to verify if it had been moved. But at the end of the semester, the $50 bill and the note that went along with it were untouched by Wilsons 70 students. Congrats! Please leave your name and date so I know who found it, the unread note requested. Thats because the students are all working three jobs and triaged the syllabus, probably rightly.
Xmas Pregame Festivities
More trees:
diane arbus xmas tree in a living room in levittown, 1963 pic.twitter.com/CJx7V86Kxx paul bloemers (@paul_bloemers) December 20, 2021
No its not:
This is the gingerbread you're looking for pic.twitter.com/zMgfIi7vwt Book of Boba Fett News (@BobaFettNews) December 20, 2021
I remember my sense of disillusion when my parents explained to me that the gingerbread houses in the Sears catalog had cardboard walls, to which the candy and the gingerbread were affixed. I never did believe in Santa Claus.
Five Things You Didnt Know About Mistletoe [Smithsonian]. You read that right all mistletoe species are parasites. But its a little more complicated than the Hollywood depiction of parasitism. Mistletoes are specifically known as hemiparasites, a term for a plant that gets some or all of the nutrients it needs from another living plant, explained [Smithsonian botanist Marcos A. Caraballo-Ortiz]. In a mistletoes case, it attaches to the branches of a woody tree or shrub and siphons water and food from the host. Because of their parasitic nature, mistletoes dont ever touch soil. They dont touch the ground, Caraballo-Ortiz said. Instead, when a mistletoe seed drops onto a potential host plant, it grabs on and starts to germinate. Their fruit is covered with a sticky substance called viscin, explained Caraballo-Ortiz. Its like a fiber that allows the seed to attach on the branches of trees. The seed uses its own photosynthetic powers to produce a hypocotyl, or stem, that pokes out and kicks off the mistletoes growth. It then forms a structure called a haustorium, which acts like a root by burrowing into the host branch and funneling water and nutrients from host to parasite.
Smattering Of Half-Remembered Facts From Ezra Kleins Podcast Somehow Fail To Change Conservative Family Members Entire Worldview [The Onion]. All over the country.
Guillotine Watch
Good idea:
Just had a great idea: build monuments to the Victims of the University of Chicago Economics Department. https://t.co/c0A45Awz4T Marshall Steinbaum (@Econ_Marshall) December 21, 2021
Class Warfare
How the Koch Network Is Spreading COVID Misinformation [Jacobin]. Scott Atlas, Jay Bhattacharya, and Martin Kulldorff are connected to right-wing dark money attacking public health measures. The trio also has ties to the Great Barrington Declaration, a widely rebuked yet influential missive that encouraged governments to adopt a herd immunity policy letting COVID-19 spread largely unchecked, even as the virus has killed more than 800,000 Americans. Wait. I thought that was bipartisan?
Classification is hard:
News of the Wired
Atlas of Endangered Alphabets [Atlas of Endangered Alphabets (Re Silc)]. 85% of the worlds writing systems are on the verge of vanishing not granted official status, not taught in schools, discouraged and dismissed. When a culture is forced to abandon its traditional script, everything it has written for hundreds of years sacred texts, poems, personal correspondence, legal documents, the collective experience, wisdom and identity of a people is lost. This Atlas is about those writing systems, and the people who are trying to save them. With interactive map.
Seems legit:
MASINT #11888 from NROL-82 (ACCM) 1. Pain Factory
2. Twisted Dreams of Emperors pic.twitter.com/B0VXatCnQm Weird Spy Satellite (@WeirdSatellite) December 22, 2021
Love it and leave it [Noah Smith, Noahpinion]. I think one of the most useful things you can do, in order to gain perspective on society and politics and institutions, is to live in another country for a while. Ive lived about four years total in Japan, and the experience has been utterly transformative in terms of how I think about my own country. [L]iving abroad is different, in a number of ways. You get to see another system in action a whole different way of organizing a society, with institutions that developed in a very different historical context. The hysteresis of national development means that countries have different ways of doing things sometimes with good reason, sometimes for no good reason at all. Some differences are cultural, some have deep economic roots, and some are accidents of history and it can be difficult to tell which is which. In fact, living abroad helps you see all kinds of things about your own country that you tend to overlook or take for granted. I never realized how much Americans tiptoe around the topic of other peoples personal appearance until I saw Japanese people telling each other Oh, you lost weight! I never thought of shouting down a waiter until I learned that thats what you have to do in Japan. I had simply internalized an unconscious list of things to talk about and things not to to talk about, and when I saw people who had internalized different lists, my own became more visible to me. In fact, living in supposedly hyper-polite Japan made me realize that Americans who think of ourselves as blunt and direct are governed by a delicate, complex web of behavioral rules that are second nature to us. Theres plenty not to like about Noah Smith, but I think hes got hold of the right end of the stick, here.
Another bricoleur:
V VOTIVE OFFERINGS
I leave actual spells and prayers where I find them on the foreshore and only remove plastic offerings for the good of the river. Over the years Ive found Hindu, Islamic, West African and Wiccan offerings.#Mudlarking #Mudlark #Larking pic.twitter.com/Oty9ekbaV4 Lara Maiklem Mudlarking (London Mudlark) (@LondonMudlark) December 22, 2021
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Contact information for plants: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (Copeland):
Copeland writes: Depoe Bay, Oregon. Watched gray whales all day.
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Yves here. While one can hope this student loan relief measure comes to pass, let us not kid ourselves. Notice the timing of the wavering by Biden, who has been involved with banks so long that its highly unlikely that his heart will ever be into debt cancellation, unless its heavily means-tested. But Biden or at least his economic advisers must recognized that Manchin tanking BBB in its current form, and in particular having said he would support a deal if the extension of the child care tax credit were out, will hit lower and middle income families promptly. One thing Biden can do quickly to restore some demand in the economy (recall both confidence and personal incomes were already falling before Omicron was stalking the land) even if not to the same people, is to keep the brakes on student loan payments.
So as much as progressives might like to see this shift as a concession to them, its just as easy to view it as a way to get more stimulus in the economy and get some credit for it too.
Originally published at Common Dreams
The Biden administration is reportedly considering another extension of the federal student loan payment pause that is set to end on February 1, a shift that comes as the White House is facing growing pressure from progressive lawmakers and grassroots advocates.
Politicos Michael Stratford reported Tuesday that the Education Department says it may postpone its plan to restart monthly student loan payments early in the new year.
Such a move would be a significant reversal for the administration, which called its August decision to delay the resumption of payments until February 1 a final extension of the pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections.
The Education Department told Stratford that an announcement on the payment pause would come later this week. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the president has not made a decision yet.
The Debt Collective, a group pushing for the cancellation of all outstanding federal student loan debt, tweeted in response that an extension to the student loan pause means people can stay in their homes, put food on the table, save for retirement, take their medication or keep their business running.
An extension would be a good, popular decision. You should do it, the group added, directing its post at President Joe Biden. Then cancel student debt.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) sent a similar message:
This is welcome news and would absolutely be the right call. Extending the pause will help millions of borrowers and their families weather this ongoing pandemic.@POTUS must extend this critical lifeline & #CancelStudentDebt with the stroke of a pen. https://t.co/K5TFvcSzOu Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) December 21, 2021
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also weighed in on the subject Tuesday afternoon.
Restarting student loan debt payments would take more than $85 billion dollars out of our economy next year, Warren said in a tweet. Were still in a pandemic and people are still struggling. Biden shouldnt restart payments and should use his authority to #CancelStudentDebt.
With all due respect, @POTUS you ran on a promise to cancel student loan debt. Payments are set to resume in the New Year and our communities are not ready for this. $85 billion will be taken from people's pockets next year if you don't act. Cancel. Student. Debt. Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) December 21, 2021
In recent days, White House officials have publicly indicated that there would not be another extension of the payment and interest pause. Psaki told reporters earlier this month that a smooth transition back into repayment is a high priority for the administration.
But amid the surging Omicron variant and continued economic disruptions stemming from the pandemic, progressives have argued that restarting student loan payments would be a colossal mistake, imposing an additional financial burden on millions of people and potentially damaging Democrats hopes of keeping control of Congress.
This makes no sense, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) wrote on Twitter last week. Instead of raising taxes on the ultra-rich, we are going to make students in debt pay to raise revenue. Awful on the substance and awful politics. We need to do better to deserve victory in 2022.
The Roosevelt Institute estimated in a recent analysis that federal student loan borrowers were paying an average of $393 each month before the freeze was implemented in March of 2020.
Covid cases are surging as Omicron rips through our communities. The pandemic is far from over, so the economic relief for it shouldnt be either, the Congressional Progressive Caucus tweeted Tuesday. Extending the student loan pause would absolutely be the right move from the Biden administrationand then move on to canceling them.
A new case in California, American Academy of Medicine Physician Group v. Envision Healthcare, aims at the heart of illegal manner in which private equity groups openly own and operate medical practices, mainly via owning companies that provide outsourced medical practices to hospitals, such as emergency room doctors, hospitalists, and ob/gyn specialists. Gretchen Morgenson has publicized the suit, which weve embedded at the end of this post. Its clear and well written.
It is surprising that it has taken this long for private equitys flagrant abuse of the prohibition against corporations and lay parties practicing medicine to be hauled into court. California prosecutors have for some time been looking into how to challenge it, but were stymied by the difficulty in finding doctors whod be willing to act as lead plaintiffs. Its even more surprising given that the two giants in this arena, KKRs Envision Healthcare, targeted in this suit, and Blackstones TeamHealth, have succeeded in engaging in abusive practices like surprise billing to the degree that theyve been a focus of Congressional hearings and now legislation. To give an idea of scale, Envision Healthcare has contracted with 540 health organizations in 45 states.
Weve written about private equitys lawbreaking via practicing medicine without a license before, in the case of Dr. Ming Lin, who was fired after whistleblowing at Blackstones TeamHealth over poor coronavirus care. We wrote in our our March 2020 post that the press astonishingly covered for Blackstone by failing to connect Dr. Lins hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center with real power powerTeamHealth, even after reporting that it was TeamHealth that lowered the axe on Dr. Lin! As we added:
However, the furor over the mistreatment of Dr. Lin did largely manage to skip over the question of how TeamHealth is even legally in the position to effectively provide hospital services when they are not licensed to do so. Several groups protested Dr. Lins ouster and one, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, focused squarely on this issue. From a position statement on its website (emphasis ours): According to public statements, TeamHealth and PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center have terminated Dr. Ming Lin. If this is so, AAEM condemns TeamHealth and PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center for terminating Dr. Ming Lin an emergency physician who went public with his concerns over the safety of the hospital staff and his patients in this pandemic. It is an essential duty of a physician to advocate for the health of others. Dr. Lin, as a member of the medical staff, is entitled to full due process and a fair hearing from his peers on the medical staff. TeamHealth, a lay corporation owned by the private equity company the Blackstone Group, should not be the employer of Dr. Lin according to the laws of the state of Washington. Their hand in this termination is not only inexcusable but likely impermissible. We call on the WA state Attorney General and the State Board of Medicine to investigate this circumstance. Needless to say, those clever private equity lawyers have tried to make the dubious and in some (many?) jurisdictions, illegal practices of having a non-licensed organization provide medical services work by keeping doctors-owned companies in the legal structure. The wee problem is that they are straws, devoid of any substance and authority. Eileen Appelbaum explained by e-mail: TeamHealth is structured as a Management Services Organization (MSO) that doesnt own the doctors practices it provides services to. Each practice is owned by a doctor or committee of doctors that establishes medical standards for the practice. Sometimes (not sure if this is true of TeamHealth), a single doctor is the owner of record for as many as 60 doctor practices. The question of what own means in this context is a bit tricky. Rosemary Batt and I paid money for me to sit in on a webinar organized by a well-respected source of data and information on health care where private equity people experienced in acquiring doctor practices were instructing newbies in how to structure it. They practically snickered as the explained how the doctors that essentially sold their practices to a PE-owned company like TeamHealth were reassured by the fact that it would be doctors that owned and ran the practices. Of course, the deal required them to sell all their assets building, equipment, supplies, receivables to the TeamHealth-type organization. So, what does it mean that the doctors own the practice if the practice has no assets that can be sold, moved, used as collateral for a loan, etc.? Yves here. I can pretty much guarantee that the lack of substance of ownership on the asset side is reflected by a services agreement that strips the nominal owners of any say. This could be pretty overt, or or it could be achieved by having the doctor sham-owners of a particular entity have no role in operating decisions and participate only in policy decisions via a committee where TeamHealth appointed other MDs that were guaranteed to vote the way Blackstone and TeamHealth bean-counters wanted.
Back to the present post. The details of this suit, filed by the very same American Academy of Emergency Medicine, confirms that Appelbaums intel and our surmised were correct.
The filing shows the multiple ways the organizational relations and contractual restrictions on doctors fall wildly afoul of the strong prohibitions in California law against non-doctors practicing medicine or owning physicians practices. Note that most states have similar strong statutes. It also details typical legal structure of an Envision Healthcare operated hospital practice, with the focus here an emergency room group that demonstrates methods used systematically across Envision Healthcare.
This suit revolves around the displacement of a proper physicians group providing emergency room services at Placentia Linda Hospital by Envision Healthcare. American Academy of Medicine Physician Group, a non-profit, had provided billing and other administrative services to the ER group.
The litany of misconduct described in this short filing is impressive. Envision Healthcare has one straw acting as the MD in charge of each physicians group. Hes not licensed in or living in California. And its the same guy, calling into question how much he does besides rent out his license. Non-doctors have signed and filed virtually all key corporate documents. The MD-straw allegedly has very limited rights over his shares (he cant transfer them, pay himself dividends, etc), meaning his ownership is effectively a legal fiction. The doctors who join these practices also have their rights restricted, including their ability to exercise clinical judgment. They are subject to all sorts of guidelines and restrictions set by non-MDs.
And then we have the financial frauds. The doctors in these practices have to agree to let Envision Healthcare bill under their license numbers. The suit alleges that Envision Healthcare inflated these charges and retains the excess, which is illegal sharing of medical fees with non-physicians (as well as Medicare and Medicaid fraud for Medicare/Medicaid patientsI would assume these attorneys also filed qui tam suits). They also gave kickbacks to the hospital, here in the form of a sweetheart deal on an anesthesia group.
This case has the potential to blow open this entire field of illegal practices across the US, since as this case details, the private equity groups efforts at complying with the law dont even rise to the level of being a fig leaf.
Please read the filing in full. As Morgenson wrote:
When Envision took over the emergency practice at the Placentia hospital, it did so by acquiring a medical group, the suit contends, and then creating a separate legal entity to control the group of physicians. That is Envisions business model, the suit alleges, and the entities are managed and operated by people who are employed by or connected to Envision. A medical director of the physician entity is appointed, and the choice is made by Envision, the suit says. Decisions are not made by the medical directors. Private equity-owned Envision offers remuneration to hospitals in exchange for contracts, the lawsuit alleges, shutting out legally operating medical groups, such as those partnering with AAEM. Envisions control over the physicians in the practices it acquires is profound and pervasive, the suit alleges. For example, Envision decides how many and which physicians are hired, their compensation and their work schedules, and it also sets other terms of employment, staffing levels and numbers of patient encounters. Envision controls coding decisions and bills patients and/or insurers for such services without telling physicians what has been billed, the suit says.
Needless to say, in many areas of the country there arent a lot of hospital groups. So a doctor who is unhappy with how Envision Health is running an emergency room is at risk of being fired or harassed, like given the worst imaginable hours at a hospital a long drive from his homewhich is what TeamHealth did to Dr. Lin when it graciously offered him another posting after he was canned.which as we pointed out would have been tantamount to a demotion by virtue of a more difficult commute.
So pass the popcorn. This ought to be fun.
Yves here. Because the organized labor has been so badly beaten down in America, and few even know the physical risks the first wave of union promoters took (muggings, lynchings, murders; it took events like the Ludlow Massacre to turn the tide), workers have a long road back to their glory days in the 1950s and 1960s. Even local leaders, as in the Kellogg strike account below, acknowledge they have a lot further to go.
As an aside, the idea that the union made restricting offshoring a top priority is remarkable. Crunchy foods like crackers and cookies get stale! Items with more recent sell-by dates are always better. But Kellogg now having bought out all sorts of brands must feel it now controls enough grocery store shelf space that it can get away with crapifying its product.
By Wendi C. Thomas. Originally published at MLK50
Transitional and legacy workers demonstrate outside the Memphis Kelloggs factory Oct. 8, days after employees nationwide went on strike in October to protest a two-tiered pay system. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50
The 11-week national Kelloggs strike came to an end Tuesday as union workers ratified a contract that gives transitional workers a path to regular employment and guarantees no plant closures for five years.
The move comes just two weeks after the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union, which represents 1,400 Kellogg workers at four U.S. plants on strike since early October, rejected a union proposal.
Our striking members at Kelloggs ready-to-eat cereal production facilities courageously stood their ground and sacrificed so much in order to achieve a fair contract, said BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton in a statement Tuesday.
This agreement makes gains and does not include any concessions, Shelton said.
According to the union, the contract also increases pension benefits and provides cost-of-living raises.
While the BCTGM international president cast the contract in favorable terms, one local union leader was less upbeat, noting that the company, whose CEO made nearly $12 million in 2021, can still send jobs overseas.
We didnt lose anything, there were no takeaways, but the gains could have been significantly better, said Rob Eafen, president of BCTGM Local 252-G. He voted against the contract.
The company still has a right to outsource our jobs, Eafen said. If they want to move production to foreign countries like Mexico, they can still do so and that was one of the bigger items on our proposal list, but the only thing the company said they would commit to was no plant closures.
One of the largest sticking points between the union and Kellogg was a two-tiered pay system, which the company proposed and the union agreed to in 2015 as a one-time cost-cutting concession.
Transitional workers make $19 an hour (not including cost-of-living adjustments and shift differential) and contribute to their health care, Eafen said. Legacy workers are capped at $34 an hour and have their health insurance fully covered. Kellogg wanted to make that two-tier system permanent.
Workers, deemed essential during the pandemic as they produced and distributed cereal like Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies and Frosted Flakes, were frustrated by mandatory overtime and a split pay structure that essentially created two classes of employees.
And even though legacy workers didnt stand to directly benefit from an end to the two-tier system, they stood with their newer, transitional colleagues, framing the fight as one for equality and future workers.
The contract allows for transitional workers to move to legacy status within four years. At the Memphis plant, where there are about 274 workers, that means all transitional workers will switch to legacy status by the end of the five-year contract, Eafen said, and around 22 will become legacy employees immediately.
But while transitional employees now have a pathway to legacy benefits, as long as you have transitional employees in the building, that two-tier system is still alive, Eafen said.
The Oct. 5 strike came eight years after Memphis employees were locked out for nine months after union negotiations broke down. In July 2014, a judge ruled the lockout was illegal and ordered the factory to open its doors.
This time, however, the strike occurred in a tight labor market where conditions were more favorable to union organizing. Unions authorized workers at John Deere and at Kaiser Permanente to strike this year.
One of the things that the union showed the company is that we are willing to fight for what we believe in, Eafen said.
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) Drs. Simone Gold and Angelina Farella of Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) warned parents about the dangers of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine for children. The two physicians issued the warning during an interview with Heather Hobbs of The New American.
I know that many of our viewers are parents and grandparents themselves. I personally am a mother of four and Ive been extremely concerned about the push to get these vaccines and younger and younger children, Hobbs said.
She mentioned how Canada is extending its COVID-19 vaccination drive to younger children, with proof of vaccination in QR code form being extended to five- to 12-year-olds and babies from six months to four years old being recruited to vaccine clinical trials.
It was almost in a threatening tone, [and its] very concerning for me because a lot of people dont seem to realize that this is happening all over the world. It can happen in America if we dont have really good doctors who are willing to stand up. Corporations and politicians should not be doing the doctors job and recommending things.
Gold said: Its very clear to us at AFLDS that this is essentially communism, where the state takes over for the parents. No sooner were the shots authorized to be given to 12- to 15-year-olds that multiple jurisdictions allowed a child aged 12 to 15 to consent on their own without the parents knowledge.
Who allows the presence of a child in school to be called implied consent [and] that the child consents to the shots? We dont want that here. Here in America, the parents are in charge not the state. Thats the fight we are in.
Farella shared her battle cry, which has been her advocacy years before COVID-19 entered the scene. The battle cry is: Schools are not medical homes, nor are large corporations like pharmacies. They are not medical homes, they should not be allowed to give medical treatments including vaccines in a pharmacy without a physician, she said.
There is an agenda behind the push for childrens vaccination
Farella, a pediatrician with 25 years of experience, shared three points as to why giving the COVID-19 vaccine to children was wrong.
First, children have an almost zero chance of dying from COVID-19.
This is a disease process that does not even affect children. [They] basically have a nil chance of dying, and so you dont vaccinate for [a] disease that doesnt affect them.
Second, there is insufficient safety data to justify the vaccines use on children.
We dont even have one year of safety data. As a pediatrician, I know that we never put anything into a child without three to five years of safety data. We know that the early studies are showing huge increases of myocarditis which by the way is not mild. Its a lifelong condition that can potentially shorten their lives. (Related: Cardiologist says no case of COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis is mild.)
Third, parents allowing their children to get vaccinated against COVID is tantamount to brainwashing.
The parents are just leaving their children to slaughter. Theyre not even thinking about it, they dont understand that this is not approved [by the Food and Drug Administration.] They are using tactics of propaganda to actually trick parents into thinking This is something thats okay for them to have without proper informed consent.'
Hobbs said: I think that the hidden blessing and all of this is that people are starting to see this is not right. This is now how medicine is practiced, and this is not giving people especially in America their freedom to choose.
Theres something else going on that has nothing to do with health, so were pushing back hard. AFLDS really got so offended at the push to put our children forward to the slaughter, that we brought our first lawsuit on behalf of [them]. We filed a federal lawsuit in Alabama to say you shouldnt be giving shots to 12- to 15-year-olds without all these years of safety studies, Gold said.
AFLDS filed its suit in the Northern District Court of Alabama in July 2021. It sought an injunction to stop any further use of the investigational COVID vaccines for three groups including young Americans 18 years old and below. (Related: Americas Frontline Doctors sue HHS to revoke emergency use authorization for covid vaccines.)
Human children are not experiments. Children are at statistically zero percent risk of deaths from COVID-19. By contrast expert studies show that the number killed by the vaccines is well into the tens of thousands, and those injured is well into the hundreds of thousands, according to a press release on the groups website.
Dr. Teryn Clarke, AFLDS communications director, said in the statement: Children are one third of our population and all of our future. [They] are never the experiment.
Watch the full interview with Drs. Angelina Farella and Simone Gold below.
VaccineWars.com has more articles about the push to vaccinate children.
Sources include:
Brighteon.com
AFLDS.org
(Natural News) Agrochemical giant Monsanto has agreed to plead guilty to environmental crimes stemming from its pesticide use in Hawaii. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the company, which was acquired by Bayer in 2018, will pay $12 million in fines for violating the Federal Insecticide Fungicide And Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
Monsanto has admitted to 30 misdemeanors related to an incident in Oahu in which it permitted workers to enter fields 30 times during a six-day period in which entry was restricted due to high toxicity following the spraying of corn fields with a chemical known as Forfeit 280.
In that incident, Monsanto admitted that a lack of oversight and supervision on its part caused its workers to violate the required safety waiting period in order to carry out corn scouting, which involves checking corn for weeds, diseases and insects.
They will also plead guilty to two felony charges related to the insecticide methyl parathion, which has been banned. Methyl parathion is the active ingredient in Monsantos Penncap-M pesticide. This incident also involves a misdemeanor offense of unlawfully spraying the pesticide on research crops and corn seeds in its Valley Farm facility on the island of Maui. They admitted to using the chemical in violation of FIFRA despite knowing that its use was prohibited after 2013. They also admitted that they told workers to re-enter the sprayed fields just seven days later despite knowing that re-entry was prohibited for 31 days.
These particular charges were part of a 2019 deferred prosecution agreement and would have been dropped had the company complied with federal laws during the last two years.
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Instead, they are now obligated to pay a $6 million fine related to the charges in the methyl parathion case along with $1.5 million to each of four Hawaiian governmental agencies. Some of the fine will go toward community service payments in Hawaii. In addition, the company will now be subjected to a three-year probationary period with reporting and auditing requirements.
U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison said: Monsanto is a serial violator of federal environmental laws. The company repeatedly violated laws related to highly regulated chemicals, exposing people to pesticides that can cause serious health problems.
Hawaiians are fed up with Monsantos treatment of their land
With Monsanto now pleading guilty to several environmental crimes in Hawaii twice in less than four years, many people who live on the island are hoping the company will leave the state entirely. Through their actions, they put field workers health at risk by forcing them to transport and apply banned pesticides. This has set them up for a lifetime of worry that they could develop long-term health effects related to their pesticide exposure.
In addition, they put the community at risk because these chemicals can be transported by the wind to neighboring areas, in addition to making their way into the water. Two Maui residents who live downwind from Monsantos fields are already suing them over birth defects.
State Representative Tina Wildberger, whose South Maui district is home to two outdoor Monsanto facilities, said: Maui will not continue to be predated by this company. People of Kihei are living just downwind of Monsanto, now Bayer?s, clandestine and apparently often illegal operations. Their open windows are exposed to everything they spray. Its time for the chemical company/seed industry to leave Hawaii.
She added that their actions go against the islanders cultural beliefs, stating: Their mono-crop toxic tech doesnt fit with the Hawaiian values of m?lama ??ina (to care for the land).
Monsantos parent company Bayer is also facing litigation over the health effects of its glyphosate herbicide Roundup. The company has proven time and time again that it places profits over people, and while its nice to see them being held accountable, these fines are just a drop in the bucket when you consider the estimated value of Hawaiis seed industry overall was $106 million for the 2018-2019 season and $241.6 million at its peak in 2011.
Sources for this article include:
GlobalResearch.ca
ChemistryWorld.com
FarmProgress.com
(Natural News) New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced plans to redefine fully vaccinated to mean having received three doses of the vaccine against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Her announcement comes as the more transmissible omicron variant began to spread across the United States.
During a Dec. 16 press conference, Hochul said she plans on introducing legislation to change the meaning of fully vaccinated to include the booster dose. At some point, we have to determine that fully vaccinated means boosted as well. Well give people a sufficient time frame to make that happen, she said.
The governor added that the proposal seeking to redefine what fully vaccinated means will not be made until more data is gathered and the legislation is further scrutinized. However, she added that the new meaning may be presented shortly.
People are underestimating the power of omicron because they say People arent getting sick, they arent going to hospitals. But if you have a million more people infected, that means you will have overflowing hospitals at this rate, she said.
In response to the omicron variant, Hochul imposed a statewide mask mandate for all indoor establishments on Dec. 10. The policy went into effect starting Dec. 13 and lasts until Jan. 15, 2022.
Non-compliant businesses could face civil and criminal penalties with a maximum fine of $1,000 per violation. However, CBS News reported that the mask mandate will not apply if the establishment already has a vaccine mandate in place.
Hochul sent a message to business owners during the press conference: This is a crisis; this is a healthcare crisis and people are going to die. The facility does not have to close. That will hurt them economically; that is not the place I want to go.
According to Hochul, the mask mandate would not have been necessary had people gotten vaccinated for COVID-19 early in the pandemic. (Related: NY Gov Hochul fires health care workers en masse amid pandemic for refusing vaccines from God.)
Fauci also wants to redefine fully vaccinated to mean three shots
Hochul, who replaced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in August 2021, is not the only authority seeking to redefine fully vaccinated. White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has moved to change the meaning of the term to include booster doses.
The infectious disease expert said during a September 2021 White House briefing: I would not at all be surprised that the adequate, full regimen for vaccination will likely be three doses. Fauci argued that the immunity stemming from a third vaccine dose was dramatic and durable. However, he noted that health authorities would have the final say on the matter.
Fauci has been consistent with his pro-booster dose rhetoric.
We would hope and this is something we are looking at very carefully that the third [vaccine] shot not only will boost you way up, but increases the durability so that you will not necessarily need it ever six months or a year, he said during a November 2021 appearance in ABCs This Week.
Were hoping it pushes out more. If it doesnt and the data show we do need it more often, then well do it.
He told Business Insider on the same month: [I want to] make it crystal clear that if you have been vaccinated go get boosted. Make it really simple. If you had a primary vaccination, get a booster. The effect of [booster doses] is very, very favorable [in] preventing people from getting infected. We have got to get almost everybody whos gotten the primary vaccination regime, weve got to get all of them boosted. (Related: Fauci shifts goalposts, redefines vaccine to include booster shot.)
During a Dec. 8 interview with journalist Kate Bolduan, Fauci doubled down on the three-shot definition of fully vaccinated amid the omicron variants U.S. spread. He said: Right now, I dont see that [definition] changing tomorrow or next week. [But in my] own personal opinion its going to be a matter of when, not if.
Certainly, when you want to talk about what optimal protection is, I dont think anybody would argue that optimal protection is going to be with a third shot.
A day before Hochuls press conference, Fauci warned that the B11529 omicron variant will assume a dominant role very soon and projected a grim outlook for unvaccinated Americans.
With omicron breathing down our back, things could get really bad, particularly for the unvaccinated. The vaccinated and those who are boosted, I believe, will be relatively well protected at least against severe disease.
Below is a video of Hochul claiming the the COVID-19 vaccines came from God.
VaccineWars.com has more on authorities redefining fully vaccinated as three doses.
Sources include:
TheHill.com 1
CNYCentral.com
CNBC.com
News.Yahoo.com
TheNewAmerican.com
BusinessInsider.com
TheHill.com 2
TheHill.com 3
Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Dr. Robert Malone, physician and inventor of the mRNA vaccine technology, said that there is an obvious attempt to hide the truth about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Malone told Kristi Leigh in an interview that the U.S. data is compromised at multiple levels by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Its compromised by the CDCs official position that there have been no vaccine related deaths. That is completely untenable, said Malone, who also pointed out that it is not only the U.S. database that is contaminated but also the British, Scottish, German, Atlantic, Norwegian and Israeli databases.
But the CDC still insists that there have been no vaccine related deaths. The CDC is willfully ignorant. And they have placed a whole bunch of different strategic initiatives, like redefining what is the disease, redefining when youre vaccinated, how long that vaccine window, youre not considered fully vaccinated until youre over 14 days after jab number two.
Malone continued: And so everything else is considered the same as unvaccinated. Its just a bunch of data manipulation and management And we know that is a transparent attempt to hide the truth.
Leigh, an award-winning TV news journalist, agreed with Malone.
They compare the number of three seasons, almost three seasons of COVID to one season of flu, and they leave that part out. They talk about hospital capacity, but they dont factor in the staffing shortages and issues, since youre pushing so many people out. I mean, its so much, added the TV host, podcast contributor and news analyst.
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Malone also took a shot at the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test manipulation being done and the huge stack of financial incentives provided to hospitals.
Theyre paying doctors directly to support the dominant narrative. They [doctors] are getting cash in the form of thousands of dollars. If the pharmaceutical industry did this directly, it would be a crime, right? Absolutely a crime, Malone lamented.
But doctors are getting paid to go along with the dominant narrative. Hospitals are getting paid to overrepresent those dying of this disease, rather than having been infected potentially within the hospital also.
The well-known immunologist and virologist also slammed the hospitals who are now hiding information on their profit margins.
Theyre making money over this thing. They have strong financial incentives and continuing it. It is all up and down the entire pharmaceutical, medical complex food chain. Everybody is making big cash off of this, except the people that are out there trying to treat people with expensive drugs, Malone said.
Leigh also brought out the issue about the hidden data narrative with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), wherein data could be hidden from the public for 55 years, and why you cant sue those companies who made the COVID-19 vaccines for its adverse effects. (Related: Dr. Robert Malone warns of mass formation psychosis amid COVID pandemic.)
Malone told Leigh: The vaccine companies will not manufacture and sell the vaccine to any company who doesnt agree to complete indemnification. They have to be completely protected from risk, or they wont do it. That is not the sign of the safe and effective product.
The mRNA vaccine technology inventor added that there are terms and conditions in the agreement made by the company and the government that require any safety data be hidden for long periods of time.
COVID vaccines cause antibody-dependent enhancement
In a video released last July, Malone warned that the COVID vaccines are causing antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE).
ADE occurs when the antibodies generated during an immune response recognize and bind to a pathogen, but they are unable to prevent infection. Instead, these antibodies act as a Trojan horse, allowing the pathogen to get into cells and worsen the immune response.
Malone said ADE has happened in all coronavirus vaccines developed and has been a serious concern among vaccine experts from the start of the mass COVID vaccine rollouts.
He also sounded the alarm on how COVID restrictions and mandates in Western countries like the U.S., Canada, and Austria are suppressing civil liberties. Malone warned that governments are using the COVID pandemic as a platform for advancing other agendas.
The future of global totalitarianism is here, its just not evenly distributed, Malone said in an interview with Steve Bannon. He cited Austrias nationwide vaccine mandate as the most egregious example of a governments totalitarian approach to a public health emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch Dr. Robert Malone in the video below as he talks about how the vaccinated people are actually more at risk during the pandemic.
Follow Pandemic.news for more news related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources include:
Brighteon.com
Chop.edu
(Natural News) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials skipped the start of oral arguments Tuesday as a federal district court weighed whether the agency can take 75 years to fully release documents on Pfizers Comirnaty COVID vaccine, according to a lawyer representing plaintiffs who sued the FDA for the documents.
(Article by Seth Hancock republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)
A U.S. Department of Justice lawyer representing the FDA told the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas the agency will produce more than 329,000 related documents as fast as it can, while safeguarding personally identifiable information and Pfizer trade secrets.
Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency (PHMPT), the group behind the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and subsequent lawsuit, is seeking safety and effectiveness data, adverse reaction reports and a list of active and inactive vaccine ingredients.
PHMPT is a group of more than 30 scientists, medical professionals, international public health professionals and journalists. The groups lawsuit argues the FDA is overestimating the time needed and understaffing the job.
Assuming a low average of 50 pages per hour per person, even to review the hundreds of thousands of pages the FDA estimates, the agency would need just 19 reviewers to work full-time for 12 weeks to review and produce these documents which is a tiny fraction of its approximately 18,000 employees, said PHMPT in a legal brief filed Monday.
The day before oral arguments, the FDA released 14 document files, the largest file including 2,030 pages. PHMPT posted an updated list which shows documents released since Nov. 17.
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FOIA does not mandate any particular processing schedule, only that the agency process requests as soon as practicable, the FDA said in a legal brief filed Monday.
The bottom-line issue still remains what processing schedule is practicable for the agency, the FDA said.
At the agencys proposed rate of 500 documents per month, the last documents would be released in 2096.
A quote from Business Intelligence Associates, an e-discovery company, estimated 400,000 pages could be produced within six to eight weeks at a cost of $132,000, according to PHMPT.
PHMPT wants the FDA documents released within 108 days. Thats the same amount of time the FDA spent reviewing the responsive documents for the far more intricate task of licensing Pfizers vaccine, the group said in its lawsuit.
Attorney Aaron Siri, who represents PHMPT, said:
Americans must routinely produce documents, pay fines, and otherwise expend resources to comply with the law. Courts dont inquire as to the ability or financial resources to comply with the law they must comply.
In fact, it would be laughable if a billionaire defendant came before a court and claimed poverty to escape making a document production, but that is the FDAs position.
The FDA budget for fiscal year 2019 was $6.1 billion.
In the FDAs 64-page briefing, the agency argued it needed the full 75 years to redact and release the documents out of fairness to other FOIA requesters.
PHMPT defined fairness differently in its responding brief:
Fairness would be giving millions of Americans who are mandated to receive this liability-free vaccine today assurance regarding the FDAs review by allowing independent scientists access to the same data the FDA reviewed, without making them wait decades.
Fairness would be allowing Americans injured by the vaccine today, who cannot sue Pfizer or anyone else for the harm, hope that independent scientists with access to that data can more readily develop treatments for their ailments.
Fairness would be our federal health authorities allocating more than one person spending a few hours each month to review Pfizers documents for public disclosure after having given Pfizer over $17 billion of taxpayer money to develop and market the product.
That would be fair to the American people.
Siri noted that no decision has been made by the court and that a transcript of this weeks hearing should be released soon.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) earlier this month introduced a bill that would force the FDA to release them in 100 days.
Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org
Professionals across the country have to abide by rules surrounding conflict of interest. Accountants, auditors, attorneys, and others must abide by these rules. These rules however do not apply to the corrupt Department of Justice (including the FBI) where conflicts are customary.
(Natural News) (Article by Joe Hoft republished from TheGatewayPundit.com)
We reported on the many material conflicts of interest surrounding the Mueller gangs attempted coup of President Trump and his Administration.
Citizen Free Press reported on another material conflict of interest in our government going on right now. These conflicts make it clear there is no integrity in our Justice Department anymore.
A top adviser to Merrick Garland is facing calls to recuse herself from the Justice Departments investigation of the Trump-Russia probe, which has looked into the actions of her husband Jake Sullivan. Margaret Goodlander serves as counsel to Garland, who oversees Special Counsel John Durhams investigation. Garland has oversight of Durhams budget, the scope of the investigation, and the release of a report Durham is believed to be writing. Sullivan, who married Goodlander in 2015, has been referenced in Durhams indictment of a cybersecurity lawyer who worked for the Clinton campaign. While there is no indication that Durham is targeting Sullivan, he could be a witness for the investigation given his role as a foreign policy adviser to Hillarys campaign. Durhams report could also reveal embarrassing details about Sullivans work to dig up dirt on Donald Trump. Sen. Chuck Grassley and the watchdog group Empower Oversight say Goodlander should be formally recused from the Durham investigation to maintain public trust in the probe. The Justice Departments standing guidance calls for employees to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, especially when it comes to ongoing criminal investigations, said Grassley. Its in Garlands best interestand hes obligatedto be transparent about whether his department is walling off officials who have a real or even perceived conflict, just as prior administrations have done.
Goodlanders husband worked in the corrupt Obama administration where he laughed with others in the Administration about their lies.
Anyone who wants justice in our Justice Department should be concerned Jake Sullivans wife is at a high-level position in the DOJ.
Read more at: TheGatewayPundit.com
(Natural News) Dr. Stella Immanuel told her viewers that the Beast has been revealed during the Dec. 15 episode of Bible and Science with Dr. Stella Immanuel on Brighteon.TV.
Recently, they revealed a sculpture in front of the UN [United Nations]. The sculpture has the face of a lion, a leopards skin and it has wings. That is the UNs symbol of peace and unity now, Immanuel said.
The UNs symbol of peace and unity in the past used to be a dove. But right now, what we see is this ugly-looking demonic beast as a symbol of UNs peace and unity. This is just crazy.
The UN erected the statue of a beast at their headquarters, making Christian believers think of the Holy Bibles end of times prophecies in the book of Daniel and Revelation.
The name of this UN beast statue is also nearly similar to the term used in the Last Days prophecy of Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians. The name of this beast statue in the vicinity of the UN headquarters is called The Guardian for International Peace and Security.
This is eerily close to the term used in the 1 Thessalonians 5:3 prophecy which says that the nations in the Last Days will say Peace and Safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them.
Immanuel cited Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation which describes Apostle Johns vision of a Beast with seven heads and 10 horns rising out of the sea. She took note of the Beasts 10 horns with 10 crowns and it was like a leopard with its feet like the feet of a bear and its mouth like a mouth of a lion. The power, seat and great authority of the Beast was given by the Dragon or Satan the Devil. (Related: Dr. Stella Immanuel: Book of Revelation playing out in front of us Brighteon.TV.)
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This is the UN. It means that great power and authority is coming to the UN and this is their symbol. And it is the UN thats going to have the power and authority to do what theyre going to do right now, Immanuel said.
So it was given great power and authority. And then if you look at the UN, these have got 10 horns and seven heads and right now the UN has 10 regions.
The doctor and book author added that the seven heads represent the Group of Seven (G7), an inter-governmental political forum made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Its members are the worlds largest economies and wealthiest liberal democracies.
The Beast that we just saw is their symbol. So the beast in Revelation has been revealed and what is the importance of that? This is system, because that is a symbol of the Beast system, Immanuel explained.
You know most of the idols in the Bible were physical craft works. The Bible says if you make an idol, [it] is either made with the hand of man physical sculptures, physical crap works. And these idols have demons inhabiting them.
Most Christians dont know the Word of God
Immanuel lamented the fact that most Christians dont know the Holy Bible or Holy Scriptures.
The biggest problem is a famine of the Word of God. Most Christians dont know the Word of God. Most people dont know the Bible. Most people dont know what God says in the Bible, she said. So they make their own. They make their ideas of Christianity about the way they think, especially in this new time. This is not the time for us to be ignorant.
She said that we are in the end times and the Church needs to wake up.
The Texas-based doctor also took note of Alice Bailey, American theosophist and creator of the Lucis Trust, who created the 10-point plan that will split a nation from God. The 10-point plan includes:
Taking God and prayer out of educational system
Reducing parental authority over the children
Promoting the rights of children to abolish corporal punishment
Turning teachers into agents of implementation
Destroying the Judeo-Christian family structure or the traditional Christian family structure
Making sure that people can have free sex and making divorce easy and legal
Debasing art, using media to promote the Antichrist agenda and changing peoples mindset
Creating an interfaith movement that divides other faiths and Christianity
Making sure Christians dont think that Christianity is present
Getting the government to make these into laws and getting the Church to endorse it
Immanuel also revealed that the plan of the devil is already heard in the voice of the globalists who are pushing for a fourth industrial revolution on big data and networking us into the Internet of Things and their talks about depopulating the world to make sure that there wont be many people in the world.
The devil wants to corrupt humanity, change all of our genetic code, turn us into human 2.0. Lately they discovered a technology called CRISPR technology. CRISPR technology can splice your genes and introduce a new code. So you see they are giving us a gene editing and gene therapy, Immanuel said.
Watch the full Dec. 15 episode of Bible and Science with Dr. Stella Immanuel below.
Catch new episodes of Bible and Science with Dr. Stella Immanuel every Wednesday at 5-6 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.
Follow AntiChrist.news for more news related to the Antichrist, prophecies and doomsday.
Sources include:
Brighteon.com
SignsOfTheLastDays.org
(Natural News) For the last nearly two years we have heard vax worshipers accuse those refusing to take the experimental COVID vaccines that were created and fast-tracked, bypassing traditional testing for long-term effects, and refusing the lock down their entire lives, as grandma killer, as well as nurse killer, a doctor killer, a cop killer, a grocery clerk killer, a student killer, a 5 year old killer, a bus driver killer, a father killer who just had a child killer, a family killer.
(Article by Susan Duclos republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)
Wow, lets get Mr. Joe Lockhart, who is quoted above, a fainting couch and throw in some pearls to clutch while we are at it.
First it was the Covid vax, or a set of two, then because they didnt work the way vaccines are supposed to, it was then discussed that the definition of vaccinated be changed to include another shot, a booster, before one could be considered fully vaccinated.
Chief medical advisor to the president Dr. Anthony Fauci echoed similar sentiments on COVID vaccine boosters last week during an interview with Reuters. Right now, officially, fully vaccinated equals two shots of the mRNA and one shot of the J&J, but without a doubt that could change. Thats on the table for discussion, Fauci said.
As an aside, it is very disconcerting how these days if a definition is not the preferred narrative, certain dictionaries and online sites will just change the definition, like words do not matter anymore at all.
ENTER OMICRON.
The first year, everyone had a complete freakfest over the COVID pandemic that came out of Wuhan China, to the point where Americans were forced to stay home, social distance, and mask up everywhere they went, but what we didnt see in any meaningful way, were mutating variants, until the vaccines.. but that is neither here nor there at this point.
The overreactions and power grabs from liberal state leaders did far more harm, to the economy, mental health of adults and children, including stress levels and depression, the supply chain, causing food shortages and more, than the COVID virus ever could.
In a paragraph from a piece at the very liberal website The Atlantic, we see, at least some liberals are finally starting to get what is happening.
At this point, the CDC has recorded that less than a quarter of adults who are fully vaccinated under the existing definition have gotten a third shot. That leaves about 150 million people who are vaccinated but unboosted. Given that the people in this group are less protected against infection, theyre at greater risk of passing on the disease to unvaccinated or partially vaccinated kids, as well as to unvaccinated or immunologically vulnerable adults. They will also pass the coronavirus more readily among themselves. Settings that might have previously seemed safe for vaccinated folkssay, a restaurant or performance venue that strictly checks vaccination statuscould become fertile ground for transmission, because the people inside them are more likely to catch and spread the virus. Indeed, anecdotal reports already suggest that large indoor gatherings of fully vaccinated people can become super-spreader events in the age of Omicron.
Yes, those with one shot are dangerous to those with two shots, and those with two shots are dangerous to those with a booster shot, making it three, and those with one, two, and three jabs are dangerous to everyone. vaxxed or unvaxxed.
Reuters, hardly a conservative bastion of thought, has a piece published on December 10, 2021, titled Most reported U.S. Omicron cases have hit the fully vaccinated CDC, which pretty much says it all when it comes to the efficacy of the vaccines or the booster, since many of the cases cited also had received the booster, that the Biden regime is trying to force Americans to take.
NBC News, again, a liberal leaning news outlet, reports the following:
As cases of Covid-19 rise throughout the U.S., health officials warn that an increasing number of fully vaccinated people are being hospitalized or going to the emergency room. The concern about waning immunity against severe Covid infection comes as the Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster shot for all adults 18 and older.
Astounding that these new reports are reporting what Independent News has been reporting for months, yet still claiming that the next booster will do the trick. Remember though, when Independent Media reported it, we were accused of misinformation.
The vaccines are not working. The citations used are purposely those in the liberal mainstream media, so no one can look and say well those are conservatives sources.
What those reports are not informing their audiences of is that before the Omicran variant was being used as a hammer to intimidate people into taking a booster, or third jab, reports were seen about hospitals seeing more breakthrough cases (fully vaxxed getting Covid), even in other countries.
In fact, it seems the media in other countries have been far more honest than the Bidens regimes propaganda arm in the U.S., aka the MSM.
Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) Ann Vandersteel touched on the Patrick Byrne story and revealed the sinister plan behind Operation Snow Globe during the Dec. 14 episode of Steel Truth on Brighteon.TV.
Vandersteel noted that Byrne had free rein to engage with the federal government in uncovering graft and corruption, thanks to the authority delegated by the Senate Judiciary since 2006. The Steel Truth host added that Byrne has looked into it all and even offered Hillary Clinton several bribes.
She said that the founder and now former CEO of online furniture retailer Overstock.com would unveil the people who asked him to bribe Clinton, as well as those who signed off on the rape and murder of Russian national Maria Butina.
Vandersteel said Byrne was deeply involved in exposing corruption in government, setting up members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by making them believe that he was raping, drugging and taking advantage of Butina, and that he was willing to kill her if the government deemed it necessary.
Butina was eventually arrested and jailed for 18 months as part of the crooked FBI case to entrap then-President Donald Trump in a fabricated Russian collusion narrative.
In an interview shown in the Steel Truth episode, Byrne said that former President Barack Obama had his people positioned across the federal bureaucracy particularly the Department of Justice (DOJ) if Clinton was going to be the president in 2016.
Obama planned to control Clinton if she won in 2016
Obamas plan was to control Clinton for eight years, and then his wife Michelle will take the reins in 2024. Byrne said that the plan was called Operation Snow Globe.
They were trying to get Hillary to step into a snow globe. My bribe was the bait to get her to step into the snow globe, said Byrne, who acknowledged that he took part in the plan.
Byrne thought he was helping conduct a legitimate federal law enforcement operation, but it turned out that he was just helping to set up Clinton for the Deep State to control her. (Related: Patrick Byrne talks election fraud with Clay Clark Brighteon.TV.)
The Overstock.com founder said he facilitated a bribe for Clinton on Jan. 14, 2016 on behalf of the FBI. He claimed that the FBI approached him on Dec. 1, 2015 to reveal that Clinton had already accepted a $20 million bribe from the Turkish government.
The FBI told Byrne that they had authorization to set Clinton up in a sting and his assistance was needed to make it easy. The sting required an $18 million bribe from another government. Byrnes mission was to get Clinton alone for about 10 minutes in a room where the government representative would meet with her.
Clinton took the bait, making sure she kept the said meeting off her official calendar, and received the bribe. Byrne added that Attorney General William Barr knew about the sting operation, as well as John Durham the DOJ attorney assigned by Barr.
Three days after the sting, the FBI came back and informed Byrne that he would have to forget about the incident. When Byrne inquired why he had to forget about it, he was told that Clinton was going to win the 2016 presidential election and she would send her own people over to the FBI to bury the bribery evidence.
The FBI told Byrne that the operation had been deferred at the highest level.
While Byrne accepted the FBIs decision, it did not sit well with him. Three weeks later, he showed his frustrations to the bureau. He said there was enough time before the election for him to appear before a grand jury to testify and get Clinton indicted for taking a bribe.
The FBI ignored his threat and told him that Obama already has his people in the federal bureaucracy. This kind of maneuver, according to Byrne, is the key to understanding the events happening in America in the past five years.
Watch the full Dec. 3 episode of Steel Truth with Ann Vandersteel on Brighteon.TV below.
You can catch new episodes of Steel Truth with Ann Vandersteel from Monday to Friday at 8-10 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.
Follow Corruption.news for more news related to corruption and the Deep State.
Sources include:
Brighteon.com
WNDNewsCenter.org
(Natural News) Dr. Vladimir Zelenko called the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) a biological weapon during the December 15 episode of Steel Truth with Ann Vandersteel on Brighteon.TV.
Gain-of-function research is another code for making a weapon of mass destruction, Zelenko said. It was converted from an animal virus bat coronavirus to a human-infecting virus. It was meant to destroy human lung tissue and cause blood clots, and released onto the world stage. (Related: American taxpayer money funneled to Wuhan to build coronavirus bioweapon.)
The well-known New York-based physician added that the whole point of this global pandemic was to generate global fear and to cause human isolation.
And anyone who studied psychological warfare understands global fear, coupled with human isolation, leads to psychological compensation, and then people become gullible and vulnerable and easy to manipulate, Zelenko said.
And so thats what were witnessing here, and its never been about health. Its an artificially created bioweapon pandemic. Then they gave us an artificial solution, which really has an alternative agenda that is to tag humanity.
He was, of course, referring to the COVID-19 vaccines.
Zelenko, the doctor known for bringing the hydroxychloroquine treatment to President Donald Trumps attention back in March 2020, cited that sociopath Klaus Schwab said in 2016 that seven billion people will be tagged with a digital identifier within 10 years or by 2026.
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COVID-19 vaccines kill certain percentage of people right away
According to Zelenko, the COVID-19 vaccine is an interesting weapon or interesting tool that kills a certain percentage of people right away.
You know these vaccines have been shown to cause heart attacks and strokes, myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart. Its like putting a heart in a food processor, youre seeing all these athletes drop dead in the field. It causes miscarriages to go from 10 to 82 percent in the first trimester, causes huge spikes in cancer rates and autoimmune diseases, ovarian and testicular dysfunction, and not to mention the dreaded antibody dependent enhancement which were already seeing, Zelenko said.
The physician added that COVID-19 vaccine is a weapon of eugenics that seeks to knock out a certain percentage of people right away, reduce the lifespan of a large percentage of people due to chronic illness and those that survive will all be tagged and be part of a matrix or grid.
He said that this will be a mechanism of control and manipulation of behavior and an attempt to enslave humanity, as well as weed out those that they dont want.
And so what were seeing is the infrastructure, the groundwork being laid for whats called the Mark of the Beast stuff. Because in 2020, Microsoft got a patent, a world patent. I even remember the number WO2020O6O6O6. Its a hard one to forget. But that patent describes biometric data linkage to cryptocurrency, Zelenko said.
Zelenko, who has been on the front line of doctors studying and investigating COVID-19, said in a previous interview that his research has shown that what we are seeing is a well-coordinated release of a bioweapon that was followed by the release of poison death shots.
The doctor added that the so-called vaccines are deadlier than the virus. Both the pandemic and vaccines are being used by a certain group or organization for sinister reasons, he said.
As a conspiracy analyst, Zelenko explained that what he has seen led him to believe that everything related to the COVID-19 pandemic is a calculated plot to usher in the New World Order.
Watch the full Dec. 15 episode of Steel Truth with Ann Vandersteel on Brighteon.TV.
You can catch Steel Truth with Ann Vandersteel from Monday to Friday at 8-10 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.
Follow Pandemic.news for more news related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources include:
Brighteon.com
FreedomFirstNetwork.com
(Natural News) The Health Ranger Mike Adams told Brannon Howse about the global effort to achieve depopulation during a recent episode of Brannon Howse Live.
A published scientist who owns a multimillion laboratory, Adams explained that Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines contain aluminum, which has toxic effects on neurology, fertility and other physiological functions.
Adams shared that many years ago, he was labelled as conspiracy theorist for talking about fraud in the vaccine industry. He finds it interesting that even mainstream conservative media like Breitbart and Daily Caller have awakened to the truth about how vaccines are being weaponized against humanity and why we should not trust Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC). (Related: Fauci as Gestapo chief: Regime will mandate COVID vaccines if hardcore group of patriots continue refusing the jab.)
It is a massive network of criminal fraud. I mean, I wrote about a CDC scientist years ago, who absconded with millions of dollars of federal money and is currently a fugitive from justice, living in Europe hiding from U.S. marshals. And yet his studies are still cited by the CDC in the White House and everybody else to say that vaccines are safe, Adams said.
Its just been confirmed across the board, across conservative media, independent media, Christian media, and so on. Its only the corporate-run, left wing media thats still pushing the poison and the lies.
Howse said the great collapse is necessary for the great reset.
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Ive come up with seven Fs by which to control people: forced vaccinations, finances, food, firearms, foreign invasion, family health care meaning control [over] your health care and First Amendment, taking away your first amendment rights. Seven Fs to controlling collapse, Howse said.
Adams noted that the great reset from the World Economic Forum means targeting the first world nations differently from the third world or developing countries.
Theyre targeting them with food scarcity, and food scarcity is being achieved by taking carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere with CO2 sequestration technologies. Theyre also limiting fossil fuels like natural gas, said Adams.
He said hydrocarbons that are used through a process called the harbor process is the most important chemical equations in human civilization because it is the basis for all fertilizers that feed about 3.8 billion human beings in the developing world.
In the third world, when you shut down fossil fuels, you begin mass starvation. Now for the first world nations, theyre being targeted with the depopulation and biological weapon that is mislabeled as vaccine. And these vaccines are designed to kill over time, not to kill immediately, Adams noted.
People will die of cancers at an accelerating rate. For now, for the next decade, were going to have deaths by cancer, autoimmune disorders, neurological disorders, stillbirth, which are already on the rise, in addition to the myocarditis, the blood clots and the thrombosis deaths that are happening in the early phases.
Cutting off fossil fuels leads to mass starvation
Adams said there is a global shortage of fertilizer, and it is especially pronounced in Europe. Crops are going to be suppressed throughout 2022 and beyond, said Adams, who mentioned the importance of hydrocarbons in making fertilizers.
You cut off fossil fuels, which is what theyve done in Europe to catastrophic effects, you begin a process of mass starvation of the planet. Carbon dioxide is named as the enemy of the climate change pushers. Carbon dioxide is the molecule. We should call it the miracle molecule. This is what grows food crops and rain forests and plants and grasses and fields. If you want to green the earth, you need CO2. Adams said.
He related that Heartland Greenway was launched in Illinois and Iowa to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere in a terraforming operation and turn it into liquid and pump it underground under the state of Illinois.
This is all public information. Theyre seizing farmland with eminent domain to carry this out right now. This is a planetary scale, terraforming operation to destroy food crop production, causing mass famine and starvation and a global cooling effect that will make human civilization as we know it today unsustainable. Thats the truth.
According to Adams, mass death is happening in America by design.
Theres vitamin D suppression across the population. And that, combined with more shedding of spike proteins, more booster shots, more immunosuppression, more emotional stress from lockdowns and hysteria pushed by the media, all leads up to mass death in America. Its a death by design. Its all intentional. And its only just beginning. (Related: Vaccines are now EXTERMINATING oblivious Democrats while illegal immigrants are PROTECTED from vaccines so they can replace dead Democrats.)
Watch the full video of Brandon Howse Live with Mike Adams below.
Sources include:
Brighteon.com
FreeWestMedia.com
(Natural News) Amazon.com Inc was marketing a collection of President Xi Jinpings speeches and writings on its Chinese website about two years ago, when Beijing delivered an edict, according to two people familiar with the incident. The American e-commerce giant must stop allowing any customer ratings and reviews in China.
(Article by Steve Stecklow and Jeffrey Dastin republished from Reuters.com)
A negative review of Xis book prompted the demand, one of the people said. I think the issue was anything under five stars, the highest rating in Amazons five-point system, said the other person.
Ratings and reviews are a crucial part of Amazons e-commerce business, a major way of engaging shoppers. But Amazon complied, the two people said. Currently, on its Chinese site Amazon.cn, the government-published book has no customer reviews or any ratings. And the comments section is disabled.
Amazons compliance with the Chinese government edict, which has not been reported before, is part of a deeper, decade-long effort by the company to win favor in Beijing to protect and grow its business in one of the worlds largest marketplaces.
An internal 2018 Amazon briefing document that describes the companys China business lays out a number of Core Issues the Seattle-based giant has faced in the country. Among them: Ideological control and propaganda is the core of the toolkit for the communist party to achieve and maintain its success, the document notes. We are not making judgement on whether it is right or wrong.
That briefing document, and interviews with more than two dozen people who have been involved in Amazons China operation, reveal how the company has survived and thrived in China by helping to further the ruling Communist Partys global economic and political agenda, while at times pushing back on some government demands.
In a core element of this strategy, the internal document and interviews show, Amazon partnered with an arm of Chinas propaganda apparatus to create a selling portal on the companys U.S. site, Amazon.com a project that came to be known as China Books. The venture which eventually offered more than 90,000 publications for sale hasnt generated significant revenue. But the document shows that it was seen by Amazon as crucial to winning support in China as the company grew its Kindle electronic-book device, cloud-computing and e-commerce businesses.
The 2018 briefing document spells out the strategic stakes of the China Books project for Jay Carney, the global head of Amazons lobbying and public-policy operations, ahead of a trip he took to Beijing. Kindle has been operating in China in a policy grey area, the document stated, and noted that Amazon was having difficulty obtaining a license to sell e-books in the country.
The key element to safeguard against its license problem with the Chinese government is the Chinabooks project, the document stated.
The document also noted: Amazon.com/China books project has also gained wide recognition among Chinese regulators.
LIFE IN XINJIANG
The books include many apolitical titles, such as Chinese language textbooks, cookbooks and childrens bedtime stories. But they also include titles that amplify the Communist Partys official line.
One book extols life in Xinjiang, where United Nations experts have said China interned one million ethnic Uyghurs in a network of camps. The book Incredible Xinjiang: Stories of Passion and Heritage discusses an online comedy show situated in the region. The book quotes an actor who plays a Uyghur country bumpkin saying that ethnicity is not a problem there. That echoes the position of Beijing, which has denied mistreating minority groups.
Some books portray Chinas battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, in heroic terms. One is titled Stories of Courage and Determination: Wuhan in Coronavirus Lockdown. Another begins with commentary from Xi: Our success to date has once again demonstrated the strengths of CPC (the Communist Party of China) leadership and Chinese socialism.
The state-owned firm that partners with Amazon on China books, China International Book Trading Corp, or CIBTC, told Reuters that the venture is a commercial relationship between two enterprises. Chinas National Press and Publication Administration, or NPPA, the state propaganda arm with which Amazon has had a partnership, had no comment.
In response to questions, Amazon said it complies with all applicable laws and regulations, wherever we operate, and China is no exception. It added that as a bookseller, we believe that providing access to the written word and diverse perspectives is important. That includes books that some may find objectionable.
Amazon said it has a wide selection of books on China, and the China Books portal is an additional channel for serving our Chinese readers in the United States and elsewhere. CIBTC is just one of the millions of selling partners around the world offering products in our stores.
Reuters News Agency provides news to China Central Television, the state-controlled broadcaster. The agency also distributes CCTV content via Reuters Connect, a marketplace that offers news from about 100 providers. The marketplace partnerships arent connected to the Reuters newsroom.
The new details about Amazons China strategy demonstrate the challenges Western companies face in accessing the worlds most populous market and in coping with an authoritarian regime that has been tightening control over public discourse.
The companys compromises with Beijing contrast with its efforts to get around regulators in the worlds two largest democracies. In India, Reuters this year has documented how Amazon circumvented local regulations and, to promote its own brands, rigged search results on its Indian website. In the United States, Reuters detailed how Amazon gutted or killed state privacy bills designed to protect consumers.
Amazon said it has always complied with the law in India and doesnt favor its private-label products in search results. Regarding the United States, the company said it prefers U.S. federal privacy legislation, and that it protects consumers privacy and doesnt sell their data.
Some companies have responded to Beijings demands by leaving the market. Yahoo recently exited China and Microsoft Corps LinkedIn announced it would pull out some of its services. Both cited the countrys difficult business environment and regulatory requirements.
Amazon, by contrast, has grown into a powerful economic force in China in recent years, providing lucrative export opportunities to thousands of Chinese businesses while growing its own industry-leading cloud-services unit. Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is now one of the largest providers to Chinese companies globally, according to a report this year by analysis firm iResearch in China, and people who have worked for AWS.
Still, by 2018, Amazon was receiving an increasing number of requests from (Chinese) watchdogs to take down certain content, mostly politically sensitive ones, stated the briefing document prepared that year for Carney. He previously served as communications director for U.S. President Joe Biden, when Biden was vice president, and as press secretary for President Barack Obama.
Amazon declined to make Carney available for an interview.
According to the briefing document, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, asked Amazon in 2018 to take down a link to Chinas new blockbuster film Amazing China because of especially harsh user reviews. The CAC is responsible for online security and content regulation.
Amazing China praises the countrys accomplishments since Xi became president in 2013. CAC wanted the link removed from IMDb, an Amazon-owned website of movie information and reviews.
Amazons China office responded to CAC that it is difficult for Amazon China to accommodate such requests, and well relay the message to Amazon headquarters and seek their views about possibilities, the briefing document stated.
The film remains on IMDbs U.S. website. Shortly after the request, some negative reviews disappeared, archived screenshots of IMDb.com on archive.org show. Others remain, and Amazing China currently has an overall rating of just 2.3 out of a top score of 10. Some reviews call it pathetic, garbage or government propaganda.
Some reviews submitted for the title Amazing China were removed because they violated our user review content guidelines, with the majority being off topic, Amazon told Reuters. IMDb is not aware of any request from external parties (including the Chinese government) to do anything about reviews for this title.
CAC didnt respond to a request for comment.
WINK AND A NOD
Amazon entered China in 2004 through a $75 million deal to acquire Joyo.com, an online book-and-media seller. Eventually, Amazon wanted to introduce e-books and its popular Kindle reading devices to the Chinese market.
To accomplish that, it worked with the General Administration of Press and Publication, or GAPP, a regulator that engages in state censorship in its role as overseer of publications in China. NPPA now handles most of GAPPs responsibilities. NPPA, in turn, is overseen by the Communist Partys Publicity Department, which was previously known as the Propaganda Department.
According to a former Amazon executive involved in talks with China, the company secured some, but not all, of the government approvals it needed to sell Kindle devices and e-books. That situation gave the government leverage over the retailer, the former executive said. Amazons public-policy team came up with the China Books project as a novel way to get what we wanted on Kindle and other things, the person said. It was a wink and a nod.
Amazon soon began working with GAPP to set up China Books, according to the briefing document. The company planned to tout the portal to Chinese authorities as Amazons only store named after a country, the document said. Amazon dedicated several employees to the effort, which involved CIBTC, the government book-trading company, which the document described as the executing body from GAPP.
A photograph on CIBTCs website shows Chinese officials toasting the launch of the project at a hotel in Beijing in September 2011.
In October 2012, China Books was awarded the title, a key national culture export project, by a group of Chinese government bodies, including GAPP, as well as the entity now known as the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China. Two months later, Amazon launched its electronic-books business in China and soon began selling Kindles.
By the end of 2017, China had become Kindles largest global market, accounting for 40%+ of our world device sales volume, according to the 2018 briefing document. By then, Amazon had added a Chinese e-book store to its American website and had translated 19 books.
And Carney, the top public-policy executive who then reported to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, went to China in April 2018. There, he told an alternate member of the Communist Party central committee that Amazon would make every effort to promote China Books and make it bigger and stronger, according to a CIBTC press release.
The briefing document prepared for Carney stated: Both China Books and Kindle Chinese eBook Store are Amazon Chinas main commitment to assist China in Going Abroad, an umbrella project that aims to promote Chinese culture to the world.
Amazons China Books webpage prominently displays CIBTCs name, but doesnt disclose that its a project that Amazon created in a partnership with a Chinese government agency.
Details about the company are readily available online, Amazon told Reuters, and CIBTC has placed its name and logo prominently throughout its page. Our relationship with CIBTC is entirely appropriate.
Eventually, the China Books project flopped financially, according to a person who has been involved in it. Few of the portals titles have sold well, and Amazon even shipped back books because its warehouses lacked space for them.
Nonetheless, the China Books project continues. The Chinese-language version of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China Volume Three is listed first on China Books BEST SELLER page. It recently showed a sales rank of 1,347,071. Another best seller, about COVID-19, was ranked 10,654,483. The Xinjiang title, which Reuters purchased, had been ranked 13,441,455.
But sales werent the goal, according to the person who has been involved in the project. Its a high-level photo-op, part of a soft-power campaign to basically put the books out there and just have it be visible.
In its statement to Reuters, CIBTC, the government book-trading company, said it doesnt rank books sold through Amazon. It didnt elaborate.
A THREAT TO RETALIATE
Amazon continued its Chinese expansion in 2013, announcing the introduction in Beijing of Amazon Web Services, its cloud-computing business. At the time, no Chinese law regulated cloud services, the 2018 briefing document noted.
In 2016, China began taking actions that made it more difficult for foreign cloud-computing firms, such as AWS, to operate in the country.
The government began requiring cloud providers to hold a new license that only Chinese-owned companies could obtain, according to the briefing document. Regulators have since become very hostile toward AWS, the 2018 document stated.
The result was that Amazon took an unusual step for the company: It handed off its cloud technology to local companies so it could keep operating in China. The Chinese companies not Amazon were responsible for monitoring and taking down illegal content, collecting and reporting basic information of customers and working with PRC (the Peoples Republic of China) authorities on all compliance-related inquiries that may arise, the 2018 document stated.
In its statement to Reuters, Amazon said that AWS, as a foreign cloud provider, has to license or sell technology to local partners in China in order to have a presence there.
That structure didnt shield AWS from Chinese pressure, however.
In February 2018, Chinas Ministry of Public Security, or MPS, called AWS to a meeting, the briefing document stated. MPS threatened to retaliate against Amazon unless it removed content and blocked a website it hosted in the United States for Guo Wengui, a Chinese dissident. AWS refused, the document said. But the company asked Guo to take an action that exposed the dissidents Internet Protocol, or IP address, and AWS provided to MPS this data, the document stated. An IP address is a unique code that identifies a computer accessing the internet.
The ministry recognized our effort to find a solution, though not to their satisfactory level, the document stated.
The 2018 briefing document advised Carney to raise the governments request on Guo when meeting a top Ministry of Commerce official in Beijing, and stress that China shouldnt make requests that involve data stored abroad.
Asked about the Guo incident, Amazon confirmed it received the Chinese governments request, but said it did not provide any non-public information or any other customer information.
The commerce ministry said Guo wasnt discussed at the meeting with Carney. Amazon didnt say whether Guo came up.
An employee for MPS said the ministry doesnt respond to requests for comment. An attorney for Guo said Guo had no comment.
AWSs China business continues to grow. Despite being blocked from selling cloud services to the government and some state-owned enterprises, AWS has landed key customers in China, say people familiar with the matter.
Among them are two Chinese companies, Tiktok developer ByteDance and video-surveillance firm Hikvision, as well as multinationals Nike, Samsung and Philips, according to the 2018 briefing document and a 2019 blog on AWSs website. Philips declined to comment; the other four companies didnt respond to requests for comment.
In June, AWS announced it was expanding further in the country, to support the demands of our growing customer base in China.
Read more at: Reuters.com
(Natural News) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reinstating President Joe Bidens Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine and testing mandate after a federal appeals court reinstated the order. Almost immediately after the decision, multiple groups asked the Supreme Court to intervene and make a final ruling.
Bidens sweeping vaccine mandate applies to over 80 million American workers who are employed by businesses that have 100 or more staffers. On Friday, Dec. 17, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati voted two to one to grant a motion to lift the injunction that blocked OSHAs vaccine-or-test mandate.
In a conservative estimate, OSHA finds that the ETS [Emergency Temporary Standard] will save over 6,500 worker lives and prevent over 250,000 hospitalizations in just six months, wrote the court in its ruling. A stay would risk compromising these numbers, indisputably a significant injury to the public. The harm to the government and the public interest outweighs any irreparable injury to the individual petitioners who may be subject to a vaccination policy.
As a small gesture towards private businesses covered by the mandate, OSHA has given companies a small amount of compliance breathing room.
According to the original mandate, employers have to be in compliance with OSHAs mandate by Dec. 6 and all employees covered by the mandate had to be vaccinated or agree to be subjected to weekly testing requirements by Jan. 4, 2022.
But after the appeals courts decision, OSHA said it will not issue citations for noncompliance before Jan. 10 so that companies have more time to adjust to the requirements. OSHA will also not issue companies citations for noncompliance with testing requirements before Feb. 9 so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard, said the agency. OSHA will work closely with the regulated community to provide compliance assistance.
Employers who refuse to comply with the mandate will be subject to penalties. This can include a fine of up to $13,653 per violation for serious offenses. OSHA can also slap companies with heightened penalties for willful or repeated violations, which can cost businesses up to $136,532 per violation. (Related: Fauci as Gestapo chief: Regime will mandate COVID vaccines if hardcore group of patriots continue refusing the jab.)
Bidens vaccine mandate heads to Supreme Court
Within hours of the appeals courts ruling, at least three petitions were filed with the Supreme Court asking it to make a final ruling blocking the mandate.
One of the groups that filed a petition was the American Trucking Associations (ATA), which originally filed a suit against the mandate in federal court on Nov. 9 along with several state trucking groups that got the injunction against the mandate.
ATA President and CEO Chris Spear announced one hour after the ruling that he had filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court to have the injunction reinstated.
A number of other groups have filed similar requests with the Court as well, said Spear. Our hope is that the Supreme Court will act quickly and stay the rule well before this new Jan. 10 date.
One other group that filed a petition raised its concern that the mandate could force workers to quit rather than get vaccinated, leaving businesses without enough manpower during a severe labor shortage.
The resulting labor upheaval will devastate already fragile supply chains and labor markets at the peak holiday season, the petition stated.
Other petitioners asking the Supreme Court for an injunction include at least 27 states with Republican governors or attorneys general and national industry associations like the ATA, the National Retail Federation and the National Federation of Independent Business. Religious groups like the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky have also asked the Supreme Court to intervene.
The appeals to the Supreme Court were filed with Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the justice assigned to handle petitions from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He will consider the petitions and refer cases to the full court for consideration.
Kavanaugh has asked the Biden administration to respond to the petitions by Dec. 30.
Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how he and Alex Jones predicted the coming of vaccine passports and quarantine camps more than a decade ago.
Read more about the fight against Bidens unconstitutional COVID-19 vaccine mandate at Vaccines.news.
Sources include:
FreightWaves.com
Reuters.com 1
APNews.com
CNBC.com
Reuters.com 2
(Natural News) The cities of Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, as well as the state of Oregon in the United States, are seeking to make it legal to carry small amounts of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs for personal use.
Torontos board of health said that it will seek permission from the federal government to allow drug users to carry small amounts of drugs like heroin, cocaine and fentanyl for personal use, without fear of prosecution. This exemption will not cover drug trafficking, which would remain a criminal offense.
City officials are hoping that by decriminalizing personal use of drugs, people can get help easier. They also said that it could make it easier for drug users to get jobs and stable housing as they will no longer be under threat of holding criminal records.
These efforts follow those of Vancouver, which filed for similar exemptions in May, as well as those of the province of British Columbia, which filed its own application for decriminalization in November.
In the United States, the state of Oregon approved a plan to decriminalize drug possessions, while New York City became the first American city to open supervised opioid injection sites.
Handling overdoses in an overwhelming drug epidemic
These new policies and proposals come as officials are seeking ways to effectively handle the overdose epidemic that swept across North America. Drug users are dying in record numbers and increasingly toxic drug supplies have been overwhelming the black market.
Dr. Eileen de Villa, the medical officer for Toronto, said during a presentation to the citys health board that the current approaches to drug policies and regulations are not working.
In the U.S., provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that over 100,000 people are estimated to have died from drug overdoses in the 12 months ending April 30. This is the first time that deaths have reached six figures.
Studies showed that drug arrests and convictions have dropped in Oregon since February. Property crimes, which were often related to drug use, have also fallen. When Oregonians passed Measure 110 that made possession of small amounts of drugs punishable by a civil citation, it became a major victory for advocates pushing a systemic change in U.S. drug policies. For years, Oregon ranked near the top of states with the highest rates of drug and alcohol addiction, and it has now taken a leap toward radically changing the systems.
While New York is yet to decriminalize possession of drugs, users can now go to two locations in Upper Manhattan to use drugs under supervision so that they can be treated if they overdose. These facilities have also been available in Vancouver since 2003 and Toronto since 2017. (Related: NYC opens heroin injection sites for drug addicts.)
In Toronto, 531 people died from opioid overdoses in 2020 the most such deaths in the city in a single year. This number represented an 81 percent increase from 2019. As of June 2021, 282 people have died, setting a pace for another record-breaking number of deaths due to drug use.
Toronto officials expect to file an application with the federal health department by the end of the year, and city officials are expected to create a detailed plan for how the decriminalization can work including specifying the amount of drugs people can legally carry and consume for personal use, and which services can be made available to help users.
Toronto Medical Officer of Health: Criminalizing drugs is expensive
Criminalizing drug use is expensive, according to de Villa. The returns dont justify the cost either. In the Canadian province of Ontario, for instance, local governments spent 3.7 billion Canadian dollars ($2.87 billion) in 2017 to enforce drug laws, only for overdose deaths to continue increasing.
Joe Cressy, a city councilor in Toronto and chair of the city board of health, said that clinical evidence supports the idea of drug use as a health issue, not a criminal act.
While the timeline for approval from the Canadian federal government is unclear. Cressy said that he had been encouraged by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who named a new minister of mental health just last October. Cressy said that the step suggested how serious the federal government is about the issue.
Decriminalization will allow people suffering from addiction to get easier access to health services. Cressy noted that simply removing criminal penalties wont stop the overdoses, so there is a call for more funding for addiction treatment and overdose prevention services. The trick is to have a system with supports in place, he noted.
Read more articles about drugs and addiction more on Addiction.news.
Sources include:
WSJ.com
NPR.org
(Natural News) The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) has not been considered a high-consequence infectious disease (HCID) in the United Kingdom since March 19, 2020 just eight days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic.
Public health bodies in the U.K. initially classified the disease as HCID. But after more information became available, they concluded that COVID-19 does not fit the U.K. HCID criteria.
However, the WHO continues to consider COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Thus, the U.K. needs to have a national, coordinated response against COVID-19.
A couple of days after concluding that COVID-19 did not meet the U.K.s HCID criteria, the British government introduced lockdowns as well as the most oppressive bill in British Parliamentary history.
The 358-page-long Emergency Bill turned Britain into a totalitarian state that gave the government and the police unprecedented powers. Public meetings and elections were banned, and new powers were created relating to the restrictions on use and disclosure of information.
Many people in the U.K. still dont know that COVID-19 had been downgraded to flu status since March 2020 as pharmaceutical companies and governments continue with their dangerous illness narrative.
COVID-19 pandemic could be nothing but a global social engineering project
Authoritarian governments love emergency powers and executive orders that provide cover to implement all manners of draconian dictates that destroy freedoms in the name of keeping their citizens safe.
The pretext of declaring a pandemic and locking down billions of people remains a ruse that has nothing to do with a global health crisis: The deaths attributed to COVID-19 could stem from other causes.
There is an abundance of evidence suggesting that the pandemic is nothing but a global social engineering project meant to get people to get used to obeying mandates and dictates from local to international powers.
World Economic Forum leader Klaus Schwab said: The pandemic represents a rare but narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine and reset our world.
Critics say the COVID-19 pandemic is a mere fearmongering tactic that leads people to believe that they are in danger. For instance, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) official list of COVID-19 symptoms, there is nothing that makes it different from other illnesses such as influenza, allergies or pneumonia.
Potentially, millions of people diagnosed with COVID-19 already had one of these other illnesses.
There are also articles that revealed the CDC test kits could not even distinguish properly between the coronavirus and a drop of water, leading them to recall over 32,000 test kits that have been shipped to state public health labs.
In April, CDC officials confirmed that the test kits sent out to states in February were tainted with the coronavirus, and it was determined that sloppy practices in labs were involved in the contamination and uninterpretable results.
Finally, the RT-PCR test that is used to diagnose COVID-19 is unreliable at best. Late Nobel Prize-winning inventor Kary Mullis previously said that PCR tests should never be used for medical diagnosis as they were never intended to diagnose illnesses from viruses and current versions cannot distinguish between coronaviruses or other virus types.
It can only detect the presence of genetic material that had a variety of origins. Positivity levels for COVID-19 depend on what cycle threshold tests are set for. Anything over 30 to 35 cycles is likely to produce false-positive results, and most U.S. labs set the cycle threshold at 40 which means that test results are highly likely to indicate false positive results. (Related: COVID HOAX: Study reveals 40-45% of coronavirus hospitalizations are actually due to other causes.)
The CDC will be abandoning the current PCR tests by December 31, 2021, citing that the new test will facilitate detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses This admission implies that the current test cannot make distinctions. The CDC also previously admitted that a positive PCR test result does not necessarily indicate that COVID-19 is the definitive cause of the disease.
Watch the video below for information that could destroy the COVID-19 hoax.
This video is from channel Mindy on Brighteon.com.
Read more news related to the coronavirus pandemic at Pandemic.news.
Sources include:
GlobalResearch.ca
SagaciousNewsNetwork.net
Brighteon.com
(Natural News) File all this under true conspiracies. See the two podcasts below for even more details on this breaking story. I went on the Alex Jones Show today for 5 segments to discuss this in more detail. Those segments will be posted below as they are available via Brighteon.
You need to listen to at least the Part 1 Situation Update podcast below to get up to speed (about 45 min) in order to get the full background on this story.
The quick summary summary of the story is that Harvard scientist Dr. Charles Lieber was convicted yesterday on all six counts after lying to authorities about receiving millions of dollars from communist China as he shared his groundbreaking technology with a Wuhan technology institute. (See RT.com) Also arrested were two Chinese nationals, one was a female academic who was also a lieutenant in the Peoples Liberation Army, and another person caught trying to smuggle biological weapons out of Bostons Logan airport (MERS and SARS strains).
Dr. Lieber is a genius-level scientist who specializes in exotic nanowire technology and how it interfaces with human neurology and biology. Some of his actual patent titles and numbers:
9,029,836 Controlled synthesis of monolithically-integrated graphene structure
10,369,255 Scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components for cells, tissues, and other applications
9,595,685 Nanoscale wires, nanoscale wire FET devices, and nanotube-electronic hybrid devices for sensing and other applications
9,457,128 Scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components for cells, tissues, and other applications
9,252,214 Apparatus, method and computer program product providing radial addressing of nanowires
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From Townhall.com citing the US DOJ:
Dr. Charles Lieber, 60, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, was arrested this morning and charged by criminal complaint with one count of making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement.
Yanqing Ye, 29, a Chinese national, was charged in an indictment today with one count each of visa fraud, making false statements, acting as an agent of a foreign government and conspiracy. Ye is currently in China.
Zaosong Zheng, 30, a Chinese national, was arrested on Dec. 10, 2019, at Bostons Logan International Airport and charged by criminal complaint with attempting to smuggle 21 vials of biological research to China. On Jan. 21, 2020, Zheng was indicted on one count of smuggling goods from the United States and one count of making false, fictitious or fraudulent statements. He has been detained since Dec. 30, 2019.
According to court documents, since 2008, Dr. Lieber who has served as the Principal Investigator of the Lieber Research Group at Harvard University, which specialized in the area of nanoscience, has received more than $15,000,000 in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense (DOD). These grants require the disclosure of significant foreign financial conflicts of interest, including financial support from foreign governments or foreign entities, DOJ reveals.
Unbeknownst to Harvard University beginning in 2011, Lieber became a Strategic Scientist at Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in China and was a contractual participant in Chinas Thousand Talents Plan from in or about 2012 to 2017. Chinas Thousand Talents Plan is one of the most prominent Chinese Talent recruit plans that are designed to attract, recruit, and cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of Chinas scientific development, economic prosperity and national security.
Nanomesh, neurology interface control systems, radial addressing of nanowires
Another patent from Dr. Lieber:
9,252,214 Apparatus, method and computer program product providing radial addressing of nanowires
This allows for embedded AI systems to control nano-mesh lattices that interface with human neurology to both monitor and control human beings. This technology was being transferred to China.
Speculation is that nano-mesh lattices could be inserted into vaccines and once injected, they would self-assemble into neuralink-like computational interface systems that read and control human neurology.
This technology would essentially allow Mark Zuckerberg to project his Meta universe into your brain without using goggles. Its a full-matrix scenario, where these nanowire / embedded computational systems could eventually read your own private thoughts (inner dialog) and surveil the most private thing you have your mind.
This tech represents transhumanism and the borgification of humanity. It is the end game of total enslavement and mind control at the neurological level. It can be inserted into your body using hypodermic needles that are falsely labeled vaccines. (This does not mean that all vaccine injections are nanowire payloads, just that nanowire payloads can be inserted into such needles due to their nano-scale size.)
Carbon nanotube payload release systems activated by 5G
Read up on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and how they can be used to deliver payloads to the cells. These CNTs can be activated by external signals including 5G broadcasts that target specific individuals.
From FBcoverup.com and mirrored on NN servers:
Study title: Molecular origin of drug release by water boiling inside carbon nanotubes from reactive molecular dynamics simulation and DFT perspectives
From the study:
Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in 1991 and earlier in 1952, CNTs have come to the focus of attention, and their benefits can be currently found. The idea of using a hollow cylindrical structure as a transporter or container has been proposed for many years. Most recently, special properties of these novel materials were found in the medical communities with the hope to develop a new drug delivery system for small treatment agents such as proteins, nucleic acids, and other biologically active molecules. CNTs are used due to their unique properties in drug delivery, sensors as drug delivery agents, destruction of tumors with increasing temperature, cholesterol and blood sugar measurements, identification of antigens and DNA bonding with no toxic effects. Given the potential abilities of CNTs inside the cells, the potential application of CNTs is used for transport and delivery of drugs and antibodies without toxic effects.
As previously mentioned, it was proposed that thermal energy delivered to the CNT by a laser light can be used to accelerate the motion of the molecule inside the tube and hence its release from the nanotubes. It can also be used to weaken and disrupt the CNT-molecule interaction. The local temperature around the nanotubes is controlled by adjusting the laser radiation intensity that results in preventing the death of target biological cell.
This technology, combined with Dr. Liebers nanowire mesh systems, once advanced to a sufficient level of complexity, would allow external electromagnetic control of payload release into human cells, effectively creating a binary weapon system.
Vaccine needles can carry the CNTs. 5G towers can activate them. The only question is: What is the payload?
US military rolls out Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle universal vaccines the final kill switch?
Now, using what we believe to be Dr. Liebers technology developed over the last two decades using DoD money and NIH grant money totaling millions of dollars, the United States military which is already trying to mass murder active duty soldiers with covid vaccines has unveiled a nanotech universal vaccine that we believe to be based on Dr. Charles Liebers research.
From Army.mil, Dec. 16th, 2021:
A series of recently published preclinical study results show that the Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle (SpFN) COVID-19 vaccine developed by researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) not only elicits a potent immune response but may also provide broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern as well as other coronaviruses.
Scientists in WRAIRs Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch (EIDB) developed the SpFN nanoparticle vaccine, based on a ferritin platform, as part of a forward-thinking pan-SARS strategy that aims to address the current pandemic and acts as a first line of defense against variants of concern and similar viruses that could emerge in the future.
Thus, the military is using synthetic nanoparticles Spike Ferritin Nanoparticles to invade the bodys cells and deliver a payload. This is of course described as lifesaving technology, but the military has been carrying out mass murder of soldiers for over a century. Just examine the history of medical experimentation on Black soldiers to see the shocking truth.
Dont forget that Trump launched Operation Warp Speed and bragged about using the US military to distribute and deploy covid vaccines at record speed. Trump even recently bragged about reducing the usual 5 to 12 years of vaccine research time down to just 9 months, which he thinks is an amazing thing. To achieve this, he simply ordered drug companies and the FDA to skip all the safety studies and produce a true medical experiment that would be mass injected into billions of people.
See full coverage of Trump tripling down on the vaccines here.
The US military ran a plandemic in 1918 and labeled it Spanish Flu but it was actually caused by vaccines
The 1918 so-called Spanish Flu had nothing to do with Spain. It was actually a covid-like plandemic that was caused by the vaccines given to US military soldiers at Fort Riley, Kansas. The people who died from the virus were actually those who were vaccinated, and just like today, soldiers started dropping dead within minutes after being jabbed. This was all run under the blanket pharma domination of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.
From the book, Swine Flu Expose by Eleanora I. McBean, PhD, N.D.:
The first World War was of a short duration, so the vaccine makers were unable to use up all their vaccines. As they were (and still are) in business for profit, they decided to sell it to the rest of the population. So they drummed up the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history. There were no epidemics to justify it so they used other tricks. Their propaganda claimed the soldiers were coming home from foreign countries with all kinds of diseases and that everyone must have all the shots on the market.
The people believed them because, first of all, they wanted to believe their doctors, and second, the returning soldiers certainly had been sick. They didnt know it was from doctor-made vaccine diseases, as the army doctors dont tell them things like that. Many of the returned soldiers were disabled for life by these drug-induced diseases. Many were insane from postvaccinal encephalitis, but the doctors called it shell shock, even though many had never left American soil.
The conglomerate disease brought on by the many poison vaccines baffled the doctors, as they never had a vaccination spree before which used so many different vaccines. The new disease they had created had symptoms of all the diseases they had injected into the man. There was the high fever, extreme weakness, abdominal rash and intestinal disturbance characteristic of typhoid. The diphtheria vaccine caused lung congestion, chills and fever, swollen, sore throat clogged with the false membrane, and the choking suffocation because of difficulty in breathing followed by gasping and death, after which the body turned black from stagnant blood that had been deprived of oxygen in the suffocation stages. In early days they called it Black Death. The other vaccines cause their own reactions paralysis, brain damage, lockjaw, etc.
When doctors had tried to suppress the symptoms of the typhoid with a stronger vaccine, it caused a worse form of typhoid which they named paratyphoid. But when they concocted a stronger and more dangerous vaccine to suppress that one, they created an even worse disease which they didnt have a name for. What should they call it? They didnt want to tell the people what it really was their own Frankenstein monster which they had created with their vaccines and suppressive medicines. They wanted to direct the blame away from themselves, so they called it Spanish Influenza. It was certainly not of Spanish origin, and the Spanish people resented the implication that the world-wide scourge of that day should be blamed on them. But the name stuck and American medical doctors and vaccine makers were not suspected of the crime of this widespread devastation the 1918 Flu Epidemic. It is only in recent years that researchers have been digging up the facts and laying the blame where it belongs.
Also worth reading: This blog entry by Dr. Sal Martingano, FICPA
In the book, Vaccination Condemned, by Eleanor McBean, PhD, N.D., the author describes, in detail, personal and family experiences during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.
McBeans coverage of the 1918 Spanish Flu, as a reporter and an unvaccinated survivor, requires that the historical basis of the event needs to be revisited, not as a conspiracy theory but with evidence that will set your hair on fire.
A few years ago, I came across another book by Eleanor McBean: VaccinationThe Silent Killer. McBean provides evidence that not only were the historical events of the 1918 Spanish Flu compromised, but also those of the Polio and Swine Flu epidemics.
See the full blog entry here.
This chart shows deaths from all vaccines tracked by VAERS in the USA. Notice that covid vaccines now compromise more than half of all deaths from all vaccines combined:
Hear the full podcast and watch the videos here
The full Situation Update podcast on this is in two parts:
Part 1: Brighteon.com/37bd11cd-701d-4d52-96c3-eeba54d9914b
Part 2:
Brighteon.com/206d9961-2847-438e-91de-1b7d8778de91
More videos coming as available: Interviews on the Alex Jones Show and also with Owen Shroyer (War Room). Those will be posted and updated within hours.
Theres more coverage in tomorrows podcast based on new intel coming in:
https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
(Natural News) The only people who are not required to take Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines are migrants, according to new reports.
Officials and internal documents from the pro-jab Gavi organization say that tens of millions of illegal aliens will probably not be forced to take Fauci Flu shots because several major drug manufacturers are concerned about the legal ramifications if harmful side effects occur.
It turns out that only non-citizens have recourse under the law when it comes to vaccine adverse events. Actual citizens, contrarily, have no legal route to justice in the event that they suffer serious injuries or death post-injection.
As it currently stands, the bulk of Chinese Virus shots have been distributed to developed countries. Low-income countries have barely been jabbed at all and probably never will be.
The average poor country, it is being reported, has about a 7 percent injection rate. Far-left enclaves like Vermont, on the other hand, are almost entirely vaccinated.
The excuse being given by the corporate media for this disparity is that production problems are making it difficult for the shots to reach the third world. Hoarding by rich countries is another excuse.
There is also widespread vaccine hesitancy in the third world, and governments there appear to be backing off on the injection push in response.
Illegals now have more health freedom rights than you do
While pretty much the entire Western world has granted legal immunity to vaccine manufacturers for adverse events, migrants who travel across borders from their home countries can still technically sue if they become injured due to the injections.
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Many COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers have required that countries indemnify them for any adverse events suffered by individuals as a result of the vaccines, the United Nations says, reported Reuters. When governments are not in control, that is not possible.
The concerns affect people, such as those displaced by the Myanmar, Afghanistan and Ethiopian crisis, who are beyond the reach of national governments vaccination schemes.
This also applies to migrants from south of the border who flood their way into the United States. In addition to receiving lots of free stuff, these people are not subject to the same jab mandates as legal U.S. citizens.
A global program called COVAX set up a Humanitarian Buffer program to offer the shots to illegals. However, there is no mechanism for compensation in the event of injury or death, which leaves the vaccine industry vulnerable to lawsuits.
Because of this, it is unlikely that there will ever be a mandate for illegals, who will instead simply be encouraged to take the jabs or not, if they would rather not destroy their natural immune systems.
Gavi, which operates COVAX with the World Health Organization (WHO), says that where those applying for doses, mainly NGOs, cant bear legal risks, deliveries from that stockpile can only be made if vaccine-makers accept liability, Reuters further explains.
The companies that are willing to do so under these circumstances provide only a minority of the programmes vaccines, according to people familiar with the matter and the documents, written by Gavi staff for a board meeting starting at the end of November.
Due to all these legal barriers and lack of manufacturer immunity from litigation, only about two million doses of covid vaccine have been sent from the Humanitarian Buffer. Meanwhile, upwards of 167 million illegals and migrants are likely to never face a jab mandate.
Unless all the firms accept legal liability, access to vaccines for some populations will remain a challenge, the Gavi documents say, adding that new crises will generate additional demand to cover displaced populations, confirmed Reuters.
More of the latest news about Chinese Virus injections can be found at Genocide.news.
Sources for this article include:
Reuters.com
NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Ever since around March of this year, in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics have seen a massive surge in miscarriages and other serious problems, all apparently stemming from Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines.
American entrepreneur Steve Kirsch says an informant told him that rates of miscarriage have basically doubled ever since the Operation Warp Speed injections were unleashed by Donald father of the vaccine Trump.
A Ph.D. was brought into the clinic where the informant reportedly works, her job being to look at every possible variable that might have impacted this rapid spike all possible variables except for one, it turns out.
The Operation Warp Speed jabs were completely excluded from the investigation, which led the Ph.D. to claim that nothing was common to all of these women. She basically concluded that the phenomenon is a fluke without explanation.
There is a big elephant in the room, though, and that is the vaccines. The IVF clinic problems really ramped up right at the same time that the shots started getting pushed by fake president Joe Biden.
A 42-page report produced by the Health Independence Alliance explains that due to the vaccine, the miscarriage rate jumped from 28 percent to 40 percent, a 43 percent increase.
The report also contains detailed stories about disabilities, deaths and a wide range of other adverse events clearly stemming from the injections.
Conclusion: The vaccines should be immediately stopped, Kirsch writes about the reports findings.
IVF workers are now spotting unknown contaminants in embryo wells
From March through May, the miscarriage rate actually jumped by over 50 percent. Clinic workers say they have never seen anything like this before, and it all occurred right after the jabs were released.
Keep in mind that IVF clinics do not track anyones vaccination status. It is their perspective that the jabs are completely safe and effective, so they are not even a consideration when it comes to tracking changes in reproductive patterns.
Even so, there were some very abrupt changes that occurred immediately as millions of Americans were rolling up their sleeves in order to Build Back Better (6uild 6ack 6etter), as Bidens post-plandemic agenda is called.
One woman had very reliably donated 30 or more eggs each time she came in which yielded 5 to 8 embryos, Kirsch writes about one specific case. In May, she got her second shot of the vaccine and then came in to donate a couple of weeks later.
The clinic was shocked: All of the embryos had all arrested when they checked them on day 5. None of them reached the stage where the trophectoderm forms. Im told this sort of thing is exactly what youd expect from the vaccine.
There are also unknown contaminants reportedly being spotted in the wells with the embryos. The presence of these contaminants really started ramping up around August, Kirsch reports.
Despite all this, IVF clinics are not reporting these problems publicly. Instead, internal whistleblowers are having to come forward to spill the beans because their superiors and the companies that employ them apparently want to keep the truth under wraps.
What kind of medical practitioners would allow anyone to use an IVF clinic with no safety data on the gene altering injections, asked one reader at Kirschs Substack. Surely this is malpractice.
This just happened to me and my wife last week, wrote another.
Had 12 good embryos at day 3 everything looked great. Then development stopped. At day 5, none had progressed to a satisfactory point. Were both young, healthy, etc. Im a dirty unvaxxed. She had 2 shots of Pfizer this spring.
More of the latest news about Chinese Virus injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.
Sources for this article include:
SteveKirsch.substack.com
Yahoo.com
Drive.Google.com
NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Former intelligence officer Jeffrey Prather touched on the concept of being hazy, lazy, crazy and ready during the Dec. 17 episode of Prather Point on Brighteon.TV.
Prather said he published a rebuttal for military personnel discharged for refusing to get the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. Theyve thrown out Marines, sailors and airmen without regard for their letter of reference for their religious exemption requirements. Its all part of the plan, but its far from over, he noted.
CBS News reported on Dec. 14 that the Air Force has discharged 27 airmen for turning down the vaccine. According to a spokesperson from the branch, the 27 active-duty members received counseling about the vaccines in an attempt to convince them.
When they still refused, Air Force commanders went ahead with the decision to discharge the 27 for refusing to comply with a lawful order. The 27 discharged airmen had been with the military branch for less than six years, the report added.
Meanwhile, ABC 7 reported that the Marine Corps discharged 103 service members for turning down the COVID-19 vaccine. The service confirmed the move on Dec. 16 and added that 95 percent of active-duty Marines have received at least one vaccine dose.
In 2020, I was warning America about what was happening and what was coming. In 2021, I have focused on explaining the details of whats going on. We are engaged in a fifth-generation war that is very low on kinetic violence: Most of it is covert. It is really about information influence operations to change culture, Prather said. (Related: Jeffrey Prather: Culture change is part of fifth-generation warfare Brighteon.TV.)
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One of the symptoms of a fifth-generation war is you may not even know that you are in one. [However,] its still very difficult for people to understand because they think kinetic war is the only type of war [thats] not true at all. The government lost a fifth-generation war against this array of enemies, changing the culture. We are now engaged in a fourth-generation insurgent war against our own government.
Prather asks if Americans are hazy, lazy, crazy or ready
Prather called on Americans to get involved in the fight for the republic, but lamented that American culture has become very lazy. Easy is over and lazy isnt going to work. [This is] not the way America was founded, [this is] not the way the tribes and the pioneers were.
He proposed a sort of self-analysis that people can do which he calls hazy, lazy, crazy or ready before they can get involved. The title alluded to an earlier podcast Prather recorded.
First, he talked about the concept of hazy. Prather said that hazy means people are still not sure whats going on. He continued: Either youre hazy because youre just not very intelligent, or you want to be purposefully ignorant.
He cited an example of a family training with him that remained hazy despite the reality around them. They want to stay purposefully ignorant. They dont want to face that the world is worse today. So they just kind of ignore things and they put their kids at risk.
Second, Prather touched on the concept of lazy. He explained: I understand theres a problem and I want to do something about it, but I want you to do everything for me.
Easy is over. Youve got to either find it, grow it, hunt it or make it. Youve got to get out of your paradigms if you are lazy. They want everything done for them. Thats not going to work. Laziness is not going to work anymore.
Third, Prather defined crazy as someone doing the same thing over and other [and] expecting a different result. He mentioned the example of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell who presented evidence of election fraud following his August 2021 Cyber Symposium. Lindell urged Americans to write to their respective attorneys general (AGs) to get investigations into vote fraud going.
Write to your AGs to get the cases going? Well, in Maricopa County, where the great Arizona patriots did a fantastic volunteer job, what has happened? Nothing has happened. If you think you can go to these old institutions that were standing when we were growing up before they were infiltrated, and youre doing the same thing expecting a different result youre crazy.
Lastly, Prather said that those who are ready are willing to let go of past paradigms and old conventions that no longer work. Its going to require all of us to get involved and do whatever we can.
He called on those who are ready to eschew the paradigm that they have limited skill sets, saying that everybody has a skill set and everybody has value. Prather also urged Americans to let go of the lone survivor paradigm common in action movies.
Youre going to have to ream up to do this [and] put aside differences with people that you dont like, he said. (Related: Jeffrey Prather talks about fifth-gen warfare and how Americans can fight for freedom Brighteon.TV.)
Watch the full Dec. 17 episode of Prather Point below. Tune in to Prather Point every Friday at 10-11 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.
Resist.news has more about Americans fighting to take back the republic.
Sources include:
Brighteon.com
CBSNews.com
ABC7NY.com
(Natural News) Scott Kesterson described the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine as a bioweapon that poses a threat to humanity during the Dec. 16 edition of BardsFM on Brighteon.TV.
Everybody in our government is well aware that this vaccine is a bioweapon and is a danger to humanity. There is absolutely no question about that. The problem is almost every single one of them is owned in one fashion or another by the biomedical companies, the pharmaceutical companies, said Kesterson.
He cited Australia as an example. Victoria, a state in south-east Australia, will become the first place in the southern hemisphere to manufacture mRNA vaccines after the Victorian government recently secured a deal with the Australian government and pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna.
The new manufacturing facility is expected to produce 100 million mRNA vaccine doses per year by 2024.
This rollout that were seeing has no intent of stopping. It is because they are not moving towards an old model. Theyre moving toward their new model and people keep looking back to try to figure out how we got here. We got here because of complacency, Kesterson said.
He said people are deceived that they can change the system by simply voting the politicians out of power.
They are not going out of power. When you have a vaccine production facility going into place in Australia using taxpayer dollars, thats not something thats going to change anything, meaning the voting that were going to do is not going to change anything. That is a corporate model thats moving forward to continue to enslave people, Kesterson said.
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The system is so deeply corrupted, said Kesterson, that people cannot change the system by simply voting.
The vote is only a process of putting in people that its just a matter of time before this new order of control is bought off by the powers that be whether its through money or through blackmail. Through whatever means, our vote does not change the fact that our government is owned and controlled by the highest bidder.
Principle of tag, track, locate
Kesterson said that at the core of this vaccine is the principle of tagging people with tag, track, locate (TTL) tag.
Theyre getting tagged to be integrated into this new global network of 5g surveillance. And at the same time, its destroying key groups of people. One of the most notable are the elderly. And its corrupting the DNA of everybody, especially the youth, Kesterson explained.
Everybody thats casualty to this injection becomes a profit point. So the hospital systems then gained an enormous amount of ability to pilfer out additional wealth out of the society, because people now are going to become sick with various consequences of the injection.
He also expressed disbelief that former President Donald Trump said he is supporting the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine that causes thrombocytopenia syndrome, which is the destruction of platelets in your blood and results in the inability of blood to coagulate.
So this causes long menstrual cycles in women, it causes massive problems in healing. And this is one of these injections that President Trump has openly said he backs. (Related: CDC just warned that 15,000 Americans will die EACH WEEK by Christmas; but its actually VACCINE DEATHS that are accelerating just as independent doctors told us all along.)
In April, the Food and Drug Administration asked states to temporarily halt the administration of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine out of an abundance of caution after six women in the U.S. developed a blood-clotting disorder that left one dead and another in critical condition.
Watch the full Dec. 14 episode of BarbsFM with Scott Kesterson below. Tune in to BardsFM every Thursday at 5-6 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.
Follow Immunization.news for more news related to the coronavirus vaccines.
Sources include:
Brighteon.com
GlobalCitizen.org
(Natural News) New research out of the University of North Carolina (UNC) found that Mercks new anti-covid drug molnupiravir causes cancer.
The so-called miracle drug, which we reported is really just a rip-off of ivermectin, was applied to hamster cells over the course of 32 days. During this time, it was discovered that the drug induces mutations in DNA.
Study authors wrote that the mutations they observed could contribute to the development of cancer, or cause birth defects either in a developing fetus or through incorporation into sperm precursor cells.
It is claimed that molnupiravir only targets dividing cells, which are relatively rare in adults. Still, the drug causes mutations and DNA damage that suggest it could cause tumors and cancer.
Molnupiravir linked to male infertility, admits FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also announced that molnupiravir negatively impacts male fertility.
The New York Times reported that FDA advisers warned that men wanting to become fathers may not want to take molnupiravir because the full gamut of its risks remain poorly understood.
Mercks own internal studies identified no risks, of course. The company insists that molnupiravir is completely safe and effective, including against the Omicron (Moronic) variant of the Chinese Flu.
The Times reiterated Mercks claims about molnupiravir, suggesting that it is expected to work against Omicron, whatever that is supposed to mean.
Scientists and regulators in Europe, however, are not as convinced. They say that molnupiravir is much less effective than other already available treatments.
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I dont think anybody knows what this dose means in terms of human outcomes, said Dr. Ronald Swanstrom, and HIV researcher at UNC who helped lead the hamster cell study. I hope its trivial, but I dont think anybody knows.
In Dr. Swanstroms view, there are enough dividing cells in adult bones and the lining of the gut to cause concern in terms of the use of molnupiravir. Men also continually produce dividing sperm cells that could carry potential mutations because of the drugs use.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should definitely not take molnupiravir because the risks to them are arguably the greatest. This is why Merck excluded them from its clinical trial.
Human development in utero is an absolutely astounding sequence of events, says Dr. John Mellors, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. You start tinkering with that in any way, you can end up with disaster.
Mercks own studies involving pregnant rats showed that molnupiravir causes developmental abnormalities and even the death of a fetus. For this reason, British health authorities have said that the drug should not be given to pregnant or breastfeeding women.
If I was pregnant, I wouldnt take this, Elizabeth Campbell, an expert in structural biology at Rockefeller University who studies coronavirus antivirals, added to the conversation.
What molnupiravir does is it disguises itself, she added. It can propagate errors that are going to be sprinkled all over the genome If cells are replicating, it means theyre uptaking a version of one of the DNA building blocks derived from molnupiravir and incorporating it.
Since nobody knows what this drug really does in its entirety, Campbell and others are basically suggesting that people should steer clear of it at least that is what their statements seems to point towards.
Merck, meanwhile, is aggressively trying to stop the truth from coming out about all this. The drug giant is pulling all kinds of excuses and diversion tactics to make molnupiravir seem safe and effective even though it is clearly not.
More related news about the Fauci Virus and the Big Pharma covid cash cow can be found at Fascism.news.
Sources for this article include:
Twitter.com
NaturalNews.com
NYTimes.com
(Natural News) A new report from the Rockefeller Foundation called Reset the Table (sound familiar?) calls for a total centralization of the global food supply in order to solve the hunger and nutrition crisis.
The Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic increased hunger in children by more than 500 percent, the report alleges. And the only way to solve it is for food to be communized and controlled entirely by a global central government.
Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, the foundations president, admits in the opener that calls to globalize the worlds food systems is not new. Globalists have been pushing for it for many years, and only now, thanks to the Fauci Flu, is it finally within reach.
None of the aggressive measures proposed in the report would have been possible were it not for the widespread destruction of society and its supply chains caused by Chinese Virus lockdowns and other fascism.
The report of course puts things differently, suggesting that the plandemic was an unfortunate and unexpected curveball that now requires a total transformation of the worlds systems. The reality is that the plandemic was planned in order to accomplish these longstanding goals of the globalists.
Reset the Table is simply one piece of the overall Great Reset that was put forth by World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab. It is a communist dream finally coming to fruition.
The U.S. food systems very specific kind of efficiency has also brought rigidity and costly impacts on human and environmental health alongside high levels of wasted food, the report contends.
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Disparities in access to healthy food and lack of affordability of nutritious food compared to less healthy alternatives were outcomes of where agricultural subsidies and supports were targeted, and where research and development dollars were spent.
Rockefeller Foundation blames lack of food communism for covid deaths
The current food system was apparently problematic long before the Fauci Flu magically appeared just when the globalists wanted it to. The plandemic simply brought it all to light, claims the Rockefeller Foundation.
In other words, covid is now being used by the globalists to claim that the current food system is broken and must be taken over by a global central government in order to make it fair and equitable.
The same communities already struggling with nutrition insecurity not coincidentally found themselves at increased risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from Covid-19, the report claims.
Long before Covid-19, farm and meatpacking laborers had among the highest worker injury rates and were among the most poorly paid of any occupation, with 50 percent of employees undocumented and unprotected.
The report goes on to suggest that calling meatpacking plant and other food system workers back to the job during the early days of the plandemic rather than let them stay at home forever led to them getting sick and dying from Chinese Germs.
Grocery clerks and stockers have similarly been on the frontlines of Covid-19, where many work in direct contact with potentially infectious customers without the necessary personal protective equipment, it further reads.
Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, who also lack many basic fair workplace protections and access to health care, play an essential role in our food system but are among the most vulnerable.
Reading between the lines, it becomes apparent throughout the report that the plandemic really is the cover story for the pre-planned Great Reset, which has been in the works for many, many years.
The goal all along was to create a crisis (problem), followed by a response (reaction) and remedy (solution). It is classic manipulation and social engineering in action.
More related news about the engineered collapse of the current global order can be found at Collapse.news.
Sources for this article include:
RockefellerFoundation.org
NaturalNews.com
Scientists have discovered the first millipede with more than 1,000 legs this week. No millipede with more than 750 legs has ever been discovered before.
Millipede with 1,306 Legs
Paul Marek and his team found the millipede 60 meters under the ground in a drill hole meant for exploring minerals in the mining region of Australia's Eastern Goldfields Province, according to Phys.org.
Eumillipes persephone, a new species, with 1,306 legs, which is more than any other animal. Its name comes from the Greek word eu- meaning true, the Latin words mille (thousand), and the Latin word pes (foot), and worships Persephone which is the underworld goddess.
The new species has long, thread-like bodies with up to 330 segments with a width of 0.95mm and a length of 95.7mm, according to the measurements of four specimens. They have no eyes, short legs, and cone-shaped heads with antennae and a beak on top of their head.
E. persephone may be linked to Illacme plenipes, the Californian millipede species that held the previous record for the most legs, according to an analysis of species relationships.
According to the scientists, the two species may be able to navigate through small spaces in their soil habitats because of the enormous number of segments and legs they have developed.
The study's results emphasize the region's rich biodiversity. Maintaining E. persephone's underground habitat is recommended by the authors in order to minimize the impact of mining in this area.
Also Read: Newly Discovered Chirping Millipedes are in Danger
Reason Why the Millipede Evolved Such Length
A CSIRO insect specialist and study colleague, Dr Juanita Rodriguez, said the new species' length is likely developed for mobility underground.
"The more length you have, the more strength to propel forward," she said. There would be more power to propel the millipede through narrow cracks because of its over 300 body segments, according to she added.
Rodrguez estimates that the Portuguese millipede, an invasive species often found in Australia, has around 25 segments. It may be seen in large numbers after heavy rain.
The discovery of a new species so deep underground surprised Rodriguez. Many millipedes reside on the ground and decompose organic waste such as leaf litter, she added.
The new species has a lot of mysteries around it. Buzatto stated, guessing that they consume fungus.
Known Species of Millipede in Australia
According to Rodriguez, Australia is home to at least 2,000 different millipede species, with the real number of millipede species in the country perhaps reaching as high as 4,000.
Only a small percentage of Australia's biodiversity has been characterized, and taxonomists play a crucial role in filling up those gaps, according to Buzatto. To put it another way, scientists are basically pushing species extinct probably faster than they describe.
Australian millipede compounds are also being studied by Rodriguez and her colleagues at the CSIRO. Antibacterial resistance is a growing problem for many infections, therefore researchers are putting these compounds to the test to find out whether they have antimicrobial potential.
Centipedes only have one set of legs, but millipedes have two pairs on almost every part of their bodies.
Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed journal, released a study on the new millipede.
Related Article: New Discovery: Bizaare Millipede Has 414 Legs, 4 Poisonous Penises
For more news, updates about millipedes and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
A Houston-based oil corporation and two subsidiaries have been charged in connection to a large oil leak that occurred off the coast of southern California in October, contaminating seas, beaches, and endangering animals.
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Legal Proceedings
Prosecutors claim that part of the cause of the leak was a failure to respond appropriately when alarms repeatedly warned personnel of a pipeline breach.
A federal grand jury indicted Amplify Energy and its subsidiaries, which operate numerous oil rigs and a pipeline off the coast of Long Beach, with a single misdemeanor offense of unlawfully dumping oil.
Investigators suspect the pipeline was damaged when the anchor of a cargo ship grabbed it in heavy winds in January, months before it exploded on October 1 and spilled up to 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of crude oil into the ocean.
Related Articlle: Oil Sheen Found Near Damaged Pipeline Prompts the US Coast Guard to Investigate
Irresponsibility
According to US authorities, the corporations were found to be irresponsible in six ways, including failing to respond to eight leak detection system alerts over a 13-hour period that should have alerted them to the spill and reduced the damage. Instead, the pipeline was shut down after each alert and then reactivated, pouring more oil into the water.
Amplify claimed the pipeline was displaced by an unidentified shipping firm. That staff on and offshore responded to what they thought were false alerts since the system wasn't working correctly. According to the corporation, it alerted a potential leak at the platform where none existed.
According to Amplify, the leak came from a portion of subsea pipe 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) distant.
The business stated that "had the staff understood there was a genuine oil leak in the water, they would have shut down the pipeline immediately."
Monumental Leak
The leak washed up on the beach at Huntington Beach, forcing the city's beaches and others around the Orange County coast to close for almost a week. Fishing in the affected area has only just restarted after tests revealed that the fish did not contain dangerous levels of oil pollutants. It also contaminated sensitive wetlands, which are important habitats for migratory and shorebirds and other endangered species. Even after the black globs were cleaned off the beaches, it's still unknown how much of a long-term impact the spill had on plants and animals.
The corporation faces up to five years of probation if convicted and fines that might reach millions of dollars.
According to Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, the indictment verifies locals who saw the leak a day earlier and reported it.
"It's unfortunate that they practically misled to the community during press conferences and led people to believe that what they saw, smelled, and knew with their own eyes was not real," she added.
Discussing the Indictment
According to pipeline safety advocate Bill Caram, the indictment presents a picture of a careless firm.
"I realize that leak detecting systems might produce false positives, but this is our prized coastline," said Caram, director of the Pipeline Safety Trust in Bellingham, Washington. "It's dangerous and atrocious that they continued pushing the snooze button and disregarding alerts, stopping and resuming this pipeline while spewing oil into the Pacific Ocean."
Prosecutors also discovered that the pipeline was understaffed, the crew was tired, and the leak detecting system was not well-trained.
According to pipeline expert Ramanan Krishnamoorti of the University of Houston, the indictment's portrayal of firm staff as weary alluded to a long-standing industry issue.
He remarked, "Fatigue and overworked personnel is old, cliched, and unforgivable." "This has been proven to be the single most crucial weakness time and time again."
Also Read: Scientists to Train Tiny Robots to Suck Oil Spills and Remove Toxins From Drinking Water
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Deforestation and climate change are causing the tropics to heat up, making it more difficult for outdoor workers to do their jobs safely.
Temperature Change Linked to Deforestation
Researchers estimate how many safe working hours individuals in the tropics have lost over the last 15 years as a result of local temperature change linked to deforestation. The report was made in journal One Earth, which was published on December 17th.
Compared to persons living in wooded areas, there has been a substantial decline in acceptable work hours linked with heat exposure simply over the last 15 or 20 years, says Duke University climate researcher Luke Parsons, the study's lead author.
As a result of recent climate change, there has been a slight increase in humid heat exposure for persons living in the deforested areas compared to those in the wooded areas in the last 15 years, according to Phys.org.
Deforestation has already been linked to an increase in local temperature, according to previous studies. Shade is provided by trees, which obscure the sun's rays. As a result of evapotranspiration, plants chill the air by transporting and then evaporating water from their leaves, much as sweating does.
Temperatures seem to be regulated by the trees in the tropics. Atmosphere loses that cooling service from trees when they are taken down, and it may become very, very hot. As a result of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon during the last 15 or 20 years, the afternoons may be as much as 10 degrees Celsius warmer than they would have been in a forest.
Also Read: Worsening Situation in Amazon Rainforest May Expose Millions of People to Lethal Heat Stress
Lost Safe Work Time
Deforestation-induced climate change affects more people than previously thought, according to the One Earth research.
A team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, studied the temperature and humidity in 94 low-latitude nations with tropical forests from 2003 to 2018, using satellite data and meteorological measurements.
About 5 million individuals missed at least half an hour of safe work time a day in newly deforested areas because the weather was too hot and humid to properly do heavy labor.
At the very least, 2.8 million of these individuals are engaged in physically demanding employment in the fields of agriculture and construction. Heat strain and heat-related disorders, such as heat stroke, may be deadly if they occur as a result of excessive physical exertion in hot and humid conditions.
Because of climate change, many tropical places are already too hot and humid to operate. If deforestation continues, these areas might become much more dangerous workplaces.
Positive and Negative Message From the Research
As a result of deforestation, this research predicts that approximately 100,000 individuals living in the tropics have lost more than two hours of safe work time every day; 90% of those people are in Asia. Parsons suggests that Asia's high population density is to blame for the disproportionate distribution.
Parsons said: "I think the research has a positive message and a negative message. The negative message is that if we cut down trees, we not only cause problems for the ecosystem and global carbon emissions, but we also lose local cooling services that provide a comfortable and safe place to work.
But the positive message is that if we can prevent forest loss, we can maintain cooling services along with all the other benefits forests provide. Importantly, the relationship between the health of the forests and nearby people offers an additional, locally relevant reason to prevent tree loss."
Related Article: Amazon is Currently Experiencing the Worst Deforestation in 15 Years!
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Two babies escaped death after a tornado impacted Kentucky last weekend, ripping the bathtub that was protecting them out of the ground. According to their grandmother, the tub landed in the yard.
Survival of the Babies
Clara Lutz, the grandmother of 15-month-old Kaden and 3-month-old Dallas told WFIE-TV that she put the two babies, along with a blanket, pillow, and a Bible, in a bathtub on Friday. After that, their home in Hopkins County began to tremble.
Soon, the tub had risen over Lutz's head and was no longer under his control. As soon as Lutz regained consciousness, she started searching for her two children amongst the shattered debris.
"All I could say was, 'Lord please bring my babies back safely. Please, I beg thee."' She said.
Her backyard was littered with an upside-down bathtub containing her newborns. Two children were returned to their mother by sheriff's deputies at the end of their driveway, she claimed.
Despite the fact that Dallas was sent to Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville for treatment of a head injury, the bleeding had stopped when Lutz arrived at the hospital, accordibg to The Guardian.
Following a weekend of devastating storms, at least 92 people have been reported dead in different states. The current total in Kentucky is 75, according to state disaster management and the state health department.
The latest total in Kentucky is 75, according to state disaster management authorities and the state health department. In Kentucky, the two newborns were saved by their grandmother despite their bathtub being wrenched out of the ground and thrown into the yard by a storm.
Also Read: Two-Month-Old Infant Becomes Youngest Casualty in Catastrophic Tornado That Hit Kentucky
Report of Missing Residents
The governor of Kentucky reports that all of the people who were reported missing following the tornado have been found.
There are no longer any persons unaccounted for in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear stated on Saturday, after the weekend's storms.
State disaster management authorities' report was praised by Beshear and he hoped that it meant that no more individuals in Kentucky were killed by the storm.
Beshear stated his staff thinks there have been 78 fatalities, while state disaster management authorities and the state health department placed the current total at 75. There was some dispute about the number of deaths.
In response to the difference, Beshear stated that authorities were attempting to fix it and he added that he hoped they were correct.
Officials in Tennessee have verified that a fifth person died as a result of the same weather system.
A third storm-related fatality has been reported in Lake County, where two others were killed, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. In Obion and Shelby Counties, the remaining deaths were reported.
Government's Effort to Assist Affected Residents
Dozens of tornadoes battered a large region on Dec. 10 and 11 in numerous states, leaving at least 92 people dead.
In Kentucky, Beshear said that six more counties had received assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and that funeral expenditure relief payments had been doubled to $10,000.
It was his opinion that the family of the deceased should not have to pay for a low-cost funeral for their loved one.
Nine hundred and forty-four people have been offered temporary lodging at motels or state campgrounds, according to Beshear. In addition, he said applications for disaster unemployment assistance were being accepted in 14 Kentucky counties for anyone whose jobs were affected by the storms.
Related Article: Kentucky Candle Factory Workers Threatened to Get Fired if They Leave Amid Devastating Tornado
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An unidentified culprit has been the cause of oxygen declines in our atmosphere for not less than 800,000 years. After analyzing the air bubbles stored in Antarctic ice for about 1.5 million years the likely suspect was caught.
Decline in Atmospheric Oxygen Levels
In the late Pleistocene, oxygen levels started to decline significantly, and it seems that glaciers may have been a factor, according to Rice University's Yuzhen Yan, the corresponding author of the geochemical research published in Science Advances.
The oxidation of metals is one of the most fundamental processes that break down rocks and minerals during weathering. An example is the corrosion of iron. Exposure to oxygen, or O2, causes iron surfaces to develop a reddish iron oxide, according to Phys.org.
Yan, a postdoctoral research associate at Rice University's Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, said that when you expose new crystalline surfaces from the sedimentary reservoir to O2, you get weathering that consumes oxygen.
According to Yan, glaciers may increase the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere by revealing organic material that has been buried for millennia.
The oxygen content of Earth's atmosphere has decreased by about 0.2% over the last 800,000 years, according to a study led by Daniel Stolper, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who conducted his Ph.D. research in the Princeton University labs of Michael Bender and John Higgins.
Also Read: Earth's Lake is Running Low on Oxygen, Putting Aquatic Life Under Threat
Analysis of Bubbles in Ancient Ice Cores
Scientists from Oregon State University and the University of Maine and the University of California, San Diego studied bubbles in earlier ice cores to indicate that the O2 drop started approximately 1 million years ago when the duration of Earth's glacial cycles more than quadrupled.
The past 2.7 million years have been an ice era. After then, there were other glaciations. The ice caps extended and retreated, covering up to a third of the world.
A million years separated the four unique times. Glacial cycles started lasting 100,000 years when oxygen levels in the atmosphere started to decline.
Yan claimed that Earth's biosphere had nothing to do with the decline in O2 levels because it is self-sustaining, taking in as much O2 as it produces. On a global scale, weathering is most likely to consume enough excess O2 to explain the decline, and Yan and colleagues considered two scenarios for increasing weathering.
Oxidizing Power of Atmospheric O2
When glaciers advance, the global sea level drops, and when they retreat, it rises. The magnitude of sea level swings more than doubled along with the lengthening of glacial cycles.
The oxidizing effect of atmospheric O2 would have been exposed to previously submerged terrain as coasts expanded.
"We did some calculations to see how much oxygen that might consume and found it could only account for about a quarter of the observed decrease," Yan said.
For each glacial cycle, the amount of ice covering is not exactly known. As a result, the quantity of chemical weathering from glacial erosion is subject to more uncertainty. Yan, on the other hand, said that the data indicated that it might be drawing sufficient oxygen to explain the reduction.
"On a global scale, it's very hard to pinpoint," he said. "But we did some tests about how much additional weathering would be needed to account for the O2 decline, and it's not unreasonable. Theoretically, it could account for the magnitude of what's been observed."
Related Article: Lack Of Oxygen Will Lead to 'Death' of Most Life on Earth in Billion Years, Say Experts
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The Thwaites Glacier is a large block of ice located on the Walgreen Coast of Antarctica, far from the presumably warm spot you're reading this.
Effect of Changes in the Doomsday Glacier
Researchers fear that a significant amount of ice from the world's widest glacier may be lost to the seas in the near future, according to Extreme Tech. This made Thwaites to be nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier.
Near-term changes in Doomsday Glacier might boost sea levels by up to two feet, researchers from AGU warned at a press briefing the previous week.
In spite of the Thwaites Glacier's long-term shrinking, a convenient ice shelf has kept from experiencing the full extent of the glacial melt.
50 billion tons of ice are released into the ocean by the Thwaites Glacier every year. Four percent of the yearly sea level rise may be attributed to just one factor.
Stability is deteriorating at Thwaites, according to the American Geophysical Union (AGU). One of the world's largest glaciers spans a distance of more than 80 miles (128 kilometers) (1,188 meters). A "seamount" under the ocean is weakening as the water warms.
Also Read: 'Doomsday Glacier' Almost Size of Florida Could Meet its End in 3 Years Due to Global Warming
Fear of Crumbling Glacier
Researchers are afraid that the glacier would ultimately shatter due to the presence of fissures. The Thwaites Glacier might begin to lose mass at an alarming pace if the eastern ice shelf that restricts runoff collapses.
The world might be only a few years away from this, and the consequences could be catastrophic. Even while a two-foot rise may not seem like much, the majority of coasts are inclining.
Potentially displacing millions of people in the U.S. if sea levels rise permanently like this. Asian countries are also predicted to be badly affected by the disaster.
Thwaites Glacier's collapse may be inescapable, though. According to new research, a rise in global temperatures of only 1.5 degrees Celsius might be the tipping point for catastrophic climate change.
More than 9 million Americans would be affected by coastal flooding as a result of this. That number would rise to 26 million if the world hit a temperature of 3 degrees Celsius.
What will Happen if Thwaites Glacier Collapses?
Researchers from the American Geophysical Union (AGU) made it clear that Thwaites Glacier was not the only area of concern.
There are several places of failure in Antarctica's thinning ice sheet that might lead to its collapse, but it's only one of them. This is a dreadful scenario that the world may not be able to fix
The warning that the 300-meter thick, 50-mile wide Thwaites glacier has begun to fracture apart has been received with silence by nations focused with Covid-19 and the resumption of regular politics.
Taking action to combat global warming, as promised in November, might be put on hold for another year, adding to the already perilous planet we live in.
Related Article: Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier at Risk of Collapsing, Could Permanently Change Global Coastline
For more news, updates about doomsday glaciers and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
British palaeontologist Shirley Coryndon (1926 - 1976) and amateur geologist John Hesketh excavate the fossilised bones of a steppe mammoth (Mammuthus trogontherii) discovered by Hesketh in Aveley, Essex, UK, 10th August 1964. It is the most complete mammoth skeleton to be found in the UK to date. (Photo : Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Archaeologists and palaeontologists were astonished after having uncovered remains of five mammoths from 200,000 years ago after an archaeological dig. The extensive remains unearthed from a mammoth 'graveyard' near Swindon were two adults, two juveniles and an infant, along with Neanderthal stone tools, who are likely to have hunted these trunked mammals.
The five bony remains in "an extraordinary state of preservation" were believed to have died during the last ice age at what is now a quarry in Swindon, a town in southwest England.
"Finding mammoth bones is always extraordinary, but finding ones that are so old and well preserved, and in such close proximity to Neanderthal stone tools is exceptional" said Lisa Westcott Wilkins, the co-founder of DigVentures, the crowdsourced archaeological outfit in the U.K. that led the excavation.
Alongside the mammoth remains were Neanderthal tools including a hand ax and small flint tools known as scrapers.
Historical Ice Age Remnants
DigVentures had organized two field seasons in 2019 and 2020 to excavate the site where more ice age remnants were uncovered. Aside from mammoth remains, such as tusks, leg bones, ribs, and Steppe mammoth vertebrae, fossil hunters, Sally and Neville Hollingworth also found delicate beetle wings and fragile freshwater snail shells in the graveyard they discovered themselves.
According to the researchers, the site could be dated back to 220,000 to 210,000 years ago, toward the end of an interglacial, or warm period, when Neanderthals still inhabited Britain. However, Neanderthals moved farther south when temperatures dropped significantly.
In addition, they noted that the five individuals at the graveyard seem to have shrunk during the especially cold ice age, considering that early Steppe mammoths typically stands up to 13.1 feet (4 meters) high at the shoulders.
Since only a fraction of the vast site had been excavated, DigVentures expects to dug up more remains of prehistoric evidence at the gravel quarry.
Also read: How do Some Meteors and Meteorites Cause Mass Extinction? Scientists Explain that It Isn't All About Size
A "Glimpse Back in Time"
The team is looking forward to understand why many mammoths died at one spot and whether they were hunted or were their remains had been scavenged.
A BBC documentary "Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard" with evolutionary biologist Sir David Attenborough and Ben Garrod who joined filming on the site described the graveyard findings as "one of the most important discoveries in British palaeontology" and "incredibly rare".
"Where these mammoths lie in the ground is exactly where they died a quarter of a million years ago - next to incredible things like stone tools and the snails they trampled underfoot," said Garrod.
Duncan Wilson, the chief executive of Historic England, a British historical preservation body also said: "The findings have enormous value for understanding the human occupation of Britain, and the delicate environmental evidence recovered will also help us understand it in the context of past climate change.
"Through these finds and the research that will follow, we look forward to further light being shed on life in Britain 200,000 years ago."
DigVentures hope to continue excavations once further funds have been raised. Meanwhile, the site is now protected from fossil hunters by natural flooding.
Also read: Colossal 10-Foot-Long Sun Fish Swims by a Pair of Paddle-Boarders in Laguna, California
A money eats guava at a market area in New Delhi on December 14, 2021. (Photo : Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Monkeys that are residing in an Indian local municipality, were reported to brutally killing a total of 250 dogs by physically moving each one towards the top of a tall building and tree branches, before dropping the dogs down one by one.
Panicked and frightened inhabitants have also now been attacked, with claims that the transgressions of wildlife violent actions were conducted out in vengeance after one pack of stray dogs killed one of the monkeys' newborns.
Enraged Monkeys in India Slaughtered 250 Dogs
The heinous occurrences had already been flagged up in Majalgaon, where it was said that 250 dogs seemed to have been victimized by rabid primate species, and near the area Lavul in Maharashtra's Beed region.
As per the Indian newspaper website which was published online, not even a solitary dog is left in Lavul, in which even children in schools are now being terrorized and threatened by these monkeys.
While according to local resident reports, monkeys attack dogs as fairly shortly as they see them prior to actually carrying them to a considerable height which is in the top of a constructing building or a tall tree before dropping them to their deaths.
Several media stories, were published wherein it states that 250 dogs were brutally murdered in this manner within last 30 days solely.
Images published in international press appeared to suggest the malicious activities. One shows a monkey on a top floor transporting a puppy towards the boundary of a construction site.
Brief video, conceivably from the altercation that ignited the reprisal killings, demonstrates dogs attacking monkeys through into the neighborhood while native children and women fled for security. The dogs seemed to be guarding a child.
Occupants of the neighborhood have also notified countryside state agency authorities for help, requesting that the predator monkeys be apprehended and dealt with accordingly.
Nevertheless, when officials were dispatched to the community to try to catch the monkey predators, they are still lack of fit to capture any one of the primates, according to news outlets reports.
Also read: Dingo vs Wolf: Which Canid Would Win in a Fight?
Attacks of Monkeys to Local Residents in India
Numerous reports have disclosed that the turned violent behavior of the monkeys was cause after some of the dogs brutally murdered a baby monkey.
Ever since authorities ceased to address the issue, settlers allegedly stole it to themselves to attempt save the pups.
However, when they did, the monkeys retaliated, with the news channel revealing that certain men also fell from high altitudes while attempting to save dogs who had been shoved there.
Obviously dissatisfied with the annihilation of dogs, monkeys are now said to be preying on small kids.
Today, not only the dogs are being attacked but also the schoolkids. In recent announcements children at school are apparently getting taunted and threaten by the monkeys' presence, adding up to the villagers' anxiety and fear.
In one reported case, the monkeys snatched and whisked away an eight-year-old, pressuring locals to cast rocks at them to frighten them away.
Also read: Camels Disqualified From Animal Beauty Pageant in Saudi For Using Botox
A partnership of seven organizations, including data center giant Equinix, announced plans to build fuel cells to power data centers. The group of mostly European companies is funded by a European Union clean energy initiative.
Along with Equinix, the partners consist of infrastructure giant Vertiv, sustainable data center specialist InfraPrime, Italian utility Snam, German fuel cell manufacturer SOLIDpower, TEC4FUELS research center, and a research institute from Sweden called RISE.
The project is called EcoEdge PrimePower (E2P2) and is funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, a European Union initiative launched earlier this month with total funding of nearly $25 billion. E2P2 will get roughly $2.8 million of that.
The E2P2 project is a proof-of-concept initiative aiming to develop and demonstrate low-environmental-impact fuel cells that provide economic and resilient prime power solutions for data centers. Equinix will deploy and test the experimental E2P2 fuel cell platform at a dedicated space within one of its Milan, Italy, data centers.
The project will integrate solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) with uninterruptible power supply (UPS) technology and lithium-ion batteries to provide resilient and clean primary power to data center deployments and other critical infrastructure.
Despite being funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, the first generation of power cells will not be based on hydrogen. They will use natural gas for fuel. Using natural gas will eventually pave the way for the use of green hydrogen for fuel cells application, for both backup and prime power systems.
"The E2P2 project enables us to demonstrate a novel architecture for power generation, distribution and storage; support a broader transition from natural gas to sustainable hydrogen; and support our goal of operating a climate neutral business by 2030," said Justin Dustzadeh, chief technology officer at Equinix, in a statement.
Growing interest in energy storage
Fuel cells are nothing new to data centers. Equinix has some experience with fuel cell deployments; 15 of its facilities in the U.S. have been equipped with fuel cells from Bloom Energy, with a total capacity of more than 37 megawatts.
Nevada-based data center operator Switch is going the solar route and storing the energy in Tesla batteries. But it has the option of going solar since it is in Nevada, where the sun is out almost every day and they have the land for the acres needed for solar panels. Most data center operators dont have that option.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California will require health care workers to get a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday, pledging to make sure hospitals are prepared as a new version of the disease begins to spread throughout the state.
California already requires health care workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, a directive that took effect in September and has since led to the firing or suspension of thousands of people. Now it will join New Mexico as at least the second state to require booster shots for health care workers.
Newsom made the announcement on his personal Twitter account. His office declined to give more details, including how many workers would be affected and whether frequent testing would be allowed as an alterative. Newsom has scheduled a news conference in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday.
California will require healthcare workers to get their booster, Newsom said. With Omicron on the rise, were taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared.
California has so far fared far better than many other states that are dealing with a coronavirus surge, with areas in the Midwest and Northeast seeing the biggest jump in cases and hospitalizations amid frigid temperatures that have kept people indoors.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists California as a place with high transmission of the virus, along with nearly everywhere else in the country. But in the last week California averaged 114 new cases per 100,000 people, less than half the national rate.
Meanwhile, coronavirus related hospitalizations have been rising slowly in California, up 15% in the last 11 days to 3,852. Thats less than half as many as during the late summer peak and one-fifth of a year ago, before vaccines were widely available.
But while hospitals overall have fewer patients than last winter, many have fewer workers to treat the patients they do have. The staffing shortage comes as businesses are having trouble finding workers, including hospitals. A recent study by the University of California-San Francisco estimated the states nursing shortage could persist until 2026.
The staffing shortages we are experiencing are worse than ever, Kiyomi Burchill, group vice president for policy for the California Hospital Association, said in an interview Tuesday before Newsom made his announcement about booster shots.
California is poised for a surge in new infections amid holiday parties and family gatherings forced indoors by a series of winter storms.
But experts say the nation's most populous state is likely to avoid the worst scenario spikes in hospitalizations and deaths because most Californians have either been vaccinated or already been infected. That gives a higher level or protection against the omicron variant that, while not guaranteeing people won't get sick, means they are less likely to need to go to the hospital.
It's a highly transmissible respiratory virus and people are going to get it. And they are going to get it every winter, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. We have to go toward measuring our true success with a disease, which is how we're doing with hospitalizations.
More than 70% of the state's nearly 40 million residents have been fully vaccinated while 42% have gotten a booster shot. As of Monday omicron is now the dominant variant of the coronavirus in the United States.
Much about the omicron variant remains unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. Scientists say omicron spreads more easily than other coronavirus strains, including delta. Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a third shot for the best chance at preventing infection but even without the extra dose, vaccination still should offer strong protection against severe illness and death.
Computer models used by state officials to forecast the virus say hospitalizations will stay steady through the holidays and dip slightly in mid-January.
I'm on the fence a little bit about how horrible is this, said Dr. Brad Pollock, associate dean for public health sciences at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Were going to have more people infected because of the more transmissible variant. It may be a little less virulent, which means it causes less symptoms.
In San Diego, researchers recently discovered the highest levels of coronavirus since February in a wastewater treatment plant that serves about 2.3 million people.
Every time we've seen that kind of increase in the wastewater, a couple of weeks later we see an increase in cases, said Rob Knight, a professor at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine.
Last week, Newsom, who imposed the fist statewide shutdown order in March 2020, warned that cases would likely rise and re-imposed a rule requiring everyone to wear masks at public indoor gatherings. Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city, once again canceled its in-person New Year's Eve celebration.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday that he didn't anticipate another lockdown because I think we're so much better protected than we were." However he said he believes restrictions such as masking indoors will continue into February and perhaps even March, depending on vaccination, hospitalization and infection rates.
While 70% of Californians have been fully vaccinated, that still leaves 30% or roughly 12 million people who haven't been. The California Department of Public Health says people who are not vaccinated are seven times more likely to get infected, nearly 13 times more likely to be hospitalized and nearly 16 times more likely to die from the coronavirus.
Places in California with lower vaccination rates, including Riverside and San Bernardino counties, have seen jumps in hospitalizations recently.
The problem is there are counties in California, particularly in central California and eastern California, where they have had neither high vaccination coverage or a lot of prior infections, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. We can expect in those communities that there may be an increase in hospitalizations for people at high risk for severe consequences.
___
Associated Press reporter Felicia Fonseca contributed reporting from Flagstaff, Arizona.
NEW YORK (AP) Fox News defended Jesse Watters on Tuesday after he used the phrase kill shot in a speech urging young conservatives to confront Dr. Anthony Fauci in public with a hostile interview.
Fauci, asked about it on CNN, said that Watters should be fired on the spot but predicted he wouldn't be held accountable for his language.
Fox said Watters' words had been twisted completely out of context.
Watters, a host on Fox News Channel's panel show The Five who made his initial mark doing aggressive interviews for Bill O'Reilly, spoke Monday to a group of college and high school conservatives. His audience booed at the mention of Fauci's name.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the government's most visible spokesman on the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the subject of frequent criticism by some Fox News commentators who have been seeking to appeal to audience members resistant to vaccinations.
Watters said that Fauci should be confronted on the subject of whether the National Institute of Health funded research at a lab in Wuhan, China, the city where the COVID-19 virus originated. He said an interviewer should suggest he lied about the topic something Fauci has disputed.
Now you go in for the kill shot, the kill shot with an ambush, deadly, because he doesn't see it coming, Watters said.
He suggested an interviewer say, you know why people don't trust you, don't you?' Oh, he is dead. He's dead. He's done."
The interviewer should make sure the encounter is filmed and the footage given to conservative media, Watters said. It's a confrontation technique that has been used elsewhere in conservative politics by the group Project Veritas.
Just make sure it's legal, Watters said.
A partial clip of Watters' speech, beginning with the kill shot quote, spread around the internet, with some commentators suggesting that he had advocated assassinating Fauci.
During an interview with Fauci on Tuesday, CNN's John Berman referred to Watters as a Fox News entertainer, and asked about the comments without playing the clip, saying it was dangerous. Berman referred to a rhetorical kill shot, and asked Fauci how much that language concerned him.
Fauci noted that for two years, he's been encouraging people to protect themselves against COVID-19 by practicing good public health practices and get vaccinated.
For that, you have some guy out there saying people should be giving me a kill shot, to ambush me? he said. I mean, what kind of craziness is there in society these days? That's awful what he said. And he's going to go, very likely, unaccountable. Whatever network he is on is not going to do anything. The guy should be fired on the spot.
Fauci, in a 60 Minutes interview in October, discussed death threats he had received and his need for a security detail.
In a statement, Fox said based on watching the full clip and reading the entire transcript, it's more than clear that Jesse Watters was using a metaphor for asking hard-hitting questions ... and his words have been twisted completely out of context.
Watters' reference to kill shot, however, baffled some people in television news.
I've never used, or heard, that term used and I did my share of ambush interviews as an investigative producer, said Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of Hofstra University's School of Communication and a longtime journalist at NBC News.
Last month on Fox, Tucker Carlson compared Fauci to Italian World War II dictator Benito Mussolini, while Lara Logan said Fauci, to some people, represented Josef Mengele, the Nazi death doctor.
Fox has not commented on the statements that Carlson and Logan made about Fauci. Logan, a contributor to the Fox Nation streaming service who had appeared as a commentator on the television network, hasn't been on since.
SEATTLE (AP) University of Washington officials said Tuesday remote learning will happen during the first week of the winter quarter in January because of growing concerns about the rapidly spreading omicron variant.
The university told students, staff and faculty that most classes will be held online Jan. 3 through Jan. 9 as they track infections, The Seattle Times reported.
Employees of Menards in Champaign stand beside an appliance box filled with toys for the Toys for Tots program. The store is one of the major donors in the county; as of Monday, it had filled a total of 14 such boxes.
Rashard Montgomery, 20, of Urbana, turned himself in Thursday to police in connection with a shooting at the Golden Hour, 301 Bloomington Road, C, Tuesday afternoon.
The last class of students to attend classes at Lincoln Elementary School in Monticello pose in front of the building in May.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Ramiah Martin isn't like other little girls, and that's perfectly fine with her mother.
"She is nothing short of a miracle," Leanne Martin said of her daughter, who was facing long odds before her birth in December 2017, after being diagnosed with heart problems during a prenatal ultrasound. And the odds only got worse when Ramiah was born with an extremely rare developmental abnormality called tracheal agenesis -; she didn't have a trachea, or windpipe. About one in 50,000 babies worldwide are born with the condition, which is almost always fatal.
But this month Ramiah and her family celebrated her 4th birthday thanks to the work of her physicians at Penn State Health Children's Hospital and a 3D-printed tracheal replacement splint developed by researchers in the lab of Scott Hollister at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
We know that children with this condition have not survived past the age of eight or 10. Our fingers are crossed that this case will be different." Scott Hollister, Professor and the Patsy and Alan Dorris Chair in Pediatric Technology in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
This case is indeed different. It is the first time such a device has been used to treat tracheal agenesis, and Hollister is part of the team of researchers who recently authored a clinical case study published in the journal JTCVS Techniques.
The splint, known as the Airway Support Device, already had a strong track record, having been used in the successful treatment of other pediatric patients with a condition called tracheabronchomalacia -; collapse of the windpipe, which causes severe, life-threatening airway obstruction.
While a professor at the University of Michigan, Hollister collaborated with colleague Glenn Green to develop the first version of a 3D-printed, patient-specific airway splint that is bioresorbable -; it is biodegradable and can be naturally and safely absorbed by the body. The small device is a lifesaving scaffold that opens a child's windpipe, allowing them to breathe.
But Ramiah's case presented a new, daunting challenge. She didn't really have a windpipe to work with. Her esophagus was her windpipe.
"Tracheal agenesis is a very unusual clinical case with few positive solutions," said the study's lead author, Anthony Tsai, Ramiah's surgeon and co-director of the Surgical Innovation Group at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. "I knew about the work Scott and Glenn had been doing, and I'd seen their success in using the device for airway issues that are not as dire. But similar principles are in play, and that's what we needed."
They needed the support of a splint to keep her airway open, but this time with an added wrinkle -; Ramiah's surgical team needed a splint that would help her esophagus do the work of an airway.
A lifesaving procedure
Ramiah, whose family lives in Pennsylvania, needed lifesaving surgery almost immediately after being born. Essentially, the surgical team disconnected her lower esophagus, which feeds the stomach, from her upper esophageal airway -; she could take nutrition directly into her stomach through a G-tube. And then they had to turn the upper portion of her esophagus into a trachea, actually creating a pseudo-tracheostomy -; a surgical opening in the neck, providing a direct route for air to reach the lungs.
"But that isn't a long-term solution," Tsai said. "We prevented air from getting into the stomach and created a pathway to push it into the lungs. But it isn't sustainable. When you take a deep breath, the esophagus collapses, so then you can't get enough air into the lungs."
With Ramiah sedated, ventilated, momentarily stabilized, and just a few days old, Tsai and his colleagues discussed more permanent options for her airway reconstruction. That led them to Hollister and his 3D-printed splint composed of polycaprolactone, a biodegradable polyester.
Because of its previous success and because there were no other options, Tsai and his team got permission to use the device from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under the "expanded access" rule -; sometimes called "compassionate use" -; which allows fast access to medical devices for life-threatening cases like Ramiah's.
Hollister's team re-engineered the Airway Support Device, adding some curvature to accommodate the stoma in Ramiah's neck. The device was ready and installed during airway reconstruction surgery when Ramiah was 20 weeks old.
She gradually progressed and went home when she was a year old, still needing mechanical ventilation. Further tests and imaging showed that her airway was improving and when Ramiah was two years old, she started breathing on her own in the daytime, resting easily at night on a ventilator for safety.
Gastrointestinal reconstructive surgery was later performed -; tissue from the colon was used to rebuild Ramiah's lower esophagus, which should eventually allow her to take in food through her mouth. Though she is developmentally delayed, Ramiah is crawling and pushing a walker around, learning to communicate through sign language, going to preschool, and playing with her sisters as another holiday approaches.
"We're very low key about celebrating holidays," said Leanne Martin, who recently gave birth to her son. "But we recognize the gift of each year, and we always thank God for that. We knew that Ramiah was leading us into uncharted territory."
Ramiah may need another 3D device as she gets older to stabilize her reconstructed airway, Leanne said. But right now, her next goal is to see Ramiah walk independently; Leanne has no doubt that her little girl will eventually be navigating the busy household on her own two feet.
"That is the kind of outcome we all hope for," said Hollister, whose Georgia Tech collaborators Sarah Jo Crotts and Harsha Ramaraju were major contributors to the work. "We're excited, because we think this is the beginning of a new paradigm for children with this rare condition."
Results from the largest clinical trial of its kind do not support the use of fish oil supplements-;a source of omega-3 fatty acid-;to help prevent depression. The findings are published in JAMA by a team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH).
Experts have recommended omega-3 supplements for reducing the recurrence of depression in some high-risk patients, but there are no guidelines related to the use of these supplements for preventing depression in the general population. Also, studies on this topic have generated mixed results.
To provide clarity, the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial-Depression Endpoint Prevention (VITAL-DEP) was designed to test the potential of daily vitamin D and/or omega-3 supplements for preventing depression. A total of 18,353 adults aged 50 years or older without depression at the start of the trial were randomized to receive vitamin D and/or omega-3 supplements or matching placebos for a median of 5.3 years.
This study is a significant step. It requires many thousands of people to conduct this type of study of preventing depression in adults- something we call universal prevention- and the participants were taking randomized study pills for between 5 to 7 years on average. So, it is rare to see a long-term randomized trial of this kind." Olivia I. Okereke, MD, MS, VITAL-DEP lead investigator, lead author, director of geriatric psychiatry at MGH and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Okereke and her colleagues observed no net benefit of omega-3 supplements for preventing depression or boosting mood over the course of the study. Equal attention was given to risk of developing a clinical depression at any point and to overall mood scores for the duration of follow-up. While a small increase in risk of a depression was inside the statistical margin of significance, Okereke says "there was no harmful or beneficial effect of omega-3 on overall course of mood during the roughly 5 to 7 years of follow-up."
"There are still health reasons for some people, under the guidance of their health care providers, to take omega-3 fish oil supplements. For example, these supplements increasingly have been found to have benefits for cardiac disease prevention and treatment of inflammatory conditions, in addition to being used for management of existing depressive disorders in some high-risk patients," says senior author JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and director of the parent VITAL trial. "However, our findings indicate there is no reason for adults without depression in the general population to take fish oil supplements solely for the purpose of preventing depression or for maintaining a positive mood."
Myelin, a sheath of insulation around nerves that enables electrical impulses to efficiently travel through the central nervous system, is diminished in mice that have a gene deletion associated with autism spectrum disorder, new research finds.
Scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (also referred to as UT Health San Antonio) reported the discovery in the journal Molecular Psychiatry on Nov. 5. In mice the team deleted one copy of a gene, Tbx1, that is encoded in the chromosome 22q11.2 region linked to impaired cognition.
Variants of this gene, Tbx1, are associated with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability and many other developmental issues. These ultra-rare variants are found in only a few families in the world." Noboru Hiroi, PhD, professor of pharmacology, UT Health San Antonio
The researchers observed that Tbx1 deletion significantly impacted cognitive speed of mice on two tests: the Morris water maze, which challenges spatial memory, and attentional set shifting, which taxes cognitive flexibility.
Collaborating with scientists at Tohoku University in Japan who performed whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, the Texas scientists sought to learn which brain regions had altered white matter. Robust changes were seen only in the fimbria, a band of nerve fibers that connect various brain regions with the hippocampus, the latter of which is a key center of learning and memory.
"That is a very regionally specific deficit," Dr. Hiroi said. The team confirmed the findings through electron microscopy.
In analyzing the slower cognition exhibited by the mice, the researchers hypothesized that myelin, the sheath of fat and protein that increases conduction of impulses across nerves, was negatively impacted.
Indeed, mice lacking one Tbx1 copy did not have as many cells called oligodendrocytes. These are the cells that manufacture myelin.
"This negatively affected the production of the building blocks of myelin, which resulted in these mice not having enough protective fibers," Dr. Hiroi said. "Without the myelin sheath, you don't have speedy signal conductance between brain regions."
The study is limited in the sense that researchers cannot compare the speed of mice on a pair of tests with actual cognition in humans. But in the case of understanding gene copy number variants in developmental and psychiatric disorders, both mouse and human studies are important in advancing knowledge, Dr. Hiroi said.
"In a mouse model, we identified structural changes in the brain and a specific gene that, when deficient, is responsible for those changes," he said. "Tbx1 is only one of many genes implicated in autism and schizophrenia, but this mechanistic basis we found, this impaired myelination, can be tested for generalizability in other copy number variants and ultra-rare variants."
Recognizing that the rise of the Omicron variant means some businesses are likely to struggle over the coming weeks, the government is providing one-off grants of up to 6,000 per premises for businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England.
At what is often their most profitable time of year, many pubs and restaurants have seen cancellations and reduced footfall as people have responded to the rise in cases ahead of Christmas, with Hospitality UK reporting that many businesses have lost 40-60% of their December trade, often their most profitable month.
Around 200,000 businesses will be eligible for business grants which will be administered by local authorities and will be available in the coming weeks.
Given the uncertain situation faced by businesses, the government has chosen to provide generous grants, which are equivalent to the monthly cash grants provided to hospitality businesses when they were fully closed earlier this year, despite businesses now being still able to trade.
The effectiveness of government policies to support the economy through the pandemic and the success of businesses in learning to adapt means the economy is in a different place now than it was at the start of the crisis.
Many businesses have more cash in the bank than they did at the start of the pandemic and net cash deposits for all hospitality businesses have risen by 7 billion (40%), while small and medium-sized businesses in the hospitality sector have seen their cash deposits rise by 2 billion (79%).
Fewer businesses have become insolvent, with insolvencies running 25% lower than pre-pandemic in hospitality, and vacancies are 50% above pre-pandemic levels.
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said:
With the surge in Omicron cases, people are rightly exercising more caution as they go about their lives, which is impacting our hospitality, leisure and cultural sectors at what is typically the busiest time of the year. That's why we're taking immediate action to help with an extra 1 billion in grants to these industries and reintroducing our Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme. I urge people across the country to please get boosted now to secure vital protection for yourselves, your loved ones and your communities."
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak said:
We recognise that the spread of the Omicron variant means businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors are facing huge uncertainty, at a crucial time. So we're stepping in with 1 billion of support, including a new grant scheme, the reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme and further funding released through the Culture Recovery Fund. Ultimately the best thing we can do to support businesses is to get the virus under control, so I urge everyone to Get Boosted Now."
To support other businesses impacted by Omicron - such as those who supply the hospitality and leisure sectors - the government is also giving a more than 100 million boost to the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund for local authorities in England.
Local Authorities will have discretion to allocate this funding to businesses most in need. The ARG top up will be prioritised for those local authorities that have distributed the most of their existing allocation. This is on top of the 250 million of previously allocated funding that remains with local authorities.
As increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases means more workers taking time off work, the government is also reintroducing the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS).
The SSPRS will help small and medium-sized employers - those with fewer than 250 employees - by reimbursing them for the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for Covid-related absences, for up to 2 weeks per employee. Firms will be eligible for the scheme from today and they will be able to make claims retrospectively from mid-January.
To provide continued support to the cultural sector, 30 million further funding will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund to support organisations such as theatres, orchestras and museums through the winter to March 2022.
This figure will build on nearly 240 million of cultural grant support already allocated this financial year or currently available for organisations to bid for.
Over the course of the pandemic the UK Government has provided nearly 2 billion to support our vital cultural sector, with the original 1.57 billion round of the Culture Recovery Fund announced in July 2020.
The UK Government is working closely with counterparts in the devolved administrations and businesses across all parts of the UK.
As part of this support announced today, the devolved administrations will receive around 150 million of funding through the Barnett formula, comprising around 80 million for the Scottish Government, 50 million for the Welsh Government and 25 million for the Northern Ireland Executive.
This contributes towards the 860 million of further funding announced by the UK Government in the last week to support the devolved administrations, allowing them to provide additional support to businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as they see fit.
These additional measures will reinforce the existing package of business support, including:
Many technology studies are strongly male-dominated, which shows up in the labor market afterwards and is one of several reasons why women on average earn less than men.
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has worked purposefully and over time to recruit more women to both choose and complete their education in a technology field.
"Long-term measures like this work. More women choose to study technology subjects when we actively encourage it over time," says Line Berg, long-time leader of the Ada Project and now head of Innovation and Infrastructure at Trondheim Tech Port.
NTNU has recruited a larger proportion of women to these fields than other institutions have done. A recent study looked at the impact of long-term efforts to get women to make non-traditional career choices. The results have been published in the European Journal of Engineering Education.
Effect fades quickly
The long-standing Ada Project is one of the gender-balancing initiatives at NTNU. It strives to help women in male-dominated studies thrive and stay motivated to complete their studies. The project also offers its own career networks and follows the women up closely.
However, the effect of the measures fades quickly if recruitment efforts lag. New cohorts of high school girls need the same support and encouragement if they are to choose ICT studies.
"So it's important to continue these recruitment projects over a long period of time," says Berg.
Berg points out that the research shows that the effort pays off. "We get a return on the investment. Not just for the women, but for the men as well," she says.
More men finish, too
An interesting side effect of the measures to recruit and retain more women is that more male students also complete their ICT education when more women study with them.
This indicates that a better gender balance makes the study more attractive for both men and women." Vivian Anette Lagesen, Professor, NTNU's Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture
Gender balance creates a better culture with more headroom for all forms of diversity, not just gender diversity. Broader diversity makes gender-balanced fields and environments better to be in for women and men.
Improved well-being for everyone
The culture can often become more gendered and more difficult for a small minority group when a field is very male-dominated or female-dominated. The minority is more likely to experience being treated as different.
A better gender balance can in itself reduce these kinds of behaviour and patterns and lead to improved well-being for everyone, says Lagesen. Other fields of study that were male-dominated until quite recently, today have either a predominance of women, such as medicine, or are more or less fully balanced between the sexes.
Act before imbalance sticks
But looking beyond the overall figures for a field of study is also important, since gender imbalances can hide within sub-disciplines, Lagesen says. In medicine, for example, we find some areas that are very female-dominated but also some that are still male-dominated, as well as many that have good gender balance.
"Gender imbalance can arise quickly in fields that are rapidly evolving, so it's important to be aware of this and work on it before it takes firm hold," says Lagesen.
For the first time since national data have been tracked in the United States, stigma toward people with depression has dropped significantly, according to a study by Indiana University researchers. However, stigma levels for other mental illnesses remained stagnant and, in some cases, have increased.
The findings can help shape treatment of those with mental illness and have an impact on anti-stigma programs and policies to help people find support, the researchers said.
Stigma is broad and pervasive and, up till now, has been notoriously stubborn to change efforts. Stigma translates into so many issues, including people's reluctance to seek care, our shortage of mental health professionals, and the U.S.' unwillingness to invest resources into the mental health sector. The good news from this study is stigma can change, and the change we document crosses all sectors of society and individuals." Bernice Pescosolido, Study Co-Author, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, examined how stigma has changed over two decades for mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression and alcohol dependence. IU researchers used data from the U.S. National Stigma Studies, which are part of the General Social Survey, to examine public stigma over a 22-year period at three key points: in 1996, 2006 and 2018.
The team looked at how the public understands the causes underlying individuals' problems; whether they can identify psychiatric cases from daily problems; their perceptions of what people with different mental illness are like; and their willingness to interact with individuals with mental illnesses in various social contexts.
The study found that from 1996 to 2006, Americans reported increasing beliefs that mental health problems are caused by genetics or disruptions in the brain, rather than moral causes including having a bad character or bad upbringing. While these findings reflected a greater belief in scientific causes, they were not accompanied by any decrease in the public rejection of those with mental illness.
However, data from 2006 to 2018 revealed a statistically significant drop in social rejection for people described as having major depression. Across a number of social contexts, including the workplace, the family and the neighborhood, fewer Americans in the 2018 study compared to the 2006 study expressed an unwillingness to interact with the people described as having major depression.
Other disorders did not see a reduction in the public's desire to distance themselves socially, however. In fact, public perceptions attributing dangerousness to schizophrenia and lack of morality to alcohol dependence increased.
"It is encouraging to find more progressive attitudes toward mental illness among millennials and to see public stigma around depression significantly decreasing, especially as rates of depression continue to rise in the U.S. among young people," said Brea Perry, study co-author and a professor of sociology at IU. "However, the increasing stigmatization of schizophrenia and alcohol dependency is concerning. Taken as a whole, our findings support rethinking stigma and retooling stigma reduction strategies to improve public attitudes surrounding mental illness. There is a lot of work left to be done."
When it comes to stigma, the study found few differences across subgroups like gender, education or income. The authors documented the well-known conservatizing effect of age, i.e. the increased likelihood of holding more stigmatizing attitudes/conservative values as one gets older, and indications that some birth cohorts, including the "greatest generation" and millennials, hold less stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs. The researchers speculated that different experiences of these groups early in life may be at work.
The researchers recommended several ways to address the importance of mental health, including leveraging the educational system to introduce level-appropriate information on mental health; providing teachers with high-quality materials for health-related courses; and helping philanthropic groups develop interesting and relevant programs.
As a result of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) this year, there have been several successive waves of infections and deaths attributed to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It took just a year after the outbreak began for the first vaccines to be developed and rolled out, helping reduce the death toll.
Although severe infections and deaths began to decline dramatically after significant vaccination coverage, immunity began to wane over time. Also, new immune-evading variants emerged, showing resistance to the antibodies elicited by earlier infections and vaccinations.
New research reported in the journal The Lancet examines the temporal association between the two-dose ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) vaccination regimen and the risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 in Scotland vs. Brazil, where the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 was dominant and rare, respectively.
Study: Two-dose ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine protection against COVID-19 hospital admissions and deaths over time: a retrospective, population-based cohort study in Scotland and Brazil. Image Credit: NIAID
Background
Several earlier studies have shown short-term effectiveness against COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths. This has accompanied large-scale vaccine rollouts in many countries. The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 adenovirus vector vaccine has been deployed in Scotland and in Brazil, among other countries. This vaccine is preferred by many low- and middle-income countries, being both less expensive and requiring less stringent storage conditions than the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines.
The rising rates of infection and severe COVID-19 have increased despite high levels of vaccine coverage, with decreasing vaccine-induced neutralizing antibody titers over time. This has led to mRNA boosters being offered to provide a higher level of protection to individuals who have received both doses of an mRNA vaccine.
The question remains regarding the differential roles of waning neutralizing antibody titers and the emergence of novel antibody-escape variants. To answer this, the current study looked at Scotland and Brazil, two countries where COVID-19 has taken a high toll on human health and life and where vaccine uptake has been high.
The highest-risk population was prioritized for vaccine uptake in both countries, including frontline health workers and older people. In Scotland, this was rolled back to include only people above the age of 40 due to the (serious but uncommon) adverse effects of clot formation in the brain. In both countries, variants of concern have emerged to dominance, notably the Delta in Scotland and the Gamma in Brazil.
What Did the Study Show?
This was a retrospective population-level cohort study that looked at adult vaccine recipients in both countries who had received both doses of the vaccine. These were compared with unvaccinated people in Scotland and the first monitoring data following a single dose of the vaccine in Brazil.
The data for the Scottish arm of the study came from the EAVE II study, covering almost the whole population, while in Brazil, three datasets were used: COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign (SI-PNI); Acute Respiratory Infection Suspected Cases (e-SUS-Notifica) for contact tracing and suspected cases; Severe Acute Respiratory Infection/Illness (SIVEP-Gripe), for all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
The study covered almost 2 million adults in Scotland and more than 42 million and Brazil. There were disease and confirmed infection peaks in July and September 2021 vs. March and June 2021, respectively.
The relative risks for severe disease increased with time in fully vaccinated individuals in both countries. In Scotland, serious infection rates at 2-3 weeks from the second dose of vaccine doubled at 10-11 weeks and tripled at 14-15 weeks. At 18-19 weeks, the rates went up five-fold. Similar patterns were seen in Brazil. This clearly shows waning immunity.
Rate ratios for time since receiving two doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and severe COVID-19 (hospital admission or death) in Scotland and Brazil Analyses in Scotland were adjusted for age, sex, deprivation, comorbidities, number of previous tests, interval between doses, and temporal trend. Analyses in Brazil were adjusted for age, sex, deprivation, macroregion of residence, primary reason for vaccination, interval between doses, and temporal trend. Error bars are 95% CIs.
Vaccine effectiveness in the fully vaccinated group remained stable up to 6-7 weeks from the second dose but then went down steadily until 18-19 weeks from the double dose. In Brazil, vaccine effectiveness went until 4-5 weeks and then decreased until the second time point, at 18-19 weeks.
Confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 infections went up in both countries, though the increase in rates was lower than for severe disease. In Scotland, the relative risk was 20% higher at 10-11 weeks than at 2-3 weeks from the second dose and 34% higher at 18-19 weeks. Conversely, in Brazil, it was 66% higher at the first time point but 120% higher at the second.
While Scotland failed to show a clear increase in relative risk for the older (65-79 years) subgroup compared to the younger (18-64 years), this was seen in Brazil. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the real vaccine effectiveness is likely to be higher than these estimates in Brazil but not Scotland.
Rate ratios for time since receiving two doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 symptomatic infection in Scotland and Brazil Analyses in Scotland were adjusted for age, sex, deprivation, comorbidities, number of previous tests, interval between doses, and temporal trend. Analyses in Brazil were adjusted for age, sex, deprivation, macroregion of residence, primary reason for vaccination, interval between doses, and temporal trend. Error bars are 95% CIs.
What Are the Implications?
The findings indicate that compared with the risk during the period of greatest protection, at 2-3 weeks from the second vaccine dose, the risk for severe infection increased five-fold at 18-19 weeks in both countries.
Since the dominant variant in these countries was different during this period, there was a definite waning of immunity that is not due to the emergence of the Delta variant or changes in the rate of infections. The short-term effectiveness of this vaccine against severe disease has thus reduced over time.
This mirrors significant attrition of immunity with the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, from 96% to 84% from 7 days to 6 months following the second dose. In addition, Israeli studies imply a 70% higher risk of severe COVID-19 among those fully vaccinated in January 2021 compared to July 2021.
In the UK, too, the time elapsed since the date of full vaccination with either the BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccines was associated with the risk of new infections, and with a fall in anti-spike antibodies over the 3-10 weeks after the second dose.
The study design helps compensate for the inevitable association between the duration since vaccination and the emergence of new variants, especially since most countries prioritized older people for the earliest shots due to their higher risk for severe disease. Moreover, lower infection rates can make identifying decreases in vaccine effectiveness difficult.
Since all participants were fully vaccinated, and those with a prior history of infection were excluded, bias due to the acquisition of natural immunity over time was minimized, as well. This does not exclude the presence of undetected infections, however.
Our findings suggest that ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine protection against severe COVID-19 wanes within a few months of the second vaccine dose. Consideration should be given to provision of booster doses for those administered ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.
This mountain community which comes alive during the winter ski season and annual Sundance Film Festival is home to the Park City Hospital, which has 460 employees. As in countless hospitals across the country, the demands of covid-19 at times overwhelmed the facility and dramatically changed the way caregivers interact with patients.
"The last year and a half has taken a toll on us," said Jodie Connelly, nurse manager of the intensive care unit at the hospital, which is part of the Intermountain Healthcare System based in Salt Lake City. "Nurses have pretty thick skins, but the pandemic has tested us in ways weve never really been tested before."
The community the hospital serves noticed that strain and came up with a novel idea to help the hospital's workers. Park City's residents raised enough money through contributions from more than a dozen residents and two large seed donors to fund a pop-up grocery store out of a room in the hospital that had been a private dining area.
The hospital uses about $10,000 of the donations each month to stock the store, and all goods are free to any hospital employee.
At first, the store offered ready-made pasta, chicken and mashed potatoes, and other meals, including vegetarian options, that caregivers could take home or eat during their shift. Later, grocery basics such as milk and eggs were added for employees to stock their fridge. Today, the Park City Hospital store has expanded to include nonperishable items such as cereal, sugar, oatmeal and pasta, plus a variety of fresh produce options.
Connelly said she especially appreciates convenient access to fresh fruits and vegetables. "While I keep my pantry at home full of nonperishables, I would have to stop at the grocery store more often if I wasn't able to take fresh produce home with me," she said.
Selene Macotela-Garcia, a food service supervisor at the hospital who stocks the store, said she tries to find a variety of items to offer. "Everyone gets excited when we bring in new items," she said. She recently added lemons, eggplant, beets and cabbage to the mix. "Having sweet potatoes before Thanksgiving was especially popular," she said.
Macotela-Garcia explained that some employees pick up enough ready-made food to bring home a precooked meal for each family member instead of having to prepare something once they arrive.
The store allows the hospital's staff to avoid public places where the risk of covid transmission is high, such as grocery stores, and helps them save money. "Finances have been tight; some of us need help more than people may realize," said Gregoria Taboada, a food service worker at the hospital who frequents the store.
But the store has been useful in helping the hospital's caregivers save on a commodity in especially short supply these days: time.
"It means so much to me that after a 13-hour shift I don't have to stop at a grocery store to pick up the basics," Connelly said.
Work-life balance is hard to maintain as the toll from pandemic care has driven some employees to quit and those remaining are often asked to pick up the slack.
"I started taking on extra shifts each week to help out," said Katie Peabody, a nurse in the hospitals intensive care unit. "I frequently work 50-plus hours a week doing work that has become so physically, emotionally and mentally taxing," she said.
Grueling labor conditions are among many factors noted in a recent Mayo Clinic study showing why nurses have suicidal thoughts more frequently than people in other professions.
"Sometimes there are only two nurses in the ICU with no techs or secretaries to field phone calls or help out," Peabody said.
While Utah is among the bottom half of fully vaccinated states, Park City's Summit County is the most vaccinated in the state with 80% of its residents fully vaccinated. Because of the city's high number of tourists, however, the county's current transmission level is still rated in the highest category.
The store is also a boost to morale, workers said, especially as they cope with another change of late: patients who no longer trust or appreciate them. "None of us are looking to be a hero," Connelly said, "but we used to have a great relationship with our patients and their families. That has changed in many cases during the pandemic."
She noted that almost all the covid patients she's treated this year are unvaccinated and most have very strong feelings about preventive measures such as the use of masks and vaccines. She said many patients believe what they see on social media over the treatment options the hospital staff recommends.
"Some don't believe they have covid while were treating them for the disease," she lamented. "Some refuse to even wear their oxygen [mask]; they argue with us about everything. Some people are downright mean."
Although such patients may be the exception, negative interactions take a toll that staff members said the store helps make up for.
"The hospital store is evidence that we are valued," Peabody added. "Even when some patients tell us otherwise, every time I visit the store I'm reminded that there are people out there who appreciate me and are trying to take care of me just like I'm trying to take care of others."
Part of the reason that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was so worrying when it first spread around the world was the lack of specific therapies to treat the disease. Healthcare workers were forced to treat the symptoms using supplementary oxygen or invasive mechanical ventilation. Researchers from New York University have been examining the ability of defensosomes to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
A preprint of the group's study can be found on the bioRxiv* server.
ACE2+ exosomes are associated with reduced length of stay in ICU for COVID-19 patients.
The Study
The researchers analyzed bronchioalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples from 80 patients showing severe COVID-19 symptoms. 76.2% of these were male, roughly half were white, and they had a mean age of 62 years. 52.5% of patients showed hypertension, and 38.3% had diabetes. All of these patients were in intensive care and required mechanical ventilation due to respiratory failure. Biochemical fractionation was then used to enrich these samples for exosomes followed by flow cytometry.
After applying gating criteria for exosomes, the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) was used to detect significant interindividual variation in the proportion of exosomes with surface ACE2 and the levels of ACE2 on each exosome. 10 patients were found to have at least two-fold higher exosome levels in their BALF compared to mean exosome levels from other patients.
Following this, they examined whether the level of ACE2 on exosomes, or the proportion of ACE2+ exosomes, correlate with parameters including age, sex, disease severity, and comorbidities. They ran regressions using ACE2 MFI as a predictor of ICU stay outcome as a sensitivity analysis, revealing the same trends in covariates as previously seen.
When compiling the information about the proportions of ACE2 containing exosomes in patient BALF, different models were run using clinical data to test the associations with ACE2 exosomes and length of stay in the ICU. These models included a linear model and a negative binomial model controlled for age, gender, culture results of BAL and blood, and comorbidities. A sensitivity analysis model was included using an interaction term between gender, sex, and hypertension as these are normally correlated.
The coefficients were expressed without interaction as estimates did not change significantly. Both the linear and negative binomial models revealed a negative correlation between length of stay in the ICU and proportion of ACE2 exosomes in the BALF. To confirm these results and remove complications that could arise from other issues, these models were run again using ventilation days as an outcome to the same result.
They found that patients with a proportion of ACE2 exosomes below the mean of 38.78% generally have longer stays in both the ICU ward and in hospital as well as increased days spent on a ventilator. Diabetes was found to decrease the proportion of ACE2 exosomes, and the authors suggest that this could be the mechanism behind other comorbidities as well. Hypertension was also found to lead to reduced levels of circulating ACE2, resulting in increased concentrations of Angiotensin II, a vasoconstricting molecule.
The scientists then examined whether immune ligands generated during RNA virus infections affect endosome mutations by stimulating A549 cells with oxidized mitochondrial DNA (ox-mtDNA) known to be produced during respiratory tract infections. This did increase exosome production, but the same was not seen with sheared genomic DNA or DNA fragments without oxidized bases. CpG-B was also tested and failed to elicit exosomes. Infection of A549 cells expressing ACE2 with SARS-CoV-2 revealed that this stimulated production of ACE2 exosomes, which was impaired by ATG16L1 knockdown.
The researchers examined whether the addition of exosomes could protect Vero E6 cells from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Vero E6 cells are integral to SARS-CoV-2 research as they are extremely susceptible to infection with the organism. Exosomes isolated from A549 cells mixed with SARS-CoV-2 were added to the Vero E6 cells with a neutralizing antibody that targeted the spike protein as a positive control, revealing that the ACE2 exosomes led to a dose-dependent reduction in viral nucleoprotein. Similar results were found in human epithelial cultures.
Finally, the researchers used electron microscopy to examine the mechanics of the interactions between the virus and the defensosomes. Immuno-gold labeling revealed enrichment of CD63 labeling around SARS-CoV-2 virions when incubated with ACE2 exosomes, which could be indicative of multiple exosomes bound to the virus.
Conclusion
The authors highlight that their study shows that ACE2+ exosomes can have a powerful effect in combatting SARS-CoV-2, and in individuals where this is inhibited, the patient suffers more from the disease. They have revealed several potential mechanisms through which this could occur, and this information could prove invaluable for researchers working on exosome-based therapies against not just SARS-CoV-2, but different diseases including cancers and kidney diseases.
*Important notice
bioRxiv 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.
Current vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are considered to be highly effective in preventing severe illness caused by infection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Study: Covid-19 Rates by Time since Vaccination during Delta Variant Predominance. Image Credit: Mirza Kadic / Shutterstock.com
Background
However, breakthrough infections still occur due to reduced vaccine effectiveness (VE) against new SARS-CoV-2 variants and waning immunity. In fact, data from six months follow-up of clinical trials reported a 6% reduction in VE every two months for the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, while no such reduction was observed in the case of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized vaccine boosters, which accounts for a total of three vaccine doses, for adults who are 18 years of age or older at least six months after they had received their initial messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccination. Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson adenovirus vector Ad26.COV2.S vaccine, which was originally a single-dose vaccine, was also advised to get a booster two months post-vaccination. However, data on the extent of waning immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection and death are limited especially for mRNA-1273 and Ad26.COV2.S vaccines.
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine Evidence analyzed the COVID-19 breakthrough case and death rates among fully vaccinated individuals who were 12 years of age or above based on months of completing the primary COVID-19 vaccine series as a proxy for waning immunity. The current study was conducted during the period when the Delta variant was the dominant circulating strain in the United States.
About the study
The current study included COVID-19 cases and vaccination data from 15 jurisdictions of the United States that included Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.
All jurisdictions were divided into several regions such as West, Midwest, South, and Northeast. Individuals vaccinated with Ad26.COV2.S vaccine between January to February 2021, as well as all persons 12 to 17 years of age who were vaccinated with either the mRNA-1273 or Ad26.COV2.S vaccines were excluded from the study.
A fully vaccinated person was defined as those who had passed 14 or more days since the completion of the primary series of an FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccine. A breakthrough infection was defined as a SARS-CoV-2 infection in a person who had passed 14 or more days since the completion of the primary series of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine. A COVID-19 associated death was defined as the death of a person who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and where COVID-19 was determined to be a vital cause of death.
The vaccine administration data provided weekly counts of vaccinated persons who were stratified according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) week of completion of the primary vaccine series, age group, vaccine product, and jurisdiction. Finally, person-level vaccination data was combined with COVID-19 cases for fully vaccinated people, while vaccination data corresponding to cases occurring within the MMWR week, vaccine product, and age group were removed to obtain one record for each vaccinated person.
Study findings
The results of the study indicated that across 15 jurisdictions, 411,661 cases, 6322 deaths, and 48,832,299 vaccinated persons were reported from January 3 to September 4, 2021. The overall cases from January 3 to September 4, 2021, were found to be higher among individuals who were 18 to 49 years of age from the Southern region and had received the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine.
The median time required for infection among vaccinated people was reported to be 111 days for the BNT162b2 vaccine, 118 days for the mRNA-1273, and 102 days for the Ad26.COV2.S.
For the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine, peaks in cases were reported at 14 to 42 days after vaccination, as well as at 120 to 160 days. Comparatively, for the other two vaccines, peaks in cases occurred only once at approximately 120 to 160 days. Higher hazardous rates were also observed after July as compared to January to June among the vaccinated cohort due to the emergence of the Delta variant.
The results reported that from August 1 to September 4, 2021, the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection was highest among individuals with a longer time since vaccination. The overall case rates were reported to be 168.8 among those vaccinated between January and February, 123.5 among those vaccinated between March and April, 83.6 among those vaccinated between May and June, and 63.1 among those who were recently vaccinated in July.
The death rates from January 3 to September 4, 2021, were reported to be quite low across all ages and vaccine products. The death rates were observed to be highest among individuals who were 80 years of age or older, among those who resided in the Southern region of the U.S., and among those who received the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine.
The death rates from August 1 to September 4, 2021, were found to be higher for individuals who had been vaccinated earlier in the year as compared to July. Furthermore, the death rates by age group were found to be higher among those who had received the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine recipients in July.
The current study was, therefore, able to demonstrate that booster doses can reduce the risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infections, as well as the transmission of variants among all individuals, particularly older individuals. However, vaccinating the unvaccinated population remains a major priority since all vaccines were found to reduce severe disease and death.
Another reason why vaccination of the unvaccinated is of importance is that although waning of protection is observed in the case of vaccination, sustained protection against death remains in vaccinated individuals younger than 65 years of age.
Limitations
The current study had certain limitations. First, the study was unable to adjust for different testing and prevention behaviors by age and was also unable to account for geographic heterogeneity. Second, the study could not identify reinfections.
Third, earlier vaccination was aimed at older age groups, while the later stages of vaccination were for the general population, thereby suggesting that the earlier results could not be generalized. Fourth, the different databases utilized for the study lacked a common unique identifier.
Finally, the overall rates can be underestimated in the study, as individuals could have tested positive between 0 to 13 days after the primary series.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and is among the top five causes of cancer-related death. In most cases, prostate cancer can be successfully treated but there is a group of patients who suffer an aggressive course and often fatal outcome.
The joint study conducted by a research team led by Robert Wiebringhaus and supervised by Lukas Kenner from MedUni Vienna's Department of Pathology and the Department of Laboratory Animal Pathology at Vetmeduni, member of the Executive Board of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, has identified novel cancer markers in patients with aggressive prostate cancer that indicate poorer survival and can therefore be used in future to help assess risk. The study was published in the highly regarded journal "Cancers".
In Austria, one in nine deaths among male cancer patients is due to prostate cancer. According to Statistics Austria, around 6,000 men are diagnosed with the disease every year. While some prostate cancers develop slowly and require minimal treatment, there are more aggressive forms that progress very quickly. In order to be able to treat prostate cancer more efficiently, it is necessary to understand the complex processes in the tumour at the molecular level.
Back in 2015, a research team led by experimental pathologist Lukas Kenner from MedUni Vienna's Department of Pathology and the Department of Laboratory Animal Pathology at Vetmeduni recognised, using a mouse model, that the protein STAT3 has a surprising tumour-suppressing role in prostate cancer. It was shown at that time that patients with low levels of STAT3 in cancer cells experience significantly worse disease progression than patients with high levels. A follow-up study showed that there was a higher metabolic rate in prostate cancer tissue as against healthy prostate tissue. This provides the tumour with extra energy to grow and metastasise.
The latest study by PhD student Robert Wiebringhaus from Lukas Kenner's team and molecular biologist Brigitte Hantusch builds on these findings. For the recent study, prostate cancer tissue was separated from healthy tissue using a laser microscope and the proteome, i.e. the totality of the proteins present, was then analysed using mass spectrometry (proteomics analysis). This facilitated the analysis of thousands of different peptides and proteins. There was found to be a higher concentration of proteins of the intracellular mitochondrial respiratory chain in the more aggressive cancer tissue. Mitochondria are organelles, i.e. structurally delimited cell areas with a specific biological function, and are also referred to as the "powerhouses of the cells".
In a machinery consisting of enzyme complexes, the so-called respiratory chain or "oxidative phosphorylation" produces energy-rich degradation products via the breakdown of sugar and, in a final step, these generate the universal energy carrier adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This is an important regulator of cellular energy-producing processes. Those cells with a particularly high energy requirement, such as cancer cells, can cover this demand via oxidative phosphorylation.
Two proteins of interest from proteomics analysis - NDUFS1 and ATP5O - were studied in more depth in a collection of samples from patients with associated clinical data. Using immunohistochemical staining and data analysis, these two proteins were shown to be associated with a lower probability of survival in more aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
Further analyses of the transcriptome, which comprises all genes that are transcribed in the cell at a certain point in time, also showed a rectified shift in the concentration of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid). This means that there is a direct correlation between the genetic transcripts and the proteins produced. The current study by Wiebringhaus et al. represents an important step in establishing a link between NDUFS, ATP5O and cancer aggressiveness. NDUFS1 and ATP5O could therefore serve as additional immunohistochemical markers for aggressive prostate tumours and, at the same time, as new targets for cancer treatment.
A team of scientists from Canada have recently characterized a panel of nanobodies against the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The nanobodies have shown high epitope binding affinity and neutralizing efficacy against a wide variety of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.
Study: Arsenal of Nanobodies for Broad-Spectrum Countermeasures against Current and Future SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concerns. Image Credit: Design_Cells/Shutterstock.com
Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has put a tremendous burden on the global healthcare system, with more than 275 million infections and 5.5 million deaths worldwide. Despite the development of potential vaccines and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies against COVID-19, a continuous uprise in pandemic trajectory has been observed globally particularly because of the emergence of mutated viral variants with improved immune fitness.
Besides monoclonal antibodies, single-domain nanobodies have shown considerable potency as a therapeutic intervention against COVID-19. Nanobodies are recombinant variable domains of heavy-chain-only antibodies found in camelids. The high aerosol-ability of nanobodies makes them suitable candidates for inhalation-based delivery. Moreover, nanobodies can be assembled to form multimeric constructs that exhibit a high cross-reactivity and neutralizing ability against a variety of VOCs.
In the current study, the scientists have characterized a panel of 37 anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike nanobodies as both monovalent and IgG Fc-fused bivalent modalities.
Epitope-binding abilities of nanobodies
The analysis of binding characteristics showed that both monovalent and bivalent nanobodies have high affinity against the spike protein, S1 and S2 domains, receptor-binding domain (RBD), and N-terminal domain (NTD) of the original Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the majority of bivalent nanobodies showed high cross-reactivity against the spike protein of alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and kappa variants of SARS-CoV-2. Similarly, most of the monovalent nanobodies showed high cross-reactivity against pangolin coronavirus, with some showing cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV. Monovalent nanobodies targeting the S2, RBD, and NTD domains of SARS-CoV-2 showed a broad range of cross-reactivity.
Importantly, most of the monovalent nanobodies showed considerable stability against high temperature and aerosolization. Similarly, bivalent nanobodies showed high serum stability and persistence suitable for conducting animal experiments.
Neutralizing efficacy of nanobodies
The virus neutralization assay findings revealed that a large number of monovalent nanobodies, especially anti-RBD nanobodies, are able to neutralize SARS-CoV-2. However, the proportion of bivalent nanobodies with neutralizing ability was higher than monovalent nanobodies.
The neutralization efficacy of all anti-RBD monovalent and bivalent nanobodies and some anti-NTD bivalent nanobodies against tested VOCs were determined in the study. The findings revealed that the nanobodies capable of effectively neutralizing the wild-type virus and the alpha variant exhibit lower neutralizing efficacy against the tested variants.
A total of 12 out of 20 tested bivalent nanobodies exhibited high efficacy in neutralizing the delta variant. Of these nanobodies, 9 were capable of neutralizing all tested variants as well as SARS-CoV.
Reformatting of monovalent nanobodies to bivalent nanobodies caused a significant improvement in neutralizing efficacy. The improvement was highest for anti-RBD nanobodies (2 100-fold). Reformatting even transformed some non-neutralizing monovalent nanobodies into potent neutralizers.
VHH-Fcs showed strong protective efficacy in hamsters challenged with SARS-CoV-2.
Epitope characterization
A total of 14 unique epitope bins were identified for 33 tested monovalent nanobodies. Of these epitope bins, 6 were for anti-RBD nanobodies, 3 for anti-NTD nanobodies, and 5 for anti-S2 nanobodies.
Regarding conformational arrangements of epitope bins, a range of binding patterns were identified. Moreover, a correlation between stabilizations spanning mutations in VOCs and the loss of neutralization was observed in the study.
Therapeutic efficacy of nanobodies
The therapeutic efficacy of five bivalent nanobodies (3 anti-RBD, 1 anti-NTD, and 1 anti-S2 nanobodies) was tested in hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Compared to untreated control animals, nanobody-treated animals showed significantly lower lung viral titers and improved body weight loss after 5 days of infection. The treatment with a combination of two nanobodies caused the highest reduction in viral titers.
The immunohistochemistry study findings revealed that the nanobodies effectively reduce SARS-CoV-2-induced inflammatory responses, lung apoptosis, and infiltration of inflammatory immune cells in the lungs.
Study significance
The study characterizes a panel of nanobodies with good neutralizing efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. Given the therapeutic efficacy in animals, the scientists suggest that these nanobodies can be used as potential therapeutics against COVID-19.
*Important notice
bioRxiv 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 new study indicates 40% of midwives in the United States are burned out or stressed and exhausted, putting them at risk for making medical errors and missing necessary patient care. Burnout also leads to less professional engagement, reduced productivity, absenteeism and resignations, according to new research published in the leading journal, Health Services Research.
Almost a third of all certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives in the United States participated in the study-;making it one of the largest burnout studies of a single profession ever conducted. In the study, midwives reported a higher rate of burnout than maternity nurses and about the same levels of stress as OB/GYNs.
Our findings indicate that a supportive practice climate, specifically effective leadership, organizational participation and supporting the unique perinatal care provided by midwives, is essential to burnout prevention." Brie Thumm, PhD, CNM, RN, MBA, FACNM, Study Lead Author and Assistant Professor at the College of Nursing, University of Colorado
While many speculate that the stress and exhaustion are due to working long hours or having too many patients, the researchers actually found the predictors of burnout to be poor leadership and support. Midwives cited a lack of professional recognition, staff and resources, control over clinical practice and practice autonomy, and a negative work environment. But researchers also found reason for optimisim. They say those problems can be fixed with cost-effective, straightforward changes in the practice environment.
"Workforce development initiatives should therefore aim to cultivate midwifery leadership and ensure there is a midwife on key decision-making committees to drive how we care for pregnant people and their families," she wrote.
Another predictor of burnout identified by the researchers was a lack of support for the midwifery model of care. Midwifery care puts the birthing person in the center of the care team with shared decision making and promotes low-intervention birth. Midwifery care is associated with lower rates of cesarean birth, pre-term birth, low birth weight infants, and neonatal mortality. Therefore, strategies to prevent burnout can also improve birth outcomes, the authors conclude.
Critical to health care
The study was the first investigation of midwifery burnout in the U.S. since 1986. The researchers include Dr. Thumm and Denise Smith, PhD, CNM, FACNM both from CU Nursing, Allison Squires, Phd, RN, FAAN of New York University Rory Meyers College School of Nursing; Ginger Breedlove, PhD, CNM, APRN, FACNM, FAAN of Grow Midwives; and Paula Meek, RN, PhD, FAAN, ATSF of the University of Utah College of Nursing. The research was part of Thumm's graduate dissertation. Data was collected by anonymously surveying midwives around the United States.
Shortage of maternity care providers
The finding that two in five midwives are burned out is significant. With an increasing shortage of maternity care providers around the US, midwives are needed more than ever to fill a gap in the workforce. Nearly half of all of the counties in the US don't have any maternity care providers, according to the report. The midwifery workforce can also reduce the workload on physicans and their levels of burnout.
Yet today, only 13,000 Certified Nurse-Midwives attend 9.8% of births nationwide. The study highlights that many of those remaining midwives are burned out and thinking of quitting.
"Increasing the numbers of practicing midwives is an important strategy toward correcting access to care issues and improving maternal health outcomes. However, midwifery burnout is a barrier to growing the midwifery workforce, and is associated with workforce instability and adverse patient outcomes," the researchers wrote.
No evening anxiety
Not all of the midwives in the study were dissatistifed with their jobs. Midwives who worked mostly nights were happier than those who worked any time during the day. The researchers suggest that's because evening workers have more automony and deal with fewer competing work obligations like meetings and outpatient care. In fact, the more time midwives spent with the patients, the survey found the less stressed out they were. Midwives attending births at home where they have more time with patients were more content in their work compared to midwives attending births in other settings.
With their findings, the researchers encourage policy makers and administrators to invest in better practices that support the midwifery model of care, including midwives in decision-making, and improving staffing and support from colleagues. Those kinds of simple changes could relieve their stress, prevent them from leaving the workforce, and encourage others to become midwives to create a robust U.S. midwifery workforce to improve maternal health care.
In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers presented a complete pre-clinical evaluation of the antiviral activity of nitazoxanide against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
They first confirmed the antiviral efficacy of nitazoxanide (NTZ) and tizoxanide (TIZ) (its active metabolite) in vitro before investigating their activity against SARS-CoV-2 using reconstituted human airway epithelium and a Syrian hamster model.
Since there were no approved small molecules to target coronavirus viral replication, multiple human clinical trials were rapidly initiated to address the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, including those involving an oral treatment by nitazoxanide with no or limited pre-clinical evidence of antiviral efficacy. Drug repurposing has also been considered as an interesting strategy to find an active antiviral therapy against SARS-CoV-2.
The study
In this work, the researchers first evaluated the in vitro efficacy of NTZ and TIZ against SARS-CoV-2, using two different cell lines, the VeroE6, and Caco-2 cells. Then, they investigated the ex vivo efficacy of NTZ using a model of reconstituted human airway epithelial of bronchial origin.
Further investigation to determine the potential antiviral activity of NTZ in vivo using a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection was also performed. To assess other administration routes for NTZ, the researchers explored the antiviral efficacy of an intranasal NTZ emulsion. They also characterized the pharmacokinetic profile of TIZ in hamsters after the administration of the NTZ suspension or TIZ formulated in 10% [Tween 80, 80% EtOH (70:30 v/v)] and 90% distilled water, homogenous opaque suspension.
Despite promising in vitro results and new hypotheses on its antiviral mechanism, NTZ failed to reduce the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo in the Syrian hamster model.
Results
The researchers found that NTZ possesses EC50 under 5M in two different cell lines. Additionally, they demonstrated that NTZ was active in bronchial human airway epithelia, which largely resembles the structural, functional, and innate immune features of the human respiratory epithelium; However, at lower potency as compared to Remdesivir, the positive control in this assay.
The study data showed that the active metabolite TIZ is indeed active against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro with an EC50 of 7.48M, strengthening the potential use of NTZ in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) management. Previous studies have reported that the TMEM16 inhibitor, NTZ protects against cell fusion induced by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in cell culture. Although NTZ showed promising in vitro results and new hypotheses on its antiviral mechanism, it failed to reduce the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo in the Syrian hamster model.
When using two different dosing regimens of NTZ, no significant improvement in terms of the clinical course of the disease, viral replication, and/or histopathological damages in the lungs was observed. These findings were demonstrated by the insufficient pulmonary diffusion of TIZ since peak concentrations in lungs (1-hour post-treatment) that never exceeded its in vitro or ex vivo EC50. They were also confirmed by the low accumulation of TIZ over time in the lungs and similar trough concentrations after three days of multiple doses of NTZ and those found four hours post-treatment in the single-dose model.
The pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling and simulations confirmed the lack of NTZ efficacy in the in vivo hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Simulations depicted that the dose of 500mg/kg/day BID (found ineffective in this study) was sufficient to achieve C max and AUC above those observed in humans at the usual dose of 1000mg/kg/day, but not sufficient to reach trough concentrations (C min ) observed in humans at this same dose.
The study findings suggested that at the usual dose of 1000mg/kg/day in humans, NTZ would not affect SARS-CoV-2 replication. The researchers enhanced the pulmonary diffusion and explored the possible antiviral activity of TIZ within the upper respiratory tract by treating hamsters with an intranasal NTZ emulsion formulation. Since no significant improvement in any of the disease endpoints was observed, this alternative route of administration proved ineffective in the model.
The TIZ trough concentration measured in lungs after three days of intranasal NTZ administration was very low which partly explains the lack of antiviral efficacy. The pharmacokinetic data revealed that the use of NTZ as an antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 is inappropriate at the current standard formulation and dosage. The low pulmonary bioavailability of NTZ is the major challenge that needs to be addressed to properly evaluate the potential antiviral effect of NTZ in an animal or human model.
In conclusion, the optimization of the NTZ formulation may allow the review of the potential use of the drug for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
*Important notice
bioRxiv 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.
Millions more cutting-edge antiviral treatments for COVID-19 have been secured for NHS patients as the UK Government signs two new contracts to help tackle Omicron.
The significant new deals have been accelerated following the emergence of the Omicron variant to protect vulnerable people over the coming months. The move will help reduce hospitalisations and therefore ease pressures on the NHS.
Antivirals are treatments used to either treat those who are infected with a virus or sometimes protect exposed individuals from becoming infected. They target the virus at an early stage, preventing progression to more severe, or even critical, symptoms.
The two new contracts are for 1.75 million additional courses of Merck Sharp and Dohme's (MSD) molnupiravir (Lagevrio) and 2.5 million additional courses of PF-07321332/ritonavir (Paxlovid) from Pfizer which will be available from early next year and are both expected to be effective against Omicron.
The 4.25 million courses are in addition to the procurement of 480,000 courses of molnupiravir and 250,000 courses of PF-07321332/ritonavir announced in October this year.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:
Our COVID-19 booster programme continues at unparalleled pace and it's vital we further bolster our national response to the virus by ensuring access to the world's best treatments too. This is a mammoth deal for the UK Government and for patients across the country that are set to benefit from these antivirals over the coming months. If you're aged 50 and over or have an underlying health condition and test positive for COVID-19 - sign up to the study as soon as you can and take advantage of this remarkable treatment."
Molnupiravir is already being rolled out to hundreds of patients through the national study PANORAMIC, run by the University of Oxford in close collaboration with GP hubs. The government is urging everyone aged 50 and over, or between 18 to 49 with an underlying health condition, to sign up to the trial if they test positive for COVID-19.
Last week, deployment of the antiviral to those at highest risk began outside of the clinical trial - for example, people who are immunocompromised or cancer patients - after they've tested positive. And as of Monday the antibody treatment sotrovimab (Xevudy) was also being made available to this group of patients.
Molnupiravir has shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of hospitalisation or death for at-risk, non-hospitalised adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 by 30%. PF-07321332/ritonavir reduced the relative risk of COVID-19-associated hospitalisation or death by 89% in those who received treatment within three days of symptoms appearing.
Should PF-07321332 be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), it will also be deployed through the PANORAMIC study as quickly as possible.
The study was launched to allow medical experts to gather further data on the potential benefits these treatments bring to vaccinated patients, and will help the NHS to develop plans for rolling out the antivirals to further patients next year.
For treatment access outside of the study, those in the highest risk group will be informed by the NHS if they have a condition that will make them eligible to receive these treatments, should they test positive for COVID-19.
Chair of the Antivirals Taskforce Eddie Gray said:
Both antivirals in our current portfolio could be vital tools against Omicron - with current evidence showing they will be effective against the variant. The Antivirals Taskforce will continue its work to ensure vulnerable people who test positive for COVID-19 can rapidly access these medicines. Signing up to the study is a simple and easy way you can protect yourself once you contract COVID-19 - if eligible, please sign up as soon as you test positive."
The Antivirals Taskforce will continue to look at a number of further treatment options, spanning a range of different antiviral mechanisms. Alongside the work of the Therapeutics Taskforce, this will ensure as many people as possible can be protected from COVID-19, future variants and other future diseases.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the UK has proven itself to be a world leader in identifying and rolling out effective treatments for COVID-19 - including the world's first treatment, dexamethasone, which has saved over a million lives worldwide.
(Newser) Frustrated passengers brawled with officers at Miami International Airport after a charter flight was delayed Monday night, police say. According to an arrest report seen by WPLG, the incident began when Air Century passenger Mayfrer Serranopaca confronted an employee on a transport cart and demanded to speak to the airline. When the man told Serranopaca he worked for Turkish Airlines and was unable to help him, Serraonopaca grabbed the cart's key and broke it, preventing the employee from driving away, police say. The employee alerted airport authorities and video filmed by a passenger shows an angry crowd surrounding and jostling one of the responding officers, CBS Miami reports.
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An arrest affidavit states that an officer who was "struck multiple times by other unknown passengers" feared for his safety and that of another officer, so he "drew his firearm and pointed it in the direction of the incited crowd." Police say Serranopaca, 30, and Alberto Yanez-Suarez, 32, were arrested after backup arrived. Serranopaca, who allegedly punched and bit an officer during the brawl, faces charges including battery on a police officer, resisting an officer with violence, and incite to riot. Yanes-Suarez, who allegedly pushed officers who were trying to arrest Serranopaca, faces charges of battery of a police officer and resisting an officer with violence, reports WPLG.
Airport director Ralph Cutie urged passengers to be patient and "travel responsibly," NBC Miami reports. He said that like other airports, MIA is seeing record-high passenger numbers this winter, and "unfortunately, that passenger growth has come with a record-high increase nationwide in bad behavior as well, such as the incident this evening." Disruptive passengers, he warned, "face police arrest, civil penalties up to $37,000, being banned from flying, and potential federal prosecution." (Read more unruly passenger stories.)
(Newser) Update: The former president and the current president traded unusually pleasant words Tuesday. After President Biden, in his address to the nation regarding COVID, praised "the prior administration" for its work getting vaccines available in the US so quickly, former President Trump told Fox News he was "surprised" but "very appreciative" to hear the comment. "I think he did something very good," Trump said of Biden. "You know, it has to be a process of healing in this country, and that will help a lot." He also declined to say anything negative when asked about the fact that Biden did not get as much pushback on limiting travel from Africa due to omicron as Trump did when he limited travel from China and Europe. "It is a little tough to be overly critical now, because he just thanked us for the vaccine and thanked me for what I did. You know, thats a firstso it is very tough for me to be overly critical now," he said. Our original story from Tuesday follows:
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"I know youre tired, and I know youre frustrated. We all want this to be over. But were still in it," President Biden said in a speech at the White House on Tuesday, setting out his administration's plans to deal with the winter surge in COVID cases. He said we should be "concerned" about the omicron variant "but not panicked," the Hill reports. He said that with mass vaccination, the US is in a much better place than it was earlier in the pandemic. We "have more tools than we had before," Biden said. "Were ready, well get through this." He confirmed that his administration plans to buy 500 million at-home COVID tests, which will be delivered through the mail for free to people who request them, starting in January.
Bidenwho described COVID as a "tough adversary"repeated his call for people to get vaccinated as soon as possible, calling it a "patriotic duty," the Washington Post reports. The president said the issue shouldn't be political, noting that Donald Trump has received a booster shot. "Its the only responsible thing to do," Biden said, per the AP. "Omicron is serious and potentially deadly business for unvaccinated people." He said his administration will not be fighting the surge with mass lockdowns. "We dont have to shut down schools because of COVID-19," he said.
Biden said his plan also includes new federal COVID testing sites. The administration is also preparing to deploy around 1,000 troops with medical skills to assist hospitals in hard-hit states. Federal medical personnel are already on the way to states including Michigan, Indiana, Arizona, and Vermont. Some experts said that while Biden's plan is a step in the right direction, it won't be enough, the AP reports. Dr. Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, said he was disappointed by the "lack of boldness." He said other moves could have included redefining "fully vaccinated" as having had three shots of Pfizer or Moderna, not two. (Omicron is now the dominant strain in the US.)
(Newser) As government officials traveled to inspect the site of a shipwreck that left at least 39 dead Monday off the Madagascar coast, the helicopter they were in crashed. The country's police minister, Serge Gelle, was rescued Tuesday after swimming for 12 hours, the BBC reports. In comments made while lying on a stretcher, Gelle said he swam from 7:30 Monday night to 7:30 Tuesday morning and that he was exhausted and cold, but not injured, the Guardian reports. He reportedly used a helicopter seat as a flotation device.
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"I would just like you to broadcast this video for my family to see, my colleagues to see, the government members to see. [I am] alive and well," Gelle said. "My time to die hasn't come yet." One or two other security officials aboard the copter also survived and made their way to shore over the same amount of time, but another one or two were still being searched for (reports on the number of survivors and missing vary). The survivors apparently ejected themselves from the helicopter before it crashed, Deutsche Welle reports. The cargo ship that sank was illegally carrying 130 passengers, dozens of whom remain missing, Sky News reports. Forty-five have been rescued. (Read more Madagascar stories.)
(Newser) After delivering a potentially fatal blow to President Biden's Build Back Better plan, Sen. Joe Manchin is not a popular man with his fellow Democratsbut he's gained some Republican fans. Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn told KXAN Tuesday that he had sent the West Virginia a text saying "Joe, if they don't want you, we do." Cornyn said that while he doesn't know whether Manchin will decide to join the GOP, "I do know West Virginia has gotten increasingly red ... And I think his vote on Build Back Better is reflective of what hes hearing from his constituents in West Virginia. So yeah, wed love to have him."
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Cornyn noted that with the Senate now split 50-50, Manchin switching sides would give the GOP a majority. He said the move would be "the greatest Christmas gift I can think of." Other Republicans have also tried to get Manchin to change parties, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, who would become majority leader. McConnell said last week that he had been suggesting the move to Manchin for years, the Hill reports. This week, McConnell said he was "shocked by the vitriol" from Democrats against Manchin.
Manchin, who describes himself as "fiscally responsible and socially compassionate," has said that he doesn't plan to leave the Democratic Partyand that if he is no longer welcome in the party, he will become an independent caucusing with Democrats. President Biden, meanwhile, hasn't given up on Build Back Better, the AP reports. Biden said Tuesday that he isn't holding any grudges against the senator and he hopes to get him back to the negotiating table. "Sen. Manchin and I are going to get something done," he said. (Manchin said Monday that he decided he couldn't support the plan because he was at his "wit's end.")
(Newser) After more than two months, the Kellogg strike is officially overand workers got a deal Tony the Tiger might describe as grrreat, according to the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union. The union says workers voted Sunday to ratify a deal announced last week and will return to work on Monday, after the Christmas holiday, the Detroit News reports. The agreement "makes gains and does not include any concessions," union president Anthony Shelton said in a statement. Some 1,400 workers had been on strike since Oct. 5 at the company's cereal plants in Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
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Shelton said the strikers, who rejected an offer earlier this month, "courageously stood their ground and sacrificed so much in order to achieve a fair contract." The deal workers approved includes a $1.10 per hour raise for all employees. It keeps the company's two-tier wage and benefits system in place, but creates what Kellogg calls an "accelerated path" from the lower tier to the higher one. Under the deal, all current Kellogg workers with more than four years of experience will be shifted to the higher tier, with better pay and expanded benefits.
Michigan State Rep. Jim Haadsma tells the Washington Post that the outcome is a big win for the labor movement and will send a powerful message to other unions. It "shows the continued evolving muscularity of organized labor" the Democrat says. The Kellogg workers "held on and got a little bit more than what they were afforded in the contract two or three weeks ago." During the 11-week strike, the company was strongly criticized by President Biden after it said it was planning to hire permanent replacements for the striking workers. (In solidarity with the striking workers, Reddit users clogged the company's jobs portal.)
(Newser) In what is being referred to as an unusual move, a high-profile member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is leavingand making it publicly known that he's doing so because of the church's stance on certain issues. "I believe the Mormon Church has hindered global progress in womens rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights," wrote Jeff T. Green in a letter to the church's president that was first published by the Salt Lake Tribune. Green, a Utah native currently living in California, is the billionaire founder and CEO of advertising technology firm the Trade Desk, the Washington Post reports. Prior to leaving the church, he was believed to be one of the wealthiest Mormons.
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"While most members are good people trying to do right, I believe the church is actively and currently doing harm in the world," writes Green, who says he started coming to these conclusions more than 10 years ago and has not been active in the church since. Green, 44, said 11 of his family members as well as one friend are also leaving the church, the New York Times reports. He also expressed concern with the church's $48 billion investment fund, paid for by members' contributions; in recent years the church has been accused of misleading members about how funds are used, the AP reports. Green, a former Mormon missionary and Brigham Young University grad, also announced this week he's donating $600,000 to LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Utah, and that he will ultimately give away more than 90% of his wealth. (Read more Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stories.)
(Newser) The truck driver sentenced to 110 years after a Colorado accident that killed four could see that amount of time reduced. The sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, who said his brakes malfunctioned, proved to be controversial, with millions signing a petition calling for it to be reduced and even Kim Kardashian weighing in. Now First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King has moved to do just that, the Denver Post reports. She filed a request for a court hearing in which the judge in the case, who said he himself did not agree with the sentence but was bound by state law, reconsider the mandatory minimum sentence. State law allows him to do so in "unusual and extenuating circumstances."
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King announced the move Tuesday, after the petition started gaining steam and Gov. Jared Polis said he'd consider a petition for clemency for Aguilera-Mederos, submitted by his defense attorney Monday, on an expedited basis. Under state law, the Department of Corrections must submit a report on Aguilera-Mederos within 91 days of him being taken into custody, and the judge can modify his sentence at least 119 days after he enters prison. The judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday to discuss whether the DA made the request too quickly, since Aguilera-Mederos hasn't been behind bars that long. CBS Denver reports the prosecution team was previously criticized after one of its members posted a photo of a brake pad from the semi involved in the crash as an apparent "trophy" celebrating the conviction. (Read more Colorado stories.)
(Newser) A plain cardboard box around the size of a toaster addressed to "Chairman, Physics Department" at City College of New York held a mysterious $180,000 cash donationbut it wasn't opened for more than 10 months. The department's chair, physics professor Vinod Menon, says he didn't find the box until Sept. 1 this year, after the college returned to in-person classes. It had been delivered on Nov. 12, 2020, CNN reports. The cash came with an unsigned note that said the sender had had "a long, productive, immensely rewarding" scientific career after graduating from CCNY "long ago" with bachelor's and master's degrees in physics.
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The box, so heavy that postage cost $90, was delivered to CCNY on Nov. 12 last year. "It was a complete shockI know a lot of academics and Ive never heard of anything like this," Menon tells the New York Times. "I didnt know if the college accepted cash, so I didnt know if theyd keep it." He turned the box over to authorities and university officials contacted federal agents to see if the cash came from criminal activity, the Times reports. The name on the return address, Kyle Bailey, did not exist in college records and the address, a house in Florida, had no apparent connection to the donation. After agents determined that the cash had been withdrawn from banks in Maryland in recent years and wasn't connected to crime, the college's Board of Trustees voted to accept the gift on Dec. 13.
At the board meeting, one member suggested that the box be bronzed and put in a display case. In the note, the mystery donor asked for the money to be used to support students majoring in physics and math. Menon says the cash will fund two full scholarships for more than a decade. "I'd like them to know that firstly, we are thankful for the gift. I'm really honored that he or she decided that this was the right place to spend that kind of money on," Menon says. "And I'm also proud of the fact that the person had a wonderful career based on the education that they received at City College." (Earlier this year, a former student who dropped out of Morgan State University in 1963 because of a lack of funds pledged $20 million to the school.)
(Newser) Millions of people upset over a 110-year sentence for a truck driver involved in a fiery fatal crash on Colorado's Interstate 70, who said his brakes malfunctioned, have a new reason to fume. Denver's 9 News reports a prosecutor posted a photo of a makeshift trophy she received from a colleague after the verdict, which includes a brake shoe from a semi-truck and a plaque featuring the words "power move" and "I-70 case." "Get yourself a trial partner as great as Trevor Moritzky. He turned a brake shoe from a semi truck into a memento," Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Kayla Wildeman captioned the post.
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Moritzky is a senior district attorney who helped secure the conviction of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos. "What a special gift from a truly special person," Wildeman continued. Her social media accounts appear to have been deactivated but a screenshot of the post has been shared widely, prompting the League of United Latin American Citizens to call for "immediate disciplinary action and a formal apology," per the Denver Channel. "To make any kind of mockery or behave as if this was a ball game of winning and losing is an outrage," added Leonard Martinez, an attorney for Aguilera-Mederos. "This was about four people losing their lives and another person facing the prospect of a 110-year prison sentence."
Celebrity activist Kim Kardashian, who's called for Gov. Jared Polis to commute Aguilera-Mederos' sentence, also referred to the post as "another shocking part of the case." In a Monday statement, First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King said Wildeman's post "was in very poor taste and does not reflect the values of my administration. We have addressed it internally," per the Denver Channel. She also clarified that the brake shoe was not a piece of evidence. Meanwhile, Polis' office says it will "expedite consideration" of a commutation for Aguilera-Mederos once the proper documentation is received. (Read more Colorado stories.)
(Newser) At the end of the school day on the last day of school before winter break in Missouri's Jefferson County, tragedy for the family of one first-grader. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the little boy, who hasn't been identified, had just gotten off his school bus at around 3:30pm on Tuesday, near an intersection about 6 miles south of Festus, when the bus fatally struck him. It's not yet clear exactly what happened, but the driver stayed on the scene and is said to be cooperating with investigators, per KSDK.
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The news outlet notes that the principal from Plattin Primary School, which the boy attended, and a nurse rushed to the accident scene when alerted, as did the boy's family members. KTVI reports the bus driver also remains unidentified. "This morning we were singing Christmas carols together," says Clint Johnston, superintendent for the Jefferson R-VII School District, per the Post-Dispatch. "This is a bad day. It's a bad day for our school, it's a bad day for our community. We're hurting." Johnston adds that grief counselors will be available at the school for students and community members who need assistance. (Read more bus crash stories.)
(Newser) A Harvard professor was convicted Tuesday of lying about his involvement in a Chinese recruitment program as part of the Justice Department's controversial effort to crackdown on Chinese influence in US research. Jurors convicted nanoscientist Charles Lieber, a former chair of Harvard's chemistry department, of two counts of filing false tax returns, two counts of making false statements, and two counts of failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China after a six-day trial in Boston, per the AP. Prosecutors said Lieber joined China's Wuhan University of Technology as a strategic scientist, agreeing to publish articles and apply for patents on the university's behalf, while on a quest for a Nobel Prize in 2011, per Reuters.
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Through the school, 62-year-old Lieber participated in the Thousand Talents Program, which recruits foreign researchers to share their knowledge with China. The problem wasn't his involvement but the fact that he lied about it when pressed by the Defense Department and the National Institutes of Health, which had awarded him $15 million in research grants and required foreign ties to be disclosed, per the BBC. He also concealed his income out of China, which prosecutors said included $50,000 per month from WUT, up to $158,000 in living expenses, and more than $1.5 million to establish a nanoscience research lab at the universityall reportedly paid to an undisclosed Chinese bank account.
Patrick Hegarty of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service said Lieber "eroded the trust the DoD has in its researchers to prioritize the United States and its service members over foreign governments, and over personal financial gain," per CNN. "We respect the verdict and will keep up the fight," defense lawyer Marc Mukasey responded, per Reuters. He'd earlier argued prosecutors lacked the documentation to prove Lieber lied and relied too heavily on a "confused" interview with the professor after his January 2020 arrest. Lieber, a cancer patient, has been on paid leave from Harvard ever since. He now faces up to 26 years in prison and $1.2 million in fines at sentencing, per the Harvard Crimson. (Read more China stories.)
(Newser) A nanny shoved a stroller carrying a 1-year-old out of the path of a pickup truck in New York City on Monday before the vehicle slammed into her instead. "The stroller came to a stop on its side against a row of parked cars," feet from 52-year-old mother of two Arcellie "Celi" Muschamp, "who was left lying on the pavement with one of her UGG boots torn in half by the impact," the New York Daily News reports. She has since undergone successful brain surgery and is recovering in an intensive care unit, Muschamp's daughter tells the outlet. She's said to be in critical condition. An eyewitness says the Brooklyn resident acted quickly to save little Rowan's life as a speeding truck turned into their path around 10:40am Monday. "The nanny must have, at the very last minute, pushed the stroller ahead of her," the man says.
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Rowan's mother, 34-year-old Katie Duhaime, isn't surprised. "That is 100% her nature, to put others first," she tells the Daily News of the "super-loving nanny." "She's been a part of our family for the past year without question ... I just hope she pulls through." On a GoFundMe page, Duhaime's husband, Patrick Mullen, writes that Rowan "was amazingly unscathed," adding that "the doctors have called it a miracle." Muschamp's daughter, Razhel Muschamp, tells the Daily News that her mother has worked as a nanny for two decades since immigrating to New York from Belize in the 1990s. She adds the driver of the pickup, who authorities tell People was a 68-year-old man, was at fault: "The driver failed to yield. He wasn't supposed to make that turn." No charges have been laid. (Read more New York City stories.)
(Newser) A Michigan school district says a well-regarded middle school art teacher with two decades under her belt may have wanted to start her holiday break a little too early. Just weeks after a mass shooting at a Detroit-area high school that left four students dead, 59-year-old Johnna Rhone, an instructor at Jefferson Middle School in St. Clair Shores, is being accused of leaving a series of "inappropriate" notes for other teachers, one of which "appeared to be an attempt at making a false threat in the hope of closing school," according to a statement by Lakeview Public Schools.
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"Start break early. He's gonna do it," read one threatening-sounding missive that Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido says Rhone left at a teacher station in the school, per NBC News. Lucido adds the note went on to read: "Just don't be in the hall after lunch. Boom! Get it?" As for the contents of the other two notes, when asked at a Monday presser if they were also threatening, Lucido responded, per the Detroit News: "Depends on how you want to interpret them."
In its statement, Lakeview Public Schools says there's surveillance footage showing Rhone delivering the first handwritten note, plus two others "similar in nature," with Lucido noting the messages were left at teacher workstations in the school library and media center, as well as in a classroom. Rhone was arrested at the school on Friday, but despite the commotion over that and the notes, the school remained open. "Based on the facts, information and timeline, the team was confident everyone was safe, and there was no need for initiating any lockdown or other safety protocols," the statement from the school district read.
The Detroit Free Press reports this incident is just the latest in a slew of copycat threats made since the Oxford shooting, though it notes this is the first to possibly involve a teacher. Rhone was arraigned Monday on a felony count of making a false report of terrorism, with her bond set at $75,000, reports WDIV. The judge has also ordered her under house arrest until she can receive a psychological exam to ensure she's not a risk to the public. Her attorney says she denies any wrongdoing and "looks forward to defending herself," per the Detroit News. Rhone could see up to 20 years behind bars if convicted. She also faces a fine of $20,000. (Read more threats stories.)
(Newser) An Australian landowner and an earthmoving business face 126 animal cruelty charges apiece in connection with a February 2020 incident that one conservation group dubbed a "koala massacre." CNN reports the individual and company are accused of causing "unreasonable pain or suffering to dozens of koalas," per Victoria state's Conservation Regulator, which didn't name the accused. "They are also charged with destroying koalas which are a protected species." It allegedly happened during a clearing operation at a timber plantation in Cape Bridgewater, where the blue gum trees the koalas lived in were largely taken down, reports the BBC. Some 21 koalas were found dead, some from starvation and others allegedly killed by the bulldozers.
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Another 49 wounded, dehydrated, and starving creatures were euthanized. "Techniques such as forensic radiography and pathology were undertaken on all deceased animals discovered on the property to assist in determining when and how the animals died," the head conservation regulator tells Australia's ABC. Koalas are a protected species, and each charge can carry a penalty of an almost $78,000 fine for a business and more than $32,000 or 12 months in jail for an individual. ABC speaks with Helen Oakley, the local resident who first came upon the dead animals while on an evening walk and filmed the scene. "I'm ecstatic, after waiting so long [for charges]I can't wipe the smile off my face," she said. (Read more koala stories.)
(Newser) Researchers studying the wreckage of the last US slave ship, buried in mud on the Alabama coast since it was scuttled in 1860, have made the surprising discovery that most of the wooden schooner remains intact, including the pen that was used to imprison African captives during the brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean. While the upper portion of the two-masted Clotilda is gone, the section below deck where the captured Africans and stockpiles were held is still largely in one piece after being buried for decades in a section of river that hasn't been dredged, said maritime archaeologist James Delgado of the Florida-based SEARCH Inc.
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"Its the most intact [slave ship] wreck ever discovered," he said. "It's because it's sitting in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta with fresh water and in mud that protected it that it's still there." At least two-thirds of the ship remains, and the existence of the unlit and unventilated slave pen, built during the voyage by the addition of a bulkhead where people were held as cargo below the main deck for weeks, raises questions about whether food and water containers, chains, and even human DNA could remain in the hull, said Delgado. "It's a stunning revelation," he said in an interview.
The Clotilda was the last ship known to transport African captives to the American South for enslavement. Nearly 90 feet in length, it departed Mobile, Alabama, for an illegal trip across the Atlantic and back to purchase people decades after Congress in 1808 outlawed such trade. The ship's voyage was financed by a wealthy businessman whose descendants remain prominent in Mobile. The Clotilda's captain transferred its human cargo off the ship once it arrived in Alabama and set fire to the vessel to hide evidence of the journey. But most of the ship didn't catch fire and remained in the river.
Shown on navigational charts since the 1950s, the wreckage was publicly identified as that of Clotilda in 2019 and has been explored and researched since then, Delgado said. The state has set aside $1 million for preservation and research, and additional work planned at the site in early 2022 could show what's inside the hull, Delgado said. But far more work is needed to determine whether the ship could ever be pulled out of the mud and put on display, as some have suggested. "Generally, raising is a very expensive proposition. My sense is that while it has survived, it is more fragile than people think," said Delgado.
(Read more discoveries stories.)
(Newser) Bill Gates says he's taking the rise of the omicron variant extremely seriously and has canceled most of his holiday plans. In a series of tweets Tuesday night, the Microsoft co-founder warned that omicron is now "spreading faster than any virus in history," CNN reports. "Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic," he wrote. "Omicron will hit home for all of us." He said the "big unknown" is how sick the variant makes peopleand even if it's "only half as severe as delta, it will be the worst surge we have seen so far because it's so infectious." Gates said some of his close friends have been infected.
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Gates, whose foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to vaccine research, said there will be more breakthrough cases because of how many people are vaccinated and how fast the variant is spreading, but "vaccines are designed to prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying & are doing that well." He urged people to "look out for each other" by wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings, and getting vaccinated. On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House's top medical adviser, warned that the variant is "just raging around the world," the AP reports. The CDC confirmed this week that omicron is now the dominant variant in the US, accounting for an estimated 73% of COVID cases.
Gates said that an upside to the speed of omicron's spread is that the surge could pass relatively quickly, Hill reports. He said the wave should pass in less than three months. "Those few months could be bad, but I still believe if we take the right steps, the pandemic can be over in 2022," Gates wrote. He added: "I know its frustrating to go into another holiday season with COVID-19 looming over us. But it wont be like this forever. Someday the pandemic will end, and the better we look after each other, the sooner that time will come." (Omicron researchers in South Africa are cautiously optimistic.)
(Newser) The crash test dummies used by car manufacturers help keep us safethough that "us" refers largely to the adult male population. In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Susan Molinari and Beth Brooke explain that when crash test dummies were standardized more than 40 years ago, those standards were based on the male frame. Fast-forward to today, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration continues to just require that male dummies sit in the driver seat during a number of its crash tests. "As a result, a five-star safety rating for a car or truck means it was highly rated for a 5-foot-9-inch, 170-pound man," they write. Thing is, women's bodies are different, and not just in terms of sizeand the impact on accidents is different on them too.
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Their bone density isn't the same, and where their abdomen is positioned in the car seat isn't the same. Studies have shown that female crash victims are 17% more likely to die than their male counterparts and 73% more likely to be seriously injured, despite the fact men cause more crashes. Female dummies do existhigh-tech ones with extra sensors in the abdomen, pelvis, and faceand test results on them "could inform adjustments to car design at the seat belts, headrests, air bags, pedals, and more." But, again, that's not required, and "it makes no sense," Molinari and Brooke write. "And until the standard changes, more than half the population will continue to pay the price." So what would the price of upgrading the requirements be? In their telling, it would up the cost of a new car by less than a dollar. (Read the full piece.)
(Newser) Actress Alicia Witt says she is devastated by the death of her parents, who were found dead in their Worcester, Massachusetts home Monday night. Witt says she became concerned after she didn't hear from them for a few days. "I reached out to a cousin who lives close to my parents to check on them. Sadly, the outcome was unimaginable, she said in a statement, per the AP. "I ask for some privacy at this time to grieve and to wrap my head around this turn of events, and this surreal loss." Police say there is no sign of foul play in the deaths of Robert Witt, 87, and Diane Witt, 75, though the cause of death is unclear and autopsies are scheduled.
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Police said there had been reports the couple were using a space heater after experiencing furnace problems, but firefighters did not detect carbon monoxide, the Telegram & Gazette reports. A neighbor told the paper that she rarely saw the couple outside their home, which had fallen into disrepair, and she believes they had been ill for some time. Witt, 46, became a child star at seven years old when she was cast in the original Dune. She has also appeared in shows including Twin Peaks, Justified, and Orange Is the New Black. The Telegram & Gazette reports that Diane Witt was a different kind of celebrity in the '80s and '90s, when she got into the Guinness Book of World Records with hair more than 10 feet long. In 1988, the couple described their hair care routine to UPI and said they had even used the hair to go fishing. (Read more Massachusetts stories.)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced a fiscal 2023 spending plan that puts a special emphasis on public safety across Alaska. Hes seen here on Oct. 22, 2021, addressing Fairbanks residents prior to a ribbon-cutting for the rebuilt University Bridge. Alena Naiden/News-Mine
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com
By Sreekanth Ravindran
Fraudsters have allegedly targeted the online banking and financial transaction network in the Kingdom resulting in money loss for many.
It is learned that many victims have launched a complaint with the police, pleading for an intense probe into the matter.
Scammers generally target victims by making calls to their mobile phones or sending SMSs.
Upon receiving the call or SMS, data is leaked and money is either transferred to other accounts or used for purchasing various goods online through the payment app already installed on the mobile phone.
Speaking to The Daily Tribune, an Indian businessman based in the Kingdom, who lost BD1,090 to scammers, said: I would receive calls and SMSs from many strange numbers.
When I opened one of the messages, it took me to an online platform, quite similar to the one I use normally.
I started getting calls and SMSs from anonymous numbers.
Neither did I pick them nor did I share my OTP.
I instantly informed the money transfer app and was told to change my transaction password.
Despite changing the password, I began receiving messages from my bank debiting BD1,000 initially and BD30 thrice later.
My mobile app transaction limit has been fixed at BD300 and online transfer cap was BD1,000.
It is hard to believe that the scammers even managed to overcome this specific cap and transferred BD1,000 to another local bank account apart from buying three vouchers of a telecom company for BD30 each.
He said scammers might have transferred the money to a foreign account. When I spoke to my bank, they said they had already placed a message to retrieve this money but couldnt claim it back since the money has already been transferred from that account too. I havent received any call from my bank or the Crime Investigation Department. I am afraid the money is gone forever.
Its high time the authorities concerned to investigate the matter more seriously and co-ordinate with those countries, which host banks into which money has been transferred.
How can they ignore this by telling us that we have no clue about the funds!
This is quite scary.
Another Indian national, who lost BD40 to the scammers, said he approached his bank to inform them about the fraudulent act.
They seem to be clueless.
Neither are they willing to take up the responsibility of securing my online banking process.
The bank says the problem lies in using the payment app.
But many are losing money while carrying out online transactions.
I could see many people waiting at the CID office having similar complaints.
Two days ago, a Bangladeshi national woke up only to find BD150 had been transferred from his account.
I rushed to the bank.
They were not believing me and would cite the situation as my mistake. How could I transfer money while sleeping?
A Pakistani national also met with a similar fate yesterday.
I lost BD130 from my account.
Upon informing, bank officials gave me a letter, which I have handed over to the CID personnel.
I hope I will get back the money once scammers fall into the police net, he said.
A banker who opted for anonymity said scammers engage in ATM skimming to collect card details.
A skimmer is a card reader disguised to look like part of an ATM.
The skimmer attachment collects card numbers and PIN codes.
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com
Bahrains shale oil project is on track, said Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa while answering a question by Shura Council member Ahmed Al Haddad on the progress in shale exploration. It is true that the COVID-19 situation has slightly reduced the pace.
But no work has been stopped and the field evaluation phase is progressing now, the minister added.
In 2018, Bahrain first revealed the extensive Khaleej Al Bahrain reservoir off the west coast, which could contain approximately 80 billion barrels of tight oil the Kingdoms largest oil discovery.
In 2019, Bahrain also signed a memorandum of understanding with Chevron to conduct an assessment of unconventional offshore oil and gas potential in the Gulf of Bahrain.
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com
Shanik Hubert, a class XII student at the Indian School Bahrain (ISB), has won Bronze Honour and National Award in the International Youth Math Challenge (IYMC)
The event is a global mathematics competition that enables students from all countries to prove their Math skills and to unleash their creativity.
Shanik, 17, won Bronze Honour for participating in the final round of IYMC 2021.
The final round was a supervised examination that required comprehensive skills in several mathematical areas.
Shanik also won the National Award from Bahrain for being the best participant achieving the nationwide highest score in the final round of IYMC.
He is the son of Hubert Satheesh Kumar, Environmental Engineer at Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), and Preetha Joseph, lecturer at Bahrain Training Institute (BTI).
Shaniks brother, Nishad Hubert, is a grade IX student at the Indian School Bahrain.
IYMC is one of the biggest online math competitions for students from all around the world.
Hon. Chairman Prince S Natarajan, Hon. Secretary Saji Antony and Principal VR Palaniswamy congratulated Shanik on his excellent performance in the competition
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com
Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) recently announced the nomination of Eman AlBinghadeer, Head of Internal Sharia Audit at BisB, amongst the list of the top 150 most influential women in Islamic business and finance for the third consecutive year.
Eman AlBinghadeer has been ranked #10, outperforming her previous achievement.
The announcement was made during the annual ceremony organised by Cambridge IFA earlier this month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Chief Executive Officer of BisB, Hassan Jarrar, said, We would like to congratulate Eman AlBinghadeer on this remarkable achievement, by which she has outdone herself and has been ranked #43 and #35 consecutively in the past two years, and #10 in 2021.
This comes as a result of her determination, and continuous quest for self-development.
We are proud of Eman for contributing towards raising the name of the Kingdom of Bahrain high among reputable international forums.
Eman AlBinghadeer is the first female Sharia auditor in Bahrain and the Gulf region.
As Head of Internal Sharia Audit at BisB, Eman liaises with the members of the Sharia Advisory Board of the Bank and is in charge of enhancing the banks Sharia auditing and accounting systems, monitoring operations from a Sharia perspective and implementing the necessary measures and actions to ensure compliance.
A United Kingdom-based global banking and financial services firm, with a location in Stamford, pleaded guilty Tuesday to various fraud schemes, according to federal prosecutors.
NatWest Markets described by Leonard C. Boyle, acting U.S. attorney for Connecticut, as a repeat offender also agreed to pay $35 million in fines, restitution and forfeiture.
The firm pleaded guilty to wire fraud and securities fraud in connection with a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in the district of Connecticut. Judge Omar A. Williams accepted the pleads and sentenced NatWest to pay the hefty fee. The company will also serve three years of probation and agrees to oversight by an independent compliance monitor.
NatWest is a repeat offender, Boyle said in a statement. In this instance, a criminal conviction was an appropriate penalty, given the conduct of NatWests supervisors, its compliance deficiencies, and its decision not to take the steps required to fulfill its agreement with this office that resolved a prior securities fraud scheme.
Between January 2008 and May 2014, NatWest traders in London and Stamford were involved in fraud schemes in connection with the purchase and sale of U.S. Treasury future contracts, prosecutors said. Also, in 2018, two other traders working at NatWests Singapore branch were involved in a fraud scheme in connection with the purchase and sale of U.S. Treasury securities in the cash market.
In each scheme, prosecutors said, NatWest traders placed orders with the intent to cancel them before they were executed in an attempt to gain profit by deceiving other market participants by pushing false and misleading information about the genuine supply and demand of the market. These spoof orders pushed the prevailing market price up and down so traders could make more profitable trades through their schemes, prosecutors said.
One of the schemes reached a material breach of the Oct. 25, 2017, Non-Prosecution Agreement between the U.S. Attorneys Office in Connecticut and NatWests U.S. broker-dealer subsidiary, prosecutors said. It also happened in 2018, when NatWest was on probation after a May 2015 guilty plea and a January 2017 sentencing for conspiring to manipulate the foreign currency exchange market.
Prosecutors said anyone who believes they might have been a victim in this case should visit www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/natwest.
BRIDGEPORT Residents and officials overwhelmingly agreed Monday that the development of apartments at Steelpointe Harbor would benefit the city. But some raised concerns about the potential gentrification of the neighborhood if the affordable housing units the developers must build as part of their contract are not constructed on site.
The City Council held a public hearing Monday night on a proposed tax incentive deal for the development of luxury apartments at Steelpointe. At months end the council will consider authorizing the tax break the developers are seeking to help finance the 400 high-end market-rate apartments, which will be located off of East Main Street south of Stratford Avenue and cost about $100 million to build.
Many people spoke positively of the father-son team whose Bridgeport Landing Development organization has spent a slow but steady several years transforming the East Side land situated between the waterfront and Interstate 95.
They said the development has taken a once blighted neighborhood and made it a destination, paving the way for further opportunities. The first tenants Bass Pro Shops, Chipotle restaurant and a Starbucks coffee shop opened in late 2015, followed by a marina and then, in 2019, Boca Oyster Bar.
Steelpointe is a major development and has provided local jobs and real opportunities to minority-owned businesses, said Diana Washington, vice president of the Southern Connecticut Black Chamber of Commerce. The project has really improved our image and reputation statewide. People now come to Bridgeport and enjoy our many attractions and restaurants.
Committed developers
Others lauded the generosity and character of Robert Christoph and Robert Christoph Jr.
Robert Dzurenda, executive director of Hall Neighborhood House, said that Steelpointe has been very active in our community on the East Side.
Theyve really stepped up during COVID and actually reached out to us and the community around our facility to help out and they contribute a lot, Dzurenda said. They have done a great job in re-branding that area. Im not from Bridgeport but its definitely added to Bridgeport and surrounding towns.
The Christoph family, from my point of view, represents all that is good about who we are and what we believe in as a society, said John Torres, executive director of Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders. They invest in people and they invest in our future.
For years we have wondered what could be of the beautiful waterfront property off I-95, Torres said. Now we have the chance to add to the vibrant waterfront by supporting this project.
A handful of people who opposed or raised questions about the possible deal said they didnt doubt the Christophs are generous or good developers but said the city should take a closer look at the tax break theyre seeking.
Callie Heilmann, president and co-founder of the Bridegport Generation Now, said everyone in her group wants housing and development at Steelpointe but also wants the City Council to negotiate an equitable and inclusive deal.
Its not about good people vs. bad people, Heilmann said. Its about good vs. bad policies. And Bridgeport has its share of housing discrimination, racial and ethnic segregation and wealth inequality.
Those opposed to the deal included two members of the City Council, Maria Pereira and Michele Small. Other council members, like Ernest Newton, pledged support.
Although the Steelpointe redevelopment was proposed a few decades ago, visitors and passersby will still find plenty of vacant land.
Two years ago the Christophs stated they wanted to break ground on the market-rate housing in 2020, but then the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
This month Christoph Jr. said, I think the time is now (for the housing). Bridgeport has a real opportunity and its moment to really shine.
The agreement
The proposed tax agreement before the council calls for a two-year construction period and an additional year to occupy the units. Under that deal, Bridgeport would receive $23,900 in taxes for those three years the apartments are being built/leased, then $1.26 million in year four, and then, in years five through 10, the payments would increase by 2 percent, reaching $1.47 million.
The Christophs initial contract with Bridgeport for Steelpointe required they also either build or help finance affordable and so-called workforce housing representing 10 percent of their total market-rate units. And most of it can be around town rather than all at Steelpointe.
Heilmann and Generation Now co-founder Gemeem Davis said that number should be at least 20 percent and that the affordable units should be fully integrated into the Steelpointe development, not elsewhere.
The lack of guaranteed affordable units at Steelpointe is a segregationist policy, and one that will ensure that Steelpointe is and forever will be economically and racially segregated, Heilmann said.
Davis said the developers should be ashamed of themselves for even proposing having a deal set up in such a way that would leave predominantly black and brown people out of that area. She pointed to other development deals across the country that mandated more on-site affordable units.
This is not something thats out of the ordinary. Its not unreasonable to ask for, she said. Its about what we want our city to look like and who our city is for.
Newton and state Rep. Antonio Felipe were among those who said it could be insulting to ethnic minorities to suggest they cant afford housing, and said many already occupy luxury homes in the city.
Yes, we need affordable housing, but we need people that have got money to come into this city, Newton said. Why? Because they will spend money in those neighborhoods.
Davis later pointed out those living in so-called affordable housing include people with modest incomes. No one is saying were talking about poor people who cant afford anything. That is not the issue, she said.
Council member Jeanette Herron said the deal isnt etched in stone.
Well go back to the table and well consider a lot of whats been said, she said. So people have to understand the work is still going to be done. But lets give ourselves a little more credit than we have here. Absolutely, we need more affordable housing in this city. But we also need development. We also need tax base.
Another council member, Wanda Simmons, echoed the sentiment, but also said those who spoke out against the deal raised legitimate points.
Development is good in the city of Bridgeport, she said. We definitely need development over here on the East End. But we also need to look at the structural, systemic issues that do segregate and gentrify our neighborhoods.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Trump administration overpaid corn farmers by about $3 billion in federal aid in 2019 and farmers in the South were paid more for the same crops than those elsewhere in the country, a federal watchdog agency has found.
The Government Accountability Office said in a report released Monday that international disputes resulting from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump hurt farmers but that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's county-by-county methodology for computing the extent of damage was flawed, leading to overpayment and inconsistent compensation.
Though corn yields are higher in the Midwest and West, corn producers received an estimated average of $69 per acre in the South, $61 in the Midwest, $34 in the Northeast, and $29 in the West, the report said.
GAO also estimated that payments to corn producers were approximately $3 billion more than USDAs estimate of trade damage to corn, while payments to soybeans, sorghum, and cotton producers were lower than their estimated trade damages.
National Corn Growers Association CEO Jon Doggett said the USDAs higher compensation for corn farmers in 2019 included items the GAO did not consider in its analysis, including the trade damage value for corn ethanol and a high protein livestock feed byproduct of ethanol production.
Both 2018 and 2019 were terrible years for farmers who experienced net losses due to decisions in Washington and adverse weather conditions. In fact, farmers suffered a $6.3 billion loss in 2018 alone during that time because of the tariffs.
The GAO report was requested by the Senate Agriculture Committee chaired by Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
This report confirms that the Trump USDA picked winners and losers in their trade aid programs and left everyone else behind," Stabenow said in a statement. Making larger payments to farmers in the South than farmers in the Midwest or elsewhere, regardless of whether those farmers actually experienced a larger loss, undermines our future ability to support farmers when real disasters occur.
GAO said it audited the UDSA's Market Facilitation Program.
GAO recommended that the USDA Office of the Chief Economist revise its internal review process to ensure transparency of its documentation and that the agency conduct a review to ensure proper baseline methods are used in analysis.
Dr. Seth Meyer, the USDA chief economist, responded to the report in an Oct. 21 letter. He said the USDA analysis was based on a widely accepted trade model and methodology that the USDAs Office of Inspector General found to be reasonable, and was applied consistently across a range of commodities for the 2018 and 2019 trade mitigation packages.
He said the USDA Office of the Chief Economist did not make the policy decision, and it provided options to policy makers.
The policy decisions to select between a variety of alternatives that GAO has flagged as problematic were made by senior USDA leaders under the previous administration and not OCE, he said.
Trump imposed higher tariffs on certain products from China, Europe, Canada and other key trading partners in 2018. China, Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Turkey, and India responded with tariffs targeting U.S. products, including agricultural commodities. In 2018 and 2019, many U.S. agricultural exports declined and the Trump administration poured money into support for farmers including the Market Facilitation Program that was the subject of the GAO audit.
Corn, cotton, sorghum, soybean and wheat farmers were paid more than $21.7 billion in 2018 and 2019. Dairy and hog farmers were paid more than $900 million, and specialty crops including tree nuts, cherries, cranberries, ginseng and table grapes were paid $346 million.
Before he lost the November 2020 election, Trump made it clear he was courting farmers' votes with federal aid. In a late October 2020 campaign appearance in Omaha, Nebraska, Trump said he believed farmers were better off getting government payments than relying solely on their farming receipts.
In 2019, one-third of U.S. farm income came from direct government payments and last year it was nearly 40% of their income.
Some farm groups questioned the way the federal money was being distributed to commodity and livestock farmers.
The proposed Margerie Reservoir Trail and upgrades to Danbury War Memorial were among the local projects approved by the State Bond Commission on Tuesday.
The town of New Fairfield received an additional $1.8 million for the planning of the long-proposed Margerie Reservoir Trail, bringing the projects total funding to roughly $2.28 million. The Bond Commission approved a $484,000 grant-in-aid for the project back in July.
The city of Danbury received a $1.4 million grant-in-aid for renovations at the War Memorial, which would include upgrades to the utility, fire alarm and sprinkler systems.
The building serves as a community center, exercise facility, voting place and the citys emergency shelter. It was upgraded in 2015, but the facilitys electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems are outdated and dont codes.
First proposed more than a decade ago, the roughly 2.5-mile, multi-use Margerie Reservoir Trail would run along the 270-acre Margerie Reservoir, connecting New Fairfields town center to Peck Road in Danbury.
A report from the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, after a more-than-yearlong study of the Route 37 corridor, estimated the project to cost between $2 million and $3.5 million and take about five years to complete.
New Fairfield also got a $210,170 grant-in-aid from the state for a new elevator and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements at the Squantz Engine Company firehouse.
The installation of an elevator will allow the firehouse to, once again, provide a beautiful space, ADA compliant, where the community can gather, State Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, said in a statement when the project was placed on the agenda. I'm so proud that our communities will receive these significant investments by the state, supporting important and meaningful projects that will benefit life for thousands.
A $2 million grant-in-aid was awarded to the Boys and Girls Club for an expansion of the teen center in Ridgefield.
Brookfield was one of 10 municipalities approved to be reimbursed for the purchase of police body cameras and video storage devices. Of the approved $379,700 reimbursement, almost $21,000 will go to Brookfield.
The state courthouse in Danbury earned $105,000 toward replacing the circuit breaker.
Half the cost of a bridge on Franklin Street Ext. over Mercer Pond Brook in Danbury will be covered with state funding. That was part of $13 million awarded to local bridge projects.
VALHALLA, N.Y. A former assistant teacher at Westchester Community College is facing a felony charge after authorities said she allegedly presented a forged version of a COVID-19 vaccination card in order to obtain a permanent job there.
The Westchester County District Attorneys office said 50-year-old Sonya Tarter Wilson was charged Tuesday with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.
The creation of fraudulent vaccination cards is a deceitful tactic that puts others at an increased risk of the serious effects of COVID-19, District Attorney Miriam Rocah said. Individuals with relevant information about anyone possessing or selling fake or altered COVID-19 vaccination cards are encouraged to contact my office.
The district attorneys office said in a statement Wilson had been an assistant teacher at the college. On Nov. 9, authorities allege Wilson submitted a copy of a forged COVID-19 vaccination record card with her name and date of birth to to obtain permanent employment at the college, officials said.
The office said that when Wilson was asked for the original card, she admitted to using a family members card and altering the information on it.
Proof of vaccination has been required at bars, restaurants and most other indoor venues in New York City since mid-September. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced earlier this month that masks are required to be worn indoors unless the business owner has a vaccine requirement in place. The new restrictions come as cases have spiked throughout the northeast, which researchers believe may be tied to the omicron variant.
In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamonts office this week unveiled the states digital COVID-19 record that users can carry on their phone, following the lead of several other states that offer digital vaccine cards or apps. The governor acknowledged the digital cards will make it easier for restaurants and other businesses to require proof of vaccination, but stopped short of issuing a proof-of-vaccine or mask mandate. The governor also noted the system will make it harder for people to forge COVID-19 records.
In April, Connecticut State Capitol police seized a box of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards at a rally at the capitol ahead of a vote over whether to remove religious exemptions from traditional vaccinations for public school children.
Its unclear how many incidents involving faked COVID-19 records have been reported since. A spokeswoman for Attorney General William Tongs office said the agency received one complaint through state Rep. Matt Blumenthals office.
In that incident, one of Blumenthals constituents ordered a passport holder through Amazon, according to the office. When the holder arrived, the order also contained a fake vaccine card. Tongs office reached out to Amazon and the vendor was removed from the site, the spokeswoman said.
NEW FAIRFIELD Due to rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases in town, New Fairfield Town Hall will return to limited visitor access starting next week.
Our numbers are increasing at a rate that I dont know weve ever seen in the past, First Selectman Pat Del Monaco said Tuesday, noting the towns COVID case rate jumped from 18.5 per 100,000 people Dec. 9, to 43.2 the following week.
We havent seen a case rate that high since last January, she said.
The town is reporting about 53 active cases, according to Del Monaco, and the latest state data shows more than 100 new COVID cases in New Fairfield since Dec. 1.
Del Monaco said the town is averaging between 15 to 20 cases a day.
For that reason, at the advice of the health director, we are going to go back to appointment only at town hall, she said. Until we see how widespread this (omicron) variant is going to be, we want to take this precaution.
Beginning Monday, New Fairfield Town Hall will be open to non-employees by appointment only until further notice with residents encouraged to use online service when possible.
Residents looking to make an in-person appointment will need to call.
Visitors and town hall staff will be required to wear masks inside town hall.
We just feel that this is the safest way to go right now, and hopefully we wont be operating that way for very long, Del Monaco said. Everyone, please be safe.
New Fairfield has had more than 1,280 confirmed COVID cases and four confirmed COVID-related deaths since March 2020, according to the latest state data.
Its not just New Fairfield thats seen a recent rise in COVID numbers. With 6,000 new COVID cases, the statewide daily COVID positivity rate had reached nearly 9 percent Tuesday.
Vaccinations
As part of the continued effort to reduce New Fairfields infection rate and increase the number of vaccinated residents, Selectman Khris Hall said shes asking Griffin Hospital to bring its mobile vaccination van to town to host clinics in January and February.
Ive been given reason to believe that Griffin Hospital still has a lot of flexibility, so we should have a plan in place hopefully before the end of the year if not, right after the first of the year for more vaccination clinics (with) an emphasis on continuing to vaccinate our children, she said.
The plan would include two clinics at Meeting House Hill School and two at the high school, and Saturday clinics at the high school which Del Monaco said have been averaging 150 to 200 people per day in recent weeks would likely continue.
Hall said well over 200 people were vaccinated at the mobile vaccination clinic this past Saturday.
As of last week, 62.5 percent of New Fairfield residents were fully vaccinated and 73.3 percent had received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.
Schools
New Fairfield school officials are concerned about the effect COVID-19 could have on the district after winter break.
According to Assistant Superintendent Julie Luby, the school district has had 123 COVID cases since the start of the academic year, and the case rate among the school community has been gradually increasing since October.
Between Dec. 2 and Dec. 16, the number of cases in the school district jumped 64 percent. Luby said the spike is likely related to Thanksgiving break.
OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 21, 2021 /CNW/ - Health Canada is advising Canadians that the following products may pose serious health risks. For more information, including what Canadians should do, visit the online safety alert .
Health Canada maintains a list of unauthorized health products that may pose serious health risks so that Canadians can easily identify those they may have purchased and take appropriate action. Canadians are encouraged to check back regularly for updates.
Unauthorized health products Product & Promoted Use Hazard Identified Company Action Taken HERBEREX (with no NPN) Sexual enhancement Product tested by Health
Canada and found to
contain nortadalafil Sinvention Boutique 390 Douro St Studio 5 Stratford, ON Seized from the retail
location
Images
For photos of these products, please visit the online safety alert .
Stay connected with Health Canada and receive the latest advisories and product recalls.
Egalement disponible en francais
SOURCE Health Canada
For further information: Media Inquiries: Egalement disponible en francais, Health Canada, (613) 957-2983, [email protected]; Public Inquiries: (613) 957-2991, 1-866 225-0709, [email protected]
OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 21, 2021 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada remains committed to supporting Canadian businesses and organizations in the face of the ongoing pandemic. On Friday, December 17, 2021, the targeted COVID-19 support measures received Royal Assent. These measures will ensure that the hardest-hit sectors and those who are most affected by the pandemic will continue to receive the support they need. The government will remain vigilant to ensure businesses have the tools needed to deal with the impacts of the evolving Omicron variant while also supporting a strong economic recovery."
Today, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, announced further details on these measures including current application periods:
Increasing the subsidy rate for the Canada Recovery Hiring Program from 20 per cent to 50 per cent. The increased rate will help organizations continue to hire back workers and create the additional jobs Canada needs for a full recovery. Applications for period 22 are now open, covering the period of October 24 to November 20, 2021 .
from 20 per cent to 50 per cent. The increased rate will help organizations continue to hire back workers and create the additional jobs needs for a full recovery. The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy ended on October 23, 2021 , and have been replaced by targeted support to organizations that are still facing significant pandemic-related challenges. Support will be available through two streams:
Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and Emergency Rent Subsidy ended on , and have been replaced by targeted support to organizations that are still facing significant pandemic-related challenges. Support will be available through two streams: Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program , which will provide support through wage and rent subsidies to, for example, hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, and restaurants, with a subsidy rate of up to 75 per cent. Eligible organizations would be required to meet the following two conditions to qualify for this program:
, which will provide support through wage and rent subsidies to, for example, hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, and restaurants, with a subsidy rate of up to 75 per cent. Eligible organizations would be required to meet the following two conditions to qualify for this program:
An average monthly revenue reduction of at least 40 per cent over the first 13 claim periods for the CEWS (12-month revenue decline); and
A current-month revenue decline of at least 40 per cent.
Applications for period 22 are now open, covering the period of October 24 to November 20, 2021 .
Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program , which will provide support through wage and rent subsidies. It will support other organizations that have faced deep losses, with a subsidy rate of up to 50 per cent. Eligible organizations would be required to meet the following two conditions to qualify for this program:
, which will provide support through wage and rent subsidies. It will support other organizations that have faced deep losses, with a subsidy rate of up to 50 per cent. Eligible organizations would be required to meet the following two conditions to qualify for this program:
An average monthly revenue reduction of at least 50 per cent over the first 13 claim periods for the CEWS (12-month revenue decline); and
A current-month revenue decline of at least 50 per cent.
Applications for period 22 are now open, covering the period of October 24 to November 20, 2021 .
Increasing the monthly cap on eligible rent expenses that can be claimed. To better respond to the needs of organizations, the government is increasing the aggregate monthly cap on eligible expenses that can be claimed from $300,000 to $1 million (including amounts claimed by affiliated entities) starting on October 24, 2021 .
These COVID-19 programs are extended until May 7, 2022, with the authority to further extend them, through regulation, until July 2, 2022.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)'s top priority is to continue to ensure that the program application processes are simple and clear, and that subsidy payments get into the hands of those who need them, as quickly as possible.
Quick Facts
Getting set up with CRA's My Business Account is the most convenient and quickest way to apply for and receive the subsidies you may be entitled to.
The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy has helped over 5.3 million Canadians remain employed through over $97 billion in wage support.
Emergency Wage Subsidy has helped over 5.3 million Canadians remain employed through over in wage support. The Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy has helped over 1.8 million Canadians remain employed through over $7 billion in rent/mortgage support.
Emergency Rent Subsidy has helped over 1.8 million Canadians remain employed through over in rent/mortgage support. In order to maintain public confidence, and the integrity of Canada's tax and benefits system, the CRA performs regular validation reviews. These reviews are designed to confirm that individuals are indeed eligible for the benefits they receive.
Quote
"Our government will be there for Canadians for as long as it takes to get through the COVID-19 crisis, and this suite of programs reflects that commitment. These COVID-19 support measures are targeted towards those who need it most and continue to prioritize job creation and a strong economic recovery. We are working closely with our partners to implement the targeted COVID-19 support measures as quickly as possible in order to address the financial hardship still being felt by Canadian businesses and workers."
-The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue
Associated Links
Targeting COVID-19 Support Measures
COVID-19 benefits and services - Canada.ca
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SOURCE Canada Revenue Agency
For further information: Contacts: Chris MacMillan, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of National Revenue, 343-540-6066; Media Relations, Canada Revenue Agency, 613-948-8366, [email protected]
Related Links
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/
SHALALTH, BC, Dec. 21, 2021 /CNW/ - The governments of Canada and British Columbia continue to invest in local infrastructure to meet the needs of communities, enhance people's quality of life, increase food security, and support local solutions that make communities more resilient to unpredictable events.
Today, Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West VancouverSunshine CoastSea to Sky Country, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Josie Osborne, British Columbia's Minister of Municipal Affairs, announced funding for an improved emergency transportation option for Tsal'alh.
This funding enables Tsal'alh Development Corporation to build a new dock and purchase a boat, providing band members with safe and reliable emergency transportation to and from the Nation and improving access to essential goods and food supply. The new boat will also help provide critical services to the community, including transporting health professionals and carrying out emergency evacuations as needed.
The Government of Canada is investing $366,763 in this project through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream.
Quotes
"Our Government is taking action to increase communities' resilience and ensure people's safety in the face of extreme climate events. Recent events in B.C. have highlighted the need to think outside the box in designing our transportation infrastructure. Our Government is proud to partner with British Columbia on this innovative project, which will ensure the Tsal'alh First Nation has a safe mode of transportation to and from the Nation."
Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West VancouverSunshine CoastSea to Sky Country, on behalf of The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
"This funding will help bring peace of mind to members of the Tsal'alh. Communities located in remote locations are particularly vulnerable to road closures and other unforeseen events which can create safety issues when critical health services or evacuations are needed. As we've seen with extreme weather events in recent months, all people in British Columbia must have safe and reliable access to essential services.
Honourable Josie Osborne, B.C.'s Minister of Municipal Affairs
"Tsal'alh has been impacted by climate change the past few years, as extreme weather events have closed our roads in and out of the community. This project will provide an important option of water transportation via Seton Lake to ensure emergency access to essential services. With climate change causing extreme events like forest fires and flooding, water, rail and road access are essential options needed to provide services to our community. Tsal'alh Government will work closely with the Tsal'alh Development Corporation to ensure a successful project."
Chief Randy James, Tsal'alh Government (TG)
Quick facts
Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
infrastructure plan, the federal government is investing more than over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities. Including today's announcement, 100 infrastructure projects under the COVID-19 funding stream have been announced in B.C. to address the effects of the pandemic with a total federal contribution of more than $85 million and a total provincial contribution of almost $21 million .
and a total provincial contribution of almost . During that period, over $38 billion has been earmarked for communities across Canada to support world-class, modern public infrastructure, including over $1.77 billion for COVID-19 related projects.
has been earmarked for communities across to support world-class, modern public infrastructure, including over for COVID-19 related projects. Infrastructure Canada helps address complex challenges that Canadians face every dayranging from the rapid growth of cities, to climate change, and environmental threats to our water and land.
Associated links
Investing in COVID-19 Community Resilience:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/covid-19-resilience-eng.html
Investing in Canada: B.C.'s COVID 19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream
www.gov.bc.ca/Investing-in-Canada-Infrastructure-Program
Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html
Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-bc-eng.html
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
Web: Infrastructure Canada
SOURCE Infrastructure Canada
For further information: Jean-Sebastien Comeau, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-574-8116, J[email protected]; Lauren Mulholland, Media Relations, B.C. Ministry of Municipal Affairs, 250-208-0410, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]
According to sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shah will visit the state seven times in a span of 10 days after December 24.
Ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit the state on December 24 when the ongoing winter session of the Parliament concludes, informed sources. According to sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shah will visit the state seven times in a span of 10 days after December 24. The party has planned to organize programmes in different areas keeping in mind the socio-political scenario.
During his visit, Amit Shah will hold 21 meetings and conduct three roadshows, covering 140 assembly constituencies, sources said. Sources informed that one programme will be held for seven Assembly constituencies which will include three OBC-dominated Assembly constituencies, two urban areas, one scheduled caste constituency and one Muslim-dominated Assembly segment. Apart from this, Shah will also take stock of the election preparations by holding a meeting with the local office-bearers of the party.
Sources have informed that Shah will visit Ayodhya in the first week of January. He will conduct three roadshows in Ayodhya, Gorakhpur and Bareilly under the partys Jan Vishwas Yatra.
The importance of Shahs visit to the state can be gauged from the fact that in 2014, as the general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, he made a big difference in the Lok Sabha elections. At that time, the party had won 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats.
Thereafter, in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Shah kept the command of the BJPs campaign in his hands while he was still serving as the party president and the party won 325 seats in the 403-member Assembly.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 62 Lok Sabha seats, defeating the SP-BSP-RLD alliance and the Congress.
Days after alleged sacrilege incidents in Punjabs Amritsar and Kapurthala, another incident of sacrilege has been reported in Ludhiana. On Tuesday, torn parts of Hindu religious texts and scriptures were found in front of Police Commissioners office. The fragmented copies were then handed over to the police by Shiv Sena Punjab national president Rajiv Tandon and those who were present with him.
Speaking to a news portal, Rajiv Tandon said that they recovered torn pages of Shri Garuda Purana, Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta and other religious texts, which were found strewn under a Banyan tree located near the Police commissioners office.
As soon as they recovered it, they called up the police commissioner to inform him about the incident. The police have registered a complaint in this matter. As part of the preliminary investigation, it is also checking the nearby CCTV footage to identify those responsible for the incident.
Meanwhile, reports coming in from Kaputhala incident say that the deceased man was spotted in the kitchen by one of the sewadaars eating chapatis on the ground floor. When he tried to escape, he was apprehended by the sewadars. Reportedly, the police could not find any evidence of sacrilege at the Gurudwara.
Looking at the recent turn of events, it is evident that we must have a zero tolerance policy in dealing with incidents of sacrilege as well as lynching. The authorities should take up the incidents of sacrileges seriously and at the earliest. No sikh should feel that their religion is under attack. Meanwhile, we should be extremely wary of people taking law into their own hands.
Taking to Twitter, RSS said, "The Samanvay Baithak (coordination meeting) of the chief functionaries of various organizations inspired by the RSS working in different areas of social life will be held from 5th to 7th Jan. 2022 at Bhagyanagar, Telangana: Sunil Ambekar."
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) once again raised the agenda of renaming Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar by calling a three-day Samanwaya Baithak(coordination meeting) in the first week of January 2022 to review the working of affiliated organizations and preparations for upcoming assembly elections scheduled to take place in five states next year.
Taking to Twitter, RSS said, The Samanvay Baithak (coordination meeting) of the chief functionaries of various organizations inspired by the RSS working in different areas of social life will be held from 5th to 7th Jan. 2022 at Bhagyanagar, Telangana: Sunil Ambekar. Notably, RSS has not clearly demanded to change the name of the city but has used Bhagyanagar instead of Hyderabad.
It is worth mentioning that both RSS and Bharatiya Janata Party have been raising the demand to rename Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar. During the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election, 2020, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said that if Faizabad can be renamed Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagraj, then Hyderabad too can be renamed as Bhagyanagar.
Some people were asking me if Hyderabad can be renamed as Bhagyanagar. I said why not. I told them that we renamed Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagraj after BJP came into power in UP. Then why Hyderabad cant be renamed as Bhagyanagar? Yogi had said.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP National President JP Nadda, Party National General Secretary BL Santosh and Joint General Secretary Shiv Prakash and other top office bearers of affiliated organizations will participate in this annual meeting, sources said. Further, sources said that the BJP representatives will give details of their vision and programmes for the coming year.
In the meeting, there will be extensive discussions on the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Goa, and any assistance required from the affiliates in the polls. Such meetings are held every year between BJP and RSS. In June this year, a coordination meeting was held in Uttar Pradesh which was attended by BJP General Secretary BL Santhosh.
The latest satellite images released by Maxar Technologies, a US-based space firm, shows Chinese forces developing strategic structures beyond Finger 8 on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso lake. Sharing the satellite image, Foreign Policy reporter Jack Detsch tweeted, Satellite imagery from Oct shows China continuing to build up a position at Pangong Tso, months after agreeing to disengage w/ Indian troops. Chinese and Indian tanks were stationed within firing distance of one other near the area in early 2021, per Indian media.
Satellite imagery from Oct shows China continuing to build up a position at Pangong Tso, months after agreeing to disengage w/ Indian troops. Chinese and Indian tanks were stationed within firing distance of one other near the area in early 2021, per Indian media. : @Maxar pic.twitter.com/yO7x0TMd0s Jack Detsch (@JackDetsch) December 20, 2021
The Chinese construction is located between Finger 8 and Sirijap areas in the Aksai Chin region. Notably, the region beyond Finger 8 was under Chinese control even before the ongoing border dispute between India and China in Eastern Ladakh flared up in May 2020. Earlier in February this year, China vacated the flashpoint between Finger 4 and Finger 8 during the disengagement process in the Pangong Lake area. Chinas Peoples Liberation Army(PLA) pulled back its troops to the Finger 8 area after the 10th Commander-level talks between senior military officials of both nations. The structures erected by the Chinese army in the region of conflict including a jetty on the northern bank of Pangong Tso and a helipad were dismantled before the retreat.
The latest satellite image by Maxar Technologies shows an apparent jetty being used by Chinese boats and vessels on the Pangong Tso. Multiple shelters or storage facilities can also be seen in the image along with a probable helipad. Earlier satellite image of the buildup site sourced from Google Earth shows the under-construction structures.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico health officials on Wednesday warned that COVID-19 transmission rates remain high across the state and they urged people to be cautious over the holiday weekend, acknowledging that the public will need to learn to live with the virus and take action to reduce risks for older people.
The warning comes as workplace safety regulators are investigating the death of a third employee of Santa Fes local bus system who was infected with COVID-19.
State health officials said during a virtual briefing that New Mexico's death toll since the pandemic began has reached 5,700 and that every county is experiencing high rates of spread. That's despite having a statewide mask mandate in place for public indoor spaces and a vaccination rate of more than 75% among adults. Nearly one-third of adults also have received boosters.
The officials also noted that while the omicron variant has been reported in New Mexico, delta continues to be the dominant variant in the state right now.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Ross said there are several specimens that are awaiting sequencing at the state laboratory to determine if they are omicron cases and that the state is monitoring the situation closely.
Overall, she said New Mexico is sitting at what appears to be a very high uncomfortable plateau" when it comes to COVID-19 cases. She said the surge began in July when the delta variant became prominent.
"We have been dealing with this ongoing high level of cases for several months now and we do see some decrease in our seven-day moving average most recently," she said. We certainly hope that trend continues downward, but I think we need more time to follow that trend out and see where it's going to head.
Ross said the state's goal is to reduce risk, whether it be by encouraging vaccination, getting more people tested or reminding them about social distancing and avoiding crowds.
The state said it will be embarking on a pilot program aimed at expanding access to home tests.
In Santa Fe, the worker who died Monday was a supervisor with the citys transit department.
Stephanie Stringer, deputy cabinet secretary of operations for the state Environment Department, has said that if the state finds the city did not take steps to prevent worker exposure to COVID-19, the department can take enforcement action and seek corrective measures.
City spokesman Dave Herndon Herndon said Santa Fe follows state guidelines, provides workers with personal protective equipment and regularly cleans and sanitizes buildings and equipment.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) A New Orleans-based oil company has agreed to turn over a $432 million cleanup trust fund and pay an additional $43 million to settle a federal lawsuit over cleaning up abandoned wells leaking since 2004, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
This settlement represents an important down payment to address impacts from the longest-running oil spill in U.S. history, Nicole LeBoeuf, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agencys National Ocean Service, said in a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Attorneys for Taylor Oil Co., which agreed to drop three lawsuits challenging government cleanup orders and measures, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. As is common in such agreements, the proposed settlement said Taylor does not admit any liability.
U.S. District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry will decide whether to approve the proposed consent decree after a 40-day public comment period.
Sixteen wells off Louisiana have been leaking since September 2004, when a subsea mudslide caused by Hurricane Ivan knocked over a Taylor production platform, dragging and breaking a cluster of pipes. Taylor plugged nine wells but has said it cannot plug the rest.
The settlement requires Taylor to drop its other lawsuits. In June, a federal appeals court agreed that a district judge was right to throw out a trespass suit against a federal contractor that created a system to capture most of the oil.
That system has captured and removed more than 800,000 gallons (3 million liters) of oil since April 2019, Coast Guard Capt. Will Watson, sector commander in New Orleans, said in the news release.
Despite being a catalyst for beneficial environmental technological innovation, the damage to our ecosystem caused by this 17-year-old oil spill is unacceptable, said Duane A. Evans, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Taylors website states that it sold all its oil and gas assets in 2008 and exists now only to respond to the toppled platform. The company has agreed to turn over all remaining assets after liquidation, the government said.
The trust fund was created to plug the wells, permanently decommission the facility and clean contaminated soil. One of Taylor's suits, filed in 2016, sought to get back the remaining money, claiming regulators had broken the agreement requiring it to put $666 million into the fund.
The company also had appealed the Coast Guard's rejection of its claim for $353 million in cleanup costs.
The trust fund will be transferred to the Department of the Interior under the settlement. The additional $43 million all of the company's remaining assets is for civil penalties, removal costs and natural resource damages, the news release said.
It includes a civil penalty of $15 million, $16.5 million for natural resources damage and more than $12 million for Coast Guard removal costs.
The company cannot interfere with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcements decommissioning work or the Coast Guard's oil containment and removal, and will turn over all studies, reports and other documents about the site.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) An Arkansas man was arrested and charged with capital murder Tuesday in the death of his 5-month-old son.
Hot Springs police said Cody Webb, 35, was booked into Garland County jail and is being held without bond.
Police said officers responded to a call Friday involving an unresponsive infant at a home. The child was pronounced dead later that night at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.
Police say the Arkansas State Crime Lab performed an autopsy and ruled the child's death a homicide.
The Sentinel-Record reports that according to a probable cause affidavit, Webb said the child had been crying and his 2-year-old was needing things and it was frustrating.
Webb said he may have picked the infant up quickly and pulled him closely to his body several times and forcefully rocked the child for about 10 minutes.
Toward the end of the interview, Webb allegedly said, I did that ... and paused and then said, because I was getting frustrated and annoyed with a baby crying, so insane.
Webbs attorney, Q. Byrum Hurst, told the newspaper that Webb was devastated" and has had nothing to do with the cause of the infant's death.
NEW FAIRFIELD Acts of misconduct and social media threats since the start of the school year have created a looming sense of unease and vulnerability over students at the high school.
Thats what New Fairfield High School senior and student representative Cayden Walker shared with the Board of Education last week at the request of his peers, who he said asked him to let the board know they feel unsafe in school.
Walker said seemingly unchecked misconduct at the high school, coupled with rumored threats of violence, have been negatively impacting students social-emotional well being and learning.
Myself and many of my peers feel like the majority of us are being affected because of the unchecked actions of a select few that are reportedly just getting away with it, Walker said.
For example, he said, the bathrooms particularly the boys bathrooms have been repeatedly trashed/destroyed, and theres reportedly been nobody punished for this.
Superintendent Pat Cosentino told Hearst Connecticut Media those incidents were connected to a TikTok challenge to vandalize bathrooms.
Social media has just invaded our kids lives and these challenges are very difficult because theyre not thinking and theyre doing stupid things, she said.
Cosentino did not say whether anyone was held responsible for the bathroom vandalism, but said school officials took care of that as best we could.
After that happened, she said, somebody anonymously went in and put flowers in the bathroom and a little welcome mat to remind students that this is our school and we need to keep it in good shape and take care of it.
Walker said concerns he and his peers already have about in-school safety and well being were recently worsened by last weeks social media threats of school violence.
The TikTok threat of violence at schools on Dec. 17 which prompted an increased police presence at schools not only in New Fairfield, but other area towns as well was not the school districts only social media concern last week.
Cosentino said there was also a disturbing Instagram message brought to school officials attention Wednesday night, which implied there was a hit list with 100 to 150 New Fairfield High School students names on it.
Like the middle school TikTok threat, authorities deemed the Instagram message not credible.
here is no hit list. There was never a hit list, Cosentino said Thursday, promising that the person responsible for the post would face severe consequences.
By Friday, a student had confessed to posting the message. Cosentino said Tuesday that the student has been disciplined appropriately. Still, the district reported 1,013 students were absent Friday, Dec. 17 including 440 at the high school and 280 at the middle school.
Walker said feeling left in the dark about what was going on last week only compounded students worries and concerns.
Of all the threats, we really only had one announcement in school, which didnt necessarily do a whole lot to soothe the anxieties, he said Thursday. A lot of people just feel like theyre being left out, theyre unsafe and theres just not enough measures being taken proactively or even reactively (regarding) these sorts of threats, he said.
While she understands students desire to know whats going on, Cosentino said there are reasons why not everything is shared.
I think one of the things students are unaware of is that its best practice not to announce things over the loud speaker because that can trigger other students, she said. If somethings brought to our attention, we always follow up and deal with it but unfortunately, due to privacy issues, students and staff dont always know how its dealt with.
In addition to last weeks TikTok and Instagram posts, Cosentino said she thinks the anniversary of the 2012 Sandy Hook tragedy, as well as the recent school shooting in Oxford, Mich., has everyone on edge.
To improve safety and hopefully alleviate some student concerns, Cosentino said she and her administrative team are working to tighten up some of the districts security protocols.
Cosentino said one thing she plans to propose is a new policy that would require middle and high school students to wear student IDs in school and when they board school buses.
The Connecticut COVID infection rate reported Wednesday drove the seven-day average to the highest point since the state began broad testing last year.
On Wednesday, state officials said 3,366 new cases of COVID-19 were discovered among 37,678 tests for a daily positivity rate of 8.93 percent. It was a slight drop from Tuesday, when the state reported a positivity rate of 8.98 percent the highest since January. However, state officials have acknowledged that Tuesdays numbers trend higher for various reporting reasons.
With two days of positivity rates near 9 percent, the seven-day average has reached 7.78 percent, which is the highest since broad testing efforts were established several months into the pandemic.
Hospitalizations, another key metric, saw another small dip when the state reported Wednesday 13 fewer patients, dropping the total to 821.
State officials have attributed the rise in the infection rate in part to variants, including delta, which has been circulating for months, and the new omicron strain.
Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday that the delta variant is coming from northern states in New England, while omicron is coming from New York and New Jersey.
While it remains unclear when exactly omicron will replace delta as the dominant strain in Connecticut, a top state researcher said it could be a matter of days.
Nathan Grubaugh of the Yale School of Public Health, who heads variant surveillance efforts in Connecticut, said that 56 percent of outpatient tests at Yale New Haven Health were now omicron, a trend he believes will extend to the entire state before December ends.
Meanwhile, across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged this week that the majority of new COVID-19 tests were omicron.
The variant was first discovered last month in South Africa and has quickly swept across the globe.
However, some research and anecdotal information has pointed to the variant, while possibly more transmissible, could be less severe than delta.
ATLANTA (AP) A judge dismissed a charge Tuesday against a Georgia state lawmaker, saying his failure to call 911 when a friend called him about a fatal wreck is not a crime.
Polk County Superior Court Senior Judge Stephen Schuster ruled Rep. Trey Kelley could not be charged with reckless conduct because prosecutors did not claim the Cedartown Republican had committed an underlying crime.
No reading of either the hit and run statute or the reckless conduct statute leaves a reasonable person with the impression that a disinterested third party, not present for an automobile accident, who later learns of the purported accident is under a legal duty pursuant to the reckless conduct statute to immediately contact 911, Schuster wrote.
Ralph Ryan Dover III hit Eric Keais on Sept. 13, 2019 ,in Cedartown with his SUV. Instead of calling 911, he called his friend, Kelley, officials have said. Kelley in turn called Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome at home, according to authorities. An officer was sent to the area, unaware someone may have been injured, and eventually found Keais lying in a ditch, gravely wounded. Keais died from his injuries soon afterward.
Kelley, who represents all of Polk and parts of Floyd and Haralson counties, was indicted last year on a charge of reckless conduct, alleging he wrongly did not report the crash. Dover was indicted on charges of felony hit-and-run and reckless conduct.
Schuster said prosecutors were impermissibly stretching the law to create a judicially crafted crime by combining some elements of the hit-and-run law, even though Kelley was not charged with that offense, with the reckless conduct law.
The hit and run statute does not apply to Kelley because he was not the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident, in the vehicle or at the scene at the time of the accident," Schuster wrote. "The law imposes no duty upon Kelley to contact law enforcement.
The charges against Dover still stand. There's also a federal lawsuit filed by Eric Keais' father, Manfred Keais, seeking money damages from Dover, Kelley, Newsome and the city of Cedartown. The defendants deny wrongdoing and are currently trying to get the case dismissed.
Kelley's lawyer, Lester Tate, said in a statement that the ruling is long-awaited vindication of the fact that Trey Kelley did nothing wrong.
We would first, again, offer our condolences and prayers to the family and friends of Eric Keais who tragically lost his life in September of 2019, Tate said. But we have always said and always believed that Rep. Kelley broke no law that night. He was not in the car when Mr. Keais was involved in the accident and did not know what had been hit when he arrived at the scene.
Kelley this year stepped down from his post as House majority whip after he was indicted and his wife filed for divorce.
A lawyer for Manfred Keais did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A Minneapolis woman who conspired with a gunman to shoot and kill her boyfriend has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison.
Tashawn A. Thomas, 28, pleaded guilty to aiding an offender in the death of her boyfriend Victor Pablo and was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court last week, the Star Tribune reported. Thomas will serve less than 5 years after earning credit for time in jail since her arrest, and the remainder on supervised release.
NEW HAVEN Heading to Florida on one of those new Avelo Airlines flights out of Tweed New Haven Regional Airport? Hoping to leave your car at home?
Dont call Uber at least right now.
Uber, the worlds leading ride-sharing service, has suspended service to Tweed, effective last Friday, after failing to reach agreement with Tweed on a new fee schedule, according to spokespeople for both Uber and Tweed.
Uber spokeswoman Hayley Prim said Wednesday that riders currently cant book a ride to Tweed. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Uber app showed cars available, but wouldnt allow a user to complete the process of booking one.
Folks still can get a ride to Tweed with Lyft, Ubers leading competitor, as well as with Metro Taxi, among others.
Both Lyft and Metro Taxi reached agreements with Tweed, said Sean Scanlon, executive director for the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority.
Lyft can be reached at www.lyft.com or via the Lyft phone app. Metro Taxi can be reached at 203-777-7777, at www.m7ride.com or via its own phone app, available in the iPhone App Store and Google Play store. City and airport officials recently also highlighted the fact that travelers can reach the airport via CT Transit bus.
With regard to Uber, Scanlon said the airport was sorry for the inconvenience and hopes to work out an operating agreement with Uber sometime soon.
We want them to serve the airport, just like Lyft and Metro Taxi serve the airport, Scanlon said.
We have to get operating agreements with anyone who operates here, Scanlon said. We set a deadline of the 17th to reach an agreement and mutually agreed that we hadnt reached one. So as of Friday, they suspended service here. Wed love to have Uber here and hope we can reach an agreement.
Under the new fee structure, Lyft and Metro Taxi have agreed to pay up to $4 out of each Tweed fare to the airport. Uber did not want to agree to those terms and we had to suspend the service, he said.
Uber also is hoping to work it out, said Prim.
Uber has been serving New Haven and the surrounding communities in Connecticut, including the airport, since 2014, she said. We hope we can resume conversations and come to an agreement with the airport so that we can continue serving riders in the community moving forward.
mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media
HAMDEN A Meriden woman admitted embezzling more than $400,000 over several years while employed as an office manager for a local property management company, according to federal prosecutors.
Crystal Klatt, 36, of Meriden, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty Tuesday before Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to wire fraud, stemming from what prosecutors called an embezzlement scheme.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A new legal challenge seeks to curtail the use of solitary confinement as discipline in Oregon prisons.
The Oregon Justice Resource Center argues the practice is cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The center asked the state appeals court Wednesday for a temporary restraining order halting the Oregon Department of Corrections from sending inmates to solitary confinement for over 15 days while justices consider the motion, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
Disciplinary solitary confinement is not only harmful to peoples mental and physical health, it is not even effective in achieving the goals that (Oregon Department of Corrections) has for it, Ben Haile, a senior lawyer for the Oregon Justice Resource Center, said.
People in Oregon prison solitary confinement generally spend an average of 23 hours a day in their cells with 40-minute breaks five days a week for exercise and showering, according to the Oregon Justice Resource Center, a Portland-based nonprofit focused on civil rights and legal representation issues.
The motion doesn't challenge the use of solitary confinement for non-disciplinary purposes such as a segregation order made for safety reasons.
A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the newspaper.
Washington state abolished disciplinary solitary confinement in September, while Idaho and California generally limit solitary confinement to 10 or 15 days, according to the legal filing. Nevada allows isolation punishments of up to a year.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) South Africa's noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country's dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say.
Daily virus case counts are notoriously unreliable, as they can be affected by uneven testing, reporting delays and other fluctuations. But they are offering one tantalizing hint far from conclusive yet that omicron infections may recede quickly after a ferocious spike.
South Africa has been at the forefront of the omicron wave and the world is watching for any signs of how it may play out there to try to understand what may be in store.
After hitting a high of nearly 27,000 new cases nationwide on Thursday, the numbers dropped to about 15,424 on Tuesday. In Gauteng province South Africas most populous with 16 million people, including the largest city, Johannesburg, and the capital, Pretoria the decrease started earlier and has continued.
The drop in new cases nationally combined with the sustained drop in new cases seen here in Gauteng province, which for weeks has been the center of this wave, indicates that we are past the peak," Marta Nunes, senior researcher at the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics department of the University of Witwatersrand, told The Associated Press.
It was a short wave ... and the good news is that it was not very severe in terms of hospitalizations and deaths, she said. It is "not unexpected in epidemiology that a very steep increase, like what we saw in November, is followed by a steep decrease.
Gauteng province saw its numbers start sharply rising in mid-November. Scientists doing genetic sequencing quickly identified the new, highly mutated omicron variant that was announced to the world on Nov. 25.
Significantly more transmissible, omicron quickly achieved dominance in South Africa. An estimated 90% of COVID-19 cases in Gauteng province since mid-November have been omicron, according to tests.
And the world seems to be quickly following, with omicron already surpassing the delta variant as the dominant coronavirus strain in some countries. In the U.S., omicron accounted for 73% of new infections last week, health officials said and the variant is responsible for an estimated 90% or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest.
Confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.K. have surged by 60% in a week as omicron overtook delta as the dominant variant there. Worldwide, the variant has been detected in at least 89 countries, according to the World Health Organization.
In South Africa, experts worried that the sheer volume of new infections would overwhelm the country's hospitals, even though omicron appears to cause milder disease, with significantly less hospitalizations, patients needing oxygen and deaths.
But then cases in Gauteng started falling. After reaching 16,000 new infections on Dec. 12, the province's numbers have steadily dropped, to just over 3,300 cases Tuesday.
It's significant. It's very significant, Dr. Fareed Abdullah said of the decrease.
The rapid rise of new cases has been followed by a rapid fall and it appears we're seeing the beginning of the decline of this wave, said Abdullah, working in the COVID-19 ward at Pretoria's Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
In another sign that South Africas omicron surge may be receding, a study of health care professionals who tested positive for COVID-19 at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto shows a rapid increase and then a quick decline in cases.
Two weeks ago we were seeing more than 20 new cases per day and now it is about five or six cases per day, Nunes said.
But, she said, it is still very early and there are several factors that must be closely watched.
South Africa's positivity rate has remained high at 29%, up from just 2% in early November, indicating the virus is still circulating among the population at relatively high levels, she said.
And the country's holiday season is now underway, when many businesses close down for a month and people travel to visit family, often in rural areas. This could accelerate omicrons spread across South Africa and to neighboring countries, experts said.
"In terms of the massive everyday doubling that we were seeing just over a week ago with huge numbers, that seems to have settled, said Professor Veronica Uekermann, head of the COVID-19 response team at Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
But it is way too early to suggest that we have passed the peak. There are too many external factors, including the movement during the holiday season and the general behavior during this period, she said, noting that infections spiked last year after the holiday break.
It's summertime in South Africa and many gatherings are outdoors, which may make a difference between the omicron-driven wave here and the surges in Europe and North America, where people tend to gather indoors.
Another unknown factor is how much omicron has spread among South Africans without causing disease.
Some health officials in New York have suggested that because South Africa appears to have experienced a quick, mild wave of omicron, the variant may behave similarly there and elsewhere in the U.S. But Nunes cautions against jumping to those conclusions.
Each setting, each country is different. The populations are different. The demographics of the population, the immunity is different in different countries, she said. South Africa's population, with an average age of 27, is more youthful than many Western countries, for instance.
Most of the patients currently being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals are unvaccinated, Uekermann emphasized. About 40% of adult South Africans have been inoculated with two doses.
All my patients in ICU are unvaccinated," Uekermann said. So our vaccinated people are doing better in this wave, for sure. We have got some patients who are very ill with severe COVID, and these are unvaccinated patients.
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AP journalist Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg contributed.
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Follow all AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has said that the term repentant bandits is a misnomer and does not exist.
The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has said that the term repentant bandits is a misnomer and does not exist.
This is as he said that the goal of the Kaduna State Government is to kill bandits wherever they are found.
The governor disclosed this to State House Correspondents on Tuesday shortly after meeting with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
El-Rufai, who was in the Villa to brief the President on Sundays attack on Kauran Fawa, Marke and Ruhiya of Idasu Ward of Giwa Local Government Area, Kaduna State, which left at least 40 people dead, was accompanied by the States Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan.
He said, There is nothing like repentant terrorists. The only repentant bandit is the one that is dead. Our intention in the state is to kill them (terrorists), let them go and see God.
If you want to call them terrorists, you can call them terrorists. But we dont want them to be confused with the terrorists that we know: the Boko Haram and IPOB which have been declared terrorists.
We dont call them terrorists, we call them IPOB. Okay, so this is it. The nomenclature doesnt matter. What matters is they is now a fair game for the armed forces.
What Im saying is, we call them bandits to differentiate them from the rest but they are terrorists. You can choose any name you want to give them but as a government, I have to call them by a name that everyone understands. They have been declared terrorists, but they have to have a name that everyone can understand and not confuse them with Boko Haram.
He added that the locations of the bandits is not a mystery but that the military is only toeing the line of caution because of potential collateral damage an all-out raid could pose to innocent civilians.
According to him, terrorists are of three types; Boko Haram insurgents, bandits, and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
He said the recent declaration of bandits as terrorists has given the military more impetus to engage them in real warfare.
While calling on security agencies to be more aggressive towards terrorists, the former FCT minister also sought the intervention of the president for the deployment of more security personnel to the troubled region.
The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has said that the President, Muhammadu Buhari will live in Kaduna after the end of his tenur...
The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has said that the President, Muhammadu Buhari will live in Kaduna after the end of his tenure in 2023.
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory stated this on Tuesday while briefing State House Correspondents after he met with the President.
El-Rufai added that Buhari is a Kaduna-based citizen, despite being from Daura in Katsina State. According to the Governor, the President spent most of his life in Kaduna.
He said, Mr President has been invited to come and commission some of our projects. He will spend two to three days in Kaduna commissioning projects in Kafanchan, Kaduna and Zaria.
As you know, the President is a Kaduna-based citizen. He is originally from Katsina state, but he spent most of his life in Kaduna. And hes retiring to Kaduna.
We hope that he will be happy with what we have done and he will be proud of what we have done as an APC government, and we appreciate all the support that he has given us to enable us to do this.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of his 79th birthday, President Buhari had stated that he was looking forward to returning to his farm in Daura.
The President was quoted as saying, I look forward to the year 2023 when I finish and I go (back) home to take charge of my farm.
Germany youth international of Nigerian descent, Nnamdi Collins, has said that he turned down a move to Chelsea because he felt comfortable ...
Germany youth international of Nigerian descent, Nnamdi Collins, has said that he turned down a move to Chelsea because he felt comfortable at Borussia Dortmund.
Collins confirmed that Chelsea were interested in signing him before he extended his contract at Dortmund in 2020.
The 17-year-old joined Dortmund from Fortuna Dusseldorf in 2016.
Collins has represented Germany at the youth international level and he is also eligible to represent Nigeria.
Speaking on how close he was to joining Chelsea, Collins told The Secret Scout: That is right. They were very interested.
In any case, it was out of the question for me and Dortmund was always my first option.
I feel very comfortable here [Dortmund]. For sure, the Premier League is a league where I want to play one day. It is the best league in the world.
However, I am firmly convinced that it was the right decision to stay here in Dortmund and Im looking forward to the coming years.
Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure those responsible for the murder of Chief Bola Ige, a form...
Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure those responsible for the murder of Chief Bola Ige, a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, be fished out.
Soyinka also wondered what happened to Buharis promise to open an enquiry into the Nigerias spate of political murders.
Ige was assassinated by unidentified gunmen at his Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State, home on December, 23, 2001.
In a statement to Iges family addressed to the daughter, Mrs. Funso Adegbola, on the occasion of an event titled, 20th Bola Ige Memorial Symposium: Two decades of injustice: What are the implications on Nigerian democracy?, Soyinka urged Buhari to reinstate what he termed the broken lines of justice.
He wrote, President Muhammadu Buhari, what has become of your robust pledge to open an enquiry into the spate of political murders that the nation has undergone in recent years? Does it all amount to yet another instance of political bravado? While we all accept that all lives should be valued equally, some impose a special responsibility on those in governance.
Bola Ige, as the nations Minister of Justice, and United Nations civil servant designate, was unarguably one of such. A nations honour is in question and remains so until the hour of closure. Thus, she must never relent in demanding an explanation for his brutal murder. Expose the perpetrators, identify the conspirators and reinstate the broken lines of justice.
At the very least, we need a formal declaration regarding those who displayed an abnormal interest in the fates of those accused, to a level of proven, documented interference both in the investigative process and within the judiciary.
I am not alone in having written and lectured on these sordid aspects that fuelled the subversion of justice. There are surviving witnesses.
Adamawa State Coordinator of the National Land Development Authority (NALDA), Zakaria Kraha, has been kidnapped. It came as the second known...
Adamawa State Coordinator of the National Land Development Authority (NALDA), Zakaria Kraha, has been kidnapped.
It came as the second known instance of kidnapping within the Yola capital metropolis on Tuesday as wife of a district head and her three children had been kidnapped earlier.
A close friend of the Zakariya Kraha family told newsmen that Kraha was abducted while returning home from Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The friend said Kraha was whisked away around Ngurore, a satellite town on the outskirts of the state capital, Yola, which has recently become notorious for kidnapping and other crimes.
Krahas friend said the bandits had demanded for ransom, but could not say how much.
In the first of kidnappings earlier on Tuesday, gunmen took the wife and three children of an Adamawa District Head, Ardo Mustapha Ahmadu.
A family said the wife of the district head and her three children were abducted from their residence at Yolde-Pate, a community in Yola South Local Government Area.
Ardo Ahmadu who is the District Head of Mayo-Farang, was himself kidnapped last year and had to pay out N10 million to his captors before he was released.
Spokesman of the Adamawa State Police Command, DSP Suleiman Nguroje, who confirmed the incident involving the district heads family, said, In the early hours of today (Tuesday) suspected bandits attacked the residence of the District Head of Mayo-Farang and kidnapped four persons: his wife and three children.
However, the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Barde, has directed the anti-kidnapping and counter terrorism units to go after the assailants and rescue the victims unharmed.
Merit Gold, the Nigerian actress, has called out Prince Kpokpogri over events that led to the collapse of his relationship with Tonto Dike...
Merit Gold, the Nigerian actress, has called out Prince Kpokpogri over events that led to the collapse of his relationship with Tonto Dikeh.
Gold is believed to have played a role in the controversial split between the politician and Dikeh.
She had earlier claimed that she was used by the politician during his face-off with Dikeh. Gold also alleged that Kpokpogri only wanted to use Dikehs influence to get famous.
In several posts via her Instagram stories on Tuesday, Gold described the activist as a foolish and an ungrateful human being.
Prince Kpokpogri you are a very foolish man. I curse the day you came across me and I curse the day you sent me out on that mission. Ungrateful human being, she wrote.
This December be dey go well sha until some people wan use foolish person claim uncle after dem don go knack ashawo man. Beware of backstabbers and betrayers because of small money.
The actress also threatened to release a confessional video wherein she vowed to explain what transpired between him and the politician.
Ill be posting the confessional video on my comedy page, you all need to know the truth, she added .
Dikeh and Kpokpogri have been in the news since their relationship turned sour in September.
They had accused each other of cheating, with a series of leaked audios surfacing online to back their claims.
In the heat of the drama, Dikeh claimed she found that Kpokpogri had before she called off their relationship recorded sex tapes of Jane Mena, the dancer and influencer, and other married women.
Jane Mane and Dikeh had recently engaged in a war of words over the matter.
The Neo Black Movement of Africa (NBM) has issued a seven days ultimatum to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and its partners to...
The Neo Black Movement of Africa (NBM) has issued a seven days ultimatum to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and its partners to retract what it described as defamatory documentary against the movement or it would institute a N1b damages claim against the media outfit.
There is a documentary that was recently released by the BBC the linked the NBM to the dreaded cult group known as Black Axe where it was described as an alias for the NBM.
Addressing journalists in Benin City, chairman Body of Founders of the movement, Comrade Ernest Amadasun said the documentary was defamatory and that it has disparaged the organisations reputation, character and has caused NBM loss and divestment of integrity by prudent members of the society.
The BBC and its allies on December 19, broadcast a defamatory online documentary through YouTube and other segments of the organisation ( African eye) against the integrity of the movement and its members.
The unethical and unprofessional manner the documentary was produced to give credence to the fact that it was a grand conspiracy by some elements to destroy NBM.
The interim forensic analysis of the documentary also revealed that videos and pictures of incidents that occurred years back in other places without nexus with NBM were joined to make up the defamatory documentary.
He said on July 18,2021, NBM leadership granted an interview to BBC which he said was expected to be a news item but the BBC and its allies went on malicious destruction of its reputation by shopping from the internet and unverified sources for negative information against the movement.
He alleged that the BBC and its anchor person copied video and pictures from the #EndSARS violence incident with a view to portray NBM as a violent organisation.
According to him, NBM registered in 1977, has been in the forefront for justice and equity in Nigeria, stood against oppressive government, demanding for quality education, better conditions for civil servants among others.
He said the fact that an NBM member violates the law does not make all members law breakers.
Our investigation revealed that certain individuals have turned NBM into a money making venture. These unscrupulous individuals and organisations sell fake stories to security agencies and get paid by them under the guise of profiling an organisation that is a global threat. NBM is not faceless and not a threat to society.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Wednesday asked Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to swear he knows nothing about the elec...
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Wednesday asked Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to swear he knows nothing about the election ethnic cleansing of non Fulani communities in Southern Kaduna.
IPOB said no amount of cover-up would exonerate him from the genocide in Southern Kaduna.
The separatist group made the remark while berating El-Rufai for comparing IPOB with terrorist organization.
A statement by IPOBs spokesman, Emma Powerful, reads: We are the global movement and family of the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Our attention has been drawn to the laughable and shameful statement the midget of Kaduna State, Alhaji El Rufai where he compared the peaceful IPOB global movement with Fulani terrorists and bandits rampaging Southern Kaduna.
It is not only provocative but a mischievous display of ignorance for El Rufai to compare freedom seekers with blood thirsty terrorists. El Rufai should stop playing to the gallery. No amount of cover-ups can exonerate him from the ongoing genocide in Southern Kaduna by Fulani bandits.
He should cover his head in shame for admitting that he is paying the mass murderers in Kaduna State. He should know that he has a date at the ICC.
IPOB dared El-Rufai to name one terror it has committed.
We challenge him to mention any act of terror commited by IPOB. Our only crime against El Rufai and his fellow mass murderers is that we refused to allow FULANI bandits any breeding ground in Biafra land.
Malam El-Rufai should swear by Allah that he knows nothing about the ongoing ethnic cleansing of non Fulani communities in Southern Kaduna and re-naming of their towns to Fulani communities, the group added.
Watertown, NY (13601)
Today
Snow this morning will transition to snow showers this afternoon. High 29F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 100%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected..
Tonight
Occasional snow showers. Low 19F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 50%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. Heavier amounts in persistent snowbands.
Algiers Points Cita Dennis Hubbell Library hosted a different kind of sleepover Dec. 10, inviting an unexpected group: the stuffed animals of neighborhood children.
A diverse group of colorful, softhearted little friends played games, colored, did crafts and shared bedtime stories with library staff. Each checked out books to bring back to their friends at home.
Hubbell staff shared photos with parents along the way, so families could join in on the fun from afar.
Librarians reported that the guests were very well-behaved, although they did get a little naughty playing on the photocopy machine.
My kids loved scouring the photos to find their stuffies, one parent said.
My son loves his book, another parent said. He loved looking for his raccoon and seeing what he did!
Dates have not been set, but the library plans to host more stuffed animal sleepovers in the future. Visit nolalibrary.org/events or download the NOLALibrary app to keep an eye on upcoming library programming and activities.
CRAFT CIRCLE: Yarn and thread artists and hobbyists of all ages are invited to the librarys Virtual Yarn Arts Craft Circle at 10 a.m. Jan. 3. Sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library, participants can share skills and techniques to learn from and with one another while working on their own projects.
The group will meet on the second and fourth Monday of every month through February. New members are always welcome. Register at nolalibrary.org/events.
Get more crafting ideas and tips with Creativebug, an online classroom featuring thousands of award-winning video tutorials provided for free to New Orleans Public Library card holders.
Viewers can learn to make anything from ceramics to stitching, book binding to baking and so much more. With new classes being added all the time, Creativebug is a great place to find inspiration for your next craft, party theme, or costume.
Visit e-resources.nolalibrary.org to get started.
TEEN ADVISORY BOARD: Teens can make their voices heard by joining the New Orleans Public Librarys Teen Advisory Board. The library is seeking students in grades 6 through 12 to share their thoughts about how the New Orleans Public Library can better serve them through programming, products, materials and more.
Interested students should apply at teens.nolalibrary.org and then tune in for a Zoom meeting at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 5.
The Teen Advisory Board is sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library and organized by the librarys Teen Programming Team. For more information, contact Caitlin Young at cmyoung@nolalibrary.org or (504) 596-3101.
Moving forward, Teen Advisory Board members will meet virtually on the first Wednesday of the month.
Editor's Note: This story initially ran as part of the Times-Picayune's 300 for 300 project highlighting the moments and people that made New Orleans what it is in celebration of the city's tricentennial in 2018. This entry highlights the creation of Mr. Bingle in 1948, a snowman pitchman for Maison Blanche department stores who would go on to become a New Orleans Christmas icon.
+4 Remember Mr. Bingle? Canal and Dauphine has been a landmark New Orleans corner for nearly 175 years The Christmas season has started in earnest, and in New Orleans , you can bet it wont be long before talk turns to Mr. Bingle and his festi
THEN: 'Twas the run-up to Christmas 1948, a time in which New Orleanians flocked to Canal Street to do their shopping -- and in which stores found themselves needing to do a little something special to stand out. That's when Emile Alline, a window-display manager at Maison Blanche, decided to dream up a Christmas character the department store could call its own. The result was Mr. Bingle, a cute little snowman with an ice-cream cone for a hat, holly-leaf wings and Christmas ornaments for eyes. Local puppeteer Oscar Istentrout was hired to bring Mr. Bingle to life for passers-by on Canal Street through regular marionette shows in the store's front window. The city was immediately smitten, and -- quicker than you can say "jingle, jangle, jingle" -- a New Orleans Christmas icon was born.
NOW: Maison Blanche ceased to exist in 1998 after being purchased by the Arkansas-based Dillard's, with the flagship store on Canal Street now home to the Ritz Carlton hotel. But Mr. Bingle has proven to be a resilient little fellow. His image is still seen around town at Christmastime, including at City Park's annual Celebration in the Oaks event, where an oversized likeness of a "flying" Mr. Bingle that once graced the facade of Maison Blanche is proudly displayed. Dillard's also still markets a line of seasonal Mr. Bingle merchandise.
Though created by Alline and operated by Isentrout, Mr. Bingle -- whose initials cleverly match those of the store -- got his name from Maison Blanche President Lewis Schwartz Jr. after a store-sponsored name-the-mascot contest failed to produce a winner.
Mr. Bingle was an immediate success. In that first year, some shoppers offered to pay handsome sums for props used in the puppet shows, according to a 1949 story in The Times-Picayune. That prompted the store to commission a New York company to make Mr. Bingle plush dolls, which it sold starting in 1949.
A year after the characters debut, Maison Blance supersized him, installing an enormous likeness of Mr. Bingle on the front of its flagship Canal Street store for the holiday season. For years, locals would gather annual to watch the installation of Mr. Bingle.
The giant Mr. Bingle figure measured 50 feet tall and 35 feet from mitten-to-mitten. Made by a Chicago firm, it was shipped to New Orleans on two railroad flatcars and was described at the time in The Times-Picayune as the largest outdoor display of this sort ever used by a retail store.
Before he was hired to breathe life into Mr. Bingle, Isentrout -- a former vaudevillian -- performed risque puppet shows at local burlesque clubs as Oscar and the Little Woodenheads, according to a 2014 story in Country Roads magazine. Oscar had these beautiful showgirl puppets made of wood. We would use them in Mr. Bingles puppet shows, Istentrouts onetime apprentice Jeff Kent is quoted as saying. They had little light bulbs in their nipples. They were made to strip; you pulled a string and their dress came off.
Isentrout knew pretty early that he had found his calling with Mr. Bingle. The first time we performed with him at Crippled Childrens Hospital, I placed his hand on the knee of a little boy whose hands were twisted into little claws, Isentrout told The Times-Picayune in 1984. That boy slowly straightened one of his hands and laid it down on Mr. Bingles. Thats when I knew what Id been sent here to do.
Isentrout died penniless in 1985 and was buried in an unmarked grave in New Orleans Hebrew Rest Cemetery No. 3. In 2004, writer Sean Patrick Doles penned a fiction book titled Saving Mr. Bingle, with some of the proceeds going to a marker -- which includes an image of Mr. Bingle -- for Isentrouts grave.
In addition to puppet shows and TV commercials, Mr. Bingle appeared on records, in books, on radio and in occasional TV specials. Maison Blanche would also make an annual spectacle out of the arrival of Santa Claus, who always drew a crowd -- and who was always accompanied by Mr. Bingle.
Mr. Bingles theme song, still remembered by countless New Orleanians went thusly: Jingle, jangle, jingle / Here comes Mr. Bingle / With another message from Kris Kringle / Time to launch your Christmas season / Maison Blanche makes Christmas pleasin' / Gifts galore for you to see / Each a gem from MB!
In 1996, Mr. Bingle briefly went national, when Mercantile Stores -- the company that bought Maison Blanche in 1992 before itself being bought out by Dillards in 1998 -- made him a pitchman in 100 stores in 21 states. He was a particular favorite in Memphis, where he was adopted by Lowensteins department stores.
In 1983, Isentrout and Maison Blance introduced an Easter character, a bunny called Mademoiselle Blanche, who starred in her own puppet shows, speaking in a French accent. She didnt catch on.
There's no question there was a certain amount of Christmas magic at work when Alline and Isentrout gave New Orleans Mr. Bingle in 1948. How else to explain the enduring appeal of a character who for so many decades has delighted children and adults alike? (According to a 1949 story in The Times-Picayune, "Two uniformed men were required to help get adults aside so children could see the Bingle show" on Canal Street.) But there's another kind of magic at work here. In addition to being a nostalgic touchstone, Mr. Bingle serves as a comforting, jingle-jangle-jingling reminder that -- in a city in which so many beloved institutions have faded into memory, including Maison Blanche -- there are some things that the passage of time simply can't take away.
By: Mike Scott, staff writer
Sources: The Times-Picayune archive; Memphis magazine; Country Roads magazine; staff research
+7 From Hurricane Katrina to coronavirus, how Celebration in the Oaks is coming full circle In December 2005, swaths of New Orleans remained dark and empty because of Hurricane Katrinas floodwaters, and Celebration in the Oaks organi
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) gave a longtime leader a role in investigating sexual misconduct allegations within the organization, despite the fact hed been previously punished for allegedly pressuring a young blind woman to have sex with him in exchange for a higher paying college scholarship, according to an NFB document obtained by Gambit.
In fact, the document shows it wasnt until the woman, Lynn Baillif, spoke with the Des Moines Register in January that the group finally stopped the leader, Scott LaBarre, from participating in sexual misconduct investigations.
I just wanted to protect other victims from this man being in charge of their investigations, because I felt like it was the fox in the henhouse, Baillif told Gambit about why she decided to come forward. I didn't want the fox in charge.
But it appears LaBarre has faced few other repercussions from the organization which is in the midst of a sprawling, nationwide rape and sexual misconduct scandal stretching back for decades. The website for the Colorado Center for the Blind, one of three NFB-affiliated training centers, lists LaBarre as its board chair. It also says he served as president of the Colorado National Federation of the Blind from 2005 through 2021, though it is unclear if he still holds that title.
LaBarre did not respond to multiple email inquiries and calls to his law office from Gambit, nor did NFB spokesman Chris Danielsen answer a list of questions Gambit sent via email. Danielsen also did not return a voicemail message and text from Gambit. When a reporter tried getting ahold of LaBarre through the Colorado Center for the Blind, a spokesperson replied, I think you've already got his information, and I don't know any other way to get ahold of him except for those, before quickly ending the call.
The Colorado center is just one of three NFB-affiliated training centers where blind and low vision people go to learn Braille, cane travel and other life skills that have been hit by allegations of rape, sexual assault and misconduct and other forms of abuse against blind teenagers and young adults.
Ruston, Louisiana, which is home to the Louisiana Center for the Blind, the National Blindness Professional Certification Board which is loosely affiliated with LCB and Louisiana Techs institute which trains people to work in the blindness rehabilitation field, has been an epicenter for allegations. Those allegations range from claims of racist and homophobic abuse to rape, and have resulted in at least one man being arrested this year.
+12 Former students allege 'toxic culture' of racism, abuse and assault at Louisiana Center for the Blind The Louisiana Center for the Blind was supposed to help blind people learn vital life skills. But many students say there was a 'toxic culture' of abuse, racism and assault.
In a Dec. 7 letter to Baillif, NFB confirmed they only removed LaBarre from his role in sexual misconduct investigations after Baillif spoke publicly about the alleged incident. The letter revealed the results of an investigation that took place this year after Baillif reported the incident to NFB again this summer this time through the organizations Code of Conduct process adopted in January 2018.
After Ms. Baillif publicly shared her story on social media and with the press earlier this year, the independent investigator in consultation with the NFBs external legal counsel informed the Office of the President that Mr. LaBarre should refrain from participating in Code of Conduct investigations involving allegations of sexual misconduct and the President immediately reassigned the responsibilities Mr. LaBarre had been performing in connection with those matters to someone else, NFB President Mark Riccobono said in the letter.
Baillif said the alleged incident took place in 1987, after she won a college scholarship from NFB. She was 17, and it was her first introduction to the organization, which is the nations largest group of blind and low-vision people.
As per the organizations scholarship process, NFB officials assigned LaBarre, then 18, to be Baillifs mentor. Based on his interactions with her at the organizations annual national convention, he and the other committee members would determine her scholarship amount at the end of convention.
According to Baillif, during the convention LaBarre invited her to his hotel room to chat, and once inside told her he would try to get her a higher scholarship if she had sex with him. When she declined and tried to leave the room, LaBarre tried to block her exit, she said.
He'd been drinking, and I managed to push him to the side and get out, she said. And I immediately went down to the lobby because I really didn't know where to go and told a friend of mine who had friends on the committee.
She said her friend told the scholarship committee chairperson, and that NFB leadership took LaBarre off the scholarship committee for roughly a decade. After that, then-President Marc Maurer put him back on the committee. LaBarre's hiatus from the scholarship committee didnt seem to have much bearing on his standing in the NFB. In the following decades, he went on to hold several leadership positions in the organization and to serve as its legal counsel.
[Maurer] told me that he had grown out of it, Baillif said.
In the letter NFB sent to Baillif, NFBs external investigator Tonya Bana said that when questioned, LaBarre said he was attracted to Ms. Baillif and wanted to get closer to her. He also recalls hitting on her but reports that he has no recollection of propositioning her. Further, he maintains that he does not generally engage in the type of quid pro quo behavior Ms. Baillif attributed to him and there is no evidence that he has been the subject of any other allegations of sexual misconduct.
Baillif said not only did leaders and committee members know about the alleged incident, but many members were also aware.
The whole incident was actually very public because he was removed from the scholarship committee at that time, and the whole committee knew about it, she said. [The] Federation is a small community Everybody knew about it. It was not a secret.
Nevertheless, LaBarre had a role in NFB sexual misconduct investigations through at least mid-January 2021.
In the letter, Bana reported finding Baillifs claims to be unsubstantiated because she found both Ms. Baillif and Mr. LaBarre to be equally credible" and their divergent accounts of their interaction to be equally plausible.
At the same time, Bana concluded that the NFB punished LaBarre appropriately at the time and recommended the organization take no further disciplinary action against him.
Regardless of whether the specific misconduct Ms. Baillif attributed to Mr. LaBarre occurred, the evidence shows that the NFB disciplined Mr. LaBarre for the misconduct Ms. Baillif reported, the letter said.
Baillif echoed what others, both NFB members and experts, have told Gambit before: For there to be a real cultural shift in the organization moving forward, there needs to be consequences for both abusers and leaders who failed to respond adequately to abuse allegations.
We have these [policies] going forward and they look nice on paper, but I just don't think that it really instills trust because there is no accountability for what did happen, Baillif said.
As a fifth coronavirus wave looms, health officials recommend testing before, during and after holiday gatherings. But COVID tests have been in short supply at area drugstores, and lines at city test sites are long.
In response, the New Orleans Fire Department and New Orleans Health Department will give away at-home COVID rapid tests at fire stations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Residents can pick up two tests each, while supplies last, at the following fire stations:
Fire Station #1: 2920 Magazine St.
Fire Station #29: 317 Decatur St.
Fire Station #36: 5401 Read Blvd.
Fire Station #40: 2500 General DeGaulle
+5 COVID cases in Louisiana continue to rise as omicron spreads; weekly totals near September levels Coronavirus cases in Louisiana continued their sharp rise on Tuesday, as the state Department of Health reported another 1,165 confirmed cases
"Omicron is here and spreading rapidly. The best defenses against severe disease are full vaccination with a booster, masking indoors, and regular testing," said New Orleans Health Department director Dr. Jennifer Avegno in a news release. "Please test before your holiday gathering to keep your loved ones safe and healthy."
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New cases in the state have more than doubled in the past week and residents, particularly in the New Orleans area, rushed to get tested amid localized outbreaks that have caused some businesses to shut their doors. The Louisiana Department of Health reported a 60% increase in COVID-19 incidents over last weeks 7-day average. Louisiana's percent positivity rate increased from 2.2% last week to 3.3% this week.
Find a vaccination and booster provider here or by calling 211.
Sarah Ravits and Jeff Adelson contributed to this report.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office detectives have arrested a third suspect in the slaying of an Algiers man who was fatally shot while he rode his motorcycle last year.
Malik Rodrigue, 24, of Waggaman, was booked Friday with second-degree murder in the death of James White, arrest records said.
White, 34, a father of three, was gunned down July 31, 2020, at the intersection of Wayne Avenue and the Westbank Expressway near Westwego.
Vincent Goffner Jr., 24, and Jacorey Davis, 20, were arrested earlier this year and booked with second-degree murder connection with White's death.
Investigators suspect White and Goffner got into a fight over a woman on the day of the shooting, according to authorities. Goffner is accused of targeting White while he was on his motorcycle, shooting White in the back. White was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses reported seeing a white sport utility vehicle with several people inside flee after the shooting, according to authorities.
Davis is accused of being one of the occupants of the SUV, the Sheriff's Office said. No details were available about Rodrigue's alleged role in the killing.
In addition to murder, Rodrigue was booked with theft, being a principal to theft of a firearm and four counts of probation violation. No details were available Tuesday about his convictions.
The street names that Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville chose for the north shore city that bears his name might lack the whimsy of those he bestowed on streets in New Orleans Poets, Craps, and, most famously perhaps, Desire.
But what Old Mandeville street names lack in playfulness, they make up for in historic significance, according to Nancy Clark, member of the Old Mandeville Historical Association. It's a history that people can explore on their own with the latest of the organization's self-guided walking tours, which are available for free at the Lang House, 605 Carroll St.
With the exception of Rue de Lac, now known as Lakeshore Drive, Mandeville's oldest streets are named for real people, many of them military figures from the Battle of New Orleans, the French and American Revolutions and the Napoleonic Wars.
"They were all people that had some association to Marigny and his family, New Orleans and Louisiana," Clark said.
Born in New Orleans to a wealthy family, Marigny began buying up parcels of land on the north shore in the 1820s for what he envisioned as a resort town for folks in New Orleans.
In Clark's view, the names of Mandeville's streets offer an intimate portrait of the town's founder as a more mature man who wanted to create a legacy for himself and his family, what Clark called an accomplishment that would endure.
What hasn't always endured are the names themselves. In 2005, the Mandeville City Council changed Gerard Street to Girod Street, in what Clark says was a well-intentioned effort to fix what was at the time believed to be a mistake.
A Sanborn Fire Insurance map from the early 1900s listed the street as Girod, Clark said, and the reasoning was that it had been named for Nicholas Girod, the sixth mayor of New Orleans.
But the street appears on an earlier map as Gerard Street and was apparently named for Maurice Etienne Gerard, a brigadier general in the Napoleonic Wars and the 13th prime minister of France, according to the guide.
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"They decided based on one piece of evidence," Clark said of the City Council, specifically the maps by Sanborn Fire Insurance Company that is known for its record-keeping and depth of information, not only in Louisiana but nationally.
"None of us did enough research. The Sanborn maps are an invaluable tool, but you need more supporting documentation because they are full of mistakes, misnames and misspellings," she said.
Foy Street, for example, appears as Fox on Sanborn maps in 1915, 1926 and 1941. But Foy appears on a much earlier map, and according to the guide, there are two potential namesakes: Maximillien Sebastien Foy, 1775-1825, a hero of the Napoleonic Wars; and Rene Prosper Foy, 1787-1854, a Napoleonic veteran who emigrated and fought with distinction in the Battle of New Orleans.
The self-guided tour is the fourth so-called Street Stroll that the Old Mandeville Historic Association has produced. Earlier walking tour guides focus on Lakeshore Drive, town landmarks and historic churches.
Clark began researching the street names over the summer as a COVID project, she said. "To me, it was just a story that needed to be told. People were always asking me questions," she said. But she stressed that the guide is based on "what I was able to dig up," and is not so much a definitive history but a work in progress.
Lakeshore Drive, one of the more high-profile streets in the city, was listed as Rue Du Lac on an 1834 map, but Clark, who interviewed residents, couldn't find anyone who knew it by that name. Many just called it the Beach, she said. It was given the name Lakeshore Drive in the 1980s.
It's also uncertain when street signs went up in the city. Clark said that she talked to people with deep roots in Mandeville who never heard their grandparents mention seeing them. "It was a small town, and everyone kind of knew where things were," she said.
Clark hopes that the guide helps tell what she calls a "more honest story," about Mandeville's founder, who she believes has been marginalized as a gambler who blew through a fortune when he was an educated and erudite man with ideas and relationships with significant historic figures.
"This research opens so many interesting avenues, it just made me curious for more," she said. "The circle of people he knew and who sought him out were an impressive crews. There is a lot more to know here, and I would like to know it."
COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadlines have come and gone, but the U.S. military has still not approved a single religious exemption.
Lawyers representing troops seeking exemptions say the military is violating the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and are urging courts to intervene.
Its now the point where I think we can call it what it is. It appears to be blatant religious discrimination when the military has now conceded, both publicly and in court filings I should say, that they have approved multiple numerous medical and administrative exemptions but yet they have refused to approve any religious accommodations, Mike Berry, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, told The Epoch Times.
Thats textbook definition of religious discrimination, he added.
Taken together, military branches have granted 12,109 medical or administrative exemptions, according to an Epoch Times review. Spokespersons for each branch confirmed this week that zero religious exemptions have been granted, even as hundreds have been denied.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in August ordered troops to get a COVID-19 vaccine, describing it as a military readiness issue. Each branch then set deadlines for getting vaccinated or applying for an exemption. Deadlines have passed for all active-duty troops. Reserve components apart from the Air Force have later deadlines.
Troops trying to get religious exemptions say theyve been told its pointless to apply. Some have hired lawyers and sued the federal government.
First Liberty Institute brought a suit last month on behalf of dozens of Navy personnel, alleging the Biden administration has violated federal law in its refusal to grant exemptions to troops on the basis of their religion. Another lawsuit was filed by Liberty Counsel on similar grounds.
So far, the suits have not succeeded in blocking the mandate, though judges have questioned why the military has denied hundreds of requests and granted none.
Its quite plausible that plaintiffs contention that the militarys processes for adjudicating religious exemption requests will result inevitably in the undifferentiated (and therefore unlawful under RFRA) denial of each service members request, based on current data, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, a George W. Bush nominee, wrote in an order last month.
Merryday did not enter a preliminary injunction, which the suing troops sought, but ordered the Pentagon to provide the court with details on religious exemption requests beginning on Jan. 7, 2022. He also indicated he may issue an injunction at a later time.
Berry hopes the courts intervene. He said the treatment of troops shows that the military now believes thats its above the law.
Military officials say no troops with pending exemption requests face adverse action. They also insist theyre following the RFRA and other applicable laws.
They are always rare, religious exemptions, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters earlier this month, adding that this has absolutely nothing to do with trampling on the religious liberties of our men and women in uniform.
Kirby directed reporters to reach out to each branch, asserting the handling of exemption requests is not handled centrally.
In an emailed statement, Priscilla Rodriguez, a Navy spokeswoman, told The Epoch Times that the branch supports and respects the beliefs and religious practices of our Sailors.
Waivers for immunizations are balanced with operational readiness, unit cohesion, good order, discipline, health and safety. When this interferes with a members right to practice their faith according to the dictates of their conscience, the Navy works with the member to find ways to accommodate religious practice that are the least burdensome way possible for the member, she said. All requests for religious accommodation, to include the COVID vaccine mandate, are handled in the same manner.
From The Epoch Times
In a few weeks, Texas-based Corsicana Mattress Co. plans to celebrate the opening of a new $8.6 million bed-in-a-box factory that will employ up to 350 workers in LaPorte.
La Porte County Office of Community and Economic Development Community & Economic Development Specialist Viviana Plaza describes it as "one of this year's most exciting announcements."
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. Jan. 5 at Midwest Manufacturing Supercenter at 755 South 500 West in LaPorte.
The company renovated a 165,000-square-foot building in LaPorte to house its domestic boxed-bed manufacturing operations in the United States.
Corsicana Mattress CEO Michael Thompson said the company chose to expand in Indiana because of significant growth in its boxed bed business. The mattress maker also has a 100,000-square-foot flat-packed mattress factory in Aurora.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. gave Corsicana $2.3 million in conditional tax breaks in exchange for the job creation and investment in LaPorte County.
MERRILLVILLE One person was seriously injured in a Sunday night shooting in Merrillville, police said.
At 9:45 p.m. Sunday, Merrillville officers were called a report of shots fired in the 7300 block of Noble Street, said Merrillville Police Department Assistant Chief Kosta Nuses.
Patrolling police quickly arrived on scene to find significant gunfire damage to an apartment building. When officers went inside, they found a victim who was seriously injured.
First responders took the victim to a local hospital, and their current condition is unknown.
The Merrillville Police Department Detective Bureau is investigating this shooting, and officers are asking for the public's help.
Anyone with information or those who have possible video surveillance footage are asked to contact Detective Matt Vasel at 219-769-3531, extension 363, or reach him via email at mvasel@merrillville.in.gov.
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Jurgensen used FBI buy money and his contacts within the county police department to get on Buncichs towing list.
Jurgensen and William Szarmach, a Lake Station towing firm owner who towed for the sheriffs office, testified at Buncichs trial that they both paid the sheriff to keep receiving the most lucrative towing work.
Sometimes their corrupt payments involved buying Buncichs political fundraising tickets; sometimes they just handing the sheriff wads of cash at private luncheon meetings.
A federal grand jury indicted Buncich on Nov. 17, 2016. He went to trial the following year, where he took the witness stand to deny all wrongdoing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson, who won Buncichs conviction in a 14-day trial, argued that Buncich solicited bribes to make up for the cost of using his own money to run for election.
A jury found Buncich guilty of five counts of wire fraud and one count of bribery. Judge Moody sentenced Buncich, at that time, to 188 months in prison.
Buncich asked Seventh Circuit of Appeals to overturn his convictions, and it did partially.
HAMMOND Prosecutors are challenging claims by former Portage Mayor James Snyder that there is a good chance his federal bribery and tax violations convictions will be overturned and thus he should be allowed to remain out on bond rather than go to prison while his appeal is pending.
"To suggest there is a substantial chance that the court of appeals will find all 24 jurors as well as two district court judges reached and sustained a verdict that is unsupported by sufficient evidence is a stretch," the government wrote in a response to Snyder's motion for bond.
A hearing on the request scheduled for Wednesday morning was postponed at the last minute by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly, who told attorneys he was dealing with an unspecified medical issue and needed another day to read a filing that had come in that morning.
The telephonic hearing was reset for 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
The 43-year-old Republican claims in his motion that there has been an "avalanche of error" that is likely to reverse his convictions or at least result in a third trial.
Massa said involuntary manslaughter was a factually included lesser offense throughout Larkin's trial because the charging document alleged Larkin knowingly or intentionally killed his wife with a handgun, and Massa said shooting a person can be classified as a battery.
The high court justices also rejected Larkin's claim of not receiving fair notice of the involuntary manslaughter charge because they held both types of manslaughter were based on the same means: the handgun.
According to court records, Stacey Larkin, 41, was shot twice in her bedroom while struggling with John Larkin over a defective gun that DNA evidence showed Stacey Larkin removed from a bedroom safe.
John Larkin claimed the gun discharged the first time when Stacey ran at him and they fell. She reportedly then jumped up, grabbed his head and scratched his face. He pushed her away, and the gun discharged a second time as he fell on her, court records state.
Larkin argued he did not knowingly shoot Stacy, it was an accident, and a person in Indiana has a right to use deadly force if he believes the force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to himself or another person.
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SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) Bosnian officials and religious leaders on Wednesday denounced suggestions voiced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his spokesman that the integration of Bosnia into the European Union will be challenging because of its large Muslim population.
Orbans spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has tweeted that the challenge with Bosnia is how to integrate a country with 2 million Muslims.
During his long speech on Tuesday in Budapest, right-wing populist Orban said Hungary supports Bosnias EU bid, adding that as an EU member, Hungary had to mobilize a lot of energy to overcome the enlargement fatigue that has taken hold of the European Union.
I am doing my best to convince Europes great leaders that the Balkans may be further away from them than from Hungary, but how we manage the security of a state in which 2 million Muslims live is a key issue for their security too.
Reaction in Bosnia was sharp, with some Bosniak parties asking for a ban on Orbans planned official visit to Sarajevo and the head of the Islamic community, Grand Mufti Husein Kavazovic, calling his statement xenophobic and racist.
The White House announced steps on Thursday to crack down on forced labor in the supply chain for solar panels in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, including a ban on imports from a silicon producer there.
A significant portion of the worlds polysilicon, which is used to make solar panels, comes from Xinjiang, where the United States has accused China of committing genocide through its repression of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
In one of the newly announced actions, U.S. Customs and Border Protection banned imports of silica-based products made by Hoshine Silicon Industry Company as well as goods made using those products. The agency has information reasonably indicating that Hoshine uses forced labor to produce its silica-based products, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, said at a news conference.
The action was notable given the Biden administrations push to expand the use of solar power in the United States to help achieve its climate goals. China dominates the global supply chain for solar power, producing a significant amount of the materials and parts needed for solar panels. Cutting off access to some imports could make it harder or more costly for the United States to expand solar use domestically.
SUCH COLOR
New and Selected Poems
By Tracy K. Smith
221 pp. Graywolf. $26.
Every poem is the story of itself, Smith writes. The stories her poems tell share a number of preoccupations history and grief, motherhood and mythology, art and identity, internal life and outer space that traverse her four previous collections, excerpted here along with a section, Riot, made up of new poems.
A poet of formal breadth and consistent excellence, Smith has long questioned American individualism, as in this moment from one of the books new poems: Is the world intended for me? Not just me but / the we that fills me? Smith offers a multiplicity of voices to fill gaps in the historical record, as in Into the Moonless Night, which presents dramatic monologues from four Ugandan teenagers kidnapped by the Lords Resistance Army. Riot, the new poems in this volume, are inspired by Gwendolyn Brookss volume of the same name and are formidable responses to the current moment in America, especially institutional racist violence. In Found Poem, an erasure of Woodrow Wilsons 1924 essay on Robert E. Lee, Smith writes:
If you love a country
that does not
does not
was conceived not to
want you I want
to remind you:
We live
We live
This collection is a commanding reminder that the former poet laureate is one of the most important poets writing today.
ALL THE NAMES GIVEN
By Raymond Antrobus
83 pp. Tin House. Paper, $16.95.
Halfway through Antrobuss second collection is a prose poem in which many of the books thematic concerns intersect. The Royal Opera House (With Stage Captions) narrates an opera set in South Africa, with an all black cast of performers who hide the white man who wrote it. Antrobus lists what else is hidden in the composition: We dont see the oil or the Coca-Cola Company or land rights or coups or the arms industry or the drug companies. Because of these omissions, the audience is asked to have more compassion for the man who makes it out alive than anyone poverty trapped, an observation that illuminates the legacies of British colonialism on cultures and individual values. Stage captions, inspired by the deaf sound artist Christine Sun Kim and invented for the poem, resist the hearing populations narrow understanding of sound. Across the book, Antrobus places such captions between exquisite poems. For instance, after a poem about the poets white, English grandmother throwing a racial slur at his Black, Jamaican father, Antrobus provides a page on which is written only the following:
[sound of self divided]
[running]
[breath on paper]
The self divided most apparently references a mixed racial identity. But as one reads this collection, one encounters a self divided between name and identity, hearing and not hearing, exhaustion and love.
A GOD AT THE DOOR
By Tishani Doshi
109 pp. Copper Canyon. Paper, $16.
The shock we carry is that the world / doesnt need us, Doshi writes in Self. In this collection so concerned with the apocalyptic inertia of climate change and political violence, however, the self that is, the human ego at work is absolutely necessary. Doshi brings complicated emotions to our geopolitical crises; her poems swerve from humorous to plaintive. Humanity, for Doshi, is full of contradiction, of despair coexisting with hope. Take the opening of After a Shooting in a Maternity Clinic in Kabul:
No one forgets theres a war going on,
but there are moments you could be forgiven
for believing the city is still an orchard,
a place where you could make a thing grow.
Throughout the collection, Doshi emphasizes these contradictions through her deft use of line breaks. In Many Good and Wonderful Things, for instance, Doshi writes, History is always / reinventing itself. At nearly the same moment, Doshi suggests that history is recognizable as one thing and likewise forever changing two different statements, achieved by the micro-moment in which the readers eyes have to move from one line to the next.
I was not even slightly surprised; I fully expected it, said Olivia Strong, a parent in Manhattan. Her sons cohort of eighth graders is shifting to remote learning because of multiple positive virus cases.
Things have gone relatively smoothly for schools this year, despite targeted classroom closures to contain the virus. School outbreaks have been limited throughout the pandemic, and children are getting vaccinated. (Crucially, as my colleague David Leonhardt has repeatedly noted in The Morning newsletter, childhood Covid is almost always mild.)
Across the nations 13,000 districts and 98,000 public schools this week, there are about 600 shuttered schools or districts, according to data from Burbio, a company that has tracked how schools have operated through the pandemic. There are fewer closures now than in November.
But the Omicron variant appears contagious enough to upend the shaky equilibrium that has allowed schools to stay open. Many are in dire need of substitute teachers and bus drivers, and can ill afford an outbreak that would send many staff members home.
The C.D.C. has encouraged schools to use a test-to-stay protocol, in which people who test negative after exposure can stay in classrooms, reducing quarantines and closures.
But there still are not enough rapid tests to quickly screen whole classrooms or schools. And many parents have not given consent for their children to be tested for the virus at school.
If there is a positive case in a class, everyone should just get tested, Erik Berg, vice president of the Boston Teachers Union, said. If our universities and colleges can test everyone on campus twice per week, it says a lot about the commitment to K-12 education that we cant even test people we know were in the same room with a positive case for six or seven hours.
Taylor Allen wanted to be a responsible traveler, but she was finding it difficult.
Late last week at least seven people Ms. Allen knew in Brooklyn posted on Instagram that theyd tested positive for the coronavirus. She had not seen any of them in person. But after developing an intense headache and runny nose on Friday, she canceled her Saturday morning flight to Jacksonville, Fla., where she was planning to see her parents and grandparents.
Two at-home tests one Friday and one Saturday came back negative. But Ms. Allen, 22, who is fully vaccinated but not yet boosted, wanted more official assurance before she rebooked her trip. On Sunday evening, long after her scheduled appointment at an urgent care clinic in Crown Heights, an employee told her and the 30 or so other people waiting for tests in the bitter cold that theyd have to come back at 8 a.m.
I really dont want to put anyone in danger, said Ms. Allen, who left the clinic with plans to return again the next day.
Even as the number of coronavirus cases is skyrocketing in some parts of the country, largely driven by the Omicron variant, the holiday travel rush appears unstoppable. On Friday, Los Angeles International Airport reported its busiest day since early 2020, and on Sunday, 2.1 million people passed through airports in the United States, nearly twice as many as at this time last year.
Considering how Republicans began 2021 in the minority in Congress, a newly elected Democrat poised to move into the White House and a public worn down by a pandemic and alarmed by an assault on the Capitol Mr. McConnell and his colleagues say they have had a successful year. In some respects, it was all the things they did not do that may have served them best.
They did not maneuver themselves into shutting down the government as they have in the past despite demands from the right that they never work with Mr. Biden. And they did not allow the government to default, with Mr. McConnell providing Democrats a circuitous path to raising the debt ceiling. Either could have created a backlash for Republicans.
We had a good deal of drama, Mr. McConnell said about the high-wire act over the debt ceiling, but in the end, we got the job done.
As Democrats spent months trying to hammer out the huge policy bill among themselves, Republicans were relegated to the sidelines. Mr. McConnell said Democrats inability to come together on it so far reflected a misreading of the 2020 elections, when voters gave them the White House but bare majorities in both the Senate and the House.
They did not have a mandate to do anything close to what they tried to do, said Mr. McConnell, suggesting that progressive ideology overcame their judgment.
The decision by Mr. McConnell and other Republicans to help Democrats write and pass a separate, $1 trillion public works bill was, Mr. McConnell said, a smart one, even though Republican supporters of the measure took heat from others in the party, notably Mr. Trump.
Mr. McConnell said that applying pressure to keep the policy bill separate from the infrastructure measure denied Democratic leaders leverage over Mr. Manchin, who helped negotiate the infrastructure measure, while delivering a bipartisan bill that met legitimate needs. He said that Mr. Trump and other Republican critics had been proven wrong.
Fentroy didnt really imagine ballet as a profession for herself until she was 18 and attended a summer program in New York. It sounds really strange, she said, but I fell in love with the work, with how hard it is the chase for perfection or the chase for growth.
She moved to New York and studied at the Joffrey Ballet School for two years, touring with its student company and auditioning for professional ones. The best offer she got was an opportunity that I dont think anyone could have turned down, she said: Dance Theater of Harlem.
Founded in 1969 with a mission to prove that Black dancers could master ballet and to give them a home, Dance Theater of Harlem grew into a major institution but was forced by debt to go on hiatus in 2004. (Thats one reason Jimenez moved to Boston.) In 2013, Johnson, one of its former stars who had recently taken over as director, was restarting it in much smaller form, mostly with new dancers. Fentroy wanted to be part of that.
And Johnson wanted her. Chyrstyn was the kind of artist you could build a company with, Johnson said, adding that she often chose repertory with Fentroys growth in mind.
Fentroy grew. I learned who I was as an artist and what matters to me, she said. It came from the company mission. I dance for other people. I want to change peoples lives, especially people who might not feel like they belong in the theater.
Its hard to know exactly where to put him, and in a moment when racial and ethnic identity are on everyones mind and the art world is struggling to pay overdue attention to artists of color its a little disconcerting to read about a Black artist who used pop culture stereotypes of Native Americans in his drawings, and who once traced over the white model in a shampoo ad to make a portrait of Ella Fitzgerald. But its bracing, too, because it pushes back against the temptation, so often lurking behind efforts to diversify museums, to make any artist of color into a one-dimensional hero. Its important to be reminded that artists like Joseph Yoakum arent necessarily who we want them to be.
His drawings arent what we expect, either. Are they, in fact, even landscapes? They do depict mountains, rivers, harbors and other natural scenery, sometimes with a severe heraldic sun sitting over the horizon. But often those mountains and rocks are described with a sinuous double line that evokes topographical maps, and if not for the cue of the horizon, you wouldnt know if you were looking into a scene from the side or from above.
PARIS I still have the text message saved from my best friend here that arrived last October with the urgency of a high-speed TGV train. It just said omg, with seven additional Gs, and preceded a screenshot of the American actor Lily Collins sitting at the Cafe de la Nouvelle Mairie in the 5th Arrondissement of Paris: my go-to cafe in the city, with the best sausage and lentils at lunch and a view onto an obscure little square behind the Pantheon.
You are all over the show, my friend texted me, and for weeks after I endured brutal mockery that my Parisian bolt-hole was about to become a tourist site, like Carrie Bradshaws brownstone or the Harry Potter train station platform.
Id lived in Paris, knew my way around French culture and French men (Id just married one). Id postured as some sophisticate with better taste than the millions who come through each year. And here was Emily, in one of her stupid outfits, at my cafe.
Shame seemed to be a common reaction to Emily in Paris, which became the hate-watch par excellence of Pandemic Year One, and whose second season arrives Wednesday on Netflix with le nouveau variant Omicron. That this show was even renewed for a second season may surprise you, if you are in the dwindling number that still thinks critical opprobrium and public nausea can triumph over streaming algorithmic logic.
The elevator pitch for the six-episode British mini-series Vigil is irresistible for genre fans: A troubled detective (were listening) is dispatched to solve a crime (keep going) on a submarine engaged in a secret mission (pass the popcorn).
Viewers flocked to Vigil when it premiered in Britain in August (the show lands on Peacock Thursday). But what seemed to appeal even more than the many plot twists was Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva, a cop whos going through a rough patch (shes on antidepressants) and questioning her entire life while stuck in sweaty, claustrophobic quarters underwater.
I think that I go after characters with journeys, characters with fight, characters who have things to figure out, Suranne Jones, the actress playing Amy, said on a call from London.
Her words bore a certain sense of understatement; right before Vigil debuted, Jones starred in I Am Victoria, an installment of a Channel 4 anthology series in which she plays a wife and mother who cracks under the pressure to lead a perfect life. In the Georgian-era HBO and BBC period series Gentleman Jack, she plays the swashbuckling West Yorkshire landowner Anne Lister, kicker of mens butts and conqueror of womens hearts.
10. And finally, Mexican fish that do the wave.
In the sulfur-infused ponds of Tabasco State in Mexico lives the sulphur molly. Toss in a rock, and the waters surface will erupt in pale, pulsing waves. Every few seconds, thousands of fish will repeat a quick diving motion to generate the wave.
Researchers, armed with cameras and a slingshot, believe the wave sends a message to predators: We see you. We are watching. Dont try any funny business.
The slingshot was used to simulate a divebombing kingfisher, and consistently triggered the waves. The waves reduced birds luck in getting fish, which they seemed to realize. It seems to be one of the rare cases where the benefits of synchronized animal behavior can be deciphered.
Have a synchronous evening.
Angela Jimenez compiled photos for this briefing.
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Wall Street banks have mostly taken a tough line on return-to-office plans, with many top bosses working from their desks for months and urging reluctant employees to do the same.
They have changed their tunes, for now.
With the Omicron variant of the coronavirus raging, Bank of America this week told employees in its New York City corporate offices that they can work from home during the holidays, according to a memo to staff. The bank, which is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., but maintains a massive office in midtown Manhattan, is also providing self-test kits and will host booster clinics in some locations across the country come January.
At Deutsche Bank, New York staff have been encouraged to work from home for the last two weeks of the year, according to an executive who asked not to be identified discussing personnel matters. They will probably continue to work remotely for several weeks into 2022, given the surge in cases, the person said.
Jefferies, an investment bank in Manhattan, sent its employees back home earlier this month as cases jumped. Rich Handler, the firms chief executive, later said on Twitter that he had tested positive and was self-quarantining. Jefferies was the first Wall Street firm to report a senior casualty during the pandemic: Peg Broadbent, the chief financial officer, died from complications of the coronavirus in March 2020.
NINGDE, China As the global pandemic hit, the worlds biggest maker of electric car batteries, a Chinese company now worth more than General Motors and Ford combined, suddenly faced its own crisis.
A rival had released a video suggesting that a technology used by the company, CATL, and other manufacturers could cause car fires. Imitating a Chinese government safety test, the rival had driven a nail through a battery cell, one of many in a typical electric car battery. The cell exploded in a fireball.
Chinese officials took swift action by dropping the nail test, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. The new regulation, released two months later, listed who had drafted it: First on the list, ahead of the governments own vehicle testing agency, was CATL.
Europes energy crunch shows little sign of easing. Natural gas markets, the root of the problem, remain on edge because supplies are tight, and traders doubt whether the continent has enough of the fuel stored to last a cold winter without disruption.
The buildup of Russian troops on the border of Ukraine, through which Russian gas flows to the West, also has added to concerns about whether gas will run out. Already, low volumes of gas from Russia, Europes main source of imports of the fuel, have helped raise prices in recent months.
There is a risk of supply shortages that could erode economic growth and trigger public discord, said Henning Gloystein, a director for energy and climate at Eurasia Group, a political risk firm, adding that blackouts are possible in a worst-case scenario. Mr. Gloystein said that should the situation worsen, governments might order factories cut their gas use to ensure that households have enough to keep warm.
On Tuesday, gas on the TTF trading hub in the Netherlands hit a record level of about $60 per million British thermal units on reports that flows in a pipeline that takes Russian gas to Germany were being switched back toward the East. (European gas prices have doubled this month and are roughly 15 times what gas is selling for in the United States.)
Carlos Tejada, the deputy Asia editor of The New York Times, who helped shape coverage of the global Covid-19 crisis in 2021 that won a Pulitzer Prize, died on Friday at a hospital in Seoul. He was 49.
His wife, Nora Tejada, said the cause was a heart attack.
Mr. Tejada was the China news editor for The Wall Street Journal when The Times hired him in 2016 to be its Asia business editor. He was named deputy Asia editor last year, originally based in Hong Kong.
That year he contributed to The Timess Pulitzer-winning coverage of the Covid-19 crisis, editing an article about how China had censored online news and opinion about the coronavirus early in the pandemic. The Pulitzer board cited it among others in awarding The Times the prize for public service.
Mr. Tejada was also part of an editing team on a series of articles, about Chinas repression of Muslims, that was a finalist for the Pulitzer in international reporting in 2020. And he helped edit The Timess global coverage of the pandemic that was a finalist for the international reporting prize this year.
2021 was yet another year that felt like five. It began with a presidential transition, riots at the Capitol and a blackout in Texas. Before summer had even begun, drought, heat and fires had already torn across the West. The Biden administration faced a number of challenges to its climate agenda at home. And then came the United Nations international climate conference in Glasgow in the fall.
Feel like a blur? Heres a recap of the year in our coverage.
Climate Change Is Here
In February, Texas went dark. Huge winter storms plunged large parts of the central and southern United States into an energy crisis.
WASHINGTON After a tornado killed 162 people in Joplin, Mo., safety experts and cement manufacturers proposed a way to save lives: Require most new apartments, commercial structures and other large buildings in tornado-prone areas to have safe rooms concrete boxes where people can shelter, even if the building around them is torn to shreds.
Safe rooms provide near-absolute protection during a tornado, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They can cost as little as $15,000 for a small shelter in a commercial building, and possibly could have saved the six workers who died when a tornado destroyed the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Ill., two weeks ago.
But the 2012 proposal was blocked by a little-known organization that sets the building codes widely used by states and cities around the country. That group, the International Code Council, is made up of state and local code officials from around the country. Before it could vote, the proposal was scrapped by a council committee made up of building industry representatives and local code officials. The committee found the 2012 safe room proposal to be overly restrictive and contained several technical flaws.
While experts say the technology and design standards exist to better protect people and buildings from tornadoes, attempts to incorporate those designs into building codes have repeatedly been blocked or curtailed by the building industry, according to public documents and people involved in efforts to tighten the model codes.
How did you prepare for the action sequences?
Nothing will make you want to get in shape quicker than knowing youre going to see yourself on a huge screen. I had to train for months to get strong and get in shape and to learn the fights, that took a lot of time. It was important to me that I let go of any construct in my mind that I needed to look like I did when I was 30. I find that thinking makes desperation as a woman, and I didnt want any desperation. I knew I wanted to look good, but I didnt want to do a juice cleanse, I didnt want to do all these extreme things. I laugh because at times I would just feel so cool, I got this. Someone would take a little video, and Id look at it and be like, Oh my God, I dont look cool at all! I would just have to constantly relax that part of my brain. I continually chose to know I was going to be enough. I could have chosen that pressure, and I chose not to have it.
Did it feel good to be back on the motorcycle?
I like to push it, I like to do everything that I can in these movies. When I watch the first, second and third, the moments that arent me [when its a stunt performer instead]? It hurts me. But the bike that Im on [in Resurrections] is actually too powerful for someone as inexperienced as me. I got on, and thank God I had some skill, because that bike went so fast. Instinct kicked in, and I was able to stop it. Otherwise, I would have flown off.
Once you were on set, did it feel like you were playing someone entirely new? Or was it like reuniting with an old friend?
It was like playing a different person with [Trinity buried somewhere] in there but cant we all relate to that? Im not the same person I was at 30. The wonderful thing about shooting these films is all that training creates the character. All that training, all that time with Keanu, all that seeps in. It was almost as if this energy just comes through its not anything you can really touch. I love that when youve done all this work, and then they call Action, and you just hope that you can catch that wave. For me, also, working opposite Keanu is really effortless and has a depth to it. It feels like a connection of our souls in a way that is beyond the intellect. As an artist, I know how rare that is to have that. It was like you could feel this other living entity basically that is these two characters.
In his final weeks in office, Mayor Bill de Blasio has sought to cement his legacy, arguing that he has accomplished what he set out to do when he first ran for mayor in 2013: reduce inequality in New York City.
There is some evidence to support this. His signature accomplishment, creating a prekindergarten-for-all program, set the stage for a 3K-for-all expansion in 2017. Currently, about 96,000 children are enrolled in both programs. The mayor has also pointed to the citys poverty rate, which fell before the pandemic to roughly 18 percent in 2019, from 20.5 percent in 2013.
We know there was a huge transfer of wealth, Mr. de Blasio recently told reporters. Im a believer in redistribution of wealth. It happened to the tune of tens of billions of dollars.
Experts say his legacy is more complicated. Mr. de Blasio ran for mayor vowing to fix the inequality that had created a tale of two cities, and his policies often did not live up to that rhetoric.
New York Citys jails are experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases as the Omicron variant spreads, gravely threatening detainees at the end of a year that has already seen 16 people die after being held in custody.
According to a letter sent by the departing Correction Department commissioner, Vincent Schiraldi, the coronavirus positivity rate has jumped drastically in the last several days among incarcerated people, only 38 percent of whom are fully vaccinated. (Forty-four percent have had one shot.) Among city residents, 71 percent are fully vaccinated.
Mr. Schiraldis letter, sent on Tuesday to city district attorneys, public defenders and judges, said that the seven-day test positivity rate among incarcerated people had jumped to over 17 percent on Monday from 4.8 percent the previous week. Citywide, the seven-day average positivity rate was 11.2 percent as of Monday.
The risks to the human beings in our custody are at a crisis level, Mr. Schiraldi wrote, adding that the jail population faced an equal or greater level of risk from Covid now as it did at the start of the pandemic.
6) Test kits must be readily available for all.
Not taking all these actions will only lengthen our war with Covid.
Sidney Weissman
Chicago
The writer is a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
To the Editor:
Re Most Covid Infections May Soon Be Breakthroughs, by Eleanor Cummins (Opinion guest essay, Dec. 20):
The use of the term breakthrough infection for Covid infections among the vaccinated is problematic. Rendering the vaccinated completely free from future infection was never the goal of the vaccine development effort, and would have been an unrealistic one. The goal was to prevent severe disease and death, and to that end the effort has been successful to an unpredictably great extent.
Immunity is complex. With many viruses, it is the natural progression that after initial infection convalescents enjoy a period of relative protection from reinfection. A similar period of relative protection often follows vaccination. While such protection is not as persistent as we would like or, in the case of Covid vaccines, as initial data may have led us to expect it would be protection against severe disease and death remains robust.
Covid infections among the vaccinated are not some unforeseen and unfortunate setback, as the term breakthrough suggests. They are a natural and expected phenomenon, and, as your essay says, outside of the Covid pandemic, no one really speaks of breakthrough infections, though the term may still apply. Its use provokes uncertainty and stokes fear in the general public. We are all tired and anxious, and we do not need additional reasons to feel hopeless.
Serious disease risks in kids have been low throughout the pandemic. And school-age students now can get vaccinated to further reduce their risk of serious disease. The details are important. For example, what did the schools contact tracing efforts conclude about the likely source of common exposure? Often, when there are infections in a classroom, they may not have resulted from an exposure at school but rather a social or extracurricular activity that classmates attend.
Generally, cases among exposed contacts in school settings are quite rare. This risk can be reduced if schools implement test-to-stay strategies: Instead of requiring contacts of cases to quarantine, rapid tests are used during what would have been the quarantine period to determine if contacts of cases are safe to attend school. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently endorsed this policy.
Hotez: There are not many silver linings in this Omicron wave of infection, but at least its now accelerating during a time when children are being sent home for the winter break or holidays. Therefore, K-12 schools and most colleges and universities wont be in session at a time when infections are at their worst. In January there may be some delayed openings, especially if we are already at the downslope of this new wave and there is added benefit by waiting an extra week or two. But like any new variant, we really wont know until we know.
Does Omicron present a larger outdoor risk than Delta? Should children be masked on playgrounds?
Nuzzo: Ive not seen specific data that Omicron poses an increased risk of outdoor transmission. With any of our safety measures, we have to balance how much protection the measure will add versus the degree of disruption it will cause. The most important place to mask is indoors. Some kids are perfectly happy wearing masks on playgrounds, especially if its not too hot. But other children really benefit from having mask breaks.
My childrens school does not make them wear masks during outdoor recess, and my children are very grateful to get a break from wearing masks in school all day. I support this. Our family generally doesnt wear masks when we are outdoors, but we do wear them if we are in crowds.
Can we take children to indoor masked events like theater shows? What about places like museums?
Nuzzo: The answer to this question depends on your childrens specific situation and your level of risk tolerance. My children are both vaccinated, so I feel comfortable taking them to museums. If they had underlying health conditions such that I worried about their level of protection from the vaccine or their risk of developing severe illness were they to become infected, I would likely try to avoid to a greater degree crowded indoor spaces.
Before my children were able to get vaccinated, we were more selective about where we took them and prioritized going to those places that provided social or developmental benefits. I would consider taking them to the science museum, though I would prefer to visit in the summer, when community transmission was lower.
What Youll Find
The boundaries of Downtown Brooklyn are a perpetual subject of debate. Known as the Special Downtown Brooklyn District, the neighborhood sits between Tillary Street to the north, Atlantic Avenue to the south, Clinton Street to the west and Ashland Place to the east. That roughly correlates with the boundaries set by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnerships three business improvement districts, with the exception of Atlantic Avenue.
Part of the neighborhoods appeal is that it lies at the nexus of more idyllic Brooklyn neighborhoods, said Cornelia H. Van Amburg, a real estate agent with Compass who represents a 59-unit condominium on Schermerhorn Street called the Symon. Residents are within walking distance of Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill to the west, and Fort Greene and Prospect Heights to the east.
Its really like being in the middle of everything, said Ryan Serhant, the real estate broker whose agency, Serhant, is handling sales for Brooklyn Point, a luxury condo tower on Willoughby Street that was developed by Extell, known for its high-end Manhattan properties.
Transit access is also a huge draw: Depending on where you are in the neighborhood, its a one- or two-stop subway ride to Lower Manhattan. Other transportation options, from buses to Citi Bikes, are abundant.
The housing stock is largely made up of rentals, thanks to the proliferation of the towers built after the 2004 rezoning, many of which include affordable housing among them, Hub, a 50-story building on Schermerhorn Street with about 600 apartments, and Ava DoBro on Willoughby Street, with more than 800 apartments.
Michael Chen is primarily known for residential projects and one element of them that the architect particularly enjoys designing is the kitchen. In a brownstone in Brooklyns Clinton Hill neighborhood that his namesake New York firm, Michael K Chen Architecture, revamped in 2019, that meant maroon cabinets; an avocado green island with a sink on one side and a cutout for four stools on the other, so that a cook might prep and chat; and tumbling-block-patterned concrete floor tiles. Hes also fond of green serpentine stone (I think a white kitchen is so boring, he says), unobtrusive power outlets and high-end induction burners in lieu of gas ranges (if its good enough for Thomas Keller). Theres often a real tension in peoples expectations vis-a-vis kitchens between things that are beautiful and things that are functional, says Chen, 46, but I dont see those qualities as contradictory. His belief that a space can and should be both stems from his architectural training, of course, but also, like his interest in kitchens in general, from the fact that he is something of a cook himself, and thus able to anticipate a clients needs in this arena.
His own kitchen, with a stone counter, a Flos light fixture by Jasper Morrison and a profusion of walnut cutting boards and Japanese knives, is the heart of the Chinatown, Manhattan, apartment that he shares with his husband, Andy Beck, a lawyer with the A.C.L.U. Until not so long ago, the apartment was the site of countless dinner parties that allowed Chen to show off his culinary skills and since, as he puts it, acquisition is a bit of an occupational hazard in my line of work, the many beautiful dishes hes collected over the years, including asymmetrical ceramics by Eric Bonnin from Mociun in Brooklyn, vintage chartreuse Russel Wright lug bowls scored on eBay and marbleized plates from MK Studio purchased on a trip he and Beck took to Copenhagen. The pandemic put a pause on such gatherings, but, in the early days of it, Chen could still be found in the kitchen, nursing his sourdough starter or rolling out pasta dough for homemade lasagna. Then, last December, he decided to try his hand at another labor-intensive recipe: his mothers beef noodle soup.
But the looming Omicron wave could challenge the rickety infrastructure that has kept schools running this year. Some classrooms are closing temporarily, as more people test positive or go into quarantine.
I was not even slightly surprised I fully expected it, said Olivia Strong, a parent in Manhattan. Her sons cohort of eighth graders is shifting to remote learning because of multiple virus cases in his class.
Things have gone relatively smoothly for schools this year, despite targeted classroom closures to contain spread of the virus. School outbreaks have been limited throughout the pandemic, and children are being vaccinated. (Crucially, as my colleague David Leonhardt has repeatedly noted in The Morning newsletter, childhood Covid is almost always mild.)
Across the nations 13,000 districts and 98,000 public schools this week, there are about 600 shuttered schools or districts, according to data from Burbio, a company that has tracked how schools have operated through the pandemic. There are fewer closures now than in November.
But the Omicron variant appears contagious enough to upend the shaky equilibrium that has allowed schools to stay open. Many are in dire need of substitute teachers and bus drivers, and can ill afford an outbreak that would send many staff members home.
Prosecutors in Colorado have started a process that could reduce the penalty for a truck driver who was sentenced this month to 110 years in prison for his role in a 2019 crash that killed four people.
The lengthy sentence, which was handed down on Dec. 13, drew scrutiny from the judge and from more than four million people who signed an online petition calling for it to be reduced.
On Tuesday, just over a week after the truck driver, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, was sentenced, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado said that his office was reviewing the drivers application for clemency. Also on Tuesday, the First Judicial District Attorneys Office in Colorado said it had filed a motion to reconsider the penalty.
As Colorado law required the imposition of the sentence in this case, the law also permits the Court to reconsider its sentence in an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstances, the motion said.
This article addresses mental health issues on college campuses, including suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (TALK) or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
The mood was already strained at West Virginia University as students hunkered down for finals in December. Then an employee found an anonymous letter in a mens bathroom, embellished with illustrations and poetry, that threatened suicide in or around the student union at noon on Monday, Dec. 6.
Still reeling from a very public suicide of a 20-year-old business major in April, the university administration reacted swiftly. Officials posted a warning, highlighted in canary yellow, on the universitys website, pleading with the letters author to seek help, and asking students to be alert to their surroundings.
While we do not know your personal circumstances, we do know this is a very stressful time of year, the university wrote, adding, You are not alone.
As Monday came and went without incident, students and university officials expressed relief, but worried that the note was just one indicator of the fragile mental health of many students during the turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then, she has not been reassured by reports of vaccinated people getting Covid infections, as is happening more frequently with Omicron, even though the vaccines remain effective at warding off severe disease. They still have to get tested if they get exposed, she said. So whats the point of this?
Florida, which long ago did away with almost all virus restrictions, is recording an average of 7,068 daily coronavirus cases, a 294 percent increase over the past two weeks, according to data compiled by The New York Times.
The rise was sudden and jarring after a couple of months of relative virus quiet that followed a Delta surge that killed more than 22,000 Floridians, more than any previous virus wave, according to Jason L. Salemi, an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida.
But winter is Floridas high season, drawing part-time residents and throngs of visitors. Some attendees reported testing positive for Covid this month after going to events related to the Art Basel Miami Beach fair.
On Tuesday, CDR Health, a contractor providing monoclonal antibody treatments at some state-run clinics, temporarily closed its sites in Miami-Dade, Broward, Lee and St. Lucie Counties because of a lack of supply. The Florida Department of Health insisted that some sites closed for training but acknowledged that some appointments had to be rescheduled and that the state was trying to secure a resupply.
We are committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan, Wally Adeyemo, the deputy Treasury secretary, said in a statement.
The departments general licenses allow financial transactions involving the Taliban and members of the Haqqani network, who share power in the new Afghan government, as long as the money is used for purposes such as projects to meet basic human needs, civil society development, environmental and natural resource protection and similar efforts. The United States considers both groups terrorist organizations.
The Treasury move expands the type of relief activity that can take place in Afghanistan and broadens the level of contact that international groups can have with the Taliban. It also allows the Taliban to collect taxes related to that assistance.
Alex Zerden, the Treasury Departments financial attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul from 2018 to 2019, called the move absolutely a step in the right direction, saying it addressed requests for clarity from private sector and nongovernmental organizations about how to operate in Afghanistan without violating U.S. sanctions and providing the Taliban with illegal revenue.
But many close observers said far more remained to be done.
We need a bigger humanitarian response, but without a functioning economy and banking system, we are facing terrible odds, David Miliband, the president and chief executive of the International Rescue Committee, wrote on Twitter. Need massive economic stabilization package to stop the rip current.
The United States provided Afghanistan with $3.95 billion in foreign aid last year, about two-thirds of which was security assistance for the former governments fight against the Taliban. U.S. humanitarian aid for the country and for Afghan refugees in the region has totaled nearly $474 million so far this year.
Were very conscious of the fact that there is an incredibly difficult humanitarian situation right now, one that could get worse as winter sets in, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a news conference on Tuesday.
Follow our live updates on the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack Anniversary.
WASHINGTON The House committee investigating the Capitol attack asked Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio on Wednesday to sit for an interview with its investigators, in the latest step the panel has taken to dig into the role that members of Congress played in trying to undermine the 2020 election.
The committees letter to Mr. Jordan, an ally of former President Donald J. Trump, says that investigators want to question him about his communications related to the run-up to the Capitol riot. Those include Mr. Jordans messages with Mr. Trump, his legal team and others involved in planning rallies on Jan. 6 and congressional objections to certifying Joseph R. Biden Jr.s victory.
We understand that you had at least one and possibly multiple communications with President Trump on Jan. 6, Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the committees chairman, wrote in the letter. We would like to discuss each such communication with you in detail.
Mr. Jordan, a Republican, was deeply involved in Mr. Trump's effort to fight the election results. He participated in planning meetings with senior White House officials, including a gathering in November 2020 at Trump campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., and a meeting at the White House last December, where Republican lawmakers discussed plans with the presidents team to use the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 to challenge the election outcome.
LOS ANGELES The stucco cottage looks every bit the California dream: a grassy yard and big patio, encircled by a white picket fence. Next to the front door, a Santa figurine greets visitors and a dogs snout peeks through a window, as if an advertisement for domestic bliss.
Except.
This home is in Wilmington, a mostly Latino working-class enclave north of the Port of Los Angeles, where the effects of the supply chain crisis have spilled over in a big way. For the past several months, the street that the house is on has served as a 24-hour thoroughfare for semi trucks headed to and from the port.
Its like a highway, said Imelda Ulloa, who has lived in this home for more than 20 years.
Ulloa, 57, cant open her windows anymore because of how much noise and dust flood in. She doesnt invite guests over to barbecue because the din of engines drowns out their conversations. Her grandson isnt allowed to play out front because its too dangerous.
One afternoon last week, I stood on Ulloas stoop and counted: In 10 minutes, 44 trucks drove by, inches from her front gate.
With days to go before Christmas, Americans are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Of reworking plans to adapt to the latest virus risks. Of searching for at-home tests and not finding them. Of wondering whether after two years of avoiding Covid-19, or surviving it, or getting vaccinated and maybe even boosted, Omicron is the variant they inevitably catch.
A sense of dread about Omicrons rapid spread the fastest of any variant yet has swept through the Northeast and Upper Midwest, which were already swamped with Delta variant cases and hospitalizations. And unease has burgeoned even in states and territories like Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico that had moved past a terrible summer of Delta and, until recently, experienced a relative virus lull.
Im mad, said Mabel De Beunza, a publicist in her early 40s who spent 90 minutes at a drive-through testing line in downtown Miami on Monday after experiencing cold symptoms. No matter what her test result, she had decided against seeing her mother, who is immunocompromised, on Christmas.
Conversations with more than two dozen people across the country revealed that, more than panicked, Americans are exhausted by the emotional pandemic roller coaster and confused by mixed messages from experts and leaders about appropriate precautions.
Three people drowned and up to three dozen more were missing on Wednesday after a smuggling boat carrying migrants from Turkey sank in the Aegean Sea, Greeces Coast Guard said.
The sinking came just a few weeks after 27 people drowned in an attempt to cross the English Channel to Britain from France, a tragedy that brought back into sharp focus the lethal risks faced by asylum seekers who board overcrowded smuggling vessels.
Early Wednesday morning, a rescue vessel plucked 12 survivors from a dinghy off the Greek island of Folegandros, the Greece Coast Guard said in a statement. The survivors were hospitalized on the island of Santorini with hypothermia, a spokeswoman for Greeces Shipping Ministry said.
It was unclear exactly how many people were unaccounted for Wednesday night. But the survivors, whose testimonies were cited in the Coast Guards statement, said the boat had been carrying between 30 and 50 people in all.
Turkey granted emergency-use approval for a domestically developed Covid vaccine on Wednesday, adding a third inoculation option for its citizens, as the Omicron variant increasingly fuels outbreaks in Europe and beyond.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the vaccine, called Turkovac, was expected to be ready for widespread use by the end of December. It joins the two vaccines already being administered in Turkey: the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which has shown initial success at stopping Omicron infections among people who have received booster shots, and the CoronaVac vaccine produced by the Chinese company Sinovac.
The Turkish authorities said they hoped the Turkish-developed vaccine could both bolster the countrys vaccination campaign at home and be exported.
We are not a country miser on drugs or vaccines, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised address Wednesday. We will be happy to share our vaccine with the world.
This government did a major thing, he claimed, buying time and delaying the variants spread in Israel. What a pity that other countries did not do as we did.
Inconsistencies in the governments pre-Christmas travel policies have been a source of acrimony.
Some Israelis and Palestinians have grumbled about the country hosting the international Miss Universe pageant this month while their close relatives and tourists were kept out. Others have questioned the logic of allowing residents to continue to take vacations abroad to countries where infection rates are still unclear.
Mr. Abunassar publicly denounced what he viewed as discrimination, with the Israeli government approving Jewish Birthright groups while barring Christian pilgrims.
This is not acceptable to us, he said in an interview. What if it happened the other way round, and another country in the world allowed in Christians but not Jews? People would automatically scream antisemitism.
Most stinging for Mr. Abunassar was the recent Israeli approval for the resumption of some Birthright Israel tours the all-expenses-paid 10-day trips for young Jews. The trips, partly funded by the Israeli government, are meant to bond Jews in the diaspora to Israel and to bolster Jewish identity.
Noa Bauer, Birthrights vice president for marketing, said last week that several hundred participants from the United States and Canada who met the vaccination criteria had been expected to travel to Israel before Christmas. But then Israel put both countries on its red list, meaning that anyone arriving from there must quarantine for a week. That made the quick trips impractical, and Birthright has suspended all trips until Jan. 15.
In recent months, pleas to take sweeping action on student loans have gone unanswered by Mr. Biden, who has said he has been reluctant to explore executive action to forgive large amounts of student loan debt, lest that relief go to people attending elite colleges. But last week, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke publicly about the need to provide relief to borrowers.
I had student loans, Ms. Harris said during an interview with the radio and television host Charlamagne tha God. I mean, look, right now, we have so many people, tens of millions of people in the United States who are dealing with student loan debt and responsibilities, and its standing in the way of them being able to start a family or buy a home. And its real, and we need to deal with it.
On Wednesday, the White House sought to give Ms. Harris credit for her role in persuading the president to approve the extension. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said conversations with advisers, including Ms. Harris, had led to Mr. Bidens decision to extend the moratorium. Ms. Psaki said the presidents endangered social spending plan was not the main reason for the student loan extension.
This is something the president has thought a lot about over the past several days, Ms. Psaki said, adding that conversations with Ms. Harris led to the decision to extend until May.
The Biden administration has already canceled some debt through more targeted measures it wiped away nearly $13 billion in loans for nearly 640,000 borrowers, according to the Education Department, including more than $7 billion for people with a total and permanent disability.
Activists praised the administrations decision.
The Biden administration has thrown a lifeline to student loan borrowers in the face of economic and public health reality, said Mike Pierce, the executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center. This was a necessary action for borrowers to be able to stay afloat.
People who are struggling to repay student loan debt said the extension was helpful, if only temporary.
Until his final days, Colin L. Powell remained preoccupied with fixing things. The former secretary of state and four-star general tinkered endlessly in his garage sometimes with his welder and sometimes on a succession of early Volvos, which were less complicated than the Corvette he used to whiz around the Beltway. (He took the Corvette to a track to race against Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his Stingray in the fall of 2016. You want a head start? Powell goaded Biden. Go ahead.) He was a regular at the neighborhood hardware store in McLean, Va., where he rummaged through parts for his houses malfunctioning dishwasher or leaky faucets.
His plywood-and-wire fixes often left something to be desired aesthetically. But they satisfied his native frugality, his curiosity about how things worked and, perhaps above all, his compulsion to repair rather than discard what was broken. When he was fixing things, his longtime friend and deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage said, there was a result at the end of the day. Its why he was so happy as an Army officer: You take a platoon, and you make it better.
At Powells memorial service in November, his son, Michael, recalled the time in 1982 when his father, then stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, bought a pallet of defective adding machines from a government surplus auction so that he could take each of them apart and make them work again. He did not mention that his fathers career at the time had hit a brick wall, after receiving a lackluster annual efficiency report. Then and later, Powell refused to blame racism for the matter, though he might have had cause to suspect it. His Jamaican parents had taught him that the way to overcome bigotry was to get over it and be better than them, as Michael Powell recently told me.
He did: A decade later, Colin Powell was a four-star general, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and arguably the most admired man in America. His swift ascent seemed to personify the military strategy that came to be known as the Powell doctrine: Establish precise goals, exhaust all diplomatic options, amass support from allies and the public, then defeat the adversary with overwhelming force.
Both the general and his doctrine became famous during the Persian Gulf war of 1991, an invasion of such brutal efficiency that it lasted all of 100 hours. The victory would not save the presidency of Powells friend and political benefactor George H.W. Bush. Yet Powell also seemed well suited to the center-left boomer triumphalism of Bushs successor, Bill Clinton, whom Powell served for eight months of the new presidents first term. After all, Powells persona offered the tantalizing prospect of America moving past the two defining fault lines of the 1960s: race and Vietnam.
After Powell stepped down, Republicans swooned over the idea of the Black general as their standard-bearer. He and his wife, Alma, eventually decided that a life of electoral politics would not be to their liking. But he was still the most popular political figure in America five years later, when George W. Bush, in his first cabinet appointment, named Powell secretary of state.
By the beginning of 2003, Powell was faced with a problem that seemed beyond his ability to fix: the commander in chief was determined to go to war with Iraq, hastily and with threadbare support from Americas allies. Such a ground invasion flew in the face of the Powell doctrine. Alone among the members of Bushs war council, the secretary of state enumerated to the president the many things that could go disastrously wrong. Still, when Bush asked in January 2003, Are you with me on this? Powell assured him that he was.
What choice did I have? Powell told me a decade and a half later. Hes the president. His decision reflected a career built on prevailing from inside the system, ever aware that quitting was exactly what the critics and bigots wanted to see him do. For once, however, the supremely self-confident Powell failed to appreciate his leverage with the American public. Had he resigned in protest, the likely succession of events might well have forestalled the war.
They call me the reluctant warrior, Powell told me, but if you want to go to war, I know how to do it. Bush tasked Powell not with overseeing the war but instead selling it to the public. The secretarys infamous speech to the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003, with its multitude of claims about Saddam Husseins illicit weapons program that would later be proved false, amounted to an indelible stain on an otherwise remarkable career of public service.
Powell later matter-of-factly described the U.N. speech to his son as the biggest mistake of his career. But he refused to denigrate his former commander in chief who, after all, had delegated the burden of that speech to the one man in America who had the credibility to deliver it.
After departing the Bush administration in January 2005, Powell would sit in the fire-lit home office that he called the bunker, haloed by TV and computer screens and photographs of himself with the most powerful men and women in the world, taking calls from foreign diplomats and heads of state seeking his counsel. He tried his hand at the private sector, joining the board of the cloud-computing company Salesforce in 2014. He continued to work with students, particularly at his alma mater, the City College of New York, with its Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, and attended dedication ceremonies for elementary schools across America that bore his name.
Powell also was a regular on the corporate speaking circuit. He relished the challenge of tailoring his monologues to obscure organizations. At one such appearance in October 2019, a keynote address at the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundations annual fund-raising dinner in Chicago, he told the audience: Well, we have something in common. He had just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, or plasma-cell cancer.
Every other Friday for the next two years, as the disease inexorably advanced against him, he drove himself to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his cancer treatments in the Corvette. To the last fricking day, Michael Powell recalled.
Even when he was secretary of state, Powell would spend his few idle hours tinkering in the garage, to a soundtrack of calypso, Broadway musicals and Bob Marley, ABBA and the Mighty Sparrow. It was therapeutic to him, said Peggy Cifrino, his longtime assistant. He said: Going into the garage, I can see that the carburetors the problem and fix it unlike foreign policy, where nothing gets resolved. Youre just spending four years doing the best you can.
Robert Draper is a contributing writer for the magazine. He is the author of several books, most recently To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America Into Iraq, which was excerpted in the magazine.
DMX in New York, 1998. Jonathan Mannion
DMX b. 1970 His music seethed with aggression and the kind of pain Black men rarely get to air in public.
In Sonnet 19, the poet John Milton agonized over the loss of his vision, bemoaning the prospect that he would spend half my days, in this dark world and wide, bereft not only of his sight but of spiritual purpose. I hear an echo of Miltons dark world in not only the title of the rapper Earl Simmonss 1998 debut album, Its Dark and Hell Is Hot, but in the tortured substance of his concerns. The title suggests a man thrown into dangerous circumstances without the benefit of guidance from a higher power, where the only way to survive is to accept a devils bargain: Life here on Earth is possible, but only if he submits to a moral darkness that will condemn him to hell. The rapper was obsessed with how this quandary could hollow him out and ultimately consume him thus his stage name, DMX, an acronym for Dark Man X.
The moral price of life in a fallen world was not a thought exercise for Simmons, who died this past April of a cocaine-induced heart attack. Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., in 1970, he was the only son of Arnett Simmons and Joe Barker. Barker left, leaving Simmons a teenager to raise her child alone in Yonkers. She struggled with how to raise a Black son amid the poverty of the School Street projects, and subjected him to outrageous abuse. In a 2019 interview with GQ, Simmons recounted being beaten so badly by Arnett that she knocked his teeth out; he was 6 years old. The mistreatment cloaked his life in almost total, grinding fear. You couldnt be too confident in my situation, Simmons said in the 2020 BET series Ruff Ryders Chronicles. Confidence would get you beaten. Expression would get your ass whooped.
The abuse begot criminal and antisocial behavior Simmons once stabbed another kid in the face with a pencil which in turn triggered more abuse. One summer, trying to discipline Simmons, Arnett locked him in his bedroom for months. He was allowed to leave only for bathroom breaks. In 1983, Arnett effectively severed their relationship when she took him to the Childrens Village group home on the pretense that they were just visiting. It was a trick: She left him there. Right then and there, Simmons remembered in Chronicles, I learned to just put away, conceal, bury whatever bothered me. End of story. I think another side of me was born right there, that enabled me to protect myself.
Ndakasi with Andre Bauma shortly before her death. Brent Stirton
Ndakasi b. 2007 A life in three viral photos.
The image goes viral, or as viral as possible in the summer of 2007. We see the body of a gigantic silverback mountain gorilla hoisted high on crisscrossed branches carried aloft by at least 14 men through the bush. The dead gorilla is lashed with vines to secure his arms and legs. His prodigious belly is belted with vines, too, and his mouth is stuffed with leaves. The photograph seems like the end of a movie we dont yet know the beginning to. Hes 500 pounds a black-and-silver planet amid the green. Though we cant see this part, some of the men are weeping.
The gorillas name is Senkwekwe, and hes well known to the pallbearers, many of them park rangers who call him brother. Hes the alpha male of a family named the Kabirizis. (The American primatologist Dian Fossey was instrumental in studying the complex dynamics of these family units.) Theyre a troop habituated to humans: gentle, curious, playful and often pleased to greet visitors, tourists and the rangers who protect them. Now, here on their home range, on the slope of the Mikeno volcano in Virunga National Park in eastern Congo, many of them have been murdered by armed militia members trying to scare away the rangers and gain control of the old-growth forest for charcoal manufacture. In a solemn procession, the dead gorillas are being taken to the rangers field station.
The photograph, shot by Brent Stirton for Newsweek, appears in newspapers and magazines around the world, awakening others to the issues the park rangers know so well: the need to protect the gorillas habitat, the bloody battle for resources (gold, oil, charcoal, tin and poached animals), the destabilizing presence of armed rebel groups as well as the Congolese Army inside the parks borders. Though the park is designated a World Heritage site, more than 175 park rangers have been killed here in the last 25 years. Whats also not visible in this photograph is that only one gorilla survives the massacre, a baby found next to her slain mother, one of Senkwekwes mates, trying to suckle her breast.
What should have been one of the happiest experiences of her life turned into a nightmare for a Nigerian soldier, after being arrested for accepting a marriage proposal while on duty.
The female soldiers trouble began when a video of her accepting the marriage proposal of a kneeling young man went viral on social media. Footage shows other members of the Nigerian military witnessing the proposal and then cheering and congratulating the two lovers. However, for the Nigerian Army, things werent quite so simple. This wasnt a simple romantic gesture that had gone viral online, but video proof of a female soldier accepting to marry a trainee in the governments youth training scheme, which is apparently a big no-no.
Photo: Andre Jackson/Unsplash
A punter in county the Midlands can have a Christmas to remember after a tiny flutter on the Lotto saw them pocket a tasty four-figure sum.
The anonymous winner placed a simple 1 bet in a BoyleSports shop in Longford and picked four numbers to come out in the main Irish Lotto draw on Saturday evening.
They were left waiting on numbers 5, 8, 12 and 26 to come out within the main six numbers against odds of 7,500/1.
However, the odds soon started to plummet and were smashed completely when all four rolled out.
As a result, the lucky customer was able to return to the shop to swap their 1 betslip for an astonishing total of 7,501.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports said: Huge congratulations to our County Longford customer on their big win. It only took a tiny investment of 1, but it went a very long way and we hope it makes Christmas all the more enjoyable.
THE man responsible for arson at Kinnitty Castle and two hotels in Galway in the 1990s, along with a fire in a car in Tullamore three years ago, remains in custody awaiting finalisation of his sentence.
Fred Dolan, 54, appeared before Tullamore Circuit Court via video link from prison and sentencing was adjourned to January 31 next.
Mr Dolan was found guilty in July of setting fire to a car at Harbour Street in Tullamore on June 9, 2018.
Mr Dolan, with addresses at Chapel Street and Clonminch Wood in Tullamore had denied causing the fire in a Mercedes parked quite close to his then address at Chapel Street.
He was convicted after the jury viewed CCTV recorded from a camera at a public house, trading as Tanyard Lane at the time, on William Street.
The Circuit Court in July was also told that Mr Dolan had previously been convicted of four counts of arson, at the Skeffington Arms Hotel, the Corrib Great Southern Hotel, Kinnitty Castle, and a house at Glenard Avenue, Salthill.
The arson at the Skeffington Arms was committed in December 1994 and the Kinnitty Castle offence occurred in September 1997.
Mr Dolan received a three-year suspended sentence for those offences and had not been convicted of arson again until found guilty of the 2018 Tullamore offence.
He also had convictions for two theft offences, one recorded at Tullamore District Court in 2017 and the other at Mullingar District Court the same year.
In July Judge Keenan Johnson remanded Mr Dolan in custody, saying the four previous convictions for arson were of grave concern to him and the accused was not entitled to bail, having been found guilty by a jury of another arson offence.
In addition to the custody remand, he directed that a psychiatric report be prepared for Mr Dolan in advance of the sentencing date this month and indicated that a custodial sentence will be imposed. You'll get credit for time served, said the judge.
Judge Johnson was not sitting today (Tuesday, December 21) when the case was scheduled and following Mr Dolan's appearance by video link, Judge Francis Comerford adjourned the matter to January 31.
The two-day trial heard how the owner of the Mercedes had parked the car on Harbour Street and gone for a drink at 9.30pm on the evening of June 9, a Saturday.
CCTV footage from a camera above a door of the Tanyard Lane public house captured the door of the pub, the footpath, the junction of William Street and Harbour Street, and in the distance, a number of parked cars, one of which the prosecution said was the Mercedes which went on fire later that night. The jury also saw footage from inside the pub and Mr Dolan accepted that he could be seen standing near the bar and looking out the window in the direction of Harbour Street.
The jury were also told that a figure recorded walking on Harbour Street and getting into the Mercedes at 10.30pm, leaving and returning to it and getting into the back of it for three minutes, was Mr Dolan. The prosecution also said a man recorded crossing the street and going into the pub was Mr Dolan because he was wearing the same clothes as the accused inside at the bar. The fire brigade had been called when smoke was seen coming from the back area of the car at 11.10pm and when the vehicle was examined afterwards, firelighters were found in it.
The jury also heard that Mr Dolan, who lived around the corner from where the car was parked, was recognised by Det Garda Pat Cleary in the footage from the interior of the pub.
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THE discovery of tobacco by a sniffer dog at the mails centre in Portlaoise resulted in over 31,000 cigarettes being found in a house in Crinkle.
Margarita Kalmikova, Grove Street, Crinkle, pleaded guilty at Tullamore Circuit Court to unlawfully keeping tobacco products for sale or delivery.
Kevin White, BL, prosecuting (instructed by Sandra Mahon, Offaly state solicitor), said the prosecution arose from a seizure on May 15, 2019 and the background to the case was set out by Gerard Ryan, an officer with customs and excise.
Mr Ryan told the court an authorised officer with Revenue was working at the mails centre in Portlaoise when a sniffer dog's attention was drawn to a parcel addressed to an individual in Grove Street, Crinkle, Co Offaly.
There was also another parcel with another person's name on it at the same address and amber leaf tobacco was found in the packages.
On another occasion a dog handler found a substance in the Dublin mails centre which was also addressed to the house in Crinkle.
When parcels were brought to the address in Grove Street the door was answered by Ms Kalmikova who said one of the packages was addressed to her husband.
Officers secured a warrant and searched the premises and tobacco products were found in a kitchen press, under the stairs, in a front office room upstairs and a front bedroom.
Loose leaf tobacco weighing 4.1kg was found, along with 14.65kg of fine cut tobacco and 31,480 rolled cigarettes.
Mr Ryan said the total value was 28,028 and the loss to the Exchequer was 24,530, resuling in a net value of 3,498.
In an interview, Ms Kalmikova said she got the tobacco from a friend in Luxembourg and it was paid for through Western Union.
She said the products were for her own personal use but she had sold cigarettes to friends a few times.
Mr Ryan said she had no previous convictions.
Defence counsel for the accused said she was a Latvian woman who had been living in Ireland since 2001 and she was now divorced from the man mentioned by the previous witness.
Judge Keenan Johnson was told that her husband was not living there at the time and another man who had been interviewed in relation to the matter made no admissions.
Aged 44, she had been working in Dooly's Hotel in Birr but had to stop because of a back injury and was on medication and awaiting an ultrasound.
Judge Johnson said a probation report had been prepared for the accused since she entered her guilty plea and it indicated that she denied selling the tobacco.
He said it was stretching credibility a bit to say that quantity of tobacco and cigarettes were for her own use.
The judge also noted she had been working in the hotel for 10 years and was a volunteer with Birr Tidy Towns.
Mr Ryan was recalled to give further evidence and he said that while the accused would be a cog in the machine she would not be at the top of the food chain.
He would not accept that the tobacco was for her own use and that she did not intend to make a financial gain.
The defence accepted that Ms Kalmikova had broken the law but the items were not addressed to her and she was very eager to do anything to make amends.
Judge Johnson said he was quite satisfied the woman was engaged in the illegal sale and supply of tobacco which was a serious offence which caused a loss to the State and deprived legitimate operators of business.
He sentenced her to 240 hours of community service in lieu of six months in prison.
Homeowners are being warned of the increased risk of rats inside during colder weather as we approach Christmas.
Rentokil, Irelands leading pest control provider, has issued the warning to home and business owners to be aware of the top threats from rodents during the winter period.
The pest control provider believes that callouts for rats and mice will rise sharply in the coming weeks as these pests continue to move indoors to seek shelter from the cold weather.
Dublin was the county that accounted for the most callouts for rodents in November this year, accounting for 15% of all callouts. Galway (14%), Meath (9%) Cork (7%) and Kerry (5%) are the next counties most affected by the pests
Vacant buildings will offer rodents a warm, sheltered environment during the winter where they will be undisturbed by human activity and predators.
Richard Faulkner, Advanced Technical Field Consultant with Rentokil said: As the temperature continues to drop during the winter period, many rodents will move indoors in search of food and shelter. We would advise home and business owners to practice some simple steps which will help to protect their premises from rodent activity such as carefully storing food, keeping your property tidy and sealing any cracks in premises.
In addition to rodents, a number of pest insects will also begin to move indoors at winter time. There are a number of important key areas of pest control for the public to be aware of during the festive season:
- Open boxes of decorations outside and inspect them for any signs of insects or rodents. When finished with them, wrap them in plastic for next year.
- Inspect your tree: Both real and artificial Christmas trees can be nesting grounds for spiders, ants, fleas and a host of other pest insects. Ensure to shake your tree vigorously outdoors so that any insects or their eggs are shaken loose.
- Avoid using edible treats such as gingerbread men, chocolate coins, and candy canes as Christmas tree decorations.
- Ensure sweets, chocolate and other edibles used to fill Christmas stockings are sealed or wrapped in plastic or metal.
- Clean up all Christmas dinner leftovers, food debris, and spillages to prevent a potential food source to rodents and insects.
- Keep foodstuffs in metal or glass containers with tight fitting lids and put outdoor rubbish bags in metal bins with securely fitted lids to stop pest insects or rodents from feeding on the contents.
- Dispose of any clutter in the form of Christmas gift wrapping and packaging, to limit potential hiding places for pests.
Rentokil is advising businesses to explore unmanned, non-toxic pest control solutions, such as PestConnect, a digital solution which provides 24-hour protection from rodents. Through a system of infrared sensors, it detects and then captures or humanely kills rodents using automatically deployed bait stations and traps. Unmanned devices like PestConnect do not require human interaction and send updates and reports to users online.
Dublin Airport is estimating that an average of 45,000 people per day will pass through its doors before Janaury 4.
That's around 850,000 between Friday, December 17 and Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
It compares to an average of 12,000 passengers per day during the Christmas season last year, and 77,000 in the same period in 2019.
Although it marks a significant increase on numbers in December 2020, the total 850,000 passengers expected to come through Dublin Airport this Christmas still marks a 42% drop from pre-pandemic numbers.
Almost 1.5 million flew in and out of the airport in 2019, before Covid-19 caused havoc for air travel.
The busiest day during the Christmas season this year is expected to be December 19th, followed closely by December 23rd.
New travel restrictions introduced for arrivals into Ireland, amid fears over the Omicron variant, have made predicting passenger numbers more difficult, Dublin Airport said in a statement.
It is expected that some passengers who have already booked will decide not to travel.
Dublin Airport has asked those who do travel this Christmas to be mindful of the Covid-19 rules.
Face masks are mandatory at Dublin Airport and must be worn when in the terminal buildings the statement said.
In addition, social distancing protocols should be observed and there are more than 1,000 hand sanitisers located throughout the Dublin Airport campus.
Anyone planning to greet passengers should arrange to meet them outside the terminal buildings.
There are new meeting points just outside Terminal 1 and at the glass walkway between the Terminal 2 car park and arrivals.
It is recommended that anyone who is collecting passengers at Dublin Airport plan and arrange pick-ups in advance.
THE victim of a sexual assault in Tullamore four years ago said he had to leave the town as a result of the attack and has considered taking his own life.
Tullamore Circuit Court heard that a 22-year-old man, whose identity is protected by order of the court, was sexually assaulted in the town centre while on his way home after being out for drinks after work.
A 60-year-old intellectually disabled man, Patrick Graham, 60, Cappincur, Tullamore, pleaded guilty in June to sexually assaulting the young man at Texas car park in the town on December 11, 2017 and he received a 20-month suspended sentence from Judge Francis Comerford last week.
In a victim impact report read into the court record by prosecution counsel Will Fennelly, BL, the victim said two letters and a word - the word if - will torment his life forever.
He wrote: If my work night was the date before or after, if I had left earlier or later, if I had rang for a lift like I said I would... If he just hadn't seen me leaving then my life wouldn't be the one I'm living now.
He said December 2017 ended the person he was previously known as, both to himself and his family.
That night turned me into a person I don't like and a person I don't want to be. I've taken a road that seems never ending, and I'm tired, his report said.
I considered taking my life and I'm scared but I'm also scared that one day I won't be.
He said he had left Tullamore and his family behind because the man who committed the assault was a person he did not want to see and he could not work or shop in Tullamore in case he saw him.
He said he hopes he will get to a stage where he's not ashamed or embarrassed and takes the support his family want to give because their lives have changed too and I want to be the old me for them and my children.
Mr Fennelly said the victim added a postscript at the end of his report, indicating that he had initially ignored pleas from his family to write it because it meant he was reliving what he had been trying to bury and what he had left his town for.
I finally knew I had to [write it] because I should be heard and maybe it will help, he said.
He thanked the gardai for their support, especially Garda Elaine Conlon, for being on the phone and helping with any questions he or his parents had.
The circumstances of the assault were outlined to the court by Garda Conlon who said the victim told gardai on December 11, 2017 that a man, who he named, had sexually assaulted him.
He was very distressed and intoxicated when he arrived at the station and asked that his father be contacted.
He said he had gone for drinks after work with friends and met the accused, who he knew but was not really acquainted with, and the assault then took place.
Later the same day Mr Graham attended voluntarily at the garda station and when Garda Conlon informed him he was going to be arrested for the sexual assault he replied that It was a stupid mistake. In later interviews he confirmed the account given by the victim.
The garda said the accused was a native of Tullamore and a single man with no children who is on disability.
He was remorseful and co-operated with the gardai and in the interviews with them he understood the questions and intellectually was capable of engaging but was perhaps not capable of functioning at a high level. He had no previous convictions.
Cross-examined by John Peart, SC, defending, Garda Conlon said the case was delayed to some degree while medical reports were prepared and those reports indicated he was fit to stand trial and he then pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
The court heard he was one of nine children who attended a boarding school in Dublin for the intellectually disabled between the age of 11 and 18 and then worked at a local workshop.
When he was 44 he had an epileptic incident which led to his hospital and that had affected his ability to deal with the world.
Garda Conlon said he had not come to garda notice for the last four years.
Mr Peart told the court Mr Graham's intellectual disability worsened after an epileptic seizure when he was 44. He described his intellectual disability as moderate and said his understanding of his position is somewhat rudimentary.
A member of the accused's family told the court that two other family members who lived nearby would supervise him in the event that he did not receive a custodial sentence.
She concurred with the medical reports, saying his disability disimproved greatly after what she described as a very serious epileptic seizure.
She said his mental age would be under 10 and he is a person who would not be able to make serious decisions.
His family had spoken to him about the incident and he felt remorse, was sorry and understood what was happening in court.
The witness added that earlier this year he collapsed and was hospitalised with deep thrombosis in a leg and is on a lot of medication.
Asking that he not be sentenced to prison, the woman said the defendant no longer socialised and now only left his house to go grocery shopping once a week.
She said the incident had totally destroyed his life and he now lived in fear.
Mr Peart also asked that a custodial sentence not be imposed and said Mr Graham is an impaired person whose condition is deteriorating and would be extremely vulnerable if placed in custody.
He said the accused had not come to garda notice since the offence and suggested that a suspended sentence with significant conditions could be imposed.
Announcing his sentence, Judge Comerford said Mr Graham had committed a grave assault on someone who was very vulnerable and who was entitled to be out for drinks after work and to walk home afterward.
The judge said there is no need for the victim to feel embarrassed or ashamed, no more than any other assault victim and he hoped the victim will be able to find his way back to his old self.
Judge Comerford said the attack was opportunistic rather than calculated or preplanned and the defendant did not have much insight into what he did because of his intellectual disability.
He described him as a man who would be extremely unfit for prison and neither would he be suitable for community service.
The maximum sentence for the offence is 10 years and taking mitigating factors into account, the indicative sentence would be four years, which he further reduced to 20 months because of the other relevant circumstances and evidence, including a probation report.
Judge Comerford suspended the 20-month sentence for 30 months on condition the man enter a 100 peace bond and remain under the supervision of the probation service for a year.
He also imposed a partial curfew on the man, ordering that he not be away from his home on his own between 9pm and 8am every day unless accompanied by an adult every day.
Judge Comerford said the accused was not to be on the streets at night as he had been in 2017. He was also placed on the register of sex offenders.
An Offaly man has joined the fight against childhood obesity in Ireland and is urging the public to join the Irish Heart Foundations Stop Targeting Kids drive.
A growing trend in obesity levels in children, especially during Covid, has prompted Connor Dupuits, 23, from Clara, to join the campaign.
The secondary school teacher has a special interest in childhood obesity having studied home economics at St Angelas College in Sligo.
It is clear to me that junk food companies used the opportunity (during Covid) to keep their unhealthy products centre stage in childrens minds, said Mr Dupuits.
We need to break the junk food cycle to improve childrens health. I joined this campaign because I believe a ban on junk food marketing would be a game changer in tackling childhood obesity.
As an active campaigner, Ive been in touch with the Advertising Standards Authority about irresponsible advertising by brands loved by young people as this marketing is continuing without penalties.
His call comes as the Irish Heart Foundation released the results of a poll which found that almost seven in ten people believe the Government is not doing enough to confront childhood obesity in Ireland.
The Ipsos MRBI research for the charity reveals 69% feel more can be done to tackle the problem.
The people of Ireland are telling the Government very clearly through our poll that they want a much bolder approach to protecting childrens health, said the charitys Childhood Obesity Campaign Manager, Helena ODonnell.
Our manifesto target of halving the childhood obesity rate by 2030 is a reflection of what the public is demanding.
In its poll of 1,044 adults last month, only 20% believed the Government is doing enough on childhood obesity, with 11% saying they did not know.
The majority of those who say more must be done are in the 45-54 age group (73%).
The States own research estimates 85,000 of todays generation of children will die prematurely due to overweight and obesity.
And an ESRI study published in March a year into the pandemic showed 29% of 12-year-olds were eating more junk food or sweets since the outbreak.
The current Government target of reducing childhood obesity by just half of 1% per annum up to 2025 is not ambitious enough in the face of a tenfold increase in the rate since the mid-1970s and even achieving the objective will still leave us with a crisis for our childrens future health, said Ms ODonnell.
In 2013, junk brand advertising to children on television was restricted because of its health impact. Meanwhile, there has been an explosion in digital marketing thats more personalised, effective and therefore potentially even more damaging.
The Irish Heart Foundation is now urging everyone to contact their local TDs and Senators, demanding action through a pre-written letter on its website, as part of its Stop Targeting Kids drive.
I encourage other young people to join this campaign to show public demand for increased marketing restrictions, said Mr Dupuits.
Together we can place the spotlight back on healthy eating and protect the future of childrens health.
The pre-written letter is available at: irishheart.ie/advocacy/lower- childhood-obesity-rates/get- involved/political-pledge-to- reduce-childhood-obesity/
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MOSCOW (AP) Russian and U.S. negotiators will sit down for talks early next year to discuss Moscow's demand for Western guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine, Russias top diplomat said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia in January will also start separate talks with NATO to discuss the issue, adding that separate negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will also be held.
Last week, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliances military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. Washington and its allies have refused to provide such pledges, but said they are ready for the talks.
Moscow presented the demands amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has stoked fears of a possible invasion. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conference call earlier this month that Russia will face severe consequences if it attacks Ukraine.
Putin has denied having plans to launch an attack but has described NATOs expansion to Ukraine and weapons deployment of the alliance weapons there as a red line.
We dont want a war, Lavrov said Wednesday. We dont want to take the path of confrontation. But we will firmly ensure our security using the means we consider necessary.
Speaking in a live interview with Russian RT television, Lavrov hailed Washingtons business-like approach that helped quickly agree on parameters of the future talks.
He added that Moscow would be ready to consider Washingtons demands, but warned that the talks mustn't drag out indefinitely.
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A recent threat directed at Coleman Community Jr/Sr High School that landed a 17-year-old student in the Bay County Detention Facility serves as a reminder for parents to talk to their children about what they post online.
Coleman Community Schools Superintendent Jennifer McCormack said Tuesday that parents need to continue to talk with their kids about what they post on social media.
Students may think its a joking matter, she said. It will not be taken as a joke.
We take every perceived threat very seriously, she said. We want students to understand this.
Michigan State Police identified the suspect as a Bay County resident who attends Coleman Community Schools after Midland County 911 responded to a report of potential threat Monday afternoon. A preliminary investigation indicates the suspect made a threat to the school via social media.
The situation did not occur in the school, McCormack said. It was outside of the school day and there was no safety issue in the school.
McCormack said school officials immediately followed the suggested protocol in such an incident.
We hit every single step we needed to, she said.
The superintendent said letters were sent to parents to explain the incident and dispel rumors.
This incident remains under investigation. Witnesses are asked to contact the Michigan State Police TriCity Post at 989-495-5555.
MSP, in a press release, also encouraged parents to discuss with their children the importance of reporting suspicious activity with a trusted adult.
Anyone can report tips confidentially on criminal activity or potential harm directed at schools or school employees through OK2SAY. Tips can be submitted by calling 8-555-OK2SAY or by texting OK2SAY.
Confidential tips can also be reported to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-422-JAIL. All callers can remain anonymous.
On December 16, 2021, Gregory Prill of Elkton passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 62.
Greg was a member of the Elkton Lions Club branch since 1986. According to those who knew him, he defined himself by the clubs motto of servitude, even when not participating in the clubs many drives and food pantries.
No matter what would happen, if someone needed anything, hed do it, said Gregs younger brother Marty Prill. He would give to everyone before hed give to himself.
Whenever the club held a food pantry, Greg would load up his car with the extras they had left and deliver to those in town who couldnt make it, especially single-parent families.
Even with his own car dealership, he was generous. When Greg was in business, he donated to charities. However, according to his brother, if the business had a bad year, he would donate out of pocket.
He was also in the habit of stopping by for coffee throughout the community.
If you had a coffee pot in Elkton, there was a good chance you saw Greg, said Kurt Damrow, the primary organizer for Elkton Lions Club food distributions.
Gregs coffee visits were symptomatic of his love of people. He loved interacting and being with people, talking, joking and teasing. His sunny attitude and sense of humor seemed to brighten up a downer or tense situation.
Greg was one of those people...he was the type of guy, who could make a person smile no matter how bad they felt, Marty said. When he walked in a room, you knew he was there. You just felt good about yourself.
And Greg continued to help others even as he battled with long-term health issues. He was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2014 and continued struggling with it even after a successful stem cell transplant. His family thanks his anonymous stem cell donor, who gave him a second lease on life, as well as the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the local physicians and friends who cared for him for seven years.
I watched him when he was diagnosed with leukemia, Marty said. And I saw him fight. You wouldnt find a stronger person.
Greg was a man defined by what he could do for others. Family, friends, and the community meant everything to him and he always showed it with his time, effort, and disposition, even in the midst of illness.
He was a real friend to the community, Damrow said. Hes gonna be missed.
Greg will be deeply missed by many people, including his daughter Carey (Prill) Wendt, and his son-in-law Steven Wendt of Cary, Illinois; his son Bradley Prill of Mount Pleasant; his brothers Douglas Prill of Kinde, Lloyd Prill of Filion, and Marty (Carrie) Prill of Bad Axe; his niece Ashley Prill of Hinesville, Georgia; his nephews Zachary Prill of Sterling, Illinois, and Nicholas Prill of Bad Axe; and his granddaughters Aneliese Prill of Kodak, Tennessee, and Joanna Wendt of Cary, Illinois.
He was preceded in death by his parents Martin and Therese (Bouverette) Prill, his brothers Dennis Allen Prill and Stephen John Prill, and his sister Monica Ann Prill.
Per Gregs wishes, cremation has already taken place and a private graveside service will be held at a later date.
CAIRO (AP) A Libyan parliamentary committee said Wednesday that it has become impossible to hold the long-awaited presidential election in two days as scheduled, a major blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in the oil-rich country.
The announcement was the first official statement that the balloting would not happen on Friday, although it had been widely expected amid mounting challenges and calls for a delay of the vote.
For nearly a year, the planned election was the lynchpin of international efforts to bring peace to Libya, and many have warned that either scenario holding the vote on time or postponing it could be a destabilizing setback.
In a letter to Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, lawmaker al-Hadi al-Sagheir, head of the committee tasked to follow the electoral process, said the group found it is impossible to hold the election as scheduled on Dec. 24. He did not specify whether another date had been set for the voting, or if it had been canceled altogether.
The countrys election commission, which never named a final list of candidates as it was supposed to, disbanded the electoral committees late Tuesday, and also handed over responsibility for the vote to parliament.
The commission on Wednesday proposed Jan. 24 as a new date for the first round of the presidential election and urged parliament to address the challenges that led to failure to hold the vote on Friday.
Many lawmakers have called on Libyans to take to the streets to protest the election delay. Around 100 candidates had put themselves forward, including several high profile individuals who were subsequently banned from the race including Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of Libya's late dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was ousted and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
Al-Sagheir, the lawmaker, said his committee reached its conclusion after reviewing technical, security and judicial reports. He urged Saleh, the parliament speaker who suspended his duties to join the presidential race, to return to his job so he could mobilize efforts to and help re-draw a roadmap to revive the political process.
The vote had faced many challenges, including disputes over the laws governing the elections and occasional infighting among armed groups. Other obstacles include a long-running rift between the countrys east and west, and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and troops in the North African country.
Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International's deputy regional director, said it was all but impossible to hold the vote amid violence and intimidation by armed groups and militias which not only enjoy rampant impunity but are integrated into state institutions without any vetting to remove those responsible for crimes under international law.
She urged the interim government in Tripoli and the self-styled Arab Armed Forces to immediately instruct all armed groups and militias under their command to end their harassment and intimidation of electoral officials, judges and security staff.
Libya plunged into turmoil after the 2011 uprising and split between rival governments one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and another U.N.-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli, in the west. Each side is supported by a variety of militias and foreign powers.
In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli. His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the Tripoli government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.
Mediated by the United Nations, an October 2020 cease-fire led to the formation of a transitional government with elections scheduled for Dec. 24. The fate of that government is now unclear; the parliamentary committee said the governments mandate ends on Friday.
Later Wednesday, the east-based parliament's presidency tasked a 10-lawmaker committee to propose within a week a new roadmap after failing to hold the vote as planned. It said lawmakers would discuss the proposal in the next general session, without giving a date.
Photo: (Photo : China Photos/Getty Images)
A rare "mermaid birth" has taken place for baby Rio Petrie Martins on Thursday, December 16, surprising the midwives who attended to his mother, Jennifer Petrie, who never felt her water break while she was in labor.
Petrie, from Southport in the U.K., was shocked to see Rio coming out of her while he was still inside his "water balloon." His intact amniotic sac was only broken when the midwives picked him up for cleaning.
The mother said that she didn't feel any gush of fluid that's supposed to happen during the labor. Her partner, Theo Martins, learned from the midwives that the chances of a mermaid birth happen in about one in 100,000 babies. The pair regarded this magical moment as a sign of good luck.
Read Also: Mom Defends Hiring an Overnight Doula for New Baby After Her Viral Video Angered Followers
What is a Mermaid Birth?
According to WebMD, a mermaid birth is also known as an en caul birth, a rare instance where the baby remains inside an unbroken amniotic sac. This sac is what holds the fetus inside the womb to protect it from any injuries and regulate the womb's temperature during the pregnancy. The sac also provides air to the fetus through the attached umbilical cord on their belly button, where the oxygen flows through the blood.
As the fetus develops, the sac also grows. During labor, the amniotic sac will usually burst on its own, signaling that the baby is ready to come out, except for en caul births. In this instance, the doctor will have to carefully snip and tear the sac open to hear the baby's first cries.
An en caul birth is said to give more protection for babies who could likely bruise during the mother's contraction or could be stuck in the cervix if it's not completely dilated. En caul birth also happens in a cesarean delivery, where the baby could feel less pressure-related trauma during the procedure.
There are, however, risks to en caul births like respiratory distress, sepsis or hemorrhage. In C-section deliveries, the baby might incur neonatal anemia. Since mermaid births are quite rare, studies about its risk factors are also not widely available and poorly understood by the experts, per the Obstetrics and Gynecology journal.
Superstitions About Mermaid Birth
Ancient superstitions in places like England, Denmark and Iceland regard mermaid births as a holy miracle. In the 1800s, doctors believe that it's divine intervention and that babies born with their sac intact, who are also known as caulbearers, will never drown in water but this has never been scientifically proven.
Stories also abound that some mothers don't throw the sac away because they believe that the baby will lose their immunity from drowning if they did. Some families, however, profit from the baby's caul by selling this to sailors for their protection.
In modern times, caulbearers are regarded as lucky babies who will grow up to make a difference in the world. There are unconfirmed beliefs that some of the genius minds in human history were products of mermaid births.
Related Article: Elon Musk Says People Should Have More Babies Because Dwindling Birth Rate Will Crumble Civilization
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On Friday, 10th December, 2021, the Chamber of Patriotic Entrepreneurs, a community of small and large-scale private business owners who share a common goal of driving the countrys economy through entrepreneurship, held its maiden youth entrepreneurship summit at GIMPA.
The theme for the summit was ''Entrepreneurship; Raising Business Leaders as the Backbone of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition''.
The Chamber of Patriotic Entrepreneurs was birthed against the backdrop of the ideology of the New Patriotic Party being a capitalist party that believes in private ownership of businesses and industrialization as the most effective and prudent way to bring about the needed development in the country.
It is without a shred of doubt that the NPPs ideology and policies which have been implemented over the years after Ghana gained independence have proven to be solutions that work for the good of the ordinary Ghanaian.
Speaking at the event was Mr. Emmanuel Adumua Bossman, Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Baffour Okyere Sarpong, member of the Interim Maangement Committee, TOR, Mr Ofosu Nkansah, CEO of Accra Digital Center, Mr Roni Nicol, Former Deputy CEO of State Housing Company ,Stephen Naasei Boadi , Digital strategist , Dr. I. T Yusif (Dr. Tedam)and other influential persons in the NPP and in attendance were members of TESCON, GIMPA chapter, Bold Patriots, Gallant Queens, a volunteer group of the NPP amongst other youth activists.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, who chaired the program, in his address encouraged the youth to equip themselves with the requisite skills and also explore as well as take advantage of the many opportunities and resource avenues that the Akuffo-Addo-led government has made available to the Ghanaian people.
The various speakers took turns in sharing their expertise and some of the challenges that confronted them in their many years of being in entrepreneurship as well as politics.
The speakers also encouraged the youth who were present at the summit and the leadership of the New Patriotic Party to not just end the digitalization agenda at the governance level but also transcend it to every sphere of party administration, with regard to the mapping out of young entrepreneurs who need assistance from the Party.
The Chamber intends to provide mentorship, start-up capitals and support to scale-up already existing businesses with particular focus on the youth.
The youth, who attended the summit, were very much elated to hear of the assistance that the Chamber intends offering them.
''We are hopeful that the Chamber will continue with this great initiative to see to the fruition of the ideas that have been hatched.''
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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Insurance Group, Hollard Ghana and its subsidiaries, Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance, has refurbished the Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre of the Nima Cluster of Schools as part of its social impact drive to give back to society.
The renovation works that cost about GHS 70,000, included repairing and replacing 46 computers, the provision of up-to-date software, Wi-Fi cards, UPS, a projector and screen, and internet connection. In addition to structural works such as retiling the floor, ceiling replacement, painting, furniture repair, installation of air conditioning units, fans,
and burglar proofing, among others, create a conducive learning environment for pupils.
The centre was officially out-doored by the Group CEO, Hollard Ghana, Patience Akyianu, accompanied by the Director for Ayawaso East Municipal Director of Education, Miss Adisa Tassa, the Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Hollard, Cynthia Ofori-Dwumfuo, the two headmistresses, Hollard and Nima Basic 1 and 2 school officials, as well as a selection of pupils.
Speaking on the company's motivation, the Group CEO for Hollard Ghana, Patience Akyianu, said this activity forms part of its purpose to enable its community to create a better future. "Our mantra at Hollard is 'We Do Well By Doing Good.' We aim to impact our community positively by treating them with care and dignity. We find fulfilment in ensuring that the communities we operate in are better off than before. We engaged the School Improvement Support Officer of the district, Mr Alhassan, and the Nima Cluster of Schools authorities. We discovered that their ICT facility was appalling and incapable of serving the needs of the schools. It had only three barely functional desktops serving about 1000 students in a dilapidated space. As a responsible corporate citizen, we knew we had to act, and so we did." she noted.
"These young pupils are the future of Ghana, with a right to quality education regardless of their background. By refurbishing the ICT centre, we believe we support upgrading teaching and learning from theory to practice. With the added advantage of boosting students' interest in ICT". On her part, the Director for Ayawaso East Municipal Director of Education, Miss Adisa Tassa, commended Hollard Ghana for their prompt and comprehensive support within a
short period.
"We are very grateful to Hollard Ghana for embarking on this phenomenal project. I am stunned because of the volume of work done within three weeks of identifying the problem. The effort, time, and funding put into the project speak volumes of Hollard Ghana's passion for supporting its community. I am even more impressed that the
company has offered to provide internet connectivity for now and all through 2022.
Through this kind gesture, my district can boldly boast of an ultra-modern ICT centre," she said
The headmistresses of the Nima Cluster of Schools made up of Nima Basic 1, and 2 schools, Miss Eva Edna Bani and Patricia Owusu Ansah, expressed their gratitude to Hollard Ghana for their immense support to the school.
About Hollard Ghana The country's favourite insurance group is Hollard Ghana, with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance. The group combines its deep local knowledge of the market, having operated in Ghana for 25 years as Metropolitan Insurance, with the world-class expertise of an international insurance brand in 18 countries worldwide.
With feet firmly planted on Ghanaian soil but headquartered in South Africa, Hollard delivers innovative insurance solutions customized to Ghanaians' unique risks. Hollard offers various life and general insurance products, including funeral, personal accident, motor, business, travel, home, and more, and can be reached via the following means: 0501603967 (Hollard Insurance) and 0501533698 (Hollard Life). Beyond various nationwide office branches and Hollard 2U franchise shops,Ghanaians can find Hollard at Shell Fuel Station Welcome Shops, Melcom stores and online at www.hollard.com.gh and www.jumia.com.gh for all their insurance needs.
Source: peacefmonline.com
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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Shes the daughter of a Captain. Not just any Captain but one who bossed affairs in both the military and corporate world Prince Kofi Amoabeng, the man described by many as the key architect of transformational banking in the West African country, Ghana.
Being the daughter of such a disciplinarian can come with its own unique challenges including being forced to learn the ethics and rudiments of professional work at the age of 16.
There were no handouts, pure sweat even for a person whom many would have thought would have been given things on a silver platter.
From internships to training programmes and the like, Violet would learn a lot about banking and subsequently join her father in that space.
For a girl who grew up not knowing exactly what she wanted to do in life, it was easier walking in her fathers steps but a sore lip would one day change all that.
Violet had woken up one day to a sore lip, not as a result of prolonged kissing or anything of the sort.
The cause of that sore lip was not even the bother for the young banker.
Her worry was that several days after trying different products to help deal with the situation, there was little to no improvement so she took matters into her own hands.
She started mixing anything and everything with shea butter, following a recommendation by a friend and applying her concoction to her lip and in three days, the sore spirit holding her lip hostage had let go. Freedom at last!
That episode would get Violet to consider starting the production of the best body butter the world has ever seen.
She withdrew her entire savings, including every last bit of it to start the production of her new formula.
A few years down the line, and with absolutely no financial support from her father, Prince Kofi Amoabeng, Violet left banking to pursue her new found love and today, her company, Skin Gourmet produces and exports to over 20 countries all over the world.
Her principle is simple if its not good enough to be eaten, then its not good enough to be on your skin.
Watch Violet Amoabeng tell the Skin Gourmet story in this episode of the business edition of 21 minutes with KKB below:
Source: Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Oslo District Court, presided over by Justice Dagfinn Gronvik, has dismissed an action instituted by Messrs Jongsbru AS, sellers of a property identified by Ghana for use as a Chancery in Oslo, Norway in 2018.
The court, after a trial, held that none of Ghanas representatives in the transaction, as well as Ghanas lawyer at the time of the transaction, had authority to conclude a binding agreement between Ghana and the sellers and, therefore, Ghana will be acquitted of the lawsuit by Jongsbru AS.
It awarded procedural costs in the sum of one million, seven hundred Norwegian Kronner in favour of Ghana to be paid by Jongsbru.
Facts of case
In 2018, Ghana decided to establish an embassy in Norway, for which Parliament approved the grant of funds for the establishment of the embassy, as well as other missions around the world.
A delegation of four Ghanaian officials was appointed to go to Norway and carry out the necessary practical and administrative preparations for the establishment of the embassy.
Among the preparations to be made was the acquisition of a Chancery Building, either by purchase or lease. The Ghanaian delegation identified a number of properties, including Sigyns Gate 3 at Frogner in Oslo, the property which became the subject matter of the litigation in the District Court of Norway.
For legal assistance, Ghana hired a lawyer, Mikkel Vislie, from the Law Firm of Selmer.
Transaction conditions
On November 22, 2018, Ghana received an offer from Jongsbru to buy the property for 100 million Norwegian Kronner, with a deadline of seven days.
Ghanas Charge dAffaires, Regina Appiah-Sam, responded to Jongsbrus offer in those terms, accepting the offer on behalf of the government but with conditions.
Among the conditions set by the charge daffaires listed as that it would be a condition for the acceptance of the offer and the final contract.
Also, the building must be without significant defects, while the renovation work had to be performed and completed in a satisfactory manner.
Subsequent to due certification by Ghanas appointed valuers that the building was without significant defects and that the renovation works on same had been completed and performed in a satisfactory manner, Ghana pulled out of the transaction.
Unhappy with Ghanas decision to withdraw from the transaction, Jongsbru AS sued the Government of Ghana in the Oslo District Court, claiming sums totalling about seventy-eight million Norwegian Kroner for breach of contract, loss of profits, interest and costs of litigation.
A mediation process to resolve the dispute held in Oslo and presided over by a panel of three judges of the District Court, Oslo, in September 2021 failed to reach a settlement, as the Ghanaian team, led by Ghanas Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, did not accept the amount of about 30 million Norwegian Kronner proposed by Jongsbru as acceptable for a settlement of the dispute.
Trial, ruling
With an unsuccessful mediation to resolve the issue, the matter proceeded for trial, at which Ghana called four witnesses, made up of its Ambassador to Norway, Jennifer Lartey; the Charge dAffaires at the time of the transaction, Mrs Appiah-Sam; the Deputy Head of Mission in Norway, Charles Marfo, and the Director of the Legal Directorate at the Ministry of Finance, Mrs Mangowa Ghanney.
The Oslo District Court, in its judgement on December 16, 2021, said the binding competence lay with Ghanas Minister of Foreign Affairs, in accordance with Section 20 of the State Property and Contracts Act of 1960.
Under Ghanas law, the Procurement Board must agree on the purchase of the property and the application of funds must also be approved of by the Minister of Finance, before the Minister of Foreign Affairs must either personally execute the agreement for the purchase of the property or authorise another competent person by a power of attorney to execute the agreement.
The court found that neither the charge daffaires of Ghana at the time, Mrs Appiah-Sam, nor Ghanas lawyer, Mikkel Visllie, had authority to enter into the agreement on behalf of Ghana.
There was thus no valid or binding agreement between the sellers of the property and Ghana. In the circumstances, Ghana will be fully cleared of any liability to Jongsbru arising from the transaction and awarded procedural costs of one million, seven hundred Norwegian Kronner, the judgement ruled.
Costs
The court rather ordered lawyer Vislie, who acted for Ghana, and his insurance company, Tryg Forsikring, to pay to Jongsbru the sum of thirty-seven million, seven hundred and twelve thousand, nine hundred and four Norwegian Kronner as compensation.
Jongsbru convinced the court that the lawyer was fully responsible for the positive contractual interest, in accordance with the Contracts Act of Norway, and that the company did not understand and could not have reasonably understood that the lawyer did not have authorisation to act.
The court, in its ruling, was of the view that there was a particular reason for trusting lawyers who acted on behalf of clients, thus the lawyer who acted on behalf of Ghana should be held liable for the litigation.
The lawyer owes a duty to be vigilant and safeguard the best interests of the client. Vislie was responsible for ensuring that Ghana had issued a power of attorney or not.
The court found that the lawyer did not have any reasonable excuse for not ensuring that there was a power of attorney signed by Ghana before purporting to convey acceptance of the offer by Jongsbru, it concluded in its ruling to surcharge the legal representative of Ghana in the foiled deal.
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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Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson has downplayed the significance of offering Pope Francis his resignation as the head of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Presenting Pope Francis message for World Peace Day 2022 at a Vatican news conference on Tuesday (December 21, 2022), the 73-year-old told journalists that his five-year term is expiring and he is awaiting a decision on his future.
If the Holy Father decides to have me continue, thats what it is. If he decides to reassign me, thats what it is, the 73-year-old Cardinal said.
All of us come here to serve and support the Holy Father in his ministry, and thats what it is. So your question, then, probably is just that, whether Ill be here next year. We just wait for the Holy Father to see what he wants us to do.
Speaking at the press conference a day after a private audience with Pope Francis, Cardinal Turkson said: Every created entity has to accept the working of history. So there was a time I wasnt here and now Im here, and therell be a time that I will not be here.
But its simply this. I suppose all of you journalists, especially accredited to the Holy See, know this very well, that all assignments, appointments, in the Holy See have five years limit, and when five years are up, then its just expected that we place our mandate back in the hands of the Holy Father and wait whether he confirms, reassigns, or prolongs the appointment.
Cardinal Turkson served as the archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, before he was called to Rome in 2009 to be president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Rumours of his resignation emerged a few months after Pope Francis ordered an inspection of the dicastery that was followed by personnel changes.
Following the resignation of Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship in February, Cardinal Turkson is the only African leading a Vatican department.
This is my 11th year and Ive done this twice, Cardinal Turkson told reporters, referring to serving two five-year terms at the Vatican.
He noted that earlier this year, the pope had renewed his membership of several Vatican bodies, including the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Five years expire and you just have to wait for renewal or reassignment, and thats just what it is, he said. So five years are up again. I became the head of this dicastery in 2016. This is 2021, five years. So we just have to follow the procedure I await the Holy Fathers own disposition.
Watch the video below;
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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Osafric Ventures Ltd., a mining and construction company as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), has embarked on its annual donations to persons and institutions in need of support.
This year, it was the turn of the pupils of Genesis Shishidzee Organization based in James Town Accra to also benefit.
Items donated to the organization which amounted to Gh13,000 included Bags of rice, assorted drinks, exercise books, pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, toiletries, and gallons of liquid soap.
This organization is of the firm belief that every child has the right to basic education and hence offers such education services in the relatively deprived area of Jamestown in the Greater Accra Region.
The location is particularly noted to be at the mercy of an abattoir or slaughterhouse where the stench coupled with other activities and sanitation concerns have been raised.
Osafric moved in with the aim of also reducing the incidence of teenage pregnancy in these areas by educating and making sure that children of school-going age stay in school and desist from activities and social vices that have often led to school-drop outs and truancy.
The CEO of Osafric Ventures, who prefers to be addressed as the main servant of the company, Mr. Oscar Sarfo Adu, addressing the gathering reiterated why the school was chosen as a beneficiary for this years humanitarian gesture.
According to him, a prior visit to the school by a team from Osafric identified the school as a thriving one with a lot of needs.
The organization operates a tuition-free school and provides the pupils with all the required learning materials. The children are also fed breakfast and lunch, which has been a major motivation for the high attendance and enrolment rate. The environment where the school is located was also a major factor in selection because it is situated in the community where the children are drawn from, giving them easy access, Mr. Oscar Sarfo Adu emphasized.
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For his part, the Founder of Genesis Shishidzee, Madam Rachael Annan, thanked the benefactors for their magnanimity and extending a helping hand to her organization.
Our organization has been able to stand the test of time due to philanthropic gestures like these and we would like to further assure you and the entire Osafric team that the donated items would be put to efficient use.
Osafric, with the motto; service, our pride, takes delight in helping the less privileged in society so as to bridge the poverty gap.
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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The Chief Scribe of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), John Boadu, has debunked claims that his party planned a hero welcome for Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in Kumasi during their annual national delegates conference over the weekend.
The popularity and charisma of Bawumia within the NPP came to the fore when his presence was announced during the conference.
Some political pundits said that is a strong signal about his popularity ahead of their upcoming NPP flagbearership contest.
Others claimed the party deliberated planned the gargantuan cheers for him as their "preferred" candidate to take over from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
But John Boadu in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show said the claims are untrue.
According to him, nothing was orchestrated during the conference to favour Dr Bawumia.
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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NPP Member of Parliament(MP) for Oda constituency, Alex Kwesi Acquah, has urged Ghanaians to embrace the e-levy approved by the Akufo-Addo government.
The e-levy, announced by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta while presenting the 2022 budget, is to ensure all Ghanaians pay tax on all electronic transactions.
It's expected to commence in February next year and to compensate for the removal of road tolls by generating revenues for infrastructure development.
Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme, Kwesi Acquah touted the benefits of the e-levy, assuring the citizenry it will be used for its intended purpose.
Likening the e-levy to HIPC, the MP noted that, just as the HIPC initiative benefited the nation, the e-levy will serve as the support system to Ghana's development.
"The Ghanaian is enterprising . . . If Ghana will move forward, e-levy is the answer," he stated.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Electoral Commission (EC) has clarified that its Chairperson, Mrs Jean Mensa, did not attend the recently held National Delegates Conference of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) held in Kumasi.
The clarification comes after a picture of a woman in a facemask wearing NPP colours at the Conference went viral on social media with people tagging her as the EC Chairperson.
The EC said the person in the photograph is not Mrs Mensa.
The election management body called on the public to be mindful of schemes of such nature with the sole mission of tarnishing the image and reputation of the Chairperson of the Commission.
The NPPs Conference, which was, among other things, meant to take stock of the activities of the party in the year under review, particularly its performance in the 2020 general elections and plan for the coming years, was held at the weekend.
It was on the theme: NPP, Our Resolve, Our Determination and Commitment to Ghanas Development.
Source: classfmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dismissed assertions suggesting that there is a general acceptance of the Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as the next flagbearer of the party.
The NPP is yet to open nominations for the position, however, the vice-presidents name and a few others such as the former Energy Minister Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko, Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen, former Railways Minister Joe Ghartey, and the Agric Minister Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto are already making rounds as contenders.
Speaking with Kwaku Nhyira-Addo on The Asaase Breakfast Show after the just ended NPP delegates conference in Kumasi, the communications director of NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, said all flagbearer hopefuls will be given a level playing ground to compete.
This is not the first time a vice-president is contesting for the leadership of our party. I do recall the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama contested in the 2007 primaries of the NPP, though he didnt win, he came third.
And so as a sitting Vice-President he was enabled by our rules, which allow anybody and everybody to also contest. As sitting Vice-President, he didnt have to resign or anything of that sort, so our rules are resilient enough to take care of all the contestants who want to, Asamoa said.
He added: We are not going to restrict anybody from being elected through the electoral college, which is the constitutional amendment from our experience when 17 people ran for the presidency of the party.
We have to break the eight
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to remain united as the party works to break the eight-year power cycle.
He said internal competition should not divide the party, but rather strengthen and unite it in the lead-up to the election of a flagbearer for the 2024 presidential election.
We cannot avoid competition. Competition there will be but let that competition help the party and not hinder the party so that we can break the eight in 2024, Akufo-Addo said at the annual national delegates conference of the NPP in Kumasi on Sunday (19 December).
He said breaking the eight-year power cycle will benefit Ghanaians because it will help to sustain the economic growth seen under his government.
We want to break the eight not just for ourselves, but for Ghana because we know the zigzag: NPP comes to clean for them to be polluted. This is not the way progress will be brought to our country.
We need a secure period in office to make that irreversible change in the fortunes of our nation and we are capable of doing it. We will get a candidate that will unify our party and all of us will campaign to make that candidate the next president of the republic, Akufo-Addo said.
Daring Mahama
He added: We have spent more money in improving the circumstances of our people than any government in the Fourth Republic.
So when you leave here, be proud that you have produced a government that has been more diligent in improving the lives of the people than any other government in the history of this country.
All the things that we have done in government are things we thought about while in opposition. What is the one policy that the NDC and their leader John Mahama have thought about in five years that they have been in opposition? There is not one policy! The answer is zero.
Source: asaaseradio.com
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The Electoral Commission (EC) has dismissed reports that its Chairperson, Mrs. Jean Mensah attended last Sunday's New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Delegates Conference in Kumasi.
The EC in a statement issued on Monday, December 20, 2021, urged the public to disregard news reports which purported that she was at the Conference which was held at the Heroes Park of the Baba Yara Stadium.
A photograph of a woman wearing sunglasses and a facemask made the rounds on social media after the conference. Captions of such posts suggested that it was the EC chairperson.
"Our attention has been drawn to a photograph making the rounds on social media purporting to be the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs. Jean Mensa, at the recently held NPP's Delegate Conference in Kumasi," the statement said.
The EC said the publications were part of a scheme to tarnish the image and reputation of Mrs. Mensa.
"This comes to inform the general public to disregard this false news item as the said photograph is not Mrs. Jean Mensa. We entreat the public to be mindful of the schemes of sections within our society whose sole mission is to try to tarnish the image and reputation of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission," the statement added.
Source: Graphiconline.com
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E-Levy: The day The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Government Wake Up...Sanity Would Prevail
A former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has told President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, that most Ghanaians are against the E-levy, not members of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In a tweet, Mr Kwakye Ofosu said The day the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government wakes up to the reality that this E-Levy battle is not just against NDC MPs, but the people of Ghana including some of their own supporters, sanity would prevail.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has said the adjournment of the sitting on the e-levy will afford the Majority and government more time to do further consultations on the proposal.
First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu announced on Tuesday December 21 that Parliament has adjourned sitting sine die.
Addressing the press after the adjournment, Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said I think that this will also allow us sometime to have further consultations among ourselves, it is the reason why the First Deputy Speaker had to adjourn the House sine die. As you know, the budget has been passed , there was an attempt to portray that that there is no budget, there is a budget , the appropriations bill passed.
He added I think that this will also allow us sometime to have further consultations among ourselves ,it is the reason why the First Deputy Speaker had to adjourn the House sine die . As you know, the budget has been passed , there was an attempt to portray that that there is no budget, there is a budget , the appropriations bill passed.
On Monday December 20 Members of Ghanas Parliament could not hold their emotions as some exchanged brawls in the House just before the final vote on the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy Bill, also known as e-levy.
The sit-in Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, had announced that a division would be followed to approve the Bill, presented under a certificate of urgency, and he was going to vote as well in his capacity as a Member of Parliament.
That appeared to have provoked the National Democratic Congress (NDC) members, who questioned his decision to vote after presiding over the nights proceedings.
They moved to the front of the dais, issuing threats at the Bekwai MP.
This got the Majority MPs to also start agitations and immediately Mr Osei-Owusu handed the presiding role to the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, the fight broke out.
The day the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government wakes up to the reality that this E-Levy battle is not just against NDC MPs,but the people of Ghana including some of their own supporters,sanity would prevail.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu (@FelixKwakyeOfo1) December 21, 2021
Joe Wises attempt to vote was an unspeakable abberation. It was comical,brazenly unlawful and made no sense.The division was called to validate the voice vote which he didnt participate in. How could he be part of the validation of a vote he played no part in?
Felix Kwakye Ofosu (@FelixKwakyeOfo1) December 21, 2021
Source: instagram/3news
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The Ghana Police Service has released Commissioner of Police (COP) Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, Director-General, Police Professional and Standards Bureau (PPSB) of the Service to the Presidency for fresh appointment.
She was released to the Presidency, specifically, Chief of Staff, Office of the President for re-assignment.
According to a letter dated December 13, 2021 from the Police Service, signed by COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Director General, Administration to Maame Tiwaa, and sighted by DGN Online, said I am directed by the Inspector General of Police to release you from your current schedule and report to the Chief of Staff at the Presidency to be re-assigned.
The Service wished her the best in her new appointment saying that Your release takes immediate effect and wish you the best in the new position that you will be assigned.
Please accept the compliments of the Inspector General of Police, he stated.
COP Maame Tiwaa, a former Director General, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) until her current appointment in the service was Director General Welfare and member of POMAB, the highest decision body in the police outside the Police Council chairs by the Vice President.
She allegedly has frosty relationship with the current IGP, who shoved her to PPSB and yanked her off from POMAB, demoting her in influence.
DGN Online has learnt that the sharp chief cop is pencilled down to take over one of the anti-graft state institutions.
Maame Tiwaa was recruited into the Ghana Police Service on July 27, 1990, and has risen through the ranks by dint of hard work and her desire to achieve higher academic laurels.
When she passed out, she was first posted to the Police Hospital Accounts Section as a constable.
After the 18 months probation, she was promoted to the rank of a Sergeant in 1992 because she enlisted with a Diploma in Business Studies Accounting Option which she obtained at the Kumasi Polytechnic between 1988 and 1990.
Having been promoted to Sergeant, she enrolled with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana in 1995 and passed the Level Two examinations successfully and was promoted to Chief Inspector. This granted her a direct entry to the Police College in October 1998.
In May 1999, out of a class of 48 (46 men and two women), she was adjudged the All Round Best Cadet and the Best Student in Humanities making her the second female to take that award at that time.
In recognition of her remarkable accomplishment, a special staff of honour was ordered from the United Kingdom (UK) by the then Inspector General of Police (IGP) which was presented to her by the late Professor Evans Atta Mills who was then the Vice President.
Along the line, she was made the administrator at the Police Hospital when the person in charge went on a Peace Keeping Mission.
Later, she also had the opportunity to go on a Peace Mission in Kosovo where she acted as the Logistics and Finance Officer for Missing Persons Unit.
With her international peacekeeping operations experience in Kosovo under her staff belt, she was posted to the Police Headquarters Finance section.
She was granted a three-year study leave to pursue a programme in the UK with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
COP Yaa Tiwaa, who by this time had demonstrated a knack for excellence in the academic area, passed all her papers before the stipulated time and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2006.
Her ACCA qualifications certified her to practice as an accountant in several jurisdictions including the United Kingdom and Ghana.
Upon her return, she was attached to the Controller and Accountant Generals Department to learn first-hand information on Public Sector Accounting. Therefore, after 10 months, she was assigned to head the Commercial Crime Unit (CCRU) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for three years.
Interestingly, in addition to a tall list of achievements, she is also a Certified Fraud Examiner and that where this experience will come handy in her new impending appointment.
Due to her pioneering abilities and her record of turning departments around to achieve enviable heights, COP Yaa Tiwaa was made to bring the then defunct CID Training School, which was located at the Police Training Depot, back to life.
There, she succeeded in training 550 detectives to help find proof of wrongdoing or to make recommendations for rectifying financial anomalies.
On November 6, 2013, when the then IGP, Mohammed Alhassan, established the Ghana Police Staff Command College (GPCSC) at Winneba, she was appointed the first female Commandant of the college before handing over to the current IGP, George Akuffo-Dampare.
COP Yaa Tiwaa, a second child among seven siblings, was born on August 19, 1969 at Konongo in the Asante Akyem district of the Ashanti Region.
Born to Kwame Adiya-Nimo and Nana Adwoa Agyekumwaa II, Queenmother of Banka, she started school at the Roman Catholic Primary and Middle Schools.
She had her secondary education at the Bompata Secondary before enrolling at the Kumasi Polytechnic.
She is married to Ofosu Addo-Danquah, a lecturer at the Department of French at the University of Cape Coast.
She has a daughter and two sons.
DCOP Yaa Tiwaa who is a die-hard Catholic, worships with the St Peters Parish at Osu in Accra.
Source: Daily Guide
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South African born comedian, Trevor Noah has filed a lawsuit against a New York City hospital and doctor over an alleged botched surgery he underwent in 2020.
The 37-year-old The Daily Show host who sued Dr. Riley J. Williams III and the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, disclosed in court documents that he was a patient between Aug. 25, 2020, and Dec. 17, 2020, and underwent surgery with the hospital and doctor on Nov. 23, 2020.
Noah alleged that the defendants "were negligent and careless in failing to treat and care for [him] in a careful and skillful manner." He also accused the defendants of "failing to use approved methods in general use in the care and treatment."
The comedian also noted that the defendants failed "to prescribe proper medications," failed to "discontinue certain prescription medications," and failed "to use proper tests and examinations in order to diagnose the conditions" that he "was suffering" from.
He further revealed that he suffered "serious personal injury" after his surgery, adding that his injuries are "permanent, severe, and grievous." Noah further disclosed that the injuries allegedly left him "sick, sore, lame, and disabled."
The Emmy Award winning comedian also said he "sustained severe and painful personal injuries; sustained severe nervous shock, mental anguish, severe emotional distress and great physical pain; was confined to bed and home for a long period of time; was compelled to undergo hospital and medical aid, treatment and attention; has suffered loss of enjoyment of life; was prevented from engaging in his usual occupation for a long period of time; and since some of his injuries are of a permanent nature, he will continue to suffer similar damages in the future."
A representative for the Hospital for Special Surgery has however described Noah's claims as "meritless."
The Rep told People, that the organization is "committed to excellence in the care we provide to each of the more than 150,000 patients we treat each year."
The statement read;
"HSS received a complaint filed on behalf of Mr. Trevor Noah. We have shared with Mr. Noah's attorney a detailed rebuttal to the claims, which are meritless.
"Due to HIPAA we are restricted by law from addressing publicly specific aspects of the treatment of any patient.
"This commitment has made HSS the world's leading academic medical center specialized in musculoskeletal health, consistently ranked #1 in orthopedics globally and nationally."
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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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, arrives with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland as she prepares to table the federal budget in the House of Commons in Ottawa, on Monday, April 19, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
A laboratory technologist at LifeLabs demonstrates one of the steps taken when a specimen is tested for COVID-19 at the company's lab, in Surrey, B.C., on March 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Quebec Premier Francois Legault arrives at a news conference in Montreal, on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. Premier Francois Legault is expected to address the province later today and may announce new restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Toyotas Corolla Sedan TCR has undergone its first track tests at the Autodromo Oscar Cabalen in Alta Gracia, Argentina. The car is the first prototype built by the Argentina-based Toyota Gazoo Racing operation, which will exclusively produce and market the Corolla for TCR competitions all over the world.
The two tests were completed on December 15 and 20, as the first steps of a homologation procedure that will lead to the car being certified by WSC for competing in all the TCR-sanctioned series, including the FIA WTCR.
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Marcello Lotti, president of the WSC Group (which is responsible for the TCR rule set), said, I am delighted to see that the Toyota Corolla Sedan TCR has successfully undergone its first test sessions in the development phase of the ambitious program carried on by Toyota Gazoo Racing. The car is beautiful and looking at the results previously achieved by the team in other categories I am sure it will quickly prove its potential. I cant wait to see it taking [to]the track for the actual racing. Considering the appeal of the Toyota brand I believe that soon we will see a lot of Corolla TCR cars racing on tracks all over the world.
Top Stories of 2021, #10: ClubGG Makes a Splash in the Poker World
December 22, 2021 Matthew Pitt
It is that time of year again when PokerNews delves through the hundreds of articles published over the past 12 months and chooses the ten biggest stories of the year. Kicking off the series for 2021 is the launch and initial success of a brand new poker product, GGPokers ClubGG.
ClubGG launched in August and is GGPokers first foray into the world of private club-based poker apps. The free-to-play app is available on Windows-powered computers, in addition to being playable on Android and iOS devices thanks to a state-of-the-art dedicated app.
There are dozens of free poker apps on the market today, so what makes ClubGG stand out from a crowded crowd? The fact ClubGG makes it possible to win seats to major live events worldwide and do so from almost anywhere on the world is the answer.
Daniel Negreanu Inspires Latest ClubGG WSOP Main Event Seat Winner
ClubGG Opens Online Poker To Players Around The World
ClubGG opens the door for players worldwide to play poker against their friends and opponents from all corners of the Earth. The tried-and-tested sweepstakes model (you can become a Platinum Member for $49.99 per month) means ClubGG is fully legal and accessible from more than 40 U.S. states, reopening the online poker world to the American audience.
"We believe live poker events should be more affordable and accessible"
Dom Choi, Head of ClubGG, told PokerNews why GGPoker created ClubGG.
"Here at ClubGG, we believe live poker events should be more affordable and accessible. We aim to service poker players around the world who enjoy playing brick and mortar tournaments. Whether it is playing in your local poker room or traveling to different destinations, we want to make it more affordable for everyone."
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is the one live poker tournament that everyone wants to play at least once in their lives. Unfortunately, the $10,000 buy-in is too much for most bankrolls to stretch to. Sure, there are online satellites feeding into "The Big Dance" but ClubGG wanted to make it possible for low-stakes players to have a legitimate shot at competing in the WSOP Main Event.
The Surreal Experience of Francisco Estrada
Francisco Estrada
It is fair to say ClubGG achieved that goal and then some. Platinum members who subscribed to ClubGG for the affordable sum of $49.99 per month, enjoyed unlimited chances at winning one of 50 guaranteed WSOP Main Event seats. Francisco Estrada was one of the first players to win a 2021 WSOP Main Event seat at ClubGG, doing so from the comfort of his home in Thornton, Colorado.
Estrada discovered ClubGG through PokerNews and immediately signed up for an account.
"The article was only five minutes old! I clicked on it and it told me all the steps and all the different stages. I felt it was meant for me."
Estrada battled through the stages and got his hands on a WSOP Main Event seat, something he described as being surreal.
I did it ! I turned a $49.99 sub @ClubGG_Poker into a $10,000 MAIN EVENT @wsop seat! The dream is real ! Shoutout t https://t.co/OMFq4YBa1G Francisco Estrada (@MrEstrada303)
"Poker is one of my biggest passions and its a huge part of my life. It feels amazing, too surreal. I still cant wrap my head around whats going on. All the support and love has made me realize what I did. If I cash, its going to be for my daughter. Theres so much motivation that comes into it. Im excited about the future."
The ClubGG qualifier did cash, finishing 705th in the 2021 WSOP Main Event for an impressive $17,500.
The Best Fifty Bucks Vasu Amarapu Ever Spent
Vasu Amarapu
While Estradas achievement of turning a $49.99 investment into a $17,500 score was impressive, the epic WSOP Main Event run of Vasu Amarapu was something else. The Illinois native who lives in Dorchester, Massachusetts, like Estrada, learned about ClubGG from an article on PokerNews.
"The $50 that I spent, thats the best thing that happened to me in my life"
"I read an article on PokerNews, and right away I downloaded the app. The steps [to win a WSOP Main Event seat] were very clear. The $50 that I spent, thats the best thing that happened to me in my life," Amarapu explained to PokerNews during Day 6 of the 2021 WSOP Main Event.
Amarapu almost went all the way in the WSOP Main Event, navigating his way to a miraculous 13th place finish worth $470,000. He was five community cards away from doubling up through eventual third-place finisher Jack Oliver; his pocket sevens lost a coinflip against the British youngster's ace-queen.
The deep runs of Estrada and Amarapu were a major source of excitement for the ClubGG management team, and the floods of players who had access to the special GG Platinum Lounge throughout the WSOP.
Social Interaction Is Key To ClubGGs Success
"Every day we would check the progress of our qualifiers on PokerNews," Head of ClubGG Choi said. "We were rooting for all of our qualifiers and excited for them once many of them reached the money stages. We were watching Vasu through the stream and at his rail when time allowed. It was just an amazing accomplishment for Vasu to turn his $49.99 into $470,000 and so close to achieving every poker players dream.
Read More: ClubGG Qualifier Vasu Amarapu Goes Deep in WSOP Main Event: "Best $50 I Ever Spent"
"Our members were playing for side event prizes in our GG Platinum Lounge at the WSOP and seeing them win prizes first hand was fulfilling. Sharing stories about their experiences and journey to winning their Main Event tickets during the Daniel Negreanu meet-and-greet, members asking each other for their ClubGG nicknames, and seeing each other for the first time away from the virtual felt, where they shared battle stories and complimented each others abilities was the highlight of the Series for me."
ClubGG Handing Out Over 100 Seats to Live Poker Events in December
2022 Looks Set To Be A Year To Remember
ClubGG members will have plenty of opportunities to follow in the footsteps of Estrada and Amarapu thanks to the key partnerships ClubGG has forged with key strategic partners. They, and hopefully you, can win seats to events that are part of tours such as:
World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker Europe
World Series of Poker Circuit
The Mid States Poker Tour (MSPT)
The Run Good Poker Series (RPGS)
Card Player Cruises
Bounty Poker Tournament
Kings of Tallinn
Battle of Malta
PokerNews Cup
Choi informed PokerNews ClubGG is continually working behind the scenes to create new partnerships and be able to send players to new events.
"In 2022, players can expect more events to be added on ClubGG, not just in the United States but in Europe and, hopefully, in Asia-Pacific if and when events are back on from the COVID-related restrictions."
If you thought 2021 was an exciting time to be a member of ClubGG, 2022 has all the hallmarks of being nothing short of amazing.
On December 19. the Syrian National Committee for Drugs, an office under the Syrian Ministry of Interior, held a meeting to discuss measures to combat drug trafficking. Interior Minister Mohammed Khaled Rahmoun acknowledged that Syria had become a transit point for the drug trade.
Damascus has long denied responsibility for making and exporting narcotics, and Rahmoun reiterated the explanation that Syria's "geographical location" was to blame.
"Syria plays an important role in supporting the International Community's efforts in combating crime in general, especially fighting drugs trade," he claimed in a statement.
That is misleading. In fact, journalistic investigations have produced strong evidence that war-torn Syria has become a narco-state, with Damascus itself addicted to the profits from trafficking.
Most recently, The New York Times on December 5 published an investigation based on law enforcement sources in 10 countries and interviews with Syrian and regional drug experts and United States officials. The takeaway: Syria's drug trade has become a multibillion-dollar operation with alleged ties to the military and relatives of President Bashar al-Assad.
The newspaper wrote:
"The biggest obstacle in combating the trade, officials said, is that it has the backing of a state that has little reason to help shut it down."
"The idea of going to the Syrian government to ask about cooperation is just absurd," said Joel Rayburn, the U.S. special envoy for Syria during the Trump administration. "It is literally the Syrian government that is exporting the drugs. It is not like they are looking the other way while drug cartels do their thing. They are the drug cartel."
The most traded illicit drug is the captagon pill, an amphetamine. Captagon was first manufactured in the 1960s to treat narcolepsy and fatigue. Soldiers took it to instill bravado. But captagon was banned as a prescription drug in the 1980s as too addictive.
Illegal manufacturing and use of the pill continued, and captagon gained popularity in Europe and the Mideast. New variants are more addictive and cause irreversible brain damage.
The Times report alleged that captagon manufacturing in Syria is mainly overseen by the Fourth Armored Division of the Syrian Army under the command of Bashar al-Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad. Other players include Syrian businessmen and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah party.
Some al-Assad regime associates started investing in captagon as the Syrian civil war dragged on and international sanctions took hold. They became a state-linked cartel of military officers, militia leaders, warlords and al-Assad associates, the Times said, with manufacturing facilities declared as closed military zones.
Large drug shipments from Syria to Greece, Italy and Germany were seized in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Saudi Arabia, however, is the largest Mideast market for the pill.
Jordan is on the front line of policing trafficking on the Syrian border. In October, Jordanian security reported intercepting a drone carrying captagon from Syria.
The biggest busts of drugs from Syria took place in Greece in 2018 and Italy in 2020. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a group of investigative journalists, reported on the former bust.
In the Greek case, a cargo ship, Noka, left the Syrian port of Latakia, which was under the al-Assad government's control, carrying $100 million in drugs stashed under coffee, spices and sawdust.
OCCRP investigations into the shipment showed that the owner was Taher Al-Kayali, a smuggler who had been convicted by Italian authorities and was allegedly connected to Mudar al-Assad, the president's cousin.
OCCRP said drug smuggling from Syrian ports might be bringing in $16 billion a year, based on data from busts in 2019 and 2020 in Greece, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Romania.
In July 2020, Italy seized 84 million captagon pills hidden in three cargo ships from Syria. The haul was worth $1.1 billion and was the largest bust of its kind, according to Italian authorities. The pills were hidden in large paper cylinders intended for industrial use.
The Italian coast guard initially connected the shipment to the Islamic State terrorist group. But a report by the Center for Operational Analysis and Research (COAR), a political risk consultancy, said it originated in territory held by the Syrian government.
"As the Syrian state has re-consolidated control over much of the country since 2018, narcotics trafficking in Syria has become more expansive and widespread. In parallel, the decimation of conventional economic activities has increased the relative attractiveness of industrial-scale drug profiteering, which has been largely captured and controlled by narco-entrepreneurs linked to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the regime's foreign allies," COAR said in a summary of the report.
Other investigations into the shipment uncovered links to the Syrian government and Hezbollah.
Most of the cargo ships involved were registered under shell companies whose addresses and company registration records could not be found.
Captagon exports from Syria reached an estimated $3.5 billion in 2020, COAR said.
In a step to curb Syria's illicit drug trade, legislation proposed by two U.S. congressmen, French Hill, an Arkansas Republican, and Brendan Boyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat, would require the U.S. Treasury Department and drug and law enforcement agencies to develop a joint strategy to combat narcotics production and trafficking linked to the Syrian regime.
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COLUMBIA After several months of delays, South Carolina's fiscal oversight board approved roughly $300 million in tax incentives for affordable housing projects under a new, controversial program that could cost the state significantly in the coming decades if allowed to continue.
The incentives, approved Dec. 21 by a 3-2 vote of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, will help fund nearly two dozen projects throughout South Carolina, mostly in cities including Columbia, Charleston, Spartanburg and Greenville.
The two voting against the incentives described them as giveaways to wealthy, mostly out-of-state developers.
"It's really hard to tolerate what's being done to the citizens and taxpayers of South Carolina," said Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, the state's chief accountant.
The developers benefiting from the program are the "richest, whitest people on the planet," said Treasurer Curtis Loftis, noting only a few of the participating firms are local. "They come here to take their multimillion dollar checks back home. They don't owe us a duty of anything.
Gov. Henry McMaster, as well as the House and Senate's chief budget writers, voted in favor, despite their own concerns.
The rules shouldn't be changed for projects already in the works, said House Ways and Means Chairman Murrell Smith. But the Sumter Republican made clear he will work in the upcoming session to narrow the program going forward.
We set up the rules and we were wrong, Smith said. But it's not fair for people to invest into this program and to play by the rules that the state set up and then change them at the last minute.
The tax incentives are the first approved under the state's Workforce and Senior Affordable Housing Act, a first-of-its-kind tax incentive program the Legislature created last year to spur much-needed affordable housing development across South Carolina.
About one-third of South Carolina families struggle to afford housing, according to a 2019 study by the state agency that finances the projects. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the state has just 44 affordable homes for every 100 low-income South Carolinians.
The program was more popular than expected, attracting hundreds of applications and far exceeding the anticipated number of credits lawmakers thought they were agreeing to when passing the bill.
If left as is, the program could collectively reduce taxes into state coffers by $5.16 billion over the next two decades, according to an Oct. 27 memo from Frank Rainwater, executive director of the S.C. Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, which predicts tax revenues.
Members of the five-member oversight board, including Smith, blamed the state Housing Authority, accusing the agency of providing legislators inaccurate information. Housing officials have said in the past they're trying to provide the necessary data and come up with potential solutions.
After Tuesday's meeting, the group rejected assertions by state officials they had intentionally led lawmakers.
"SC Housing was not tasked with creating a fiscal impact statement during two legislative sessions that the bill creating the state tax credit was being considered by the General Assembly," Chris Winston, an SC Housing spokesman, wrote in a statement to the Post and Courier. "SC Housing provided all data and information requested by those responsible for creating and providing fiscal impact statements to lawmakers. And throughout the year, SC Housing has continued to provide data and information to the members of the SFAA."
A downtown Charleston hotel is asking the S.C. Supreme Court to hear a case involving a dispute with the city over its rooftop bar.
In October, the S.C. Court of Appeals issued a decision, overturning a lower court's ruling and siding with the city of Charleston, which has said the upscale Dewberry Hotel near Marion Square shouldn't be operating a bar on its top floor.
In response, The Dewberry first submitted a request for a rehearing from the Court of Appeals, which was denied.
The hotels petition for the case to be heard by the state's highest court was filed Dec. 20.
"Protecting the character of our residential neighborhoods is of critical importance to the city, and we will continue to defend that principle throughout the appeals process, city spokesman Jack OToole said in response to the Dewberry's decision to ask the state's Supreme Court to take up the case.
A spokesperson for The Dewberry said the hotel didn't have anything to share in addition to the filing.
The dispute centers around an event space and a bar on The Dewberrys top level, called the Rivers Room and Citrus Club, respectively, and decisions made by the citys Board of Zoning Appeals.
When the citys zoning board granted its approval for the hotel in 2011, plans for the buildings top level showed a pool, spa and fitness center.
But, in 2016, when the hotel was preparing to open in a former mid-century government office building on Meeting Street, the top level had instead been outfitted for an event space and a small cocktail bar.
The city said The Dewberry couldnt open the bar, arguing the hotel didnt have permission for it since it wasnt included in the previously approved plans.
In April 2017, The Dewberry asked the citys Board of Zoning Appeals for its OK to modify the plans for the bar use. The panel rejected the request, citing concerns about noise shared by residents in the nearby Mazyck-Wraggborough neighborhood.
The Dewberry went to court to challenge the denial, and, in December 2017, Circuit Court Judge J.C. Nicholson ruled in the hotels favor, writing that the zoning board committed an error of law in denying the request.
The city then filed its own appeal. The S.C Court of Appeals handed down its decision Oct. 20.
In its new petition, The Dewberry argues that the states highest court should review the appeals court's decision because it conflicts with numerous, binding decisions of the S.C. Supreme Court and the constitutional requirement of separation of powers between legislative bodies and the judiciary.
The hotel states that, in reversing the December 2017 Circuit Court ruling, the Court of Appeals judicially imposed a requirement on the citys ordinance that wasnt there. The Dewberry has argued that Charlestons zoning ordinance doesnt require hotels that have been approved to go back to the zoning board for a special exception approval when an accessory use in this case, a bar is added that wasnt in the original submittal.
In its decision, the Court of Appeals said that the citys zoning ordinances clearly authorized the zoning board to consider all plans for the hotel, including accessory uses, and gave the board power to place conditions on those uses.
The Dewberry also argues in its filing that the Court of Appeals decision conflicts with past S.C. Supreme Court decisions because it found that comments made by residents at the 2017 zoning board hearing were competent to support the boards denial. The hotel says the comments were based on speculation and off-the-cuff opinions or involved dissimilar circumstances and didnt offer cogent proof that noise from the bar or event space would disrupt the neighborhood.
The Court of Appeals had concluded that neighborhood residents presented valid concerns at that zoning board meeting.
But Circuit Court Judge Nicholson had agreed with The Dewberry, calling the concerns that were raised speculative.
The Dewberry has noted that the bar, which is about 100 feet above street level, must close by 10 p.m., cant use amplified sound outside and has planters around the perimeter to act as a sound buffer.
Citrus Club opened in mid-2018, after Judge Nicholson issued an order allowing it to operate while the case works its way through the legal system. Citrus Club remains open.
The Dewberrys website describes the eighth-floor terrace where the bar's patrons can drink and dine as the highest rooftop in Charleston.
COLUMBIA The University of South Carolina's search for a new president has gone quiet, stirring growing chatter about keeping interim President Harris Pastides in office for at least another year.
USC had to reset the search after its preferred candidate, Purdue University engineering dean Mung Chiang, withdrew from consideration on Dec. 5. The school's university search panel recommended four other candidates to the board. But multiple sources, speaking anonymously because of the sensitivity of the search, have said some, if not all, are no longer under consideration.
USC also has few options from inside the school. The university does not have a permanent provost or research vice president, two roles usually seen as a pool for future leadership spots.
That leaves the board with two main options either restart the search or keep Pastides longer. The choice comes just as some lawmakers suggest the time has come to make over the board amid another bumpy presidential hunt.
What board leaders are doing remains unclear publicly.
On Dec. 14, during the only board meeting since Chiang's withdrawal, leaders announced nothing about the status of the search. The board did authorize Chairman Dorn Smith and Vice Chairman Thad Westbrook to act on its behalf to schedule further steps in the pursuit for the right candidate.
Asked for an update Dec. 22, Smith said in a statement provided by the university that trustees are addressing the search "with appropriate diligence and seriousness."
"At points, such as this one in this presidential search, the Board of Trustees must keep its deliberations and progress confidential," Smith said.
Trustees have pledged a more transparent process after criticism from when the 2019 presidential search focused on hiring Bob Caslen, a retired Army general and West Point superintendent who lacked a traditional higher-education background.
Caslen won praise for his handling of the pandemic, but he struggled with some of the job's responsibilities, including dealing with the donors, during much of his two-year tenure. Caslen resigned in May over a plagiarism scandal.
Both of the board's remaining options to fill the president's office come with caveats.
Restarting the search could bring a fresh set of candidates in time for the start of classes in fall 2022. More than 50 hopefuls applied earlier this year.
But beginning again would be seen as a failure on the part of a board still reeling from the hunt for a president in 2019 that turned political and earned a rebuke from accreditors for conflicts.
Pastides, 67, pledged to stay for an academic year at South Carolina's largest college after Caslen left, and multiple sources say he already has been asked about staying on past June when classes end.
Keeping Pastides longer means USC would go without a permanent leader for another year, a potentially unsettling prospect when key positions remain open, including six deans positions and the school's chief fundraiser.
But conventional wisdom is that another year with Pastides, who generally won praise after his stint as president for 11 years before Caslen, could maintain support among USC students, faculty and donors, as well as state legislators.
The idea of temporarily keeping Pastides, who oversaw a spike in enrollment and construction during his presidential tenure, has support from one major donor.
"I love Harris," Lou Kennedy, chief executive of Nephron Pharmaceuticals who is the school's third-largest donor, told The Post and Courier on Dec. 20. "He's still got plenty of energy. And he's still going strong. So I mean, thank God we have him and he hasn't moved on to do something else, because we would be in a real pickle after all this."
The question is whether Pastides and his wife, Patricia Moore-Pastides, want to spend another year in Columbia after retiring to Folly Beach in 2019. Pastides did not respond for comment through a university spokesman on Dec. 22.
Getting a permanent leader before the legislative session in mid-January could help ease some potential resistance from the Statehouse.
In the wake of issues with recent presidential searches, some S.C. lawmakers remain unhappy with the makeup of USC's board, where six trustees have served for 23 years or longer. Three bills introduced last year to remove current trustees and shrink the size of the governing board of the state's largest college by half could get consideration when the General Assembly convenes in January.
House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, a Rock Hill Republican who sponsored one of the board reform bills, said he wants to address criticisms that the size of the board makes it "less functional" and that a review is in order even as the current presidential search continues.
"It's unfortunate when you have a front-runner and all of a sudden, you have no one," he said. "But things happen."
S.C. Senate Finance Chairman Harvey Peeler, a Gaffney Republican who introduced previous legislation to change the board, said, "It has nothing to do with personalities and individual trustees."
"It's just the operation. We need to modernize that model," said Peeler, who oversees the state budget. "It's not active now, but we need to bring that bill back up."
Kennedy also would like to see the board of her alma mater receive a major makeover.
She quit the presidential search committee and said she would stop donating to USC after a spat with Smith. She said he called her appointment a "courtesy" and wagged his finger at her.
Kennedy joined the search panel weeks after USC's top donor, Lake City financier Darla Moore, said in April that she would stop donating to her alma mater because the school failed to acknowledge the death of her mother.
"You know, we're equal in God's eyes," Kennedy said. "We're not subpar just because we're female, and we should not be treated like that."
Kennedy said she wants to see more diversity among trustees. The 20-member board includes four women and two people of color.
"I will always forgive, but I will tell you, I'm doing everything in my power to change the governance of our board. It's antiquated," Kennedy said. "I just want to change the governance for the better so that we are really representing the diversity that is reflected in the makeup of our state, our students, our faculty and staff. And if we can show that across our Board and represent all of South Carolina, won't that make us a better school?"
COLUMBIA The capital city's New Year's Eve celebration has been canceled amid the ongoing pandemic, but Columbia still plans to celebrate.
In lieu of the annual Famously Hot New Year celebration, the city will instead produce a fireworks display. City Council approved spending $15,000 in hospitality tax money on the show.
Outgoing Mayor Steve Benjamin, who proposed the fireworks, didn't say where the pyrotechnics would originate but that he hoped it would be from the highest point possible to conduct safely. Fireworks have been fired not far from the South Carolina Statehouse in the past and could be seen throughout downtown.
"So people can see it from their neighborhoods and homes, not only from downtown," Benjamin said.
While the city rescinded its mask requirement for businesses, restaurants and schools, events that take months of planning have been affected by ongoing uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Famously Hot New Year has been held since 2011 and typically draws thousands to the citys downtown, featuring well-known national acts and local bands, along with other activities. Event organizers announced in October the 2021 event would be canceled after a virtual New Year's celebration in 2020.
This was a tough call to make, but our region is resilient, Debora Lloyd, the event's board vice president board of directors, said in a release announcing the cancellation. We need to prioritize the health and safety of our community based on the information we have today.
South Carolina schools opened this August amid one of the worst public health crises in decades. A highly transmissible variant of the COVID-19 virus that is particularly contagious in children was tearing through the state. Even though the risk to children was significant, school districts were prohibited from mandating masks, one of the most effective ways to control the delta variant's spread.
They were banned from mandating masks because of a rule in the 2021-22 state budget that was slipped in at the last minute by a junior member of the House of Representatives. The rule was added so late in the budget process many members of the Senate weren't aware of its existence.
On Sept. 30, a federal court declared that the budget rule could no longer be enforced, determining that it discriminated against children with disabilities. While the court's decision was supported by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who had publicly and privately condemned the rule, these same politicians also acknowledged that the damage to students' health and education had already been done.
At least 238,867 S.C. students have been quarantined since the start of the school year in August, according to Department of Health and Environmental Control data. Not only were they exposed to a dangerous virus, but their education was disrupted again. The S.C. Department of Education's school report card for the 2020-21 school year showed that bouncing students between virtual and in-person learning during the pandemic had negatively impacted their academic performance a downturn that was disproportionally experienced by students of color and low-income schools.
The Post and Courier's Education Lab spent the past several months examining the consequences of the budget rule. We interviewed more than a dozen top politicians in the state, combed through thousands of pages of legal documents and analyzed close to 20 hours of legislative and health department hearings. We read more than 800 emails between DHEC and state lawmakers, and interviewed key players in the disastrous start to the 2021-22 school year, ranging from members of the governor's office to lawyers who were trying to fight the ban on mask mandates.
We found that the governor's office and leaders of the state Legislature repeatedly shrugged off DHEC's advice about masking in schools. Some even refused to meet with DHEC leaders, like House Speaker Jay Lucas, who did not respond to an email sent by DHEC Director Dr. Edward Simmer asking him to get together to discuss ways to control the delta variant's spread through schools across the state. (Speaker Lucas did not return calls or emails asking to comment on this story.)
Some politicians are now pointing their fingers at school districts, saying they are to blame for the chaotic start of the year. They are accusing school districts of quarantining too many students, even though school districts were following guidelines set by DHEC. They also say that school districts could have used creative accounting measures to get around the budget rule, even though S.C. Superintendent Molly Spearman told superintendents at the beginning of the summer that districts can't "create or enforce any policy which would require the wearing of face coverings."
Districts like Charleston County that used such accounting methods to skirt the budget rule by tapping into past savings to fund the enforcement of its mask mandate were hit with lawsuits and public protests.
We have compiled a detailed account of how the budget rule was passed and how public health officials scrambled to moderate its impact going into the 2021-22 school year. We have reported on how a group of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle publicly called for a special session and were largely ignored by legislative leadership. We have described how when DHEC's hands were tied and politicians attempt to bring their colleagues back to debate the last-minute budget rule came to nothing, a group of lawyers took on the fight and ultimately blocked the budget rule.
But the fight over banning mask mandates in school is not over as state lawmakers launch a multi-front attack on the federal court decision, appealing the court ruling and prefiling legislation that would make the one-year budget rule permanent S.C. law.
They're doing so as a new, potentially even more transmissible variant spreads through the state and school districts prepare for another wave of infections.
15 seconds in June
The S.C. House budget debate where the rule was passed started the same as it usually did: Legislators bowed their heads as the chaplain prayed over them.
Plexiglass separated Speaker Lucas from other lawmakers, but there was little other evidence of the ongoing pandemic. Most in attendance weren't wearing masks. Many gathered believed the worst of the pandemic was over. The number of new cases in the state had fallen from an all-time high of 5,712 on Jan. 7 to just 125 on June 8, the day before the budget debate.
This was the second time the House was going over their spending plan to send to the Senate. They'd written one budget already but had thrown it out when tax-collection projections for the upcoming year changed. This was a rare move that extended the already lengthy budget process, and many members of the House were tired. They had about two dozen amendments to hear that day and Speaker Lucas was trying to keep proceedings moving quickly. When he called Rep. Stewart Jones to present the first of his four amendments, Jones took to the lectern and promised to be brief.
Jones is a Republican and a lifelong resident of the Upstate's Laurens County. A relative political newcomer first elected in 2019 during a special election, Jones has ignored traditions that call for junior legislators to serve as back-benchers. He's garnered attention by acting as a frontman for his party's ultra-conservative wing, leading the campaign against masks, vaccines, and other COVID-related health safety measures.
All four of Jones' amendments tried to prevent schools and colleges from requiring masks or vaccines. Gov. Henry McMaster ended S.C.'s state of emergency a couple of days before the budget hearing, and that meant his executive order letting families opt out of masks in schools and blocking vaccine mandates was no longer in effect.
Two of Jones' amendments passed and one had failed when he introduced the last one. He spoke quickly, describing it in just 15 seconds.
It makes sure that they dont have to have a COVID-19 vaccine in order not to wear a mask in K-12, Jones said. Lawmakers and heads of state agencies later determined this amendment said that school districts couldn't require students or staff to wear a face mask. If they did so, they risked losing funding.
Jones did not return calls or emails asking for comment on this story. But he did explain his reasoning behind introducing these budget rules in a Facebook post he published days before the debate. In the post, he wrote that legislation was the "long term" way to fight mandates, but, because the time to introduce new laws had already passed, budget amendments were a temporary fix until the next session.
When Jones called for a vote, he drew a round of groans from colleagues. Rep. John King stood up to debate the amendment. The Rock Hill Democrat hadnt gotten a heads-up that any of Jones anti-mask, anti-vaccine amendments were coming that day, but he'd grown gradually more upset each time a new one was introduced.
A funeral home director, King buried entire families who died after catching COVID-19. He helped a man make his wifes funeral arrangements, then buried the husband three weeks later.
Witnessing so much death and heartbreak caused King a lot of grief, but he didn't make an emotional argument that day. Instead, he argued the amendment was an example of legislative overreach. King believed that the state had no business interfering in local health decisions.
Two Republicans also opposed Jones amendment but didn't speak that day. Reps. Raye Felder and Bart Blackwell also believed decisions about masks should be made locally. Felder, from Fort Mill, understood why colleagues thought the pandemic was in the rear-view mirror she wasnt especially concerned about cases in June, either. But the House's K-12 education subcommittee chairwoman was worried infections might pick up in the fall.
To Blackwell, an Aiken businessman, the whole thing seemed like a stunt.
"It might have been good politics, but it wasn't good policy," he said. "I sat there and I thought, 'Well, this is obviously political theatre.'"
The amendment passed largely along party lines, 71-37. Not a single Democrat voted in favor, and Felder and Blackwell were the only dissenters among the Republican Party.
Neither the Senate, where many werent even aware of the last-minute addition, nor McMaster, who believed decisions about masks should be made by parents, challenged the budget rule when it came before them.
When the budget took effect on July 1, the delta variant was already in the state. DHEC confirmed the first delta cases in South Carolina on June 16.
Plans upended
Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC's recently appointed director, was sitting at his desk in mid-July when he got a call that as many as 90 children who attended a South Carolina faith-based summer camp had COVID-19. The children were from all over the country and the positive test results were coming in as many were traveling home.
Simmer's immediate problem was containing the outbreak at the camp, which DHEC declined to name, citing privacy and liability reasons. Simmer and his deputies tracked the childrens travel destinations and rushed to call counterparts in other states to let them know the situation.
When Simmer finished, he sat back in his chair, processing what happened. This was a big problem: If the delta variant was spreading so quickly through summer camps, what would happen when schools opened in a month?
The agency reported 148 new COVID cases on July 1. On July 31, the number of new cases had skyrocketed to 1,891. Following a similar rise in cases nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance on July 27. The federal agency recommended everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Simmer agreed with the CDC, but their advice upended his own departments guidance to schools. South Carolinas budget rule meant districts couldnt require masks. He asked the departments attorney to find out if he had the power to issue an emergency order and override the ban and while he waited for an answer, DHEC told schools to try their best to encourage mask-wearing.
Everyones attention turned to Pickens County where classes were starting on Aug. 3, one of the earliest returns in the state. It was a bellwether: If the Upstate county around Clemson University could control the delta variant without a mask mandate and keep schools open, that meant others would likely be fine.
But Pickens school officials were hearing about sick students even before classes started.
What are we teaching our students?
Darian Byrd, Pickens' communications director, believed it was possible, even likely, for everything to go back to normal in the 2021-22 school year. Pickens had weathered the past school year better than most other districts. It was able to offer full-time, in-person learning for almost the entire year. In the spring, the district relaxed most mitigation efforts and cases continued to stay low.
He and others realized by the third day of school they were gravely mistaken. The district had 107 students out sick with positive tests. Another 310 were quarantined.
District administrators told school principals to tighten their mitigation efforts. They pushed desks as far apart as space permitted. Students went back to eating their lunches in classrooms. Hallways became one-way again.
They had constant, daily debates about whether to require masks, mostly about how to enforce such a requirement. Byrd said they didn't want to be in a position of punishing children who were following a parent's instructions. So how would they respond to a child who said, "My parents said I don't have to wear that"? Or worse, "The governor says I don't have to." The district didn't know if it was ready to defy state law.
To publicly go against an order, what are we teaching our students? Byrd said. That was a big struggle. We felt like we needed to honor the expectations of the government.
More coverage To read more in-depth stories from The Post and Courier's Education Lab, go to postandcourier.com/education-lab.
By the end of the second week of school, administrators were considering shutting down the district's schools. At an emergency meeting on Aug. 13, Byrd walked the board through the COVID-19 cases and quarantines. His tone was calm even as he told them how alarmed he was. Describing the increase in cases, he kept repeating the word exponential.
Its probably changed as weve been talking, Byrd said. The sheer number of cases was overwhelming school nurses and was delaying how quickly they could be added to the districts official tally.
The board decided that to get a grip on the spread of cases, they needed to shut down in-person classes for at least a week.
The delta variant had knocked off its first South Carolina school district. Soon others would follow.
Walk the plank
Lawmakers across the state were getting increasingly urgent calls from parents by August.
In the S.C. House, Democrats were the main ones calling on leadership to reconvene. They were fuming. Not a single one had voted for the budget rule. Now, they were watching the schools in their districts struggle to reopen.
It was chaos for no reason, said Rep. Wendy Brawley, one of the Democrats who opposed the budget rule.
Brawley was a realist. She knew there was only a small chance that if the House came back for a special session they would have enough votes to repeal the budget rule. But she believed that a rule that was having such a severe impact on schooling should at least receive a proper debate and that legislators should acknowledge that the situation had changed since they first voted.
Brawley said Democrats kept calling and emailing Speaker Lucas begging him to convince the House to return for a special session. They held a press conference Aug. 17. But she never heard back from him.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Shane Massey was hearing from politicians on both sides of the aisle who wanted to return for a special session. He also heard from many who didn't.
Many in the Senate shared Brawleys pessimism, telling Massey they believed the whole effort was an exercise in futility. Even if the Senate came back, and overturned the budget rule, there almost certainly werent votes in the House to repeal the ban. And if they managed that Sisyphean task, it still might not make a difference because McMaster could veto the decision. McMaster was also getting pressure to call the General Assembly back, but unlike the speaker and Senate President Harvey Peeler, the governor didnt have the power to do that even if hed wanted to and McMaster had given no indication he did.
Massey described his colleagues thought process: If this is not going to happen, why do we even walk the plank?
One senator, Minority Leader Brad Hutto, held out hope his colleagues could be persuaded to return. He felt like they just needed an extra push, a sign that both sides of the aisle supported a special session. Hutto pulled together a bipartisan group of four senators that included the powerful judiciary committee chairman, Sen. Luke Rankin, and they wrote publicly to Senate President Peeler asking for a special session.
Massey made a call to Hutto a few days later.
"We don't have the votes," he conceded.'
A coordinated attack
A group of lawyers across the state had already decided they couldnt count on lawmakers to return for a special session and had to take matters into their own hands. All they needed was someone willing to challenge the budget rule.
One opportunity came when suburban Columbia's Richland School District Two decided to sue. Just like Pickens, they faced a rising number of COVID-19 cases among students and staff. As of Aug. 16, before classes in the district had even begun, more than 200 students and 33 employees were in quarantine.
The district believed the budget rule was unconstitutional and put administrators in an untenable position. State officials like Spearman, who was named in the eventual suit alongside Lucas, Peeler and the state treasurer, said the district couldn't mandate masks, while a county ordinance required students under the age of 14 to wear them.
Carl Solomon, a Columbia lawyer, took on the case. Putting his team together, he reached out to lawyers who had dealt with high-profile S.C. education lawsuits in the past. One of these lawyers was Skylar Hutto, Sen. Brad Hutto's son, who a year earlier had successfully challenged McMaster's plan to direct more than $30 million in pandemic relief funds for tuition grants at private schools. The younger Hutto had won the case and earned a reputation as a lawyer willing to challenge the governor.
When Solomon reached out, Hutto had already been speaking with an Orangeburg family who was also upset over masks. The family has three children, including one with severe respiratory issues. As delta cases rose, a doctor recommended the children attend school virtually to limit the asthmatic childs exposure. But the districts deadline to enroll in virtual classes had already passed and the family was stuck on a waiting list. They had tried working with the district to no avail and now believed their only option was to sue.
Hutto had also been talking to lawyers at the American Civil Liberties Union, which was preparing a case on behalf of parents of students with disabilities across the state who wanted to overturn the ban on mask mandates.
The lawyers strategized: Solomon's team would challenge the budget rule in state court on constitutional grounds. The ACLU team planned to take it to federal court, alleging the budget rule violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The dual lawsuits created a type of safety net: If one failed, there was still another chance to overturn the budget rule.
Hutto, Solomon and a third attorney, Allen Nickles, decided the family and Richland Two would sue together. At Solomons office in Columbia, a former house renovated into law offices, they spread out, ordered barbecue and started building the case.
Late on Aug. 20, Solomon's team filed the lawsuit, asking the Supreme Court to take up the case immediately. It was the third day of school in Richland Two.
An open question
Over the course of August, DHEC and the governor's office were on opposite sides. McMaster condemned mask mandates every time he was asked about it. Less than two weeks after DHEC issued its revised school guidance encouraging masks to be worn in K-12 schools, McMaster held an Aug. 9 press conference outside of his office in the Capitol where he reiterated that masking should be a parent's choice.
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Simmer said that McMasters harsh public stance made his own job more challenging. He firmly believed that science supported universal masking and planned to make his case at an emergency meeting called by DHEC's board on Aug. 20. The boards eight members were all appointed or reappointed by McMaster and historically havent countered the governors messaging.
Simmer told the board the delta variant accounted for 98 percent of COVID-19 infections in the state effectively every case. From a strictly public health standpoint, the best way to protect South Carolina children from delta was to require masks in school, he said.
Whether or not the schools are allowed to do that I think is a question that is an open one, Simmer said.
If DHEC issued an order requiring masks, enforcement would be the sticking point. The board met for nearly 45 minutes in private to get legal advice that day. No order followed, but they did break from the governor's position and tell Simmer to lobby House and Senate leaders for a special session.
Simmer drafted a letter to Peeler and Lucas. Telling them there was a 1,828 percent increase in cases among children from mid-June to mid-August, he asked them to reconvene and vote to let school districts mandate masks, as soon as possible. Lucas never responded. Peeler wrote back quickly but when the two men met, the Senate president told a disappointed Simmer they just didnt have the votes. (Peeler did not return multiple calls or email requests asking for comment on this story.)
There was only one path left to overturn the ban on mask mandates: battling it out in the S.C. Supreme Court and federal courts.
In courts' hands
The S.C. Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases involving school mask mandates and scheduled both cases for Aug. 31. The first case was the lawsuit the S.C. attorney general brought against the city of Columbia, which had issued an order requiring masks at schools in the city. The second was Solomon and Hutto's lawsuit involving Richland Two and the family from Orangeburg who couldn't get their children into virtual schooling.
Hutto wasn't nervous, but excited. He had argued in front of the court before and Hutto and Solomon had prepared extensively, practicing what they'd say. The city of Columbia case was argued first. The court was restricting in-person access, so they listened to the proceedings from a law firm down the street.
The chief justice reminded everyone of the courts role: They werent arbiters of politics or science, just the states laws.
It was now Solomon and Hutto's turn. They laid out their arguments for why the budget rule was unconstitutional.
When they left court that day, Hutto had no idea how the justices would vote. Their main question seemed to be whether a district could enforce a mask mandate so long as they didn't use state funding.
The court ruled on the case against Columbia first, issuing a ruling a few days later that sided with the attorney general. The budget rule was constitutional, the court said, and the city had violated the rule because enforcement relied on employees paid at least partially with state money.
With the Columbia case decided, Hutto and his team waited for a decision in their own case.
A sigh of relief
A federal district ruled Sept. 28 that the ban on mask mandates violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and was discriminatory. The district judge, Judge Mary Geiger Lewis, said in her decision that, "No one can reasonably argue that it is an undue burden to wear a mask to accommodate a child with disabilities."
The state Supreme Court ruled on Solomon and Hutto's case two days later, again finding that the budget rule was constitutional. Even though the decision disappointed Hutto and his team, the ACLU's federal court ruling allowed them to let out a collective sigh of relief.
Richland Two's Superintendent Baron Davis released a statement shortly after the Supreme Court's decision was announced, saying that the district had consulted with legal authorities and they planned to follow CDC and DHEC guidelines and mandated masks for students, staff, and visitors.
These decisions were issued as the number of COVID-19 cases were falling.
An ongoing fight
The first American case of omicron variant was reported in California on Dec. 1, according to the CDC. It quickly spread to other states across the country, including South Carolina, where DHEC reported three cases of the new variant on Dec. 15.
S.C. health officials warn the number of omicron cases is actually much higher.
Not much is known about the new variant, but preliminary data indicates that it is more transmissible than past variants. Early research shows that symptoms are less severe in people who are fully vaccinated.
But only 20.2 percent of S.C. children under the age of 17 were fully vaccinated as of Dec. 14, according to DHEC data. The number drops to 5.2 percent for 5- to 11-year-olds.
Despite the threat of a new, even more contagious variant, some S.C. politicians have not stopped their efforts to try to prevent school districts from mandating masks.
The budget rule Jones submitted back in June was a temporary measure that is only in place for a year. He is trying, with new legislation, to make it a permanent law. The law would not be blocked by the federal ruling on the ACLU case since that decision only pertained to the budget provision.
Gov. McMaster is also appealing the federal court's ruling.
At a hearing before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month, South Carolina argued the budget rule didnt actually ban mask mandates, contrary to how Jones and the state have described it previously. The attorney conceded theres been a lot of confusion over what it does.
For now, the federal judges decision stands, allowing districts to require masks.
Hillary Flynn contributed to this report.
This story has been updated to correct the reason for the DHEC Board's Aug. 20 meeting. The meeting was requested by the board.
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND A plan to thin parts of the maritime forest here will face stricter scrutiny from state regulators after the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said the cutting is extensive enough that it requires a permit.
The thinning is part of a lawsuit settlement reached in October 2020 between the town and some homeowners who live on the edge of the thicket. The plaintiffs wanted more management of the wild land, which has slowly accreted along most of Sullivan's Island's beach for decades. A staunch group of activists on the island, however, want the area mostly left alone.
So the town put together a plan based on the settlement for state and federal regulators to review. The Army Corps of Engineers already determined the work wouldn't require one of its wetland disturbance permits. But DHEC said in a Dec. 20 letter that in a few parts of the forest, the cutting is significant enough that a state environmental permit is required.
Some parts of the land would be left mostly untouched. But in other areas, the plan calls for removal of several smaller trees.
Specifically, DHEC wrote that in parts of the 100-foot "transition zone" area that is closest to adjacent homes, 96 percent of the trees would be removed, based on a 2014 survey of the plants there.
In a portion of the accreted land area that stretches from the edge of island's elementary school to Station 28, 80 percent of the trees would be removed, DHEC wrote.
"This level of tree removal is significant; therefore, a Major Critical Area Permit would be required if the Town pursues the activities described in the work plan," the agency wrote.
Sullivan's Island Town Council did not discuss the letter in its Dec. 21 meeting, when three members of the seven-person panel were absent. Town Administrator Andy Benke said he expects a discussion on the forest in January.
Jamie Hood, an attorney for the homeowners who sued the town and then settled, said in an email that the plaintiffs would keep working with Sullivan's Island to make sure the plan is approved by the state.
"We will need to consider whether there are modifications to make to the current work plan or if the permit application should be submitted with the current work plan as is," Hood wrote.
At the same time, a turnover in Town Council since the settlement was reached and pressure from a vocal group of activists on the island may ultimately serve to scuttle the work.
The council recently decided to hire an outside attorney, William Wilkins, to review the settlement. Wilkins, a former federal judge, wrote in a letter earlier this month that the agreement may be unenforceable, because it is too restrictive of the council's powers to make policy for the town.
But to actually challenge the settlement, the council would have to vote on moving forward with a legal action.
Nearly 50 years after making history as the first Black woman to graduate from the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Rose Delores Gibbs is embarking on yet another journey retirement.
She recalls standing in the middle of the MUSC Horseshoe on graduation day in 1973. As she walked across the stage to obtain her degree, she glanced to her left, looking toward the hospital building standing on Ashley Avenue. The windows had been pushed up.
"As I looked up, I saw many of the Black nurses aides, secretaries, orderlies and LPNs looking out of the window down at me," Gibbs said. "I was just in awe of their support and solidarity with me at that moment. "
MUSC saw its first African American student in 1965, at the peak of the civil rights movement. But time would pass before the school saw its first Black graduates, in 1971. Both were men.
Gibbs started at the university during one its most pivotal moments: the hospital workers strike during the spring and summer of 1969. The movement gained momentum when 12 of MUSC's Black health care workers were fired during their attempts to stand up for patient safety and better pay and treatment.
According to an online exhibit by the College of Charleston, five Black nursing assistants were fired in 1968 after walking off their jobs in protest. White charge nurses at MUSC were preventing Black hospital workers from reading patient charts despite it being a normal practice. Realizing they were unable to provide adequate patient care without access to the charts, they walked.
At the time, Black health care workers in the city made no more than $1.30 an hour.
With help from popular union group Local 1199 and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Poor People's Campaign, workers began organizing meetings with hospital management, led by Dr. William McCord, president of the medical college.
The strike officially began when McCord delayed a meeting with organizers, firing 12 of the workers involved. Their firing led to nearly 400 Black hospital and nursing home employees leading a 100-plus day strike that would draw national media attention and lead to increased wages and better work environments for Black hospital workers across the state.
At the time, Gibbs was working as a chemist for a pharmaceutical company in Syracuse, N.Y., thinking hard about making the decision to return to South Carolina for medical school.
"People would frequently ask, 'Are you sure this is a place you want to go given the atmosphere and all that's happening?'" Gibbs said. "But I decided to go so I could be closer to my mother and father on our farm in Moncks Corner."
After graduating in 1973, Gibbs furthered her education, pursuing a residency in internal medicine at Howard University Hospital and later obtaining a certificate in tropical medicine from Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Soon after, Gibbs joined the Peace Corps as a medical officer and etched her name in history again as the first Black woman to serve as chief of medical operations for the Peace Corps, 1980-84.
She also started her own practice in her hometown of Moncks Corner called Berkeley Medical Center, which she owned and operated for nearly 35 years before joining the Fetter Health Care Network.
"Three years ago in expectation of my retirement I joined the Fetter Health Care Network, which now owns the practice," Gibbs wrote in her retirement letter. "Those years were inspirational and educational. It has been a pleasure working with their administrative and medical staff."
The way you would want to be treated
Throughout her career, Gibbs has served in multiple foreign spots, including Nairobi, Kenya, Roatan, Honduras and Sierra Leone. In each station she stood by her motto: "Treat patients the way you would want to be treated."
"My mom treats all of her patients like family, whether you're a new patient or someone she's been seeing for 20-plus years," said Satirah James, recalling a trip she and her mom took to Nairobi for a medical conference.
James works as a certified nursing assistant for Fetter Health Care Network.
"Her love for medicine shines through in whatever she does," James said. "I've never seen this passion in anyone else."
Gibbs spent 10 years in Sierra Leone working for the Peace Corps and serving as the physician for all of the volunteers and foreign service employees. Her reputation was formidable.
"When you met her, she would never say she was a physician," said Percy Wilson, former chief medical officer for the Peace Corps. "She would just say she is a nice person until you pull it out of her."
What stuck out to Wilson the most was Gibbs' commitment to the Peace Corps volunteers. On one occasion, Gibbs made the call to send one of the volunteers enduring a high-risk pregnancy back to her hometown to give birth.
Jackie Bailor was a volunteer from the United Kingdom who lost her first child due to having malaria while pregnant. When she became pregnant a second time, Gibbs convinced her to go back to the U.K. for the birth due to her having a rare disease in her family history. Bailor's gynecologist had disagreed.
"I have so many things to thank her for," Bailor said. "She told me in such a caring nature, 'If you can get home, then go home and give birth safely.' I returned to Sierra Leone with a healthy baby."
On another occasion Gibbs administered free aid to one of the groundskeepers in Bailor's local village. The boy was bitten by a rabid dog and was in need of a vaccination to avoid future illness. After being denied treatment from the British embassy, Bailor called Gibbs, who was in the village soon after, vaccination in hand.
"If it hadn't been for her, we would have lost him," Bailor said. "She would help anybody and everyone was equal in her eyes."
Caring for people she grew up with
When Gibbs wanted to return to Moncks Corner to start her own practice after the Peace Corps, many were confused. She had done so well in Washington, D.C., but she saw a need for a practice like hers in Moncks Corner and took everything she learned about treating patients in West Africa with her when she returned.
"For example, when a patient comes in, you don't just jump right into what a person's health problems seem to be," Gibbs said.
Instead, she eases into the hard questions by asking simple ones, like how the patient's family is doing or how their trip to the office was, to gain an overall perspective of where the patient is coming from.
"It takes a little longer to develop this type of rapport with patients," Gibbs said. "But the patient will actually open up and tell you what's going on with them."
Gibbs said another lesson she took with her to her own practice was diagnosing patients without solely depending on X-rays or other diagnostic testing.
"If you listen to a patient long enough and listen to that patient's symptoms, they'll tell you what's wrong with them," Gibbs recalled learning from one of her professors at Howard University.
This level of practice is what many Black women in the U.S. are continuing to fight for in regard to receiving quality and non-discriminatory health care.
Gibbs opened Berkeley Medical Center in 1986. The majority of her patients were Black women.
"I wanted to take care of people I grew up with, went to church with and camped with," Gibbs said. "I wanted to be home."
Continued education
While Gibbs is settling into retirement, her work is not yet finished.
"I'm telling people that I'm taking a gap year," she chuckled.
In the meantime, she is focused on finishing her memoir, adding to her robust 250-piece art collection, going on mission trips and attending Cummins Memorial Theological Seminary in Summerville.
Her most recent trip was a two-week mission trip to Roatan, Honduras, in the summer. She's continuing what she hopes to be a long tradition of traveling with her family members, taking her oldest granddaughter along for the ride.
Her goal is to work with Native Americans and indigenous communities, both in the Northwest and Southwest parts of the U.S.
As a woman who was the first to accomplish a few things, the word "first" means a lot to Gibbs.
"First means you have the responsibility of making sure that those who are coming behind you see a good star," Gibbs said. "A star that's high, a star that's shining brightly, a star that's moving forward and a star that you can follow."
Mount Pleasant lawyer Rhett DeHart is leaving the U.S. Attorneys Office of South Carolina after two decades as a white-collar crimes prosecutor and nearly 10 months as the state's top federal law enforcement official.
As the Palmetto States acting U.S. attorney this year, DeHart, 52, oversaw the ongoing criminal investigation into the failure of South Carolinas $9 billion nuclear power project.
His office also recently launched its own investigation into the alleged financial crimes of Alex Murdaugh, the suspended Hampton County lawyer who is accused of pilfering millions of dollars from his legal clients and law partners.
DeHarts move to private practice comes as President Joe Biden prepares to announce a new U.S. attorney for South Carolina, a powerful position that oversees an office of 62 federal prosecutors and 75 support staff.
Adair Ford Boroughs, a former Justice Department attorney and unsuccessful Democratic congressional candidate, is understood to be the White Houses pick. Still, it could be months before she is officially appointed and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
In the meantime, Corey Ellis, the chief of staff to FBI Director Christopher Wray, will step in as South Carolinas interim U.S. attorney, DeHart said.
DeHarts last day is Dec. 26. In an interview, he told The Post and Courier he will take a few weeks off before deciding whether to join a high-powered law firm or start his own legal practice.
He said his proudest moments as acting U.S. attorney were securing guilty pleas from two of the businessmen who led the failed V.C. Summer project, former SCANA Corp. chief executive Kevin Marsh and ex-Westinghouse Vice President Carl Churchman.
Former colleagues described DeHart as a hard worker whose fairness and wit earned the respect of judges and lawyers alike.
I thought he had good judgment, said Bill Nettles, a former U.S. attorney for South Carolina who was DeHarts boss from 2010 to 2016. He had a good work ethic. You could count on Rhett to do a good job. You could count on him to be fair.
A North Augusta native, DeHart worked as a staff attorney for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee after graduating from law school. He returned to South Carolina in 2001, taking a job as an assistant U.S. attorney covering white-collar crime.
DeHart said he was drawn to investigating financial crimes by the "intellectual challenge" they pose.
Over the years, he unraveled Ponzi schemes and investment fraud cases.
He prosecuted hundreds of felonies, including the 2014 convictions of a Charleston banker and his mistress who schemed to have the banker's wife murdered.
Prosecuting the mistress was easy, DeHart said. Mounds of evidence connected her to the murder-for-hire plot.
But federal investigators had to flex their muscles to ensnare the husband, former Bank of America executive Chris Latham. Ultimately, they retrieved cellphone and computer records showing Latham had looked up his wife's address and provided the information to a hitman, DeHart said.
It was fascinating to see someone at the pinnacle of society do something so tragic and stupid," DeHart said.
When former state Rep. Peter McCoy was tapped as the state's U.S. attorney in March 2020, he made DeHart his top deputy, elevating him to first assistant U.S. attorney.
McCoy, an appointee of Republican President Donald Trump, said DeHart's experience working complex legal cases made him the obvious choice.
His knowledge of the system, his knowledge of the people, his knowledge of the judges to me was so special," McCoy said.
DeHart ascended into McCoy's position just a year later when newly elected President Biden asked Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys across the country to resign.
Another attempt is underway to make a commission dedicated to improving racial inequities a permanent fixture in Charleston.
City Council voted 8-4 on Dec. 21 to give initial approval to form a Commission on Human Affairs and Racial Conciliation. If given final approval at the Jan. 11 council meeting, the new commission would carry on the work done by a panel of a similar name formed on a temporary basis in June 2020.
The first iteration of the commission was formed after demonstrations in Charleston protested the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The protests split off into riots and vandalism along Upper King Street, provoking tense confrontations with law enforcement.
The commission was originally tasked with examining the city's role in policing, economic development, health care, environmental management, housing, transportation, education, and history and culture, then devising various recommendations for addressing acknowledged problems.
In August and September, City Council voted against formally "receiving" the report and making the commission a permanent fixture. Now Councilmen Jason Sakran and William Dudley Gregorie, who originally co-chaired the commission, are attempting to reinstate it and make it permanent.
Council rejected the report and commission earlier this year because of concerns surrounding three proposals within the group's 545-page report.
Certain topics within the commission's final report were "weaponized" for political gain, Sakran told The Post and Courier.
Among the proposals that drew most attention were the authors' suggestions to teach critical race theory and The New York Times' "1619 Project" in schools, and for the city to come up with a reparations plan.
The public speakers opposed to the commission Dec. 21 focused in on critical race theory, although any plans related to school curriculum would need approval from the Charleston County School District as well.
"From a very young child I was made to feel guilty for something I had no idea what I did," said resident Elizabeth Watkins.
Those in support of the commission stated it was an important step in combatting misinformation about structural racism.
Marcus McDonald, a substitute teacher at Burke High School, spoke in favor of the commission.
You need to push it full forward and really do something to empower the Black community in Charleston that has often been ignored, he said. You have the opportunity to change so many examples of disparities in the system.
The city of Charleston has a number of permanent commissions tasked with reviewing policy proposals and making recommendations to council. They are made up of a combination of council members and city residents appointed by the mayor or council members.
For the final Jan. 11 vote, dynamics on council will be slightly different because two new council members will be sworn in. Caroline Parker will replace Carol Jackson, and Stephen Bowden will replace Harry Griffin. Jackson voted in favor of making the commission permanent, and Griffin voted against it.
Parker spoke during the public comment session at the Dec. 21 meeting saying she would not support the commission.
Council members Griffin, Ross Appel, Mike Seekings and Kevin Shealy voted against forming the commission. Council members Sakran, Gregorie, Jackson, Peter Shahid, Keith Waring, Robert Mitchell and Mayor John Tecklenburg voted in favor.
In other business:
Rene Harris, who is the principal of Beech Hill Elementary School, was named as the SCASA Elementary Principal of the Year, out of roughly 1,000 other principals throughout the state.
COLUMBIA A former South Carolina legislative leader is out of prison after serving less than six months of his sentence on misconduct and perjury charges in the Statehouse corruption probe.
Jim Harrison, 70, was released Dec. 10 by the state parole board, according to the state Department of Corrections.
He could not be immediately reached Dec. 21 by The Post and Courier.
The former House Judiciary chairman spent his entire tenure at Kirkland Correctional in Columbia, the prison where incoming inmates are evaluated for placement, with the exception of two doctor visits. He was briefly checked out and back into Kirkland twice, on July 13 and Aug. 26, for excused medical leave, according to his records.
Harrison, whose heart issues were brought up during the case, had no disciplinary problems. His work as a wardkeeper's assistant helped him earn early release.
The Columbia Republican reported to prison July 1 for an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty several days earlier for misconduct in office and lying to the state grand jury as part of the yearslong Statehouse corruption probe.
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Harrison was convicted in 2018 of secretly profiting from work he did for the influential Richard Quinn & Associates consulting firm, failing to report that he earned nearly $1 million while working for Quinn for 13 years. Harrison said he worked on campaigns, but the investigation found he received cuts of retainers from corporate clients.
The state Supreme Court voted in January to vacate that original conviction, saying the special prosecutor overstepped his mandate and should not have pursued misconduct charges against Harrison. But a new special prosecutor renewed the charges, and he pleaded guilty under an Alford plea, meaning he can maintain his innocence while acknowledging a jury could have convicted him.
The former attorney surrendered his law license permanently, according to an Aug. 4 order from the state Supreme Court.
He was released to Charleston County, according to his Corrections record.
He was paroled on standard conditions, including agreeing not to own any guns, use drugs that aren't prescribed or drink excessively. He must submit to periodic blood tests and can't go into a bar, according to the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
The agency's supervision is projected to end in August 2022 if he meets the conditions.
Ridgeville Republican lawmaker Mandy Kimmons abruptly resigned from the South Carolina House of Representatives in a Facebook post Dec. 21, 2021. A special election to replace her will take place in early May. S.C. House/Provided
Getting fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible, remains as the best defense against omicron and all other variants that cause COVID-19, local health experts said on Wednesday, although Guam isn't ready to make booster shots mandatory.
"The thing about this COVID virus is that it may not have a brain but ... it seems to get changed when it needs to change and so we just have to be smarter than that," Dr. Bob Leon Guerrero, interim medical director for the Department of Public Health and Social Services said.
Whether Guam would see an omicron-induced surge depends on people's ability to not let their guard down, he said.
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DPHSS officials and another health expert drummed up the messaging to avoid another surge: continue to wear masks, watch one's distance, wash hands frequently, get tested when one feels ill, and get fully vaccinated and boosted.
The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration has not reached that point to mandate booster shots, even if it's amplifying its plea for people to "board up" as if a super typhoon-like wave omicron cases is going to hit Guam.
"This is an ongoing discussion. The CDC currently defines 'fully vaccinated' as having received two shots of a two-shot series or a single shot of a single shot series, however emerging data appears to indicate that boosters may be necessary to ensure maximum protection against COVID-19 infection. Like many other jurisdictions, we are monitoring these issues closely," according to the governor's office.
It's just "a matter of time" before omicron hits, the governor said on Tuesday.
Dr. Annette David, senior epidemiologist for the State Epidemiology Outcomes Workgroup, said the COVID-19 pandemic is a dual test of leadership and citizenship, so it's not just about the government imposing its will on the people.
"Its a test of leadership, to see how good our leaders are at harnessing and mobilizing the community and the resources to fight this virus. But its also a test of citizenship because, at the end of the day, government can make all the policies, all the mandates, all the recommendations, but the implementation at the ground level depends on each and anyone of us doing our share," David said. "So ideally, for us to get through this, we all have to be working together to make all the policies a hundred percent in effect."
David was among guests at the latest DPHSS weekly COVID-19 briefing.
She also said the unvaccinated residents would be the holes in a "shield" or protection against COVID-19.
"So if you think about it, the ones with no protection against omicron are the unvaccinated. And so if and when omicron gets here, into Guam, into our community, it is going to search and find the most vulnerable the unvaccinated," she said.
To date, only those 16 years old and older can get booster shots at least six months after getting the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or at least two months after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Ann Pobutsky, an epidemiologist with DPHSS, reported on Guam's COVID-19 trends for 2021 through Dec. 14, showing a continued decline in cases, hospitalizations and deaths after emerging from the delta-induced surges.
For the entire 2021, the 18- to 39-year-old age bracket was driving the COVID-19 case surges, Pobutsky said.
This age group is the least vaccinated, and also were likely to be the ones working and going to school and then come home to a family with members who still cannot and won't be able to get vaccinated, DPHSS officials said.
Pobutsky noted a dip in the cases involving the elderly, which she attributed to DPHSS reporting on dead-on-arrival cases that prompted senior citizens to get vaccinated.
"And so the case rate went down for the very old, went up again, but then it's the lowest, which is really good," she said.
The most recent COVID-19-related deaths involved unvaccinated individuals, and many were elderly.
"Again, during the surge, the unvaccinated (are) mainly driving it," Pobustky said. Infections among the unvaccinated will also continue, she said.
With omicron on the horizon, Pobutsky said DPHSS will monitor the number of hospitalizations and intensive-care cases.
If DPHSS starts seeing an uptick in hospitalization, then "we're gonna know something's going on in ICU," she said. "And of course deaths tend to lag all of these hospitalizations and ICU." A similar pattern occurred in 2020, she said.
40% of eligible get booster shots
More than 36,000 residents have received their booster shots, and that's about 40% of the eligible population, David said, citing a prior DPHSS presentation.
"There is still a ways to go, but if you look at that, compared to other states in the mainland, were in fact doing quite well, but we still need to push. Because you still want to get as many boosted as possible for the best protection of the community," she said.
At this point, local health experts are pushing for "full protection" that includes booster shots, rather than just promoting "full vaccination."
46 Guam samples sent to CDC, 10 to Hawaii
DPHSS spokesperson Janela Carrera said the department on Dec. 17 sent 46 new samples to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for genome sequencing, which would help confirm the omicron variant is already on Guam.
DPHSS also sent 10 samples to the Hawaii State Laboratory on Dec. 20, Carrera said, after the briefing.
Right now, it takes a month or more for the CDC to send the results of genome sequencing to Guam. Dr. Bob Leon Guerrero said DPHSS is also looking at sending samples to Hawaii, which could have a faster turnaround time.
By the time Guam confirmed from the CDC that the highly virulent delta variant was present on Guam in the summer, delta already was widely spread in the community, resulting in surges of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
A blatantly partisan report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis complains, among other things, that Donald Trump took some positions regarding the pandemic that were contrary to the advice of public health officials and other experts. In my view, this grievance was mostly untrue and, in cases where it had a foundation, isnt damning. I also wrote that I look forward to a House report from a GOP majority scrutinizing Bidens ineffective response to the pandemic.
Such a report might include the fact that, in the words of this Washington Post opinion piece, the Biden administration has sidelin[ed] vaccine experts.
The authors of the article are Philip R. Krause and Luciana Borio. Krause is a former deputy director of the FDAs office of vaccines research and review. Borio is a former acting chief scientist at the FDA.
They write:
The U.S. government, over the past few weeks, has made three important decisions on vaccines without consulting independent panels of experts. On Nov. 19, the Food and Drug Administration authorized boosters for all adults regardless of their job or any underlying health conditions. On Nov. 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that everyone 18 and above should get a booster shot, a revision of previous guidance that strongly recommended boosters only for those 50 and older. Then, on Dec. 9, the FDA authorized booster shots (of Pfizer) for 16- and 17-year-olds, moving the age of eligibility down from 18. Before last month, the standard practice was for the agencies to convene standing outside advisory committees, whose members inspect the relevant data, debate it and vote. That did not happen in these cases, meaning that the costs and benefits of these policy moves, from a medical perspective, were not fully aired publicly and discussed in advance. . . . We believe that much is lost when decisions like these are made without consulting outside experts whatever one believes about the merits of the policies in question.
(Emphasis added)
I agree. The Biden administration shouldnt feel bound by what outside experts say, but it should certainly hear their views, as has been the standard practice.
According to Krause and Borio, each of the vaccination decisions in question is controversial. For example:
Helen Branswell, a senior writer for the health and science publication STAT News, tweeted that the FDA had authorized Pfizer booster shots for 16- & 17-years olds, without asking its vax expert panel for advice. She added, This approach sidesteps what would likely have been lengthy discussion about myocarditis an uncommon side effect of the mRNA vaccines, which had drawn careful study in earlier steps of the approval process.
This renders laughable the FDAs question-begging explanation for not consulting outside experts that approving boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds does not raise questions that would benefit from additional discussion by committee members.
Thats bureaucratize for shut up, he explained.
Bidens unwillingness to receive input on vaccinations from those who, under standard procedure, normally provide it could undermine public confidence in the three important decisions cited by Krause and Borio. More generally, it undermines Bidens claim that his administration follows the science.
Cherry picks the science would be a more accurate characterization.
UPDATE: For more on Bidens cherry picking see this column by Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Im not saying that Elizabeth Warren is the dumbest person in public lifethere is a lot of competition for that titlebut lets just say she is having the worst week. First she accused Elon Musk of being a tax freeloader, just before he disclosed that he will pay $11 billion in taxes this year, more than any American in history, to Warrens slush fund the federal government. Next she blamed skyrocketing food prices on Big Grocery. Seriously:
Giant grocery store chains force high food prices onto American families while rewarding executives & investors with lavish bonuses and stock buybacks. I'm demanding they answer for putting corporate profits over consumers and workers during the pandemic. https://t.co/NvY2MKKJNP Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 20, 2021
This is almost beyond belief. The grocery store business is notoriously competitive and relatively unprofitable. David Harsanyi writes that average margins [come] in at a little over 2 percent, one of the lowest margins of any industry:
[T]o put the numbers in context, health-care-products companies saw 10.91 percent net profits last year; home furnishers saw 4.63; household-product makers saw 11.71; restaurants saw 5.69; home builders saw 9.04; and online retailers saw 4.95.
The idea that there is such a thing as Big Grocery is so laughably stupid that only a far-gone ideologue like Elizabeth Warren could take it seriously.
The broader point is that, according to the Democrats, we have suddenly been beset by a plethora of capitalist conspiracies, worthy of Chavez/Maduro Venezuela: Big Oil is responsible for exploding gasoline prices, auto companiesaccording to Warrenare to blame for rapidly rising vehicle prices, semiconductor companies (again, per the eternally clueless Ms. Warren) are behind the chip shortage, and so on.
It is hard to understand why all of these industries would conspire to raise prices at the same time, coincidingby coincidence, apparentlywith the Biden administrations wild money-printing and spending spree. Hard to explain, that is, if, like Elizabeth Warren, you dont know a damn thing about economics.
I think it would be premature to confer the Dumbest Person In Public Life award on Elizabeth Warren, but for the time being we certainly can finger her as the author of the Dumbest Attacks On a (Relatively) Free Economy of 2021.
Anthony Fauci says Fox News should fire Jesse Watters on the spot. Why? Because Watters told those attending Turning Point USAs AmericaFest conference that they should ambush Fauci with questions about the National Institutes of Health funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Watters said of the questioning he proposed:
Now you go in for the kill shot. The kill shot? With an ambush? Deadly. Because he doesnt see it coming.
Clearly, Watters wasnt advocating violence against Fauci. You cant kill or injure anyone with questions, as much as questions might hurt someones feelings.
Watters should have known better than to use words like kill shot and deadly. But the notion that he should be fired, or even disciplined, for what he said lacks merit.
Fox News agrees. It stated:
Based on watching the full clip and reading the entire transcript, its more than clear that Jesse Watters was using a metaphor for asking hard-hitting questions to Dr. Fauci about gain-of-function research and his words have been twisted completely out of context.
Fauci has a stronger grievance against Lara Logan. She compared Fauci to the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. Fauci then criticized Fox for not taking disciplinary action against her.
Logans comparison is obscene. I understand her purported basis for it. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Fauci heads, funded clinical trials of drugs on HIV-positive foster children decades ago without providing advocates to oversee each of these children, as the law in many states where the research was conducted required.
Still, to compare testing drugs on sick children during an epidemic with Mengeles experiments on children which involved torture and the eventual killing of the subjects to enable him to proceed with autopsies and comparative analysis of their internal organs is, as I said, obscene.
I can understand Faucis dismay that Fox News apparently hasnt disciplined Logan. But Democrats and their backers, including some in the media, sometimes compare Republicans, including Republican presidents, to Hitler or to German Fascists generally.
Its an unfortunate part of what passes for political discourse these days. I would hope that Fox News warned Logan against future obscene attacks on public figures, and maybe it has.
In the case of Watters, he should exercise a bit more self restraint in the future, but Fox News doesnt need to discipline him.
Yesterday in The Collins crock I took up the disgusting comments of now retired NIH head Francis Collins on FOX News Sunday. Today the Wall Street Journal comments on the substance of the emails disclosing the public relations campaign concocted by Collins and the fallacious Anthony Fauci to quash the Great Barrington Declaration. The Journal follows up in the excellent reported editorial How Fauci and Collins Shut Down Covid Debate. This is the heart of it (links omitted):
In public, Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins urge Americans to follow the science. In private, the two sainted public-health officials schemed to quash dissenting views from top scientists. Thats the troubling but fair conclusion from emails obtained recently via the Freedom of Information Act by the American Institute for Economic Research.
The tale unfolded in October 2020 after the launch of the Great Barrington Declaration, a statement by Harvards Martin Kulldorff, Oxfords Sunetra Gupta and Stanfords Jay Bhattacharya against blanket pandemic lockdowns. They favored a policy of what they called focused protection of high-risk populations such as the elderly or those with medical conditions. Thousands of scientists signed the declarationif they were able to learn about it. We tried to give it some elevation on these pages.
That didnt please the lockdown consensus enforced by public-health officials and the press. Dr. Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health until Sunday, sent an email on Oct. 8, 2020, to Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
This proposal from the three fringe epidemiologists . . . seems to be getting a lot of attention and even a co-signature from Nobel Prize winner Mike Leavitt at Stanford. There needs to be a quick and devastating published take down of its premises, Dr. Collins wrote. Is it underway?
These researchers werent fringe and neither was their opposition to quarantining society. But in the panic over the virus, these two voices of science used their authority to stigmatize dissenters and crush debate. A week after his email, Dr. Collins spoke to the Washington Post about the Great Barrington Declaration. This is a fringe component of epidemiology, he said. This is not mainstream science. Its dangerous. His message spread and the alternative strategy was dismissed in most precincts.
Dr. Fauci replied to Dr. Collins that the takedown was underway. An article in Wired, a tech-news site, denied there was any scientific divide and argued lockdowns were a straw manthey werent coming back. If only it were true. The next month cases rose and restrictions returned.
Dr. Fauci also emailed an article from the Nation, a left-wing magazine, and his staff sent him several more. The emails suggest a feedback loop: The media cited Dr. Fauci as an unquestionable authority, and Dr. Fauci got his talking points from the media. Facebook censored mentions of the Great Barrington Declaration. This is how groupthink works.
Kto szuka: Nordea Bank Abp SA Oddzia w Polsce Stanowisko: Senior Business Analyst FATCA CRS in Solution Delivery Numer referencyjny: 3871 Lokalizacja: odz odzkie
Opis stanowiska podany przez pracodawce:
Wymagania stawiane pracownikowi:
Would you like to be a part of Solution Delivery unit that is accountable for efficient end-to-end business change delivery to Finance & Treasury solutions?
We are now looking for a Business Analyst to drive changes by developing and improving solutions related Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act using the SAFe / Agile methodology. At Nordea, we see that the world is changing fast and we want to be one step ahead of the curve. Thats why were deeply committed to providing the financial solutions of tomorrow to our customers. Were creating an agile environment where we experiment and grow together and we need your ideas and unique background.
With us, youll be in good company with a chance to make your mark on something bigger.
About this opportunity
Welcome to the Soultion Delivery Competence Centre team. We add value by delivering change through common ways of working and enabling common information & reporting.
As Senior Business Analyst youll play a valuable role in projects with critical importance in the international finance industry. You will drive changes by developing new solutions or improving existing ones. Your focus will be on analysis of requirements, data flows and dependencies between different systems. Being the bridge between business and IT you will translate business needs into technical requirements towards IT.
What youll be doing:
Improving processes as Subject Matter Expert
Translating business requirements into technical requirements towards IT
Creating and sign-off of functional designs and data quality tests done in projects
Ensuring alignment to business architecture
Providing end-user support to stakeholders
Integrating tests and supporting stakeholders in acceptance tests
Accepting Data Quality checks and doing feature refinement.
The role is based in odz.
Who you are
Collaboration. Ownership. Passion. Courage. These are the values that guide us in being at our best and that we imagine you share with us.
To succeed in this role, we believe that you:
deep understanding of FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act)
stakeholder management
demonstrate excellent analytical skills and ability to analyze large data set
have excellent collaboration skills to work between business and IT, great presentation skills
are result-oriented, have strong drive to deliver and can-do approach
can easily adapt to changes
Your experience and background:
Masters in Finance, Banking, Mathematics, IT or experience in relevant area
English fluent business oriented
Experience:
FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) and CRS (Common Reporting Standard)
Interacting with business partners in order to understand their needs
Cooperation with IT
Financial or Capital and Risk reporting and analysis
Agile methodologies - SAFe
Knowledge of SQL
If this sounds like you, get in touch!
Firma oferuje:
Next steps
Submit your application no later than 08/01/2022. For more information, youre welcome to contact Mateusz Wiszniewski
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.
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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:
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Kontakt do pracodawcy:
Over the years, journalism practice has assumed the role of a watchdog of the society. In fact, most countries of the world that practice democracy have expressly obligated the Press, Radio, Television and other agencies of the mass media to perform that oversight function. In Nigeria, that responsibility is backed by the constitution where those agencies are tasked to, at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy.
This important assignment shows that the media industry is not just a player in the business sector to make profit. The social functions to be performed by media practitioners rank high up there in its bond with the society.
Under British rule in Nigeria, the Press was dominated by principled men who held the colonialists to account for several bad policies like racism, inadequate consultation of indigenous leaders over policies and taxation of women. The early practitioners used the press as scorpions to attack the oppressive colonial rule and agitate for equality, justice and independence. Victory won, the media became instruments employed to try to mobilize the country into a cohesive union. And when the Military botched democratic rule, the media led the charge to advocate against the Military in the fight for a return to democracy. In the course of that fight, the media got into bed with politicians, most of whom had stints as practitioners prior to their foray into politics.
For several decades, the practice thrived by performing its basic functions. Several awards were also instituted to celebrate outstanding professional performance. However, some ills, just like witnessed in other professions, creeped into the occupation to blight it. Issues like blowing minor events out of proportion, framing and slanting otherwise harmless issues and events negatively, scandal mongering, publishing of outright falsehood, stalking of public officials and business tycoons to extort from them, putting words into the mouths of people and manufacturing of ghosts as news sources to serve certain pre meditated ends reared up to dent the practice. Cub reporters assumed titles as publishers, editors, editors in Chief and news editors overnight. These ones paid scanty attention to learning and job experience. In addition, the rising incidents of subjectivity as against the demands of objective reportage, invasion of privacy, lack of balance in presentation of stories, fact twisting without care, disinclination for fact checking, and outright propaganda became regular fare.
The advent of social media have served to muddy the waters much more with operatives in the blogosphere on overdrive to outdo one another in outright lies and sensational reports.
It was an acknowledgement of this circumstance that made Ray Ekpu, one of Nigerias finest journalists to describe a tribe of social media functionaries as con artists. In a follow up, this writer christened them Digideots, referring to the idiotic pastime of ambushing people and nonsensical posts promoted by a lot of social media citizen journalists.
Even though the past two decades have witnessed an increase in the number of training schools and organizations to prepare operatives into the sector, a reality check throws up the need for soul searching by bodies like the Nigerian Press Organization to establish if, indeed, that group is truly watching the watch dogs.
For instance, in Akwa Ibom State, the state Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has 650 journalists in its register and these are spread into one government owned newspaper one government owned television house while others are scattered across 30 privately owned newspapers of which 17 are published sporadically ; guerrilla style. There are nine privately owned Radio stations and two privately owned television stations which compete for a share in readership, listenership and viewership. Nevertheless, it seems that the more the number of persons certificated, the deeper the murky waters with the ills submerging the higher ideals of the profession.
That is the slide which Udom Inoyo, erstwhile Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil Companies in Nigeria saw in his home state and he took a concrete step to checkmate the trend.
There are executives who, face to face with challenges, recoil and become overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the problems. In their frustration, they throw their hands up in surrender. They become a part of the trouble subsequently until the headache pounds severely and consumes them.
Not so with Mr Udom Inoyo, a lawyer, public administrator turned human resources expert. He is one of the few visionaries who explore transformative strategies to fix quagmire whenever he sees one in any sector.
In July, this year, during an interaction with a cross section of Members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Akwa Ibom State at their Press centre in Uyo, Mr Inoyo, now an Advisor to the Inoyo Toro Foundation endowed the Ray Ekpu prize for Investigative Journalism in the sum of N500, 000. 00k for the best Investigative journalist in Akwa Ibom State.
ALSO READ: PREMIUM TIMES journalist shines at African journalism awards
Apart from honoring Ray Ekpu, a foremost veteran from his state, Mr Inoyo considered that the award would enhance professionalism in the practice of Journalism in his state, empower the diligent and also motivate practitioners to lead the charge for a better society in line with the traditional role of the media.
Good journalism acts as a cleanser in the society. It sets agenda for transparency, accountability and serves as a bulwark against abuse of power.
In setting up the Ray Ekpu annual prize, Mr Inoyo moved to disrupt a sequence with which the vast majority of people had become hostage and seemed comfortable. By empanneling a crack team of assessors led by Mr. Nsikak Essien, a fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and former Editor of the defunct National Concord Newspaper which also includes Mr. Akpandem James, a former Managing Editor of Daily Independent Newspaper and a Member of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos among others in the crack team of experienced professionals in the industry, the Award seeks to promote Investigative Journalism as a genre to engender a more responsible society. When the pioneer winners emerged on December 10th in a colorful ceremony, the team received an applause for a job well done. The duo, who won, had collaborated to work on an investigation pointed to a new direction in the practice ; that of hard work and co-operation in an environment where a vast majority prefer to go it alone.
It is pertinent to point out that globally, governments and political officials have borne the the brunt of Investigative Journalism. Former United States of America President Nixon and Watergate exemplifies that drift. It is moreso in locations where government is the beginning and the end. Governments, government agencies and their officials would continue to attract the searchlight of Investigative Journalists, as moths to light, more than any other sector. It was in acknowledgement of this circumstance that Ini Ememobong, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Akwa Ibom State while speaking during the regional Investigative / Multimedia journalism training organized for South East and South South by Daily Trust Foundation urged the participants to look beyond government activities.
As the practice gains momentum and traction, corporate organizations, multinational oil companies and local operators in the sector, politicians, their parties, public functionaries, public Institutions the Armed Forces, police, customs, schools, traditional institutions, churches, criminals and other segments in the society would no longer have any place to hide or take their work for granted.
The fear of Investigative Journalism would encourage them to put more weight towards doing the right things.
In any case, the bigger picture is to promote total quality management in all facets of the public sphere.
The Ray Ekpu prize for Investigative Journalism for journalists in Akwa Ibom State would promote diligent practice in the long run and deprogram practitioners away from shallow gossips, pandering to vested interests, service as political agents, purveyors of miscommunication, lies, fighting private wars using their privileged media, blackmail, scare mongering journalism to a practice in the overall public interest.
The Ray Ekpu Award for Investigative Journalism endowed by Inoyo Toro Foundation is therefore another shot in the arm of Journalism practice in Akwa Ibom State. It has joined the ranks of the Pulitzer prize, Diamond Awards for Media Excellence, the Wole Soyinka prize in Investigative Journalism and several others such Awards.
This new Award further showcases the blue ocean mentality and transformative mindset of Mr Udom Inoyo. The retired ExxonMobil chieftain is not inclined to throw money at problems. He thinks through knotty issues painstakingly, takes deliberate steps to understand and analyze puzzles before taking steps to resolve them.
In the long run, the Ray Ekpu Award will become a win win for participating journalists, the journalism profession and the society at large.
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Dr. UDEME NANA, a Media Scholar is the Founder of Uyo Book Club.
A coalition of some Civil Society Organisations has asked the National Assembly to veto the president on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill or expunge the direct primaries clause from the bill.
The coalition stated this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
The organisations which signed the joint statement are Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), YIAGA Africa, International Press Centre (IPC), Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD), Albino Foundation, CLEEN Foundation, Institute for Media and Society (IMS) and Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF).
President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter to the two chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday conveyed his reasons for declining assent to the bill.
He cited security, financial and legal constraints as a result of mandatory direct primaries clause in the bill for declining assent, which was transmitted to him on 19 November after the two chambers passed the bill.
The CSOs demanded quick action by the lawmakers to save off-season elections such as Abuja Area Council elections , Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections, all which will be conducted by INEC next year.
The CSOs said the lawmakers have two options, to either trigger Section 58(5) of the 1999 Constitution which gives the lawmakers the power to override the presidents decision or remove the contentious clause (s) from the Bill and transmit the Bill back to the President for assent within the next 30 days.
They added that the National Assembly should ensure that all clerical, editorial, and cross-referencing gaps in the current Bill are resolved before transfering back to the President.
On the presidents delay before acting on the amendment bill, the CSOs described the action as disappointing, noting that relevant electoral stakeholders have spent enormous time and resources to put together the bill.
More disappointing is the fact that the President delayed his response until the effluxion of time required for assenting to legislation until the date that the National Assembly is proceeding for the Christmas and New Year holiday, the statement said.
The coalition said the rejection would not afford INEC the needed opportunity to put the new provisions of the bill to test before the general elections in 2023.
Successful conduct of any election is predicated on the certainty and clarity of the election legal framework, amongst other factors. This is to preclude any uncertainties that may occasion manipulation and subversion of the electoral process, the CSOs said.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives adjourned for the Christmas and New Year holidays after passing the 2022 budget, hence, the bill will have to wait till 2022 before any action would be taken on it.
The lower chamber is expected to reconvene on 18 January though the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, said it would
be willing to convene whenever the need arises.
At least 45 people were killed in renewed hostilities in Lafia, Obi and Awe local government areas of Nasarawa State, the presidency has said.
Details of the violence are still sketchy but President Muhammmadu Buharis spokesperson, Garba Shehu, described the 45 slain victims as farmers, thus indicating they may have been killed by armed herders.
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed grief over the heart-wrenching murder of 45 farmers and scores injured following renewed hostilities in Lafia, Obi and Awe Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State, Mr Shehu wrote in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.
President Buhari said the sympathies of the entire nation were with the affected families.
I assure the people with all seriousness and sensitivity that this administration is doing its best to safeguard the security of people and will leave no stone unturned in fishing out the perpetrators of this senseless and barbaric incident, and bring them to justice, the president was quoted as saying.
READ ALSO:
Mr Shehu said the president also expressed condolences to the government and people of Nasarawa State, and expressed satisfaction with the immediate response of the state government to the incident.
The latest killings in Nasarawa add to the worsening security situation across Nigeria.
Apart from killings and attacks on farming communities by armed, nomadic herders, attacks are also carried out by bandits who have killed hundreds of people, mainly in the North-west region in 2021.
Over 73 senators have indicated interest to override President Muhammadu Buharis veto of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, Rivers senator George Sekibo has said.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said signatures have been collected from the senators willing to override the president, and the signatures cut across party lines. Mr Sekibo of thesaid signatures have been collected from the senators willing to override the president, and the signatures cut across party lines.
He made this known in an interview with Channels Television at the close of plenary on Tuesday.
Why will Mr President say he doesnt want direct primaries? The country is not his limited liability company. This is a country and this is a chamber. So the Senate ought to override him.
By the law, we have the power to override him, in Section 58(4) and (5) of the Constitution. So, if the Constitution gives us the power to do so, we will use our powers to do itYes, we are compiling signatures. We have gotten more than 73 persons prepared to override the veto.
Yes, it cuts across party lines, he said.
The Senate will need at least two-thirds of its 109 members to vote in support of overriding the presidents veto if the matter is put to vote. The 73 senators Mr Sekibo talked about makes up the exact number that is required although he did not provide the names of the signatories.
It was Mr Sekibo who interrupted proceedings on Tuesday and asked that the Senate proceed into a closed-door session to discuss the presidents veto.
The lawmaker had raised a point of order stating the urgency of the Senate to make a decision on the matter before proceeding on the Christmas holiday.
It is my opinion that the Senate dissolves into a closed-door session and discuss it so that we can take appropriate decision on it before we go for our Christmas break. So, I submit that the Senate before we take the budget dissolves into committee of the whole in closed session to discuss it and take a decision, he said.
However, after the executive session which lasted for over half an hour, the Senate President did not disclose what transpired within. He simply adjourned plenary to Wednesday.
While it is certain that some lawmakers have agreed to override the presidents veto, it is not clear if the senators will make the move at Wednesdays plenary or wait till January 2022 when they resume from the end of the year break.
Buharis veto
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the president wrote to both chambers of the National Assembly, communicating his decision to reject the bill.
He cited insecurity and high cost of conducting direct primaries as his reasons for declining assent to the legislation. He also said it would infringe on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance and democracy.
The amendment as proposed is a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy, which is characterised by freedom of choices of which political party membership is a voluntary exercise of the constitutional right of freedom of association.
The conduct of direct primaries acrosswards will lead to a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties and increase in the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC. The indirect consequences of the issues of high cost and monetization are that it will raise financial crimes and constitute further strain on the economy.
It will also stifle smaller parties without the enormous resources required to mobilise all party members for the primaries It will also pose huge security challenges as the security agencies will also be overstretched, part of the letter read.
Mixed reactions
The presidents letter has stirred mixed reactions among Nigerians particularly governors and civic groups.
Already Benue and Ekiti State governors, Samuel Ortom and Kayode Fayemi, have applauded the president for rejecting the bill, describing the presidents decision as fair and letting all options apply in the inter-party elections.
On his part, a human rights lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, opposed Mr Buharis stance and called on the National Assembly to override the presidents veto of the bill.
A coalition of eight civil society groups expressed sadness and disappointment at the president for rejecting the bill.
In a statement sent PREMIUM TIMES, the groups said rejection of the bill undermines public confidence and trust in the electoral system.
More disappointing is the fact that the President delayed his response until the effluxion of time required for assenting to legislation until the date that the National Assembly is proceeding for the Christmas and New Year holiday, they said.
The statement was signed by Yiaga Africa, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), International Press Centre (IPC) and Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD).
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Others are the Albino Foundation, CLEEN Foundation, Institute for Media and Society (IMS) and Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF).
The groups also noted that the rejection of the bill will have serious implications for INEC as it prepares for the FCT Area Council election, the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, and ultimately the 2023 General Election.
The non-conclusion of the electoral amendment process will mean that these elections will be conducted using the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) denying INEC the opportunity to test the efficacy of some of the new innovations introduced in the proposed Electoral Bill 2021. This is apart from the delay the Commission will have to contend with in the required effort to review its guidelines, regulations and manuals in accordance with certain provisions of the Bill.
The groups therefore recommended that the National Assembly either override the presidents decision or remove the contentious clause(s) from the bill and transmit back to the president for assent within the next 30 days.
They also called on Mr Buhari to expeditiously assent to the revised bill upon receipt from the National Assembly. They urged civil society groups, media, and development partners to sustain the efforts to protect the will of the people and safeguard the electoral reform process from policy capture and manipulation.
The Senate on Wednesday passed the nations budget for the 2022 financial year after increasing the initial estimates by over N700 billion.
This comes 24 hours after their counterparts at the House of Representatives passed the budget.
The budget was increased from N16.4 trillion presented by President Muhammadu Buhari in October to N17.12 trillion. This shows an increase of over N700 billion.
The lawmakers increased the Oil Benchmark Price from $57 to $62 to reflect the current market values of the oil barrel in the international market.
Nigerias daily oil production rate was pegged at 1.86 million per barrel.
The budget was passed after the Senate considered and adopted the recommendations of the report of the Senate Committee on Appropriation presented by the chairman, Barau Jibrin (APC Kano).
In his presentation, the lawmaker recommended that N869.6 billion be approved for Statutory Transfers (a category into which the National Assembly budget falls).
He also informed the Senate that the deficit was increased by N98 billion to accommodate some other requests of national importance not provided for in the budget estimates and which could not be covered by the revenue increase.
Breakdown
The Senate passed the budget with the breakdown as follows:
Statutory transfer N869,667,187,542
Debt service N3,879,952,981,550
Recurrent (non-debt) expenditure N6,909,849,788,737
Capital expenditure N5,467,403,959,863
Mr Jibrin also explained that the committee observed the need for stimulation of the economy through increased capital expenditure, which will make for infrastructural development, in order to meet the yearnings of the people.
There was an increase in revenue to Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) and independent revenue of the MDAs by N400 billion as a result of the independent report received from the investigation carried out on all government agencies by the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) and the various committees of the National Assembly, in their oversight roles.
We recommend that the additional revenue increase be allocated to the agencies that came forward with additional financial report which was not provided for in the budget.
READ ALSO: 2022 budget scales second reading as Senate suspends plenary
These agencies include Works and Housing, INEC (for 2023 General Elections), Defence, National Population Commission (NPC) for 2022 Population Census, Agriculture and Rural Development, National Security Adviser (NSA), National Assembly (Constituency Outreach) Education, Humanitarian, Water Resourcesgiven that the requests will take care of critical infrastructural deficit for purposes of nations development improvement and acceleration.
Afterwards, the Senate dissolved into the Committee of Supply, then considered and passed the budget.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, commended his colleagues for restoring the budget cycle back to January to December.
He also commended them for their cooperation in passing the Petroleum Industry Act and the Electoral Amendment Bill.
We passed the electoral bill but we know there are some reservations, so we will look at it with the House of Representatives. I am sure that this Senate and the National Assembly has done a lot in legislative intervention.
I want to commend Nigerians, we take your advice. This National Assembly is for all Nigerians, he said.
Mr Buhari presented the 2022 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly on 7 October.
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President Muhammadu Buhari has formally presented Nigerias National Development Plan 2021-2025 which succeeds the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 2017-2020).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president presented the document to the public shortly before the commencement of the virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held at the council chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.
While presenting the document, the president was assisted by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State; as well as Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Ahmed, revealed that the new document replaced the Economic Recovery and Growth Programme.
She said: The NDP 2021-2025 is designed as our medium-term Development Plan to succeed the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 2017-2020), which ends in December 2020.
The ERGP 20172020 assisted the country to exit economic recession in 2017, and sustained modest growth until the recent global economic challenges occasioned by COVID-19 Pandemic.
The current challenges are products of many years of inappropriate policies, fiscal leakages and global economic phenomena.
This administration is taking necessary actions that will fundamentally change the structure of the economy and how government businesses are conducted for efficiency and effectiveness.
She said the plan would help Nigeria achieve robust development in the science and technology sectors.
The president graciously granted approval to my ministry in 2019 to develop a new national development plan to succeed both ERGP 2017-2020.
It is very important to note that the Plan is a pointer to the type of Nigeria we all desire and encourages the use of science, technology and innovation to drive growth, she added.
According to the minister, the NDP 2021-2025 will help Nigeria achieve its agenda at the continental and global levels.
I want to place on record that this Plan is sufficiently comprehensive with the capacity to accelerate the attainment of various regional and global Agendas, including the AU Agenda 2063, ECOWAS integration Agenda 2050 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
In order to have the future we all desire, the Plan is developed to play a sizable role in the product complexity space internationally and adopts measures to easing constraints that have hindered the economy from attaining its potentials, particularly, on the product mapping space.
The Plan provides for the implementation of major infrastructure and other development projects across the six geo-political zones and the opening up of opportunities for the rural areas to ensure balanced development and increased competitiveness, she said.
Others present at the event included Ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu; Power, Abubakar Aliyu; Justice, Abubakar Malami; Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, as well as Ministers of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, and Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba.
(NAN)
Armed persons Tuesday night attacked two villages in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State. Residents said at least seven people were killed in the attacks while some residents were kidnapped.
Lawal Mamman, a native of the area, who lives in Katsina town, told PREMIUM TIMES that the attacks commenced at about 9 p.m. He said the attacks occurred at Unguwar Ibrahim Maiwada and Kanon Haki villages.
They operated from around 9 p.m. to the early morning hours in the Unguwar Ibrahim Maiwada before they went to Kanon Haki on the Zaria Sokoto highway. My brother told me that he has seen the corpses of the five people killed in Kanon Haki while several others were injured, Mr Mamman said in a phone interview.
He said the whereabouts of six vigilante members who tried to confront the bandits could not be ascertained at the time of this report. But residents fear they have been killed by the bandits, he said.
A resident of Unguwar Ibrahim Maiwada told PREMIUM TIMES that two people were killed during the attack while five women were kidnapped.
What we learnt from the vigilante members that followed them was that they (bandits) divided themselves into two. While some returned to Kanon Haki to launch an attack, others went into the bush with the five women abducted, he said.
Efforts to reach the Katsina police spokesperson, Gambo Isa, were unsuccessful as he did not return calls nor reply to messages sent to him.
Attacks such as that of Tuesday night have become commonplace in Katsina State where terror groups, operating as bandits, attack communities at will. Other states suffering from similar attacks are Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger.
The attacks have continued despite the heavy deployment of security personnel to the region.
The Nigerian government requires an investment size of N348.1 trillion to achieve the targets set out in the National Development Plan 2021-2025, President Muhammadu Buhari said Wednesday in Abuja.
The president spoke at the formal launch and public presentation of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025, the successor to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), 2017- 2020, which lapsed in December 2020.
President Buhari explained that the overall target of the plan is to achieve a broad-based real GDP growth rate of 5 per cent on average during the period; generate 21 million full-time jobs; and through an inclusive growth, lift 35 million people out of poverty.
He added that this would set the stage for achieving the governments target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).
To achieve these, the president noted that out of the investment size of N348.1 trillion, the government is expected to provide N49.7 trillion or 14.3%, while the private sector would provide the balance of N298.3 trillion or 85.7%.
This implies that successful implementation of the Plan will require a strong partnership between the public and private sectors.
In this regard, a Development Plan Implementation Unit headed by the Vice President with the Honourable Minister of State, Budget and National Planning as the Vice-Chair will be established in the Budget and National Planning arm of the Ministry to ensure overall coordination with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies; sub-national governments; Private sector operators and Civil Society Organizations, he said.
The president recounted that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had on November 10, 2021, approved the Draft National Development Plan, 2021-2025, which is the first of the envisaged Medium Term development Plans to implement the Nigeria Agenda 2050.
The Plan, as a matter of deliberate efforts, is comprehensive and has the capacity not only to accelerate and sustain national development but also the attainment of various Regional and Global Agendas, including the AU Agenda 2063, ECOWAS Agenda 2050 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2030.
I have no doubt in my mind that with effective and sustained implementation, Nigeria will achieve quantum leap in unlocking its potentials in all sectors of the economy for a sustainable and inclusive national development, the President said at the presentation before the commencement of the weekly FEC meeting.
Commending the Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Leaderships of the National Steering Committee, the Central Working Group and the Technical Working Groups for the sacrifice and efforts in achieving this milestone, the President noted that the implementation of the ERGP not only helped the country to exit the 2016 economic recession but sustained a modest growth until the advent of the recent global economic challenges occasioned by the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The sustained implementation of the ERGP ensured execution of our social investment programmes and improvement in infrastructure across the country.
In order to ensure a seamless transition and continue the implementation of the policies, programmes and projects of government, it became necessary to prepare a successor Plan to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
I on September 9, 2020, therefore, inaugurated the National Steering Committee (NSC), co-chaired by the respected Mr. Atedo Peterside and the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. (Mrs) Zainab Ahmed.
Apart from the NSC the institutional arrangement for the preparation of the Plan also included; the Central Working Group (CWG), the Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and a strong Secretariat that supported the process.
The process adopted for the preparation of the Plan was not only participatory and consultative but also inclusive; involving all segments of the society such as; Key Political Parties; Government Agencies; Labour Unions; Youth Organizations; Civil Society Organizations; Women Society; Farmers Association; ALGON; Traditional and Religious Leaders and Representatives of People with Special Needs; and Development Partners, he said.
According to the President, the broad objectives of the Plan include the establishing a strong foundation for a concentric diversified economy with robust MSME growth and a more resilient business environment as well as investing in critical, physical, financial digital and innovation infrastructure.
The president added that the Plan is also expected to build a solid framework to strengthen security and ensure good governance while also enabling a vibrant, educated and healthy population.
The macroeconomic framework recognizes that sectors have differing potentials for growth and identified and leveraged on those sectors with the highest potentials for stimulating growth, he explained.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
December 22, 2021
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubais ruler, has been ordered by a UK family court to pay $734 million to his estranged wife, Haya Bint al-Hussein, and children.
According to Aljazeera, this is the largest financial award the UK family courts has ever seen.
Philip Moor, a London judge, ordered Mr Al Maktoum to pay Ms al-Hussein 251.5 million pounds within three months to cover security and lost items like jewellery and clothing.
He must also make annual payments of around 11 million pounds toward costs for his children while they are in education, which will be secured by a 290 million-pound bank guarantee, the judge ruled. The remaining millions account for backdated sums and a learning fund.
This would provide the princess with a clean break from the sheikh following their divorce, Judge Philip Moor said in a ruling published Tuesday.
He said the Dubai ruler, who did not give evidence in the case, has brought the unusually high award for security on himself, after another judge found that he ordered the hacking of phones belonging to her and her legal team.
The total amount the sheikh will have to pay to his family is likely to be much higher because of annual security costs he must pay directly to his children after they complete their education.
The sheikh said in a statement that he has always ensured that his children are provided for.
Lawyers for Ms Haya declined to comment on the ruling.
Londons family courts have been a popular destination for high-value legal fights, with judges typically prepared to order a more equal share of a couples assets.
Before Tuesdays decision, the largest publicly known judge-ordered award in a divorce was 450 million pounds to the wife of billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov though the two settled with a payment of less than one-third of that amount.
Under Siege
Over the past two years, Londons courts have played host to a number of explosive allegations and rulings concerning the Dubai royal family.
Ms Haya said during the case that she was under siege, and that the sheikhs surveillance of her could not be more intrusive and distressing, according to the ruling.
The only claim for financial provision she made for herself was for security and some lost personal possessions.
The case has also revealed the lavish spending enjoyed by middle-eastern royalty.
As part of the settlement, Judge Moor awarded the family over 5 million pounds a year to spend on vacations, including for flights on private jets. There is nearly 300,000 pounds annually to cover the upkeep of their horses and other pets and even 39,000 pounds to install two trampolines.
Ms Haya said during the hearing that her reliance on periodical payments would put incredible additional pressure on the family because they will be living always under the shadow of possible litigation. Judge Moor ruled that she can be trusted with the lump-sum awarded to her.
He acknowledged the truly opulent and unprecedented standard of living enjoyed by these parties in Dubai and said he had to reach a conclusion as to what is reasonable while remembering that the exceptional wealth and remarkable standard of living enjoyed by these children during the marriage takes this case entirely out of the ordinary.
Four students of the University of Calabar, Cross River State, have been suspended for allegedly beating up another student.
The victim, Christian Emmason, was allegedly beaten up at the Special Scholarship Hostel, resulting in the destruction of some university properties in the hostel.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Florence Obi, announced the suspension of the students in a letter dated December 20 and signed by the University Registrar, Gabriel Egbe.
The suspended students are Ebube Emmanuel of the Department of Social Works, Mbang Esther of the Department of Accountancy, Omini Linus of the Department of Law, and Ejumundo Oghenefejiro of the Department of Medical Laboratory Science.
The suspension is sequel to a report received by the Vice-Chancellor on November 20, that Miss Emmanuel mobilised three of her friends to beat up the student.
The action contravenes 5:12 of the Student Handbook and (is) not acceptable to the present administration, the registrar said in the letter of suspension.
The suspension takes effect from the 2021/2022 academic session.
The students are warned to stay away from campus and ensure that they appear before the Students Disciplinary Committee whenever they are invited to defend themselves, the letter added.
Bullying in Nigerian schools has dominated public discourse recently because of the death of a 12-year-old student, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, of Dowen College, Lagos.
The parents of the late student said he was assaulted by senior students of the school for allegedly refusing to join a secret cult in the school.
(NAN)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has arrested 226 suspects in connection with drug trafficking in Ebonyi State between January and December 2021.
Isa Adoro, the NDLEA commander in the state, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.
Mr Adoro said the suspects comprise 192 males and 34 females and are within the ages of 13 and 75.
The commander also said that 12,241 tramadol/100mg capsules, amounting to 4.777kg, were seized during the period.
He said other illicit drugs seized during the period included diazepam, Flunitrazepam, Pentazocine injection, Lignocaine, Methamphetamine and Cannabis sativa.
Mr Adoro assured the public that the agencys operatives in the state are committed to fighting drug abuse and trafficking.
He said that in 2020, 231 arrests were made while 591.014kg of drugs were seized, compared to the 226 arrests and 4.777kg seizure in 2021.
The fight against drug abuse and trafficking should not be left in the hands of the NDLEA alone, parents should always monitor their children.
We are working with the state government and other stakeholders to tackle drug abuse, including the abuse of methamphetamine, popularly known as mkpurummiri, he said.
(NAN)
The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for giving the country a new National Development Plan.
Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State made the commendation on behalf of his colleagues while fielding questions from State House correspondents shortly after public presentation of the document on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Mr Bagudu, the Development Plan 2021-2025 is all inclusive and will help the country consolidate on the gains of previous ones.
He said: Well, let me just clarify that Im here to represent the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, who was unavoidably absent.
We congratulate the president for inaugurating the 2021-2025 Development Plan as ably introduced by the Minister of National Planning.
We have an economic recovery growth plan that expires in 2020, which has achieved the objective of, among others, helping Nigeria exit twice from recession.
And now we have a plan in place for 2021-2025 that is further aimed principally at ensuring that the gains have been consolidated and Nigerians are being continuously included.
This government more than any other has taken deliberate, active steps to include all economic groups and support them more than has ever been done in order that they achieved their economic objectives, in order that the countrys economy continue to provide for all and we will witness more prosperity.
And we congratulate and Im sure all of us in the 36 states and FCT are very happy, he said.
The governor also confirmed that all the states were duly consulted at all stages of producing the plan.
We were consulted by some of us who were members of the various committees.
Its a consultative programme and we appreciate both the President and the Vice President as under them, particularly the National Economic Council, the major economic decision-making body of the federation, it has been quite inclusive and is not a monologue, states are being given the pride of place, he added.
On recently reported bandits attack in some villages in Kebbi State, the governor said that security agencies were on top of the situation, and called on Nigerians to be cautious about security issues.
I think Nigerians. we have to be contextual about security issues. We are part of the human race and as long as the problem is not solved, anywhere, you cannot escape it sometimes.
Many gains have been made, that is the thing but there will always be that isolated or sporadic issue somewhere, what is important is for us to strengthen each other.
Strengthen our communities, support our communities, support our security agencies, support measures that will ensure that we will dominate rather than those who do not wish us well, he said.
On the chances of his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) to retain power in 2023, Mr Bagudu was emphatic that the party would soar high.
First, let us know that the distinction between democracy and possibly other forms of government is that there will be differences of opinions and the hope that such differences of opinions will from time to time bring out the best or move society forward.
We have been a party that recognises that there will never be one voice. And we dont pray that there will be one voice.
We pray that people should be able to express themselves, come up with different ideas, even when they conflict those ideas within the systems created by the democracy sit and iron them out.
To suggest that because there is dissent or differences in opinions, that it will affect the portion of our party, I think that is quite far-fetched.
We are a party that recognises that for us to continue to deliver, we must debate, we must compete, and we must bring ideas to government.
But mind you, remember that particularly in the last two years under the current caretaker committee Chairman, Mai-Mala Buni, three serving governors, one serving deputy governor, a number of serving senators, and members of the National Assembly have joined the party.
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And that is the best evidence that this party is continuing to deliver on the promises we made to Nigerians under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.
(NAN)
Modupe Alakija, the husband of billionaire businesswoman, Folorunsho Alakija, has given more insight into an alleged assault involving him and a member of the Ikoyi Club, which led to his (Alakijas) suspension from the club.
In a letter addressed to the Honorary Secretary of the club, Bamidele Ibironke, dated October 27, Mr Alakija said the other member, Ashish Gajarr, videoed him without his consent, which constituted a violation of his rights.
The club had earlier released a notice of Mr Alakijas suspension from December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2022.
The above-named member of the Club is hereby placed on a one year suspension from the Club for physically assaulting and abusing a fellow member, conduct injurious to the interest of the Club, thereby violating Rule 9(C) of the Clubs Rule Book, the suspension notice reads.
Mr Alakija, who objected to the allegations, said it is a criminal matter that the committee set up by the club had no power to try.
My story
Mr Alakija said evidence had been given to the committee that he came into the premises of the club on the aforementioned date with his police escort.
He said the police escort did not step into the club premises because he (escort) only opened the door of his car in front of the club house and drove off.
On entering the Club house, I observed all the protocols including the wearing of a mask.
There was a friendly discussion between the protocol staff and I on whether an officer of the Nigerian Police Force duly empowered and armed under an extant law lof the National Assembly could be stopped from entering any premises in Nigeria, except certain parts of airports and airplanes.
My mask was taken off while having the said debate with the protocol staff. All these took place at the entry point and not in any other part of the Club House, he said.
Mr Alakija said Mr Gajarr, without knowing the subject of the debate and without showing any form of decorum, with all arrogance, rudely and crudely shouted at me, to put on my mask.
In reply to his crude and unethical manner, I told him to f**k off and mind his business, Mr Alakija said.
He said Mr Gajarr violated his right to privacy, by using his phone to record him without his consent and or permission.
On his refusal to delete the photos as I demanded, I decided to hold on to his shirt,
in order to stop him from absconding and taking my pictures away with him.
Mr Alakija said he took this action because his photograph might end up in the hands of kidnappers or assassins, which will forfeit the reason the Inspector-General of Police gave him an escort to prevent kidnap.
Mr Alakija said it was necessary to stop the complainant from going away with his photographs.
The complainant in his letter admitted that he knew that the Club had its own CCTV but being a busy-body, and in gross violation of my constitutionally guaranteed right decided, out of his gross disregard for the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to carry out his illegal act, he said.
Mr Alakija said he has filed a suit at the High Court against the complainant, for the court to grant him relief for the breach of his constitutional right.
He said action by the committee is now subjudice as he has served Mr Gajarr with a notice of intention to commence legal proceedings.
Premium Times reported how Mr Alakija reportedly assaulted a member of the club whom he accused of disrespecting him. This led to a scuffle between the duo and disruption of peace within the club.
Mr Alakijas wife is Nigerias first female billionaire, and the founder of Famfa Oil. An oil mogul, Mrs Alakija made the Forbes Black Billionaires List in 2019, with a net worth of $1.1 billion.
Mr Alakija is the chairman of Famfa Oil, a company founded by his wife.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said the National Assembly would decide the fate of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill upon resumption from the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The lower chamber adjourned for the holidays after it received a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari declining assent to the Electoral Bill transmitted to him 30 days ago.
Following days of speculation on the bill, Mr Buhari had on Tuesday conveyed his decision to decline assent to the bill due to the controversial direct primaries clause in the bill.
Shortly after reading the presidents letter, Mr Gbajabiamila, in his end of the year remarks, said the lawmakers will do their duty for country and God.
Despite calls on the lawmakers to override the president, Mr Gbajabiamila, who introduced the direct primaries clause into the bill, said the parliament will not throw away the baby with the bathwater.
He said the direct clause was included because we hoped will significantly enhance the conduct of our national elections and improve public confidence in our electoral outcomes.
As it is now, that bill has not received presidential assent, and it falls to parliament to decide the best way forward.
When we return in the new year, we will resume our efforts to reform the electoral system in our country. And we will do it together. That is what the Nigerian people expect of us, and we will do our duty for God and country.
Whichever way it pans out, we must not throw out the baby with the bathwater and must deliver a credible and enduring electoral system to Nigerians. Every law is a living document and as long as it has breath, it must survive, he said.
In his comment, the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta) urged the House to amend the bill by expunging the direct primaries and send back the bill to the president.
He argued that the House cannot afford to wait till January to reconsider the bill.
I am begging this House that we can suspend our rules, and immediately look at that talk about direct primaries. We can amend it, we still have enough time today. We can amend that clause and return it to Mr President before we adjourn for recess, Mr Elumelu said.
Reacting to the plea, Mr Gbajabiamila said the urgency will be futile.
He explained that the Senate would have to concur with whatever amendment done by the House since Nigeria operates a bicameral legislative system.
Direct Primaries
Direct primary election is the mode of election where registered members of a party vote for who they want to be the candidate of their party.
Indirect primary election is the mode where delegates, including government appointees, elect a partys candidates.
Mr Gbajabiamila, who moved the amendment that brought direct primary clause into the Electoral Bill, has been at the forefront of advocating for the clause.
In his letter, Mr Buhari cited legal, financial and security consequences for rejecting the bill
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of a total of 8,204 senior officers across the board nationwide.
Austine Braimo, the Commissioner, Representing the Media in the Commission, told a news briefing that the approvals were granted at the commissions 13th Plenary Meeting held on Monday and Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that two Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) were promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), while six Commissioners of Police (CPs) were promoted to the rank of AIG.
Mr Braimo said that 17 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) were promoted to the rank of CP, while 24 Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) were promoted to the rank of DCPs.
He said the two newly promoted DIGs are Zaki Ahmed and Johnson Kokumo.
Mr Braimo said Mr Ahmed was promoted to cover the vacant duty post that was created following the retirement of Tijjani Baba in October.
According to him, Mr Kokumo will be filling the gap left by the retirement of David Folawiyo who retired in November.
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Mr Braimo said the newly promoted AIGs were Buba Sanusi, Ndatsu Mohammed, Bello Dalijan, Sahabo Yahaya, Akingbola Olatunji, and Hakeem Odumosu.
The commissioner said the 17 newly promoted CPs were Josephine Anyasinti; Rhoda Olofu, Godwin Aghaulor; Effiom Emmanuel Stanley Ude; Charles Mozie and Tajudeen Bakare.
Others newly promoted CPs were Longe Patrick; Samuel Emmanuel, Faleye Olaleye, Yetunde Longe, Haruna Garba, Tajudeen Wale Abass, Rex Dundun, Ambrose Onah, Durosinmi Olatoye and Ndu Anene.
Braimo said 49 Chief Superintendents of Police (CSP) were promoted to the rank of ACPs and 74 Superintendent of Police (SPs), promoted to the rank of CSP.
He said 866 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) were promoted to the rank of SPs while 7,166 Assistant Superintendents of Police 11 (ASP11) were confirmed to ASP1.
(NAN)
Traders at the Kofar Wambai market in Kano Wednesday morning protested against the erection of more shops by the Kano government.
The protesters, who converged at the Sani Buhari line of the market, defied multiple gunshots by security officials who shot into the air to disperse them.
One of the market leaders, Ibrahim Yakasai, told reporters that they woke up to see the foundation of the new shops that were laid overnight. He said the new structures blocked some routes and access to existing shops in the market.
Mr Yakasai said the new buildings will not be allowed because they would compound the existing problem of congestion and make movement of customers difficult.
We gathered here registering our dismay but the government deployed masked security agents shooting in the air to scare us but we resisted.
Nobody in his right senses will think of erecting a building here. We are very sure the governor is not aware of this or he was misled by desperate officials trying to make money at all cost, Mr Yakasai said.
Other protesters used derogatory terms to castigate the government.
The phone contacts of the Kano police spokesperson, Haruna Kiyawa, did not connect Wednesday morning. Likewise that of the government spokesperson, Muhammad Garba.
The Senate will consult the House of Representatives on how to respond to President Muhammadu Buharis veto of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has said.
Mr Lawan said the consultation with their counterparts at the House is necessary according to the constitutional provisions.
He made this known at the start of the plenary on Wednesday. His announcement was a sequel to a closed-door session, which lasted for about an hour.
The Senate, in a closed session, discussed the way forward on how the Senate will respond to the letter from Mr president on the Electoral Amendment Bill.
The Senate consequently resolved to consult with the House of Representatives in January when both chambers will be in session.
Presently, the House of Reps has gone on recess and we all know the constitutional provision is for the Senate and the House to jointly take the appropriate action, he said.
He said the Senate also resolved to consult their constituents during the holiday.
The Senate believes that our constituents have a role to play as major stakeholders in the laws that we make in the National Assembly, Mr Lawan added.
Mr Buhari had written to both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday, communicating his decision to reject the bill.
He cited insecurity and the high cost of conducting direct primaries as his reasons for declining assent to the legislation. He also said it would infringe on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance and democracy.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that over 73 senators had indicated interest to override the presidents veto of the bill.
Rivers State senator, George Sekibo, had said the signatures collected from the senators willing to override the president cut across party lines.
By the law, we have the power to override him, in Section 58(4) and (5) of the Constitution. So, if the Constitution gives us the power to do so, we will use our powers to do it Yes, we are compiling signatures. We have gotten more than 73 persons prepared to override the veto, he said.
He had, on Tuesday, asked the Senate to discuss the presidents veto, urgently.
The Senate will need at least two-thirds of its 109 members to vote in support of overriding the presidents veto if the matter is put to the vote.
This means the 73 senators make up the exact number that is required.
The Jigawa State Governor, Muhammad Badaru, on Wednesday, assented to the Child Protection Bill and the state 2022 Appropriation Bill.
The two bills were assented to by the governor a day after they were passed by the state house of assembly.
The governor presented the appropriation bill to lawmakers on November 10.
The 2022 appropriation bill tagged, Budget of Consolidation for Sustainable Economic Development amounted to N177.7 billion.
Speaking at the ceremony at Government House, Dutse, Mr Badaru said that signing the two laws was a double pleasure and great progress made.
Its a double pleasure to sign both the 2022 Appropriation Bill and the child protection law, this is a great milestone.
We thank the speaker, the lawmakers for the remarkable progress. Laws were passed usually in February, sometimes at the middle of the year, but now we are passing laws in December and (will) start implementation on January 1, Mr Badaru said.
On the child protection law, the governor said the law had been on the table for many years but that by Gods grace, it had been assented to today.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the assembly passed the bill to protect children from abuse. It, however, said the legislation will not regulate the age of marriage for Muslim children.
This is coming a few weeks after stakeholders across Africa gathered in Niamey, Republic of Niger, to adopt measures aimed at reinforcing the already adopted protocols to protect African girls from abuse such as female genital mutilation and early child marriage.
The Jigawa law titled; Child Protection Law, defines a child as a person below the age of 18 and seeks to enhance the welfare of children in the state and maximise requisite care and protection for children.
The bill also seeks to offer higher protection to the vulnerable in society and raise the status bar of cherished societal norms and values.
With the enactment of the law, Jigawa has joined other states in the North-west region that had taken similar steps. The states are Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto.
Kano and Zamfara States are yet to do so.
The Nigerian armed forces have announced the promotion of a total of 235 senior military officers across the three services.
Spokespersons of the three forces, Edward Gabkwet (Air Force), Onyema Nwachukwu (Army) and Suleiman Dahun (Air Force), disclosed this in separate statements obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday.
According to Mr Gabkwet, the Air Force promoted 29 air vice marshals, 31 air commodores and concessional promotion to six airmen.
Those who benefited from the concessional commission are one air warrant officer (AWO) and 5 master warrant officers (MWO) who were elevated to the rank of flight lieutenant.
Mr Gabkwet said, the Concessional commission is usually reserved for Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) at the twilight of their career years in reward for hard work and in recognition of meritorious service to the Nation.
On the side of the Navy, 21 commodores were promoted to the rank of to rear admirals and while 36 captains were elevated to the rank of commodore.
Mr Nwachukwu said the army promoted 41 brigadier generals to the rank of major general, while 76 colonels were also elevated to the rank of brigadier general.
Notable amongst those promoted in the army are Bernard Onyeuko, the coordinator of Defence media operations, who was promoted to the rank of major general.
Read full statements:
NIGERIAN ARMY PROMOTES SENIOR OFFICERS
The Army Council has on Tuesday the 21st of December 2021, approved the promotion of senior officers to the ranks of Major General and Brigadier General respectively. A total of 41 Brigadier Generals were meritoriously promoted to the enviable rank of Major General, while 76 Colonels were also elevated to the rank of Brigadier General.
Amongst those promoted to the rank of Major General include Brigadier General CU Onwunle Director, Directorate of Army Data Processing Lagos, Brigadier General M Danmadami Research Fellow/Subject Expert, Indian Sub-Continental at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre Abuja, Brigadier General OJ Akpor, Director Military Training Nigerian Defence Academy, Brigadier General UT Musa of the Department of Administration Army Headquarters Abuja, Brigadier General AA Eyitayo, Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division/ JTF NE Operation HADIN KAI Maiduguri, Borno State. Others are Brigadier General V Ebhaleme of Defence Space Administration Abuja, Brigadier General LT Omoniyi of Department of Civil Military Affairs Abuja and Brigadier General NU Muktar Acting Director of Procurement at the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, Army Headquarters Abuja amongst others.
Those promoted to Brigadier General include, Colonel O Adegbe Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command Minna, Colonel AA Babalola Headquarters 3 Division, Colonel NN Orok of Defence Headquarters, Colonel MO Ibrahim Army War College Nigeria, Col BO Omopariola Commander 25 Task Force Brigade, Colonel UV Unachukwu Army War College Nigeria, Colonel OAO Ojo Headquarters Nigerian Army Signals Lagos and Col HI Dasuki of the Forward Operating Base, Ngamdu, Borno State amongst others
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya congratulates all the promoted officers and their families, and urges them to redouble their effort to justify the confidence reposed in them by the NA.
ONYEMA NWACHUKWU
Brigadier General
Acting Director Army Public Relations
22 December 2021
AIR FORCE COUNCIL APPROVES PROMOTION OF 29 AIR VICE MARSHALS, 31 AIR COMMODORES AND GRANTS CONCESSIONAL COMMISSION TO 6 SENIOR NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
The Air Force Council (AFC) has approved the promotion of a total of 60 senior officers comprising 29 Air Vice Marshals (AVMs) and 31 Air Commodores (Air Cdres) to the next higher ranks in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). The Council also approved the concessional commission of an Air Warrant Officer (AWO) and 5 Master Warrant Officers (MWO) to the rank of Flight Lieutenant. Concessional commission is usually reserved for Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) at the twilight of their career years in reward for hard work and in recognition of meritorious service to the Nation.
The senior officers promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal include Air Cdres Precious Amadi, Nnamdi Ananaba, Abubakar Abdulkadir, Anthony Ndace, Usman Abdullahi, Eneobong Effiom, Iboro Etukudo, Abubakar Abdullahi, Sunday Aneke, Nnaemeka Ilo, Adeniyi Amesinlola, Ebimobo Ebiowe, Micheal Onyebashi, Emmanuel Shobande, Sayo Olatunde, Francis Edosa, Ahmed Shinkafi, Bashiru Mamman and Halim Adebowale. Others are Ahmed Bakari, Framah Batnah, Adeniran Ademuwagun, Lanre Oluwatoyin, Titus Dauda, Olufemi Ogunsina, Paul Masiyer, Nkem Aguiyi, Abidemi Marquis and Oluwafemi Ogunmola.
Those promoted from the rank of Group Captain to Air Commodore are Gp Capts Chukwuedo Illoh, Bamidele Amuda, Samson Adelakun, Hadi Ahmed, Abiodun Oyekunle, Caleb Olayera, Idorenyin Bassey, Philip Kwasau, Mohammed Omar, Ayodele Akinbuwa, Emeng Imoke, Luqman Lawal, Shaibu Buhari and Ehimen Ejodame. Others include Mohammed Lawal, Idowu Ayo, Emmanuel Ola, Ewejide Akintunde, Elisha Bindul, Dogo Gani, Edmond Oluokun, Akeem Adebomehin, George Akinyimika, Mohammed Garba, Oladimeji Almaroof, Gowon Sule, Ifeanyi Azubuike, Hamisu Usman, Adebanjo Adeosun, Sabir Adeyanju and Halima Musa who is the only female officer on the list. The SNCOs granted concessional Commission to the rank of Flight Lieutenant include Air Warrant Officer Adole Abraham, Master Warrant Officers Liman Musa, Akinwale Olayinka, Akpabio Josephine, Nwojiji Okemini and Isa-Kaita Aminu.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, on behalf of officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF, heartily congratulates the newly promoted senior officers and SNCOs, while urging them to see the elevation as an impetus to re-dedicate themselves towards effective and efficient service delivery especially in todays era of joint force employment. The newly promoted senior officers will be decorated with their new ranks at a later date.
Edward Gabkwet
Air Commodore
Director of Public
Relations & Information
Nigerian Air Force
22 December 2021
The Nigerian government on Wednesday destroyed 1,066,242 doses of expired Oxford-Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccines.
The executive director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this while addressing journalists before the destruction at the Idu dumpsite in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Mr Shuaib said the expired vaccines were withdrawn from states in the country.
The executive director said; These vaccines did not expire before we decided to withdraw them and today is an opportunity for Nigerians to have further faith in our vaccination programme.
We had the option if we were to take the advice of some experts to try and use these vaccines even beyond the label expiry date, but working together with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), we took that decision to destroy these vaccines at the point that they got expired.
He said the government took the action not only to safeguard the health of Nigerians but to also engender trust in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
AstraZeneca vaccines
AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored safely in refrigerated conditions for up to six months. But some of these vaccines are given with a short shelf life before expiration, hence countries struggle to administer them.
Nigeria is not the first African country to publicly destroy its expired vaccines.
Many thousands of vaccines doses have been destroyed in other countries because they exceeded their expiry dates. Others are being returned by countries saying they will be unable to use them before they expire.
Malawi was the first country to destroy over 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines, followed by South Sudan which destroyed almost 60,000 doses.
Both countries had received these vaccines from the African Union but had not been able to administer them by their expiry date or April 13, 2021.
African countries like Liberia, Mauritania, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also destroyed some expired COVID-19 vaccines.
Collaboration
Meanwhile, speaking at the event, the director-general of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, said as part of the mandate of the agency, it had taken up the responsibility of destroying the expired COVID-19 vaccines.
Mrs Adeyeye noted that Nigeria was the only country with a unique immunisation programme.
What we are witnessing today is a continuous unfolding of the fact that the best is for all Nigerians because Nigerians deserve the best in terms of quality of medicines and vaccines, she said.
She explained that when the vaccines got into the country, it was delivered to the NPHCDA which is the marketing authorisation holder.
They are the ones that received it because it is their primary job to immunize the country. However, we have been working night and day together.
And what he said about the vaccines coming with short expiration dates pose a challenge to us as a country, she said.
If more of us understand how structural oppression of one group affects us all, we would collaborate more effectively to make the world fairer and ultimately safer for all. We need people in government who understand that until women and girls are given equal rights, opportunities and protection, especially in education and health, Nigeria will continue to struggle.
A week ago, as we celebrated the anti-sexism theories of bell hooks, who understood as black women do, the personal and collective loss of denying people their humanity, the Nigerian Senate was setting aside for the third time, a gender and equal opportunities bill. The bold and sexist reasoning provided by the Senate 14 months to the general election is an indication of at least two things: Womens votes are not valued and Nigeria does not have the legislative leadership required to improve.
The denial of womens full humanity is older than Nigerias most threatening challenges but the relationship between them is tightly woven. Three interconnected problems besieging the country today insecurity, unemployment and poor governance are tied to the well nurtured traditions of oppressing women and girls and denying them equal opportunities and protection in the name of culture and religion.
A little over a decade ago, as Boko Haram morphed from being a group of men disgruntled with the vices of the power class, to a terrorist cell, a 2010 UNDP report on human development described Sub-Saharan Africa as having the highest incidence of multidimensional poverty. West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger were the worst, with Nigeria not far behind, ranked at 142 out of 169 countries. 10 years later, Nigeria has dropped three places.
Efforts to dilute and compliment government machoism with the recommended 35 per cent women in the legislature, required to promote more gender balanced law and policy making, have not been effective. The highest ratio of women in the National Assembly since 1999 has been 7.6 per cent, between 2007 and 2011. Today, it is 4 per cent. The lack of adequate representation and a strategic nation-building capacity is why it took over a decade to pass the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) act.
Research has established the connection between girl education, forced child marriages and Nigerias birth rate of 5.3 children per woman. This translates to five million births the total population of Palestine added to our population each year; in two to three decades, estimates are that Nigerias population will be third only to China and India. 33.3 per cent of Nigerias labour force is unemployed. This means every day, 26,600,000 Nigerians more than the entire population of Cote dIvoire wake up with nothing to do. People will eat, one way or another, and the six million small arms and light weapons that are reported to be in circulation will get them their daily bread.
Nigerias government is male dominated and oriented, paternalistic and largely ineffective on human development and safety. The ready army of unemployed and unemployable youth are from the cohort of out-of-school children, one of the highest rates in the world. Those aged 12-18, who were out of school in 2015, are now 18-24 and in fine crime form and the children out of school today, displaced by a mix of the pandemic, poverty and insecurity, will be ready to surge in 2028. It is an indication of a lack of capacity to govern that the executive and legislators do not realise that there is no sustainable military solution to Boko Haram and privatised violence. The pacification of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, SARS and armed robbers might be the easiest part. The difficult part will be building an economically and socially equitable society that will keep them, and the millions coming into adulthood each year, away from trading in violence.
Efforts to dilute and compliment government machoism with the recommended 35 per cent women in the legislature, required to promote more gender balanced law and policy making, have not been effective. The highest ratio of women in the National Assembly since 1999 has been 7.6 per cent, between 2007 and 2011. Today, it is 4 per cent. The lack of adequate representation and a strategic nation-building capacity is why it took over a decade to pass the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) act. Six years later, the same ilk can impose their personal beliefs and culture on a country of 200 million individuals.
Nigeria ranks 27th out of 53 African countries on the World Banks 2020 Global Gender Gap Index and if legislators have given any thought to sustainably addressing the complex challenges, they would know that by ensuring that girls are educated and remain unmarried until the age of 18, we can disrupt the disastrous conflation of jobless youth, unchecked population growth, exploding insecurity and collapse of governance.
The situation persists because women and girls have not harnessed any political capital. The disinterest of the leading opposition party to make political hay from the rejection of the GEO Bill by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Senate is telling, especially since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) incorporated the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women in its party constitution. Despite being the party of the president who signed VAPP into law and had the highest number of women in cabinet, not even the national woman leader has issued a statement distancing PDP from December 15. Soon the parties will begin to campaign as progressives and advocates for empowered (but not equal) women. They will expect women to be swayed by election incentives free party forms and deputy governor positions that are largely ceremonial. In the name of pragmatism, women will accept, arguing that they must remain nourished for the struggle but this argument wears thin in the face of data on the declining political, social and economic wellbeing of women.
Nigeria ranks 27th out of 53 African countries on the World Banks 2020 Global Gender Gap Index and if legislators have given any thought to sustainably addressing the complex challenges, they would know that by ensuring that girls are educated and remain unmarried until the age of 18, we can disrupt the disastrous conflation of jobless youth, unchecked population growth, exploding insecurity and collapse of governance. It is not accidental that the man who spoke for his brethren in the Senate is from the North-East, where female literacy is 31 per cent, higher only than the North West at 29 per cent. It is no coincidence that the states being ravaged by violence are those with the lowest literacy rates, highest fertility and high unemployment.
A month before the Chilean elections, public outrage forced an elected deputy to resign for questioning womens right to vote. We need to get there; to where we vote people out for being disrespectful of the electorate and where we vote in people who share our vision of what Nigeria can be. Personal beliefs should not dictate public policy anymore in Nigeria. If more of us understand how structural oppression of one group affects us all, we would collaborate more effectively to make the world fairer and ultimately safer for all. We need people in government who understand that until women and girls are given equal rights, opportunities and protection, especially in education and health, Nigeria will continue to struggle.
Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and development worker.
I repeat: I have myself argued the case for direct party primaries but as an address to the parties themselves. I would now qualify that call with a proviso: when necessary. Political parties, as voluntary associations, should be the judge of when to use consensus, direct or indirect primaries to choose their candidate. The efforts and scarce resources of the Federal Government are better channelled towards the eradication of the withering effect of money in our politics
The news dominating the headlines now is President Buharis refusal of assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021. While the bill includes other important provisions aimed at patching up our admittedly rageddy electoral process electronic transmission of results, for instance it is the proposition of direct party primaries that constitutes the big bone of contention. It is as clear from the presidents letter to the National Assembly giving his reasons for withholding assent as in the torrent of reactions by citizens and civil society organisations (CSOs). The president is concerned about the financial, security and legal consequences of signing the bill into law. He thinks that direct party primaries would infringe on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance and democracy, ironically the very thing that patriots and CSOs insist the bill will promote! In his words, the amendment as proposed is a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy, which is characterised by freedom of choices (sic) of which political party membership is a voluntary exercise of the constitutional right of freedom of association.
And this also is my point of disagreement with those who have pilloried the president and urged the National Assembly to override his veto by way of a two-thirds majority vote. As it happens, however, many of the presidents critics are not only friends and comrades in the struggle for democracy during the long years of military dictatorship, several, like myself, even being jailed for our pains, but also CSOs, the constituency that I served for two decades in the heyday of military tyranny as a student and human rights activist. Take, for instance, the well-reasoned argument of my good friend, right from our days in the National Association of Nigerian Students (when there was a body properly called by that name), Samuel Big Sam Adegboruwa (SAN). Not an easy task disagreeing with him, but differ I must, not in the form or even substance of his argument it being legalistic in the main but in the spirit of what democracy truly enjoins on us. In other words, what makes it possible for both President Buhari and Adegboruwa to lay claim to the same motive: democracy, freedom of association and popular participation in choosing those to govern us.
But more than a worry over disagreement with fellow-travellers is the fact that mine has been among the many voices clamouring for electoral reforms see, for example The Time for Genuine Electoral Reform is NOW! April 27, 2016, and, also, Why APC Must Enact Change by Jettisoning Indirect Rule, September 13, 2018. So, then, how do I now differ from the prevailing sentiment? In a small but crucial way. I will explain. It will be noticed that the subject of the first article is a general call for electoral reform including the need to curb the costly timidity or connivance of the Supreme Court in substituting its opinions for the will of the people in electoral matters, with the 2008 report of the Justice Uwais panel as immediate point of reference, while the second article is a direct appeal to the All Progressives Congress (APC), of which Ive been a member since 2014. And it turns on the narrow issue of freedom of association, a dispassionate discussion of which, I believe, will make President Buhari, whatever motive may be attributed to him by his critics, closer to its letter and spirit than might be readily admitted. We must be instinctively suspicious of power, but I think we must also be ready to concede when a valid argument is made in support of an official action, even when we are opposed to it.
I differ from the view that party primaries be made legally mandatory because that would be a clawback from the full purport of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of association. Political parties may loom large and enjoy enormous prestige, especially where they produce presidents, prime ministers, governors and legislators, but in reality, they are just like any other association of citizens formed for any number of causes, power or governance among them. Crucially, they are voluntary associations. Moreover, they are not agencies formed by or for the government, which would make it necessary to regulate every aspect of their activities by law. This, in a nutshell, is what the president poignantly pointed out in his letter to parliament, even when so much on the defensive that he could not forward it until deadline day. Amending the electoral law to prescribe direct primaries as the one and only means by which political parties can choose their candidates is, the president argues, a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy, which is characterised by freedom of choices. Then he added the clincher: Political party membership is a voluntary exercise of the constitutional right to freedom of association, stating the obvious, that millions of Nigerians are not card-carrying members of any political party.
It seems to me that the almost total condemnation of President Buharis withholding of assent to mandatory direct party primaries is borne of a nervous anxiety over the fate of our admittedly shabby democracy. Given the trauma of military terror constantly triggered by the stark perversions of elections at every level, our very souls cry out for a modicum of respect for the will of the people, starting with the process of nomination of candidates where parties seem to control all the aces.
I have no doubt that those who think that President Buharis refusal of assent is entirely driven by partisan and selfish reasons would not argue the contrary view. They cant be heard to say that political parties are not voluntary associations of individuals with a partisan view of society and governance, for which they seek power in order to actualise it. As a result of their crucial role within the framework of electoral democracy, however, certain conditions must be prescribed for their registration and participation in the electoral process. And by and large, the extant electoral act supplemented by any guidelines that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issues in exercise of its powers, sufficiently take care of that need. That political parties are not the fons et origo, the source and origin, or beginning and end of democracy can be seen in the fact that independent candidates can and ought to also be able to seek the mandate of the people. So, then, what amendment should be proposed for them that direct primaries be conducted by INEC for all individuals who indicate their intention to run for political office, at which all the relevant constituents, not members of any political party, would vote?
I make the last point, of course, only for the sake of argument but, essentially speaking, parties should be free to choose their candidates through consensus or, failing that, direct or indirect primaries. If they sideline their members we must always be reminded that it is an internal affair of the party they run the risk of angering them and the ensuing discord and disenchantment could prove disastrous to their hope of winning the election at stake. They should know that rival parties would only be too happy to exploit any disaffection caused by disenfranchising their members. That, in my view, is enough reason for the leaders of the parties to be very cautious in choosing the option for selecting their candidates. It is true that a coincidence of the lure of office, as a sure means to power and affluence on the part of politicians, and grinding poverty and deep alienation from government, on the part of the masses of the people, has led to the enthronement of money as the arbiter of all of our elections, and that consequently this in-built check to the subversion of party members participation in choosing candidates has little or no effect. Nevertheless, laws should never be enacted to void the vital civic obligation of responsibility. Part of our problem is over-legislation: just see how voluminous our constitution is yet how frivolous our regard for it, how ineffective it is as our foundational document of nation-building!
The solution lies in returning power to the people, or put another way, in empowering the people to shun the vicious effect of money in our elections, and in inculcating the value and true spirit of democracy, not in the vain hope that legislating every aspect of our lives will abate the evil. Again, President Buhari points out the obvious. The higher the stakes and they cant get higher than our numerous parties conducting direct primaries across the length and breadth of the country the ever greater the amounts of money that would be needed by the parties to organise them and to fund INECs supervision in thousands of locations. And this gives even greater advantage to the money-bags, who invariably are the incumbents: the president, governors, senators and representatives, ministers and other high political appointees running for elective office, state legislators and local government chairpersons. Or the challenger with a godfather or for whom money is no object. Just how would direct primaries prevent a poverty-stricken electorate from selling their votes to the highest bidder? My experience of being universally hailed twice over as head and shoulders above my opponents and yet being told to my face, But you dont have money tells me we are better off with the strict prosecution of electoral offences, especially vote-buying. Just three months ago, I was asked by my party and I gladly agreed to enter the race to fill a vacant seat in the Delta State House of Assembly. I lost because the rival party, which has controlled the power and purse of the State since 1999, threw open the treasury to buy votes as its only hope of winning. And win they did, offering an average of four to five thousand naira for a vote, even ten thousand naira in some instances! I reported in my reflections, Of Bye-elections and the Isoko South Constituency 1 BUY-election, September 23, how a mother voted against her sons and my party, APC, because PDP is where the money is: obe yo igho ro, she had said as a matter of fact; franchise be damned! Indeed, at the rate we are going, a goat might very well win an election if sponsored by any of the major parties ready to outbid its rivals. A hyperbole, I agree, but dont bet against it.
It seems to me that the almost total condemnation of President Buharis withholding of assent to mandatory direct party primaries is borne of a nervous anxiety over the fate of our shabby democracy. Given the trauma of military terror constantly triggered by the stark perversions of elections at every level, our very souls cry out for a modicum of respect for the will of the people, starting with the process of nomination of candidates where parties seem to control all the aces. Why leave our fate in their hands, if they wont practice the internal democracy that they loudly proclaim in their constitutions and manifestoes, when we can compel them by law to be democrats? But can we? Can we legislate the internalisation of the ethos of democracy? I think that the presidents letter shows some of the ways that we give ourselves false assurances of popular participation in an era of money-bag politics.
I am more inclined to agree with Femi Falana (SAN), but on a slightly different ground: that the National Assembly strike out the provision in the bill for mandatory direct primaries, since section 87 of the Electoral Act allows direct or indirect primaries, and pass the entirety of the rest of the amendment bill. Since the president did not adduce any other reason for withholding his assent, it goes without saying that we would then not throw out the baby with the bath water.
And this nervous anxiety manifests itself in how ready we are to overlook the blurring of boundaries and to condone or even call for the desecration of first principles, while at the same time constantly lamenting that ours is a federation in name only. Because we have lost faith in our ability to organise and compel action for the common good, we look to law as our saviour, a deus ex machina that would enthrone democracy by magically doing away with the win-at-all-cost mentality of electoral office seekers and the corrupted will of an impoverished people. It is why, for instance, INEC has to conduct governorship elections and why we want it to also handle local government elections. Yet, the problem of state independent electoral commissions being mere agents of the state governors and their parties can be dealt with by guaranteeing their independence. One way of doing so is to free them of the control of sitting governors by making their budgets appropriated first line charges. Their autonomy would be further ensured with their members drawn from each registered party (which must pass the test of viability and continued registration after an election), civil society organisations and the bar and bench, the chairperson of the commission to be elected from among the members. This formula, by the way, can also be used to constitute INEC, and the Justice Uwais panel made a gesture towards the same goal. But rather than advocate for this or any other means of ensuring the autonomy and credibility of state electoral commissions, we settle for the easy option of calling in the Federal Government through INEC to further erode the idea of federalism. Even worse, all the states elect their governors on the same day, except for the disruption caused by the courts, leading to a few states now having to elect their governors on the effective dates of the determining electoral petition judgements. The constant, however, is the role of the federal behemoth.
Which brings me to the thrust of Adegboruwas earnest criticism of President Buharis refusal of assent and urging of the National Assembly to override it: that mandatory direct primaries do not violate the constitutions of the political parties, given the constitutional and statutory duty of INEC to register parties in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution which, needless to say, are superior to any validly enacted law, never mind that mere party constitutions are not legal documents in the first place. Unimpeachable argument, but this ignores the question of the extent, scope and implications of the fundamental principle and right to freedom of association. It also elides the related issue of the overreaching nature of the military-imposed 1999 Constitution. In another context, I know that Adegboruwa would be even more eloquent about how the 1999 Constitution tells a lie against itself by claiming it is we the people who enacted and gave it unto ourselves, and point to how it enables the centre to arrogate to itself virtually every significant right and power of government in the exclusive legislative list, thereby making the states nothing more than glorified administrative units of an imperious centre, the lethal effects of which we see in our unitary state passing off as a federation. Why the Constitution even sets up state governments, when the obverse ought to be the case the states setting up the Federal Government and provides for the manner of election of its executives and legislators. The unending agitation for a sovereign national conference is caused precisely by the need to draw up a constitution that accords with not only the letter but, more important, the spirit of democracy, especially in a clamorous multi-ethnic nation such as Nigeria.
I repeat: I have myself argued the case for direct party primaries but as an address to the parties themselves. I would now qualify that call with a proviso: when necessary. Political parties, as voluntary associations, should be the judge of when to use consensus, direct or indirect primaries to choose their candidate. The efforts and scarce resources of the Federal Government are better channelled towards the eradication of the withering effect of money in our politics; in particular, of vote buying at polling units on election day. Yet, direct primaries are only one aspect of the amendment bill. I consider electronic transmission of results from polling units far more crucial to the fate of our fledgeling democracy. To that extent, I am more inclined to agree with Femi Falana (SAN), but on a slightly different ground: that the National Assembly strike out the provision in the bill for mandatory direct primaries, since section 87 of the Electoral Act allows direct or indirect primaries, and pass the entirety of the rest of the amendment bill. Since the president did not adduce any other reason for withholding his assent, it goes without saying that we would then not throw out the baby with the bath water.
Ogaga Ifowodo is a lawyer, scholar, poet, public commentator and principal partner at Remedium Law Partners. He was the APC candidate in the September 11 Delta State House of Assembly bye-election.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, on Tuesday, signed into law the 2022 appropriation bill amounting to N221.2 billion.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor had presented the sum of N196.3 billion to the Kano State House of Assembly for approval in October.
Speaking shortly after signing the document in Kano, Mr Ganduje said that the budget was meant to complete all ongoing major projects in the state.
The governor said that the assembly reviewed the budget upward to N221.2 billion to cater for the socio-economic development of the state.
He said that the administration would also give priority attention to the development of rural areas in the state.
Mr Ganduje also assured that the government would implement the budget in accordance with the law.
He said that the government would ensure a continuous cordial relationship with the legislature by giving it total independence.
Earlier, Speaker of the assembly, Hamisu Chidari, told the governor that the house had reviewed the budget upward by about N24 billion.
We had an interaction with MDAs, through that there were a lot of changes of increase in the amount provided for some projects.
You know we had public hearing where we collected so many inputs which attract some money.
That is why when we concluded everything, there is an increase of about N24 billion to the budget, he said.
(NAN)
The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has signed the states 2022 budget into law.
The signing ceremony, held in the Council Chambers of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Wednesday was attended by the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Zailani, and principal officers of the legislature, commissioners and other aides of the governor.
At the event, the governor said the N278.58 billion budget will be faithfully implemented to advance public welfare and develop human capital and infrastructure.
The signed budget allocates N184.53bn to capital expenditure and N94.05bn to recurrent, a ratio of 66:37%.
With N89.67bn, the Social Subsector has 49% of the capital budget, the largest sectoral allocation. Capital allocations in the social sub-sector are Education (N41.66bn), Health (N28.63bn) and Social Development (N19.37bn). Capital budget allocation for public works and infrastructure is N28.94bn, and N8.79bn for housing and urban development.
Mr El-Rufai said he was pleased that for the seventh consecutive year, Kaduna State is signing its appropriation bill into law well ahead of the first day of January.
He explained that this alignment of the fiscal year and the calendar year has ensured that budget implementation can commence by 1st January of each year. He attributed this consistent trend to the active collaboration between the House of Assembly and the executive for the benefit of the people.
The governor described the budget as the budget of the people, a budget of sustainable growth. He commended the Kaduna State House of Assembly for its thorough work on the draft budget estimates, disclosing that the House of Assembly increased the budget size from the N233 billion proposed by the executive to N278.58 billion to accommodate more project requests.
House Speaker, Mr Zailani explained that the legislature is fully aligned with the focus of the government on human capital development and infrastructure.
The 2022 budget was presented to the Kaduna state House of Assembly on 12 October.
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has signed the states 2022 budget of N323.2 billion into law, following its passage by the state assembly on Tuesday.
The governor gave assent to the budget shortly after the Speaker of the state assembly, Tasiu Maigari, presented the document to him at the Government House on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mr Masari had on November 17 presented the 2022 appropriation bill of N340.9 billion, tagged, Budget of Economic Resilience, before the legislative.
The governor said the budget, which was reduced by N15 billion by the lawmakers, would focus on the completion of all ongoing projects across the state.
This particular budget is significant to us as a government and as a political party because this will be the last full year budget of this administration.
That is why it is very important and significant to us, especially in terms of implementing what is in this budget.
And we must have discipline in terms of implementation of this budget, because it is directed towards completing all the jobs we have started. Very few new jobs were added to this budget. Mr Masari said.
He expressed appreciation to the lawmakers for the passage of the budget within 35 days to enable its implementation cycle to run from January to December.
Mr Masari further urged the lawmakers to make valuable inputs to governance by carrying out oversights of ministries, departments and agencies in the state.
Earlier, Mr Maigari said the lawmakers received inputs from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), constituents and members of the public before passing the budget.
According to him, the budget passed has N223.1 billion earmarked for capital expenditure, representing 68 per cent of the entire budget, while recurrent expenditure was N100.1 billion, representing 32 per cent.
If you could recall, the governor had earlier presented over N 340.9 billion as the proposed estimate, with over N102.8 as recurrent expenditure, while the capital expenditure was over N238.1 billion, he said.
(NAN)
The Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) has called on Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State to intervene in the unpaid entitlements of staff of the polytechnic.
The union made its displeasure known through a statement signed by its chairman, Babatunde Osifalujo, and made available to PREMIUM TIMES, Tuesday.
The polytechnic has been enmeshed in financial imbalance since 2017, when the administration of the former governor of the state, Ibikunle Amosun, intended to transform the institution into a university. The government planned to move the polytechnic to Ipokia local government of the state, while its assets and facilities are used to kickstart the proposed Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology in Abeokuta.
ASUP had opposed the move and, in protest, embarked on a strike by crippling all academic activities in the tertiary institution for months.
The wrangling brought uncertainty over the polytechnic community and the situation remained until the new government assumed office.
On his assumption of office, the present governor ordered that the status quo should remain, hence, the return of MAPOLY to its original site in Abeokuta.
In the statement, Mr Osifalujo accused the government of reneging on its agreement with ASUP in MAPOLY after the union kept to its own side of the bargain.
The lecturers listed, the convocation of Governing Council; domestication of the New Polytechnic Act; appointment of substantive Rector for the institution; immediate payment of over three sessions honorarium and subsequent stoppage to the accumulation of Part-Time claims; delay in staff promotion and appointments, as some of the reasons for their complaints which, they said, require the governors urgent attention.
ASUP further said, the issue of new minimum wage yet to be implemented in the institution, resolution to matters on pensions, entitlement and plight of MAPOLY staff retirees and non-remittance of union outstanding cheque-off dues can no longer continue to wait.
The union, while appreciating the governors swift responses towards earlier interventions in the institution, also felt betrayed by the governments act of not heeding to their requests.
While we thought of giving time out to His Excellency on those matters, two years and six months is more than enough for any government to have resolved such fundamental issues. We, therefore, urge the governor to attend to these issues without further delay.
We, however, appeal to the government to reciprocate the good gesture of the union through intervention for the November and December salary of workers of the Polytechnic especially at this crucial season.
In his reaction, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Yemi Ajibola, said the lecturers should be thankful. He said if not for the governors intervention, they would have been thrown into the labour market.
On salaries, there is autonomy of the institution and that has not been taken away, we make our money and spent it ourselves, it is from the magnanimity of the government that it gave us N200 million last year December from which we paid about two months salary.
The same ASUP then asked us to go and borrow money and we went to Unity Bank to borrow another N300 million in January and we have paid one tranche repayment and another one is due in February, what else do they want us to do?
Speaking on the call for a substantive rector, Mr Ajibola said, We do not have a council and it is not only MAPOLY that does not have, and the government knows what it is doing. When did they become the proprietor of the school?
After the school was returned to status quo from the wahala created by the last administration, the school is yet to recover from the trouble. When you pull down a house for reconstruction or for any other purpose it is not easy to build it back! The rubbles of the troubles of 2017 is what we are still experiencing as at now.
If not for the governor, the majority of them would have returned to the labour market, Yes! because when Amosun said he is turning this school to a university and taking the polytechnic to Ipokia, the condition given then was that they should all reapply and if you did not make it, you return to the labour market, this man came and returned things to status quo.
"In the post-pandemic era, it is a common goal for us to promote a sustainable and fair recovery in the world, and harmony and cooperation are the key steps," said Han Nathan, Consul General of the Republic of Malta in Shanghai, said at the opening ceremony.
Tiantai County is the cradle of Hehe culture, which originated in Tiantai Mountain. Hehe refers to two homophones, meaning "harmony" and 'cooperation" respectively in Chinese.
The forum aimed to look for positive inspiration from the time-honored Hehe culture to tackle the difficulties faced by human beings. Some experts pointed out that different views on diplomacy should not refute each other's viewpoints. Instead, we must work hard to achieve reconciliation in order to have win-win outcomes.
American video journalist Jack Klumpp looks to explore how Hehe influences the Chinese culture as well as the civilizations of the rest of the world. He visits Guoqing Temple to understand the origin of Tiantai Buddhism, and learns to practice the handicraft called "yigenteng", an art assembling pieces of different sizes and shapes into one work.
Contact: Zhang Tong
Tel0086576-88510329
E-mail[email protected]
YouTube Link: youtu.be/Ko6tsllSeqA
Video - https://youtu.be/Ko6tsllSeqA
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1708537/Hehe_Cultural_Logo.jpg
SOURCE Hehe Cultural Global Forum
Parker Ranch is excited to be partnering with Innergex, which has over 30-years of development and operating experience with renewable energy projects around the world. Innergex has a long track record of successfully engaging with the communities they operate in and has committed to working with local organizations, businesses, and contractors to develop Hale Kuawehi. The project is anticipated to break ground in early 2022 with a commercial operation date slated for the end of 2022. The Hale Kuawehi solar and battery storage facility will consist of 30MW AC of photovoltaic panels on single-axis trackers plus 120MWh of battery energy storage across approximately 300-acres, located near Parker Ranch's industrial park, off of Mamalahoa Highway. The project will provide multiple layers of benefits to the community and inflows through tax revenues for reinvestment in the Island and job creation. Innergex is currently developing its community benefits package and conducting outreach to local non-profit organizations.
Parker Ranch recognizes the impacts of human-caused climate change affecting the planet. The devastating impacts of extreme weather and environmental conditions around the world make it clear that climate change is real.
Immediate and large-scale actions are needed to limit the societal disruptions and hardships caused by the growing climate crisis. The transition to clean energy sources and implementing solutions to remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through the Hale Kuawehi project, and other sustainability initiatives, Parker Ranch is taking a proactive approach to address these issues. "We are pleased to be working with Innergex to bring more renewable energy online for the Island and the State. This project aligns with our mission to support our Beneficiaries and improve the quality of life in our community," said Dutch Kuyper, President & CEO of Parker Ranch Inc. "We look forward to sharing plans on additional renewable energy and sustainability initiatives that will further reduce fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, helping to address the threats of climate change."
Parker Ranch is engaging in various approaches to curb carbon emissions as part of its strategic plan which focuses on generating value through sustainability and sustainable economic development. In addition to previously modifying its ranching strategy to lower its carbon footprint, Parker Ranch is also actively pursuing reforestation and additional opportunities to expand clean renewable energy generation.
About Parker Ranch
Parker Ranch is one of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the United States. Parker Ranch Inc. is wholly-owned by Parker Ranch Foundation Trust whose beneficiaries are four non-profits: Queen's North Hawai'i Community Hospital, Hawai'i Preparatory Academy, Parker School, and Hawai'i Community Foundation. To learn more, please visit www.parkerranch.com or www.prft.org.
About Paniolo Power Company Paniolo Power Company LLC is a subsidiary of Parker Ranch Inc., established in April 2014 to pursue community-based and reasonably-priced clean energy for the Waimea and Kohala communities as well as for Hawaii Island. Paniolo Power is leveraging Parker Ranch resources to develop affordable, renewable energy to increase Hawaii Island's energy security and sustainability. To learn more, visit www.paniolopower.com.
SOURCE Parker Ranch
MIAMI, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boyne Capital Partners ("Boyne") is pleased to announce that its portfolio company A&A Global Imports, LLC dba marijuanapackaging.com or "MJ Pack" ("A&A") acquired Aphecal Enterprises, Inc. dba 420packaging.com ("Aphecal" or the "Company"), a leading supplier of packaging materials and ancillary products to the high-growth medical and recreational cannabis industry.
Since 2013, the Company has provided a one-stop-shop for its customers, offering approximately 2,500 products, including packaging products (such as glass jars, pop top bottles, vials, tubes, and retail exit bags) and other ancillary goods. As part of the transaction, A&A also acquired the intellectual property related to the manufacture of Squeezetops, a popular brand of regulatory compliant, child-resistant containers. In addition to its flagship website, www.420packaging.com, the Company operates the highly trafficked www.smokecones.com and www.humiditypacks.com which focus on various cannabis-related ancillaries.
Boyne Managing Partner and CEO, Derek McDowell, said, "A&A is committed to pursuing strategic acquisitions where it can leverage its robust supply chain and marketing expertise to drive growth. Aphecal is a prime example of an opportunity where A&A can bring more products to more customers at market leading pricing. We look forward to pursuing more great investments with the A&A team."
David Aryan, A&A founder and CEO said, "We're very excited to have closed on this acquisition. Aphecal will broaden our reach while allowing us to enhance the product portfolio on Aphecal's already impressive e-commerce platform. At the same time, the IP we've gained will fit perfectly within our portfolio of exclusive products. The Boyne team and the M&A expertise they've brought to A&A has proven a great asset."
A&A is a platform investment in BCM Fund II ("Fund"). Boyne Capital is dedicated to investing in the lower middle market sector, specifically companies with revenues of less than $100 million and with EBITDA of $3 million to $15 million.
About Boyne Capital
Boyne Capital Partners is a Florida-based private equity firm focused on investments in lower middle market companies. Founded in 2006, Boyne has successfully invested in a broad range of industries, including healthcare services, consumer products, manufacturing, and business & financial services. Beyond financial resources, Boyne provides industry and operational expertise to its portfolio companies and partners with management to drive company performance and growth. Boyne specializes in providing the capital necessary to fund corporate growth and facilitate owners and shareholders' partial or full exit. For additional information, please visit www.boynecapital.com.
Contact Joshua Bilmes at [email protected] or 786.539.2245 regarding new opportunities.
Media Contact
Renny Sie
[email protected]
SOURCE Boyne Capital
BOLIDEN, Sweden, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boliden has signed an agreement with Metso Outotec regarding the expansion investment in Odda zinc smelter. The agreement includes, among other things, a roasting plant, sulfuric acid plant, leaching technology and engineering services. The expansion investment in Odda will take place between 2021 - 2024.
"The expansion of Boliden Odda means a new standard for zinc smelting in both sustainability performance and cost efficiency. We follow our plan and are confident that the collaboration with Metso Outotec will contribute to our development towards producing more zinc with the world's best climate profile, says Daniel Peltonen, President Business Area Smelters, Boliden."
The production capacity in Boliden Odda will increase from the current 200,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes per annum. Commissioning of the new capacity has been decided for Q4 2024. The agreement with Metso Outotec amounts to 150 MEUR and is included in a previously announced investment of 700 MEUR for the expansion of the smelter in Odda, most of which will be implemented in 2022 and 2023.
For further information, please contact:
Klas Nilsson, Director Group Communications, phone: +46 70-453 65 88
Mail: [email protected]
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
https://news.cision.com/boliden/r/boliden-signs-agreement-with-metso-outotec-regarding-expansion-of-odda,c3477173
The following files are available for download:
https://mb.cision.com/Main/997/3477173/1513622.pdf Press Release Metso
SOURCE Cision AB
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ZURICH, Dec. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb today announced its support for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation's (DFC) participation in a landmark debt restructuring and ocean conservation project in Belize. Chubb Global Markets and Sovereign Risk Insurance Limited, a Chubb company, together with other private insurers, provided $300 million of reinsurance to DFC in an innovative political risk insurance transaction designed to help Belize reduce its external government debt and fund marine protection.
The insured transaction, a $364 million loan structured and arranged by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Credit Suisse, will enable the country to reduce its debt burden by approximately $250 million and generate an estimated $180 million for marine conservation over 20 years. DFC provided approximately $610 million of political risk insurance (covering loan principal and interest) to support the transaction, thereby assuring the loan achieved an investment grade rating. Due to the significant size of DFC's exposure, private political risk reinsurance support was a critical component of the transaction.
DFC's support for this project represents one of the most innovative examples of climate finance and a model for the future, as it reduces Belize's indebtedness, generates investments in marine and biodiversity protection and promotes climate resilience in the country's "blue" economy. With this loan, Belize is able to repurchase and retire a substantial portion of its external commercial debt, create significant annual cash flow for marine conservation through 2040, and establish an endowment to fund marine conservation for future generations. This transaction represents the world's largest debt-for-nature restructuring focusing on marine conservation to date and is the second transaction for TNC's "Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation" program.
"The private political risk insurance market is delighted that we could support the DFC in such a meaningful way on this groundbreaking transaction," said Price Lowenstein, President of Sovereign Risk Insurance. "This is an excellent example of public-private partnership that can serve as a template for future "blue" debt financing. Not only are we helping to make a remarkable conservation project possible, but we are also supporting sustainable economic development and community resilience through critical debt relief."
About Chubb
Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com.
SOURCE Chubb Limited
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow, P.C. proudly announce that attorney, Danielle Garcia, has joined their Personal Injury legal practice.
Danielle Garcia has been practicing law and vigorously defending her clients since January of 2016. She is a graduate of Florida International University in Miami, Florida where she studied Political Science before attending law school at Wake Forest School of Law in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
Upon graduation, Danielle centered her efforts on Family law, but has focused her practice on representing injured victims against insurance companies since 2018. She is a zealous advocate who will not take "no" for an answer in her fight to right the wrongs committed against her clients.
Licensed in Maryland and Washington, D.C., Danielle has conducted numerous trials in both jurisdictions and it known to have a very impressive "win-loss" record.
"An attorney who truly understands what happens to women in accidents" is a phrase that is commonly associated with attorney Danielle Garcia.
For more information about Danielle Garcia, visit https://samakowlaw.com
About the Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow, P.C.
With combined expertise and a team approach, the Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow are able to handle a broad range of claims involving injuries, such as automobile accidents, workplace injuries, death claims, and more in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. They have been fighting for injury victims since 1980 and have won over 40 million dollars in settlements and verdicts on behalf of their clients.
Contact:
Danielle Garcia
The Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow, P.C.
[email protected]
703-761-4343
https://samakowlaw.com
SOURCE The Law Offices of Paul A. Samakow
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According to the recent market study by Technavio, the Frozen Pizza Market Size is expected to increase by USD 4.17 billion from 2020 to 2025, with an accelerated CAGR of 4.61%. The report provides a detailed analysis of drivers & opportunities, top winning strategies, competitive scenario, future market trends, market size & estimations, and major investment pockets.
North America will register the highest growth rate, occupying 43% of the global market share. The US and Canada are the key markets for frozen pizza in North America. However, the market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in Europe.
Download FREE Sample: for more additional information about the key countries in North America
Vendor Insights-
The frozen pizza market is fragmented with the presence of several regional and international players. International players are increasing their footprint in the market by expanding their operations. To compete with such large players, small vendors in the region are focusing on technologically advanced products and forming strategic alliances with other vendors.
Amys Kitchen Inc.: The company offers cheese pizza, spinach pizza and other products.
Bernatellos Foods: The company offers products namely Brew Pub Lotzza Motzza Pepperoni Pizza, Brew Pub Lotzza Motzza Sausage Pizza, and other products.
Caulipower LLC: The company provides a variety of food products such as cauliflower pizza, cauliflower-based baking mixes, tortilla, chicken tenders, and ticed cauliflowers.
Dr. August Oetker KG: The company offers pizzas namely pepperoni pesto, mushroom through the brand Virtuso.
Nestle SA: The company offers Pepperoni, Five Cheese, Supreme, and Fire Roasted Veggie pizza by virtue of its acquisition of Kraft Foods frozen pizza business.
Find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings. Download Free Sample Report
Regional Market Outlook
The frozen pizza market growth in North America will be significant during the forecast period. The demand for frozen food products, including frozen pizza is increasing continuously in countries such as the US, Canada, and Mexico due to the rising acceptance of convenience foods. Vendors operating in the region are adopting innovative marketing strategies to increase the visibility and sales of their products. These factors are driving the growth of the frozen pizza market in North America.
Download our FREE sample report for more key highlights on the regional market share of most of the above-mentioned countries.
Latest Drivers & Trends Driving the Market-
Frozen Pizza Market Driver:
New Product Launches:
Vendors in the market are focusing on successful product launches to increase revenue flow and expand their product portfolios. For instance, in 2019, Cappello's, a Denver-based vendor, launched a new line of frozen pizza with almond crust. The new product is gluten and grain-free and is made using cage-free eggs, cassava flour, and other ingredients. The product is available in different varieties, such as Roasted Red Peppers & Italian Sausage, Uncured Pepperoni, and Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese. Similarly, In March 2020, Caulipower LLC launched three new frozen pizza products with cauliflower crust. The product is low in calories and is gluten-free and is available in different varieties such as Three Cheese and Margherita. Such innovative product launches are fueling the growth of the frozen pizza market.
Frozen Pizza Market Trend:
Increasing mergers and acquisitions:
Vendors in the market are focusing on forming strategic alliances and acquiring small vendors to gain access to new products and technologies at lower costs. These strategies also help vendors expand their market presence and enter new markets. For instance, In October 2018, Conagra Brands Inc. (Conagra Brands) acquired Pinnacle Foods Inc. (Pinnacle Foods). The acquisition helped the company add various brands of Pinnacle Foods, such as Birds Eye, Celeste, Duncan Hines, Earth Balance, and Vlasic, to its product portfolio. Such M&As are expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the market during the forecast period.
Find additional information about various other market Drivers & Trends mentioned in our FREE sample report .
Related Reports:
Frozen Yogurt Market by Distribution Channel and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025
Frozen Food Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025
Frozen Pizza Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 4.61% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 4.17 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 3.93 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution North America at 43% Key consumer countries US, Germany, China, UK, and France Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Amys Kitchen Inc., Bernatellos Foods, Caulipower LLC, Dr. August Oetker KG, General Mills Inc., Nestle SA, Newmans Own Inc., One Planet Pizza, Orkla ASA, and Palermo Villa Inc. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.
About Us
Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.
Contact
Technavio Research
Jesse Maida
Media & Marketing Executive
US: +1 844 364 1100
UK: +44 203 893 3200
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.technavio.com/
SOURCE Technavio
The titles were awarded after Geneva employees from all departments participated in third-party surveys run by Comparably.com, gathering reviews from Geneva's female and minority team members on their experience working at the company. Geneva has fostered a diverse community with employees of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and orientations, creating a culture that is welcoming, supportive, and inclusive in a way that is unheard of in an industry that can be very uniform.
"Being a woman in the mortgage industry is never easy, but Geneva is always striving to create an equitable, inclusive, and empowering environment for everyone." Telle VanTrojen, Chief Operations Officer of Geneva and prominent female leader in the company, stated. "We are surrounded by incredible women at every level and that is what I love about Geneva!"
At Geneva, being "Good Humans" is encouraged from the top down. Part of that is ensuring employees feel comfortable and supported in the workplace and beyond. Geneva is always looking for talented, open-minded, good-hearted people to join them on their journey to humanize the mortgage industry.
Geneva looks forward to expanding all markets across its 46-state licensure in 2022 by bringing on high quality branch managers and originators that share our good human ethos and commitment to extend those values to their customers. The national lender has also been awarded Best Mortgage Companies to Work For by multiple sources since the company's inception.
If you are looking to join a top-ranked company with a deeply authentic, human-focused culture, Geneva Financial Home Loans is currently expanding in all markets and seeking team members across the United States. Geneva Financial currently has mortgage job opportunities in 46 states.
About Geneva Financial
Founded in 2007 by Aaron VanTrojen, Geneva Financial (NMLS 42056) is a direct mortgage lender headquartered in Chandler, Arizona with more than 130 branch locations in 46 states. Our mission at Geneva Financial is to approach every aspect of our business from the "inside-out". With a culture-forward mindset, we focus on our loan originators and support staff first to ensure an unbeatable experience for our customers.
Our Core Values were created as a daily reminder to operate with the inside-out approach in mind. Core Value #1 is the backbone of all our Core Values, our mission, and our brand vision: Home Loans Powered by Humans. Learn more about Geneva Financial Home Loans at www.GenevaFi.com
SOURCE Geneva Financial
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Intravenous Infusion Pumps Market By Type, By Application, By End User, By Regional Outlook, Industry Analysis Report and Forecast, 2021 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The Global Intravenous Infusion Pump Market size is expected to reach $8.2 billion by 2027, rising at a market growth of 8.5% CAGR during the forecast period.
An intravenous infusion pump refers to a medical device, which is utilized to inject medications and nutrients into a patient's body. These pumps are generally seen in a medical setup because they are majorly utilized in giving medications in pre-determined dosages to any patient. The growing geriatric population and the rising cases of chronic diseases across the globe are among the major driving factors of the intravenous infusion pump.
Additionally, the high adoption of portable infusion pumps to decrease the expenses of the hospital is also anticipated to support the growth of the market. Though, patient safety risks & medication errors regarding infusion pumps are estimated to hamper the market growth. There are many companies that are increasingly investing in the advancement of infusion pump technology, which is expected to open new growth opportunities for the intravenous infusion pumps market.
The increasing prevalence of patients with cancer, chronic pain, and diabetes is one of the major factors fueling the demand for intravenous infusion pumps. It is because these pumps are generally utilized to give pharmaceutical drugs during the treatment of such diseases. There is an increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses and disorders across the globe due to the increase in the aging population and shift in social behavior, which can result in the gradual rise of these widespread and costly long-term medical conditions.
Additionally, infusion pumps are utilized to give measured doses of nutrients or drugs into a patient's body, like pain relievers, chemotherapy medicines, insulin, antibiotics, or other hormones. According to the WHO, the prevalence of chronic diseases is estimated to rise by 57% by 2020. Thus, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases is anticipated to fuel the growth of the intravenous infusion pumps market.
COVID-19 Impact Analysis
The world has witnessed a lot of problems and disruptions due to the global covid-19 pandemic. Various restrictions like lockdown, travel ban, a temporary ban on manufacturing units, ban on public gathering, social distance, ban on import and export and many more have adversely impacted different sectors of the business. However, the healthcare sector has witnessed a surge in demand for various devices for providing better medical treatment to patients.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the growing demand for intravenous infusion pumps and other related systems because most of the hospitalized patients, particularly those in ICUs, are given medications through intravenous infusion pumps owing to their capability to provide accurate doses automatically at fixed times. In cases, where patients require acute care, these intravenous infusion pumps help in providing a variety of medications like vasopressors, antithrombotic, opioids, insulin, neuromuscular blocking agents, anesthetic agents, and antiarrhythmic agents, some of them are needed for COVID-19 patients.
Market Growth Factors:
Growing prevalence of chronic diseases
With the growing urbanization and modernization, people have inculcated various changes in their food habits and living standards. The inclusion of various toxic food habits and lifestyles has resulted in the prevalence of several diseases. One of the key factors fueling the growth of the Intravenous infusion pumps market is the rising prevalence of various chronic diseases.
Increasing demand for ambulatory infusion pumps in-home care setup
Infusion pumps like implantable pumps, ambulatory chemotherapy pumps, and insulin pumps are very helpful in the treatment of various diseases like cancer and diabetes in the home care setup. Ambulatory infusion pumps are very handy or wearable. These infusion pumps help in delivering fluids like medicines, nutrients, and antibiotics in a patient's body accurately in a controlled surrounding.
Market Restraining Factor:
Increasing cases of a product recall
Infusion pumps are utilized to deliver various crucial fluids like high-risk medications and nutrients into a patient's body. Any kind of error in operating these systems can result in very serious harm to patients and can even result in the death of the patient. As per the Institute of Medicine (US), almost 1.5 million patients per year witness medication errors that cost USD 8,750 per Potential Adverse Drug Event (PADE). The recall rate of infusion pumps is the highest among all the medical devices.
Type Outlook
Based on Type, the market is segmented into Volumetric Infusion Pumps, Syringe Infusion Pumps and Patient Controlled Analgesia Infusion Pumps. The Volumetric Infusion Pumps market dominated the Global Intravenous Infusion Pump Market by Type in 2020. The emerging countries are witnessing improvements in socio-economic conditions, which is expected to boost the demand & growth of the volumetric infusion pump segment. The Syringe Infusion Pumps market is expected to witness a CAGR of 8.4% during (2021 - 2027).
Application Outlook
Based on Application, the market is segmented into Oncology, Parenteral Nutrition, Analgesia/Pain Management and Others. Based on the application, the oncology segment emerged as the leading segment of the market in 2020. The trend is likely to unfold even during the forecasting period. This is due to the increasing prevalence of cancer, as these pumps are broadly utilized to administer drugs in the treatment of these diseases.
End User Outlook
Based on End User, the market is segmented into Hospitals & Clinics, Home Healthcare and Others. Based on the end-user, the hospitals & clinics segment garnered the maximum revenue share of the market in 2020 and is expected to maintain a similar kind of position during the forecast period. Factors such as the high availability of smart and ultra-modern intravenous infusion pumps in hospitals, the rapid rate of chronic diseases, and increasing healthcare spending are responsible for the growth of this segment.
Regional Outlook
Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The Asia Pacific region is projected to showcase the highest growth rate during the forecast period. It is due to the rising burden of chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, the high number of surgical procedures carried out, the growing adoption of advanced medical devices, and the regional presence of key global players. All these aspects are anticipated to open new growth prospects for the regional intravenous infusion pumps market during the forecast period.
The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Johnson & Johnson, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Medtronic PLC, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Baxter International, Inc., Terumo Corporation, Smiths Group PLC, Boston Scientific Corporation, and Micrel Medical Devices SA.
Key Topics Covered:
Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology
Chapter 2. Market Overview
2.1 Introduction
2.1.1 Overview
2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market
2.2.1 Market Drivers
2.2.2 Market Restraints
Chapter 3. Global Intravenous Infusion Pump Market by Type
3.1 Global Volumetric Infusion Pumps Market by Region
3.2 Global Syringe Infusion Pumps Market by Region
3.3 Global Patient Controlled Analgesia Infusion Pumps Market by Region
Chapter 4. Global Intravenous Infusion Pump Market by Application
4.1 Global Oncology Market by Region
4.2 Global Parenteral Nutrition Market by Region
4.3 Global Analgesia/Pain Management Market by Region
4.4 Global Other Application Market by Region
Chapter 5. Global Intravenous Infusion Pump Market by End User
5.1 Global Hospitals & Clinics Market by Region
5.2 Global Home Healthcare Market by Region
5.3 Global Others Market by Region
Chapter 6. Global Intravenous Infusion Pump Market by Region
Chapter 7. Company Profiles
7.1 Johnson & Johnson
7.1.1 Company Overview
7.1.2 Financial Analysis
7.1.3 Segmental &Regional Analysis
7.1.4 Research & Development Expenses
7.2 B. Braun Melsungen AG
7.2.1 Company Overview
7.2.2 Financial Analysis
7.2.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis
7.2.4 Research & Development Expenses
7.2.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:
7.2.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:
7.3 Medtronic PLC
7.3.1 Company overview
7.3.2 Financial Analysis
7.3.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis
7.3.4 Research & Development Expenses
7.4 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
7.4.1 Company Overview
7.4.2 Financial Analysis
7.4.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis
7.4.4 Research & Development Expense
7.5 Becton, Dickinson and Company
7.5.1 Company Overview
7.5.2 Financial Analysis
7.5.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis
7.5.4 Research & Development Expense
7.6 Baxter International, Inc.
7.6.1 Company Overview
7.6.2 Financial Analysis
7.6.3 Regional Analysis
7.6.4 Research & Development Expense
7.6.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:
7.6.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:
7.6.5.2 Acquisitions and Mergers:
7.7 Terumo Corporation
7.7.1 Company Overview
7.7.2 Financial Analysis
7.7.3 Segmental Analysis
7.8 Smiths Group PLC
7.8.1 Company Overview
7.8.2 Financial Analysis
7.8.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis
7.8.4 Research & Development Expenses
7.8.5 Recent Strategies and Developments:
7.8.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:
7.9 Boston Scientific Corporation
7.9.1 Company Overview
7.9.2 Financial Analysis
7.9.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis
7.9.4 Research & Development Expense
7.10. Micrel Medical Devices SA
7.10.1 Company Overview
7.10.2 Recent Strategies and Developments:
7.10.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/j5shua
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
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"Both Friedrich Baumann and Goran Nyberg are proven commercial vehicle experts with extensive experience and a clear understanding of customer needs in the transport industry," said Christian Levin, CEO of TRATON SE. "The change in personnel means that our international group of strong commercial vehicle brands is growing ever closer together. MAN, Navistar and thus the TRATON GROUP as a whole will benefit from this change and exchange of experience."
"Friedrich has been influential at Navistar. Under his leadership, Navistar has advanced an intimate joint alignment with the International truck and IC Bus dealer networks and dedicated all commercial operations to delivering maximum value that will lead to our customers' success. I thank him for his service to Navistar and wish him the greatest success in further aligning the TRATON GROUP while at MAN," said Mathias Carlbaum, President and CEO, Navistar.
Nyberg has served as Executive Member for Sales and Customer Solutions at MAN since September 2018. He successfully managed the realignment of the Sales division solidifying the position of MAN Truck & Bus in the marketplace. Under his leadership, MAN also successfully launched its new generation of trucks.
Prior to MAN, Nyberg spent time with Volvo Group, initially as Managing Director of Volvo Sweden in 2003, followed by international positions in management in Malaysia, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Most recently, Nyberg joined Volvo Trucks North America in 2012 as President where he spearheaded the transformative commercial operations process leading to one of the most diversified customer bases in the North American commercial vehicle market.
Carlbaum continued, "I am excited to welcome Goran back to the US and to Navistar. He brings a wealth of international sales and transformative experience, as well as a complete understanding of the North America market which is essential to the continued success of Navistar's commercial operations and executive leadership team."
About Navistar
Navistar, Inc. ("Navistar") is a purpose-driven company, reimagining how to deliver what matters to create more cohesive relationships, build higher-performing teams and find solutions where others don't. Based in Lisle, Illinois, Navistar or its subsidiaries and affiliates produce International brand commercial trucks and engines, IC Bus brand school and commercial buses, all-makes OnCommand Connection advanced connectivity services, and Fleetrite, RENEWED and Diamond Advantage brand aftermarket parts and includes a Brazilian manufacturer of engines and gensets, MWM Motores Diesel e Geradores. With a history of innovation dating back to 1831, Navistar has more than 12,000 employees worldwide and is part of TRATON SE, a global champion of the truck and transport services industry. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com.
SOURCE Navistar International Corporation
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market Research Report by Product, by Solution, by Technology, by Application, by Region - Global Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market size was estimated at USD 712.67 million in 2020 and expected to reach USD 892.99 million in 2021, at a CAGR 25.63% to reach USD 2,803.19 million by 2026.
Market Statistics:
The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2019 are considered historical years, 2020 as the base year, 2021 as the estimated year, and years from 2022 to 2026 are considered the forecast period.
Competitive Strategic Window:
The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.
FPNV Positioning Matrix:
The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.
Market Share Analysis:
The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.
Company Usability Profiles:
The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market, including 100 Plus, AiCure, Binah.ai, Biofourmis, Cardiomo, ChroniSense Medical, ContinUse Biometrics (Cu-Bx), Current Health, Ejenta, Eko, Engagely.ai, Feebris, GYANT, iHealth, Medical Device + Diagnostic Industry (MD+DI), Medopad, Myia, Neoteryx, LLC, Neteera, Tech Vedika, ten3T Healthcare, and Vitls.
The report provides insights on the following pointers:
1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players
2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets
3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments
4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players
5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments
The report answers questions such as:
1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market?
2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market during the forecast period?
3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market?
4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market?
5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market?
6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market?
7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market?
Key Topics Covered:
1. Preface
2. Research Methodology
3. Executive Summary
4. Market Overview
4.1. Introduction
4.2. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19
5. Market Dynamics
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Drivers
5.2.1. ICT infrastructure development in developing countries
5.2.2. Rise in adoption of AI in remote patient monitoring due to real time monitoring and improved patient engagement
5.2.3. Growth in demand due to optimizing management and lower human errors
5.3. Restraints
5.3.1. Lack of awareness in remote areas
5.3.2. Expensive as compared to traditional facilities
5.4. Opportunities
5.4.1. Rapid digitalization and extensive use of social media of consumer
5.4.2. Shift in trend towards wearable technology
5.5. Challenges
5.5.1. Increasing concern related to cybersecurity and privacy
6. Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market, by Product
6.1. Introduction
6.2. Special Monitors
6.2.1. Anaesthesia Monitors
6.2.2. Blood Glucose Monitor
6.2.3. Cardiac Rhythm Monitor
6.2.4. Fetal Heart Rate Monitor
6.2.5. Multi-Parameter Monitors
6.2.6. Prothrombin Monitors
6.2.7. Respiratory Monitor
6.3. Vital Monitors
6.3.1. Blood Pressure Monitor
6.3.2. Brain Monitor
6.3.3. Heart Rate Monitor
6.3.4. Pulse Oximeter
6.3.5. Respiratory Monitor
6.3.6. Temperature Monitor
7. Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market, by Solution
7.1. Introduction
7.2. Hardware
7.3. Services
7.4. Software
8. Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market, by Technology
8.1. Introduction
8.2. Machine Learning (ML)
8.3. Natural Language Processing (NLP)
8.4. Querying Method (QM)
8.5. Speech Recognition (SR)
9. Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market, by Application
9.1. Introduction
9.2. Cancer
9.3. Cardiovascular Diseases
9.4. Dehydration
9.5. Diabetes
9.6. Infections
9.7. Respiratory Issues
9.8. Sleep Disorder
9.9. Viral Infection
9.10. Weight Management & Fitness Monitoring
10. Americas Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market
10.1. Introduction
10.2. Argentina
10.3. Brazil
10.4. Canada
10.5. Mexico
10.6. United States
11. Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market
11.1. Introduction
11.2. Australia
11.3. China
11.4. India
11.5. Indonesia
11.6. Japan
11.7. Malaysia
11.8. Philippines
11.9. Singapore
11.10. South Korea
11.11. Taiwan
11.12. Thailand
12. Europe, Middle East & Africa Artificial Intelligence In Remote Patient Monitoring Market
12.1. Introduction
12.2. France
12.3. Germany
12.4. Italy
12.5. Netherlands
12.6. Qatar
12.7. Russia
12.8. Saudi Arabia
12.9. South Africa
12.10. Spain
12.11. United Arab Emirates
12.12. United Kingdom
13. Competitive Landscape
13.1. FPNV Positioning Matrix
13.1.1. Quadrants
13.1.2. Business Strategy
13.1.3. Product Satisfaction
13.2. Market Ranking Analysis
13.3. Market Share Analysis, By Key Player
13.4. Competitive Scenario
13.4.1. Merger & Acquisition
13.4.2. Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership
13.4.3. New Product Launch & Enhancement
13.4.4. Investment & Funding
13.4.5. Award, Recognition, & Expansion
14. Company Usability Profiles
14.1. 100 Plus
14.2. AiCure
14.3. Binah.ai
14.4. Biofourmis
14.5. Cardiomo
14.6. ChroniSense Medical
14.7. ContinUse Biometrics (Cu-Bx)
14.8. Current Health
14.9. Ejenta
14.10. Eko
14.11. Engagely.ai
14.12. Feebris
14.13. GYANT
14.14. iHealth
14.15. Medical Device + Diagnostic Industry (MD+DI)
14.16. Medopad
14.17. Myia
14.18. Neoteryx, LLC
14.19. Neteera
14.20. Tech Vedika
14.21. ten3T Healthcare
14.22. Vitls
15. Appendix
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7x6wlp
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
BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a news report from Science and Technology Daily:
In order to strengthen exchanges among members of the International Union for Science and Technology Communication (IUSTC), seek more cooperation possibilities, and promote international sci-tech cooperation, the first annual conference of IUSTC was convened on December 21 in Beijing, online and offline.
Launched in September 2018, this year's annual conference reviewed the past three year's work of IUSTC, presented the prospects for future cooperation, and discussed how to better facilitate international sci-tech cooperation with the help of multi-media.
Speaking at the conference, head of S&T Daily hoped that IUSTC would be committed to telling stories of sci-tech innovation, and promoting sci-tech cooperation and cultural exchanges.
"In the first place, how to better tell stories of Chinese scientific and technological innovation and show the world a real and three-dimensional China are becoming an important topic of global media, which is trying to understand China more. In the second place, promoting international cooperation in sci-tech, and ultimately contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind have become the era mission of Chinese media," head of S&T Daily said.
He also announced Xu Zhilong, editor-in-chief of S&T Daily, as the new chairman of IUSTC.
Xu reviewed three achievements of cooperation among IUSTC members at the conference. First, the increasing exchange of manuscripts and information of interview.Second, providing a platform for communication and cooperation. Third, jointly developing think tank initiatives.
Xu then went on to introduce the Weekly Edition of S&T Daily. Launched on July 1, 2021, the Weekly Edition covers contemporary topics related to science and technology, such as climate change, tracing the source of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the digital economy and the metaverse. In addition, the Weekly Edition keeps up with the cutting edge of sci-tech development and offers professional analysis.
Representatives of IUSTC members, presented their congratulations at the opening ceremony, summarized their past sci-tech cooperation, especially with S&T Daily and looked forward to more exchanges among IUSTC members. Thonglor Duangsavan, editor in Chef of Lao Press in Foreign Languages also attend the conference.
Vasily Pushkov, Director of International Cooperation, Sputnik News Agency and Radio, said: "Cooperation between Keji Ribao and Sputnik is a vivid example of general news outlets and specialized media effectively working together to promote scientific topics in the international information landscape and further develop this practice. In this regard, we are very pleased that our partners are actively engaging us in international discussions such as, for example, the World 5G Convention, where Sputnik experts have been sharing their views on the use of advanced media technologies for two years. Special events promoting the exchange of science news also deserve a mention here."
Zhao Sha, China Media Development Director of PR Newswire, said:"The development of search engines, social media, digital technology and the popularity of mobile devices have fundamentally changed the pattern of global news distribution. In China, more and more media have been very successful in distribution combine with the social media, video, photo, and big data technology. In addition to their authority, more importantly, they have found the best way to tell stories on different distribution platforms. In 2018.9, PR Newswire joined in IUSTC, which is the first platform with the mission of 'international dissemination for science and technology' found by Science and Technology Daily. We made the international channel wider, besides, more deeply content also can share freely at the first time in IUSTC."
Wang Li, Executive Vice President of Clarivate, said:"IUSTC is a great platform for the global audiences to learn science and technology development. Clarivate has been a member of IUSTC since its establishment in 2018. We are truly thankful for the great support from all IUSTC members over the past four years. At Clarivate, our vision is to improve the way the world creates, protects and advances innovation. To achieve this, we deliver critical data, information, workflow solutions and deep domain expertise to innovators everywhere. This is well aligned with the aim of IUSTC, which is to improve the efficiency of communication on science and technology related information. I look forward to working more closely with each member of IUSTC in telling more good stories in science and technology development. I am sure that our work will help the world better understand science and technology frontiers that are shaping our future."
Okimura kazuki, honorary president of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) said at the conference:"Since its establishment in 2018, IUSTC has played an important role in promoting the exchange and dissemination of scientific and technological information globally. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the schedule of this annual worldwide meeting remained unchanged. I would like to express my heartfelt respect to this meaningful meeting for science and technology exchange, and innovations. Major changes are expected in the future internationally, I believe that cooperation between China and Japan will become more and more important. In the future, mutually beneficial relationships where all parties can learn together are highly anticipated. I would like to make efforts with IUSTC, with continued support in the future."
Suzanne Kerbavcic, Head of Communications, Public Information and Outreach, ICGEB, said: "Initiated by Science and Technology Daily, IUSTC was established in September 2018. Since its establishment, the IUSTC has played its important role in promoting global sci-tech exchanges and cooperation, improving the efficiency of sci-tech information, communication, and enhancing media influence. In 2020, ICGEB Regional Research Centre was established in Taizhou, Jiangsu province. The research centre is expanding interactions between the international communities, in particular Italy, and China, focusing on vaccines, antibody drugs and in-vitro diagnostics. Through digital media platforms, public engagement, and media relations, ICGEB contributes to promote international sci-tech cooperation together with IUSTC."
In today's world, science and technology are playing an increasingly significant role, especially in addressing common issues, such as COVID-19, climate change, green and sustainable development and economic recovery.
Therefore to help promote the spread of scientific and technological information, the IUSTC Secretariat issued four working initiatives for IUSTC members.
In addition, a report titled Science and Technology in Supporting Global Efforts to Achieve Carbon Neutrality-Global technology development report 2021 climate change was released on the conference by S&T Daily, and supported by the data from Clarivate.
The report is a fundamental study of global climate change over the past 20 years, putting forward relevant suggestions for international cooperation on climate change.
SOURCE Science and Technology Daily | IUSTC
TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KELA , a global leader in dark web actionable threat intelligence, today announced that INTELACT, its dark web-based attack surface monitoring product, is now available for purchase in AWS Marketplace, a digital catalog with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
KELA provides unrivaled visibility into adversary behaviors and relevant threats, illuminating and deciphering hidden events, activities, and actors that would typically go undetected and unanalyzed. KELA delivers the contextual intelligence for its customers to proactively neutralize threats before it impacts their business.
"An ever-changing cybercrime underground and endless security alerts require specialized intelligence to mitigate the risk of attack," said Ayesha Prakash, Global Vice President - Partnerships & Alliances at KELA. "With the growing migration of technologies from on-premises to cloud, defenders seek automated solutions to neutralize relevant threats, reduce their attack surface, narrow down irrelevant noise, and take automated actions. INTELACT provides visibility into the organization's attack surface as seen from the eyes of potential attackers. With actionable alerts, real-time measurement of risk, and seamless integration to our customers' AWS environment, INTELACT arms our customers with the information and insight needed to stay on top of threats and ahead of attackers while maintaining the use of the most advanced cloud technologies."
With INTELACT's attack surface monitoring, organizations can safely migrate more tools from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. They can use the most advanced technologies yet remain alert for relevant potential threats to stay ahead of attackers and keep the organization protected. INTELACT's design consists of multiple AWS technologies to support the process and delivery of real-time alerts and contextualized insights to each of KELA's customers.
INTELACT powerful features include:
100% automatic delivery of targeted attack surface intelligence
Real-time alerts to proactively act on intelligence to eliminate immediate risks
Specific assets monitoring to receive only targeted and actionable intelligence
Efficient detection of dark web threats to help users maintain a reduced attack surface
Seamless integration to AWS environments and other security technologies
Now and for a limited time only, KELA's customers can save an additional 30% on our dark web threat intelligence products in AWS Marketplace through the end of 2021.
For more information on KELA's INTELACT on AWS, visit https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-3bmcemj62ogxs
About KELA
KELA takes away fear of unknown digital threats all organizations face. Trusted worldwide, our combined solution of exceptional automated threat intelligence technology and deep staff expertise delivers actionable threat intelligence that is highly relevant to your organization. Mining the cybercrime underground, KELA's solutions reduce your team's workload while enabling proactive, targeted defense.
For more information about KELA, please visit www.ke-la.com .
Contact Information
Efrat David
+972-3-970-2720
[email protected]
SOURCE KELA
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Since early November, postal workers have been scouring thousands of letters to Santa pouring in, looking for ones from children in need. When they find letters that ask for basic necessities like a warm coat, new shoes, or a cozy blanket, postal elves upload them to USPSoperationsanta.com , and then anyone may go on the site, adopt a letter, and send their gifts directly to the child or family hoping for a brighter Christmas.
Be An Elf volunteers adopted this little girl's letter to Santa. BeAnElf.org founder Patrick Reynolds with letters to Santa adopted by the Christmas charity
Of course, the Elves at the Post Office always put the letters right back in the mail to the jolly man in red at the North Pole, so Santa will deliver his gifts, too.
BeAnElf.org offers an excellent guide to the program for new volunteers to adopt a letter from home. The Christmas charity also adopts many letters and uses tax-deductible donations to send gifts. Thanks to a major grant from Google, Be An Elf has also recruited thousands of volunteers over the years for the USPS program.
The USPS site closes for letter adoption tonight at 11:59pm. Volunteers who adopt letters must mail their gifts by January 14th. BeAnElf.org will remain open and volunteers may make tax-deductible gifts online.
At the USPS site, volunteers may choose to adopt a child's letter or adopt a whole family. Often parents whose children are still too little to write list their kids' names, ages, and clothing sizes, and describe their struggles with employment, and why they need help with Christmas gifts for their kids this year.
Some people feel alone and sad over Christmas, and find comfort and inspiration volunteering for this program. They catch the true spirit of the holidays, knowing they will put smiles on kids' faces on Christmas. To learn more, visit BeAnElf.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Patrick Reynolds, Chief Elf
(310)880-1111
[email protected]
SOURCE Be An Elf
Together with our team and our Chemical Guys Family we have created something incredible 1 million strong and growing. Tweet this
"Together with our team and our Chemical Guys Family we have created something incredible 1 million strong and growing," says Jennifer Olvera, Chemical Guys Brand Director. "We are truly grateful for the passion that is not only shared by our team but shared by each and every person that takes time out of their day to post and tag us to share their passion for shine with us. We love having the ability to interact with our growing Chemical Guys Family on Instagram and look forward to welcoming many more to our Family!"
To enter the giveaway, fans must visit https://www.chemicalguys.com/million-followers-giveaway.html to fill out the contest entry form, as well as follow Chemical Guys on Instagram. The contest will run from December 22, 2021 through January 2, 2022 at 11:59PM PST, with the winner announced January 4, 2022 via Chemical Guys Instagram.
"Our team has spent countless hours building a complete ecosystem designed to attract, educate, empower and provide members of the Chemical Guys Family with solutions and a community," states John Mansfield, Chemical Guys Chief Revenue Officer. "Reaching this incredible milestone of 1 million engaged Instagram followers demonstrates how strong our shared passion for shine really is."
In addition to reaching this new Instagram milestone, Chemical Guys recently surpassed 700,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel the single largest online resource of video content for detailing enthusiasts worldwide. With nearly 1500 dedicated how-to videos made to educate and entertain fans, Chemical Guys continues to inspire those looking to find their passion and make it shine.
To enter the giveaway for your chance to win, visit https://www.chemicalguys.com/million-followers-giveaway.html and be sure to follow the brand on Instagram @chemicalguys .
ABOUT CHEMICAL GUYS
Driven by adventure, a passion for shine, and a love for the road ahead, Chemical Guys is a worldwide leader in automotive detailing products for car care enthusiasts and professionals. From exclusive small-batch waxes to cutting edge ceramic coatings, and specialty cleaners for exteriors and interiors, Chemical Guys sets the industry standard when it comes to product innovation, technological advancement and education. Based in Southern California, Chemical Guys has evolved from a handful of passionate car fanatics to a global lifestyle brand with the largest digital library of automotive detailing "how to" content available. Learn more and join the Chemical Guys Family at ChemicalGuys.com.
ABOUT DETAIL GARAGE
Detail Garage is the country's fastest-growing car care superstore. The nationwide retail franchise is the ultimate destination for auto detailing supplies, equipment, car care accessories and training. By combining the highest-quality products with educational detailing classes, Detail Garage has become the country's go-to retail store for car care enthusiasts, passionate car owners, and detailing professionals. After launching its initial location in Southern California, the brand has quickly expanded to over 80 locations over the last 5 years throughout the US and Canada. To find a Detail Garage near you or for more information on products, training or franchising opportunities visit www.detailgarage.com .
ABOUT SUPER73
SUPER73 is an American lifestyle adventure brand based in Orange County, CA that develops products to help fuse motorcycle heritage with youth culture. Founded in 2016, SUPER73 has quickly grown into one of the most recognizable electric vehicle brands in the world with a passionate customer base including A-list celebrities, professional athletes, and many more. For more information, visit super73.com or @super73 on social media.
SOURCE Chemical Guys
Related Links
http://www.chemicalguys.com
MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - The Luxembourg Future Fund (LFF) announced on December 17, 2021, that it will be investing in NorthStar Earth & Space Inc., (NorthStar). The investment builds on the announcement made in December 2019 of a partnership between Luxembourg's Ministry of the Economy and the Montreal-based company.
NorthStar is the first commercial company that will monitor space, from space. The company is deploying a constellation of satellites with dedicated optical sensors to deliver timely and precise space traffic data, collision avoidance and navigation services. NorthStar's head offices are located in Montreal, Canada and has its American headquarters located in the Washington D.C. metro area. With this LFF investment, NorthStar is now establishing its European headquarters in Luxembourg.
For nearly four decades, Luxembourg has been at the forefront of commercial and co-operative initiatives that have shaped a vibrant space economy by attracting ground-breaking companies in this sector.
LFF will co-invest with Telesystem Space Inc., of Montreal, Canada, in a USD 45 million round for NorthStar, while the Luxembourg government will provide, to the extent applicable, funding through the national space program LuxIMPULSE managed by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) or through other research and development grants in order to support NorthStar's local activities. NorthStar will establish its European headquarters in Luxembourg to set up a centre of excellence for Space Situational Awareness (SSA), Space Domain Awareness (SDA), and Space Traffic Management (STM) while leveraging expertise of local players such as the one in charge of the national High-Performance Computer (HPC). NorthStar's activities will focus on the delivery of high-performance space-based object tracking and space monitoring services that support safe satellite operations to help maintain space sustainability.
Franz Fayot, Minister of the Economy, said: "NorthStar's approach is paving the way to a safer and sustainable future in space. Luxembourg has a long-celebrated reputation for creating pioneering partnerships with private space companies that generate technological advances and innovation for sustainable activities both in Space and on Earth. The investment in NorthStar is further fostering the on-going growth and development of Luxembourg's space capabilities."
"We are delighted to be establishing our European headquarters in Luxembourg, a leader in space, finance and reinsurance. Luxembourg's pioneering work to develop SES Global, the world's largest commercial satellite operator, and continuing initiatives and investments in Information Communication Technology play a significant role in the New Space economy," said Charles Sirois, the Chairman of NorthStar.
"Realizing all the potential space will offer future generations depends entirely on delivering transformational commercial services to ensure the safety and sustainability of near-Earth orbits," said Stewart Bain, CEO & Founder of NorthStar Earth & Space. "NorthStar is privileged to receive this important investment from the Luxembourg Future Fund to help facilitate the launch of NorthStar's unique space based SSA services. NorthStar is eager to integrate into this vibrant and creative community of space leaders and visionaries. Luxembourg has a rich space heritage and presents an exciting opportunity to leverage its talent and expanding capabilities."
Patrick Nickels, Chairman of the LFF Board, declared: "The Luxembourg Future Fund is very pleased to co-invest alongside Telesystem in NorthStar. This strategic investment reinforces the Luxembourg space cluster and helps strengthen the country's positioning as one of the leading locations for space technology companies in Europe and worldwide."
Alain Godard, European Investment Fund Chief Executive stated: "I am very proud that the EIF could support this co-investment of the LFF into NorthStar Earth & Space, a New Space company, together with Telesystem Space Inc. Fostering New Space is crucial for Europe's future technological sovereignty. Luxembourg has the most dynamic space sector in Europe and I hope it paves the way for other countries."
ABOUT NORTHSTAR
NorthStar seeks to empower humanity to preserve our planet through a unique Space and Earth information & intelligence platform using space-based sensors. NorthStar strives to help transform the way governments, industry and institutions assess risk, develop regulations and make decisions to foster the sustainable development of our planet and deliver a safe and secure near-Earth environment.
NorthStar's unique space-based commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) products address many of the critical and immediate challenges facing all satellite operators. With a comprehensive view of all near-Earth orbits, NorthStar's Skylark satellites will deliver more frequent and precise observations of resident space objects than any current system. Through a suite of decision quality information services derived from its unparalleled coverage, object custody, and enhanced predictive analytics, NorthStar generates its Space Information & Intelligence (Si2) services.
NorthStar's investors comprise a global coalition of strategic partners, including Telesystem Space (a co-enterprise of the Sirois family office, Telesystem and the Roger's Family Trust of Canada), the Space Alliance (Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio) of Europe, the Government of Quebec the Government of Canada and the Luxembourg Futures Fund
ABOUT THE LUXEMBOURG FUTURE FUND
Launched in 2015, the Luxembourg Future Fund (LFF) is a EUR 150 million Fund, which aims, beyond its financial performance objectives, to stimulate the diversification and sustainable development of the Luxembourgish economy. LFF targets to bring and develop innovative projects to/in Luxembourg by supporting the establishment of Venture Capital funds and early to later stage innovative businesses. It was set up by Luxembourg's public-law banking institution, Societe nationale de credit et d'investissement (SNCI), in partnership with the European Investment Fund (EIF) and combines a EUR 120 million contribution from SNCI with EUR 30 million from the EIF.
LFF is composed of two distinct product strategies: (i) the LFF Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds (VC FoF) which invests in VC funds who are expected to increase their presence in Luxembourg and (ii) the LFF Co-Investments sub-fund which makes co-investments into companies that are expected to have substantial spill over effects for Luxembourg's economy.
For more information:
https://northstar-data.com/
SOURCE NorthStar Earth & Space Inc.
Related Links
https://northstar-data.com/
"The San Antonio office market has remained exceptionally strong by comparison to other major cities", noted Ryan Harrison, CEO of Merit Commercial Real Estate. "We saw strong demand for this type of building in the northwest submarket from the tenant's we represent, which led us to this acquisition", stated Mike Sawtelle, EVP tenant representation broker for Merit and long-time mover-and-shaker in the San Antonio office market.
Many Fortune 500 companies across the country had plans to bring their workforce back into the office this fall, only to postpone those plans. Now, major cities are seeing companies change strategies and implement a hybrid or fully remote style of working. In contrast, the majority of San Antonio companies have seen continued interest in returning to the workplace.
"While headline news from cities like New York and San Francisco have painted a picture of vacant office buildings, the San Antonio office market has remained stable," said Harrison. "What we're hearing from companies in San Antonio is that techfor all its capabilitieshas gotten in the way of in-person collaboration and team-wide support."
For most companies, discussions to return to the office include balancing safety and productivity while using office space as a tool to attract and retain talent. Key among employees' desired features and benefits are (i) single story office buildings due their unique access control capabilities (ii) proximity to employees' homes and (ii) outdoor areas such as break areas and walking trails.
University Park Tech Center I & II is unique in the San Antonio market and represents one of very few single-story, large blocks of space available in the I-10 corridor. It's positioning in Northwest San Antonio offers reduced commute times to much of San Antonio's workforce and the property boasts a wooded walking trail and outdoor break areas which Merit has plans to improve.
Merit which specializes in tenant representation, has uniquely positioned itself, "having the ability to acquire and develop real estate assets for our clients differentiates us from every other tenant representation firm in the market and allows us to capitalize on opportunities for our client's benefit," stated Will Collins, Co-CEO of Merit.
"San Antonio is in a great position to take advantage of a strong Texas business environment and the resulting unprecedented population growth," said Harrison, "and our investment in University Park Tech Center I & II represents our confidence in the strength of our local office market."
Contact: Will Collins, CEO, 210-541-2005, [email protected]
SOURCE Merit Commercial Real Estate
Related Links
https://merit-cre.com
AMMAN, Jordan, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jordan's Minister of Investment, His Excellency Khairy Amr, received Nobles Group Chairman Omar Ayesh at the ministry's headquarters to discuss the company's commitment to the property market. Ayesh discussed residential and commercial projects in the pipeline, as well as progress on existing assets. They also reviewed opportunities presented by the Amman Vision Investment & Development (AVID) initiative. Ayesh expressed the Group's interest in specific opportunities the Greater Amman Municipality offered, and updated Amr on his discussions with His Excellency Yousef Shawarbeh regarding relevant developments.
L to R: His Excellency Jordan's Minister of Investment Khairy Amr with Nobles Group Chairman Omar Ayesh and senior members of Nobles Properties
They discussed the ministry's investor incentive schemes as well as the services designed to facilitate operations in the Kingdom, in preparation for launching a collection of tourism and commercial projects estimated at $100 million in value.
Amr affirmed the ministry's readiness to provide the necessary support. He added: "Jordan has a promising investment environment with multiple opportunities available for ventures in various fields with unique advantages." He called on investors to benefit from the Kingdom's opportunities which include a secure, stable, and developed business environment. He noted His Majesty King Abdallah has asked the Ministry to develop a road map for creating job opportunities and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). This includes legislation and economic measures as well as offering businesses centralized services to expedite approvals.
Nobles, which also has a presence in the United States, chose Jordan as a key growth market. Ayesh expressed his gratitude to the Minister for his support, noting the Kingdom has the legislation, infrastructure and intellectual capital that make it a market of interest to investors.
The USA has had diplomatic relations with Jordan since 1949; and 2020 marked the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first U.S. FTA with an Arab country.
Nobles Properties is an international real estate developer that builds distinctive lifestyle developments. Omar Ayesh, the company's founder, built one of the region's most iconic projects in Dubai, the Princess Tower, which reigned as the tallest residential tower in the world for years. Nobles Properties operates in North America, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Contact:
Nobles Properties Media Inquiries
R. Jaara
+962 65546161
[email protected]
SOURCE Nobles Properties
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "North America PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis By Type, Multiplex PCR, Traditional PCR, Digital PCR, Reverse-Transcriptase, and Others), Product Type, Infection Type, and End User" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
According to the report, the North America PCR for respiratory infection diagnostics market is expected to reach US$ 3,581.63 million by 2028 from US$ 1,766.10 million in 2021; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10.6% from 2021 to 2028.
The growth of the market is determined due to some of the key driving factors, such as increasing burden of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and growing developments in PCR testing, are expected to propel the growth of the market. However, availability of alternative assays is the major factor hindering the market growth.
Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are among the leading causes of morbidity globally due to the heavy consumption of tobacco. For instance, according to the WHO, in 2018, the fourth largest cause of mortality in the US was chronic lower respiratory illness, predominantly COPD. Nearly 15.7 million Americans (6.4%) have been diagnosed with COPD. The burden of CRDs is expected to increase in the future due to poor air quality, increase in addiction to smoking, and rise in geriatric population that is more prone to COPD and lung cancer.
Moreover, programs initiated in the countries to improve treatment and support the people living with respiratory diseases are likely to increase the demand for PCR for the diagnosis of respiratory diseases. This will lead to the market growth during the forecast period. The demand for PCR testing to diagnose infectious diseases has significantly risen in the past few years. The growing technological advancements have added an extra advantage of point-of-care testing through PCR, which has surged the demand for PCR diagnostics.
In addition, the demand has exponentially raised due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Since the pandemic has initiated, reverse transcription-polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) test has been preferably used to diagnose and examine the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The RT-PCR method is widely accepted as the gold standard for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA due to its sensitive testing. Therefore, considering the demand for PCR testing, various market players have introduced PCR products and entered strategic developments in the global market. Also, most companies are now offering real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19, which is contributing to the growth of the target market.
COVID-19 pandemic has served vital growth opportunities for the PCR for respiratory infection diagnostics market. The market has experienced exponential growth during the pandemic due to tremendous demand for COVID-19 testing through PCR. North America is the leading market that has significantly contributed to the growth of the market. There have been various factors, including increased incidences of COVID-19 positive patients, growth in PCR technologies, increasing production of reagents and kits, and many other factors.
The cases majorly led to the demand for PCR testing in the countries such as the US, Canada, and Mexico. In addition, companies such as Omega Laboratories and LaunchWorks are launching various PCR testing in countries expanding the services, due to increasing demand from governments, communities, and organizations to track and control the spread of the virus.
Key Topics Covered
1. Introduction
1.1 Scope of the Study
1.2 Research Report Guidance
1.3 Market Segmentation
2. North America PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market - Key Takeaways
3. Research Methodology
3.1 Coverage
3.2 Secondary Research
3.3 Primary Research
4. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market - Market Landscape
4.1 Overview
4.2 PEST Analysis
4.2.1 North America - PEST Analysis
4.3 Experts Opinion
5. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market - Key Market Dynamics
5.1 Market Drivers
5.1.1 Increasing Burden of Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs)
5.1.2 Growing Developments in PCR Testing
5.2 Market Restraints
5.2.1 Availability of Alternative Assays
5.3 Market Opportunities
5.3.1 Use of PCR Testing for Various Respiratory Infection Diagnostics
5.4 Future Trends
5.4.1 Developments in PCR Technology
5.5 Impact analysis
6. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market - North America Analysis
6.1 North America PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market Revenue Forecast and Analysis
7. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market Analysis by Type
7.1 Overview
7.2 PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market Revenue Share, by Type (2021 and 2028)
7.3 Real Time PCR (qPCR)
7.4 Multiplex PCR
7.5 Traditional PCR
7.6 Digital PCR
7.7 Reverse Transcriptase (RT-PCR)
7.8 Others
8. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market Analysis - By Product Type
8.1 Overview
8.2 PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market, by Product Type 2021 & 2028 (%)
8.3 Reagents and kits
8.4 Instruments
8.5 Others
9. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market - By Infection Type
9.1 Overview
9.2 PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market Revenue Share, by Infection Type, 2021 & 2028 (%)
9.3 Bacterial Infections
9.4 Viral Infection
9.5 Fungal and Other Pathogens
10. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market - By End User
10.1 Overview
10.2 PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market Revenue Share, by End User (2021 and 2028)
10.3 Hospitals
10.4 Physician Clinics
10.5 Clinical Laboratories
10.6 Academic and Research Institutions
10.7 Biotech and Pharma Companies
10.8 Others
11. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market - North America Analysis
11.1 North America: PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market
12. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on North America PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market
12.1 North America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic
13. PCR for Respiratory Infection Diagnostics Market - Industry Landscape
13.1 Overview
13.2 Inorganic Growth Strategies
13.3 Organic Growth Strategies
14. Company Profiles
14.1 Abbott
14.2 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
14.3 Hologic, Inc.
14.4 BD
14.5 Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.
14.6 bioMerieux SA
14.7 QIAGEN
14.8 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
14.9 Seegene Inc.
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/je8gn0
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"We are pleased to welcome Uber to Ontario International just in time for the busy holiday travel period," said ONT's Chief Commercial Officer Daniel F. Cappell. "More and more travelers are discovering how convenient and hassle-free ONT is for nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and Taiwan. As the population in the Inland Empire grows, we want to offer as many options as possible for accessing our airport."
"We look forward to providing travelers at Ontario International Airport expanded options of transportation," said an Uber spokesperson.
Passengers arriving at the airport via ride-app services are dropped curbside at their passenger terminal. Passengers arriving by air can use a mobile app upon arrival to request a ride then follow the 'Ride-Share Pick-Up Location" signs to the east end of each terminal's inner curb.
Uber joins Lyft, Wingz and Opoli to become the fourth ride-app company offering transportation to and from the popular and rapidly growing Southern California gateway.
In addition to ride-app services, ONT is accessible by taxi, limousine and public transit services. Customer parking is available close-by ONT's passenger terminals. Economy parking is offered on-site with complimentary shuttle bus service. Reservations for discounted parking can be made at www.flyontario.com.
ONT's Cell Phone Waiting Lot is conveniently located on airport property at 3350 John Bangs Drive. The Cellphone Lot has 35 spaces (plus 3 ADA spaces) and is free for up to one hour.
Motorists using private vehicles to access the airport can tune 620 on their AM car radio for ONT AirRadio which provides driving directions, airline terminal locations and parking information.
About Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA)
The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario Mayor Pro Tem Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner).
OIAA Media Contact:
Steve Lambert (909) 841-7527 [email protected]
SOURCE Ontario International Airport
BANGALORE, India, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Peracetic Acid Market is Segmented by Type (5%-15% PAA, Less than 5%PAA, Above 15% PAA), by Application (Food and Beverages, Water Treatment, Healthcare, Pulp and Paper): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Chemicals Industry Category.
The global Peracetic Acid Market size is projected to reach USD 603 Million by 2027, from USD 469.31 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.24% during 2021-2027.
Major factors driving the growth of the Peracetic Acid market are:
The peracetic acid market is predicted to develop due to an increase in end-user applications. Peroxyacetic acid, or PAA, is an organic chemical molecule utilized in a variety of applications, including as a chemical disinfectant in healthcare, a food sanitizer, and a water disinfectant.
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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE PERACETIC ACID MARKET:
Increasing use of peracetic acid in the food and beverage industry is expected to drive the growth of the peracetic acid market. Food safety is a major concern in the food industry today, and microbial contamination is the number one enemy of the food supply. Chemical treatments, such as peracetic acid, are one of the most effective strategies for microbial contamination management. Any biocidal chemical that will be applied directly to food must be efficient against germs and leave no toxic residues. Peracetic acid is a highly reactive substance that breaks down fast into acetic acid (the acid in vinegar), oxygen, and water. Peracetic acid residues in food products are free from tolerances under EPA regulations due to the thoroughness of the process.
Peracetic acid (PAA) has gained popularity as a key wastewater treatment technique and chlorine substitute in several countries. PAA has low residual toxicity, doesn't generate hazardous DBPs, and has a low environmental impact. Thus the growing use in wastewater treatment is expected to increase the growth of the peracetic acid market.
As the number of hospital-acquired infections rises, so does the necessity to sterilize hospitals on a regular basis. PAA has excellent disinfectant qualities, making it ideal for use in healthcare facilities. Standard surface decontamination methods, such as sprays and wipes, are time-consuming and frequently fail to thoroughly remove contaminants from sensitive electronic equipment. Because of its ease of use, low cost, and general effectiveness, PAA dry fogging should be investigated for decontaminating healthcare settings, particularly intensive care units that care for severely ill SARS-CoV-2 patients. This in turn is expected to drive the growth of the peracetic acid market.
Because of their hazardous residue, traditional pulp bleaching products cause a slew of environmental issues. As a result, peracetic acid is seen as a viable alternative because it is an environmentally benign bleaching agent. This increasing use of Peracetic acid in the paper & pulp industry is expected to drive its growth.
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PERACETIC ACID MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS:
Based on the application, Food and Beverages has held the largest market share of about 34% in 2020. This is because, to reduce microbiological contamination, many bottling factories utilize peracetic acid as a sanitizer and disinfection. Peracetic acid is also commonly utilized in the brewing sector as a sanitizer.
Based on region, Europe is the largest consumer of PAA with more than 45%. In the U.S. market, the major producers are Peroxychem, Solvay, Evonik, Kemira, Enviro Tech Chemical, and Biosafe Systems. Peroxychem is leading the industry with a 24% market share.
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Key Companies
PeroxyChem
Solvay
Evonik
Kemira
Enviro Tech Chemical
BioSafe Systems
Biosan
Shepard Bros
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical
Habo.
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SIMILAR REPORTS:
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NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world's leading academic medical center specialized in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, today announced the appointment of Timothy B. Niewold, MD, FACR, as Vice Chair for Research in the HSS Department of Medicine. Since completing his Rheumatology Fellowship under the research mentorship of Mary (Peggy) Crow, MD, at HSS in 2007, Dr. Niewold has led pioneering research in human autoimmune diseases, particularly lupus, and has been well-funded for research throughout his career. He has received the Mary Betty Stevens Prize for Lupus Research from the Lupus Foundation of America and the Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award from the American College of Rheumatology. In addition to being an outstanding investigator and serving leadership roles in prominent national organizations, Dr. Niewold is a renowned mentor to young investigators pursuing translational and clinical research.
Dr. Niewold is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Immunological Methods, serves on the Board of Directors of the Lupus Research Foundation and the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation, and is a standing member of the U.S. Department of Defense's Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program. He has recently served as a standing member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Arthritis, Connective Tissue, and Skin (ACTS) Study Section. He is a former Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Rheumatology Research Foundation, and a past President of the Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research.
"We are delighted that Dr. Niewold will help lead the next generation of groundbreaking translational and clinical research for the Department of Medicine at HSS," said S. Louis Bridges, Jr., MD, PhD, physician-in-chief and chair of the Department of Medicine at HSS. "We are at a historic intersection of knowledge, cutting edge technology and patient need. We are poised to accelerate impactful patient oriented research that will improve the lives of our patients."
Dr. Niewold returns to HSS from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, where he served as Judith and Stewart Colton Professor of Medicine and Director of the Colton Center for Autoimmunity.
Dr. Niewold, a world leader in lupus research, moves to HSS together with outstanding rheumatology investigators Theresa Wampler Muskardin, MD; Ruth Fernandez-Ruiz, MD; and Ashira Blazer, MD. At HSS Dr. Niewold and his colleagues will continue their current research, including three studies supported by the NIH, and one supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Research is foundational to HSS excellence, and scientific leadership in rheumatic diseases is among the ways we achieve reliably better outcomes for patients with any musculoskeletal condition," said Bryan T. Kelly, MD, MBA, HSS surgeon-in-chief and medical director. "Dr. Niewold and I both had the privilege of training at HSS, and I'm very happy to now share with him also the privilege of leading HSS to improve quality of life for future generations."
"HSS has the privilege and responsibility to help people get back to what they need and love to do better than any other place in the world," added HSS President & CEO Louis A. Shapiro. "Since our founding 158 years ago, that begins and ends with the most talented, most committed specialists, and so we are especially pleased to welcome Dr. Niewold home and support his leadership forward."
About HSS
HSS is the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 12th consecutive year), No. 4 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2021-2022), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report "Best Children's Hospitals" list (2021-2022). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a second consecutive year (2021). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest complication and readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 145 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.
SOURCE Hospital for Special Surgery
From 22nd 26th December, Bingo Blitz players across the world will be invited to take part in a "virtual dishes for wishes" challenge.
The in-game event will let players collect ingredients while playing Bingo and use them to cook a wide range of dishes in the app's virtual kitchen, part of the Chef Feature in the Bingo Blitz game.
The aim is to get players to prepare 300,000 virtual dishes and Bingo Blitz will donate $100,000 to Make-A-Wish. A virtual meals counter will be introduced to allow players to see their collective progress, and the donation will be used to fulfil as many wishes as possible for children with life-threatening illnesses.
This is the second year in a row that Bingo Blitz has organised an in-app donation event for Make-A-Wish, strengthening the partnership between the two organisations.
Bingo Blitz will also be raising awareness of the charity across its app, website, and social channels to encourage millions of players around the world to donate directly to the global charity. Players and non-players alike can visit www.worldwish.org/playtika to donate.
Inspiration from a 12-year-old with a passion for food
In the United States alone, three children are diagnosed with a critical illness every hour that's 27,000 children every year[2].
This means that thousands of children will face a very difficult Christmas. In honor of them, Bingo Blitz's virtual kitchen is going to become a place where wishes can come true for children with critical illnesses.
One young person whose own wish came true has been a particular inspiration for this campaign, and in particular, the decision to use Bingo Blitz's virtual kitchen to support Make-A-Wish.
Joshua was 12 when he underwent a bone marrow transplant as part of treatment for childhood leukemia. Recovering in hospital, North Carolina wish kid Joshua spent hours watching cooking shows from his hospital bed. His wish revolved around his passion for food, and his dream of sampling and creating amazing dishes.
After a request was submitted to Make-A-Wish, he was given the chance to visit some of the best restaurants and food trucks in LA and to participate in cooking some incredible street food. He also graced the red carpet and plated dishes at a food festival in the city.
"Joshua's wish came on the heels of his bone marrow transplant," said his mother, Rashelle. "It was so positively overwhelming it almost overshadowed what he had gone through."
For children dealing with a critical illness, a wish is more than just an incredible experience. Especially over the holiday season, a wish creates strength, hope, and transformation, in a child and in a community.
Giving through gaming
Bingo Blitz is part of Playtika, a leading gaming company with a passion for mobilizing gamers to make a real difference.
This motivation meant that, during 2020 and in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bingo Blitz partnered with Feeding America to donate one million meals to help tackle hunger[3] and Playtika partnered with the World Health Organization's #PlayApartTogether campaign[4], which encouraged gamers worldwide to socially distance but also to combat loneliness and social isolation through gaming.
This second year of partnership between Bingo Blitz and Make-A-Wish is a continuation of that work, in order to change lives and give back to communities through the power of gaming.
For every wish granted, at least three more children are waiting
Despite the pressures of the pandemic, Make-A-Wish has continued to make a life-changing difference. Make-A-Wish granted more than 25,000 wishes globally in 2020 and over 500,000 wishes since 1980.
But for every child like Joshua who has had their wish come true, there are at least three more children waiting.
That is why Bingo Blitz is calling on its players across the world to be part of this campaign over the holiday season and to help make dreams come true for children facing a very difficult Christmas.
"We are very proud to be supporting Make-A-Wish for the second year in a row to help grant more wishes for children with critical illnesses, who are facing a uniquely challenging Christmas. The holiday period is all about giving, and we know that our wonderful community of Bingo Blitz players really care and want to make a difference", said Dudu Dahan, General Manager at Bingo Blitz. "It is inspiring to see what Make-A-Wish achieves for thousands of children. Being able to contribute to that is a privilege."
Luciano Manzo, CEO of Make-A-Wish International said, "We thank the Bingo Blitz community for embracing Make-A-Wish for a second year - the money they are raising allows us to bring hope, strength and joy to our wish children during a very meaningful time of the year. The power of wishing is life-changing and this support from Bingo Blitz will enable us to grant more wishes for children with critical illnesses when they need it most."
About Bingo Blitz
Bingo Blitz is the #1 free-to-play bingo game*, with over 1 million active players per day on social networks and mobile platforms, forming a large community of players from all over the world. At Bingo Blitz, we care about our players and are driven by a commitment to provide them with the highest quality product and user experience. Through a high-action, skill-based game, packed with exciting narratives, innovative features, and mega prizes, our mission is to reinvent the way people play Bingo. Our unique social platform and content make it fun and easy for millions of people to play and connect with each other worldwide.
* According to App Annie, Bingo Blitz was the #1 free-to-play Bingo game by worldwide consumer spend across iOS and Google Play and average smartphone monthly active users from Jan to Nov 2021.
About Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Founded in 1980, Make-A-Wish is the world's leading children's wish-granting organization, having granted more than 500,000 wishes in nearly 50 countries worldwide. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 40,000 volunteers around the globe, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org, and for more information about Make-A-Wish International, visit worldwish.org.
About Playtika Holding Corp.
Playtika Holding Corp. is a leading mobile gaming company and monetization platform with over 35 million monthly active users across a portfolio of games titles. Founded in 2010, Playtika was among the first to offer free-to-play social games on social networks and, shortly after, on mobile platforms. Headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, and guided by a mission to entertain the world through infinite ways to play, Playtika has 20 offices worldwide including Tel-Aviv, London, Berlin, Vienna, Helsinki, Montreal, Chicago, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, Sydney, Kiev, Bucharest, Minsk, Dnepr, Vinnytsia, Lausanne, and Warsaw.
[1] According to App Annie, Bingo Blitz was the #1 Bingo game by worldwide consumer spend across iOS and Google Play and average smartphone monthly active users from Jan to Nov 2021.
[2] https://wish.org/wishes-forever
[3] https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/73147/playtika-bingo-blitz-is-donating-meals-to-feeding-america/
[4] https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/28/who-and-game-companies-launch-playaparttogether-to-promote-physical-distancing/
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1715252/Playtika.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1314414/Playtika_Logo.jpg
SOURCE Playtika
ATLANTA, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rented, Inc. , today announced its sixth annual report on the 100 Best Places to Buy a Vacation Rental Property in 2021 , providing insights into the most profitable cities for rental property investment and how this profitability varies each year.
2021 Best Places to Buy a Vacation Rental
"Travel for the last nearly two years has been disrupted. Demand continues to vary considerably, with drive-to markets seeing significant growth. Skipping the flight and creating a working vacation is a trend we began to see in 2020 that continues," said Andrew McConnell, CEO of Rented, Inc. "The Rented Report helps both rental property buyers and owners, as well as professional vacation rental property managers, understand the dynamics of the vacation rental market and narrow their search for the most profitable cities."
The "Best Places to Buy" in 2021 includes a few repeats and a few surprises when compared to previous years' reports. Among the top 25 cities, eight were listed on both prior lists, and six were listed on all prior Rented.com's annual reports. The top five cities in 2021 included mostly southern or beach destinations.
The top five real estate markets with the highest return on investment (ROI) for rental properties in 2021 include:
Pensacola, Florida Pigeon Forge, TN Virginia Beach, VA Corpus Christi, TX Daytona Beach, FL
The ROI of owning a rental property is determined by comparing costs of homeownership to short-term rental potential in various U.S. rental markets. Factors influencing these figures include purchase price, insurance, taxes, maintenance costs, the popularity of the destination, local rental rates, and more.
COVID Impacts Trends in Vacation Rentals
The overall picture of 2021 is mixed. For markets that relied on air travel, urban markets, and international locations, COVID caused an indefinite dip in demand. And at the writing of this report, even as international travel bans are lifting, more people become vaccinated, and cities relax their restrictions, the future of these markets remains uncertain.
But other markets, including those within driving distance of major urban hubs, have seen huge surges in occupancy and ADR, especially at non-peak times as remote work and virtual schooling continued. However, the Omnicron variant has been increasing after discovery in late November, and it will be interesting to see how this latest change impacts the industry moving into 2022 and beyond.
View the full 2021 report for more market trends and details about how ROI was calculated.
Media Contact: Debi Stiegerwald, [email protected] (727) 244-6769
SOURCE Rented, Inc.
LONGVIEW, Texas, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sorey & Gilliland is pleased to announce that Partner Derek Gilliland has been selected to serve as the second U.S. magistrate judge for the Waco division of the Western District of Texas.
U.S. District Judge Alan Albright selected Mr. Gilliland from dozens of applicants and a group of 10 finalists recommended by a search committee. A veteran trial lawyer, Mr. Gilliland has not only handled numerous cases in the Western District, but he and Judge Albright also successfully tried a 2013 patent infringement case together.
"I anticipate Derek will quickly become an invaluable asset," Judge Albright told the Waco Tribune-Herald shortly after the announcement. "Derek has enormous experience in the courtroom both with patent and non-IP cases and he already enjoys the respect of lawyers who will be appearing in front of him."
Mr. Gilliland currently leads Sorey & Gilliland's intellectual property litigation practice from the firm's Longview and Waco offices. He has decades of experience representing clients in disputes involving patent infringement, trademark and copyright violations, trade secret infringement and other areas of patent law. He also handles other types of civil litigation, including personal injury, products liability, and contract disputes.
"I am incredibly honored to have been given this opportunity and am very much looking forward to working with Judge Albright in this capacity," said Mr. Gilliland. "While I will miss working on behalf of our clients, I know that when I move to Waco, I can do so with the utmost confidence they remain in great hands."
Mr. Gilliland already has deep ties to Waco. He worked as an engineer at CTAS (now L3 Harris) after graduating from Texas A&M and then attended law school at Baylor University School of Law. He previously practiced law in Waco for several years. He also facilitated Sorey & Gilliland's expansion into Waco during a time when the Western District became the busiest patent litigation docket in the U.S.
"We could not be more pleased and excited for Derek. He is a fantastic choice to take on this incredible new opportunity," said Sorey & Gilliland Partner Dan Sorey. "We are truly appreciative of all Derek has done to grow our firm's IP practice. It is stronger now than it has ever been and, before he takes the bench, Derek and I will work together to ensure that growth will only continue."
Mr. Gilliland, who takes the bench in April 2022, will remain with Sorey & Gilliland through spring 2022. The firm is expected to announce an addition to its IP practice in the coming weeks.
Sorey & Gilliland, LLP is a Texas-based law firm with an impressive track record in personal injury litigation, intellectual property and business disputes. With offices in Longview and Waco, Texas, the team of skilled courtroom litigators has a reputation for providing each and every client creative and zealous representation with a personal touch. Learn more about the firm at https://soreylaw.com/.
Media Contact:
April Arias
800-559-4534
[email protected]
SOURCE Sorey & Gilliland, LLP
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Taiwan Telecoms Industry Report: 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
Globally, the telecommunications sector is proving to be a core and essential infrastructure service to national economies, with data infrastructure becoming critical in a connected world and will likely increasingly attract a new class of investors such as large infrastructure funds. The Taiwanese telecommunications industry is forecast to remain steady thanks to the defensiveness nature of the industry, amid the political uncertainties and an uncertain economic outlook due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With already a saturated mobile phone penetration and fixed broadband take-up among households, future growth is likely to remain subdued with a declining working population and an aging population over the long term.
The research forecasts that mobile subscriptions will continue to grow in the 2021-26 period and fixed broadband subscribers will also continue to grow but lower its household penetration over the same period due to fixed-wireless substitution. The ratio of the telecommunications sector revenue to GDP is declining from a peak in 2015, sliding down every year since then.
Following the market contraction over the last 5 years, the research team forecasts flat revenue growth to 2026, as long as data pricing stays rational amid the diminishing impact of declining legacy voice and SMS revenue.
Mobile subscriptions are growing faster than mobile service revenue leading to ARPU decline after 3 years of intense competition with the market transitioned completely transitioned to 4G after shutting down 2G and 3G networks in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
The overall telecoms market is expected to remain flat through to 2025 after a marked decline from 2016 due to mobile service revenue pressure partially offset by fixed broadband and enterprise data growth
This report provides analyses of revenue and market forecasts as well as statistics of the Taiwanese telecoms industry including market sizing, 5-year forecasts, market insights, key telecom trends, 5G.
The report features the following:
Overall Telecommunications Market by Major Operators
Telco Operators Profile, Revenue and EBITDA Mix
Mobile Subscribers & Revenue Market Overview and Forecasts
Spectrum Holdings
IoT Market Overview
Broadband Subscribers & Revenue Market Overview and Forecasts
National Broadband Network Detailed Market Overview and Forecasts
Thematics/Opportunities relating to 5G, M&A and e-Commerce
Telecoms Infrastructure Review
Telco M&A Transaction Database
Capex Investments
The Capex to GDP ratio peaked in 2014 and has been sliding since, to its lowest in 2019 and rising again in 2020. Capex investments will increase again from 2021 through to 2026, as mobile operators invest in 5G, bolster their 4G coverage and increase capacity to fulfill strong data demand, increasing again Capex to Sales Ratio.
Broadband Subscribers - FTTH Push and Fixed Wireless
The fixed broadband market is experiencing subdued growth with Chunghwa Telecom losing share to HFC cable operators such as KBro, Taiwan Mobile, TBC and CNS. Chunghwa Telecom invested early in the 2010s in FTTx technologies while migrating its DSL subscribers to its HiNet network. Competing cable operators also invested in upgrading their cable networks bundling mobile, IPTV and e-Commerce services but falling short of upgrading to full-fibre networks limiting opportunities for gigabit speeds.
Fixed broadband penetration is forecasted to decline as fixed-wireless substitution is increasing supporting a rising number of lone-occupancy households.
Thematics - Telecoms Infrastructure / 5G / M&A / Infrastructure
Infrastructure funds, pension funds and government funds are assigning high valuation multiples to telecommunications infrastructure assets such as mobile towers, data centres, submarine cable and fibre infrastructure.
Investment funds are assigning high valuation multiples to telecommunications infrastructure assets such as mobile towers, data centres, submarine cable and fibre infrastructure. This report outlines some real market examples of how investors view and value these investments with real industry examples and EV/EBITDA comparatives and benchmarks.
However, in the medium term, the telco sector is likely to experience some corporate activity. Subdued growth due to ARPU pressure compounded by low population growth is pushing telcos to look for outside opportunities to increase scale. The research team expects a wave of consolidation in Taiwan in both the mobile and fixed broadband market, after some failed mergers of cable operators.
The arrival of 4G moved the Internet off our desktops into our palms and pockets, 5G could transform the network from something we carry around to something taking us around either virtually (augmented reality or virtual reality) or in reality (autonomous vehicles), the 5G outcome and benefits beyond fast connectivity remain largely unknown in terms of business models, investments required and timeline.
Key Companies Mentioned in This Report:
Asia Pacific Telecom (APT)
China Network Systems (CNS)
Chunghwa Telecom
Far EasTone
KBro
National Communications Commission (NCC)
Taiwan Broadband Communications (TBC)
Taiwan Mobile
Taiwan Star (T Star)
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2kzbmn
About ResearchAndMarkets.com
ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Media Contact:
Research and Markets Laura Wood,
Senior Manager
[email protected]
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
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SOURCE Research and Markets
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virginia Ready Initiative (VA Ready), a 501(c)(3) public-private partnership dedicated to reskilling Virginians and helping them qualify for in-demand positions, welcomes Natalie Foster as its new Executive Director.
Foster is coming to VA Ready as the Executive Director of MENTOR Virginia, which promotes and provides assistance to various mentorship programs around the state. She was named Executive Director in 2021 after serving as the Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships since joining MENTOR Virginia in 2017. She has a proven success record in business development, fund development, training and strategic partnerships with corporate partners such as Capital One, EAB, Federal Reserve, LinkedIn, Genentech, and Dominion Energy, community colleges, program partners, and foundations throughout the Commonwealth. Foster is also a member of the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives and previously served on their board, has a Master's degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Richmond, and has a background as an educator bringing a unique perspective to Virginia Ready and helping the organization build stronger relationships with current and future partners.
"VA Ready is a phenomenal initiative with a wonderful mission," Foster said. "I am excited to join such a passionate and capable team that has helped thousands of Virginians find jobs with a future as well as helped businesses find talent in this historic labor shortage.
Foster's role as Executive Director will assume the day-to-day duties of VA Ready CEO Caren Merrick, a businesswoman who was recently named Virginia's Secretary of Commerce and Trade by Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin.
"The Virginia Ready Initiative has proven to be a much needed and innovative solution during these unprecedented times. I could not be prouder of the team and the vital work VA Ready has done, and will do, to help Virginia workers and businesses," said Loretta Penn, Chairman of the Board. "Natalie's business success record speaks for itself, and I am confident VA Ready will continue to thrive and scale under Natalie's leadership."
During Merrick's tenure as CEO over 3,300 Virginians reskilled with VA Ready to learn vital new skills in healthcare, technology, manufacturing, or a skilled trade. As the founding executive, she led the development of the initiative and the model as well as formed multiple partnerships with the Virginia Community College System and prominent Virginia businesses, with the most recent being with the Virginia Trucking Association.
The Virginia Ready Initiative was founded by Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin and his wife, Suzanne, in June 2020 as a response to the economic and employment hardships experienced by Virginians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information about the VA Ready Initiative and how to apply for the program, visit www.vaready.org .
About the Virginia Ready Initiative (VA Ready)
VA Ready is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that launched in June 2020 with a mission to help thousands of Virginians access the short-term training needed to find jobs in today's most in-demand industries. With its Public-Private-Partnership design, VA Ready brings together the Virginia Community College System's (VCCS) 23 colleges, the Commonwealth's FastForward program, and more than 20 business partners who employ millions of Virginians. VA Ready Scholars have access to 34 healthcare, technology and other skilled training programs; learn the skills needed to secure one of today's most in-demand positions; receive $1,000 upon credential completion; and are connected to VA Ready's business partners for employment opportunities. Learn more at www.vaready.org
SOURCE The Virginia Ready Initiative
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- High-dosage, 24/7 online tutoring is gaining momentum across Florida, with nearly 215,000 students in grades 6-12 now having access to personalized tutoring from Paper, at no cost to students' families, following recent school board decisions and multiple other districts. The expansion comes as school districts in Florida and across the nation seek to bridge both longstanding equity gaps and the 'learning slide' exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Palm Beach County, Martin County, and Putnam County school boards last week approved Paper for a total of 114,736 students. More than 100,000 Hillsborough County Public Schools students in grades 6-12 have been using Paper since the fall .
"We want to make sure that education is something that's not just in the classroom and feels like a burden. It's something you enjoy taking part in, even at home," said Alexandria Ayala , District 2 School Board Member, Palm Beach County School District. "The learning loss over the pandemic and over the last year has been hard. We are really looking for things to offer to augment their education," she added .
The addition of Palm Beach County School District, coupled with Hillsborough County Public Schools, means that two of the largest districts in Florida and the U.S. are now giving students unlimited access to Paper's tutors 24 hours a day, in more than 200 subjects and four languages including English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin.
"The District is excited about the opportunity to provide 24/7 support for students, whether they need help with accelerated courses such as physics or calculus, or a regular class such as sixth-grade world geography," said Diana Fedderman, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Palm Beach County School District. "The real-time assistance will help students remediate any learning loss and accelerate their studies, and we look forward to watching them grow."
The momentum in Florida over the course of the last few weeks reflects a trend towards 24/7 academic support happening across the country from California to Ohio, Massachusetts, and Georgia. Nationally, more than 1.5 million students across 22 states have access to Paper. In February of 2020, Paper served fewer than 60,000 students illustrating a user base growth of over 2000%. Over the last year, Paper has started supporting some of the other largest and most prominent school districts in the nation, including Columbus City Schools , OH, Atlanta Public Schools , GA, and Boston Public Schools , MA.
Hillsborough was the first Florida school district to adopt Paper for its 100,000 students in grades 6-12. In two months, students have submitted over 1,000 essays and are averaging 200 tutoring sessions per day. Over 70% of sessions have happened after hours when one-on-one tutoring would not have normally been available.
"Students are staying up until midnight and one o'clock, so I think the availability of this 24-7 assistance is really attractive because this is the way kids operate and this is the way kids really want to work," said Dr. Mary White , Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Martin County School District.
Philip Cutler, formerly a teacher in Canada, founded Paper after he saw that while most of his students needed one-on-one tutoring, only about 10 percent could afford it. His company began with a mission of bridging that tutoring equity gap by bringing it online through school district agreements that allow them to offer the service for a small amount per student per year.
With Paper, any student can connect with a tutor for on-demand academic support, anytime, anywherewith no limits on the length and number of tutoring sessions. Learning gaps are not a new challenge for school district leaders, but school closures in the past two years since the pandemic began have heightened the need to offer more services to students. This, plus the availability of federal dollars set aside to address learning gaps related to the pandemic, has helped to fuel the growth across many states, including Florida.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed existing inequities in education," said Philip Cutler, co-founder and CEO of Paper. "Students need support inside the classroom and at home, and we are dedicated to providing that support whenever they need it, in any subject they need help with."
To learn more about Paper, visit paper.co .
SOURCE Paper
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Laser Marking Machine Market By Type, By Application, By Regional Outlook, COVID-19 Impact Analysis Report and Forecast, 2021 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The global laser marking machine market size is expected to reach $4.7 billion by 2027, rising at a market growth of 7.6% CAGR during the forecast period.
A laser marking machine refers to mechanical equipment utilized for printing permanent laser marks on a surface. This machine utilizes a beam of concentrated light to make marks by a green, fiber, ultraviolet (UV), YAG, or CO2 laser machine.
The beam aims at a particular area that helps the laser marking machine to engrave high-quality, accurate, and high-contrast marks. Generally, these markings involve machine-readable data for barcodes, text for serial numbers, matrix codes & graphics, and unique identification codes. This engraving is done on numerous surfaces like ceramic, titanium, steel, plastic, aluminum, wood, glass, copper, and paper.
In addition, these laser marking machines provide faster, permanent, and precise marking or engraving. Due to outstanding beam quality, high efficiency, and superior reliability, these laser marking machines are utilized in numerous industrial applications. Additionally, these machines are majorly utilized in the electronics & semiconductor sector for the laser marking of silicon wafers, and PCBs to enable traceability. Laser marking refers to a permanent procedure, which utilizes a beam of concentrated light to engrave a lasting mark on a surface. Furthermore, laser marking includes a broad range of applications which is performed with a continuous wave, fiber, pulsed, green, or UV laser machine.
COVID-19 Impact Analysis
The outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all industries in some ways. Due to the pandemic, the medical sector has registered a hike in the demand for laser marking machines and services. The sudden upsurge in the demand for various medical products and devices like masks and other medical equipment has bolstered the demand for laser marking machines across the world. Several medical devices, which are utilized for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, have witnessed a spurt in demand due to the pandemic.
Due to this, numerous medical devices manufacturers and companies have adopted laser marking machines to engrave their brand name and other certifications on their products. In addition, the high demand for COVID-19 testing kits with polypropylene tubes for sample collection that is marked by using UV laser for mentioning different certifications is expected to accelerate the growth of the laser marking machines market. These engravings on COVID-19 kits are important for identifying patients and thus, require marking of the specific information on them.
Market Growth Factors:
The increasing importance of traceability of various products
A laser marking machine helps in engraving any kind of important and associated information on a wide variety of products regardless of their material. These machines mark permanent and precise information like barcode, brand name, manufacturing date, and others. In addition, marking machines are highly used in the electronics & semiconductor sector for the laser marking of silicon wafers, and PCBs to help in traceability.
Faster engraving with more precision
The laser engraving technique is quicker and can help in saving time. With traditional engraving methods, manufacturers used a specific range of tools and need to be very careful while using them, which was very time-consuming. On contrary, laser engraving just needs a command, and it is expected to do the commanded job without any problem or wasting any time. It further helps in accelerating the company's processes and also saves money.
Market Restraining Factor:
High cost of deployment
Many manufacturers across various industrial verticals are adopting laser marking machines to engrave different types of information on their products. By using laser marking machines, manufacturers can reduce their cost of production in the long run. However, the initial cost of implementation of a laser marking machine is high, which is expected to restrict several small and medium-sized enterprises from adopting it.
Type Outlook
Based on Type, the market is segmented into Fiber Laser, CO2 Laser, Green Laser, UV Laser and Others. The UV laser and YAG laser type segments are projected to garner a promising CAGR during the forecast period owing to their capability of fine cutting and micro-processing of specialized materials like textile, ceramic liquid crystal screen, glass, and others. The beam utilized in the UV laser markings comes in contact with the materials' surface to change its appearance and properties.
Application Outlook
Based on Application, the market is segmented into Machine Tool, Electronics & Microelectronics, Medical, Automotive, Aerospace, Packaging, Military and Others. The machine tool application segment acquired the highest revenue share in 2020. The increasing applications of lasers to deliver permanent alphanumeric information on machine tools like 1D & 2D bar codes, batch numbers, designs, brand names, dates of manufacturing, manufacturer codes, and logos, which is expected to bolster the growth of the segment. The manufacturing industry is improving its operations with concepts like smart factories and factory automation to boost its production capacity via batch production.
Regional Outlook
Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. Europe was a prominent region in the laser marking machine marking in 2020 due to the strong presence of automotive and automotive part manufacturers in the nations like Italy, Germany, and France. Additionally, the significant growth of the aerospace and shipping sectors is anticipated to bolster the growth of the regional market. The government of the U.K has invested a significant amount in the Future Flight Challenge to encourage improvements in aerospace technology.
Cardinal Matrix - Laser Marking Machine Market Competition Analysis
The major strategies followed by the market participants are Product Launches. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Videojet Technologies, Inc. is the major forerunners in the Laser Marking Machine Market. Companies such as LaserStar Technologies Corporation, Epilog Laser, and MECCO are some of the key innovators in the market.
The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Han's Laser Technology Industry Group Co., Ltd., Telesis Technologies, Inc., Videojet Technologies, Inc. (Danaher Corporation), Trotec Laser GmbH (Trodat), Epilog Laser, 600 Group PLC (TKMA Electrox, Inc.), MECCO, LaserStar Technologies Corporation and Gravotech Marking.
Key Topics Covered:
Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology
Chapter 2. Market Overview
2.1 Introduction
2.1.1 Overview
2.1.1.1 COVID-19 Impact
2.1.1.2 Market Composition and Scenario
2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market
2.2.1 Market Drivers
2.2.2 Market Restraints
Chapter 3. Competition Analysis - Global
3.1 Cardinal Matrix
3.2 Recent Industry Wide Strategic Developments
3.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements
3.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions
3.2.3 Acquisition and Mergers
3.2.4 Geographical Expansions
3.3 Top Winning Strategies
3.3.1 Key Leading Strategies: Percentage Distribution (2017-2021)
3.3.2 Key Strategic Move: (Product Launches and Product Expansions : 2017, Jun - 2021, Jun) Leading Players
Chapter 4. Global Laser Marking Machine Market by Application
4.1 Global Machine Tool Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
4.2 Global Electronics & Microelectronics Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
4.3 Global Medical Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
4.4 Global Automotive Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
4.5 Global Aerospace Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
4.6 Global Packaging Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
4.7 Global Military Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
4.8 Global Other Application Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
Chapter 5. Global Laser Marking Machine Market by Type
5.1 Global Fiber Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
5.2 Global CO2 Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
5.3 Global Green Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
5.4 Global UV Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
5.5 Global Others Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
Chapter 6. Global Laser Marking Machine Market by Region
Chapter 7. Company Profiles
7.1 Han's Laser Technology Industry Group Co., Ltd.
7.1.1 Company Overview
7.2 Telesis Technologies, Inc.
7.2.1 Company Overview
7.3 Videojet Technologies, Inc. (Danaher Corporation)
7.3.1 Company Overview
7.3.2 Financial Analysis
7.3.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis
7.3.4 Research & Development Expense
7.3.5 Recent strategies and developments:
7.3.5.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:
7.4 Trotec Laser GmbH
7.4.1 Company Overview
7.4.2 Recent strategies and developments:
7.4.2.1 Acquisition and Mergers:
7.4.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:
7.5 Epilog Laser
7.5.1 Company Overview
7.5.2 Recent strategies and developments:
7.5.2.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:
7.5.2.2 Geographical Expansions:
7.6 600 Group PLC (TYKMA Electrox, Inc.)
7.6.1 Company Overview
7.6.2 Financial Analysis
7.6.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis
7.6.4 Recent strategies and developments:
7.6.4.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:
7.6.4.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:
7.7 MECCO
7.7.1 Company Overview
7.7.2 Recent strategies and developments:
7.7.2.1 Acquisition and Mergers:
7.7.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:
7.8 LaserStar Technologies Corporation
7.8.1 Company Overview
7.8.2 Recent strategies and developments:
7.8.2.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:
7.9 Gravotech Marking
7.9.1 Company Overview
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1nv3y
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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BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn on Jokhang Temple.
"In Jokhang Temple, more than 6,000 cultural relics such as thangka, Buddha statues, and pagodas all have their own databases, complete with exhaustive details including each relic's era, material, shape, size, and weight," said Lhagpa, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee and the executive deputy director of the administrative committee of Jokhang Temple.
Databases are very important for the protection of temples in Tibet. When statues, thangka paintings and murals are damaged, restoration can be difficult if no one knows for sure of its original look. Lhagpa, therefore, put forth a proposal for cultural heritage authorities to set up relic databases for each temple. The proposal is being carried out step by step.
Watch the video to learn more : https://youtu.be/2p1cfwTRI5c
SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn
HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On behalf of its 1.8 million members, AARP Pennsylvania commends Governor Tom Wolf for signing House Bill (H.B.) 2071, which creates the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority to oversee the state's strategy to manage the federal funding that will guide the development and expansion of broadband services.
AARP Pennsylvania also commends House sponsor Representative Martin Causer (R-67) for his leadership in introducing H.B. 2071, along with House Consumer Affairs Committee Chairpersons, Representatives Jim Marshall (R-14) and Robert Matzie (D-16), and Senate Communications and Technology Committee Chairpersons, Senators Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-28) and John Kane (D-9), for their efforts in shepherding this bi-partisan legislation through the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Bill Johnston-Walsh, AARP Pennsylvania State Director, praised the enactment of H.B. 2071 - now known as Act 96 of 2021 - which is in line with AARP's push to increase broadband access across the Keystone State. "The personal and health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic have sharpened the focus of this critical need," said Johnston-Walsh. "The pandemic proved that people of all ages count on high-speed internet. Students need it to attend school and complete assignments, and older adults need it to access medical care in the safety of their homes through telehealth while staying socially connected to family and friends."
The federal funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden. Pennsylvania stands to gain more than $100 million to improve broadband access, an investment that represents an important step forward in ensuring equitable access to reliable high-speed internet service particularly for people in areas that were previously unserved or underserved. AARP successfully advocated for the passage of the IIJA to help ensure all Americans can enjoy affordable, reliable access to broadband regardless of where they live.
"Access to broadband is no longer a luxury. It's a necessity. It's how we do business, connect with our friends and loved ones, and receive our health care," said Johnston-Walsh. "By having this important legislation signed into law, our state is moving toward the widespread adoption of technology to help all Pennsylvanians live healthier, longer and happier lives."
About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates, @AliadosAdelante on social media.
CONTACT:
Randy LoBasso
[email protected]
(914) 439-5204
SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania
Related Links
http://www.aarp.org
TORONTO, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM) (TSX: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle" or "the Company") is providing an update related to an increase in COVID-19 cases at its Nunavut operations. Since December 18, 2021, there has been a total of 13 presumptive cases at the Company's Meliadine, Meadowbank and Hope Bay operations.
The health and safety protocols set by the Company since the beginning of the pandemic have remained in place at the Company's Nunavut operations. Given the increased spread and transmissibility of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Company is taking precautionary steps to further protect the continued health of its Nunavut work force and local residents in the communities in which it operates.
Effective immediately, the Company, in collaboration with the Nunavut public health authorities, has decided to send home the Nunavut based workforce (Nunavummiut) from the Meliadine, Meadowbank and Hope Bay operations as well as its Nunavut exploration projects. All Nunavummiut workers currently on site will be sent home and those that are currently off-site will not return to work at this time for a period of at least three weeks. These employees will continue to receive their remuneration during this period. In addition, Agnico Eagle will be meeting with its Nunavut contractors to discuss implementing similar measures for their Nunavummiut workforce. The Company has increased testing protocols at all its Nunavut operations for remaining workers.
Over the next several days, the Company will gradually reduce the remaining workforce and activity levels at its Nunavut operations. This reduction in activity is expected to last for the remainder of 2021 and there is expected to be minimal production over this period. The Company is also reassessing its existing protocols in preparation for a resumption of activities expected in early 2022.
This is a rapidly evolving situation and the Company is monitoring activities at its other operations and it will reassess its response on an ongoing basis.
About Agnico Eagle
Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company, producing precious metals from operations in Canada, Finland and Mexico. It has a pipeline of high-quality exploration and development projects in these countries as well as in the United States and Colombia. Agnico Eagle is a partner of choice within the mining industry, recognized globally for its leading environmental, social and governance practices. The Company was founded in 1957 and has consistently created value for its shareholders, declaring a cash dividend every year since 1983.
Forward-Looking Statements
The information in this news release has been prepared as at December 22, 2021. Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" under the provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws. These statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "expected" or similar terms. Such statements include, without limitation: the Company's plans to continue operations and resume activities at its Meliadine, Meadowbank and Hope Bay operations.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Agnico Eagle as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the forward looking statements in this news release include any additional measures taken by governments, the Company or others in response to public health and other considerations resulting from COVID-19 virus and its variants. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Other than as required by law, Agnico Eagle does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited
Related Links
http://www.agnicoeagle.com
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aircraft Lighting Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The Aircraft Lighting Market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of more than 3% during the forecast period.
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the line-fit aspect of aircraft lighting as several airlines have deferred their delivery schedules and have forced the aircraft OEMs to reduce their monthly rate of production of new aircraft.
However, the aftermarket prospects of aircraft lighting have increased, as, in the absence of new aircraft, airlines are preferring to modernize the cabin layout of their existing fleet to retain their level of service at par with their new counterparts.
Certain factors such as the rising adoption of innovative cabin lighting and the growing demand for luxury air travel are anticipated to drive the market during the upcoming period.
Factors such as the rising adoption of innovative cabin lighting and the growing demand for luxury air travel are anticipated to drive the market during the upcoming period.
Emerging trends such as mood lighting systems, integration of interactive screens in aircraft cabins, and the adoption of photoluminescent emergency cabin lighting, are envisioned to provide growth opportunities for the players in the market during the forecast period.
Key Market Trends
The Interior Lights Segment is Expected to Dominate the Market
The demand for the newer generation interior lights in the aircraft is estimated to grow rapidly over the forecast period owing to the ongoing cabin modernization programs of several aircraft operators, especially from commercial airlines.
The widespread adoption of LED ambient lighting technologies across new generation aircraft has also triggered cabin retrofitting activities in older generation aircraft to maintain homogeneous service quality in the entire fleet.
To improve passenger experience, airlines are expected to invest in new LED lightings in the coming years. Also, to enhance the safety of the passengers during the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines are also looking at options like ultraviolet sanitizing lights that can be fitted into panels and deployed when the aircraft is empty, to destroy viruses, and germs on the surfaces.
Thus the focus of the airlines on enhancing passenger safety and in-flight experience is expected to drive the growth of the segment during the forecast period.
Asia-Pacific to Grow with the Highest CAGR During the Forecast Period
Over the last decade, Asia-Pacific has been the focal point of business activities with countries such as China, India, and Japan witnessing a high number of foreign investments, which has resulted in rapid economic growth. This has contributed a fair bit to the overall growth of the region's aviation sector in terms of flight frequency and enhanced customer experience.
The success of the low-cost carrier (LCC) model has contributed to a steady rise in passenger traffic in the region. It has also created significant opportunities for aircraft and associated system manufacturers like the lighting systems manufacturers. The demand for new aircraft is expected to be the highest in the Asia-Pacific.
Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines in the region were optimistic about their future growth and have taken deliveries of aircraft in large quantities. For instance, the Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo took delivery of 44 aircraft in 2020, nearly as many as the year before, which is the highest for a single customer for Airbus for the year. such developments are expected to help the growth of the commercial aircraft segment in the region.
On the other hand, the region is also expected to witness the highest demand for military aircraft, with countries like China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia poised to add several new military aircraft to their fleet during the forecast period, which is expected to drive the aircraft lighting market in Asia-pacific during the forecast period.
Companies Mentioned
STG Aerospace
Honeywell International Inc.
Diehl Stiftung GmbH & Co. KG
Astronics Corporation
Bruce Aerospace Inc.
Raytheon Technologies Corporation
Cobham Limited
Lufthansa Technik AG
SCHOTT AG
Soderberg Manufacturing Co. Inc.
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wjm344
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According to the recent market study by Technavio, the Artificial Intelligence Platforms Market Size is expected to increase by USD 17.29 billion from 2020 to 2025, with an accelerated CAGR of 35%. The report provides a detailed analysis of drivers & opportunities, top winning strategies, competitive scenario, future market trends, market size & estimations, and major investment pockets.
North America will register the highest growth, occupying 68% of the global market share. The US is the key market for artificial intelligence platforms in North America. However, the market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in APAC, Europe, and MEA.
Download FREE Sample: for more additional information about the key countries in North America
Vendor Insights-
The Artificial intelligence platforms Market is concentrated. Major vendors in the market are continuously investing in AI R&D to develop comprehensive offerings. The market is also witnessing an increase in the number of startups, which is intensifying the competition. To remain competitive in the market, some vendors are involved in mergers and acquisitions.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.: In December 2019, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Alibaba Group, and Ant Financial Services Group entered into a comprehensive strategic partnership to enhance the services available to users by deepening their level of cooperation in the key areas of fintech and financial services.
Alphabet Inc.: In May 2021, Google Cloud and SpaceX announced a partnership to deliver data, cloud services, and applications to customers at the network edge. In May 2021, Google Cloud announced the general availability of Vertex AI, a managed machine learning platform that allows companies to accelerate the deployment and maintenance of AI models.
Amazon.com Inc.: In April 2021, DISH and AWS formed a strategic collaboration to reinvent 5G connectivity and innovation. In March 2021, the company announced the launch of a second full region in Japan, the AWS Asia Pacific Region.
International Business Machines Corp.: In May 2021, the company announced plans to acquire Waeg to extend its portfolio of Salesforce services and advance its hybrid cloud and AI strategy. In April 2021, the company announced innovations across its storage portfolio designed to improve the management of data across increasingly complex hybrid cloud environments for greater data availability and resilience.
Find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings. Download Free Sample Report
Regional Market Outlook
The artificial intelligence platforms market growth in North America will be significant during the forecast period. The early adoption of technology and increasing investments by prominent players such as Microsoft Corp. (Microsoft), Google LLC (Google), and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) are fostering the growth of the artificial intelligence platforms market in North America. Also, the rising adoption of infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solutions by SMEs is contributing to the market growth.
Download our FREE sample report for more key highlights on the regional market share of most of the above-mentioned countries.
Latest Drivers & Trends Driving the Market-
Artificial Intelligence Platforms Market Driver:
Rise in demand for AI-based solutions:
The growing volume of data generated across industries such as healthcare and automotive is driving businesses to adopt cloud-based AI solutions. These solutions can be easily deployed, provide high scalability, and reduce operational costs. The increased deployment of cloud-based AI solutions is increasing the development of cloud-based AI platforms. Hence, the market witnessed an increase in the number of product launches, which is driving the market growth.
Artificial Intelligence Platforms Market Trend:
Increasing interoperability among neural networks:
AI is increasingly being adopted by businesses across industries to enhance productivity. However, the lack of interoperability among DL frameworks that use neural network tools is hindering the adoption of AI. To overcome this challenge, in 2017, AWS, Facebook, and Microsoft collaborated to build the Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX). The ONNX eliminates the need to build neural networks for each framework from scratch. End-users ranging from researchers to edge device manufacturers can leverage ONNX as the standard runtime for forward integration, thereby allowing interoperability among different frameworks. These factors are expected to speed up innovations in AI, thereby driving the market growth.
Find additional information about various other market Drivers & Trends mentioned in our FREE sample report .
Related Reports:
Artificial Intelligence-as-a-Service Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025
Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostics Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026
Artificial Intelligence Platforms Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 35% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 17.29 billion Market structure Concentrated YoY growth (%) 32.12 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution North America at 68% Key consumer countries US, China, UK, Germany, and Japan Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp., Palantir Technologies Inc., Salesforce.com Inc., SAP SE, SAS Institute Inc., Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., and International Business Machines Corp. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.
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NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlantic Street Capital ("ASC" and "Atlantic Street"), a private equity firm targeting entrepreneurial businesses poised for the next level of growth, today announced its latest platform investment in Fund IV, ACIS. ACIS is one of the largest and fastest growing commercial facility services providers in the state of Texas. Founded in 2002, ACIS is a trusted outsourced partner for its customers, providing preventative maintenance, on-call services, and scheduled repairs on essential mechanical controls including building automation, HVAC, and plumbing systems. The company's customer-centric operating model and strong employee culture drive superior levels of service for its commercial and industrial customers. For more information, visit https://acisinc.com/.
Phil Druce, Partner of ASC said, "We have had an active thesis in commercial facility services for over a year and knew as soon as we met Mike Nichols, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ACIS, that he had created something special and that we could help unlock his goals and ambitions to build a world-class, service-first organization. In particular, Mike's understanding of corporate culture, best-in-class technician recruitment, the senior team that he has assembled, and their personal humility give us the ultimate confidence in our new partnership."
Johnny Conklin, Partner of ASC said, "We are excited to begin working with Mike to invest more deeply in sales force infrastructure, build on and enhance the Company's data-centric decision-making processes and ultimately broaden the company's geographic footprint. In addition to the organic investment in talent and functional depth, we also expect to partner with other like-minded service providers to meaningfully expand our geographic reach and enhance our service offerings."
Mike Nichols commented, "Our business and culture was founded by technicians, for technicians. From our founding, we aimed to create a team environment that is collaborative and high-energy. By establishing a great place to work, professional development and career paths, it ensures we have the talent to succeed and underscores a culture where we all like to win, grow and have fun. In partnering with Atlantic Street, we are getting a partner that understands all aspects of our business but also brings an operational horsepower through their operating advisor team that will allow us to build a better business. Most importantly, their willingness to roll up their own sleeves to work alongside us in the trenches gave me great confidence that they were the right partner for us. We are proud of what we have built, but we know our best days are way ahead of us."
Citizens M&A Advisory acted as financial advisor and Faegre Drinker acted as legal advisor to ACIS and their affiliates. Bank of Montreal provided credit support and Kramer Levin acted as legal advisor to Atlantic Street.
About Atlantic Street Capital
ASC is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle market companies poised for the next level of growth. The firm targets entrepreneurial management partners and fundamentally sound companies between $4 million and $25 million of EBITDA that will benefit from capital investment and ASC's value-added strategic and operational support. As a result, ASC works closely with management to unlock their business' underlying value and help them succeed. For more information, visit www.atlanticstreetcapital.com.
Contact: Chris Tofalli
Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC
914-834-4334
SOURCE Atlantic Street Capital
AWH continues Ohio footprint expansion and acquires its second dispensary in the state
COSHOCTON, Ohio, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. ("AWH" or the "Company") (CSE: AAWH.U) (OTCQX: AAWH), a multi-state, vertically integrated cannabis operator focused on bettering lives through cannabis, announced the closing of the Company's definitive agreement to acquire Ohio Cannabis Clinic, LLC, d/b/a Ohio Cannabis Company ("OCC") and its licensed medical marijuana retail dispensary in Coshocton, Ohio. The announcement represents AWH's second dispensary in the state.
Located at 23024 Co Rd 621 Suite 1, the dispensary will benefit from its position close to all major thoroughfares and it is less than 90 minutes from all major cities including Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. The dispensary will offer patients access to a wide selection of high-quality products across flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles and topicals.
"Ohio is a key focus of expansion for our Ascend brand given its rapidly-maturing market and near-term potential for adult-use," said Abner Kurtin, CEO of AWH. "We are thrilled to officially add a second Ascend location to our Ohio retail portfolio and look forward to continued growth in the state as we further secure our position in the most attractive U.S. cannabis markets."
There are currently 56 medical-use dispensaries in Ohio serving the state's more than 186,590 registered medical cannabis patients . Coshocton is a key addition to AWH's portfolio, adding brand awareness and reach while increasing patient access to cannabis as it looks to continue its expansion throughout Ohio.
As previously announced, AWH completed the acquisition of BCCO, LLC, which operates a medical dispensary in Carroll, Ohio, currently operating under the Ohio Provisions retail brand and announced the definitive agreement to acquire OCC. The Company plans to migrate both the Ohio Provisions and the Ohio Cannabis Company brands over to the Ascend brand. AWH is vertically operated in all of the states in which it operates, including Ohio; AWH owns a cultivation facility in Monroe, OH. The Company also previously entered into an option agreement with Marichron Pharma, LLC to acquire their processing facility in Monroe, OH, pending regulatory approval.
About AWH:
AWH is a vertically integrated operator with assets in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. AWH owns and operates state-of-the-art cultivation facilities, growing award-winning strains and producing a curated selection of products. AWH produces and distributes Ozone branded products. For more information, visit www.awholdings.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking information and statements, which may include, but are not limited to, information and statements regarding the plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of the Company. Words such as "expects", "continue", "will", "anticipates" and "intends" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current projections and expectations about future events and financial trends, and on certain assumptions and analysis made by the Company in light of experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors management believes are appropriate.
Forward-looking information and statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information and statements herein. Such factors include, among others: the risks and uncertainties identified in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, and in the Company's other reports and filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking information and statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such information and statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking information and statements. Any forward-looking information and statements herein are made as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking information and statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward looking information and statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.
The CSE has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the content of this news release.
SOURCE Ascend Wellness Holdings, LLC
Related Links
https://awholdings.com/
PLYMOUTH, Miss., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Loc Performance Products, LLC today announced it received a BAE Systems Partner2Win Supplier of the Year Award for Subcontracts based on exceptional performance and contributions to supply chain success in 2021 for BAE Systems' Combat Mission Systems business.
BAE Systems' Partner2Win is a global program designed to achieve operational excellence and eliminate defects in its supply chain by raising the bar of performance expectations to meet the demand of current and future customers. As part of the program, BAE Systems meets regularly with its suppliers at their locations to transfer best practices to ensure that the components and materials that compose BAE Systems products meet the highest quality standards.
"Our suppliers have overcome many challenges posed by the COVID pandemic to sustain deliveries of our products to Army, Marines, and Navy customers," said Andy Corea, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Combat Mission Systems business. "By partnering with the highest performing suppliers - including Loc Performance - in the industry, we have and will continue to exceed our customers' expectations."
In addition to the Subcontracts Supplier of the Year Award, Loc Performance also received BAE Systems Partner2Win Gold Medallion Awards for its operating facilities Loc Lapeer, MI and Loc St. Marys, OH.
Learn more about BAE Systems Partner2Win Supplier Symposium here.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems provides some of the world's most advanced, technology-led defense, aerospace, and security solutions. The company employs a skilled workforce of more than 83,000 employees worldwide and operations in 30 states across the U.S. Working with customers and local partners, BAE Systems develops, engineers, manufactures, and supports products and systems to deliver military capability, protect national security and people, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure.
About Loc Performance
Loc Performance, headquartered in Plymouth, MI, provides track systems, mechanical products, fabricated structures, and assemblies for both military and industrial applications. With proven capabilities in product design and development through production, Loc offers comprehensive solutions and exceptional customer service to produce the highest quality products at competitive pricing. Loc has over 1,750,000 square feet of manufacturing space with facilities in Plymouth, Lansing, and Lapeer, Michigan, and St. Marys, Ohio with more than 950 total employees. Learn more at www.locperformance.com.
SOURCE Loc Performance Products
SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Biglari Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BH.A; BH) has consented to a Final Judgment for failure to comply with the premerger reporting and waiting requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. Noncompliance with the filing requirement was a technical error. Biglari Holdings had HSR clearance on Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., stock acquisition but the clearance had expired when it purchased an additional of 55,141 shares in March 2020, during the government shutdown caused by the pandemic.
About Biglari Holdings Inc.
Biglari Holdings Inc. is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities, including property and casualty insurance, media and licensing, restaurants, and oil and gas. The Company's largest operating subsidiaries are involved in the franchising and operating of restaurants.
SOURCE Biglari Holdings
ESSEN, Germany, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Supervisory Board of Brenntag SE, the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, is appointing Dr Kristin Neumann to the Brenntag SE Management Board as of April 1, 2022, as Chief Financial Officer. Dr Kristin Neumann will succeed Georg Muller, who chose not to extend his mandate beyond his current term ending March 31, 2022.
Doreen Nowotne, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Brenntag SE: "With Dr Kristin Neumann we are very happy to have been able to win an internationally experienced financial expert and leadership personality as CFO. The Supervisory Board is convinced that she will ideally complement and enrich the Management Board with her broad experience and that she, together with her Board colleagues, will consistently implement the initiated transformation of our company."
Dr Christian Kohlpaintner, CEO of Brenntag SE: "I'm looking forward to welcoming Dr Kristin Neumann to the Management Board as our newest member. As a proven expert in the field of finance and with a broad range of experience also in other areas, she will bring fresh impetus to Brenntag's successful path to sustainable earnings growth. Together we will expand our industry-leading position and further drive our company's transformation."
Dr Kristin Neumann: "I'd like to thank Brenntag SE's Supervisory Board for placing their trust in me. I'm looking forward to taking on my new responsibilities and working together with the very ambitious Management Board team. Brenntag is an exceptionally successful company that has rightfully maintained its leading position in the chemicals and ingredients distribution industry for many years and is now raising the bar. The CFO has a central role to play in Group management and the targeted development of a company so this is both a challenge as well as a pleasure for me."
The current CFO Georg Muller made a personal decision to leave Brenntag at the end of March 2022 after almost 20 years with the company. During this time, he has held various management positions in the company, thereof the last ten years as CFO. Doreen Nowotne: "On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to thank Georg Muller most sincerely for his outstanding contributions and his dedication to our company as well as for the trustful cooperation. He has played a decisive role in shaping Brenntag's development into today's role as the global market leader and, in particular, contributed to strengthening the company's financial position and to the excellent reputation that Brenntag enjoys on the capital markets today. The Supervisory Board holds Georg Muller in the highest regard, and we wish him every success in his future responsibilities and all the best."
Read the full press release here: https://corporate.brenntag.com/en/media/
Press contact:
Verena Blaschke
Brenntag SE
Global Communications
Telephone: +49 (201) 6496-1213
E-Mail: [email protected]
SOURCE Brenntag SE
Headquartered in Markle, IN, Novae is one of the fastest-growing and well-respected trailer manufacturers in North America, operating six distinct brands including Sure-Trac , H&H Trailers , CAM Superline , Trailerman, ITI Cargo and Midsota . Novae has grown both organically and through acquisitions to become the second largest trailer manufacturer in North America. Novae currently has more than 1,100 employees, 15 manufacturing facilities and maintains an active dealer network of more than 500 partners.
"The more we've built a trusted relationship with Steve, Chris, and their team, the more excited we are about partnering with Novae and building on the Company's impressive success," said Matthew Allard, Partner at Brightstar and Board Chair of Novae. "We look forward to quickly executing on our strategic plan to further scale this growing business."
"Our team believes that the future is bright for Novae as we begin this partnership, continue to manufacture industry-leading trailers, and provide quality services to our customers and dealers," said Steve Bermes, CEO and Vice Chair of the Board of Novae. "Brightstar's manufacturing expertise and network of relationships will help as our business continues to expand in this fragmented industry."
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. is acting as legal advisor to Brightstar with Jefferies LLC, Keybanc Capital Markets, Inc., and Nomura Securities International, Inc., acting as financial advisors. Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LPP is acting as legal advisor to Novae Corp. with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. acting as exclusive financial advisor.
About Novae Corp.
Headquartered in Markle, IN, Novae is one of the fastest growing and well-respected trailer manufacturers in North America, operating six distinct brands including Sure-Trac, H&H Trailers, CAM Superline, Trailerman, ITI Cargo and Midsota. Founded in 1995, Novae has grown both organically and through acquisitions to become the second largest trailer manufacturer in North America. Novae currently has more than 1,100 employees, 15 manufacturing facilities and maintains an active dealer network of more than 500 partners. For more information, please visit www.novaecorp.com.
About Brightstar Capital Partners
Brightstar Capital Partners is a middle market private equity firm focused on partnering with exceptional families, founders, entrepreneurs and management teams where the firm is ideally positioned to drive value creation. Brightstar employs an operationally intensive approach that leverages its extensive experience and relationship network to help companies reach their full potential. For more information, please visit www.brightstarcp.com.
Media Contacts
For Brightstar:
Zach Kouwe/Shree Dhond
Dukas Linden Public Relations
[email protected]
212-704-7385
SOURCE Brightstar Capital Partners
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cadre Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CDRE) ("Cadre" or "the Company"), a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of safety and survivability equipment for first responders, announced today the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the stock of Radar Leather Division S.r.l. ("Radar") from the leadership team of Pietro and Paolo Pellegrini. Pietro Pellegrini, CEO of Radar, and Paolo Pellegrini, Vice President of Radar, will remain with the business and partner with the team at Cadre to further grow and develop the business alongside Cadre's wholly owned subsidiary, Safariland LLC.
Established in 1957 by Gisberto Pellegrini and based in Fucecchio, Italy, Radar is a premiere family-owned duty gear business that specializes in the production of high-quality holsters, belts, duty belts, and other accessories. Radar generates the majority of its revenue in Europe, selling its products through distribution partners and directly to agencies.
Warren B. Kanders, Chairman and CEO of Cadre, said, "This marks our first acquisition following the Company's initial public offering and is consistent with the strategy we laid out to investors both during the offering process and since. Radar is a well-established duty gear brand with leading market shares and a reputation for innovation, safety, and quality. This acquisition grows our international presence and provides the Company another EU foothold, further diversifying our footprint and providing multiple growth avenues. We are pleased to welcome Pietro and Paolo to our team, and we look forward to a successful future together."
Pietro Pellegrini, CEO of Radar, commented, "Paolo and I are very proud of the legacy our family has built with Radar, and we are excited to join forces with Cadre and Safariland. Safariland's reputation for innovation, quality, and service is outstanding, and we believe that Radar and Safariland together will be stronger. We remain personally engaged and committed to providing law enforcement, military, and other first responder professionals with the best equipment available and seeing Radar flourish in its next chapter."
Mr. Kanders continued, "We expect this transaction to be immediately accretive for our shareholders, and we are well-positioned to execute our growth strategy focused on organic and acquisition initiatives."
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in January 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
About Cadre
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Cadre is a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of safety and survivability products for first responders. Cadre's equipment provides critical protection to allow users to safely and securely perform their duties and protect those around them in hazardous or life-threatening situations. The Company's core products include body armor, explosive ordnance disposal equipment, and duty gear. Our highly engineered products are utilized by domestic and international first responders in state and local law enforcement, fire and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal, emergency medical technicians, as well as numerous federal agencies and foreign government agencies in 104 countries. Our key brands include Safariland and Med-Eng, amongst others.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include but are not limited to all projections and anticipated levels of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those discussed herein. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from projections or forward-looking statements, including without limitation global economic conditions, spending patterns of government agencies, competitive pressures, the impact of acquisitions and related integration activities, product liability claims, the success of new product introductions, currency exchange rate fluctuations and the risks of doing business in in the markets in which we operate, including foreign countries. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results are more fully described in our prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on November 5, 2021, and will be included from time to time in the Company's public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to the Company as of the date of this press release, and speak only as of the date hereof. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
Contact:
Gray Hudkins
Cadre Holdings, Inc.
203-550-7148
[email protected]
Investor Relations:
The IGB Group
Leon Berman / Matt Berkowitz
212-477-8438 / 212-227-7098
[email protected] / [email protected]
Media Contact:
Jonathan Keehner / Andrew Siegel
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
212-355-4449
SOURCE Cadre Holdings
"There is nothing like the joy of a child receiving a special gift during the holidays, and we are honored to support the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club in bringing that magic alive," said California Credit Union President/CEO Steve O'Connell. "We want to thank all of our members and our credit union team for so enthusiastically participating in our toy drive to spread the spirit of giving and community during this holiday season."
"Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club will be distributing toys to over 600 children and teens this holiday, thanks to the help of California Credit Union," said Carlyn Oropez, Ed.M., Director of Operations, Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club. "We are so grateful for their support in our efforts to ensure children in one of the most impoverished areas of Los Angeles have a happy holiday this year."
The organization's mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, care and responsible members of the community. Throughout the pandemic, it has provided weekly food distribution to anyone in need, as well as helped children and teens access technology, complete schoolwork and receive tutoring. Classes for teens include gang prevention, Relationship Smarts, social interaction, wellness, the arts, and physical fitness. For more information about the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, please visit labgc.org.
About 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. Visit ccu.com for more information, or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @CaliforniaCreditUnion.
SOURCE California Credit Union
AUBURN, Ky., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As communities in the South and Midwest rebuild after getting hit by tornadoes and severe weather on December 11, Champion Petfoods, a business in Auburn that is dedicated to helping the community in which it operates, donated $25,000 to the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund .
"As members of the community, we're heartbroken to see the aftermath of the tornadoes in Kentucky and want to help with the recovery and rebuilding process," said Jess Eide, Chief People Officer, Champion Petfoods. "We're thankful our local employees are safe, and we've heard countless stories about them helping with cleanup efforts and lending a hand to those in need, demonstrating a commitment to our values beyond the workplace. We hope these efforts help the community during this difficult time."
Champion Petfoods also reached out to local animal shelter partners to offer pet food as needed.
Along with this contribution, the company donated more than 3.7 million meals of ORIJEN and ACANA pet food to more than 40 animal welfare organizations in North America to help cats and dogs in need throughout 2021.
About Champion Petfoods
Founded in a small town in Alberta, Canada, Champion Petfoods' purpose is To Earn Pet Lover Trust Every Day so Pets Thrive for a Lifetime. At Champion, we have been pioneers in crafting premium food for dogs and cats since 1985. We specialize in making foods that are Biologically Appropriate to nourish as nature intended. That means we start with the finest WholePrey ingredients from both fresh and raw animal sources. All of our ingredients have been selected from carefully curated suppliers whom we know and trust. Our foods are crafted by passionate nutrition and health experts in world class kitchens, and as Pet Lovers ourselves, we strive for the highest quality and safety in every ORIJEN and ACANA product we make. Champion exports to nearly 100 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit championpetfoods.com .
SOURCE Champion Petfoods
Expanded global offerings allow life science companies to make confident, data-driven decisions tailored to their patient populations
LONDON, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today announced that it has acquired Patient Connect, a provider of patient engagement solutions that enable the measurement of clinical and commercial outcomes and inform the advancement of healthcare.
Patient Connect patient engagement solutions improve patient outcomes by delivering clinical messaging to physicians and pharmacists at the point of patient contact. Clinical messaging is delivered in physician and pharmacist workflows, to help guide patients to better understand their treatment and disease and empower them to make informed healthcare decisions. Patient Connect has a global reach of 834,000 physicians, 600,000 pharmacists and 1,000,000,000 patients, by point of contact.
From drug discovery, clinical development and portfolio strategy through commercial planning, market access and customer engagement, Clarivate offers a wide variety of solutions providing end-to-end research intelligence to life science organizations. Clarivate real world data (RWD) products paired with Patient Connect insights will provide life science companies with global patient journey information. The acquisition addresses the increasing need for global personalized data that helps life science companies understand patient populations, supports compliant patient journey analyses and brings life-saving treatments to market.
Mukhtar Ahmed, President, Science Group, Clarivate: "By combining patient journey data, therapeutic area expertise, artificial intelligence and analytics in ways that unlock hidden insights, enable informed decision-making and accelerate innovation, Clarivate empowers life science organizations to make more confident decisions along the entire drug lifecycle. The combination of Patient Connect global patient-level data with the Clarivate customer engagement suite of life science intelligence solutions will fill a critical need for RWD coverage in Europe, the United States, Asia-Pacific and Latin America."
Zoe Baker, Founder and Co-CEO, Patient Connect: "This acquisition serves to provide life science firms with insights to inform the advancement of healthcare through integrated patient journey insights, leveraging Clarivate solutions paired with analytics from Patient Connect. The integration of Patient Connect products with Clarivate assets will further facilitate patient engagement, drive behavioral change and empower healthcare professionals to optimize care."
Following the successful acquisition and integration of Decision Resources Group (DRG) in 2020, and Bioinfogate earlier this year, Clarivate continues to invest in high-value, real world data, information and deep subject matter and technical expertise. Clarivate will continue to create exceptional value for customers through expanded global offerings focused on integrating patient journey insights found in Clarivate customer engagement solutions with data and analytics from Patient Connect. The acquisition will enable mission-critical information and insights to be delivered to life science organizations, inform the commercialization of life-changing therapies and support life science companies in improving patient outcomes.
About Clarivate
Clarivate is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the lifecycle of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of science and intellectual property. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com.
About Patient Connect
Patient Connect is an international company specializing in HCP engagement and patient support via digital messaging within the physician's and pharmacist's workflows. The physician channel supports HCP decision-making and actions within the natural workflow of a prescribing cycle, including patient selection, Rx choice and facilitation of primary compliance. Since 2004, Patient Connect has supported and empowered patients, across numerous therapeutic areas, encouraging them to make better decisions about their health. Through the pharmacy channel, Patient Connect drives measurably improved patient adherence, supports adjunctive therapy, facilitates patient choice, contributes to real world evidence (RWE) through primary research and matches patients to clinical studies or support programs. At all times, Patient Connect uses clinical data to design and optimize programs, to objectively measure impact; and to provide powerful, patient-level insights.
For more information, visit clarivate.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release and any statements included herein may contain forward-looking statements regarding Clarivate. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and may include statements regarding results, anticipated events and other future expectations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties including factors outside of the control of Clarivate that may cause actual results to differ materially. Clarivate undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Media Contact
Catherine Daniel, Director, External Communications, Life Sciences & Healthcare
[email protected]
Investor Relations Contact
Mark Donohue, Head of Investor Relations
[email protected]
SOURCE Clarivate Plc
DALLAS, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) announced it has been named to Newsweek's 2022 list of America's Most Responsible Companies. This marks the third consecutive year Comerica has made the list recognizing companies from across the country positively impacting their communities through environment, social and corporate governance (ESG) initiatives.
Comerica ranked 76th among 500 public corporations from 14 categories selected to the list. Its ranking made Comerica the top-ranked bank and fourth-highest ranked company in the financial category.
"This recognition reflects the efforts of our colleagues and community partners who work tirelessly towards our commitment to serve as a responsible company," said Wendy Bridges, Executive Vice President, Corporate Responsibility. "ESG issues are a priority for Comerica and have been for many years. We remain committed to fostering new ways to help our company, communities and planet thrive."
Comerica recently announced the creation of a Corporate Responsibility division that serves to enhance collaboration across the bank and further enable the organization to solidify its role as a leader in ESG initiatives. The division will remain focused on the following five key ESG commitments that have been identified by its ESG Council.
Provide access to capital focused on underserved communities, women, minorities and small businesses Promote a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce Invest in financial education for underserved communities Address climate change Enhance ESG-related product and services
The Newsweek rating, prepared in partnership with global data research firm Statista, is determined by evaluating the key corporate responsibility performance indicators the top 2,000 public companies across the country in the areas of ESG performance. The rating also uses an independent survey of more than 11,000 U.S. residents.
For more information on Comerica's ESG practices and progress, review its latest Corporate Responsibility Report .
Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $94.5 billion as of Sept. 30, 2021.
SOURCE Comerica Bank
Related Links
http://www.comerica.com
- Season's Greetings from Andre Lvestam, CEO of Zwipe
OSLO, Norway, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --With our eyes set on the long-awaited commercial breakthrough for Zwipe which now seems highly likely to happen in 2022, we have spent the last four years undergoing a transformation which has laid the foundation for Zwipe's long-term success:
Our organization has been significantly strengthened, and is continually being uplifted, based on a philosophy of "a black belt in every seat."
Our technology platform has been revolutionized to a cutting edge, third generation, single silicon platform offering best-in-class biometric performance at competitive cost levels.
Our go-to-market strategy has been expanded with our "pull approach" promoting biometric cards to partners and indirect customers including financial institutions, as a complement to our "push approach" targeting our direct customers, the smart card manufacturers. This move has been a game changer for Zwipe because it has enabled us to accelerate awareness and demand for our biometric payment offering, take control of our destiny and significantly raise our brand equity.
Our sales-enabling services and sales tools have been taken to a new level, supporting our traction with issuers and seeing the birth of services like "Zwipe Experience" (pilot and launch program), Zwipe Insights (consumer research), and the ROI Calculator (modelling issuer-specific benefits from converting payment cards to biometric cards) to name a few.
Our corporate culture has been honed and is continually being reinforced to capture the passion, innovation, collaboration, and agility that defines us as a Winning Team.
As a result of all this, and outstanding execution from our cross-functional teams, our global ecosystem of customers and partners has continued to grow quickly, with new partners being added in all parts of the payments value chain.
Our shareholder base and funding situation have both been significantly strengthened, meaning that Zwipe is funded through commercial launches in 2022 and beyond based on the current business plan and market assumptions.
And only last month, Zwipe made its first move into adjacent markets, starting with Access Control, fully leveraging Zwipe's investments in an advanced biometric authentication technology platform which has been developed to meet the highest demands for security, scalable industrialization and mass-volume deployment.
Each step on this journey, and each new partner and customer in our ecosystem, contributes to increasing the value creation potential and reducing the risk for Zwipe and its stakeholders. We have indeed come a long way in that regard.
A transformative year
Even on this backdrop, 2021 has been a transformative year for Zwipe:
We have announced engagements with eight new smart card manufacturers and card personalization bureaus, representing an annual volume of more than 200m payment cards. We also extended and expanded our partnership with TAG Systems, who delivers an additional 100+ million payment cards per annum.
payment cards. We also extended and expanded our partnership with TAG Systems, who delivers an additional 100+ million payment cards per annum. We have received commercial orders for complete Zwipe Pay ONE deliveries worth more than NOK 20m , to be delivered primarily in 2022.
, to be delivered primarily in 2022. At the same time, we have so far announced commitments for pilots with eight new issuers, including a global Tier-1 bank which will pilot Zwipe Pay ONE in three European markets.
We have entered go-to-market partnerships with many payment processors, notably FSS, HPS/ICPS, Network International (NI), Middle East Payment Services (MEPS), NymCard, Que Processing Services (QPS), Credit Card Management (CCM) and, most recently, a US company which is one of the world's largest providers of payment services. All these partners enable us to leverage their long-term, trust-based relationships with hundreds of banks worldwide to further accelerate the deployment of biometric payment cards built on our platform. I often refer to this as "the Megaphone Effect" that is a fundamental part of our strategy.
Building on years of deep expertise in biometric authentication, we launched "Zwipe Access" cards to deliver next generation access control based on biometrics. At the same time, we announced collaborations with several leading companies in the security industry; notably HID Global, LeGrand, and Southco. This coalition will bring a highly advanced, cost-effective biometric authentication solution to market, fully capable of working with existing access control infrastructure. The global access control market is valued at USD 7.65 billion and is expected to reach USD 11.7 billion by 2026 (1). While broadening our footprint and reducing our dependency on only one product and market, this strategic move opens many attractive growth opportunities within a range of industries in need of added security for their premises and IT systems.
and is expected to reach by 2026 (1). While broadening our footprint and reducing our dependency on only one product and market, this strategic move opens many attractive growth opportunities within a range of industries in need of added security for their premises and IT systems. We demonstrated further technology leadership by announcing a number of enrolment solutions that include the key development of a commercially viable mobile phone-based enrolment capability. We have added this and continue to extend our list of inventions and patents that differentiates Zwipe from our competitors.
Our newly developed ROI calculator, developed together with recognized external industry experts, demonstrates the financial value of Zwipe Pay ONE to issuers and shows that, even without a card fee paid by the cardholder, Zwipe Pay ONE can deliver a $15m annual net benefit for an average US issuer with a 1 million credit card portfolio.
annual net benefit for an average US issuer with a 1 million credit card portfolio. We also raised NOK 104 million in a private placement directed towards one of the Nordic's most respected investors.
Adding to our confidence in our future outlook is the universal evidence from numerous consumer surveys from diverse markets around the world that cardholders worldwide will benefit greatly from the touch-less and PIN-free experience with world-class security that is made possible by biometric payment and access control cards. Consumers' strong trust in and demand for biometrics has been consistent with the findings from our industry peers and other analyst reports.
We also demonstrated Zwipe Pay ONE sample cards from several of our clients, showcased all the Zwipe Pay ONE components, and demonstrated live transactions with Zwipe Pay ONE enabled biometric cards, along with a range of innovative enrolment solutions, at TRUSTECH 2021 in Paris.
Closing in on pilots and certification
Like most other companies engaged in multinational development projects, Zwipe has felt the effects of COVID-19 through added complexity, extended lead times and delays. I have been impressed by the grit and determination of my team and our technology partners, systematically overcoming the hurdles as they come.
Having said that, we have made good progress with many issuers that signed up for pilots through 2021. This ranges from running internal tests of biometric cards at issuers to helping their engagements with schemes and supporting them with guidance in preparing the issuing backend to process biometric payments. And feedback from customers has been great; "Paying has been super easy and fast". That's exactly what you want to hear from the field!
Next milestone is the submission of Zwipe Pay ONE based reference cards for certification by both VISA and Mastercard. Zwipe's technology partner, Idemia, announced in November 2021, that it had obtained full certification from both schemes for its F.CODE biometric payment card. These certifications (Letters of Approval) represent full validation of the core components in our Zwipe Pay ONE platform, notably the shared single silicon biometric secure element, where Idemia and Zwipe have co-invested since 2019, and the IDX3405 fingerprint sensor from Idex Biometrics.
The Zwipers
Last, and most importantly, I want to express my deep gratitude to the exceptional Team of Zwipers around the world whose passion and grit continued to create so much value for our customers, partners, and shareholders through this challenging pandemic which has taken its toll on everyone. The purpose of our efforts is to give everyone the power of access by being themselves no matter where they are or who they are.
My sincere thanks also go out to all our customers, partners, and shareholders for sharing our mission and supporting our journey.
I wish each one of you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
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SOURCE Zwipe AS
KUNSHAN, China, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Two students from the inaugural class at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) have been selected as Rhodes and Schwartzman scholars.
Ege Kaan Duman is the first DKU student to receive a Rhodes Scholarship, the world's oldest international fellowship award, while Wanying He is the first student to be named a Schwarzman Scholar.
Duman, who studies global health, plans to take a master of philosophy degree in medical anthropology, with his research interests including medical ethics and comparative medical narratives. He said he aspires to fight for health and health care around the world.
"It is such a huge honor and such a unique opportunity," said Duman, who is also the first student from Turkey elected through the global constituency. "I essentially got to show that it is possible to achieve something big no matter what. At the same time, it is as huge a responsibility. People put their trust in you to go there and change the world."
Wanying He, who will graduate with a bachelor's degree in data science next summer, is among 151 scholars chosen from nearly 3,000 applicants worldwide to join the seventh class of Schwarzman Scholars.
"I am very excited to be joining this program," she said. "I've already met a lot of Schwarzman alumni and current students, and I've found it to be a very welcoming community."
Scott MacEachern, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said he was proud of both students and hoped they could inspire other undergraduates to strive for similar achievements.
Each year, the Rhodes Trust elects about 100 talented students from around the world for the scholarships, which cover the expense of up to three years of postgraduate study at the University of Oxford.
Students are chosen for their intellect, character, and commitment to service, among other qualities. Past recipients include former United States president Bill Clinton, and Nobel laureates Michael Spence, Howard Florey and John Eccles.
One of the world's most selective fellowship awards, the Schwarzman Scholars program supports young leaders from China, the United States and around the globe to study at the state-of-the-art Schwarzman College campus at Tsinghua University, Beijing.
Students are selected for their leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, and desire to understand other cultures. Scholars develop leadership skills through a funded one-year master's degree in global affairs, with specializations in economics, international studies, or public policy.
SOURCE Duke Kunshan University
Dodge is kick-starting the brand's rollout of new factory-backed Direct Connection performance parts with the announcement of key products from the exclusive new lineup, including performance "Tuner" and "Stage" kits for the Dodge Challenger and new race-ready performance kits for the Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak.
A new Direct Connection parts catalog, available for download now at Dodge.com/dodge-muscle, offers complete parts information and pricing, while the Direct Connection hotline at (800) 998-1110 is up and running to provide technical support straight from the performance experts.
Ordering for Direct Connection parts will open in late Q1 2022. The Dodge Power Brokers dealer network, which will serve as the exclusive source for all Direct Connection performance parts, will also begin operation in late Q1 2022.
Access the entire press release here.
Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.
Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America's fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry's most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.
In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality," making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.
Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.
Follow Dodge and company news and video on:
Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge brand: www.dodge.com
DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dodgeofficial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dodge and @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA
SOURCE Stellantis
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Edgescan, the provider of the most comprehensive, fullstack Smart Vulnerability Management solution, today announces the launch of its new, completely redesigned website that reflects the new Edgescan brand style.
The new site features pictograms that better explain how Edgescan has been helping customers to discover, mitigate and resolve vulnerabilities across the fullstack, as well as a new Intel Hub, collecting all the company news, thought leadership content and industry reports compiled by the Edgescan team.
The new explicative interface better showcases Edgescan's Smart Vulnerability Management solution, which sits at the intersection of network security, application security and penetration testing.
Designed with users in mind, a new, clearer licence page has been added, outlining the different models available. Downloadable content, with specifications by industry, has been made available to offer visitors a comprehensive and intuitive snapshot of Edgescan's services. Visitors interested in reading how Edgescan has helped its clients over the years are now able to access a series of case studies and can get in touch via the new contact forms, updated with a more intuitive interface.
Integrations with technology partners are clearly stated as part of the new Resources section, which also contains Edgescan's whitepapers and downloadable content. A new Careers tab has been added to help candidates navigate job and internship offers.
"The launch of our new website closes a year of growth and transformation for Edgescan. While remaining true to our core values, we have been working to expand in North America and make our brand a household name in the Smart Vulnerability Management space," said Eoin Keary, Edgescan's CEO and co-founder. "We wanted Edgescan's website to reflect this drive. Our resources are now much easier to access, and our licensing models are presented in a more intuitive and user friendly way, which we expect will better support our sales teams," Keary added.
Edgescan are the providers of a uniquely comprehensive Smart Vulnerability Management Security as a Service (SaaS) solution. With its hybrid approach to automation and human validation, Edgescan's solution is highly accurate, virtually false positive free, and takes the pain out of vulnerability management. The Edgescan SaaS security solution manages thousands of assets across the globe for both enterprise and SME clients helping them to continuously detect, prioritise, monitor, and fix security weaknesses for Internet-facing systems, such as web applications, websites, mobile apps, servers, firewalls, VPNs or VoIP services.
This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.
SOURCE Edgescan
ELKAYcares is Elkay's annual approach to giving back to the community. Each year, the ELKAYcares campaign is run throughout November and December, and encourages employees to donate what they can to a variety of charities. Employee donations are then magnified through the company's dollar-for-dollar match to further enhance its impact. This year, the donation plus match resulted in a total of $161,894.08 donation to those charities serving the communities where we work, play, and live.
For those not in a position to make a monetary donation in a given year, Elkay offers employees additional ways to give back to their communities including paid volunteer time off and a skills-based volunteer program. Through this variety of community engagement opportunities, Elkay fosters growth and connection between employees while helping those in need within Elkay's communities solve some of life's challenges.
"At Elkay, giving back is an important part of our culture, and I'm incredibly proud of what our ELKAYcares annual giving campaign has achieved," states Elkay President and CEO Ric Phillips. "To raise over $161,000 in funding for non-profits this year and over $5 million in the last ten years is no small feat and could not have been achieved without the consistent heartfelt participation from all members of the Elkay family."
The non-profits that are being supported through ELKAYcares for the 2021-2022 year include Creating Healthier Communities (representing over 60 health-related non-profits), Splash, Elkay Family Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Living Lands & Waters, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Operation Homefront, United Way and Equal Justice Initiative.
About Elkay
Family-owned since 1920, Elkay has been making innovative products and delivering exceptional customer care for almost a century. While proud to be America's No. 1 selling kitchen sink company, Elkay expanded its commercial offerings more than four decades ago and today delivers faucets, water coolers, drinking fountains, Smartwell Water Delivery Systems, and the award-winning ezH2O bottle filling stations, in addition to world-class stainless steel and quartz sinks. Our Elkay Interior Systems business is a global leader in designing and building branded retail environments and commercial systems such as stainless-steel products for commercial kitchens for leading international brands in the retail, hospitality, restaurant, and education markets. Like your family, Elkay has values and traditions that endure - like our commitment to sustainability and giving back to our community. Headquartered in the United States in Downers Grove, Illinois, Elkay employs over 2,300 employees worldwide, working from 25 locations across the U.S., China, Europe, and Mexico. For more information, visit www.elkay.com.
Media Contact
Chloe Kasper
[email protected]
SOURCE Elkay
BREA, Calif., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Envista Holdings Corporation (NYSE: NVST) ("Envista") today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Carestream Dental's Intra-Oral Scanner (IOS) business for $600 million. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and expected to close in Q2 2022.
The acquisition of this business is in line with Envista's long-term strategy to focus on the fastest growing segments of the dental market and to create differentiated solutions via the digitalization of dental workflows. With expected annual sales of around $60 million in 2021, this business is a high growth, high margin business that is complementary to both Envista's Equipment and Consumables segment and the Specialty Products and Technologies segment.
Envista Holdings Corporation CEO Amir Aghdaei said, "Intra-oral scans are often the first step in the digital workflow and critical to many high value dental procedures including implants, prosthetics, and aligners. We are excited to add a suite of world-class intra-oral scanners and software to our portfolio. This acquisition further enables our purpose of partnering with dental professionals to improve patients' lives by digitizing, personalizing, and democratizing dental care."
The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions, including the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition or shareholder vote.
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal advisor to Envista on the transaction.
Additional details about the transaction will be set forth in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by Envista and available at www.sec.gov.
ABOUT ENVISTA
Envista is a global family of more than 30 trusted dental brands, including KaVo, Kerr, Nobel Biocare, and Ormco, united by a shared purpose: to partner with professionals to improve lives. Envista helps its customers deliver the best possible patient care through industry-leading dental consumables, solutions, technology, and services. Our comprehensive portfolio, including dental implants and treatment options, orthodontics, and digital imaging technologies, covers an estimated 90% of dentists' clinical needs for diagnosing, treating, and preventing dental conditions as well as improving the aesthetics of the human smile. With a foundation comprised of the proven Envista Business System (EBS) methodology, an experienced leadership team, and a strong culture grounded in continuous improvement, commitment to innovation, and deep customer focus, Envista is well equipped to meet the end-to-end needs of dental professionals worldwide. Envista is one of the largest global dental products companies, with significant market positions in some of the most attractive segments of the dental products industry. For more information, please visit www.envistaco.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results, developments, and business decisions to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things, the effect of the announcement of the transaction on the Company's business relationships, operating results, share price or business generally, the occurrence of any event or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the purchase agreement, the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company related to the transaction, the failure to satisfy any of the conditions to completion of the transaction, and the failure to realize the expected benefits resulting from the transaction, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including new variants of the virus, the pace of recovery in the markets in which we operate, global supply chain disruptions and potential staffing shortages, the conditions in the U.S. and global economy, the markets served by us and the financial markets, the impact of our debt obligations on our operations and liquidity, developments and uncertainties in trade policies and regulations, contractions or growth rates and cyclicality of markets we serve, fluctuations in inventory of our distributors and customers, loss of a key distributor, our relationships with and the performance of our channel partners, competition, our ability to develop and successfully market new products and services, the potential for improper conduct by our employees, agents or business partners, our compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including regulations relating to medical devices and the health care industry), the results of our clinical trials and perceptions thereof, penalties associated with any off-label marketing of our products, modifications to our products that require new marketing clearances or authorizations, our ability to effectively address cost reductions and other changes in the health care industry, our ability to successfully identify and consummate appropriate acquisitions and strategic investments, our ability to integrate the businesses we acquire and achieve the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions, contingent liabilities relating to acquisitions, investments and divestitures, significant restrictions and/or potential liability based on tax implications of transactions with Danaher, security breaches or other disruptions of our information technology systems or violations of data privacy laws, our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property, the impact of our restructuring activities on our ability to grow, risks relating to currency exchange rates, changes in tax laws applicable to multinational companies, litigation and other contingent liabilities including intellectual property and environmental, health and safety matters, risks relating to product, service or software defects, risks relating to product manufacturing, commodity costs and surcharges, our ability to adjust purchases and manufacturing capacity to reflect market conditions, reliance on sole or limited sources of supply, the impact of regulation on demand for our products and services, labor matters, international economic, political, legal, compliance and business factors, and disruptions relating to war, terrorism, widespread protests and civil unrest, man-made and natural disasters, public health issues and other events. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2020 and our Quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and except to the extent required by applicable law, we do not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise.
CONTACT
Stephen Keller
Investor Relations
Envista Holdings Corporation
200 S. Kraemer Blvd., Building E
Brea, CA 92821
Telephone: (714) 817-7000
Fax: (714) 817-5450
SOURCE Envista Holdings Corporation
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT Exeter is pleased to announce it has closed a EUR 3.0 billion, 2.2 million square metre logistics portfolio sale on behalf of its private real estate fund, EQT Exeter European Value Venture III. These properties serve the supply chains of major corporations, including facilities for "big box" regional distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, and last mile distribution. The portfolio spans major population centres and key e-commerce and air cargo hubs across Western and Central Europe.
With 16 European offices, EQT Exeter mobilized its deep local market knowledge and expansive industry relationships to assemble the portfolio through 102 transactions executed over three years. These investments were made on behalf of logistics value fund investors who sought value growth through development and leasing activities. With its unique vertical integration, including highly localized, fully in-house execution of design, development, and leasing, EQT Exeter: developed 762,000 square metres of the portfolio; leased 715,000 square metres of vacancy; and signed 205,000 square metres in renewals during the fund's ownership period.
In line with EQT Exeter's commitment to creating sustainable, future-proofed assets for its tenants, the 762,000 square metres of newly constructed properties will be environmentally accredited and are equipped with the newest renewable design features in the industry. As part of the reletting of existing space, EQT Exeter has taken several steps to reduce environmental impact and improve energy performance, including installing LED lighting and reflective roof materials, improving natural light features, and introducing sustainable urban drainage via stormwater retention schemes and pervious parking features.
Paul Rubincam, Partner and Head of EQT Exeter Europe, said, "This transaction, which marks our fifth multi-billion sale, builds on EQT Exeter's decade-long track record as the leading logistics investment manager and landlord in Europe. We are proud to deliver another transformational deal for EQT Exeter's investors, and we look forward to our continued collaboration with the buyer, which has engaged us to continue managing and leasing the properties."
Clifford Chance advised EQT Exeter, and Eastdil Secured and CBRE served as procuring brokers in this transaction.
Contact
EQT Press Office, [email protected], +46 8 506 55 334
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https://mb.cision.com/Main/87/3477109/1513591.pdf Press release, EQT Exeter European Value Venture III, European logistics exit, 211222 https://news.cision.com/eqt/i/eqt-exeter,c2995454 EQT Exeter
SOURCE EQT
MIAMI, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brand Institute is proud to announce its successful partnership with AstraZeneca and Amgen in naming TEZSPIRE, the first and only biologic to consistently and significantly reduce asthma exacerbations in a broad population of severe asthma patients.
"The entire Brand Institute and Drug Safety Institute Team congratulates AstraZeneca and Amgen on the FDA approval of TEZSPIRE," said Brand Institute's Chairman and CEO, James L. Dettore. "TEZSPIRE is much-needed treatment for patients who suffer from frequent exacerbations associated with severe asthma. It has the potential to improve the quality of life for this underserved patient population.
TEZSPIRE was approved following a priority review by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
"We believe 'TEZSPIRE' is a great brand name for a truly innovative product," Dettore said. "We hope this product finds commercial success and, more importantly, provides relief for patients suffering from severe, uncontrolled asthma."
About Brand Institute and our wholly owned subsidiary, Drug Safety Institute
Brand Institute is the global leader in pharmaceutical and healthcare-related name development, with a portfolio of over 3,600 marketed healthcare names for over 1,000 clients. The company partners on over 75% of pharmaceutical brand and nonproprietary name approvals globally every year. Drug Safety Institute is comprised of former naming regulatory officials from global government health agencies, including FDA, EMA, Health Canada, American Medical Association (AMA), and the World Health Organization (WHO). These regulatory experts co-authored the name review guidelines while with their respective agencies, with many responsible for ultimately approving (or rejecting) brand name applications. Now working for a private company, these professionals provide Brand Institute's clients with industry-leading guidance pertaining to drug name safety (i.e., preventing medication errors), packaging, and labeling.
Contact: Scott Piergrossi
President, Creative
[email protected]
SOURCE Brand Institute, Inc.
Related Links
www.brandinstitute.com
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Cyber Security Market (By Products Segment, Services Segment, Industry Verticals, Geography, Deployment Mode, Organization Size), Impact of COVID-19, Recent Developments & Major Deals - Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
Cybersecurity is becoming a strategic imperative for organization owing to increased focus on preventing information in the wake of high-profile data thefts and breaches. The worldwide spending on cybersecurity is increasing as it is becoming difficult to keep pace with the rise in cybercrimes and malware attacks on governments, BFSI and healthcare organizations.
The adoption of cybersecurity solutions is expected to grow with the increasing penetration of internet among developing and developed countries. Also, the expanding wireless network for mobile devices has increased data vulnerability making cybersecurity an integral part of every single organization across the world.
The global cyber security market is projected to exceed US$ 330 Billion by 2027.
Impact of COVID-19 on Global Cyber Security Market
The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for businesses as they adapt to an operating model in which working from home has become the 'new normal'. Companies are accelerating their digital transformation, and cybersecurity is now a major concern. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, various governments and regulatory authorities mandate both public and private organizations to embrace new practices for working remotely and maintaining social distancing. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, several incidences and cases of cybercrimes were observed across various sectors. Between 9th March 2020 and 6th April 2020, hackers registered over 300,000 websites that used coronavirus-related keywords to lure victims. Moreover, the year 2020 saw an increase in U.S. healthcare data breaches of 25% over 2019. This upsurge in sophisticated cyberattacks has encouraged organizations to adopt solutions and configure malware protection, detection, and mitigation strategies, thereby fueling the market growth.
The report breaks down the industry as follows
By Products Segment - Global Cyber Security Market & Forecast
Network Security, Security and Vulnerability Management (SVM), and Identity and Access Management (IAM) are the top products segment by size and growth prospects.
Network security emerged as the most attractive product segment by size.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) accounted for around 17% share of the overall product market in 2020.
Security and Vulnerability Management (SVM) is anticipated to capture nearly 22% share of the overall cyber security products market by 2027.
Messaging security and web security are product groups with low growth prospects.
By Services Segment - Global Cyber Security Market & Forecast
The services segment dominates the overall cyber security market.
In 2020, the managed security services captured maximum share of the overall cyber security services market.
The security consulting services segment captured over 17% share of the overall cyber security services market in 2020.
The education and training segment captured least share of the overall cyber security services market.
By Industry Verticals - Global Cyber Security Market & Forecast
The government/defense sector accounted for maximum share of the global cyber security market in 2020.
Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector accounted for nearly 24% share of the global cyber security market in 2020.
Manufacturing companies were not known for storing sensitive information, but that has changed in a big way.
The information and communications technology (ICT) sector captured around 10% share of the global cyber security market in 2020.
The healthcare industry was responsible for around 7% share of the global cyber security market in 2020.
By Geography - Global Cyber Security Market & Forecast
North America captured maximum share of the global cybersecurity market in 2020, followed by Europe .
captured maximum share of the global cybersecurity market in 2020, followed by . Asia Pacific (APAC) is expected to offer significant growth opportunities to vendors in the cybersecurity market, as countries in this region are investing heavily in deploying cybersecurity and compliance management solutions.
(APAC) is expected to offer significant growth opportunities to vendors in the cybersecurity market, as countries in this region are investing heavily in deploying cybersecurity and compliance management solutions. Countries such as India and China are rapidly moving toward digitization in all the sector which is anticipated to increase the cybercrime activities in the region.
and are rapidly moving toward digitization in all the sector which is anticipated to increase the cybercrime activities in the region. In MEA, the rapid digitalization in countries, like the UAE and Saudi Arabia , has triggered the number of connected devices by opening new gateways for cyberattacks.
By Deployment Mode - Global Cyber Security Market & Forecast
The cloud-based segment dominates the global cyber security market. The cloud deployment mode of cybersecurity solutions benefits enterprises with cloud-based solutions offering speed, scalability, and enhanced IT security.
The on-premises deployment mode enables organizations to have a more control over all the cybersecurity solutions such as next-generation firewalls and next-generation intrusion prevention system.
By Organization Size - Global Cyber Security Market & Forecast
Large enterprises accounts for a higher market share in terms of revenue in the global cybersecurity market.
The Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) segment is anticipated to register the highest growth over the forecast period.
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/erjzhq
About ResearchAndMarkets.com
ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
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SOURCE Research and Markets
Related Links
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DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Military GNSS Anti-Jamming Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
With the increase of GNSS-dependent military platforms, there is an increase in jamming and interference devices to counter the efficiency of such platforms. There is rapid development in jammers and that forces countries especially those with electronic warfare to either modify and modernize existing GNSS systems or develop new ones to tackle growing jamming issues.
This report provides the transforming industry of GNSS anti-jamming solutions for military applications. The report reveals the strategies behind new technology reforms of anti-jam antennas and receivers and provides market opportunities hidden in the latest technology developments.
The report discusses technology adoption patterns for new anti-jamming technologies in various military organizations across the world. The report throws light on how various countries are preparing themselves for the new norms in electronic warfare and issues of jamming electronic munitions, aircraft, and battleships.
Global Military Ant-jamming markets are starting fresh. Many platforms using conventional anti-jamming methods and algorithms will need to replace their old technologies. The change has begun and it will see an acceleration from 2024. Before that many platforms will run tests and pilot projects. Those who have already started with the tests will rule the new electronic warfare authority.
In the U.S. and Europe, emphasis is more on the precision of PNT data by developing Assured PNT solutions is a growing field of technical and operation strategy. The US is stronger on developing APNT solutions and will be supplying the technology to European allies for laboratory and field testing from 2021. Anticipating the growing tensions in the South China Sea, the U.S. is preparing a new set of satellites, ground segment and anti-jamming, APNT solutions for ground, air, and seaborne platforms. The new solutions with anti-jamming and precision PNT capacities will be integrated into over 700 platforms
The report "Military GNSS Anti-Jamming Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2029" offers a detailed analysis of the global military GNSS anti-jamming market over the next eight years, and provides market size forecasts. Furthermore, it covers key technological and market trends in the industry and analyzes factors influencing demand for Military GNSS anti-jamming systems.
The report finds that global GNSS anti-jamming markets will reach US$7.55 billion through 2029 from US$2.00 billion in 2021. The major growth of the market is anticipated from 2026 when the majority of deployments of new GNSS anti-jamming technology developments will take place in GPS Operational Control System (OCX), Assured PNT and M-code enabled antenna and receivers. You can learn more about these developments inside the report.
In particular, it provides an in-depth analysis of the following
Overview: Snapshot of the Military GNSS Anti-jamming market during 2021 - 2029, including highlights of the demand drivers, trends, and challenges. It also provides a snapshot of the spending concerning regions as well as by application, types, and platforms. It sheds light on the emergence of new platforms like APNT devices CRPA s and M-code enabled receivers.
Market Dynamics: Insights into the technological developments in the space programs and anti-jam antennas and receivers and a detailed analysis of the changing war preferences of defence agencies around the world. It also analyzes changing industry structure trends and the challenges faced by the industry participants.
Segment Analysis: Insights into the Military GNSS Anti-jamming market from a segmental perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each segment.
Regional Review: Insights into present Military GNSS Anti-jamming market strength and future demand for top countries within a region.
Regional Analysis: Insights into the Military GNSS Anti-jamming market from a regional perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each region.
Trend Analysis - Key Defense Market: Analysis of the key markets in each region, providing an analysis of the Military GNSS Anti-jamming market platforms expected to be in demand in each region.
Key Program Analysis: Details of the top programs in the Military GNSS Anti-jamming market are expected to be executed during the forecast period.
Competitive landscape analysis: Analysis of competitive landscape of the global Military GNSS Anti-jamming market industry. It provides an overview of key defence companies, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysis.
Scope
Global Military GNSS Anti-jamming market is projected to register a CAGR of 20.36% over 2021-2029.
In terms of platforms, the space segment is anticipated to account for the largest share of expenditure globally followed by user segment and ground-control segments.
In end-use Munitions and Airborne Military GNSS Anti-jamming, systems are anticipated to account for the leading and second largest segments in terms of expenditure over the forecast period. Maritime will follow the two.
The ground-based Military GNSS Anti-jamming market will be the pioneer of adopting new GNSS anti-jamming technologies. It will work as a testing point for laboratory and field tests of army vehicles and handheld devices.
Rising measures for countering intentional jamming and increased military activities in the South China Sea and Arctic Sea will increase demand for maritime Military GNSS Anti-jamming systems
Companies Mentioned
Antcom
BAE Systems
Chelton
Collins Aerospace
General Dynamics
Hertz Systems Ltd Sp. z o. o.
L3 Harris
Lockheed Martin
Mayflower Communications Company Inc.
NovAtel
Oralia
Raytheon
Thales
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pfz5fu
About ResearchAndMarkets.com
ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
[email protected]
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) Cryptocurrency Fund: Institutional Investment 2021 Q3" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
Investor interest in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies surged in 2021. This report looks at institutional investment in Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC).
In general, institutional investors do no hold Bitcoin directly, but invest indirectly through trusts and funds. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust is a popular cryptocurrency fund through which investors gain exposure to Bitcoin. Investment in Grayscale Bitcoin Trust and other funds is an important measure of institutional interest and confidence in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Institutional investors are companies that invest money, either for themselves or on behalf of their clients. Institutional investors include investment banks, commercial banks, hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and insurance companies. Through the funds they control, institutional interest can exert a strong influence on market prices.
Key Topics Covered:
Executive Summary
Introduction
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC)
What is Cryptocurrency ?
Varieties of Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency Exchanges
2021 Infrastructure Bill and Cryptocurrency
Institutional Investors
Cathie Wood and ARK Investment Management
and ARK Investment Management Where does the data come from?
Institutional Investment
Graph. Price of Bitcoin
Graph. Price of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC)
Graph. Holdings by Value
Graph. Shares Held
Graph. Number of Institutions
Graph. New and Closed Positions
Graph. Increased and Decreased Positions
Graph. Concentration of Ownership
Graph. Turnover Ratio
Table. Current Holdings
Table. New Positions
Table. Closed Positions
Table. Increased Continuing Positions
Table. Decreased Continuing Positions
Call Options
Put Options
Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Reports
About Institutional Intelligence Reports
Companies Mentioned
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC)
ARK Investment Management
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vt5hl0
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
[email protected]
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
SOURCE Research and Markets
"This transaction marks an important step in the Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods strategic growth initiative. We are keenly focused on offering best-in-class service to our customers. By selling our distribution services business, we are further strengthening our position as the industry's premier manufacturer of Greek and Mediterranean foods," said Peter Parthenis, Jr., CEO of Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods.
Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods and Christ Panos Foods have enjoyed a long-standing business relationship, sharing a passion for Greek culture and values, high-quality foods, customer service and seamless transactions.
"We believe we've selected the best partner in Christ Panos Foods," Mr. Parthenis said. "We are happy to partner with a family-owned business that's focused on distribution and service. Together we believe this will best serve our customers in Illinois and the surrounding area."
Christ Panos Foods is dedicated to unparalleled customer service, quality products and detailed attention to food safety. From its humble beginnings to the prominent broadline foodservice distributor it is today, Christ Panos Foods has been dedicated to servicing local establishments and regional chains since 1975.
"Christ Panos Foods has a long history and excellent reputation for serving the Chicagoland and Midwest foodservice industry and we look forward to extending our capabilities through this acquisition," said Sam Panos, CEO of Christ Panos Foods.
About Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods
Grecian Delight |Kronos Foods is a leading provider of authentic Mediterranean Foods, including gyros, specialty meats, pitas, flatbreads, tzatziki, hummus, spreads, falafel, ready-to-eat proteins, plant-based proteins, and value-added bakery products. Product offerings can be found via foodservice and retail industries through the U.S. For more information, please visit www.gdkfoods.com
About Christ Panos Foods
Christ Panos Foods is a family-owned broadline foodservice distributor that delivers quality, exclusive and national brands to local establishments and regional chains in Illinois and the surrounding states. As a respected member of UniPro Foodservice, Christ Panos Foods has strong purchasing opportunities and buying power, coupled with close customer relationships and a personal touch that's valued in the foodservice industry.
Media Contact:
Peter Parthenis Jr.
800 621 4387
SOURCE Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods
MIAMI, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hazel Health, the national leader in school-based telehealth, and Paschal Pediatrics, one of South Florida's oldest pediatric practices, announced a new collaboration today to ensure continuity of care for children in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.
Hazel Health provides access to both physical and mental health services for nearly two million students in districts across the country, including Broward and other Florida districts. Through Hazel's telehealth services, students can connect directly with licensed medical professionals for on-demand care, whether at school or at home.
Beyond the telehealth visit, it is Hazel's mission to connect students to local providers when there are gaps in care. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 58% of Florida children are not connected to a primary care medical home. In addition, approximately 30%-50% of U.S. primary care providers do not accept new Medicaid patients. This partnership enables Hazel's care team members to connect students who require a primary care provider, including those with public health insurance coverage, to Paschal Pediatrics.
"We are excited to expand pediatric medical services for our patients that attend Broward County Public Schools through our partnership with Hazel Health," said Fletcher Paschal IV, Operations Manager of Paschal Pediatrics. "We look forward to working together to provide excellent medical care not only for our patients, but for children in our community."
Paschal Pediatrics is a well-established Black-owned and women-operated practice with deep roots in the South Florida community. This partnership will benefit both new patients and children who are already patients of Paschal Pediatrics. Hazel and Paschal will partner to display age-appropriate, culturally competent health education materials inside of Paschal's three clinics, located in Miami, North Miami Beach, and Plantation, Florida.
"At Hazel, we believe in increasing meaningful access to health care services to meet children's needs. The power of our model is not only the on-demand visit completed at the student's school or home, but also the navigation support that our care team members provide to local clinical and community resources," said Dr. Travis Gayles, Chief Health Officer of Hazel. "We are excited to collaborate with Paschal Pediatrics to optimize transitions to the primary care setting and look forward to growing our extended care network in South Florida over time."
Hazel Health believes every child deserves to be seen, heard, and cared for. Hazel aims to address systemic inequities in pediatric care that leave millions of children across the country with little or no access to health care. By partnering with Paschal Pediatrics, both organizations will increase equity and access, build trust, and improve health outcomes for the children and families they serve.
About Hazel Health:
Hazel Health is committed to eliminating barriers to quality healthcare for all children. As the national leader in delivering pediatric telehealth care, Hazel Health partners with school districts across the U.S. and currently serves more than two million children. Hazel's team of experienced pediatricians, therapists, educators, and best-in-class engineers are passionate about ensuring all children receive the best care in school or at home. Hazel is based in San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit http://www.hazel.co .
About Rozalyn H. Paschal Pediatrics:
Rozalyn Hester Paschal MD, PA is a pediatric practice that provides medical care to children from birth through adolescence. Paschal is dedicated to providing high-quality health care to meet the diverse needs of our community. Through the allocation of appropriate services, Paschal is committed to improving the community's health status by providing a full spectrum of services. In 1977, Dr. Rozalyn H. Paschal joined the practice of Dr. Dazelle Simpson, the first board-certified black pediatrician in Florida, who began the practice in 1953. In 1995, Dr. Paschal purchased the practice upon Dr. Simpson's retirement, and owned it until her passing in 2017. As a family-run practice, her daughter Dr. Rozalyn Paschal-Thomas, son Fletcher Paschal IV and husband Fletcher Paschal III continue the legacy of providing excellent medical care that both Dr. Simpson and Dr. Paschal provided for over 60 years. The practice provides multilingual care to accommodate the diverse patient population served.
SOURCE Hazel Health
CLEVELAND, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthy Northeast Ohio, the online resource for regional population health data, is pleased to announce the addition of Geauga County to its website. The web-based platform's regional footprint now reaches nine counties, providing users with free access to population health data, including over 275 health indicators from more than 30 data sources, evidence-based practices and information about regional health resources and activities. This regional approach to data sharing among partners through Healthy Northeast Ohio helps expand community health knowledge and improve population health efforts and planning.
Healthy Northeast Ohio Welcomes Geauga County to its Population Health Data Platform
Partners in Geauga County will be able to use Healthy Northeast Ohio to:
Access more than 275 health and quality-of-life data indicators.
View over 250 demographics variables available at the state, county and zip code levels.
Map and visualize data, plus generate custom data reports.
Examine zip code and census tract level maps of socioeconomic needs.
Browse a database of over 2,000 evidence-based practices and programs.
Visit county-specific pages with local data, priorities, health improvement strategies and resources.
Track progress towards county goals.
Utilize a community health needs assessment creation tool.
"Geauga Public Health is excited to partner with Healthy Northeast Ohio on this venture," said Adam Litke, interim administrator for Geauga Public Health. "Data is the primary driver behind decisions that are made by Geauga Public Health and the data that will be provided by Healthy Northeast Ohio will be incredibly useful as we look towards the future of public health and the programs that will serve our community."
The geographic footprint of Healthy Northeast Ohio includes Ashland, Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties. Healthy Northeast Ohio's repository of population health data allows hospitals, public health departments, community-based organizations and philanthropic agencies to work collaboratively to improve community health outcomes. Launched in 2019, Healthy Northeast Ohio is a joint effort between The Center for Health Affairs and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and is funded through a grant from the HealthComp Foundation.
"Healthy Northeast Ohio is pleased to welcome Geauga County to the platform," said Christine Dodd , JD, executive director of member programming for The Center for Health Affairs. "We are excited to head into the new year with an enhanced focus on impactful community partnerships for Healthy Northeast Ohio. We will continue to support and appreciate the community health efforts made by all partners in the nine-county region."
Healthy Northeast Ohio will offer a county-specific training webinar to familiarize partners with the new content and features to optimize site utilization in the coming weeks. The Geauga County webinar will be held on Thursday, Jan. 20 from 10 11 a.m. ET. This event is free and open to all, but registration is required.
County-level data for all of Health Northeast Ohio's county partners can be viewed at www.healthyneo.org , along with other resources and community health information.
About The Center for Health Affairs
The Center for Health Affairs, the nation's first regional hospital association, has served as the collective voice of Northeast Ohio hospitals for more than 100 years. Together with its business affiliates, CHAMPS Group Purchasing and The Essentials Group, The Center continues the legacy of its founders, working collaboratively to increase the efficiency of healthcare delivery, providing insightful healthcare information to the public and undertaking initiatives aimed at improving the health of the community. For more information, visit www.neohospitals.org.
PRESS CONTACT:
Tracy Wise
2162553695
http://www.neohospitals.org
SOURCE The Center for Health Affairs
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Heliospectra AB's President and CEO Ali Ahmadian has decided to step down as CEO. As a result, the board has initiated the recruitment process and the search for his successor. During the transition period, Bonny Heeren, board member of Heliospectra, will step in as Acting CEO.
"On behalf of myself and the board, I would like to thank Ali Ahmadian for his contributions to the company. During his years as CEO, Ali has stabilized the company and made good efforts to commercialize the company. As a result, he is now leaving a well-structured company with a clear future strategy and business plan," says Andreas Gunnarsson, Chairman of the Board of Heliospectra.
Ali Ahmadian took over as CEO in January 2017, and during his time as CEO, he has successfully launched several successful product solutions and strengthened the company's brand globally. Ali steps down as CEO on 31 December 2021.
"It has been fantastic to work with all the skilled colleagues at Heliospectra. Together, we have driven the company towards new successes and transformed it into today's company. Heliospectra is now entering an exciting new phase. I see this as a good opportunity to hand over my position, and I am confident that Heliospectra has a bright future in horticulture and will continue to create values for its employees, customers, and shareholders," says Ali Ahmadian, CEO of Heliospectra.
Bonny Heeren has been a board member of Heliospectra since May 2021 and already has solid experience of the global horticulture and greenhouse market. Bonny is located in the Netherlands, where over the years he has built up a wide network of growers and suppliers. He currently sits as an investor in a number of start-up companies within AgTech and has before that held a number of different senior positions within the Saint-Gobain Group, most recently as division manager for Horticulture. Bonny will take over as acting CEO on January 1, 2022.
"The new strategic direction with a focus on data-driven cultivation and autonomous greenhouses emphasize the need for product development. With that, we now see the need for a CEO with a strong focus on technical development and horticulture experience. Bonny has worked for the greenhouse market in the Netherlands for many years and also has good insight into Heliospectra. We are confident that he will be able to implement the new strategy and strengthen the company during this transition period", Andreas Gunnarsson continues.
"Sustainable cultivation and data-driven solutions are close to my heart and here I see Heliospectra as a leading and influential player in the market. The company is in an incredibly exciting phase, and I look forward to developing Heliospectra's position further in Europe during this transition period", says Bonny Heeren, Board Member of Heliospectra.
CONTACT:
For More Information:
Rebecca Nordin, Head of IR at Heliospectra | +46 (0)72 536 8116 | [email protected]
Andreas Gunnarsson, Styrelseordforande | +46 (0) 010 470 70 60 | [email protected]
http://www.heliospectra.com
This information is such which Heliospectra AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 14:00 CET on December 22nd 2021.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
https://news.cision.com/heliospectra/r/heliospectra-s-president-and-ceo-resigns,c3472920
The following files are available for download:
SOURCE Heliospectra
CHICAGO, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The first winter holiday season since the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine still carries the shadow of the virus and its variants, driving 61% of winter travelers to reach for their car keys to get to holiday celebrations, according to a national survey by Cars.comTM (NYSE: CARS), a leading car-shopping marketplace. Some 42% of Americans choose to hit the road by car because they don't want to take other forms of public transportation. Thirty-nine percent will visit a destination more than 100 miles away, and more than half of respondents (56%) will head 50-plus miles from home, up 30% year-over-year.
"The holidays are a time for gathering, and with lingering pandemic concerns and the rise in remote work, travel trends are changing," said Mike Hanley, Cars.com senior editor. "Our data state 1 in 5 travelers had a flight booked this holiday season but canceled it to drive instead. And with newfound flexibility at work, Americans are choosing to drive to their destinations and stay longer with family. Time will tell if these travel trends continue, but one thing hasn't changed: Americans love their road trips."
Additional insights revealed by Cars.com's survey on winter holiday travel include:
Holiday "work weeks" may be forever changed. Almost 70% of remote and hybrid workers say their ability to work out of the office has impacted winter holiday travel plans, and nearly a third of holiday travelers (32%) planning a trip more than 50 miles away will stay for at least a week, up from 27% for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Almost 70% of remote and hybrid workers say their ability to work out of the office has impacted winter holiday travel plans, and nearly a third of holiday travelers (32%) planning a trip more than 50 miles away will stay for at least a week, up from 27% for the Thanksgiving holiday. To beat the rush, head north and hit the road before Thursday. If driving, most winter holiday travelers (38%) will start their journeys no sooner than the morning of Dec. 23 , and 1 in 3 will be going toward warmer southern climates.
To learn more about the recent winter holiday travel survey, great deals and other car-buying tips and tricks, please visit Cars.com/news .
1Cars.com's survey results Nov. 17, 2021; 1,005 responses
About Cars.com
CARS is a leading automotive marketplace platform that provides a robust set of industry-specific digital solutions that connect car shoppers with sellers. Launched in 1998 with the flagship marketplace Cars.com and headquartered in Chicago, the Company empowers shoppers with the data, resources, and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. In a rapidly changing market, CARS enables dealerships and OEMs with innovative technical solutions and data-driven intelligence to better reach and influence ready-to-buy shoppers, increase inventory turn and gain market share.
In addition to Cars.com, CARS brands include Dealer Inspire, a technology provider building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations and connected digital experiences; FUEL, which gives dealers and OEMs the opportunity to harness the untapped power of digital video by leveraging Cars.com's pure audience of in-market car shoppers, and DealerRater, a leading car dealer review and reputation management platform.
The full suite of CARS properties includes Cars.com , Dealer Inspire , FUEL , DealerRater , Auto.com , PickupTrucks.com CreditIQ and NewCars.com . For more information, visit www.Cars.com .
SOURCE Cars.com Inc.
"Today is a momentous one for the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System and the tens of thousands of local veterans we serve," said Dr. Adam Robinson, director of VAPIHCS . "The ALOHA project will allow us to significantly expand the services we offer to our veterans by increasing access to the VA's advanced technology, top providers, and staff who will bring safe, compassionate, quality care to them."
For Hunt, the developer for the state of the art facility and the largest military housing owner in the United States, this groundbreaking signifies its continued commitment to U.S. service members.
"This facility will serve a community with a rich military history, which has been waiting a long time for improved access to health care closer to home," said Steve Colon, President of Hunt's Development Division in Hawai'i and a U.S. Navy veteran. "The ALOHA project realizes the vision and mission of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka, who worked tirelessly to ensure that our veterans and service members get the support they need where they need it. Hunt is proud to be part of this pivotal moment."
The Veterans Administration awarded the lease to locate the ALOHA project at Kalaeloa in April 2021. The facility is expected to open in late 2023.
For video and photos of today's event, click here.
For renderings of the ALOHA project, click here.
About VAPIHCS
The VA Pacific Islands Health Care System proudly serves veterans of Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Marianas. Our health care teams are experienced and guided by the needs of veterans, their families and caregivers. They are dedicated to providing veterans safe, compassionate, quality care. Learn more at https://www.va.gov/pacific-islands-health-care/
About Hunt Companies, Inc.
Hunt, based in El Paso, Texas, is a diversified, family-owned holding company that invests in operating businesses, real estate assets and infrastructure assets. Since its founding in 1947, Hunt's size and scope have grown substantially while gaining considerable expertise across multiple real asset sectors. Hunt's reputation is built on integrity and performance. Hunt is committed to a culture of transparency for employees, clients, investors and the communities it serves. Hunt and its affiliates employ more than 3,000 people across the United States and Europe. Learn more at www.huntcompanies.com.
Hunt has been active in Hawai'i for three decades, and has long been recognized for its innovative renovation of underutilized military properties, as well as its commitment to creating premier master-planned communities that complement the cultural and geographical riches of the Hawaiian Islands.
SOURCE Hunt Companies, Inc.
LAS VEGAS and SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company will take the stage at CES 2022, to present its future vision for robotics and the metaverse under the main theme of 'Expanding Human Reach'. The company's CES press event to be held from 3:00-3:45 p.m. PST on Jan. 4, 2022, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, 2F Oceanside D. The event will also be livestreamed via the company's YouTube channel ( Link ).
At CES 2022, Hyundai Motor will communicate how the company's robotics business will drive the paradigm shift towards future mobility, going beyond the traditional means of transportation and fulfilling mankind's aspiration for unlimited freedom of movement.
Under the main theme of 'Expanding Human Reach', Hyundai Motor will share its vision of how robotics will complete the metaverse by connecting the virtual world with reality as a medium, and eventually overcome the physical limitations of movement regarding time and space.
Hyundai Motor will also showcase its new PnD (Plug & Drive) robotic module platform under the new concept of Mobility of Things (MoT), which aims for the provision of mobility in everything from traditionally inanimate objects to even community spaces.
CES 2022 visitors will be able to experience the company's exhibition booth that will show how mobility in the real world can be advanced with robots and offer a glimpse of the future robotics society, which will enable transportation between the virtual and real world.
The company will also exhibit its robot product lineup, including the recently revealed Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED) as well as Boston Dynamics' Spot and AtlasTM. Robotics demonstrations and dance performance programs will also be presented at Hyundai Motor's exhibition booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall #5818, from Jan. 5-8.
For more information about Hyundai Motor and its products, please visit: http://globalpr.hyundai.com
SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company
ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Europe poultry cage market is expected to clock a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period from 2021 to 2031. The market is estimated to attain the valuation of US$ 614.2 Mn by 2031. In order to address the growing demand for poultry cage products, market players are enhancing their production lines. Furthermore, significant product innovation and integration of newer features in poultry cages by market players are likely to work in the favor of the market in the years to come.
In Europe, there is a growing need for animal-based food items as the population grows. Due to their numerous health advantages, meat, eggs, various meat products, and other such food items are becoming immensely popular among customers. Meat and poultry items have proven to assist in improving immunity, particularly during illnesses.
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The poultry cage market in Europe is being influenced by the rising trend of procuring poultry products from local as well as organic farms. Poultry raised utilizing organic agricultural practices is popular among health-conscious Europeans.
Owing to the increasing demand for poultry products, market players have boosted their manufacturing capacity. The single bird and colony cage categories are expected to have majority of market share and retain its dominance during the forecast period.
Innovative cages that are sanitary, efficient, and low-maintenance are being developed by manufacturers to boost sales in the Europe poultry cage market. Due to the rising demand for feeders, incubators, hatchers, and hen houses, the poultry cage market is predicted to observe considerable growth during the forecast period.
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Key Findings of Market Report
Rising meat consumption is anticipated to drive revenue-generation opportunities for Europe poultry cage market during the forecast period
poultry cage market during the forecast period Due to the growing demand for high-quality poultry items, market players are investing in modern machinery to assure quality. In addition, increase in farm size is likely to fuel sales in the Europe poultry cage market in the years to come.
poultry cage market in the years to come. Developing nations of Europe are gradually increasing their poultry production capacities and encouraging products from organic and local farms. They are driving the demand for poultry cages, including feeders, incubators, hatchers, and poultry houses. This is anticipated to boost the sales of poultry cages during the forecast period.
are gradually increasing their poultry production capacities and encouraging products from organic and local farms. They are driving the demand for poultry cages, including feeders, incubators, hatchers, and poultry houses. This is anticipated to boost the sales of poultry cages during the forecast period. Advanced poultry farming technology, such as automated feeding equipment, is more efficient in scaling feeds, resulting in less wastage, which is likely to influence growth of the market
In order to satisfy the growing demands for turkeys, ducks, hen, and ducks, breeding and production of these birds is essential. Thus, there are different kinds of cages for safe and healthy production and breeding of eggs and birds.
Firms such as Big Dutchman and FACCO have launched virtual platforms where farms can demonstrate to their customers how they produce poultry items and manage their farms. This increases brand awareness by creating a relationship and clarity between buyers and sellers.
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Europe Poultry Cage Market: Growth Drivers
Some European countries are taking steps to establish non-cage poultry-keeping practices. This factor is likely to support the growth of the Europe poultry cage market.
poultry cage market. Rapid expansion of online distribution channels and offline distribution channels is likely to drive the Europe poultry cage market in the near future
Buy an Exclusive Research Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=840321,200 clinical operators. This will enable CMIC's teams to take proactive action mitigating risks and maintaining compliance with ICH guidelines.
Rapidly deploy analytics applications beyond risk-based monitoring to better support sponsor, CRO, site, and participant data transparency and connectivity.
"Like most drug development companies in our region, our data were previously siloed across different teams, source systems, and studies. In just a few weeks, Lokavant was able to connect and harmonize operational data across hundreds of studies and uncover insights about our performance that we had never seen before," said Yoshihito Kondo, Executive Vice President of Clinical Operations at CMIC. "These insights have already helped drive a step-change in performance across our enterprise, and enable better time, cost, and quality outcomes for sponsors here in APAC. We are excited to expand our strategic partnership and to make Lokavant our clinical trial intelligence solution across all future trials. As the APAC market continues to grow, this partnership will help solidify CMIC's leadership position, driving better, data-driven clinical operations to the region and delivering critical therapies to patients in need."
New Partnership with Perficient
Lokavant has also formed a significant new partnership with Perficient, the leading global digital consultancy with more than 6,000 employees. Perficient's current and future clients will have a streamlined path to deploy Lokavant's clinical intelligence platform and next-generation analytical applications for their clinical trials.
Through this partnership, Lokavant and Perficient will address pervasive clinical data challenges with integrated technology products and services, unifying trial data to power sophisticated analytics. Thanks to Lokavant's ability to connect to any clinical and operational data source, the platform will integrate seamlessly into Perficient's existing deployments and accelerate impact on new implementations.
Ultimately, this strategic alliance supports Perficient's approach to end-to-end digital transformation and drives network effects from Lokavant's growing corpus of de-identified historical trial data, all while delivering next-generation insights to Perficient's pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and CRO clients.
"We are very excited to have entered a new, strategic partnership with Lokavant," said Santhosh Nair, Vice President, Perficient. "Our life sciences clients are always seeking to optimize their clinical trials, and we believe that Lokavant's platform can help them minimize risks, reduce costs, and stay on schedule. It's the next generation of clinical trial management at its best."
Additions to Leadership Team
Lokavant has expanded its leadership team through the appointments of Sean Li as Head of Data Science and Analytics and Todd Johnson as Head of Customer Success. Prior to joining Lokavant, Sean Li was the Head of Data Science at Quadient. In the past decade, he built and led multiple data science and analytics teams in health care, talent management and educational services, with a focus on productizing AI capabilities. He and his team will work on building out Lokavant's predictive analytics engine, bringing new, proactive insights from historical and in-trial data to research teams across Lokavant's suite of products. Sean earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa and his MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Todd joins Lokavant from Halloran Consulting Group and brings over 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and clinical systems. At Halloran, Todd oversaw ICH E6 (R2) compliance and led associated system implementations across multiple therapeutic areas and phases of development. Prior to Halloran, Todd led the Clinical Information and Informatics groups at Astellas and PPD, where he focused on operational performance metric/KPI assessment, data quality, benchmarking, dashboard development and reporting. In these roles he helped teams across all functions identify KPIs/KQIs/KRIs and the data sources to drive business decisions. Todd earned his MPH from the University of Illinois Chicago, his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his BS in Biology from the University of Michigan.
"I am pleased to welcome Sean and Todd to our growing team at this exciting moment in Lokavant's journey," said Rohit Nambisan, President of Lokavant. "In the past quarter, we doubled our deployments and harmonized millions of data points across 2,000 trials. The expansion of our leadership team is well timed with Lokavant's significant growth and bolsters our capabilities to develop innovative products that accelerate the delivery of transformative therapies to patients."
About Lokavant
Lokavant is a clinical intelligence platform that improves the time, cost, and quality of trial execution through data-driven analytics applications. Lokavant's platform aggregates and integrates real-time data from disparate trial data sources, and powers advanced analytics enabled by its compendium of proprietary trial data. The suite of applications built on the platform allows study teams to proactively manage their studies, and surfaces insights, driving efficiencies in all scientific and operational use cases. Email [email protected] to learn more and/or connect virtually at JPM.
About CMIC Group
The CMIC Group was founded in 1992 as the first CRO in Japan. Today, the CMIC Group is an end-to-end healthcare company including the largest clinical CRO in Japan with a global footprint, providing comprehensive services in drug development, clinical site management, clinical to commercial GMP manufacturing, regulatory consulting and contract sales & marketing solutions. The CMIC Group helps pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies enter the Japanese market, conduct clinical trials in Asia and bridge drug development and manufacturing needs in the US, Europe, Japan and broader Asia. The CMIC Group has over 7,000 employees and 25 offices globally. For more information about CMIC Group and services, please visit our website, https://en.cmicgroup.com/.
Lokavant Contact:
Devin Solanki
Lokavant, Inc.
[email protected]
CMIC Contact:
PR group
CMIC HOLDINGS Co., LTD.
[email protected]
SOURCE Lokavant
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --
Chrysler will introduce the Chrysler Airflow Concept and outline its future electrification strategy at CES 2022 in Las Vegas on January 5, 2022
on CES 2022 will feature first public display of the Chrysler Airflow Concept, which was previewed in Stellantis EV Day and Software Day presentations earlier this year
Chrysler will share a roadmap for building on the iconic brand's 96-years-plus reputation for innovative engineering, groundbreaking style and affordable luxury
Chrysler brand is preparing to pull back the curtain at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, with the unveiling of the Chrysler Airflow Concept and a peek at the brand's forward-looking electrification strategy.
WHERE: Stellantis Display, Booth 4643, Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, "Tech East"
WHEN: Wednesday, January 5, 2022, 11 a.m. PT
WHO: Chris Feuell, Chrysler Brand Chief Executive Officer, Stellantis
For interview requests, please contact Dave Elshoff ([email protected]).
Chrysler Brand
The Chrysler brand has delighted customers with distinctive designs, craftsmanship, intuitive innovation and technology since the company was founded in 1925. The Chrysler Pacifica continues to reinvent the minivan, a segment Chrysler invented, with an unprecedented level of functionality, versatility, technology and bold styling and the most advanced available all-wheel-drive system in its class. The available innovative hybrid powertrain takes this revolutionary vehicle a step further. It's the first electrified vehicle in the minivan segment and achieves more than 80 MPGe in electric-only mode, has an all-electric range of more than 30 miles and a total range of more than 500 miles. Chrysler Voyager offers fleet owners a budget-friendly minivan that also provides a well-equipped, exceptional driving experience. The Chrysler 300 lineup delivers on the brand's promise of iconic and elegant design executed with world-class performance, efficiency and quality all at an attainable value. Chrysler is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.
Follow Chrysler and company news and video on:
Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Chrysler brand: www.chrysler.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrysler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrysler
Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrysler or @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/chrysler or https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA
SOURCE Stellantis
The event was the 1st of its kind for the organization since the onset of the Corona pandemic and took place at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Aventura, Florida. The event featured an inspiring speech by Keynote Speaker, COO of Meta, and author of the best-selling books Lean In and Option B, Sheryl Sandberg, daughter of Adele and Dr. Joel Sandberg. In honor of her parents, Sandberg and her fiance Tom Bernthal made a donation of $5 million to the organization to name the Adele and Joel Sandberg Women's Unit.
More than 500 people attended the event, which adhered to strict Coronavirus protocols, and succeeded in raising $18 million to help support the lifesaving work done in Israel which is undertaken by volunteers around the country around the clock 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In addition to the address by Sheryl Sandberg, the event, which was chaired by Tila Falic Levi, also featured performances by Gad Elbaz, Chico Castillo, and DJ Aviel.
President and Founder of United Hatzalah Eli Beer said: "A strong relationship exists between the people of Miami and United Hatzalah, and myself personally. After I got sick with Covid-19 the Doctors here in Miami University Hospital saved my life. My good friends Adele and Dr. Joel Sandberg were a major part of my recovery, thanks to them I made it through my ordeal. The relationship became stronger during the collapse of the Champlain Towers, a tragedy that affected the entire community of Miami, when United Hatzalah volunteers from the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit rushed to assist the family members, neighbors, community members, and first responders, who were affected by the horrible tragedy that took place here."
Beer continued, "Now we have come together once more to strengthen the bonds of friendship and life-saving even further. It is because of the women and men who drop whatever they are doing and rush to help others, no matter what time of day or night, and where the emergency may be, whether in Israel, or right here in Miami, and likewise because of the people who come out to events like this to support them that we are able to save as many people as we can. Together, we are a force for good in a world that needs each and every one of us to help and support each other, especially in times of crisis."
United Hatzalah's Development Director Danielle Elyse David said: "The powerful bond between the volunteers and the people whose lives they save is one of the most touching human connections I have ever witnessed. Our community in Miami has played both of these roles over the past two years. Tonight, we come together to honor the achievements of the saviors and celebrate together with some of those who were saved. Together we are building a brighter future." David continued: "I am lucky that I get to work with Eli Beer, a true hero, and miracle worker. I am also lucky that I get to connect with the wonderful donors and supporters that make Eli's miracle work possible."
United Hatzalah is the largest independent, non-profit, fully volunteer Emergency Medical Service organization that provides the fastest and free emergency medical first response throughout Israel. United Hatzalah's service is available to all people regardless of race, religion, or national origin. With the help of our unique GPS technology and our iconic ambucycles, the average response time is less than 3 minutes across the country and 90 seconds in metropolitan areas. In 2021 amid the Covid pandemic, the organization responded to 675,000 medical emergencies in Israel and has a budget of $35 million all of which comes entirely from donations. In June 2021, a seven-member delegation flew from Israel at a moment's notice and spent a week providing psychological first aid and emotional and psychological stabilization to those who were most adversely affected by the collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside Miami. Together with the IDF Search and Rescue team, the members of the United Hatzalah delegation played an important role in the relief efforts for the people of Miami during the crisis.
SOURCE Friends of United Hatzalah
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce's (MCC) annual meeting, New York Governor Hochul and Manhattan Chamber chair, Don Winter honored Michael Kempner with its prestigious award, the Chairman Award. The award recognizes Kempner and entertainer Nick Cannon for their dedication to serving the small business community of New York. Hochul cited Kempner's work in helping to build the MCC as its former chairman and the many critical services initiated by the MCC during his tenure.
Governor Hochul and Kempner
MCC chair Don Winters celebrated Kempner's previous Chairmanship in announcing the award. He credited Kempner for modernizing the MCC, enhancing its board and its preeminent position as the voice of small and medium business in the New York political and economic infrastructure. "He brought knowledge and belief to the Chamber when he became chairman of our board. He helped to raise our profile and our revenue, made our Chamber way more modern and efficient, but most importantly, he helped to ensure we were truly serving our members each and every day."
Kempner asked the audience to keep focused on making New York a better place to build small businesses in accepting the award. "Small business is the backbone of New York City. Owning and running a small business is difficult under any circumstances, but it was close to impossible in a pandemic. But under the guidance of the MCC, small business has the opportunity to come out of the pandemic strong. In fact, the MCC had directly helped more than 10,000 New York small businesses with programs to help them sustain and grow. I'm proud to be part of this critical organization."
Kempner is the founder and CEO of NY-based public relations firm, MikeWorldWide. He served as MCC chairman from 2017 to 2021 and remains active as a member of its Executive Committee.
About MikeWorldWide
Thirty-five years young, MWW is among the world's leading independent, full-service PR agencies with talent hubs across the US and the UK. It prioritizes CorpSumerTM insights, cultural currency, and earned-worthy impact to create integrated programs that turn brands' reasons to believe into audiences' reasons to care. Because more than ever, Caring Counts.
MWW combines corporate reputation, consumer marketing, crisis & issues management, and public affairs expertise with dedicated strategy, analytics, DE&I, digital, and creative and content teams.
To learn more about MikeWorldWide, visit https://www.mww.com or follow us on social @MWW_PR.
SOURCE MikeWorldWide
PHOENIX, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Million Dollar Teacher Project (MDTP), established in 2016, was founded to strengthen the school system across Arizona. The organization recognizes that every student deserves to be taught by a teacher that is highly qualified and engaged.
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund recognized the importance of MDTP's mission and awarded the organization $540,000, after the Arizona Department of Education invited them to apply.
Teachers are notably significantly underpaid, underappreciated, and lack the necessary resources to effectively teach students in the classroom. At the beginning of the school year, parents are often asked to subsidize the classroom and given a list of supplies. In addition to their tax dollars and annual school supplies, parents are burdened with purchasing teacher supplies.
"Organizations like the Million Dollar Teacher Project are critical to supporting Arizona students because of their innovative and meaningful support of classroom teachers. I'm grateful for the work being done by the team at MDTP and am thrilled to have the Arizona Department of Education support their essential work." - Superintendent Kathy Hoffman
Recognition, compensation, and support are the three pillars MDTP uses to move the needle forward. Through grassroots initiatives the organization engages the community and local businesses to assist Title I Schools, serving marginalized communities, in creating programming to help them increase how teachers are recognized, drive more support directly into classrooms and creating innovative ways to impact how teachers are compensated. The businesses support the programs by recognizing the teachers for their commitment to excellence, and offering discounts to help teachers steward their meager salaries well, amongst other services.
MDTP launched the Title I Tech program during the pandemic. Hybrid classroom learning has required students to have technology at home and at school, burdening low-income families. The program helps those families access the technology the children need to serve the most at-risk students and encourage them to graduate. The organization hopes to launch the In Teachers We Trust Endowment Fund by next summer, which will provide financial assistance to teachers experiencing hardships, offer classroom field trip grants, provide scholarships to teachers looking to further their education, and provide basic needs assistance to students.
About Million Dollar Teacher Project
Million Dollar Teacher Project, founded by Lloyd Hopkins, was established in October 2016 as a mechanism to strengthen schools in Arizona. The work of the organization revolves around the principle that the most cost-effective and sustainable way to improve schools is to direct more resources and support directly to the teaching profession, so schools have the ability attract great talent into every classroom. The mission of MDTP is to elevate the teaching profession through increased recognition, compensation, and support.
SOURCE Million Dollar Teacher Project
The Orchard Columbia is comprised of 84 cottage-style units spread across 8.05 acres. The unit mix consists of 28 three-bedroom units and 56 four-bedroom units each suited with bed-bath parity. The Orchard Columbia was constructed in three phases between 2015 to 2018 and is outfitted with modern upscale features that include concrete and hardwood flooring, expansive kitchens, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and 48" screen TVs.
Community amenities include a pool, clubhouse, fitness center, individual security systems, and private parking. The Orchard Columbia is seated in a prime location, 0.9 miles from campus and 0.6 miles from Williams-Brice Stadium. The competitive location, amenities, and cottage-style product has enabled the property to achieve full occupancy for the 2021-2022 lease term, and is now 100% preleased for the 2022-2023 school year.
MultiVersity Property Management will bring their boutique-style approach and expertise in property management to operate this property more efficiently. MVPM will be adding an outdoor LED screen near the pool to display the latest Gamecock sporting events. Additionally, upgrades will be performed to the clubhouse, pool furniture, and fitness equipment. Furthermore, the cable and internet package will be enhanced along with improved security measures. These improvements will take place throughout the remaining school year and will be available to residents starting in August 2022.
"MultiVersity is excited to be back in the Columbia market with such an outstanding asset," said Principal of MVHP, Anthony Magnelli. "Orchard Columbia is the only cottage style product within a mile from campus, setting it apart from the competition. MVPM's planned upgrades will further set Orchard apart from the competition making it the premier choice for USC students."
MultiVersity Property Management ("MVPM") is the property management division of MultiVersity Housing Partners ("MVHP"). MVPM's mission is to become the recognized leader in its targeted markets for property management services. MVHP is seeking market-rate apartment, workforce housing, and purpose-built student housing acquisitions throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Southeastern U.S. The guiding principle of MVPM is to treat each property as its own individual business first and foremost.
MVPM operates with a total focus on its portfolio of managed properties (both owned and third-party) and on its owners/customers. MVPM provides a number of services that fit the needs of today's conventional and student housing residents, while at the same time focusing on owner requirements and expectations.
Christopher Feeley, CEO and Managing Member of both MVHP and MVPM, would like to thank the following for assisting in the closing of this acquisition: Dan Kearns of JLL, the Hunt Realty Team with special thanks to Steve Gordon, Milan Parekh and his team at EM 163, and the senior lender.
SOURCE MultiVersity Housing Partners
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2022, Heliospectra plans to launch several data-driven development projects, including a unique patented biosensor based on several years of research and practical cultivation experience. As a result, in consultation with the management team, the board has chosen to make a strategic shift and is now aiming wholeheartedly towards sustainable data-driven cultivation and Smart Farming with a focus on Europe's greenhouse market.
Completion and launch of data-driven development projects
In 2022, Heliospectra plans to finalize and launch several development projects to strengthen the company's data-driven solutions. Including an updated version of the company's helioCORE control system, the launch of the next generation MITRA, Adelfi, a Wi-Fi connector that enables the integration of MITRA with the helioCORE control system and sensors, as well as field tests and the launch of the company's new unique biosensor.
With the upcoming product launches, the board and the management team have decided to make a strategic shift towards data-driven cultivation. As a result, the company repositions itself from being mainly a supplier of LED lights, targeting greenhouse and indoor growers needing new lighting, to a system supplier within smart farming. The system combines sensors, software, and lighting to deliver a data-driven solution targeting commercial growers.
"Heliospectra is in an exciting phase where we are completing several critical development projects related to data-driven solutions. With our system solution and our new sensor technology, growers will detect stress, quickly identify problems, and accurately measure plant growth. The result is greater precision and more control over the crops, reduced waste, and an improved cultivation economy overall," says Andreas Gunnarsson, Chairman of the Board of Heliospectra.
Sensors and data-driven farming are part of a growing smart farming trend
The rapidly growing trend of using different sensors in cultivation is not a new phenomenon and often occurs in connection with concepts such as smart farming and precision horticulture. The driving forces behind these trends are the ambition for a more sustainable, automated, connected, efficient, and predictable crop production with less waste and higher quality in the crops, where growers rely more on data to plan and optimize output. Furthermore, in the light of the increasing pressures of climate change, it is necessary to secure the food supply for a growing and increasingly urbanized global population. Today the smart farming market is valued at approximately USD 7 billion and is expected to increase to USD 12.8 billion by 2025, corresponding to an annual growth of 12.7 percent.
"The company's new biosensor is unique and strengthens Heliospectra's position as a leader in controlled cultivation. The smart farming market is developing rapidly, and cultivation is becoming more automated. Therefore, the company will invest in product development and harness expertise internally to ensure the delivery of our current projects while maintaining our image as an innovative and forward-thinking company," says Andreas Gunnarsson, Chairman of the Board of Heliospectra.
Focus on Europe's commercial greenhouse market
In combination with climate change, the weather conditions in Europe have created a need for controlled cultivation and an increased interest in commercial greenhouses. Economies such as the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and France all possess large areas of greenhouse cultivation, and the commercial greenhouse market is growing steadily. This is thanks to favorable regulations within the region and an increased interest in smart agriculture.
Earlier this year, Heliospectra expressed its intention to expand in the European market. However, the current pandemic has postponed or canceled some of those investments. In 2022, Heliospectra will now fully invest in the European market with extra focus on building up the company's reseller network.
"In recent years, Smart Farming and data-driven cultivation have formed a significant following after more and more growers see its positive effects on the cultivation economy. Following many years of development, we see that the market is becoming ready for our patented biosensor, with many European countries at the forefront of agriculture. We are on the verge of fulfilling our founders' vision and are looking forward to 2022 and the ability to offer the unique, complete solution our LED lamps, helioCORE system, and new biosensor entail," concludes Andreas Gunnarsson.
With a unique system solution that addresses a large and rapidly growing market, Heliospectra is entering a new and exciting phase.
CONTACT:
For More Information:
Rebecca Nordin, Head of IR at Heliospectra | +46 (0)72 536 8116 | [email protected]
Andreas Gunnarsson, Chairman of the Board at Heliospectra | +46 (0) 010 470 70 60 | [email protected]
http://www.heliospectra.com
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
https://news.cision.com/heliospectra/r/new-strategic-direction-for-heliospectra---focus-on-sustainable-data-driven-cultivation-and-the-euro,c3472910
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SOURCE Heliospectra
PINE RIDGE, S.D., Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As Americans struggle with supply chain issues, rising food costs, and a resurging Coronavirus, the nonprofit Bright Path Strong is a beacon of light in time for the holidays. Together with a coalition of partners, the non-profit founded in legendary athlete Jim Thorpe's name is donating a life-changing, water-generating device to a Native American community that desperately needs it.
Watergen's GEN-M machine is being donated to the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. It will create high-quality drinking water by pulling humidity from the air and filtering it. Depending on climate geographic location, Watergen's GEN-M machine can generate up to 233 gallons per day. The donation is part of Bright Path Strong's mission to embody the legendary Sac and Fox and Potawatomi athlete's selfless and giving spirit. "Bright Path" was the English translation of Jim Thorpe's Sac and Fox name, Wa-Tho-Huk.
"Growing up, I heard my father tell stories about his friend Jim Thorpe's generosity and compassion toward fellow Native communities," said Bright Path Strong co-founder Nedra Darling , who is a citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. "Jim Thorpe was kind, humble and giving of himself. Bringing water to Pine Ridge is something Jim would have absolutely been a part of, especially this time of year."
Lack of access to clean water is a serious issue on many tribal reservations. A 2018 study by the U.S. Water Alliance and nonprofit DigDeep found Native American households were nearly 20 times more likely to lack indoor plumbing than white households. Sustainable, clean drinking water is essential to basic public health.
Earlier this year, Bright Path Strong challenged Americans to join the movement to bring water to areas of Indian Country that lacked critical access. Watergen and Native American-owned distribution company 4D Products & Services, LLC pledged to match donated funds. Those donations and a generous gift from the Huntsman Foundation helped turn that challenge into a reality for people at Pine Ridge. They've been plagued for generations by poor water quality and barriers to water access. Trucking water into the reservation and the federal government's broken promises of upgraded infrastructure has become a way of life at Pine Ridge.
"With this gift, Bright Path Strong has brought a next-generation product to our tribe when it comes to water needs. We hope to bring this product to all nine districts," said Kevin Killer, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. "Together with Bright Path Strong, we can help the people of our tribe, one gallon at a time. Woplia (thank you)."
To learn more about our mission to bring water to disadvantaged Native communities, visit brightpathstrong.org .
Contact: Nedra Darling Phone: (424) 281-0031 Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Bright Path Strong
Policy amendment allows practitioners to request access to psychedelic drugs for patients with serious or life-threatening conditions on a case-by-case basis
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Numinus Wellness Inc. ("Numinus" or the "Company") (TSX: NUMI), a leader in psychedelics-focused mental healthcare, commends Health Canada's leadership for amending the Special Access Programme (SAP) to allow physicians to request patient access to psychedelic treatments, such as MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy, for serious treatment-resistant or life-threatening conditions on a case-by-case basis. The amendment has the potential to positively affect the lives of people experiencing serious mental health conditions when other therapies have failed, are unsuitable or are unavailable in Canada.
"Amending the SAP and righting a historical wrong based on stigma highlights Canada's commitment to making psychedelic-assisted therapies a possibility for the many Canadians who struggle with mental wellness," said Payton Nyquvest, Founder and CEO, Numinus. "While we believe this is only the beginning of greater change to come, it signifies an important step towards creating expanded safe access to treatment and care in the mental health sector through psychedelic medicine. I am proud of our team who have had a longstanding role in advocating for this reform."
Health Canada's amendment recognizes a growing body of research, including the work that Numinus' clinical and research teams are completing, that has consistently shown the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to treat a broad range of mental health conditions that are currently extremely difficult to treat with conventional therapies. According to Health Canada, access will be provided when there is sufficient data to support the safety and efficacy of the drug for the specific condition of the patient and will be available once the regulations come into force when the amendment is published in the Canada Gazette, which is anticipated on January 5th, 2022.
"Revising the SAP to allow for a case-by-case consideration of the suitability of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is a critical first step towards patients having access to these potentially transformative, safe and effective treatments when other treatments have failed," said Dr. Lindsay Farrell, Vice President of Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation, Numinus. "Nevertheless, new pathways ensuring equitable access to psychedelic-assisted therapies for racialized, marginalized, underserved populations and Indigenous Peoples are also urgently needed, especially in the context of sacred plants that have been used in cultural practices by Indigenous Peoples since Time Immemorial. We encourage the federal government to create regulations that acknowledge and honour the traditional use of certain sacred plants and create pathways for safe and equitable access." .
Added Dr. Evan Wood, Chief Medical Officer, Numinus: "We applaud Health Canada and hope this is the first in a series of regulatory reforms where the federal government can provide leadership with the best interests of Canadians in mind. We know that, with all currently illegal drugs, doing nothing only creates public and patient safety concerns that can best be addressed by thoughtful regulatory approaches."
The Special Access Programme (SAP)
The SAP was designed to allow people access to new, potentially life-saving medications before they are formally approved for routine use in healthcare.
Historically, psychedelic medications have been ineligible for Special Access Programme applications. The regulatory amendment, which is expected to come into force on January 5th, 2022, will enable Canadian physicians to apply for psychedelic therapies in a similar process as to how other investigational medications are accessed prior to formal drug approval.
A substantial body of research, including the completion of a growing number of randomized clinical trials, has demonstrated that psychedelic-assisted therapies using psilocybin and MDMA appear to be highly effective approaches for the treatment of a host of potentially life-threatening mental health conditions, including treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders, and severe anxiety associated with terminal diagnoses.
In addition to allowing ongoing access for research participants after a clinical trial is complete, the SAP enables physicians to apply for access on behalf of qualifying Canadians who have serious or life-threatening conditions.
Patients cannot apply to the SAP directly, and only licensed healthcare practitioners who are authorized under the laws of a province or territory to treat patients with a prescription drug may file requests through the SAP.
About Numinus
Numinus Wellness (TSX: NUMI) helps people to heal and be well through the development and delivery of innovative mental health care and access to safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies. The Numinus model - including psychedelic production, research and clinic care - is at the forefront of a transformation aimed at healing rather than managing symptoms for depression, anxiety, trauma, pain and substance use. At Numinus, we are leading the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapies into mainstream clinical practice and building the foundation for a healthier society.
Learn more at www.numinus.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs regarding future performance are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expects", "does not expect", "is expected", , "intends", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes" or variations of these words, expressions or statements, that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" taken, will occur or will be realized. Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual results, events or developments to differ materially from the results, events or developments expected and expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, dependence on obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals, including the acquisition and renewal of federal, provincial, municipal, local or other licenses, and any inability to obtain all necessary government authorizations, licenses and permits to operate and expand the Company's facilities; regulatory or policy changes such as changes in applicable laws and regulations, including federal and provincial legalization, due to fluctuations in public opinion, industry perception of integrative mental health, including the use of psychedelic-assisted therapy, delays or inefficiencies or any other reason; any other factor or development likely to hamper the growth of the market; the Company's limited operating and profitability track record; dependence on management; the Company's need for additional financing and the effects of financial market conditions and other factors on the availability of capital; competition, including that of more established and better funded competitors; the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and the need to build and maintain alliances and partnerships, including with research and development companies, customers and suppliers. These factors should be carefully considered, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Despite the Company's efforts to identify the main risk factors that could cause actual measures, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, other risk factors may cause measures, events or developments to materially differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to revise forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available as a result of future events, new facts or any other reason, except as required by applicable laws.
Neither the TSX Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
SOURCE Numinus Wellness Inc.
Related Links
https://numinus.ca/
Durango is a scenic, resort-style market located in Southwest Colorado. The community is home to a diverse group of residents from world class physicians at Durango's medical centers, small-business owners & entrepreneurs, professional outdoor athletes, to remote employees relocating from costal city centers. Residents and visitors enjoy an abundant offering of outdoor activities from hiking, camping, skiing/snowboarding, fishing, whitewater rafting, hunting, horseback riding, mountain biking, rock climbing, and more.
"The Durango market is experiencing a large influx of people moving from larger cities. The population influx in conjunction with the high barrier-to-entry for new apartments has led Durango to be one of the top markets in the nation in terms of rent growth this past year." said John Vu, Olympus Acquisitions Manager.
Completed in 2019, Rocket Pointe is one of only two market-rate multifamily communities constructed in Durango in the last 20 years. The property offers best-in-class amenities with a resort-style heated swimming pool, fitness center, community kitchen, bike repair station, ski/snowboard waxing room, and breezeway access garages. Units feature granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and designer finishes.
"Rocket Pointe is an opportunity for our company to expand into a prestigious, supply-constrained new market with a strong fundamental story. The asset is in a flourishing community with plenty of long-term upside for our firm and our partners," said Chase Bennett, Olympus Managing Director.
Founded in 1992, Olympus Property owns and manages some of the most desirable multifamily opportunities across the United States. Olympus Property is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Over a 29-year history, the firm has become a successful and recognized name in the multifamily industry owning and operating approximately 21,000 units across eleven states. Rocket Pointe is the fourth property in Olympus Property's twelfth fund, Olympus Property XII LLC.
To learn more about Olympus Property, please contact Braden Barr at 415-686-0232 or [email protected], or Jeff Evans at 325-829-8844 or [email protected].
SOURCE Olympus Property
GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Onion Global Limited ("Onion Global", the "Group" or the "Company") (NYSE: OG), a next-generation lifestyle brand platform that incubates, markets, and distributes the world's fresh, fashionable, and future brands to young people in China and across Asia, today announced that it has won the 2021 Annual China Consumption Industry Influential Brand Enterprise Award at the 17th Industry Development Forum, Digital Economy and Business Model Innovation Summit (the "Summit"), held in Tianjin, China, on December 8, 2021. The Company also presented a keynote speech on Onion Global's innovative concept of integrating "consumers, products, and channels" with its superior brand's portfolio matrix, which drew great attention and recognition from the attendees.
More than 300 participants attended the Summit, including economists, industry experts, and senior executives from major domestic companies to discuss how enterprises should accomplish fresh transformations and innovations in the digital era. Enterprise representatives comprehensively demonstrated their latest improvements and innovational achievements from new technologies, services, products, and business models through speeches and Ted Talks.
Mr. Cong (Kenny) Li, Founder and CEO of Onion Global commented, "The award is an affirmation and recognition of Onion Global's capabilities to effectively incubate and manage global brands. By leveraging our competencies in brands R&D, incubation, and marketing to reach consumers throughout the entire brand's operational value chain from the upstream, middle, and downstream, we have successfully built our own private label brand matrix called 'Luca Brand' which now operates more than 30 brands. This again proves the sustainability of the Company's long-term vision for investing in positioning the business in the new consumption sector. Onion Global selects top-notch global partners through investments, acquisitions, and joint R&D programs to empower brand incubation and omni-channel marketing and builds a solid foundation for establishing a long-term brand image in the China market. The company's Luca Brands will focus on three areas including smart lifestyle, healthy foods, and biotech products, and will strategically cooperate with the world-leading manufacturers and laboratories to co-develop cutting-edge functional skincare, body care, and health products in the big healthcare sector."
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, the Company's forecasts, general observation of the industry, and business outlook, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expects," "anticipates," "target," "aim," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "potential," "estimates" "continue," "is/are likely to," or other similar statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Onion Global's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Onion Global does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
About Onion Global Limited
Onion Global Limited (NYSE: OG) is a next-generation lifestyle brand platform that incubates, markets, and distributes the world's fresh, fashionable, and future brands, which we refer to as "3F brands," to young people in China and across Asia. The Company's mission is to be the dream factory of lifestyle brands for young people. The Company's platform offers an integrated solution to develop, market, and distribute new and inspiring branded products, thereby reshaping the lifestyle shopping and consumer culture in China. Onion Global Limited has been listed on New York Stock Exchange since May 2021.
For more information, please visit: http://ir.msyc.com/.
Investor Relations Contact
In China:
Onion Global Ltd.
Investor Relations
E-mail: [email protected]
Christensen
Mr. Eric Yuan
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +86-10-5900-1548
In the United States:
Christensen
Ms. Linda Bergkamp
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +1-480-614-3004
SOURCE Onion Global Limited
Related Links
http://ir.msyc.com/
HARRISBURG Pa., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Tom Wolf has urged legislators to raise the minimum wage. The officers of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, President Rick Bloomingdale and Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder, made the following statements:
"As 2021 passes into 2022, it is unconscionable that Pennsylvania's minimum wage is still $7.25 while more than 40% of Pennsylvanians struggle to make ends meet. The Pennsylvania General Assembly must act to finally put our Commonwealth on a path forward," stated President Rick Bloomingdale.
"Since the start of the pandemic, essential workers have been called heroes, even those who receive the lowest pay. Instead of treating these workers like zeroes, it's time our legislators finally put meaning behind their words. It's time to raise the minimum wage," added Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder.
SOURCE PA AFL-CIO
ALAMEDA, Calif., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE: PEN) today announced that its management team is scheduled to present at the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, January 11, 2022.
Event: 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
Date: Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Time: 11:15am ET /8:15am PT
An audio webcast of the presentation will be available by visiting the investors' section of the company's website at www.penumbrainc.com. The audio webcast will be available on the company's website for at least two weeks following the event.
About Penumbra
Penumbra, Inc., headquartered in Alameda, California, is a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies. Penumbra designs, develops, manufactures and markets novel products and has a broad portfolio that addresses challenging medical conditions in markets with significant unmet need. Penumbra supports healthcare providers, hospitals and clinics in more than 100 countries. The Penumbra logo is a trademark of Penumbra, Inc. For more information, visit www.penumbrainc.com.
Investor Relations
Penumbra, Inc.
510-995-2461
[email protected]
SOURCE Penumbra, Inc.
Related Links
www.penumbrainc.com
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, PNM filed a Notice of Appeal with the New Mexico Supreme Court of the decision earlier this month by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) to deny the application by Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), wholly-owned subsidiary of PNM Resources, Inc. (NYSE: PNM), to abandon, sell and securitize its minority interest in the Four Corners Power Plant.
PNM filed its application in accordance with the Energy Transition Act, New Mexico's landmark energy policy designed to transition the state to clean energy while protecting the interest of customers and impacted communities. Under the Energy Transition Act, an appeal is required to be filed within 10 days of the NMPRC decision.
Following today's Notice of Appeal, PNM will be required to file a Statement of Issues outlining its arguments for appeal within 30 days.
In its application, PNM brought forth a plan that would fully eliminate coal from its resource portfolio used to serve customer needs at the end of 2024, implement seasonal operations in the Fall of 2023 reducing annual emissions at the plant by an estimated 20 - 25%, replace the power with cleaner energy resources, securitize the remaining balance of the plant with lower financing rates and provide economic development funds to the impacted region, resulting in a net customer savings of up to $300 million. The plan meets the tenets of a Just Transition outlined by Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and has received his support.
Additional materials pertaining to the application for abandonment and securitization are available at https://www.pnmresources.com/investors/rates-and-filings.aspx.
Background:
PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) is an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, N.M., with 2020 consolidated operating revenues of $1.5 billion. Through its regulated utilities, PNM and TNMP, PNM Resources provides electricity to approximately 800,000 homes and businesses in New Mexico and Texas. PNM serves its customers with a diverse mix of generation and purchased power resources totaling 3.1 gigawatts of capacity, with a goal to achieve 100% emissions-free energy by 2040. For more information, visit the company's website at www.PNMResources.com.
CONTACTS:
Analysts
Media
Lisa Goodman
Ray Sandoval
(505) 241-2160
(505) 241-2782
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Statements made in this news release for PNM Resources, Inc. ("PNMR"), Public Service Company of New Mexico ("PNM"), or Texas-New Mexico Power Company ("TNMP") (collectively, the "Company") that relate to future events or expectations, projections, estimates, intentions, goals, targets, and strategies are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and estimates. PNMR, PNM, and TNMP assume no obligation to update this information. Because actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, PNMR, PNM, and TNMP caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. PNMR's, PNM's, and TNMP's business, financial condition, cash flow, and operating results are influenced by many factors, which are often beyond their control, that can cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Additionally, there are risks and uncertainties in connection with the proposed acquisition of us by AVANGRID which may adversely affect our business, future opportunities, employees and common stock, including without limitation, (i) the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the pending Merger, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the pending Merger that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the transaction, (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement, (iii) the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the proposed Merger in a timely manner or at all, and (iv) the risk that the proposed transaction could have an adverse effect on the ability of PNMR to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its customers and suppliers, and on its operating results and businesses generally. For a discussion of risk factors and other important factors affecting forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q filings and the information included in the Company's Forms 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors are specifically incorporated by reference herein.
SOURCE PNM Resources, Inc.
CARMIEL, Israel, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: PLX) (TASE: PLX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, production and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins produced by its proprietary ProCellEx plant cell-based protein expression system, today announced the following letter from its President and Chief Executive Officer, Dror Bashan, to its stockholders and the investment community.
Dear Protalix Stockholders,
As we look back and reflect on this past year, I am proud of our team and of the progress we have made in a time of continued Covid-19-related uncertainty across all corners of the globe. While the pandemic has added, and continues to add, many challenges that are out of our control, we remain resolute and focused on that which was within our control, including our operational, clinical and regulatory work. We continue to make progress on all fronts and firmly believe that we are on the right path forward towards meaningful, value-adding milestones and transformational catalysts.
I am pleased to briefly highlight some of our more notable milestones achieved in 2021.
Regulatory Advancements
Together with our development and commercialization partner, Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., we completed a Type A meeting in October with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the biologics license application (BLA) for PRX-102 for the treatment of adult patients with Fabry disease. We gained clarity regarding the FDA's expectations and confirmed our pathway for resubmission of a PRX-102 BLA, planned for the second half of 2022.
In addition, we have made important progress in our pre-submission activities toward an anticipated Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In our October meeting with the Rapporteur and Co-Rapporteur of the EMA, we and Chiesi discussed the MAA scope and gained general support for the anticipated PRX102 MAA submission planned for the first quarter of 2022.
Clinical Advancements
The last patient in our Phase III BALANCE clinical trial, a 24-month, randomized, double blind, active control study of PRX-102 in Fabry patients with impaired renal function, received the final dose in October 2021. We anticipate releasing un-blinded final data in the second quarter of 2022 after all remaining patients have completed the 24-month treatment period. The determination to plan the PRX-102 MAA submission for the first quarter of 2022 was based on the interim analysis of the 12-month data generated from the BALANCE study, which were released in June 2021, in combination with previously reported positive data from our Phase III BRIGHT and BRIDGE clinical trials.
Earlier in the year, we announced positive topline results from our Phase III BRIGHT clinical trial, a 12-month, open-label, switch-over study designed to evaluate the safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of PRX102 via intravenous (IV) infusions of 2 mg/kg administered every 4 weeks in Fabry patients previously treated with a commercially available enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Topline results of the BRIGHT study indicate that 2 mg/kg of PRX-102 administered by IV infusion every 4 weeks are well tolerated among treated patients, and stable clinical presentation was maintained in adult Fabry patients.
Corporate & Financial Developments
Earlier this fall, we strengthened our balance sheet through exchanges of a substantial majority of our outstanding 7.50% Senior Secured Convertible Notes due 2021 for a combination of cash and new notes. In brief, we issued new 7.50% Senior Secured Convertible Notes due 2024 with an aggregate of $54.65 million principal amount and made principal and interest payments of approximately $27.00 million. The remaining 2021 Notes were repaid on the November 2021 maturity date. Over the course of the year, we raised almost $50.00 million in new equity, and we have an At-the-Market offering program in place should we find market conditions favorable for additional financing. These transactions secured our balance sheet, and we are gratified to be in a solid financial position to support our plans and strategies through our important, value-enhancing milestones.
Looking Forward
We have much to be thankful for this year, including our progress towards our BLA resubmission in the United States; important clarity on an MAA submission in Europe; positive data and progress across all of our clinical trials and a strengthened balance sheet. Going into the new year, we look forward with great anticipation to continuing our progress in advancing a potential good alternative for the Fabry community, and thank our employees for their tireless efforts in driving Protalix forward and building on our scientific foundation. We also take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the close collaboration we have with Chiesi, our commercial partner. Finally, we would like to thank you, our stockholders, for your support and look forward to sharing our successes with you.
Sincerely,
Dror Bashan, President & Chief Executive Officer
About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. Protalix was the first company to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a protein produced through plant cell-based in suspension expression system. Protalix's unique expression system represents a new method for developing recombinant proteins in an industrial-scale manner.
Protalix's first product manufactured by ProCellEx, taliglucerase alfa, was approved by the FDA in May 2012 and, subsequently, by the regulatory authorities of other countries. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights for taliglucerase alfa, excluding Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights.
Protalix's development pipeline consists of proprietary versions of recombinant therapeutic proteins that target established pharmaceutical markets, including the following product candidates: pegunigalsidase alfa, a modified stabilized version of the recombinant human GalactosidaseA protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; alidornase alfa or PRX110, for the treatment of various human respiratory diseases or conditions; PRX115, a plant cell-expressed recombinant PEGylated uricase for the treatment of refractory gout; PRX119, a plant cell-expressed long action DNase I for the treatment of NETs-related diseases; and others. Protalix has partnered with Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., both in the United States and outside the United States, for the development and commercialization of pegunigalsidase alfa.
Forward-Looking Statements
To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "project," "may," "plan," "will," "would," "should" and "intend," and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Drug discovery and development involve a high degree of risk and the final results of a clinical trial may be different than the preliminary findings for the clinical trial. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: risks related to the timing and progress of the preparation of an updated BLA addressing the CRL for PRX102; risks related to the timing, progress and likelihood of final approval by the FDA of a resubmitted BLA for PRX102 and, if approved, whether PRX-102 will be commercially successful; the risk that the FDA, the EMA or other foreign regulatory authorities may not accept or approve a marketing application filed for PRX102 or any of our other product candidates; failure or delay in the commencement or completion of our preclinical studies and clinical trials, which may be caused by several factors, including: slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; and or lack of sufficient funding to finance our clinical trials; the risk that the results of our clinical trials will not support the applicable claims of safety or efficacy and that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will have undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; risks relating to our ability to make required payments under our outstanding convertible notes or any other indebtedness as they come due and our ability to obtain additional financing and raise capital as necessary should the regulatory approval process become more extended; risks associated with the COVID-19 outbreak and variants, which may adversely impact our business, preclinical studies and clinical trials; risks relating to our evaluation and pursuit of strategic alternatives; risks relating to our ability to manage our relationship with our collaborators, distributors or partners; risks relating to changes to interim, topline or preliminary data from clinical trials that we announce or publish; risks related to any transactions we may effect in the public or private equity markets to raise capital to finance future research and development activities, general and administrative expenses and working capital; risk of significant lawsuits, including stockholder litigation, which is common in the life sciences sector; our dependence on performance by third-party providers of services and supplies; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies; risks related to our supply of drug product to Pfizer; risks related to our expectations with respect to the potential commercial value of our product and product candidates; risks relating to the compliance by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, an arm of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, with its purchase obligations under our supply and technology transfer agreement, which may have a material adverse effect on us and may also result in the termination of such agreement; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of related insurance coverage; the possibility of infringing a third-party's patents or other intellectual property rights and the uncertainty of obtaining patents covering our products and processes and successfully enforcing our intellectual property rights against third-parties; risks relating to changes in healthcare laws, rules and regulations in the United States or elsewhere; and the possible disruption of our operations due to terrorist activities and armed conflict, including as a result of the disruption of the operations of regulatory authorities, our subsidiaries, our manufacturing facilities and our customers, suppliers, distributors, collaborative partners, licensees and clinical trial sites; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information, except as may be required by law.
Investor Contact
Chuck Padala, Managing Director
LifeSci Advisors
646-627-8390
[email protected]
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/999479/Protalix_Biotherapeutics_Logo.jpg
SOURCE Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Protect Our Power, the nation's leading independent organization dedicated to making the electric grid more secure and resilient, is calling upon the electric industry, policymakers, regulators and cybersecurity vendors to make meaningful progress on four priorities in 2022 to better safeguard the grid and the people and entities that rely upon it. The priorities are:
Continue encouraging investments in cybersecurity and grid resilience by endorsing, on an ongoing basis, the incentives and cost-recovery mechanisms needed by investor-owned utilities, and by providing federal funds to under-resourced entities such as municipal public power authorities and electric cooperatives. Establish a consensus-driven protocol to govern practices and reduce vulnerabilities in the electric sector's supply chain and accelerate efforts to establish a national testing structure for grid hardware and software. Establish a Best Practices data bank to improve timely information sharing among buyers and sellers of cybersecurity products and services that are known to be effective in repelling or mitigating threats to grid reliability. Accelerate the expansion of separate, more secure communications systems exclusively dedicated to mission-critical power system operations that will better address all threats, including cyberattacks and EMP events, and thereby improve grid resilience.
"Because virtually every segment of our nation's critical infrastructure is dependent upon reliable power supplies, it is imperative that we accelerate progress in the coming year with those activities that are central to the electric grid's security and resilience," Protect Our Power President Jim Cunningham said.
"Positive steps most notably enactment of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure legislation are being taken. The funding it provides for energy sector cybersecurity is laudable. Nonetheless, there are massive needs that remain unmet and that demand immediate action to protect against a crippling cyberattack that could wreak havoc on our nation," Cunningham said. "In the hope that resources will be effectively focused in the coming year, Protect Our Power has identified the four priorities that we believe most urgently need attention to safeguard our nation."
Cost recovery for cybersecurity and resilience investments is paramount. Smaller electric utilities, public power entities and rural electric cooperatives, in particular, need help above and beyond the funding provided in the infrastructure legislation, Cunningham said.
He pointed to the findings of a study conducted for Protect Our Power by the Vermont Law School's Institute for Energy and the Environment. It calls for reducing regulatory obstacles to utility investment.
"Even for those utilities that have the resources to invest in cybersecurity tools and talent, it can take months if not years for rate cases to run the regulatory gauntlet," Cunningham said. "It's very difficult for utilities to make needed investments up front to protect their systems not knowing whether the expenditure is going to be approved or disapproved. Clarity and timeliness with regard to cost recovery is urgently needed."
Recent grid intrusions already have shown that the integrity of the electric sector's supply chain is a glaring vulnerability. Coupled with the modernization of the electric grid and the increased reliance on distributed energy resources, the need for a coordinated, comprehensive effort to establish consensus protocols for the supply chain is immediate.
"We absolutely must have leadership and cooperation from the public and private sectors to drive the formation of standards that will reduce vulnerabilities in the electric sector supply chain and other interfaces at the edge of the grid," Cunningham said. "This is not a criticism of the efforts made to date. It is our attempt to highlight this as an area that urgently requires resolution."
Testing and evaluation of critical equipment and software goes hand in hand with this risk mitigation priority, he said.
Intensified efforts to identify and implement best practices in cybersecurity will yield significant long-term benefits, Cunningham said. More than 1,000 companies sell cybersecurity products to electric utilities in the United States and Canada. It is vitally important that a mechanism exists to make it easier for utility companies to make informed decisions on products and services that meet their specific cybersecurity needs, he said.
Secure communications mechanisms capable of monitoring and controlling control grid operations in real-time also are critical to maintaining a stable and resilient grid.
"Regardless of what the nature of the threat turns out to be, having a dedicated communications system in place to control actual power system operations will prove immensely beneficial to the grid's stability," Cunningham said.
He noted that, over the past year alone, extreme weather events in Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky and other states have shown how devastating widespread power outages for sustained periods of time can be. A little-known fact is that the grid is subjected to millions of unsuccessful attacks per day. Continuous cyberattacks on the electric sector have the potential to cause disruptions that last longer and are more widespread, Cunningham warned.
SOURCE Protect Our Power
SEONGNAM, South Korea, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sam Corporation (CEO Park Jae-beom), a resident of the Metaverse Hub Corporate Growth Center, announced that it has signed a business agreement with Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education and will use Story Crater for schools in the district.
Story Creator is an online platform that divides essential elements such as people, backgrounds, and events into layers, and allows users to freely combine and converge them to create a single scene. Users can directly record parts such as lines and narration and upload them on the platform, and the lines in the scenario can be read by artificial intelligence, making it easy to create multimedia works.
Through this agreement, students in the school district will use Story Creator to access self-directed content creation learning while teachers will use it as a teaching aid in various fields such as English education and writing. Since it allows for easy creation of contents instead of Adobe software that is very costly, its great advantage is that not only educators but also students who use it directly can learn the functions and usage with little time investment.
Story Creator is currently being evaluated by EdTech Helsinki, Finland, which is recognized as one of the world's best educational institutions. An official said, "It will be a good opportunity to reduce the educational gap between students because it is a teaching tool that allows students to learn based on creativity. We are aiming to enter the market beyond the United States to Finland and Europe."
SOURCE Sam Corporation
SANDVIKEN, Sweden, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 17, 2022, Sandvik will host its Capital Markets Day in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Capital Markets Day provides an opportunity for institutional investors, financial analysts and financial media to get an update on the strategy and development of Sandvik.
Presentations will be held by CEO, CFO as well as by business area management.
In advance it will be communicated if the event will be virtual only or if attendance on site will be possible as well.
More information and registration will be available on home.sandvik closer to date.
For further information, contact Louise Tjeder, Vice President Investor Relations, phone: +46 70 782 6374 or Sofia Wiklund, Investor Relations, phone: +46 70 616 2023.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
https://news.cision.com/sandvik/r/save-the-date-for-sandvik-capital-markets-day-on-may-17--2022,c3477416
The following files are available for download:
https://mb.cision.com/Main/208/3477416/1513801.pdf Save the date for Sandviks Capital Markets Day on May 17, 2022
SOURCE Sandvik
The 19 advisors had submitted consulting advice reports prior to the conference, according to China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-council. At the meeting, Alexander Kalinin, President of All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium Business "OPORA RUSSIA", Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice Chancellor of University of Strathclyde, President of Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, Hiroshi Onomura, Executive Vice President, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO), Antoine Simonnet, Chief Supply Chain Officer of Hewlett-Packard, Lim Gait Tong, Chairman and Chief Executive of Farlim Group (Malaysia) and President of China-ASEAN Business Association, Yoon Doson, CEO of CJ China, Li Tao, Vice President, Head of Government & Public Affairs, Philips Greater China, and Gu Wei, Head of Continental BU CVS China, Vice President of Continental BA VNI China, delivered key addresses.
The 19 advisors put forward dozens of targeted suggestions on topics such as strengthening economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges between Shandong and Japan, South Korea, Russia, and ASEAN, the transformation of Shandong's manufacturing sector, green and low-carbon development, and further optimization of the business environment. They were very optimistic about Shandong's investment development opportunities and prospects. They all expressed a willingness to deploy their own resource advantages to actively make suggestions, and to contribute robustly to the cooperation.
Zhou Naixiang said that the establishment of the Conference of the International Trade and Investment Advisory Council for Shandong Province is an important initiative for Shandong to garner global wisdom and experience, improve scientific decision-making capabilities, promote high-level opening to the outside world, to better provide services, and to introduce new development patterns. He thanked the advisors for their inspiring speeches and suggestions and asked various government authorities to seriously study and absorb these suggestions. He said that he hoped the advisors will continue to care about and support the development of Shandong.
Image Attachments Links:
Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=411645
Caption: The scene of the conference
SOURCE China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-council (CCPITSD)
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against ON24, Inc. ("ON24" or the "Company") (NYSE: ONTF) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and docketed under 21-cv-08744, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired ON24 securities: under Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act") against (i) ON24, Inc. ("ON24" or the "Company") and (ii) certain of the Company's senior executives and directors who signed the Registration Statement, effective February 2, 2021, issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering (the "IPO" or the "Offering"). Plaintiffs allege that the Registration Statement and Prospectus (collectively, the "Offering Documents"), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 8, 2021 and February 4, 2021, respectively, including all amendments thereto, contained materially incorrect or misleading statements and/or omitted material information that was required by law to be disclosed. Defendants are each strictly liable for such misstatements and omissions therefrom (subject only to their ability to establish a "due diligence" affirmative defense) and as so liable in their capacities as signers of the Registration Statement and/or as an issuer, statutory seller, and/or offeror of the shares sold pursuant to the Offering.
If you are a shareholder who purchased ON24 common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Offering Documents issued in connection with the Company's IPO and ON24 securities during the Class Period, you have until January 3, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
ON24 purports to be a leading, cloud-based digital experience platform that enables businesses to convert customer engagement into revenue through interactive webinar experiences, virtual event experiences, and multimedia content experiences.
The complaint alleges that, the Offering Documents' representations were materially inaccurate, misleading, and/or incomplete because they failed to disclose, inter alia, that the surge in COVID-19 customers ON24 observed in the lead up to the IPO consisted of a significant number that did not fit ON24's traditional customer profile and, as a result, were significantly less likely to renew their contracts.
On August 10, 2021, after the markets closed and in connection with announcing the Company's second quarter 2021 financial results, ON24 offered guidance for the remainder of the year. Specifically, ON24 guided to revenue of no more than $48.5 million in Q3 and $204.5 million for fiscal year 2021, missing analyst consensus by $2.7 million and $4.5 million, respectively.
During the Company's analyst call held that same day, Defendant Sharat Sharan, President and Chief Executive Officer of ON24, admitted that ON24 "experienced higher-than-expected churn and down-sell from customers [it] signed up in the second quarter of last year during the peak of COVID." (Emphasis added.) He then added, "this higher churn was primarily in the first-time renewal cohort, customers who signed [] [one]-year contracts last year and who were up for renewal."
Analysts at Piper Sandler & Co. ("Piper Sandler"), which rated ON24 as "overweight" in its August 11, 2021 report, likewise noted how the Company's second quarter results were "clearly more negative than [it] had anticipated," expressing concern over the fact that ON24's ARR had "stalled," due to "renewal downsizing and churn."
Piper Sandler also noted how the "combination of renewal downsizing and higher SMB churn was accentuated by a material reduction in the 2H outlook for professional services."
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity LLC ("Canaccord Genuity") also downgraded ON24 to hold on August 11, 2021 as a result of "the COVID tourist depart[ures]" ON24 observed during the quarter. (Emphasis added.) In its report, which was titled, "COVID renewals take a bite out of growth; ONTF in the penalty box, downgrade to HOLD,"
On this news, ON24's stock declined nearly 31%, falling from $32.31 per share on August 10, 2021 to close at $22.31 per share on August 11, 2021.
By the commencement of this action, ON24's stock traded as low as $18.66 per share, a nearly 63% decline from the $50 per share IPO price.
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.
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
Related Links
www.pomerantzlaw.com
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Lightning eMotors Inc. ("Lightning eMotors" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZEV). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
The investigation concerns whether Lightning eMotors 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]
Lightning eMotors' stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on May 7, 2021 following a de-SPAC transaction with GigCapital3. Then, on August 16, 2021, Lightning eMotors announced the Company's financial results for the second quarter of 2021, including a net loss per share of $0.79 compared to a loss of $0.10 in the second quarter of 2020. The Company also pulled its full year financial guidance for the remainder of 2021, just days after announcing a multi-year agreement with Forest River, a Berkshire Hathaway company.
On this news, Lightning eMotors' stock price fell $1.63 per share, or 16.93%, to close at $8.00 per share on August 17, 2021.
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.
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
Related Links
www.pomerantzlaw.com
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Redwire Corporation f/k/a Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. ("Redwire" or the "Company") (NYSE: RDW). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
The investigation concerns whether Redwire and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
On September 2, 2021, Genesis Park Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, combined with certain entities and renamed Redwire. Then, on November 10, 2021, Redwire announced that it would postpone the release of its third quarter earnings result, disclosing that it "was notified by an employee of potential accounting issues at a business subunit" and that the Company's Audit Committee was investigating the allegations. On this news, Redwire's stock price fell $1.92 per share, or 16%, to close at $9.99 per share on November 10, 2021.
Then, on November 15, 2021, Redwire announced that it could not timely file its quarterly report for the period ended September 30, 2021. The Company advised that due to the pending investigation into the accounting issues at a business subunit, "the Company has not been able to finalize its financial statements or its assessment of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures and any impact" on the report. On this news, Redwire's stock price fell $0.93 per share, or 8.3%, over the following two trading sessions to close at $10.32 per share on November 16, 2021.
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.
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
Related Links
www.pomerantzlaw.com
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of WeWork Inc. ("WeWork" or the "Company") (NYSE: WE). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
The investigation concerns whether WeWork and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
[Click here for information about joining the class action]
On December 1, 2021, WeWork disclosed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing that "[i]n connection with the preparation of the financial statements as of September 30, 2021, WeWork Inc. (the 'Company') reevaluated its application of Accounting Standards Codification ('ASC') 480-10-S99, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, to its accounting classification of the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption (the 'Public Shares') issued as part of the units sold in the initial public offering by the Company's predecessor, BowX Acquisition Corp. ('BowX'). The Company had previously classified a portion of the Public Shares in permanent equity. Upon further evaluation, the Company determined that the Public Shares include certain redemption features not solely within the Company's control that, under ASC 480-10-S99, require such shares to be classified as temporary equity in their entirety." Accordingly, WeWork advised that certain of its previously issued financial statements should not be relied upon and would be restated. In addition, WeWork disclosed that its management has concluded that, that in light of the classification error described above, there was a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting relating to the interpretation and accounting for certain complex features of the Public Shares."
On this news, WeWork's stock price fell sharply, damaging investors.
The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of BP Midstream Partners LP ("BPMP" or the "Partnership") (NYSE: BPMP) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Partnership by BP p.l.c. and its affiliates ("BP"). Under the terms of the merger agreement, a BP U.S. affiliate will acquire all outstanding common units of BPMP not already owned directly or indirectly by BP (the "Public Common Units"), representing 47,837,828 common units. Each unitholder of the Public Common Units would receive 0.575 of an American Depositary Share of BP in exchange for each Public Common Unit owned.
If you own BPMP shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website:
https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/bpmp
Or please contact:
Joshua Rubin, Esq.
WeissLaw LLP
305 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(212) 682-3025
(888) 593-4771
[email protected]
WeissLaw LLP is investigating whether (i) BPMP's board acted in the best interest of BPMP's unitholders in agreeing to the proposed transaction, (ii) the merger consideration is fair to the Partnership's unitholders, and (iii) all information regarding the process undertaken by the board and the valuation of the transaction will be fully and fairly disclosed to BPMP's unitholders.
WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of unitholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected].
SOURCE WeissLaw LLP
PHOENIX, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SinglePoint Inc (OTCQB: SING) ("SinglePoint" or the "Company") and its subsidiary BOX Pure Air, a company dedicated to creating safe, clean air zones to improve overall air quality and general health, today provided a business update and outlined key highlights of its strategic initiatives to generate long-term value.
SinglePoint completed its acquisition of BOX Pure Air in March, 2021. Since the acquisition, the Company has been driving BOX Pure Air's established multi-state exclusive and international rights to sell AIRBOX: an industrial grade, American made, high-proficiency energy-efficient air purification technology to meet the growing demand for improving indoor air quality. BOX Pure Air is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina and continues to deliver solutions across multiple verticals. BOX Pure Air has delivered multiple purchase orders and reorders within the school vertical to multiple states as administrators and facility managers look to create safer air zones for staff and students. There has been nearly $180 billion in federal funding allocated to schools which is still in the process of being distributed and deployed at the regional, district or local levels. The Company believes order value and velocity will significantly increase over the next few months and BOX Pure Air has already seen activity (proposals) ramp up over the past few weeks. Texas is the most recent state to receive and allocate federal funds, in just the first week the Company has had over 30 schools inquire on the AIRBOX solution.
"Clean, quality air is not just a COVID issue. Indoor air quality has been brought to light because of COVID, but it has been and will continue to be an issue that needs to be addressed. When we decided to acquire BOX Pure Air, we saw a significant opportunity to provide safe, clean air zones with a differentiated product that meets all the necessary certifications," commented Wil Ralston, CEO of SinglePoint. "Since the acquisition, the value and potential of BOX Pure Air has continued to grow exponentially. With the repeat orders BOX has secured and increasing purchase order interest in schools, coupled with the added government funding that is started to be unlocked, we expect to gain significant momentum. The recurring orders we are seeing show a tremendous amount of promise and bolsters our confidence in the important piece of our business. The near term opportunity is hard to quantify, we could see $5M in orders or $250M in orders just harvesting the active opportunities within the school vertical. One medium to large school district could easily place a purchase order exceeding $50M and we have been and are in continuing discussions with several small, medium and large districts. We are well positioned to deliver our Industrial and Commercial grade Certified HEPA Air Purification units to create safer indoor air environments in the places we gather whether it be at work, at school or even at home which is a massive emerging opportunity for SinglePoint and its shareholders."
AIRBOX products are designed, built, and certified to government standards, and meet the FDA's enforcement policy guidelines for air purifiers during COVID-19, as well as Department of Education (DOE) requirements, and OSHA, CDC, and ASHRAE conformance. AIRBOX is UL listed and uses only CERTIFIED HEPA filters in all its Safe Air Plan applications. To date, BOX Pure Air has submitted bids in excess of $50 million to schools across Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and more.
"There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes in order to bring the potential of BOX Pure Air fully on-line. There is bureaucracy within the school districts that we continue to work through, and we are starting to see those efforts come to fruition. BOX Pure Air really represents a massive opportunity for SinglePoint that we believe will drive significant revenues for the foreseeable future," added Mr. Ralston.
School districts are interested in providing cleaner air quality in areas of the building where it can be difficult to enforce social distancing. In addition to COVID, the common cold and flu often rapidly spread throughout schools during the winter months. This causes many students and faculty undue missed days of school impacting both the child's education and their families at home. For these school districts, the BOX Pure Air Apex 2.0 units can act as another layer of defense during non-ideal situations. Based on the evidence of positive impact from the Apex 2.0 units that were previously purchased, the school districts that have purchased BOX Pure Air products trust the results and see potential for additional benefit.
Based on the feedback received to-date and the growing need in indoor air quality obstacles, the Company expects to see more orders from schools in the Carolinas and beyond.
About BOX Pure Air, LLC
BOX Pure Air strives to provide the best products to help clean air through the deployment of high-efficiency air purification technologies. Learn more at www.boxpureair.com
BOX Pure Air is a subsidiary of SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING)
Contact Information:
[email protected]
(843) 936-6649
About SinglePoint Inc.
SinglePoint Inc. is a renewable energy and sustainable lifestyle company focused on providing environmentally friendly energy efficiencies and healthy living solutions. SinglePoint is initially focused on building the largest network of renewable energy solutions and modernizing the traditional solar and energy storage model. The Company is also actively exploring future growth opportunities in air purification, electric vehicle charging, solar as a subscription service, and additional energy efficiencies and appliances that enhance sustainability and a healthier life. For more information, visit the Company's website (www.singlepoint.com) and connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential 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.
Investor Contact:
JTC Team, LLC
Jenene Thomas
833-475-8247
[email protected]
SOURCE SinglePoint Inc.
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SWX) ("Southwest Gas" or the "Company") announced that the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a ruling from the bench today denying the motion of Icahn Partners LP and Icahn Partners Master Fund LP ("Icahn") for a temporary restraining order with respect to Southwest Gas' permanent financing for its acquisition of Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline LLC ("Questar"). Icahn unsuccessfully sought to constrain the ability of Southwest Gas to raise permanent financing for the Company's acquisition of Questar.
As previously disclosed, Icahn has commenced a tender offer to acquire shares of Southwest Gas. The Board of Directors of the Company has unanimously recommended that stockholders of Southwest Gas reject the tender offer and not tender any shares pursuant to the offer. The Board has determined that Icahn's offer is inadequate, coercive, uncertain and illusory.
About Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.
Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the business of purchasing, distributing and transporting natural gas, and providing comprehensive utility infrastructure services across North America. Southwest Gas Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary, safely and reliably delivers natural gas to over two million customers in Arizona, California and Nevada. Centuri Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, is a comprehensive utility infrastructure services enterprise dedicated to delivering a diverse array of solutions to North America's gas and electric providers.
How to Find Further Information
This communication does not constitute a solicitation of any vote or approval in connection with the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (the "Company") (the "Annual Meeting"). In connection with the Annual Meeting, the Company will file a proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which the Company will furnish, with any other relevant information or documents, to its stockholders in connection with the Annual Meeting. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, WE URGE STOCKHOLDERS TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND OTHER DOCUMENTS WHEN SUCH INFORMATION IS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THE ANNUAL MEETING. The proposals for the Annual Meeting will be made solely through the proxy statement. In addition, a copy of the proxy statement (when it becomes available) may be obtained free of charge from www.swgasholdings.com/proxymaterials. Security holders also will be able to obtain, free of charge, copies of the proxy statement and any other documents filed by Company with the SEC in connection with the Annual Meeting at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, and at the companies' website at www.swgasholdings.com.
Important Information for Investors and Stockholders
This communication does not constitute an offer to buy or solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. In response to the tender offer for the shares of the Company commenced by IEP Utility Holdings LLC and Icahn Enterprises Holdings L.P., the Company has filed a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC. INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF SOUTHWEST GAS HOLDINGS ARE URGED TO READ THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and stockholders may obtain a free copy of these documents free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, and at the Company's website at www.swgasholdings.com. In addition, copies of these materials may be requested from the Company's information agent, Innisfree M&A Incorporated, toll-free at (877) 825-8621.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about, among others, the industry, markets in which Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (the "Company," "Southwest Gas Holdings," "SWX," or "we") operates, and the matters described in this press release. While the Company's management believes the assumptions underlying its forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, such information is necessarily subject to uncertainties and may involve certain risks, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond the control of the Company's management. A number of important factors affecting the business and financial results of the Company could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the timing and amount of rate relief, changes in rate design, customer growth rates, the effects of regulation/deregulation, tax reform and related regulatory decisions, the impacts of construction activity at Centuri, future earnings trends, seasonal patterns, and the impacts of stock market volatility. In addition, the Company can provide no assurance that its discussions about future operating margin, operating income, pension costs, COLI results, and capital expenditures of the natural gas segment will occur. Likewise, the Company can provide no assurance that discussions regarding utility infrastructure services segment revenues, operating income as a percentage of revenues, interest expense, and noncontrolling interest amounts will transpire, nor assurance regarding acquisitions or their impacts, including management's plans related thereto, such as that currently planned in regard to Riggs Distler & Company, Inc. and the pending acquisition of Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline, LLC and related entities (the "Questar Pipeline Group"). Additional risks include the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Sale and Purchase Agreement by and between Dominion Energy Questar Corporation and the Company (the "Questar Purchase Agreement"), the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company and others following announcement of the Questar Purchase Agreement, risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations, the risks related to the ability of the Company to integrate the Questar Pipeline Group, the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to the transaction and the actual terms of certain financings that will be obtained for the transaction, potential negative impacts to the Company's credit ratings as a result of the transaction, the disruption to the Company's stock price and the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to, and the distraction of management's attention in connection with, any proxy contest or other stockholder related or similar matters, as well as other risks that are set forth under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 and in future filings with the SEC. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or any person acting on its behalf are qualified by the cautionary statements in this section. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this press release.
Participants in the Solicitation
The directors and officers of the Company may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the Annual Meeting. Information regarding the Company's directors and officers and their respective interests in the Company by security holdings or otherwise is available in its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and its most recent definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC. Additional information regarding the interests of such potential participants is or will be included in the proxy statement for the Annual Meeting and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC, when they become available.
Contacts
For investor information, contact: Ken Kenny (702) 876-7237 [email protected]; or
Innisfree M&A Incorporated, Scott Winter/Jennifer Shotwell/Jon Salzberger, (212) 750-5833
For media information, contact: Sean Corbett (702) 876-7219 [email protected]; or
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, Dan Katcher / Tim Lynch, (212) 355-4449
SOURCE Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.
EMPORIA, Va., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bill Stanley, Anthony F. "Tony" Troy, and Jason Hicks, attorneys for Virginia business owner and NASCAR legend Hermie Sadler, today responded to outgoing Attorney General Mark Herring's appeal of the Greensville Circuit Court's preliminary injunction restoring the operation of skills games in hundreds of Virginia's small businesses.
Simultaneously with the appeal brief being filed by Attorney General Herring, an amicus or "friend of the court" brief has also been filed by Colonial Downs Group/Rosie's Gaming Emporium on behalf of large out-of-state casinos and gaming interests, in support of Herring's effort to reinstitute the skills game ban. Colonial Downs is owned by Revolutionary Racing, a Chicago-based group of investors and gaming executives. In addition, Sen. Janet Howell (D-32) of Northern Virginia has now also sought permission from the Supreme Court to file a brief in support of big casinos. While counsel for Sadler expressed surprise that Colonial Downs would try to enter the Sadler case at this stage of the proceedings, they said they were not as surprised by the filing of a brief in support of the big casinos personally submitted by Sen. Howell, because she had previously expressed on the floor of the Virginia State Senate that when it came to people who engaged in the skill game industry in their small Virginia businesses, "I think of them unseemly, but mostly I think they're kind of sleazy." (Senate floor speech, 4/22/20)
"With the filing of Revolutionary Racing's amicus brief, which is effectively a request to be a party to the appeal, the curtain has finally been pulled back to reveal that out-of-state casinos are driving this attack on skill games and Virginia's small businesses," declared Bill Stanley of The Stanley Law Group, attorneys for Sadler. "We suspected this all along. The attempt to ban skill games was never about good government policy. It was about money and greed and the big casinos were behind it.
"These out-of-state gaming interests see Virginia small business owners and "mom-and-pop" convenience stores and restaurants as competition, and they will stop at nothing to monopolize this new industry in our Commonwealth" Stanley stated. "Hermie's important court victory has forced these Chicago and Las Vegas gambling interests to come 'out of the shadows' as they attempt to crush those who get in their way."
"If the soon-to-be-former Attorney General ever engages in self-reflection exercises as to why he is entering the final weeks of his term, the decision to appeal this injunction would be a good place to start," noted former Virginia Attorney General Tony Troy of The Stanley Law Group. "He's helping big, out-of-state gaming interests crush local small business owners like Hermie Sadler.
"The Attorney General should stand on the side of his fellow Virginians, not out-of-state special interests who don't care about the people of our commonwealth," said Troy.
"I am once again disappointed in the actions of our current Attorney General," Hermie Sadler remarked. "He continues to align himself, and now our state, with out-of-state corporate gambling fat-cats. He should be standing up for the rights of the people he is supposed to serve - Virginians.
"Fortunately, the courts have already ruled in favor of Virginia small businesses and against this unconstitutional piece of legislation designed to benefit these out-of-state, mega-gaming companies over the small business owner from Virginia. I remain confident, as I have throughout this court proceeding, that we will win on the merits of our case. I call on all small business owners in Virginia to stand with us against these big out-of-state corporations who want to put us out of business," said Sadler.
Lead counsel Bill Stanley and his law partner, former Virginia Attorney General Anthony F. "Tony" Troy, of The Stanley Law Group assembled a blue-ribbon trial team who successfully argued the Petition for Preliminary Injunction that outgoing Attorney General Herring is now appealing. Mr. Sadler's legal team includes Ryan T. McDougle, Esq., Jason Hicks, Esq. of Womble Bond Dickinson, and renowned constitutional legal scholar and lawyer Rod Smolla, Esq.
CONTACT:
Autumn Johnson, Esq.
(540) 721-6028
[email protected]
SOURCE The Stanley Law Group
Related Links
vastanleylawgroup.com
TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A delegation of ambassadors to the UN from 11 countries concluded their 5-day visit to Israel on Tuesday with a professional review of Israeli innovation technology focusing on climate and sustainability solutions by Start-Up Nation Central.
The high-level diplomats visited the non-profit organization's headquarters in Tel Aviv to learn about the strengths of the Israeli innovation ecosystem and how it is addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations.
Start-Up Nation Central Chairperson, Terry Kassel, Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, and CEO of Start-Up Nation Central, Avi Hasson (Photography credit: Ahikam Ben Yosef)
The delegation that included ambassadors to the United Nations from Argentina, Albania, Croatia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Republic of Korea, Hungary, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, and Zambia participated in a tour hosted by Israel's Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan.
Start-Up Nation Central Chairperson, Terry Kassel welcomed the distinguished visitors.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan: "One of my main goals at the United Nations has been to illustrate how Israeli innovation is helping people all over the world. After spending a week in Israel, the ambassadors were able to see the innovative spirit that is infused throughout the people. Bringing the delegation of ambassadors to Start-Up Nation Central was the perfect way to cap off this trip and I am confident that they will be strong advocates of partnering with Israeli companies in the future, both at the UN and in their home countries."
Start-Up Nation Central's CEO, Avi Hasson said during the visit: "In Israel today, there are over 1,000 companies that offer diverse technological solutions to support global sustainable development in both societal and environmental arenas. These technologies provide an answer to the UN's ambitious goals in the areas of sustainability and can significantly assist in overcoming the global challenges we all share. I urge you to challenge us, the Israeli ecosystem, with your country's obstacles and together we can offer solutions to address them."
During their visit to Start-Up Nation Central, the diplomats received an in-depth review of the Israeli technological innovation ecosystem by Start-Up Nation Central's CEO, Avi Hasson and viewed innovation demos by Israeli startup companies who showcased their technologies, emphasizing emerging markets partnerships and solutions towards achieving the UN's SDGs.
Among the Israeli Startups that presented were:
- Spark Beyond - Applies AI analytics to help solve the world's most pressing needs across various industries
- Tomorrow.io- Manages weather-related challenges for people and organizations with real-time data and AI insights.
- DouxMatok Offers improved nutrition through its sugar-based sugar reduction, enabling tastier and healthier consumption of sweet foods.
- Hargol- Specializes in growing grasshoppers as an alternative protein source. The company's products include whole grasshoppers and grasshopper protein powder sold as an ingredient to food producers in Europe and the US.
- Homebiogas Produces anaerobic digesters for home use that convert organic waste into methane gas and liquid fertilizer.
- Innovopro- Brings plant-based protein ingredients, such as chickpea protein, to the global food market to create nutritious, flavourful, and sustainable food products.
- N-Drip- Develops a gravity micro-irrigation system that utilizes existing flood irrigation infrastructure to provide efficient drip irrigation.
- ZeroEgg- Develops a nutritious, zero-cholesterol, plant-based liquid egg substitute that tastes, looks, and functions like a real egg and can be used in any recipe
About Start-Up Nation Central Start-Up Nation Central is the address for corporations, governments, and investors to connect with the Israeli tech ecosystem. Start-Up Nation Central catalyses growth opportunities by bringing Israeli tech innovation to global business and societal challenges. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Tel-Aviv, Israel, Start-Up Nation Central is a not-for-profit organization funded by philanthropy.
About Start-Up Nation Finder Start-Up Nation Finder is a free online platform for identifying and engaging Israeli tech organizations based on customers' specific interests. This Innovation Business Platform is a comprehensive knowledge hub on Israeli start-ups, investors, acceleration hubs, multinational corporations, and technology-based innovation associated with academic research. The open-source platform provides up-to-date information and insights on thousands of active Israeli tech companies.
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1715227/Start_Up_Nation_Central.jpg
SOURCE Start-Up Nation Central (SNC)
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Who are the Top Suppliers in the Subscription and Billing Management Market?
The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several top suppliers. Some of the leading Subscription and Billing Management suppliers profiled extensively in this report include:
Zuora Inc.
Cleverbridge AG
Fusebill
These are a few of the key suppliers in Subscription and Billing Management market. Discover more about these vendors, including the detailed analysis of procurement strategies deployed by major category end-users across several industries while sourcing for Subscription and Billing Management requirements.
Download a free sample of this report: https://spendedge.com/procurement-report/subscription-and-billing-management-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report
What are the Most Adopted Procurement Strategies for the Subscription and Billing Management Market?
The research includes a complete analysis of the most commonly used procurement strategies by buyers across sectors, as well as an insight into these strategies' innovation, regulatory compliance, quality, supply, and cost. Adopting these procurement tactics would enable buyers to minimize category TCO and achieve cost savings while sourcing Subscription and Billing Management.
What Are the Most Effective Price Strategy That a Vendor Can Adopt and What is The Forecasted Incremental Spend?
It is critical to monitor current and future pricing changes in order to maximize the value of the purchase. Price forecasts can assist in purchase planning, especially when combined with constant monitoring of price-influencing factors. The market expects an incremental spend of USD 2.91 billion over the forecast period as a result of several market drivers prevalent across multiple geographies. In addition, the sourcing and procurement report discusses different cost-cutting factors by analyzing the following criteria:
Identify favorable opportunities in Subscription and Billing Management TCO (total cost of ownership)
Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes
Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities
Download the free sample report to get detailed insights into few more pricing strategies.
Which are the Key Regions for Subscription and Billing Management Market?
The Subscription and Billing Management market will register an incremental spend of about USD 2.91 billion during the forecast period. However, only a few regions will drive the majority of this growth. Moreover, on the supply side, North America, Europe, and APAC will have the maximum influence owing to the supplier base. The growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing demand and adoption of the category across those few regions.
To get more information on the volume drivers that are driving the adoption of the category across regions, download our free sample report.
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Table of Content
Executive Summary
Market Insights
Category Pricing Insights
Cost-saving Opportunities
Best Practices
Category Ecosystem
Category Management Strategy
Category Management Enablers
Suppliers Selection
Suppliers under Coverage
US Market Insights
Category scope
Appendix
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SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.
Contacts
SpendEdge
Anirban Choudhury
Marketing Manager
Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340
https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us
SOURCE SpendEdge
BEIJING, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by haiwainet.cn: During the 18th World Congress of Traditional Chinese Medicine held on 4 December 2021, experts from Spain, France, Australia and other countries and regions highly recognized the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in fighting against COVID-19. Dr. Chen Zhen, President of the Central and Eastern European Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, said that the Hungarian Qihuang TCM Center provides online consultation services for nearly a million local people in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe, and has received more than 5,680 COVID-19 patients.
German virologist Jindrich Cinatl said in an interview with The Globe and Mail, "In Western medicine, we have drugs that attack just a concrete target. With traditional medicine, you can prevent virus absorption to cells, virus replication and so on. "
Speaking at the 75th anniversary of the Singapore Chinese Physicians' Association on December 12th, Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung also stated that the Singapore government allows medical acupuncture as a treatment for COVID-19. TCM has played an irreplaceable role in helping Singapore fight against COVID-19.
Up to now, National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China has organized more than 110 conferences and live broadcasts, extensively introduced experiences of TCM as treatment for COVID-19 to 150 countries and regions, and provided Chinese medicine products to countries in need.
Since May 2021, in the fight against the "Delta" variant in Guangdong Province, 156 patients have been treated with TCM in conjunction with Western medicine, accounting for 93.4% of all "Delta" variant patients. Among them, more than 70% have been treated with TCM alone and achieved good results by far.
TCM is the precious treasure found in fighting against diseases for thousands of years, and it belongs to all humankind. According to experts, TCM advocates the values of people, harmony between man and nature, and the balance of the universe. It is an important part of traditional Chinese culture that is highly consistent with the health concept of modern society.
Ma Jianzhong, chairman of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, said that TCM has now spread to 196 countries and regions. As a health messenger bridging China with the rest of the world, it plays an important role in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
SOURCE haiwainet.cn
CHICAGO, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gabi Gliksberg, a long time stockholder of Texas Pacific Land Corporation and, before the conversion, Texas Pacific Land Trust, through ATG Capital Management, LLC, has issued an open letter to Texas Pacific's Board of Directors in response to the Board's criticism of Proposal #7 to de-stagger the Board and his lawsuit for inspection of Company records.
The letters reads as follows:
Dear Members of the Board,
As a longstanding stockholder of Texas Pacific Land Corporation (NYSE: TPL) ("TPL" or the "Company"), I write to you today to address the concerns and respond to the arguments you have raised in your December 20 letter to the Company's stockholders.
First, I disagree with the Board's reasoning in urging stockholders to vote against my Proposal #7 to declassify the Board. You defend the current classified Board structure as providing stability and continuity of individual knowledge. Yet, you ignore the issues of Board responsiveness and accountability to the corporation's owners, values that are extremely important to myself and other stockholders. The Company exists to benefit its owners, not the Board. And it should be up to the stockholders as owners to decide if they should retain the Board's membership at each annual meeting in the name of "stability" and "continuity," or make changes as they deem fit based on director performance. That is why corporate boards are continually being declassified across different industries and why declassification is supported by major institutional investors, ISS, Glass Lewis and more. Put simply, declassification works. In fact, ISS and several substantial shareholders have already come out publicly to support Proposal #7.
The Board's strident resistance to Proposal #7 is both puzzling and telling. Contrary to your letter's assertion, my proposal does not require immediate declassification of the Board, as the Board will of course need to accomplish declassification consistent with the requirements of applicable law. This kind of scare-mongering of stockholders is reminiscent of the Company's vigorous (albeit unsuccessful) attempts to keep stockholders from being able to consider Proposal #7 at all by seeking agreement from the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to refrain from enforcement action if the Company excluded that proposal from the proxy materials for the upcoming Annual Meeting. A reasonable stockholder pondering these actions would understandably think twice before blindly relying on the Board's promise that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee "plans to begin the process of evaluating the declassification of the Board in 2022." That is why passage of Proposal #7 is so important to communicate to the Board in unmistakable terms (that are impossible for the Board to ignore) what the Company's stockholders believe constitutes effective and responsive corporate governance, whether or not the Board shares the same view.
Second, the Board's criticisms of my lawsuit seeking production of books and records regarding the representations made by the Company and Mr. McGinnis that he was the Company's second largest shareholder in 2019 are both inaccurate and self-contradictory. Your contention that you offered to allow me to review "the information reviewed by the Board" in connection with its inquiry into Mr. McGinnis's holdings is in my view a cagey attempt at revisionist history. The fact is the Board refused to tell me what specifically you would allow me to review or even to identify which categories of documents you were willing to let me review, despite multiple requests that you do so. What I "refused" to do was sign a draconian confidentiality agreement as a condition of being allowed to review an unknown category of documents that you yourself concede are not privileged. Unfortunately, this stonewalling was part and parcel of the way the Company has responded to all of my inquiries about Mr. McGinnis's 2019 stock ownership, and it left me with no choice but to file a lawsuit to enforce the Company's obligations under Delaware law. The outcome of that lawsuit is now in the Court's hands. Stockholders can review my Complaint and judge for themselves.
However, all of that is beside the point in many ways. Given the clear representation in your December 20 letter that the Board "conducted an inquiry into the matter" of Mr. McGinnis's stock ownership, the Board should immediately and publicly release the results of that inquiry to all of the Company's stockholders. All I have ever sought is the truth about a straightforward factual question: were the representations about who the Company's second largest stockholder was back in 2019 factually accurate or not? The Board's refusal to provide an answer to that straightforward question with supporting documentation is what ultimately led to my Delaware lawsuit. Even now, the Board refuses to disclose the results of its "inquiry" to stockholders a remarkable fact given that the Board is affirmatively asking the stockholders to reelect Mr. McGinnis as a director. If the Board now has determined the answer to the question of Mr. McGinnis's ownership and has evidence to support its conclusion, then it should publicly set the record straight instead of grandstanding. Transparency rather than more obfuscation is what would be in the "best interest of all stockholders."
Third, you claim this is all about my trying to obtain a seat on the Board. Of course, I have never hidden the fact that I want to serve my fellow stockholders on the Board of a Company that I feel passionate about. But the notion that my submission of Proposal #7 and suit to enforce the Company's legal obligation to provide access to corporate books and records are part of some elaborate ruse is, to put it charitably, ridiculous. Surely, the Board has better things to do with its time than assault my integrity. I would have thought you would have tried to persuade TPL shareholders to your point of view by making a good case on the merits rather than engaging in ad hominem attacks. I guess I was wrong. This Company's stockholders deserve better.
Finally, in its December 7 proxy statement the Company stated as follows, "Murray Stahl, in violation of the Stockholders' Agreement, has informed the Company in writing on December 2, 2021 that he intends to vote against the election of Dana F. McGinnis." Does the Company plan to comment on this point?
Gabi Gliksberg
The Company filed a definitive proxy statement on October 4, 2021, an Amendment No. 1 to the definitive proxy statement on October 22, 2021, and a revised definitive proxy statement with the SEC on December 7, 2021. The definitive proxy statement filed on December 7, 2021 is available at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001811074/000110465921147282/tm2134765d1_defr14a.htm. Additional filings are available at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.
SOURCE ATG Capital Management
Chen Chuandong, Chinese Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, delivered a speech in the event. He noted that, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jordan in 1977, the two countries have witnessed continuous, health and stable development of mutual relations as well as more and more active exchanges at all levels and in all fields. China has become Jordan's third largest trading partner and second largest source of imports. In the future, both parties should consolidate political mutual trust and strengthen strategic communication; highlight complementary advantages and enhance mutual benefit and win-win results; strengthen people-to-people exchanges; and expand cooperation platforms and build a China-Arab community with a shared future.
Hussam A.G. Al Husseini, the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to China, said in his speech that in the face of COVID-19, the mutual assistance of peoples from the two countries has encouraged each other. Jordan, a model country for peace and stability in the Middle East, boasts a good investment environment and high-quality human resources. Chinese enterprises have already cooperated with Jordan in the fields of traditional energy, renewable energy, and information technology. In the future, Jordan will continue to vigorously provide policy support and facilitate the development of Chinese enterprises.
Du Zhanyuan, President of China International Communication Group (CICG), stressed that seeking cooperation and development had become the common aspiration of all countries in the world, including China and Jordan. Both China and Jordan should focus on people's livelihood improvement, promote win-win cooperation, focus on future friendship, promote youth exchanges, expand dialogue channels and strengthen mutual learning among civilizations. CICG is willing to work with representatives from all walks of life in China and Jordan to jointly promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Bai Tao, Chairman of the State Development & Investment Corp., Ltd., said that SDIC Mining, as the largest shareholder of APC, had actively fulfilled its social responsibilities and contributed more than $600 million to the Jordanian Treasury and society. In the future, SDIC is willing to become a "reliable cooperative partner" and a "friendly cultural envoy" between China and Jordan.
To further enhance friendly relations between the two countries, guests had in-depth exchanges on the two themes including "New Wishes and New Opportunities: Opportunities and Future of China-Jordan Cooperation" and "Pragmatic Cooperation and Win-win Results: a Practical Case of China-Jordan Economic and Trade Cooperation".
At the event, Liu Dawei, Vice President of CICG, and Zhong Guodong, Deputy General Manager of SDIC, jointly presented A Bright Shared Future (Series I and II) to Chinese and Arab youth representatives; Yang Dan, President of Beijing Foreign Studies University, and ambassador Hussam A.G.Al Husseini jointly presented the book A Study on Culture and Education of Jordan to the youth of the two countries.
The event was sponsored by the CICG and Beijing Foreign Studies University, organized by Beijing Xufang International Digital Culture Media Co., Ltd., Peking Foreign Studies University--Department of Arabic Studies, and supported by SDIC Mining Investment Co., Ltd. A total of 100 people participated in the event online and offline.
Contact: Guan Weiwei
Tel+8610-68996370
E-mail[email protected]
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1715379/Xufang_1.jpg
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1715380/Xufang_2.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1715381/Xufang_International_Logo.jpg
SOURCE Xufang International Digital Culture Media
COLUMBIA, Maryland, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mexico Fund, Inc. (NYSE: MXF), today issued its fiscal 2021 Annual Report for the period ended October 31, 2021.
A full version of the report is available at the companys website www.themexicofund.com
Fiscal 2021 Highlights
During the Fund's fiscal year 2021, the Fund NAV per share and market price recovered sharply, registering a total return of 40.26% and 46.07%, respectively, while the Funds benchmark, the Morgan Stanley Capital International ("MSCI") Mexico Index, increased 46.60%. Although the Funds NAV per share underperformed its benchmark during the period, it has outperformed its benchmark during the three-, five- and ten-year periods ended on October 31, 2021, as shown in the table below:
Annualized % Return in USD
1-year 3-years 5-years 10-years MXF Market Price 46.07 8.08 2.72 2.39 MXF NAV 40.26 8.01 2.39 2.65 MSCI Mexico Index 46.60 7.46 1.63 0.90
As of October 31, 2021, the Fund's market price and NAV per share were $14.97 and $17.40, respectively, reflecting a discount of 13.97%, compared with a discount of 17.14% at the end of fiscal year 2020.
At its June 2021 meeting, the Fund's Board of Directors (the "Board") decided to reinstate its Managed Distribution Plan ("MDP"). In June 2020, the Board temporarily suspended the Funds MDP due to the significant decrease in net assets and uncertainty produced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding, the Board maintained a commitment to reinstate the MDP as soon as it deemed advisable. During the Funds fiscal year 2021, Fund net assets recovered along with global financial markets, the economic outlook improved, and the Fund experienced a recovery in dividends received from portfolio issuers. Accordingly, during its June 2021 meeting the Board reinstated the Fund's MDP, and the Fund paid two distributions of $0.18 per share each during July and October 2021, for a total of $0.36 per share during fiscal year 2021. In addition, the Board has declared a distribution of $0.18 per share to be paid on January 27, 2022, to stockholders of record as of January 20, 2022.
The Board and its investment adviser, Impulsora del Fondo Mexico, S.C. ("Impulsora"), have agreed to renew and further strengthen the Funds Expense Limitation agreement ("ELA") for fiscal year 2022, reducing the ordinary expense ratio cap from 1.50% to 1.40% (which excludes, among other expenses, the performance component of the Investment Advisory fee) from November 1, 2021, through October 31, 2022, so long as Fund net assets remain greater than $260 million. When Fund net assets are below the threshold of $260 million, Impulsora will still waive fees in an amount necessary to maintain an ordinary operating expense ratio of 1.40% at a hypothetical Fund net asset level of $260 million. During fiscal year 2021, the Fund's total expense ratio was 1.45%, lower than the 1.56% reported during fiscal 2020, and the ordinary expense ratio (excluding the performance component of the Investment Advisory fee) was 1.41%, lower than the ordinary expense ratio of 1.54% reported during fiscal year 2020, and lower than the Fund's expense limit of 1.50% for the fiscal year 2021.
About The Mexico Fund, Inc.
The Mexico Fund, Inc. is a non-diversified closed-end management investment company with the investment objective of long-term capital appreciation through investments in securities, primarily equity, listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. The Fund provides a vehicle to investors who wish to invest in Mexican companies through a managed non-diversified portfolio as part of their overall investment program.
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements regarding future circumstances. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Fund's current expectations and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements including, in particular, the risks and uncertainties described in the Fund's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results, events, and performance may differ. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Fund undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The inclusion of any statement in this release does not constitute an admission by The Mexico Fund or any other person that the events or circumstances described in such statement are material.
CONTACT:
Tofi Dayan
+5255-9138-3350
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE The Mexico Fund, Inc.
CHICAGO, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The US data center market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 2% during the period 20222027.
Key Highlights Offered in the Report:
The US data center market witnessed over 110 new/expansion projects in 2021, with Western US dominating the market with an investment share of over 30%. The increased adoption of advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, IoT, and big data, cloud computing, and increasing coverage of 5G will be major demand drivers in the forecast period.
Hyperscale operators, including Facebook, Microsoft, and AWS are major investors in the US market and accounted for over 60% of the investment received in 2021. Colocation operators who invested in the US in 2021 included Digital Realty, Equinix, QTS Realty Trust, Switch, Vantage Data Centers, CyrusOne, and NTT Global Data Centers, among others.
The US market also witnessed the entry of several new entrants, including Cirrus Data Services, DaSTOR, Novva, and Yondr, that are expected to add to the market growth in coming years. For instance, Yondr has acquired land in Loudoun and Prince William Counties, Virginia for data center development.
and Counties, for data center development. Many state and local governments, to attract data center investment, offer investment and sales tax incentives focused on effective data center operations and renewable energy procurement. Prince Edward County in Virginia has lowered the data center tax on the equipment used in data centers.
in has lowered the data center tax on the equipment used in data centers. Hyperscale and colocation operators are taking initiatives to increase the share of renewable energy in their operations. AWS has announced 11 renewable energy projects in the US, with the first set of solar projects in Arkansas , Mississippi , and Pennsylvania , and additional projects in Illinois , Kentucky , Indiana , and Ohio .
Key Offerings:
Market Size & Forecast by Investment | 20212027
Market Size & Forecast by Area | 20202026
Market Size & Forecast by Power Capacity | 20202026
Market Dynamics Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities
Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by infrastructure, IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, cooling systems, cooling technique, general construction, facility type, tier standard, and geography
Competitive Landscape 10 key data center critical (IT) infrastructure providers, 10 key data center support infrastructure providers, 10 key data center contractors, 10 key data center investors, 23 other prominent critical (IT) infrastructure providers, 27 other prominent support infrastructure providers, 22 other prominent construction contractors, 29 other prominent data center investors, and 8 new entrants
Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/data-center-market-in-united-states
US Data Center Market Segmentation
Technologies such as the cloud, big data, and IoT are triggering the demand for data centers and IT infrastructure. The market for IT infrastructure is growing due to investments in hyperscale data centers in the US. The competitiveness in the business operating environment is increasing the use of big data analytics to drive business decisions. Industry verticals such as BFSI, healthcare, transportation and logistics, education, and heavy industries are increasingly adopting or building technologies to remain competitive and offer the best available service to end-users. Hyperscale operators are increasingly purchasing renewable energy sources to power their operations to reduce carbon emissions in their facilities. Increasing power consumption by data centers in a specific location will also lead to higher electricity prices. Thereby, the increasing power capacity will propel the demand for data center power infrastructure throughout the forecast period.
US Data Center Market by Infrastructure
IT Infrastructure
Electrical Infrastructure
Mechanical Infrastructure
General Construction
US Data Center Market by IT infrastructure
Server
Storage
Network
US Data Center Market by Electrical Infrastructure
UPS Systems
Generators
Transfer Switches & Switchgear
Power Distribution Units
Other Electrical Infrastructure
US Data Center Market by Mechanical Infrastructure
Cooling Systems
Racks
Other Mechanical Infrastructure
US Data Center Market by Cooling Systems
CRAC & CRAH Units
Chiller Units
Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers
Economizers & Evaporative Coolers
Other Cooling Units
US Data Center Market by Cooling Technique
Air-Based Cooling Technique
Liquid-Based Cooling Technique
US Data Center Market by General Construction
Core & Shell Development
Installation & Commissioning Services
Engineering & Building Design
Physical Security
Fire Detection & Suppression
DCIM/BMS
US Data Center Market by Facility Type
Hyperscale Data Centers
Colocation Data Centers
Enterprise Data Centers
US Data Center Market by Tier Standard
Tier I & II
Tier III
Tier IV
US Data Center Market Dynamics
In September 2021 , Wells Fargo bank announced its plans to migrate a large part of its workload to the cloud for which they selected Microsoft as the primary public cloud provider and Google as a secondary provider for additional business-critical public cloud services.
, Wells Fargo bank announced its plans to migrate a large part of its workload to the cloud for which they selected Microsoft as the primary public cloud provider and Google as a secondary provider for additional business-critical public cloud services. In November 2020 , the US Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency invested over USD 100 million on cloud services in Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure cloud environments.
, the US Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency invested over on cloud services in Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure cloud environments. Yondr was one of the new entrants in the market that acquired around 270 acres of land for its data center campus in Northern Virginia . The company is planning to build the first phase of 500 MW and is expected to be online by 2022.
Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:
Growing Rack Power Density
5G Connectivity and Edge Data Center Deployment
Deployment of Microgrids in Data Centers
Sustainable Initiatives Increase Among the Data Center Operators
Innovative Data Center Technologies
Innovative UPS Battery Technologies
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US Data Center Market by Geography
South-Eastern US
Western US
South-Western US
Mid-Western US
North-Eastern US
Vendors:
Key IT Infrastructure Providers
Arista Networks
Atos
Broadcom
Cisco Systems
Dell Technologies
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
IBM
Juniper Networks
Lenovo
NetApp
Key Data Center Support Infrastructure Providers
ABB
Caterpillar
Cummins
Delta Electronics
Eaton
Legrand
Rolls-Royce
Schneider Electric
STULZ
Vertiv
Key Data Center Contractors
AECOM
Arup
Corgan
DPR Construction
Fortis Construction
Holder Construction
Jacobs
Rogers-O'Brien Construction
Syska Hennessy Group
Turner Construction
Key Data Center Investors
Apple
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
CyrusOne
DataBank
Digital Realty
Equinix
Facebook (Meta)
Google
Microsoft
NTT Communications
Other Prominent Critical Infrastructure Providers
DataDirect Networks (DDN)
Extreme Networks
Fujitsu
Hitachi Vantara
Infortrend Technology
Inspur
Intel
Micron Technology
MiTAC Holdings
Nimbus Data
Oracle
Pivot3
Pure Storage
Seagate Technology
Silk (Kaminario)
Supermicro
Synology
Toshiba
VIOLIN
QNAP Systems
Quanta Cloud Technology (Quanta Computer)
Western Digital
Wistron Corporation
Other Prominent Support Infrastructure Providers
Airedale International Air Conditioning
Alfa Laval
Asetek
Bloom Energy
Carrier
Condair
Cormant
Cyber Power Systems
Data Aire
Enlogic
FNT Software
Generac Power Systems
Green Revolution Cooling (GRC)
HITEC Power Protection
Johnson Controls
KOHLER
KyotoCooling
Mitsubishi Electric
Natron Energy
NetZoom
Nlyte Software
Rittal
Siemens
Trane
Tripp Lite
Yanmar (HIMOINSA)
ZincFive
Other Prominent Construction Contractors
AlfaTech
BlueScope Construction
CallisonRTKL
Clune Construction
EMCOR Group
EYP MCF
Gensler
Fluor Corporation
Gilbane Building Company
HDR
HITT Contracting
Hoffman Construction
JE Dunn Construction
Linesight
M+W Group
Morrison Hershfield
Mortenson
Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects
Structure Tone
The Mulhern Group
The Walsh Group
The Weitz Company
Other Prominent Data Center Investors
Aligned
American Tower
CloudHQ
Cologix
Compass Datacenters
COPT Data Center Solutions
CoreSite Realty
Cyxtera Technologies
DartPoints
DC BLOX
EdgeCore Internet Real Estate
EdgeConnex
EdgePresence
Element Critical
Flexential
Fifteenfortyseven
GIGA Data Centers
HostDime
Iron Mountain
Prime Data Centers
QTS Realty Trust
Sabey Data Center
Skybox Datacenters
Stream Data Centers
STACK INFRASTRUCTURE
Switch
T5 Data Centers
Vantage Data Centers
Vapor IO
New Entrants
AUBix
Cirrus Data Services
DaSTOR
EdgeX Data Centers
Novva
PointOne
Quantum Loophole
Yondr
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About Arizton:
Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.
We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.
Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.
Mail: [email protected]
Call: +1-312-235-2040
+1 302 469 0707
SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
CHICAGO, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. e-prescribing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 20.68% during the period 20212027.
Key Highlights Offered in the Report:
COVID-19 impacted positively to adapt e-prescribing service. Additionally, CDC mandates and recommends as safety concern to limit patient contact during pandemic. This leads to establishing a strong connection between electronic health solutions such as e-prescribing. Reduction in hospital readmissions, safety of healthcare workers, and reduced pharmacy time are the benefits of e-prescribing. Investment in digital health services is a major driving factor of the e-prescribing market in the US. In comparison with earlier years, 2021 has seen huge investment by the US companies to adapt digital health solutions. The federal government has played an instrumental role in stimulating the adoption of e-prescribing solutions and encouraging associated research by providing incentives for e-prescribing programs. The market has limited number of vendors and there is great competition in the existing players. With technological advancement in healthcare solutions, players offering the e-prescribing solutions across the US will increase, along with attractiveness of this industry and the profit potential of the vendors offerings. Standard e-prescribing dominated prescribing type segment in the market. E-prescribing software increases the effectiveness and efficiency of patient care through automated clinical decision support and tracking complete medication profiles. Vendors are mainly focusing on the customized software development to enhance the adoption of e-prescribing. Web and cloud-based dominated the delivery mode segment in the market. With the help of e-prescribing solutions pharmacy industry significantly improved effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of health services. EHR, telehealth, and pharmacy software vendors accounted for the major share in the end user segment of the e-prescribing market. Electronic health records (EHR) plays an integral role in the adoption e-prescribing in the healthcare facilities. It offers benefits such as patient safety, communication with providers and physician workflow management etc.
Key Offerings:
Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20212027
Market Dynamics Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities
Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by type, delivery mode, modality, medication type, and end-user
Competitive Landscape 7 key vendors and 23 other vendors
Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/us-e-prescribing-market
U.S. E-Prescribing Market Segmentation
Prescription errors have emerged as a prevalent medical issue across the world. Such medication errors may worsen a patient's condition and cause mortality in the worst cases. Misreading manual prescriptions is a major factor that leads to inappropriate medication by health practitioners.
As the number of prescriptions continues to rise each year, e-prescribing has been described as the best solution for improved patient safety and low medication costs. The pharmacy industry has embraced web-based e-prescribing solutions as they have significantly improved the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of health services.
The practice of e-prescribing is changing the way many doctors and patients prescribe medications. For many doctors, nurses, technicians, and administrators, the benefits of combined e-prescribing and EHR software programs are already apparent.
U.S. E-Prescribing Market by Type
Standard E-prescribing
EPCS (Electronic prescribing of controlled substances)
U.S. E-Prescribing Market by Delivery Mode
Web and Cloud-Based
On-Premises and Desktop
U.S. E-Prescribing Market by Modality
Integrated
Standalone
U.S. E-Prescribing Market by Medication Type
Cardiovascular
Oncology
Anti-Infectives
Behavioral and Mental Health
Pain Medication
Others
U.S. E-Prescribing Market by End-User
Healthcare facilities
EHR, Telehealth & pharmacy software vendors
Independent and Speciality Pharmacies
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and Payors
U.S. E-Prescribing Market Dynamics
With the development of new artificial intelligence (AI) methods in machine learning, medical practice is changing. Coupled with the rapid improvement in computer processing, these AI-based systems have already improved the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis and treatment in various areas. AI plays a role in patient safety, including preventing drug overdose. AI uses drug history to predict the likelihood of opioid overdose before it occurs and helps clinicians identify this life-threatening risk. Using the patient's medical history and prescription history from EHR or previous claims, the algorithm calculates an overdose risk score and predicts the risk of a patient who accidentally overdoses a prescribed opioid. Machine learning CDS (Clinical Decision Support) tools are a viable approach to improving the detection of medication errors and preventing patient harm. The correct implementation of AI-enabled decision support systems improves error detection, patient stratification, drug management, and patient safety.
Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:
Fueling EHR Innovation by Outsourcing E-prescribing
Advancements in E-prescribing Solutions
Monitoring Use of Controlled Substances
Government Initiatives & Incentive Programs for Adopting E-prescribing
Major Vendors
Athenahealth
Cerner Corporation
DrFirst
Henry Schein Inc.
InSync Healthcare Solutions
Practice Fusion Inc.
Surescripts
Other Prominent Vendors
AdvancedMD
Aegis Healthcare
Allscripts Healthcare
Bizmatics
Bravado Health
CareCloud
Change Healthcare
Chetu
Credible
Daw Systems
DoseSpot
Dr. Chrono
eClinicalWork
eMDs
Kareo
MD Toolbox
Medical Information Technology Inc
NextGen Healthcare
RXNT
SISGAIN
Streamline Healthcare Solutions
TenEleven
Explore our healthcare & lifesciences profile to know more about the industry.
Read some of the top-selling reports:
About Arizton:
Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.
We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.
Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.
Mail: [email protected]
Call: +1-312-235-2040
+1 302 469 0707
SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
BOSTON, Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zip Run, a leading social equity cannabis delivery platform, announced the approval of a Host Community Agreement (HCA) for its Delivery Operator License to begin cannabis deliveries from its Boston warehouse. This marks the first company to receive this license from the Boston Cannabis Board for wholesale cannabis delivery within the city limits of Boston.
"This latest approval means that consumers in Boston will soon be able to purchase the broadest array of high-quality cannabis products for delivery from our warehouse with just a click through our online platform," said Gabe Vieira, CEO and co-founder of Zip Run. "We are grateful the Boston Cannabis Board has approved our application allowing Zip Run to pave the way for other entrepreneurs of color to successfully launch cannabis businesses in the Boston area and bring innovation to the industry."
Zip Run's direct-to-consumer cannabis deliveries from its downtown Boston warehouse could begin as early as March 2022. With its new facility, Zip Run will curate the largest and best selection of cannabis products from top cultivators in the state including flower, edibles, concentrates, tinctures, pre-rolls, topicals and accessories. The wholesale delivery model benefits customers since the product selection is larger than can be accommodated in a single store.
With its proprietary e-commerce software, Zip Run brings new technologies to the cannabis industry in Boston to enhance the pickup and delivery experience. The platform is a one-stop-shop that provides seamless, consumer-friendly ordering of cannabis products. Currently, consumers can order via Zip Run for pick up at over 10 dispensary partners in Mass.
Zip Run holds marijuana courier and marijuana delivery operator licenses only available to social equity applicants in Massachusetts. With both licenses, the company can pick up and deliver through dispensary partners as well as buy wholesale products for delivery. Zip Run received its cannabis courier delivery license in May 2021.
About Zip Run
Zip Run is the first social equity company with a state-of-art, proprietary platform for cannabis delivery. The company's e-commerce technology integrates with retailers and allows for direct-to-consumer deliveries (coming soon) in the greater Boston area. As social equity entrepreneurs, Zip Run is committed to helping communities disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition to gain equity in the industry. For more information, visit ziprun.com.
SOURCE Zip Run
Kuala Lumpur, Dec 22 : Another nine people have been reported dead, bringing the total deaths due to severe flooding in Malaysia to 17, authorities in Selangor state said.
Selangor state Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said at a press briefing more bodies have been found as floodwaters start subsiding, adding that the state government has mobilized all necessary resources to aid the victims, Xinhua news agency reported.
"At this time, our focus is to ensure search and rescue operations are carried out effectively and that they reach all who need it," he said.
The number of displaced persons due to flooding in Malaysia has risen to over 69,400 in seven states plus the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur as of 10:00 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to data from the Malaysian social welfare department.
The worst-hit state is Pahang along the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, with over 42,000 people being evacuated to flood relief centers, followed by Selangor state with over 23,000 evacuated.
The country's meteorological department has warned of more rain in the Peninsula Malaysia, with rain and storms expected in several states on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told a meeting with chief ministers this morning that it was found that states such as Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang had been prepared to face the floods, especially during this time of the year, according to state news agency Bernama.
He said while east coast states have been prepared to face annual floods, the situation in Selangor state is unexpected, and acknowledged that there have been problems with the disaster management response.
"I don't deny (the weakness) and will improve in the future. The responsibility is not that of the federal government alone, but also the state governments and the frontliners in the districts." "In Selangor, there is a problem. We are transparent about this, and I do not want to cover for anyone," he said.
Tehran, Dec 22 : Iran has blamed Saudi Arabia for foot-dragging in allowing Iran to bring home its envoy to Yemen, who later died of the Covid-19 infection.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on the sidelines of Hassan Irloo's funeral that the Iranian Foreign Ministry had tried to obtain quick permission from Riyadh to evacuate Irloo by a plane after he was infected with the coronavirus, but "the Saudi side was unfortunately very late in making a decision in this regard and some executive bodies of Saudi Arabia dragged their feet", Xinhua news agency reported.
The airspace of Yemen, including the Sanaa airport, as well as its land and sea borders have been under the control of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which has intervened in the Yemeni war since 2015 after the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa and much of Yemen's northern part.
"We will formally lodge a protest in accordance with international conventions, and at the same time, we hope that Yemen will be able to get out of this war and severe humanitarian siege as soon as possible through a political solution," Abdollahian was quoted by Iran's Press TV as saying.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced the death of Irloo, "who contracted the coronavirus at his place of mission" in Sanaa.
"Unfortunately, he returned to the country in an unfavorable condition, and despite using all the treatment steps to improve his condition, he was martyred this morning," Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday.
Irloo was transferred to the Iranian capital of Tehran by an Iraqi plane on Sunday, after Iraq mediated between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two rivals in the region.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi militants seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa.
Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Seoul, Dec 22 : North Korea issued a cold wave alert Wednesday, forecasting strong winds and heavy snow over the weekend amid keen attention from the outside world about whether leader Kim Jong-un will again visit Mount Paektu on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his ascension to power.
Extreme cold weather is expected from Friday night to Sunday, with the temperature in the region of Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, likely to drop to as low as minus 35 to minus 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim has a history of visiting the mountain, considered one of the most sacred places in the country, ahead of major political decisions, reported Yonhap news agency.
Speculation arose that he could do so again in the run-up to a plenary session of the North's ruling Workers' Party later this month where the North Korea could announce its key domestic and foreign policy directions for the new year.
This month's meeting comes as North Korea is set to mark the 10th year since Kim took over the helm of the reclusive regime. The 37-year-old formally rose to power on December 30, 2011, 13 days after his father Kim Jong-il died.
In October 2019, Kim rode a white horse to visit Mount Paektu -- eight months after his failed summit with the US in Hanoi -- and slammed Washington for imposing "ceaseless sanctions and pressure" on Pyongyang.
He visited the mountain again in December that year followed by a four-day plenary session of the ruling party at which Kim said he no longer sees a reason to stick to his earlier commitment to suspend nuclear and long-range missile tests.
Moscow, Dec 22 : Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have discussed European security issues and the Ukrainian situation during a phone conversation.
According to a Kremlin press release, Putin on Tuesday informed Scholz of Russian proposals for long-term and legally binding security guarantees that prohibit the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from expanding eastwards and deploying offensive weapons near Russia, Xinhua news agency reported.
They also discussed the problems of resolving the internal conflict in Ukraine, and Putin told Scholz that "Kiev is still stubbornly evading the fulfillment of its obligations under the 2015 Minsk agreements." As for the Russian-German relations, the leaders expressed common interest in further developing bilateral ties and maintaining contacts through various channels.
Earlier in the day, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron also held a phone conversation to discuss European security issues and the Ukrainian situation.
-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mainpuri : , Dec 22 (IANS) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has promised a caste census to give people their rights in accordance with their share in the population.
He said that the census would be held within three months if his party is voted in power in the state.
Akhilesh, who was addressing people during his Vijay Yatra in Mainpuri, which is also his father Mulayam Singh Yadav's parliamentary constituency, on Tuesday evening, said, "We all are accused of snatching someone's else's rights, but things will become clear once the caste census is done." He said that his party would fulfil all its promises as it had done earlier.
"Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) is known for mincing no words; his actions speak," said Akhilesh.
Mounting a blistering attack on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said the chief minister is good only in changing colours and names of institutions, for laying foundation stones and inaugurating already inaugurated projects. "Do you need Yogi or 'yogya' (deserving) government?" he asked.
Talking about his recent poll alliance with his estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL), Akhilesh said, "Since I took 'chacha wali' (uncle's) party along, BJP's I-T, CBI and ED cells have become active from Delhi. As elections near, these agencies will become more active because the fear of defeat haunts BJP." Referring to the recent income tax department's raids at the premises of some SP leaders, he said, "Samajwadis are not scared of anything 'jo dar gaya woh mar gaya' (one who's afraid is dead)".
Interestingly, while Shivpal's pictures were back on the hoarding and banners with his nephew at the rally site, Shivpal himself was not present though his supporters attended the Yatra in Mainpuri.
Akhilesh also took a swipe at the BJP for starting "Jan Vishwas Yatra" from multiple locations in the state. "BJP is nervous, which is evident from their yatras from six different locations in the state against one SP Rath," he said.
Talking about the BJP's dig at red colour, Akhilesh said the ruling party fears it as it symbolises "revolution and emotions".
Akhilesh further said Yogi Adityanath is the first chief minister who himself had withdrawn cases lodged against him.
"BJP is the only party giving protection to criminals, and the majority of criminals are in this party," he added.
-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
December 22 : After businessman and Shilpa Shettys husband Raj Kundra denied any involvement in the production and distribution of porn films, the actress came out in his support.
Shilpa Shetty took to her Instagram stories and Twitter and shared a quote by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill about how truth cannot be contested. The actress shared a news report about Raj Kundra calling the porn case a witch hunt, and wrote a quote by Winston Churchill, The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
- Winston Churchillhttps://t.co/UjQSRldtOn SHILPA SHETTY KUNDRA (@TheShilpaShetty) December 21, 2021
Raj Kundra was arrested in July for allegedly making porn films and streaming them through an app. He was arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology Act. The business is currently out on bail in the case.
On Monday, Raj Kundra issued a statement on a social media platform, and said, After much contemplation, considering there are many misleading and irresponsible statements and articles floating around and my silence has been misconstrued for weakness. I would like to start by stating that I have NEVER been involved in the production and distribution of pornography EVER in my life.
Kundra further said, This whole episode has been nothing but a witch hunt. The matter is sub-judice so I cannot elucidate, but I am ready to face trial and have full faith in the judiciary, where the truth will prevail.
The trolling, negativity and toxic public perception has been very debilitating. To set the record straight, I do not hide my face in shame, but wish that my privacy is not intruded any more with this continued MEDIA TRIAL. My priority has always been my family, nothing else matters at this juncture, Kundra added.
In July this year, Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai Police in a case where he was accused of distributing porn films through an app. He was granted bail in September. Fearing arrest, the business filed for an anticipatory bail from a sessions court, which was refused. Claiming that he had been framed in the case, Kundra moved the Bombay High Court, where his anticipatory bail application was rejected on November 25.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Shilpa Shetty is gearing up to judge Indias Got Talent that will start on January 15.
December 22 : Alia Bhatt took out some time from her busy schedule to attend her school friend Meghna Goyal's wedding in Goa. Her friends Akansha Ranjan Kapoor and Anushka Ranjan Kapoor were also with her at the fun-filled festivities. Several pictures and videos have surfaced on social media, and a video went viral where the Gully Boy actress can be seen burning the dance floor with her girl squad.
Alia, who is currently busy promoting SS Rajamouli's RRR and Ayan Mukherjis Brahmastra, was seen burning the dance floor in a video from the wedding. Alia was seen shaking a leg to Justin Bieber's song 'I got my peaches out in Georgia' along with other bridesmaids. For the occasion, Alia looked gorgeous in a stunning shimmery outfit. Anushka Ranjan Kapoor also shared several pictures and videos from the celebrations.
Earlier pictures of the haldi ceremony of Meghna Goyal were doing the rounds on social media. In the colourful ceremony, Alia was seen with her girl gang making happy moments at their besties wedding functions. From the dreamy bachelorette to the pool party, pictures are doing the rounds on the internet. Recently, a video of Alia Bhatt had gone viral, where she was seen in a black backless gown enjoying an outdoor dinner with her friends at Meghnas bachelorette.
In the pictures, Alia was seen enjoying the haldi ceremony. For the function, Alia opted for a one-shoulder yellow kurta with silver work all over it. She accessorised with matching jewellery and kept her hair loose.
Meanwhile, Alia has been juggling between her friends wedding and her work. Recently, she attended a grand RRR event in Mumbai, and was touring with her Brahmastra team to cities including Hyderabad and Delhi.
Currently Alia is working on Karan Johars directorial Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani with Ranveer Singh. She will be seen next in SS Rajamouli's RRR, which will get a pan-India release next month. Her film Gangubai Kathiawadi, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, will be screened at the 72nd edition of the Berlin International Film Festival early next year. The film will hit the theatres on February 18 next year. Alia has also wrapped up her home production Darlings with Shefali Shah.
Kushinagar : , Dec 22 (IANS) Flights from Kushinagar airport for Jammu will start soon.
A.K. Dwivedi, director, Kushinagar International Airport, said that the flight would be started with a 70-seater aircraft and later a Boeing plane will be used if the number of passengers increase.
Around 20 districts of Uttar Pradesh and west Bihar will be benefited with the new flight as, apart from people in the army, devotees going to Vaishno Devi will also be able to reach Jammu in less time.
"The discussions between Airport Authority of India and air service provider companies are in the last phase and the flight for Jammu may start in February," said Dwivedi.
Meanwhile, the flight for Mumbai from Kushinagar has been postponed since December 19 due to the weather conditions and less number of passengers. Spice Jet is planning to restart the flights for Mumbai around the festival of Holi.
The Kushinagar airport, the state's third international airport after two international airports in Lucknow and Varanasi, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 20.
The first domestic flight from Kushinagar international airport took off on November 26 and SpiceJet has started operating flights on Delhi-Kushinagar-Delhi route for four times a week.
Bengaluru, Dec 22 : Immigration officials in Bengaluru international airport have arrested a 22-year-old youth from Kerala who tried to fly off to the UK after producing fake documents through student visa, sources at the KempeGowda International Airport (KIAL) said on Wednesday.
The authorities have considered the case seriously as they have found a nexus of providing fake documents, including the UK student visa. The police have launched a hunt for the accused in Bengaluru and Kerala.
The accused person has been identified as Soju Thazhathu Veettil Shaji, from Wayanad in Kerala. The authorities have found forged documents and a fake marks card from Gulbarga University of Karnataka. The accused has been sent to police custody and police are investigating further into the case to unearth fake marks card racket.
Sources at the airport said that the accused had booked a ticket on British Airways. The officers suspected the originality of the documents and questioned him. After being grilled, the accused stated that the documents were fake.
The accused had told the authorities that he managed to get a fake certificate by paying Rs 65,000 from one person by name Anurag in Bengaluru. Accused further confessed that initially he got in touch with Denny, who worked in an education consultancy in Kerala and through him he met Anurag.
Soju had paid Rs 9 lakh to Denny to arrange the UK student Visa and other documents. Anurag had arranged fake marks cards from N.V. Degree College of Gulbarga University.
The case has been booked under IPC sections 465 for forgery and 471 for using forged documents as genuine one. The police have launched a hunt for other accused persons in the case Anurag and Denny, who are named as second and third accused in the case.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Merchant Payments Alliance of India (MPAI) and the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) on Wednesday urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to extend the card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation deadline of December 31 for merchants.
Citing several operational challenges that will hinder the transition to the token-based payments ecosystem, the industry bodies voiced their concerns over industry readiness on the RBI directive on card-on-file tokenization.
MPAI and ADIF said that 'ecosystem readiness' is a sequential process of going live with stable API (application programming interface) documentation for tokenised transactions.
The digital payments ecosystem is a long way from consumer-ready solutions and unless regulated entities are compliant, merchants will not be able to successfully process tokenised transactions, they said in the joint letter.
"In the scenario that banks are lax on preparedness, the brunt of that will be borne by merchants in the form of loss of revenue - we are looking at revenues losses of anywhere between 20-40 per cent at the minimum should that be the case," said Sijo Kuruvilla George, Executive Director, ADIF.
The RBI in September prohibited merchants from storing customer card details on their servers with effect from January 01, 2022, and mandated the adoption of CoF tokenization as an alternative to card storage.
The industry bodies said that if implemented in the present state of readiness, the new RBI mandate could cause major disruptions and loss of revenue, especially for merchants.
"This unpreparedness will impact recent digital payments adopters even deeply. The frequency and intensity of phishing attempts will go as entire card details are to be entered for each transaction, causing a significant increase in irreversible fraudulent transactions," said Vishal Mehta, Chair of Governing Council, MPAI.
Based on the set of guidelines that have been mandated by the RBI, sensitive customer information is to be stored in the form of an encrypted 'token' to help secure transactions.
These tokens then allow payments to be processed without disclosing the customer details or allowing the payment intermediaries to store customer data that could breach security and privacy.
Sydney, Dec 22 : Australian researchers have developed a test which can provide highly accurate readings for Covid-19 from a finger prick of blood within 20 minutes.
The point-of-care (POC) test, created by scientists from the Burnet Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, is the first of its kind in the world, according to the research unveiled on Wednesday.
While many POC tests can measure the overall level of antibody to SARS-CoV-2 and use this to estimate neutralising antibodies (NAb), the researchers say their test is the only one to measure NAb activity, which correlates with immune protection for Covid, Xinhua news agency reported.
Writing about their breakthrough in the journal EBioMedicine, the scientists note the versatile test can be adapted to provide information about whether a person has protective antibodies against a particular disease variant, such as Omicron.
The rise of the Omicron variant, which early studies suggest may be up to 40 times less sensitive to patient NAb than Delta, means that some people will suddenly go from having adequate protective NAb, to not having enough.
Burnet Institute deputy director Associate Professor David Anderson said the POC test could therefore be useful to quickly indicate when a vaccine booster was required.
"One of the key elements of the test is that it can work with finger-prick whole blood, which is essential if it is really going to be used at point-of-care," Anderson said.
"Another advantage is we have demonstrated that we can readily substitute different variants into the test. While we have not yet tested Omicron, this will be simple enough to incorporate in our test in place of the original strain or variants we have tested." It would also provide a standardised test to assist in the safe reopening of national and international borders in the context of different vaccines and the variable responses among various populations.
The scientists expect that the test will become a new option for immunity screening to support vaccination and control programmes, particularly in time-critical situations and among impoverished or isolated communities where laboratory-based testing is difficult to access.
Now in its prototype phase, the scientists are seeking commercial partners to develop the manufacturing process and take the test to an international market.
Burnet Diagnostics Initiative (BDI) director Jennifer Barnes said the collaborative efforts of the two institutions had led to an outcome in "record time." "The BDI aims to enhance the translation of new technologies to practical health solutions through significant partnerships with academic collaborators and industry," Barnes said.
"The NAb test is a great example of this as we look for a global partner to bring the test to market."
Chennai, Dec 22 : Two youths surrendered before the Tiruvallur police in Tamil Nadu in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old college student, who had allegedly blackmailed two class 10 girls, and exhorted money from them.
Premkumar, the alleged college student had entered into a relationship with two class 10 girls with whom he was friends on social media platforms. The girls, who are close friends and classmates, did not know that the alleged accused was in relationship with both of them.
He threatened both the girls that he would upload photographs with them on social media if they don't give him money and allegedly extorted Rs 1,00,000 from them. Later, the girls came to know that Premkumar was extracting money from both of them and was asking them for more.
The girls contacted their friend Ashok whom they had befriended through a social media and requested him to help catch hold of the mobile phone of Premkumar and erase their objectionable photographs.
Police said the muder came to light when villagers of Eachangadu in Tiruvallur found human hair, bloodied teeth which led them to a body buried in a desolate place. The investigation of Premkumar's body and his mobile phone which the police seized from his body traced the details of the two girls and on questioning, the girls spilled the details about Ashok.
A senior Tiruvallur police official, who is part of the investigating team, told IANS that Ashok asked the girls to lure Premkumar to an isolated place and when he reached there he was kidnapped and taken to another place.
Police said that Ashok with the help of three other accomplices -- Levin, Jagannathan and Stephen -- took Premkumar to an isolated place and murdered him. The police officials said the interrogation of both Ashok and Levin would lead to more clues regarding the murder and both Jagannathan and Stephen have been absconding.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Actress Lily Collins, who reprises the role of Emily Cooper for the second series of the Netflix show 'Emily In Paris', has opened up the growing popularity of the comedy drama series.
The actress says it is because of the emotions of fun, laughter and humour that helped the show connect with the audiences during the pandemic last year.
Lily joined a select roundtable with journalists, including an IANS representative, to talk about the series.
"I think humour, laughter, smiling and anything that is fun is universal. You don't have to understand the language to know when something feels bright, funny and bold," Lily told IANS.
She added: "I think humour translates to any language and something that offers a sense of escapism especially at a time during the first season that the pandemic came out." The actress says it is the feeling of being able to experience new things that comes with the series.
"We are still finding ourselves in the middle of the pandemic and some of us are more isolated. We weren't able to go to Paris... We are back in LA... In order to feel that you are able to feel like you are able to travel and experience new things and have a sense of fun and familiarity that comes with the series." She added: "And it is a mixture of when it comes out with what the show represents that offers that and I think people were craving that they didn't know that it can be quite therapeutic because it expresses emotions like laughter, fun and smile - things you need during a dark time."
Patna, Dec 22 : Passengers of New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila express had a narrow escape after it crashed with an SUV in Bihar on Wednesday morning.
The incident took place at Keul-Bhagalpur rail section at Daitabandh halt.
According to a railway official, the local residents have illegally constructed a railway crossing at Daitabandh halt for vehicles. While crossing, a Bolero got stuck on the tracks and despite efforts it could not be removed.
"The Bolero driver did not inform about it to officials of nearest railway station. Due to low visibility, the drivers of the train did not see the stuck vehicle leading to the crash," he said.
Fortunately, the train did not derail after the accident and managed the cross it safely.
Following the accident, Jamalpur GRP started the investigation to identify Bolero owner and driver.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The makers of the upcoming murder mystery 'Death On The Nile' have dropped the trailer of the film on Wednesday, promising an nail-biting experience with a stellar star cast.
The cast includes names such as five-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh, Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot and Margot Robbie.
The over two-minute trailer centres around Gal with glimpses of Hammer, who was accused of sexual assault.
The latest trailer focuses on other cast members including Branagh's detective Hercule Poirot for whom everyone remains a suspect and Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, and Letitia Wright.
However, Indian actor Ali Fazal makes only a small appearance in the two-minute and nine second trailer.
The plot tells the tale of a perfect couple's honeymoon on a cruise, however things take an awry turn after a murder takes place on the ship. The movie is set on the picturesque locales of the Giza pyramid and sandy desert vistas.
It revolves around Poirot's search for the deadly murderer as Gadot's character shares wih him that she's not safe and "doesn't trust" anyone who's aboard the cruise.
Based on the 1937 novel by Agatha Christie, 'Death on the Nile' is a daring mystery-thriller about the emotional chaos and deadly consequences triggered by obsessive love.
The film which reunites the filmmaking team behind 2017's global hit 'Murder on the Orient Express', is written by Michael Green, adapted from Christie's novel, and is produced by Ridley Scott, Kenneth Branagh, Judy Hofflund, and Kevin J. Walsh, with Mark Gordon, Simon Kinberg, Matthew Jenkins, James Prichard and Mathew Prichard serving as executive producers.
Filmed with 65 mm Panavision cameras in late 2019, 'Death on the Nile' transports audiences to the 1930s, recreating many of the locations that served as inspiration for Christie's glamorous, high-society thriller.
20th Century Studios production president Steve Asbell said: "Ken's sweeping, elegant vision for this classic story deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. We're so proud of this film, our brilliant cast, and the stellar work that went into bringing 'Death on the Nile' to screen.
"We know that audiences can't wait to experience Hercule Poirot's next adventure, and we're thrilled to continue working with Ken as he lends his masterful storytelling vision to the newest film in this celebrated franchise." James Prichard, chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd, added: "More than 100 years after the publication of Agatha Christie's first novel, her crime fiction works remain immensely popular and continue to be discovered by people around the world."
New Delhi, Dec 22 : At least 30 suspected cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 were reported in Balochistan's Kalat district during a diagnostic process, Geo News reported.
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), however, has not yet confirmed any cases of the strain in the district.
Balochistan Coronavirus Operation Cell in-charge Dr Naqeebullah Niazi told Geo News that the suspected cases surfaced in the last two days.
He said that the samples taken from the suspected patients are being sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad for confirmation.
The Balochistan health department has written a letter to the Kalat district health officer, directing him to identify the suspected patients and put them in isolation, the health official said. Moreover, doctors have also been told to be careful, the report said.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo expressed concerns over the suspected presence of the Omicron variant in Kalat and sought a report from the health department.
Pakistan has so far reported one confirmed and another suspected case of Omicron, apart from the latest suspected cases from Kalat.
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), on December 13, had confirmed it had detected Pakistan's first-ever case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in a patient - who had no travel history - through gene-sequencing.
A second case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus had been reported from Karachi, sources within the Sindh Health Department had said later in the week.
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New Delhi, Dec 22 : The proceedings of the Lok Sabha were adjourned sine die on Wednesday, a day ahead of schedule.
Soon after the House resembled at 11 a.m., Speaker Om Birla said that the House was heading towards the closure of the winter session.
Addressing the members, he said that during this session, the House had 18 sessions with 83 hours 12 minutes. The productivity of the House was recorded at 82 per cent while 18 hours and 46 minutes were lost due to protests.
"During this period, 12 Bills were introduced in the House while nine Bills were passed which includes the withdrawal of the three farm laws, Bills related to extension of the service tenure of the Directors of Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Amendment) Bill and Supplementary Demands of grants," Birla informed the House, adding that on December 2, the House recorded the highest productivity of 204 per cent.
He also said that during the winter session, a total of 91 starred questions were replied to by the government, 563 questions were answered during the 'Question Hour' while several important issues were discussed under Rule 377.
The Speaker informed that 44 reports of the Department related Standing Committee were presented in the House and 2,058 papers were laid by the Ministers.
"The House also discussed the situation of Covid-19 and climate change. The discussion on Covid was 12-hour long in which 99 members participated and shared their experiences with the House. The discussion on climate change was held for over six hours and the discussion remained inconclusive," the Speaker said.
He also informed that a six-member Mongolian parliamentary delegation led by Mongolian Parliament Chairman Gombojav Zandanshatar visited Parliament and witnessed the proceedings of Lok Sabha on December 1.
The House also continued its discussion on the Private Member Bills. The discussions were held on the Bill brought by the BJP Member Janardan Singh Sigriwal and on the Compulsory Voting and discussion on the perks of the Aaganwadi workers brought by the BSP Member Ritesh Pandey, the Lok Sabha Speaker said, adding that the debate remained inconclusive.
Birla thanked the Secretary General and all parliamentary staff for their cooperation during the running of the House. After playing of the national song 'Vande Matram', he adjourned the House sine die.
The opposition members, since last week, continued its tirade against the government and staged protests demanding the sacking of Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Misra Teni from the Union Cabinet in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident.
Hyderabad, Dec 22 : Following criticism by the opposition parties in Telangana that Dalit Bandhu scheme was put on the backburner after defeat of ruling TRS in the by-election to Huzurabad Assembly constituency, the state government has released Rs 250 crore for implementation of the scheme in four mandals or blocks.
The government has issued orders releasing Rs 100 crore for Chintakani mandal in Khammam district and Rs 50 crore each to Tirumalgiri mandal in Suryapet district, Charugonda mandal of Nagarkurnool district, Nizamabad mandal of Kamareddy district.
The mandals were selected in four Assembly constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes. Chintakani mandal in Madhira constituency represented by Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, received the highest allocation.
The money was released following criticism by the opposition parties that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) cold shouldered the scheme following its defeat in Huzurabad by-election.
It was on October 18, that the government had issued orders for releasing Rs 250 crore for implementation of Dalit Bandhu in four mandals on pilot basis.
The four mandals in east, west, north and south of the state were selected for implementation of Dalit Bandhu on pilot basis in addition to Huzurabad Assembly constituency, where the scheme was launched on August 16.
Under the scheme, every beneficiary Dalit family will get Rs 10 lakh as grant and they will be free to choose their profession, self-employment or businesses for utilising the funds.
The government has already released Rs 2,000 crore for Huzurabad, where the scheme will be implemented in saturation mode.
The prestigious scheme was launched on pilot basis in Huzurabad in August ahead of the by-elections caused by the resignation of former minister Eatala Rajender. This had drawn flak from the opposition parties who alleged that the scheme was launched to lure voters.
During the election process, the Election Commission of India had stayed implementation of the scheme.
Rajender, who had quit the TRS and joined the BJP after he was dropped from Cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, won the by-election, defeating TRS candidate by a margin of over 24,000 votes.
For the last few weeks, the BJP and the Congress have been targeting TRS for what they called giving up the scheme.
At a meeting of state ministers, MPs, state legislators and other leaders last week, Chief Minister KCR had dismissed the doubts over implementation of Dalit Bandhu and made it clear that it will be implemented across the state in a phased-manner.
Later, at a conference of District Collectors, KCR ruled out going back on Dalit Bandhu and said it will be extended to all the 119 Assembly constituencies in the state by March 2022.
KCR told the officials that the scheme will be extended to all other Assembly constituencies where at least 100 Dalit families will be covered during the current fiscal by March 31, 2022.
KCR said the scheme was launched for socio-economic development of the Dalit community who have been discriminated against for generations. He believes that Rs 10 lakh grant will not only financially support the Dalit families, but also become a social investment and help in further strengthening the state economy.
KCR had earlier told the state Assembly that the state has nearly 18 lakh Dalit families and it requires Rs 1.80 lakh crore to implement the scheme.
He said the government was now spending Rs 3,000 crore on the scheme. He also announced that Rs 20,000 crore will be allocated in the next year's budget for Dalit Bandhu. With this money, 2,000 Dalit families will be covered in each Assembly constituency.
San Francisco, Dec 22 : Tech giant Google now lets users customise how its Voice service handles incoming calls.
According to Engadget, users can now configure the app to forward calls from either individual or groups of contacts to a linked phone number or your voicemail.
Separately, users can set a rule that plays custom voicemail greetings for specific contacts. And if they want to avoid taking calls unless necessary, they can tell it to screen individuals.
The tech giant said the new options allow users to route incoming calls in ways that complement their existing workflows.
To start using the feature, users can head over to the Google Voice website and click the cog icon located toward the top of the interface. Then click "Calls," followed by "Choose a rule." Note that on the mobile app, it's only possible to view rules you have already set; you can't establish new ones -- at least not yet, the report said.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday demanded that the Maha Vikas Aghadi should replace Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray since he is indisposed and the state administration is allegedly at a standstill, but the ruling coalition of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress dismissed the suggestion.
Ahead of the start of the Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature here, state BJP President Chandrakant Patil and other leaders raised the issue of "the CM's long absence" and urged that he should be replaced by either his wife Rashmi or son and Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray in the post.
"The people of the state have not seen the CM for a long... It's understandable that he is unwell. As per tradition, the charge should have been handed over to someone else. It is possible that he has no faith in the two allies (NCP-Congress), and if he has no faith even in his own partymen (Sena), he can at least give charge to Aditya Thackeray," Patil said.
The Sena-NCP hit back with ministers Aditya Thackeray and Jayant Patil assuring that the CM's health is fine and he is likely to attend the House.
Rejecting the opposition's contentions, they also said the CM, the cabinet and the government are performing very well and there should be no cause for anyone to worry.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut took a swipe at Patil by saying that "he should concentrate on the Opposition" instead of doling out advice to the MVA government.
CM Thackeray, who underwent a cervical spine surgery on November 12, has been recuperating at his official residence 'Varsha' since the past over a month.
However, he has been regularly conducting important meetings related to the Covid-19 and Omicron health crises, the cabinet meetings and other major meets online.
Bengaluru, Dec 22 : Six international passengers who have tested positive for Covid-19 have been sent to home isolation in a designated hospital in Bengaluru, Health department sources said on Wednesday.
These passengers, including three women, arrived to KempeGowda International Airport this morning. They arrived from Frankfurt, Paris and Kuwait.
The authorities have sent their samples for genome sequencing and their results are awaited. The state Health department has tightened vigilance at international airports in the state in the backdrop of Omicron fears.
As many as 19 cases of Omicron variant have been reported in the state and results are awaited for many more samples of the primary and secondary contacts of these persons.
Since Christmas and New Year celebrations are around the corner, the authorities have initiated strict vigil on international passengers especially from high-risk countries.
The state government has released new guidelines for New Year and Christmas celebrations and imposed restrictions on large gatherings and parties.
Hyderabad, Dec 22 : Telangana's Finance Minister T. Harish Rao on Wednesday demanded Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal to tender an unconditional apology for "humiliating" the state delegation.
Harish Rao took strong exception to remarks made by Goyal about the delegation which had gone to Delhi to meet him on the issue of paddy procurement.
The state minister alleged that Goyal "insulted" Telangana by asking the state delegation whether they have no other work than meeting him.
Addressing a news conference, Harish Rao alleged that Goyal hurt the self-respect of 70 lakh farmers of Telangana.
He reminded the Union Minister that the delegation comprising six ministers and MPs had gone to the national capital on behalf of 70 lakh farmers and 4 crore people of the state.
He said the language used by Goyal was unbecoming of a central minister. "What right do you have to humiliate our ministers and the state," Harish Rao asked.
The TRS leader alleged that the central minister was resorting to politics. "Our priority is farmers but your priority is politics," he remarked.
Harish Rao said Goyal kept the state delegation waiting for three days for an appointment and first met a delegation of BJP leaders from the state.
Harish Rao said the delegation was in Delhi to ask the Centre to clarify if it would procure the entire paddy during the current Kharif season or not. "Since the Centre had fixed the target of 40 lakh tonnes paddy and the state has already procured 50 tonnes from farmers and another 20-30 lakh tonnes is lying in the market, the delegation went to Delhi to request the Centre to enhance the target and lift the entire paddy," he said.
Harish Rao also took exception to Goyal's remarks blaming the state government for not procuring paddy from farmers.
He pointed out that the state government sent several letters to the Centre, requesting it to make all arrangements to lift the paddy stocks.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Ahead of the Assembly polls next year, BJP chief J.P. Nadda will visit Uttarakhand on December 26 to review the party's poll preparedness. The BJP chief will hold several organisational meetings to take stock of the ground situation.
Sources said that Nadda is likely to hold detailed constituency wise discussions with the Uttarakhand BJP leadership. "BJP chief will also likely hold constituency-wise detailed discussion on ground reports submitted and collected by the state leadership through various ways," sources said.
Nadda will also review the progress of the party's various programmes and campaigns and take feedback from the state leadership. "Several programmes and campaigns have been launched in the last couple of months by the BJP in the state. BJP chief Nadda will review progress of each one and suggest how to take it forward to reach out to the maximum number of people before the polls," a Uttarakhand BJP leader said.
It is also learnt that he is likely to hold detailed constituency-wise discussions with the Uttarakhand BJP leadership. "BJP chief is also likely to hold constituency-wise detailed discussion on ground reports submitted and collected by the state leadership through various ways," another party leader said.
In November, Nadda was on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand to review party poll preparedness and held several organisational meetings. During his visit, Nadda also met different sections of the society. Nadda had visited the hill state in August also.
Currently to reach out to people, the Uttarakhand BJP is organising 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' which will pass through all the Assembly constituencies to highlight the works of state government done in the last five years along with the works of the Union government. Nadda flagged off the 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' of the poll-bound Uttarakhand on December 18 in the Garhwal region.
Election for the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly will be held in February- March next year along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. The BJP has set a target of winning over 60 seats in the next Assembly polls. In the last Assembly polls in 2017, the BJP had won 57 seats.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had provided five-star facilities to Pinky Irani while she was in their custody in connection with 200 crore Prevention of Money Laundering case involving Sukesh Chandrashekhar, as per documents accessed by IANS.
IANS has accessed a few documents which confirm that the federal probe agency had booked two five-star hotels for her stay in Lutyens' Delhi.
The Claridges and The Park hotels were booked for Pinky Irani. She was kept there by the ED officials during her questioning.
On November 25, Pinky was taken to ED office in Mumbai for questioning. Later, she was brought to Delhi by an Air India flight on November 28. During this, she was accompanied by her manager.
When she was brought to the national capital, the ED had booked The Claridges and The Park hotels for her 12 days' stay.
According to the information, ED officials used to guard her 24x7. A team also stayed at these two hotels to keep a watch on her.
Irani stayed at these two hotels till she was produced before the special court on December 10.
Later, she was remanded to ED custody. Currently, she is in 14 days judicial custody which will end on January 3. She has been lodged at Tihar Jail.
The ED sources claimed to have recovered incriminating documents against Pinky in connection with 200 crore PMLA case. She will be named as an accused along with seven others in the supplementary charge sheet.
It has been alleged that Pinky used to choose expensive gifts for Jacqueline Fernandez and later dropped them at her house after the payments were made by Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : MoonRay is a modern luxury brand rooted in craft and responsible fashion, selected for an ever-evolving community.
It is an eclectic, free-spirited, mindful fashion line that speaks the language of art, innovation and compassion in order to share joy and foster change. A Pret-a-Porter line of clothing, handcrafted vegan leather shoes and bags, and a limited edition of 22 karat gold plated jewellery are all part of the collection. A chosen range of superbly handcrafted outfits that are bespoke Made to Order rounds out the offering.
The brand is an expression that combines Avantika and Karishma Swali's love for design and craft with their passion for inclusiveness. It was founded in 2021. "We adore pushing limits to produce useful fashion for an ever-evolving community, letting love be our guiding light to develop ethically." "For us, the name MoonRay represents a feminine energy that is pure and powerful -- one that is creative, compassionate and connected," says Karishma Swali -- co-founder -- MoonRay.
The finest materials are sourced, with an eye to their environmental impact: organic cotton and GOTS certified jersey, "Forest Stewardship Council" certified viscose, indigo dyed denim, crochet crafted from recycled threads, a reclaim series crafted from industry waste fabrics, and accessories created with vegan and plant-based leather are just a few of the key elements that went into the first collection. Each piece is meticulously crafted by a community of master artisans as well as female artisans who have graduated from The Chanakya School of Craft (Mumbai), all of whom contribute to it's ethos of cultural sustainability by preserving exemplary master crafts and supporting their innovation.
Traditional craft forms, including macrame, crochet, applique work, hand painting, and tie-dye, have been incorporated into the designs to offer a unique contemporary aesthetic embracing artisan quality.
"We are happy to share that 50 per cent of our profits will always be invested in children's education and animal welfare through our registered not-for-profit organisation, ACE, and many other inspiring not-for-profit organisations," adds Karishma.
Chanakya has been perfected over decades of worldwide luxury and couture-making experience, rapt attention to perfection, and quality excellence.
In 2017, the company established the Chanakya School of Craft, a non-profit organisation dedicated to teaching women from underserved communities the art of hand embroidery through a comprehensive certificate programme. Since then, hundreds of women have been successfully educated, allowing them to pursue their own unique, independent future.
(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Asif Ali Zardari should name the person who had contacted him on behalf of the Pakistan establishment and sought his help for a future setup, a senior Pakistan defence source said, The News reported.
The source lamented that every now and then statements are made and hints are given about "deals" (with Pak establishment) which is both unfortunate and irresponsible.
If Zardari is truthful, he should name the person who had contacted him and sought his help, the source said. The source, holding an important position, said that the defence officials do not want to get engaged in any unnecessary debate with such politicians, who are issuing weird statements without any solid basis, the report said.
The source said there is a general trend of blaming the military establishment for every matter. Often people talk about "deals" with the establishment but never name those who are approaching them or with whom they are making the "deals".
PPP Co-Chairman and former Pak president Asif Ali Zardari said Monday that he had to think of the future, as those who had formulas were asking for help. He did not name the military establishment, but it was clear from his indirect reference given in his speech.
Without naming anyone, the former president said he had told certain quarters no talks possible till the government was sent packing, the report said.
Jerusalem, Dec 22 : Israel on Wednesday announced plans to roll out a fourth shot of Covid vaccine to fight the new vaccine evading Omicron variant.
According to the country's Health Ministry, the Pandemic Response team on Tuesday night recommended that anyone over the age of 60 and medical workers could receive a fourth shot of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, Jerusalem Post reported.
"This is wonderful news that will assist us in getting through the Omicron wave that is engulfing the world," said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a statement, welcoming the move.
"The citizens of Israel were the first in the world to receive the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and we are continuing to pioneer with the fourth dose as well," Bennett said.
The new announcement comes as Israel has witnessed a surge of new cases of the Omicron variant over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, 1,323 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the country, according to the health ministry.
"Another vaccine for people over the age of 60 and for medical staff of all ages," tweeted Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz.
"This is our top priority for Omicron: Protecting the adults who are most vulnerable and keeping the medical staff safe. No need to wait," he continued. "Go get vaccinated." According to Bennett's office, the fourth vaccine campaign will kick off immediately, the report said.
In addition, the Pandemic Response Team also recommended that the waiting period between the second and third vaccine be reduced from five to three months.
A final approval from Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash is expected in the coming days, the report said.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had in October rolled a fourth shot to immunocompromised people.
In October, the CDC updated its guidelines saying that moderately or severely immunocompromised people who receive three shots as their primary dose can receive a booster dose, too, for a total of four Covid-19 vaccine doses.
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Varanasi : , Dec 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Thursday to lay the foundation stone of Banas Dairy Kashi Sankul at Karkhiyaon.
The Prime Minister was earlier in Varanasi on December 13 to unveil the Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor project.
According to government spokesperson, the objective of this project is to empower farmers and milk producers of Purvanchal region and provide good quality products at affordable prices.
Modi will also digitally transfer Rs 35.19 crore to bank accounts of around 1,75,000 milk farmers as year-end dividend for 2020-21.
In July 2021, Banas Dairy provided 100 cows of the best indigenous breeds to farmer families in Varanasi for model dairy farming.
These farmers were given training in cattle rearing and dairy farm management and arrangements were made for continuous guidance for animal husbandry.
Presently, more than 25,000 litres of milk is procured on a daily basis from 111 places in Varanasi.
Banas dairy is now setting up its third plant in Varanasi after Lucknow and Kanpur.
It will have a capacity of 5 lakh litres per day, which can be expanded up to 10 lakh litres per day and will be built on 30 acres of land with an estimated cost of Rs 475 crore.
The plant will also produce 50,000 litres of ice cream, 20 tonnes of paneer, 75,000 litres of butter milk, 50 tonnes of curd, 15,000 litres of lassi and 10,000 kg of sweets per day.
The plant will also have a bakery unit and will include a take home ration plant to produce nutritional supplements for women and children.
This project will benefit the local farmers of 1,000 neighbouring villages of Purvanchal region like Varanasi, Jaunpur, Machchlishahr, Chandauli, Bhadohi, Ghazipur, Mirzapur and Azamgarh and they will get Rs 8,000-10,000 for their milk per month.
Customers will also get high quality products at affordable prices. This project is expected to provide direct employment to 750 people in the plant, about 2,350 people in allied works and about 1,00,000 people in villages, the spokesperson said.
New Delhi, Dec 22: Ethiopia has been in the grip of a civil war since November 2020. The Ethiopian Army was struggling against the rebel forces of the Tigrayan People's Liberation Force (TPLF). With its battlefield victories, TPLF was even poised to attack the capital Addis Ababa and many observers had expressed grave doubts about the survival of the regime of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
However, the effective use of unmanned aerial vehicles also known as drones, including Turkey-supplied Bayraktar-TB-2, by the Ethiopian Army has dramatically changed the course of the war in its favour. The TPLF is in retreat now and has moved back to the northern Tigray region. It is making efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Last year, in Libya, the embattled Government of National Accord (GNA) has used Turkish-supplied Bayraktar drones against the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Khalifa Haftar. Turkish drones were effective in attacking ground troops, providing necessary air cover and disrupting LNA supplies.
The timely Turkish military support proved critical in bolstering the capabilities of GNA. As a result, GNA forces succeeded in breaking the momentum of LNA and thwarting the threat to Tripoli. The war entered the phase of a stalemate and since then has paved the way for a political solution to the decade-long conflict.
It was clear that, just like Ethiopia, Turkish drones changed the course of the Libyan civil war. Both these instances point towards the decisive role of Turkish drones in shaping the outcomes of these wars.
In development since 2007, Turkish-made Bayraktar-TB2 is a medium altitude long-range UAV system that can carry a payload of 150 kg and operate during the day and night. Each system consists of "six aerial vehicles, two ground control stations (GCS), three ground data terminals (GDTs), two remote video terminals (RVTs) and ground support equipment".
Owing to the impressive performance and reliability of TB2 drones, in the last few years, Turkey has emerged as a major supplier of drones globally. Turkish drones are supposedly cheaper than drones manufactured by companies from Israel, China and the US.
Apart from Ethiopia and Libya, countries such as Ukraine, Morocco, Poland, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Turkmenistan are interested in acquiring Turkish drones. Some of these countries have either placed orders or are interested in purchasing these drones. Qatar and Azerbaijan are already operating a fleet of Turkish drones.
Last year's Azerbaijan-Armenia war was seen as the most effective global advertisement for Turkish drones. Azeri forces utilised drones to devastating effect and inflicted a humiliating defeat on Armenia. Since then, the demand for Turkish drones has gone up significantly.
During the latest visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Africa in October, he said that "everywhere I go in Africa, everyone asks about UAVs". Evidently, Turkey's weapons trade with Ethiopia and Morocco has gone up significantly in 2021. Overall, Turkey has gradually been emerging as a major defence supplier of Africa. The exports of battle-tested drones are likely to carve out an important place for Turkey in African weapons markets.
The supply of Bayraktar-TB2 drones is geared to advance Turkey's commercial and geopolitical interests. The drones are manufactured by a company run by President Erdogan's son-in-law Haluk Bayraktar. It ensures continued state support in deals to export drones.
Interestingly, Turkey's rise as a major drone power and the fast-increasing exports has the potential to complicate its diplomatic engagements. Turkish weapons deals with Ethiopia and Ukraine have not gone down well in Egypt and Russia respectively.
Turkey enjoys close diplomatic and defence ties with Pakistan. Recently, the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) signed a contract with the National Engineering and Science Commission (NESCOM) of Pakistan to co-produce Anka military drones. Turkish Air Force, Navy, and intelligence agencies use Anka drones.
Turkey has offered to sell drones to India as well. Zyron dynamics, a Turkish drone manufacturer, has sold 30 per cent of its stakes to DCM Shriram Industries for $3.5 million in August 2021. The company is preparing to deliver mini-multirotor UAVs to India in 2022. Through India, it hopes to expand its market in the wider Asia-Pacific region.
For Turkey, despite teething domestic economic troubles drone exports are paving the way for greater geopolitical influence. The conflicts in Africa and Asia have underlined this reality.
(Sankalp Gurjar is a strategic analyst based in New Delhi) (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Dec 22: Having hosted refugees from Afghanistan for decades, Iran is now getting increasingly worried about the new arrivals from the neighbouring country after the return of Taliban in Kabul.
In a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi in Tehran on Monday, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian made it clear that the assistance provided by the international body was insignificant in comparison to the volume of his country's measures in this regard.
Abdollahian said that Iran does not have the capacity to provide more services than the current level to new asylum seekers, and that the international community must pay special attention to the living conditions of the Afghan people.
Iran shares a 900-km border with Afghanistan and has made efforts to keep its borders open, facilitating human and commercial movements since Taliban returned to power in August, earlier this year.
It is believed that more than 3.5 million Afghans live in Iran with more than 300,000 Afghan asylum-seekers having arrived in the country this year alone in search of safety.
Iran has been providing them with education and health services but also remains concerned about the entry of smugglers and miscreants, building obstacles and walls at some places along the long border.
The Iranian Foreign Minister told Grandi on Monday that the crisis of Afghan refugees' influx towards neighbouring borders is increasingly large but the volume of international aid is very small.
He pointed out that more than 5,20,000 foreign students study for free in Iran and that the vaccination of Afghan asylum seekers has been considered and taken on par with that of Iranian citizens.
"Amir Abdollahian stressed that European countries must pay their fair share in this regard, and while the presence of several thousand refugees on the European borders turns into a crisis, they should not expect help from Iran forever and just pay lip service with kind words," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the meeting.
During his visit to the country, the UNHCR also visited a site in Sistan and Baluchistan being built with its help to receive new refugees.
"Iran needs more support for all the Afghans it hosts, including long-term refugees," he tweeted before presenting a report on the actions of the UN Refugee Agency to Abdollahian on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the top Iranian diplomat, had also highlighted the issue at the emergency meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Islamabad.
In his speech, Abdollahian said that more than 5,000 Afghans are entering Iran daily due to the fear of terrorism, insecurity and economic crisis in Afghanistan.
Emphasising that Iran considers political and social stability in Afghanistan to be in line with the collective interests of the entire region, he said that it is possible only through the formation of an inclusive and effective government in which all ethnicities and religions play a role.
"Any postponement will give the enemies of Afghan people the chance to activate an extensive network of social criminals through spreading the terrorism of Daesh, creating economic hardships, and critical conditions in livelihood, healthcare and the basic needs of life," the Iranian Foreign Minister told the gathering in the Pakistani capital.
In a four-point proposal, Iran suggested that all Muslim states should encourage the ruling establishment in Afghanistan and all parties to form an inclusive government; formation of a financial fund among the Muslim states to help Afghans; releasing Afghanistan's assets and UN contributing to the formation of an inclusive government to prevent a new humanitarian catastrophe.
"We hope that an inclusive government will soon be formed in Afghanistan with the participation of all Afghan ethnic groups so that its representative will be able to attend the next OIC conference and Afghanistan's seat won't be vacant," Abdollahian mentioned.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Mumbai, Dec 22 : Actress Parineeta Borthakur, who is popularly known for playing the role of Ganga in TV sitcom 'Gupta Brothers', enjoyed a reunion with her school friends before starting her shoots for upcoming show 'Tricks of Trade'.
She says: "It was emotional, nostalgic and fun reunion for us. I was fortunate to meet my all four best friends all together after 16 years. As I'm in Mumbai, my other friends are settled in London, Bangalore and two of them in Delhi respectively. Internet and social media has been a boon in finding your old friends. We made a WhatsApp group and kept in touch. Then when we got to know that the one who lives in London is coming to Guwahati (our hometown) to meet her mother (post Covid), we all decided to join her." Parineeta, known for featuring in shows like 'Bepannah' and 'Swaragini' enjoys travelling back virtually to her school days.
She adds: "There is nothing like the joy of meeting old friends and remembering the good old days. When you move into practical life and start being more serious about life, sometimes you forget that you were goofy and a bit weird with your friends. When you look back, you smile at the silly things you've done with your friends and adventures you've had. That time never comes back but such an amazing reunion with your friends really takes you back to those days."
Patna, Dec 22 : In a major goof-up, a woman, who died two months ago, has been sent the message of successful administration of second dose of corona vaccine. Her husband saw the message.
Lalo Devi's husband Ram Udgar Thakur said: "My wife died due to illness in village Kharmauli under Veerpur block on September 19. The Planning and Development Department of Bihar has also issued death certificate on the same date. Now, we have received Corona vaccination certificate from health department, two months after her death," Thakur said.
On November 25, primary health centre of Veerpur had organised a corona vaccination camp in Kisan Bhawan. After the camp, the health officials issued the vaccination certificate in the name of Lalo Devi.
The vaccination certificate issued to a dead person was uploaded on social media and is a talking point in Begusarai district.
Many people are saying that it is a "ploy" to "increase" the data of corona vaccination in Bihar.
Chennai, Dec 22 : As many as 80 medical doctors from different parts of the country have appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to disallow jallikattu events, which are to be organised in January.
The letter addressed to Chief Minister MK Stalin and the minister of health, medical education, and family welfare Ma Subramanian points out that the potentially super-spreader spectacles pose a grave health risk to the public.
"Prohibiting non-essential activities such as jallikattu events, which lead to unnecessary mass gatherings, is essential to prevent the rapid spread of Covid-19 and to protect public health as well as to ease the pressure on health-care professionals," says Dr Deepshikha Chandravanshi, one of the doctors who signed the letter.
According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the plea comes in the backdrop of several countries around the world imposing new safety guidelines in response to rising COVID-19 cases and the threat of the Omicron variant.
"Non-essential events such as jallikattu have no place in a country battling a deadly contagious virus," says PETA India CEO Manilal Valliyate. "PETA India is calling on officials to heed the professional opinions of these medical doctors and call off jallikattu events to protect the bulls from cruelty and the public from a life-threatening disease." Since the Tamil Nadu government legalised jallikattu in 2017, at least 22 bulls and 69 humans have reportedly died, while more than 4,696 humans have been injured, a PETA India statement noted.
The animals' rights organisation has documented extreme cruelty to bulls during these events, which are attended by up to thousands of people. Video footage of 2021 events show masses of unmasked people in close proximity, conditions ripe for the spread of Covid-19, particularly the easily transmissible Omicron variant.
PETA India claimed that it has extensive video footage which shows that during jallikattu, participants force terrified bulls into the arena by biting their tails, yanking their nose ropes, and jabbing them with weapons. The panicked bulls often slam into humans and barricades, often breaking their bones or dying, the statement observed.
Jallikattu is organised every year in January, in Tamil Nadu, as a part of Pongal celebrations. In the traditional event, a bull is released, and people try to grab its hump on and hang as it attempts to escape.
It was banned several times but is being organised after an ordinance was brought in 2017.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : A Harvard University professor has been convicted of hiding ties to a China-run recruitment programme, BBC reported.
Charles Lieber was found guilty of making false statements to authorities, filing false tax returns and failing to report a Chinese bank account. His sentencing date is yet to be decided.
The 62-year-old was charged in 2020 as part of a US campaign to counter economic espionage from China, the report said.
However, some critics say this campaign harms academic research.
Prosecutors in Boston said Lieber knowingly hid his involvement in China's "Thousand Talents Plan", which aims to attract foreign research specialists. It has been flagged by the US as a security concern in the past, the report said.
Lieber, a former head of Harvard's department of chemistry and chemical biology, had in 2011 joined China's Wuhan University of Technology as a scientist.
He was given a monthly salary of $50,000, in addition to living expenses of up to $158,000 for this role.
The filings say he was also given more than $1.5 m to establish a research lab at the university and, in return, was expected to work for the university, applying for patents and publishing articles in its name.
Participation in the programme is not a crime. However prosecutors said Lieber had lied to authorities about his participation, his affiliation with the university in Wuhan, and failed to declare income earned in China, the report said.
He had previously been awarded $15 m in grants from the US National Institute of Health and the US Department of Defence.
Recipients of these grants have to disclose any conflicts of interest, including financial support from foreign governments or organisations, the report said.
Seoul, Dec 22 : South Korea's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday it has decided to fine SK Inc. and group chief Chey Tae-won a combined $1.3 million over allegations that the company let him pocket undue profits related to its 2017 takeover deal.
Wrapping up a three-year long probe, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) took punitive actions against SK Inc, SK Group's holding company, and Chey on allegations that the company deliberately helped him gain huge profits in the process of its purchase of LG Siltron Co, a wafer manufacturer that was later renamed SK Siltron Co.
Even though the regulator has determined that the acts were illegal, it did not file a complaint with the prosecution over the case, reports Yonhap news agency.
In January 2017, SK, formerly SK Holdings Co., bought a 51 percent stake in LG Siltron from LG Group for 18,138 won per share. It purchased another 19.6 percent stake in LG Siltron for 12,871 won per share in April that year.
The FTC judged that SK "directly and indirectly" allowed Chey to acquire a 29.4 per cent stake in LG Siltron from creditor banks in August 2017.
The company could have bought the remaining stake for about 30 percent cheaper as the stake did not have a management premium.
The regulator said the stake in question could have been a lucrative business opportunity for SK, but the company's concession allowed Chey to reap "undue" profits.
Under the fair trade act, large business groups with assets exceeding 5 trillion won are banned from giving undue profits to their chiefs by providing lucrative business opportunities.
The FTC said Chey allegedly reaped nearly 200 billion won in profits, when the share value of the stake is calculated.
The commission decided to impose a tentative fine of 800 million won on SK and Chey each. It also ordered them not to repeat similar actions in the future, but it did not mean Chey must sell the 29.4 percent stake in SK Siltron.
It marked the first anti-trust ruling that has been taken against a controlling stakeholder's misuse of business opportunities of an affiliate.
SK said the FTC decision was difficult to accept.
"It is regrettable that the FTC handed down the punitive actions and we see it as difficult to accept, even though we fully explained our stance," SK said in a statement.
SK said that it plans to take necessary measures after deliberation, indicating that it would file the appeal with the Seoul High Court over the FTC's decision.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : ITC Master Chef Frozen Snacks has entered into a strategic partnership with Havmor Ice cream owned by the Lotte group, a South Korean conglomerate.
The partnership is a part of ITC's new routes-to-market distribution strategy and will enable ITC Master Chef to leverage 100 Havmor Ice cream carts to make available its delectable range of 15 easy-to-cook tasty snacks that will satisfy consumer cravings for tasty and healthy snacks served hot.
This partnership allows ITC Master Chef to use Havmor Ice cream's pushcart distribution network during peak season for frozen snacks (November to March) which is generally the non-peak season for ice cream in markets where winter is dominant.
It gives ITC Master Chef an opportunity to enhance availability and accessibility of its range of frozen food offerings during the winter months when the Frozen Foods industry registers a 30 per cent increase in sales vis the summer months.
For Havmor Ice cream, the partnership creates incremental earning opportunity for its channel partners and vendors and helps the company leverage its operating costs during the ice cream low season.
Commenting on the partnership, Ashu Phakey, Vice President and Business Head ITC Limited (Frozen Foods) said, "Healthy and convenience-based snacking as a trend is growing across the country as consumers become more health-conscious, whilst having lesser time on their hands due to a busy lifestyle. ITC Master Chef is a trailblazer in this space and has garnered encouraging consumer franchise driven by the taste and quality of its food offerings. Over 50 innovative ITC Master Chef frozen snacks products for both the foodservice industry as well as the retail end-users are currently available in over 100 cities through different distribution channels.
"We are glad to partner with Havmor Ice cream to further strengthen our distribution reach and offer customers a choicest range of easy-to-cook and healthy snacks through Havmor Ice cream's sales network. With a strong distribution model in the ice cream space, we are confident that Havmor Ice creams consumer-centricity and extensive reach will complement our capabilities in creating innovative products to enhance the overall value offering for the customers." The mobile carts will sell ITC Master Chef frozen snacks ranging from burger patties to fries, pizza pocket to aloo tikki, potato bites to harabhara kebab, mini vada pops to the vegetable patty. The carts will be located at 100 locations across Delhi and NCR, which can also be located via Google MyMap. Upon clicking the link, the user will be directed to a map with all the location points laid out, therefore, making it easier for them to locate the nearest cart. Consumers buying from the cart will receive discount vouchers that can be redeemed at itcstore.in, the company's own D2C platform.
Commenting on the partnership, Komal Anand, MD and CEO at Havmor Ice cream said, "This is a Win-Win initiative for both the companies & its channel partners. It helps ITC Master Chef enhance availability during season and it allows Havmor Ice creams channel partners generate incremental revenues during winter months. Expanding Pushcart operations is an integral part of Havmor Ice creams strategy to enhance its reach. Given that the frozen supply chain in India is evolving, leveraging the existing eco system to expand reach at optimised cost will continue to remain a focus area said Mr. Anand.
Havmor is amongst India's leading ice-cream brands and is known for its great tasting ice creams, made from milk.
The Frozen retail market has been growing at 15 per cent CAGR as consumers seek variety in food that is tasty, convenient to cook and safe and hygienic. Aiding this growth, is the improvements in frozen supply chain and last mile delivery. The availability of Frozen Foods in e-commerce channels and the growth of Modern Trade outlets has also helped expand availability and category discoverability, adding many first time users to the category and increasing household penetration.
The frozen snacks repertoire by ITC is a complete food solution for both professional chefs and homemakers and have carefully developed in a variety of nutritious and tasty choices. One can enjoy them either as they are or be used to create endless possibilities in the comfort of one's kitchen. The range presents a number of healthier, preservative-free options at attractive price points. This makes them ideal preferences for the foodservice industry as well as for retail purchases where costs and quality concerns are paramount. Recipes have been crafted to suit a variety of cooking methods beyond deep frying that reduce one's calorie intake by a significant amount. It is feasible to bake, air fry, shallow fry, or simply Tawa cook these delectable snacks.
The ITC Master Chef brand draws its competitive advantage from the unique enterprise synergies of ITC including the agri sourcing capabilities of its Agri Business, culinary expertise of ITC Hotel's master chefs, deep consumer insights as well as the manufacturing prowess of ITC's Foods Business, among others.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Yogi Adityanath's biographer Shantanu Gupta, having made waves with his bestselling 'The Monk Who Became Chief Minister', returns with a new title 'The Monk Who Transformed Uttar Pradesh' published by Garuda Prakashan.
The book meticulously details how Yogi Adityanath transformed Uttar Pradesh as Chief Minister, in various aspects like law and order, air and road connectivity, education, health infrastructure, electricity, industrial growth, agriculture and other important aspects.
The book carries a foreword by T.V. Mohandas Pai, ex-director of Infosys and chairman of Aarin Capital.
Pai writes: "When Yogi Adityanath took over as CM, Lutyens Delhi -- the name by which the power structure and supporters of the ancient regime are known -- exploded in anger and derision. They questioned his capability to be CM, abused him roundly, and predicted the total failure of his regime. They forget that he was a 5-time MP, a person of great accomplishment as an MP going by his track record in Parliament, had toured most districts of UP and knew the living conditions of the people of UP more than any of his critics." The author, Shantanu Gupta, goes on to explain that governance under the SP and BSP governments institutionalized three things in UP's politics -- goonda raj, widespread corruption and a high degree of nepotism.
"Corruption became part of the basic grammar of UP. All development indices of UP remained abysmally low during those years, apart from the crime numbers, which always soared. Only industry, which was getting benefited from Uttar Pradesh in those years, was Bollywood - which drew inspiration for many of its criminal thriller sequences from UP, where Mulayam Singh Yadav had in-famously defended heinous rapists, saying -- "Ladke Hain, Galti Ho Jati Hai" (Boys, do commit some small mistakes sometimes)," he writes.
The arguments in the book are backed by hard facts -- the massive administrative changes that Yogi brought in UP's work culture, how he overhauled policing in UP, how he electrified a dark Uttar Pradesh with the motto 'Sabko Bijli, Paryapt Bijli aur Nirbadh Bijli', how UP became an expressway state under Yogi's regime and how industries, prosperity and jobs are returning to UP under Yogi.
Having chronicled how Yogi changed the perception of Uttar Pradesh as an un-developed, uneducated, corrupt, lawless and 'Bimaru' state to a transformed and progressive Uttar Pradesh, the author also showcases Yogi's merit-based education system versus Akhilesh Yadav's cheating-based system, the story of Yogi's One-District-One-Medical-College mission to his Covid management, how Yogi's massive pro-farmer steps rendered so-called farmer protests irrelevant, the cultural renaissance of UP under Yogi government and finally, how the duo of Modi-Yogi brought welfare for the poor in UP.
"Uttar Pradesh was disparaged as 'bimaru' and known for governance based on identity politics rather than all-around development, Sabka Vikas. Shantanu Gupta's book is an important contribution to how an effective leader, rooted in India's ancient ethos while looking for apt solutions for contemporary times, can bring real change," says Sankrant Sanu, founder and CEO of Garuda Prakashan.
Many prominent scholars and journalists have applauded the book on social media platforms - Sr Advisor to I&B Ministry Kanchan Gupta, Author and CIC Uday Mahurkar, Author Harsh Madhusudan, USA Congressional candidate Ritesh Tondon, to name a few.
In Book discussion organized by Overseas friends of BJP for the diaspora in 13 cities of Europe - Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP's Foreign cell head Vijay Chauthaiwale and Author Shantanu shared their thoughts. Sudhanshu Trivedi applauded his college junior Shantanu's work and added that Uttar Pradesh has seen a sea of positive change in Yogi Adityanath's tenure.
"Today the same UP has become second in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking leaving many industrialized states behind. Under Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh has become the second largest state of India in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), surging ahead of even the industrialized states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
Uttar Pradesh has doubled the per capita income of its citizens -- from Rs 43,000 per year in 2015-16, when the SP was in power, to Rs 95,000 a year in 2021.
Institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO), IIT Kanpur, Niti Aayog and the Mumbai High Court praised Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath over his Covid-19 management and the way the Yogi government handled the state in the first and second wave. In fact, Australian MP Craig Kelly was so impressed with Yogi Adityanath's handling of Covid that he publicly requested for Yogi Adityanath to be loaned to Australia for some time to manage Covid in his country," adds the author.
Hyderabad, Dec 22 : Customs officials at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday recovered foreign currency worth over Rs 8 lakh from a passenger.
An official said 25,000 Saudi Riyals and 22,500 UAE Dirhams worth Rs 8,00,795 were recovered from a male passenger who was leaving for Sharjah by Indigo 6E 1405.
A case for attempted smuggling of foreign currency was booked against him.
This is the second such case at Hyderabad Airport this month.
On December 1, Customs officials had apprehended two male passengers bound for Dubai. They had seized 89,500 Saudi Arabian Riyals and 2,900 UAE Dirhams worth Rs 17.75 lakh from the duo.
The airport has witnessed a series of incidents of seizure of foreign currency, mostly Saudi Riyals and UAE Dirhams, in recent weeks.
On November 22, Customs officials had seized 55,000 UAE Dirhams and 970 US Dollars worth Rs 11.49 lakh from two female passengers bound for Sharjah.
Earlier, on November 8, a male passenger bound to Dubai was caught with 65,000 Saudi Arabian Riyals worth Rs 12.54 lakh.
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.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Income Tax department on Wednesday conducted searches on several premises of Chinese mobile companies across the nation.
These companies were allegedly violating rule and norms to evade taxes. They were on radar of several probe agencies, including the Income Tax department.
Earlier, the Chinese firms who were allegedly running mobile loan application and transport business were raided by the agencies. Now few more firms have come into their radar.
According to sources, on Wednesday morning several teams were formed by the IT department to conduct searches which started around 9 a.m.
An official said that basically manufacturing units were raided along with a few corporate houses.
"Few teams also raided the godowns of the Chinese mobile companies. The officials have recovered incriminating documents," said the source.
ZTE, a Chinese firm which deals into telecom equipment manufacturing in Gurugram, was on the radar of the IT department. The firm was also raided in August this year. "We had recorded the statement of their India head in connection with tax evasion. We had found irregularities on their end. They were concealing information to avoid tax," said the official.
Ramallah, Dec 22 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on Israel to implement the agreements it signed with Palestine and resume the Middle East peace process, which has been stalled for seven years.
Abbas made the remarks during a meeting with Acting Assistant Secretary of the US State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lempert in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday, Xinhua reported citing Palestine's official news agency WAFA.
Abbas briefed Lempert on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, mainly Israel's unilateral practices against the Palestinians that undermine the world backed two-state solution.
Abbas told Lempert that it is necessary to stop the Israeli measures and implement the agreements signed between the two sides to start a real political process based on implementing the international resolutions.
Abbas' meeting with Lempert came one day before his meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who arrived in Israel on Tuesday to discuss several issues, including the revival of the stalled peace process.
Direct peace talks between Israel and Palestine came to a halt in late March 2014, following deep differences on issues such as Jewish settlements and the recognition of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : Positive global cues along with bargain hunting supported India's key equity indices' up-move during the mid-afternoon trade on Wednesday.
However, rising Omicron cases as well as continuous outflows of foreign funds capped gains.
Globally, Asian stock markets followed Wall Street to rise higher on Wednesday after the US called for vaccinations and testing, but no travel curbs in response to the omicron coronavirus variant.
Nevertheless, European stock markets opened mixed on Wednesday as traders continued to weigh up coronavirus restrictions, infection rates and the effects on the economy.
At 2.30 p.m., the S&P BSE Sensex traded at 56,727.83 points, up 0.73 per cent. Besides, the broader 50-scrip Nifty at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) rose to 16,896 points, up 125.15 per cent from its previous close.
"Indian equity benchmarks maintained their upward momentum in the noon session. Sentiments were getting support from the Asian markets coupled with the US President's statement to reach a deal of $2 trillion with Senator Joe Manchin," said Gaurav Garg, Head of Research, CapitalVia Global Research.
"Additional support came in the market as the government said that profitability of public sector banks has improved on a consolidated basis after amalgamation." According to Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities: "Nifty opened with another upgap on December 22 and kept rising gradually. Post one intra day correction, it has recovered well." "Among sectors, Realty, Metals, Capital Goods, Auto, Telecom and Healthcare indices have risen the most."
Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, Dec 22 : The Federation of Kannada Organisations on Wednesday announced a 'bandh' on December 31 demanding a ban on the Maharashtra Ekikarana Samithi (MES) in Karnataka.
Speaking to the media Vatal Nagaraj, a Kannada activist, said that MES is causing unrest in the state by fuelling tension between the Kannadigas and Marathi people.
A bandh will be observed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on December 31, Nagaraj added.
"We are giving a deadline to the Karnataka government to ban MES by December 29 midnight. If they fail to ban, a bandh will be observed across the state. It is a question of self-respect. No one should oppose this bandh," he said.
The government should also urge the Central government to impose President's rule in Maharashtra as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has failed to rein in elements who are targeting Kannada-speaking people, he added.
Various Kannada organisations have extended support to the bandh. However, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike President, Narayana Gowda said that they don't support the call for a bandh.
"People have just been recovering from Covid-19 infection. Bandh is not a solution for all problems. We will protest against MES in a different way," he added.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Amid the growing Omicron cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday hold a review meeting on the Covid related situation in the country.
The Omicron tally in the country has reached 213 as per the health ministry report.
In a statement, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday morning that the Omicron infection tally has reached 213 across the nation. However, out of the total Omicron positive cases, 90 have been discharged. So far 15 states have reported Omicron cases, said the ministry. At 57, Delhi has the highest cases of Omicron infection followed by Maharashtra with 54 cases, said the ministry report.
Meanwhile, the Centre has said that the new Covid variant Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
The Centre has asked the states to review the emerging data of Covid-19 affected population, geographical spread, hospital infrastructure and its utilisation, manpower, notifying Containment Zones and the enforcement of perimeter of containment zones at the district levels. The Centre has also asked the states to formulate a strategy that can ensure infection is contained at the local level itself before it spreads to other parts.
Amid the Omicron threat, the states have been asked to 'activate war rooms and keep analysing all trends and surges, no matter how small and keep taking proactive measures at the district or local level'.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police has filed a 111-page charge sheet in the infamous Rohini court shootout case of September 24, sources said on Wednesday.
According to sources, the charge sheet mentions that the shooters were given a 1-month training at the residence of one of the accused. It was learnt that one of the accused was an Advocate by profession.
The Rohini Court in the national capital has been in the limelight for the past two months after two back-to-back attacks that raised several questions on the security arrangements at the court premises. Even local courts have several times come down heavily on the security scenario at the Court.
In the first incident on September 24 that seemed ripped from a Bollywood potboiler, top Delhi gangster Jitender Singh Mann, alias Gogi, was shot dead inside the Courtroom by two assailants of rival Tilu Tajpuria gang, dressed in lawyers' garb. In the retaliatory fire, the assailants were also shot dead.
A bitter strife between two rival gangs, constantly being escalated by regular bloodbaths, was the prime reason of Gogi's murder.
Sources said that Tillu had sent the shooters, identified as Jagdish and Rahul, on August 23. "They had also gone to Panipat on September 13 to check gangster Gogi's security arrangements," sources said.
They said that guns were provided by Rakesh Tajpuriya in Haryana while the gangleader Tillu Tajpuriya was in constant touch with them through WhatsApp calls.
"The lawyers' uniform was provided to the assailants by some person near AIIMS in Delhi," sources said, adding that details about the chargesheet are still awaited.
Notably, the charge sheet has been filed just 13 days after the second incident, when a low-intensity blast ripped off inside courtroom number 102 of Rohini court complex injuring one person present within the blast radius on December 9. A DRDO scientist was later nabbed for the act.
The police said that the accused scientist Bharat Bhushan Kataria, 47, planted the IED at a place where a lawyer was likely to sit inside the Courtroom, as he was "highly frustrated due to the protracted legal battles which were causing problems in his career as well as prolonged mental harassment and monetary loss to him and his family".
The probe revealed that Kataria and Advocate Vashistha were living in the same building till about 3 years ago. They were having a long-standing dispute of over 10 years and had filed over a dozen civil and criminal cases against each other.
Chennai, Dec 22 : One of the candidates for privatisation, United India Insurance Company's solvency ratio has gone down to 0.74 as against the sectoral regulator's norm of 1.5.
In a regulatory filing, the central government owned non-life insurer had said its solvency margin as on September 30, 2021 was 0.74 per cent.
The sectoral regulatory Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has stipulated the solvency margin ratio for insurers as 1.5.
The company closed the first half of the current fiscal with a gross premium income of Rs 7,649.40 crore and a net loss of Rs 966.49 crore.
For the corresponding period of the previous year, United India had earned a gross premium of Rs 7,797.89 crore and a net profit of Rs 169.36 crore.
The central government had earlier announced that it would privatise one of its three insurers - United India, National Insurance Company and The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday called for a collective reflection and individual introspection as the House clocked a productivity of 47.9 per cent only, which is the fifth lowest of the 12 sessions held in over four years.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Wednesday, a day ahead of the schedule.
Naidu expressed his concern and unhappiness over the functioning of the House. In his brief valedictory remarks, Naidu urged the MPs to collectively reflect and individually introspect on the way the session has gone by.
He observed; "The winter session of the august House concludes today. I am not happy to share with you that the House functioned much below its potential. I urged all of you to collectively and individually reflect and introspect if this session could have been different and better. I don't want to speak elaborately on the course of this session as it would lead me to take a very critical view. Statistics regarding various aspects of functioning of the House during this session will be released to the media for wider dissemination." The Rajya Sabha clocked productivity of 47.90 per cent during the 18 sittings of the winter session that concluded Wednesday. Out of the total scheduled sitting time of 95 hours 06 minutes, the House could discharge business only for 45 hours 34 minutes. This session's productivity of 47.90 per cent is the fifth lowest among the 12 sessions presided over by Naidu over the last four years.
A total time of 49 hours 32 minutes was lost due to persistent disruptions and forced adjournments. The time lost amounts to 52.08 per cent of the available time.
The Question Hour was the worst hit with 60.60 per cent of the total Question Hour time available having been lost as forfeited on account of disruptions. Question Hour could not be taken up at all on seven of the 18 sittings.
Ten Bills were passed by the Rajya Sabha during the session while the discussion on the Appropriation Bill scheduled to be concluded on the last day was not taken up.
A total time of 21 hours 07 minutes was spent on discussing the Government Bills, including the Appropriation Bill accounting for 46.5 per cent of the functional time of the House. 127 interventions were made by the MPs in these debates.
The members could avail only about 30 per cent of the time available for Zero Hour during the session and only 82 Zero Hour submissions could be made during the 18 sittings. 64 Special Mentions were made by the MPs.
During the Winter Session period, seven Department Related Standing Committees of the Rajya Sabha have held a total of 19 meetings over a total duration of 28 hours 36 minutes. These Committees clocked an average duration of 1 hour 32 minutes and an average attendance of about 51 per cent in these meetings.
The Committee on Transport, Tourism & Culture held the highest of seven meetings with the highest average duration of 2 hours 05 minutes per meeting. The Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Commerce and Home Affairs reported good attendance of about 60 per cent or more.
Chennai, Dec 22 : Thoothukudi Central police of Tamil Nadu said on Wednesday that it has arrested six persons in connection with the seizure of 20 kg of Brown Sugar which is worth Rs 21 crore in the international market.
A special team of Police led by Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sampath was constituted by the Thoothukudi Superintendent of Police, S. Jayakumar after a tip-off that brown sugar in large quantity has reached the city.
Police team zeroed in on one Anzar Ali and nabbed him, who on interrogation informed about the presence of two more people -- Imran Khan and Marimuthu who had concealed the contraband.
On searching the residences of Anzar Ali and Imran Khan, police could seize only 50 gram and 110 gram of brown sugar respectively and on further investigation, it was revealed that three bags of brown sugar were concealed at the residence of Anthonymuthu, an accomplice at Tharuvaikulam near Thoothukudi central town.
Two other accomplices, Kasali and Prem were also nabbed and taken into custody by the police. Thoothukudi police informed that a total of six persons would have been arrested and will be produced before the judicial magistrate court later on Wednesday.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : With the Income Tax department conducting searches at several premises of Chinese mobile companies across the nation, smartphone brand OPPO said on Wednesday it will continue to cooperate with authorities as per procedure.
According to sources, the smartphone companies were allegedly violating rules and norms to evade taxes and were on the radar of several probe agencies, including the I-T department.
In a statement to IANS, OPPO said that as an invested partner in India, "We highly respect and abide by the law of the land".
"We will continue to fully cooperate with authorities concerned as per procedure," the company added.
Earlier, some Chinese firms which were allegedly running mobile loan application and transport business, were raided by the agencies. Now, few more firms have come into their radar.
According to sources, several teams were formed by the I-T department to conduct searches which started around 9 a.m on Wednesday, and were likely to continue till late in the day.
Reliable sources told IANS that in the case of Xiaomi, routine IT procedure was being carried on, and there was no I-T raid at its premises or its distributors' places.
According to an official, basically the manufacturing units were being raided along with a few corporate houses.
"Few teams also raided the godowns of the Chinese mobile companies. The officials have recovered incriminating documents," said the source.
The raids took place at the offices of state-distribution partners of OPPO, including in Hyderabad, the source added.
ZTE, a Chinese firm which deals in telecom equipment manufacturing in Gurugram, was on the radar of the IT department.
The firm was also raided in August this year. "We had recorded the statement of their India head in connection with tax evasion. We had found irregularities on their end. They were concealing information to avoid tax," said the official.
Los Angeles, Dec 22 : Hollywood actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film 'Don't Look Up', says he often in his career looked for a film that had an environmental undertone to it.
Talking about the movie, Leonardo said, "I've often in my career looked for a film that had an environmental undertone to it and what Adam did was so brilliant, using the analogy of a giant comet heading towards Earth and showing how the human race would react to it from a political and scientific level, which I had never seen before." He added: "It was a once in a lifetime opportunity in a lot of ways. I'm a huge fan of a lot of these films that came from the '60s and '70s - 'The Parallax View', 'Three Days of the Condor', certainly 'Network' and, of course, 'Dr Strangelove', which talked about the Cold War through dark comedy." DiCaprio and co-star Jennifer Lawrence both consulted Dr Amy Mainzer, an astronomer and climate change scientist who served as an advisor to the cast and crew remotely. DiCaprio credits Dr Mainzer with helping him for his role.
He said: "I must've had 100 conversations with her. I've spoken to many climate scientists, but our discussions were taken from the viewpoint of an astronomer. It was amazing to see the parallels in their thinking." 'Don't Look Up' is releasing on December 24 on Netflix.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The super-mutant Omicron variant that has rapidly spread to 106 countries in less than a month from its discovery, may have peaked, suggests data from South Africa and the UK.
South Africa's Gauteng Province - the epicentre of Omicron infection - has shown a decrease, according to the country's latest weekly epidemiological update.
Gauteng reported a 3.9 per cent decrease in the number of Omicron infections, compared to the previous week (377 cases per 100,000 persons). However, all other provinces reported an increase.
"In the past week, all provinces reported an increase in weekly incidence risk, except the Gauteng Province which reported a decrease (15.1 cases per 100,000 persons, 3.9 per cent decrease), compared to the previous week," the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, wrote in the update.
The increase in cases ranged from 81.7 per cent in Limpopo Province to 254.6 per cent increase) in the Free State Province.
Between November 12 and 20, 77 Covid virus samples were analysed from Gauteng. Genome sequencing and other genetic analysis showed that the Omicron variant was responsible for all the samples. Post this, the number of cases rose significantly in Gauteng, achieving dominance in South Africa as well as other countries. Tests reveal an estimated 90 per cent of Covid-19 cases in Gauteng since mid-November have been Omicron.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Covid cases have plateaued for six days now, having hit a peak of more than 93,000 on Friday, the Daily Mail reported.
In London, which was a hotbed for Omicron, a total of 20,491 cases were recorded on Tuesday, down slightly from Monday's tally of 22,750.
Omicron cases "look like they've peaked", Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, was quoted as saying.
"It's not all doom and gloom, it does look like Omicron has stopped growing. The numbers over the last few days seem to have plateaued and maybe even be falling," Hunter said.
However, he added that "it's a bit too soon to be absolutely sure about that".
"We have to be a little bit careful because it's only a few days." According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the UK so far has recorded 60,508 cases of Omicron. Fourteen patients have died from the strain and 129 have been hospitalised.
Further, Hunter said that Omicron overtook the other variants around December 14 to gain dominance in the country.
"So if it was still doubling every two days that would have shown and we should have been at 200,000 cases yesterday and certainly more than 200,000 cases today," Hunter said.
"But the fact it has been around 91,000 raises the point that it might actually have peaked. But it will probably take until at least Wednesday to get an idea of a day that is not affected by the weekend," he added.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has completely ruled out any further curbs being introduced before December 25.
However, he said the government is still monitoring the "finely balanced" situation with Omicron "very carefully" and is "ready to take action" afterwards if necessary, the report said.
Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Canberra, Dec 22 : Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged people to "stay calm and get boosted" amid surging coronavirus infections.
Morrison on Wednesday met state and territory leaders to discuss the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Australia, Xinhua news agency reported.
Following the meeting, he announced that one-quarter of the state-run vaccination hubs that closed after Australia got 80 per cent of its population fully vaccinated against Covid will reopen to encourage booster shot uptake.
"Omicron, we all agree, presents another new challenge, but we have faced so many challenges already during the course of this pandemic," Morrison told reporters.
"As the country moves past 80 per cent, then we did see the demand at state-based clinics decline. And as a result, some of those facilities were withdrawn." "They now need to be ramped up again." State and territory leaders have pushed for the interval between the second and third vaccine doses to be reduced from five months, but Morrison said the final decision would be made by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
The national cabinet also agreed to reconsider testing requirements for interstate travel, with testing sites across the country swamped in the lead-up to the Christmas period, and to agree on a common definition of a "casual contact" of a positive case.
Australia on Wednesday reported a record of more than 5,700 new locally acquired COVID-19 infections and eight deaths.
The daily number of new cases kept rising in New South Wales to 3,763 on Wednesday, which is the highest number of daily COVID-19 infections recorded in the whole country.
The Australian Capital Territory also reported a record of 58 new infections.
Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Lucknow, Dec 22 : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati has finalized candidates on 100 seats in Uttar Pradesh for the 2022 assembly elections.
The names of the selected candidates are being announced in public meetings organised by the party leaders in various districts.
The candidates have also been made in charge of the assembly segments from which they will be contesting the upcoming elections.
According to party sources, the BSP plans to finalize the candidates on the remaining 300 seats by mid-January.
Mayawati will launch the party's campaign after the Election Commission announces the election schedule.
The BSP president has been accused of staying away from the political arena and has been limiting her activities to press statements and tweets.
According to party national general secretary, Satish Chandra Mishra, "The BJP, SP and Congress are luring leaders with tickets for the assembly elections.
"The rival parties have promised tickets to 10 candidates on a single seat, but their tactics had been exposed as the prospective candidates are now being pressured to bring people to public meetings. The rival parties are apprehending a revolt in the party and are, therefore, delaying announcement of candidates," he said.
Mishra said that the BSP was working on social engineering formula of 'sarvajan hitaye - sarvajan sukhaye' to win the elections. The members of all communities were being given adequate representation in distribution of tickets, he said.
Mayawati is also screening and finalizing the candidates for the 70 assembly seats in Uttarakhand where the party will contest on its own as well as Punjab where the BSP is contesting assembly elections in alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Meanwhile, BSP district unit president Akhilesh Ambedkar said the party had finalized tickets on seven assembly seats out of the nine seats in Lucknow district.
To enlist the support of the minority community, Mayawati has fielded Muslim candidates on four assembly seats -- Lucknow North, Lucknow West, Bakshi Ka Talab and Sarojini Nagar.
The BSP had managed to win only 19 seats in the 2017 assembly polls and is now left with merely six legislators since others have either left or have been expelled.
Kiev, Dec 22 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Kiev is ready to implement the Minsk agreements designed to end the conflict in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbas.
"We even wrote 10 steps on how to get it done very quickly. It is a complex document. It is 10 steps involving the Normandy format and the USA," he said during a meeting with Ukrainian diplomats in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region, reported Xinhua, citing Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Zelensky said that Kiev has already submitted the 10-step plan on implementing the Minsk agreements to the US, France, Germany and Russia.
At the same time, he expressed his readiness to negotiate with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to resolve the conflict in Donbas.
The Minsk agreements, reached in September 2014 and February 2015 respectively, outline the steps needed to end the conflict between government troops and armed groups in Donbas, which has left some 14,000 dead since April 2014.
The documents envisage a ceasefire, a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the demarcation line, a prisoner exchange and local elections, among other measures.
Taluqan, Dec 22 : Unidentified armed men killed a former policeman in Bangi district of northern Afghanistan's Takhar province on Tuesday, local official Noor Mohammad said on Wednesday.
The official said the murder took place on Tuesday night and an investigation has been launched to determine what was behind the killing, Xinhua news agency reported.
A villager on condition of anonymity, identified the victim as Mohammad Akram, and said the reason for his murder could be personal enmity.
In another incident on Tuesday night, armed men stabbed to death a 30-year-old man in Chardara district of the neighbouring Kunduz province, said Kunduz's administration official Matihullah Rohani.
Mandi : , Dec 22 (IANS) Students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi in Himachal Pradesh this year received 166 job offers, comprising seven international placements, officials said on Wednesday.
A total of 137 students have been placed so far.
The average salary rose by 13 per cent, while the median salary 16 per cent. The highest package saw a hike of nine per cent compared to the previous year.
The international offers from companies comprise Accenture, Enjoy LLC, and Weather News, says the institute.
Top recruiters include Google, Microsoft, Samsung Bangalore, Adobe, Walmart, Sprinklr, Paytm, Amazon, Indeed, Cashfree, Nference, Flipkart, Mindtickle, Texas Instruments, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Ceremorphic, Addverb, L&T, ZS, Deloitte, Viscadia, Capgemini, KPMG, TCS, Reliance Jio, and LTI.
"In the drive, the institute has noticed a significant growth in terms of the number of offers and an increase in participation from the diversified companies, which has become possible due to practicum-based and industry-oriented curriculum," Tushar Jain, Advisor, Career and Placement Cell, IIT Mandi, was quoted as saying.
"Since students have undergone regular online classes and their exams, whether written or viva-voice also went online, their performance was remarkable in this interaction," he added.
Fifty-one students got pre-placement offers before the start of the final placement drive in mid-October.
The jobs in demand include product engineer, research and development engineer, software engineer, hardware engineer, business analyst, financial analyst and marketing analyst.
Srinagar, Dec 22 : Sajad Gani Lone, chairman of People's Conference (PC) said on Wednesday that the leaders of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) were lying when they told the media that they will challenge the delimitation commission proposals in the court.
Commenting on Tuesday's media conference of PAGD leaders in which they said if the Delimitation Commission does not change its draft proposals, the PAGD would challenge it in the court, Sajad said on his twitter page, "Will somebody please enlighten them (PAGD). This report cannot be challenged in court. It is legally unchallengeable. Heavens sake. Stop lying through your teeth." Article 329 (A) in The Constitution Of India says that the validity of any law relating to the delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of seats to such constituencies, made or purporting to be made under Article 327 or Article 328, shall not be called in question in any court. Article 329 (A) of Constitution of India bars challenge to delimitation of constituencies or allotment of seats in any court of law." "Going by sub-section 2 of section 10 of Delimitation Act, the orders of the Commission have force of law and shall not be called in question in any court.
"Don't the people of Kashmir deserve -- that 3 MPs should have known that they will be legitimising the delimitation commission, a document which cannot be legally challenged. Legal legitimacy is constitutionally innate. Political legitimacy bestowed by NC", Sajad said in a series of twitter comments.
He alleged that by its U-turn to participate in the delimitation commission meeting, the National Conference has legitimized what he called, "the grossly unfair delimitation commission proposal".
Tokyo, Dec 22 : Japan reported its most likely first community spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Osaka Prefecture on Wednesday, with one infected person having travelled overseas recently and three family members being infected through unknown sources.
A man in his 30s with a recent history of travelling overseas was identified as a close contact. He had stayed in a designated quarantine hotel and later was confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant, Xinhua news agency reported.
The three family members are a man and woman in their 30s and a girl under 10. They were admitted to the hospital between Saturday and Monday after developing mild symptoms, including fever.
The Osaka prefectural government has already identified close contacts of the family members, with health authorities conducting tests and monitoring their health condition.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said it is most likely Japan's first case of community transmission as Japan steps up efforts to prevent entry of the Omicron variant through strict border controls.
Yoshimura called on residents to take measures to protect themselves from infection "on the premise that there are community spread infections in the prefecture." Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters that the cases in the western region should be considered as a community transmission and the government will take all necessary precautions.
"At this point, we don't believe the Omicron variant is widespread in the country," Goto also noted.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that Japan will extend the current border control measures "for the time being" through early January next year as the Asian country remains vigilant amid uncertainty over the mutant strain.
Ramallah, Dec 22 : A Palestinian driver was killed by Israeli soldiers at an army checkpoint near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, said Palestinian and Israeli sources.
Official Palestinian sources said that Israeli soldiers on Tuesday opened fire on a Palestinian vehicle at an Israeli military checkpoint southwest of Jenin, adding that the car caught fire with the driver inside, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed in a statement that Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian driver, who reportedly tried to carry out a car-ramming attack against a number of Israeli soldiers standing near the checkpoint.
No injuries were reported among the soldiers, according to the statement.
Palestinian social media activists published photos and video clips showing flames coming from the burned car.
In Gaza, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) welcomed the car-ramming attack near Jenin.
Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said that the attack was "a response to the Israeli prison services' practices against Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli jails." On Monday, Palestine condemned the Israeli military's decision to allow soldiers to directly open fire at Palestinian stone throwers in the West Bank even after they run away.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a press statement that "the decision serves as a green light to commit more field executions against the Palestinians, according to the whims, moods, and assessments of the Israeli soldiers."
Chennai, Dec 22 : Fishermen and their families from Rameshwaram, Mandapam and Jagathapattinam on Wednesday observed a one-day hunger strike at Thangachimadam to protest the detention of 68 fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary.
The fishermen association leader and All Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association president P. Sesu Raja, told IANS, "This is only a token strike, if our fishermen are not back home by December 31, we would resort to a rail roko agitation from January 1. The Sri Lankan Navy had taken in possession 10 mechanised fishing boats that are our livelihoods and I appeal to the Central government to immediately take up the issue with the Sri Lankan government through diplomatic channels to secure the release of our people and their boats." He said that the government must ensure that the mechanised boats that are in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy must be released. Sesu Raja said that each mechanised boat costs a minimum of Rs 30 lakhs and if the Sri Lankan Navy does not release these boats, then the fishermen will not have anything to carry on with their vocation.
Several family members of the arrested fishermen also participated in the hunger strike.
Angel Mary Mathew (46), whose son Antony Raju (23) was taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Navy, told IANS, " Why is the Sri Lankan Navy taking our fishermen into custody. They should accompany our fishermen and tell them where exactly the International Maritime boundary is in the sea. We will go ahead with a rail roko agitation if our people are not released by December 31." The fishermen from Tamil Nadu were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy on December 18, 19, and 20. While 43 fishermen were detained on December 18, 12 were arrested on December 19, and 13 on December 20.
Mary Micheal, whose son-in-law is also in custody, told IANS, "The Indian authorities should immediately act for the immediate release of our men. We are running from pillar to post to overcome this ordeal. Hope wisdom prevails on the Indian government and it intervenes in the matter to get our fishermen released."
Mumbai, Dec 22 : Actor Ali Merchant will be returning to the screen after eight years with his upcoming show 'Libaas', which is a romantic murder mystery.
The actor has credited the show's story for saying 'yes' to the project.
On being part of 'Libaas', the actor shares, "Being on-screen and on set after 8-9 years feels wonderful. It's the story that made me say 'yes' to the show as well as the director's perception. 'Libaas' is a romantic murder mystery, is what I can reveal as of now and I portray an angry unconventional cop's character. Hope the audiences are as excited to see me on screen as I am to be back." The show is being bankrolled by Vibhu Agarwal, CEO and founder of ULLU Digital, and will premiere soon on the ULLU app.
Talking about the show, Agarwal said, "This year has been very constructive and fruitful for us and as we enter the New Year, our aim still remains the same - to build our content library with more high-profile shows. 2021 for us was about bringing quality content starring some of the most renowned actors and we continue to pace in that direction." The show, which has just gone on floors in Mumbai, also stars Krip Suri, Indraneel Bhatacharya and Vikas Verma.
Belagavi, Dec 22 : The education system needs a complete overhaul and it should start from the university level, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.
The Chief Minister in his address after laying the foundation stone for the Rani Chennamma University complex at a new site at Hirebagevadi in Belagavi district, said a practical-based education system is needed to meet the challenges of rapid change in the present era.
There is a huge difference between the syllabus being taught and the practical needs of the world. The New Education Policy (NEP) is being implemented to bridge this gap, he added.
The current generation of students need the power of knowledge to face challenges with confidence and courage. The NEP will empower them with the necessary knowledge, Bommai said.
Kitturu Rani Chennamma fought against the British with great courage and confidence. She made history as the first woman freedom fighter.
Rani Chennamma is the inspiration for this university. Every one associated with this varsity must show the commitment to take it to international level, the Chief Minister added.
Universities should not become mere centres of awarding degrees. They should foster innovation, experimentation and develop into centres for finding solutions for problems being faced by society. They should keep pace with technological and social changes happening in the world, Bommai said.
He wanted the universities to inculcate logical and lateral thinking, and create a conducive ecosystem for learning. The academics in the university should not confine themselves to their campuses. The Vice-Chancellors of universities must lead from the front and guide the institution. The Chief Minister assured all help from the state government to enable Rani Chennamma University to bring changes in the education system.
Kolkata, Dec 22 : The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur - ranked 5th in the Engineering category by NIRF Ranking 2020 and 58th by QS 2021 Asia Ranking - has recorded the highest placement offers in the history of IITs accounting to 1,600 job offers with the highest CTC of Rs 2.4 crore per annum. Around 35 international job offers were also received.
According to a statement issued by the premiere institute, two students received the package of Rs 2 crore per annum whereas more than 21 offers were in the range of Rs 1 crore per annum. Due to the early progress, IIT Kharagpur has concluded the first phase of placement for this year by December 11 and the second phase is proposed to start in the second week of January 2022.
It started with the Career Development Centre (CDC) of IIT Kharagpur receiving 276 pre-placement offers (PPO) where students were given eight-weeks internship opportunities with the beginning of placement for the academic session 2020-21. Over 30 companies participated on the first day, extending over 130 placement offers to the final year students.
IIT Kharagpur placed 1,500 plus students on the seventh day (i.e December 7, 2021) of its placement drive which surpassed all the previous years' total placement figures. IIT Kharagpur students bagged over 22 offers in the CTC range of Rs 0.9 - Rs 2.4 crore of which over 10 offers were made by domestic companies.
The total number of international offers is more than 35. The average number of hires per company has also increased, leading to an overall increase in the number of offers per day. More than 245 companies have participated in this placement season thus contributing to this milestone.
This year companies across all sectors including software, high-level coding, analytics, consulting, core engineering companies, banking/finance, high-frequency trading, etc, have participated in the process.
Recruiters such as Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Honeywell, Microsoft, MasterCard, Dr Reddy's, Tata Steel have offered more than 10 PPOs each. By Day-8 of the placement drive, over 1000 offers have been bagged by the students, out of which 30 are international offers from countries such as Japan and Taiwan and companies including Accenture, TSMC, Sony, Rakuten, and Valuance.
In the first phase of the placement session, Google, Microsoft, Micron Technology, Uber, Honeywell, Excel and many more valuable partners have led to this successful run, the statement said.
Panaji, Dec 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the working culture in a democracy, BJP national president J.P. Nadda said here on Wednesday, adding that when the Prime Minister of India speaks on international issues, the world now listens.
Nadda, who was speaking at a function organised by the Goa BJP to release its 10-year report card on governance, Nadda also said that under previous regimes, India was known as a corrupt and backward country.
"There is a change in working culture in a democracy. You have to understand that this change in working culture has happened because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am not saying this just because I am giving a speech," Nadda said.
"The culture was to just deliver speeches to lure people, talking about nice things, picking on issues in society, which can trigger a sort of a competition in sections of society and giving an emotional edge to issues," he said.
"(They indulged in) vote-bank politics, becoming a champion of one section of society and when you get the votes, then looking after yourself, looking after your family, filling up your home with riches earned through corruption and then awaiting the next elections. This was the political culture and I am speaking with full responsibility," Nadda added.
With the coming of Modi as the Prime Minister, Nadda said that the spotlight has turned on the concerns and well-being of people.
"The previous government ate meva (loaves of power), we have to understand that seva (service) was carried out by governments headed by Atal ji and Modi," Nadda said.
Nadda also said that India was besieged by corruption and was considered as a "corrupt" nation.
"We were being counted as corrupt. We were a backward country. We have progressed from that to where we are now. On international issues, what Modi speaks, the world listens. This is the situation which we have today," Nadda said.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 22 : With nine more Covid-19 patients turning positive for the Omicron variant on Wednesday, the tally in Kerala has gone up to 24, said State Health Minister Veena George.
She said that out of the nine patients, six came from various countries to Kochi, while three arrived at the airport in the capital city.
"The six who came to Kochi had tested Covid positive at the airport and were quickly admitted to a hospital and hence there were none in their contact list. While one passenger who arrived from UK tested Covid positive on arrival here, was moved to a hospital, while two others who arrived from Nigeria on December 10 turned positive later and had just two of their children as primary contact," added George.
Following increase in Omicron cases, all the four airports have ramped up screening of arriving passengers and with the Christmas season beginning, the government has asked all to observe Covid protocols and ensure that all who have not taken the second dose of vaccination take it immediately.
By now 75 per cent of the above aged 18 years have taken both the doses while 97.38 per cent have taken one dose and the authorities are now conducting camps to see all are given both the doses at the earliest.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Taking suo motu cognizance, the government on Wednesday ordered a probe into allegations of hacking of Instagram accounts of Priyanka Gandhi and Robert Vadra's children.
According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology approached Instagram taking suo motu cognizance of the allegation made by Priyanka Gandhi of the hacking of the Instagram accounts of her children. Instagram has informed the ministry that the allegation is false and no complaint has been lodged from the Gandhi family or on behalf of anyone so far.
According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked the Computer Emergency Response Team to investigate the matter. Under the protocol, the team can also speak to Priyanka Gandhi and her children if required.
Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday had accused the government of hacking the Instagram accounts of her children. After that her husband Robert Vadra threatened legal action in the matter.
In an exclusive chat with IANS over phone, Robert Vadra said on Tuesday, "We have the proof of what we are saying. We will definitely take recourse to the law. We believe in the justice system. The way this government is behaving, only legal remedy can stop it. Also, this should not happen to children."
New Delhi, Dec 22 : After the Winter Session of the Parliament came to a close one day before schedule on Wednesday, the Congress has now shifted its focus to state elections, with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur set to got to the polls early next year.
According to sources, interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi met all the Lok Sabha MPs on Wednesday and took their feedback on the Winter Session. She also asked the MPs to give time for the Assembly elections, the sources said.
The Congress faces the major challenge of retaining power in Punjab, and coming up with a credible show against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
Except in Uttar Pradesh, the party is in direct contest with the BJP in three states, while in Punjab, it faces the Akali Dal-BSP and Aam Aadmi Party.
Though it is not the main challenger in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress wants to be ahead of the BSP in the contest.
The Congress is faced with a crisis in Goa, where almost all the MLAs have deserted the party, except for two former Chief Ministers -- Digambar Kamat and Pratap Singh Rane.
It faces somewhat similar problem in Punjab, where one MLA has left the party while many others have lined up to join the Punjab Lok Congress, the outfit floated by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
The party is in a better position in Uttrakhand, where some BJP MLAs have joined the party.
In Manipur too, the Congress is facing an exodus ahead of the polls. The party is paying special attention to the northeastern state and has appointed Jairam Ramesh as the senior observer. In the last elections in Manipur, the Congress could not form the government despite emerging as the single largest party.
The same thing happened in Goa, where around 13 MLAs have joined the BJP in the past five years while two have jumped ship to the Trinamool Congress. The grand old party has now appointed veteran leader P. Chidambaram as senior observer in the coastal state.
The toughest challenge is in Uttar Pradesh where Priyanka Gandhi is in-charge with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as senior observer.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : With the Income Tax department conducting searches at several premises of Chinese mobile companies across the nation, leading smartphone brands Xiaomi and OPPO said on Wednesday they continue to cooperate with authorities as per the law of the land.
According to sources, the smartphone companies were allegedly violating rules and norms to evade taxes and were on the radar of several probe agencies, including the I-T Department.
In a statement to IANS, a Xiaomi spokesperson said that as a responsible company, "we give paramount importance to ensuring that we are compliant with all Indian laws".
"As an invested partner in India, we are fully cooperating with authorities to ensure they have all the required information," the company spokesperson added.
OPPO said: "We highly respect and abide by the law of the land." "We will continue to fully cooperate with authorities concerned as per procedure," the company added.
Earlier, some Chinese firms which were allegedly running mobile loan application and transport business, were raided by the government agencies. Now, few more firms have come into their radar.
According to sources, several teams were formed by the I-T Department to conduct searches which started around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, and were likely to continue till late in the day.
Reliable sources had earlier told IANS that in the case of Xiaomi, routine IT procedure was being carried on, and there was no I-T raid at its premises or at its distributors' places.
According to an official, basically the manufacturing units were being raided along with a few corporate houses.
"Few teams also raided the godowns (warehouses) of the Chinese mobile companies. The officials have recovered incriminating documents," said the source.
The raids took place at the offices of state-distribution partners of OPPO, including in Hyderabad, the source added.
ZTE, a Chinese firm which deals in telecom equipment manufacturing in Gurugram, was on the radar of the IT Department.
The firm was also raided in August this year. "We had recorded the statement of their India head in connection with tax evasion. We had found irregularities on their end. They were concealing information to avoid tax," said the official.
Srinagar, Dec 22 : A civilian was shot at and injured by unknown gunmen in Srinagar on Wednesday evening, police said.
Police sources said that the attack on the civilian, identified as Rouf Ahmad Khan, was reported from Eidgah area of the city.
Khan has been shifted to hospital where doctors are attending to him.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday said that the opposition's obduracy disrupted Parliament proceedings.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Meghwal spoke on a wide array of issues including the work done in Parliament, opposition uproar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's accusations against the government. Excerpts: Q. How much work was done in the winter session of Parliament? A. The productivity of the winter session of Parliament was okay and bills were also passed.
But the two issues which were much-talked about were the repeal of the farm laws, on which the opposition demanded a discussion. However, earlier, the opposition was demanding withdrawal of the farm laws without any discussion.
The second issue was the Election Law (Amendment) Bill 2021, which the opposition wanted to send to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. However, the Bill had been discussed there earlier.
The Election Commission of India had also discussed it and all political parties agreed to it, that's why the opposition was showing obduracy.
Because of the opposition's obduracy, Parliament proceedings were disrupted.
Q. But the opposition has been charging the government of getting the bills passed in haste? A. Which Bill? Q. The opposition is especially charging the government of getting the Election Law (Amendment) Bill 2021 passed in haste? A. There has been a long-pending demand for getting the voters' list fixed. People of the country wanted that. That's why we introduced a bill in which there is an optional provision for linking voter ID with the Aadhaar card.
Q. Rahul Gandhi has been charging the government with not being allowed to speak in the House. What have you to say on it? A. Rahul Gandhi and his mother and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi have spoken in the Winter Session of Parliament... So this accusation is baseless.
During Zero Hour, when Rahul Gandhi was asked to put his question, he started speaking on other issues, post which he was asked to raise questions which are done during Zero Hour.
Q. You said that the opposition showed obduracy. But why? A. Their only concern is how Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a huge mandate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. According to the opposition, the Congress should have got it.
The Congress feels that it is their right to be in power....From where has the BJP come...?
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Honor, former sub-brand of Huawei, on Wednesday teased the launch of its first foldable smartphone titled the Honor MagicV that will arrive in 2022.
The company posted its first image on its Weibo and Twitter accounts.
"Unfold all the potential. This is HONOR's first foldable flagship phone, the #HONORMagicV," it said on Twitter.
The Weibo post read that the "folding flagship is about to be released".
The company is yet to reveal its exact launch date.
In 2019, the company's CEO George Zhao told CNET that he was interested in producing a foldable under the Honor brand.
According to a report from The Elec, it could have an 8.03-inch folding inner display paired with a 6.45-inch outer screen, resembling Samsung's Z Fold devices.
The foldable smartphones are rising in popularity. According to techARC, foldable smartphones are set to witness a massive 638 per cent jump in sales in India in 2021 and are expected to touch a record 3 lakh units sales in 2022.
After Samsung, Chinese brand OPPO has also launched its maiden foldable smartphone called 'Find N' that comes with triple-camera at the rear, selfie cameras on both inner and outer displays, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset and up to 12GB RAM.
The brand has not yet revealed its availability and pricing in India.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Over one lakh social media 'yoddhas' (warriors) will be enrolled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to spread the achievements of the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand government and defuse the propaganda of Opposition parties in the poll-bound state, party leaders said.
For this purpose, the BJP has launched a campaign to enrol volunteers, and made an appeal to the youth to join the campaign to become a cyber 'yoddha'.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and BJP youth wing national president Tejasvi Surya has launched the campaign 'Dev Bhoomi ke Digital Yoddha'.
The campaign is run by the Uttarakhand BJP's youth wing in the state. The party has appealed to the people to give missed calls to become its cyber yoddha.
As per the plan, the BJP has decided to enrol one lakh cyber yoddhas in the coming week and they will spread works of Dhami government on various social media platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
It is learnt that these cyber yoddhas will be provided content in the form of video and other materials, highlighting the work of Uttarakhand government to share on their social media handle.
BJYM national secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga told IANS that many people who are active on social media and cannot work like a political worker on ground during the election have been appealed to work for the BJP.
"People who are influenced by the BJP ideology and policy are asked to support us by becoming cyber yoddha and the party will provide the content which they will share on their WhatsApp group and other social media like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram," Bagga said.
The election for the 70-member Uttarakhand assembly will be held in February- March next year along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.
The BJP has set a target of winning over 60 seats in next assembly polls in Uttarakhand. In the last assembly polls in 2017, the BJP won 57 seats.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : The IIT-Bombay has notched an all-time record in the number of placement offers along with lucrative pay packages for its students at the end of the first phase of recruitments in the current season, officials said on Wednesday.
This year (2021-2022) has seen a total of 1,382 offers accepted compared with 973 last year and 1,172 the year before that, comprising both pre-placement and campus placement offers.
The IIT-B has also received the highest domestic CTC package of Rs 1.68 crore annually, the top-most international package is around Rs 2.17 crore per year, and the average CTC of all recruitments this year stands at around Rs 25 lakh per annum.
The lion's share of the placements came from the engineering and technology sector, ascertaining the technical proficiency of IIT-B students.
In terms of the average CTC, the finance sector topped with Rs 28.40 lakh per year, followed by IT-Software (Rs 27.05 lakh pa), R&D (Rs 25.12 lakh pa), Engineering & Technology (Rs 21.54 lakh pa) and Consulting (Rs 18.02 lakh pa).
The number of international and domestic offers above Rs 1 crore per annum are 7 and 5 respectively, as the IIT-B Placement Office focused on connecting with growing start-ups and industry with diverse roles to tackle the market slowdown.
A total of 315 companies participated in the first phase, including 2 PSUs with 9 offers, and more PSUs are likely to join in the second phase of the placement season.
As many as 45 international offers were received from countries like the US, Japan, UAE, Singapore, The Netherlands, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
London, Dec 22 : While it is known that Covid infections give natural antibodies, a new study has shown that people who are unvaccinated but were previously infected by the Delta Covid variant may have very little protection against the new vaccine-evading Omicron.
To measure antibody levels, researchers from the Medical University of Innsbruck, in Austria, compared the blood of those who had beaten Delta against Omicron, Daily Mail reported.
Only one out of seven samples produced enough of the infection-fighting proteins to neutralise Omicron.
"This essentially means the antibodies did not recognise Omicron as a threat due to its heavily mutated nature compared to the Delta variant," the researchers said.
On the contrary, Covid survivors who were also fully vaccinated showed an increased ability to combat the strain, suggesting that prior infection alone offers virtually no protection against catching Omicron, the report said.
The team also tested two doses of the Pfizer jabbed with Omicron and found that it fared better - nine out of 20 samples produced enough antibodies to fight off the new Covid variant before it caused infection.
A similar test for two doses of the Moderna jab showed only one out of 10 was successful in generating antibodies against Omicron, the report said.
Overall, the best results were found in five samples taken from those who had both survived a previous Covid infection and then later got a vaccine - a group of people the researchers dubbed the 'super-immune', the report said.
Although the study has small numbers, it added to research demonstrating Omicron's ability to dodge immunity, Professor Lawrence Young, a microbiologist from the University of Warwick in the UK was quoted as saying.
He stated it was "dangerous" to infer any findings from the study, and added that the study reinforced the importance of getting a booster.
"It's dangerous to extrapolate what this data means for immune protection in vaccinated individuals other than reinforcing the value of booster vaccination - which is likely to be similar to the super immune individuals in this study," Young noted.
Athens, Dec 22 : A man lost his life and dozens were missing after a boat carrying unknown number of refugees and migrants sank off the island of Folegandros, Greece's Coast Guard said on Wednesday.
Twelve persons have been rescued, including seven men, a woman and four minors. The rescue operation was underway to locate the missing, Hellenic Coast Guard spokesperson commander Nikos Kokkalas told Greek national news agency AMNA.
The vessel had probably set sail from the nearby Turkish coast and the destination was Italy, Xinhua news agency reported.
Some survivors told authorities that a total of 32 people were on board, while others raised the number to 50, according to an e-mailed official press statement. Their nationalities have not been clarified so far.
Greece has been at the forefront of the refugee and migrant influx since 2015 and hundreds have perished in the Aegean Sea in the past six years.
Srinagar, Dec 22 : Terrorists shot dead a civilian in Srinagar's downtown area and injured a policeman in South Kashmir's Anantnag district in two separate terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday evening.
Police said a civilian identified as Rouf Ahmad Khan of Nawa Kadal was fired upon by terrorists outside his home. He was moved to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Additional forces have reached the spot and an operation has been started to nab the attackers.
"Terrorists fired upon a civilian namely Rouf Ahmad at Merjanpora, Eidgah PS Safakadal Srinagar. The injured was shifted to SMHS hospital where he was declared dead. Case registered, investigation going on," police said.
In a separate incident an assistant Sub-Inspector of Police was injured after terrorists fired upon him in Bijbehara area of South Kashmir's Anantnag. He has been shifted to a hospital for treatment.
"Terrorists fired indiscriminately and critically injured a police personnel ASI Mohd Ashraf of PS Bijbehara, Anantnag. He has been shifted to Srinagar based hospital for treatment. Area cordoned off," police said.
Security forces have surrounded Bijbehara town to trace the assailants.
Patna, Dec 22 : The special excise court in Gopalganj awarded life imprisonment to two liquor smugglers on Wednesday.
The accused, residents of West Champaran, were caught in Gopalganj district on June 7 this year.
The accused were bringing a huge consignment of liquor in a car from Uttar Pradesh. When they reached near Gandak canal under Gopalpur police station, they were nabbed during checking of vehicles.
The excise court conducted a speedy trial in this case. The prosecution presented a charge-sheet and evidence including video footage during vehicle checking at the time of the arrest. The guilt of the two smugglers was proved in court as their lawyer failed to defend them.
London, Dec 22 : Faced with a vaccine evading Omicron variant, Oxford university and AstraZeneca announced that they have begun the work to develop a Covid shot that specifically targets the new strain.
Early this month, all major drug makers including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, and AstraZeneca had announced plans to quickly investigate and adapt their shots to the highly mutated Omicron variant.
"Like with many previous variants of concern, and together with our partners AstraZeneca, we have taken preliminary steps in producing an updated vaccine in case it is needed," Sandy Douglas, a research group leader at Oxford, was quoted as saying to the Financial Times.
"Adenovirus-based vaccines [such as that made by Oxford/AstraZeneca] could in principle be used to respond to any new variant more rapidly than some may previously have realised. [They have] really important advantages, especially where need and logistical challenges are greatest," he added.
A study published in the journal The Lancet on Monday showed that the protection offered by the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, named Covishield in India, declines after three months of receiving two doses.
The findings by a team of researchers led by University of Edinburgh suggest that booster programmes are needed to help maintain protection from severe disease.
The results are consistent with several studies rendering two doses of nearly all widely used vaccines less effective against the highly transmissible variant. However, a third messenger RNA shot has shown to increase antibody levels.
"Together with Oxford university, we have taken preliminary steps in producing an Omicron variant vaccine, in case it is needed and will be informed by emerging data," AstraZeneca was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The AstraZeneca shot, with partnership from Oxford and India's Serum Institute, was widely deployed with more than 2 billion doses globally - the majority being supplied in poorer nations.
However, several countries restricted its use after the emergence of a rare side effect involving blood clots, the report said.
In a yet to be peer-reviewed paper posted on preprint on Tuesday, Douglas's team highlighted the speed at which it would be possible to make a new adenovirus-vectored vaccine such as AstraZeneca's at scale.
According to researchers, "their work will help the vaccines to hit the 100-day development target, taking little more than three months from pathogen identification to mass production, potentially including the distribution of millions of doses from manufacturing sites globally", the report said.
Meanwhile, US top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci, this week, said that existing vaccines and booster shots against Covid are sufficient to prevent Omicron infections. He advised against changing the vaccines to fight the new, highly contagious strain of the virus at this time.
"Our booster vaccine regimens work against Omicron. At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster," Fauci said.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency showed that a booster dose increases protection against symptomatic disease to 75 per cent.
Even the European Medicines Agency has warned that it would take time to reach a global scientific consensus on whether Omicron-targeted shots are needed, the report said.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : After the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, sales of clothes in general and women's clothes in particular have faced a sharp fall, Raha Press reported.
Clothes sellers in Herat province said compared to last year, women's clothes sales have reduced by 70 per cent.
One such businessman, Faramarz Mohammadi said Afghanistan's future is dark and people are not in the mood to buy clothes, the report said.
"On such a day last year, I earned 10 to 15 thousand Afs on a daily basis but now I can hardly make 1 Afs on most of the days", Mohammadi said.
According to him, Afghans are fleeing from their country due to increasing poverty and economic collapse.
"People sell their house furniture to escape rather than buying clothes", Asif Heidari, a shopkeeper in Leilami street in Herat said, as per the report.
When people sell their house furniture it means economic collapse and the Afghan people will die from starvation unless the world community recognizes the new rulers in Kabul, Heidari said According to him, tens and hundreds of Afghan youths flee the country due to poverty every day but they are forcibly returned back since they tried illegal ways to neighbouring countries.
"Afghan youths are disgraced due to lack of income and the killing poverty", he added.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : In a significant development, the powerful All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA) on Wednesday demanded a probe by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) into the IDBI Bank Ltds recent disclosure of a diamantaire groups loan default.
AIBOA General Secretary S. Nagarajan has said that bank officers are "seriously disturbed" over the public notices issued by the IDBI Bank Ltd vis-a-vis the wilful defaulter diamantaire, Sanghavi Exports International Pvt Ltd, its group companies, factories, office, besides promoters/directors/guarantors.
In a letter to the RBI Governor, it has been pointed out how the IDBI Bank Ltd's first public notice (dated December 19) mentioned a huge amount of over Rs 6,700 crore, plus a foreign currency (USD) loan equivalent to around Rs 1.20 crore.
Earlier, the Bank of India, as the leader of a consortium, had taken over possession of the diamantaire's property for failure to repay loans worth Rs 468 crore in 2018, said Nagarajan, on the issue that was first highlighted by IANS (December 20-21).
"The wilful defaulter should not be a repeat action of the infamous Nirav Modi of Punjab National Bank. It is also intriguing that in 2018 itself, there was a recovery step made by another public sector bank, so how come the IDBI Bank was unknown of the developments," Nagarajan asked.
The senior banking professional pointed out that later, IDBI Bank informed the BSE and NSE that there are inaccuracies and that the loan account is fully provided with the NPA of only Rs 16.72 crore.
"The contradictory stand by IDBI Bank Ltd before various authorities is certainly intriguing and requires reporting of factual position to the public at large, who are directly or indirectly involved in the share market operations," urged Nagarajan.
Given the sequence of events and the stance of the IDBI Bank Ltd, in the best interest of the citizens, the AIBOA called upon the RBI to initiate an independent probe into the affairs at the IDBI Bank.
This would be for the benefit of the citizens who are also paying the premium to the LIC for their policies, and the profits earned by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) should be passed on as bonus to the policyholders.
The AIBOA's 2-pager said that the Centre had directed the LIC to acquire 51 per cent stake in IDBI Bank in which the government of India's share is 46 per cent, thereabout accounting for 97 ownership by the government and a PSU.
Meanwhile, banking circles have slammed IDBI Bank's clarification as "blatantly dishonest, without mention of the shocking, bumbling and wrong info in its public notice" dated December 21, and demanded a separate probe by concerned agencies to reveal the exact truth.
However, sources in the IDBI Bank insist that the goof-up in the public notice (December 19) was a genuine error, though a contrary impression of a 'scam' was created in the public after the regulatory filing (December 20) and the fresh public notice (December 21), but remedial measures are being initiated.
The AIBOA has shot off copies of the letter to the RBI Governor to the LIC Chairman, the IDBI Bank MD & CEO, SEBI Chairman, the BSE and NSE. The association also hinted at further action in the matter.
Aizawl/Shillong/Kohima, Dec 22 : With Christmas approaching, pre-celebrations, shopping, decorations of churches and important places has begun with great enthusiasm in the northeastern states.
Christmas celebrations across the northeastern region last year was subdued due to the Covid restrictions which forced the people to remain indoors. But now, advance Christmas greetings and mini celebrations are underway in different government, non-government offices and localities in most of the eight northeastern states.
All the thoroughfares and shopping malls at Police Bazar, Shillong's main commercial hub, wear a heavy crowded look as men and women busy buying their favourite items ahead of Christmas.
After celebrating the occasion with his secretariat staff on Wednesday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma tweeted : "Advance Christmas celebration with the entire staff of my office. Thankful to them for their service. Christmas greetings from the entire CMO Team !" In Kohima, the Planning and Coordination Department has requested the people to celebrate a sustainable and environment-friendly Christmas.
An officialon Wednesday said that the key objective of this campaign is to align the Christmas festival celebrations to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals dissemination and spark action among the residents in Nagaland for making this Christmas and beyond, sustainable.
"Green Christmas in Nagaland" is the need of the hour for the state primarily because, while it is the most wonderful time of the year, it's not the most environmentally friendly, he said.
As part of this campaign, the Planning and Coordination Department has undertaken a 'Green Christmas Contest 2021' which will be taking applications till December 25.
Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer V. Shashank Shekhar celebrated pre-Christmas at its Office in Kohima and said : "Efforts we put towards bringing the teachings of Jesus into action will comprise the real Christmas celebration. Christmas is also a good opportunity to express our gratitude to all those who love us and due to whose help, prayers and blessings, we have achieved success in life." He urged everybody to put in the effort and practice the New Year resolutions, and share and care for one another.
In Aizawl, Mizoram Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati sent his good wishes to all the children and their caregivers at charity homes within the state. And, in the spirit of the Christmas tradition, he also shared food items and other gifts among seven charity homes within Aizawl city for this Christmas celebration.
The Assam Rifles troopers have erected a huge 47-feet Christmas star -- the largest in the northeastern region, ahead of Christmas, in Mizoram.
An Assam Rifles official in Aizawl said that the Lunglei Battalion of the 23 Sector Assam Rifles has constructed a humongous "Christmas Star" at Lunglei.
The star of Bethlehem measuring 47 feet in height is the largest "Christmas Star" of the northeast. It marked the occasion of "Advent Christmas", and is a beacon of hope with aim to spread a message of positivity and togetherness for local populace, an Assam Rifles statement said.
The imposing star overlooking Lunglei has attracted many visitors within the first week of its presence. The local residents have been invited to visit it. It is also becoming a popular attraction among them for picnics and family outings.The locals have been highly appreciative of the efforts of Assam Rifles towards spreading the spirit of Christmas.
Over six million Christians live in Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya while there are a significant number in the other northeastern states of Manipur, Tripura, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.
Latest updates on Christmas 2021
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Parliamentary disruptions surfaced at a science-related event when Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that along with scientific temper there is a need for a legislative temper too.
"Our constitution mentions this as one of our fundamental duties. Article 51A is to develop scientific temper and a spirit of inquiry. We should not only develop scientific temper, I think we should also inculcate a legislative temper," Naidu said at the inauguration of 'Celebration of Birth Centenaries of Inspirational Scientists' & 'Pay Homage to Founders of Indian Sciences'.
Pointing out what he witnessed as he chaired the House, Naidu said, "Discuss, debate and decide ... not disrupt. This should be made our principal identity." "On one side we are making progress, on the other side, some of our elected representatives are making a mockery of the institution of democracy," Naidu said.
Naidu's remarks at the event organised by Vigyan Prasar were clearly in reference to the disruptions by the opposition MPs in both Houses of Parliament during the winter session that concluded on Wednesday morning.
Since November 29, when Naidu as Rajya Sabha chairperson had suspended 12 MPs, the opposition parties had daily demanded revoking of the suspensions, staged protests and walked out of the House several times. Much of the time when the opposition members remained in the House, there was a constant din.
Towards the end of the inaugural event, when the anchor invited Nakur Parashar for the 'vote of thanks', Naidu quickly pointed out: "No, no, it should be 'Words of Thanks'. Vote means division," leading to peals of laughter.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes after the Opposition BJP accused ruling Shiv Sena legislator Bhaskar Jadhav of 'imitating' Prime Minister Narendra Modi, here on Wednesday.
After over an hour of angry exchanges and two adjournments, the BJP, led by Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, secured an apology from Jadhav for 'insulting' the Prime Minister.
The BJP said that Jadhav allegedly made certain remarks and mocked the Prime Minister during a debate on power issues in the lower House in which Energy Minister (Congress) Nitin Raut was also participating.
At one point in the debate, Jadhav reportedly 'imitated' the Prime Minister over the 'unkept' promises of the BJP made before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Taking umbrage, Fadnavis said that such comments or gestures on the PM would not be tolerated and demanded an apology from Jadhav.
Other BJP legislators also joined in and urged Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal to ask Jadhav to tender an apology or take action against him.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab intervened to say that any such objectionable remarks could be withdrawn, which Fadnavis countered by asking how can 'gestures or body language' be removed, and warned of bringing a breach of privilege.
While Zirwal said that he would examine if Jadhav had made any unparliamentary comments before taking a decision, NCP's Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil and Parab said that all political parties' leaders should be respected in the House.
After the House reassembled, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that all political leaders must be accorded respect as per Maharashtra's tradition, which must be maintained.
Later, Jadhav tendered an apology, saying that it was his style of talking when he inadvertently makes hand gestures or body movements, though he made it clear that he did not utter a single objectionable word.
Chennai, Dec 22 : Expelled interim general secretary of the AIADMK and close aide of former Chief Minister late J. Jayalalithaa, V.K. Sasikala called upon the government not to discriminate against women from deprived classes.
Citing the example of Narikuruva women being thrown out of a bus in Nagercoil and policemen shooing away women of the community who were selling beaded ornaments on the streets in Kanniyakumari as examples, she said that the DMK government must take stringent action against those who have erred in such cases.
In a statement on Wednesday, she said that water was poured over a Narikuruva woman at Palani in Dindigul district and wondered whether the government was serious in resolving the issues of women from such marginalised communities.
"Women must be given high respect in society as women are mothers who correct the mistakes committed by their children and bring them back into society. Only by respecting such women can you earn respect for yourself and only then will your subordinates respect you," Sasikala exhorted.
She also cited the example of milk meant for Narikuruva children being taken away and said that it was inhuman of people who indulge in such acts. She asked the government to reserve exclusive spaces for Narikuruva women in tourist spots to sell small items without any action from authorities. She added that this would help the community who are struggling for survival to support themselves by their small earnings through such businesses.
Bengaluru, Dec 22 : Three members of a family including two women have committed suicide on Wednesday in Karnataka's Ramnagar district by jumping into a lake, the police said.
The incident has taken place in Dammanakatte village. The deceased have been identified as Siddamma, 55, her daughter Sumithra, 33, and son-in-law Hanumantha Raju, 35.
An 11-year-old girl, Keerthana, has been rescued. Her condition, however, is said to be serious.
According to the police, family dispute is said to be the reason behind the incident. Five members of the family had decided to commit suicide on Wednesday morning.
The villagers had rushed to the spot and rescued the young girl. The three elderly members had died by the time the villagers pulled them out of the lake.
Hanumantha Raju used to stay at his in-law's place, and created nuisance everyday in an inebriated state. The arguments had led to serious quarrels, and in a fit of rage, all of them decided to commit suicide, the police said.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Urging that India must find ways to excel in the field of STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology & Mathematics) research, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said, "For India to be among the top nations in STEM, there is a need for a well-planned strategy." "There is a need for a well-planned strategy to identify and nurture talent from a young age, offer incentives, provide facilities to take up cutting edge and support researchers in finding solutions to societal problems," Naidu said at the inauguration of 'Celebration of Birth Centenaries of Inspirational Scientists' & 'Pay Homage to Founders of Indian Sciences'.
"We must increase public and private investments in R&D, nurture research scholars to do high-quality research, encourage them to publish papers in reputed peer-reviewed journals, resolve bottlenecks in patenting regime and nurture promising ideas that find wide applications," Naidu said.
The event, coinciding with National Mathematics Day, was organised by Vigyan Prasar -- an autonomous organization of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav -- flagging-off the year long celebrations of the birth centenaries of inspirational scientists and the role of science in building modern India.
Flagging a key concern in STEM, Naidu said, "STEM ecosystem lacks diversity. While India has a significant share of female graduates in STEM (more than 42 per cent), better than some of the developed nations, only 16.6 per cent women researchers are directly engaged in R & D activities. Diversity in STEM is absolutely necessary and the need of the hour is to bridge the gender divide in employment." "From hardly a handful of women in science, we have come a long way today. We pay homage to pioneering women like Janaki Ammal, Rajeshwari Chatterjee, Anna Mani and Sunanda Bai for their path-breaking contribution and breaking the glass ceiling. But we must not stop here and create an enabling environment so that more girls can take up careers in mathematics and science," the Vice President said.
Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Prof K Vijaya Raghavan, said lesser known scientists too would be remembered during the year long celebrations.
Stating that India was one of the few post-colonial countries to invest in Science & Technology, for example, space, atomic energy, defence etc., Vijaya Raghavan said, "It also resulted in a disconnect between our research institutions and our educational institutions. We need to cross that barrier. The challenge is to allow educational institutions and research institutions to engage intellectually and bring back youth to the best research environment." Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, C Chandrashekhar also spoke on the occasion.
After the inaugural event, tributes were paid to six founders of Indian science. All born in 1922, the six scientists identified were Prof Hargobind Khorana, Rajeshwari Chatterjee, Prof G S Laddha, Dr Y Nayudamma, Prof G N Ramachandran and Prof B Ramamurthi.
By way of multimedia presentations weaved with personal connections and anecdotes, senior scientists Prof Ch Mohan Roa, Prof Rohini Godbole, Prof M M Sharma, Dr T Ramasami, Prof P Balaram and Prof Sudha Seshayyan paid tributes to the six founding scientists.
Kochi, Dec 22 : After half a dozen hearings, the Kerala High Court, seeing that there was no action coming on the part of the state government in the issue of denial of justice to an eight-year-old girl and her father who were publicly humiliated by a women police officer, on Wednesday directed compensation be paid to the child and action taken against the erring police official who caused them mental agony.
Justice Devan Ramachandran, taking a humane position all through the hearings in the case, gave lot of time to the state to act but after finding nothing was happening, ruled: "We cannot let our daughters grow up in anger; immediate remedial steps should be taken. No one can dispute that her fundamental right under Article 21 to lead a dignified and full life was violated." The court granted a compensation of Rs 1,50,000 to the petitioner and imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 towards legal expenses in the matter.
Also recorded that it expected the state to rise in defence for the petitioner since she was "its daughter", it expressed its disappointment at the "stern refusal" of the state government to acknowledge the trauma that she went through and opined that this certainly required the court to sit up and take notice.
The court also directed that disciplinary action should be initiated against the police officer concerned while clarifying that this does not mean she should be removed from her employment.
The girl had approached the High Court seeking a compensation for the trauma she faced due to Rejitha, the official of 'Pink Police', an all-women team that aims at protect women in public, private, and digital spaces.
During the previous hearing, Justice Ramachandran had said it was justified to grant compensation as sought by the petitioner and asked the government as to how much it was willing to pay her.
To this, the state government said they do not intend to pay any compensation as there was no wrong done at all.
The court then asked a top police official to see the video of the entire sequence of events and posted the case for Wednesday.
This was the sixth time in the past six weeks that the court spoke tough against the acts of both the woman police official and the top brass of the police for not taking any action.
In her petition, the girl stated that despite several pleas, no action was taken against the woman police officer, hence they moved the court for justice and after the trial began, they said, that since they failed to get justice from any quarters, they have rejected the unconditional apology that the erring police official had tendered.
The incident occurred on August 27, when 38-year-old Jayachandran and his daughter were out on the main road in the outskirts here near Attingal to watch the movement of a huge trailer carrying equipment to the ISRO unit.
Suddenly Rejitha, the woman officer finding her mobile missing, accused Jayachandran who was standing near the police patrol vehicle, of stealing it. She even said that he must have passed the mobile to his eight-year-old daughter, his accomplice.
She publicly humiliated the father and the daughter and threatened to take both of them to the nearby police station. This was witnessed by a large crowd.
Later, Rejitha found the mobile phone in the vehicle. The entire episode was filmed by an onlooker, who shared it on social media and it went viral.
On August 31, Jayachandran approached the state police chief Anil Kant seeking action against Rejitha, as his daughter was in a state of shock for being publicly admonished.
Promising action, Kant, asked South Zone IG Harshita Attaluri to conduct a probe and Rejitha was transferred.
However, it was found out that Rejitha was transferred to a more convenient location and there was actually no action taken against her.
Finding no further action in September, the family observed a day long sit-in in front of the Kerala Secretariat protesting inaction against the woman police officer. When this also went unnoticed, the family approached the High Court.
Hearing the verdict, Jayachandran said it is not for the money that they went to court, but because they were humiliated despite doing no wrong at all and even after they brought it to the notice of all concerned, failed to get justice.
"We are really thankful to the court which has understood us," he said.
Patna, Dec 22 : Covid cases continue to rise in Bihar with 11 more persons testing positive for the dreaded virus on Wednesday, including two who recently returned from England, and one from an African country.
The state health department has sent the samples of the three foreign returnees to Delhi for genome sequencing to ascertain if they were infected with the Omicron variant of the virus.
"We have initiated the process of contact tracing. All the 11 persons have been put under home isolation," said an official from the Patna civil surgeon's office.
The two persons who came from England are residents of Zafar Colony, while the one returned from an African nation is a resident of IAS Colony, both in Patna.
The official said that a total of 12 foreign returnees have tested Covid positive in Patna since the global outbreak of the Omicron variant.
The state presently has over 100 active Covid cases.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 22 : A delegation of BJP MPs from Odisha on Wednesday sought the personal intervention of Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, to resolve the issues of alleged mismanagement and corrupt practises in paddy procurement operations in the state.
The MPs, including Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Ashwini Vaishnaw, met Goyal in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum alleging gross irregularities in the paddy procurement process by the Odisha government.
"We, the public representatives of Odisha, would like to draw your attention over the scuttling of paddy procurement in Odisha by the state government, causing great distress to the farmers," the MPs said in the memorandum.
Earlier in March, the MPs had written to Goyal, based on which a fact-finding team of senior officials from the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) was sent to Odisha to oversee the process of paddy procurement.
The observations of the team were serious in nature, pointing out the malice/corrupt and fraudulent practices prevalent in the Regulated Market Committees (RMC), Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) and Paddy Procurement Centres (PPCs), they said.
The MPs alleged that the issues pointed out by the fact-finding team about shortcomings in paddy procurement operations in Odisha are still persistent and continue to mar the procurement process.
The memorandum also alleged manual filling of weigh-slips, unequal distribution of paddy procured among different millers, unlawful procurement, non-existence of quality control process and non-availability of required infrastructure.
It further alleged that the entire procurement process was found to be miller driven.
It is extremely unfortunate that the government of Odisha is yet to act on the suggestions and recommendations of the Central team, it said.
The MPs requested Goyal to instruct the Odisha government to follow the suggestions/recommendations of the DFPD team.
Guwahati, Dec 22 : The Gauhati High Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by senior lawyer Arif Jwadder, who claimed that more than 80 police encounters took place in Assam since May, leaving 28 dead and 48 others injured.
The senior lawyer, who earlier lodged a similar complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in his PIL, demanded a CBI probe or constitution of a court monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising police officials of other state to probe the "fake encounters".
"All the victims were unarmed and handcuffed at the time of the encounter. Those people who have been killed or injured were not dreaded criminals," Jwadder told the media on Wednesday.
"Above all, this petition raises the issue of violations of the rule of law and equality before law and equal protection of laws. Police personnel do not have a licence to kill, the whole idea of the CrPC is to apprehend criminals and bring them to justice, not to kill them." The PIL said that such encounter killings deprive the victims of the right to personal liberty and life, which cannot be denied except by "procedure established by law".
"There is no law enabling what come to be known as 'encounter killings' and the Assam Police, like any other persons, are bound by the provisions of the CrPC. Failure to apprehend criminals and bring them to justice is a failure of the entire policing system in the state which requires an investigation by this Court." Jwadder said that the NHRC earlier took cognizance of his complaint and asked for an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the Assam Police.
The PIL said that all the injured or slain people were not militants and hence not trained to use weapons and it is very unlikely that they could use the service revolvers after snatching against the police force that outnumbered them and were heavily armed.
"It cannot be the case that all the alleged accused could snatch a service revolver from a trained police officer whose pistols are normally tied to the waist belt of that officer," Jwadder said and urged the High Court to give direction to the appropriate authority to register cases against the individual police personnel involved in these encounters.
Since Himanta Biswa Sarma became Chief Minister on May 10, he has emphasised on a "zero tolerance policy" towards crime and criminals, giving the police "full operational independence within the purview of law" to act.
All the opposition political parties, including the Congress, criticised the BJP government for the "killing and injuring of people through encounters.
Kochi, Dec 22 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday witnessed naval operation demonstration in the Ernakulam channel, and also visited the indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) 'Vikrant', which is under construction at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd here.
The combat capability of ships and aircraft, which included simulated beaching reconnaissance and assault, high-speed runs by fast interceptor crafts, shore bombardment, helobatics, sonar dunk operations, boarding operations and cargo sling operations by naval helicopters, were on display in the 40-minute long event.
The President was accompanied by the Governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammad Khan, and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice Admiral M.A. Hampiholi.
The highlights of the day were manning of the yard and arms of the sail training ship 'Tarangini', along with steam past by naval ships which manoeuvred in a column formation.
Later, the President also visited the IAC Vikrant which is under construction at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. The President was provided a first-hand brief on the progress of trials towards commissioning of the ship.
Indigenous content in construction of IAC is close to 76 per cent out of the overall project cost of Rs 19,341 crore. IAC has a large number of indigenous materials such as steel, besides other equipment manufactured by Indian industrial houses and about 100 MSMEs.
The indigenous construction of the carrier has generated employment opportunities and bolstered plough back effect on the domestic economy. Close to 2,000 shipyard and 13,000 non-yard personnel have been employed per annum towards the construction of the IAC, an official statement noted.
The President expressed satisfaction on the progress and appreciated the efforts of the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard towards development of indigenous capabilities in shipbuilding as a shining example of the nation's quest for 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', an official release stated.
Bengaluru, Dec 22 : Forty-eight hours have passed since a college-going girl ended her life for being unable to cope up with the continuous eve-teasing she faced at the hands of some boys from her neighbouring village, but the Karnataka police are yet to make any arrest in the case.
The police inaction has raised many questions with the victim's family members and villagers staging protests demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.
The incident took place at Kodihalli village in Hosadurga town in Chitradurga district on Monday.
The father of the 19-year-old victim, who was studying at a pre-university college, said that when they last saw her, she was crying. But since they had to take a relative to the hospital, her mother told her that she would talk to after returning from the hospital. But by the time they returned, she had taken the extreme step by hanging herself inside the house.
"The miscreants had teased her, pulled her veil and threw stones at her when she went to school a year ago. When we questioned the parents of the boys who indulged in eve-teasing, they apologised, held our feet and so I forgave them. My daughter then joined the pre-university college in Hosadurga. After she came back to the village recently, the eve-teasers burst crackers and yelled at her," he said.
"My daughter is no more, but they should not repeat the act with any other girl. We will not rest until they are punished," the distraught father said.
When contacted, Chitradurga police said that special teams have been formed to nab the culprits.
"They can't go anywhere, we will arrest them," the police said.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : Private airline Go First, formerly known as GoAir, has introduced a 20 per cent discount scheme on domestic flights for passengers who have received both doses of Covid vaccine.
With this scheme, the airline aims to encourage more passengers to get fully vaccinated in the fight against Covid-19. The discount scheme is applicable for travel beyond 15 days from the date of booking.
According to Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, Go First: "The past two years have been extremely difficult due to Covid-19, which has redefined the meaning of normal.
"We at Go First are committed to ensuring the safety of all our stakeholders. We began by supporting the vaccination of all our employees and now we encouraging more people to get inoculated. We understand the need for vaccination, especially in the wake of the new Covid variant and will continue to support India's fight against coronavirus."
Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday gave its approval to an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for copra for 2022 season.
The MSP for fair average quality (FAQ) of milling copra has been increased to Rs 10,590 per quintal for 2022 season from Rs 10,335 per quintal in 2021 and the MSP for ball copra has been increased to Rs 11,000 per quintal for 2022 season from Rs 10,600 per quintal in 2021.
This is to ensure a return of 51.85 per cent for milling copra and 57.73 per cent for ball copra over the pan India weighted average cost of production. The increase in MSP for copra for 2022 season is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times the all India weighted average cost of production as announced in the budget 2018-19, a release from the Agriculture Ministry said.
The decision is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
It assures a minimum of 50 per cent as margin of profit as one of the important and progressive steps towards making possible doubling of farmers' incomes by 2022.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd and National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Ltd will continue to act as Central nodal agencies to undertake price support operations at the MSP in the coconut growing states, the release added.
Visakhapatnam, Dec 22 : Tension prevailed at Ramateertham temple in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district on Wednesday when former Union Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju tried to remove the plaque installed to lay foundation stone for reconstruction of the temple.
Raju, a trustee of the temple, and other leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) entered into an argument with the officials and tried to remove the plaque.
The incident occurred a few minutes before the foundation stone laying ceremony on the Ramateertham hill near fort city of Vizianagaram.
Deputy Chief Minister P. Pushpa Srivani, Endowments Minister V. Srinivas and others later laid the foundation stone for the temple.
Raju, a TDP politburo member, was apparently angry over his name being written at the bottom of the plaque. He alleged that the state government ignored the protocol and also violated tradition and culture. He said the temple committee was not consulted before deciding the foundation stone ceremony.
Raju also turned down the invitation to break the coconut at the ceremony. He argued that only the trustee was supposed to perform puja and lay the foundation stone.
Raju's family had been functioning as trustees of the temple for the last 400 years.
The temple was in news in December last year after unidentified persons vandalised a 400-year-old idol of Lord Rama, triggering massive protest by the opposition parties.
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government had refused to accept Raju's donation of Rs 1 lakh for the reconstruction of the temple.
Meanwhile, state ministers slammed the TDP leader for creating ruckus at the temple. Endowments Minister V. Srinivas reiterated that the state government is committed towards the development of Ramateertham temple.
The minister said that Ashok Gajapathi Raju created chaos by forcibly removing the plaque which had the names of minister and government officials engraved on it as per the protocol. He said that the latter wanted to make a donation under a clause to use it for idols but the officials refused it as the idols are being offered by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) free of cost.
The minister stated that the TDP leader intentionally went on rampage although he was formally invited by the temple EO and other officials to the foundation stone laying ceremony. He said that action would be taken against Raju. He mentioned that the temple was deeply neglected during the previous government and questioned Raju about what he had done for the development of Ramateertham all these years.
Mansas Trust plundered the government lands and neglected the development of the temples, which is why the state government had sanctioned Rs 3 crore for Ramateertham temple, he said, adding that the government installed new idols and also sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the development works.
Meanwhile, Minister for Municipal Administration Botsa Satyanarayana dared Ashok Gajapati Raju to answer why the government had to sanction Rs 3 crore when the Ramateertham temple development was a matter for the Mansas Trust and why he did not spend the money from Mansas Trust on temple development. "Isn't he responsible for the development of the temple as the temple chairman," he asked.
He said that such a rampage has never happened in Vizianagaram district in years, not even when the YSRCP leaders were in the opposition.
He said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had intended to develop Kodanda Ramalaya in Ramateertham as the second Bhadradri temple and the government has sanctioned the funds. The government has taken steps to preserve the culture and traditions but people like Ashok are obstructing good deeds.
Nagpur, Dec 22 : Following directions from the high court, the district administration in Nagpur has set up a seven-member committee to oversee the total ban on the use of nylon strings (Manja) for kite flying, which are often coated with glass, posing great threat to the lives of people, particularly those riding on two-wheelers.
A high court bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Anil Pansare issued the direction to the district collectorate while hearing a PIL, which pointed at loss of lives due to the use of such strings.
The District Collector, R. Vimla, told IANS that the administration has formed a seven-member committee to not just crackdown on the sale of such strings, but also create awareness among the people, particularly the kite flyers and sellers, on the issue.
Vimla has invoked the directives of the National Green Tribunal, which has forbidden manufacturing, use and import of nylon strings in its order dated July 11, 2017.
Amaravati/Hyderabad, Dec 22 : Andhra Pradesh and Telanagana Chief Ministers Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday virtually attended the second national committee meeting on 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jagan Mohan Reddy, in his speech, said the state would redouble its efforts to ensure the success of the 'Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav'.
He called for laying emphasis on sustainable development and reduction of economic inequality to unleash the full potential of the nation.
"It is imperative that while the needs of the present are met through economic progress, the ability of the future generations to meet their needs should not be compromised," he said.
Stating that the energy sector plays a very key role in socio economic development, he called for formulating policies that would eventually lead to phasing out of coal-based power generation and enhanced reliance on renewable sources for energy needs.
He voiced concern over the economic growth not sufficiently trickling down to the poor in the country. "The recently published aWorld Inequality Report 2022' estimates that the top 10 per cent and top 1 per cent of the country's population hold 57 per cent and 22 per cent of the total National Income respectively. Income inequality would result in increased rural indebtedness, lower purchasing power and reduction in rural aggregate demand. This is a serious problem that deserves immediate attention from all of us as policy makers. In the light of the fragility, the interventions must be made more impactful by identifying and effectively addressing the bottlenecks and thereby making inclusive economic growth possible," he said .
Jagan Mohan Reddy described 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' as one of the laudable initiatives to celebrate and commemorate the completion of 75 years of Independence. "This Mahotsav has rightly provided an occasion to rejoice the nation's glorious past, its cultural, social, economic and scientific achievements made during the admirable journey of 75 years and also to reaffirm our commitment to the nation's progress going forward," he said.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday expressed serious concerns over the human rights issues of people affected with leprosy amid Covid-19 pandemic, and its impact on the mental health.
Justice Arun Mishra, Chairperson, NHRC, said that there are still many discriminatory laws, which need to be either amended or repealed and replaced with the policies and frameworks that will protect the human rights of the people affected with leprosy.
"Their social and economic empowerment needs to be prioritized to bring them in the mainstream of society," Mishra said while chairing a session on the issues related to the people affected by leprosy.
The people affected with leprosy need to be provided with sustained supply of medicines, basic amenities and vocational training to help them make their living to improve their socio-economic conditions, said the NHRC.
The commission said awareness about leprosy needs to be built through a sustained campaign to end myth about the disease and the discrimination against those who suffer with it and their family members.
While talking on the mental impact of Covid pandemic, Justice M.M. Kumar said that the mental health sector remains a concern.
The Covid-19 pandemic has added up to the problems related to mental health issues. He said that the implementation of the advisories issued by the commission as a guiding principle to deal with this challenge by the concerned authorities.
The deliberation said that states should submit an Action Taken Report on the NHRC advisories on mental health and increase budgetary allocation for the mental health and in particular for the district mental health programme.
To avoid disparity in reporting, the NHRC said transparency in maintaining data and its methods in every district should be standardised.
It also expressed concerns on Omicron preparedness and the lack of clarity on the efficacy of the booster dose for Covid-19 which needs to be looked into on priority to avoid mental stress related to it.
Seoul, Dec 23 : South Korea has became the 10th country outside of Europe to join the European Union (EU) law enforcement cooperation agency that fights terrorism and other international crimes, police said.
The National Police Agency (NPA) joined Europol by signing a working-level agreement that was approved unanimously by the 27 EU nations on October 6. The accession is an outcome of efforts by police to strengthen cooperation with Europe since 2017, Yonhap news agency quoted officials as saying.
Under the agreement, police can now exchange information on crime and cooperate with member states of Europol -- 17 European and nine non-European countries -- as well as international organisations and research institutes collaborating with the agency.
The NPA said the agreement is expected to enhance police response capabilities against global crimes through sharing expertise and training programs, and working together with Europol officers.
NPA chief Kim Chang-yong had planned to visit Europol headquarters in the Hague to attend a signing ceremony but exchanged the agreement with Europol's Commissioner-General Catherine De Bolle through a diplomatic pouch due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Europol, established in 1992, is EU's law enforcement agency supporting the fight against terrorism, international drug trafficking and other serious crimes.
Over the weekend, more than 2,500 runners headed off to Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai, the roof of Thailand, to participate in the second edition of Thailand by UTMB. Despite the various and very complicated restrictions, more than 100 foreigners joined the race this year.
Over the weekend, more than 2,500 runners headed off to Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai, the roof of Thailand, to participate in the second edition of Thailand by UTMB. Despite the various and very complicated restrictions, more than 100 foreigners joined the race this year.
Top Chinese runners Jiaju Zhao and Fuzhao Xiang were determined to win. At 1:00 pm on Friday, 10th of December, Jiaju Zhao, John Stingray Onifa, Sange Sherpa, Fuzhao Xiang, Kimino Miyazaki and Thai winners Sanya Khanchai and Phitchanan Mahachote took off in the first wave and were followed by runners in several waves due to very strict Covid-19 preventive measures.
The 168 km course took the runners past stunning landscapes and mountain scenery while being incredibly challenging. Jiaju Zhao set the new record for the race in 21 hours, 56 minutes and 24 seconds, which broke the old record by nearly 5 hours. The previous record by Sanya Khanchai, the winner of Thailand by UTMB 2020, was 26:40:06. She ranked 5th overall this year with 26:27:29.
Hong Kong- based Filipino, John Ray Onifa also known as Stingray was second in the mens race. He was 40 minutes behind the winner with 22:34:58. In third place was Sange Sherpa from the Kailas team, a Nepali based in France, who carries the Nepal bamboo flute and plays it at all times. He set his own record at 25:18:30.
Fuzhao Xiang, Chinas leading trail runner, not only won the womens race, but also set a new record of 26:01:23 which broke the old record by nearly 10 hours. Kimino Miyazaki was in second place with 27:20:18, and Kaori Niwa ranked in third place with a time of 30:17:13.
The second edition of Thailand by UTMB, considered one of the leading trail events in Asia, was immensely successful. Next year, Thailand by UTMB will be part of UTMB world series - a ultimate global trail running series.
Text Credits: SAT / Thailand By UTMB
Photo Credits: SAT / Thailand By UTMB
Tammy Betancourt, recently retired CEO and small business owner, has launched a challenge to incumbent Mark Nettuno in the San Jacinto County Commissioner Precinct 4 race. Betancourt brings over 35 years of executive-level leadership to the race, with over 20-years of experience in government relations.
Its time for some fresh ideas and leadership, stated Betancourt. Our community is on the cusp of substantial changes, and we need a leader who can embrace technology and create a plan to address our special challenges from the taxpayers perspective.
Betancourts career in nonprofit management has prepared her to work hand-in-hand with the good people of San Jacinto County, and she is a natural servant leader. A staunch conservative, Betancourt worked alongside State Senator Paul Bettencourt for eight years to pass SB2, the Texas Tax Relief Bill of 2019, and is a strong proponent of tax relief, especially for senior citizens. Our senior citizens and retirees should not have to rent their property from the government; when elected, I will work hard to create relief for all taxpayers, and especially our seniors, said Betancourt.
Other issues Betancourt will address when elected are road repairs, public safety, and open, accessible, and transparent government. Our roads are a mess, said Betancourt. I will implement a plan to inventory our roads and approach repairs strategically so that no taxpayer is forced to beg for road repairs after years of neglect. Instead, Precinct 4 will have a publicly accessible plan to address our road issues.
Tammy supports: less government, is pro-life, pro-law enforcement and first responder, pro-second amendment, and supports securing our southern border and enforcement of immigration laws.
More at http://www.tammybetancourt.com
Love Duplicated: a charming tale of unexpected romance and faith. Love Duplicated is the creation of published author Angie Jensen, a loving wife and mother who was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, before moving to the country.
Angie shares, Lidia Carter had no plans to find love as soon as she did. After a failed relationship while traveling across the country, she is stopped for speeding by an officer of the law. He is stunned by her and pursues her, changing her plans and her future while trying to return home to Utah.
Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Angie Jensens new book will charm and inspire as readers discover an unexpectedly adventurous romance.
Angie offers readers a cast of affable characters and a love that will have readers rooting for success.
Consumers can purchaseLove Duplicated at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.
For additional information or inquiries about Love Duplicated, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Joe is uniquely qualified to lead the retail operations for AssuredPartners as he has shown his dedication to operational excellence. We fully support his new role as his advancement is a testament to his industry knowledge and commitment to growth, systems and service, expressed Randy Larsen.
AssuredPartners is pleased to announce the promotion of Joe Guercio to Chief Operating Officer of Retail. Joe will focus on driving operational excellence across 10 retail regions while designing and establishing systems and policies to promote a unified operating structure. Joes new role is effective January 1, 2022 and will report directly to Randy Larsen, AssuredPartners President of Retail.
Joe Guercio joined AssuredPartners in 2016 as Vice President of Operations. During his tenure with AssuredPartners Joe has worked with the executive leadership team to shape profitability goals and vision driving EBITDA growth throughout the company which resulted in substantial margin growth and expansion. He and his team have successfully integrated over 200 acquisitions. Joe has been instrumental in the development of several AssuredPartners corporate programs including premium financing, real estate, quality control, and data strategy. Joes involvement with the agency management system strategy has earned AP numerous national awards all while developing an internal systems conversion team for excellence along with a future operating platform.
As we continue to invest and cultivate our retail side of the business, I am excited to be such an integral part in the evolution. Our future development and operational structure are paramount to our success, and I am committed to our future growth, system implementations and dedicated customer success service teams, stated Joe Guercio.
Joe is uniquely qualified to lead the retail operations for AssuredPartners as he has shown his dedication to operational excellence. We fully support his new role as his advancement is a testament to his industry knowledge and commitment to growth, systems and service. Please join me in congratulating Joe on his new role," expressed Randy Larsen.
ABOUT ASSUREDPARTNERS, INC
Headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, AssuredPartners is a full-service insurance broker providing commercial insurance, risk management, employee benefits and personal lines through consulting and services. With over 8,000 employees located in offices throughout North America, London, Belgium and Scotland, AssuredPartners is in the business of building relationships. While cementing powerful, lasting relationships built on trust earned from working openly and honestly with our partners. Thats what we call, Power through Partnership. For more information, visit http://www.assuredpartners.com.
Make an appointment for an inspection and any needed maintenance during the mild weather months.
The cold days and nights of winter are here and there are not many things more uncomfortable than cold nights and freezing mornings. The heater repair experts at Atascaderos Air Rite recently released a report about the importance of inspecting and maintaining heating systems, and the sooner the better.
Ideally, testing the heating system in October is the best because that leaves plenty of time for any maintenance or repairs. Don't be discouraged if it's already cold outside and test anyway. Testing is pretty simple. Turn on the heat to see how it works.
Does it come on?
Does it automatically turn off? (Adjust the temperature to activate automatic shut off.)
Does it turn off manually?
Can you feel heat through the vents in every room?
Are there unusual smells or odd sounds?
When was the last time the filter was changed?
Is there any moisture around the outside unit? Leaks that happen from running the AC in the summer may indicate problems with the entire HVAC system.
When was the last time the ducts were cleaned?
When was the last time the system was inspected?
The Atascadero heater repair professionals recommend an HVAC inspection at least annually, especially in regions with very hot summers and cold winters. HVAC systems get a lot of work during extreme temperatures. Maintaining the system helps make sure everyone stays comfortable.
One important thing to remember is to not wait until the last minute. Make an appointment for an inspection and any needed maintenance during the mild weather months. On Californias Central Coast, those months are usually April, May and October. Taking care of maintenance during the mild months makes sure the system is working during hottest and coldest months of the year.
Air Rite, the Atascadero heater repair company, has been serving the Central Coast since 1983, providing quality residential and commercial products and service for San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties. The company mission is to perform quality work at an honest and fair price. Air Rite gives back to the community by sponsoring and supporting local organizations and activities that have a positive effect in the local area. Services include HVAC residential and commercial design and engineering, installation, repair and maintenance, sales of energy-efficient equipment and systems, commercial and food industry refrigeration units, winery-specific equipment including wine-making.
Air Rite provides 24 hours service, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
Air Rite
5001 Traffic Way
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Staying active while exploring on an active Backroads tour People are eager to get back out exploring, and active travel is the way they want to go. Whether its on a bike or an e-bike, hiking or walking, with family, friends or solo, we anticipate next year to be Backroads biggest year ever, said Tom Hale, Backroads Founder and President.
Backroads, the leader in active travel, today announced their forecast for top travel destinations in 2022 based on advance bookings and inquiries. Europe is at the top of many travelers lists next year, with huge demand for trips in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Greece and Iceland. Many newcomers to active travel are booking adventures already, especially easygoing Dolce Tempo tours, and e-bikes are continuing to become more popular with guests of all ages. Backroads is anticipating that most of their North American trips will sell out once again, in line with the 2021 trend of strong interest in US National Parks and luxurious domestic adventures. As this eventful year comes to a close, Backroads is finishing strong and poised to have their biggest year ever in 2022.
Backroads 2021 year-end highlights include:
Backroads had its best year of all time in the US in 2021. Domestic bookings were up 45% compared to 2019, the last pre-pandemic benchmark year, and virtually all US departures sold out.
The number of first-time travelers with Backroads nearly doubled over 2019, as people incorporated their newfound passions for walking, hiking and biking into their vacations.
Top-selling trips in 2021 included Canyonlands, Yellowstone, Maine, San Juan Islands, Alaska, California Wine Country, Hawaii, Santa Barbara & Ojai, Crater Lake, Vermont and Yosemite in the US, and Croatia, Iceland, Greece, France, Portugal and Spain in Europe.
Luxury experiences close to home saw a surge in popularity. Backroads' new Aspen tour (which includes three nights at the iconic Hotel Jerome) sold out immediately, as did the companys Newfoundland adventure, which features lodging at the famed Fogo Island Inn, and its California Wine Country Walking trip with lodging at luxurious hideaways Montage and Solage.
Popular with travelers around the world were Backroads' Dolce Tempo tours. These easygoing walking, multi-adventure and e-biking trips completely sold out in 2021 and are booking quickly in 2022.
Adventure travel featuring invigorating activity in wide-open, natural spaces was hugely popular with travelers of all types, including families, couples and solo travelers.
Based on advance guest booking and inquiries, Backroads is anticipating the following trends for 2022:
More than 30% of guests on multi-adventure and biking trips will opt for e-bikes, which are custom-built for Backroads and included in the trip price.
Europe will continue to see pent-up demand manifesting in sky-high bookings, with all the European countries that opened early and were popular in 2021 seeing strong traveler interest. Top-selling countries include Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Greece and Iceland.
North America, which had its biggest year ever in 2021, will continue to be popular with travelers looking to stick close to home.
US National Park trips will again completely sell out.
Demand for travel in all parts of Canada from Banff to Newfoundland is skyrocketing.
Family travel is up across all family segments: Teens & Kids, Older Teens & 20s and 20s & Beyond.
Bookings for easygoing Dolce Tempo adventures will maintain their threefold increase compared to 2021, as travelers of all fitness levels look to spend active time outdoors.
Active River Cruises will book up quickly with Bordeaux, Danube and Portugals Douro leading the way.
Working in active, outdoor travel continues to appeal, with more than 450 Backroads Trip Leaders and Field Staff returning next season for a 90% retention rate. The company expects to hire close to another 350 additional Trip Leaders from 6,000 applicants for jobs in 2022.
If theres one thing weve learned during our two years of operating trips during the pandemic, its that things change rapidly, said Tom Hale, Backroads Founder and President. Spring, summer, and fall are a long time away when it comes to COVID-19. Were monitoring government responses to the latest surge and keeping a close eye on border reopenings and local policies.
Regardless of what happens this winter, 2022 is shaping up to be an incredible year for adventure travel. Based on what we saw in the summer 2021 season, we expect travel in Europe to come back strong, with France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Croatia topping the list of travelers everywhere, said Hale. People are eager to get back out exploring, and active travel is the way they want to go. Whether its on a bike or an e-bike, hiking or walking, with family, friends or solo, we anticipate next year to be Backroads' biggest year ever.
For more Backroads information, visit: backroads.com
About Backroads
Backroads was founded in 1979 by Tom Hale and has been a leading innovator in active and adventure travel for over 40 years. The company offers biking, walking & hiking and multi-adventure tours, small ship active cruises, private trips and family trips designed for three distinct age groups: Teens & Kids (typically 9-16), Older Teens & 20s (17+) and 20s & Beyond (adult kids through their late 20s). Backroads hosts thousands of guests each year75% of whom are repeat guests or referrals from past guestsin hundreds of locations across the globe. For more information, please visit backroads.com, or call 800-462-2848.
"Data-driven content marketing techniques, which this campaign highlights, are becoming key for brands to engage in these conversations, drive media coverage, and ultimately increase awareness."
Beantown Media Ventures (BMV), a marketing agency built for technology startups and high-growth organizations, today announced it was named a finalist for PR Dailys 2022 Content Marketing Awards in the Newsjacking or Trend-Related Content Marketing category.
The agencys campaign, 2nd Alarm: The Pandemics Cybersecurity Emergency, was executed in June 2020 for its client Morphisec, a leading provider of breach prevention solutions for small to midsize enterprises. The end result was a lead-generating and news-driving investigative report conducted during a historic period where the pandemic-spurred remote work movement commanded headlines alongside news of a steady stream of cyberattacks against world-renowned organizations.
Its becoming increasingly difficult for companies to insert themselves into conversations that are going to drive impact for their brand, said John Eidson, Partner & VP of Content Strategy at BMV. This is especially true for startups and early-stage companies that cant rely on their name cache to get them an automatic seat at the table. "Data-driven content marketing techniques, which this campaign highlights, are becoming key for brands to engage in these conversations, drive media coverage, and ultimately increase awareness."
The Campaign Idea
Cybersecurity threats against American enterprises have escalated year-over-year, but the onset of the Covid-19 crisis and the beginning of the worldwide shift to remote work induced a second emergency. While global lockdowns, rising case numbers, and the societal repercussions of the pandemic dominated the news cycle during the early days of the pandemic, an onslaught of cyberattacks against major businesses trended online and highlighted critical security vulnerabilities in many enterprises work-from-home strategies.
Recognizing the interconnection between both crises as well as their rising news value, BMV collaborated with its client to commission Morphisecs inaugural WFH Employee Cybersecurity Threat Index, a survey of 800+ U.S. workers who had recently transitioned to working from home in response to the pandemic. In addition to driving news coverage and elevating the clients thought leadership platform, the study aimed to educate organizations and potential customers on the prevalent security risks threatening their remote-first work environments and how these risks could be mitigated.
Data-Driven Storytelling Drives Results
BMVs data-centric and research-driven approach uncovered a concerning reality about the state of enterprise security during Covid-19. The research yielded two statistics that spotlighted just how vulnerable American businesses were to an attack. These findings, including 56% of WFH employees stating they were using their personal computers as a work device during the crisis and 23% noting they were unaware of security protocols on their device, were widely cited by media outlets.
Supported by compelling data and a well-executed media outreach strategy, the campaign generated:
Dozens of earned media coverage in global outlets including Forbes and MSN, as well as creditable IT trade publications like TechRepublic, Security Magazine, and CIO.
Thousands of inbound engagements with the report, hundreds of downloads and new customer leads.
PR Dailys Content Marketing Awards recognizes the storytellers who know how to create content that stands out within a crowded landscape and leads to success for their organizations and clients. The winners will be announced in January 2022.
To learn more about BMVs startup content marketing practice, visit: https://beantownmv.com/startup-content-marketing/
About Beantown Media Ventures (BMV)
Beantown Media Ventures (BMV) is a digital marketing agency built for technology startups and high-growth organizations. With a deep understanding of the startup and digital ecosystem, BMV leverages its expertise in public relations, content marketing, social media, and creator engagement to help its clients drive leads, accelerate growth and increase valuations. Over the last decade, it has partnered with hundreds of the worlds most innovative companies to bring their products to market and rapidly scale. For more information, visit http://www.beantownmv.com.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Gallo Glass Company, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.
The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Gallo Glass Company alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Gallo Glass Company is currently pending in the Stanislaus County Superior Court, Case No. CV-21-006567. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.
According to the lawsuit filed, Gallo Glass Company allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections 201, 202, 203, 226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.
Gallo Glass Company allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code 2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and other California Class Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones to respond to managers while off the clock.
For more information about the class action lawsuit against Gallo Glass Company, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.
Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.
By building on Findora, Venice can utilize programmable privacy to resist front-running attacks and create a much more fair trading experience.
Findora, a public blockchain with programmable privacy, launches a $10M liquidity program for Venice, a new DEX AMM built on Findora by a global community of developers. This news comes just six weeks after the announcement of the $100M Findora Ecosystem Fund, which was created to support the building of privacy-preserving dapps on Findora.
Venice is a chain-agnostic decentralized exchange that leverages zero knowledge technology to enable privacy preservation AMM, which also bolsters resistance to front-running. Additionally, Venice supports cross-chain liquidity aggregation, allowing users to frictionlessly and trustlessly move liquidity inter-ecosystem without revealing their position or identity.
"Front-running is one of the biggest challenges that traders face when using DEXs," shared Warren Paul Anderson, VP of Product at Discreet Labs, one of the leading developers of Findora. "By building on Findora, Venice can utilize programmable privacy to resist front-running attacks and create a much more fair trading experience."
The $10M liquidity program will be dedicated to supporting liquidity pools on Venice starting with Ethereum (ERC-20) and Binance Smart Chain (BEP-20) compatible tokens paired with FRA. A roadmap was also published by the community, with proposals to add bridge integrations to Bitcoin, WXRP, Arbitrum, Polygon, Terra, and Avalanche just to name a few.
Developers and validators can apply for grants via the Findora Foundation website to help seed their ideas and accelerate their growth. The Findora community will be able to vote on which projects get funded through a governance process administered by a DAO. Projects should meet the following criteria in order to qualify for grant funding:
Build a protocol, dapp, or web3 project directly on the Findora blockchain
Impact the Findora ecosystem in a meaningful way
Utilize Findoras open source privacy technology such as zero-knowledge proofs
If you are a validator operator that is interested in staking on Findora Mainnet Beta, or a developer interested in building on Findora, then you can start by reading the documentation, joining the Discord channel and applying for a grant through the Findora Foundation website.
For media inquiries, please contact Nick Rodriguez at (310) 260-7901 or Nick(at)MelrosePR(dot)com
About Findora
Findora is a public blockchain with programmable privacy. Originally conceptualized as a university cryptography research project in 2017, and finally launched to the public in 2021, Findora utilizes the latest breakthroughs in zero-knowledge proofs and multi-party computation, to allow users transactional privacy with selective auditability. For more information, please visit https://findora.org/.
About Discreet Labs
Discreet Labs believes our digital future is more private and self-sovereign and is building the technology necessary to achieve this vision. Discreet Labs combines the reliability and transparency of decentralized, public blockchains, together with the security and privacy of zero-knowledge proofs, to enable confidential transactions. Applications developed by Discreet Labs provide both the transactional privacy that institutions desire, along with the proofs of compliance that regulators require.
Asian Soul Food Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale Were proud to be active in the community, said Mitch Zelman, a partner of Noodle Station. People are what bring a community together and we want to do more than just fill peoples stomachs with our high-quality ingredients.
Noodle Station, a Fort Lauderdale restaurant serving noodle bowls, bao, and beer, had an exceptional year in 2021. The fast-casual eatery appeared on Food Network and the Cooking Channel, won food critic awards, and has impressed many diners with their Asian soul food.
The idea for the build-your-own-bowl concept came from chef and co-owner Walter Harriss 2017 trip to Japan and fits perfectly into todays lifestyle of getting healthy, fresh food fast.
More than just providing tasty food for lunch and dinner, Noodle Station has partnered with nearby live-music venue Culture Room to stay open late after concerts. They have also partnered with Aballinstudio to offer Will Tell Jokes for Noodz, a recurring Comedy Night held in the restaurant.
Were proud to be active in the community, said Mitch Zelman, a partner of Noodle Station. People are what bring a community together and we want to do more than just fill peoples stomachs with our high-quality ingredients.
Diners at Noodle Station build their own noodle bowl by choosing ingredients from four categories. They start with noodle bases like ramen, udon, soba, veggie, and sweet-potato glass, then add one of three broths (sweet potato veggie, pork-based tonkatsu, and chicken-oyster-ginger) and one or more proteins (chicken, brisket, pulled pork, and tofu).
If customers are not sure what flavor combinations might work well, they can also choose one of the signature bowls. 3 Little Pigs combines udon, pork belly, pulled pork, and candied hijiki bacon. The Keto bowl is a blend of carrot, zucchini, and daikon noodles with pulled pork in a pork broth, while American Samurai mixes rice and ramen noodles, hoisin-glazed brisket, 13-hour braised pork, and five-spice chicken.
Not much of a noodle fan? Diners can also choose steamed bao (similar to an Asian taco) and add proteins and vegetables.
For more information about the menu or specials, please visit their website.
More about Noodle Station
Noodle Station, located at 3045 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, opened in January 2020 and has since become a favorite for local diners and celebrity food critics. In addition to being featured on the Food Network, the restaurant has been featured on Hungry Black Man, Josiah Eats, and Chase Creative on YouTube.
For more information, please visit https://eatnoodlestation.com/ or call (954) 990-5460.
Being able to sponsor 50 wreaths for this event was an incredible honor and we hope to keep doing so in the years to come. - Fullerton Grounds Maintenance Founder and CEO Scott Fullerton
New Jersey landscape and design services company Fullerton Grounds Maintenance was a silver sponsor in the annual Roxbury Wreaths Across America event on December 18th, 2021 at the First Presbyterian Church in Succasunna, NJ. Hosted by the Ferro Monte Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, this event is held annually to honor Americas veterans by laying wreaths on their graves. The Ferro Monte Chapter reached their goal this year and laid 665 wreaths on veterans graves.
Wreaths were laid in three different Succasunna cemeteries: Flanders Hillside, United Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church, with the Remembrance Ceremony taking place at First Presbyterian at 99 Main Street, Succasunna, NJ.
Fullerton Grounds Maintenance was a silver sponsor, which means they donated 50 wreaths at $15 per wreath.
Here at Fullerton, we value the service and sacrifices of our fallen men and women, said Fullerton Grounds Maintenance Founder and CEO Scott Fullerton. Being able to sponsor 50 wreaths for this event was an incredible honor and we hope to keep doing so in the years to come.
Wreaths Across America started with wreath maker Morill Worcester, who took a surplus of 5,000 wreaths and turned them into an opportunity to honor Americas fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Since then, its been an annual tradition hosted by Wreaths Across Americas different chapters to honor the bravest of the brave. In 2020, Wreaths Across America placed 1.7 million veterans wreaths at over 2,500 locations nationwide.
About Fullerton Grounds Maintenance
Fullerton Grounds Maintenance, based in Kenvil, New Jersey, has been a leading provider of landscape services in central and northern New Jersey for the past 25 years. Fullerton Grounds Maintenance's mission is to exceed its clients' expectations by providing exceptional landscape services at competitive prices by demonstrating that the team is fully accountable for its work, and by cultivating strong long-term relationships with its customers. For more information, visit https://www.fgmaintenance.com/.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced December 13th the NEM 3.0 policy proposal which includes the highest state solar tax in the United States. If passed, this could be a massive roadblock for the path to a 100% renewable energy future which is why Green Home Systems, a leading California-based solar company, is urging Californians to take action today.
The NEM 3.0 proposes monthly fees for residential grid access, a reduction of bill credits for Californians who decide to make the switch to solar and removes many of the essential solar incentives that aid in the affordability of a solar panel system. By taking away solar incentives, it will greatly diminish the amount of people who decide that solar is a financially beneficial decision thus decreasing the amount of people who will decide to go solar.
One of the many issues with the proposal is that the fewer people who go solar, the more people who will continue to have to rely on unreliable utility companies. Not only are utility companies subject to outages and blackouts, but they are in complete control and can decide to shut down the grid when threat of fire is high or whenever else they deem necessary. Not to mention, the shortcuts and ill-practices of utility companies have been blamed for many devastating wildfires like those that tore through Northern California in late 2018.
Managing Director of Green Home Systems, Robbie Hebert, states, Powering your home should not cause risk of wildfires and you should never be expected to go without power for any extended period of time. We want Californians and everybody across the country to be in control of their own home and rely on only the most dependable energy source we know of: the Sun.
In addition to the unreliable power and the unsafe practices utility companies offer, NEM 3.0 will also have a negative impact on the environment. With the goal to obtain a 100% renewable energy society within the next few decades, this be one of the many hurdles to overcome.
The truth is, the sooner we as a country switch to total renewable energy, the better, states Hebert. Our environment is hurting and we at GHS are on a mission to help be the cure, but in order to help sooner rather than later, we will need to keep solar as affordable as possible. So we urge all Californians to take a stand against the new proposal NEM 3.0. Do it for your wallet, your environment and your future.
If you would like to know more about the Helzberg's Diamond Shops lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland K. Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.
The San Francisco labor law attorneys, at Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC, filed a class action complaint against Helzberg's Diamond Shops, LLC ("Helzberg's Diamond Shops"), for allegedly failing to provide meal and rest breaks. The Helzberg's Diamond Shops, LLC class action lawsuit, Case No. 21CV003531, is currently pending in the Alameda County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.
According to the lawsuit, Helzberg's Diamond Shops allegedly violated California Labor Code Sections 201, 202, 203, 204, 226, 226.7, 210, 510, 512, 558, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, and 1198 by failing to: (1) pay minimum wages; (2) pay overtime wages; (3) provide required meal and rest periods; (4) provide accurate itemized wage statements; (5) reimburse employees for required business expenses; (6) provide wages when due; and (7) reimburse employees for required business expenses.
As a result of their rigorous work schedules, Helzberg's Diamond Shops employees were allegedly unable to take off duty meal breaks and were not fully relieved of duty for meal periods. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges employees were from time to time interrupted during their off-duty meal breaks to complete tasks for Helzberg's Diamond Shops. Employees were allegedly required to perform work as ordered by Helzberg's Diamond Shops for more than five (5) hours during a shift without receiving an off-duty meal break. Further, the lawsuit alleges Helzberg's Diamond Shops failed to provide employees with a second off-duty meal period each workday in which these employees were required by Helzberg's Diamond Shops to work ten (10) hours of work. Helzberg's Diamond Shops policy allegedly caused employees to remain on-call and on-duty during what was supposed to be their off-duty meal periods. Employees therefore allegedly forfeited meal breaks without additional compensation and in accordance with Helzberg's Diamond Shops' strict corporate policy and practice.
If you would like to know more about the Helzberg's Diamond Shops lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland K. Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.
Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC are labor and employment law firms with offices located in California that dedicate their practices to fighting for employees who have been wronged by their employers due to unfair employment practices. Contact one of their attorneys today if you need help with workplace issues regarding wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment.
-THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT-
LaserShip, the largest regional e-commerce parcel carrier in the U.S. and leader in last-mile delivery, is expanding its Toledo operations to a larger, brand-new 80,000 sq. ft. facility to help its retail partners meet elevated levels of e-commerce demand.
LaserShip has been investing in its infrastructure to help e-commerce retailers build capacity and flexibility within their supply chains to reach their customers with faster, reliable last-mile delivery, said Josh Dinneen, Chief Commercial Officer at LaserShip. Were excited to expand our presence and further our commitment to the Toledo community. We also look forward to welcoming more employees to the LaserShip team.
LaserShips new branch location at 4130 Spartan Drive will add an additional 30,000 square feet and began operating in early November.
We are excited to welcome LaserShip to our property in the Toledo area, said Ed Harmon Chief Executive Officer at NAI Harmon Group. This is a great opportunity to bring more jobs to the area while benefiting the overall economy. Both LaserShip and the City of Oregon have been wonderful to work with over the last several months and we look forward to the future of the partnership.
Through fast, reliable last-mile delivery, LaserShip delivers competitive advantage to leading e-commerce retailers, helping them build brand loyalty, create supply chain flexibility, and reduce costs. LaserShip has 35 years of delivery experience and is continuously innovating to better serve its customers through its investments in technology, automation, and machine learning to stay ahead of the evolving e-commerce landscape.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Manu Aggarwal at pr@lasership.com.
To stay up-to-date on LaserShips latest news, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About LaserShip, Inc.
LaserShip is the leader in last-mile delivery for retailers and shippers that desire reduced transit times and increased flexibility within their supply chain. Founded in 1986, LaserShip has evolved into the leading provider of same-day and next-day delivery services in the U.S. for premier e-commerce and product-supply businesses, including five of the largest retailers in the U.S. For more information, visit LaserShip.com.
About NAI Harmon Group
As the leading independent commercial real estate brokerage and property management firm in the Northwest Ohio, NAI Harmon Group offers real estate marketing, warehousing and logistics, construction, property management, and much more. Currently, NAI Harmon Group manages a diverse portfolio of commercial property and is closing in on a half billion dollars invested nationally in Commercial Development, with a portfolio of over 15,000,000 sf in 18 States. The NAI Harmon Group is proud to have participated in some of the largest transactions in Northwest Ohio.
The Edge of Despair: an engaging second installment to Annas adventures in Finley Valley. The Edge of Despair is the creation of published author Laura Bratcher Goins, the daughter of a Southern Baptist pastor. Goins grew up in Kentuckys bluegrass region with a love for southern hospitality, quiet country living, and barbeque. She currently lives an empty-nester life in southeastern Pennsylvania with her loving husband and two beloved Cavalier Spaniels.
Goins shares, No one in Finley Valley expected to become abruptly isolated from the rest of the western towns along the Blue Mountain trainline, but when a freak avalanche covers a mile of track, thats exactly what happened. No telegraph service, no mail, and limited food and medical supplies threatened not only their livelihood but played on emotions and fragile feelings.
Anna, Mrs. McAfee, and the entire Monroe family return in this sequel to The Edge of Nowhere, and life has dealt them an unexpected chain of events. While David and Luke are stuck in Lazy Spring, Elisabeth and Anna are just as stuck in Finley Valley, each anxiously wondering when they can reunite. David worries that Elisabeth will deliver their first child without him while an unexpected visitor from Elisabeths past creates unsettled feelings.
Luke is faced with an agonizing decision after his limited doctoring skills are questioned, and Anna feels trapped and discouraged when she realizes she cant get to Lazy Spring to begin renovations on the old boarding house that Professor Higgins gave her so she can start an orphanage. She secretly longs for a commitment from Luke, unaware what challenges he is facing when tragedy forces him to make decisions that might jeopardize their relationship.
Hidden documents found in an abandoned mine hold keys to Finley Valleys legacy, and the discovery distracts its residents from what could become a desperate situation. Hope, faith, and encouragement go a long way when they learn to pull together as a community.
Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Laura Bratcher Goinss new book is an exciting narrative that explores relationships and the choices that shape ones destiny.
Goins offers readers an engaging tale filled with potentially real-life circumstances that will draw them in from the first page as they read along to see what will become of the residents of Finley Valley.
Consumers can purchase The Edge of Despair at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.
For additional information or inquiries about The Edge of Despair, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Mr. Xinyong Wang gave a brief acceptance speech. Mr. Wang's wife, a university professor of landscape design, Dr. Zhao, said, "I'm very proud that my husband has received such an important honor along with other internationally renowned artists."
The award ceremony was hosted by Princess Karen Cantrell, Chairman of the LABA International Art Festival. Cantrell introduced the prominent artist and international art curator Marisa Cauchiolo, founder of the Building Bridges Art Exchange, a non-profit organization. Ms. Cauchiolo plans and curates international art exhibitions and has made significant contributions to the art world with the support of the Building Bridges Art Exchange charity organization.
Dr. James Daichendt, a member of the Presidium of the Jury of the LABA International Arts Festival, presented Ms. Cauchiolo with the LABA Icon Charity Award. Later, Cauchiolo gave a passionate acceptance speech, saying, "Building Bridges Art Exchange will continue to make contributions to the world of art."
Other attendees included artists Lidia Rubinstein, Eduardo Rubinstein, Petra Eiko, and Kayla Broberg. The LABA International Art Festival was represented by founder Joey Zhou and jury members Dr. James Daichendt and Harrison Engle.
In Addition, celebrated artist Mr. Xinyong Wang was presented with the LABA Icon Charity Award. Wang was recommended to the Art Festival by Mr. Jiannan Huang, the first recipient of the Blue-Chip Artist Award presented by the LABA International Art Festival. Huang is a world-renowned artist, ranked 19th in the world on the Hurun Global Art List 2020 and ranked third on the China Art List 2020.
Mr. Xinyong Wang is a masterful artist living in America who has produced an innovative style in painting and calligraphy for more than 20 years. His artistic creations reflect the integration of Eastern and Western cultures, a rich pluralism, and his independent style. Mr. Wang has successfully held art exhibitions, lectures, and exchanges in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Taos, and at the J. Wayne Stark Gallery located at Texas A&M University, among other locations. Wang is also the vice director of the Culture and Art Committee of the Jiangsu General Chamber of Commerce and has been committed to promoting Sino-US cultural and art exchanges for many years.
Due to the pandemic, Mr. Wang could not attend the event to accept the award, and Harrison Engle received the award on his behalf. During the ceremony, Mr. Engle and Mr. Wang held a video conference. Mr. Wang gave a brief acceptance speech. Mr. Wang's wife, a university professor of landscape design, Dr. Zhao, said, "I'm very proud that my husband has received such an important honor along with other internationally renowned artists. I will continue to support my husband's efforts and work with him to contribute to the public welfare of art." Dr. Zhao's congratulatory speech brought the award ceremony to a climax and brought the two cities of Los Angeles and Nanjing closer together.
Joey Zhou, the founder of the LABA International Art Festival, held a video conference with Mr. Jiannan Huang. Mr. Zhou asked Mr. Huang why he recommended Mr. Wang for this honor. Huang stated that he does not shy away from applauding younger artists. He believes that young artists should also actively participate in world charity activities. Mr. Huang hoped that Mr. Wang's award would inspire younger artists to participate in public welfare and charity activities. Mr. Huang also congratulated Mr. Wang again for his award.
About the Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA) and the LABA Los Angeles International Art Festival
The Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA), the Los Angeles International Art Festival, and the Beverly Arts Online Exhibition feature artists from all over the world who have come together to display their work in a virtual gallery exhibition. Visitors can visit the exhibit at any time and enjoy the artwork of some of the world's most talented and unique artists who have been chosen to participate in this event. For more information, visit the Los Angeles Beverly Arts.
Raleigh Design Center The Triangles growth in population, job opportunities and infrastructure are the main contributor to the unprecedented demand for new homes, said Trish Hanchette, President.
North Carolina-based home builder McKee Homes announced today the grand opening of their latest design studio in Raleigh. Located in the CAPTRUST Tower in the Park District of North Hills, the McKee Homes design studio offers homebuyers an opportunity for a hands-on experience of the finishes and on-trend styles that are designer-curated for their new home.
The Triangles growth in population, job opportunities and infrastructure are the main contributor to the unprecedented demand for new homes, said Trish Hanchette, President. We are excited to continue to differentiate McKee Homes from other builders who are shrinking their studios and home personalization. Our new Raleigh studio is state-of-the-art and will continue to refresh with on-trend design and product.
As part of the McKee Team experience, homebuyers under contract with McKee Homes get a chance to step inside the design studio and fully experience all of the design possibilities for their new home. Crisp, clean flooring invites McKee homebuyers in, while a variety of light fixtures adorn the ceiling. Several areas showcase designer-curated finishes, colors and textures for every lifestyle and taste. Homebuyers can view additional options for flooring, cabinetry, hardware, countertops and more. The displays enable homeowners to bring their ideas to life.
Each of our design studios is customized for its specific market and our customers. We continuously refresh and renovate our offerings so we can present each room with the most current and appealing products to our homebuyers, said Angie Murphy, Design Studio Manager. Our design studios are inspirational to our clients and provide our homebuyers with ways to personalize their home.
To celebrate the hard work that went into the design studio, McKee Homes hosted a reveal for the many people, including designers and trade partners, who supported and contributed to the beautiful space.
One of our companys core values is Work Smart, Play Hard, said Patty Sloan, Director of Sales and Marketing. This reveal is a huge thank you to acknowledge how much we appreciate our internal team and our trade partners. We are so proud of the amazing result and were grateful for everyones collaboration and support in opening our new design studio."
The new design studio is conveniently located in the CAPTRUST Tower at 4208 Six Forks Road, Suite 104 in Raleigh. For more information, visit McKeeHomesNC.com.
About McKee Homes
McKee Homes is an exclusive North Carolina home builder that offers an unwavering commitment to a unique and incredible experience, known as the McKee Team Experience. McKee Homes believes in embracing the local communities and providing excellent customer service from the beginning of the home buying process to move-in and beyond and stands behind their core values: McKee Focus, Continuous Improvement, Good People and Work Smart, Play Hard.
McKee Homes was founded in 2010 by brothers Pat and Mike McKee, in honor of their late father Joe McKee who passed away from Alzheimers disease. The Joe McKee Memorial Alzheimers Fund was created in his honor and a portion of every home sold is donated to research and support for families living with Alzheimers. Our vision and mission is to help create A World Without Alzheimers.
Modern mobile workers dictate memos on the subway, record inspiration in the taxi and conduct interviews on the sidewalk. Microsoft makes that process easier with Office Mobile Voice Notes.
Messaging Architects, an eMazzanti Technologies Company and Microsoft expert, discusses new features of Microsofts Office Mobile Voice Notes program in a new article. The informative article first explains that in the new Voice Notes released earlier this year users gain several features, including real-time transcription.
The author also states that for Microsoft 365 subscribers, the utility provides the ability to differentiate among multiple speakers. He explains how to use the real-time transcription feature and text highlighting synced to playback. He concludes by reviewing how to export transcriptions and recordings.
Modern mobile workers dictate memos on the subway, record inspiration in the taxi and conduct interviews on the sidewalk, stated Greg Smith, Vice President of Services Delivery at Messaging Architects. Microsoft makes that process easier with Office Mobile Voice Notes.
Below are a few excerpts from the article, Office Mobile Voice Notes with Real-time Transcription Power Remote Work Productivity.
Real-Time Speech to Text Transcription
To record a voice note, open the Microsoft Office app on your device, then tap the + button at the bottom center of your screen. Select Voice from the Quick Capture popup menu. Tap the microphone icon to start recording. As you speak, the real-time transcription appears on the screen. Click Done to complete the recording and save the voice note to OneDrive.
Text Highlighting Synced to Playback
Voice Notes facilitates the reviewing process by highlighting the text during playback. That is, when you select a recording and tap Play, the utility highlights the text phrase by phrase in sync with the playback. This makes it much easier to find the spots in the text that need editing.
Share Office Mobile Voice Notes
Office Mobile Voice Notes allows users to easily export transcriptions to Word. They can also share either the Word document or the audio file with others. For instance, to share the note, open the voice note and tap Share. Choose Word Document or Audio File.
Differentiate Between Multiple Speakers
For users with a Microsoft 365 subscription, Voice Notes will recognize multiple speakers and partition accordingly. For instance, if Voice Notes hears multiple voices, it will prompt the user to indicate whether everyone has given permission to be recorded. The real-time transcription will then proceed as normal.
Get the Most Out of Microsoft 365
Microsoft continually upgrades its products, adding features to improve productivity and security. Contact the Microsoft Office experts at Messaging Architects to discuss how to optimize the organizations use of Office Mobile and other Microsoft apps.
Have you read?
Microsoft Editor in Outlook Promotes More Inclusive and Professional Email
Work Faster with Email Dictation in Outlook
About Messaging Architects
Messaging Architects specializes in effectively managing and securing an organizations most precious asset, its information. With over 20 years of information management and technology consulting experience, the Messaging Architects team has provided corporations, educational intuitions, health care facilities and nonprofits with methodologies, procedures, and technology to keep their data organized, compliant and secure.
About eMazzanti Technologies
eMazzantis team of trained, certified IT experts rapidly deliver increased revenue growth, data security and productivity for clients ranging from law firms to high-end global retailers, expertly providing advanced retail and payment technology, digital marketing services, cloud and mobile solutions, multi-site implementations, 247 outsourced network management, remote monitoring, and support.
eMazzanti has made the Inc. 5000 list 9X, is a 4X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP, NJ Business of the Year and 5X WatchGuard Partner of the Year! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, info@emazzanti.net or http://www.emazzanti.net Twitter: @emazzanti Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies.
We are excited to welcome Pure Planet Waters' customers to the Quench family and to expand our presence in the important New York market. This acquisition is the 10th this year that originated from our dealer network and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our dealers from start-up to exit.
Quench, a leading provider of filtered water solutions for businesses and dealer partners across the United States and Canada, announced today that it has acquired Pure Planet Waters, a provider of point-of-use drinking water systems and ice dispensers in the New York City metro area. Founded in 2016, Pure Planet Waters is a Wellsys dealer.
We are excited to welcome Pure Planet Waters customers to the Quench family and to expand our presence in the important New York market, said Todd Peterson, COO of Quench. This acquisition is our 18th in 2021. It is also the 10th this year that originated from our dealer network and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our dealers from start-up to exit.
Our customers will be delighted with Quenchs industry-leading products and customer service, said Denise Piccolo, owner of Pure Planet Waters. The Quench teams dealer-friendly reputation is well-deserved; they were thoughtful, thorough, and easy-to-work with throughout the sale process.
More on Quenchs acquisition process can be found at https://quenchwater.com/acquisitions/ or by contacting Quenchs acquisition team directly by email at acquisitions@quenchwater.com.
About Quench
Quench USA, Inc. offers bottle-free filtered drinking water solutions for healthy and environmentally conscious consumers outside the home, through direct sales and independent dealers across North America. Our bottle-free water coolers, ice machines, sparkling water dispensers and coffee brewers, purify a users existing water supply to provide reliable and convenient filtered water to a broad mix of businesses, including government, education, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and other large commercial customers, including more than half of the Fortune 500. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Quench has sales and service operations across North America to serve our 60,000+ customers, and a network of over 250 independent dealers selling products under the brand names Pure Water Technology, Wellsys and Bluline. Quench is a Culligan Company. For more information, please visit https://quenchwater.com.
About Culligan
Founded in 1936 by Emmett Culligan, Culligan is a world leader in delivering water solutions that will improve the lives of its customers. The company offers some of the most technologically advanced, state-of-the-art water filtration and treatment products. Culligan's products include water softeners, drinking water systems, whole-house systems and solutions for businesses. Culligan's network of franchise dealers is the largest in the world, with over 900 dealers in 90 countries. For more information visit: http://www.culligan.com.
The award-winning Roland DG TrueVIS VG2 Series includes the 64-inch VG2-640 and 54-inch VG2-540 printer/cutters, which offer users unsurpassed image quality, productivity, and ease of use. This award means a lot to us, as it represents the unbiased opinion of Sign Media Canada readers, including actual end users who rely on these devices to create high-performance graphics day-in and day-out, Andrew Oransky, Roland DGA President and CEO
Roland DGs TrueVIS VG2 Series large-format printer/cutters have won a prestigious 2021 Sign Media Canada Readers Choice Award. The annual competition gives Sign Media Canada magazine readers the opportunity to vote for the products they believe to be best in the industry within five different categories: Digital Printing, Equipment, Illumination, Substrates, and Supplies. This year, more than 40 products were nominated, and the TrueVIS VG2 Series was chosen as the winner in the Digital Printing category.
This award means a lot to us, as it represents the unbiased opinion of Sign Media Canada readers, including actual end users who rely on these devices to create high-performance graphics day-in and day-out, said Roland DGA President and CEO Andrew Oransky. The popularity of our TrueVIS series printer/cutters has been incredible worldwide, and Canada is no exception. The stunning color and vibrancy of the output VG2 printer/cutters produce, combined with their outstanding productivity, versatility and reliability, put these next-generation machines in a class by themselves.
Roland DG TrueVIS VG2 Series printer/cutters have received numerous awards since their introduction 2019, including a coveted ISA Sign Expo Innovation Award in the Printer category, a European Digital Press Association (EDP) Award for Best Print & Cut Solution, and other top industry honors. In addition, Roland DGs wide-gamut TR2 inks, specially formulated for the VG2, won a PRINTING United Alliance 2020 Product of the Year Award in the Digital Inks Solvent/Eco-Solvent/Latex category.
The 64-inch TrueVIS VG2-640 and 54-inch VG2-540 Roland DGs flagship eco-solvent large-format printer/cutters are designed to exceed the needs of demanding print professionals, offering comprehensive color choices, improved machine efficiency, and increased print-and-cut accuracy for true unattended production. The VG2s high quality GREENGUARD Gold certified TR2 inks, including new Orange and Green options, work together with the printer/cutters advanced technologies to expand the color gamut and offer users more color control and freedom than ever before.
To learn more about the award-winning Roland DG TrueVIS VG2 Series printer/cutters, visit https://www.rolanddga.com/VG2. To view a complete list of 2021 Sign Media Canada Readers Choice Award winners, visit https://www.signmedia.ca/smc-readers-choice-awards-2021-winners-announced/.
About Roland DGA Corporation
Roland DGA Corporation serves North and South America as the marketing, sales, distribution and service arm for Roland DG Corporation. Founded in 1981 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Roland DG of Hamamatsu, Japan is a worldwide leader in wide-format inkjet printers for the sign, apparel, textile, personalization and vehicle graphics markets; engravers for awards, giftware and ADA signage; photo impact printers for direct part marking; and 3D printers and CNC milling machines for the dental CAD/CAM, rapid prototyping, part manufacturing and medical industries. For more information on Roland DGA, or the compete Roland DGA product line, visit https://www.rolanddga.com/.
About Roland DG Corporation
Roland DG Corporation is the worlds leading provider of digital printing solutions. The companys inkjet printers, printer/cutters and cutting machines are widely used to create a broad range of promotional items including banners, signs, vehicle graphics, stickers, and labels, and to provide customization services for apparel and personal items like smartphone cases. Recently, Roland DG has embarked on a promising new digital transformation frontier with the launch of its cloud-based service called Roland DG Connect which improves customer satisfaction and success by providing a more comfortable and stable operating environment, improved workflow efficiency, increased business development and profitability. The company has also developed proprietary design and print management software which offers an unforgettable creative experience by enabling customers to design their own gifts, apparel, and treasured mementos. For more information on Roland DG Corporation, visit https://www.rolanddg.com/en.
Sam & CJ Awarded by The Salvation Army There is a staggering number of children in the Youngstown area alone who dont have the means to celebrate the joy and magic of Christmas, and by helping The Salvation Army, were able to remind those children that they are not forgotten and that they are loved." Sam Boak
The Salvation Army is well known for being a non-profit charity organization that collects toys to distribute to children all over the country through their Toys for Tots campaign. However, there are smaller campaigns that local organizations do to help individual communities get involved. This year, an employee from Boak & Sons, Inc., a residential and commercial exterior contracting company based in Youngstown, Ohio, helped them with the Army of Toys campaign to benefit the Mahoning County community.
Sam Boak, president and founder of Boak & Sons, Inc., is well-known in the Youngstown area for his dedication to giving back to the local community. He and his company participate in several charitable causes and events throughout the entire year, such as the Sleep in Heavenly Peace fundraiser, the Second Harvest Foodbank, Warming Warren and many more. One of Sams employees, CJ Zelonish, has dedicated over six years to volunteering for The Salvation Army.
CJ is a warehouse manager at Boak & Sons, Inc. He started working at Boak & Sons when he was just 13 years old, helping his father, Chris Zelonish Sr. with work around the shop. Now a 25-year-old, he has grown to be one of the head employees in the Boak & Sons warehouse and has spent most of his off-work hours volunteering with The Salvation Army.
The Army of Toys campaign works locally in Mahoning County to donate toys to children in the area. This year, CJ collected over $2,000 worth of toys to distribute, and Sam Boak donated $10,000 to support the campaign. CJ went around to local businesses collecting toys and awarding prizes to those who donated. For their dedication to volunteering, CJ and Sam Boak were awarded the 2020-2021 Army of Toys Volunteer Award by The Salvation Army.
When you have so many blessings in life, its crucial that you share those blessings with others, says Sam. There is a staggering number of children in the Youngstown area alone who dont have the means to celebrate the joy and magic of Christmas, and by helping The Salvation Army, were able to remind those children that they are not forgotten and that they are loved. CJs love for this organization is contagious, and I couldnt be prouder of him. I believe strongly in giving back to the community that has supported my business for decades and helping out causes like the Army of Toys is just one of the many ways we can do that. Each time we participate in something like this, my hope is that others follow by our example.
The Army of Toys campaign also partners with DeBartolo, Inc. and Midas. Midas even offers free oil changes for those who bring in a toy to donate. Any leftover toys that are not donated to children in Mahoning County are taken to the Akron Childrens Hospital Beeghly Campus in Boardman.
Boak & Sons, Inc. serves both residential and commercial customers from Cleveland, Ohio to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania specializing in roofing, siding, insulation, gutters, and sheet metal. To learn more about Boak & Sons, Inc., visit http://www.boakandsons.com or call 330-793-5646.
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About Boak & Sons:
Boak & Sons, Inc. was founded by Sam Boak in 1974 as an insulation contractor. With the high energy costs of the 70's, Boak & Sons expanded early on into the roofing business. They offered economical roof installations through cutting edge technology and equipment, allowing customers to recoup even more in energy savings. Today, Boak & Sons is a residential and commercial contractor for roofing, insulation, sheet metal, siding, and gutters. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, the company serves customers in surrounding areas from Cleveland, Akron, and Canton to Cranberry and Pittsburgh. For more information on Boak & Sons, visit their website at: https://www.boakandsons.com/
The International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp), recognized for its high-level education and training standards for eating disorder healthcare professionals, announces its scholarship offering for the 36th annual iaedp Symposium slated for March 24 27, 2022, live and in-person at the Omni Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando.
The scholarship application period for the iaedp Symposium will open on December 14, 2021 and remain open through December 31, 2021. Applications can be found and submitted online at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/pEYyKsd/scholarship?source_id=33d9651d-2dcd-4f5c-8871-0bb6dd734045&source_type=em&c=bfNXMvKo7loDMcOAHFastTmkB3JA1i4POS4-JoJnfZIoR7Dlnz1VZw==
First-time iaedp Symposium attendees or iaedp members who have a financial hardship are eligible to apply. A majority of the scholarship aid cover conference registration fees for the four-day educational and training conference. Financial aid scholarships also provide a majority of the iaedp Symposium registration fees. Recipients pay a $350 registration fee.
Scholarships available for the 2022 iaedp Symposium are the following:
AAEDP-BIPOC Committees Scholarships
The iaedp AAEDP-BIPOC Symposium Scholarship awards 10 eligible applicants who are clinicians, researchers or students who have demonstrated a commitment to treatment, education, prevention, research or advocacy of eating disorders in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community.
Eligibility for BIPOC scholarship candidates includes a clinician, researcher or student who has five years or less experience working within the field of eating disorders or is a first-time attendee to the iaedp Symposium and has demonstrated commitment to treatment, education, prevention, research and/or advocacy of eating disorders in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities.
The Dick Wilson Scholarship
The Dick Wilson scholarship covers the cost of one full iaedp Symposium registration.
The Erin Riederer Foundation Scholarship
The Erin Riederer Foundation scholarship provides financial support towards completion of the iaedp Certification process. Clinicians seeking the Traditional Certification route are encouraged to apply by stating reasons why certification is important to them and how this scholarship will support the process. Preference is given to those clinicians operating in Wisconsin.
Over 30 hours of continuing treatment education and research presentations is scheduled to occur during the 2022 iaedp Symposium. Attendees will experience both informative presentations and exclusive networking opportunities and also have an option to participate in certification training, which begins one day prior to the opening day of the conference.
About the iaedp Foundation: Since 1985, the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals has provided education and training standards to an international and multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions. MemberSHARE.iaedp.com is an iaedp business journal and online member resource to learn about noteworthy member achievements, continuing education webinars and U.S. and international chapter activity and events; for more information, visit MemberSHARE.
The iaedp Foundations Presidents Council, which provides organization support, includes: Center for Change; Center for Discovery; Eating Recovery Center; Willow Place; Laureate Eating Disorders Program; The Meadows Ranch; Rogers Behavioral Health; Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders; Selah House; The Renfrew Center; Timberline Knolls; Veritas Collaborative; Alsana Eating Disorder Treatment & Recovery Centers; Walden Behavioral Care; KIPU Health and SunCloud Health; Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center and ClearStep.
I am continually blown away by the people within this organization.
Seabreeze Management Company, Inc., a leading residential and commercial property management firm, today announced the companys 2021 growth highlights. Despite a labor shortage, an ongoing pandemic, and residual changes from 2020, Seabreeze exceeded its commitments to customers and continued to add new clients, team members, and acquire other property management companies. Seabreeze was also named a Top Workplace by the Orange County Register for the fifth year in a row.
In 2021, Seabreeze acquired two new organizations: Fidelity Management Services in Chatsworth, California, and Apex Management Group in Bakersfield, CA. Between the acquisitions and internal hiring, the Seabreeze umbrella now employs more than 500 team members serving over 500 associations and 100,000 homes. The number of units Seabreeze now serves has grown nearly 20% compared to 2020.
In addition to acquisitions, Seabreeze continues to invest in new markets under its regional brand strategy. The company recently opened its Desertbreeze offices to serve the Phoenix, Arizona area. Recently, Desertbreeze won the business of a 336-unit single family community from a competitive bid process, signaling that this organization is poised to be a major player in the Phoenix market.
While Seabreeze continues to strengthen its core offerings, 2021 market demands opened up new opportunities to expand the existing company footprint. This year, Seabreeze opened SMC Maintenance, the companys in-house maintenance services. Headed up by a licensed contractor, SMC Maintenance not only enabled Seabreeze to guarantee basic maintenance services in spite of a labor shortage, it allows team members to work alongside current vendors to navigate larger community needs. This new business model is currently available for all Southern California clients and will be available in Northern California in 2022.
In December, Seabreeze Management was named a Top Workplace by the Orange County Register for 2021. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner 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.
I am continually blown away by the people within this organization, said Isaiah Henry, CEO at Seabreeze. Every person in the Seabreeze family has worked tirelessly through unprecedented circumstances to ensure our communities are getting the experience and service they deserve. Its because of this team that weve been able to expand our missionone that I believe is uniqueand it is their hard work and dedication that has attracted so many new clients and allowed us to offer new services. I am grateful and humbled to sit at the head of this great company and I look forward to what 2022 will bring.
About Seabreeze Management Company
Seabreeze Management Company is a full-service property management firm with a diverse management portfolio of over 100,000 residential and commercial properties. Based in Aliso Viejo, California, Seabreeze has offered a personalized, service-driven client experience to commercial common-interest developments and homeowners associations for over 34 years. With offices throughout California and Nevada, Seabreezes mission is to be a trusted, knowledgeable advisor and collaborative partner to enables communities of all types to thrive. Seabreeze is a certified AAMC company. For more information visit http://www.seabreezemgmt.com, like Seabreeze on Facebook or follow on Twitter @Seabreezemgmt.
2022 Nissan Altima and 2022 Nissan Sentra are available at Glendale Nissan!
The 2022 Nissan Altima is the Nissan brands offering in the mid-size sedan segment. It is available with a choice of two engines: the 2.0-liter VC-Turbo engine that delivers 248 hp and has a torque rating of 273 lb.-ft and an advanced 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engine that is rated at 188 hp and has a torque rating of 180 lb.-ft. It offers an option of the front-wheel-drive or Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system. Additionally, it comes with advanced Nissan Intelligent Mobility technology with ProPILOT Assist and Nissan Safety Shield 360 technologies. This sleek sedan is available at Glendale Nissan in Glendale Heights, Illinois, at a starting price of $24,550. Customers can choose between the S, SV, SR, SL, and Platinum trims.
On the other hand, the 2022 Nissan Sentra is the Nissan brands offering in the compact sedan segment. It has a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that pushes out 149 hp and has a torque rating of 146 lb.-ft. It has an unmistakable design, a comprehensive suite of driver-assistance technologies, and advanced connectivity. Customers can choose from the S, SV, and SR grades. Moreover, the 2022 Nissan Sentra has a reasonable starting price of $19,510.
To learn more about the 2022 Nissan Altima and 2022 Nissan Sentra, interested customers can directly contact Glendale Nissan at 818-696-9301. Drivers can also browse the dealership's online inventory and explore other options. Prospective buyers can explore the models up close by visiting the dealership at 484 E North Ave., Glendale Heights, IL 60139, United States.
We are excited for the University to establish their new campus home, and look forward to mapping the bright future of the institution, commented Brian Riordan, Managing Director and Head of Zieglers Higher Education Finance Practice.
Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, is pleased to announce the successful closing of the $23,550,000 Series 2021 Bonds for Hallmark University.
The bonds are issued through the City of San Antonio, Texas Education Facilities Corporation and are non-rated. Bond proceeds will be used primarily to finance the acquisition and redevelopment of a new main campus building.
The University was founded in 1969 as Hallmark Aero-Tech as a for-profit institution. Hallmarks first campus was located at San Antonios historic Stinson Municipal Airport and the first program approved was Aviation Maintenance Technology, offered as a diploma program. On September 18, 1969, the doors opened to eight pioneering students who paved the way for the many thousands of proud Hallmark alumni that have followed. The University continues to operate today on these original values. Consistent with its mission, the University converted to a non-profit organization in 2013.
Hallmark is a fully accredited, co-educational university with two campuses located in San Antonio, Texas, offering degree programs in business, information technology, healthcare, and aeronautics. The Universitys accelerated academic calendar allows students to earn bachelors degree in 28 months, and a masters degree in as little as 10 months. For the academic year 2020-21, the University has an enrollment of 1,280 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs.
This is the first time the University has accessed the public capital markets. The acquisition of this new property is one of the most significant events in Hallmarks rich history, noted Joe Fisher, President of Hallmark University. It provides for expanded opportunities and services for our students and our community. The entire University team is grateful for the expertise and professionalism Ziegler provided, to help guide us through the entire bond experience.
It was an absolute pleasure working with Joe and the entire Hallmark leadership team. This financing will help pave the way for the future of the University. We are excited for the University to establish their new campus home, and look forward to mapping the bright future of the institution, commented Brian Riordan, Managing Director and Head of Zieglers Higher Education Finance Practice.
Ziegler is one of the nations leading underwriters of financing not-for-profit borrowers. Ziegler offers creative, tailored solutions to its higher education clients, including investment banking, financial risk management, merger and acquisition services, private placement services, USDA financing, capital and strategic planning as well as higher education research, education and communication.
For further information on the structure and use of this issue, please see the Official Statement located on the Electronic Municipal Market Access system's Document Archive.
For more information about Ziegler, please visit us at http://www.ziegler.com.
About Ziegler:
Ziegler is a privately held, national boutique investment bank, capital markets and proprietary
investments firm. It has a unique focus on healthcare, senior living and education sectors, as
well as general municipal and structured finance. Headquartered in Chicago with regional and
branch offices throughout the U.S., Ziegler provides its clients with capital raising, strategic advisory
services, fixed income sales, underwriting and trading as well as Ziegler Credit, Surveillance and Analytics. To learn more, visit http://www.ziegler.com.
Certain comments in this news release represent forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This clients experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients, nor is it indicative of future performance or success. The forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, in particular, the overall financial health of the securities industry, the strength of the healthcare sector of the U.S. economy and the municipal securities marketplace, the ability of the Company to underwrite and distribute securities, the market value of mutual fund portfolios and separate account portfolios advised by the Company, the volume of sales by its retail brokers, the outcome of pending litigation, and the ability to attract and retain qualified employees.
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Marylands library e-book law will go into effect after allthough for how long remains to be seen. Following a December 21 status conference, federal judge Deborah L. Boardman has set a briefing schedule that will take the Association of American Publishers' bid to block the law into Februaryand possibly longer.
Per the courts order, Maryland state attorneys are due to file a consolidated motion by January 14 comprising their forthcoming motion to dismiss the AAP's suit and their motion in opposition to the AAPs bid for a preliminary injunction. The AAP reply is due by January 28. A remote hearing is set for February 7. The schedule means that the Maryland lawwhich passed the Maryland General Assembly unanimously in Marchwill take effect on January 1, 2022 as set out in the laws text.
The order comes after the AAP filed suit against Maryland attorney general Brian Frosh in federal court in Maryland on December 9, claiming that the Maryland law is preempted by federal copyright law, among other issues. And on December 16, AAP lawyers filed a subsequent motion for a preliminary injunction, claiming the law would cause immediate and irreparable harm if allowed to take effect.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is now on the clock after New Yorks library e-book law was delivered for signature or veto on December 17. By law, Hochul has 10 days from deliveryuntil December 29to sign or veto the bill. If Hochul takes no action by then, the bill becomes law.
Like the Maryland law, the New York bill requires publishers who offer to license e-books to the public to also offer those e-books to libraries on reasonable terms. The bills summary states that the law is designed to ensure that widely accepted and effective industry practices remain in place while prohibiting harmful practices that discriminate against libraries and harm library patrons.
However, a cohort of industry groups, including the AAP and the Authors Guild, urged Hochul to veto the measure in a recent letter, calling the bill "an unjustified attack" that would have "a significant negative impact on the economy and jobs" in New York.
"The copyright industry and New Yorks economy are directly linked," the letter states. "The publishing industry alone provides tens of thousands of jobs in New York, where it has been proudly headquartered for two centuries. In addition, publishing creates numerous jobs for distribution partners, such as booksellers, and works closely with business partners like the motion picture and television industry, which together are directly responsible for more than one hundred thousand jobs in New York and some $13.1 billion in wages."
A spokesperson for the New York Library Association told PW that supporters remain hopeful that Hochul will sign the bill into law, adding that the bill enjoys strong grassroots support in the state. In June, despite the AAP's opposition, the bill unanimously passed the New York Assembly 148-0, and passed the New York State Senate 62-1.
"In the last week weve had nearly 1,000 advocates send support letters and emails to the Governors office, NYLA spokesperson Briana McNamee said.
This year has provided little respite from the unprecedented challenges of 2020. As a second year of coping with a global pandemic concludes, the publishing industry has taken pains to become a bit more adaptive. This is as true for individuals as it has been for institutionsand perhaps especially in the realm of education. In PWs annual check-in with graduate publishing programs, we see that the long-term effects of Covid-19as well as the continuing calls for accessibility and equity in the publishing industryhave left a permanent mark on the ways programs support students and position them for success. To find out how graduate publishing programs have adapted, PW spoke with directors and faculty at four of the largest programs: Emerson College, NYUs School of Professional Studies, and Pace University in the U.S., as well as Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.
Emerson College
Program head: Bill Beuttler, associate professor of publishing and writing
Location: Boston
Graduate degree offered: MA
Credits: 40
Tuition: $1,322 per credit (typically eight credits per semester)
Class size: Maximum of 12, usually 1012
Part-time options: Two to three courses per semester is considered full-time, but a student can take one course if they choose.
Scholarships: There are a variety of merit- and need-based scholarships.
Evening and weekend classes: Most Emerson classes meet on weekday nights, starting at 6 p.m. A handful meet at 4 p.m., and only on rare occasions are graduate classes scheduled for earlier in the day. There are no weekend classes.
Online classes: Emerson continued offering some online classes this year, having begun offering them when the pandemic began. The school will continue to do so going forward to accommodate students who may want to begin their MA studies online. But Emerson is a residency program, and it is not yet possible for students to complete all their courses online.
Faculty: Emerson currently has eight full-time faculty from publications and companies including Boston magazine, the Boston Globe, the New York Times Magazine, MIT Technology Review, Mens Journal, Nation Books, Viking Penguin, Da Capo Press, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Career services: Career services are offered for the entire college.
Recent alumni job placements: Recent alumni have landed jobs as editor of Austin Monthly magazine, executive editor of Yoga Journal, production editor at the University of Michigan Press, and copy chief at Vox, as well as editing and publicity jobs at Random House, Beacon Press, Candlewick Press, Fidelity Investments, MIT Press, and elsewhere.
Q&A with Bill Beuttler
How has Covid affected this years program?
Our graduate courses have traditionally met one night a week. Because we couldnt predict what pandemic conditions would be like, they met twice a week this fall in case we needed to revert to the more rigorous social distancing requirements that we had last year. This spring we are returning primarily to once-a-week classes. We hope to continue that way going forward.
What distinguishes this program?
Our program focuses on content creation as much as the business side of publishing, whereas our competitors tend to focus primarily on the business side. Our program interacts a great deal with the colleges MFA program in writingsharing a literary journal and taking classes across programs, among other activities. This is particularly true for our magazine offerings. Ours is an outlier in offering as many courses on magazine writing, editing, and design as we do. Those courses are more typically offered in journalism programs at other institutions.
Our program also offers lab courses focused on experiential learning. These include a course on writing for the Boston Globes Globe Magazine, and the student-run digital magazine The Independent, which covers independent filmmaking. This spring, we are rolling out a new collaboration with Random House in which students will learn to do paid freelance copyediting, which will be overseen by Random House mentors.
Additionally, our program is less rigid than others as far as required courses. Students must complete three introductory courses teaching the essentials of book, magazine, and digital publishing. The remaining 28 credits come from elective courses that can include an optional MA project.
Finally, we recently launched a four plus one program in which students can earn both BA and MA degrees in publishing and writing in five years total. Students have begun applying to Emerson with doing so in mind. Were a residential program in a city that has a variety of publishers, and our faculty continue to be professionally engaged with some of those publishers.
NYU School of Professional Studies and Summer Publishing Institute
Program head: Andrea Chambers, executive director of the NYU Center for Publishing
Location: New York City
Graduate degree offered: MS
Credits: 42, but starting in fall 2022, the program will be reduced to 36. In addition to the MS in publishing, NYU hosts a Summer Publishing Institute (SPI). In previous years, SPI has been a six-week introduction to both book publishing and digital/magazine media. Starting in summer 2022, SPI will be a four-week plus two-day program offering a certificate of completion and three graduate credits.
Tuition: As of spring 2022, the tuition for 12 credits of the MS in publishing is $22,380 plus $1,204 in fees, for a total of $23,584. SPI tuition for 2022 is $4,000.
Class size: Average class size is 1012 students, with a maximum of 20.
Part-time options: Students have the choice to attend full-time or part-time, with the option to move from one to the other between semesters.
Online classes: While university buildings were closed during the pandemic, NYU offered online courses through Zoom. Since fall 2021, the school has offered in-person learning and all classes are held on campus. Students appreciate the opportunity to meet in person and to interact with our faculty of leading publishing professionals.
SPI was held as a virtual program in 2020 and 2021. This summer, it will return to a fully in-person program at our conference center. Students greatly value studying publishing in New York, the publishing capital of the U.S.
Scholarships: The Center for Publishing offers scholarships funded by media companies and individual donors. We also offer scholarships for students attending SPI, including scholarships to support diversity in publishing.
Evening and weekend classes: All classes in the MS in publishing program are held in the evening to enable students to work or intern in the industry during the day. Classes are held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Faculty: The faculty of the MS in publishing, as well as the guest speakers and presenters for SPI, are all leading industry professionals, including publishers, editors-in-chief, creative directors, and marketing, publicity, sales, and finance directors.
Career services: NYU and the School of Professional Studies is supported by the Wasserman Center for Career Development. The Wasserman Center offers a wide range of opportunities for students, including mock interviews and resume and cover letter assistance, as well as access to Handshake, a job and internship site. In addition, the Center for Publishing hosts an annual career fair and sends out weekly job postings and internship opportunities. The student-run Publishing Student Association also holds professional development events and workshops.
Recent alumni job placements: Students are working all over the industry, including at the Big Five publishing companies, literary agencies, independent publishers, and Barnes & Noble, as well as in social media and technology companies. A few recent job placements include positions as an editorial assistant, a marketing manager, a publicity assistant, a literary agency assistant, and a video producer.
Q&A with Andrea Chambers
How has Covid affected this years program?
While Covid did influence in-person learning during previous semesters, we were able to be move both the MS in publishing and the Summer Publishing Institute online. Starting in fall 2021, NYU returned fully to in-person classes, and in summer 2022, SPI will be returning to in-person, as well.
What distinguishes this program?
The graduate program, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is known for its wide-ranging curriculum providing study of all publishing functions, including content creation, marketing and publicity, sales, and finance. Students graduate from the program with a deep knowledge of publishing fundamentals as well as emerging media. We are constantly adding new topics of study that correspond to growth and change in the industry, including areas like analytics, social media strategy, podcasts and audiobooks, video production, and digital product management.
The program is also known for its industry connections and global reach. In addition to our extraordinary faculty members, we are supported by the deep commitment and expertise of our board of advisers, a group of industry leaders that includes presidents, publishers, directors, and CEOs at each of the Big Five. For students, learning extends outside the classroom with industry visits to companies like Audible, Barnes & Noble, and Penguin Random House. Before the pandemic, we took students each year to volunteer at the Frankfurt, London, and Bologna Book Fairs.
We are also the only publishing program that is aligned with a summer publishing program. Students have the unique ability to commence their publishing studies in the summer with the Summer Publishing Institute, earn three graduate credits, and matriculate into the graduate program in the fall with advanced standing. This is a valuable way to jump-start a career in publishing and gain a competitive edge.
In the last two years, we have put a strong priority on supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the program and in the industry. We believe the best way to achieve this result is at the point of entry: publishing programs where talent is nurtured and students are prepared for careers in the industry.
Pace University
Program head: Manuela Soares, director of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at Pace
Location: New York City
Graduate degree offered: MS
Credits needed to complete the program: 36
Tuition: $45,512 for 36 credits
Class size: 15
Part-time options: Instead of three or four courses per semester, part-time is one or two courses.
Scholarships: There are many scholarship opportunities. The university offers a merit scholarship to students based on their GPAsthe minimum award is $4,000 and the maximum is $7,000 per year. The publishing department also offers scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $20,000.
Online Classes: The program has been offered online for the past 20 years. Roughly half of our classes are online and the other half are in-person. There are also synchronous remote classes.
Evening and weekend classes: Classes run from 6 to 9 p.m. on weekdays.
Faculty: All our faculty work in the publishing industry and most are based in New York, but we have several faculty who work for Big Five publishers from the West Coast.
Career services: Career services are available to students forever, offering assistance in resume writing, cover letters, interviewing, and more. We also have a dedicated internship professor who assists students with internships and job placement.
Examples of companies where recent alumni have landed jobs: Some of the companies that alumni have gone on to work at include HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Hachette, Oxford University Press, Scholastic, the New York Post, Sage Publishing, and Astra Publishing.
Q&A with Manuela Soares
How has Covid affected this years program?
We have returned to in-person classes, but since we have always offered half of the courses online, we continue to do so. We also moved to HyFlex for some classes, so students can be in the classroom if they want to be, and join in remotely if they dont.
What distinguishes this program?
Internships, scholarships, and mentoring. We assist students in finding an internship, we offer many scholarships, and we have speed mentoring events every semester with industry professionals, as well as other events that connect students with alums and others. Our unique one-to-one mentoring program matches interested students with an industry mentor every semester.
We have a supportive program that helps students learn about every aspect of publishing and connects them to industry professionals who guest-speak to our students and assist them in establishing professional connections. Students have said of the program: Met my personal and professional goals, affordable, convenient to attend while maintaining a full-time job; Great instructors and classmates. Also really appreciated the internship search support; Overall learning about the many aspects of publishing and the program truly helps with getting your foot in the door; I left the program with a solid understanding of all areas of publishing and some good friends.
Simon Fraser University
Program head: Suzanne Norman, director of the publishing work-
shops at Simon Fraser and lecturer in the publishing program
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Graduate degree offered: Master of publishing
Credits needed to complete the program: 47
Tuition: C$19,888 for 47 credits
Part-time options: Not for the 20222023 academic year..
Scholarships: There are many scholarships available from both the master of publishing program and SFU.
Online classes: We have had no solely online classes for the 20212022 academic year. We expect all courses in 20222023 to be in person unless circumstances change.
Evening and weekend classes: None at present.
Faculty: Our current faculty comprises a mix of professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers, adjunct faculty, and sessionals. We also have a broad range of guest faculty from all areas of the publishing industry.
How has Covid affected this years program: Covid has had no impact on this years program.
Career services: As part of the degree requirements, each student has to complete a professional placement semester, during which students complete an internship-style term but develop a thesis-comparable report on a relevant publishing issue. Students can also complete research and produce academic papers.
Q&A with Suzanne Norman
What are some examples of companies where recent alumni have landed jobs?
Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Wattpad, Kobo, Sourcebooks, among others.
What distinguishes this program?
Small cohorts, a high instructor-to-student ratio, access to publishing leaders, practical placements, a highly relevant and current curriculum programming, multiple levels of academic and industry support, competitive financial awards, and hands-on group projects. Furthermore, our faculty actively engage in research and professional development, which keeps curriculum fresh and innovative. Our students graduate with the knowledge and skills to enhance any publishing enterprise.
What: Purdue Club of Nashville, Tennessee, food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Pantry of Middle Tennessee.
When: 11:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 30, before Purdue takes on the University of Tennessee in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
Where: Wildhorse Saloon in Nashvilles historic district downtown.
Details: The food drive will take place during the Purdue for Life Foundations tailgate. The festive event will include Purdues famed mascot Purdue Pete, cheerleaders, a pep rally, a house band, a buffet and more. The Purdue Alumni Club of Nashville is asking Boilermaker fans to bring canned-food donations to the tailgate.
Interviews: Jillian Henry, vice president for engagement, Purdue for Life Foundation, 765-413-6049, JMHenry@purdueforlife.org
More information available here.
Media contact: Jillian Henry, 765-413-6049, JMHenry@purdueforlife.org
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. David K. Wilson, whose transformative leadership as president of Morgan State University, Marylands preeminent public urban research university, has guided the historically Black university in Baltimore to new heights as a top-level research institution, will keynote Purdue Universitys Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative celebration in January.
The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 in Stewart Centers Loeb Playhouse on Purdues campus. It is free and open to the public and also will be livestreamed online.
Wilsons lecture is part of a week of events celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., including a Day of Service focused on the theme of food justice and coordinated by Purdues Civic Engagement and Leadership Development office. Among the events will be a concert Jan. 19 by the internationally celebrated Morgan State University Choir. Renowned for its stirring performances, the choir performs a repertoire of gospel and contemporary popular music. The choir is noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance. Morgans choir will be joined onstage by members of Purdues Black Voices of Inspiration and Purdue Musical Organizations for portions of the evening's concert.
Additional events and programs will be released at the start of spring semester.
Wilson is a former chancellor in the University of Wisconsin system, associate provost at Auburn University, and associate provost of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He was appointed president of Morgan State in 2010, and the university has soared since. Under his leadership, Morgan has:
Achieved an elevated classification of R2, a status reserved for doctoral universities with high research activity. Morgan is on the path to become the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to reach R1.
Completed the $250 million Anniversary Campaign, the largest in the schools history.
Undertaken more than $1 billion in campus construction and planned construction for state-of-the-art institutional and academic facilities.
Secured the universitys largest ever research contract, a $28.5 million contract from NASA.
Broadened its academic offering with the addition of more than 40 new degree programs to its present number of 140 (up from 96 a decade ago) and introduction of the internationally known and accredited School of Global Journalism and Communication (2013) and the College of Interdisciplinary and Continuing Studies (2021) home to Morgan Completes You.
Significantly increased retention, graduation rates and enrollment. Morgan welcomed its largest incoming class of first-year students and its highest student enrollment in the universitys history in fall 2021.
President Wilson inspires the nation, and we are thrilled to have him share his experiences and motivate people to personal, civic and even career action, said John Gates, Purdues vice provost for diversity and inclusion. As we honor the legacies of these two great institutions and our emergent partnership, I expect that we will engage with Dr. Kings vision of the beloved community. We invite all to join us for these exciting events.
Born and raised in the small town of McKinley, Alabama, Wilson was the first person in his family to attend college. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science in 1977 and a Master of Education degree in 1979 from Tuskegee University. He continued his education at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he earned an additional Master of Education (84) and a Doctor of Education degree (87). He is the author of two books and more than 20 articles in scholarly journals and other publications.
Among the leading voices in higher education administration, Wilson has served on numerous boards including the NCAA Board of Governors and Division I Board of Directors (as head of the NCAA Standardized Test Score Task Committee and member of the NCAA Finance Committee), Lumina Foundation Board of Directors, National Institute of Standards and Technologys (NISTs) Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology, HBCU/China Network (chair), Maryland Cybersecurity Council and the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Governing Board, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Association of American Colleges and Universities (Finance Committee chair).
Wilson was profiled in a Baltimore Sun story in September as an honoree for the newspapers 2021 Business and Civic Hall of Fame.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.
Media contacts: Matt Oates, Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates
Jim Bush, 765-336-1909, jsbush@purdue.edu
U.S. Steel recently reported record third quarter results with net earnings of $2.0 billion, or $6.97 per diluted share, with $6 billion in revenue. For the nine months ended September 2021, revenue increased 105% to $14.7 billion. U.S. Steel ended the quarter with cash of $2 billion.
While more than ten analysts cover the stock, Curt Woodworth, Credit Suisse, is the most bullish with an Outperform Buy Rating and target price of $49.00. The consensus price target is $33.00.
The most bearish on the stock in recent years is analyst Timna Tanners, formerly with Bank of America (BofA) and now with Wolfe Research. As early as March 2019, she theorized that steel capacity would increase by 20% in 2022 pushing prices down so dramatically that she coined the phrase Steelmageddon.
CNBC and other mainstream financial media jumped on the bandwagon. On March 19th, 2019 CNBC published an article titled: Steel stock investors beware: Price-crushing Steelmageddon is coming, says BofA.
The author of the article, Tom DiChristopher, wrote that the impact will be so punishing, the investment bank is dubbing the next several years of upheaval Steelmageddon. Her incorrect thesis basically said the coming glut of capacity and supply will cause a significant decline in steel prices. To understand how wrong Tanners thinking was, and how the proverbial experts often get it wrong, at the time she rolled out her thesis, hot rolled coil (HRC) steel was trading between $650 $750 per ton. She predicted prices would fall to $550 to $660 per ton in 2021, but that has not happened. In fact, HRC is now trading at $1786 per ton (as of November 17, 2021). Tanner predicted that the U.S would not lift the 25 percent tariffs on China steel. On that one point, she is correct. She also argued that increased capacity from Nucor and Steel Dynamics, the heavyweights, would increase supply and contribute to falling prices.
Paraphrasing BofA, CNBCs DiChristopher echoed Tanners, writing: Steel stocks might hold up through 2019 and possibly into 2020, but Merrill says long-term investors can start fading the stocks by the end of this year.
In fact, steel, as noted by Credit Suisse analyst Curt Woodworth in a U.S. Steel sector report published in August 2021, has been the best performing commodity from the 2020 lows, with prices up almost 4x for hot rolled. As for U.S. Steel (NYSE:X), its market cap has doubled from $3.4 billion to $7.1 billion since Tanners dire predictions in March of 2019. Still holding onto her incorrect thesis, in March of this year, Tanners gave U.S. Steel an underperform rating and a price target of $12.00.
But in November, she raised her target price to $27.00 and a HOLD rating. She highlighted Xs strong balance sheet, record 3rd quarter EPS of $6.97 a share and the fact that their pension is overfunded.
Tanners appears to have backed off her Steelmageddon thesis, but still has a cautious view on steel prices. Importantly, U.S. Steel noted in its 3rd quarter earnings call that they are delighted to hear from multiple Auto customers who are foreshadowing that the trough of the chip shortage could be behind us. They are beginning to add to their 4Q/1Q build schedules and indicating to us increasing usage rates starting as early as next week.
Shortly after U.S. Steel reported its third-quarter earnings, Credit Suisse reiterated its bullish stance on the steel industry with a publication titled: Transition from Transitory Section 232 to Structural TRQ System is a Long-Term Win for US Steel Sector.
The report says that while the 25% tariff on China steel imports remains in effect, there was a change to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act (which gives the President the power to adjust steel imports through the use of tariffs) with a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ).
Woodworth argues that the change will have little impact on the U.S. Steel sector; making the point that already 55% of sheet imports are either excluded from tariffs or subject to TRQs. Moreover historically, Europe has accounted for 15% of total HRC imports or 2% of apparent U.S. demand. He also notes the U.S. and EU are working toward a carbon emissions agreement, which bodes well for and other U.S. steel producers. U.S. Steel is ideally positioned to benefit, having made serious investments in finishing capabilities that are driving new growth in value-added sustainable steels.
In addition to the record third-quarter results, investors should also be encouraged that U.S. Steel announced a $300 million stock repurchase program and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.05 per share.
Woodworth says that U.S. Steel is the cheapest steel stock in their coverage universe and argues that the market needs to rethink the U.S. Steel valuation.
Michelle Young and Nayte Olukoya got engaged on Tuesday's Season 18 finale of The Bachelorette on ABC.
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Young chose Olukoya over runner-up Brandon James.
Variety said Young and Olukoya are the first Black couple to get engaged on the dating competition show.
Kaitlyn Bristowe hosted the finale, which featured both live segments and prerecorded footage from the couple's dates in Mexico.
During the live after-show, the couple was presented with a check for $200,000 to help them buy a house in Minnesota where Young lives and where Olukoya plans to relocate from Texas.
"I fall more in love every day," Young told People.com. "I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family with a healthy marriage and I thought, I'm not going to give up until I have that. He's my person. And I didn't know I could love at this level."
"It's so natural for us to be together. I've never felt the way I feel before. I'm all in!" Olukoya added.
Season 26 of The Bachelor with Clayton Echard is set to premiere on Jan. 3.
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Young was the runner-up on Season 25 of The Bachelor, starring Matt James.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 12/22/2021
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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
stars Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim have broken up after dating for less than a year.Multiple outlets reported on Tuesday that Chrishell, who also competed on Dancing with the Stars last year, and Jason, a real estate broker who owns the Los Angeles real estate firm Oppenheim Group, split five months after going public with their romance.Chrishell and Jason then subsequently confirmed their split in social-media postings.Chrishell, 40, and Jason, 44, confirmed they were dating in July while vacationing in Italy with several of their fellow co-stars."Chrishell and I became close friends and it has developed into an amazing relationship," Jason told Us at the time. "I care about her deeply and we're very happy together."Two months later, the former soap-opera actress shared how she and Jason had actually begun dating two months before Jason announced the news to the world."It's just one of those things," Chrishell told E! News in August. "You don't want to share with everybody and get all their opinions before you really know what it is."Season 4 of came out on Netflix last month but had been filmed before Chrishell and Jason's July announcement they were dating.Jason revealed earlier this month that Chrishell had been the one who wanted to keep their relationship under wraps and off-screen while filming Season 4 of ."I think when [a relationship is] public, it puts a lot of just added pressures and publicity and opinion," Jason explained to Us Weekly."I think it's nice to kind of start a relationship in the way that normal relationships kind of grow and progress. And that's just between two people."However, Chrishell and Jason's romance has been teased as a storyline on the upcoming fifth season of , which already wrapped filming.Jason also apparently gave Chrishell the power to choose when to tell their friends and co-workers about their change in relationship status."I think that we were both more comfortable with that approach, and I liked that," he added at the time."I followed her lead on things, and I respected her decision making on that. I think that that's the right approach for anyone."The former couple, who reportedly spent Thanksgiving together, eventually received support from their co-workers at the Oppenheim Group, but Chrishell faced some criticism and online scrutiny.One hater on Instagram wrote how Chrishell was only "getting listings and selling them" because of her boss-turned-boyfriend, according to the magazine."It would seem I am not the miserable one here," Chrishell fired back on Instagram earlier this month."When you are an agent on TV, you end up getting so much business you have to refer it out to others Bc there is only so much time in a day. The days of getting more listings because of rank in the office are long gone. But please take a [breath] and have a great day! Thanks for watching!!!!"Chrishell was previously married to This is Us star Justin Hartley . The pair finalized their divorce in February 2021, more than a year after Justin filed for divorce in November 2019.In addition to her gig, Chrishell competed on Dancing with the Stars' 29 season with pro partner Gleb Savchenko . She and Gleb were eliminated during the series' November 2 broadcast in 2020.Chrishell's Dancing with the Stars exit was unfortunately plagued with rumors.Speculation swirled Gleb and Chrishell were hooking up or secretly dating during and after their Dancing with the Stars stint when news broke of Gleb's seemingly sudden and unexpected split from his wife of 14 years, Elena Samodanova.But Chrishell and Gleb both publicly denied having a flirty relationship and being romantically involved in any way. They both insisted last year that their dynamic was totally innocent and platonic.Shortly after the Dancing with the Stars season wrapped, pro dancer Keo Motsepe revealed in December 2020 that he and Chrishell were dating ABC executive Robert Mills shocked The Bachelorette fans that same month when he told Nick Viall on "The Viall Files" podcast that Chrishell had actually been producers' first choice to star on Season 4 of The Bachelorette, which was revived for Summer 2008 broadcast after having been off the air since 2005."We were looking for people, and our casting director said, 'Oh, we should meet with this girl, Chrishell Stause . She's amazing,'" Rob recalled."And we had this incredible lunch. I think it was at the Beverly Hills Hotel and she was just awesome. I was convinced, 'This is the Bachelorette. This is the Bachelorette.'"But producers decided to go in a different direction and cast DeAnna Pappas as The Bachelorette star once America watched Brad Womack break her heart twice.When Brad first starred as the Bachelor, he rejected both of his Final 2 bachelorettes, DeAnna and Jenni Croft , and then dumped DeaAnna a second time on After the Final Rose.
A section of Route 5 in Bellows Falls, near Granger Street, was closed off during the morning commute after a two-vehicle head-on crash on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. According to an early report, an SUV crossed over the double-yellow, striking a commercial vehicle, but the Bellows Falls Police De
The Brattleboro Select Board approved an amended mask policy on Tuesday night that provides an exception for performers. Above, members of the New England Center for Circus Arts, in Brattleboro, put on a special performance for the residents at Thompson House Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in 2020.
A team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is temporarily "embedded" at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington to ease pressure on staffers who are facing increased workloads due to the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)
Today
Mostly cloudy. High near 35F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..
Tonight
Cloudy with periods of snow after midnight. Low 24F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 80%. Snowfall around one inch.
All three Rockingham elementary school principals reported increasing COVID-19 case counts, with interim Superintendent Andy Haas saying that parents need to be more cooperative with school nurses in tracking down coronavirus cases. He some parents have been abusive to the schools' nurses, as they check on close contacts of infected children.
MIDDLETOWN A North Carolina man, arrested by Middletown police in October after an alleged beating that caused a woman to partially lose her eyesight, appeared in court Tuesday.
Kasime L. Leary, 39, of Ahoskie, N.C., who did not enter a plea, was arrested Oct. 18 and charged with first-degree assault stemming from the incident, which took place Oct. 16, according to his arrest affidavit.
Learys bail was originally set at $500,000, but was reduced by the court to $200,000.
On the night of Oct. 16, the victim told police that she was at a house party and decided to go for a walk, the affidavit said.
The victim told police that she was then approached by Leary, who propositioned her for sex. She told officers that she knew him, but when she declined to fulfill his request, he began beating her, the report shows.
Leary dropped the victim off at Middlesex Hospital around 10:30 p.m. with significant injuries to her head, face and eyes, the affidavit said. She was transferred to Hartford Hospital due to the severity of her injuries.
Medical workers believed at one point that the victim would lose her left eye from the attack, the affidavit said. Hospital staff later told police that she would likely not lose the eye, but could not say whether shed be able to see out of it.
It was later revealed that Leary has a history of assaulting women, with multiple previous assault convictions in North Carolina with female victims, police said.
Learys next court date is scheduled for Jan. 18.
Connecticut teachers are considering in earnest whether in-person classes and activities should be scaled back amid rising COVID cases.
The state has made its position on remote learning clear, with officials stating that students learn better in school buildings. And while early data has shown thats true, some educators have called for increased mitigation efforts.
At least one of the states largest school districts made the choice on Monday to cancel non-academics like student assemblies and concerts, while in other communities teachers have concerns the uptick could impact classes after winter break.
Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, the states largest teachers union, said the present marks the first time theyve had a serious consideration of remote instruction this school year, though she predicted a shift remains unlikely.
Is this a time for remote? said Dias. The problem is that we dont really know.
Its not a casual choice that we make, Dias added. Only in a really urgent situation do we want to go remote.
An estimated 400 educators were reported positive cases to the state last week, according to early state data that is preliminary and subject to change.
The week prior, Connecticut reported 444 new cases, including 114 not fully vaccinated staff who are required to test to circumvent the states teacher vaccine mandate. The count was more than three times the number since less than a month prior.
Everybodys feeling a little bit of a pause, a little bit more concern with the newest variant spreading so quickly, Dias said. Hearst Connecticut reported last week omicron could become the dominant COVID-19 variant in the state by months end.
Some educators have reconsidered Screen and Stay, loosened quarantine protocols keeping symptom-free kids exposed to COVID in school, Dias said, and increased COVID-19 testing. The state would need to approve any local shift to remote, and she said teachers would need enough notice to make it happen well.
On Monday, Hartford Public Schools canceled all student assemblies and concerts before winter break as a health and safety precaution, Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez wrote in a letter to families and staff. The district stopped short of a full shift to remote learning.
I think its a last-resort option for everyone, said John Tusch, a high school computer science teacher in the district. Every teacher I know wants to be in a room with kids every age, every subject. But Im also a fully vaccinated teacher who, masked and everything, got COVID.
Tusch is a long-term member of Educators for Excellence, whose mission is to highlight teacher perspectives in education decisions. He recognized learning loss as an unavoidable byproduct of remote instructions and stressed, if we have to be remote, to be remote for as short a period as is safe and possible.
Elsewhere in the state, teachers also have concerns about current mitigation strategies and the possibility of rising cases following the holidays.
Things are not good, Erin Daly, a Danbury elementary school teacher and president of the local teachers union, wrote in a text to a Hearst Connecticut Media reporter. Our teachers are limping along to try and make it to the winter break due to severe staffing shortages, increased responsibilities, and the uptick of student and staff COVID cases.
Daly said the rate at which the virus is spreading and breakthrough cases among vaccinated teachers is causing a great deal of reignited trepidation and anxiety for everyones health and safety. She added that teachers are worried the situation could worsen over winter break, potentially impacting back-to-school in January.
Dennis Petrino, a sixth-grade science teacher in Brookfield and president of the local teachers union, has had several colleagues test positive for COVID-19 this year. Student cases have been on the rise, too, leading the district to pause Screen and Stay this month.
The concern that I am hearing is the numbers are just going to keep going up, Petrino said.
He added teachers approach him with concerns every day, asking what will happen if the cases continue to rise and whether the schools will revert back to different procedures and protocols. So far, there is no indication that Brookfield will revert to remote options.
Dias noted a shift this stage in the pandemic as education leaders continue to navigate an ebb and flow of COVID-19 case counts.
Its not so much getting through, she said. Its learning to live with this, and the variants.
Staff writer Currie Engel contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES (AP) California Democrats appear to have come away with the advantage in a recasting of the states congressional districts, with boundaries that could strengthen their hold on the delegation and play into the fight for U.S. House control next year.
Still, the new maps left a string of competitive seats that make California something of an outlier in a nation of deeply divided politics: Even though its a Democratic stronghold, the new maps suggest Republicans might pull off surprises.
Democrats are defending a fragile eight-seat House majority in a midterm election, when the party that controls the White House typically loses seats in Congress and President Joe Bidens approval ratings have been shaky.
Redistricting fights have been playing out across the country, as Democrats and Republicans look for an edge in future elections. The Justice Department recently sued Texas over its new redistricting maps, saying the plans discriminate against Latinos and other minority voters.
While California is losing one seat for the first time in its history because the population in other states is growing faster, Texas, Florida, Colorado and North Carolina are among the states gaining seats.
An analysis by Sacramento research firm Redistricting Partners found that 44 of the new California House districts would have been carried by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newson in his 2018 election, and 45 of the districts tilted to then-candidate Biden in the 2020 presidential race.
Thats an encouraging sign for Democrats, who hope to gain ground in California in 2022 after surrendering four House seats to Republicans in 2020. Democrats hold 42 of the states 53-seat House delegation the largest delegation by far in Congress.
The revised lines were endorsed Monday by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, which was tasked with drawing new districts to account for shifts in population, a requirement that happens once a decade. Each district must represent 760,000 people.
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Hallie Balch said the panel had created cakewalk districts for most Democrats.
Californias redistricting committee has entirely lost track of the people who reside in the districts they have drawn, Balch said in a statement. These lines are a disappointing end to a long-fought battle for representation.
Rep. Mike Garcia, a Republican who saw his district north of Los Angeles stripped of the Republican-rich community of Simi Valley, said, The commission has shown they were not acting independently when they drew all the Democratic incumbents into safer seats while making five out of the 11 Republican districts more vulnerable.
"I know we will win in this new district regardless," Garcia wrote on Twitter.
First-term Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs announced Tuesday that she will seek re-election in the new 51st District next year, while Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican, said he'll seek election in the new 48th District.
The 51st District in San Diego County includes portions of both representatives' current districts.
The shuffling of the district borders already has resulted in changes in the delegation.
Long-serving California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress, announced Monday she will not seek reelection in her Los Angeles-area district. The decision by the 80-year-old Democratic congresswoman came as her district was largely dismantled by the commission.
Shifting district boundary lines appear to have played a role in other House departures. Among them: Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, who was one of former President Donald Trumps most ardent loyalists in Congress, is leaving the House at the end of this year to join Trumps fledgling media company, and Democratic Rep. Alan Lowenthal, who represents a district anchored in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, announced he would retire at the end of his term.
The ripple effects continue, and some candidates in key races could shift to nearby districts in search of a more favorable political climate. Republican U.S. Reps. Young Kim and Michelle Steel, who captured Democratic seats all or partly in Orange County in 2020, have yet to announce their plans.
However, the shifting lines had little effect on the state's marquee names in the House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's overwhelmingly Democratic district anchored in San Francisco remained overwhelmingly Democratic. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy's district, anchored in Bakersfield, became more solidly Republican in the new maps.
While most attention has focused on Californias loss of a congressional seat, analysts said the legislative maps drawn for 40 state senators and 80 state Assembly members mark big wins for Democrats.
The maps essentially lock in Democratic supermajorities for the next 10 years, said Rob Pyers, research director of the nonpartisan California Target Book, which closely tracks redistricting.
Republicans have been teetering on the brink of irrelevance in the heavily Democratic state for years, and Democrats control every statewide office and dominate the Legislature and congressional delegations. Republicans make up less than a quarter of registered voters, and have lost support in what used to be Republican-leaning suburbs, said Mitchell, of Redistricting Partners.
The new lines will have a chilling effect on Republican hopes of gaining ground in the Legislature, Mitchell said.
The new lines also recognize the state's increasing diversity.
Mitchell said Latinos, the largest racial or ethnic group in California, now represent majorities in 16 House districts. Three districts group together areas with large Asian populations, and two do the same for communities with large numbers of Black residents.
The borders of Fresno area districts represented by Democratic Rep. Jim Costa and Republican Reps. David Valadao and Devin Nunes shifted significantly. Costa on Tuesday announced he would run in the new 21st District, anchored in the Central Valley.
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Associated Press Writer Don Thompson in Sacramento contributed.
Ali Fazal, who has proved his acting mettle with International project Victoria and Abdul, has bagged another project. The actor is all set to share the screen space with Gerard Butler in a new project titled Kandahar. Helmed by Ric Roman Waugh, the action-thriller marks Ali Fazal's fourth Hollywood film, including Furious 7, Kenneth Brannagh's upcoming film, Death On The Nile.
Speaking about the film, Ali Fazal told PTI, "I always look forward to new and exciting ventures. We are all set to begin production soon." The actor did not share any details about his character in the film. However, Gerard will be seen as Tom Harris, who is a CIA operative working in the Middle East whose cover is blown after an intelligence leak exposes his classified mission. He along with his translator is stuck in the hostile territory, and they must fight their way out of the desert to an extraction point in Kandahar, Afghanistan, while also eluding the elite special forces hunting them.
Backed by Thunder Road Films, which has the John Wick series, Sicario, G-Base and Capstone Group under their credits, the film is based on the screenplay Waugh developed with former military intelligence officer Mithell LaFortune. The plot of the film is based on Mitchell's experiences at the Defense Intelligence Agency based in Afghanistan. The film is expected to go on floors soon in Saudi Arabia.
Ali Fazals upcoming movie Death on the Nile
Meanwhile, Ali Fazals Death on the Nile, based on Agatha Christies famous detective novel of the same name, has been delayed several times. It was earlier scheduled to be released in October 2020, but the pandemic ensured the delay. Now, the film that also stars Hollywood icon Gal Gadot is set to release on February 11, 2022. Rape allegations against one of the stars, Armie Hammer, also put a spanner in the works. The movie also stars Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, and Letitia Wright.
Meanwhile, for the unversed, Ali was last seen in the Netflix anthology drama, Ray. which is based on the works of the iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The actor is also busy shooting for Vishal Bharadwaj's directorial Khufiya.
Image: Instagram/@alifazal9/AP
In less than 60 minutes, two terror attacks were witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir. In the first attack reported around 6 PM, terrorists fire upon a property dealer in the Eidgah area of downtown Srinagar. The property dealer identified as Rouf Ahmad Khan, a resident of Mirjanpora, was grievously injured and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Moments thereafter, at around 6:30 PM, another terror attack took place in Bijbejara. This time a police officer identified as ASI Mohd Ashraf was shot, and was also rushed to the hospital. Both the victims, succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment, confirmed the Jammu and Kashmir police.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Services Intelligence-designated The Resistance Front (TRF) has taken the responsibility for both the attacks. TRF has come into the broader spotlight recently after it claimed multiple killings of civilians belonging to the minority communities recently.
Mayor of Srinagar Junaid Azim Mattu condemns terror attacks
Meanwhile, Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu condemned both the terror attacks. "Strongly condemn the terrorist attack killing a civilian, Rouf Ahmed Khan at Eidgah. My condolences with the bereaved family," Junaid Azim Mattu wrote on Twitter. The Srinagar Mayor added," Also strongly condemn the terrorist attack at Bijbehara resulting in injuries to JKP ASI Muhammad Ashraf. Prayers for his quick and complete recovery."
Strongly condemn the terrorist attack killing a civilian, Rouf Ahmed Khan at Eidgah. My condolences with the bereaved family.
Also strongly condemn the terrorist attack at Bijbehara resulting in injuries to JKP ASI Muhammad Ashraf. Prayers for his quick and complete recovery. Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) December 22, 2021
Attacks after Mehbooba Mufti's speech praising Pakistan
It is pertinent to mention here that the attacks took place hours after Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti spoke at a party rally and supported Pakistan. She remarked that the government claims Muhammad Ali Jinnah divided India and Pakistan and added, "today there are many more Jinnahs who are dividing people".
She recollected the recent mob lynching in Pakistan and remarked that Imran Khan "came out against it" while people in India "are felicitated" for similar crimes.
Additionally, she has said that India is way ahead when it comes to the global hunger index as compared to Pakistan and Bangladesh. "Our country is way ahead when it comes to global hunger index as compared to Pakistan and Bangladesh. India's GDP is lower than Bangladesh. How will the youth get jobs and the lands are being given away to the industrialists?," Mufti asked.
In the previous four years, 3,117 minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have been granted Indian citizenship, said MoS Home Nityanand Rai in the Rajya Sabha. MP Dr K Keshava Rao had inquired about the total number of citizenship applications received from Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Christian minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in the years 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, and how many of them were granted Indian citizenship.
MoS Rai stated in his response that 8244 citizenship petitions from Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Christian minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan were received in the years 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. During that time, the government gave Indian citizenship to 3117 people.
When asked about the total number of requests received by the government from Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Christian minorities groups from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan seeking refuge in Indian territory in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, he replied, "The total number of requests received by the government from Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Christian minorities groups from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan seeking refuge in Indian territory during 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021."
He said that the provisions of The Foreigners Act, 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and The Citizenship Act, 1955 apply to all foreign nationals, including refugees. According to a report by news agency PTI, all foreign nationals, including refugees, are governed by the terms of The Foreigners Act, 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and The Citizenship Act, 1955.
According to MoS Rai, there are 1,152 applications pending from Afghanistan, 428 from stateless people, 223 from Sri Lanka and the United States, 189 from Nepal, and 161 from Bangladesh until December 14, 2021, in response to a separate question from Member of Parliament Abdul Wahab on current applicants for Indian citizenship. He further added that as many as 10 individuals from China had applied for Indian citizenship.
Citizenship Amendment Act
The government introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019 to offer citizenship to persecuted minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians. Indigenous communities in Assam and the northeastern states protested the CAA, claiming it threatened them. Between 2019 and 2020, protests against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) lasted for months in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh.
The administration said in July that the implementation of CAA will be delayed and that an extension until January 9 of next year had been requested. Nityanand Rai confirmed this, saying that the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha had been asked to give an extension of time to establish the CAA regulations.
(with inputs from ANI/PTI)
In Jammu & Kashmir's Srinagar, terrorists strike twice in 1 hr; TRF claims responsibility
In less than 60 minutes, two terror attacks were witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir. In the first attack reported around 6 PM, terrorists fired upon a property dealer in the Eidgah area of downtown Srinagar. The property dealer identified as Rouf Ahmad Khan, a resident of Mirjanpora, was grievously injured and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Moments thereafter, at around 6:30 PM, another terror attack took place in Bijbejara. This time a police officer identified as ASI Mohd Ashraf was shot, and was also rushed to the hospital. Both the victims, succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment, confirmed the Jammu and Kashmir police.
PM Modi meets Union ministers, opposition leaders as Winter Session of Parliament winds up
After the Winter Session of Parliament concluded on Wednesday, December 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with senior Union Ministers and leaders, including opposition members at the Speaker's chambers in Parliament House to discuss various issues and government strategies.
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Congress' Harish Rawat to float own party on January 5 ahead of Uttarakhand polls: Sources
In a major setback for the Congress party, Republic on Wednesday learned that senior party leader and the head of the party's campaign committee in Uttarakhand Harish Rawat is going to announce his own regional party. Sources revealed that the announcement of the party is going to be made on January 5.
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Harish Rawat wants to be 'CM face', claim Congress sources amid 'suppression' charge
After veteran Congress leader Harish Rawat's 'suppression' charge, sources within the grand-old-party have told Republic TV that the remarks are 'just pressure tactics'. Congress sources have claimed that Harish Rawat was passing such remarks on social media since he wanted to be the 'CM face' in the upcoming Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022. Meanwhile, BJP sources are in denial of having any contact with the senior leader, or the possibility of him jumping ship amid the humiliation.
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NTK, DMK cadre involved in scuffle after Seeman's party-men allegedly badmouth CM Stalin
A scuffle broke out between cadres of Naam Tamilar Katchi and the ruling DMK after NTK State Spokesperson Himler allegedly began to badmouth Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin at a meeting in Morappur, near Dharmapuri on Friday.
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BJP urges Bengal Guv to probe CCTVs used in KMC polls; claims elections were 'compromised'
In the aftermath of TMC's sweeping victory in the KMC Polls, the BJP has approached the West Bengal Governor asking him to launch a "thorough probe" into the purchase and installation of CCTV cameras by the State Election Commission (SEC). The saffron party has alleged that the KMC Elections were 'compromised', and its candidates and workers were 'intimidated' by ruling TMC supporters.
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Rajasthan BJP demands law against vandals, Congress responds 'people are happy here'
BJP in Rajasthan has launched another tirade against the CM Ashok Gehlot-led state government and has demanded the government to form a stringent law to deal with protestors.
Rajasthan BJP MLA Ram Lal Sharma on Wednesday asserted the demand of formulating a law to deal with protestors in the state with a strict hand. He proclaimed that during protests, the protestors vandalise a lot of public property and cause immense trouble and damage. MLA Sharma further advocated for the law, citing examples of states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh where the government is empowered to confiscate properties of people who vandalise or damage government properties during protests.
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Kerala twin murders: Accused may have fled state, says ADGP Vijay Sakhare
ADGP Vijay Sakhare, heading the twin murder probe of SDPI and BJP worker in Alappuzha that happened in a gap of 12 hours with each other, said that there was a high-level conspiracy in the two political assassinations. Vijay Sakhare confirmed to the media that those arrested in the murder case of BJP leader Renjith Srinivasan were SDPI activists. Five activists namely Nishad, Asif, Sudhir, Arshad and Ali were arrested by the investigation team.
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Punjab introduces strict COVID vaccination policy: 'No jab, no salary for Govt employees'
Amid rising Omicron cases across the country, the Punjab government has introduced a strict COVID-19 vaccination policy - 'no vaccine, no salary' - stating that it is mandatory for all government employees to have at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine without proof of which they will not be given their salaries.
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Amid the rise in cases of COVID's new variant Omicron, a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed a total of 105,296 cases so far. The 'transmissible' virus has spread to 89 countries within one month of origin. The report also revealed that the new variant has been 'spreading faster than Delta variant', and the global health body has also warned that Omicron will push health systems to the brink.
Omicron spiralling out of control worldwide
The new WHO report suggests that there is a 206% rise within 20 days vis-a-vis number of countries impacted. A total of 73% of Omicron cases originate from the United States, while more than 60,000 Omicron cases have been reported in the UK. The new WHO statistics show how the highly mutant COVID variant is spiralling out of control worldwide.
Omicron upswing in India
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Omicron cases in India reported so far across 15 states and Union Territories are 213, out of which 90 people have recovered or migrated. Omicron cases in the capital have increased to 57, followed by Maharashtra at 54, Telangana at 24, Karnataka at 19, Rajasthan at 18, Kerala at 15, and Gujarat at 14. Delhi and Maharashtra continue to contribute the highest number of new Omicron cases to the countrys total caseload.
As per a report by WHO, there has been a 10550% increase of Omicron cases during the past 20 days. Take a look at the number of cases reported on the following dates:
December 2: 2 cases
December 12: 38 cases
December 17: 113 cases
December 21: 213 cases
On Wednesday, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria said that the Omicron variant of the COVID virus was a more transmissible one. Since the variant is spreading fast, he urged the people to maintain 'COVID appropriate behaviour'.
Dr. Guleria said, "Omicron is a new variant. We know that the virus will continue to mutate and new variants will emerge. As for the data, most cases of the variant are from the UK, Denmark and South Africa, where it is causing a mild illness. We need more data as it evolves to understand the severity of the variant."
"Omicron is a more transmissible variant. We need to do two things to protect ourselves, first one is to take vaccines and the second is to follow COVID appropriate behaviour," Dr Guleria added.
NITI Aayog Member-Health, Dr. VK Paul on Wednesday said that the requirement, timing, and nature of the COVID booster dose will be based on scientific decisions. As per ANI, he said, "The Union Health Minister has said in the parliament that the need, timing and nature of boosting will be based on scientific decisions and thinking that is what the government is engaged with."
Image: PTI/Unsplash
After two terror attacks were witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir, killing one in Anantanag's Bijbejara and another in Srinagar's Eidgah, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) vice president Omar Abdullah condemned the twin attacks, extending his condolences to the kin of the deceased.
Taking to Twitter, the JKNC leader prayed for the souls of the departed and unreservedly condemned the twin attacks.
Allah marhoom ko magfirat farmaye Ameen. I unreservedly condemn these two attacks & send my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives today. https://t.co/d6ohmJQ6zx Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 22, 2021
An hour before Abdullah's tweet, his party too extended condolences and stated, "Unequivocally condemn the militant attacks on ASI Muhammad Ashraf in Bijbehara and civilian Rouf Ahmad Khan in Eidgah in which both lost their lives. Our hearts go out to their families, friends and colleagues. May Allah grant them a place in Jannat."
Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu also condemned both the terror attacks. "Strongly condemn the terrorist attack killing a civilian, Rouf Ahmed Khan at Eidgah. My condolences with the bereaved family," Junaid Azim Mattu wrote on Twitter. "Also strongly condemn the terrorist attack at Bijbehara resulting in injuries to JKP ASI Muhammad Ashraf. Prayers for his quick and complete recovery," the Srinagar mayor added.
Notably, the attacks took place soon after Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti addressed a rally in complete violation of COVID-19 protocol. Speaking at the rally in Jammu, Mufti said that the Central government claims Muhammad Ali Jinnah divided India and Pakistan but "today there are many more Jinnahs who are dividing people".
2 dead in twin terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir
On Wednesday, two terror attacks took place in Jammu and Kashmir. In the first terrorists fired at a property dealer, Rouf Ahmad Khan, in Srinagar's Eidgah. Within 30 minutes of the first attack, another terror strike took place in Jammu and Kashmir's Bijbejara. An Assistant Police sub-inspector - Muhammad Ashraf - shot, and rushed to a nearby hospital.
Both the victims were later declared dead at the hospitals they were receiving treatment in, Jammu and Kashmir police confirmed. The Inter-Services Intelligence-designated The Resistance Front (TRF) has taken responsibility for both the terror attacks. TRF has come to light recently after it took responsibility for the multiple killings of civilians of minority communities in the valley.
A new study conducted by experts from three universities has suggested that if life were to ever exist on Venus, the clouds would have been the most likely place. The second planet in our solar system is known to house a hostile environment with an atmosphere thick with carbon dioxide, and a surface hot enough to melt lead. However, researchers have now identified a chemically-induced method by which life could neutralise Venus acidic environment, creating a self-sustaining, habitable pocket in the clouds.
It's hard to imagine a more inhospitable world than our nearest planetary neighbour. And yet, a new study suggests that if life on Venus exists, it might make its home in the clouds. @EarthSciCam @DeptofPhysics @MIT https://t.co/VE20unZWTq Cambridge University (@Cambridge_Uni) December 21, 2021
Ammonia found to be the life-ingredient
Venus was first found to contain ammonia, a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen, in its atmosphere in the 1970s. Now, researchers from MIT, Cambridge University and Cardiff University have found that it is the same ammonia that could serve as the new ingredient for life. In their new study, which has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists explained through a model of chemical processes that if ammonia is indeed present, it could trigger chemical reactions that will neutralise surrounding droplets of sulphuric acid in the atmosphere. Co-author Sara Seager, from MIT, said as per Cambridge Universitys report-
Ammonia shouldnt be on Venus. It has hydrogen attached to it, and theres very little hydrogen around. Any gas that doesnt belong in the context of its environment is automatically suspicious for being made by life.
It is worth mentioning that ever since the detection of ammonia, scientists have believed that it couldnt have been produced through any chemical process known on Venus. The study explains that once the sulphuric acid is neutralised, the chemistry could allow the birth of life in the clouds. It is also pertinent to mention that according to scientists, even the origin of Venus ammonia is the result of a biological process as opposed to lightning or volcanic eruptions. Shedding more light on the study, Seager further said as per Cambridge University-
No life that we know of could survive in the Venus droplets. But the point is, maybe some life is there, and is modifying its environment so that it is livable.
The theory of life being present on Venus has also been debated over in the past after scientists detected traces of phosphine on the planet, a gas produced mainly through biological interactions. While much remains to be studied for further confirmations, the researchers said that their theory will soon be tested after the Life Finder mission bound to Venus launches in 2023.
Image: Cambridge University
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict between Ethiopian forces and fighters from the country's Tigray region, who dominated the national government before Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018.
The war, which erupted in November 2020, threatens to fracture one of the world's most populous nations, with the fate of some 110 million people at stake.
Some of Tigray's six million people have begun starving to death under a months-long government blockade.
Thousands of ethnic Tigrayans have been detained or forcibly expelled in an atmosphere stoked by hate speech from some senior officials, to the alarm of human rights groups.
A United Nations and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission report found atrocities had been committed by both sides, but laid more blame on the military and its allies, which include troops from neighboring Eritrea despite initial denials.
Last month, the government declared a state of emergency as Tigray fighters moved closer to the capital, Addis Ababa, leaving a growing number of abuses against ethnic Amhara in their wake.
The Tigray forces say they are fighting to lift the blockade on their people, but they also want Abiy out.
The United States and others have told their citizens to leave as it seeks to mediate in the conflict, while Abiy surprised the world by saying he would lead the war from the battlefront.
Here, Cara Anna, the East Africa correspondent The Associated Press, reflects on the story and the challenges ahead:
The government of a Nobel Peace Prize winner appears to be targeting an ethnic minority, and his peace deal with neighbouring Eritrea, for which he was awarded the Nobel, turned into a pact for war in Tigray.
But many Ethiopians support the fight, blaming the Tigray leaders for nearly three decades of repressive rule.
What has driven my reporting, what I still don't understand, is how civilians on all sides, including children, can be punished for sharing the same ethnicity - not even the same politics, at times - as the combatants.
Now, as all able Ethiopians are being called and in some cases forced to fight, the pain of war is spreading well beyond the areas of active conflict.
A veteran AP colleague says Ethiopia is the most difficult war he's ever covered.
I think it's because Ethiopia's government has tried to keep the conflict hidden from the eyes of the world.
Much of the fighting has been in the northern Tigray region, which has been sealed off.
No internet. Almost no phone service. One small window of access for journalists several months ago.
Even as the war spread into Ethiopia's neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, access remains very limited.
How many tens of thousands of people have died?
How many women and girls have been raped by Ethiopian forces and their allies, or by Tigray fighters?
How many people beyond the reach of aid are starving to death or dying from lack of medicines? How many thousands of ethnic Tigrayans have been detained?
We have little idea.
At the end of 2018, the year Abiy became prime minister and announced dramatic political reforms, Ethiopia's government was praised for no longer having any journalists behind bars.
That has changed as those reforms have crumbled.
Journalists have been threatened, assaulted and detained simply for trying to cover the war.
A video freelancer accredited to the AP is now among those detained.
Some journalists have been forced to leave the country.
Others, like me, have never been allowed into Ethiopia because our stories have exposed atrocities or government lies, or both.
The government for months said soldiers from Eritrea, bitter enemies of the Tigray leaders, weren't inside Tigray.
The government said no massacre of Tigray civilians had occurred in the holy city of Axum.
The prime minister himself said there was no hunger in Tigray.
Meanwhile, the Tigray forces said they were not killing civilians.
The AP showed all these statements to be false, despite the many obstacles to reporting.
What more is there to uncover? 2022 will show us.
I hope journalists will be allowed into Tigray and other areas to tell the story of Ethiopia's conflict safely and without reprisals so the world can see and understand what's happening.
(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Hundreds joined the funeral procession of a Sudanese protester who was shot during recent mass demonstrations against the military takeover and a subsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, but sidelined the democratic movement.
Abd al-Moneim Mohamed Ali died on Tuesday and later his family, friends and political activists held a mass funeral for him.
On Sunday, tens of thousands took to the streets in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country to mark the third anniversary of the uprising that eventually forced the military removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019.
Security forces responded with different levels of violence.
Abd al-Moneim Mohamed Ali was shot in the head while protesting in Omdurman.
More than 120 people were wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces in Khartoum, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Two other protesters were wounded in Kassala, it said.
The protests were the largest since the military took over on Oct. 25, removing Hamdok's transitional government. The coup has rattled the transition and led to relentless street demonstrations.
At least 45 people were killed, and hundreds wounded in protests triggered by the October coup, according to a tally by the Sudanese medical group.
Hamdok was reinstated last month amid international pressure in a deal that calls for an independent technocratic Cabinet under military oversight led by him.
(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Norwegian research on domestic violence shows an increase in incidents where women are the perpetrators and males are the victims when compared to previous years. The research also reveals an overrepresentation of immigrants in Norway.
According to a recent Norwegian study, which was published on BMC Public Health, the full lockdown, which was implemented in March 2020, has resulted in an increase in domestic violence, as many people were forced to spend large portions of their days with cohabitants who had a history of violence, citing both an increase in reports and increased pressure on various helplines.
When compared to the previous year, the number of reports of partner violence increased by 54% between March and December 2020. The findings also suggest that the alleged violence during the closure was maybe more serious than previously thought.
Immigrants overrepresented in statistics of recorded cases of domestic violence
People of immigrant origin were overrepresented in the statistics of recorded cases of domestic violence before and during the lockdown, but fewer cases were reported during this time. Surprisingly, the study found an increase of female abusers in relationships when the guy was the victim.
Last week, in the UK, research revealed that the London Metropolitan Police might have recorded an extra 4,700 domestic violence crimes during lockdown - in addition to the 21,500 which were recorded. It comes after figures released by the Office for National Statistics last month revealed calls to the UKs national domestic abuse helpline soared by 22% in the year ending March 2021.
Domestic abuse increased during pandemic
Domestic abuse rose substantially during the pandemic as victims were cooped up indoors with abusive partners. While lockdowns do not in themselves cause domestic abuse, stay-at-home measures can worsen pre-existing patterns of abuse and violence. An average of between two or three women are murdered each week by their partners or ex-partners in England and Wales, while one in four women suffers domestic abuse at some point during their lives.
Emerging data and stories from people on the front lines suggest that all sorts of violence against women and girls, notably during COVID. Even before the COVID pandemic, 1 in 3 women worldwide had experienced physical or sexual violence, the majority of which was perpetrated by an intimate relationship. Since the emergence of COVID, there has been an uptick in calls to domestic violence helplines in numerous nations, according to new data provided by the UN.
(Image: Unsplash)
Leaders of three Western Balkan countries - Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia - met on Tuesday to discuss and agree on furthering their Open Balkan initiative to promote political and economic ties.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama hosted the two-day meeting in the capital Tirana with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic and North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
Their accompanying ministers signed agreements on labour market, electronic identification, agro-veterinary cooperation and lifting non-tariff barriers for businesses from which "tens of thousands of people will profit directly very soon," according to Rama.
The Open Balkan summit is part of the Berlin Process cooperation initiated from Germany and France to promote its regional development.
The three western Balkan countries are at different stages on the EU membership path.
While Serbia has launched full membership negotiations, Albania and North Macedonia have both fulfilled the criteria for beginning membership negotiations, but EU member Bulgaria opposes North Macedonia's membership, citing a bilateral dispute over history and national identity. Since the two countries' bids are linked and launching accession talks requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU nations, the veto has also prevented Albania from moving forward.
"When the EU fails (to invite us) we are obliged to launch constant initiatives to Europeanize our region and bring a better life for our citizens," said Zaev.
Three other western Balkan countries - Bosnia, Kosovo and Montenegro - have not joined the Open Balkan initiative.
The next summit will be in Skopje, North Macedonia at the end of February.
(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
One person is reportedly under critical condition and 22 others sustained severe injuries after two trains collided in Tehran on Tuesday, December 22. According to a report published by Sputnik, the collision occurred near the Chitgar Metro Station on Line 5 of the Tehran Metro. Security officials, along with the ambulance and rescue team, reached the site and rescued others who were stuck inside.
Meanwhile, the Iranian authorities have ordered a strict investigation into the matter. The authorities have also suspended the metro services between Tehran and Karaj until further notice, and security has been ramped up at the site. After the accident, roads around the area were closed to carry out rescue operations. As per reports, metro disruption is expected to be prevalent in the area for the next few days until clearance operations conclude.
Earlier, in a similar incident, two trains collided and caught fire in one of the country's remote regions in northern Iran. A passenger train operating from Tabriz in the northwest to Mashhad had stopped due to human error, and a passenger train behind smashed into the back of it. As many as 44 people were reported dead, along with 82 hospitalized. A massive collision on the same line between a passenger train and a freight train killed two people and left 30 injured in June 2014.
Train collisions in Iran have been a frequent occurrence, as four incidents have been recorded, including a crash with a truck that left 30 people injured in the northern province of Mazandaran. Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention here that Iran had witnessed one of the deadliest rail disasters in 2004, which killed 328 people. The train was transporting sulfur, petrol, and fertilizers when it exploded in northern Iran.
(Image: Shutterstock/ Unsplash / Representative Image)
A Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen said it launched "precision airstrikes" on Monday against rebel targets at the airport in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
The strikes came just over an hour after the coalition asked U.N. agencies and civilians to immediately leave the airport.
The coalition claims the Houthi rebels have turned Sanaa International Airport into a military base for launching ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones into Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have held Yemen's capital since September 2014.
Though the intervention of the Saudi-led coalition halted their march south in 2015, the war has slogged on for years and created the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
There were no immediate details from either side on what was hit in the strikes and no word on any casualties or damage.
U.N. agencies in Yemen also did not comment on the call to evacuate their staff from the airport.
Airport manager Khalid Al-Shayef said an aircraft handling facility which supplied fuel to UN aircraft had been damaged and was out of action.
The rebel Houthis, meanwhile, barred at least two U.N. humanitarian planes from landing at the Sanaa airport, according to two Yemeni officials.
A U.N. aid official said the Houthis also canceled all humanitarian flights scheduled in the coming days.
United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Diego Zorrilla pledged that the UN would help provide medical assistance to the people of Yemen.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
In the past months, fighting has escalated between the rebels and forces of the internationally recognized government around the central city of Marib and the coastal city of Hodeida.
The coalition has also increased its airstrikes on Sanaa and other rebel-held areas in Yemen in recent weeks.
The rebels have also accelerated their cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted an explosive-laden drone launched Sunday night by the Houthis on King Abdullah airport in the southern Saudi province of Jizan.
Yemen's war began with the 2014 takeover of Sanaa by the Houthis, who control much of the country's north.
The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in 2015, determined to restore the government and oust the rebels.
The conflict has since become a regional proxy war that has killed tens of thousands of civilians and fighters and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.
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In view of the rising poverty and extreme financial crisis in Afghanistan, Pakistan PM Imran Khan stated that the worsening situation can be averted if the US administration releases Kabul's funds, which are lying frozen in foreign banks. Khan expressed his views on Kabul's crisis on Tuesday during a ceremony held at the Foreign Office to celebrate the successful holding of the session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers.
"A man-made crisis is being created despite knowing that it can be averted if (Afghanistan's) accounts (in the US) are unfrozen and liquidity is put into their banking system, "said Pakistani PM, reported ANI citing Dawn newspaper.
Ever since the hardline Islamist group took control of Kabul following the extraordinary fall of the US-backed Ashraf Ghani government, Afghanistan has been witnessing a massive chaotic situation including extreme poverty, lack of basic needs, lack of proper governance, and no financial aid from international communities. The United States has frozen Kabul's assets and tough sanctions on the Islamic Emirate have contributed to the problems. According to the official information, a total of 9.4 billion dollars that were supposed to be given to Afghanistan has been frozen by the United States.
US Law makers' asks Biden administration to unfreeze Afghanistan's funds
Recently, US lawmakers also urged the Biden administration to unfreeze Afghanistan's central bank assets and liquidity in their banking system. As per a Sputnik report, Democratic US House members wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden and the Treasury Department saying that they stand with American allies and humanitarian experts in urging the United States to send the frozen funds to Afghanistan as the Biden administration's move is directly harming Afghan families and children.
"We stand with American allies and humanitarian experts are urging the United States to avoid harsh economic measures that will directly harm Afghan families and children," the Democratic members wrote in the letter. "This means conscientiously but urgently modifying current US policy regarding the freeze of Afghanistan's foreign reserve and ongoing sanctions."
In view of the same, the US State Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the Biden administration is looking for ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy. "We are looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy to get more money into people's pockets. And doing that, with international institutions, with other countries and partners, trying to put in place the right mechanism to do that in a way that doesn't directly benefit the Taliban but goes directly to the people, "Blinken stated during a press conference.
"We're very conscious of the fact that there is an incredibly difficult humanitarian situation right now, and it could get worse as winter sets in, so that is an area of intense focus for us, working closely with allies and partners," he added.
Image: AP
With Inputs from ANI
India on Tuesday raised strong objections to Pakistan's attempts to build bunkers at the LoC. Republic TV has accessed exclusive videos of Pakistan's illegal construction in the Teetwal Village of Kupwara district. In the video, the Indian side can be heard sending a strong warning to the Pakistan Army, asking it to stop the illegal construction or face the consequences.
"Stop this construction. We have been raising this matter, by request since yesterday. But we will not keep requesting, because we know what other route we can take to stop this," heard the warning from the Indian side.
Speaking to Republic TV, Defence Expert Major Gen PK Sehgal (Retd) said, "Pakistan does not seem to understand the niceties of any agreement whatsoever. Indians have cautioned them to not do so but we will have to take action if Pakistan does not come to its senses. Teetwal is a very sensitive zone, under no circumstance will we allow them to build bunkers," said
5,601 Ceasefire Violations By Pakistan Reported Along LoC
With its attempts to infiltrate into Indian territory being thwarted by the security forces, Pakistan has been increasingly showing its belligerence along the LoC. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said that more than 5,600 ceasefire violations were reported along the Line of Control in the last two years. He also revealed that the troops had been given "free hands" to counter the aggressions of Pakistani soldiers.
"A total of 5,601 instances of ceasefire violations were reported along the LoC under the operational control of Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir from November 30, 2019, to November 29, 2021," Bhatt said in Rajya Sabha.
The Minister also detailed how Indian soldiers made "substantial damage" to Pakistani posts and personnel during retaliation. "Troops deployed on forward posts enjoy complete freedom of action in responding to Pakistan ceasefire violations. Substantial damage was inflicted on Pakistan posts and personnel during retaliation by the Indian Army," the minister added. The violations saw an increase after Islamabad violated its ceasefire agreement signed earlier this year.
The Japanese government has decided to dispose of unused cloth masks that have been kept in storage. Addressing a press conference, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida informed that 80 million unused Abenomasks will be thrown away, reported The Guardian. He stated that he has ordered the officials to dispose of the cloth masks that have been in government stock by the end of the current fiscal year after distributing them to the needy.
The decision has been taken by the government as keeping the masks is proving costly for them, reported Mainichi Japan. The washable cloth masks have been known as Abenomasks in Japan after the then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had taken the decision to distribute the masks in 2020 after disposable masks were facing supply issues. The Japanese PM in the press briefing stated that they no longer face mask shortage issues due to recovery in the manufacturing and supply sector.
Unused cloth masks in Japan
The Japanese government had obtained about 287 million masks to distribute to nursing staff and people across the nation. The government in October had informed that they had over 81 million undistributed masks. Furthermore, the government revealed that they had spent around 600 million to store the unused masks between August, 2020 to March, 2021. As per the Mainichi Japan report, the Japan health ministry found that around 11 million cloth masks were defective. The government had spent around 2.1 billion yen for the inspection of the mask.
COVID-19 situation in Japan
According to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as of 10 November, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Japan has reached 1,730,335. The overall tally of fatalities reported due to COVID-19 has reached 18,381. Japan has reported the first known local transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Osaka, according to AP. The family of three had no record of travelling abroad and are the first known case of community transmission of omicron variant in Japan. So far, around 80 people have tested positive for omicron strain in Japan and all of them had tested positive for the new variant upon entry at the airport or coming in contact with the people who had travelled to the country.
(Inputs from AP)
As torrential rains resulted in severe floods in Malaysia, nine more people were recorded to have lost their lives, further increasing the total number of deaths to 17 as of Tuesday, according to officials in Selangor state. During a news conference, Selangor state Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said that as floodwaters recede, additional corpses have been discovered. He further stated that the state government has gathered all required resources to assist the victims of the natural calamity.
CM Shari said, "At this time, our focus is to ensure search and rescue operations are carried out effectively and that they reach all who need it," Xinhua reported. Over the weekend, three days of heavy rain in eight states triggered significant flooding, partially drowning a number of cities and villages. Further, the government has been chastised for failing to issue timely warnings and responding slowly, as per BBC.
People affected due to Rains in Malaysia have been evacuated
Furthermore, as rains in Malaysia ended rescue crews worked on Monday to liberate individuals stranded by Malaysia's worst floods in years, AP reported. According to statistics from the Malaysian social welfare department, the total number of people displaced by floods in Malaysia has climbed more than 69,400 in seven states including the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur as of 10:00 p.m. (local time) on December 21.
Pahang, which is located on Peninsular Malaysia's east coast, has been considered to be the worst-hit state, with over 42,000 people relocated to flood relief camps, followed by Selangor, which has had almost 23,000 people evacuated. More rainfall is forecast throughout the nation on Wednesday, according to the country's meteorological authority, with rain and storms expected in various regions.
In addition to this, according to official news agency Bernama, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has addressed a conference along with chief ministers on Tuesday morning that it was discovered that states like Terengganu, Kelantan, and Pahang had been prepared to handle floods, particularly at a time of year. He went on to say that as east coast states have really been prepared for yearly floods, the condition in Selangor is unexpected, and he recognised that the disaster management response has been problematic, Xinhua reported.
(Image: AP)
The Sri Lankan government fired the country's top bureaucrat in charge of the vital agriculture sector on Wednesday, a day after he warned of an approaching food crisis owing to the country's protracted economic and social turmoil. According to a statement from the President's Office, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has sacked Agriculture Secretary Professor Udith Jayasinghe. DMLD Bandaranayake has been appointed as the new Agriculture Secretary.
Though no official reason for Jayasinghe's departure has been revealed, however, according to reports, experts believe it was because of his warnings about a future food crisis and the steps he proposed to deal with it. It was more vital, according to Jayasinghe, to treat the problem than criticize what created it.
According to a report on the news website hirunews.lk, Jayasinghe stated that if the Sri Lankan economy is able to restrict the import of non-essential food and beverages and focus solely on vital imports such as milk powder, the country's future development will be greatly aided. He also added that the authorities or officials do not need to create a food crisis in the country, the news website reported.
"There is a possibility of food shortages happening due to the current economic and social problems we are facing. People must be prepared to make sacrifices in order to face the shortages of food. We have to stop importing apples and oranges, priority has to be given to the needy such as the elderly, the expectant mothers and the sick," Jayasinghe told journalists on Tuesday.
The coronavirus outbreak wreaked havoc on Sri Lanka's economy, which is heavily reliant on tourism, and the government responded by imposing a sweeping import embargo to shore up foreign exchange reserves, resulting in shortages of basic items.
Because commercial banks ran out of cash to finance imported items, supermarkets have been rationing milk powder, sugar, lentils, and other necessities for months.
Farmers blame Govt's restriction on pesticide imports for food shortages
The government's restriction on pesticide imports, which was eased in November following catastrophic crop failures, exacerbated food shortages. The administration has been crticised by farmers since mid-year for enforcing a restriction on chemical fertiliser imports. Due to a lack of fertiliser, farmers have warned of food shortages.
In May, the president imposed a halt to fertiliser imports in order to support his government's green economy programme. He advised farmers to switch to organic farming. Critics, on the other hand, said that the decision was prompted by the government's inability to pay for chemical fertiliser imports due to the island's current foreign reserves issue.
(With inputs from agencies)
Since the Taliban takeover, the international community has raised concerns regarding the situation in Afghanistan. In a new development, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov has highlighted that the Taliban taking control of power in a war-torn nation is regarded as a "victory" of radicalism by terrorist organisations, ANI cited Sputnik report. Addressing an international conference on the fight against terrorism, Syromolotov pointed out that Al Qaeda seeks to take advantage of the situation.
The rise of the Taliban movement to power is viewed by other terrorist organisations as an undeniable victory for radicalism, in particular Al-Qaeda, which plans to benefit from this situation," said Oleg Syromolotov.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said that the actions of the United States and its allies undermine the situation. He stated that they did not acknowledge its mistakes and had frozen the financial assets of the country. Last week, the Russian Special Presidential aide for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov also blamed Western nations for the economic crisis in Afghanistan.
Zamir Kabulov blames western nations for the humanitarian situation
Last week, Russian Special Presidential aide for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, reportedly had warned that the Taliban caretaker government will lose power if they do not form an inclusive government. He had put the blame for the humanitarian crisis and economic crisis of Afghanistan on western nations. Furthermore, Kabulov pointed out that the Afghan assets that have been frozen in western nations are the resources of Afghans and they do not belong to the Taliban. He also informed that Russia had decided to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan on 16 December.
Taliban takeover
On 15 August, the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan which led to an exodus of the international community that had settled there on various humanitarian and diplomatic endeavours over the last 20 years of US-led occupation. The Taliban had promised it would run an inclusive government; however, not a single woman has yet been included in the Islamic Emirate's cabinet. Following the Taliban takeover, the situation in the country has completely deteriorated on multiple fronts especially economic and social.
Inputs from ANI
Image: AP/Twitter/@Archulettai
As the new variant of the COVID-19, Omicron continues to spread mounting the fear of an increase in cases, Thailand announced on Tuesday that it will reintroduce obligatory quarantine for tourists and halt a "test-and-go" plan for fully vaccinated travellers, suspending quarantine-free travel passes. As per the reports of AP News, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, who is a government spokesperson announced the suspension of sandbox programmes, that allowed fully vaccinated travellers to enter Thailand without quarantine.
He also stated that approximately 200,000 people who have registered for the Thailand Pass under the "test-and-go" scheme but have not yet visited Thailand will be permitted to do so. However, they will be subjected to a coronavirus test upon arrival, followed by a second test seven days later at the government's expense. No further applications for quarantine exemptions under the Thailand Pass system will be considered after midnight on December 22, according to CNN. The government claims that this is a temporary suspension rather than a permanent ban, but no date has been set for when the restriction will be lifted.
Thailand will not accept new applications for the "test-and-go" programme
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha announced that Thailand will not accept new applications for the "test-and-go" programme. He went on to say that from now on, they are going back to the previous system of quarantine upon entering. Thailand confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant last week when a returning resident tested negative on arrival but later tested positive, infecting members of his household.
Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries reduced entry limits for fully vaccinated travellers in November in a bid to resurrect tourism. 130,000 visitors came to Thailand in November, under a "test-and-go" policy. According to AP News, right now, with 2,476 new cases and 32 deaths recorded Tuesday, the number of illnesses has slowly declined but the Omicron variant has been the subject of the increase of COVID cases in many countries prompting Thailand to take severe action. Since the start of the pandemic, Thailand has registered 2,196,529 cases and 21,346 deaths.
The government had set a tourism revenue target of 1.5 trillion baht for 2021
Foreign tourist visits were about 40 million in 2019, but fell to 6.7 million in 2020, with the majority of visitors arriving in the first quarter, according to AP News. The government had set a tourism revenue target of 1.5 trillion baht for 2021. In 2019, Thailand's tourism industry brought in 3.4 trillion baht.
(Inputs from AP News)
Image: AP
The United States has once again threatened "massive consequences" for Russia for engaging in military assertiveness and heavy troop build-up at the frontier with Ukraine. At a presser in White House on Dec. 21, Tuesday, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the United States focus on engaging with the multilateral system and revitalising the diplomacy with its network of key alliances and partner countries, including NATO, AUKUS, QUAD, the European Union, G7, the G20, ASEAN, and OECD. Were much more aligned with our allies and partners now than we were a year ago on nearly every issue, Blinken said, denouncing Moscows armed aggression toward Ukraine and its neighbours.
Were in a stronger geopolitical position to deal with countries like China and Russia, he stressed. Blinken derided Russia for undermining the international system that made the world freer, more prosperous, more secure, more connected.
Reflecting on this year, a guiding premise is that American engagement and leadership matter -- and finding new ways to cooperate and coordinate with other countries is more important than ever. No global challenge can be solved by any one country working alone. pic.twitter.com/JWWsBAr0An Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 22, 2021
'Will make it very, very difficult' for Russia
Speaking at the conference, Blinken said that the United States has been working in very close coordination with allies and partners not only to show our shared concerns but to put in place what would be a meaningful and massive response if Russia commits renewed acts of aggression against Ukraine. He went on to add that there have been formal statements made by NATO, European Union, and G7 -- all making clear that there will be massive consequences for Russia if it engages in further acts of aggression against Ukraine, he stressed.
Live now! @SecBlinken delivers remarks to the press from the U.S. Department of State. https://t.co/apZzQaP2Ao Department of State (@StateDept) December 21, 2021
US secretary of State further emphasised that US President Joe Biden has been engaged in diplomacy and deterrence to safeguard the interests of allies and partners. When he first met with President Putin in Geneva some months ago, said Blinken, President Biden clarified that the US strong preference is to have a more predictable and stable relationship between Russia and the United States.
But if Russia continues to engage in reckless, regressive actions, we will respond and will respond strongly," Blinken asserted.
Russia's buildup of soldiers near Ukraine's border only increased tensions with the West. [Credit: AP ]
In shocking intelligence earlier this month, the US officials said that they believe Russia is planning a multi-front military invasion of Ukraine with 175,000 troops in early 2022, confirming the inside details outlined in a report. The US is taking recent signalling from the Kremlin very seriously as Russia concentrated heavy military on the volatile Moscow-Kyiv border, and does not consider the matter a bluff, the officials had reportedly stated. Russias military troop buildup came in the backdrop of escalating offensive and tensions between the Ukrainian soldiers and Russian-backed separatist forces on frontlines in Ukraines conflict-stricken eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Russian defence forces, in a show of military strength, have been conducting drills and exercises in the Black Sea region of Crimea. The US had earlier warned Russia of "strong economic and other measures if Russian President Vladimir Putin invades Kyiv. Biden had told reporters at the White House that his administration is drafting a set of initiatives and retaliatory measures that will make it very, very difficult for Russia to escalate the conflict.
A Ukrainian soldier looks from his position near the front line with Russia-backed separatists in Shyrokyne, eastern Ukraine. [Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]
In an attempt to defuse the tensions, the Russian Foreign Ministry previously published two draft agreements regarding the security guarantees between Moscow, the United States, and the alliance. Moscow outlined conditions such as prohibiting NATOs military expansion further into Eastern Europe and prohibition for US and ally countries from deploying medium to short-range missiles within striking distance of each others territory.
The United States, meanwhile, in its response said that there is still an opportunity for progress in normalising the tense situation with Moscow if talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin are held "in the appropriate format. "We have been clear as the United States - and just yesterday, the 30 nations of the NATO alliance were clear in a statement that came out of the North Atlantic Council - we're prepared for dialogue with Russia," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at the event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in Washington.
The Foreign Ministers of the Visegrad Group (V4) gathered in Budapest on Tuesday and held talks with their Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Hungary currently holds the presidency of V4 until 2022 and ministers discussed the issue of migration in Europe and relations with the Taliban.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto urged the European Union to pay six billion Euros (6.8 billion US dollars) to Turkey, a sum which allegedly had been promised to the country.
Turkey's foreign ministry has said that 40 billion US dollars had been spent hosting migrants in the country.
Speaking at the meeting Cavusoglu, warned of further potential migration from Afghanistan, and emphasised the importance of communication with the Taliban.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau also spoke at the meeting, saying he hoped plans for Albania and North-Macedonia to join the European Union would be discussed soon.
The V4 was founded in February 1991 from a declaration of cooperation that then-Presidents Lech Walesa of Poland, Vaclav Havel of then-Czechoslovakia and Jozsef Antall of Hungary signed in Visegrad, Hungary.
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Chile's next president Gabriel Boric attended a meeting of the constitutional convention on Tuesday in Chile's capital.
The 155-member body is charged with drafting a constitution to replace one that has governed it since being imposed during a military dictatorship.
During a statement outside the former Congress building, and standing next to the convention's president, Elisa Loncon, Boric said the constitutional convention is the entity that "has the power to discuss which are the constitutional norms from now on."
"I have no doubt that they will act with wisdom, in the best sense and thinking of the best for all Chileans," he said. "I am not going to try to guide the convention regarding what it has to do, but rather respect and implement what is deliberately decided."
The convention the nation's most powerful elected institution could in theory call for new presidential elections when it concludes its work next year and if the new charter is ratified in a plebiscite.
At 35, Boric will become Chile's youngest modern president when he takes office in March.
His government is likely to be closely watched throughout Latin America, where Chile has long been a harbinger of regional trends.
IMAGE: AP
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The UK on Wednesday reported a record high COVID caseload amid the ongoing spread of the Omicron variant. As reported by AFP, the UK recorded around 1,06,122 virus cases in the last 24 hours.
The surge in cases was seen at a time when the global spread of the newly detected, highly mutated variant has become a cause of worry. Moreover, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced earlier in the day that the self-isolation period for people who test positive for COVID-19 in England, will be reduced from 10 to seven days. This will be for those who produce two negative lateral flow test (LFT) results on days six and seven since the start of their quarantine.
UK cuts self-isolation period from 10 to 7 days
The change was made in consultation with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), according to Javid, and is intended to minimise interruption to frontline services and other businesses. Previously, if a person tested positive for Coronavirus, they had to self-isolate for 10 days.
"We want to reduce the disruption to peoples everyday lives caused by the pandemic so today we will be cutting the self-isolation period from 10 days to seven days for those people who take a lateral flow on day six and day seven and the result of both those tests are negative, he said.
Apart from this, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to not impose further restrictions to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID has been met with dismay by many scientists.
They argued that waiting until the New Year will be "too late" to have a significant impact on the pandemic. It may also be too late to tell what impact those limits would have had if they had been implemented earlier because the rate of growth in infection rates may have stagnated or dropped by then, they believed.
After holding a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Jonhson had earlier announced that he would not be implementing additional COVID restrictions as of now. He stated that data on the hospitalisation rate for people infected with the Omicron will be kept under "continuous evaluation".
Meanwhile, the government sources hinted that further restrictions might be imposed after Christmas, reported the British daily. However, with Omicron infections doubling every 48 hours in most parts of the UK, the country may have already reached a point where the pace of expansion begins to fall and case numbers plateau, the report added.
(With PTI Inputs)
Image: AP
UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the ongoing situation near Ukraines border, informed the British Ministry of Defence. In a tweet, the ministry said on Tuesday that Wallace and Stoltenberg met to discuss the situation in Ukraine and noted that both UK and NATO are united in support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
UK Defence Minister noted that the country and the alliance will continue to observe the escalation of tensions near Ukraines border. Wallace also stressed he will "remain deeply concerned by the buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine's border."
The Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP spoke to NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg this afternoon to discuss the situation on Ukraines border.
The UK and NATO are united in support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. pic.twitter.com/aLTys1Yshq Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) December 21, 2021
Previously, the NATO chief discussed the situation at the Ukraine border with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca at the alliances headquarters. NATO said in a statement on Tuesday that Stoltenberg welcomed Romanias efforts to help build stability in the Western Balkans, and its support to NATOs partners, including to Moldova and Ukraine. The statement added that Ciuca and Stoltenberg discussed Russias military build-up in and around Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General underlined that despite international calls for transparency and de-escalation, the build-up continues while adding We have made clear that any further aggression against Ukraine would carry a very high price. We will also continue to support our close partner Ukraine, politically and practically.
NATO chief had said, And we stand up for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and we stand also for Ukraines right to choose its own path.
Tensions near Ukrainian border amid Russias troop buildup
It is to note that the tensions between Russia and the West have significantly deteriorated in recent weeks as reports also emerged that Moscow has started a troop buildup near the Ukrainian border. But, Russia has criticised NATOs eastward expansion which it deems as a threat to its own national security. Recently, on 17 December, Russias Foreign Ministry published two draft agreements regarding the security guarantees between Moscow, the United States and the alliance.
Amid tensions over its border with Ukraine, the Kremlin suggested that NATO would not expand further into Eastern Europe and stop Washington and Moscow from deploying medium to short-range missiles within striking distance of each others territory. The proposal also limits the troop, warship and aircraft deployment for both sides.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday iterated that the United States is more aligned with its regional allies and partners than it was over a year ago on nearly every issue, as he noted that coordination with other countries is now more important than ever. At a State Department briefing, the US Secretary insisted that Americas ties with its key allies and partners were badly strained but the Biden administration has stepped up engagement to advance its mutual interests and values and tackle big challenges and rebuilding foundations of American foreign policy.
Since January 20th, weve reinvigorated our engagement with key allies NATO, the European Union, the United Nations, the OECD, the G7, the G20, ASEAN. We created AUKUS; we elevated the QUAD with two leader-level summits; we launched the Build Back Better World global infrastructure initiative, Blinken emphasised in his speech earlier on Tuesday.
US has boosted cooperation with the allies on key issues such as the Russias aggression toward Ukraine and its neighbors, Irans nuclear program, and Chinas efforts to challenge the rules-based international order, said US Secreatry of State, Blinken. I attest from my dozens of face-to-face meetings with counterparts in every region of the world that theyre glad frankly, relieved that the United States is once again engaged and once again leading, he went on to add.
Live now! @SecBlinken delivers remarks to the press from the U.S. Department of State. https://t.co/apZzQaP2Ao Department of State (@StateDept) December 21, 2021
US-China-Russia tensions soar over military assertiveness, human rights breach
Blinkens remarks came as tensions soared with the Peoples of China over the recent boycott of the Beijing Olympics 2022 due to alleged human rights abuses against the ethnic minority Uyghurs in the far-west Xinjiang region. The US had also openly condemned Beijings crackdown on the pro-democracy protesters in the autonomous city of Hong Kong, as well as had a fallout about the theories and research related to the coronavirus pandemic origin.
The US also recently pledged support for Lithuania in the Baltic nations ongoing row with Beijing over the establishment of the de facto embassy for Taiwan. Blinken threatened severe consequences for Russia if Putin attempted to launch a military offensive as tensions mounted on the frontier with Ukraine over the massive troop build up.
Speaking about US vaccine solidarity, Blinken stressed that more than 330 million vaccine doses have been delivered to at least 110 countries, and over 1.2 billion vaccines will be donated to the partner nations next year. He highlighted the Biden administrations re-participation with the global health agency WHO, saying that it has been a leading country in funding COVAX, the global partnership that distributes safe vaccines equitably, globally.
Li Tiantian has been incommunicado since her online support for a fired Shanghai journalism lecturer.
Schoolteacher Li Tiantian is shown holding her book Fox Watching the Moon in an undated photo.
Chinese social media users are voicing support for Hunan teacher Li Tiantian, believed to be detained in a psychiatric hospital after she spoke out over the expulsion of a Shanghai journalism lecturer who encouraged her students to verify official accounts of the Nanjing massacre.
Li, who is currently pregnant, has been incommunicado since she issued a cry for help on the social media platform Weibo Moments on Sunday as officials from her hometown of Shaba in Hunan's Yongshun county committed her for psychiatric care.
"The leadership benefits when local governments do evil things," Twitter user @fjv_n commented on Wednesday. "Anyone can be be mentally illed if the wind rises."
Being "mentally-illed" is a satirical term used to describe the use of psychiatric diagnosis and incarceration by the authorities to target critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Others retweeted an open letter from writer Li Xuewen, who said Li's disappearance had caused "great indignation" on the country's tightly controlled internet.
In the letter, Li Xuewen says Li Tiantian was likely targeted by officials in the local education bureau in Hunan's Xiangxi prefecture, who used her support for Song Gengyi as a pretext for retaliation over a critical article she wrote about rural education in 2019.
"She was just exercising the basic rights of a citizen, and you actually forced her to disappear," Li Xuewen wrote. "This is an abuse of public power ... and must be immediately rectified."
In her 2019 article, Li Tiantian wrote: "What makes me feel most helpless and upset is that, while, as teachers, we teach students to be honest and trustworthy, we can't actually tell the truth ourselves. We have become captive intellectuals who are forced to live carefully."
Hunan scholar Li Ang said Li Tiantian's husband hasn't been allowed to visit her since she was sent to the Yongshun County Psychiatric Hospital.
"She's just a primary-school teacher of Chinese, who likes to write poems, and is a very thoughtful person," Li Ang said. "She turned 27 this year."
Some social media users have flocked to buy Li Tiantian's book, Fox Watching the Moon, which uses poetic language to retell some of the folk legends of her native western Hunan with an ecological twist. Her unique teaching style had earned Li the nickname "Fairy Teacher" among her students, according to some comments.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, user @Szhou12345 dedicated a poem to Li Tiantian using the wild grasses of western Hunan as a metaphor for her spirit.
"A small flower bloomed among the wild grasses, but was trampled by a bunch of pigs," the poem said.
Informants, denunciations
Current affairs commentator Xiang Wei said China's education system has become rife with politically motivated denunciations by "informants" among both students and teaching staff at every level.
"Informants have become a kind of political asset used by the authorities to bolster their grip on power," Xiang said. "I remember when I was at the Qianhai Primary School in Nanshan, Shenzhen, there were a few little spies among the students."
"They weren't just there to study, but also to ... observe the mood of their classmates, and any psychological changes," he said. "They would report back to the teachers at specified intervals."
Literary scholar Chen Kun said informing is an inherent part of the communist way of governing.
"The communist way of thinking absolutely prohibits the progression of logical thinking, political psychology and so on in an educational setting, so this kind of informing is an inherent and logical part of communism, and has been from the start," Chen said.
"It is a process of de-intellectualising the people, and an important tool for them to govern by."
Meanwhile, veteran rights lawyer Ran Tong said lawyers hoping to extend assistance to Song Gengyi have been unable to contact her.
"Everyone saw [the video clip], which is normal teaching content," Ran told RFA. "What it means is that ultra-leftism now prevails everywhere, and any teacher who tells the truth is regarded as a problem."
"I could offer her legal assistance if needed, but I'm not able to get in touch with her right now."
Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Illegal mining is rampant in the area, despite a ban on the activity in place since 2019.
Rescue workers congregate around a jade mining block following a landslide near Thayar Gone village in Kachin state's Hpakant township, Dec. 22, 2021.
UPDATED at 2:45 P.M. EST on 2021-12-22
At least one person is dead and around 80 people are missing Wednesday following an early morning landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar's Kachin state, where sources say illegal mining is rampant thanks to an understanding between miners and local authorities.
The disaster occurred at around 4:00 a.m. at a jade mining block near Thayar Gone village in Hpakant township, rescue workers told RFA's Myanmar Service, adding that only one body had been located so far.
Aye Mon, who resides near the site of the landslide, said the area had been crowded with miners overnight and believes at least 100 people are missing, including a few vendors she knows.
"The huge wave came in without warning. There are three or four vendors among the missing," she said.
"There were a lot of scavengers at the site yesterday, and about 30 or 40 vendors. The remaining crowd was later searching the area for the missing. The army and the police came to look at the scene of the accident and there were two or three relief teams.
Naw Lawng, secretary of the Kachin National Social Development Organization, said most of the missing were miners.
"They were working in small blocks there. Most of them were scavengers working in the landfill where the waste soil was dumped," he said.
"Its hard to say now exactly how many were involved because everything is covered in the sludge. We could just roughly say about 80 are there underneath. All the dumped waste has fallen into the water and its impossible to do the search right away.
Residents said the plot was a former block of Sein Sein Gems Co., which closed down in 2019, and that some people who have an "understanding" with the authorities were digging around with heavy machinery.
Kaing Rein, a resident who witnessed the landslide, said it took away not just the scavengers but also the workers who were using pressure hoses to break up mounds of waste soil.
"When I heard people shouting look out, its coming down, I took a quick look and saw about 10 people standing there in the water near the shore [of a nearby lake] yelling out. A few moments later they disappeared into the water and never came back. Just like that," she said.
"We ... saw close to 40 people being swallowed up [by the sliding mud]. It couldn't have been fewer than 40. Some people said there were more than 100.
Maung Maung Oo, a firefighter among the rescuers at the site, told RFA that the search was continuing.
"So far, we are just looking around the spots where these miners might be but haven't found anyone yet," he said. "A number of NGOs have also joined in the search with us.
RFA tried to contact the Hpakant township administrator by telephone on Wednesday for details about the disaster, but he did not respond.
A rescue worker dredges a lake in Thayar Gone village, Dec. 22, 2021. Citizen journalist Cover of night
Jade mining in the area was banned in 2019 amid the coronavirus pandemic by the then-National League for Democracy (NLD) government but resumed after the party was deposed by the military in a Feb. 1 coup.
While it is unclear whether the mining is officially sanctioned by the junta, it largely takes place under the cover of night, and observers have warned that at its current rate many of the hills of the Hpakant area could soon be leveled.
Theres so much activity at nighttime it wont take very long for the hills to disappear as they are digging like crazy, Hpakant MP Aung Hein Min, who won the region for the NLD in the countrys November 2020 election, told RFAs Myanmar Service.
There was at least a bit of control in the past, but the situation has worsened as no one dares to stop them. There was barely any rule of law here in the past but now there is no law at all.
According to Aung Hein Min, there were more than 180 private blocks where permits issued under the NLD government were valid until the end of July 2021.
He said that while there has been no official word of any extensions to these permits, the miners are working with an understanding with the authorities concerned and now have grown beyond private individuals to groups using heavy machinery.
Additionally, while fighting between the military and the ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) intensified in the Hpakant region since November, jade mining has continued unabated, he said.
In July, a report published by international NGO Global Witness said that Myanmars military and those in its highest ranks were able to enrich themselves by looking the other way during the NLDs ban, and that the junta has post-coup threatened to further open the floodgates of military corruption in the jade industry.
Control over the multibillion-dollar jade trade was a major cause of conflict in Myanmar between the military and rebel armed ethnic groups and, in the years leading up to the coup, the military increased its stake in the jade trade at a time when the civilian-led government was trying to impose reforms on it, according to the report.
Global Witness said at the time that not only had the family of junta chief Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing profited from bribes from actors hoping to gain permission to mine jade, but its research showed that the militarys control of the trade helped enable their recent illegal power grab.
Naung Latt, an environmental activist in Hpakant, told RFA that mining had become so common in the area that there are excavations every night and even some during the day.
They are using hundreds of heavy machines, he said.
Rescue workers dredge a lake in Thayar Gone village, Dec. 22, 2021. Citizen journalist Drying up demand
Despite the relentless activity, Naung Latt said demand has dried up since the junta cut off internet to the area in September and China closed its nearby border amid the pandemic.
U Maung, a trader in Mandalay, said that even the jade market in Mandalay had taken a hit in recent months due to the political chaos following the military coup and the pandemic.
Before, one could expect three or four sales a day, but now they make just one sale in every four days to a week, he said.
Prior to the coup, Hpakant had been the scene of rare cooperation between the military and its enemies, as they worked together to collect formal and informal taxes and ignored safety to extract jade as quickly as possible in the face of quickly expiring mining licenses.
Wednesday's deadly landslide marked the second in four days. At least 10 people were killed on Dec. 19 when a jade mine collapsed in Hpakant's Manamaw area at around 2:00 a.m.
Tragedy also struck in Hpakant on July 2, 2020, when heavy rains caused piles of loose dirt and rubble to collapse, burying more than 200 scavengers looking for discarded pieces of jade left behind by miners, and creating a lake of mud filled with bodies.
At least 174 people died, with 100 left missing and 54 injured in the mudslide.
Last year on May 23, a similar landslide in Hpakants Hway Kha Hmaw area killed hundreds of jade scavengers. And on Nov 21, 2015, 114 people were killed when a plot of land belonging to a company in Hpakant's Seikmu village collapsed.
Post-coup illegal mining in Kachin state has not been limited to jade, but also gold and rare earth minerals.
Successive governments have failed to regulate the mining industry and, as a result, illegal mining in the region has existed for generations. Environmentalists and ethnic Kachin residents say they are concerned that such activities will become more widespread if the current political situation continues.
Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Authorities in western Chinas Sichuan and Qinghai provinces are barring family visits for Tibetan prisoners held in political cases, citing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, Tibetan sources say.
The restriction remains in force even though no cases of infection have been reported for more than a year in Sichuans Mianyang prison or the detention center in Minyak Yak-nga (in Chinese, Yaan), a prefecture-size city in the western part of the province, a family member of two political prisoners said.
Prisoners in the past have been able to meet with relatives separated by a glass wall, and their families could bring in goods that had been inspected by prison authorities, RFA has learned.
But now, family members are not allowed to meet their imprisoned relatives even while socially distanced, and families may not send in any clothes, food items or medicines, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
We have asked the authorities many times since 2020 to allow us to meet our relative held in Mianyang prison, but they have cited COVID prevention measures and given us no consideration, the source said. We had hoped at least to see him from a distance, but that request was also ignored, so we dont know what our relatives current condition is.
Also speaking to RFA, a family member of a prisoner held in Yak-nga confirmed that many Tibetans have not been allowed to visit incarcerated family members in prison.
My relative is a political prisoner who was arrested in May 2019 and sentenced to four years and six months in Minyak Yak-nga, but we have been able to meet him only once since he was put in jail. We are very worried about his overall condition, he said.
Tibetan political prisoners are required to report to police on their activities for at least one to two years following their release from prison. In a program launched in 2014, the prisoners are given government-issued cell phones that track their movements and conversations, sources told RFA in earlier reports.
Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force over 70 years ago. Tibetans protesting Beijings rule or promoting their national identity are frequently detained by Chinese authorities, with many handed long jail terms.
Language rights have become a particular focus of official concern, with informally organized Tibetan language courses typically deemed illegal associations and teachers subject to detention and arrest, sources say.
Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Children are being Sinicized and losing their Uyghur national identity, they say.
When China announced this month that it has spent some $63 million in recent years to build or renovate kindergartens in Xinjiang, raising the restive regions preschool enrollment rate to 98%, Uyghurs saw more reason for concern than for gratitude, analysts from the ethnic minority said.
The figures, announced at Dec. 9 news conference in the regional capital Urumqi, in Uyghur eyes are seen as a sign of Beijings intensified drive to assimilate the 12 million Uyghurs, replacing their Turkic native language with Chinese and Sinicizing children at an ever earlier age, exiled Uyghurs said.
In recent years, Xinjiang has continuously increased investment in education and carried out educational projects to benefit the residents. Free three-year preschool education covers all rural areas of the region, the official Xinhua news agency quoted an official named Hellat as saying after unveiling the figures. The official did not give an annual breakdown on school spending.
China faces intensifying criticism and sanctions from Western countries over its increasingly repressive policies in the Xinjiang region, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia. Beijing vehemently rejects the criticism.
The Chinese government has attempted to evade criticism by announcing that they are allocating hundreds of millions of yuan for this, and saying that theyre doing good things, said Qelbinur Sidik, who taught at an elementary school in Urumqi for more than 30 years before emigrating to the Netherlands.
But in reality, their intent is very clearly and openly to eliminate the identities of our Uyghur children, she said.
In August, the Chinese Communist Party issued a directive extending compulsory Mandarin language teaching to preschoolers across the country. Mandarin would supplant minority languages like Uyghur, Mongolian, Tibetan, as well regional Chinese tongues like Sichuanese and Cantonese, as the medium of instruction for children of all ages across the country.
The harder line on ethnic minorities is driven by President Xi Jinping, who told the Central Conference on Ethnic Affairs in Beijing in August that ethnic minority groups must put the interests of the nation first and share a sense of community with the Chinese nation.
[We] should actively and steadily address the ideological issues that involve ethnic factors, and continue to eradicate poisonous thoughts of ethnic separatism and religious extremism, Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Previous RFA reports have documented Chinese government policies to reduce or eliminate culture and language education in schools in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia, causing friction with local communities and prompting protests against the moves.
Bilingual education policy
The governments latest action is an acceleration of a long-standing plan by the Chinese government to Sinicize later generations of Uyghurs, Asiye Abdulehed, a Uyghur activist and analyst in the Netherlands, told RFA.
From the 1950s to the 1980s, this process took the form of establishing Chinese-language classes in elementary and secondary schools and later morphed into bilingual education after the 1990s, when the Xinjiang class boarding school programs were established, she said.
Looking at it now, we can see that these were entirely Sinicized schools under the name of bilingual education, Asiye said. Children were separated from their parents and housed in boarding schools.
She said the campaign to assimilate Uyghurs at younger ages gathered steam in the form of spreading national-language education following the start of a mass detention and internment campaign in 2017 that has seen up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities incarcerated in a network of detention camps.
If we look at what undergirds all of these policies, we can see one commonality, which is that as part of these policies, bilingual education for many years has been and continues to be undertaken with the purpose of separating Uyghurs from their roots, or in other words, of committing genocide, of erasing this people from history, Asiye said.
Scholars as well as previous RFA reporting have found that thousands of Uyghur children whose parents have been detained have been sent to camps, boarding schools, and orphanages.
They have used pleasant-sounding names, said Qelbinur, who taught Chinese in the camp system for two years.
For example, they took children away from their homes to boarding schools and orphanages that they called things like home schools.
Officials there keep the doors locked to ensure that the children are brought up in ways that are creating abnormalities in their psychology, Qelbinur said.
Theres a sense of separateness, withdrawnness, timidity, and fear in these children, she said.
Because theyve been separated from the warmth and love of their family home, their education, love for their native language, ability to speak their language, and their cultural knowledge, they simply have no way to know about their national identity, Qelbinur said.
In their school education, their ethnic identity is completely eliminated. Its a very distressing fate, she added.
An experiment to eliminate Uyghurs
In its Dec. 9 ruling that Chinas policies toward Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang amounted to genocide and crimes against humanity, the Uyghur Tribunal in London listed treatment of children and language education among evidence it weighed.
Children as young as a few months were separated from their families and placed in orphanages or state-run boarding schools. In some cases the parents of these children did not know if their children were alive or dead, it said.
The use of the Uyghur language has been punished. Children from an early age have been denied education in their native language and have been punished for the use of it, read the ruling, which is not binding but has been used as the basis for a lawsuit against China.
In recent years, the Chinese government made significant investments in education to assimilate Uyghurs, said Erkin Sidick, a Uyghur intellectual and NASA engineer based in California.
The Chinese government would never just invest 500 million yuan in Uyghur schools in the countryside [because] there are no actual Uyghur schools left [there], he said.The children are born Uyghurs, but everything in their lives starts in preschool, beginning with the language, which is Chinese, Erkin said.
We can understand the investments the [Chinese government] has made as money spent for an experiment to assimilate Uyghurs, to eliminate them.
Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
A Vietnamese soldier died this month at the hands of his colleagues, the third death of a member of the military to be reported this year, according to media sources in Vietnam.
Hoang Ba Manh, 20, was allegedly beaten to death on Dec. 20 in what an officer in a meeting with the victims family described as a fight among soldiers. News of the incident was widely covered by social media on Dec. 22, the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Peoples Army.
Speaking in a video shared on social media, a family representative confirmed that Manh, a resident of Phu Loc village in the Cam Vu commune of northern Vietnams Hai Duong province, had been physically attacked and later died in his bed at his military camp.
Manh had been handled by his fellow soldiers in the attack, an officer wearing an air force uniform said in the video, which was filmed by a person describing himself as one of Manhs neighbors at home.
After attending a routine roll call, they called to each other to gather in a bathroom separated from their barracks to do what they called handling each other, the officer said. If this had happened in another, less private place, someone from his unit would definitely have seen it.
RFA has been unable to identify in which military unit the attack took place, and Manhs family has refused to speak to reporters.
Our family has not yet reached an agreement on what exactly took place, so I cant say anything about this, one family member said. The person confirmed that Manhs military unit had held a funeral for him.
Also on the video, a man said that Manhs family had identified at least two soldiers responsible for the attack, and a military representative promised to investigate the incident.
Hoang Ba Manh is the third soldier to have died this year while doing military service in Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Thien, a resident of Village No. 2 in the An commune of central Vietnams Gia Lai province, died in November of what his unit said was heart attack. Family members citing an autopsy said however that multiple injuries had been found both on and inside his body.
And in June, Tran Duc Ho from northern Vietnams Bac Ninh province also died at a military camp. Representatives from Vietnams Ministry of Defence said that Do had taken his own life, but his family disagreed, saying that many injuries had been found on his body.
Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The hardest hit are Pag-asa Island under the Philippines control, and Southwest Cay, held by Vietnam.
This undated handout photo received from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on December 22, 2021 shows an aerial view of damaged buildings on Thitu island in the disputed Spratly Islands, days after Super Typhoon Rai hit the southern and central regions of the archipelago.
Typhoon Rai, the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines and Vietnam this year, caused severe damage to some of their major outposts in the South China Sea, according to the Philippine Coast Guard and Vietnamese media.
The hardest hit are Pag-asa Island under the Philippines control, and Southwest Cay, held by Vietnam.
Satellite images taken before and after the category-5 super typhoon struck show the islands changed color from green to brown, as winds and rains knocked out trees and destroyed plants.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) posted on social media several photos of the Pag-asa after the typhoon, known as Odette in the Philippines, slammed the island last week.
Pag-asa, or Thitu Island, is the only Philippine-controlled outpost in the South China Sea with a civilian population of around 200. Its also the largest and most important feature in the Kalayaan Island Group, hosting a naval port and an air strip.
The island is also claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Aerial photos show almost all the buildings and structures on the island were destroyed by the typhoon, said the PCG, adding that no fishing boats were found to have survived either.
A PCG spokesman, Commodore Armand Balilo, was quoted by the ABS-CBN News Channel as saying that the newly-built coast guard station on Pag-asa was totally washed out.
Residents on Pag-asa were evacuated before the typhoon and theres no report of fatalities but the coast guard is calling for relief supplies and reconstruction of damaged structures.
Typhoon Ray hit the Philippines last Thursday. At least 375 people were killed and 56 are still missing. Officials are still assessing the scale of the economic impact.
This undated handout photo received from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on December 22, 2021 shows a damaged building on Thitu island in the disputed Spratly Islands, days after Super Typhoon Rai hit the southern and central regions of the archipelago. Credit: AFP Vietnamese outposts affected
Meanwhile Vietnam, while being spared the worst as the typhoon didnt directly strike the mainland, had to evacuate thousands of people from the central coastal areas.
Local media said some of the outposts in the Spratlys islands including Southwest Cay and Sin Cowe Island were badly affected.
On Southwest Cay, the typhoon known in Vietnam as Typhoon Number 9 destroyed 90% of the trees and many houses as well as solar panels. The cay and Sin Cowe Island had sheltered hundreds of Vietnamese fishing boats operating nearby, the Voice of Vietnam said.
Southwest Cay is the second largest of the Vietnamese-occupied features after Spratly Island. Its also claimed by China, the Philippines and Taiwan.
North Vietnamese forces took the island from the Saigon regimes troops in 1975.
YEREVAN -- The city council of Armenias capital has voted to remove Mayor Hayk Marutian and replace him with one of his deputies, Hrachya Sargisian.
By a vote of 44-10, the council on December 22 passed a no-confidence resolution against Marutian, who was accused of not running the city with sufficient efficiency.
Shortly before the vote, Marutian accused the ruling Civil Contract party of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of betraying the goals of the 2018 uprising that brought them to power. He accused Pashinian and his political team of stifling dissent and enriching themselves.
Marutian, who was a leading figure in the 2018 mass protests that toppled former Armenian leader Serzh Sarkisian, quit Civil Contract in December 2020.
I thought that a revolutionarys supreme goal must be to improve the lives of other people, Marutian told council members. In reality, as soon as they came to power, they started improving their own lives, despite the fact that the countrys poverty rate continued to hover at around 30 percent.
Marutian particularly criticized a decision to increase salaries for ministers and other senior government officials and claimed that as mayor he had received frequent phone calls from unnamed officials seeking favors.
I did not expect such phone calls when I joined the team, he said, citing them as a key reason for his conflict with Pashinian.
Pro-Pashinian members of the council, in turn, criticized Marutian for supposedly failing to support the government against opposition protests in the wake of Armenias defeat in an armed conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan last year.
Where was the Yerevan mayor during the counterrevolution? council member Armen Galjian said. Was he locked down in his office with a mask on his face or busy preparing to leave the party?
Pashinian has not publicly commented on the rift with Marutian.
MINSK -- A court in Minsk has sentenced four anarchist activists to lengthy prison terms amid an ongoing crackdown on those challenging the official results of last year's presidential election that handed victory to strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Minsk regional court Judge Valer Tuleyka on December 22 sentenced Ihar Alinevich and Syarhey Ramanau to 20 years in prison each, while Dzmitry Razanovich was handed 19 years, and Dzmitry Dubouski 18 years in prison.
The court found the defendants guilty of terrorism and the illegal possession and usage of weapons and explosives. Dubouski and Alinevich were also convicted of the illegal transport of firearms and explosives across state borders.
The four men were charged in late October 2020 after they were arrested while trying to cross the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. All of them reject the charges as politically motivated.
Crisis In Belarus Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka ramps up pressure on NGOs and independent media as part of a brutal crackdown against protesters and the opposition following an August 2020 election widely considered fraudulent.
The trial, which was held behind closed doors, started in mid-November.
Investigators said the anarchists set several police cars on fire during the protests, as well as a traffic-police building and the office of the State Forensics Committee in the southeastern Homel region.
Rights activists and opposition politicians say the poll was rigged to extend Lukashenka's 26-year rule. Thousands have been detained during nationwide protests and there have been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment by security forces. Several people have died during the crackdown.
Many of Belarus's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, while Lukashenka has refused to negotiate with the opposition.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote and imposed several rounds of sanctions on him and his regime, citing election fraud and the police crackdown.
With material provided by Vyasna human rights center
The UN human rights office says that Belarus and Poland are forcing migrants and refugees back and forth across their border, often leaving them cold and with no food, clean water, or safe shelter.
The UN agency on December 21 called on the two countries to address the "appalling situation" and relieve the "dire conditions" for those along the frontier, saying some of them are being threatened or beaten by Belarusian security forces.
The European Union accuses Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka of flying in migrants and funneling them to the borders of member states Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania to retaliate for sanctions the bloc imposed over a sweeping crackdown since last year's disputed presidential election.
Refugees and migrants interviewed by a UN human rights team visiting Poland in late November and early December said they had suffered violence or threats in Belarus and been left hungry and cold, a UN spokeswoman said.
"Those interviewed described dire conditions on both sides of the border, with no or limited access to food, clean water, and shelter, often amid freezing temperatures," Elizabeth Throssell told reporters.
She added that most of them said that while in Belarus, they had been beaten or threatened by security forces.
"Several interviewees said Belarusian security forces had demanded extortionate sums for food and water," Throssell said.
Belarus has denied it has caused a border crisis and blames the EU for the humanitarian disaster along its borders.
The UN human rights office said both countries had prevented access to the border area for its staff. While in Poland, the UN team interviewed people who had crossed the border over the past several months.
Belarus has not allowed its teams to visit the country, the UN said.
A spokesman for Poland's special services said his country was acting within the law and that its actions were undertaken to protect the country's borders.
"The migration route, controlled and organized by the Belarusian services, is only a tool used by the regime in Minsk," Stanislaw Zaryn said.
Poland has taken steps in response to the migrant crisis, including building a barbed-wire fence and massing thousands of soldiers along its 400-kilometer border with Belarus.
Throssell said many migrants and refugees had crossed the border several times in both directions because of "practices by the two countries of pushing people up to or across the border."
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
SOFIA -- Bulgaria's defense chief says there is no need to deploy NATO troops in the Southeast European country in response to Russia's troop buildup near the border with Ukraine.
Defense Minister Stefan Yanev wrote in a Facebook post that "such a decision would not match [NATO allies'] interests nor the national interests of Bulgaria."
Yanev confirmed reports that "various options for response" are being discussed within NATO, including the deployment of additional troops to members Bulgaria and Romania, as part of the alliance's Enhanced Forward Presence strategy.
"These processes call for a unified approach by NATO, but without unnecessarily escalating tensions," he wrote.
"Various response options are currently being discussed within NATO, including the deployment of additional troops to Bulgaria and Romania, modeled on Enhanced Forward Presence. At this stage, they are at the level of military-technical discussion and no final decision has been made."
He added, though, that "my position is that such [an approach] has the potential to lead to an undesirable increase in tensions in the region."
"I do not believe that there are the necessary circumstances that can justify a decision related to the deployment of additional troops on our territory. Such a decision would correspond neither to the union interests nor to the national interest of Bulgaria."
Yanev said that Bulgaria -- a NATO member since 2004 -- was "ready to increase the capacity of its own national forces on its territory in the context of the alliance's deterrence and defense capabilities."
"This readiness is a function of the potential possibility of any type of threat, regardless of the direction from which it arises."
The comments come as tensions rise amid Western concerns about the presence of tens of thousands of Russian troops near Ukraine's border, which has triggered fears of an invasion of that country.
U.S. President Joe Biden on December 9 held talks with Ukraine's leader and offered security reassurances to nine Eastern European NATO members.
Biden held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and then spoke with the leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
The diplomacy come two days after Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a video call amid the rising tensions.
Russia denies it is planning to attack, claiming instead that Ukraine and NATO are provoking tensions. Moscow is demanding security guarantees against NATO's expansion to Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance.
During the call, Biden told Putin that Moscow will face "severe economic sanctions" should Russian troops launch an attack against Ukraine.
With reporting by AP and Reuters
SOFIA Bulgarias Prime Minister Kiril Petkov says his government has neither discussed nor taken any decision on an eventual deployment of NATO troops in the Black Sea country as a response to Russia's troop buildup near the border with Ukraine.
Petkov made the comments on December 22, a day after Defense Minister Stefan Yanev said that the deployment of additional troops to NATO and EU member Bulgaria would not match the interests of his country or its allies.
That topic has neither been discussed at the Council of Ministers, nor with any of our [NATO] partners, Petkov told reporters.
The defense minister has his own personal opinion, which is in no way the formal position of our government, he added.
The comments come amid intelligence reports that Russia has amassed about 100,000 combat-ready troops near its eastern border with Ukraine in what the United States has said could be a prelude to an invasion as early as next month.
Russia denies it is planning to attack, claiming instead that Ukraine and NATO are provoking tensions. Moscow is demanding security guarantees against NATOs expansion to Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance.
Regarding the possible deployment of NATO troops in Bulgaria, Petkov said his country is and will remain an active member of the European Union and NATO, and such types of decisions will be coordinated.
The prime minister also called for "maximum use of diplomatic and peaceful means" regarding the security of the EU and NATOs eastern flank.
In a Facebook post on December 21, Yanev said that "various options for response were being discussed within NATO, including building up the alliances presence in Bulgaria and neighboring Romania as part of the alliances Enhanced Forward Presence strategy.
At this stage, [the discussions] are at the level of military-technical discussion and no final decision has been made, Yanev said.
The defense minister added, though, that my position is that such [an approach] has the potential to lead to an undesirable increase in tensions in the region.
The Russian Embassy in Sofia quickly shared Yanev's post without making any comment.
Bulgaria, a former Warsaw Pact member, joined NATO in 2004.
Iran has passed a law banning the free, state-subsidized distribution of contraceptives in a bid to boost its population growth -- but the move has raised fears of catastrophic repercussions. Iran's government systematically cracks down on the free flow of information and those who speak to foreign media may be subject to persecution. For that reason, the identities of the interviewees are not disclosed and their faces are blurred or not shown.
U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan has warned that current diplomatic efforts aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran may be exhausted within weeks.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Israel on December 22, Sullivan said Washington and its partners were discussing time frames for nuclear diplomacy with Iran.
"We're not circling a date on the calendar in public, but I can tell you that behind closed doors we are talking about time frames, and they are not long," he said.
Asked to elaborate on the time frame, Sullivan replied: "Weeks."
His comments come as negotiators report that talks in Vienna aimed at salvaging the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers are moving at a slow pace, while the United States has voiced concerns that the time required for Iran to develop nuclear weapons has become unacceptably short."
Tehran denies pursuing nuclear weapons.
The latest talks in Vienna adjourned on December 17 and are set to resume next week.
In 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 deal meant to curb Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, prompting Tehran to resume many of its nuclear activities that it had agreed to halt or limit.
President Joe Biden has said he is willing to rejoin the pact if Iran returns to full compliance.
During a meeting with Sullivan, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reaffirmed his countrys opposition to the nuclear negotiations with Iran.
"What happens in Vienna has profound ramifications for the stability of the Middle East and the security of Israel for the upcoming years," said Bennett, who has accused Israels regional archenemy of "nuclear blackmail."
Israel has long hinted that it could resort to preemptive strikes to deny Iran the means to make a bomb. However, there have been doubts among security experts about whether Israel has the military capability to effectively halt the Iranian nuclear program on its own.
Sullivan told reporters in Israel that Washington continues to believe that "diplomacy, deterrence, and pressure" remain the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Earlier, the U.S. national-security adviser told Bennett that the United States and Israel were at a "critical juncture" on various security issues and should develop a joint strategy.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said he has discussed with Sullivan "the strategy for combating Iran's nuclear program and the way in which the U.S. and Israel cooperate on this issue."
Meanwhile, the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth published an interview with the incoming Israeli Air Force commander, who said the country could successfully strike Iran's nuclear program tomorrow, if needed.
"I have to assume it will happen in my time, and my shoulders already understand the weight of the responsibility," Major General Tomer Bar said.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters last week that Washington believes Iran's breakout time to producing enough highly enriched uranium for one nuclear weapon is now "really short" and alarming.
The anonymous official did not give a precise time frame for the breakout, which has been estimated to be several months.
"But it's really short. It is unacceptably short," the official said, calling it "alarming."
On December 22, Sullivan also met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas in the occupied West Bank.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and The Jerusalem Post
AQTAU, Kazakhstan -- Two civil rights activists in the western Kazakh city of Aqtau have been sentenced to one year of restricted freedom for supporting the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement and its associate, the unregistered Koshe (Street) party amid an ongoing crackdown on supporters of the two opposition groups.
A court in the Caspian Sea port city sentenced 32-year-old Abzal Qanaliev late in the evening on December 21. The ruling came a day after a separate ruling by the court against 29-year-old Aizhan Ismakova.
Qanaliev and Ismakova were also barred from using social networks for 30 and 24 months, respectively.
Both pleaded not guilty.
Many activists across the Central Asian country have been handed lengthy prison terms or parole-like, restricted-freedom sentences in recent years for their involvement with the DVK and Koshe, as well as for taking part in rallies organized by the two groups.
DVK is led by Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstan's BTA Bank and outspoken critic of the government. The authorities labeled the DVK "extremist" and banned it in March 2018.
The crackdown on the two groups' supporters and other activists has increased recently, before and after the former Soviet republic's Independence Day on December 16.
The holiday coincides with two sensitive events in modern Kazakh history, the anniversaries of the 1986 Kazakh anti-Kremlin youth demonstrations in Almaty, known as the Zheltoqsan revolt, and a deadly 2011 police crackdown against protesting oil workers in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen, when at least 16 oil workers died.
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz security officials have contradicted former President Askar Akaev's recent claim that charges against him in the high-profile Kumtor gold-mine case had been dropped.
The Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said in a statement late on December 21 that a new charge had been filed against Akaev in connection with the Kumtor investigation.
In an interview with the Moskovsky komsomolets newspaper on December 21, Akaev, who traveled to Bishkek last week for the second time since August for questioning in the case, stated that all charges against him had been dropped and he can visit Kyrgyzstan freely now.
The day before, his associate Bolot Talgarbekov told RFE/RL that Akaev had left Bishkek for Moscow after the questioning, adding that all charges against the former president had been dropped.
"Statements by some individuals who do not have reliable information about the ongoing investigation should be considered publicity stunts aiming to influence and manipulate society. The UKMK informs the public that investigations of the activities of all suspects, including Askar Akaev, in the Kumtor case continue," the UKMK said.
Kumtor, one of the world's largest gold mines, has been a target of financial and environmental disagreements for years and is currently the subject of an ongoing battle for control between the Kyrgyz state and the mine's operator, Canadian Centerra Gold.
The UKMK said in July that Akaev and another exiled former president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, had been added to an international wanted list as part of the Kumtor corruption probe.
According to the UKMK, Centerra Gold paid bribes to top Kyrgyz officials, including Akaev, Bakiev, and another former president, Almazbek Atambaev, who is currently imprisoned on separate charges.
Akaev fled to Russia during the so-called Tulip Revolution in 2005. He was president from 1990-2005 but since his departure had avoided returning to Kyrgyzstan even for the burial of close relatives.
Bakiev has been in exile in Belarus since being toppled by protests in 2010.
Dutch prosecutors have requested life sentences for three Russians and a Ukrainian on trial in absentia on charges of playing a role in downing a passenger jet over Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people.
In their final summations on December 22, prosecutors said the defendants helped supply a missile system that Moscow-backed separatists used to fire a rocket at Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
MH17 was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down on July 17, 2014, by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile fired from territory controlled by the separatists in the east of Ukraine, killing all passengers and crew.
The trial comes amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has drawn fears of an invasion. Russia, which in 2014 seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, has denied plans to attack its neighbor.
The four suspects -- Russians Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov, and Igor Girkin, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko -- are being tried in absentia. Only one of the suspects, Pulatov, is represented by lawyers at the trial.
The trial is being held in a secure courtroom near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport because the departure point for the doomed plane was in the Netherlands, while 196 of the victims were Dutch.
"We demand that suspects Girkin, Dubinsky, Pulatov, and Kharchenko are convicted, each individually for the joint shooting down of an aircraft which caused death and the murder of 298 people on board, to life in prison," public prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks said.
"Incredibly deep and irreversible suffering has been caused to the next of kin," Ridderbeks told the court.
The four have all have denied involvement either in video messages or in media interviews shown in court.
The sentence guidance was announced at the end of a three-day presentation of evidence.
Prosecutors said on December 22 that the evidence showed the four accused were linked to Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine and played different but significant roles in the conflict with Ukrainian government forces that has killed more than 13,200 people since April 2014.
A team of international investigators concluded in May 2018 that the missile launcher used to shoot down the aircraft belonged to Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.
In their closing arguments on December 20, prosecutors said evidence such as photos, intercepted telephone conversations, videos, and witness statements showed that the accused worked together to procure the Buk missile system from Russia into eastern Ukraine to reinforce the separatists.
In recordings played to the court during the three days of hearings, men identified by the prosecution as the suspects could be heard talking about moving "our Buk" to a field from where flight MH17 was attacked.
The four celebrated the success of "our boys" when they brought down what they mistakenly thought was a Ukrainian military plane.
Prosecutors argued that their intention to shoot down a military plane made no legal difference.
"Even if the suspects did not intend the consequences of their actions those consequences still count for their sentencing," Ridderbeks said.
Defense lawyers for Pulatov are expected to make their presentation to judges in March. Verdicts in the trial that started 20 months ago aren't expected until September at the earliest.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
SKOPJE -- North Macedonia's prime minister, Zoran Zaev, submitted his resignation to parliament on December 22, and lawmakers were expected to approve it during a legislative session the following day.
Zaev had announced the move after a poor showing by his governing Social Democratic Party (SDSM) in local elections in October. Last month, he stepped down as head of the party.
Earlier this month, the SDSM selected Deputy Finance Minister Dimitar Kovachevski to succeed Zaev as its leader, and he is expected to be the partys nominee to become the next prime minister, as well.
After parliament formally accepts Zaev's resignation, President Stevo Pendarovski will have 10 days to hand the mandate to form a new government to the SDSM-led coalition that controls a majority in the 120-member parliament.
The SDSM leader would then have 20 days to form a government that has the backing of lawmakers to face challenges from both the coronavirus pandemic and an energy crisis.
In his letter of resignation, Zaev said "it would be politically irresponsible and unjustified...to continue to lead the country along the Euro-Atlantic path."
He said he believed that another prime minister from the SDSM "could achieve that in a better way."
During an address to parliament, Pendarovski praised Zaevs resignation as a democratically minded act.
He does this, even though his party is in power, the president said.
Zaev served as prime minister from May 2017 to January 2020 and again since August 2020.
He oversaw the resolution of his countrys long-standing dispute with Greece over the name Macedonia. Zaev oversaw a 2018 referendum that changed the countrys name to North Macedonia, paving the way to advance its European Union accession bid. However, Bulgaria objects to that because of disputes over history and linguistics.
He also secured North Macedonias membership in NATO in March 2020.
In the wake of the Social Democrats defeat in the October local elections, the opposition has called for early national legislative elections.
North Macedonia is currently expected to hold such elections in 2024.
A European satellite operator has pulled the new German-language broadcasts of Russia's state-owned media company RT off the air after German regulators ruled that it did not have a valid license in the latest media spat between the two countries.
Eutelsat said on December 22 that it had suspended RT DE at the request of German regulators. The MABB media authority in Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg said in a statement sent to RFE/RL that the broadcaster did not apply for a broadcasting permit, nor was one issued in the country.
The move came after YouTube blocked the Russian broadcasters newly launched RT DE channel last week, less than three months after the U.S. video-sharing platform deleted two other German-language RT channels it accused of breaching its COVID-19 misinformation policies.
RT claims a license it holds in Serbia for satellite transmission gives it the right to broadcast in Germany under a Council of Europe agreement to which both countries are party.
"We consider the actions of the German regulator to be illegal and are convinced that this decision will be reviewed in court," RT said in a statement.
MABB considers the Serbian license insufficient because RT DE "is in German and aimed at the German market."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he could not rule out retaliation for the satellite block, which he described as unacceptable."
Launched in 2005 as Russia Today, state-funded RT has continually expanded, with broadcasters and websites in languages including English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
The channel has been banned in several countries, including the former Soviet republics of Lithuania and Latvia.
In the United states, it was required to register as a "foreign agent," and British authorities have threatened to revoke its broadcasting license.
The media dispute between Germany and Russia threatens to further strain their ties after a Berlin court last week sentenced a Russian to life in jail over a 2019 assassination on German soil that the court found had been ordered by Moscow.
The ruling prompted Berlin to expel two Russian diplomats, with Moscow responding with tit-for-tat expulsions.
Germany has also joined other Western countries in voicing alarm at a Russian troop buildup on the border with Ukraine.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and RFE/RL's Balkan Service
WASHINGTON -- After being arrested by Spanish police in 2017, Pyotr Levashov said he so feared being extradited to the United States to face crimes related to his prolific spamming operations that he might take his own life.
I will be tortured. I will be killed or I will kill myself, he told a Spanish judge.
He lost his extradition fight, and a few months after arriving in the United States in February 2018, Levashov pleaded guilty and began cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in an attempt to receive a lighter sentence.
And he made good money doing so: about $6,000 in monthly living expenses from the U.S. government.
I never cooperate [sic] with the FBI or against Russia or Russian hackers.
That revelation, which Levashov made in June while testifying on behalf of the U.S. government in a separate criminal case, offers insight into the sealed cooperation agreement he reached with the FBI and how valuable his information may have been.
Levashov not only got good money from the FBI. In July, he ended up getting an unusually light sentence for a Russian cybercriminal convicted in the United States: time served, or just 33 months.
Thats one of the lightest sentences among Russian-speaking hackers in recent years, according to a review of more than a dozen cases by RFE/RL, despite a nearly two-decade crime spree.
Its a sentence that outraged some cybersecurity professionals.
It sends a message to cybercriminals that spam clearly doesn't matter to the United States, Gary Warner, a computer expert who tracked Levashovs operations for years, said in a July blog post.
Asked about his work for the FBI, Levashov denied that he cooperated with the bureau, contradicting the statements he made under oath in federal court in June. However, he said he had been paid to consult and to protect federal government networks in Connecticut, including schools, from an unspecified ransomware attack.
In a text message to RFE/RL, he said he never cooperate [sic] with the FBI or against Russia or Russian hackers.
I consult U.S. companies how to defeat malware, nowadays mostly ransomware. But I never cooperate in a way you think, nobody got arrested because of me, he said, in some of his first comments to the media since his release from federal custody.
Top 10 Spammer
One of the most prolific spammers ever caught, the 41-year-old Levashov had long been a target of the FBI.
From the late 1990s until 2017, from his home in St. Petersburg, he ran three of the largest networks of hacked computers, known as botnets.
At the time of his arrest, his Kelihos botnet consisted of more than 50,000 compromised computers, which he used to spew billions of unsolicited e-mails advertising such things as pharmaceutical drugs, jobs, and stock picks.
According to SpamHaus, an organization founded in Britain to fight computer spam, Levashov ranked among the top 10 spammers in the world. He also used the botnets to send malware.
Levashov ran the botnets in a unique and clever way that made it difficult to shut them down, Warner told RFE/RL.
U.S. court records show that Levashov charged clients from $300 to $500 to send 1 million spam e-mails. While testifying in a case against another Russian-speaking hacker, he said he earned tens of thousands of dollars a month.
Levashov told federal district court in Connecticut that there were few hard rules, but he said he never sent spam to Russia; at least I avoided at all costs, according to a court transcript.
At his peak, Levashov was sending 4 billion spam e-mails a day, said Warner, who is director of the computer forensics research lab at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
'I'm FightingFighting Crime'
Levashov, who was also known as Peter Severa, was detained on a U.S. arrest warrant in April 2017 in Barcelona, where he was vacationing with his wife and son.
He was still operating the botnet at the time through a virtual computer on a portable disk he attached to his laptop. Both were seized by police.
In September 2017, he pleaded with a Madrid judge to deny the U.S. request for extradition, saying the case against him was politically motivated and that he feared for his life.
If I go to the U.S., I will die in a year, Levashov told the Spanish court.
When the relationship is good, the agent will most likely come back to the prosecutors and say, Listen, we worked with him a few months. [We got] valid, good information. We secured tons of material. We need to help this guy.
As it has with other cases, Russia filed its own extradition request, saying Levashov had committed cybercrimes within Russia. The Spanish judge ultimately ruled for his extradition to the United States.
A few months after arriving in the United States in February 2018, Levashov pleaded guilty to computer crimes and began cooperating with the FBI.
That cooperation was an attempt to receive a lighter sentence, according to testimony Levashov gave in June 2021 in the prosecution of Oleg Koshkin, a Russian-speaking hacker living in Estonia who operated Crypt4U, a website that hid malware from antivirus programs.
I'm fighting, helping [the U.S. government], fighting crime, Levashov told the Connecticut court when prosecutors asked him to describe in general terms what assistance he had been providing under his cooperation agreement.
In return, Levashov said the government get [sic] me out of jail, so I am on bond and pays for my living expenses.
When asked about the compensation, he said, Right now its around $6,000 per month, according to court transcripts.
Levashov was released from custody on bond in January 2020, pending his final sentencing, which came 18 months later.
In a follow-up exchange with RFE/RL, Levashov contradicted his earlier court testimony, saying "the U.S. government never paid my living expenses. He said his family had been paying his expenses. But he also confirmed he received some money for computer work he said he did for the government in Connecticut.
Asked how long the payments continued, Levashov said they stopped in the first half of 2020.
The FBI declined to comment.
Levashov also told the court in June that he had possibly more than 100 meetings with FBI agents as part of his cooperation -- a number that one defense lawyer who has handled cybercases described as extraordinary.
The agents had access to Levashovs laptop and memory card that contained his virtual computer, including his logged chats with other hackers, according to U.S. prosecutors.
Levashov told the court he helped the FBI review the evidence on those devices, including the chats, and confirmed the contents of his correspondence with Crypt4u, whose service he utilized for his own crimes.
Greg Hunter, a Russian-speaking, Virginia-based defense lawyer who has represented about a dozen cyberhackers from the former Soviet Union, said that once a client agrees to cooperate, he is in for everything.
I think [the] government would speak on my behalf in front of my judge, and it should decrease my sentence, Levashov said in his testimony, when asked how his cooperation would impact how much time he would get for his own crimes.
Not long after, Koshkin was convicted for his role in operating Crypt4u. Earlier this month, he was sentenced to four years in prison.
'In For Everything'
Experts say that the Russian government tolerates cybercriminals like Levashov as long as they dont target Russian companies and individuals.
That goes not just for spammers but also for more intrusive hackers who, in several well-documented cases, have been hired to work for Russian intelligence agencies.
Levashov also monitored subgroups on Russian-speaking cybercriminal forums, potentially making his cooperation more valuable to the FBI.
A moderator may know some powerful things like the Internet Protocol addresses or cryptocurrency addresses of participants, Warner said.
Greg Hunter, a Russian-speaking, Virginia-based defense lawyer who has represented about a dozen cyberhackers from the former Soviet Union, said that once a client agrees to cooperate, he is in for everything.
Levashov would have been required to go through his computer and go through everything he knows, Hunter said.
In his court testimony, Levashov said that prior to his release on bail, FBI agents would take him out of prison, give him food, and allow him to hold video calls with his family overseas.
Levashovs sentencing was repeatedly delayed over the course of nearly two years as he cooperated with agents. It finally took place in July, one month after he testified against Koshkin.
Judge Robert Chatigny let Levashov go free, sentencing him to the time he had already spent in prison, saying he was unlikely to offend again.
Warner told RFE/RL it was a travesty of justice, saying Levashov wasted decades of law enforcement and research time and caused businesses hardships.
Delayed Deportation?
Another aspect of Levashovs case is that he has not been deported, something that typically happens when a foreign national who is extradited to the United States is finally released from prison.
Mark Rasch, a former federal computer crimes prosecutor, told RFE/RL that Levashov might still be providing some help to U.S. authorities, which would explain why they have decided to allow him to stay in the country.
When contacted by RFE/RL, the FBI declined to comment.
Arkady Bukh, a New York-based lawyer who has represented dozens of Russian-speaking hackers, said most of his clients end up cooperating with the FBI or Justice Department because the chances of winning acquittal are so slim.
The federal conviction rate is over 97 percent and Bukh said it is probably even higher for cybercriminals because the government has generally been working on such cases for months, if not years, and have terabytes of evidence.
Bukh said hackers who agree to cooperate can potentially get out on bail, sentenced to time served, and receive some financial support, but that it requires months or even years of assistance to the government.
When the relationship is good, the agent will most likely come back to the prosecutors and say, Listen, we worked with him a few months. [We got] valid, good information. We secured tons of material. We need to help this guy, Bukh told RFE/RL.
Some who cooperate even end up living in the United States permanently, he said.
Levashov told RFE/RL he has the legal right to reside in the United States until April and then intends to leave.
In the meantime, he said he was focusing on launching a new business venture, hoping to raise millions of dollars through crowdfunding for a type of business that uses the same underlying technology used in cryptocurrencies.
The editor in chief of Russias Novaya gazeta, who shared this years Nobel Peace Prize, has denounced the Russian governments so-called foreign agents law as a filthy stigma that the authorities try to hang on all of their opponents.
In an interview with Current Time on December 23, Dmitry Muratov said that 2021 had been a real nightmare year for independent media in Russia.
The people are being robbed of their media, Muratov said. It is not just journalists who are being victimized. [The authorities] tell readers, Go there, dont go here. You arent allowed to read that! It is an enormous lack of trust in their own people. Thats what it means to label journalists foreign agents -- mistrust of ones own people.
In recent months, the Russian authorities have designated dozens of organizations and individuals as foreign agents, subjecting them to restrictions and possible prosecution. RFE/RLs Russian-language outlets and Current Time and several individual RFE/RL contributors have been designated as foreign agents.
Russian and international rights groups, as well as the U.S. government and the European Union, have accused the Russian government of using its foreign agent law to crack down on dissent and political opponents.
Muratov told Current Time, the Russian-language network operated by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, that independent media in Russia are a sort of parliament for a country in which the real parliament does not represent the people.
Our audience is large, he said. More than 30 million on social media. And no one represents them in parliament.
Since winning the Nobel Peace Prize in October, Muratov said he has received an unbelievable number of requests for help from ordinary Russians.
If people are turning for help to some guy who for some reason was given a Nobel Prize, then that means they cannot get help from their local authorities, he said. They cannot get justice in local courts. It means that they have no local deputies whom they trust.
Six Novaya gazeta journalists and contributors -- Igor Domnikov (2000), Yury Shchekochikhin (2003), Anna Politkovskaya (2006), Anastasia Baburova (2009), Stanislav Markelov (2009), and Natalya Estimirova (2009) -- have been killed in attacks that the newspaper and human rights activists say were retribution for their journalism.
Muratov said his newspaper continues to receive threats regularly, particularly for its coverage of Chechnya and the alleged human rights abuses of the regions longtime leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.
The Nobel Peace Prize, he said, is a medal, not a bulletproof vest, and conceded that he does not know whether the international honor will be a shield for his newspaper or not.
Muratov shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Maria Ressa, who co-founded Rappler, a news website critical of the Philippine government.
When presenter Olga Skabeyeva entered the studio of the popular Russian talk show 60 Minutes this week, she began the program the way she usually does: by slamming the Ukrainian government and pouring vitriol on its backers in the West.
This episode aired just days after Russia published a list of demands for security guarantees from the United States and NATO, including a binding pledge to keep Ukraine and other former Soviet republics out of the Western military alliance, and Skabeyeva launched into a summary of its main points.
Then things took a turn.
Russia placed the United States in a zugzwang. Either they step back voluntarily or well make them do it by force, Skabeyeva said, staring hard into the camera as tense music blared from the studio speakers. And we make no guarantees about Ukraines sovereignty.
The segment, which aired on December 20, marked an escalation in the already hyperbolic tone adopted by anchors and commentators on Russian talk shows. In recent days and weeks, as the Kremlin has warned of a military response in Ukraine if the West does not agree to its demands, the narrative on TV has reached fever pitch.
In addition to an end to NATO expansion to the east, the demands put forward by Moscow include promises that the United States and other Western nations will abandon military activities in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and will not establish any new military bases on former Soviet territory, among other things.
Ahead of Russian-U.S. talks expected to start in January, U.S. officials have said that some of the proposals are unacceptable and that Russia knows it. Some analysts in both Russia and the West suspect that Moscow introduced them as a pretext so that it can accuse Washington and NATO of being unconstructive and blame them if it goes ahead with a new offensive against Ukraine.
In the meantime, officials in Moscow have called for a quick response. And in bellicose remarks at a meeting with the heads of Russian military leaders on December 21, President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscows readiness to use force if the West does not acquiesce.
We have nowhere further to retreat, Putin said. Do they really think well sit idly as they create threats against us?
Putin recited a litany of grievances against the United States and its allies that hes voiced many times over his 22 years as president or prime minister. Its a refrain that has featured heavily in state TV coverage since Russia raised the stakes in its standoff with the West over Ukraine, whose government has been battling Russia-backed separatists in the eastern region known as the Donbas since 2014.
Lets be honest. We have reached a breaking point, firebrand host Dmitry Kiselyov, who is seen as one of the Kremlins chief propagandists, said on the popular Sunday night show Vesti Nedeli, or News Of The Week, apparently referring to what Kyiv and NATO say are groundless claims of military actions threatening Russia.
If you put a gun to our head, well do the same to you," Kiselyov said. "We have the capability for that.
When earlier this month Putin baselessly described the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine as akin to genocide perpetrated by Kyiv, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv tweeted that false accusations of genocide are dangerous and irresponsible.
But programs like 60 Minutes wasted no time in amplifying Putins claim.
Whats happening in Ukraine is a genocide carried out by the same CIA operatives who first destroyed the U.S.S.R. and then engaged in illegal privatization under [Russian President Boris] Yeltsin and sought to dismantle Russia, Skabeyeva said on December 13.
Some analysts say that even if Russia stops short of actually invading Ukraine, this incessant warmongering on state TV, as well as the obsequious coverage of Putins tough talk on NATO, will in itself serve to increase the Russian strongmans flagging approval ratings at home.
But while that effect was substantial after Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and helped separatist forces take over parts of the Donbas in 2014, Russians broad dissatisfaction with a troubled economy today may prevent widespread support for any military adventures abroad.
While the Kremlins TV and online propaganda machines are formidable, they cant change the way people think and feel about the things that matter to them most, Russia experts Sam Greene and Graeme Robertson wrote in a December 8 article in The Washington Post. If Putin does invade Ukraine, he will do it without broad public support at home, and in a manner that will almost certainly weaken that support still further.
But there are also suggestions that public opinion may yet get behind Putins rhetoric, at least in the short term.
A recent survey by independent pollster Levada Center showed that half of Russians blame the United States and NATO for worsening tensions over Ukraine, 16 percent blame Ukraine itself, and only 4 percent see Russia as the guilty party.
Whether that translates into a collective readiness to back Russias leadership in the event that it launches a new offensive against Ukraine is another question.
Andrei Kolesnikov, who chairs the domestic Russian politics program at the Carnegie Moscow Center, argues that, ultimately, coverage on government-controlled TV channels can do little to overturn Russians deep-rooted aversion to war.
State propaganda has overused its powers of mobilization, Kolesnikov wrote in a column for The Moscow Times last week. Instead of mobilization, it has created a fear of world war.
A photo album sitting on the shelves of Ukraine's KGB archives reveals how an amateur U.S. spy was captured, then imprisoned, 60 years ago. In the summer of 1961, a quiet, serious American student named Marvin Makinen pulled up to the Soviet border in a Volkswagen car. The chemistry student told border guards he was about to begin a weeks-long road trip through the U.S.S.R. The Soviet border guards made note of Makinen, then waved him through into Socialist Ukraine. Some time earlier, the 21-year-old had been approached by American intelligence operatives in West Berlin, who asked Makinen to embark on the journey to gather information on Soviet military and civilian infrastructure.
Unbeknown to Makinen, his Soviet road trip was being watched by KGB agents, and he was eventually arrested in Kyiv. His capture and subsequent imprisonment were reported internationally, then largely forgotten.
But in the archives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv, RFE/RL stumbled on a fascinating report made by the KGB, detailing the stalking of the young American with photographs and illustrated montages. The photos below are pages from that folder.
Makinen is still alive and working in academia in Chicago. He responded to an e-mail from RFE/RL about the discovery of the KGB folder by saying it does not contain the full story about the events of 1961, but did not elaborate. Makinen admitted in a 2013 interview that he had been engaged in espionage in the U.S.S.R. and had no hesitation in accepting the dangerous assignment, largely due to his disgust at the way communist countries oppressed their citizens.
The young American's Soviet adventure began in western Ukraine, on the border with Czechoslovakia, and would have taken him through Crimea, Kharkiv, Moscow, and Minsk. Instead, Makinen's trip was dramatically cut short when he was arrested in Kyiv.
The KGB report is a mixture of surveillance photos, reenactments, and photos made by Makinen, but the folder doesn't distinguish which photos are staged.
The KGB report alleges that Makinen appeared wary and noticeably worried at the Soviet border with Czechoslovakia. His earlier-than-scheduled arrival into Soviet Ukraine aroused suspicion, as it enabled him to witness unspecified military activities.
Makinen later admitted that he was underprepared for his spectacularly risky assignment.
When Makinen asked his American handlers what he should do if he was caught, the student was told he would have to "wiggle out as best as you can."
The KGB report of a secret search of the VW detailed a body belt containing seven exposed photographic films and a high-quality camera and a notebook with several pages torn out, among other items.
Makinens innocuous-sounding notes were later alleged to have been code for intel. A 1961 Time magazine article reported on the Soviet interpretation of his notes: "Near city I ate three sandwiches...At 156 kilometers, it started raining...Encountered peasants." These seemingly innocent notations, explained the Russians, were really cunning cryptograms -- "three sandwiches" meant "three military installations"; "156" was the license of an army truck; "peasants" meant "soldiers."
In the map above showing the site of Makinen's arrest on July 27, 1961 (top left), three different routes indicate his alleged travel by foot, in his car, and in a taxi before his encounter with a suspicious local.
In a 2013 interview, Makinen described his arrest, which he said stemmed from a passerby spotting him and alerting a nearby military serviceman. I totally underestimated how wary and suspicious Soviet citizens were of foreigners, he said.
A caption beneath the photo above claims Makinen hid behind bushes and attempted to take photos, but every time he lifted his camera and saw a passerby he immediately closed his camera case and lowered his camera.
The report in the SBU archives alleges that while Makinen was being questioned around the time the photo above was made, he attempted to open his camera to expose the film [to destroy the images inside], but was stopped from doing so.
Makinen said he realized, as he was being held awaiting trial, that there was no way I was going to get out of the charges. The KGB had the photographic films I had taken," he recalled in the 2013 interview. "Also, I had collected a considerable amount of information, and it was not typical tourist observations and photographs.
Makinen, who had just turned 22 before his trial, potentially faced the death penalty. After suffering through enormous stress during his interrogation, he was sentenced to eight years in prison by a military tribunal.
Russias pivot from commodities extraction to the development of its vast territories as tourism destinations exceeds US$30 billion and gets noticed.
As reported by Bloomberg last week, there are over 600 major development projects underway in the Far East, Northern and Arctic regions of Russia, tracing their financing to some of the wealthiest individuals and companies in the country, all of whom were relying on commodities and their extraction as the mainstay of their fortunes. This is viewed as a major policy push by the government of Russia to channel substantially more funds into infrastructure development in the remote parts of the country, decrease the population's outflow to the more developed areas like Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other urban conglomerates. This policy coincides with the industrialists interests as well, as a solid track to retain personnel in the areas of their operations, often in isolated and not so well-developed townships.
According to Bloomberg, Russian billionaires and their companies are heeding the governments call in an estimated $31 billion, decade-long effort to build infrastructure and transport networks, roads, airports, resorts, hotels, and tourist attraction sites to draw visitors to regions including the Siberian stretch in Russias north. Billed as a pivotal plan to reorient the composition of Russias economy, it shows a high degree of alignment of the business pursuits and interests of the countrys wealthiest entrepreneurs with the looming priorities in play of the government.
Two such examples include the remote 780-mile-long Kamchatka peninsula in Russias Far East, with its population density at the lower levels on Earth (6 square miles per person), which is packed with craters, glaciers, volcanoes, thermal springs, bubbling geysers, big brown bears and unique flora and fauna. On the countrys western border with Finland and Norway are pristine snowfields and deep seas with rich aquatic life. According to the head of state tourism corporation, Sergey Sukhanov, quoted by Bloomberg, much of some 600 development projects underway will be financed by the countrys private sector.
Russias oldest private investment firm Interros headed by Vladimir Potanin has just announced that it will redomicile its Cyprus-based holding company to the Russky Island off the Vladivostok shore in the Russian Far East, where a special regime for off-shore businesses wishing to move back to Russia has been created (Special Administrative Region, SAR). As a resident of the SAR, Interros Capital will carry out the Group's investment projects in the Far Eastern Federal District, including the new resort, Park Three Volcanoes, aimed at developing responsible tourism in Kamchatka, and the Voskhod venture fund, which will invest into high-tech projects and startups.
Vladimir Potanin, President of Interros, said: As the oldest private investment company in the country, we welcome the fact that suitable conditions for doing business have been created in Russia that make the use of offshore companies unnecessary. Registration in the Special Administrative Region on the Russky Island will allow Interros to run domestic investments more efficiently, including in the Far Eastern and Arctic regions.
Tourism development can create a powerful point of economic and social growth in the regions, Sukhanov said, adding that the federal government will provide significant portion of the much-needed investment into infrastructure, while regional authorities may put in a fraction of the funds as well. These are tens of thousands of new jobs, hundreds of billions of rubles to the budget from the hospitality sector as well as the growth of new medium and small businesses.
Tourism, which accounts for only 4% of Russias GDP, could grow to 10% by 2035, said Tatyana Karavaeva, vice president of the state-backed Center for Strategic Research. The government is targeting a tourism market of 16.3 trillion rubles in 2035 from 3.16 trillion in 2019. Tourism means new jobs, Karavaeva said. It has a positive effect on the income of entrepreneurs and on tax revenues to regional and city budgets.
Vladimir Potanin's Norilsk Nickel is aiming to create a special social and cultural environment in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory so that people want to stay, Bloomberg notes. For this, the company is developing a tourism project on the Putorana plateau - a UNESCO heritage site with lakes, rivers, canyons, and reindeer. Norilsk Nickel plans to invest some $270 million in the Zatundra Project by building a tourist village for nature lovers. In the Murmansk Province, where the company has a second large production cluster, it plans to invest about 28 billion rubles in a tourist village. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2023. In addition, Potanin's business units are planning another project approved by the state in the amount of over $1 billion in Sochi, and a half a billion-dollar project in Kamchatka in the Park of Three Volcanoes - with geothermal hotels, ski infrastructure, and slopes. One common underlying feature of all of these development projects by Mr. Potanin is their bold prominence in the field of sustainable tourism a relative novelty picked up and developed by his investment company Interros.
Aside from Mr. Potanin, there are others who are making moves in the tourism development in the vastly underdeveloped and remote areas of the country, that span 11 time zones. As such, the family of the billionaire Andrei Guryev, which owns fertilizer producer PhosAgro, is investing over $500 million in tourism in the city of Kirovsk in the Murmansk Province. There, the company is developing the Bolshoi Vudyavr, a new ski resort.
A petrochemicals major, Sibur, whose main shareholder is billionaire Leonid Mikhelson, has invested in the town of Tobolsk, which used to be Siberias capital. His company is putting over $256 million in a new airport and a runway strip. That should help us to jump-start the impressive tourism potential of the city. It is important not only to pay taxes and create jobs but also to maintain sustainable growth in the regions in which we operate, said Marina Medvedeva, a member of Siburs management board.
The Airports of Regions, a Russian holding company controlled by Viktor Vekselberg's Renova is modernizing the Elizovo airport in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a cost of $240 million. We are interested in the development of Kamchatka. I love Kamchatka. It should be protected and promoted in a correct way and to best standards, Viktor Vekselberg said in an interview with the news agency. The designer hired for the airport project is the same who outfitted Kanye Wests luxury pod on Manhattan: Italian architect Claudio Silvestrin.
While the economic climate remains on the collision course with the global climate, it is becoming abundantly clear that some of Russias wealthiest individuals are paying close attention and taking action.
Vladimir Malakhov, Rough&Polished
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(Photo : YANN SCHREIBER/AFP via Getty Images) A picture taken on February 7, 2020, shows the main control room of the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) of the European Space Agency (ESA) in Darmstadt, western Germany
This year's brightest comet has been a bit tricky to spot using the human eye down on this planet, although the Solar Orbiter spacecraft of the European Space Agency and NASA got the perfect view.
As specified in a CNET report, the two space agencies exhibited a "spectacular view" of Comet Leonard on its way to the sun.
Yesterday, ESA released a movie that featured Comet Leonard, also called "Christmas comet," as it's seen zipping along in space.
This is more than just the comet, which space news reports have it, is half a mile in width, and made dust, ice, and rock, on display.
Essentially, the Milky Way is making for a sparkling backdrop, and planets like Mercury and Venus appear in the upper-right hand corner, from which the latter-mentioned is the brighter one.
ALSO READ: C/2021 A1 Leonard Comet Will Make an Exclusive Appearance in December Before Perihelion Passage in January 2022
The Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager
SoloHi for short, the Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager instrument on the spacecraft is delivering the images that went into the video.
In a statement, ESA said when SoloHi recorded the said images, the comet was roughly between the sun and the spacecraft, with its gas and dust tails that point towards the spacecraft. Specifically, the footage is tracked Comet Leonard from December 17 to 19, 2021.
The SoloHi launched last year to kick off a decade-long journey to investigate the sun and for the first time, image the polar regions of the star. More so, the said ESA and NASA spacecraft will continue monitoring Comet Leonard until December 22.
As earlier mentioned, the comet is headed toward a "close pass" of the sun, and its fate remains uncertain, which is making the action shots of the Solar orbiter all the more affecting.
Describing the Christmas-time comet, ESA said if it does not break or collapse, the comet's trajectory will throw it into interstellar space, never to go back.
Comet Leonard
An EarthSky report said that Comet Leonard, also known as the best, not to mention the brightest comet, is currently seen in the evening sky for the Northern Hemisphere observers to witness.
In mid-December, it was reported that from December 19 to 20 the comet would have had brightened more than it was expected. It was said to be having outbursts as it came close to its nearest point to the sun next month.
New December 20 reports also specified that the comet's tail is a little bigger and thus it is recommended for the observers to watch it this week.
To Orbit the Sun in Early January
Comet Leonard will circle the sun at perihelion early next month, at an approximately 56-million- mile distance. Typically, comets are said to be the brightest around perihelion, and this comet has been brightening and remains getting brighter.
More so, as recent activities have it, there is always the probability of brightness explosions as Comet Leonard approaches nearer and nearer the sun.
Essentially, this comet was discovered at the beginning of this year by Greg Leonard, giving it its name. it has been much-anticipated, and it is turning out to be a very fine object worthy to view from down the Earth.
Recent report about Comet Leonard is shown on Space.com's YouTube video below:
RELATED ARTICLE: Mars Fun Facts: NASA Shares 5 New Stunning Discoveries About the Red Planet
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that the state will require health care workers to get booster shots.
With omicron on the rise, were taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared, he said in a tweet.
An official announcement is expected tomorrow.
Health care officials across the Bay Area and state have been recommending with increasing urgency that people get boosters. The highly contagious omicron variant is not quelled by the normal two-dose course of mRNA vaccine but does seem more responsive to boosters.
In a video message posted to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, Newsom said that the omicron variant spreading across the country and the world is not dissimilar to whats happening here in the state of California.
As a consequence, were stepping up our efforts to get people vaccinated but also (to) get people boosted, Newsom said. Thats why today were moving forward to require all health care workers to be boosted to get that third shot, or at least the second shot if they got the (Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccination).
Newsom said state officials would discuss the new mandate and other things were doing to address the increase of the omicron variant in a news conference scheduled for Wednesday morning.
San Jose city officials also said Tuesday that the city was mulling a booster requirement for some groups. Mayor Sam Liccardo said he would push for a booster mandate for those city employees and also attendees of events at city-run venues including the SAP Center, the convention center and city-owned theaters.
Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.
In August, California became the first state in the country to mandate coronavirus vaccines for health care workers and nursing home workers, according to state public health officials. At the time of that announcement, officials with the California Department of Public Health said in statement that the vaccine requirement meant protecting both vulnerable individuals and workers in health care settings.
Chronicle reporter Lauren Hernandez contributed to this report.
Kate Galbraith is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kgalbraith@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kategalbraith
Bay Area health systems and labs are once again ramping up staff and capacity at testing sites in anticipation of an omicron-fueled wave that is expected to hit the region within days.
Local officials are also deploying a new tool: tens of thousands of free home antigen tests that they are distributing to residents. Those efforts came even before President Biden on Tuesday announced the White House would buy and ship 500 million tests to Americans in January.
Whether the efforts will meet demand is impossible to say. In the U.K. and in many U.S. states, including New York, massive omicron waves have caused COVID testing lines to stretch for hours and raised questions about whether the volume of illness is straining testing capacity.
And locally, the omicron surge is imminent: Stanfords virology lab, for example, said Tuesday that about 71% of testing samples it sees are now omicron.
We have something like 5,000 PCR tests at least available per day across the county, said Dr. Matt Willis, the Marin County health officer. It doesnt look like it will be enough if our experience is like London. In London right now about 1 in 100 people are infected with COVID. In Marin that would be 2,500 people infected. Thats why youre seeing lines around the block of people seeking testing in London, and in New York.
Testing demand in the Bay Area started to rise after Thanksgiving, which tracks with an increase in new cases over the same time period. But demand is expected to soar further in the next few weeks as holiday travel and gatherings likely push more people to seek testing, and the omicron wave hits in full force.
Labs that process the samples to determine if tests are positive or negative are bracing.
We really increased our capacity right around the surge last winter. So we should be well positioned to take on additional testing, said Dr. Ben Pinsky, the Stanford virology labs director. The main concern for us is ensuring sufficient staffing. But at the moment, staffing looks OK.
To backfill potential staffing holes from, say, workers coming down with breakthrough infections and needing to take time off work for many days, the lab would temporarily bring in lab staff from other sections like chemistry or molecular pathology, Pinsky said. Theyve done that before with previous surges, and its more efficient than onboarding brand new people, he said.
Marin and other Bay Area public health departments are leaning on home antigen testing to supplement lab testing, in the hopes that it will help reduce the impact of the upcoming surge in a way that was not possible in previous surges. Marin distributed 96,000 home tests to families with schoolchildren last week, or about two tests per K-12 student, and have an additional 50,000 from the state arriving Wednesday. Contra Costa and Santa Clara county health departments are also distributing, or preparing to distribute, tens of thousands of free home tests each week. The state has been supplying more tests to the counties recently, for redistribution to community groups, public hospitals and residents who may find it hard to locate available home tests in sold-out stores, or at an affordable price point.
That will be a critical supplement to our testing capacity, knowing that laboratory PCR capacity is going to be really challenged, Willis said.
Contra Costa County last week got about 27,000 test kits from the state and distributed them to hospitals, health centers and community groups. That includes handing out free tests to patients seeking routine care at the countys public hospital, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, said county Public Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano. County supervisors gave free home tests to residents at their offices right before Thanksgiving, and are doing so again this week.
Not everyone can afford to spend $20 for a set of tests, especially if they have a whole family it can get pretty expensive if youre testing large numbers of family members, Farnitano said.
Home antigen tests like the Abbott BinaxNow and Quidel QuickVue typically cost around $24 for a box of two tests, and generate results in about 15 minutes. While they are less sensitive than PCR or other molecular tests, they are generally good at detecting positives at the time someone is infectious. But they are not foolproof, as shown by recent outbreaks among fully vaccinated people who self-tested right before attending holiday parties.
Santa Clara County is similarly expecting to get about 90,000 home test kits from the state this week and is drawing up plans to distribute them so the most vulnerable members of the community with the greatest need can access them, said county testing officer Dr. Marty Fenstersheib.
Many school districts across the state including in Marin, Alameda, San Francisco and Contra Costa counties also have received home antigen tests from the state that theyve given to parents so kids can test before going to school. And the California Department of Public Health recently launched a program to distribute 2 million more tests to schools so kids can test before returning to class after winter break.
Still, this is a far cry from Germany and other European countries, where home tests cost as little as $1 and are widely available in grocery stores. And theres no guarantee that more home testing will make much of an impact the U.K., for instance, has widely available cheap tests, yet omicron cases are soaring.
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.
Im not sure thats necessarily going to be helpful, said Pinsky, of Stanford. A negative (home) test doesnt mean youre not infected.
Across the Bay Area, PCR testing sites are ramping up too. San Francisco on Monday boosted capacity at its South of Market site, the citys highest-volume public testing site, from 700 appointments a day to 1,200.
The city is prepared to accommodate up to 20,000 tests a week at public testing sites nearly double the roughly 11,000 tests that public sites conducted last week. Those figures do not include tests done by private providers like Kaiser, which too is expanding testing.
We have seen an increase in testing demand in the last week and we have deployed multiple testing platforms to be prepared to meet the demand of the omicron surge, Dr. Brian Missett, associate executive director of Kaisers Permanente Medical Group, said in a statement.
Santa Clara County is adding capacity at its largest public testing site at the county fairgrounds. The site recently had been doing between 1,500 and 1,800 tests a day, but on Monday hit 3,500 and soon will have capacity to do up to 5,000 a day.
Officials are concerned that staff may once again get stretched thin, especially if more health care workers test positive with breakthrough infections and have to isolate for 10 days.
Weve employed a lot of temporary staff through the previous surges and weve been holding onto them so we have some extra cushion in our staffing that we need for times like this, said Farnitano, of Contra Costa. Hopefully thatll carry us through.
Chronicle staff writer Erin Allday contributed to this report.
Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Wednesday, Dec. 22, and youll get a chance to see monarch butterflies in California as they flock to the coast. Heres what you need to know to start your day.
The final redistricting lines are in.
Overall, the Bay Areas new maps reflect the changing racial and ethnic makeup of the region particularly, the growth of Asian and Latino populations.
A few Silicon Valley districts have new boundaries reflecting more families heading south of San Jose to agricultural lands. And farther afield, in an area encompassing Richmond and Vallejo, will be a new congressional seat.
Outside experts say it's a map that largely favors Democrats, especially in what used to be swing districts.
Read more from Tal Kopan.
Coronavirus updates
Jessica Christian/The Chronicle
Its been a busy week in the public health arena. Yesterday, President Joe Biden vowed to deploy 500 million free home tests, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California would require boosters for health care workers and the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to require proof of vaccination at businesses such as restaurants and theaters.
The rising tide of omicron is being reported across California, and case rates have doubled in San Francisco over just the past five days.
As people prepare to see loved ones for Christmas, labs are swamped with swabs. The lines at Bay Area testing sites are getting longer, and stores are selling out of at-home testing kits.
And finally, theres a little more data on how the omicron variant behaves. A new study shows people sickened by omicron (which makes up 7 in 10 new infections in the U.S.) are far less likely to experience severe disease.
Read more from Erin Allday on the omicron surge.
Should you change your holiday plans because of omicron? We asked five Bay Area experts what they are doing.
A Marin holiday party led to 28 breakthrough virus cases.
Live updates: Visit The Chronicles blog for the latest information on COVID.
What to eat
Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle
You might salivate at Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Hos best dishes of 2021. They run the gamut, from juicy smashburgers to bright squid salad.
But dont just sit there. The best dishes list now includes a feature to copy your favorites to a wish list and send them to your friends and family. (On my wish list: spinach dip hot bread!)
Check out the list.
Around the Bay
Brant Ward/The Chronicle 2014
Fluttering by: Heres where you can spot monarch butterflies as they flock to Californias coastline.
Record breaking? If this weeks rainstorms bring plentiful precipitation, this water year might be one of San Franciscos wettest on record.
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.
Out of office: This Northern California town was the most popular on Zillow in 2021.
Doors closed: CVS Health will shut down six of its 21 San Francisco stores in January as part of the companys planned closures.
Missing person: A Napa woman has been missing for more than a week, and searchers worry a swollen river may have swept her away.
Court case: The Supreme Court found a Sonoma County mans arrest illegal. A state appeals court upheld his conviction anyway.
Those in need: An annual holiday event offered warm food and Christmas cheer for unhoused people in San Rafael and for volunteers, a glimpse into how homelessness is evolving in one of the Bay Areas wealthiest enclaves.
Listen: What will be the Bay Area stories to watch in 2022? Fifth and Mission asks the region.
Fire engine red and pine green
Don Feria/Special to The Chronicle
Theres lots of hose and ho ho hos to go around at San Franciscos fire stations this holiday season, as the citys firefighters rev up the decorations.
Maybe your favorite is the SFFD Bureau of Equipment, which produces snow for excited children to play in outside their Mission District building. Or perhaps its Station 38 in Pacific Heights, which boasts an inflatable Grinch.
Chronicle culture critic Peter Hartlaub assembled this map of the citys decked out firehouses, perfect for a socially distant holiday outing.
Bay Briefing is written by Gwendolyn Wu and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writer at gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com.
The family of a man who died from COVID-19 that he caught from his wife, who was exposed at work, can sue her employer for damages, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday, saying household members are not bound by the limits placed on employees by Californias workers compensation law.
Workers compensation repays employees, and their dependents, for financial losses caused by injuries or illnesses they suffered at work, but does not include damages for pain and suffering or emotional distress from the loss of a loved one. In Tuesdays case, the Court of Appeal in Los Angeles said an employer whose negligence injures or kills an employee can be sued by family members for any harm they suffered.
When a person suffers a disabling or lethal injury, the harms they suffer from that injury necessarily extend beyond the injured person to those who love and/or depend on that person, Justice Helen Bendix said in the 3-0 ruling.
It was apparently the first decision by a California appellate court on an employers responsibility for coronavirus that a worker transmitted to family members.
Matilda Ek worked in a Sees Candies packing plant in Los Angeles County and said in her suit that the company crowded workers close to one another, including some who were coughing and sneezing, after the start of the pandemic. She became ill in March 2020 and was cared for at home by her husband, Martin Ek, and one of their daughters, who both were diagnosed with COVID a few weeks later, the suit said. Martin Ek died in April 2020.
Sees, supported by filings from state and nationwide business organizations, sought to dismiss the suit. The company argued that under workers compensation law, it was responsible only for workers compensation coverage of injuries or illnesses suffered by its employees at work and not for harm to others, even if they were infected by an employee.
The appeals court disagreed, upholding a Superior Court judges refusal to dismiss the case. The court said workers compensation, which does not require proof of negligence, applies only to losses suffered by the injured worker and any resulting financial harm to family members. Non-employees who suffer their own injuries as a result of the employers alleged misconduct can sue for damages, including a relatives wrongful death, the court said.
If the court accepted the companys argument, Bendix observed in the ruling, it would have to shield employers from damage claims by bus passengers infected by an employee who had unknowingly contracted an illness at work.
She cited the state Supreme Courts 1997 ruling allowing a suit against an employer by a child who suffered brain damage before birth when her pregnant mother was exposed to carbon monoxide from a defective floor-buffing machine at work. In a 2016 case, the states high court said that when employees came home from work with asbestos dust on their clothing, and their family members later came down with cancer, the employer could be sued for damages.
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.
This May, U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney of San Francisco dismissed a similar suit by a San Francisco woman who said she was hospitalized with COVID-19 that her husband, a construction worker, had caught on the job. But the appeals court said the ruling was not binding on state courts and did not state reasons for the dismissal.
Lawyers for Sees Candies declined to comment on the ruling, which they could appeal to the state Supreme Court. Lawyers for the family could not be reached for comment.
Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
San Francisco has secured $54.7 million in state funds that will help the city purchase a 160-room SoMa building to house formerly homeless people.
Officials said Tuesday the money from Californias Project Homekey is to buy and operate the Panoramic building at Mission and Ninth streets.
The state is providing about $46 million in capital funds that will cover about half of the citys $86.5 million acquisition cost. Another $8.5 million from Project Homekey will support operating expenses.
Funds from San Franciscos Proposition C business tax will pay for the remaining capital and operating costs, according to Mayor London Breeds office.
The building was formerly student housing and is especially useful because it includes 40 three-bedroom suites that can accommodate families with children. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the California College of the Arts once leased the building, but both schools have now opened their own student housing.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors this year agreed to acquire the Panoramic despite some resistance in the neighborhood as the city searches for more housing options for those living on the streets. The city has approved buying or leasing nearly 1,200 of the 1,500 permanent supportive housing units planned over the next two years.
The city is also offering rental vouchers to help the homeless find apartments more easily.
But with more than 8,000 people currently homeless, more options are needed.
As we continue to push forward with our Homelessness Recovery Plan, we must take advantage of every opportunity and resource we have to ensure that all people receive the housing and support they need, Breed said in a statement.
City leaders said the Project Homekey funds for the Panoramic were part of a $113 million funding round for five projects across the state. In total, the five projects will provide 392 housing units.
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.
San Francisco last year received $76.9 million from Project Homekey that helped the city debut about 360 units of supportive housing at the Hotel Diva and Granada Hotel.
It is critical that we provide more housing, shelter, prevention and diversion for those experiencing homeless in our community, Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the citys Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, said in a statement..
Acquisition of hotels is a crucial aspect of San Franciscos efforts for homeless people.
The city had looked to buy a tourist hotel in Japantown for similar housing, but the owner ultimately backed out after neighborhood residents and businesses fought the plan.
More recently, San Francisco set its sights on buying a 114-room residential hotel on Turk Street near Jefferson Square Park less than a mile away from the Japantown site. That building, a single-room occupancy hotel called Vantaggio Suites, already has 42 residents, and officials have said none will be kicked out if the deal is approved next year.
J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
U.S. population growth dipped to its lowest rate since the nations founding during the first year of the pandemic as the coronavirus curtailed immigration, delayed pregnancies and killed hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents, according to figures released Tuesday.
The United States grew by only 0.1%, with an additional 392,665 added to the U.S. population from July 2020 to July 2021, bringing the nations count to 331.8 million people, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
California was tied with Hawaii for the third-highest percent population drop among states at 0.7%, behind Illinois and New York. Californias population declined by 261,902, the second-highest number of people behind New Yorks 319,020. California also had the highest domestic out-migration among states of 367,299 residents.
The Census data backed up California Department of Finance data released last week that showed a population drop of 0.44%. The two agencies use different data sources.
The U.S. has been experiencing slow population growth for years but the pandemic exacerbated that trend. This past year was the first time since 1937 that the nations population grew by less than 1 million people.
I was expecting low growth but nothing this low, said William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institutions metropolitan policy program, Brookings Metro. It tells us that this pandemic has had a huge impact on us in all kinds of ways, and now demography.
Once theres a handle on the pandemic, the U.S. may eventually see a decrease in deaths, but population growth likely wont bounce back to what it has been in years past because of fewer births. That will increase the need for immigration by younger workers whose taxes can support programs such as Social Security, Frey said.
We have an aging population and that means fewer women in child-bearing ages, Frey said. We see younger people putting off having children and theyre going to have fewer children.
The decision not to have children by young families may be driven by financial worries as much, if not more, than health concerns, said Linda Kahn, a professor at New York University and lead researcher in a study that showed that almost half of New York City mothers who had been trying to become pregnant before the pandemic began in the U.S. in March 2020 stopped in the first few months of the outbreak.
COVID really was a stress test of our whole system and how it fails to support women and families, Kahn said. Women were much harder hit in the pandemic. They lost their jobs at greater rates and had to give up their jobs, often to do home-schooling. The pressures on women were enormous and theres really no safety net in the U.S.
The population estimates are derived from calculating the number of births, deaths and migration in the U.S. For the first time, international migration surpassed natural increases that come from births outnumbering deaths. There was a net increase of nearly 245,000 residents from international migration but only about 148,000 from new births outnumbering deaths.
International migration dropped by about half from the previous year because of COVID-19 restrictions, such as borders being closed for nonessential travel and the closure of many consulates abroad where visas are issued. As recently as 2016, the U.S. had a net increase of more than 1 million international migrants.
In more than two dozen states, most notably Florida, deaths outnumbered births. Deaths exceeded births in Florida by more than 45,000 people, but the states saving grace was a migration gain of more than 259,000 people, the nations highest.
University of New Hampshire demographer Kenneth Johnson described the decline in the United States natural population increase as stunning, saying it was the smallest spread of births over deaths in more than 80 years.
Of course most of this is COVID, but not all of it, Johnson said. U.S. natural increase was already at a low ebb prior to COVID with the fertility rate hitting a new record low each year and deaths steadily rising due to the population aging.
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Between 2020 and 2021, 33 states saw population increases, primarily through domestic migration, while 17 states and the District of Columbia lost population.
States in the Mountain West saw the biggest year-over-year growth rate, with Idaho growing by almost 3%, and Utah and Montana each seeing population increases of 1.7%. The District of Columbia lost 2.9% of its population, while New York and Illinois lost 1.6% and 0.9% of their populations, respectively.
While the pandemic gave some people the option of working remotely, data released last month by the Census Bureau shows there was no great migration in the U.S. because of it.
Some did take advantage of the opportunity, however. Tired of the heat, hurricane threats and traffic in Houston, tech worker Heidi Krueger moved to a small town south of Knoxville, Tennessee, in September. She can see the Great Smoky Mountains from her front porch.
Because I was working from home during the pandemic, it made it feasible to move and still keep my same job, Krueger said. As long as I have internet, I can still connect to our clients.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Roland Li contributed to this report.
Mike Schneider is an Associated Press writer.
A Napa woman has been missing for more than a week, and police and friends are continuing their search for her, focusing on the Napa River area where authorities fear she may have been swept away during recent atmospheric-river storms.
Crystal Lea McCarthy, 37, has vibrant orange hair and hazel-green eyes and is about 5-foot-5 and 155 pounds. She was last seen in Napa on Dec. 13 at about 9 p.m. near Lincoln Avenue and Silverado Trail, and was possibly on the Napa River Trail between Lincoln Avenue and Trancas Street, according to a missing-person flier.
According to police, it was raining heavily when McCarthy went missing. She asked a roommate about an umbrella before apparently leaving their house on Lincoln Avenue, said Sgt. Peter Piersig of the Napa Police Department.
Her boyfriend, Drew Wright, said he last saw McCarthy when they ate dinner together at their home before he went to work. She called later to say she was getting a snack and would see him when he got home, he said. When he returned home around midnight, he discovered her missing.
I havent seen her since, he said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
No foul play involving Wright, the roommate or other friends is suspected, Piersig said, and all are cooperating with police. McCarthys phone was found in her home, and her bank accounts havent been touched, he said.
Wright and a friend, Deanna Reister, said McCarthy may have visited a nearby homeless encampment and accompanied a homeless man to a store to purchase alcohol, an event they say was captured on surveillance video the night of her disappearance. Piersig confirmed that account and said police have spoken with the man, who is not considered a suspect.
Wright said McCarthy empathized with the homeless and had occasionally visited encampments, and witnesses told police that McCarthy had recently befriended a homeless woman and had been providing her and others food and beverages, Piersig said.
She always wanted to be very charitable, Wright said. Shes always been very empathetic toward the homeless. She used to do lots of homeless outreach when she lived in Oakland (before moving to Napa).
Friends have been searching for McCarthy since she went missing. Police said that Wright found some of McCarthys belongings on the west bank of the Napa River, which was running high the day of her disappearance.
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We suspect she went in the rushing river based on the proximity of her personal belongings, but it is entirely possible she walked away or was taken away, Piersig said. Since we cant rule out that she met foul play, we will continue to investigate.
Police have searched along the river, enlisting the help of a California Highway Patrol helicopter on another mission in the area and a Napa fire boat. When a fisherman reported what appeared to be a body with red hair in the river on Sunday, a Napa County Sheriffs Office boat joined the search along with a drone team. No body was found, Piersig said.
Napa police have received multiple tips, but none of the sightings have led to finding McCarthy, Piersig said. Police are continuing their investigation and ask that anyone with information contact Detective Brandt Keown at (707) 257-9592 or bkeown@cityofnapa.org.
McCarthys friends conducted one larger search on Sunday, Wright and Reister said, and are planning another. Theyve also set up a Facebook page, Find Crystal Lea McCarthy.
Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
After a decade of selling espresso out of a takeout-only, pint-size coffee shop in the Mission, Grand Coffee is opening a second, larger cafe down the street.
It will open in the spring at 2544 Mission St., between 21st and 22nd streets, a block away from the original cafe. The larger space means customers will be able to sit inside and stay for a cup of coffee. While the original 200-square-foot location is limited to espresso drinks and batch coffee, the second cafe will add specialty drinks made with ingredients that draw from the owners cultural backgrounds, such as Mexican hot chocolate or coffee spiked with cardamom syrup. Co-owners Nabeel Silmi, Adrian Lopez and Kimberly Kim are, respectively, Palestinian American, Mexican American and Korean American.
The new Grand Coffee will also serve pour-overs and large-format coffee, like a Chemex filled with coffee to share with a group of friends. The focus on single-origin coffees and blends will remain.
For food, there will be a rotating selection of pastries made by local bakers of color, though the team hasnt finalized the lineup yet. Grand Coffee currently sells baked goods from Oaklands Asian American Bake Sum Pastries; Mexican pastry pop-up Norte54 in San Francisco; and Mission bakery Kahnfections. The owners also hope to work with San Francisco nonprofit La Cocina to serve grab-and-go foods from partner businesses.
Kelsey McClellan / Special to The Chronicle
Customers will be able to grab a bar seat inside or a table outdoors. The Mission Street space doubles as a workshop that will eventually house various local makers and art galleries, the owners said.
The new location has been years in the making. The owners originally started looking for a place to roast coffee, but their production has since outgrown the Mission Street space. Theyll continue roasting beans in West Oakland and supplying local grocery stores, restaurants and bakeries with coffee.
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Silmi, a San Francisco bar and restaurant industry veteran, opened Grand Coffee in 2010. A Palestinian American who said he often faced discrimination in the service industry, he wanted to create a welcoming, approachable space to drink coffee. A cup of coffee at Grand costs $3; the most expensive drink is a $5 mocha. Almost all of Grand Coffees staff is bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English, and he said he tries to hire from marginalized communities. Both Lopez and Kim were longtime employees before they became co-owners in the business.
The cafes mission continues in the new space. The owners worked with the group United to Save the Mission on the look and structure of the second Grand Coffee. That group is a coalition of community groups and activists working to preserve Latinx culture and protect low-income residents in the neighborhood. The owners signed a memorandum of understanding with the coalition that commits them to, among other things, equitable and diverse hiring.
The idea behind Grand was to take specialty coffee, which up to that point ... youd only find it in gentrifying neighborhoods, do it on Mission Street and present it in a way that made it accessible to everybody, Silmi said.
Elena Kadvany is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany
Two San Francisco restaurants, institution Zuni Cafe and Outer Richmond spot Cassava, appear to be among the first restaurants in the country to require customers to show proof of a COVID-19 booster shot to dine indoors.
Cassavas requirement went into effect Wednesday and Zunis will start next Wednesday. Zuni will still allow customers who are not yet eligible for a booster shot to dine indoors, as well as children 4 years old and younger. In San Francisco, anyone 16 and older can get the third shot after at least six months of receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
(Following online publication of this story, the owner of Oakland bars Palmetto and the Kon-Tiki said bar seating at both businesses will be restricted to customers who show proof of boosters starting Monday.)
Few restaurants have adopted booster mandates to date, but more could be on the horizon. In New York City, prominent restaurateur Danny Meyer announced Wednesday that all restaurants in his Union Square Hospitality Group will require the third shot for indoor dining in January. Staff members must get the booster within 30 days of becoming eligible. Chicago cafe Baker Miller started requiring boosters for both dine-in customers and staff but closed its dining room a day later, citing pushback.
Zuni and Cassavas restrictions come as the highly infectious omicron variant surges in the Bay Area, prompting a growing wave of temporary restaurant closures and employee infections. In San Francisco, case rates have doubled over the past five days, almost certainly due to the spread of omicron, said Dr. Grant Colfax, head of the Department of Public Health. The omicron variant is now the most dominant strain in the U.S., making up more than 73% of new coronavirus cases, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Studies increasingly are showing that omicron is better able to evade vaccine immunity than previous variants and can infect even those who are fully vaccinated. The booster, though, appears to prevent serious illness.
Zuni chef Nate Norris said the decision was an easy one in light of this emerging science about omicron.
I really dont want our public health policies ... to be exclusive. But if were trying to balance being exclusionary with this policy versus are we ultimately protecting health, I think the science is really clear, he said.
Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle
Zuni will also require the booster shot for all employees. About half of the staff at the longtime restaurant have already received the booster, Norris said. Those who havent and are eligible will be required to get the shot or make an appointment by Jan. 12. They created a longer timeline for staff because workers keep their masks on inside the restaurant, while diners take them off to eat and drink, Norris said.
Yuka Ioroi, owner of Cassava on Balboa Street, said she made the decision both to protect her employees health and to keep the restaurant afloat. With rain in the forecast and temperatures dropping, fewer diners want to eat at Cassavas parklet.
We just need this option available at this time, Ioroi said of indoor dining.
All Cassava employees have received the booster shot, she said.
Ioroi posted an informal poll to Cassavas Instagram yesterday, asking followers whether they supported a booster mandate for indoor dining. The majority said it would make them feel safer.
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Both Ioroi and Norris said theyre not concerned about customer pushback, given theyve set more cautious restrictions throughout the pandemic. At Zuni, Norris said the new policy isnt set in stone; if case rates improve or worsen the restaurant will adapt.
A spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Public Health told The Chronicle that it doesnt have an update on the topic of requiring boosters for indoor dining. Some restaurant owners said they would prefer the backing of a citywide requirement rather than make their own decision.
Norris, for his part, urged all local public health officials to move to a booster mandate for indoor dining.
I think its a reasonable action for every county in the Bay Area to take, he said. Thats something we should be demanding of our public officials and to not be afraid of the pushback.
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, meanwhile, is now recommending that restaurants require employees to get the booster shot as soon as possible.
We can not underscore enough the importance of all San Franciscans taking advantage of the free and widely available boosters and testing sites as these represent our best hope to avoid the damaging consequences of any future closures and shutdowns, executive director Laurie Thomas said in a statement.
The omicron variant now has taken hold in the Bay Area, causing a near vertical wall jump in coronavirus cases, and testing the distribution speed of health systems and labs that are rushing to provide tests to residents.
The Bay Area is also seeing a rise in childrens infections, putting even more pressure on testing services as families seek to test ahead of the return to school in the first week of January. Public health officials and experts anticipate the numbers to climb still higher in the weeks ahead. Many more people in the Bay Area, including vaccinated and boostered people, are testing positive, and may well be getting those results from at-home COVID tests like Binax Now and QuickVue.
The official guidance on when to test and what to do after you test positive hasnt changed to account for omicrons high contagiousness. But it is a good a time for a refresher, experts say, on finding wise ways to get tested amid the omicron surge.
Heres what you need to know.
If omicron is more contagious, should I change when I get tested?
The short answer, infectious disease experts say, is no. That applies whether you are getting a PCR test or using an at-home rapid test.
There have been some preliminary reports, including some non-peer reviewed papers that suggest omicrons incubation could be about a day shorter than deltas, but UC Berkeley infectious disease experts say that the data is not firm. Even if it was, it wont change much in terms of what the individual should do. More likely, it could present an issue for public health organizations who have to work faster to contact trace in time, he said.
The CDCs official guidance is still that people should test around five days after exposure, and Swartzberg says people should still follow that guidance. UCSF infectious disease expert George Rutherford agreed, adding that if a person is symptomatic, they should get tested right away, but if they are just exposed, the gold standard is three to five days after the date of exposure.
Has omicron changed the risk that an at-home test would be a false positive or a negative?
No.
PCR tests administered at a testing facility or lab remain whats advised for most people and situations, because they are more sensitive than at-home rapid antigen tests and thus will be able to correctly identify more asymptomatic infections. However, infectious disease experts say, neither type of test should not be impacted by omicron in terms of accuracy.
The only thing that would change is it might make the rapid test become positive more quickly, said Swartzberg. If the incubation period is shorter you start producing a lot of virus in a shorter period of time.
If I test positive with an at-home test, do I need to get a PCR test to confirm it?
No, especially if youre symptomatic, experts say.
But if you are asymptomatic and get a positive test, it might be best to confirm with a PCR test, or take another rapid test the following day, Swartzberg said.
Will my case get counted in official data if I test positive with an at-home test?
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Probably not, unless you report it.
Throughout the pandemic, all levels of government have used case rates and positive test rates among the metrics guiding their safety policies. But the increasing prevalence of at-home tests, which typically are not included in local, state or federal COVID surveillance systems, means this data may now be harder to track.
Earlier this month, Marin County became the first in California to launch an online system for residents to self-report results of the rapid antigen tests they use at home.
While no counties are requiring people to report results of tests taken at home, if you would like to ensure your case is counted, you can report the results in a few ways. The first is by phone: in either your iPhone or Androids settings, you can share a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
The BinaxNow COVID-19 Self Test also makes it possible for you to self-report your diagnosis using the NAVICA Consumer app. You can also check your county health departments website for more information on reporting results directly.
If I want to see people over the holidays, whats the best way to get tested?
Assuming you dont have symptoms and you are vaccinated and preferably boosted, the best thing to do is to bring an at-home test with you either in the car or before you see people, Swartzberg said. As soon as you get to where you want to go, take your test, and if its negative, go forward with your holiday plans, he said.
If you are going to see someone who is especially vulnerable to COVID-19, he added that you can take a PCR test three days before seeing them and be extra careful to not have any exposures while youre waiting for the results and then do another rapid test before going to see them.
The first U.S. case of the highly infectious omicron variant was identified in San Francisco, but New York has emerged as the nations first major omicron epicenter.
As of Saturday, the variant is responsible for 92% of new infections in the New York area, according to state data, with cases already inching past the states pandemic high from last winters surge. Sunday was the fourth straight day the state broke its single daily record for coronavirus cases. In New York City, daily average cases already surged past that of spring 2020 and last winters.
California is beginning to see a rising tide of omicron cases, and the variant is likely already well established in the Bay Area and fueling outbreaks across the region. On Tuesday, Stanfords virology lab reported that 71% of samples at the lab are the omicron variant.
What can we learn so far from New Yorks surge? And are there signs California or the Bay Area may weather the spread of omicron differently?
Comparing COVID curves
New York is one of the most highly vaccinated U.S. states, with 71% of its eligible population having received two doses. That is better than Californias 66%, and it hasnt stopped omicrons spread.
Studies have shown that omicron is better able to evade vaccine immunity than previous strains, and health officials across the country are urging booster shots, which appear to reduce transmission and prevent severe illness.
On Tuesday, New York states case rate was 87 cases per 100,000. It tripled in less then a month and now is more than four times Californias case rate of 19.6. New York City, in particular, is seeing a surge in cases, though case rates are high statewide.
Hospitalizations are also inching up in New York with 20 hospitalizations per 100,000, doubling in a month and compared with 8.7 in California.
Thats still far lower than the 46 per 100,000 hospitalization rate New York logged in January 2021, and nowhere close to what it saw in April 2020. So far hospitals are not yet being overwhelmed as they were at the outset of the pandemic and say they feel equipped for the omicron surge. The main concern is staffing shortages and the potential for more breakthrough infections in staffers.
UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong said lots of traffic from travel, combined with density and crowding and many people congregating indoors in the winter weather, has made New York ripe for transmission. He added that omicron was likely already spreading in New York long before the travel ban from southern African countries.
The rapid upswing in cases has come at a difficult time for New York City, which is usually flooded with visitors to celebrate the holiday season and ring in the New Year. Positive tests cropping up among Broadway show crew and cast members and restaurant employees have forced cancellations and closures, and the New Years Eve celebration in Times Square is up in the air. The states top health official, who is vaccinated and boosted, tested positive for the virus.
But New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday that it is not the same as March or December 2020, and there wont be a shutdown because of the tools available now, including vaccinations and boosters.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday that they expect a really fast upsurge that will last a few weeks, and so far cases have appeared to be mild.
Early surge signs in California
California officials have been watching the unfolding situation in New York and bracing for a similar crisis. California has a similar rate of first vaccine doses administered as New York but is slightly behind it on the percentage of people who are fully vaccinated.
Even in the states most highly vaccinated pockets, like the Bay Area, infection cases are now clearly on the rise.
The case rate in San Francisco doubled over five days last week, putting the city on a steeper trajectory than the summer delta wave. This looks just like the South African curve, it looks just like the New York curve, said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Were watching New York really carefully. They are probably a week or two in the surge ahead of us, Colfax said.
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Its just as in March 2020, when we were watching very carefully what was unfolding in Italy and predicting we were just two weeks behind, said Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County health officer. Were watching how quickly omicron rips through the population, even a highly vaccinated population.
There are signs that if a big surge does come, it will play out quickly.
Chin-Hong said data showing cases doubling every two to three days could mean it will have infected everyone that it will infect in short order, and there will be no more susceptible hosts.
That is why surges end eventually, he explained. That will likely be the case in the Bay Area and California as well. We may have to fasten our seat belts, but the ride should be over in a matter of weeks. This should not be a prolonged surge.
What could be different here
One difference to how omicron spreads here could simply be that New Yorks surge has sent out a warning signal, allowing time for preparation.
We can be proactive rather than reactive, as in the U.K. and in New York, Chin-Hong said. Its like preparing for the storm by getting the food and flashlights ready, rather than fixing the roof when the hurricane is here. But this variant moves so quickly we wont have much time.
UCSF infectious disease expert George Rutherford said Californias preemptive statewide indoor mask mandate, reinstated after a moderate rise in cases, also may help.
And California is a large, diverse state with different transmission patterns and vaccine rates throughout the state, so omicrons impact will really depend on where you live, he said.
Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis emphasized that there also are reassuring hints in the data coming out of New York. While their case rates are surging, so far hospitals are not overwhelmed.
Kellie Hwang and Nami Sumida are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com and nami.sumida@sfchronicle.com
The highly infectious omicron variant appears to be well established in the Bay Area and likely is fueling outbreaks and early surges in COVID-19 cases across the region, health officials said Tuesday.
Case rates have doubled in San Francisco over just the past five days, almost certainly due to omicron spreading in the community, said Dr. Grant Colfax, head of the Department of Public Health. He said the city has now identified 32 omicron cases, but he expects there are many more.
The variant also is the likely source of a large COVID outbreak in Marin County, where more than half of the attendees at a holiday party became infected. At Stanford, nearly three-quarters of virus samples screened for variants in the past week appear to be omicron, said Dr. Ben Pinsky, director of the clinical virology laboratory, which does genomic sequencing for several Bay Area counties.
It really picked up over the course of the last week. We went from very few to basically the majority being omicron, Pinsky said. I think nearly all of the cases will be omicron soon.
The rising tide of omicron is being reported across California, and on Tuesday led to Gov. Gavin Newsom saying he would soon require all health care workers get booster shots in addition to being fully vaccinated. Studies increasingly are showing that omicron is better able to evade vaccine immunity than previous variants, but boosters appear to blunt infections and prevent severe illness.
Bay Area health officials are bracing for a deluge of omicron cases in the coming weeks, or even days, as omicron spreads at an astonishing pace across the country. The first U.S. case of omicron was reported in San Francisco on Dec. 1, and by last week, the variant made up three-quarters of cases nationwide, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In response to swelling cases nationwide, President Biden on Tuesday announced fresh maneuvers to battle omicron, including plans to ship half a billion rapid-test kits to American households and send thousands of federal health care workers to parts of the country anticipating unbearable strain on hospitals.
Much remains uncertain about how an omicron surge would play out in the United States, and especially in places like the Bay Area with high vaccine uptake. Local health officials say theyre concerned that even if most cases caused by omicron are mild, a massive spike potentially causing more widespread illness than any previous surge could still overwhelm hospitals or disrupt basic services like education or transportation.
Its so difficult to wrap our collective heads around this, because omicron is moving at breathtaking speed, said Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer. Its difficult for us humans to keep up with this virus.
Walk-up sites for booster shots in San Francisco: Kaiser Permanente tent, 2350 Geary Blvd.; Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. Chinese Hospital, 845 Jackson St.; Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (closed 12:30-1:30 p.m.) San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Ave., building 30; Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Southeast Health Center, 2401 Keith St.; Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays See More Collapse
Omicron appears to be taking over at a particularly challenging time in the Bay Area just days ahead of Christmas, a holiday that two or three weeks ago many residents had been hoping to celebrate with not much fear of COVID given overall high vaccination rates.
Health officials said theyre not discouraging people from gathering for the holidays this year. But the new variant, highly mutated and potentially better able to evade immunity and infect even those who are fully vaccinated, poses new risks.
Its urgent, Bay Area health officials said, that everyone who has been fully vaccinated for at least six months get a booster shot if they havent already. Whats concerning is that people who are not boosted, vaccination may not offer much protection, said Dr. Chris Farnitano, the Contra Costa County health officer. A booster may not protect you from getting mild illness, but it should protect you from serious illness.
Cody noted that the Bay Areas robust vaccine uptake may make the region somewhat more vulnerable than other parts of the country to omicron because so many people got vaccinated early on, which means their antibody immunity has now faded.
We were in great shape, and now immunity has waned and we have to all get boosted, Cody said. If I could mandate every eligible person in the county get boosted now, I would wave my wand and do that.
Omicron has not yet evolved into a regional surge in coronavirus cases, though the numbers are trending up across the Bay Area. As of Monday, the region was reporting about 1,100 cases a day, roughly double the daily count from a month ago. Hospitalizations have also ticked up by about 20%.
But local health officials said theyre seeing troubling signs of a coming spike and have no reason to think the region will be spared the flood of cases already reported in other parts of the country.
Preliminary reports in San Francisco show that the case rate doubled from Dec. 13 to Dec. 18 from about 10 cases per 100,000 residents a day to 21 cases per 100,000, according to Colfax. And I expect that case rate to start doubling every two to three days, he said.
If delta was COVID on steroids, omicron is COVID on speed, Colfax said. Its so much more transmissible.
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Colfax noted that though San Francisco has reported only 32 omicron cases so far, people should assume its much more widespread a concern echoed by health officers across the Bay Area, even in counties that have yet to identify omicron.
We havent had omicron reported back to us yet, but we expect theres many cases already in San Mateo County, said Dr. Curtis Chan, the deputy health officer. Coronavirus cases have been climbing in San Mateo County for about two weeks, he said, and attributed the increase to delta and omicron.
In Alameda County which identified one of the first omicron outbreaks in the country in early December, among a group of health care workers who had attended an out-of-state wedding cases are also climbing, likely due to the new variant, said Dr. Nicholas Moss, the health officer.
Like his colleagues, Moss advised people take more precautions than theyd perhaps originally intended for holiday celebrations. Ideally people would take rapid tests before attending a gathering, Moss said, though he acknowledged the tests can be hard to find now.
But aside from testing, he and other health officers said people should consider skipping large holiday parties and focus on smaller get-togethers with close family members. They should try to gather outdoors if possible, and open windows and doors if they must meet inside. People should wear face coverings around high-risk individuals.
Were at the point now where the mental health needs the human needs of being with loved ones and friends are so important, said Dr. Karen Relucio, the Napa County health officer. We dont want to tell people what to do. People have to make individual choices about whether theyre going to take that risk.
Chronicle staff writer Catherine Ho contributed to this report.
Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
Each time President Biden takes off on Air Force One, everyone on board has been fully vaccinated and tested negative for the coronavirus. So why should it be any different for you and me when were headed to Pocatello or West Palm Beach?
Unlike Americas principal trading partners, such as Canada, Great Britain, the European Union and countries across the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, passengers in this country who board a domestic flight to any state (other than Hawaii) do not have to show proof of vaccination or test negative.
On a recent trip to London and Amsterdam, I needed a vaccination certificate to board my flights from Michigan to England, as well as a ship to the Netherlands. On the way home, everyone on our plane had to test negative 24 hours before boarding and foreign travelers needed to show proof of vaccination.
Back in Chicago, meanwhile, as the coronavirus omicron variant surged, I boarded a domestic flight totally unable to avoid any unvaccinated passengers in my midst.
Our governments continued failure to protect public health on common carriers in the United States demonstrates the awesome power of airline lobbyists, who have won over $79 billion in federal payroll support, grants and loans since COVID-19 began.
At the same time the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is requiring employers with more than 100 workers to mandate vaccination or weekly coronavirus testing, the White House refuses to extend this rule to domestic airline passengers. Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Steve Dickson, a former top executive at Delta (the airline not the variant), insists the FAA is not a public health agency.
Over the next few months all flight crews will be vaccinated or tested weekly. Domestic passengers, meanwhile, will remain exempt.
This makes about as much sense as requiring flight attendants to wear seat belts while allowing passengers to fly unbelted.
Our governments poorly thought-out domestic passenger exemption, fought for by the airlines and some of their unions, contradicts the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions advice to all Americans: Do not travel internationally until you are fully vaccinated. Instead, it supposedly protects the bottom line of carriers worried about losing the business of unvaccinated passengers.
This double standard underscores the tortured logic of airline executives working at companies like United, where employee vaccination is required. They contend flying on a packed elbow-to-elbow flight is safer than sipping tea in your own living room.
Unpersuaded by this argument, some passengers I know are staying home rather than flying domestic routes. They dont want to risk being infected by potentially contagious passengers who refuse vaccination despite overwhelming scientific evidence of its safety and efficacy, based on nearly 9 billion jabs worldwide.
Understandably, these fearful fliers worry about contact with hundreds of other potentially infectious passengers at airport check in, baggage drops, boarding lounges, jetways and airport transit systems. Six feet of separation from unvaccinated people is impossible in this environment.
Despite the spread of the new omicron variant, some airline CEOs even argue that current safety requirements on flights are an unnecessary burden. At a Senate hearing on Dec. 15, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said: I think the case is very strong that masks dont add much, if anything in the air cabin environment.
Kellys view was seconded at the same hearing by American Airlines CEO Doug Parker: An aircraft is the safest place you can be.
Evidence suggests otherwise for a variety of reasons. In the pre-COVID era from 2007 to 2017, the International Air Transport Association reported unruly passenger events were averaging about 6,600 annually worldwide. This year there have been an astounding more than 5,600 unruly passenger incidents on American carriers, including Southwest and American. Over 1,000 cases are now under investigation, up more than five-fold from 2020.
Often, the trigger is a dispute over onboard mask requirements.
The level of unruly behavior is much higher than I have ever seen it, Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske said in a recent interview.
Another problem is the record seizure of nearly 5,700 guns, 85% of them loaded, at TSA checkpoints in 2021. Dallas, home to Kelly and Parkers airlines, ranked second, just ahead of Houston.
I dont think its a stretch to suggest that a quick study of those being prosecuted for attacking flight crews over mask mandates and attempting to pack heat on board would indicate that many of these angry passengers are unvaccinated. If Im right, the White House would have another compelling reason to require domestic travelers to show proof of vaccination.
While the airlines continue to resist a domestic passenger vaccine mandate, Southwests Kelly offered a mea culpa two days after that Senate hearing. Speaking on behalf of Americas airlines he endorsed the current federal (mask) mandate at airports and on airplanes.
Kelly was unable to deliver his about-face in person because, explained an airline spokesperson, he had come down with COVID shortly after returning home from our nations capitol: Gary is doing well and currently resting at home. He has been fully vaccinated and received the booster earlier this year.
Frequent flier Roger Rapoport is the co-author of aviation books Angle of Attack and Grounded With Captain Shem Malmquist. His new Bay Area novel, My Search for Sarah Price is out next year.
SACRAMENTO State lawmakers across the Bay Area can breathe a collective sigh of relief because most of them havent been drawn out of their districts in new political maps.
Californias redistricting commission on Monday finalized maps for state Senate and Assembly districts for the next decade. Only two lawmakers from the region who are seeking re-election were put in the same district: Assembly Members Marc Berman and Evan Low, both from Silicon Valley.
Compared with other populous parts of the state, where numerous incumbents were drawn into the same districts and lost easy paths to re-election, the Bay Areas delegation faces little disruption.
Nearly all of the regions eight senators and 16 Assembly members remain in safe blue districts that are largely similar to the boundaries of their current seats. The California Citizens Redistricting Commission unanimously approved the final maps, which it was tasked with drawing to adjust for population changes reflected in the 2020 U.S. census.
But the maps set the stage for what could be a high-profile contest between Berman and Low, two Democrats with strong track record of fundraising.
Both were drawn into the new Assembly District 23, which includes southern San Mateo County, northwest Santa Clara County and parts of the peninsula. They currently represent neighboring districts in Silicon Valley that will be partly combined.
Berman, D-Menlo Park, told The Chronicle that he plans to meet with Low soon to discuss our situation before he makes any announcements. Lows office declined to comment until they talk.
I love my job serving my constituents, Berman wrote in a text message. I also have the utmost respect for my colleague and good personal friend, Evan Low.
The new district is most similar to Bermans current seat, which encompasses Palo Alto, Mountain View and nearby communities. But redistricting commissioners extended the boundaries further southeast to pick up Campbell and parts of the San Jose suburbs.
Voters will cast ballots to elect an Assembly member to represent the district in next years June 7 primary and Nov. 8 general election.
Low, D-Campbell, was narrowly drawn out of a new central South Bay district that the commission created to encompass the communities of Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Santa Clara. His existing district in the San Jose suburbs was essentially absorbed by three other districts.
Unlike Californias congressional delegation, state legislators are required to live in the districts they represent. That means either Berman or Low would need to move if both hope to win re-election.
If not, the two could be headed for an expensive and fierce contest. Low is one of the Legislatures most prolific fundraisers and had amassed a $2.7 million campaign war chest as of the last filing deadline in June. Berman, meanwhile, had about $652,000 cash on hand as of the same deadline, still a sizable haul.
The outcome could affect the balance of power in the Assembly, where Low was recently rumored to be a possible contender to oust Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood (Los Angeles County).
In November, the speaker removed Low as chair of the powerful Assembly Business and Professions Committee and replaced him with Berman. Rendon praised Berman for his commitment to the Democratic Caucus.
Bill Wong, political director for the Assembly Democrats, said he couldnt speculate about what the two might do. But if Berman and Low go toe-to-toe, he said the race could be a barn burner.
It will be knock-down, drag-out, he said. Theyre both very competitive people.
A potential Silicon Valley showdown aside, the legislative map wont force any other Bay Area lawmakers to face the difficult decision to move, step aside or challenge a colleague from their party.
Assembly Members Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, and Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, were also drawn into the same district after District 19 was stretched slightly further south down the peninsula into San Mateo County.
But that change is likely a moot point because Mullin is running for U.S. Congress to replace retiring San Mateo Rep. Jackie Speier, who has endorsed him.
San Franciscos Assembly districts were also a source of controversy during the redistricting process, when an earlier proposal sought to split several communities of color between District 17 on the citys east side and District 19 on the west side.
Those changes were largely reversed in the final map, along with a hotly protested plan to split the North Beach and Chinatown neighborhoods between the two districts. Both are now fully in District 17.
Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
San Francisco housing development in 2022 will be the year of the megaproject.
Even as smaller projects are stuck in limbo due to market uncertainties and astronomical construction costs, the citys colossal multiphase projects like those at Treasure Island, Mission Rock, Pier 70 and Power Station will steam full speed ahead. Streets are being laid out, sidewalks poured, trees planted, streetlights installed and buildings are sprouting from the ground.
Nowhere is this more apparent than Treasure Island, where, after two decades of planning, the first residents will move into new buildings on both the main island and the adjacent Yerba Buena Island in 2022.
On Treasure Island, Swords to Plowshares and Chinatown Community Development Center will debut the 104-unit Maceo May Apartments late in the year, apartments that will house some formerly homeless veterans. On Yerba Buena Island, Wilson Meany will open the Bristol, a six-story, 124-unit condo project overlooking Clipper Cove and the eastern span of the Bay Bridge.
But the creation of an 8,000-unit neighborhood on the 400-acre island will only accelerate after the first two buildings open. Treasure Island could see work start on as many as 985 units in 2022, including Tidal House, a 20-story apartment tower. A ferry terminal will open this month, offering residents a five-minute cruise across the bay to the Ferry Building, according to Wilson Meany Partner Chris Meany.
We cant wait to welcome residents early this spring to become a part of this exciting new residential community, said Meany, whose firm is the master developer for the island.
At Mission Rock, across the Lefty ODoul Bridge from AT&T Park, Tishman Speyer and the San Francisco Giants are rapidly transforming an 11-acre surface parking lot with three buildings one residential, one biotech and one slated to be Visas new corporate headquarters.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle 2021
Construction started in December 2020 on the first two buildings, Visas corporate headquarters and Building A, a 23-story apartment. That was followed by a life science building on Third Street. Work will start on a fourth building, a 255-unit apartment complex designed by Studio Gang, as well as the 5-acre China Basin Park.
We are trying to deliver the park and the four buildings as close together as we can, said Carl Shannon, senior managing director with Tishman Speyer.
All told, work could start on some 3,000 units spread across the citys megaprojects, often former industrial or military properties that require a multiphase approach and infrastructure work like streets, sidewalks, parks and utilities. About 1,300 units are expected to be completed as part of these projects in 2022, including about 300 units at 5M the 4-acre development next to The Chronicles newsroom at 901 Mission St. and 350 apartments that represent the first phase of a project Local 38 Plumbers & Pipefitters is building with Strada Development at 1621 Market St.
Marlena Sloss/Special to The Chronicle 2021
Breaking ground will likely include 708 deeply affordable apartments built at three different public housing complexes 357 at Potrero Hill Annex and Terrace, 183 at Hunters View in Hunters Point, 168 at Sunnydale. At Power Station, a former power plant on the Dogpatch waterfront, construction crews are busy restoring the historic 19th century power plant in 2022, grading will be completed and utilities installed.
Our major projects are starting to produce the new homes, open spaces and jobs that weve counted on for years, said Judson True, Mayor Breeds director of housing delivery, who has focused on pushing the megaprojects forward. We still have more to do, but were working with all the city departments closely to help these future neighborhoods take shape.
But while several of the citys largest projects keep on trucking, others are stuck in neutral. The redevelopment of Parkmerced, slated for 5,600 apartments, still has not started, more than a decade after it was approved by the Board of Supervisors. Work at Schlage Lock, on the citys border with Brisbane, has been delayed due to the pandemic, while the 12,000-unit development at the shipyard and Candlestick Point has been mostly on hold with the exception of one 77-condo building.
And the future for many smaller projects that dont involve public-private partnerships or spread risk out over a decade is even less certain. Stalled projects include an apartment complex slated for Ninth and Mission, a tower approved at Market and Van Ness and several mixed-use projects in the South of Market.
While Tishman Speyers twisty, white Mira condo development near the Embarcadero has done well since it opened last year its 70% sold Senior Managing Director Carl Shannon said that the math is not working at the moment for a typical housing project.
Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle 2019
Construction costs have gone up a lot, and even though rents have recovered somewhat, the generic market rate project in San Francisco doesnt make sense today, said Shannon. You would need rents to go up or construction costs to go down.
John Manning, who heads up commercial real estate financing for Avison Young, said there are very few housing developers looking for debt or equity for new San Francisco projects. Part of that is because sites where projects have been approved are clustered in downtown areas, like Civic Center, South of Market and the Tenderloin all neighborhoods that continue to struggle with empty office buildings, vacant storefronts and open-air drug dealing.
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Neighborhoods that have bounced back more successfully from the pandemic, like the Sunset, Haight-Ashbury or the Marina, dont have any approved projects ready to break ground.
The areas where development is allowed are, generally speaking, those that have been hit hardest in terms of rental rates and condo values, Manning said. To break ground on a new project would require a vision and confidence that things are going to pop back up to an extent that is hard to imagine right now. Thats not something Im hearing a lot of.
The fact that so many infill projects are not going forward doesnt bode well for housing production over the next few years.
This year the city is on track to open about 4,500 units, most of which started construction prior to the pandemic. An additional estimated 5,800 units are under construction, most of which will wrap up in 2022 or 2023. That is a lot less than the high of 10,000 units that were being built in 2016 or 2017. The data suggest that 2022 and 2023 could be lean years in terms of completions, with less than about 3,000 new units a year, according to city data.
Rudy Gonzalez, secretary treasurer of the San Francisco Building Trades Council, said he is optimistic that some of the big projects will help some of the 1,300 union construction workers who are out of work. But he said that the fact that downtown office buildings are still largely empty because of the pandemic is hurting plumbers and pipefitters and electricians who rely on tenant improvements in corporate space for about 50% of their work.
Mission Rock is beautiful. Treasure Island is beautiful, he said. But all the (tenant improvement) work generated from the buildings downtown? At the end of the day we are just not seeing downtown come back to life.
Meanwhile, housing development battles continue to rage at City Hall. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently made national news for rejecting over 800 housing units proposed for the Tenderloin and South of Market.
Partly in response to that, Mayor London Breed has introduced a charter amendment that would allow some code-compliant projects to bypass the citys famously difficult approval process.
Working people like our nurses, teachers, and even the construction workers who build our homes are suffering because we havent built enough housing for decades, said Breed. Even with the progress on moving large projects forward, we have to make fundamental changes to how we approve and permit housing in San Francisco so families can afford to stay here.
J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SFjkdineen
The coronavirus pandemic crushed the worlds retailers, unleashing a wave of bankruptcies, empty streets and scared customers who embraced online shopping. The Bay Area, which had the countrys first strict stay-at-home order, banned nonessential indoor shopping and indoor dining for months, and many businesses never reopened.
Now, as another new variant threatens to further disrupt business, landlords with empty spaces face a new cost: San Francisco will implement a new retail vacancy tax on Jan. 1, that was overwhelmingly passed by 68% of voters back in March 2020, just two weeks before the city and region shut down.
The tax affects storefronts that are empty more than 182 days in a year, at a rate starting at $250 per linear foot of storefront facing the street. The rate would rise to $500 per foot and then $1,000 per foot for additional years that a space is vacant. The tenant, not the landlord, would be subject to the tax if the space remains vacant even if its leased.
Around three dozen neighborhood commercial districts including North Beach, Japantown and the Mission are subject to the tax. The area doesnt include the Financial District and Union Square, which have been grappling with diminished tourism, the absence of office workers and major retail thefts.
The tax was expected to raise an estimated $300,000 to $5 million a year before the pandemic hit, with money going to a small business assistance fund.
Supporters say the measure will bring more landlords to the bargaining table and help struggling tenants, but critics say its unfair to punish landlords while the economy is still in upheaval.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who sponsored the measure, and his colleagues delayed the tax for a year in the wake of the pandemics destruction. But no groups have called for further delay, said Peskin, who said he hopes it will put pressure on landlords to lower rents, a trend thats already happening because of the weak economy.
Its designed to be a behavior changer, not a money generator, Peskin said. Im watching a resurgence in the district that I represent. A lot of it is because of property owners reduced expectations.
Before the pandemic, the citys Office of Economic and Workforce Development surveyed two dozen neighborhood retail districts every six months and found at the end of 2019 that vacancies were up 13.2% from 12.2% in 2018, a level considered economically unhealthy. The department hasnt conducted surveys since the pandemic and didnt have new data.
The citys Office of Treasurer & Tax Collector and Department of Building Inspection will enforce the measure and is holding information sessions in January.
Real estate brokers said vacancies have soared during the pandemic, though some areas of the city like Hayes Valley and the Marina have recovered as new shops have replaced those that have closed.
But the market is still far weaker than before the pandemic, they said.
I dont think we have enough demand yet to fill all the vacancies, said Santino DeRose, a retail broker at Maven. Were still struggling in the outer neighborhoods.
It really should be kicked back another year. We need to give these landlords the opportunity to bounce back, DeRose said. Many of them have bent over backwards to keep their tenants doors open through the pandemic and they have also suffered some financial distress.
Even when business was booming, retailers already faced huge obstacles, including the citys daunting bureaucracy, which could delay store openings by months or even years, and high operating costs and rents. Supervisors and voters have passed multiple laws to quicken permitting, but frustrated owners continue to give up in the face of zoning restrictions and neighborhood opposition.
Betty Louie, a San Francisco landlord, said the vacancy tax would worsen peoples economic struggles.
Who would want to open a business in S.F. at all now? There are 10,000 fees you have to pay, months-long permitting and other bureaucratic hurdles to go through. And now we have this tax? The timing couldnt be more off, said Louie, who declined to say how many buildings she owned but noted she had no vacancies.
There are other ways to incentivize landlords to rent out spaces; everyone I know certainly wants tenants at this time. But there are not many people lining up to start or reopen shops during the pandemic, she said.
Maryo Mogannam, president of the San Francisco Council of District Merchants Associations, which represents retailers, said 90% of landlords he knows already have worked with tenants to keep their spaces leased during the pandemic.
I dont think it will be as necessary because COVID, he said of the tax.
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Chandler Tang, owner of gift shop Post.Script in the Fillmore district, supports the vacancy tax as an incentive for landlords to get tenants and not hold out for high rents, but she isnt sure if the timing works.
Everyone is still recovering. I personally dont feel settled, she said. Theres a lot of pandemic uncertainty around but I guess we have to ask, when will it be the right time?
I feel we need to show the city is open, that business is thriving and customers are out and about with safety protocols in place, Tang said.
Christin Evans, board member of the Haight-Ashbury Merchants Association and owner of Booksmith and the Alembic bar, supports the tax.
It gives building owners an incentive to fill the vacancy, Evans said. The tax is overdue. I dont think they should have delayed it in the pandemic.
We need to have additional measures in place, like the vacancy tax, so landlords can put their properties on the market. Vacancies hurt us all. We want to see a thriving commercial corridor full of wonderful businesses.
Landlord Danny Scher of Sugar Plum Properties has been able to keep around a dozen San Francisco storefronts leased during the pandemic but said he lowered rents by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I gave up a lot of money to keep my tenants, because were all in this together, he said. For the city to impose a tax when they know its a difficult time to rent is just blind to whats going on. Its really a reason to not do business in San Francisco.
Roland Li and Shwanika Narayan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com, shwanika.narayan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf, @Shwanika
San Francisco voters will weigh in on a flurry of controversial issues next year that could include recalls, City Hall corruption, the housing crisis and the school board.
Mayor London Breed and members of the Board of Supervisors introduced an array of charter amendments in the last week of this years legislative session that could appear before voters in June 2022.
While the mayors measures focus on housing and the school board, three supervisors are trying to tackle corruption across city departments and commissions in their proposals. Two measures would also chip away at the powers of the mayor and give more authority to the Board of Supervisors, after some supervisors increased scrutiny of the mayors department heads in the wake of two years of scandals.
Supervisors and the mayor need six votes from the board to get a charter amendment on the ballot.
Here are the six charter amendments, according to the citys legislative website:
Streamlining housing construction: Breed and Supervisor Ahsha Safai want to streamline housing production by allowing some code-compliant developments to bypass the discretionary review process. The measure would apply to projects of more than 25 units. Developers would be required to increase the percentage of affordable units. The proposal would benefit all 100% affordable housing projects.
Breed tried to get through two similar proposals in as many years, but supervisors killed the first one and the mayor pulled back the second one, realizing it would be tough to get signatures from the public to place it on the ballot because of the pandemic.
But the proposal might be met with resistance from supervisors. Residents can resist the idea of limiting their chance at review of development projects they dont like, and supervisors sometimes uphold resident appeals, as happened recently with more than 800 units of housing at two projects in the Tenderloin and SoMa.
Limiting recalls and the mayors appointments: Supervisor Aaron Peskin wants to change how vacancies on the Board of Supervisors, Board of Education and Community College District Board of Trustees are filled. Currently, the mayor appoints replacements in the middle of an election cycle. Peskin wants to instead have a majority of each boards members appoint a replacement to fill a vacant seat for example, leaving the power to pick a temporary new colleague up to supervisors.
The same charter amendment also attempts to curb recall fever. The city estimates recalls and a special election next year will cost nearly $12 million total.
The amendment would limit the initiation of recall petitions from six to 12 months after the official has assumed office and prohibit the submission of recall petitions within 18 months of a regularly scheduled election for the official.
At the end of the day our taxpayers are left footing the bill, count them, for four elections next year, which is frankly money that I believe ... taxpayers would prefer is spent on improving quality of life, Peskin said.
Recalls are the main way to remove supervisors. The mayor can also suspend an elected or appointed officer and file official misconduct charges with the Ethics Commission, which recommends whether to sustain charges to the board of supervisors. The board must vote by a three-fourths majority to remove the officer.
Supervisors Shamann Walton, Connie Chan, Hillary Ronen, Dean Preston and Myrna Melgar support the measure.
Curbing city corruption: Chan introduced a sweeping good governance measure designed to curb city corruption and improve resident services and make them more efficient.
People fundamentally know that things are not working, she told The Chronicle. We have a $13 billion budget, but why are we not able to deliver quality services?
The charter amendment seeks to reform the City Administrators Office by clarifying the role of the sprawling office overseeing 26 city departments, divisions and programs. A recent report from the Budget and Legislative Analysts office showed a need for a more consistent and coherent role.
The measure also seeks to change the role of the city administrator appointed by the mayor and approved by the Board of Supervisors to be more independent and to act as an intermediary between the legislative and executive branches, Chan said. The change would not affect the employment of the current City Administrator Carmen Chu, Chan added.
The measure would task the administrator with creating and implementing a plan to reform city government by June 2023, annually auditing departments, and investigating and evaluating complaints, Chan said. If the administrator found any wrongdoing, he or she could request the mayor or a commission terminate a department head, allowing 30 days to make a decision.
Currently, depending on the department, either the mayor, commission or the two together have the power to remove a department head.
The measure would also split the power to make appointments to more than a dozen commissions and boards such as the one overseeing Muni between the mayor and the board of supervisors. Currently, supervisors simply accept or reject mayoral appointees. Under the charter amendment, the board would continue to approve or disapprove the mayors appointees. The boards appointees would go through an existing appointment process that requires open applications and approval by a committee of supervisors, then the full board. The mayor and supervisors would also each have power to remove their respective appointees.
Ronen, Preston and Peskin signed in support.
Jeff Cretan, the mayors spokesperson, spoke out strongly against both proposals as a petty attempt to undermine the powers of the office of the mayor and an example of bad governance that will only further enable bureaucratic paralysis and a less responsive government.
Cretan said it makes no sense to give the board more power to wield influence over mayoral appointees and to have 10 people who are not elected by the voters of a district choose their next representative as would happen in the case of a vacancy on the Board of Supervisors.
The mayor is the only person who is accountable to every single resident of this City, Cretan said.
Reforming the building commission: Melgar proposed reforming the Department of Building Inspection commission amid recent scandals. Last month, a former San Francisco senior building inspector and a former city building commissioner were indicted on wire fraud charges.
Melgar formerly served on the commission for five years in a seat designated for a member of the public. Her proposal would do away with designated seats for a builder, engineer, architect and nonprofit worker, and instead open them up to the public.
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The problem with that is the regulated are being the regulators, Melgar told The Chronicle. Theres an expectation that they represent a specific set of folks through that seat.
Her measure would also allow the mayor to nominate four commissioners and the board president to nominate three. All nominees would go through a public confirmation process, instead of the current unilateral appointments by the mayor and board president.
It would also require the mayor to select a building inspection director from the commissions nominees, instead of the commission selecting the director, Melgar said. The director would then report to the mayor.
Melgar plans to introduce more reforms for the department in January. She said she wants to restore trust for hardworking employees who are really demoralized by higher-up corruption.
Supervisors Peskin, Ronen and Rafael Mandelman signed on.
Divesting from fossil fuels: Peskin also proposed a measure to require the citys public pension fund to divest from fossil fuels. The measure would also require one appointee to have experience in environmentally and socially responsible investing.
Preston, Melgar and Chan are in support.
Reforming the school board: Breed proposed a measure to rein in the school board, which has been embroiled in conflict over the course of the pandemic, leading to three members facing a recall election next year.
Her proposal would create a new Childrens Agency to oversee two existing child-related city departments. It would also threaten to withhold millions in city funding from the district if school board members continue to micromanage, treat others poorly or persist in chasing short-term political wins, its backers say. The board would be required to submit an annual report verifying it has followed requirements to get the funding.
Melgar and Mandelman support.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Jill Tucker, Annie Vainshtein and J.K. Dineen contributed to this report.
Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench
Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect that supervisors need six votes, like the mayor, to get a charter amendment on the ballot.
Omicron has rapidly become the predominant COVID-19 variant of concern, driving a spike of case rates in the United States at the same time that extended families gather for the holiday season. For families with older and immunocompromised individuals, worries about COVID-19 are understandable. But with its high rate of vaccination, the San Francisco Bay Area appears to be well-equipped to handle the upcoming wave. And while experts want the public to be cautious, they also do not want mass panic and anxiety to overwhelm and overrule the current COVID-19 response.
Biggest piece of advice: Dont panic, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UCSF. This is not March 2020. The vaccines are a revolution in helping us stay safe and protecting our hospital capacity.
Susan Philip, San Francisco's health officer, emphasized the importance of getting the booster in an interview with SFGATE.
"We're starting from a majority population that has had their first doses, and now we're saying this additional booster dose is what's needed to really, really make sure that people have the maximum protection for themselves and to make sure our city is as protected as possible," she said.
We asked three experts two infectious disease experts and a leading San Francisco health official for their input on how the Bay Area has been affected by omicron so far, as well as their thoughts on how to navigate common scenarios as the variant continues to proliferate.
Find COVID-19 case, hospitalization and death rates for San Francisco, Alameda County and Contra Costa County on their respective public health dashboards.
This story will be updated.
Are COVID cases going up in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Philip said that cases have risen within the past four to five days in the city.
"They have gone from about 10 to 21 [people infected for every 100,000 people] in the past four to five days. So this is a similar pattern. We are going to be seeing a similar trajectory show up ... that we are seeing in New York City." (In New York, after hovering around the 100 mark in November, just over 225 people were infected for every 100,000 people on Dec. 7. As of Dec. 18, the most recent day for which the city has data, 795 per 100,000 were infected, according to New Yorks dashboard.)
Philip said she anticipates seeing people who have been vaccinated but not boosted getting breakthrough infections at a higher rate than their boosted counterparts.
Are COVID hospitalizations going up in the Bay Area?
Philip said that hospitalizations have not risen yet in San Francisco, but given trends in New York and elsewhere globally, she anticipates an uptick in hospitalizations here as well.
"We expect that we will see increases in hospitalizations," she said, "and what we're trying to do is give people information so that we can mitigate the height of that surge, the height of those hospitalization peaks. Because again, we want to keep people out of the hospital so that they themselves have better health and are not having terrible health consequences."
Her message hearkens back to an oft-repeated message from earlier in the pandemic: Flatten the curve.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Are vaccinated people in the Bay Area reporting serious illness with omicron?
Definitive data isn't available yet to indicate whether omicron infections look different from those caused by other variants.
Chin-Hong told SFGATE in an email that preliminary data has found that while the "vast majority ... reporting serious illness are unvaccinated," there have been some hospitalizations among older individuals (those over 75, he said) and immunocompromised individuals. However, those individuals for the most part had not had booster shoots.
UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford said data from outside the region indicated omicron causes milder disease in vaccinated people.
He referred to recent data from the U.K. Health Security Agency that has identified more than 143,000 possible omicron cases. Of those cases, there have been 129 hospitalizations and 14 deaths. (As of Dec. 17, more than half of the United Kingdoms over-18 population has received the booster.)
"There are undoubtedly vaccinated people getting infected with omicron and a few boosted people getting infected, but people with omicron appear to be hospitalized at a relatively lower rate" compared with other variants, Rutherford said.
What makes this potential Bay Area COVID surge different from past waves?
Our experts all pointed to different factors distinguishing this current surge from earlier ones.
Chin-Hong said that "the tremendous infectivity" of omicron sets it apart, with at least double the spread of the delta variant.
"With previous surges, vaccines would have been more powerful as a singular measure [preventing transmission], but we need some additional add-ons now to be the safest, like masks [and testing]," he said.
Rutherford said the early evidence suggests the new wave is "associated with lower levels of serious disease, in part because so many people have been vaccinated here, he said.
How does the COVID-19 surge in the Bay Area compare to other parts of California and the country?
Philip said that for now, San Francisco and the Bay Area at large have not seen an increase in hospitalizations. But other areas of the state, especially in Los Angeles County, hospitalizations have risen.
"We're seeing statewide that hospitalizations have already increased 12% overall compared to a couple of weeks ago, and in Southern California, LA County, they've increased 31%," Philip said.
But Chin-Hong is optimistic that the Bay Area is prepared to handle this upcoming wave.
"Our hospitals will suffer with sick healthcare workers isolating at home and an influx of patients," he said. But "if anyone is going to stand up to omicron, the Bay Area will. We have among the highest vaccination rates in the country and we have been as COVID street smart as any."
Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE
Where can I get tested?
You can go directly to your health care provider such as Kaiser Permanente or Sutter Health for testing. Pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS also provide testing.
You should also consult resources from your county that may offer unique testing opportunities at community and pop-up clinics.
Find testing information for Alameda County.
Find testing information for Contra Costa County.
Find testing information for Marin County.
Find testing information for Napa County.
Find testing information for San Francisco.
Find testing information for San Mateo County.
Find testing information for Santa Clara County.
Find testing information for Sonoma County.
Find testing information for Solano County.
Where can I buy at-home COVID tests?
Over-the-counter antigen tests can be purchased online or at most pharmacies and give you results in 15 minutes. Theyre not as reliable as PCR tests, but theyre likely to catch COVID when people are at their most contagious.
These tests have been selling out quickly. Check with your local pharmacy to find out when they are going to receive a new shipment.
Should I be worried about passing COVID to my older relatives at a holiday gathering if everyone is vaccinated and boosted?
Experts say, for the most part, not really.
"Not particularly, but everyone needs to be fully vaccinated and boosted," said Rutherford, emphasizing that this means everyone who is eligible should have completed a vaccine series and gotten a booster shot. "The very little kids who can't get vaccinated are less likely to be transmitters."
Philip, though, noted that it's not a one-size-fits-all suggestion.
"People may choose to take slightly different approaches and use different layers of additional protection based on their own circumstances," she said. People who are extremely worried can plan for outdoor gatherings, indoor masking and testing before gathering.
But its important to remember that this years holiday is vastly different from last year's.
"We're not telling people don't gather. We know how important it is for mental health and overall well-being for people to see the people that they love and care about. We just need to be mindful that omicron is here," Philip said.
Is it safe to dine indoors at restaurants or attend indoor events in the Bay Area if I'm fully vaccinated and boosted?
Experts are a bit torn. "Yes," said Rutherford. "I'm planning on going to the Warriors game on Jan. 3. I'm taking some of my kids with me. I think the level of vaccination is really high in the Bay Area. I think they aggressively screen people who've been unvaccinated. I think it's about as good as it's going to get."
But Chin-Hong is a bit more wary.
"Right now there may still be a window before cases surge further and before restaurant workers stay home and isolate if theyre infected," Chin-Hong said. "But that window may be closing very quickly. It all depends on your risk-benefit calculus."
For those who are older than 65 or immunocompromised, or live with an individual who is especially if they are unboosted Chin-Hong says it's worth considering forgoing indoor dining for a short period of time.
LISBON, Portugal (AP) European Union authorities have approved a rescue plan for TAP Air Portugal, which is getting government aid worth 2.55 billion euros ($2.9 billion) to help the flag carrier restructure its operations.
In return, TAP will have to give up some of its slots at Lisbon airport and sell off some of its assets, including catering and baggage handling companies in Portugal, the Portuguese government announced late Tuesday.
OAKLAND, Calif. When Sandy Carter left her job as a vice president of Amazons cloud computing unit this month, she announced in a LinkedIn post that she was joining a crypto technology company. She included a link for open positions at the startup.
Within two days, she said, more than 350 people many from the biggest internet companies had clicked the link to apply for jobs at the firm, Unstoppable Domains. The startup sells website addresses that sit on the blockchain, the distributed ledger system that underpins cryptocurrencies.
Its the perfect storm, Carter said. The momentum were seeing in this space is just incredible.
Carter is part of a wave of executives and engineers leaving cushy jobs at Google, Amazon, Apple and other large tech companies some of which pay millions of dollars in annual compensation to chase what they see as a once-in-a-generation opportunity. That next big thing is crypto, they said, a catchall designation that includes digital currencies like Bitcoin and products like nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, which rely on the blockchain.
Silicon Valley is now awash with stories of people riding seemingly ridiculous crypto investments like Dogecoin, a digital coin based on a dog meme, to life-changing wealth. Bitcoin has soared around 60% this year, while Ether, the cryptocurrency tied to the Ethereum blockchain, has increased more than fivefold in value.
But beyond that speculative mania, a growing contingent of the tech industrys best and brightest sees a transformational moment that comes along once every few decades and rewards those who spot the seismic shift before the rest of the world. With crypto, they see historical parallels to how the personal computer and the internet were once ridiculed, only to upend the status quo and mint a new generation of billionaires.
Investors, too, have flooded in. They have poured more than $28 billion into global crypto and blockchain startups this year, four times the total in 2020, according to PitchBook, a firm that tracks private investments. More than $3 billion has gone into NFT companies alone.
There is a giant sucking sound coming from crypto, said Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of search engine startup Neeva and a former Google executive, who competes with crypto companies for talent. It feels a bit like the 1990s and the birth of the internet all over again. Its that early, that chaotic and that much full of opportunity.
Crypto, which has also been rebranded as the less foreboding web3, may be no different from past speculative bubbles like subprime mortgages or the tulip craze of the 17th century, skeptics said. Much of the mania, they said, was being driven by a desire to get rich quick by trading an asset class that often seemed based on internet jokes.
But the growing ranks of true believers said crypto can change the world by creating a more decentralized internet that is not controlled by a handful of companies. While such possibilities have existed since Bitcoin emerged in 2009, crypto products such as NFTs only broke through to the mainstream this year. That has accelerated the exodus from Big Tech companies into the crypto world.
This month, Brian Roberts, chief financial officer of Lyft, left the ride-hailing company to join OpenSea, a popular crypto startup. Ive seen enough cycles and paradigm shifts to be cognizant when something this big is just emerging, he said in an email. We are Day One in terms of NFTs and their impact.
Cryptos allure has been so irresistible that some of the biggest tech companies are scrambling to retain employees. At Google, concerns about keeping employees including not losing them to crypto companies grew so pressing that the issue became part of the executive agenda discussed every Monday by Sundar Pichai, the companys CEO, and his top deputies, two people with knowledge of the discussions said.
Google also started offering additional stock grants to employees in parts of the company that seemed ripe for poaching, these people said. Google declined to comment.
Unlike Meta, which has embraced crypto, Google has been reluctant to jump into the movement. But Google employees saw cryptos opportunities firsthand when Surojit Chatterjee, a vice president, left the company last year to become the chief product officer of Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges.
When Coinbase went public in April, Chatterjees stake in the company soared to more than $600 million in value. He had worked there for just 14 months.
Such vast amounts of crypto wealth have created a fear of missing out, or FOMO, among many techies especially those whose friends bought Bitcoin several years ago and now are hugely wealthy.
Back in 2017 or so, people were mostly in it for the investment opportunity, said Evan Cheng, co-founder and CEO of Mysten Labs, a startup focused on building blockchain infrastructure projects. Now its people actually wanting to build stuff.
Cheng, 50, left Facebook in September after six years there, most recently working on Novi, its crypto effort. Of Mysten Labs roughly 20 employees, most of whom are scattered across San Francisco, London, New York and elsewhere, roughly 80% come from tech companies like Facebook, Google and Netflix.
Companies focused on blockchain technologies have proliferated, including cryptocurrency exchanges like Bitpanda, Gemini and CoinList; NFT and art collectible companies like OpenSea and Dapper Labs; and infrastructure companies like Dfinity and Alchemy.
Some of the brain drain into crypto has also been spurred by worries about the control and dominance of the biggest tech companies by their own employees. Many had joined Google, Facebook and others to create something new, only to encounter bureaucracy and the backlash of working at the behemoths.
Those leaving behind a Big Tech salary do not have to wait as long for a payoff at a crypto startup as those at traditional tech startups.
While employees generally accept a smaller salary at tech startups in the hope that the companys stock will hit it big one day, workers at crypto startups are provided liquidity, or the ability to cash out their shares, much earlier. Often, they can do so in the form of trading their companys cryptocurrencies, according to Dan McCarthy, a recruiter for investment firm Paradigm who has written on the potential upsides of crypto startups for tech workers.
In some cases, crypto startups offer compensation packages on par with the biggest tech firms because of how easily employees can convert their companys tokens or the underlying cryptocurrency backing the startup into cash.
Its not necessarily the case that you have to go take one-third of your Big Tech salary anymore, because a lot of these companies are so well capitalized, Cheng said.
Carter, the former Amazon vice president, said people were interested in working at crypto firms for more than just money. Some were drawn to the ethos of web3, which strives to decentralize power and decision-making. It is an alternative to how Google and Facebook came to dominate the internet by sucking up personal data from users to sell targeted ads.
Carter said there was a great deal of interest about web3 at Amazon but was not recruiting there because she had agreed not to solicit her former colleagues.
So would the exodus of tech employees to crypto continue?
The answer is absolutely yes, she said. The time is just perfect to jump in on it.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) Three people have been sentenced to decades in prison in the shooting death of a pizza delivery driver ambushed on an eastern Pennsylvania college campus four years ago.
The trio had entered guilty pleas in October in the December 2017 murder of 58-year-old Dominos Pizza driver Richard LaBar in an unoccupied building on the East Stroudsburg University campus. Police said the defendants ordered a pizza delivered to the campus building and ambushed LaBar, who was shot in a struggle for a shotgun.
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BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) The medicine man told her she should soon give her son back to the earth.
Rachel Taylor kissed her fingertips and pressed them to the crow sewn onto a leather bag nestled on the couch in the living room. Oh, my baby, she whispered, and hugged the buckskin satchel filled with his ashes.
Nearly a year ago, she had opened his bedroom door and screamed so loud she woke the neighbor. Kyle Domrese was face down on his bed, one of more than 100,000 Americans lost in a year to overdoses as the COVID-19 pandemic fueled Americas addiction disaster.
When he was 4, the medicine man had given him his Ojibwe name: Aandegoons little crow. She traced the outline of the black bird on the sack.
Love you, Taylor said to the bag, as she does each time she leaves for work in this city surrounded by three Ojibwe reservations in remote northern Minnesota.
As the pandemic ravaged the country, deaths from drug overdoses surged by nearly 30%, climbing to a record high. The drug crisis has also diversified from an overwhelmingly white affliction to killing people of color with staggering speed. The death rate last year was highest among Native Americans, for whom COVID-19 piled yet more despair on communities already confronting generations of trauma, poverty, unemployment and underfunded health systems.
It is no longer an opioid epidemic, but one in which people are dying from deadly cocktails of many drugs. Deaths involving methamphetamine have nearly tripled in recent years, with Native Americans 12 times more likely to die from it.
As Taylor began her shift at the Northwest Indian Community Development Center, a posterboard propped against the wall was pasted with 49 faces a collage of their dead to drugs.
Taylors tribe, the White Earth Nation, studied of the lives theyve lost to addiction.
Their death certificates say they died of an overdose, but thats not right, one member of their study group said.
These deaths were a culmination of far more than that: Despite their resilience, Native Americans carry in their blood 500 years worth of pain from being robbed of their land, their language, their culture, their children. In living peoples memory, children were taken from their families and sent to boarding schools with the motto, Kill the Indian, save the man.
What they died of is a broken heart, the study says.
For years, Taylor tried to break the cycle.
Her grandmother was sent to a Christian boarding school, where she was taught to be so ashamed of her Ojibwe language that she would only speak or sing it after drinking.
Taylor had her daughter when she was 19 and her son a few years later. She lost custody of them for a couple years as she battled her own addiction to opioids and cocaine. She told them she wished she could fix all the dysfunctional things that happened when she was using.
Then I thought, well, then my mom would have to go back and fix things, and then my grandma would have to go back, it would have to go on like that for generations, she said.
Taylor had lived in more than 50 places before she turned 18 foster homes, battered womens shelters, on the streets and faced sexual, physical and mental abuse.
The things I blame on generational trauma are not feeling good enough, not feeling worthy enough, not feeling loved, she said.
She prayed to her creator to spare her children, and she told her son every day that she loved him.
White Earth Nation too worked hard to save its people from addiction, and many years lost no one to overdoses on the reservation. But then the pandemic arrived and proved too painful for some.
And now in Taylors shaking hands, she holds her sons picture another face for the posterboard, lost January 11, 2021.
At first, she put his ashes in an urn, but it was sharp metal. A friend made the buckskin bag that she could hug. Its become the center of her world.
Hed always loved to laugh, so Taylor teases the bag of ashes.
Keep an eye on the cat, shell say when she leaves the house. Then she tells the cat to keep an eye on him.
___
The wind churned snow across the prairies, so Dr. Carson Gardner, the medical director of White Earth Nations health department, told the tale of the Windigo as a metaphor for addiction.
This story of an evil spirit in Ojibwe folklore can only be spoken with snow on the ground as a layer of protection from the monster. The Windigo is a cannibal that sings a song, and anyone who hears it must cover their ears and run away, he said. Otherwise, they develop an insatiable hunger.
You will first eat everything in your lodge, and when thats gone, youll eat everything in your neighbors lodges. When thats gone, you will eat your neighbors. You will finish off by eating yourself, said Gardner.
Their reservation spans more than 800,000 rugged acres of prairie and lakes, dotted with small villages, known for glorious summers and long unforgiving winters. But despite the vast terrain, its sparsely populated, and they live the belief that all should be loved like family.
Those who listen to the Windigo song arent bad people, Gardner said. They just didnt plug their ears and walk away. They didnt know how powerful the song was.
Rachel Taylors son once wrote her a letter because he thought his addiction was killing him: I cant control it. I hope you can forgive me. Im sorry, I love you, I wanted to spend more time with you.
Hed started abusing pills as a teenager when he got a prescription after having surgery for an infected finger. Then, consumed by the madness of addiction, he would smoke anything methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl that might quiet his lifelong anxiety and depression.
But just before the pandemic bore down, his mother felt hopeful.
She and her son quarantined together at her home in Bemidji, a city of 15,000 people. Her son had gone to treatment, sober 168 days. His cheeks were full again, and he asked her to make his favorite peanut butter cookies.
Im glad I still have a chance to make my loving mom proud, he wrote in a journal.
But the months dragged on, and he told her it seemed like the pandemic would never end. He couldnt get a job. He was isolated. He said he felt like a bum.
He just gave up, she said. He started using again, then dealing drugs to support his habit.
All around them, people were dying. On the White Earth reservation, ambulance calls for overdoses tripled, Gardner said. They posted big red signs in gas stations and tribal buildings: overdose alert, they said. Please look out for each other.
Joe Kleszyk, the commander of the regions drug task force, sounded the alarm, too: An epidemic within a pandemic, he told the local newspaper in August 2020. The task force covers five counties and two reservations, including White Earth.
The number of overdoses it investigated skyrocketed from 20 in 2019 to 88 last year. Fifteen of those were fatal, triple the year before.
Its getting worse: This year, theres been 148 overdoses, and 24 of those victims died.
In Minnesota, as across the country, drug dealers now cut nearly every drug on the street with fentanyl, a cheap and deadly synthetic opioid so potent the equivalent of a sugar packet can make 40 doses, Kleszyk said. Its a game of Russian roulette, he said.
At the same time, the pandemic pushed many toward addiction, called a disease of despair.
Unemployment in Indian County surged to 26%. And with the federal governments disinvestment in Native communities, many were already living on the brink of poverty sometimes just across the street from predominantly white gated communities and summer vacation resorts.
On top of that, the healing traditions many turn to in troubled times, like sweat lodges and talking circles, were suspended. Theirs is a communal culture, and people were suddenly isolated.
Of the 148 overdoses the task force investigated this year, 124 victims were Native.
Im sick of telling people that their kids are dead, Kleszyk said.
When officers on the White Earth reservation arrived on Aug. 5, 2020 to deliver the news to Betty Oppegard, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground. Her daughter, Beth Renee Hill, a 32-year-old mother of three, died of an overdose involving methamphetamine.
Hills Ojibwe name, Bebaanimadookwe, is the word for how snow sparkles in the sunshine.
She was like that, she sparkled in peoples lives, she was so beautiful, said Oppegard. She could make a lot happen in a day.
Hill started taking methamphetamine a couple years ago and fell apart fast. She lost custody of her kids and despaired, so she did even more drugs.
Oppegard used to wake up each morning and run through the names of her eight children from oldest to youngest, imagining where they were and what they were doing. She forced herself to stop, because when she got to Hill, if felt too much to bear.
For months, Hills father just held her picture and cried. Now hes buried next to her. He died in January, and Oppegard blames a broken heart.
___
Amid all this death and dying, one of the most urgent questions White Earth and other Native American communities are facing is how to spare the next generations from starting the cycle anew.
Indian health care has been underfunded for decades. When the American government forced Native Americans off their land, it signed treaties with tribes promising to provide for them necessities like health care. The dead from addiction is proof its never kept its word, said Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith.
The national average for health care spending is just over $11,000 per person, but tribal health systems receive about a third of that and urban Indian groups even less, according to the National Council of Urban Indian Health. COVID-19 added another blow to this already stressed system.
Smith introduced a bill this summer that would usher $200 million in grants to Indian organizations to bolster their mental health and addiction treatment. The bill, still stalled in Congress, would empower Native organizations to address addiction their own way.
In the years before the pandemic, the White Earth tribe married western medical interventions with the traditional healing practices that helped their people survive as the government tried to erase them. They trained thousands how to use the overdose-reversal medication naloxone and estimate thats saved 1,000 lives, Gardner said. They saved just as many through the millennia of inherited wisdom: drum circles, tobacco ceremonies, the dark, humid honesty of praying in a sweat lodge to balance their bodies, souls and minds.
Their motto is unconditional love, Gardner said. People can recover if theyre given hope and healing, so they dont give up on anybody, no matter how deep their addiction.
Georgianna Garbow-Warrens addiction to methamphetamine for years left her homeless she and her husband lived in abandoned houses, in shelters, eventually under a bridge. She lost custody of her three children. She felt like she was living in circles: Shed use drugs, get her kids taken, clean up, get them back, start the cycle again.
She grew up on the White Earth reservation near Beth Hill. She can rattle off names of other neighbors theyve lost to addiction.
Garbow-Warren had a fourth child in 2019, a son born premature at four pounds, seven ounces. They took him straight from the hospital.
She kept using meth: I wanted to take all that pain away, she said.
Then she couldnt breathe, went back to the hospital and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure from the damage meth had done. She was in and out of emergency rooms. One day she was lying in bed there and thought: Oh God, do I really hate myself this much?
She turned herself into the police on an outstanding warrant, and told them she wanted treatment. It was February 2020, just as the pandemic began brutalizing so many battling addiction.
This year theres been the most funerals Ive been to in my whole life, she said. Her sister was hospitalized in March with liver and kidney infections from drinking and drug use.
She couldnt see when Garbow-Warren visited her. The doctors said she could hear them. They played her favorite song by Sir Mix-A-Lot and she wiggled like she was trying to dance. She died a couple days later.
Ill never get the image out of my head, she said. One of her sisters is now in treatment, a brother still uses, and she's afraid of getting a phone call that hes dead.
Her husband found recovery, too. They got an apartment, a dog, a car, and slowly regained custody of their baby, who has cerebral palsy. He cant crawl, and scoots around on his back.
I blamed myself. I felt a lot of guilt and shame, a lot of pain, she said, about her sons medical difficulties. Then a doctor told her there was no way to know if it was from her drug use or something else.
She doesnt know about her older children. Her son turned 18 this year, the others are 17 and 10. She sometimes imagines tracking them down, but then wonders if theyre better off without her.
I live with that everyday, she said, wondering if theyre OK.
___
In January, Rachel Taylors heart began aching, like someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing it.
It was like my heart knew before I did, she said. My heart was broken four days before he even died.
She had an uneasy feeling the morning of Jan. 11. It was quiet in the house and her sons bedroom door was closed.
Are you awake? Taylor texted him at 9:21 a.m.
She never wanted to seem overbearing, and she knew it made him happy to think she trusted him. So she vacuumed the living room just outside his bedroom and hoped the commotion would wake him.
Eventually, she opened his door. At first she thought it must be a dream, like she was seeing from outside herself that his skin was purple.
She dialed 911, and the operator said to check his vitals. He was ice cold. She dropped the phone and screamed. Come back, my baby, come back.
When he was born, the nurse put him on her chest, and hed looked at her with such intensity. His eyes were always like that, like a cats, she thinks.
He loved animals. In stacks of photos albums, hes often holding some little creature. She kept everything he ever made her birthday cards, childhood pottery. Youre the best mom in the world, hed write, and she loved it because shed always felt like a bad one.
She knew the hell her son was living because she had lived it, too.
In December 2020, he punched holes in the walls until his fists bled and screamed he wanted to die. She called police, and when officers arrived she stepped in front of her bloody, hysterical son. Please dont shoot him, she pleaded, this isnt him.
They took him to a hospital, but he broke a camera, and the hospital kicked him out.
A month later, she watched as they covered him in blue plastic, and begged them to let her kiss his forehead.
The toxicology report said that hed died of a combination of alprazolam, the drug in Xanax, and fentanyl.
For a time, she didnt want to live.
Then the medicine man took her to a sweat lodge on the reservation. When she came out, the chatter of two cranes on the wind sounded like a crow a sign from her son. Now she feeds the crows so theyll keep coming to the yard.
She still smells him, she said. She swears she hears his particular way of knocking on the door.
The anniversary of his death is approaching on Jan. 11, and it is customary in her culture to return him to nature after a year of grieving, she said.
But every morning, she kisses his bag. Her daughter took her out for a buffet dinner, and the bag went too. She fixed him a plate of his favorite foods, prime rib, mashed potatoes, she buttered him a bun.
The medicine man says I have to let him go back to the earth, she said. But I dont think Im going to be able to do that. He left me too soon.
BEIJING (AP) China on Wednesday defended its international scientific exchange programs in the wake of the conviction of a Harvard University professor charged with hiding his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China manages such exchanges along the same lines as the U.S. and other countries.
U.S. agencies and officials should not stigmatize such programs and instead do something conducive to China-U.S. scientific and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, Zhao said.
Charles Lieber, 62, the former chair of Harvards department of chemistry and chemical biology, pleaded not guilty to filing false tax returns, making false statements, and failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China.
Liebers defense attorney, Marc Mukasey, had argued that prosecutors lacked proof of the charges, maintaining that investigators kept no records of their interviews with Lieber prior to his arrest.
Prosecutors argued that Lieber, who was arrested in January, knowingly hid his involvement in Chinas Thousand Talents Plan to protect his career and reputation. The Chinese program is designed to recruit people with knowledge of foreign technology and intellectual property who could pass secrets on to China.
Lieber denied his involvement during inquiries from U.S. authorities, including the National Institutes of Health, which had provided him with millions of dollars in research funding, prosecutors said.
Lieber also concealed his income from the Chinese program, including $50,000 a month from the Wuhan University of Technology, up to $158,000 in living expenses and more than $1.5 million in grants, according to prosecutors.
In exchange, they said, Lieber agreed to publish articles, organize international conferences and apply for patents on behalf of the Chinese university.
The case is among the highest profile to come from the U.S. Department of Justices China Initiative.
The effort, launched in 2018 to curb economic espionage from China, has faced criticism that it harms academic research and amounts to racial profiling of Chinese researchers.
Hundreds of faculty members at Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Princeton, Temple and other prominent colleges have signed letters to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland calling on him to end the initiative.
The academics say the effort compromises the nations competitiveness in research and technology and has had a chilling effect on recruiting foreign scholars. The letters also complain the investigations have disproportionally targeted researchers of Chinese origin.
Lieber has been on paid administrative leave from Harvard since being arrested in January 2020.
DENVER (AP) Wildlife officials have confirmed that a domestic calf found dead in northern Colorado was killed by a wolf or wolves, marking the first wolf-related livestock fatality in the state in decades.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said Tuesday they performed a necropsy after receiving a report of a calf carcass on a ranch in North Park on Sunday.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) Demand for COVID-19 testing remained high Wednesday, with many sites reporting long lines as positive cases in Connecticut continue to climb and families prepare to gather for Christmas.
Mark Kidd, director of Wren Laboratories and one of two scientists that helped develop a saliva test that's now being offered at two locations in New Haven, said demand has exploded for COVID-19 testing and staff at his lab have been working 12-hour shifts to make sure people get timely results.
For us, the most important gift we think that you can give anyone right now is the gift of a negative test, Kidd said Wednesday, during a news conference held at a testing site at Long Wharf on Sargent Drive that opened Monday. New Haven officials also opened a second saliva testing site on the New Haven Green, in addition to other existing testing locations in the city.
New state data released Wednesday show there have been more than 3,600 new positive cases reported since Tuesday. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 925.3, an increase of 59%, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins.
Officials from the city of Bridgeport on Wednesday urged residents to get a free test at the North Branch Library and not wait in long lines at other locations.
In Waterford, for example, a weekly drive-thru testing site at the local library on Wednesday had to turn people away because the line had gotten too long and became a traffic hazard, The Day of New London reported.
Stephen Mansfield, director of the Ledge Light Health District in eastern Connecticut, told The Day that turning people away has not been uncommon and unfortunately it will likely be common in the future.
Its not a matter of resources in terms of test kits, its just that the demand for testing has gone up exponentially in the past few weeks, he said.
Meanwhile, Yale New Haven Health announced Wednesday that all visitors planning to see admitted patients will have to show proof they've been fully vaccinated or a negative PCR test. The change to the visitation policy, which takes effect on Thursday at 8 a.m., stems from the increased number of COVID-19 cases.
Patients will also be allowed only one visitor per day and that visitor must be 18 years or older.
Nuvance Health, which operates hospitals in Danbury, Sharon, New Milford and Norwalk, also plans to impose new restrictions on visitations, beginning Thursday. Visitation hours for inpatients will be restricted to a maximum of four hours and limited to one support person per day for patients not suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19.
LONDON - A British judge on Tuesday shed light on the lavish lifestyle of Dubai's ruling family by awarding a record-breaking settlement worth in excess of $720 million to a princess in her custody battle with the ruler of the emirate.
The settlement concludes a long-running and acrimonious case that has played out in British courts between Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, 47, daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, and her ex-husband, multibillionaire Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
During the trial, the court heard details of the immense luxury in which the princess lived before she fled Dubai with her two children, Zayed, 9, and Jalila, 14.
But the case also exposed a dark side to the glittering image of the Dubai royal family, including Mohammed's abusive behavior toward his wife and children, which prompted Haya to file for divorce and flee to Britain in 2019, saying that she feared for their lives.
The judge agreed that she faced genuine risks and awarded the bulk of the settlement toward providing potentially a lifetime of security for the princess and her children, including armored cars, cyber-protection, cameras and ballistic safeguards and bodyguards.
In October, a court ruled that Mohammed had used Israeli company NSO Group's Pegasus spyware to hack the phones of Haya, along with those of the closest members of her inner circle.
Alastair Grant/AP
The court also heard evidence that Mohammed had abducted and brought back to Dubai two of his daughters, Princesses Latifa and Shamsa. Mohammed allegedly sought to buy a property neighboring one of Haya's homes and issued threats to her life, including a text message that said, "We can find you anywhere."
Justice Philip Moor, the High Court judge who presided over the case, said in his statement detailing the award that there is no question that Haya and her children face an ongoing threat to their safety from her former husband. "The main threat they face is from [Mohammed], not from outside sources," he said.
Mohammed, who did not attend any of the hearings, has denied all the charges through his lawyer. In a statement on Monday, a spokesman for the sheikh did not contest the amount. He said that Mohammed had "always ensured that his children are provided for" and requested that the media respect their privacy.
In total, the award comprises a lump sum of $333 million to cover living costs as well as annual payments for the children's education and security, to be secured with a guarantee of $385 million. Because it is unclear how long the annual payments will last, it is difficult to put a final total on the amount, but lawyers say it ranks as the largest single divorce payout in in British legal history.
In justifying the amounts, Moor cited the need to preserve the "truly opulent and unprecedented standard of living enjoyed by these parties."
In addition to security, the amounts are intended to cover the costs of the upkeep of Haya's two homes, near Kensington Palace in London and in the suburban town of Egham in Surrey, as well as vacations, clothes, horses and salaries for staff. The costs were diligently itemized - $500,000 for food during vacations; $368,000 to maintain three horses and other pets for the children; $51,000 to replace two Somersault Sunken trampolines they had owned at their palace in Dubai.
Haya had originally sought in excess of $1.1 billion, but the judge reduced many of her claims. A request for $42 million to replace the haute couture wardrobe she was forced to leave behind in Dubai was cut to $1.3 million because, the judge said, he was unable to put a price on the items of clothing he was shown in a video.
A request for $26 million worth of jewelry was reduced to $18 million. A budget for the costs of hiring private planes for vacations was cut from $2.3 million to $1.3 million. Moor said he did not believe children should go on vacation too often, especially when they have school examinations coming up.
Among the requests the judge threw out was the cost of a car collection for Haya's son because, he noted, it wasn't necessary for a 9-year-old to own cars.
It was, however, important, he said, that the children "should be able to have a lifestyle that is not entirely out of kilter with that enjoyed by them in Dubai."
But Moor allowed the cost of a $1.9 million renovation to Haya's kitchen in London, including a pizza oven. "I remind myself that money was no object during the marriage," he said, by way of explanation.
While living in Dubai, Haya, who was Mohammed's sixth and youngest wife, received an annual budget of more than $100 million to run her household, and her children were given allowances in excess of $10 million a year each, the court had been told.
She would routinely spend vast amounts on vacations, including the hiring of private yachts and travel by helicopter. The hotel bill for one vacation in Italy came to more than $800,000, the judge noted. He awarded her $6.7 million to spend on vacations.
Her lawyer, Nicholas Cusworth, told reporters that Haya was not, "in the context of this case, wealthy." She had been forced to sell jewelry and racehorses worth $20 million while waiting for the settlement, and he said her legal fees had amounted to more than $90 million.
Mohammed's lawyer Nigel Dyer described some of Haya's claims as "absurd" and said she was seeking to enrich herself in the guise of providing for her children. He cited an allegation, which was not mentioned by the judge in his ruling, that Haya had an affair with a bodyguard and paid more than $8 million to blackmailers to stop them from revealing the liaison.
Moor ruled that the fabulous wealth enjoyed by the princess and her children before the divorce "takes this case entirely out of the ordinary."
"It will be quite impossible to replicate, pound for pound, the standard of living enjoyed before their parents separated," he said.
SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday demanded life sentences for four suspects in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, saying they caused deep and irreversible suffering to relatives of the 298 people killed.
Prosecutors said the four recklessly used a Russian missile to bring down the passenger jet, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
Public prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks made the sentence demand on the third day of a presentation of evidence supporting the indictment. The suspects are being tried in absentia.
The downing of MH17 with a Buk missile brutally ended the lives of all 298 people on board. Incredibly deep and irreversible suffering has been caused to the next of kin, Ridderbeks told the court.
Anton Kotte, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and his 6-year-old grandson when MH17 was shot down, said the sentence demand felt like a new start, but he added that with prosecution arguments and the deliberation of judges still to come, and the possibility for appeals, justice still felt a long way off.
We just started coming in the right direction ... but the outcome will be in the future," he said outside court.
Life sentences are rare in the Netherlands, where the sentence means the convicted person spending the rest of their life in prison.
But Ridderbeks said it was a necessary in the MH17 downing because of the extreme nature of the crime and to act as a deterrent.
It must send an unequivocal international message that aviation deserves the greatest possible protection and that gross acts of violence against it will be punished severely, she said.
Prosecutors accuse Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Igor Pulatov as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, who were separatist rebels fighting Ukrainian government forces in 2014, of forming a team that aimed to bring down Ukrainian planes using a missile system trucked in from a Russian military base.
Prosecutor Thijs Berger told judges earlier Wednesday that it's legally irrelevant that the suspects wanted to shoot down military and not civilian aircraft.
Legally speaking they were ordinary citizens, they were not allowed to commit any violence, he said.
The trial is being held in the Netherlands at a high security courtroom near Schiphol Airport because nearly 200 of those on board were Dutch citizens. Victims came from a total of 16 different nations.
Wednesdays sentence demands came amid soaring tensions between Moscow and the West over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has drawn fears of an invasion. Russia has denied plans to attack its neighbor.
Defense lawyers for Pulatov, who is the only suspect who is represented in court, will make their presentation to judges in March. Verdicts aren't expected until September next year at the earliest.
Prosecutors had spent the previous two days explaining in meticulous detail the indictment and evidence backing it up to the panel of judges.
Prosecutors plotted in detail the route they say the Buk missile took to and from the launch site in an agricultural field near the village of Pervomaiskyi, using witnesses, social media posts, photos and video and intercepted phone calls and mobile phone location data.
They also discussed the forensic evidence gathered from the wreckage and bodies of victims that were recovered from eastern Ukraine and returned to the Netherlands for examination. Earlier in the trial, judges visited a hangar on a Dutch military airbase where the wreckage is stored to view the mangled fragments.
The prosecutors concluded that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile belonging to the Russian 53rd Anti Aircraft Missile Bridade that was driven to the launch location by orders of and under guidance of the suspects.
The prosecutors also cited tapped conversations between Dubinski and Kharchenko discussing shooting down what they initially thought was a Ukrainian war plane.
Prosecutors argue that Girkin and Dubinskiy were senior separatist rebels while Pulatov and Kharchenko were their direct subordinates.
Together they are responsible for the deployment of the Buk telar used to shoot down flight MH17, prosecutors said in a written summary of their arguments.
BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union on Wednesday launched legal action against Poland over recent decisions by one of the countrys top courts which have raised troubling questions about the 27-nation blocs legal order.
In October, Polands constitutional court ruled that Polish laws have supremacy over those of the EU in areas where they conflict. When countries join the EU, as Poland did in 2004, they must bring their laws into line with the blocs regulations. The European Court of Justice is the supreme arbiter of those rules.
In launching its legal action, the EUs executive branch, the European Commission, said that it sees two constitutional tribunal decisions this year as expressly challenging the primacy of EU law. The commission also raised doubts about the courts legitimacy.
Announcing the move, Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the rulings are in breach of the general principles of autonomy, primacy, effectiveness and uniform application of Union law and the binding effect of rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Gentiloni said the commission, which proposes EU laws and supervises the way they are applied, considers that the Polish court no longer meets the requirements of an independent and impartial tribunal established by law as required by the (EU) treaty.
The European Union is a community of values and of law and the rights of Europeans under the treaties must be protected, no matter where they live in the union, he told reporters.
The legal action is just the latest in a series of confrontations between Brussels and the right-wing government in Warsaw over the state of the countrys justice system, rule of law standards and media freedoms.
Earlier this year, the commission sought fines to force Warsaw to improve the way the Supreme Court works and suspend new laws said to endanger judicial independence. The ECJ ordered Poland to pay $1.2 million a day to prevent serious and irreparable harm to EU legal order and values.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki rejected the commission's objections, and notably that Brussels would question the constitutional courts independence.
Morawiecki said the court "not only fulfils all independence criteria, but it is a Constitutional Tribunal that stands guard of the constitution and ensures that it remains the highest law of the Republic of Poland, according to Polish news agency PAP.
Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said the step would help transform the EU into a federal state in which nation states have less sovereignty, something Poland's ruling party strongly opposes.
The logic of todays position of the European Commission is obvious. It is about incapacitating the Polish state and Polish democracy, Ziobro said.
Still, critics of Polands government hope the ruling can be effective in halting the erosion of democratic norms. Aside from seeking to impose political control over the courts, in part by suspending judges, Poland's right-wing ruling party is also seeking to silence an independent television broadcaster.
The first step of the legal action involves the commission sending a letter of formal notice requesting a reaction and information from Poland. Warsaw is required to reply in detail within two months. Countries that fail to comply with EU court rulings can face hefty fines and possibly a loss of voting rights.
John Morijn, a law professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, welcomed the commission action.
He told The Associated Press that it clarifies that Poland's constitutional court, which has become now a political body, threatens some basic EU principles. He said it means the tribunal should no longer be considered a real court and that Polish citizens right to a fair trial is under threat.
Michal Wawrykiewicz, a lawyer with Free Courts, a Polish initiative working to preserve judicial independence, said the move was extremely important.
While it did not come as a surprise, he said, it would block the effectiveness" of the constitutional court's actions and be an excellent instrument that lower Polish courts could use to ignore its rulings.
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Vanessa Gera reported from Warsaw.
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) A federal courthouse in Wheeling, West Virginia, is being renamed after a longtime judge.
Republican Congressman David McKinley said President Joe Biden signed a bill that McKinley introduced naming the courthouse for retired U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp Jr.
Judge Stamp is renowned for his humility, commitment to service above self and is a respected jurist who represents the very best of West Virginia, McKinley said in a statement. It is an exceptionally proud day for the Wheeling community and our state to see the Federal Courthouse where he has served for many years, named in his honor as the Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse."
Stamp is a lifelong Wheeling resident. He was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the state's northern district by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Stamp moved to senior status in 2006.
McLEAN, Va. (AP) Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Robb and his wife, Lynda, were hospitalized Wednesday after a fire destroyed their northern Virginia home.
Fire officials said the injuries were not life-threatening.
Robb's family confirmed in a statement issued through Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam that their parents were taken to the hospital by ambulance and they were the only two in the home at the time of the fire.
"Our entire family is deeply grateful to the firefighters for their rapid response and the medical professionals who are taking care of them, the Robbs' three daughters said in a joint statement. We have what is most important to us our mom and dad.
Fire and rescue officials reported they responded to the home in McLean early Wednesday morning. Crews from neighboring Arlington County and Montgomery County, Maryland, also responded. Photos show flames consuming the home.
Robb served as governor in Virginia from 1982 to 1986 and two terms in the U.S. Senate, winning election in 1988 and 1994. Lynda Robb is the daughter of former President Lyndon Johnson.
Northam tweeted that he and his wife, Pam, were saddened to hear of the fire at the Robbs' home.
Our thoughts are with Chuck and Lynda as they recover from this tragedy, he said.
The stretch of Chain Bridge Road where the Robbs reside is a few miles outside the nation's capital and home to a number of wealthy political figures and diplomats.
Tax records show the home has a value of $5.5 million, with an adjacent parcel of land owned by the Robbs valued at $3.4 million.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) A Florida man has been charged with punching a teenage girl in the face after she cut him off in traffic, according to court records released Tuesday.
Stephen Irvin Saunders, 47, was charged with felony burglary of conveyance with assault or battery for reaching in the 16-year-old girl's car and punching her in the jaw during the road rage incident last week in Tampa, authorities said.
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) Florida authorities said they found cocaine and methamphetamine wrapped around a man's penis during a traffic stop, but the man denied the drugs were his.
Pinellas County sheriff's deputies said they stopped a vehicle driving without its lights on at 4 a.m. last Saturday. WFLA-TV reports the driver was arrested on charges of DUI and marijuana possession.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) Prosecutors have charged a former Fitchburg City Council candidate in connection with the July death of Wisconsin Public Media Director Gene Purcell.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported 31-year-old Shawnicia Youmas was charged Tuesday with homicide by negligent driving, a felony.
According to a criminal complaint, Youmas vehicle collided with Purcells motorcycle near the Wisconsin Public Broadcasting building in Madison on the afternoon of July 27. Data from the air bag control module in her car showed she was traveling nearly 65 mph 1.5 seconds before the collision. The speed limit in the area was 30 mph.
Youmas estimated she was traveling 35 to 40 mph behind Purcell. According to the complaint, she said Purcell was swerving ahead of her and appeared confused. She said he cut in front of her, although she added she may have tried to pass him before the crash.
Traffic cameras showed Purcell traveling in a normal fashion, although the footage didn't capture the crash itself.
Purcell was a longtime figure in public broadcasting in Wisconsin. In 2018 he became director of Wisconsin Public Media, which operates Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television.
Youmas won a three-way primary in February for a seat on the Fitchburg council but dropped out of the race because she planned to move. Former Mayor Jay Allen was ultimately elected to the seat on April 6.
Youmas is due to make her initial court appearnace on Jan. 6. Online court records didn't list an attorney for her.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) Foxconn Technology Group has qualified for nearly $30 million in Wisconsin tax credits, marking the first time the electronics giant has secured state aid since breaking ground on its facility in the state in 2018.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation on Wednesday verified that Foxconn had met job creation and investment benchmarks to qualify, based on documents provided to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Foxconn created 579 eligible jobs and made a capital investment of $266 million at the Racine County facility last year, which qualifies the company for $2.2 million in job credits and $26.6 million in capital investment credits, the State Journal reported.
WEDC has determined that Foxconn created sufficient jobs and invested sufficient capital expenditures to qualify for tax credits under its amended contract, WEDC secretary Missy Hughes said in a statement.
Foxconn, best known for making Apple iPhones, failed to qualify for state funds during the first two years of its previous contract. Ultimately, Wisconsin and the Taiwan-based company reached a new agreement for the project after state officials told Foxconn it would not be eligible for any state credits under the previous contract. Foxconn was eligible for just over $29 million in performance-based tax credits for 2020 under the new contract.
Foxconn reported on June 30 that by the end of 2020, it had created 970 total jobs at the Mount Pleasant facility. WEDC verified that 579 of those jobs were eligible, which was well above the minimum requirement of 481 jobs and nearly reached the target goal of 601 jobs.
Under the new six-year contract, Foxconn could receive up to $80 million in state tax funds as long as it creates at least 1,454 jobs and makes a capital investment of at least $672 million by 2026.
Foxconns original contract, signed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2017, promised the company $3 billion in state subsidies if it made a $10 billion investment and hired 13,000 employees over a 15-year period. Other state and local incentives, including $150 million in sales tax breaks that the company still could receive, brought the total to about $4 billion.
Under the companys new agreement with the state, which is similar to other performance-based incentive packages provided to companies, Foxconn could earn tax incentives without specific requirements on what the company produces as long as it meets hiring and capital investment targets. The contract also memorializes the potential for future investment and added tax incentives from the state.
State officials said earlier this year that the project in Mount Pleasant had already cost the state more than $200 million in state and local road improvements, sales and use tax exemptions, grants to local governments, and for worker training and employment.
As the dogs saved from Michael Vick's fighting ring went on to live as family pets or at sanctuaries, their everyday lives became a testament to the power of rehabilitation. For years, leaders in animal welfare have praised how these dogs, once viewed as damaged beyond repair, changed the perception of animals seized from dire circumstances. As the 2007 rescue slipped further into the past and the dogs reached old age, their human advocates and adopters knew there would soon be a time in which these dogs lived on only through the change they helped spark.
Frodo, the last dog remaining from this group, died Saturday, the Oakland-based organization BADRAP announced, adding that Jonny Justice, another dog saved from Vick, died just two days earlier. As this dogfighting case became a national story because of Vick's fame as an NFL quarterback, BADRAP became an early voice advocating for the dogs when others believed they should be killed.
"If they put them all down, it will just seal the deal and everyone will believe that they deserved it and that's what was supposed to happen," Donna Reynolds, the executive director of BADRAP, said in 2019, noting her organization's past success working with dogs from fighting situations. "It became kind of this urgent sense of, 'Oh my God. This is a case that we really need to get in there if at all possible.' But how to get in there was the tricky part."
Ultimately, 47 dogs rescued from Vick's property in Virginia landed with various organizations around the country. Another dog, Rose, had to be euthanized for medical reasons before the dogs were officially allocated to rescue groups. The 22 dogs considered the most challenging cases went to Best Friends Animal Society, which has a sprawling sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. BADRAP took 10 dogs, and the rest headed to other organizations in smaller groups.
As the dogs began their new lives, some families kept the high-profile background of their pets private, while others used their stories as a platform to advocate for pit bulls and dogs saved from fighting situations. The dogs' lives diverged, with some still affected by the emotional trauma they endured and others experiencing no lasting damage.
Frodo, a black pit bull with long ears, was adopted by Kim Ramirez and lived in California. He found his new home in the fall of 2007 and was one of the younger dogs rescued from Vick's property.
"When I got Frodo, the world was a scary place," Ramirez said in an interview two years ago, describing her dog as initially "very, very shut down."
Early on, Frodo had nightmares, and he'd let out cries. Ramirez would get up from bed to console him. She either left the TV on a music channel or kept a fan running to create white noise to drown out any sounds from outdoors overnight.
"I've had to somewhat rearrange my life in a way for Frodo," Ramirez said then. "And he's worth it, believe me."
Ramirez worked with Frodo so that he would become more familiar with everyday objects, and eventually, he became comfortable inside his house and yard, even though the outside world still sparked some fear.
Frodo lived to be an estimated 15 years old, and BADRAP's social media announcement about his death said: "THIS is the important part - the last 14 years of his life were spent being pampered like a prince with the Ramirez family and dogs. Sweet Frodo - How we loved him. He was one of the bravest survivors we've ever met."
In Frodo's final moments, he ate steak while surrounded by his family members.
The rescue groups wanted these dogs to be seen as individuals during the evaluation process, and their lives after showcased their uniqueness.
Audie participated in agility competitions. Ginger enjoyed exploring natural places, and adopter Stacy Dubuc, a Green Bay Packers fan, took a road trip with Ginger from California to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., to visit the brick that honors Ginger. Handsome Dan lives on through the rescue organization that bears his name. Harriet lived most of her life on a farm in Maryland. Jonny Justice loved children and spent time with kids through a literacy program. Collectively, leaders in animal welfare believe the rehabilitation of these dogs, sometimes referred to as the Vicktory dogs, prompted policy change and led others seized from fight busts to be given a chance to live.
"After an astonishing legacy, from coast to coast, from warm homes to state capitals, these beloved dogs have been the living embodiment of resiliency," Best Friends wrote in a social media post Monday. "Their courage proved that there's no such thing as 'too damaged' or 'beyond hope.'"
John Garcia, who at the time of the Vick case co-managed Best Friends' area devoted to dogs, was closely involved with this rehabilitation effort. On a summer day in 2019, he shared vivid memories of some of the dogs - Cherry, Bonita, Ellen, Lucas - and when he imagined how they would be remembered after all of them had died, he said: "They've gone through so much and they've changed so much. They'll never be forgotten."
Garcia, standing in the run of two of the Vicktory dogs, paused briefly to acknowledge the barks coming from Mya, who lived at Best Friends until she died in 2019, and then said, "I think the legacy of these guys is going to be forever."
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill Wednesday imposing criminal penalties on doctors who fail to give medical care in the extremely rare circumstance when a baby is born alive following an abortion attempt.
The Republican governor signed the measure over the objections of abortion rights groups, which strenuously objected to provisions that they say could lead to two clinics in southwest Ohio shutting down.
DeWine signed the bill on the same day he received it from the Republican-controlled Legislature. Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik called the bill courageous and compassionate.
The measure further requires physicians to report cases of babies born alive after abortion procedures. The legislation also bars clinics that provide abortions from working with doctors who teach at state-funded hospitals and medical schools which is the part that threatens clinics in southwest Ohio.
Both Womens Med in Dayton and Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio in suburban Cincinnati operate under state variances that include partnerships with several doctors. Womens Med's doctors are known to have ties to Wright State University's medical school and Planned Parenthood's statements suggest its doctors may have such ties, as well.
Planned Parenthood has described the law as another in a series of TRAP laws, or targeted restrictions on abortion providers, aimed to eventually make abortion unavailable inside state borders. The procedure remains constitutionally protected for now.
It was sponsored by Republican state Sens. Terry Johnson, a retired doctor, and Steve Huffman, a practicing physician.
Huffman has called the bill another step in our continued commitment to uphold the sanctity of human life. Ohio Right to Life, the states oldest and largest anti-abortion group, calls the new law anti-infanticide.
Ohio law already punishes doctors who dont take efforts to save the lives of babies born alive after abortions. It expands Ohio law by including a new crime of purposely failing to take measures to preserve the health or life of a child.
In cases of procedures in abortion clinics, doctors must provide care to a baby born alive, call 911 and arrange transportation to a hospital, under the law.
Instances of babies being born alive after an induced pregnancy termination are extremely rare.
A review by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of infant mortality data from 2003 and 2014 showed 143 deaths were of infants that displayed signs of life after an induced termination. That was a tiny fraction of the 315,000 infant deaths during those 12 years, a period that also included 49 million live births.
In a majority of those cases, the abortion was induced due to a maternal complication or congenital anomaly in the fetus.
ATLANTA (AP) Gov. Brian Kemp is supporting a plan to add Juneteenth as a mandatory 13th holiday for Georgia state employees.
Georgia law now mandates the observance of the 10 federal holidays set in 1984, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed. But a new federal law signed by President Joe Biden added Juneteenth as an 11th federal holiday, marking the 1865 date that some enslaved Black people in Texas became among the last in Confederacy to learn that Abraham Lincoln had ordered them freed through 1863's Emancipation Proclamation.
The legislation that was prefiled is in keeping with the states traditional protocol last updated in 1984 with the addition of MLK holiday to recognize all federal holidays, said Katie Byrd, a spokesperson for Kemp.
State Rep. Lauren McDonald III, a Cumming Republican, introduced a bill Monday that would mandate Georgia observe all federal holidays including Juneteenth, adding the 13th paid day off. McDonald, a Kemp floor leader, told The Associated Press on Tuesday the governor asked him to put the measure forward in the House. Lawmakers are likely to consider it after they convene in January.
Kemp already has the power to shift the observance of two unnamed state holidays. Those days used to specifically commemorate Confederate Memorial Day on April 26 and Robert E. Lees birthday on Jan 19. In 2015, after Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people during a bible study at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, then-Gov. Nathan Deal stopped designating Lees Birthday and Confederate Memorial Day as holidays.
This year, what is now the unnamed Jan. 19 state holiday was taken on the Friday after Thanksgiving, while the unnamed April 26 state holiday was observed on Good Friday before Easter.
Kemp is overdue in designating what days will be observed in 2022, an apparent consequence of deciding what to do about Juneteenth. He fixed the 2021 holidays in an a memo on Aug. 17, 2020 and fixed the 2020 holidays in a July 15, 2019 memo. But 2022's holidays, including Juneteenth, weren't posted until Wednesday.
Although some federal agencies closed in June days after the Juneteenth bill was signed, Georgia state government remained open. Kemp signed a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth, but that didn't make it a holiday.
House Bill 444 was introduced last year in the state House by Rep. Miriam Paris of Macon and other Democrats to mandate that Juneteenth be a state holiday, but saw no action. It was the third time Paris had introduced the bill.
Paris said the holiday marks the liberation of both those who were enslaved and those who were oppressing the slaves.
Juneteenth is a day for all Americans, Paris said Tuesday. The end of slavery is something that everyone should be happy and jubilant over.
The Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union had called for Kemp to drop the Columbus Day holiday on Oct. 11 and instead designate Juneteenth, saying Columbus Day commemorates the shameful dispossession and killing of the native peoples of the Americas.
So far, at least 11 states have designated Juneteenth as an official paid state holiday Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington. All but Texas, where the events of the original Juneteenth took place, acted after the killing of George Floyd last year.
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Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
HONOLULU (AP) A hearings officer expects to issue a recommendation early next week on whether the Navy has to comply with Hawaiis order to empty fuel from a massive storage tank facility blamed for contaminating Pearl Harbor drinking water.
The Navy is contesting an order by the state Department of Health to suspend the facility's operations and empty the underground tanks after tests in recent weeks detected petroleum in the Navy's tap water system.
Hearings officer David Day listened to hours of testimony and arguments into Monday night as the Navy tried to convince him that the emergency order isn't necessary while the state, along with Sierra Club of Hawaii and Honolulu's water utility, argued the tanks pose an imminent peril.
Some families in military housing said the water caused ailments such as vomiting and rashes.
The Red Hill storage facility houses 20 giant fuel tanks that were built near Pearl Harbor in the early 1940s. It supplies fuel to all branches of the military in Hawaii and has been the site of a series of leaks in recent years. The tanks sit 100 feet (30 meters) above an aquifer that normally supplies one-quarter of urban Honolulus water.
The Navy said officials believe a spill of jet fuel on Nov. 20 contaminated the tap water. The spill occurred inside an access tunnel containing fire suppression and service lines at the fuel storage facility. Officials said they dont believe a leak from the tanks themselves tainted the water.
Craig Jensen, an attorney representing the Navy, said in his closing statement Tuesday that the Navy already suspended operations until an investigation is complete.
Forever suspension is not appropriate," he said, adding that the Navy is analyzing whether it's necessary to de-fuel the tanks.
He apologized to the people of Oahu for the contamination.
He said the Navy has taken steps to mitigate the problem. No one is at actual risk of harm today, and there is no justification for any provision of this order, Jensen said.
Earthjustice attorney David Henkin said this is a power struggle between the Navy and the Health Department. Henkin said his client, the Sierra Club, intervened in the case because they're concerned Hawaii won't stick to its guns in implementing the order.
The Navy wants to be the one to decide on de-fueling the tanks, but if the Health Department requires it, the Navy will fight it to the death, Henkin said.
Jacksonville, Fla. (AP) For nearly 10 years, Joseph Moore lived a secret double life.
At times the U.S. Army veteran donned a white robe and hood as a hit man for the Ku Klux Klan. He attended clandestine meetings and participated in cross burnings. He even helped plan the murder of a Black man.
However, Moore wore something else during his years in the klan a wire for the FBI. He recorded his conversations with his fellow klansmen, and shared what he learned with federal agents trying to crack down on white supremacists in Florida law enforcement.
One minor mistake, one tell, he believed, meant a certain, violent death.
I had to realize that this man would shoot me in the face in a heartbeat, Moore said in a deep, slow drawl, remembering a particularly scary meeting in 2015. But it was true of many of his days.
The married father of four helped the federal government foil at least two murder plots, according to court records. He was also an active informant when the FBI exposed klan members working as law enforcement officers in Florida at the city, county and state levels.
Today, he and his family live under new names. Apart from testifying in court, the 50-year-old has never discussed his undercover work in the KKK publicly. But he reached out to a reporter after The Associated Press published a series of stories about white supremacists working in Floridas prisons that were based, in part, on records and recordings detailing his work with the FBI.
The FBI wanted me to gather as much information about these individuals and confirm their identities, Moore said of law enforcement officers who were involved with the klan.
From where I sat ... it is more prevalent and consequential than any of them are willing to admit.
The FBI first asked Moore to infiltrate a klan group in rural north Florida in 2007.
Moore said he came across dozens of police officers, prison guards, sheriff deputies and other law enforcement officers who were involved with the klan and outlaw motorcycle clubs.
He alerted the feds to a plot to murder a Hispanic truck driver, he said. Then he pointed the FBI toward a deputy with the Alachua County Sheriffs Office who was a member of the same group. The FBI also identified a member of the klan cell working for the Fruitland Park, Florida, police department.
His years as an informant occurred during a critical time for the nations domestic terrorism efforts. In 2006, the FBI had circulated an intelligence assessment about the klan and other groups trying to infiltrate law enforcement ranks. The assessment said some in law enforcement were volunteering professional resources to white supremacist causes with which they sympathize.
The FBI did not answer a series of questions sent by the AP about Moores work.
Moore said he joined the klan only after the government approached him. As a U.S. Army-trained sniper, he said he felt that if his country asked him to protect the public from domestic terrorists, he had a duty .
Moore said he never shared the klan's racist views and never used racial slurs while under cover. On FBI recordings reviewed by the AP, he was never heard using racial slurs like his former klan brothers.
But he also acknowledges that successful undercover work required him to change into a wholly different person.
I laid out a character that had been overseas. That had received medals in combat," Moore said. That had special operations experience more experience than I had. But someone that they would feel confident would be a useful asset to the organization at a much higher level.
It worked, and Moore was given high level access.
If youre not credible, if youre not engaged on all levels, you dont get to go home to your family, he said.
It also required Moore to lie to his wife. Eventually she became suspicious and he cracked. He told her and her parents what he was doing.
When the FBI discovered that his wife knew, they ended the relationship with the agency.
But in 2013, the agency was back, asking him to infiltrate a different Florida klan chapter.
Within a year of becoming naturalized, hed become a Grand Knight Hawk of the klavern based in rural north central Florida. He was in charge of security, and the go-to guy for violence.
It was at a cross-burning ceremony in December 2014 that Charles Newcomb, the Exalted Cyclops of the chapter, pulled him aside to discuss a scheme to kill a Black man. Warren Williams was a former inmate whod gotten into a fight with one of their klan brothers. The klansmen wanted Williams dead.
Moore alerted the FBI. He then recorded discussions of the murder plot that would lead to criminal convictions for three klansmen.
Moore said the three former prison guards implicated in the murder plot operated among a group of other officer-klan members at the Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler, Florida, a prison where new inmates are processed. He said the officers he knew were actively recruiting at the prison.
Floridas Department of Corrections disputes that.
Every day more than 18,000 correctional officers throughout the state work as public servants, committed to the safety of Floridas communities. They should not be defamed by the isolated actions of three individuals who committed abhorrent and illegal acts several years prior, the department said in an emailed statement.
Spokeswoman Michelle Glady has told AP the agency found no evidence of a wider membership by extremist white supremacist groups, or a systemic problem. She said every allegation of wrongdoing is investigated by the departments inspector general.
That statement by the state is not accurate, said Moore, who asserts he saw evidence of a more pervasive problem.
After Moore testified in that case, his FBI work ended because hed been publicly identified.
I was on track to uncover more activity in law enforcement, but the immediate threat to the public with the murder plot was a priority, Moore said.
He went public now because he does not want his work, and those of other confidential informants who put their lives on the line to help expose domestic extremists, to have been in vain.
He wants corrections and law enforcement leaders to root out white supremacists and other violent extremists.
If you want to know why people dont trust the police, its because they have a relative or friend that they witness being targeted by an extremist who happens to have a badge and a gun. And I know as a fact that this has occurred. I stopped a murder plot of law enforcement officers, said Moore.
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) Bosnian officials and religious leaders on Wednesday denounced suggestions voiced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his spokesman that the integration of Bosnia into the European Union will be challenging because of its large Muslim population.
Orbans spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has tweeted that the challenge with Bosnia is how to integrate a country with 2 million Muslims.
During his long speech on Tuesday in Budapest, right-wing populist Orban said Hungary supports Bosnias EU bid, adding that as an EU member, Hungary had to mobilize a lot of energy to overcome the enlargement fatigue that has taken hold of the European Union.
I am doing my best to convince Europes great leaders that the Balkans may be further away from them than from Hungary, but how we manage the security of a state in which 2 million Muslims live is a key issue for their security too.
Reaction in Bosnia was sharp, with some Bosniak parties asking for a ban on Orbans planned official visit to Sarajevo and the head of the Islamic community, Grand Mufti Husein Kavazovic, calling his statement xenophobic and racist.
If such ideologies become the basis on which the policies of a united Europe are based, then it takes us back to the times when the European unity was to be build on similar fascist, Nazi, violent and genocidal ideologies that led to the Holocaust and other horrific crimes, he said in a statement.
The Bosniak member of the countrys tripartite presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic, called Orbans statement shameful and rude.
It is not a challenge for the EU to integrate 2 million (Bosnian) Muslims, because we are an indigenous European people who have always lived here and we are Europeans, he said.
Bosnia, which is made up of Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, is going through its gravest political crisis since the end of the civil war in the 1990s. With tacit support from Russia and Serbia, Bosnian Serbs are threatening to form their own army, judiciary and tax authority, reviving fears of another bloody breakup of the Balkan country.
During his speech on Tuesday, Orban also said Hungary wouldn't support EU sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik as threatened by Germany and some other member states because of his separatist stands.
Sarajevo has lost its nerve, it is attacking everyone -- Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, now Hungary. Not to mention Russia, Dodik said Wednesday, referring to support he has allegedly received from those countries.
Orban has been known for his anti-migration policies, claiming Muslim migrants are the greatest threat to Europes Christian values. He has also been supporting quick accession of Serbia into the EU despite the increasingly autocratic policies of his ally, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
More than 100,000 people were killed and millions were left homeless during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia when Bosnian Serbs tried to create ethnically pure territories in order to join them with neighboring Serbia.
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Associated Press writers Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.
A New York man pleaded guilty Wednesday to storming the U.S. Capitol with fellow members of the far-right Proud Boys, a milestone in the Justice Department's prosecution of extremists who joined the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Matthew Greene is the first Proud Boys member to publicly plead guilty to conspiring with other members to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote. He will also cooperate with authorities under the terms of his plea agreement.
Greene was arrested in April after a grand jury indicted him in the same case as two other alleged Proud Boys, Dominic Pezzola and William Pepe. They have pleaded not guilty.
Greene traveled from Syracuse, New York, to Washington, D.C., with Pezzola and other Proud Boys on Jan. 5. Prosecutors allege Greene advanced past toppled police barricades and was at the front of a mob when police began using pepper spray and other crowd-control measures.. But prosecutors have said they don't have any evidence that Greene entered the Capitol building that day.
After the riot, (Greene) engaged in conversations (on) encrypted messaging platforms admitting to his role in the riot, encouraging others not to give up in a fight to take back their country, and comparing the situation as it existed in the weeks following January 6 to a fourth-generation war, prosecutors wrote in a June court filing.
More than three dozen people charged in the Capitol siege have been identified by federal authorities as Proud Boys leaders, members or associates, including at least 16 defendants charged with conspiracy. In a key case, four group leaders were charged in March with conspiring to impede Congress certification of President Joe Biden's electoral victory.
Greene is expected to face a maximum of just over four years in prison at a sentencing set for March, and pay a fine of $15,000 to $150,000, along with about $2,000 in restitution. He pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding.
Other extremist group members have been charged with conspiring to carry out a coordinated attack on the Capitol, including more than 20 people linked to the anti-government Oath Keepers.
Graydon Young, 55, of Englewood, Florida, was the first defendant to plead guilty in the Justice Department's major conspiracy case against Oath Keepers members. At least four others linked to the Oath Keepers also have pleaded guilty to riot-related charges.
Proud Boys members describe themselves as a politically incorrect mens club for Western chauvinists. Its members frequently have engaged in street fights with antifascist activists at rallies and protests. Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys in 2016, sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it as a hate group.
Police arrested the Proud Boys top leader, Enrique Tarrio, in Washington two days before the Capitol riot and charged him with vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church during a protest in December 2020. Tarrio, who is serving his jail sentence for that case in the District of Columbia, hasnt been charged in connection with the Capitol siege.
On the morning of Jan. 6, Proud Boys members met at the Washington Monument and marched to the Capitol before President Donald Trump finished addressing thousands of supporters near the White House.
Around two hours later, just before Congress convened a joint session to certify the election results, a group of Proud Boys followed a crowd of people who breached barriers at a pedestrian entrance to the Capitol grounds, according to one of the indictments. Several Proud Boys also entered the Capitol itself after the mob smashed windows and forced open doors, the indictment says.
Greene was wearing an earpiece connected to a handheld radio, according to prosecutors. They said the Proud Boys arranged for members to communicate using specific frequencies on Baofeng radios. The Chinese-made devices can be programmed for use on hundreds of frequencies, making them difficult for outsiders to eavesdrop.
In August, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered Greene held in pretrial detention.
Prosecutors said in June that Greene, who served in the Army National Guard, was willing to put lessons learned in that military service to use against the U.S. They noted that Greene had a pistol and an unregistered AR-15 rifle in his home and that he had ordered over 2,000 rounds of ammunition and a gas mask after Jan. 6.
He encouraged an associate to read up on guerrilla warfare and to use the tactics used by the Taliban and to be prepared to do uncomfortable things, prosecutors wrote.
Defense attorney Michael Kasmarek said in June that Greene, then 34, was a partner in a multimillion-dollar digital graphic design company. Greene had a very limited association with the Proud Boys before Jan. 6 and didnt have a leadership role in the group, Kasmarek said.
Greene has concluded that his personal beliefs and ethics do not align with those of the Proud Boys, and he is anxious to publicly disavow his brief membership in this group, his lawyer wrote.
More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 150 of them have pleaded guilty, including at least two other defendants with Proud Boys ties.
Andrew Bennett, a Maryland man whom prosecutors described as a Proud Boys admirer but not a group member, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense and was sentenced in October to three months of home detention.
Micajah Jackson, an Arizona man who also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, was photographed walking toward the Capitol on Jan. 6 with a group of Proud Boys. However, Jackson told the FBI that he isnt affiliated with the group and doesnt support its ideology.
TOKYO (AP) Japan on Wednesday confirmed its first known local transmissions of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus in Osaka, a sign it is already making its way in the country.
The family of three in Osaka had no record of traveling overseas and their infections could not be traced, Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said.
The three are the first known cases of community transmission of the highly infectious omicron variant in Japan, Yoshimura said. I believe they only happened to be detected and we must take steps on the assumption that there already are other cases of community transmission, he said.
Yoshimura said current restrictions on eateries in Osaka will remain in place, including a limit of four people per table for a maximum of two hours, to minimize risks during the yearend holiday season, when coronavirus infections surged last year.
More than 100 omicron cases have been identified in mainland Japan, but all involved people who tested positive upon entry at airports or those linked to them, government officials have said.
Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto, responding to the confirmation of the Osaka cases, said the government will do its utmost to prevent a further spread of the variant.
Concerns are also growing on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, where a large virus cluster has developed at a U.S. military base. Several Japanese employees at the base have tested positive for the omicron variant, raising suspicion they might be linked to the cluster on the base.
As of Wednesday, 215 Marines recently transferred from the U.S. to Camp Hansen on Okinawa have tested positive for the coronavirus, but it is not known if they are omicron cases, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
Hayashi said he urged the commander of U.S. Forces Japan, Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp, to conduct genomic analyses of the samples, step up anti-virus tests and other measures and prohibit troops from leaving the base to prevent the spread of the virus into the community.
Hayashi said the U.S. military has agreed to cooperate with Japan in testing cases for the omicron variant and share results with Japanese authorities.
Japan eased its border controls in November, but quickly reinstated a ban on most new foreign entrants after omicron was first identified in South Africa.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday that he plans to keep the border controls, among the world's most stringent, in place until more details about the omicron variant are known.
Kishida said Japan is also tightening quarantine rules for those who come in close contact with omicron patients, requiring 14 days of isolation at designated facilities instead of the previous self-isolation at home.
He also announced plans to accelerate booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines, which started with medical workers in December.
TOKYO (AP) A government panel has retained Japan's male-only imperial succession system despite a sharply shrinking number of men in the royal family.
The panel submitted a report to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday proposing ways to ensure there are enough potential successors, such as adopting single men from some of the 11 now-defunct royal households as potential heirs, and allowing female royals to retain their status after marrying commoners.
Both options would require a revision of the 1947 Imperial House Law, which largely preserves pre-World War II values.
The panel did not address the issue of whether the continuation of the current male-only succession system is workable.
With the practice of royal concubines now abandoned, the size of the imperial family has declined to 17. Emperor Naruhito has only two possible successors his younger brother, Akishino, and his teenage son, Hisahito other than his 86-year-old uncle, Prince Hitachi.
His only child, Aiko, a daughter, is not eligible to inherit the throne. Under current law, she must leave the family if she marries a commoner, like her cousin Mako, who married her college sweetheart last month.
The report said it wasn't an appropriate time to discuss who would succeed Hisahito, who is still a teenager, NHK public television reported.
Kishida accepted the panel's recommendations and thanked it for its well-balanced discussion of an extremely important and difficult matter that involves the national foundation.
He said he will present the report to parliament for further consideration.
Discussion of imperial succession has continued for nearly 20 years.
Faced with a possible succession crisis in 2005, a panel of experts proposed that both male and female royals in the maternal line be allowed to ascend to the throne. But the suggestion met harsh opposition from conservatives.
The proposal was rejected by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative government the following year after the birth of Hisahito in September 2006 the first birth of a male royal in 40 years.
An Ohio man charged with killing eight people from a single family lost his attempt Wednesday to have the most serious charges and the possibility of a death penalty thrown out.
Lawyers for George Wagner IV told a judge that the aggravated murder charges should be dismissed after Wagner's brother, who pleaded guilty this year in the shootings, told authorities that his brother didn't kill anyone.
Pike County Judge Randy Deering denied the request.
George Wagner, his parents and his brother, Jake Wagner, were charged in the 2016 fatal shootings of the Rhoden family near Piketon in southern Ohio. Authorities say the shootings of seven adults and a teenage boy stemmed from a dispute over custody of a child Jake Wagner had with one of the victims.
George Wagner's attorney said Wednesday he should not face the possibility of the death penalty after Jake Wagner admitted to killing five of the victims as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that spared him from being sentenced to death.
Jake Wagner also gave a detailed statement to authorities about the killings and agreed to testify against the other members of his family.
John Parker, an attorney for George Wagner, said that Jake Wagner told prosecutors that his brother did not shoot any of the victims.
He did not pull the trigger once, Parker said.
Prosecutors opposed the move to dismiss the aggravated murder charges against George Wagner. Special prosecutor Angela Canepa said they don't know with certainty that George Wagner didn't shoot anybody.
George and Jake Wagner's mother, Angela Wagner, pleaded guilty in September to helping plan the slayings, and prosecutors said she gave them new information. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop aggravated murder charges against her.
Her plea deals also included an agreement to testify against George Wagner IV and his father, who has pleaded not guilty if those cases go to trial.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday proposed giving Kansas residents who filed state income tax returns last year a one-time rebate of $250, dropping the idea on a skeptical Republican-controlled Legislature as she faces a tough reelection race.
The governor had given no public hints that she was considering such a proposal, and she's already called for eliminating the state's high-for-the-U.S. sales tax on groceries. Her successful 2018 campaign for governor emphasized her opposition as a state senator to an earlier and nationally notorious experiment in slashing state income taxes under GOP Gov. Sam Brownback that was followed by persistent budget shortfalls.
But Kelly said Kansas can afford one-time rebates because the payments won't permanently reduce state revenues. The state budget is in dramatically better shape than it was before lawmakers repealed most of the Brownback-era tax cuts in 2017, with tax collections exceeding expectations for all but three months since then.
The governor's statement on the proposal touted her management of the state's finances and efforts to attract business development, which are likely to be prominent themes in her reelection campaign.
We can return money to taxpayers, Kelly said in her statement, adding that the significant savings for every family would be delivered by next summer just months before the November general election.
Kelly's plan would provide $250 to individual tax filers and $500 to married couples filing jointly. The rebates would go to 1.2 million Kansas residents, costing the state about $445 million. People would get the rebate even if they didn't owe taxes for the year, Kelly's office said.
The Legislature would have to approve the plan after convening Jan. 10 for its next annual session. GOP lawmakers are expected to have their own proposals for cutting income taxes permanently.
Republicans were immediately skeptical of Kelly's plan, both because of its timing and because the tax relief would not continue after next year. Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. said they prefer permanent tax cuts.
Republicans are confident that they can unseat Kelly next year, banking on frustration with Democratic President Joe Biden's policies energizing conservatives and causing other GOP-leaning voters to vote against Kelly. Masterson, an Andover Republican, said Kelly's latest plan show she had an election year revelation.
Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, said: Kansans are smart, they can see right through Laura Kellys attempt to throw $250 their way right before her election.
Republicans also were skeptical because Kelly has vetoed three GOP proposals to cut income taxes, each time suggesting that Republicans were fiscally irresponsible and trying to repeat the Brownback tax experiment. GOP lawmakers this year overrode Kelly's veto of individual and corporate income tax cuts worth roughly $95 million a year.
And Kelly has repeatedly called for caution amid monthly revenue surpluses. After tax collections exceeded expectations by 3.1% in November even after fiscal forecasters boosted their projections Kelly said, "While our state revenue numbers continue to be encouraging, maintaining fiscal responsibility is paramount moving forward.
While top Democratic lawmakers promised strong support, it wasn't immediately clear if Kelly's proposal had universal support among members of her party.
Jonathan Cole, a liberal Manhattan community activist, almost immediately tweeted that the proposal is horrible politics.
What a perfect opportunity to have Republicans attack you for buying votes, he said.
Meanwhile, eliminating the state's 6.5% sales tax on groceries has broad, bipartisan support. The proposal would cost the state roughly $450 million a year in revenues but Kansas' tax on groceries is the second only to Mississippi's among U.S. states. Only six states tax groceries at the same rate as other consumer goods, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators.
The presumed GOP nominee for governor next year, state Attorney General Derek Schmidt, called for reducing or eliminating the tax on groceries last month, a few days before Kelly formally unveiled the plan she'd been working on. Schmidt's campaign manager, C.J. Grover, accused Kelly on Wednesday of attempting an election-year makeover.
But Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said Kelly's proposal on income taxes will give Kansas families a leg up.
Her House counterpart, Rep. Tom Sawyer, of Wichita, said with the state's financially healthy, We need to make sure hard-working families benefit as soon as possible.
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Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
SALEM, Ore. (AP) Elections officials in Oregon are seeking more information to determine whether former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is eligible to run for governor.
Kristof announced his candidacy last October and on Monday officially filed paperwork to run as a Democrat.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that the Oregon Secretary of States office on Tuesday asked Kristof's campaign for information to determine whether Kristof meets candidate residency requirements.
Oregon state law says candidates for governor must be state residents for at least three years before elections.
A legal opinion by lawyers working for Kristof said he has always considered Oregon his home, even though his job required him to live around the world. Kristof said he wants to run for governor in the state where he grew up to address problems like rural poverty and drug addiction.
Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn who also was a New York Times reporter bought a 150-acre (61-hectare) property in the small city of Yamhill, about an hour's drive from Portland, in 1993.
In a letter to Kristof, Lydia Plukchi of the secretary of state's office said candidate eligibility is typically vetted by checking voter registration records but your Oregon voter registration has insufficient information.
She added: In addition, it has come to our attention that you voted in New York State as recently as 2020. Our office has reviewed the published legal memo concerning your residency in Oregon, but the memo does not address the effect of that vote on your Oregon residency.
Plukchi asked that Kristof to respond with any documentation or explanation in addition to your published legal memo to show he was an Oregon resident for three years prior to November 2022, when the general election for governor will be held.
Kristof's announcement that he would run for governor generated a lot of interest and he raised more than $1 million in less than a month.
Democrats have held the governor's office since 1987, and others in the party running for the state's high office include Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and state Treasurer Tobias Read.
Republicans seeking their partys nomination include state Rep. Christine Drazan, former Republican nominee Bud Pierce and Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam.
Former Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson is running as an independent.
A newly approved congressional map for California increases the number of majority-Latino districts in the state and creates more difficult terrain for Republican candidates.
The new map protects 41 Democratic-held seats with districts President Joe Biden would have won by double digits. Five of the 11 current Republican members are shifted into more Democratic territory, setting up California as a potential battleground ahead of a fierce clash for control of Congress. Democrats hold a razor-thin U.S. House majority, but Republicans have drawn maps in other states that give them an edge in the 2022 elections.
Latino citizens of voting age make up the majority in 16 districts, up from 13 in the current map, according to an analysis by Paul Mitchell, a redistricting expert who runs the California-based Redistricting Partners, which consults on map drawing. Latinos are 38% of California's population. If all of the 16 newly drawn seats were filled by Latinos, they would make up 30% of the California House delegation.
An independent citizens redistricting commission that drew California's map approved its final lines on Monday.
In a strong Democratic year in California, the current House delegation of 42 Democrats and 11 Republicans could lean as much as 47 to 5 under the new plan. It is the second to be created under the commission, which was approved by voters to take redistricting out of the hands of elected politicians. At least four seats are expected to be hard-fought toss-ups. Overall, the state will go from 53 seats to 52.
"On paper, the map here is great for Democrats," Mitchell said. "It's definitely ripe for a pickup of two seats, and helps the national map a little bit in balancing out the gains Republicans have had in states they could totally gerrymander."
An example of the potential benefits to Democrats is the new 22nd Congressional District, located in the state's expansive Central Valley. It is represented by Rep. David Valadao, a Republican who lost his seat in the 2018 Democratic midterm wave and won it back in 2020.
Valadao, who is one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, will face an even more Democratic electorate next year in a district Biden would have won by 13 percentage points and in which nearly 60 percent of potential voters are Latino. Valadao previously prevailed in a district Biden won by 11 percentage points.
Valadao lost some of his more Republican territory to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R, whose new 20th District juts into Valadao's current district like an outstretched arm.
"If Democrats are going to control Congress it's my prediction that will happen because a bunch of 18-year-old Latinos showed up to vote in the [Valadao's] district and flipped that seat," said Christian Arana, vice president of policy at the Latino Community Foundation.
The nation's most populous state ceded a seat because of census population statistics, which rewarded faster-growing states such as Texas, Florida and Colorado. But the one demographic that did rise in numbers since the last redistricting a decade ago was Latinos, particularly citizens of voting age.
The California commission's recognition of Latino growth stands in stark contrast with Texas's redistricting. More than 50 percent of its population boom came from Latinos, yet the GOP state legislature did not draw any new Latino-majority districts. The Justice Department is suing Texas under the Voting Rights Act, claiming Republicans intentionally minimized Latino voting strength to draw more majority-White districts.
California Latino advocacy groups and Democrats largely saw the new map as a win, given that the state's Latino voters have overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates.
"The Republican Party is overwhelmingly White, non-college-educated voters. When you have a legislature drawing maps like in Texas, you can get creative and maximize your position," said Mike Madrid, a California-based GOP consultant with expertise in Latino voting trends. "The long-term trajectory is competitive seats will go Democratic. The Republican Party's best hope is to build a wall around as many congressional districts as it can to stave off the inevitable."
In California, Republicans may hold the competitive seats in 2022, but by the end of the decade, "they will absolutely lose those seats," Madrid said.
Of California's 22 million registered voters, only 24% were Republican, according to the last state tally in August. Nearly 47% were Democrats, and another 23% were nonpartisan, a group that has traditionally sided largely with Democrats.
Looking beyond 2022, Mitchell said, Democrats will have opportunities to peel off more seats from Republicans such as Reps. Tom McClintock, who represents the exurbs of the Bay Area to which people fled during the coronavirus pandemic for larger homes and yards; Michelle Steel, whose Orange County district now dips into Los Angeles County; and Ken Calvert, whose district stretching from Los Angeles County to Palm Springs has increasingly robust Latino and LGBTQ communities.
Democrats took one hit in the new map. The loss of one congressional seat came at their expense in Los Angeles County, where population has sagged over the decade. The new map merged two Democratic districts now represented by Reps. Alan Lowenthal and Lucille Roybal-Allard.
Lowenthal announced last week that he would not seek reelection. Hours before the final map was approved Monday, Roybal-Allard also said she would retire. Both are 80 years old. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, an ally of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, is the highest-profile candidate so far for the merged seat.
Asian Americans, another diverse and growing demographic, successfully fought moves they saw as weakening their political influence. An original draft map sliced up Asian-majority cities in the West San Gabriel Valley, represented by Rep. Judy Chu, D, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress.
The proposal drew immediate backlash from the local Asian community, and the commission kept the cities together. In all, in a state with a 17% Asian population, the map contains six congressional districts where 30% or more of the citizens of voting age are Asian.
"In this moment, I feel relief. At least we're together," said Nancy Yap, executive director of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE). "We wanted to ensure our political voice was preserved. I appreciate that we've been heard."
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission, approved by voters ahead of 2011 redistricting, is considered a model for the kind of independent panels that civic groups say are needed to end partisan gerrymandering and bring greater transparency to a complicated process. With a state as large and diverse as California, the citizen commissioners had to weigh many competing interests and at times faced intense criticism.
"Democracy is a messy process, and the beauty of commissions is that it's all done live and open in a transparent way so everyone gets to see the messiness," said Sara Sadhwani, one of the 14 commissioners. "There are a lot of commentators on the sidelines that like to sneer and jeer at us, but I think we were successful."
One of the commission's most vocal critics, Steven Maviglio, a Sacramento-based Democratic consultant, lamented that under the voter-approved system, Democrats gave up too much power. If Democratic politicians drew the lines, "it would be the hardball politics that other states are playing and the creativity that goes with that is endless," he said, suggesting they could have drawn themselves more seats.
As Maviglio noted, most Republican-held states are drawing sharply partisan maps, while the largest Democratic state was leaving it to a citizen panel.
"California is a chump for taking this on so early," he said.
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The Washington Post's Adrian Blanco contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - The staffer at Watkins Elementary School in Washington D.C. who directed third-graders to reenact scenes from the Holocaust on Friday was convicted of two crimes in New Jersey. The staffer is librarian Kimberlynn Jurkowski, according to the parents of two children instructed to pretend like they were digging mass graves and dying in gas chambers.
Jurkowski forfeited a job as a school librarian in Hamilton Township, N.J., after a jury convicted her of fraud in 2013. Prosecutors said the city paid for Jurkowski to provide tutoring for her children but that she continued billing the district for nearly $24,000 for months after the tutoring had ended.
She was also arraigned on animal cruelty charges in 2019 after she left one of her Rottweilers outdoors in freezing winter temperatures, according to The Press of Atlantic City. The dog died. Police had responded to several complaints of animal cruelty at the home.
Jurkowski did not reply to messages to her email and cellphone seeking comment for this story.
Washington D.C. Public Schools has not said whether it knew of the incidents during her hiring process in 2014. Officials were moving "quickly and decisively" to investigate, Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee said at a Tuesday news conference.
"We do a thorough background check on all of our employees when they are hired," Ferebee said. "We're doing an investigation into the hiring process specifically to the staff member."
The D.C. Public Schools hiring investigation usually includes criminal background check, according to a background sheet on its website. It also screens for any history of child abuse or neglect, and any allegations of sexual misconduct.
In a letter to parents, Watkins Principal MScott Berkowitz said the DCPS Mental Health Crisis Response team had dispatched four counselors to the school Monday. A social worker visited the affected third-grade class and "supported students in processing their feelings and sharing the level of support they may need later in the day." Later, the counselors led the class through "a healing circle."
Berkowitz promised that school and district administrators would "plan age-appropriate lessons about the Holocaust," because "this incident resulted in an inappropriate exposure to this historical event." Jurkowski cast a Jewish student as Hitler and told him to pretend to commit suicide, as Hitler did, according to the parent of a student in the class.
Jurkowski, who has been with DCPS for seven years, makes about $96,000, according to a database of 2020 data maintained by the Washington Business Journal.
Jurkowski is also listed as a member at-large in specialized services of the Washington Teachers' Union. The union's leaders said in a statement Tuesday that Jurkowski was placed on paid leave, which is "the normal course of action while a staffer is under investigation."
"Let's make no mistake - these are serious charges," the union wrote in a statement. "Everyone has a right to due process and that is why the WTU supports a thorough investigation."
D.C. Council member Charles Allen, D-Ward 6, wrote to D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee late Sunday night requesting more information about Jurkowski's hiring. Allen wanted to know if DCPS conducted a full background check on Jurkowski and if the school system was aware of the previous criminal charges and license revocation.
"I, like so many others, read these reports in horror," Allen wrote to Ferebee. "The antisemitism and hatred described by students has no place in the District of Columbia and the hate and harm caused by these actions are difficult to put into words."
Reports of the Friday episode prompted howls of outrage from parents across the country and efforts locally to heal. More than 50 households tuned into a Zoom meeting Monday night hosted by Hill Havurah, the Jewish community on Capitol Hill, to discuss the episode and its meaning. Among those present were parents from Watkins, Watkins alumni, two members of the City Council, a Holocaust survivor who spoke about her experiences, and members of the city's Muslim community who joined to offer support.
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The Washington Post's Michelle Boorstein contributed to this report
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) A Lincoln man faces sentencing in March after being convicted of killing his estranged wife's new boyfriend in a 2020 shooting in downtown Omaha.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that a jury deliberated for less than an hour Tuesday before finding 28-year-old Marlon Miranda Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in the June 2020 death of Jose Santos Parra Juarez.
KITTERY, Maine (AP) Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has delivered an attack submarine back to the U.S. Navy fleet a few days ahead of schedule.
The USS Annapolis underwent maintenance starting in June. About 400 employees of the Maine shipyard temporarily relocated to San Diego to do the work, the Navy said on Wednesday.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Maine state offices will be closed until late Thursday morning because of icy roads and dangerous driving conditions.
The state experienced snow, sleet and freezing rain on Wednesday. Gov. Janet Mills said Maine residents should avoid driving until roads are safer. She said state offices will reopen at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) A 28-year-old man who was convicted of killing a mini-mart clerk in Everett has been sentenced to life in prison.
Jae An of Everett was working the closing shift at an Everett mini-mart on April 22, 2019 when prosecutors say he was stabbed to death during a robbery by Michealob Johnson, The Herald reported.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) An accounting oversight board filed a complaint against Missouris Democratic Auditor Nicole Galloway this month over critical audits of Sen. Josh Hawley's use of public money while he was state attorney general.
The Missouri Board of Accountancy has been threatening to discipline Galloway, a Democrat, for months over the audit of Hawley, a Republican.
Galloway is also a certified public accountant. In June, she announced she's not running for reelection.
The Board of Accountancy finally took action against her Dec. 15, filing a complaint with a panel of administrative judges tasked with handling issues that involve state agencies.
An Administrative Hearing Commission hearing on the issue is scheduled for June 2022.
The fight centers on a 2020 audit report that found Hawley might have misused state resources during his successful run for the U.S. Senate.
In response to the audit, Hawley asked the accountancy board to investigate Galloway and her office for any violations of their accountants' certifications.
The board's December complaint hinges on Galloway's decision to include transcripts of interviews with Hawley staffers in the final audit report. The board claimed doing so violated a state law against publicly releasing working papers relating to audit reports.
Galloways public disclosure of confidential documents is an act of misconduct and/or gross negligence in the performance of the functions or duties of a CPA and provides cause to discipline Galloways license as a CPA, the board wrote in its complaint to the Administrative Hearing Commission.
Galloway sued in September in response to earlier threats of discipline from the board, asking a Cole County judge to block the Board of Accountancy from disciplining her over the matter. The lawsuit is pending.
Galloway's office has argued that the interviews were released to promote transparency and that allowing the board to discipline her would have a chilling effect on the work of state auditors.
By attempting to control information available to the public, a board of gubernatorial appointees is interfering with the Auditors central role in enforcing government transparency and accountability, according to a statement from the office released when Galloway filed the lawsuit.
The seven-member accounting board is made up of two appointees of former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon and five appointees of his Republican successors. The president is a Nixon appointee, and the vice president is Nick Myers, the chairman of the Missouri Republican Party.
A Galloway spokesman on Wednesday declined to comment further on the complaint.
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This story was corrected to reflect that Galloway announced she is not running for reelection, not that she is running.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A Multnomah County sheriffs deputy pleaded guilty Tuesday to misusing vaccine cards, according to the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office.
Robert James Haney, 50, of Battle Ground, Washington, will serve six months probation, resign from the sheriffs office, relinquish his Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training certification, and pay a $500 fine, a news release states.
He was indicted in September for stealing COVID-19 vaccination cards from the Multnomah County Jail, where he worked.
Investigators said he stole two blank cards during a vaccine clinic at the jail. He made a copy of a co-workers card and filled in the blank cards with the intention of giving them to family members, prosecutors said.
Co-workers reported that Haney stole the cards in May and detectives investigated, the Columbian reported. Officials searched Haneys Battle Ground house and seized two COVID-19 vaccination cards from a kitchen cupboard, according to a property receipt.
Allegations of misconduct are serious matters for public safety agencies," Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said in the news release. "Our professions credibility is damaged when any member engages in illegal actions or misconduct.
BANGKOK (AP) Fighting between Myanmar government forces and ethnic guerrillas has sent about 4,200 villagers fleeing across the border into Thailand over the past week, a Thai army officer said Wednesday.
That number includes more than 2,500 who fled into Thailand on Friday from territory held by the ethic Karen minority. A similar wave took place in April, when several thousand villagers from Myanmars eastern state of Karen fled following airstrikes by the Myanmar government.
Usually when such incidents occur, the villagers are allowed to stay in Thailand for a few days and then are returned to Myanmar.
The Karen are one of several ethnic minorities that have been battling for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmars central government. Fighting between the two sides is intermittent, but increased after the military seized power in February from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Gen. Kongcheep Tantravanich said a total of 4,216 villagers crossed the Moei River into Thailand from Dec. 16 to Dec. 21 because of skirmishes between the Myanmar government and ethnic Karen forces. Of that number, 861 have returned and 3,355 are being sheltered in Mae Sot district in the western border province of Tak, he said. The Moei River marks the border between the two countries.
The area where they are sheltered has been sealed as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19, and all those who fled are being tested for the virus, he said.
The Thai army has warned Myanmar that it will retaliate if stray artillery shells land on Thai soil.
Fighting on the Myanmar side of the river abated during the rainy season, but with the rains now mostly over, it is expected to resume in Karen territory as well as in areas controlled by other ethnic rebel groups.
The most recent clashes were triggered by a raid last week by government soldiers on the town of Lay Kay Kaw, which is in territory under the de facto control of the Karen National Union, or KNU, the civil authority for the area.
Independent Myanmar media reported that government troops seized 30-60 people associated with the organized opposition to the military government, including at least one elected lawmaker from Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party. The KNU has allowed opponents of the military-installed government to take refuge in its territory.
The Karen, along with other ethnic minority groups, have a loose alliance with the armys foes, who have established an alternative administration, the National Unity Government, and its armed wing, the Peoples Defense Force, which is a conglomeration of lightly armed local self-defense groups.
Los Angeles (AP) In one of the last scenes of Insecure, Issa, Molly, Kelli and Tiffany are having a girls night-in when one of them gets a little emotional and they all come in for a hug.
Kelli, played by Natasha Rothwell, bursts into tears and shouts, The f- Im crying for?!
Rothwell was in character, but she knew it was one of their last hugs before the hit show that changed her life wrapped for good.
That scene is only good because she was vulnerable enough to go there and then that let all the women to engage in such a way, said Amy Aniobi, who directed the episode, and was the head writer and executive producer of Insecure. That moment is so real and its because of Natasha. Shes a powerhouse.
As the Insecure chapter of Rothwells life comes to a close, shes writing many more. In The White Lotus, Rothwell stood out among an ensemble cast who all put in stellar performances. Rothwell wrote a romantic comedy with herself in mind to play the lead, and she sealed a major deal with ABC Signature to develop new projects for television. She also began filming the secretive, big budget Wonka in London alongside Timothee Chalamet, Olivia Colman and Sally Hawkins.
All of that in one year.
Its crazy, Rothwell recently told The Associated Press on a video chat from London. I could not have predicted this moment or what Insecure has done to bring me to this moment. I used to sort of like, roll my eyes every time Taylor Swift was all, Aw shucks, really, me? And now I get it because I feel that way constantly.
She's particularly excited about a show she's writing and starring in as part of the deal with ABC/Disney. Its one of the things thats been in my heart for some time," she said.
The show will be the culmination of everything Rothwell learned on Insecure as a writer, actor, producer and for the first time this past year, director.
Part of that means creating an inclusive writers room, opportunities for female directors, and representing all people, including those with disabilities and the LGBTQ community. Rothwell also wants the show to bring attention to the issues she cares most about, like bodily autonomy and voting.
Ever since Rothwell got a platform, she's been using it to talk about injustice and express her disgust with certain politicians. That includes tweeting You are trash to Donald Trump daily during his presidency. (Her new target is George Gov. Brian Kemp, whom she now tweets, You are trash, daily.)
She calls the tweets a daily meditation for me to remind myself that this is not normal.
There's so many issues ... The list seems endless and daunting," she said. "Sometimes all I can do is fire off a tweet. Other times I have more energy and resources where Im just like, lacing up my boots, grabbing my sign and like, Where we marching?"
Shining a light on disenfranchisement, police brutality and other issues is important to Rothwell as a Black woman in the world.
I was actually at lunch the other day and, you know, had a bit of racism done to me, she said, adding that the experience happened at a London restaurant. If he knew who I was, maybe my experience would be different, but even that is disgusting where you need to be a person of color of note for me to give deference versus youre a human and youre just trying to order food."
It's part of the reason she dreams of starring in a rom-com, so that audiences can see a curvy Black woman be the center of her own story without those qualities being plot points.
All women of color, I think, oftentimes in rom-coms, are the prop, theyre the best friend, theyre the nurse, theyre the wise, sage person thats going to tell you how to find your love, she said. And so to put out a plus-size woman of color at the center of the story is important."
It's not something she could find on screen growing up, instead having to perform mental gymnastics to project herself onto all the thin, white protagonists.
If I had I seen plus-size rom coms growing up, I would have felt entitled to love, she said. And that sounds sadder than I think I mean it to ... but I want to be able to create a rom-com where the gymnastics for the viewing audience that look like me isnt so technical.
For now, Rothwell is focused on her project with ABC/Disney and two others at HBO, and of course, filming Wonka," a prequel to the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder.
Its a massive, massive, massive production. Its the biggest production Ive ever been a part of, she said. I went to dance rehearsal the other day, I thought it was going to be six people. It was 75. So its those kind of adjustments Im making like, Oh, this is big.
As an Anglophile, Rothwell said she's been geeking out to work with some of her heroes, including Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) and Jim Carter ("Downton Abbey"). And then there's Chalamet.
Hes just like, this ball of energy whos like, awesome and cool, said Rothwell, who's 41. It makes me feel cooler just by proximity. Im just like, Thats a cool, thats a hip dude. I feel like my grandmother right now.
Rothwell is also just trying to live in the moment. Otherwise, she said she gets overwhelmed.
Im just really, really sort of trying to white knuckle the present, she said. But yeah, Ive got a lot of fun stuff cooking.
WHITEVILLE, La. (AP) An online fundraiser had brought in $561,617 as of Wednesday more than its $500,000 goal for a Louisiana family that lost three children in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 49.
The money was donated to the Simmons family following the Friday night wreck in St. Landry Parish that claimed the lives of three siblings and critically injured two others in the vehicle.
Louisiana state troopers said a pickup truck driven by John Lundy, 54, of Dallas, Georgia, hit their SUV near Whiteville. Lundy, the only occupant in the truck, was pronounced dead at the scene.
About 12,000 people had contributed to the GoFundMe drive in smaller increments of $20 or $100 to as much as $10,000, news outlets reported.
Katie Simmons DeRouen, the older sister of the victims, told The Advocate she started the fundraiser as a way to make the situation even .000000001% better for her parents in the very dark days to come. Her mother, Dawn Simmons, was injured in the crash and was in critical condition.
The outpouring of love and support is just astonishing, DeRouen wrote in a Tuesday post on Facebook. I am in awe of how God is showing up during this storm. My mom is so worried about returning to work of course and I was trying to explain to her that she REALLY wont have to worry about that for a long time. She just kept asking if it the GoFundMe was real. Guys, just LOOK at how amazing this campaign is. It brings me to tears because my momma deserves the WORLD, and I know that she will be able to have at least one less thing to stress about.
John Dalton Rohr, a photographer and former Mississippi State University track and cross country competitor, was listed as a Top Donor. He used his social media presence to encourage others to give to the online campaign in a post Sunday.
Rohr and his brother were one of the first cars to stop and help, calling 911 as they approached the wreck. Theyve lost friends in car accidents, so they wanted to help how they could, even after they returned home.
No one should have to go through such tragedy and heartbreak, Rohr told The Advertiser. I wish there was more I could do or could have done. Money and words cant bring loved ones back, but its my wish that they find peace during this dark time.
Investigators took toxicology samples from Lundy and Lindy Rae Simmons, who was driving the SUV with the family members. Results are still pending and the crash remains under investigation, Trooper Thomas Gossen, spokesperson for Louisiana State Police, said.
DeRouen said she was at a Christmas party when she got the call Friday that her mom and three youngest siblings had been involved in a wreck. She rushed to three hospitals in an effort to locate her family. Instead of providing comfort, however, she was tasked with identifying bodies.
Twenty-year-old Lindy Rae Simmons, 17-year-old Christopher Simmons and 15-year-old Kamryn Simmons were dead. Christopher Simmons 16-year-old girlfriend, Marissa Darby, was also in the vehicle and suffered critical injuries.
DeRouen is the second born of nine. Her father, Ray Simmons, retired from Cleco a few weeks ago, and Dawn Simmons worked as a mail carrier before the crash.
We went from our big family of nine kids to six kids in the blink of an eye, DeRouen said. I dont know how we will ever move on or recover from this.
Dawn Simmons suffered numerous injuries in the wreck, including a bleeding spleen, punctured lung, two broken ankles, a broken leg and broken wrists. A doctor told the family she would not be able to walk like normal for about a year because of the severity of the bone fractures, the family said.
On Tuesday, DeRouen said her mom is doing well and is completely herself.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) Nevada lawmakers on Tuesday overruled two vaccination mandates passed as emergency measures by the state Board of Health earlier this year, lifting requirements on college students and state health and prison workers.
In party-line votes, lawmakers on the Legislative Commission voted 6-6 on whether to expand the Board of Healths emergency measures into more permanent regulations. Without majority support, Nevada cannot extend the mandates.
Democrats make up the majority in the Nevada Legislature, which meets every other year, but the commission is split equally between the parties.
To me, it is unfathomable that we are arguing over whether a vaccine policy is something that we should support, state Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro said.
The votes overturn two August decisions from the state Board of Health requiring vaccines. A mandate on state workers applied to Department of Corrections and Health and Human Services workers as well as employees or contractors working with vulnerable populations," such as in youth or residential treatment centers. A Nevada System of Higher Education mandate required students at state colleges, with few exceptions, to show proof of vaccination to register for classes in the spring semester.
The board of health cannot extend the mandates, which were passed as 120-day emergency measures, and any permanent requirements would need to be passed by the full Legislature which isn't scheduled to meet until 2023 or win approval as long-term regulations from the board and legislative commission.
Following the vote, Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Melody Rose said all holds on student registration due to vaccination status would be lifted.
She said in a memo that the Legislative Commission's action was effectively eliminating the legal basis for student vaccines to be a requirement for registration for classes.
Coronavirus cases are once again on the rise in Nevada. The state has reported five cases of the omicron variant, the positivity rate as measured as a 14-day average is rising and the Las Vegas area is reporting more cases than it has since the peak of last summers surge in August.
Gov. Steve Sisolak's health response team plans to continue to pursue extending the vaccine mandates and will resubmit them to the Legislative Commission next year, Meghin Delaney, the governor's spokesperson, said in a statement.
State health officials also announced Tuesday that masking requirements for vaccinated people will be lifted Friday in rural Storey and White Pine counties because the two counties had low or moderate risk of transmission of the coronavirus for the second straight week.
Storey and White Pine counties join Esmaraldo County, which was released from a masking requirement for vaccinated people in late November.
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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.
BOSTON (AP) Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill Wednesday that sets new standards for the egg industry, averting what the industry had projected would be a scarcity of eggs available for sale in Massachusetts in 2022.
Lawmakers had approved the legislation aimed at changing standards to a 2016 voter-approved animal welfare law that required eggs and meat farmed and sold in the state to come from livestock that was not confined to tight spaces.
The new standards would allow farmers to hold hens in spaces of less than 1.5 square feet provided they have access to vertical space.
The 2016 question was backed by more than 77% of voters. It prohibited the sale of eggs in Massachusetts from farms where hens were confined in a way that prevents the animal from laying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs or turning around freely.
The prohibition also applied to farms that raise any breeding pig or calf raised for veal.
The law was set to take effect in 2022.
Democratic Senate President Karen Spilka said in a statement Wednesday that when Massachusetts voters approved the ballot question in 2016, the state had some of the strongest protections for farm animals in the country.
Since then, national and industry standards have shifted towards even stronger animal welfare and consumer safety protections, she said. With this law, Massachusetts is taking action to prevent cruelty to farm animals and ensure that our state has continued access to eggs.
Egg industry leaders had said that if state legislators did not make changes to the law, up to 90% of the egg supply in the state would disappear in January.
Some animal advocates had urged Baker, a Republican, not to sign the bill, saying it undercuts what voters approved in 2016.
Under the voter-approved law, hens were to receive the smallest amount of relief from abject cruelty, said Tracy Reiman, vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA
Now even that pittance is to be snatched away by this deeply cruel industry, Reiman said in a press release before Baker signed the changes into law. We urge consumers to refuse to buy eggs, for which chickens suffer mightily."
Other animal rights groups say they support the changes approved by lawmakers and signed by Baker.
They say one important change is that the law now applies not just to eggs in shells as it did under the original ballot question but expands the definition to cover egg products, mirroring legislation approved in other states.
The law also defines cage-free as at least one square foot of usable floor space per hen in multi-tiered aviaries, partially-slatted cage-free housing systems or any other cage-free housing system that provides hens with unfettered access to vertical space so that hens can engage in vital natural behaviors such as perching, scratching, dust bathing and laying eggs in a nest.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) The Executive Council refused to fund six more walk-in vaccination centers Wednesday but reversed course after the governor pleaded for reconsideration.
The five-member council that approves nominations and contracts was asked to approve paying Convenient MD $7.2 million to set up vaccination sites in Concord, Exeter, Keene, Manchester, Nashua and Salem. Led by Ted Gatsas, three of the four Republican councilors initially voted against it, over concerns that the contract wasnt put out to bid.
You have just shut down six walk-in sites when the entire state is complaining that they cant get a vaccine. I am begging you to reconsider, Gov. Chris Sununu said. If we have to put this out to bid, it will not happen for literally months. These walk-in sites are absolutely critical to managing this pandemic, stopping the spread and getting hospitalizations down.
When Gatsas protested that he wasnt looking to eliminate sites, Sununu interjected Yes you are, you just did.
Dont put words in my mouth, said Gatsas. What Im looking for is fairness.
Gatsas suggested awarding contracts to three companies to operate two sites each. But Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said Convenient MD was chosen based on its resources and the urgency of opening the sites as soon as possible.
The same companies that are complaining to you have received sole source contracts at some point in this pandemic, she said. We have 460+ people in the hospital now. We need to get needles in arms now.
Republican Janet Stevens joined Democrat Cinde Warmington in voting for the contract. On reconsideration, all five voted in favor.
Also Wednesday, the state judicial system announced a pause on all superior court jury trials and grand juries through January because of rising COVID-19 cases. Chief Justice Tina Nadeau said the decision was partly due to an increasing number of jurors who have had to drop out because of sickness or exposure.
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Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack contributed to this report.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper pardoned a man on Tuesday who spent nearly 24 years in prison after allegations that he sexually assaulted his 9-year-old daughter, then freed from a life sentence in 2016 after his daughter recanted her testimony.
The pardon in the case of Howard Dudley, now in his 60s, makes him eligible to file a claim for compensation under state laws for people wrongly convicted of felonies, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported.
I have carefully reviewed Howard Denice Dudleys case and am granting him a Pardon of Innocence, Cooper said in a statement. Mr. Dudley and others who have been wrongly convicted deserve to have that injustice fully and publicly acknowledged.
Dudley maintained his innocence from the start, turning down a plea deal in 1992. The Lenoir County man was convicted in April 1992 of first-degree sexual offense and taking indecent liberties with a minor. He was sentenced to concurrent sentences of natural life in prison and three years.
Dudleys daughter testified at his trial that her father had sexually abused her, the only evidence against him. The News & Observer published a four-part series in 2005, chronicling the case after Dudleys daughter said she made up the story.
A post-conviction petition filed in 2013 noted that prior to trial, the daughter had retold the abuse allegations to eight different people on nine separate occasions and the retelling revealed a high degree of inconsistency and implausibility," according to an account from The National Registry of Exonerations.
Records from Lenoir County Social Services showed the claims were physically impossible and were embellished over time as the daughter was interviewed and re-interviewed, the registry said.
In March 2016, Superior Court Judge W. Douglas Parsons vacated Dudley's convictions and ordered him released from prison. Parsons, in addition to noting other problems with the man's trial, said Amys recantation was credible, and was a clear, believable statement, according to the registry.
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) North Macedonias Prime Minister Zoran Zaev formally resigned Wednesday, in a move he had announced after his governing Social Democrat party's heavy defeat in October's local elections.
Zaev is set to be replaced by a former deputy finance minister, Dimitar Kovachevski, who was elected as the left-wing party's new chief on Dec. 13 after Zaev also relinquished the Social Democrats' leadership.
The results of the last elections, although local, had a national political weight for the political moment in which the country is, Zaev said in a letter explaining his resignation.
North Macedonias parliament is expected to formally accept Zaev's resignation on Thursday.
Within the next 10 days, President Stevo Pendarovski must hand the mandate to form a new government to a coalition led by the Social Democrats that controls a majority in the 120-member parliament.
The Social Democrats secured the majority avoiding an early election after striking a deal with a small ethnic Albanian party to join the government coalition that will control 64 seats.
After receiving the mandate, Kovachevski, 47, will have 20 days to propose a new government to parliament. His new cabinet is expected to be elected by mid-January.
Zaev served as party leader since 2013 and as prime minister since 2016. He secured North Macedonias membership in NATO after ending a decades-long dispute with Greece over the countrys name. But he was unable to advance ambitions to join the European Union, largely due to a historic dispute with another EU neighbor, Bulgaria.
Zaev said Wednesday the deal with Greece "provided lasting peace, security and paved the path for the economic well-being of the people.
The country's center-right main opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, is pressing for an early election, insisting that new cabinet must gain its legitimacy only through a vote.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvania's top state election official is warning that the 2022 primary election may have to be delayed as a group of voters asked the state's highest court to pick a new map of congressional districts if Gov. Tom Wolf and lawmakers fail to agree on one soon.
Pennsylvania must redraw boundaries for state legislative districts and congressional districts to account for a decade of demographic shifts identified by the U.S. Census, but partisan disagreements are threatening to delay both processes.
Sixteen voters on Tuesday asked the state Supreme Court to get involved to ensure that a new map of congressional districts is approved in time for deadlines set by state law for Pennsylvania's May 17 primary election.
First up is the period for candidates to gather enough voter signatures to qualify for primary election ballots. That begins Feb. 15, under state law.
On Monday, the same 16 voters drew a lower court order that gave Wolf, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled Legislature until Jan. 30 to agree on new congressional districts before that court picks a new map from among those submitted to it.
However, the 16 voters asked the state Supreme Court for a speedier process, noting that the lower court's timeline starts a full week past when Wolf's top election official said her agency needs a final map.
In a letter Tuesday, Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid said the current schedule for the Legislative Reapportionment Commission to redraw a map of legislative districts will not work with the primary deadlines.
Her agency needs the new map of districts by Jan. 24, three weeks before petitions can be circulated so that counties can update voter registration files to assign voters to the redrawn districts, she wrote.
In short, it will not be possible to comply with the constitutionally mandated timeline for the finalization of the reapportionment plan, and the current statutorily established deadlines for the beginning of (the) petition circulation period and other subsequent deadlines leading up to the primary, Degraffenreid wrote.
The Legislative Reapportionment Commission is composed of the two parties' floor leaders in the House and Senate and a fifth member, the chair, selected by the state Supreme Court.
Senate Republicans have warned for nearly a year that delays in census data might require the May 17 primary date to be delayed.
Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, said in a text message Wednesday that she would support having a later primary only as a last resort.
Degraffenreid's letter comes less than a week after the commission produced preliminary maps for the General Assembly.
People have until Jan. 18 to file objections to the proposed maps. Objections go to the state Supreme Court, but that could further delay the process, Degraffenreid warned.
As the pandemic was spreading throughout the country in March 2020, Pennsylvania lawmakers voted to delay that year's presidential primary by five weeks, from April 28 to June 2.
KENNER, La. (AP) Police in a southeast Louisiana city are planning to spread a bit of extra holiday cheer with help from a local business.
Motorists pulled over in Kenner might get some extra cash, WWL-TV reported. Twenty-five drivers will get a $100 bill.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) Police at the University of Maryland College Park are investigating after a man was found dead on campus.
Officers were called to the area of a parking garage along Mowatt Lane for a report of a man lying in the grass on Tuesday morning, university police said in a news release. The man was pronounced dead on the scene.
LAS VEGAS (AP) Police in Las Vegas said Tuesday a motorcycle officer suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening in a crash involving a hit-and-run motorist.
The police department said in a statement the officer was taken to University Medical Center and a motorist drove away from the wreck a little after 1 p.m. at a busy intersection several miles west of downtown.
VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Francis has greeted an Afghan family he met during a visit this month to a refugee camp in Greece and who he helped resettle to Italy because the youngest child needs medical care.
Francis greeted the family at the end of his general audience Wednesday, during which he once again urged European countries to share the responsibility of welcoming in migrants.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A Portland, Oregon, man unintentionally fatally shot his cousin after getting into a dispute with others in a parking lot outside a strip club early Sunday, according to prosecutors and police.
Borissean Washington, 26, was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court Monday on first-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a gun allegations, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
Portland police were called to a shooting outside Shimmers Club and found Daqun Turner, 27, dead, court records said.
Washington tried to help his cousin but Turner died at the scene, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Washingtons mother, Sara Issac, described her son as torn up over the shooting.
Washington said an argument began outside when another man used derogatory words toward his girlfriend, the affidavit said.
The man punched Washington and a fight ensued, according to video surveillance reviewed by police. Another man joined the fight as Washington walked back inside, according to police and prosecutors.
Washington came back outside with Turner, who is seen on video pulling a gun with an extended magazine from his jacket, according to the affidavit. Washington appeared to grab the gun and pointed the gun at the man who had punched him, according to police.
Washington hit the man with the gun and the gun fired, striking Turner, according to the affidavit.
Washington is being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center on $505,000 bond.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Rhode Island has announced plans to assist residents who are struggling to pay bills in the winter after the state received an additional $21.9 million in federal funding.
The additional federal funding is a part of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program which will help people pay their heating bills. The state also received $30 million through the American Rescue Plan Act to contribute to the LIHEAP fund, Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement on Tuesday.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) Two past right-wing governments in Latin America and one from the left have been found guilty by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which on Tuesday said the countries' current governments shouid make reparations.
The military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983 was found guilty in the forced disappearance of a couple and of taking their children. Guatemala's right-wing government of the 1980s was found guilty of a massacre. And the recent left-wing government of Ecuador's Rafael Correa was castigated for violating the rights of journalists.
The court, based in Costa Rica, determined that Argentina's military government systematically took and hid the children of suspected leftists who had been arrested and presumably killed during Operation Condor, which involved several allied right-wing governments in the region.
It said the government should make reparations to the son and daughter of Mario Roger Julien Caceres and Victoria Lucia Grisonas Andrijauskaite, saying it had unjustifiably delayed efforts to clarify the couple's disappearance. It said the government should renew efforts to clarify the case and find the bodies.
The Guatemala case involved an army massacre of at least 38 men, women and children in the village of Los Josefinos on April 30, 1982 a moment when troops were conducting a scorched-earth campaign to wipe out any support for leftist rebels. Other villagers fled, some seeking refuge abroad.
The court said criminal investigations into the massacre didn't start until nearly 14 years after the events.
The court said Guatemala should pay indemnities and court costs and speed up legal proceedings, as well as building a monument in the area where victims were buried in a mass grave and create an audiovisual documentary of the massacre.
The government of former Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa was found guilty of violating the right to free expression and other rights for prosecuting a journalist who had criticized him and executives of the newspaper that employed him.
Journalist Emilio Palacio Urrutia and executives Nicolas Perez Lapentti, Cesar Enrique Perez Barriga and Carlos Eduardo Perez Barriga were convicted of defaming Correa in a 2011 article published by the newspaper El Universo. They were sentenced to prison and fined. Palacios wound up fleeing the country.
The court found that the article was the sort of opinion piece that should enjoy proetection as a part of democratic debate.
The court said the convictions should be annulled and that the country shoul find non-criminal avenues to protect the honor of officials.
FESTUS, Mo. (AP) A school bus struck and fatally killed a first-grader Tuesday in eastern Missouri on the last day of classes before winter break.
This morning we were singing Christmas carols together, said Clint Johnston, the superintendent of the Jefferson R-VII School District, as he choked up during a news conference. This is a bad day. A bad day for our school, a bad day for our community and we are hurting.
FRANKLIN, N.C. (AP) A North Carolina delivery driver has been charged in a series of break-ins over several weeks after he was captured on a video surveillance camera inside a home, a sheriff's office said.
The Macon County Sheriffs Office said multiple thefts had been reported in the Highlands area. A break in the case occurred when a homeowner called to report their surveillance video showed a man wearing shorts who was in their home for a brief time before fleeing when he saw the camera. A news release said the sheriff's office identified the man as a FedEx driver.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A Tennessee judge has found a woman guilty of stabbing four of her children to death in 2016.
Criminal Court Judge James Lammey Jr. rejected Shanynthia Gardner's insanity defense in the deaths of the children, who ranged in age from 4 years to 5 months. Another child, who was 7 at the time, escaped to a neighbor's home for help, the Shelby County district attorney's office said.
FORT SCOTT, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Fort Scott police have arrested a person of interest after two people were found shot to death inside a home.
Police were called Tuesday night after someone found a woman had been shot. Arriving officers then found a man who also had been shot. Both victims, identified as 48-year-old Melissa L. Mitchell and 53-year-old Leonard D. Zimmerman, were pronounced dead at the scene.
LAS VEGAS (AP) Police in Las Vegas pleaded Tuesday for public help to identify a gunman who shot a waiter multiple times at a restaurant in the citys Chinatown district during what was characterized as a botched after-hours burglary.
Capt. Michelle Tavarez told reporters the wounded man, identified as Chengyan Wang, underwent surgery and was in stable condition at University Medical Center following the shooting a little before 3 a.m. Monday.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) A television producer has pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges in connection with paying a Nevada woman to bring her 9-year-old daughter to Vermont to engage in illegal sexual activity at a Ludlow ski house.
John Griffin, 44, of Stamford, Connecticut, appeared in federal court in Burlington to plead not guilty to three counts of enticement. Court records say Griffin did not oppose a request by prosecutors that he be detained.
The detention request said Griffin is, charged with a crime involving the sexual assault of a nine-year old child that carries a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence upon conviction.
In court documents, prosecutors described Griffin as a wealthy man who has tried to deceive, delete, and spend his way out of being held accountable. The documents also say Griffin also has a history of mental illness and substance abuse.
On Dec. 9, a Vermont grand jury handed down a three-count indictment against Griffin. He was arrested in Connecticut on Dec. 10.
Griffins Vermont attorney David Kirby declined to comment on Wednesday.
A motion for detention filed by prosecutors ahead of Wednesday's arraignment says that in a Sept. 2, 2020 interview with FBI agents, Griffin said he met the 9-year-olds mother on a sex-themed website.
He said he paid for the woman and her daughter to fly to Boston in July 2020. He picked them up at the airport and drove them to his Ludlow ski house. He admitted to witnessing the child perform sex acts with her mother.
Griffin said the activity was the mother's idea, but that was contradicted by the contents of Griffins chat communications with the girls mother and other parents of minor girls that were discovered later, the court documents say.
The girl told investigators that Griffin sexually assaulted her while she was in Vermont and addressed her using derogatory terms, the court documents say.
Griffin also apparently attempted to pay off a potential witness, another relative of the 9-year-old girl, by making an electronic transfer to that relative of $4,000, the motion for detention says.
Griffin worked for CNN but has been fired since being arrested, the network said Wednesday.
On Dec. 11, the day after Griffin's arrest, CNN reported that he had worked at the network for about eight years.
The charges against Mr. Griffin are deeply disturbing, said an unnamed CNN spokesperson quoted in the story.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit seeking to have the Wisconsin Elections Commission reinstate voter registrations for nearly 32,000 people who were deactivated this summer.
The commission deactivated the registrations for the voters after a two-year legal fight. That lawsuit, filed in 2019 by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, argued that the commission should have deactivated voters flagged as potentially having moved within 30 days of notice being given.
The new lawsuit argues that the 31,854 voters should not have had their registrations deactivated because they weren't given notice that it could happen or a deadline to avoid it.
Riley Vetterkind, a spokesman for the elections commission, declined to comment.
The commission mailed postcards during the summer of 2019 to more than 230,000 voters identified by the Electronic Registration Information Center as having possibly moved.
The commission voted that summer not to deactivate them until after the April 2021 election to give them several chances to affirm they hadnt moved. The Commission argued that the state law pertaining to voters who may have moved did not require the commission to remove the voters.
The state Supreme Court ruled in April that the law applied to local election clerks, not the state commission, and dismissed the lawsuit.
At its June meeting the commission deadlocked on whether to change its 2019 decision to deactivate the voters. Since no change to that earlier decision was approved, the commission moved ahead and deactivated them.
Voters who were removed from the rolls can become eligible to cast ballots again by re-registering.
The League of Women Voters lawsuit filed Wednesday argues that the due process rights of the deactivated voters were violated.
A voters registration to vote in Wisconsin is a constitutionally protected interest," said attorney Doug Poland, a partner at Stafford Rosenbaum that is representing the league along with Fair Elections Center and Law Forward Inc.
That constitutional right to register to vote can't be taken away without an appropriate process, Poland said.
"The state failed to follow that process, and so we are going back to court to ensure that the Wisconsin Elections Commission gets the message loud and clear that they must abide by the US Constitution, Poland said in a statement.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would have required school districts to post information about textbooks, course material and state academic standards online.
The Democratic governor said the legislation politicizes what is being taught in our schools and that state regulations already require public schools to provide similar material upon request.
LAS VEGAS (AP) A 22-year-old woman was due to face a judge Wednesday on charges including driving without a license after police say she drove away from the scene of a crash that left a Las Vegas police motorcycle officer injured.
Alicia Margarite Jones was arrested Tuesday at an apartment complex where police said they found a red sedan that had been involved in the wreck a little after 1 p.m. at a busy intersection several miles west of downtown.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced on Monday a 2 1/2-year investigation into retail theft has resulted in the recovery of more than $2 million in stolen merchandise and arrest warrants for several people.
The investigation, called Operation Focus Lens, followed a series of thefts at the Macy's department store in Union Square in 2019 and led investigators to uncover a major retail theft ring, according to prosecutors.
One of the suspects, identified as Rodolfo Castillo, is accused of stealing more than $7,500 worth of merchandise total on three separate occasions. When officers arrested Castillo, he allegedly admitted to reselling the stolen items to a company called Camera Heaven, prosecutors said.
Investigators then began monitoring the owners of Camera Heaven, David Tran and Yanxia Xie, and believe the pair was reselling the stolen merchandise at their former storefront, located at 746 Larkin St., and in flea markets. Additionally, Xie and Tran allegedly shipped some of the stolen items to suspect Nate Pham in Vietnam, according to prosecutors.
The same investigation also led to the discovery of a separate organized retail theft operation happening at the store Fashion Exchange, located at 1446 Polk St. The District Attorney's Office has already secured indictments for Fashion Exchange owners Deanna Klinkovich and Floriya Pavlichenko and the case is currently pending, prosecutors said.
"My office is committed to combatting organized retail theft by targeting the source: the fencers who are profiting from the reselling of stolen goods," Boudin said in a statement. "I am also thankful to the many law enforcement agencies who partnered with us and helped us successfully recover stolen goods and identify individuals responsible for driving organized retail thefts in San Francisco."
Operation Focus Lens is a collaboration between Boudin's office and several other local agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, the San Francisco Police Department, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, among other agencies.
Operation Focus Lens is part of the larger Operation Wrecking Ball, which looks into retail theft and its connection to street vendors in the city's downtown. Earlier this month, investigators arrested Rodolfo Ivan Urbina Osejo in connection with Operation Wrecking Ball on suspicion of possession stolen property.
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There is a scene in Emily in Paris where Emily enters a boulangerie, orders a pain au chocolat in painfully butchered French, and immediately sinks her teeth into the pastry. Her eyes grow wide, she blinks rapidly, and her lips part into a comical O shape.
Oh my god, she gasps.
This is how I felt when I bit into San Francisco bakery Maison Danels chocolate hazelnut croissant. Rich butter, flaky pastry, nutty chocolate fireworks. But unlike Emily, I did not then post a cringey Boomerang of myself munching my pastry with the caption butter+chocolate=<3.
Madeline Wells/SFGATE
On Monday, two days before the premiere of the popularly hate-watched Netflix shows second season about an annoying American girl (Lily Collins) who moves to Paris, elegant Polk Street patisserie Maison Danel hosted an Emily in Paris takeover. A poster of Emily on the streets of a rose-tinted Paris welcomed patrons at the front of the store, and pastries and tea were served in special Emily in Paris branded boxes and cups.
Maison Danel, a French bakery and tea salon that opened in February 2020, certainly looks the part of the romanticized image the Netflix show paints of Paris. An extravagant chandelier hangs over the glass pastry case, and a combination of exposed brick, ornate tile and cushy blue leather seats encourage those coming in for holiday tea service to sip slowly and stay awhile.
Currently, the bakery is all decked out for the holidays, too, with a massive Christmas tree and wreaths and poinsettias everywhere.
Madeline Wells/SFGATE
I'm a freak with Christmas, said co-owner and chef Danel de Betelu. I love Christmas. It's the best season of the year.
When I showed up around 11 a.m., a few people in line buzzed excitedly about the Emily in Paris display, but mostly groups were just checking in for their high tea reservations.
We are known for high tea service, which is extremely popular for the holidays, said de Betelu. There are very few places in San Francisco that do that, and it's only a couple of days in December for the holidays. Here we do it every day, 365 days a year.
Madeline Wells/SFGATE
Opening the Parisian-inspired patisserie was a lifelong dream for de Betelu, who hails from Biarritz, France, and his husband/co-owner David de Betelu.
We love travel, and each time we travel we always try to find a high tea service everywhere in the world, said de Betelu. It was a dream to create something like this in San Francisco. It took years and years, but we finally did it.
Opening just a month before the March 2020 shutdown, however, was not quite the dream theyd envisioned. Maison Danel closed for a few months, then reopened for takeout only. They survived the pandemic, but the de Betelus other restaurant, Cow Hollows Baker Street Bistro, didnt make it the husbands closed it in August 2020 to give their full attention to Maison Danel.
Madeline Wells/SFGATE
These days, the swanky patisserie seems to be doing just fine, bustling with holiday business and warm French hospitality. Those eating here are drawn by a joie-de-vivre similar to that of Emily in Paris'' because no matter how unlikable you find the shows main character, you cant help but be a little jealous of her charmed life of cobblestone streets, perfect croissants and handsome French lovers.
I was curious, though, how an actual French person feels about a show as ridiculous as Emily in Paris. Some French people have criticized the show for its cliched presentation of Paris and exaggerated stereotypes about Parisians being mean (to be fair, Emilys over-the-top outfits and ignorance are so grating that she absolutely deserves to be bullied).
Madeline Wells/SFGATE
But to my surprise, de Betelu does not share this contempt for the show.
I think it's really fun. I like it, said de Betelu. Obviously its very stereotyping of the French people in everything, and the American people as well, but I think it's just fun to watch.
---
Madeline Wells/SFGATE
Later in the day, long after I left Maison Danel, I dug into my Emily in Paris pastry box for the final treat Id saved for myself: a chausson aux pommes (apple turnover). De Betelu had mentioned it was his favorite, and I could see why. Biting into the impeccable pastry made me want to burst into an impassioned rendition of La Vie en Rose in the middle of a public park.
Emily in Paris may not be your cup of tea, but I promise you, these pastries will be.
Kannada actress Parul Yadav is currently on a trip to Greece where she met with Greek Minister for Development and Investment Adonis Georgiadis to explore ways to enhance the number of south Indian films shot in the European country.
Parul, who actively works in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films, hit the spotlight with her movie 'Butterfly' - an adaptation of Kangana Ranaut's 'Queen'.
The actress was in discussion with the minister about tapping into Greece as a possible location to shoot her upcoming movies. She also discussed with local authorities on potentially opening a new market for south Indian films. Yadav and Georgiadis discussed a host of matters on film production and shoots.
The Ministry of Development and Investment tweeted, "The Minister of Development and Investment Adonis Georgiadi met with Parul Yadav and Manu Kumaran. The focus of the discussion is investments in Greece and the possibility of creating a film production studio."
The actress explained, "It's too early to say anything specific but yes Greece is a place that south Indian movies haven't explored much and any collaboration would be good for both parties. The minister Adonis Georgiadis is really impressive and forward-thinking in his approach. His command over the details of the various possibilities for collaboration is truly amazing."
Text: IANS
Images: Parul on Instagram
Each year, Kauffman Fellows selects and develops a new group of accomplished investors who will participate in the two-year program part-time while investing full-time.
Fremont, CA: According to the recent news release, the newest Kauffman Fellows class includes two Indian Americans and two Indian-origin individuals. Santosh Sankar, Shikha Goyal, Shubhang Shankar, and Surabhi Nimkar are among the 57 newest members of the Kauffman Fellows global network of Innovation Investors.
Santosh Sankar is a Dynamo Ventures founding partner. He was an early investor in Stord, Gatik AI, and SVT Robotics, among other notable supply chain technology businesses. Before joining venture capital, Sankar worked at Citigroup in their Global Financial Institutions Group, where he focused on M&A, capital raising, and risk securitization, and later at Wells Fargo as a public equities analyst covering IT Hardware and Wireless Equipment firms. Sankar founded his first company, an IT support firm, at the age of thirteen. In 2017, he was selected on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. He has a B.S. in finance and a minor in information systems management from Penn State University.
Shikha Goyal, a venture partner at Imaginable Futures, is in charge of the firm's strategy and investments in Africa. She worked at the Children's Funding Fund Foundation before joining Imaginable Futures and Omidyar Network, where she oversaw investment and management of initiatives to promote basic reading and numeracy for children in India and Sub-Saharan Africa. It adds that she was in charge of a portfolio worth more than $60 million, which included CIFF's investment in Early Learning Partnership, a multi-donor trust fund with the World Bank, Educate Girls India, the world's first education development impact bond, and Tayari, a low-cost early childhood education model implemented in 1,500 Kenyan schools.
In South Africa, Goyal is a board member for Innovation Edge and SPARK Schools and a board observer for SmartStart as well as a member of the Global Schools Forum's steering committee. She holds a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from India's Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology and an M.B.A from France's INSEAD.
Shubhang Shankar is a managing director at Syngenta Group Ventures, the Syngenta Group's Corporate Venture Capital arm, the world's largest agri-inputs conglomerate. Ninjacart, Greeneye Technologies, Tarfin Ltd., Jai-Kisan, and BioPhero are all leading AgTech startups on which he currently serves on the board. Agri-fintech, emerging markets, digital and precision technology, and agri e-commerce are among Shankar's specialties. He's also working on several important projects for the parent company, including innovation and business development.
Before Syngenta, he spent eight years as a management consultant in the India offices of the Boston Consulting Group and AT Kearney. Shankar holds a master's degree in business administration from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad and a bachelor's degree in electrical power engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.
Surabhi Nimkar is a principal at GreenHouse Capital, a Nigeria-based early-stage investor focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa. She focuses on fintech and corporate software, and she plays an active role in GHC's investment decisions. Nimkar's work at GreenHouse Funding also includes leading a women entrepreneur accelerator program (GreenHouse Lab) that gives capital and resources to women founders and connects them to a global network of more than 250 women leaders. Before joining GHC, she worked at Accenture as a management consultant, driving digital strategy for financial services customers from New York and London. She graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in economics and finance.
The Kauffman Fellowship is a two-year executive education program focused on venture capital and the development of new technology, high-growth, high-impact startups, all while emphasizing one's role as an industry leader.
Aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla made it into space along with Richard Branson on Virgin Galactic's first fully-crewed successful suborbital test flight from the US state of New Mexico.
FREMONT, CA: Aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla is now recognized as the third Indian-American woman to make it to space along with the British billionaire Richard Branson and four others on Virgin Galactic's first fully-crewed successful suborbital test flight from the US state of New Mexico. The crew made it to an altitude of about 88 kilometres over the New Mexico desert and witnessed the curvature of the earth. As a result, they also experienced weightlessness.
Right before the flight, the 34-year-old Bandla expressed her joy and how she was incredibly honoured to be a part of the journey and crew. The company aims to make space available to all people from various backgrounds, geographies and communities. Sirisha Bandla makes it to the list of women astronauts after Kalpana Chawla and Sunitha Williams. Rakesh Sharma is the only Indian citizen to be a part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme and travel to space.
Bandla is a graduate of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University in 2011. She also possesses a Masters degree in Business Administration from George Washington University in 2015. Her passion for science has always made her want to be an astronaut. However, due to a lack of good eyesight, she could not fulfil her dream of becoming an astronaut for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nevertheless, fortune favoured her when she joined Purdue University and got to know of the opportunity of commercial space flights.
The business Branson- Virgin Galactic commenced short space trips in 2004 to give private citizens the experience of space. The trip is designed in such a way as to observe the curvature of the Earth and experience a few moments of weightlessness.
17.54 Lakhs per annum for the flagship MBA Business Management program and 15.12 Lakhs per annum in the MBA Human Resource Management program, XIM University has successfully placed all its management students. Established in 1987, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar is a premier B-school in the country with a rich legacy of grooming the leaders of tomorrow. Inheriting this legacy is the School of Human Resource Management, established in 2013. This year, with an average of17.54 Lakhs per annum for the flagship MBA Business Management program and15.12 Lakhs per annum in the MBA Human Resource Management program, XIM University has successfully placed all its management students.
For the Business Management Program, the institute played host to several prominent recruiters such as Bank of America, IBM, Accenture, ABinBev, BNY Mellon, Becton Dickinson, ABCL, Natwest Group, ICICI Bank, HashedIn by Deloitte, HSBC, Nestle, Titan, Deloitte, Optum, GE Healthcare, Tiger Analytics a testament to the ever-strengthening growing brand equity and reputation of this institute.
For the School of Human Resource Management, the institute hosted many eminent recruiters such as Deloitte, Cognizant, ICICI, Capgemini, IBM, Wipro, Accenture, EY, ABCL, Vedanta, Whatfix, Unacademy, Atos, Genpact, HCL, and many more who have continued to repose their trust on our students.
In terms of intake, the highest number of recruitments in the MBA Business Management program were made in the Consulting sector (41%), which was followed by Systems (18%), followed by Finance (18%), Marketing (14%), and Operations (9%), and other sectors. Profiles offered included Risk Management, Strategic Consulting, Corporate Planning, Corporate Finance, Equity Research, Market Analyst, Marketing, Sales and Distribution, Product Management, Supply Chain Management, Business Consulting, Business Transformation and Strategy, IT Consulting, and Business Development.
Looking at the School of Human Resource Management, students of the collection bagged offers from some of the most prominent organisations in the country. An array of impressive roles were offered in Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development, HR Business Partner, HR analytics, Industrial Relations, Compensation and Benefits, and more.
The institute strengthened its bonds with industry leaders. Some of the leading organisations that partnered with the institute include the following: Tata Steel, Cognizant, Wipro, EY, KPMG, Vedanta, ABCL, ABinBev, Avasant, Mindtree, Crompton, Phable, Emami, Ultratech, Capgemini, Kotak Mahindra, and many more.
Highlights:
? Xuberance22 saw the batch of 474 students participate in the placement process 355 in MBA Business Management and 119 in MBA Human Resource Management
? 101 companies extended offers in Xuberance22, of which 27 were new recruiters
? 61 students have been extended PPOs from their summer internship organisations
? 8 students have placement offers from National/International corporate case study
competitions
32.21 Lakhs per annum for MBA Business ? The highest domestic salary stood at32.21 Lakhs per annum for MBA Business
29.5 Lakhs per annum for Human Resource Management Management and29.5 Lakhs per annum for Human Resource Management
17.54 Lakhs per annum for MBA ? The average annual compensation stood at17.54 Lakhs per annum for MBA
15.12 Lakhs per annum for MBA Human Resource Management Business Management and15.12 Lakhs per annum for MBA Human Resource Management
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Western Australia has recorded one new case of COVID-19, in an unvaccinated backpacker who attended several bars, shops and other venues in Perth while potentially infectious.
Health authorities had identified a number of exposure sites across the state, WA Premier Mark McGowan said. To date, there were five close contacts, but he expected the list of contacts would grow.
Premier Mark McGowan reveals details of Perths COVID-positive backpacker. Credit:Hamish Hastie
Nightclubs, shopping centres, bars, museums, restaurants; he has been to lots of places, so [there are] lots of people who have potentially been exposed, Mr McGowan said.
When people are in proximity in nightclubs, dancing, they can be super-spreader events.
The backpacker, who is 25, travelled into Western Australia from Queensland earlier this month, Mr McGowan said.
He felt sick on Sunday and got tested yesterday. The result came through this morning and it was a strong positive.
The advice at this point is that it is unlikely to be the Omicron strain and therefore more likely to be the Delta variant.
Investigations have confirmed the backpacker came into Western Australia 11 days ago on Sunday night, December 12. The day before, in fact, Im advised, one hour before we introduced a harder border with Queensland.
On Saturday, December 11, we announced that Queensland would be reclassified from very low risk to low risk as of 12.01am on Monday, December 13.
Under a very low-risk setting, the backpacker therefore wasnt required to be tested before arriving. Unfortunately, the backpacker is not vaccinated. His girlfriend is also symptomatic and has been tested and moved into hotel quarantine.
Further investigations have confirmed he has been living with four other people at a house in Girrawheen. These four people have been camping, but they have since been contacted and are now undergoing testing. They will also be directed into hotel quarantine.
I remember the first time I heard How to Make Gravy. It was 1997, and I was about halfway through a two-year stint living in America, when I was sent a copy of Paul Kellys greatest hits to review. The album featured an obscure track called How to Make Gravy, which Kelly had released on an EP in 1996.
While I was having a great time in the States, when I heard Kellys squeaky door of a voice and his story of an Aussie Christmas, it stirred up some serious homesickness within me. And that was just the impact of Gravy. Leaps and Bounds, To Her Door, From St Kilda to Kings Cross all of those Kelly songs nearly had me booking a flight home.
Paul Kelly, whose song has indeed made some gravy. Credit:Paul Jeffers
For years after, How to Make Gravy was prominent in my Christmas playlist, to the point where my children threatened to stay in their rooms if I played it one more time. (OK, endless spins of Bob Dylans Must Be Christmas didnt help either.) But I have to come clean: my feelings have changed towards the Kelly track.
Like the recipe Kelly reveals in the song Just add flour, salt, a little red wine ... a dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and that extra tang Gravy is a bit overdone nowadays. Kelly builds an annual tour around the song; theres even a national Gravy Day on December 21, celebrated again this week on the date he mentions in the lyric.
Farewell, ghost of Christmas past
The beer is flowing. Most of your Christmas mail has arrived. Your car has petrol. And like it or not, the flight carrying your interstate relatives will probably land on time. Meanwhile, the nations tabloids are running out of sensational headlines. What happened to that famous institution: the Christmas strike? Strikes are no longer part of an ethos that goes with roast turkey and hot plum pudding on scorching Christmas Days.
Regular shorts
Francis Wheener, of Potts Point, was surprised to hear that the Government had announced the possible introduction of a $2 coin, reported the Herald. He wrote to the Australian Bicentennial Authority in 1984 suggesting a $2 coin, and was told they would keep his idea in mind. In March last year he sent a letter to the Royal Australian Mint, which also told him it would keep his idea in mind.
The Festival of Sydney
In its youth the Festival of Sydney was a shy, insecure stripling barely seen or heard by the majority of the population. Eleven years on, it demands attention, consistently delivering some of Sydneys major events of culture and spectacle. It cleverly combines elements of some of the great festivals around the world, like Edinburgh and Florence, while adding many spices of its own. What other city could stage a ferrython?
The Prime Minister has said again Australians dont have to be told how to live. Everyone knows this is an election ploy. He has used versions of this statement many times in the past 10 days as health professionals sensibly suggest reinstating some COVID-19 restrictions in light of the Omicron transmission rate. However, 18 months ago his government rules were that no Australian citizen living overseas could return to the country. And, conversely, no Australian citizen living in this country could leave. This is extreme government intervention; telling people what to do and how to live. Susan Haylock, Mosman After two years of the pandemic the new Liberal narrative for the country has become that, we the public, must take responsibility for our own lives. Its time for government to treat us like adults.
Another piece of hollow rhetoric. Instead, I think its time for the Prime Minister to take responsibility for the job he is paid to do. He needs to guide the country by instituting and reinforcing a consistent set of public health measures designed to protect the health of the community. However, instead of doing his job he dishes up platitudinous phrases about treating us like adults. In doing so he is inconsistent and disingenuous. If he really wanted to treat us like adults, he himself, could behave like an adult. He could take responsibility, do his job and stop playing politics all the time. Anne Barnett, Frenchs Forest As we progress towards the PMs culture of responsibility it would be great if his government could shoulder some as well. Alan Tinker, Dolphin Point The fallacy with the personal responsibility mantra is that we dont catch COVID-19 from ourselves. As soon as I leave home I am at the mercy of others, so I conclude that the most responsible thing I can do for my health is to stay home as much as possible. This is not going to help the economy. Madeleine McPherson, Wollstonecraft COVID-19 has a number of lessons for us that will be repeated until we learn them, including an understanding of how exponential functions behave. But the biggest lesson we have yet to learn is: some problems cannot be solved through individual action, some problems require that we act as a society. Ben Aveling Alexandria
Just wondering how many deaths caused or permitted by rejecting expert advice does it take to establish a prima facie case of misconduct in public office? Stuart Littlemore, Woollahra Religion bill would back bigotry The proposed religious freedom legislation runs the danger of Australia slipping further into the divisive quagmire of tolerating intolerance by various religious groups (Educators back right to impose faith values , December 22). By doing so, it takes us one step closer to a fragmented plutocracy made up of splinters of intolerant groups who do not wish to be part of the overall fabric of Australian culture and who wish to ensure their children grow up behind walls of intolerance and, dare I say it, bigotry. Chris Dockrill, Crescent Head Will those education groups who want the right to positively discriminate in the hiring and firing of staff be happy if those same rights were available to non-believers? When I start my non-believers college, will they be happy if I fire a staff member who decides to actively take up a religion? Peter Robertson, Stanmore The PM says we should move from mandates to personal responsibility. Good to hear. I assume no need for proposed laws such as the Religious Discrimination Act, to be accompanied by a political agenda of legislative repeal. Excellent leadership. Adam Liberman, Randwick
Rich richer, as usual There you have it the reality of the situation for workers wages (RBA dashes hopes of wage rises, December 22). Immediately after Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg promise that the 2022 budget will focus on improving wage rates, the Reserve Bank says it can find little evidence that income levels will rise in any significant way. Of course, our PM and Treasurer probably meant improving the salaries of their lobbyist mates and business executives, as usual. Rob Phillips, North Epping Strife of the party People join political parties like they join religions; it looks like it is just right for you until you get into it. Then you change your mind and leave (Independent still cleanskin, December 22). Professor Monique Ryan dipped her toe in the water with Labor and decided not to dive in. Scott Morrisons proof positive assessment would not persuade a critical thinker. The professor rejected the ALP. Garry Feeney, Kingsgrove
Just another ham sham Nic Clyde from NSW Lock the Gate Alliance very politely called the federal funding of the Kurri Kurri gas power plant a $610 million white elephant (New gas plant for Hunter Valley gains state approval, December 22). Lets name it for what it is: a $610 million barrel of pork. Welcome to the 2022 federal election campaign. Charmain Brinks, Newcastle Ministers mixed legacy It is good to see Annie Whealy recognising the support that out-going arts minister Don Harwin has given to small performing arts bodies (Harwins exit is a blow to the arts, December 22).
However, he is not as well loved for his actions in other areas. The disastrous domino effect of his decisions to move the Powerhouse Museum and to merge the State Archives with Sydney Living Museums will be felt long after Harwin has retired to the loving arms of the Central Coast. Jenni Stapleton, Kiama
Woolies over our eyes In bidding to acquire Priceline pharmacies, Woolworths engages in classic Orwellian double-speak; they are not here to disrupt the pharmacy sector, despite that being their overt long-time business plan for many retail sectors (Woolworths boss promises hes not here to disrupt pharmacies, December 22). Woolworths has contributed to the decline of retail small business by always targeting adjacent competitors; newsagents, chemists, bakeries, butchers, photo shops, fishmongers, and many others have seen their bread-and-butter main trade undercut to the point of collapse. Woolworths doesnt maintain those specialist shops local expertise and broad services base. They simply pick the profitable eyes out and smirk as competing shops close. Barry Laing, Castle Cove Arts on the outer That the federal arts portfolio is jumbled together with cities, urban infrastructure and communications tells us everything we need to know about the Coalitions passionate advocacy for the sector (Letters, December 22). And did Paul Fletcher MP rush to a sneering defence of his governments philistinism? Tick. Shaun Davies, St Peters
Women to the fore Licia Heath has identified the five barriers to women entering politics (Sorry state of affairs for women in Macquarie St, December 21). Culture plays a big role in women being reluctant to enter politics at any level. With sexism comes the bullying element. Julia Gillards experience is an excellent example of appalling bullying. However, in a good news story from the recent local government elections, Cowra has elected six women among its nine councillors. Cowra is in the state electorate of Cootamundra, where Steph Cooke is the MP. If women can be strong and prepared for the barriers, many more will succeed. Robyn Lewis, Raglan Trio of big achievers Does correspondent Jenny Greenwood really think that Allegra Spender, a trained economist and businesswoman, Kylea Tink, CEO of a charities organisation, or Zoe Daniel, a highly skilled journalist, are capable of running only a P&C? Give me a break (Letters, December 22). Rodney Crute, Hunters Hill
Press puffed at Bush Ross MacPherson, the press did not pillory President Barack Obama (Letters, December 22). They condemned President George W Bush, who did nothing at all about the dreadful damage and tragic aftermath of the hurricane. Sue Young, Stanmore Irresponsible adults Personal responsibility means different things to different people. At my local shopping centre, that means many people do not wear masks or observe social distancing. This puts me at greater risk even if I am fully vaccinated, wearing a mask and keeping my distance. Bruce Turner, Dapto Marched confidently out the door this morning armed to the teeth with personal responsibility ready to confront Omicron or any other invading variant. Got to the corner, thought, hang on, Im the only fully responsible adult I know. Crept home, head down, ashamed at my lack of faith in fellow citizens. Ray Morgan, Maroubra
There doesnt seem to be much personal responsibility going on where I shop. Tony De Lyall, Bulli Bad call Dominic Perrottet should start acting on health advice and not just listen to it. Chris Hennessy, Ballina Infinitely worse than a backflip is a politician who cant admit he or she got it wrong. Ray Cooper, Balmain East I dont usually yell at the television but lately Ive found myself swearing at it every time our trusty leaders tell us to just live with COVID-19 in a rapidly deteriorating situation. John Swanton, Coogee
The reforms outlined in Minister Roberts letter will prioritise short-term research jobs that service the interests of commercial manufacturers. They will reward translational research, to be defined by measures including patents, IP claims, and commercial agreements.
But hopeful observers were dismayed by the content of acting Minister Stuart Roberts recent letter of expectations which was deliveredwithout consultation with those affectedto the ARCs CEO Professor Sue Thomas. The letter followed Prime Minister Scott Morrisons recent announcement of the Trailblazer Universities scheme providing large grants to reward commercialisation readiness, support for manufacturing, and industry alignment.
Just about any reform to the ARC would be a relief for an exasperated community of academics who are now accustomed to writing 100-page funding applications with little chance of success and with waiting times longer than the human gestation period.
Could Australia lead the world in research and innovation? The Morrison government has a golden opportunity to make it happen. The Australian Research Council whose competitive funding schemes support academic research across the physical, biological, and social sciences has increasingly come under fire both from government and researchers (though for very different reasons). The unfit ARC is in desperate need of reform.
They will put businesspeople on funding selection panels (a move that raises concerns not just about qualifications but also incentives). The plan takes a knowledge-seeking infrastructure and transforms it into a business support scheme. To say that the directive to the ARC for change is a missed opportunity would be an understatement.
Innovation and research is being tied to commercialisation by the Morrison government. Credit:Getty
Australian business will celebrate this early Christmas present, being gifted a seat at the table in directing public research funding toward private interests. But the idea that short-term commercialisation of science will create world-leading research excellence is deeply mistaken. It shows no understanding of research ecology, whose processes are long-term, distributed, exploratory, and foundational.
No technological application can be truly understood, let alone harnessed for good, without an understanding of what makes a technology possible and what gives it meaning. Consider the advice of cold-war science advisers Jerome Wiesner and Herbert York, who explained why there could be no technical solution to the problem of national security in the presence of nuclear weapons. Their point was that no world-changing technology could ever be controlled by simply finding another scientific innovation (assuming one could be found at all). Instead, the solution would demand a deep understanding of psychology, history, politics, diplomacy, society, and culture. Today, as we read of proposals to offset global heating by dimming the sun with geoengineering gigaprojects, its clear that the lesson is yet to be learnt.
A technology may be ineffective, even dangerous, or may simply not realise its potential, if its designer does not understand the goals and needs of the people who use it; the historical contexts that motivated its development; the fundamental mathematics, chemistry, and physics that make it tick; or even the cosmic origins of its elemental make-up. We owe these diverse forms of knowledge to the truth-seekers of the past, and in turn we must pay our descendants forward with our own unfettered truth-seeking. Innovation arises in a vast ecology of knowledge, some of it sought for purpose, some inherited from other fields, and some simply stumbled upon by accident. Innovation cannot be hunted with a gun. It must be cultivated with the wisdom of long-term, open, interconnected thinking.
The COVID-19 price freeze at Victorian private schools is over, with the states most expensive schools increasing fees by an average 2 per cent for next year.
An analysis by The Age finds the states most expensive schools which charge an average of $32,662 a year to educate local year 12 students have increased prices by about $708.
The most expensive school to send a local year 12 student remains Geelong Grammar, which charges $43,360 plus GST for tuition and day boarding. The most affordable among the group is Catholic boys school St Kevins College at $22,185.
The 2 per cent annual price rise follows fee freezes or only slight increases this year and is lower than the national inflation rate of 3 per cent.
The legal outcome does not diminish the enormity of the tragedy or the profound consequences for the family of the victims, he said. The father of the girls and the extended family must live with their grief and loss. Outside court, family friend Phillip Cooper said the verdict was a failing of the court and appealed to the Attorney General to reexamine the case. What the family, what Nenads [the childrens father] had to go through has been absolutely distressing, he said. Weve got two young kids, beautiful kids, angels that should have never been taken away like they have ... we need to protect our children at all costs.
My heart goes out to the family ... seriously there is a travesty of justice today. Mr Djurasovic declined to comment outside court other than to say the verdict was the outcome he expected. During the first day of Ms Djurasovics Supreme Court trial, the court heard how her mental health had deteriorated in the months leading up to the tragedy, with the mother-of-two being granted extended sick leave from work as her husband, Nenad, took over most household duties. State prosecutor Justin Whalley said on the day the two girls died, Ms Djurasovic drove them to school in the morning but turned the car around and returned home, deciding she couldnt continue living, and didnt want to leave the girls without their mother. As she thought increasingly about suicide, she thought she couldnt leave her children behind, she started thinking about how they could all go together, he said.
She looked at the tags on her childrens school bags and they looked like morgue tags, and she thought it meant her and the children had to go. When the trio arrived home from the failed school drop-off, Ms Djurasovic turned on the vacuum to drown out any noise before killing Tiana and then Mia. Mias body was later found in the pantry and Tianas had been placed in her bed. The accused spent some time pacing the house, she kissed and hugged the girls and got some toys and placed them next to each girl, Mr Whalley said. In a video recorded on her mobile phone shortly after the deaths, Ms Djurasovic asked her husband to leave her to die, as she planned to take her own life.
Im sorry everyone, Im sorry, I did not know. They were OK, they did not suffer too much, that is Tiana, Mia fought a bit more, if I am not finished as you are watching this, Nenad, please let me die, Im sorry everybody, its all my fault, Im sorry, she said in Serbian. Ms Djurasovic then tried unsuccessfully to kill herself in the family home before driving to Whitfords Beach to again attempt suicide. When her husband arrived home, he saw a note out the front telling him not to go inside. He rushed in and discovered Mias body. Neighbours called police after hearing guttural screams coming from the house, and later the girls grandparents were seen lying on the lawn outside the family home distraught and crying. Ms Djurasovic was found at the beach and taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment and was later charged with the murders.
Police recovered several notes left around the house. I love my girls more than anyone and anything and I am so sorry for not looking after them better, said one. I did not like talking about my problems, I wish I had, I am sorry for everything and I cant have them grow up without me said another. Nenad Djurasovic and around 10 other members of the couples family attended her three-day judge-alone trial. The court heard Nenad had encouraged his wife to get help after noticing she was withdrawing from everyday life in early 2019. He then spent the weeks and months prior to the tragedy reassuring her she would be OK and encouraging her to take anti-depressant and anxiety medication prescribed to her by a psychiatrist.
In the days before the killings Ms Djurasovic spent most of her days in bed, stopped showering and was sleeping in her shoes. Four days before the deaths, Nenad found a typed letter that said no one knew of my plan, Im sorry for everything but I dont see a different way out. Loading Ms Djurasovic claimed she had written the letter months ago, and her husband thought her condition was improving. Her lawyer Mark Trowell, QC, said Ms Djurasovic was being held at Bandyup Womens Prison receiving ongoing treatment and counselling.
Premier Mark McGowan has revealed WA will become the first Australian state to mandate booster shots.
The announcement was made during a press conference on Wednesday where Mr McGowan also reinstated the hard border with the rest of the country and flagged the introduction of restrictions once WA reopens.
The third dose vaccine requirement will be introduced for workers who already fall under the states mandatory vaccine laws and will require people to get a booster shot within one month of becoming eligible.
The PM met with state leaders to discuss dealing with Omicron.
Current medical advice is for a third dose to be administered five months after the second jab, however ATAGI is reviewing shortening the timeframe.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is prepared to pay pharmacists and doctors more to administer boosters to meet demand, but state hubs will still be vital as the countrys top health expert flags he is open to bringing forward the booster schedule.
National cabinet meets on Wednesday to discuss the response to the Omicron variant and look at what public health measures, including indoor mask-wearing, will be needed to combat its spread.
Staff and shoppers inside Bondi Junction Westfield choose to wear masks. Credit:Peter Rae
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said it was vital to get as many third booster doses into arms in the coming months as possible, but public health and social measures would also have an important role in slowing the spread of Omicron.
For now, there are some easy steps we can take as individuals to help our community, including practising good hand hygiene and wearing a mask when indoors, he said.
Lawyer and human rights advocate Nyadol Nyuon no longer shares pictures of her children online, fearing for their safety as a result of the sustained abuse she has experienced on social media.
Speaking at a federal parliamentary inquiry into online safety, Ms Nyuon said a volumetric attack of online hatred was a key factor in her decision to take three months off work to try and reconnect with a sense of safety.
Lawyer and human rights advocate Nyadol Nyuon told a federal parliamentary inquiry she was constantly on watch as a result of the abuse she is subjected to online.
I was struck across all social media platforms and trolled predominantly with racist abuse, Ms Nyuon told the hearing on Wednesday.
I am constantly on watch through the abuse that pops up almost on a daily basis.
General practitioners say they are at breaking point with thousands of COVID-19 patients in NSW being shifted into their care as millions become eligible for boosters within weeks.
With almost 20,000 people in NSW testing positive to coronavirus in the past seven days, the states Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has notified general practitioners that low-risk patients diagnosed with the virus will need to undertake self-care at home and GPs will be responsible for managing symptoms and treatment.
GPs are under extreme pressure as COVID-19 cases in NSW increase. Credit:Getty Images
But NSW Australian Medical Association president Danielle McMullen said doctors will struggle to cope with thousands of patients needing care as Omicron infections surge.
Shifting care of COVID-19 patients to general practice will have huge ramifications. Practices will need to hire extra staff for virtual care and triage patients, and this is on top of running booster clinics, Dr McMullen said.
People intending to holiday interstate will continue to clog Melbournes testing queues over the Christmas period despite Victorian COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimars plea for states like South Australia and Queensland to relax testing requirements.
More than 20 coronavirus testing sites in greater Melbourne were forced to turn people away at some point on Wednesday, with queues blowing out to four hours and extended wait times ruining holiday plans.
About a quarter of the demand for testing was from people travelling to other states where negative PCR results are required before entry.
The stress those rules have placed on the testing capacity of Victoria and NSW prompted a constructive discussion at national cabinet on Wednesday and Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he wanted the issue resolved as soon as possible.
Earlier this week Hong Kong staged the first election for its governing legislative council since China introduced new rules allowing only patriotic candidates to run for office.
As expected, pro-Beijing candidates won most of the seats.
But the voter turnout was a telling indicator of what Hong Kong residents really think of Chinas electoral overhaul.
Less than a third of eligible voters cast ballots, the lowest share since Britain handed the former colony over to China in 1997 and half the turnout for the previous legislative election in 2016.
Only a portion of Hong Kongs legislative council has ever been directly chosen by the public. But before now it had been possible for candidates with a diversity of political views to win office in Hong Kong, including those critical of Beijing.
SABA/STATIA:--- The two-year Public Service Obligation (PSO) between the Makana ferry operator and the Public Entities Saba and St. Eustatius ensures that connectivity and service level between St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, and Saba are maintained.
The ferry operator Blues & Blues from Anguilla has signed a public service contract with the Public Entities Saba and St. Eustatius. This ensures that the operator maintains connectivity and a service level and obtains the rights to the subsidy provided by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW).
The Makana ferry has been providing comfortable and affordable travel between Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten since December 1. Even with the rough sea conditions of the past week, the ferry continued to provide service on the route. Contrary to some media reports, MV Makana is fully seaworthy and was recently inspected.
Due to a technical problem on the weekend, the Makana ferry service is unable to operate since Sunday, December 19. Blues & Blues reached out via its agents to solve the transportation need of the stranded passengers. The vessel is currently in St. Maarten for repairs.
For the duration of the repairs to MV Makana, the Nikki V ferry will operate as a backup. MV Nicky V left for St. Eustatius on Wednesday, December 22, from where it will commence operations to Saba and St. Maarten on Thursday, December 23. All passengers who were stranded in the previous days, have returned home.
As a result of the technical problem with MV Makana, an evaluation of the contingency plan will be discussed after the holiday season. The PSO agreement monitors the operation to ensure improvement of service levels and a sustainable continuation after two years. The public entities and the operator started this collaboration for the long term, whereas the social and economic benefits to Saba and St. Eustatius are fundamental. Residents are encouraged to try the new maritime connectivity.
With the success of the maritime connectivity, the two islands have expressed an interest to also look into a PSO to provide air transportation for the Caribbean Netherlands. As this is a different legal framework, this will take time.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Claudius Toontje Buncamper fired off a letter to the minister of general affairs,
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs in which he pointed out that, in his opinion, the process to hire a new department head of VDSM
(Vieiligheids Dienst St. Maarten or National Security Services of St. Maarten) is taking extremely long.
MP Buncamper questioned the prime minister as to why the position of department head or director of VDSM has been vacant for so long
and enquired into what the procedures are in hiring a new head for VDSM.
The MP asked if the position was advertised, as is required by law, and asked for clarification as to which position was advertised;
a department head or a director?
In regards to the selection process, MP Buncamper asked the prime minister if this has started, who carried out the selection process and
what the results were.
The MP enquired if any locals have applied for the position and wanted to know if St. Maarten has the final say in who will take up the position
or if the filling of the position formed part of the conditions laid down by the Dutch Government, who will eventually decide who fills the position.
MP Buncamper asked when the process will be finalized while expressing his concerns with the length of time the process is taking.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On December 22, 1955, which is exactly 66 years ago today, and also exactly one week after the United Nations adopted Resolution 945X on December 15, 1955, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.Joseph Luns, appeared before the Dutch Second Chamber. In a somewhat triumphant tone, he gave an account of events at the UN leading up to the adoption of Resolution 945X. He rejoiced at the position taken by Brazil, which had sponsored the Netherlands at the United Nations, and informed his listeners that the United Nations had recognized that both parts of the Kingdom (Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles) had completed their emancipation process. He further stated that in wide circles, there was confidence in the policy pursued by the Netherlands in that regard.
The Schonheitsfehler
In his remarks, Mr. Luns regretted that there was a beauty spoiler clinging to Resolution 945X. He used the German word, Schonheitsfehler. An observant MP, Mr. Lemaire, had detected it. It was the amendment by Uruguay which stated: Bearing in mind, the competence of the General Assembly to decide whether or not a Non-Self-Governing Territory has attained the full measure of self-government referred to in Chapter XI of the Charter of the United Nations. Not only did Uruguay submit this amendment, but it explained why it had done so: the representative of Uruguay had explained that he submitted this amendment because the Netherlands Antilles and Surinam were still not fully self governing. The amendment was intended to offer the peoples of the Netherlands Antilles and Surinam a safeguard, an opportunity of coming at a later date to knock at the door of the United Nations, should the need arise. It should now be obvious why Mr. Luns found this amendment so distasteful.
Mr. Luns was at the meeting at the UN, and he surely must have heard this explanation because he also told the Second Chamber that the Netherlands did not agree with this amendment and had voted against. It was passed anyway, not once, but twice; once in committee and again in the plenary session by the General Assembly and ultimately found its way into the final draft of Resolution 945X. It thus became the Schonheitsfehler Mr. Luns so regretted.
Conclusion
Thanks to this beauty spoiler, the Islands of the former Netherlands Antilles have never been decolonized according to International Law as reflected in the United Nations Charter. They have an open invitation to knock at the door of the United Nations, should the need arise. They, therefore, can request the government of the Netherlands to bring to this failed decolonization to the attention of the United Nations General Assembly which has sole authority to decide on these matters. The Government of the Netherlands should also point out the fact that the islands have been erroneously excluded from the NSGTs list. Together with the islands and under UN supervision, the deficiencies in the Kingdom Charter should be corrected. We know exactly what those deficiencies are as the members repeatedly pointed them out during the debate at the United Nations. Those deficiencies provoked the Uruguay amendment. Once the Kingdom Charter has been corrected, the islands can proceed to their rapid and complete decolonization in accordance with the UN Charter and as espoused by the Kingdom in its Written Statement to the International Court of Justice on February 27, 2018.
Pro Soualiga Foundation
POINTE BLANCHE:--- Port St. Maarten Group (PSG) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alexander Gumbs on Wednesday said that he was concerned with the international spread of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron and its potential impact on the cruise industry and the countrys national recovery.
The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) department of Collective Prevention Service (CPS) continue with its COVID-19 public vaccination campaign to get as many members as possible of the community vaccinated as soon as possible in order to protect public health.
The CPS office at the Vineyard Office Complex is open for COVID-19 vaccinations up until and including Thursday, December 23.
I am appealing to our community especially those who have not gotten vaccinated, to do so in order to protect your health and that of the people around you.
With the booster vaccine now available, I call on the vaccinated to make sure they get their booster as according to CPS, the booster remains the best protection against the new variant and is more effective than two doses alone, PSG CEO Gumbs said on Wednesday.
Gumbs added from a cruise industry perspective, partners are monitoring the developments in the market especially with the rise of the new variant along with various country lockdowns throughout Europe through mid-January 2022.
Some cruise lines already canceled and or altered cruises in Europe due to the protocol changes which unfortunately may spill over to the Caribbean. Theres unfortunately the possibility of some voyages in the region being canceled due to the aforementioned circumstances which would be a snag to our recovery.
Any public health protocol changes in other Caribbean destinations and/or surge in Omicron that fall within our cruise ship itinerary would have a negative impact for the destination and the region as a whole.
The industry, in general, has increased their protocols levels in terms of testing, mask usage, and social distancing. Its our hope that this doesnt affect the upcoming booking cycles and or current sailings to destination St. Maarten.
Cruises are still one of the safest vacation options and passengers are taking advantage of the great prices and service being offered. Spending by passengers is still being reported at an all-time high by industry partners. We will continue to closely monitor developments and keep the local cruise sector appraised as we move forward into the New Year, PSG CEO Alexander Gumbs said on Wednesday.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of December 16, 2021, the Omicron variant has been identified in 89 countries across all six WHO regions in the world. The WHO says that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant, with a doubling time between 1.5 to three days.
The main advice coming from the Ministry of VSA CPS is to continue to practice preventive public health measures such as handwashing, wearing your mask in most indoor public places, cough and sneeze etiquette, and social distancing; let fresh air in if you
CHESHIRE The building that formerly housed Furniture Barn, one of the towns oldest retailers, has been sold for $1.2 million, according to the Hamden-based Realtor who brokered the deal.
The deal for the 24,700-square-foot building closed Dec. 15, according to Steven Press, whose Hamden-based firm represented handled the transaction. Furniture Barn closed in summer 2019.
Fred and Sylvia Reich, the former owners of Furniture Barn, were the sellers and the new owner of the property at 535 W. Main St. is Rebel Interactive Group, a digital marketing company based on Center Street in Southington.
Southington resident Bryn Tindall founded Rebel Interactive in 2013, is chief executive officer of the company and co-owns the business with Allison Minutillo of Farmington.
Minutillo said the company has added 40 to 50 employees in the past year and now has 95 workers. Rebel Interactive has been selected as one of Inc. magazines 500 fastest-growing companies in each of the last two years.
We can not hire people fast enough, she said.
Minutillo joined the company in 2018 and now is its president. She said Tuesday that Rebel Interactive is expected to move into its new home in early spring.
Were in the process of getting fiber optic cable laid in and get the internet running they way we want, which will take about two months, Minutillo said. This will be four times the square footage that we have now.
Andrew Martelli, Cheshires economic development coordinator, said Rebel Interactives move will be transformative for businesses in the area.
Town Manager Sean Kimball and I started meeting with them in August about this, Martelli said.
The company is remaking the space to include a podcasting studio and video production facility, Minutillo said. She does a leadership podcast with about 30 episodes already completed that is available on Apple Podcast.
The companys new headquarters also will have some rental space and what Minutillo termed community space that could be used by local groups.
We are a business that is itching to give back to the community, Minutillo said. The Town Council was absolutely amazing in making things happen for us. They sat down with us talked about our vision for what we want to do there.
Furniture Barn opened in 1966 as a 6,000-square-foot warehouse by the Reich family. The couple and their son Jedd expanded the store three times over the years to create a multi-level furniture showroom.
Fred Reich said in a 2019 statement announcing the closure and subsequent liquidation sales that increased competition from e-commerce businesses as well as from big-box stores prompted he and his wife to close the business.
Cheshire officials have tried for decades to develop that portion of West Main Street as a town center in a community that some residents complain doesnt really have a centralized downtown. Press said Rebel Interactives move into Cheshire will attract more people to local restaurants and other types of businesses.
It ties thing together nicely in that area of town, he said.
luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
STAMFORD A fight ending with the stabbing death of a 37-year-old Stamford man outside a bar on Stillwater Avenue grew from a minor scuffle inside the establishment, according to an arrest affidavit.
On the night of Oct. 4, 2020, the victim allegedly bumped into the cousin of Samuel Delfiro Zapata-Herrera, 31, and started a scuffle while they were hanging around at Reyes Bar and Grill, 99 Stillwater Ave., police Sgt. Sean Boeger said in the arrest affidavit.
A bouncer removed the man, later identified as 37-year-old Isaias Sagastume-Aceituno, from the bar, according to the affidavit for the arrest of Zapata-Herrera. He was arraigned Wednesday at Stamford Superior Court on a charge of murder.
But the confrontation, Boeger said, continued outside the bar. When Sagastume-Aceituno grabbed at the cousins jacket during the confrontation, Zapata-Herrera lunged at Sagastume-Aceituno and the two began to struggle on the ground, according to the affidavit.
It was during this struggle that police believe Zapata-Herrera stabbed Sagastume-Aceituno 14 times, inflicting fatal injuries, Boeger said in the affidavit.
Boeger said in the affidavit that video footage obtained from the area at the time of the stabbing doesnt clearly show a knife, but it does show Zapata-Herrera making gestures consistent with a stabbing motion.
Witnesses later attested to seeing a knife in the Zapata-Herreras hands at the time of the fight, the affidavit said.
After the struggle, Sagastume-Aceituno tried to walk away but eventually collapsed, the affidavit said. He was later discovered by a passerby, who flagged down police.
In the days after the homicide, police publicly identified Zapata-Herrera as a suspect, but the Guatemalan native was believed to have already fled the area, police said.
After more than a year on the run, Zapata-Herrera was arrested in November in a suburb outside of Houston by the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force.
On Wednesday, Zapata-Herrera was extradited back to Connecticut. At the arraignment in Stamford Superior Court, Assistant States Attorney Daniel Cummings said Zapata-Herrera should be held on $3.5 million bond after his extended time on the run from police and his significant contacts outside of the country.
I believe if he bonds out, we will not see him again, Cummings said.
Judge John Blawie ultimately upheld the original court-set bond of $1.5 million for Zapata-Herrera.
The case was transferred to the courts Part A docket, where the districts most serious cases are heard.
Zapata-Herrera is expected back in court on Feb. 23.
BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) Rachel Taylor kissed her fingertips and pressed them to the crow sewn onto a leather bag on the couch in the living room. Oh, my baby, she whispered. She hugged the buckskin satchel filled with her sons ashes.
Nearly a year ago, she opened his bedroom door and screamed so loud she woke the neighbor. Kyle Domrese was face down on his bed, one of more than 100,000 Americans lost in a year to overdoses as the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated Americas addiction disaster.
When he was 4, the medicine man had given him his Ojibwe name: Aandegoons little crow. She traced the outline of the black bird on the sack.
Love you, Taylor said to the bag, as she does each time she leaves her home in this city surrounded by three Ojibwe reservations in remote northern Minnesota.
As the pandemic ravaged the country, deaths from drug overdoses surged by nearly 30%, climbing to a record high. The drug crisis also diversified from an overwhelmingly white affliction to killing people of color with staggering speed. The death rate last year was highest among Native Americans, for whom COVID-19 piled yet more despair on communities already confronting generations of trauma, poverty, unemployment and underfunded health systems.
Taylors tribe, the White Earth Nation, studied the lives theyve lost to addiction.
Their death certificates say they died of an overdose, but thats not right, one member of their study group said.
These deaths were a culmination of far more than that: Despite their resilience, Native Americans carry in their blood 500 years worth of pain from being robbed of their land, their language, their culture, their children. In living peoples memory, children were taken from their families and sent to boarding schools with the motto, Kill the Indian, save the man.
What they died of is a broken heart, the study says.
For years, Taylor tried to break the cycle.
Her grandmother was sent to a boarding school, where she was taught to be so ashamed of her Ojibwe language that she would only speak it once shed eased the pain by drinking.
Taylor had her daughter when she was 19 and her son a few years later. Shed lost custody of them for a couple years as she battled her own addiction. She told them she wished she could fix all the dysfunctional things that happened when she was using.
Then I thought, well, then my mom would have to go back and fix things, and then my grandma would have to go back, it would have to go on like that for generations, she said.
Taylor had lived in more than 50 places before she turned 18, and faced sexual, physical and mental abuse.
She prayed to her creator to spare her children, and told her son every day that she loved him.
White Earth Nation too worked hard to save its people from addiction, and in many years lost no one to overdoses on the reservation. But then the pandemic arrived and proved too painful for some.
Taylor and her son quarantined together at her home in Bemidji, a city of 15,000 people.
Hed started abusing pills as a teenager when he got a prescription after having surgery for an infected finger. Then, consumed by the madness of addiction, he would smoke anything methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl that might quiet his anxiety and depression.
The months of isolation dragged on, and he said it seemed like the pandemic would never end. He told her he felt like a bum.
He just gave up, she said. All around them, people were dying.
On the White Earth reservation, ambulance calls for overdoses tripled. They posted big red signs in gas stations and tribal buildings: overdose alert.
The number of overdoses the regional drug task force investigated skyrocketed from 20 in 2019 to 88 last year, said Joe Kleszyk, its commander. Fifteen of those were fatal, triple the year before.
This year, theres been 148 overdoses, and 24 of those victims died. The vast majority were Native American.
When the American government forced Native Americans off their land, it signed treaties with tribes promising to provide for them necessities like health care. The dead from addiction prove its never kept its word, said Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith.
Indian health care has been underfunded for years. The national average for health care spending is just over $11,000 per person, but tribal health systems receive about a third of that and urban Indian groups even less, according to the National Council of Urban Indian Health. COVID-19 added another blow to this already stressed system.
Smith introduced a bill this summer that would usher $200 million in grants to Indian organizations to bolster mental health and addiction treatment. It is stalled in Congress.
Im sick of telling people that their kids are dead, Kleszyk said.
In January, Rachel Taylors heart began aching.
It was like my heart knew before I did, she said. My heart was broken four days before he even died.
On January 11, she opened his bedroom door. His skin was purple and ice cold.
Come back, my baby, come back, she screamed.
The toxicology report said that hed died of a combination of alprazolam, the drug in Xanax, and fentanyl.
At first she put his ashes in an urn, but it was sharp metal. A friend made the buckskin bag that she could hug.
The anniversary of his death is approaching on Jan. 11, and it is customary in her culture to return him to nature after a year of grieving.
But every morning, she kisses his bag. Hed always loved to laugh, so Taylor teases it.
Keep an eye on the cat, shell say. Then she tells the cat to keep an eye on him.
The medicine man says I have to let him go back to the Earth, she said. But I dont think Im going to be able to do that. He left me too soon.
Community health centers are pressing the Lamont administration for money to ramp up COVID-19 testing, citing growing demand and an overloaded system as the omicron variant spreads a problem they said is likely to get worse with the loss of one of states major testing providers early next year.
The health centers, which provide primary care to low-income patients, want to take on a larger role in testing, as they had earlier in the pandemic. But in an emailed letter to the two top state public health officials, and an interview, they said the lack of a contract with the state is an obstacle.
The increasing concern over the omicron variant is putting a strain on testing access especially in vulnerable communities, Ken Lalime, CEO of the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, said in the email to Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Department of Public Health, and Dr. Deidre Gifford, the governors top adviser on health and human services.
The federally qualified health centers are providing testing to their own patients, and in some cases, the public.
Their role in support of testing remains critical, as residents of the communities they serve often experience language, transportation, and other barriers that make it difficult for them to take advantage of traditional testing services, Lalime said in the email, adding that members of the association have reached out and expressed a willingness to partner with you, again, so that they can expand capacity for testing in these communities.
Mark Masselli, CEO of Community Health Center Inc., which was one of states biggest testing providers and ran four drive-thru, mass vaccination sites, said he advised state officials to keep some of the infrastructure in place in case the state needed to quickly ramp up capacity again. Masselli said he hasnt had any recent conversations with the state about getting back to that level of surveillance.
Were simply not prepared, he said, referring the the state as a whole.
Community Health Center is by far the largest of the federally qualified health centers. Since its contract with the state ended June 30, CHC has been testing patients at its clinics only averaging about 150 to 200 tests per day. Last December, when CHC was offering drive-thru testing to the public, it performed more than 5,000 tests daily.
Chris Boyle, spokesperson for the state Department of Public Heath, said the state is adding testing sites and has enough capacity to meet growing demand. Boyle said only two federally qualified health centers applied when the state solicited requests for proposals for community testing last summer, when demand was much lower, and CHC did not submit a proposal.
The number of daily tests has fluctuated in recent weeks, state data shows, with 66,803 test results reported Tuesday. This time last year, when Connecticut was similarly experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, it also reached a daily high of more than 66,000 tests. At that point in the pandemic, mass testing sites were still in place.
The state health department set up 23 state-sponsored testing sites in early August when the delta variant was leading to a rise in cases here, and is adding seven more sites now, Boyle said.
All these state-sponsored sites will be open for the foreseeable future, Boyle said in an email. In addition, he said, there are almost 400 COVID-19 testing sites throughout Connecticut. Lamont said this week that hours at the state sites are being extended, and he is pausing the vaccine mandates for some state workers, who are able to opt-out to get tested, to open up more appointments.
Meanwhile, workplace and travel requirements and a rush to get tested before holiday gatherings have led to long lines at testing sites and scarce availability of at-home tests in stores a problem thats also impacting many other areas of the country. A sign of the demand in some areas in Connecticut: A testing site at Cove Island Park in Stamford, which was supposed to be open until 7 p.m. Wednesday, stopped accepting new arrivals around 2:45 p.m. 45 minutes after it opened.
Preston Kingswood said after he and his wife scoured local pharmacies for at-home tests to no avail, the family decided to cancel their Christmas party. The family, most of whom are fully vaccinated and received a booster shot, were to travel from Seymour, Avon and South Carolina to gather at Kingswoods home in Mansfield, and planned to test several times to ensure it was safe to gather.
The 78-year-old said that means he wont see his eight grandchildren this holiday season.
I am also a trombonist, and my symphony performances have been canceled due to the uptick in COVID cases, so sadly, I will be playing trombone alone this winter, without my grandchildren, Kingswood said.
The increased demand for testing comes as one of the states main providers, Sema4, the Stamford-based lab that came under scrutiny because it is partly owned by the venture capital fund of Gov. Ned Lamonts wife, is pulling out of testing in early 2022, the company said to return to genetic sequencing, the crux of its business.
A result of the Sema4 action: Some portions of Connecticut will have fewer providers, especially in the Northeast corner of the state, Lalime, the health center association chief, said in an interview Tuesday.
The state has 12 approved vendors available to meet testing needs. These vendors responded to the request for proposals issued last summer. State officials are confident there are enough vendors on that list to cover the states testing requirements once Sema4 ends its testing work with the state at the end of January, said Boyle, the health department spokesperson.
The states federal qualified health centers are eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for COVID-19 community testing activities, he said, and we encourage them to seek this support to expand their own community testing capacity.
julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com
FAIRFIELD Police are investigating a series of mail thefts in town that they say resulted in check fraud in some cases.
Police have received at least six reports of mail being unlawfully taken from mailboxes overnight since September. Some of the mail taken included checks, which has resulted in subsequent check fraud, the police said Friday.
The department anticipates additional cases may have also happened throughout town during this time, according to a release from Police Chief Robert Kalamaras.
Fairfield detectives notified the U.S. Postal Service of these incidents when they received the reports. The United States Postal Inspection Service is working with Fairfield police to investigate and identify those involved, the release said.
It is as important as ever that residents remain vigilant and take steps to prevent mail theft around this time of year as there is typically an increase in checks, cash and gift cards being placed in mailboxes to be mailed out, Kalamaras said. Any resident who believes that they may have had mail stolen from their mailboxes is encouraged to contact the police department at 203-254-4800.
Several other towns have also reported mail thefts.
This past weekend, Wilton police said opened mail was found on the side of the road and New Canaan police said officers investigated several reports of stolen mail and packages. They also found mail scattered along a few streets.
In late November, Greenwich police said there was a rash of mail thefts with thieves looking to steal checks or personal data that can be used for fraud and/or identity theft. Darien residents also reported their outgoing mail being stolen and checks cashed with amounts altered, according to police.
In light of the recent events, the Fairfield Police Department is reminding residents of tips from the United States Postal Inspection Service to help prevent mail theft and protect personal information.
This includes depositing all outgoing mail at the post office or handing it to a uniformed USPS letter carrier and to not put it in the mailbox overnight. The raised flag lets people know there is outgoing mail. Outgoing mail should also be put in the USPS collection boxes prior to that days last pickup time and not left next to a collection box if it is full or the package doesnt fit.
People who dont receive checks, credit cards or other expected valuable mail should contact the sender as soon as possible. Cash should never be sent through the mail, according the tips.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service also recommends requesting signature confirmation for important items.
A Connecticut man accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl bribed the childs family with an apparent $4,000 payoff weeks after she and her adoptive mother stayed at his Vermont ski home, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a motion this week to prevent the former CNN producer from being released.
John Griffin, 44, of Stamford, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in federal court in Burlington, Vt., to three counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to attempt to entice minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity.
District Judge Judge William K. Sessions III granted the prosecutions motion to keep Griffin detained, which his attorney, David Kirby, did not oppose.
Kirby declined to comment in an email to Hearst Connecticut Media on Wednesday.
Leading up to the hearing, Nikolas P. Kerest, U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont, filed a motion requesting Griffin remain in federal custody, claiming he is a potential flight risk.
Griffin has tried to deceive, delete and spend his way out of being held accountable, Kerest wrote in the motion. He is a wealthy man who will be desperate to avoid facing justice.
In the motion, Kerest pointed out that Griffin purchased a ski home last year in Ludlow, Vt., where he tried to lure women and their daughters to train the underage girls in sexual submission, for $1.8 million without a mortgage. Kerest also noted that Griffin boasted to federal agents that his estate is worth between $35 million and $40 million.
Kerest said Griffin sent $4,000 to bribe a family member of a Nevada 9-year-old girl who was forced to engage in sexual activity with her adoptive mother and Griffin at his Vermont home last summer, Kerest said.
This apparent pay-off of a potential witness is not only further evidence of wrongdoing, it is an independent reason for Griffins detention, Kerest wrote in the motion. Indeed, making payments to a potential witness in an apparent effort to buy their silence itself justifies Griffins pre-trial detention.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Griffin in New Haven on Dec. 10. He appeared in New Haven federal court that day before being transferred to Vermont where he remains held without bond.
Griffin worked at CNN since 2013 until he was fired Dec. 13. Once a producer for the Chris Cuomo show, Griffin was most recently a senior producer for CNN political analyst John Avlon.
According to his indictment, Griffin tried to lure women to his Vermont ski home to train their minor daughters in sexual submission. Griffin told one parent that he trained girls as young as 7 years old, the court documents state.
Griffin paid a Nevada woman $3,350 to travel with her 9-year-old daughter to Vermont where they forced the child to engage in sex acts, Kerest said. The girl was also left alone with Griffin when her adoptive mother was twice hospitalized for unknown reasons during the weeklong visit in July 2020, according to court documents.
After they returned home, a family member of the girl contacted Griffin, pointing out how the child recalled what happened when she visited him, Kerest said. A short while later, Griffin sent the relative $4,000 via Venmo, Kerest stated in the motion.
The girls adoptive mother, 48, whose name Hearst Connecticut Media Group is withholding to protect her daughters identity, is facing child abuse and sexual assault charges in Nevada in connection with the trip to Vermont and other alleged incidents when she forced the girl into sexual activity, court documents state.
In his motion, Kerest referenced the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases to support his argument for Griffin to remain behind bars.
Kerest also stated Griffin offered $30,000 for what he described as a mother-daughter weekend or week with me. He also offered a woman $1,200 for sex, and then upped the price to $5,000 if her kids were in the room, Kerest stated.
As the indictment explains, John Griffin repeatedly sought to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce minor girls to be trained by him to be sexually subservient, Kerest stated in the motion.
Kerest stated Griffins attorney submitted letters in August from his wife, father and four friends, vouching for his character in an effort to avoid charges being filed. However, Kerest stated Griffins estranged wife and three of his friends have since withdrawn their letters of support.
One friend explained that he was blatantly lied to about the nature of the investigation when he agreed to write on Griffins behalf, Kerest stated.
Griffin and his wife have three young children, whose welfare has been investigated, Kerest stated. The couple has been separated for two years and Griffin has since moved from the familys Rowayton home to Stamford.
Unlike the overwhelming majority of criminal defendants who come before the Court, Griffin has enjoyed rarefied privilege and a place in wealthy society, Kerest stated. He faces not only a substantial loss of liberty, but also extraordinary reputational loss. It appears he has no law-abiding community to return to.
liz.hardaway@hearst.com
GROVETOWN, Ga. (AP) A Georgia man walked out of prison a free man after more than two decades behind bars after his murder case was dismissed.
Devonia Inman, 43, was freed Monday, and immediately embraced his mother and stepfather as he emerged from the Augusta State Medical Prison, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
If you happen to see a bright object shoot across the sky over the next few nights, it probably isn't Santa and his crew of reindeer. Instead, it's the annual Ursid meteor shower.
The final meteor shower of the year can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere between Dec. 17-26 and usually peaks around the December solstice, according to Earth Sky.
The White House downplayed a statement by the U.S. Secret Service that nearly $100 billion at minimum has been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs, saying Wednesday that the estimate is based on old reports.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, when asked to comment on the figure, said, There is no new research, data or analysis of fraud here.
The Secret Service told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the estimate is based on Secret Service cases and data from the Labor Department and the Small Business Administration.
An agency spokesperson said Wednesday that they were not amending a statement on their website, but did add a clarifying note to explain the figure is based on reports from the Labor Department and the Small Business Administration and that the Secret Service was not producing a new report.
There isnt a correction to be made, we just explicitly posted on the releases webpage the same info we discussed yesterday, Justine Whelan, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, wrote in an email Wednesday.
Psaki said there was just an adding up of two old reports of well-known challenges involving small business loans and unemployment insurance payments. Its also important to note that even those two older analyses combined payments that include mistakes in over and under payments but it was a reference to two older IG reports.
The Secret Service didnt include COVID-19 fraud cases prosecuted by the Justice Department in its estimate Tuesday.
The COVID-19 relief programs were set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
Roy Dotson, the new national pandemic fraud recovery coordinator for the Secret Service, discussed the fraud in an interview Tuesday. While roughly 3% of the $3.4 trillion dispersed, the amount stolen from pandemic benefits programs shows the sheer size of the pot is enticing to the criminals, Dotson said.
Most of that figure comes from unemployment fraud. The Labor Department reported about $87 billion in unemployment benefits could have been paid improperly, with a significant portion attributable to fraud.
The Secret Service said it has seized more than $1.2 billion while investigating unemployment insurance and loan fraud and has returned more than $2.3 billion of fraudulently obtained funds by working with financial partners and states to reverse transactions. The Secret Service says it has more than 900 active criminal investigations into pandemic fraud, with cases in every state, and 100 people have been arrested so far.
The Justice Department said last week that its fraud section had prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and had seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with the proceeds.
One of the best-known programs created through the March 2020 CARES Act, PPP offered low-interest, forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to meet payroll and other expenses during pandemic-related shutdowns.
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee brings together agents from its 22 member inspectors general to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the PPP. They have led or participated in pandemic fraud investigations leading to 818 arrests, 1,134 indictments, and 391 convictions, the committee said Tuesday.
Law enforcement early in the pandemic focused on fraud related to personal protective equipment, the Secret Service said. Authorities have now prioritized the exploitation of pandemic-related relief because the federal funding through the CARES Act attracted the attention of individuals and organized criminal networks worldwide.
Dotson, who is the Secret Services assistant special agent in charge of the agencys field office in Jacksonville, Florida, said that while they can't stop fraud, they can prosecute those that need to be prosecuted and recover as much fraudulent pandemic funds as they can.
___
Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Alexandra Jaffe contributed to this report.
NEW CANAAN The school district, East School staff and its families are coping with the loss of a popular kindergarten teacher, Claudia Palladino Monaco, 43, who died on Dec. 16 after enduring a battle with cancer.
A native to the area, Monaco attended New Canaan Schools growing up and eventually returned to her home district as a teacher of kindergarten at East School where she remained for ten years.
Superintendent Bryan Luizzi wrote an email to parents on Monday saying it was with a very heavy heart, he had to announce the death of Monaco. She was a part of our New Canaan School Community for many years, as a proud student and NCHS alumna, volunteer, intern, student teacher and, ultimately, as a beloved kindergarten teacher.
Monaco is survived by her husband of 18 years, Anthony, and three children, Marco, 11, Luigi, 9, and Sofia, 6.
Her passing is a tremendous loss to the town. More importantly, it is a devastating loss for her family. I pray for Claudias little kids, said Town Council member Mike Mauro said. (It is) so painful.
Monaco was a true Connecticut lifer. The mother of three young children was born in Norwalk, graduated in 1997 from New Canaan High School, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and finally her masters in education from Sacred Heart University. She also taught religious education at St. Aloysius Church in New Canaan.
Claudia shared her love and good-nature with everyone around her, and her strength has been an inspiration to us all, Luizzi said. Her warmth, positivity and smile will always be fondly remembered, especially by her students, their families and her many colleagues and friends.
I only met her a few times but they were memorable because I was struck how she radiated genuine positivity and warmth, Mauro said. She represented whats best about New Canaan.
Though educators will be consoling each other, we will not be discussing this sad news in our classrooms, Luizzi wrote. Sharing such information is best done with parents at home, so they can listen to and help their child understand this sad news.
I know such news can be difficult to process with children, Luizzi said as he attached advice from the National Institute of Health in his email. Many of us knew Claudia personally, and I urge you to take some time for yourself as well.
In the information attached in the letter, the National Institute of Health recommended listening to childrens emotions.
If we permit children to talk to us about death, then we can give them needed information, prepare them for a crisis, and help them when they are upset, the advice states.
Administrators, counselors and others were onsite Monday to help support our faculty and staff in whatever ways are needed, Luizzi said. We will do everything we can to support our school community, including helping faculty and staff feel comfort by keeping to a regular schedule and familiar routines throughout the day.
Monacos funeral was at Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main St, New Canaan, on Sunday, Dec. 19, and a mass of Christian burial was held on Monday at St. Aloysius Church. She was buried at St. Johns Cemetery in Norwalk.
Claudias caring spirit and generous heart could be felt by anyone she met. She had a special gift of not only seeing the good in people but bringing out the best in them as well, her obituary says.
Luizzi beckoned the New Canaan School community, which he called a strong and loving one, to join him in finding strength in the knowledge that we will be together in sympathy and support for Monacos family and for each other.
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Senate President Florin Citu said on Wednesday that it was not normal for Romanian parliamentarians to support "acts of vandalism", as happened during the protest organized by Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) on Tuesday, when a group of protesters tried to force their way into the Palace of Parliament. He described the event as "bizarre", given that state institutions should be protected from such demonstrations.
Citu was asked about the incident on Tuesday when, together with the US charge d'affaires in Bucharest, David Muniz, he was evacuated from his office, while some participants in the protest organized by AUR were trying to force their way into Parliament, after they broke into the courtyard of the institution and vandalized several cars.
"We had to leave. But David and I can see each other to drink coffee also elsewhere. The point is that yesterday it was a bizarre event for me, because state institutions should be protected from vandalism. Eventually, it is reprehensible that we have Romanian parliamentarians who help those who come and support these acts of vandalism, and then they denounce them. It is clear that AUR are those who instigated violence, those who supported and brought those people to the courtyard of Parliament and then wanted to dissociate themselves from them. It doesn't work that way. All the country saw that AUR organized that protest, instigated violence, supported them, and then tried to say, "No, it's not us," Citu said.
Asked if there would be a reaction from Parliament to AUR, he said: "I always say that they should pay a fine every time they (...) do not respect the law, when they go inside without a mask they should pay a fine. Every time."
"There are images, I told the Minister of Interior, every time there are images, it is assumed that I made a complaint and they should be fined," Citu said.
Asked what was the reaction of the US charge d'affaires when the protesters were at the door of Parliament, he stated: "Americans are very organized, I know very well that when they have to execute orders, they execute them." "We both respected what we were told. No, no reaction," Florin Citu added, Agerpres informs.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca announced that the emergency ordinance on the Loan Agreement between the European Commission and Romania, under which our country will receive 14.94 billion euros, will be approved on Wednesday's government meeting.
"From the first days of government, we worked for the operationalization of the most important post-pandemic country project, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Today we will analyze and approve in Government, through OUG, the Loan Agreement between the European Commission and Romania, under which the country will receive 14.94 billion euros, out of the approximately 29 billion euros available through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, money that we will invest in the economy, in extremely advantageous conditions," said the prime minister at the beginning of the government meeting.According to him, after the entry into force of the loan agreement, the European Commission will make available the 13-percent pre-financing, representing approximately 1.94 billion euros."Today's emergency ordinance completes the institutional framework for implementing the NRRP and the setting up of the financial flows for monitoring, verifying and controlling the use of allocated funds. Following the entry into force of the loan agreement, which we will approve today through OUG, the European Commission will make available the 13-percent pre-financing of this loan," the premier said. AGERPRES.
Prime Minister Nicoale Ciuca gave assurances on Wednesday that the government does not target increases in taxes and dues next year and that the draft budget foresees 88.8 billion RON for investments, representing the largest allocation in the last 32 years.
"We will not increase taxes and dues, we will not put pressure on the business environment. We will maintain the current tax regime for SMEs, state aid schemes to encourage investment and all the steps in place to support entrepreneurs. We will support the access to finance of SMEs, by continuing the IMM Invest programme, essential for supporting companies, severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis," he said during the debates in the joint plenary of the two Chambers.
Nicolae Ciuca mentioned that next year's budget "is based on stability and predictability", coordinates meant to encourage investment.
"It is the budget with the highest allocation of investments in the last 32 years, the funds amount to about RON 88.8 billion. It represents, practically, double the amount of investments made in Romania in 2019," he said.
According to the prime minister, the government's intention is "the gradual reduction of the budget deficit" over the next years, given that the effects of the pandemic are still felt at national and global level.AGERPRES
USR (Save Romania Union) Deputy Claudiu Nasui said on Wednesday, in the plenum of the Parliament, that the proposed budget for 2022 is one of "lies and thievery", and the party he belongs to will not be voting for it.
"The budget for 2022 is a budget of lies and thievery, a budget that is based on a big lie, namely the fact that incomes will go up in the rhythm you forecast in the budget. The Romanian state indeed has a big problem and we are in a hole. We have a problem with spending, which has gone up extremely," the member of Parliament declared.Nasui said that in the making of the budget there were "fictitious, drawn up incomes that will never be achieved".Furthermore, he said that the Justice budget has been curtailed. "What are we to understand, that you are giving the go-ahead for theft?", he asked.The deputy specified, in his closing speech, that "USR will not be voting for this budget".AGERPRES
Fireworks will greet the new year at an earlier hour in Grafton, which is nestled at the foot of the bluffs at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Keep an eye out for migrating eagles and other birds while youre there.
Virtual library programs
Public libraries will help you party at home with the kids before naptime. Get dressed up and register to participate. St. Louis County Library will send a list of necessary supplies before the program.
St. Louis County Library 11:30-12:30 p.m. Dec. 31; ages 2-8; slcl.org/content/virtual-program-noon-years-eve-party
St. Charles City-County Library 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Dec. 31; attend.mylibrary.org/event/5772241
New Years Eve at Noon at The Lodge Pool
When 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 31 Where The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Road, Des Peres How much $8-$12; registration required More info desperesmo.org
The Lodge Des Peres will count down to noon with a huge beach ball drop, swimming in the wave pool, plus music, dancing and a festive backdrop for photos. All guests can take home a beach ball. The cafe will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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Is The Matrix Resurrections a kung fu movie? A techno-thriller? A shoot-em-up? A comedy? A sequel thats also a satire of sequels? Or a love story?
Well, Lana Wachowskis boldly entertaining Resurrections combines all those elements, while mixing in flashbacks from the three previous Matrix films. Theres a lot happening on-screen, but its so deftly balanced that it doesnt even matter if, like me, your memory of the other Matrices is dim and youre occasionally not sure exactly whats going on.
At its core, Resurrections is a rescue movie. Neo (Keanu Reeves) is a San Francisco game designer who still finds himself slipping into an alternate reality where hes regarded as a once-in-a-lifetime hero. He struggles to appease his snake of a boss (Jonathan Groff) and to make sense of his trauma with his therapist (Neal Patrick Harris), but hes in a bad place because, he says, They took my life and turned it into a video game.
Resurrections returns a few other characters from earlier outings, including Carrie-Anne Moss Trinity (although theres not enough of her and her impeccable cheekbones until the climax) and Jada Pinkett Smiths Gen. Niobe.
Shirley Washington has heard the word legend applied to her more than once. Still, its something the St. Louis broadcaster struggles to wrap her head around.
This is from the woman who early in her career made the legendary move to send out an audition tape gift-wrapped (and she got the gig).
Its meaningful when someone says legend. I dont consider myself that, but that means a lot. When someone says that to me, it touches my heart, says the Emmy-winning St. Louis native. Shes recently moved into the anchor spot on the 6 and 10 p.m. news broadcasts on KTVI (Channel 2).
On air at KTVI since 2007 after a lengthy television career in several other cities, Washington is a quiet, graceful, yet forceful presence with a literal finger on the pulse of St. Louis (and a show she co-founded to prove it).
Her contributions have not gone unnoticed.
Community
Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis President and CEO Michael McMillan calls Washington an iconic figure who has paved the way for women and African-Americans to be in such high-profile positions. She has really lived up to that.
Her commitment to the St. Louis community runs deep, McMillian says, from participating in the Urban Leagues humanitarian response to the pandemic to emceeing the organizations awards gala, where Washington herself was honored in 2018.
Audrey Prywitch, news director for KTVI and sister station KPLR, credits Washington with helping lead the stations through Ferguson unrest including guiding coverage and tone, along with being a presence on issues of diversity and inclusion.
Shes thoughtful and has opinions about coverage. She has made me better, challenged me, inspired me. Anyone who goes into her universe comes out better.
She says Washington cares about the viewer, the community and her colleagues in the newsroom, and is full of random acts of kindness no one knows about. She once noticed a full box of thank you notes from the community at Washingtons desk.
Self-reflecting, Washington says: I look at myself as a journalist doing the best I can as a journalist. We have a sense of power, and I take ownership in that. Theres a responsibility in how we handle that. Were intentional in how we tell stories about people in our community.
As journalists, she says, we give voice to the voiceless. We are the storytellers. The great thing about stories is they connect us to ideas, connect us to issues, connect us to each other. Thats the beautiful thing about that. And when you make that connection, it encourages us to move, to do something, make change, and thats significant.
Sometimes, especially in the Black community, the stories told can be unflattering. For Washington, as a Black journalist, part of the responsibility she takes on is limiting that under her watch.
During the many times coverage has taken her into the Black community, the reception she receives has been noteworthy.
People are so excited to see you and to tell you their stories. Its like as soon as you walk in the room theres an immediate trust factor, and its important for me not to break it, she says. People trust you with their stories, to tell their stories the way they tell it to you.
Its not your story. Its their story.
Tellingly, its Washingtons need to tell stories fairly and correctly that makes up her own story.
When I look at my body of work at Fox 2, Im most proud of the Pulse of St. Louis, she says of the weekly community talk show on KPLR Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. (Beginning Jan. 16 it will be rebroadcast on KTVI at 10 a.m. Sundays.)
Washington co-founded and began hosting The Pulse of St. Louis in 2011. The show gives a platform to St. Louisans to voice their issues. In September, Washington walked away from the show for better work flow management after she accepted her new role of anchoring the 6 p.m. newscast. Her co-anchor, Jasmine Huda, now hosts The Pulse of St. Louis.
Huda praises Washington for her commitment, focus and no-nonsense demeanor.
Youre lucky if you get one of those things, and shes all of the above. Those are great things you want in a broadcaster. A lot of people do it for fame or celebrity. You dont see that with her, and I appreciate that. Shes committed to the job, committed to the story and getting it right rather than making it about herself, says Huda.
The Pulse of St. Louis came about after station brass came to Washington with the idea of a community-based show. She was tasked with figuring out what that would look like.
They wanted it to be a big platform in the community. We bounced around ideas. I came up with the title. It was a collaborative effort. Great minds came together, Washington says. Its hard to believe people are at home Saturday night watching The Pulse, but they are.
It was a sad day for her when she hosted for the last time.
It just hit me it was my last show, while I was driving in as well. I just tried to hold it together and be professional and do what I do.
She sees her new 6 p.m. nightly anchor role as a beautiful thing taking on new responsibilities.
The new slot came with multiple pluses. Early evening news broadcasts are high-profile slots. But closer to Washington, Its important for little girls to see someone on TV who looks like themselves. If they see me doing something significant on TV Monday to Friday, it lets them know they can do it, too. Its a big responsibility helping children realize their dreams, let them know they can be anything they want to be, says Washington.
Growing up
This strong sense of community Washington wears proudly goes back to her childhood growing up in south St. Louis.
Washington, who graduated from Roosevelt High School, says her parents, H.D. and Pearline Washington, kept her and her six siblings (shes the middle child) engaged in the community, whether it was through the church, the library or volunteering.
My mom was on the missionary board at church and instilled in us the value of service and giving back to the community, says Washington. When I look at what I do as a journalist, I align that with what I did growing up.
Her mother made sure the family watched TV news and read the newspaper regularly, especially on Sunday. The family would be quizzed about what was in the news.
When Washington enrolled in Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, she thought shed pursue medical school and take a page from her mother, a surgical attendant (her dad was a maintenance engineer). But she also had an affinity for writing. She worked for the campus radio station and then auditioned for the campus TV station.
Her first television audition was terrible, she says. Her confidence hadnt kicked in by that point, but producers told her she had something special. They saw something in me before I saw something in myself. She was hired.
During college, Washington reached out to Kim Hindrew of KTVI, to get career advice. The fact Hindrew responded blew my mind. ... She was so kind to me. One of the things she told me to be mindful of was to always check and recheck your facts no matter what you do, and shes right.
Eventually, she graduated from SIUC with a broadcast journalism degree. But she found herself without a job, and worked the department store job she worked in high school. But with her employee discount, she was able to amass an appropriate TV wardrobe. So when the time came, shed look the part.
Shed land her first TV gig at WAND in Decatur, Illinois, but the reporter slot she thought she was being offered was actually a photographer position. She said no, but her father persuaded her to take the job, just to get her foot in the door.
I was the absolute worst photographer, she says. She mostly trained herself, studying photography books and driving around the city before her shifts to practice shooting.
When it was time for me to move into a reporting position, it was a great experience. I wouldnt change it for the world.
From Decatur she moved on to other jobs in Moline, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta; and Dallas.
Atlanta, where she worked for most of the 90s, was one of her favorites. She says the city left a strong impression on her, and she basked in being in the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement and meeting some of the leaders of the movement, names such as John Lewis, Hosea Williams, Julian Bond and Andrew Young.
It was amazing what it did for me. It reinforced what my parents told me growing up about standing up for whats right.
Washington was anchoring in Dallas in 2007 when she decided to return to St. Louis, though it wasnt to come to KTVI. Both of her parents had taken ill, and rather than continually fly back and forth, she accepted a job in the communications department at St. Louis Lambert International Airport so she could be home.
She wasnt at the airport long before being offered a position at KTVI. She wasnt looking for a new job at the time, but the opportunity presented itself.
I do believe things happen as they are supposed to happen, and God has a hand in that, says Washington, who is married with a son. (She leads a private life with her family.)
She calls her coming home, even without a job in TV, a no-brainer.
I did what I needed to do for family, and Im so glad I did. Look at all your parents do for you, the morals and values they instill in you.
(Washingtons mother died in 2017, and her father died earlier this year.)
Mothers loveOne of the things her mother taught her was how to make food fun. Washington enjoys cooking, as her mother did, and turning the food into works of art.
Id make breakfast like art sculptures for my mom. Shed say Oh my god, thats so beautiful. I still do that.
Washington pulled off a major surprise for her mother when she was close to death a call from gospel music icon Shirley Caesar.
Washingtons mother was a huge fan. Washington called Caesars church in Raleigh, North Carolina, to try to set it up.
Caesar called. She was on the phone with my mother for 45 minutes. They were talking like they were old friends.
The following year at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis Salute to Women in Leadership Awards Gala in 2018, both Caesar and Washington were coincidentally honored, and Washington approached Caesar.
I shared the story about my mother. She was so blown away.
Shirley Washington
Occupation Broadcaster/anchor, KTVI (Fox 2)
Family She is married and has a son.
Education: Graduated from Roosevelt High School and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Causes Volunteering, emceeing and promoting events with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Beyond Housing, St. Louis Crisis Nursery, Womens Voices Raised for Social Justice, Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and ABC Brigade
Favorite music I have so many. I love Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Shirley Caesar, Aretha Franklin. I cried during the Amazing Grace documentary. She was so talented and gifted and made it look so easy.
Favorite book If I had to choose, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (by St. Louisan Maya Angelou). Her story is so impactful and amazing. She herself has written three books: The Motherhood Club: Help, Hope and Inspiration for New Mothers From New Mothers with Ann L. Dunnewold (2002), A Gift for Girls: Words of Wisdom From Successful Women (2005), and the novel The Diary (2013).
Favorite cuisine I enjoy soul food. Ive learned how to make it more healthy. You know how our grandparents throw fatback hamhocks into it.
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) New Orleans is shortening parade routes for the upcoming Mardi Gras season because there are fewer police officers, medics and other first responders to handle the crowds, officials said Tuesday.
The city canceled Mardi Gras parades this past February because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2020 parade crowds are considered a big reason that New Orleans was an early pandemic hot spot.
The big news and the best news is that Mardi Gras is returning to the city of New Orleans and to the world in 2022, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
As city officials announced their Carnival plans, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday that he's again extended Louisiana's public health emergency, which was first enacted by the Democratic governor in March 2020.
He's modified it several times since then, and the latest version contains few restrictions for businesses and no statewide mask mandate.
But Edwards announced that agencies led by his cabinet secretaries will again start requiring employees and visitors to wear masks inside their offices, including at Office of Motor Vehicle locations around the state.
HART, Mich. (AP) The father of four Christian missionaries from Michigan who were among 12 who escaped from kidnappers in Haiti expressed gratitude Tuesday and said they're in good shape.
Two more family members were also kidnapped but were released a few weeks ago. They're associated with Hart Dunkard Brethren Church in Hart, about 190 miles (306 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
A church elder, Ron Marks, read a statement from Ray Noecker, whose wife, Cheryl, and five of their children were kidnapped in October.
My family is all together and in good health. We are rejoicing together over the many ways that God answered the prayers of his people from all around the world, said Ray, who added that the family plans to return to Michigan soon.
Church member Carleton Horst identified the six hostages from Michigan as Cheryl Noecker, 48, Brandyn Noecker, 15, Kasondra Noecker, 14, Courtney Noecker, 18, Shelden Noecker, 6, and Cherilyn Noecker, 27.
Cheryl and Shelden were released a few weeks ago, Horst said.
Despite the pain, she said knowing officers arrested the men charged with her daughters killing lifted a burden.
I am very grateful, Carolyn Seay said.
Many leaders also highlighted that while the improvements were positive, there was much more work to be done.
The data released Tuesday offers a snapshot of a year. It is unclear whether the trend will continue.
Illinois Sen. Christopher Belt, D-East St. Louis, said addressing peoples trauma needed to remain the focus of the effort.
We have babies that are growing up in warlike situations, he said. Until we get a hold of it and deal with the trauma, its going to manifest itself.
East St. Louis police Chief Kendall Perry, for his part, also applauded the officers and said he was looking forward to seeing the progress in another year.
Our goal this year is to always go harder and be better than the year before, he said. Weve come a long way, but weve got a long way to go.
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JEFFERSON CITY Republicans who control the Missouri Legislature are again pushing plans to make it harder for voters to change the state constitution.
Under at least nine different bills filed in the run-up to the beginning of the 2022 legislative session, voters would be asked to raise the threshold for placing changes on the ballot, as well as increase the votes needed to approve an amendment.
Opponents say the efforts to limit citizen-led changes are anti-democratic.
We feel these are blatant attempts to silence the voices of the voters, Jen Bernstein, advocacy director for the National Council of Jewish Womens St. Louis chapter, told a House panel discussing the changes in August.
Proponents say it is too easy for Missourians to alter the constitution. And, they add, the current ballot initiative process has allowed outside interest groups too much of a role.
This year, for example, an effort to replace partisan primary elections with a ranked choice method has received more than $1 million in campaign contributions from a Virginia-based nonprofit that wants to put the idea on the 2022 statewide ballot.
CLAYTON The St. Louis County Council on Tuesday squeezed through most of a $918 million budget for 2022 before adjourning for the year, but not without a last fight over the exclusion of $18 million for new spending programs.
The move kicks into next year some key decisions affecting new county jobs and programs requested by County Executive Sam Pages administration.
The move to delay action on part of the administrations spending request was supported by Page critics on the council, who say they want to take a closer look at how federal relief funds are used. Page allies pushed back, arguing it left county departments uncertain over the fate of programs they said were necessary to improve government services.
This is peoples lives and livelihoods that were toying with, said Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway, D-2nd District.
But the council majority pushing for delay emphasized that no jobs would be cut by the move. They vowed to review each spending request as soon as possible in January and expected to approve most of them.
This isnt a done deal, this is to get us to the first of the year, said Councilman Tim Fitch, R-3rd District.
The emails dont disclose her conflict of interest. But a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the Post-Dispatch on the condition of anonymity said Audrey McIntosh told the person in early 2020 that Richard McIntosh had received more than one medical marijuana license.
Neither Audrey McIntosh, who was replaced on the commission by Gov. Mike Parson in November , nor Richard McIntosh responded to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Parson didnt respond to a question about whether the conflict led to his decision to replace Audrey McIntosh on the commission.
Audrey and Richard McIntosh made headlines two years ago, when Richard McIntosh pushed for a change in state law to allow college students accused of sexual assault to hire attorneys and ask questions under cross-examination about their victims sexual history or drinking activities. Emails obtained by the Associated Press showed Richard McIntosh indicated that his wife played a role in crafting the language of the proposed legislation, which would have resulted in either the victim or the accused being able to transfer their cases to the Administrative Hearing Commission where she served. Their son had recently been expelled from Washington University.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) An F-15 fighter jet traveling over central Illinois created a sonic boom that rattled the region Tuesday, prompting concerned residents to flood local police stations with calls about the noise, a state agency said.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency said in a statement that the department was alerted about 11:20 a.m. CST about a large noise and shaking felt by many residents" across central Illinois.
The state agency said it began investigating with federal, state and local officials and found that the sound was a sonic boom created by a military fighter jet.
It was determined that an F-15 fighter jet in the airspace above central Illinois course corrected creating a sonic boom. When the aircraft broke the sound barrier, the pressure wave created an audible noise and minor shaking in the region," the state agency said in a statement.
There have been no reports of damage caused by the noise, it added.
The Nov. 7 armed drone attack on Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimis residence marked a dramatic escalation in tensions that had been building over recent months between competing Shiite groups. Kadhimi has aligned himself with Sadr. The Fatah parliamentary bloc of factions linked to pro-Tehran militia suffered a major defeat at the election, losing dozens of seats.
During a terse meeting at the office of a veteran Iran-backed politician in Baghdad, Ghaani berated the two leaders of major Iran-backed militia groups, accusing them of handling the fallout from the election badly. The meeting was described to Reuters by one of the militia officials, who has direct knowledge of the encounter, as well as two politicians closely affiliated with the militias and who were briefed on the meeting. Ghaani, who was accompanied by a small team, told both militia heads to get their supporters and militants under control, the official and two politicians said.
The Iranians were furious, the militia official said. He added that one Iranian official asked: Do you want a Shiite civil war? The official declined to identify the Iranian who made those remarks.
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Saudi Arabia is seeking several hundred Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile missiles from the United States and EU (European Union) nations to replace several hundred Pac-3 missiles used to intercept nearly 150 Iranian ballistic missiles fired by Iran-backed Shia rebels in Yemen. Some of those missiles failed on launch and no PAC-3 missiles were launched. In many cases the Saudis fire two PAC-3s at each incoming target to ensure interception. So far none of the Iranian missiles have hit their targets, at least not on purpose. Some interceptions take place over Saudi cities or urban areas and the debris from the PAC-3 and ballistic missiles must land somewhere, and sometimes those land on structures. There have been some casualties from this, including a few deaths.
The last resupply of PAC 3 missiles the Saudis received was 200 of them in 2020. These were to replace missiles used since 2016 to take down Iranian missiles fired from northern Yemen. Iran has backed the Shia rebels there for nearly a decade. To deal with this threat most Saudi Patriot batteries have been moved south to defend against the Yemen threat. Suddenly, in September 2019, the threat appeared in the north when Iran launched an attack on Saudi oil facilities using cruise missiles and UAVs equipped with explosives. These came in low and slow and evaded Saudi radars. The Iranians said the attack came from the Shia in Yemen but the evidence, including fragments of the cruise missiles and UAVs, said otherwise. Saudi Arabia is trying to protect itself from more Iranian attacks using any kind of aerial weapon and has ordered radars from the U.S. that are designed to detect low and slow threats.
The Iranians are having a harder time smuggling the ballistic missile components into Yemen, where they are assembled by Iranian advisors and local Shia rebels. Currently about ten of these ballistic missiles are being fired at Saudi targets each month, including some longer-range missiles that can reach the Saudi capital a thousand kilometers away. The success of the Saudi Patriot ABM efforts has caused the Iranians to smuggle in more of their UAVs, which are assembled with explosive warheads and use GPS coordinates to guide these low and slow targets towards targets in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. These improvised cruise missiles are a lot cheaper than ballistic missiles and so far, have been more successful. They do less damage than a ballistic missile and the Saudis are seeking cheaper air defense systems to deal with them. Currently the Saudis use AMRAAM air-to-air missiles fired from jet fighters to intercept a lot of these cruise missiles. These missiles cost about half a million dollars each, which is a lot more than the targets cost. The current PAC-3 missile costs $4 million each.
While the Saudis already have 24 Patriot batteries, this proved insufficient to protect it from the growing number of Iranian threatened and actual attacks. from Yemen and Iran.
Since 2018 most of the Saudi batteries have been deployed in the south, near the Yemen border where Iran-backed Shia rebels have been using Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles against the Saudis for several years. The Patriot systems have been successful in intercepting over a hundred of these attacks. Many other nations in the region also use Patriot, including Egypt, Israel and most Arab Persian Gulf nations. Patriot batteries have been used in the Persian Gulf since 1991 and have had plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their work, especially against ballistic missiles.
Patriot has been in service since 1984 and experienced its first sustained combat in 1990, when it was used against Iraqi SCUD ballistic missiles fired at Israel and Saudi Arabia. Its success rate, 40 to 70 percent, was mediocre at best. That was largely due to the improvised modifications Iraqis made to their SCUDs to extend their range. As a result, the SCUDs tended to fall apart during the terminal (speeding down towards the target) flight phase which created unintended countermeasures. Some of the larger pieces of these modified SCUDs, like additional fuel tanks, broke away and were seen by Patriot radar as the actual missile warhead section. In some cases, non-warhead portions of the SCUD came down on military or civilian personnel on the ground. Subsequent upgrades to Patriot increased accuracy against deliberate or accidental countermeasures.
Patriot has been used against UAVs but firing a $3-4 million dollar missile at homemade UAV cruise missiles, as Israeli forces did a few times, isnt healthy for the economy so Israel developed cheaper solutions for UAVs. The Saudis are quietly negotiating with Israel to obtain some of the Israeli air defense systems designed to deal with UAVs. The Saudis have also expressed interest in the new Israeli Davids Sling system, which is often described as an improved Patriot
Patriot, although initially designed to use against manned aircraft, did not face this threat very often and it wasnt until 2014 that Patriot downed a hostile aircraft; a Syrian Su-24 fighter-bomber. While Patriot was originally designed for use against aircraft, most of what it has shot down have been ballistic missiles, either SCUDs or more recent Iranian designs. The UAE sent a battery to Yemen after 2015, where it successfully defended major military bases from ballistic missiles. Arab Patriot users have developed a lot of missile crews with combat experience and that has helped attract capable recruits to air-defense units, which is usually seen as less prestigious than traditional service with ground, air, and naval combat units.
Since 1970 over 10,000 Patriot missiles and 1,500 launchers for more than 240 Patriot batteries have been produced. After decades of service, some missiles were updated while others were scrapped. Patriot missiles can, with regular upgrades and refurbishment, remain in service for over 40 years. A growing number of Patriot missiles are doing just that but many are still fired each year for training and testing.
Most Patriot batteries are equipped with both longer-range PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for aircraft and some ballistic missiles. The shorter-range PAC-3 MSE was designed specifically for use against ballistic missiles and only, if necessary, against aircraft. The PAC 2 is older, cheaper, and designed to intercept manned aircraft at ranges up to 160 kilometers plus ballistic missiles at much shorter ranges. The PAC 3 is the newest Patriot missile, about twice as expensive (over $4 million) as the earlier PAC-2 and far more effective against ballistic missiles. The Patriot system, with continued upgrades, will likely remain in production until the 2040s.
Each Patriot battery is manned by about a hundred troops and contains a radar, plus four launchers. The launcher is designed to use both the smaller PAC 3 missile as well as the original and larger PAC 2 anti-aircraft version. A Patriot launcher can hold sixteen PAC 3 missiles versus four PAC 2s. A PAC 2 missile weighs about a ton, a PAC 3 weighs about a third of that. The PAC 3 has a shorter range that was originally 20 kilometers but the latest version can do 35 kilometers. Saudi Patriot batteries use both PAC 2 and 3 missiles but only began receiving PAC 3 missiles in 2017. Before that the only PAC-3 missiles in Saudi Arabia were with two or more American Patriot batteries that have been based in Saudi Arabia for decades. These batteries are rotated in and out of Saudi Arabia as part of an American effort to practice rapid deployment of batteries to Saudi Arabia in a wartime emergency.
Arab Gulf states want Patriot for additional protection from Iran, which is the main threat and has been for centuries. Over the last few years, Iranian politicians have increasingly made public statements that the Saudis are unfit to be the guardians and operators of the most sacred Moslem shrines at Mecca. Iran also considers Bahrain the 14th province of Iran. That's because, well, it isn't called the "Persian" Gulf for nothing. Since all the oil money showed up after World War II the Arabs have been trying to popularize the term "Arabian Gulf," with mixed success. Many Arab Gulf state have had Iranian minorities for centuries. Since nearly all Iranians are Shia Moslem, those living on the Arab side of the Gulf have attracted many Arabs to the Shia form of Islam. As a result, Bahrain has a Shia Arab majority, and Iran had a formal claim on the island until 1969, when the claim was dropped, in order to improve relations with Arab neighbors. All the Arab states bordering the Gulf have Shia minorities, except Iraq and Bahrain which have Shia majorities.
In 2019 Saudi neighbor Bahrain became the 17th nation to purchase Patriot Air Defense systems. Bahrain spent $2.5 billion to obtain two Patriot batteries and 96 missiles. The purchase price included training, tech support and assistance in hiring qualified foreign contractors to help with maintaining and operating Patriot. There are plenty of Arabs in the Persian Gulf who do that now. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates have been using Patriot for years and most of these Patriot batteries are operated and maintained by Arabs.
The Saudis also sought to borrow additional Patriot batteries from NATO nations. Greece agreed to help. Greece has been using Patriot since 2003, about as long as the Saudis. In April 2021 Greece signed an agreement to send one of its six Patriot Air Defense batteries to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis requested the Patriot battery in 2019 and Greece initially agreed, but delayed sending the Patriot battery because their eastern neighbor, Turkey, suddenly became more of a threat. That threat subsided and the battery arrived in September 2o21 with a complete Greek crew of 120 soldiers. These Greeks expect to learn something from Saudi Patriot crews, who have the most Patriot combat experience of any in the world.
There is less Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) activity in the north, particularly Borno state, where both Islamic terrorist groups were founded and thrived for several years. The two groups turned much of northern Borno into an economic wasteland, full of local self-defense groups, anti-terrorist vigilantes and a much more effective military. The Islamic terrorists have experienced heavy personnel losses because of a lack of new recruits while suffering higher losses from sickness and desertion. A combination of hunger, fewer places to loot and more danger from the security forces or armed civilians Boko Haram and its more radical spinoff ISWAP a less attractive career option for the many young Moslem men who are poor, unemployed, and angry.
A major source of disappointment with Islamic terrorism was the civil war within Boko Haram, which escalated in 2021 to the point where there were major Boko Haram and ISWAP losses from desertion, particularly those true believers who had family members with them, surrendering to the army. This was encouraged by an army process for housing and sustaining surrendered Islamic terrorists until they could move on. This encouraged more Islamic terrorists to officially surrender rather than just walk away, which many still do. By the end of 2021 about 20,000 Boko Haram and ISWAP men, including family members living with them in remote camps, had turned themselves in. This is remarkable because the total was only 8,000 in August. The rapid increase in surrenders overwhelmed the system and exhausted the resources available. Some of the former Islamic terrorists went back the group they deserted and were accepted. This led to rumors that the massive increase in surrenders was largely a ploy by those clever Islamic terrorist fellows to let the army provide paid vacations for themselves and their families. That was a myth. Most of those surrendering, especially the women and children, were starving and many were ill. The family members wanted nothing to do with returning to life in the forest.
There is also the problem with unemployment and lack of economic opportunities in the devastated northern half of Borno State. It was a lot easier to destroy the local economy than rebuild it. The social and economic infrastructure built up over many generations is gone and something new, and less effective, will have to replace it in the short run. Reliable law and order have returned to a growing number of areas in northern Borno, but there are still thousands of armed outlaws up there. Many, if not most, still belong to Boko Haram and ISWAP. Many of the better organized Islamic terrorist factions have moved to neighboring states or countries. This provides more to steal but also more armed opposition. Boko Haram or ISWAP showing up in other parts of Nigeria is big local news initially but soon fades along with the threat. The local gangsters are hostile to newly arrived brigands who believe they are on a Mission From God. Its no longer fashionable to be a religious zealot, although careers in banditry or mercenary violence are still available. It was initially believed that some of the surrendered Islamic terrorists could join the army, which was always looking for recruits with experience in military matters. So far, the military policy is that no former Islamic terrorists can enlist although some do find employment as contract employees for military intelligence. This is a dangerous job and those who take it are constantly monitored for loyalty. You and your family may end up on an Islamic terrorist shoot on sight list. This career option appeals to a small percentage of the surrendered.
Another factor that keeps the surrendering Islamic terrorists honest is that they must answer questions about their career, however brief, in Boko Haram or ISWAP. Army intel troops have a lot of experience with this because knowledge of who key leaders are, where they or their families live and where camps and weapons stashes are can all earn a surrendered Islamic terrorists a clean bill of health and entitlement to benefits or even a job offer as a regular informant. It also earns rewards for the interrogators who are most productive. This is another one of those dangerous jobs that few people want.
The army is particularly eager to find out where the Islamic terrorists are holding hostages, especially soldiers or police, for ransom. There have been a lot more hostages rescued this year, along with Boko Haram arms and other stashes recovered. Civilians who have deals with the Islamic terrorists to supply fuel, ammunition, and other essential items are being arrested and prosecuted. Some Borno politicians and religious leaders have been implicated as well.
Boko Haram and ISWAP are still around, but as a minor security problem compared to feuding tribal militias and an increased number of aggressive gangsters. For several years these non-terrorist groups have accounted for more violence and death than the Islamic terrorists. During 2021 the Islamic terrorists faded more quickly and lost most of their allure as a solution to Nigerias problems with corruption. That was how Boko Haram began two decades ago, as a nonviolent movement. Reforming the national police, whose gratuitous violence against any disagreeable group turned Boko Haram into a major Islamic terrorism movement, is still a problem. It is now recognized as a problem and there is growing pressure for major reforms in the police, as well as the Nigerian government in general. That is a much larger and entrenched problem than a major outbreak of Islamic terrorism.
Other more immediate problems include large scale criminal activity in the oil industry and the areas where oil is pumped. There is also a resurgence of Igbo separatism in the southeast.
December 19, 2021: In the northeast (Borno State), Boko Haram raided a town in the far northeast of Borno that was the hometown of a senior Borno politician. There were many casualties and buildings were burned after they were looted. The raiders were gone by the time the military arrived. It was probably a coincidence that Boko Haram raided this village because a senior politician had family there. The village was an attractive target because it was remote and still largely intact.
December 18, 2021: In the northeast (Borno State), across the border in Cameroon, there has been a major outbreak of fighting between farmers, herders and fishermen over who gets access to what of the remaining water in Lake Chad. Since the 1960s drought and overuse has caused Lake Chad to lose 90 percent of its surface area. The much smaller Lake Chad became more important to much larger populations in all the nations that border it. Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria all border Lake Chad and all three nations share the problem of farmers, fishermen and nomadic herders fighting over access to the lake to water crops, catch fish, and provide water and pasture for herds of cattle the nomads depend on. So far most of the water wars around Lake Chad have taken place in Nigeria, which has a higher population density because the further north you go (into Chad and Niger) the more desert and semi-desert areas you encounter. Cameroon has the shortest Lake Chad shoreline and less population in the area. The tensions over water were there and since early December the violence has caused over a 100,000 people to flee their homes to avoid the fighting, which often consists of armed raids by one group or another. Most of the refugees fled into Chad while about 15,000 took shelter further south in Cameroon.
December 17, 2021: In the south, at a Lagos (largest port city in Nigeria and West Africa) cargo container facility, a random customs inspection of containers found one full of weapons instead of the flat screen TVs listed on its manifest. Police are still counting the contents and seeking to identify the smugglers. A container like this can contain up to 25 tons, which means for over three thousand rifles and machine-gun and many more pistols. Given the profit margins on illegal arms, the container was worth several million dollars to the smugglers. There is a growing black market for these weapons from tribal militias, gangsters and Islamic terror groups.
December 15, 2021: In November Nigeria regained its position as largest oil producer in Africa with 1.33 million BPD (barrels per day), up eight percent from October. Normally the largest producers in Africa are Nigeria, Angola and Libya. Angola suffers from some of the same corruption and internal violence problems as Nigeria and for October is in third place behind Libya and Nigeria.
October production was so low (1.23 million BPD) that for one month Libya became the largest oil producer in Africa, with 1.24 million BPD. Nigerian production fell by nearly 40 percent in the last 18 months to reach 1.23 million BPD in October. During the first three months of 2020 Nigerian oil production reached two million BPD. Daily production in 2019 was 2.32 million BPD, up from 2018 (2.09 million BPD) and 2017 (2.03 million BPD). For 2020 production was expected to be a little lower to allow for needed oil field rehabilitation work to proceed. Those predictions did not consider covid19 and subsequent lower demand worldwide.
Production declined worldwide but now demand is rising again and so have oil prices, which are now about $70 a barrel, up over 70 percent from $40 a barrel a year ago.
Nigerian production should be much mightier and more profitable. Given the investments in oil production, mainly by foreign companies, Nigeria can produce 4 million BPD. That has not happened. The reasons are continuing problems with oil theft gangs and repair/maintenance backlogs, especially of the pipelines, in the Niger River Delta. The pipelines are regularly punctured by oil thieves, who take what they can carry (in a tanker truck or truck full of empty barrels) and leave the puncture to further pollute local water and land until the oil company can locate the leak, shut down the pipeline and repair the puncture. This is a major extra expense for the oil companies and a major source of local anger against the oil production. Yet there is never a shortage of local recruits for the oil gangs. Then there are the decades of government inability to deal with these problems. That led to a growing number of foreign oil companies selling their Nigerian assets and going elsewhere. In effect, it is more profitable to do business in other countries. For example, in 2020 it cost $23 per barrel to produce oil in Nigeria but without all the violence and corruption that could be $15 a barrel or less. The new oil production firms will demand better terms from Nigeria meaning less oil income for the government. The effort to explore for oil in the Moslem north is also crippled by the bad reputation Nigeria has when it comes to foreign oil companies. Meanwhile a lot of the oil revenue that should go to the government budget continues to disappear along the way because corrupt politicians and officials find ways to get around new laws and regulations meant to reduce the losses. Audits revealed that Nigeria has lost a trillion dollars in oil revenue to corruption in the last sixty years and Nigerian living standards and poverty rates are worse now than in the 1960s, especially compared to other African countries that had no oil or similar natural resource bonanza.
December 3, 2021: Senior Christian leaders, especially Catholic and Anglican bishops, are now speaking out about the organized Moslem violence against Christians and the threat it poses to Nigeria as a united nation. Nigeria has the largest population (211 million) of any country in Africa and more Christians (nearly a hundred million) than any other African nation. In that respect Nigeria is surpassed by only five other nations; United States, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and the Philippines. About half the Nigerian Christians are Roman Catholic or Anglican and the bishops of those two global religions speak not just for their Nigerian believers but for much larger numbers of Christians worldwide. Because of this the bishops were reluctant to call what Boko Haram and the Fulani raiders were doing in the north a deliberate effort to eliminate all Christians from Nigeria. This was a stated goal of Boko Haram from the beginning and especially after they turned much more violent after 2008. It wasnt until after 2014 that Fulani violence became openly anti-Christian. Before that it was just about water and grazing land.
Until 2014 the major violence was between Hausa and Fulani, the two major Moslem tribes in the north. In response to the increased violence the government sent several thousand troops to north central Nigeria (Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States) in an effort to shut down the tribal gunmen who had been raiding each others villages for most of 2014 and causing over a thousand casualties and much property damage. The army task force has been ordered to find and destroy several large armed groups responsible for most of the mayhem. Most of these marauders were Fulani. The Moslem nomadic Fulani have long been fighting with Christian and pagan farmers in central and southeastern Nigeria as well as raiding rival Moslem tribes in the north. There are fifteen million Fulani in Nigeria, most of them in the north. There are about five million Fulani in nearby countries doing the same thing. This violence in Nigeria got worse and sending in thousands of additional police did not halt the fighting. The Fulani long claimed that the government was sending Christian police to persecute them because of their religion, not because they were constantly attacking Christian farmers. The settled (farming) tribes have been there a long time and in the last few decades more Fulani came south looking for pasturage and water for their herds and have increasingly used force to get what they want. Christian militias fight back, but the Fulani do most of the damage. Government effort to shut down the Fulani raiders brought forth accusations from mainstream Moslem groups that the army was picking on Moslems by concentrating on the Fulani raiders and not the Christians self-defense groups and tribal militias the Fulani raiders often run into. Moslem leaders want attention paid to the growing tribal feuds between Moslem tribes, like the 2014 battles between Fulani and Hausa. Attacks on Christians got more attention because half the population of Nigeria is Christian and Boko Haram has declared war on all Christians, especially the shrinking Christian minority in the largely Moslem north. Boko Haram is still at war with Christians but there are far fewer Boko Haram now than there are armed Fulani. This is not the first Islamic Jihad against Christians in what is now Nigeria. Islam reached northern Nigeria long before Christians showed up along the coast. Christians are more effective missionaries than Moslems, who prefer to demand submission from non-Moslems while Christians seek willing converts. Christianity was also the foreign faith that believed in education, tech and economic opportunities. Boko Haram literally means; Western education is forbidden.
NRG awarded for exemplary leadership in environmental initiatives established to drive environmental progress and impact global sustainability
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, NRG Energy, Inc. announced it received the SEAL Award for Environmental Initiatives at the 2021 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards.
The SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement and Leadership) Awards honor the organizations and leaders dedicated to making real progress on one of the most pressing issues of our time.
As one of the largest competitive retail power providers in the country, NRG understands that while decisions made today have a near-term impact, the effects of these actions will have a lasting legacy on our world, said Jeanne-Mey Sun, Vice President of Sustainability at NRG. To drive widespread environmental progress, NRG has undergone a large-scale business transformation to move closer to the customer, achieve net-zero by 2050, and ultimately advance a more sustainable, clean energy future.
The SEAL Business Sustainability Awards acknowledged NRG for:
Converting NRG, previously one of the nations largest power generators, into a leading consumer services company and reducing NRGs GHG emissions by 55%, from a 2014 baseline, on the path to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
Expanding NRG's portfolio of sustainable products and services for both our home and business customers including retail renewable electricity plans, customized demand response programs and active energy management tools, energy efficiency consulting and products, and certified carbon offsets.
Deepening engagement with external stakeholders committed to a more sustainable future through our investor engagement program, and actively participating in groups focused on various decarbonization pathways.
Our mission at SEAL is to rigorously assess and then celebrate extraordinary sustainability leadership. Were honored to recognize NRG Energy this year with the Environmental Initiatives Award for its achievements in this space, commented Matt Harney, SEAL Awards Founder.
This years awardees ranged from global brands to high-growth start-ups and scale-ups from a wide array of sectors, including technology, transportation, financial services, utilities, and consumer goods. More information about the SEAL Business Sustainability Award winners is available at http://sealawards.com/sustainability-award-2021.
About NRG
At NRG, were bringing the power of energy to people and organizations by putting customers at the center of everything we do. We generate electricity and provide energy solutions and natural gas to millions of customers through our diverse portfolio of retail brands. A Fortune 500 company, operating in the United States and Canada, NRG delivers innovative solutions while advocating for competitive energy markets and customer choice, working toward a sustainable energy future. More information is available at nrg.com. Connect with NRG on Facebook, LinkedIn, and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211222005363/en/
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Source: NRG Energy, Inc.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia & LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tachyum today announced it has entered into an agreement with another prestigious university in Slovakia. Tachyum will collaborate with Technical University of Kosice (TUKE) on optimizations of supercomputer and power efficient data centers, scientific research, and innovations in the field of Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI). Students and teachers will get access to Tachyums Prodigy emulation system for selected projects.
Signing a memorandum of understanding with Tachyum is an excellent signal and an inspiring example for our students and teachers in at least two respects. Firstly, we are proud that the founder and CEO of Tachyum, Radoslav Danilak, is a successful graduate of the Technical University in Kosice, which, we firmly believe, testifies to the quality work of our teachers. The excellent Dr. Danilaks results at the world level will clearly motivate our students to make even greater efforts to achieve similar success and fulfill their own dream, said Professor Anton Cizmar, vice-rector for Innovation and Technology Transfer at TUKE. Secondly, it is a great opportunity for all of us at the university to work with Tachyum in such attractive areas as Big Data, AI or high-performance supercomputers, and thus use the potential and knowledge of our students for specific applications. Our university science park Technicom, which is the center of the innovation ecosystem in the region, will undoubtedly contribute to this effort with its infrastructure and research laboratories.
The MoU was signed in Kosice during Dr. Danilaks visit to Slovakia. "It has been my genuine pleasure to watch the information in the media about Radoslav Danilak as one of the world's most respected hardware architects in recent years," said Dr. Frantisek Jakab, Associate Professor, and Director of the TECHNICOM University Science Park, TUKE. "I see him standing with me in front of the door of Professor Jelsina's office, which led the subject of computer architecture. I remember how Radoslav held drawings in his hands with the architecture solution of a special arithmetic coprocessor, the solution which he wanted to show to the professor and which he had previously shown and described to me in detail. Therefore, I was really pleased when I had the opportunity to welcome Radoslav and his team in person at the TECHNICOM University Science Park of the TUKE and discuss his future plans and opportunities in collaboration with the Technical University."
TUKE is notable for its engineering and technology departments. Tachyum gives their talented faculty and students the opportunity to work with the latest world-class HPC technology for open-source public projects and scientific research activities, as well as active involvement in the construction of supercomputer centers.
There are not many people in Slovakia who deal with microelectronics or chip architecture. There are world-class talents in Kosice, who do not want to move to Bratislava, so it is very important for us to cooperate with this community and help them to realize their potential, said Dr. Radoslav Danilak, founder and CEO of Tachyum. We expect that our cooperation will boost the community growth.
For a complete list of partnering universities please see https://www.tachyum.com/resources/partners.
Prodigy has the potential to create unrivaled computational speed and vast energy saving capabilities for hyperscale, OEM, telecommunication, private cloud and government markets. Prodigys 10x lower processor core power consumption will dramatically cut carbon emissions associated with data center usage. Prodigys 3x lower cost (at equivalent performance) will also translate to billions of dollars in annual savings to hyperscalers like Google, Facebook, Amazon and Alibaba.
Tachyums Prodigy processor can run HPC applications, convolutional AI, explainable AI, general AI, bio AI, and spiking neural networks, plus normal data center workloads, on a single homogeneous processor platform, using existing standard programming models. Without Prodigy, hyperscale data centers must use a combination of disparate CPU, GPU and TPU hardware, for these different workloads, creating inefficiency, expense, and the complexity of separate supply and maintenance infrastructures. Using specific hardware dedicated to each type of workload (e.g. data center, AI, HPC), results in underutilization of hardware resources, and more challenging programming, support, and maintenance. Prodigys ability to seamlessly switch among these various workloads dramatically changes the competitive landscape and the economics of data centers.
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About Tachyum
Tachyum is transforming AI, HPC, public and private cloud data center markets with Prodigy, the worlds first Universal Processor that delivers industry-leading performance, cost, and power efficiency for both specialty and general-purpose computing. When Prodigy processors are provisioned in a hyperscale data center, they enable all AI, HPC, and general-purpose applications to run on one hardware infrastructure, saving companies billions of dollars per year. A fully functional Prodigy emulation system is currently available to select customers and partners for early testing and software development. With data centers currently consuming over 3% of the planets electricity, predicted to be 10% by 2025, the ultra-low power Prodigy Universal Processor is critical, if we want to continue doubling worldwide data center capacity every four years. Tachyum, Co-founded by Dr. Radoslav Danilak with its flagship product Prodigy, is marching towards tape out targeting Q2 2022, with software emulations and an FPGA-based emulator running native Linux available to early adopters. The company is building the worlds fastest 64 AI exaflops supercomputer in 2022 in the EU with Prodigy chips. Tachyum has offices in the United States and Slovakia. For more information, visit https://www.tachyum.com/.
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Source: Tachyum
Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2021) - The ETH Fan team is pleased to announce the release of a special token, the ETH Fan token. It is especially for "those who love Ethereum technology". The project is launched on BEP20 to give users a way to reduce the gas fees for transactions.
Figure 1: ETH Fan Token Launches, Aim to Bring Major Changes to the Crypto Industry.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8378/108255_picture1.png
The ETH Fan Token uses innovative Tokenomics and smart contracts to give users options to generate dividends.
Key Features
Fully tested and audited smart contract. An independent Tech Audit audited and tested the ETH Fan Token Smart contract.
Its liquidity is locked for 5 years alongside team tokens that are undergoing 180-day team token.
It is also a community-driven project where users are vested with voting powers to express their views when making major decisions.
The smart contract will be launched with fully integrated Anti Bot features, a preventive measure against the destructive sniper bots.
Tokenomics
The smart contract is designed to charge buyers and sellers different taxes. Buyers are taxed at 10% while sellers will attract 14% tax on the same transaction.
The hourly ETH reward is pegged at 45/5% while 1%/2% is dedicated to auto liquidity. An additional 3%/4% goes into marketing and promotion while community development takes another 2%/3%.
The contract automatically shares dividends that are distributed to holders every hour, starting from when a holder purchases the token. To receive the dividend, users simply need to add this contract address in their wallet: 0x2170Ed0880ac9A755fd29B2688956BD959F933F8.
The planned dashboard app will come equipped with the functionality that allows users to claim their dividends manually.
For buying transactions, the dividend rate is 4% and 5% for sale transactions. An investor's eligibility is hinged on their ability to keep a minimum of 200,000 tokens in their wallet.
The total supply is 1,000,000,000,000,000 tokens. 22.0% goes into pre-sale and liquidity, while another 10% is dedicated to private sale. 50% or half of the total supply will be burned while team vesting takes 6% of the total supply. The remaining 12% automatically goes into marketing.
Social Media Handles:
Telegram: https://t.me/ethfanclub
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ETHFanToken
Github: https://github.com/Tech-Audit/Smart-Contract-Audits/blob/main/TECHAUDIT_ETH%20FAN.pdf
Media Details
Company Name: ETH FAN TOKEN
Email: admin@ethfan.club
Website: https://ethfan.club/
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108255
(Tribune News Service) The Air Force has chosen MacDill Air Force Base in Florida rather than Fairchild Air Force Base to be home base for it next group of modern refueling tankers.
The Dec. 21 announcement by the Air Force said the decision to locate the next two dozen KC-46A Pegasus aircraft was made after taking into account multiple considerations such as mission, community support, infrastructure, environmental affects and cost.
The decision drew immediate blowback from Washington's congressional delegation, who had been pushing for Fairchild to be the sixth main operating base for the KC-46A.
"As one of the largest air-refueling tanker bases in the country, Fairchild Air Force Base already possesses the needed capacity and ability to accommodate KC-46A aerial refueling tankers which make the Air Force's decision not to house the new KC-46A fleet at Fairchild all the more inexplicable," said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat.
"I am incredibly disappointed with this decision," she added. "Let's not mince words, the Air Force has made the wrong choice."
GOP Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers also said she was disappointed.
"While this is not the news we were hoping for, I have no doubt that Fairchild will continue to serve as a center of excellence for the KC-135 fleet and play a critical role in refueling missions," she said.
The new aircraft will replace the KC-135 Stratotankers now in service at MacDill Air Force Base.
A final basing decision will be made following an environmental impact analysis, which is expected to happen in the fall of 2023. The Air Force noted that Fairchild is considered a "reasonable alternative," and it also will undergo an environmental analysis.
Spokane leaders have been angling for years to land the next generation KC-46A tankers as the Air Force gradually replaces its aging fleet of KC-135s.
In January 2017, the Air Force selected two bases one in New Jersey and one in California to receive the new KC-46A planes.
Later that year, water wells in and around Fairchild were tested for dangerous chemicals used in firefighting foam. Lawsuits followed, including one that accuses former base officials of using the toxic foam recklessly.
Then in 2018, the Spokane Tribe opened a new casino near the base after beating back opposition from community leaders who worried the location was too close and might disrupt efforts to maintain or grow Fairchild's importance to the Air Force.
The KC-135 remains the backbone of the Air Force's refueling fleet, with hundreds of aircraft, including more than 60 aircraft in four squadrons at Fairchild, which is considered home to the largest refueling wing in the world.
___
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This story has been corrected
A basic military training graduation at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, July 15, 2021. (Thomas Coney/U.S. Air Force)
Shortages of fabric and labor mean the newest members of the Air Force and Space Force will leave boot camp next year with fewer uniform items.
Starting in November, the Air Force began issuing to graduates of basic military training two dress blue uniform shirts one long sleeve and one short sleeve and one pair of slacks or trousers, according to an Air Force news release Tuesday.
Normally, new Air Force members are issued two of each shirt type along with three pairs of trousers for men and two pairs of slacks for women.
The Air Force plans to put something extra in their paychecks so basic training graduates may purchase their missing uniform items from the Army and Air Force Exchange Service when they arrive at their next school or duty station, according to the release. Reservists will be issued missing items, if available, after they arrive at their home units.
The Air Force said Tuesday that the Defense Logistics Agency is working with the fabric supplier, Burlington Industries, to restore full production.
A basic military training graduation at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, July 15, 2021. (Thomas Coney/U.S. Air Force)
Burlington Industries is the sole supplier of worsted and poly-wool dress fabric used in all U.S. military dress uniforms, according to the Air Force. A representative of Burlington Industries, based in Greensboro, N.C., could not be reached Wednesday.
The company is a division of International Textile Group, based in Charlotte, N.C., a multinational corporation with 37 facilities across six continents, according to the Burlington website.
Economists point to the coronavirus pandemic as the primary cause of many shortages and backlogs in the global supply chain. Closed plants, labor shortages, higher material costs and other factors causing shortages and backlogs in the chain are linked by economists to the pandemic.
The Air Force said Tuesday it expects increased costs and material shortages to have a greater impact on the availability of its dress uniforms in the third quarter of fiscal year 2022, or the three months ending in June.
All service members may feel the pinch, but graduates of basic military training will have first dibs on uniform items, according to the news release.
The Air Force and Space Force are not alone. The Coast Guard in spring 2020 faced a shortage of operational dress uniforms due to COVID-19 outbreaks at factories in Puerto Rico.
Those shortages were alleviated but the Coast Guard soon found itself short of its blue service jacket and pants, making these uniform items very difficult to come by, according to a June news release from the service.
The stock of dress jackets and pants was exhausted, and suppliers faced with pandemic-related labor shortages could not keep up with demand, according to Lt. Cmdr. Sonya Leibowitz, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard Office of Logistics. The Defense Logistics Agency, she wrote in the release, responded by temporarily converting Navy uniform contracts to meet Coast Guard demand.
The Coast Guard itself found new suppliers that promised September deliveries.
Despite all efforts, over the next few months there will be a delay in fully outfitting some of the incoming recruits and cadets with Bravo jackets, Leibowitz wrote.
Correction An earlier version of this story should have said the Air Force began issuing fewer uniform items in November.
Frank Andrews
(Tribune News Service) Ye San Wang was deployed to Iraq in 2018 when a package she had ordered online arrived at Naval Special Warfare Command base in Coronado, California, home to the Navy SEALs.
She told her command, where she worked in supply and logistics, that it was something she had ordered for her husband for a camping trip. Instead, the package contained military equipment for her husband to sell to China for profit.
The item a device used to identify U.S. military personnel in the field was among several that Wang, who goes by the nickname Ivy, obtained for her husband's resale business through her Navy credentials, according to prosecutors.
On Tuesday, Wang, 37, was sentenced in San Diego federal court to 2 years in prison and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
The hearing comes almost a year after her husband, Shaohua "Eric" Wang, was sentenced to nearly four years prison in the scheme.
Ivy Wang, a Chinese national, moved to the U.S. in 2002, attended high school in Los Angeles and attended UC San Diego before enlisting in the Navy at the age of 21 and becoming a U.S. citizen shortly after.
In her plea agreement, Ivy Wang admitted to using her credentials and position in logistics to purchase export-controlled military equipment for his business from 2015 to 2019. Her husband a former officer in the People's Liberation Army of China would then illegally export and store the equipment at a warehouse in China, where he connected with buyers, prosecutors said.
Wang returned from Iraq about seven months after the purported camping equipment package had arrived in Coronado. Law enforcement was already on to her by then. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service had opened an investigation into her based on allegations of suspicious behavior, and a review of her emails revealed the procurement scheme, according to court records.
Wang agreed to an interview by investigators, and she admitted to knowing about her husband's illegal military export business.
Still, she brought the package home and gave it to her husband. Investigators had secretly disabled the device.
Her husband later sent a message to a customer confirming he had the item but explained he could not ship it yet to China because "they are still investigating me ... My friend is a SEAL who also got involved. They are investigating him as well," he wrote, according to prosecutors. It was unclear to whom he was referring, or if more service members have been implicated.
Wang told investigators that her husband sent her an Excel spreadsheet with items for her to buy for him, according to court records. But after she grew tired of his insistent requests, she gave him her log-in credentials and told him to pose as her and order them himself.
When investigators served a search warrant on the Wang home in December 2018, they found two military ballistic helmets in their garage and two in their Range Rover. Prosecutors allege the helmets were stolen: three serial numbers traced back to Wang's command on Coronado and a fourth to an explosive ordnance disposal unit to which she had access.
" Ms. Wang betrayed her oath to the U.S. Navy and ultimately threatened the operational readiness and safety of our nation's military by attempting to acquire and illegally export sensitive military equipment to China," said Special Agent in Charge Joshua Flowers of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service's Southwest Field Office.
Wang's defense attorneys, Peter Blair and Hamilton Arendsen, said she was influenced by an abusive, cheating husband and grappling with mental health issues from her military service, which included four overseas deployments.
She was discharged from service in September after pleading guilty.
This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
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In this file photo, a member of the Navys ceremonial guard team salutes a casket at Washington Dulles International Airport. A Navy Reserve nurse became the 17th sailor to die of causes related to COVID-19. Lt. Ivey Quintana-Martinez died over the weekend in a Los Angeles hospital, where she had been since Nov. 10. (U.S. Navy)
A 35-year-old Navy Reserve nurse who died over the weekend of complications related to COVID-19 in a Los Angeles hospital is the 81st military fatality from the disease.
Lt. Ivy Quintana-Martinez, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after being admitted Nov. 10, the Navy said Tuesday. Quintana-Martinez was assigned to Navy Reserve Center San Diego.
Quintana-Martinez was a naturalized U.S. citizen and served 10 years in the Air Force before joining the Navy Reserve Nurse Corps through a direct commissioning program in 2019, Lt. Cmdr. Amber Lewis, a Navy Reserve Forces spokeswoman, said Wednesday in an email.
In January, she was assigned to Navy Reserve, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command at Camp Pendleton, Lewis said.
Navy data released days before her death showed only one sailor hospitalized with COVID-related illness out of some 661 cases.
Quintana-Martinezs death brings to 17 the number of fatalities among sailors from COVID-related causes.
Throughout the Navy, a total of 180 sailors, civilian employees, family members and contractors have died from the disease, according to data released last week.
Active-duty sailors were required to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 28, though nearly 5,500 were not, the service said. Reservists have until Dec. 28 to be fully vaccinated, and the Navy data did not say how many were yet to have gotten the jab.
Some 2,750 active-duty sailors had sought religious accommodations, but the Navy has so far granted none. The service had approved seven permanent medical exemptions and nearly 300 that were temporary.
More than 215 exemptions have been granted for administrative reasons, such as operational deployment, emergency leave or change of duty station.
Sailors who do not get vaccinated or do not receive an exemption face administrative penalties, such as loss of education benefits, promotions and bonuses. Those who reject the vaccine altogether will face separation from the service.
Last week, the Air Force said it had discharged 27 service members for refusing the vaccination, while the Marine Corps said it kicked out 103 of its members for the same reason.
In the Army, two battalion commanders were among the six active-duty leaders relieved of duty for failing to comply with the vaccine mandate.
Some 3,860 soldiers had refused the vaccine without a pending or approved exemption, and officials had issued over 2,700 written reprimands to soldiers who continued to defy the order, the service said last week.
Correction This story has been updated. A previous version misspelled Lt. Ivy Quintana-Martinezs first name, based on incorrect information provided by the Navy. It has also been updated to include new information about the date of her death.
Morgan Guinn, a teacher at Kaiserslautern Middle School, gives an English lesson to Afghan children at Rhine Ordnance Barracks, Germany. (Vonnie Wright/U.S. Army)
The Armys lead logistics command in Europe did a good job of housing thousands of Afghan evacuees earlier this year at Rhine Ordnance Barracks, but the effort came at a significant cost to the Defense Department, according to a new Pentagon report.
The 21st Theater Sustainment Command needed $37.5 million in funding to support refugees for just over a month, according to the report, which was published Tuesday. It is based on the findings of a team from the inspector generals office that visited Rhine Ordnance Barracks in September.
The report did not spell out the specific costs incurred at Rhine Ordnance Barracks. But a similar audit of Ramstein Air Bases support mission found that from Aug. 18 to Sept. 14, more than $56 million was spent there to house and process nearly 30,000 evacuees.
Rhine Ordnance Barracks housed about 480 refugees on Aug. 25, a number that grew to more than 5,000 by Sept. 23 after Army leadership was tasked with supporting the huge influx of refugees at Ramstein.
The Army also provided security forces and medical support to augment Air Force staffing needs at Ramstein.
The DOD team found that with limited time to plan for the massive effort, Rhine Ordnance Barracks personnel provided a safe environment for evacuees, service members and volunteers.
They also offered educational courses and culturally sensitive activities that made refugees stay as enjoyable and useful as possible, the report said.
The 21st TSC passed on lessons learned to other Army logistics commands. For example, U.S. personnel who worked in the camps were given pocket-size books containing helpful cultural tips and phrases to ease the language barrier.
They were also alerted to the possible danger posed by the matches included in Meal, Ready to Eat kits.
The IG found that Ramstein planned to subsequently spend an additional $50 million in continued efforts to pay for food, labor and other expenses, and Rhine Ordnance Barracks also expected to incur more costs after September, when the audit was conducted.
The last evacuees left Rhine Ordnance Barracks and Ramstein on Oct. 30.
Rhine Ordnance Barracks avoided some of the initial challenges Ramstein faced, such as long queues for food, by quickly incorporating some of the lessons learned at Ramstein, the inspector general team found.
The 21st TSC developed and shared its own list of lessons learned. These included providing dental care, which turned out to be important because many evacuees had unaddressed significant oral health conditions, a letter attached to the report said.
Supplying tea helped create calmer dispositions within one day, the command also noted in its letter.
The travelers value hot tea like Americas youth value soda, it said.
At both bases, the expenditures on refugee care were reimbursed with Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid funding.
DOD evacuated more than 120,000 people from Afghanistan in just 17 days as the last U.S. forces pulled out of Afghanistan, ending 20 years of American warfare there.
Buy Photo Marines enter and exit an exchange store at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Dec. 20, 2021. (Frank Andrews/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa Two more Okinawans employed at Marine Corps bases on Okinawa tested positive for the omicron variant of the coronavirus last week, a public health official said Wednesday.
An employee in his 30s at Camp Schwab and another in his 20s at Camp Hansen tested positive Friday and Saturday, respectively, a spokesman for the Okinawa Department of Public Health and Medical Care said during an online news conference.
So far, five base workers have contracted the omicron variant since Friday, along with a spouse. Okinawa prefecture reported another six new coronavirus cases Wednesday but did not specify them as omicron.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus cluster at Hansen grew Wednesday by another 17 cases for a total of 217, according to a statement from the Public Health Department. The Marine Corps on Friday said multiple Marines in a newly arrived unit for a rotational deployment had tested positive while in quarantine.
The same day, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki announced at a news conference that a Hansen employee, a man in his 50s from Uruma city, had tested positive for the omicron variant.
Two more omicron cases surfaced on Okinawa on Saturday, an American civilian in her 50s who works at Hansen and her Japanese husband, a man in his 60s. On Monday, the prefecture said a third Hansen employee, a woman in her 40s who was a close contact of the first case, had also contracted omicron.
Neither the Marines nor the Japanese government has commented publicly on whether the Hansen cluster included omicron cases. The installations command on Friday said the infected Marines had no contact with the population outside the base.
Tamaki has asked U.S. military officials to test the Marines in the Hansen cluster for omicron, a highly infectious COVID-19 variant discovered last month in South Africa.
Tamaki on Monday also demanded stricter measures, including a lockdown of Hansen and for the U.S. military to stop flying in personnel until the situation calms down.
The U.S. military has agreed to partner with Japan to test the Hansen Marines for omicron, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Wednesday at a press conference in Tokyo, although he did not provide specifics.
"We are informed by the U.S. side that they decided to conduct variant testing on the positive cases from Camp Hansen with the cooperation of Japan and the result will be shared with Japan," Matsuno said. Specimens will also be sent to the U.S. for genome analysis.
Marine officials have declined this week to answer questions from Stars and Stripes about the Hansen cluster.
However, a spokeswoman for Marine Corps Installations Pacific in an email Wednesday to Stars and Stripes, said the command is taking necessary precautions to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. Those measures have long been in place, including putting new and returning arrivals in quarantine, isolating those who test positive and identifying and quarantining their close contacts.
"The safety of our service members, civilians, families and the local community is of the utmost importance to us," MCIPAC spokeswoman 1st Lt. Ashleigh Fairow wrote in the statement. "We will continuously update our policies and procedures as the situation warrants."
An F-16 Fighting Falcon flies over Seoul Air Base, South Korea, Oct. 17, 2021. (Allison Payne/U.S. Air Force)
The vice chair of a South Korean governmental council says an upcoming U.S.-South Korean military exercise is not suitable for the spirit of peace amid the ongoing negotiations for an end-of-war declaration between the two Koreas.
The U.S. and South Korea should postpone joint drills scheduled for March in a bid to create a peaceful atmosphere for an end-of-war declaration for the Korean Peninsula, executive vice chairman Lee Seok-hyun of the South Korean Peaceful Unification Advisory Council said in a year-end speech Tuesday.
U.S. Forces Korea had no comment or information to offer on a March exercise. USFK spokesman Army Col. Lee Peters, in an email Wednesday to Stars and Stripes, said the command does not comment on planned or executed combined training as a matter of policy.
USFK views training as something all professional militaries conduct to maintain readiness, proficiency, credibility, and trust," Peters said.
U.S. and South Korean diplomats have met several times this year to discuss a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose term ends in March, has fast-tracked plans to finalize a declaration. He said earlier this month that the U.S., North Korea and China have agreed in principle on formally ending the war.
Lee said the joint exercise is scheduled shortly after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in February and during the Paralympics and would interfere with the spirit of peace of the U.N. truce resolution.
The truce resolution, introduced at the U.N. General Assembly in early December by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun, seeks to promote peace and human understanding through sport. It was cosponsored by 173 of 193 member countries, including South Korea but not the United States.
The U.S., Canada, Britain and Australia have announced diplomatic boycotts of the Winter Olympics, citing human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist Party. No high-ranking officials from those countries will attend but the athletes can still compete.
In lieu of military exercises, Lee suggested South Korea and the U.S. conduct their joint training for the prevention of epidemics amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. and South Korea have scaled back the annual drills since 2018. The two countries in March and August conducted roughly weeklong exercises that primarily consisted of computer simulations.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Aug. 10 that the military drills with Seoul are purely defensive in nature.
North Korea has long condemned the exercises between the two allies. Pyongyang views them as a precursor of an invasion and frequently demands for the full withdrawal of the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea.
Lee joins a growing list of other political operatives who take issue with the military exercises. In August, over 70 South Korean lawmakers called for postponing the drills after North Korea reopened its communications lines with the South the previous month.
A RealMeter poll Aug. 6 showed that 50.4% of South Korean respondents disagreed with postponing the drills, while 45.3% agreed. The poll surveyed 500 people and had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
President Biden delivers remarks about the coronavirus at the White House on Tuesday. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Demetrius Freeman (Demetrius Freeman/Washington Post)
WASHINGTON - The Biden administration, shifting course on a crucial pocketbook issue for millions of adults, announced Wednesday it will extend a pause on federal student loan payments through May 1 as the omicron variant threatens to hurt the U.S. economy.
President Joe Biden depicted the move as an essential step to help borrowers at a moment of ongoing public health challenges. Until now, the payment moratorium had been scheduled to end in a little more than a month.
Now, while our jobs recovery is one of the strongest ever - with nearly 6 million jobs added this year, the fewest Americans filing for unemployment in more than 50 years, and overall unemployment at 4.2% - we know that millions of student loan borrowers are still coping with the impacts of the pandemic and need some more time before resuming payments, Biden said in a statement.
This is an issue Vice President Kamala Harris has been closely focused on, and one we both care deeply about. Given these considerations, today my Administration is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments for an additional 90 days - through May 1, 2022 - as we manage the ongoing pandemic and further strengthen our economic recovery.
Many activists had pushed for the administration to take the step, but the White House initially resisted extending the moratorium.
In August, the Education Department had issued the fourth suspension of federal student loan payments during the coronavirus pandemic. That moratorium had been set to expire on Jan. 31. At the time it was issued, administration officials had said it would be the final such extension offered to borrowers.
Republicans have slammed the administration for granting borrowers such a lengthy grace period. Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.), the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, called the August extension a grave disservice to borrowers across the country and a dereliction of duty. Foxx argued at the time that the administration should have worked with Congress to get repayments started by Oct. 1.
On Wednesday, Foxx reiterated that view. She accused Biden of providing backdoor loan forgiveness through administrative fiat, and said the president is using the permanent pandemic narrative to bankrupt our country and bow to the progressive base at the expense of borrowers and taxpayers.
But congressional Democrats applauded the White House decision.
Were pleased the Biden administration has heeded our call to extend the pause on student loan payments, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in a joint statement. The three said that the payment pause has improved borrowers economic security, allowing them to invest in their families, save for emergencies, and pay down other debt. Extending the pause will help millions of Americans make ends meet, especially as we overcome the Omicron variant.
These lawmakers and others have also pushed Biden for broader executive action to cancel student debt, urging him to forgive up to $50,000 per borrower. Biden has not taken such a sweeping step but has indicated he is open to legislative proposals on debt relief.
The administration said it has also provided nearly $13 billion in targeted relief to more than 640,000 borrowers who meet certain criteria, such as those who have a total and permanent disability.
Wednesdays action will help 41 million borrowers save $5 billion per month, the administration said. Borrowers with student loans from the Education Department will see payments automatically suspended without penalty or accrual of interest for the duration of the moratorium.
This is HUGE news! the Student Debt Crisis Center, an advocacy group, said in a statement. Extending pandemic relief for student loan borrowers avoids certain disaster for many families. The group called on activists to push Biden for executive action to cancel student debt.
However, Biden said borrowers must get ready for a return to the normal repayment process. The administration urged borrowers to make sure their contact information is up to date and said they should consider enrolling in electronic debit programs to facilitate payments when the time comes.
As we are taking this action, Biden said in his statement, Im asking all student loan borrowers to do their part as well: take full advantage of the Department of Educations resources to help you prepare for payments to resume; look at options to lower your payments through income-based repayment plans; explore public service loan forgiveness; and make sure you are vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
The Washington Posts Danielle Douglas-Gabriel contributed to this report.
Former U.S. senator and Virginia governor Charles Robb and his wife, Lynda Robb, a daughter of the late President Lyndon Johnson, were injured when a large blaze broke out at their Virginia home late Tuesday night, their family said.
Charles Robb, 82, was treated for smoke inhalation and released from a hospital, while Lynda Robb, 77, remains hospitalized, having suffered second-degree burns from her wrist to her elbow and smoke inhalation, said Luci Baines Johnson, the sister of Lynda Robb.
Johnson said both are expected to survive.
The facts are they are still with us, Johnson said. They are both extraordinarily strong and accomplished people. They have spent 54 years together. My heart is shattered for them.
Firefighters were sent to the scene in McLean, Va., around 11:30 p.m. in response to multiple 911 calls, said Bill Delaney, a Fairfax County fire department spokesman. The massive blaze in the 600 block of Chain Bridge Road could be seen across the Potomac River in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Johnson said her sister was in the library of the home on the ground floor when the fire began, while Charles Robb was working in the basement. Johnson said it is unclear what sparked the blaze, but authorities are exploring whether the origin might have been electrical.
Johnson said her sister became aware of the fire first and made her way to her husband in the basement to warn him.
It sounds to me like she was pretty heroic in finding him and getting out, Johnson said.
Photographs showed fire raging on what appeared to be both floors of at least part of the house. The photographs showed fire within the house, just behind an entrance portico that includes rectangular brick or stone columns supporting a hipped roof.
It was a very large house, and a significant portion of the house was engulfed in flames, Delaney said.
When firefighters arrived, they found one occupant of the home outside, Delaney said. Firefighters went inside and helped a second occupant out of the home, before both were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
It took roughly 60 firefighters from three counties about 1 hours to control the fire. Crews remained on the scene Wednesday morning dousing hot spots.
On Wednesday morning, a neighbor, Pamela Wright, said firefighters were swarming the scene of the home.
Theres debris everywhere, Wright said. In our driveway, there are big burned chunks of what look like insulation.
Fairfax County fire investigators were still trying to determine a cause of the fire. Their investigation could take weeks. Delaney said an estimate of the cost of the damage was still being prepared. It was unclear whether the home would be a total loss.
It was assessed at $3.4 million in 2021 and sits on a 2.1-acre lot, according to Fairfax County records.
Delaney said investigators had yet to uncover any indications of arson or foul play. The Fairfax County police said they were not part of the investigation of the fire.
Properties on that stretch of Chain Bridge Road have been highly valued. In 2013, a report in The Washington Posts Reliable Source column said property there, where the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., had lived on six acres, was on the market for $45 million.
The report called the site a posh address with millionaire neighbors.
The Washington Posts Dana Hedgpeth contributed to this report.
A zip-top bag covers Jamie Williamss kitchen faucet at her Aliamanu Military Reservation home in Honolulu. (Marie Eriel Hobro/Washington Post)
Yemery Moroyoquis hair began falling out in June.
In August, Jamie Williams started a period that didnt stop for months, baffling her doctor.
For Alicia Contreras, it was October when she discovered the rash on one of her newborn twins.
As U.S. military officials have scrambled to address a public health crisis stemming from the discovery of jet fuel in the tap water supply at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, multiple residents there have come forward with claims of unexplained illness predating the Navys notification late last month that thousands of households had been exposed to dangerous amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons.
In interviews with The Washington Post, members of 10 military families said they are increasingly suspicious and afraid their ailments were caused by more extensive contamination than the Navy has disclosed. Many shared physicians notes, emails and visual records documenting symptoms that, in some cases, date back to late spring.
I firmly believe this is a way bigger problem than the military has acknowledged, said Kate Needham, co-founder of Armed Forces Housing Advocates. Her nonprofit support group has made contact with about 700 of the more than 8,000 affected families, she said, with dozens detailing accounts of serious illness spanning at least six months to a year.
Definitely, definitely much longer-term than theyre either going to admit or they understand at this point, Needham said of Navy officials whose response to the ongoing emergency became the subject of a Defense Department Inspector General investigation this week.
More than 90,000 people living on and near the base use the Navys water system.
The militarys account of whats happened has evolved as more information surfaces about the Navys management of a troubled World War II-era fuel-storage facility built underground barely 100 feet above an aquifer. Senior officials told state legislators in Hawaii earlier this month that they traced the contamination to a Nov. 20 leak of 14,000 gallons of jet fuel from the Red Hill storage area. Families began complaining of noxious odors in their tap water eight days later.
This week, another top Navy official said he had a working theory that a fuel release in early May, much bigger than the Navy first disclosed, may have eventually migrated into the peoples drinking water, causing the November contamination.
Nearly 3,500 military families stationed at the base have been forced from their homes and into hotels. Many have blasted the Navy for what they said was a lack of urgency to disclose warning signs, pointing to delays between elevated test samples and required reporting to the Hawaii State Department of Health. They also criticized the Navy for taking days to announce it halted operations at Red Hill.
The health department says that from June to September, fuel had been detected in the nearby Red Hill water shaft on multiple occasions, with two tests in August exceeding what the state health agency calls its environmental action levels. The levels are designed to bring closer scrutiny and trigger an emergency response if necessary, but the Navys results were not relayed to the state for months, said Fenix Grange, a state environmental health official, during a virtual hearing Monday to discuss the Hawaii governors emergency order to empty the fuel the tanks and make repairs.
This is an early warning sign of something going on. And yet the [health] department was not aware of it, which is a concern, Grange said.
An oil and gas expert consulting for the state, David Norfleet, later predicted, Its not just possible there will be future fuel leaks, it is imminent.
Chris Waldron, an environmental engineer for the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, disputed there were disclosure delays, saying in an interview Tuesday that the military uses the same testing center in California that the state uses and that Navy officials notified the health department about the August samples in late September. The results can take two weeks or more to get back, he said.
Capt. Michael McGinnis, the surgeon for U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in an interview that he has heard families express fear about their maladies predating the November spill. Im certainly concerned about potential correlation to the water, he said of the 10 families interviewed by The Post. But McGinnis stopped short of endorsing their claims, saying that with such a small sample, it was challenging to make conclusions before more is known about past contaminations and noting that the militarys health-record systems did not record a rise in associated symptoms before November.
Families told The Post that in some cases they sought treatment from civilian health care providers or not at all, if they believed routine stress was making them or their loved ones sick. The military has created a registry to record peoples health concerns, McGinnis said, but it is currently set up to document exposure only from Nov. 28 and forward. He said it could be revised if officials determine exposure may have started sooner.
Right now, McGinnis said, were really focused on what we understand to be the beginning of this event, which is the 28th.
A history of leaks
The Red Hill storage facility comprises 20 underground steel fuel tanks encased in concrete, each about 20 stories tall, with a total capacity of about 250 million gallons. It was engineered in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and in recent years has become the subject of intensifying scrutiny from state officials and environmentalists who closely monitor nearby groundwater and the lines feeding peoples homes.
Critics of the militarys response have homed in a May 6 pipeline rupture at Red Hill. The Navy said initially it released 1,600 gallons of fuel into an access tunnel. But during Mondays hearing, an attorney representing a local water agency described previously undisclosed Navy documents revealing that one of the fuel tanks emptied as much as 473 barrels roughly 19,000 gallons in less than a minute.
I and others have a working theory, thats still under investigation, that fuel, at least some of that, was released into tunnels that led to the fire suppression line, which eventually triggered the November incident, said Capt. James Meyer, commanding officer of Naval Facilities Hawaii. The Navy has claimed that water was not contaminated before late-November, but state health agency documents show an increase in petroleum detections in groundwater underneath the tanks and significant increases in the Red Hill water shaft in July in August.
Waldron, the Navy engineer, said he has not seen evidence linking that event, or any other leak, to symptoms described prior to November.
The militarys response has been vexing, critics say. Often, they contend, senior Defense Department officials strike a conciliatory tone in public, as theyve done in recent weeks, while mounting a robust effort behind the scenes to evade accountability.
In October, for instance, Hawaii fined the Navy $325,000 for environmental violations stemming from inspection violations a year prior, including discovery that the military failed to perform its required safety tests on the fuel tanks, according to the state health department. The Navy contested some of the findings and has not paid the fine, pending an alternative resolution, said Lydia Robertson, a Navy spokesperson.
In response to the public health threat facing Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) ordered the military to empty Red Hills tanks and make immediate repairs. Military officials instead declared an operational pause. The Navy on Monday said it has set up a system to flush tap water lines and force out contaminants.
The Hawaii delegation to Congress, long concerned about the problems at Red Hill, wrote to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Nov. 1, before the most recent leak, questioning the seriousness with which the Navy takes its responsibility to communicate clearly with the public about matters concerning health and safety.
They were not transparent enough before, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who chairs the Senate Armed Services subcommittee overseeing maritime forces, said in an interview. Going forward, she said, it would be up to state health officials - not the military - to determine when the water was clean enough for those families living in hotels for the past month to return home.
The military must find a more durable solution to make sure that the Red Hill tanks and the pipes that are connected to these tanks - or any of the Red Hill systems - do not contaminate the water in any way, shape or form, she said.
This is why Ive been asking: What is the long-term role, if any, of Red Hill going forward? Hirono said. Ive been asking the military in the years theyve come before my committee, long before this happened . . . all of this comes to a head when people actually start to smell and taste this stuff in their water.
Ten days after the leak, Del Toro told Hawaiis representatives in Congress that he is fully committed to ensuring the safe operation of Red Hill and related systems, insisting in a handwritten response that the Navy does prioritize timely and accurate reporting, to them and to regulators.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said the Pentagon would solve the problem safely, expeditiously and transparently.
Unexplained illness
The Army, Navy and Coast Guard families who spoke with The Post shared their physicians contemporaneous notes and, in some cases, private photographs documenting the sudden onset of symptoms mostly consistent with petroleum exposure, according to federal and state health officials and corresponding requests for treatment. The materials date to July.
Stephanie Monroe, an Army spouse, said her 10-year-old daughters hands started cracking and peeling in late spring. Their doctor suspected eczema, but none of the creams she was prescribed seemed to help. Monroe tried forbidding her daughter from climbing trees, for fear it was a reaction to sap. The condition cleared up when the girl went to sleep-away camp for a week in July, but it returned with a vengeance as soon as she came home, Monroe said.
There were days when it was so painful for her she couldnt even write, she said.
Nastasia Freeman, a Navy spouse, watched her two sons struggle with stomach pain that she initially blamed on stress arising from their recent move to Hawaii from Florida. But the condition worsened, and by October her oldest, age 11, was to sent to the hospital. The doctor, she said, was stumped, but prescribed medication to help flush the boys system while advising, keep him hydrated; he needs more water than normal.
Moroyoqui, the Army spouse who said her hair started falling out in June, also struggled with headaches, forgetfulness and skin breakouts. She spent thousands of dollars on hair treatments, facials and other products, she said, upsetting her so greatly she was given a prescription for anti-depression medication, she said, adding that the symptoms began to subside soon after her family left base housing for a hotel.
I felt like I was going crazy. I didnt feel like me, she said. It was horrible.
Williams, a Coast Guard spouse, said she started her period in the middle of a birth-control cycle in August. It didnt stop for over three months, according to notes her doctor took during a Nov. 5 visit, which she shared with The Post. She approached other women in her neighborhood, finding three who reported similar problems also starting around the same time, she said. Other, more acute symptoms, like a fractured memory and fatigue that began in the summer, cleared up when I stopped drinking the water, she said.
Contreras said she also experienced extreme fatigue and mental fog over the summer while pregnant with her twins. She was hospitalized twice for pregnancy complications, and her babies were born prematurely in August. After a healthy first few weeks in the hospital, she brought them home but they began to vomit routinely, and one developed a rash while the others skin turned gray, she said.
The military has acknowledged a connection between petroleum exposure and some, but not all, of the symptoms described by those in Pearl Harbor who believe there is a link between their illnesses and fuel leaks before the Nov. 20 incident. A fact sheet distributed to families Dec. 5 cites conditions like skin irritation, nausea and confusion. Hair loss and menstrual abnormalities were not on that list. A study of women in the Air Force, assessing data from 2001 and 2002, determined that handling jet fuel did not have significantly higher odds of such disorders, according to a federal profile on jet fuels, though it did not account for ingestion or exposure over time.
Most symptoms of petroleum exposure are acute, and there is little to no information known about the long-term health impacts of exposure, the Hawaii health department says.
Chelsey Simoni, a registered nurse and former aviation medic whose nonprofit, HunterSeven, researches toxic exposure in the military, said it would be rare that the chronic issues described by those in Pearl Harbor would result from short-term exposure unless its a heavy amount. She also warned that for young children especially, ingesting petroleum can damage the central nervous system over time, affecting parts of the brain that control functions such as hearing.
In terms of growth and development, this is a known correlation, Simoni said.
Many of the chemicals associated with petroleum can produce long-term health problems, even for those without immediate symptoms, said Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University and an environmental health expert.
The situation presents the military with a serious dilemma, she said. Red Hill is the linchpin fuel facility for military operations in the Pacific, where the Pentagon has turned its focus to counter China. But defense officials also have a responsibility to protect the drinking water supply an imperative made more complicated by the inherent risks that underground tanks pose, Goldman said.
They eventually fail, she said. All of them.
The U.S. said Tuesday its ready to discuss Russias European security proposals published last week while also calling parts of them unacceptable, amid rising tensions over a buildup of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
Russia welcomed U.S. willingness to start talks next month on its security proposals, a day after President Vladimir Putin threatened a military response if the Kremlins demands arent met.
We would like to hope that for the upcoming negotiations, which is already positive, our partners will come with clearly formulated positions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday.
The U.S. said Tuesday its ready to discuss Russias European security proposals published last week while also calling parts of them unacceptable, amid rising tensions over a buildup of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine.
These comments came ahead of further troop movements on the border, so yes, my concern is great, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters in Berlin Wednesday. But that means all the more that you need to move toward dialogue with every millimeter of your action.
The U.S. and its allies have threatened punishing new sanctions on Russia in the event of an invasion, something the Kremlin denies its preparing.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Wednesday dialogue is vital as the European Union lacks the tools to deter Russia. At best, we Europeans have some economic deterrents, he told a press conference, noting the bloc isnt ready to cut off gas supplies from Russia.
Putin said the security proposals arent an ultimatum but threatened to take adequate military-technical response measures if the West doesnt accept Russias demands to stop the eastward expansion of NATO and deployment of alliance weapons near Russia. We have nowhere to retreat further, he said Tuesday at the Defense Ministry.
Putin explained Russias proposals in separate phone talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
Peskov declined to elaborate on what Russias response measures may be, saying only that they would ensure parity of mutual deterrence. Its important the proposed talks dont become drawn out and turn into negotiations for their own sake, he said.
The president hit out after Russia demanded last week that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization withdraw forces to the positions they held in 1997, before the alliance expanded to include former Soviet satellite states in eastern Europe, as part of proposed new security treaties. Russia also called on the U.S. to rule out any prospect of membership for ex-Soviet states.
While the alliance has said the door is open to membership for Ukraine, theres little prospect of that happening any time soon and there are no plans to put NATO missiles in the country. The military alliance says its a defensive body and its deployments in member states have come in response to Russias threats.
At Christmas time, we sometimes think we can get good deals through online traders and its not always the case.
Police have noticed an increase of people selling puppies which dont exist, says Constable Kylee Coubrough.
Some online trading sites and fake websites have been set up to sell puppies to buyers, sight-unseen.
They can be sought-after and popular breeds such as English bulldogs, huskys, Staffordshire bull terriers to Maltese and even toy poodles.
The public need to be careful not to fall into this trap, says Kylee.
"Sellers claim these puppies are fully vaccinated and potty trained, and a fake seller is likely not to let you view the puppy before purchase and claim they have their own delivery service.
"These sellers are also making change of ownership documents for each purchased puppy, which is not a thing in New Zealand.
"Neither is a breeder registering the puppy before you get it all these things are red flags.
"People need to be doing some extensive research on puppy sellers before paying money to anyone."
Police recommend the following safety tips if youre considering buying a puppy online
A challenge has been laid down to people planning to hit the water in Bay of Plenty this summer take a step back before diving in.
New figures from ACC show there were more than 3300 water-related injury claims in the Bay of Plenty region in the 2020-21 financial year, and just over 3000 the previous year.
Already in 2021-22, there have been more than 500 water-related claims in the region as of October, the second-highest number of claims in the country behind Auckland.
As New Zealanders flock to the countrys beaches, rivers and lakes over the holidays, its also a timely reminder Aotearoa has one of the worst drowning rates among Western nations, with 1.6 drownings per 100,000 people.
Water Safety NZ data shows as of December 17, there have been seven preventable drownings in Bay of Plenty this year, the fourth-highest in the country behind Auckland, Waikato (both 10), and Wellington (9).
There have been 59 preventable drownings nationwide so far in 2021.
With drowning the leading cause of recreational death in Aotearoa, and the third-highest cause of accidental death (70 preventable fatalities last year), New Zealanders are almost twice as likely to drown compared with people living in Australia.
The sobering statistics have led ACC to lay down a wero/challenge for all New Zealanders to think about the risks around water.
ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker says its the Kiwi way of life to be in and around the water but its an issue that needs addressing.
Our statistics show weve got more work to do to help New Zealanders understand the risks and keep our whanau safe around water.
A drowning is a devastating event for any whanau and community, and these incidents are preventable if you stop and take time to assess the risks.
The data shows men are four times more likely than women to drown in New Zealand, with men making up 84 per cent of all drownings.
Water Safety New Zealand research conducted this year found 3.2 million adult Kiwis (85 per cent) visited the coast in the past 12 months, almost half of them (48 per cent) doing so monthly.
A quarter of Kiwis (mostly people aged between 16 and 25) also visited rivers.
More than two million people were active while visiting the coast, doing things like swimming or playing in the water. Twenty million visited public pools every year, there were about 1.8 million boaties, and about a quarter of all Kiwis went fishing.
Nationwide, surfing has contributed to the highest number of ACC injury claims so far this financial year, with 950, followed by swimming (703) and fishing (695).
ACC accepted 31,365 claims for water-related injuries in the 2020-21 financial year, the highest in three years. These injuries cost $83m a five-year high.
There have already been 4366 water-related injury claims this financial year to October.
Investing in injury prevention
ACC and Water Safety NZ run the ACC Water Skills for Life programme, which teaches kids how to have fun and keep themselves safe in and around water.
Knowing how to swim is not enough, Water Skills for Life teaches other lifelong water safety and survival skills, Water Safety NZ chief executive Dan Gerrard says.
While we still teach the fundamentals of swimming, we also want to address the fundamentals of being safe around the water.
These skills include learning how to float on your back and front; getting into a huddle position if youre with a group; wearing a life jacket on a boat and knowing how to use one in the water; and learning how to scull and tread water.
They are critical skills that could save your childs life.
In 2020, ACC helped over 200,000 children learn these critical skills. It has helped 757,242 tamariki complete the programme since July 2017.
Gerrard says its the responsibility of all New Zealanders to ensure everyone stays safe.
Whether its at the beach, lake or river, we want everyone to have a great time with their whanau.
We also want to remind people that they need to have personal responsibility for their safety and the safety of their family in or around water.
Gerrard says underestimating risks and overestimating ability are the biggest mistakes people make when theyre in the water.
Most drownings and water-related injuries are preventable if we all take a moment to consider the risks.
Water Safety NZ - Water Safety Code
Be prepared check the weather, your gear and the water conditions.
Look after yourself and others adults, not children or teenagers, should always supervise little people and children around water.
Be aware of the dangers check for rips and currents, snags and rocks and dont consume alcohol before a swim, dive or going fishing.
Know your limits do you know how to swim? If not, stay out. Remember, you will never be able to swim in the ocean as well as in a pool and cold water will make you tired.
For more information visit Water Skills for Life: Water Skills for Life
An unexpected wastewater detection in Whitianga may be due to one of two causes says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.
The wasterwater sample taken on December 20 in Whitianga could be the result of an undetected community transmission or a recently recovered case returning to the region shedding the virus, but is no longer infectious.
The Coromandel peninsula where Whitianga is located is part of the Waikato District Health Board region.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported six new community cases of Covid-19. Three are in Te Kuiti, two in Tokoroa and one who usually resides outside the Waikato is isolating in Te Kuiti. There are no new community cases reported in the Coromandel area.
The news of the positive wastewater sample in Whitianga comes on the eve of the summer Christmas holiday break when holidaymakers traditionally travel to Coromandel.
There were ten pop-up and dedicated testing sites operating throughout Waikato today with sites in Hamilton, Te Kuiti, Tokoroa, Putaruru, Taumarunui, Huntly, Ngaruawahia and Otorohanga. Health and welfare providers are supporting 54 Waikato cases to isolate at home.
Wastewater samples have also returned positive results in other regions.
A waste water sample collected from Hutt Valley on December 20 detected the COVID-19 virus, which is not unexpected given the case reported today, self-isolating in the area.
A separate waste water detection was from a sample collected from Napier on December 20. This is the third, consecutive positive wastewater result from Napier in the past week, which may be due to undetected community transmission or a recently recovered case returning to the region shedding the virus.
There also was an unexpected wastewater detection, in Dargaville, on December 20 following a previous positive detection on December 7.
Covid-19 continues to be detected in wastewater samples collected in Gisborne with the latest detection on December 20 2021.
Anyone who has symptoms no matter how mild is asked to get tested, even if they are vaccinated - and stay home until they return a negative test result. For all testing locations, please visit the Healthpoint website.
Holiday reminder
People should stick to the basics to reduce the risk of catching and spreading Covid-19 over the Christmas and New Year break.
That means wearing a mask or face covering and physical distancing in crowded or unventilated spaces, and scanning in using the Covid-19 Tracer app or keeping a manual diary, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.
As always, people who have any symptoms that could be Covid-19 are asked to get a test and stay at home until they receive a negative result.
The vaccine remains our key defence against all variants of Covid-19, including Omicron. We continue to ask everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, including people who are now eligible for a booster dose.
Testing and vaccination centre locations nationwide can be found on the Healthpoint website
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The Kia Carens MPV will be available with 3 row seating in 6 & 7-seater configurations. The prices and variants have not been revealed yet, but its expected to be priced above the Seltos crossover and similar to the Hyundai Alacazar. It might be share engines and transmissions with the Seltos too. The Carens will be sold in India and a few other markets. It will be available from the first quarter of 2022.
While the details about the exact engine options have not been announced officially as yet, what has been conveyed so far is that the Carens will be offered with both, petrol and diesel engines and multiple transmission options, including a 7-speed DCT and 6-speed torque converter AT. The car will also have three selectable drive modes - Normal, Eco and Sport.
The body style of the Carens is a blend of a crossover and MPV. While the long bonnet looks like it belongs to a crossover, the high roofline, tall windshield and lengthened wheelbase are clearly MPV-like. The wheelbase is claimed to be the longest in its class.
The car comes with six airbags standard across all trims. After the embarrassment Kia had faced with the Seltos crossovers 3-star GNCAP rating, Kia has claimed that the Carens is one of the safest vehicles in India. While the crash test rating is yet to be disclosed, the providing six airbags as standard across all variants is a welcome move and might prompt other car manufacturers to follow. Other safety features include Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Hill-Assist Control (HAC), Downhill Brake Control (DBC), Brake Assist System (BAS), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and all wheel disc brakes.
While the Carens has a Crossover-like front end...
...the side profile, rear end, long wheelbase and high roofline are clearly MPV like:
Stretched rear doors:
DRLs in the headlamp clusters are designed based on Kias new lighting concept called "The Star Map". The upper part of the huge headlamp clusters are DRLs, while the lower part are the actual headlamps, which are LED type:
Carens also gets front parking sensors:
The Carens, thankfully, comes with 16" rims and 205/65 section tyres, which are better suited for our road conditions than the 17" and 18" options offered in some trims of the Seltos:
Rear bumper has huge chrome garnish:
Spare tyre is carried under the body:
Three new colours have been introduced including Imperial Blue (seen in the images at the top of this post), Sparkling Silver (seen in this image)..
...and Moss Brown:
Interiors:
Just like rest of the car, limited details on the interiors have been provided:
Dashboard is not shared with the Seltos crossover. Infotainment system is all new and has a 10.25" touchscreen head-unit featuring next generation Kia Connect with OTA (Over the Air) map and system updates. It is now possible to update software without visiting a Kia workshop. Other interior features include a Bose sound system with 8 speakers, 64 colour ambient mood lighting, air purifier with virus and bacteria protection, ventilated front seats, a dedicated air freshener mounting system, smartphone wireless charger with cooling function, sunshade curtains for the rear doors, 5 C-type USB charging ports and 2nd row seats with electric tumble function:
Front seats:
2nd row will have captain seats and bench seat options with recline and slide functions along with electric tumble option for access to the 3rd row. Foldable armrests are provided with captain seats:
2nd row passengers also get retractable seatback trays with cup and gadget mounts and sliding type underseat trays:
3rd row seats with the 2nd second row seats moved quite a lot forward. The 3rd row seats can be reclined. The display cars were locked but from the look of it, don't expect to much space in the 3rd row. However there is decent amount of luggage space behind the 3rd row:
An image showing all 3 rows:
Unlike its Hyundai cousins, the Creta and Alzacar, the Kia line-up including the Carens, still has a smaller, non-panoramic sunroof, which only covers the front row of seats:
No sunroof coverage for 2nd row of seats. Instead, there are A/C vents on the roof:
Roof mounted A/C vents for the 3rd row of seats:
Kia has unveiled the Carens - its upcoming MPV in India.The Kia Carens MPV will be available with 3 row seating in 6 & 7-seater configurations. The prices and variants have not been revealed yet, but its expected to be priced above the Seltos crossover and similar to the Hyundai Alacazar. It might be share engines and transmissions with the Seltos too. The Carens will be sold in India and a few other markets. It will be available from the first quarter of 2022.While the details about the exact engine options have not been announced officially as yet, what has been conveyed so far is that the Carens will be offered with both, petrol and diesel engines and multiple transmission options, including a 7-speed DCT and 6-speed torque converter AT. The car will also have three selectable drive modes - Normal, Eco and Sport.The body style of the Carens is a blend of a crossover and MPV. While the long bonnet looks like it belongs to a crossover, the high roofline, tall windshield and lengthened wheelbase are clearly MPV-like. The wheelbase is claimed to be the longest in its class.The car comes with six airbags standard across all trims. After the embarrassment Kia had faced with the Seltos crossovers 3-star GNCAP rating, Kia has claimed that the Carens is one of the safest vehicles in India. While the crash test rating is yet to be disclosed, the providing six airbags as standard across all variants is a welcome move and might prompt other car manufacturers to follow. Other safety features include Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Hill-Assist Control (HAC), Downhill Brake Control (DBC), Brake Assist System (BAS), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and all wheel disc brakes.While the Carens has a Crossover-like front end......the side profile, rear end, long wheelbase and high roofline are clearly MPV like:Stretched rear doors:DRLs in the headlamp clusters are designed based on Kias new lighting concept called "The Star Map". The upper part of the huge headlamp clusters are DRLs, while the lower part are the actual headlamps, which are LED type:Carens also gets front parking sensors:The Carens, thankfully, comes with 16" rims and 205/65 section tyres, which are better suited for our road conditions than the 17" and 18" options offered in some trims of the Seltos:Rear bumper has huge chrome garnish:Spare tyre is carried under the body:Three new colours have been introduced including Imperial Blue (seen in the images at the top of this post), Sparkling Silver (seen in this image).. ...and Moss Brown:Just like rest of the car, limited details on the interiors have been provided:Dashboard is not shared with the Seltos crossover. Infotainment system is all new and has a 10.25" touchscreen head-unit featuring next generation Kia Connect with OTA (Over the Air) map and system updates. It is now possible to update software without visiting a Kia workshop. Other interior features include a Bose sound system with 8 speakers, 64 colour ambient mood lighting, air purifier with virus and bacteria protection, ventilated front seats, a dedicated air freshener mounting system, smartphone wireless charger with cooling function, sunshade curtains for the rear doors, 5 C-type USB charging ports and 2nd row seats with electric tumble function:Front seats:2nd row will have captain seats and bench seat options with recline and slide functions along with electric tumble option for access to the 3rd row. Foldable armrests are provided with captain seats:2nd row passengers also get retractable seatback trays with cup and gadget mounts and sliding type underseat trays:3rd row seats with the 2nd second row seats moved quite a lot forward. The 3rd row seats can be reclined. The display cars were locked but from the look of it, don't expect to much space in the 3rd row. However there is decent amount of luggage space behind the 3rd row:An image showing all 3 rows:Unlike its Hyundai cousins, the Creta and Alzacar, the Kia line-up including the Carens, still has a smaller, non-panoramic sunroof, which only covers the front row of seats:No sunroof coverage for 2nd row of seats. Instead, there are A/C vents on the roof:Roof mounted A/C vents for the 3rd row of seats: Last edited by Aditya : 22nd December 2021 at 10:44 .
shashankw839 BHPian
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 | Long wait times for deliveries Quote: Moto_Bear Originally Posted by
Sharing the relevant news article for your perusal:
M&M advances annual maintenance plant shutdown to May
Hey @shashank! It's not about whether Mahindra or any other Manufacturer can or should forego the maintenance of their plant. It is a statutory obligation on them to do so. As per Sections 6(2)(a) of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 every such employer has to ensure that maintenance of plant and machinery is carried out, not as a matter of convenience or production streamlining and efficiency but as a legal obligation arising from a statute. So, no matter the constraints any company may face, maintenance HAS to be done.
In any case, since Mahindra has already done away with their annual maintenance, they will keep churning out XUV7OO for rest of this quarter, the only limitation being their inventory and supply chain issues. Mahindra, along with Hyundai and Honda, had already done away with the plant maintenances back in May of this year. They scheduled it earlier due to the second wave of Pandemic, keeping in mind the health and safety of its employees and work environment, plus due to lockdowns in various states, the demand for vehicles also declined.Sharing the relevant news article for your perusal:Hey @shashank! It's not about whether Mahindra or any other Manufacturerforego the maintenance of their plant. It is a statutory obligation on them to do so.every such employer has to ensure that maintenance of plant and machinery is carried out, not as a matter of convenience or production streamlining and efficiency but as a legal obligation arising from a statute. So, no matter the constraints any company may face, maintenance HAS to be done.In any case, since Mahindra has already done away with their annual maintenance, they will keep churning out XUV7OO for rest of this quarter, the only limitation being their inventory and supply chain issues. I agree it's a legal obligation. But normally these shutdowns happen at a period when no one likes to pick up any cars (year-end cars ). However, this is not the case this year for many of the manufacturers due to the huge waiting list on cars and the chip shortage hitting their deliveries. I believe like all obligations in India, most of them would smartly manage these obligations by doing part by part or section-wise maintenance. Some others like M&M have already taken the shutdowns so they may continue as per normal. One of my neighbors works in Tata Motors and he mentioned that most manufacturers are in fact looking to clear out as much stock as they can before the 31st of this year. This is all due to the fact that many of them have a good number of cars already manufactured and are waiting for only some components to be installed due to the chip thing. Many of them have these standing in stockyards...
In brief: CES 2022 starts in exactly two weeks (January 5), but a surge in Covid-19 cases and the looming threat of the Omicron variant has seen several big names pull out, including Amazon, Meta (Facebook), Twitter, and Pinterest. Nvidia, meanwhile, is planning mostly digital showcases, while AMD and T-Mobile will have a limited presence.
While CES 2020 was one of the last big events to be held in-person, CES 2021 was digital-only. The organizers said that 2022 would be a hybrid show with in-person and digital elements, and attendees must show proof of their Covid-19 vaccination.
But it seems the precautions are not enough for some companies, especially in light of Omicron. Amazon told Bloomberg that it would no longer have a physical presence at the show due to the quickly shifting situation and uncertainty around the Omicron variant, and neither will subsidiary Ring.
Facebook parent Meta has also decided that attending in person isnt worth the risk. Out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees, we wont be attending CES in-person due to the evolving public health concerns related to Covid-19, it said. Twitter is also avoiding the show, as is Pinterest.
Even T-Mobile, one of CES main sponsors, is significantly limiting its in-person presence. "While we are confident that CES organizers are taking exhaustive measures to protect in-person attendees and we had many preventative practices in place as well, we are prioritizing the safety of our team and other attendees with this decision," the wireless carrier said in a statement.
Elsewhere, Nvidia, which said it has been cautious from the start, confirmed its press conference is virtual-only, while AMD said its presence would be limitedteam reds livestream isnt part of CES.
Many other companies are still attending, including Samsung, Sony, Alphabet, and Qualcomm, though some say they continue to monitor the situation.
Whats concerning is how this is starting to resemble Mobile World Congress in 2020, when several big names pulled out before the event was finally canceled. However, its likely that the same fate wont befall CES 2022. The worst it could experience is the entire show becoming a fully virtual event in the same way as CES 2021.
In a nutshell: Some brands are perceived as simply being too memorable to disappear, even if Father Time has moved on. RadioShack is one such example, at least according to its latest owners, who are relaunching it as a crypto company. The 100-year-old company was once a major player in the consumer electronics space, but those days have long since passed.
RadioShack filed for bankruptcy in 2015, and again in 2017, before being scooped up by its latest owner, Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV) in November 2020. Over on RadioShacks website, the company outlines its plan to bring cryptocurrency to the mainstream. In short, they believe the best way for crypto to become more widespread is for an established brand with a history in tech to lead the way.
Phase one of this plan involves a token swap which the company explains in agonizing detail across multiple documents.
"RadioShack has one objective: Distribution and usage by millions of individuals but possibly more important, by hundreds of blue-chip, large corporations as their gateway into becoming blockchain companies."
For a company that wants to bridge the generational gap between the average crypto buyer and the average business decision maker, the plan lacks the simplicity that one might expect.
Notably, RadioShack is partnering with Atlas USV on the project, which is run by Tai Lopez and Alex Mehr, the team behind REV (who purchase RadioShack last year).
If you're just starting out in crypto, I'd recommend simply purchasing some coins through an established exchange and saving the complex stuff for later once you develop a better understanding of token swaps, smart contracts and the like.
(Photo : by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - MAY 20: Workers freshen up the paint on the NASA logo on the Vehicle Assembly Building before the arrival of NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley at the Kennedy Space Center on May 20, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The astronauts are scheduled to arrive today for the May 27th flight of SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft. They will be the first people since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011 to be launched into space from the United States.
NASA and SpaceX cargo resupply mission is bringing the experiment, which seeks to develop the first-ever space laundry detergent, to the International Space Station or ISS.
NASA, SpaceX Cargo Resupply Mission and First Space Detergent
NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has partnered with a well-known detergent brand, Tide, and its parent firm, Proctor & Gamble, as per the report by NASASpaceFlight.
Tide has been tasked by the United States space agency to develop a laundry detergent that would work without the need for too much water as it is scarce in space.
As such, the detergent brand has come up with a space solution, dubbing it Tide Infinity. It will be flying to the ISS via the SpaceX CRS-24 to undergo further experiments.
The SpaceX CRS-24 marks the 24th space cargo resupply mission of the space firm in partnership with the US space agency. It is scheduled to lift off on Tuesday, Dec. 21 from the Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center of NASA in Florida.
Read Also: SpaceX's Falcon 9 to Launch Human Muscle Cells into Space to Uncover the Secrets of Aging
First Space Laundry Detergent
According to the press release of Proctor and Gamble, Tide Infinity is a laundry detergent, which was designed to be used in space, wherein water is extremely scarce, but cleanliness is still essential.
NASA revealed in a press release that as of now astronauts living in the space station do not wash the clothes that they are wearing. Instead, the pieces of clothing are being replaced every resupply mission, just like the SpaceX CRS-24.
However, the limited capacity of the cargo resupply missions will make it a difficult task for the upcoming missions of NASA astronauts on the Moon and, later on, Mars.
P&G further noted that the scientist of the laundry detergent brand is working with NASA under the Space Act Agreement. Their collaboration seeks to "push the boundaries of resource efficiency," along with the "practical applications for the future of laundry on Earth."
It is to note that even if water is abundant here on our home planet, the water-saving detergent designed for space use could also help humankind achieve sustainability on Earth.
One of the research fellows at P&G, Mark Sivik, acknowledged that doing laundry in space carries a couple of limitations, such as the lack of water and the need for an air purification system.
On top of that, Sivik also noted that there is also a need for the water that has been used to wash the clothes to be purified again as drinkable. It comes as water is extremely scarce in far-flung places in space.
Related Article: SpaceX Starship is 'Next-Level,' But Has a 'Long Way to Go; Says Elon Musk for Interstellar Explorations
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(Photo : South China Morning Post via YouTube) Microchip implant that can verify the patient's COVID-19 vaccination status
Swedish startup Epicenter has come up with a unique idea to carry your COVID-19 vaccine passport without any hassle. The Stockholm-based firm developed a microchip implant that patients can place under his/her skin.
Verifying your vaccination record is now easier. According to the latest report, it is scannable using your smartphone. Here's everything that you need to know so far about this implanted chip.
COVID-19 Microchip Implant
In a tweet by South China Morning Post per Komo News, a person could instantly present his/her vaccine passport in a single flash of an arm. According to the recent clip, the startup wants to focus on creating an implanted chip that borrows the features of pre-existing technology.
Beep boop beep: Your vaccination record has been verified pic.twitter.com/dpAkSCudxf South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) December 17, 2021
Epicenter said that it was already devising "near-field communication" or NFC, so it could immediately transmit data to a particular gadget. For instance, one of the most common data receivers that are accessible to almost all people is the smartphone.
According to Hannes Sjoblad, the startup's Chief Disruption Officer, he considered implants as a "very versatile technology" that can be incorporated into various things. In the video, he mentioned that everyone could now access their COVID-19 passport through the implant.
The report showed that the implant resembles the size of a rice grain which can be put under the skin. The patient could embed it between the thumb and the index finger.
Sjoblad mentioned during the Tech2025 Webinar that the COVID-19 chip could also be placed under the arm. Using NFT-compatible devices, the data including the coronavirus vaccine passport will be kept on it.
Related Article: COVID-19 'Super Immunity' Study Shows Antibodies Surge 2,000% As Fully Vaccinated Gets Infection
The Purpose of Implanted Chip
When coming to different establishments such as museums and restaurants, you must always carry your vax status before entering them. According to another report from Daily Mail, Epicenter wants people to present their passports in the easiest way available.
With that, Tech2025 indicated that the launch of microchip implants will hint at the replacement of business cards, ID cards, and the like. In addition, this would be a viable option for the storage of medical records and more.
The project of embracing the chip implants could be achieved by 2025, according to a report from Komo News. Tech 2025 believes that this could likely happen in the next few years. However, this would be challenged by lawmakers and concerned groups so implementing it right away will not be easier than it sounds.
Just like other chips, they will be implanted in the body through a syringe injection. In an instant, a microchip is now inserted into the patient's hand.
"The biggest benefit I think is convenience," Epicenter CEO Patrick Mesterton said in 2017.
COVID-19 'Chip' Conspiracies
Earlier this year, Tech Times reported that Bill Gates was involved in a conspiracy theory about the implanted chips.
Back then, the rumors pointed out the billionaire and Dr. Anthony Fauci's evil plans to control people by inserting "detectable" implants into vaccinated people.
Last year, Tech Times wrote another article about microchips. At that time, people believed that the Pfizer vaccine has implanted chips, but it turned out to be a hoax when the US FDA released the ingredients of the coronavirus vaccine to the public.
Read Also: COVID-19 Vaccine is atleast 80 percent Effective Against Omicron-Would Boosters Help?
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OBS' development manager, Ben Torell, claimed that TikTok's new Live Studio software violates the open source license. The streaming enthusiast confirmed this detail after a Twitter user pointed out the new app steaming platform's flaw.
"This is the correct answer. That said, we have a commitment to dealing with GPL violations in good faith," said the Open Broadcasting Software officer.
But, he clarified that they would like to work with TikTok in a more friendly environment if the social media platform complies with the correct open source license.
This is the correct answer. That said, we have a commitment to dealing with GPL violations in good faith, and in the case of TikTok/Bytedance we would be happy to have a friendly working relationship with them as long as they comply with the license. https://t.co/w9jcT4pUQL Ben Torell (@dodgepong) December 16, 2021
Right now, TikTok hasn't commented on the current issue. If you are one of the new Live Studio software consumers, the best thing you can do right now is wait for the company's further announcements.
OBS Vs. TikTok: Live Studio Violates Open Source Licence?
According to Engadget's latest report, TikTok Live Studio specifically violates the open-source GNU General Public Licence, also known as GPL.
Also Read: Gaming and Esports Agency OS Studios Connects Sailors Across the Globe With the Power of Gaming
It was accused of such activity since experts claimed that the new PC streaming app of TikTok uses OBS Studio's codes and other open efforts.
However, the giant social media platform is believed to be doing this without sharing the code under any GPL open source license term.
Meanwhile, some rumors claimed that if TikTok doesn't comply with GPL terms, OBS could actually file a lawsuit against the new Live Studio streaming service.
Will There be an Actual Lawsuit?
The Verge reported that TikTok Live Studio is still not yet available globally. This new streaming service started with a small group of individuals streaming their content using their gadgets.
Specifically, the only consumers who can access this PC streaming service are Western markets. However, this wouldn't matter in the latest open source license issue.
Although this is the case, it seems like OBC will not necessarily need to file a lawsuit against TikTok. You can view this link to see more information.
In other news, Web2 companies are expected to join Web3 Revolution. On the other hand, Instagram NFTs could become a reality.
For more news updates about TikTok and other giant online platforms, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
Related Article: Ubisoft Only Sold 18 Out of 3,000 NFTS Earning Less than $2K
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DuckDuckGo's web browser for desktop uses is now officially in the works, touts the privacy firm, noting that it would be a game-changing privacy-focused alternative for the older options out there, such as Google Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox.
DuckDuckGo
As per the news story by XDA Developers, DuckDuckGo first introduced itself as a search engine that seeks to provide its users with additional privacy when compared to the tech giant platforms, including Google and Microsoft's Bing.
However, from there, the privacy platform has expanded its services from merely trying to be a Google search engine alternative.
In fact, as some of you may know by now, DuckDuckGo already offers a mobile browser for both iOS or iPhone and Android smartphone users.
The mobile app of the DuckDuckGo does not only flaunt enhanced privacy protection, but the web browser also features email filtering and Touch ID support for Apple devices.
DuckDuckGo Web Browser for Desktop
This time around, it appears that DuckDuckGo is also expanding to bring its privacy-focused experience to desktop users.
According to the report by The Verge, the privacy search engine CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, announced in a blog post that DuckDuckGo is bringing the web browser mobile features to the desktop.
The DuckDuckGo exec further disclosed that users of the mobile app will get a familiar look and functionalities on its upcoming desktop version.
Weinberg also noted that, unlike other existing web browsers, its desktop app boasts a "robust privacy protection" by default. It means that its users will no longer have to turn on any security settings hiding among the plethora of options to be more secure.
Read Also: Dangerous 'Joker' Apps Steal Cash, Spy on Users, and Read Texts | Here's a List of the 13 Malicious Apps
DuckDuckGo Desktop Web Browser Skips Chromium
On top of that, the CEO also revealed that the desktop app will not use the open-source version of Google Chrome, known as Chromium, which other web browsers like Microsoft Edge, Drave, and Vivaldi use.
Instead, the DuckDuckGo boss said that its desktop browser will be using the rendering engine of the operating system that it will be installed on.
For instance, it will be using the Edge Chromium WebView 2 for its Windows app. On the flip side, it will be using the WebKit of Safari on Apple's macOS.
The privacy firm shared that its early tests show that using the said rendering engines turns out to be "significantly faster" than the widely-used Chrome.
XDA Developers noted in the same report that the decision of DuckDuckGo to use the native rendering engine of Windows and Mac helps its browser to be free from the security flaws found on Chromium.
Related Article: DuckDuckGo Announced it Will Block Google's Replacement for Third-Party Cookies Due to Privacy Concerns
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COVID-19 relief fund app fraud is now being investigated by the United States or the US Secret Service. It comes after the agency previously seized a whopping $1.2 billion from fraudsters.
The Secret Service said in a press release that it estimated that nearly $100 billion have been stolen from the relief fund fraud.
COVID-19 Relief App Fraud and US Secret Service
As such, the US agency is now ramping up its effort to obtain the hundred billion stolen relief fund, as per the news story by CNN.
The Secret Service went on to assign its assistant special agent in charge, Roy Dotson, to take a role that specifically looks into the growing COVID-19 relief fraud.
That said, Dotson will now lead the investigation and crackdown efforts of the agency against the raging problem of fraudulent activities hitting the COVID-19 relief fund.
Dotson told CNN in the same report that the goal of the US agency is divided into two: investigation of fraud activities and recovery of the stolen money.
He further said that the agency will be maximizing its "investigative impact," and, later on, seeks to "recover as much as we can" from the stolen relief fund.
Read Also: CDC's First Batch of COVID-19 Tests are Flawed? Internal Investigation Reveals Possible Contamination
COVID-19 Relief App Fraud Investigation
According to the report by CNET, the US law enforcement reveals that the primary problem that the agency was looking into the way back in the early days of the COVID pandemic was personal protective equipment or PPE fraud.
However, this time around, as the US government has been providing its citizens with relief funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or shortly known as the CARES Act, a new fraud scheme has rapidly taken over.
The Secret Service added that the massive funding from the CARES Act has lured in "organized criminal networks worldwide."
That said, the law enforcement announced that its top priority, for now, is to ramp up its investigation efforts for the "exploitation" of the COVID pandemic relief fund.
It is worth noting that the US agency still has a copious amount of work to undertake as there are over 900 active criminal investigations, which are related to COVID-19 fund fraud.
Dotson said that the agency plans to seize and arrest these hundreds of fraudsters by coordinating with other federal agencies, the offices of the US attorney, and other financial services.
Elsewhere, Apple previously redirected a portion of the profit from its "Product Red" series sales to the COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Meanwhile, a NASA executive was convicted for spending $300,00 in the COVID Relief Fund.
Related Article: Security Researcher Finds Flaw in At-Home COVID Test, Easily Changed Result by Intercepting Bluetooth Traffic
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Justin Sun, the founder of TRON and the current CEO of Rainbow Inc., has revealed that he just won Blue Origin's first auction and is set to go to space in 2022. With that, Sun will be selecting five people to come with him to space.
For those that have never heard of Justin Sun before and are wondering how he won the auction, here's a quick introduction to who he is.
Who is Justin Sun?
As per his profile on Bloomberg, Justin Sun was the founder of the TRON foundation, otherwise known for its cryptocurrency ticker TRX. Aside from his involvement in TRON, Justin Sun also acts as the Chief Executive Officer of BitTorrent Inc. (now known as Rainberry Inc.) and the Chief Representative for Ripple Labs Inc.
Wu Blockchain tweeted out that Justin Sun said that he had won the first auction for Blue Origin six months ago and is going to select five people to join him in space this coming 2022. To add, Blue Origin is a space exploration company that was founded by the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos.
Justin Sun stated that he won the Blue Origin first auction six months ago and will select five people to join him in space in 2022. Blue Origin is a space exploration company founded by Amazon founder Bezos. Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 22, 2021
$28 Million Bid for the Space Flight
According to an article by BusinessWire, the entire bid amount of $28 million directly went into Blue Origin's foundation Club for the Future, which helped benefit 19 space-based charities in order to help inspire future generations to take up careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space.
Aside from his business involvement, Justin Sun is also a permanent representative of Grenada to the WTO. He will be the first Grenadian, international diplomat, and blockchain leader to go into space.
Justin Sun Will Bring the Grenadian Flag
As per the report, he will be bringing a Grenadian flag on the voyage. With that, Sun is launching a campaign called "Sea of Stars" to convey that Earth is where the chapter of human life will start for future generations.
It is expected that Sun might be nominating a member of the TRON DAO community, long-term holders for TRX, BTT, SUN, JST, NFT, and WIN, along with some other outstanding leaders that come from the worlds of art, fashion, technology, space exploration, and entrepreneurship.
Read Also: Tesla's Elon Musk and Block's Jack Dorsey on Web3 | Owned by Venture Capitalists and Not Decentralized?
Sun's Thoughts on Space
Mr. Sun said that with the rapid development of commercial aerospace, being able to enter space could become a dream that "every person" can realize in either their lifetime. To add, he stated that humanity is now entering the era of "great spaceflight,'' saying that the great journey would still require more and more people to get involved.
Sun and his five crewmates are expected to board the New Shepard flight next year.
Related Article: SpaceX Launches Raspberry Pi Computers to the International Space Station
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2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amazon is making big moves in Austin by planning a major expansion, leasing 330,000 square feet of space in North Austin. With that, the company is expected to hire 2,000 more workers.
Amazon to Expand in Austin
According to the story by USAToday, Amazon is expected to create over 2,000 corporate and tech jobs in Austin over the course of the next few years. The roles will support teams when it comes to operations technology, business, retail, and web services.
Here is a List of Positions at Amazon:
Senior data engineers
User experience designers
Senior technical program managers
Financial analysts
In order to accommodate the company's growth plans, they have leased a 330,000 square foot place at a new building that is currently being developed by Cousins Properties at the Domain located in North Austin. With that, the new office space is expected to open in early 2024.
3,000 Employees Already
As of the moment, Amazon already has over 3,000 tech and corporate employees for its Austin Tech Hub in three different locations at the Domain. To add, the site lead for Amazon's Austin Tech Hub, Doug Gray, gave a statement.
As per Gray, their continued investment in Austin is definitely a testament to quite the amazing talent and amenities that the city offers. To expand, with over 3,000 jobs already there and over 1,000 corporate and tech job roles available, they are now looking forward to continuing to offer good career opportunities to the city's local residents.
Amazon Returnship Program
In order for them to attract workers, Amazon made a program it calls Amazon Returnship. This program aims to help professionals get back to work after they either lost or left their jobs which include people that were displaced by the coronavirus pandemic.
The 16-week paid initiative will be available to people who have not been able to work or were unemployed for at least a year. Throughout the program, employees will be working on a specific project, and after four months of that, they will have the possibility of moving into certain full-time positions at Amazon.
Read Also: Tether CEO Under Fire for Headquarters in China | Sued for Unpaid Invoices and Tax Fines
Austin Mayor Invites the eCommerce Giant
Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, attributed Amazon's Austin expansion to the city's skilled workforce and quality of life. As per Adler, the Amazon investment will help create a significant number of different middle-skilled jobs.
Adler continued by saying that the local workforce can train towards the middle-skilled jobs through Austin Community College and others, "thus improving the lives of people" who are living in Austin. To add, the mayor said that they invite Amazon to "invest with us" and help make the city "even better."
With Amazon planning to build a massive office on a 330,000 Sqft property, this could mean more jobs for locals as the company fills the space.
Related Article: Spokesperson of OnlyFans Replaces CEO | Tim Stokely Steps Down
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Written by Urian B.
2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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A $10 to $15 passenger train ride between Baton Rouge and New Orleans could be just a year or so away if all the pieces fall into place.
Canadian Pacific Railway is close to gaining ownership of the train tracks that run between the two cities after its shareholders earlier this month approved a $31 billion takeover of Kansas City Southern, which currently owns the train lines. Canadian Pacific also committed to working with passenger rail operator Amtrak and state and local governments to start the passenger service as soon as possible.
This is the most promise this project has had in a long time, said Bryan Jones, the head of HNTBs Gulf Coast offices, who co-authored a 2014 feasibility study for the project for New Orleans and Baton Rouge. HNTB nationwide is an infrastructure design firm that works with the state, New Orleans and Baton Rouge on various projects.
Along with Canadian Pacific, Amtrak said starting a service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a priority in its spending plans. State and local leaders, from Gov. John Bel Edwards to the parish officials along the route, have also thrown their support behind the project.
The key is we now know who all the partners are, said John Spain, executive vice president of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and member of the Southern Rail Commission.
There are still details to be hammered out. But the availability of a $66 billion pot of money for railway improvements through the bipartisan infrastructure bill Congress recently approved makes the long-held dream of a passenger train close to becoming a reality, Spain said.
Were at a point and time now where the funding is in place, Spain said. Yes, it will be competitive. The state will need to apply to get those funds, but its there, and we think we have a very strong case to make for funding this project.
The federal Surface Transportation Board still needs to sign off on the deal between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. But once that happens, service could begin shortly thereafter, Spain said.
Approval of the sale is expected sometime in late 2022, Spain added.
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome applauded the progress surrounding the project. She said the interconnected nature of Southeast Louisiana makes the passenger line ideal for the region.
I am incredibly encouraged by the expression of support by Canadian Pacific officials for the reintroduction of passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Broome said in a statement. This project has been a long time coming but I believe the time is now to make it a reality.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the service could be a vital form of transportation for New Orleans residents evacuating from hurricanes.
This critical connection will expand regional transportation and employment opportunities, and can provide an additional mode of evacuation from forecasted storms, giving residents immediate transit service out of harms way in the event of an emergency, Cantrell said in a statement. This is a win-win for our entire region, connecting communities through transformative infrastructure projects and by improving public safety as we continue to experience faster, more intense storms.
HNTBs 2014 study envisions a trip from Baton Rouge to New Orleans taking an hour to an hour and 20 minutes. The cost of a single trip would be about $10 to $15, according to the study.
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Spain said a $10 to $15 ticket is still likely, but the trip could initially take longer than 60-80 minutes until construction to make the railway more suitable for passenger trains is finished. That work isn't necessary to start service, but it would reduce times.
The largest single portion of the needed spending identified in a 2014 report on rail link upgrades was $62 million to replace the 1.8-mile wooden rail bridge that crosses the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Freight trains running on that now must slow to 10 miles per hour, which would delay a passenger trip. That may not deter officials from starting the service before the improvements are completed, Spain said.
There are a lot of people who, given the option of a train at a reasonable cost, would do that rather than drive because its predictable, Spain said. We all talk about how we can be in New Orleans in an hour to an hour-and-a-half, but depending on the traffic, it can add another 30 or 45 minutes. A train will be predictable. It wont be backed up in traffic or stopped in a wreck.
A passenger train has not run between Baton Rouge and New Orleans since 1969, when Kansas City Southerns Southern Belle service was discontinued.
Restarting the service has the support of the public. A 2019 poll of voters in Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Orleans, St. James and St. John parishes found 63% would be interested in riding the line.
Baton Rouge to New Orleans passenger train inches closer as Canadian Pacific commits to service The long-held dream of a passenger rail link between Baton Rouge and New Orleans inched closer after officials from Canadian Pacific Railway,
For more than a decade, area economic development officials have touted a passenger rail connection as a key way to help foster growth in the region. The line would include stops in Baton Rouge at the Electric Depot on Government Street and in the Bluebonnet-Essen-Perkins medical district, in Gonzales, LaPlace and at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, with a terminus at the Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans near the Caesars Superdome.
Previous attempts to start the project have failed, largely due to state lawmakers opposition to using state funds for the rail line. Spain and other supporters of the rail line believe this time will be different because of Canadian Pacifics support and because some of the federal rail money requires only 20% local matching funding. This means there would be minimal local funding required to start the line.
Canadian Pacific had been battling against a competing offer by Canadian National Railway to buy Kansas City Southern, which had long opposed running passenger trains on the track it owned between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
A key intervention with regulators came in the summer from Amtrak, which opposed Canadian National Railway's offer on the grounds that it would have derailed plans to revive the passenger link and would have reduced freight competition in the region.
Spain argued that the passenger line would draw immediate interest from residents in the region, and ridership would only increase as more people experienced the train for the first time.
If you grew up in a place where there werent trains, then you dont know what the experience is, Spain said. I think part of this is once people understand it is fairly predictable and they can count on it being on time, I think theyll find it useful and a great addition to their options.
Staff writer Tony McAuley contributed to this report.
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Hospitality workers and cinemas and theatre goers and staff over the Christmas period are being told to mask up as more restrictions return to Queensland.
The changes will be added to the mask mandate, which was set for retail centres, hospitals, aged care, airports, ridesharing vehicles and public transport, from 5am on Thursday.
Hospitality workers will be required to wear masks at work again from Thursday. Credit:Bloomberg
It comes as COVID-19 cases in Queensland rise to 186 on Wednesday and exposure sites continue to be added to the Queensland Healths contact tracing list.
Queensland also reached a milestone of 90.1 per cent of people aged 16 years and over receiving the first dose of a vaccine and 85.4 per cent were fully vaccinated.
The court heard police do not know how Shaptafaj got the gun. They have also been unable to establish how he knew when the couple were returning home. Shaptafaj was married in 1989 and the couple had two children, a daughter and a son. Ms Parkes told the court Shaptafaj had allegedly been violent towards his family. The pair split in 2008. Lindita and Veton Musai. Credit:Facebook The court heard Ms Musai told her brother that she hated her father and hoped she would never see him again so she wouldnt have to constantly look over her shoulder and worry he would come back to hurt them. The family cut ties with Shaptafaj and had not seen him since 2011.
Tanya Skvortsova, for Shaptafaj, said the couples separation and the breakdown of the family struck at the very core of his identity. It seems that in subsequent years he argued with his children and was highly sensitive with what he perceived to be allegiances to their mother following separation. Lindita and Veton Musai (left) with his parents Zirka and Alil Musai and brothers Lindor and Drilon Musai. In 2013, Shaptafaj was in a major motorbike accident and could not work. He became a recluse, living on his own and spending days on end watching television and playing computer games. He was later diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Ms Skvortsova said that towards the end of 2019, her client had been labouring under an impaired mental state which had affected his ability to make reasoned, calm and rational choices. There was a vacuum of explanation as to what motivated the murders, she said.
But Justice Andrew Tinney said there were indications that Shaptafaj had been aggrieved about the fact his permission had not been sought before his daughters marriage. Its a very extreme crime to carry out and one that speaks to a considerable level of resentment and animosity, isnt it? he said. To shoot your daughter and her husband in the back of the head [after] having no contact with them for all that time, it was a very, very extreme thing to do. Justice Tinney said Shaptafaj, who is of Albanian background, had told a psychologist after the shooting that he was angry and sad about not being invited to his daughters wedding. He had become incensed when describing how he had been disrespected by his son-in-law, who had gone against tradition by not asking for his permission, the court heard. It was difficult to see how the murders could be viewed as anything but cold and calculating, Justice Tinney said. Ms Parkes submitted that Justice Tinney should impose two life sentences for deliberate and brutal killings which had been carried out in a residential street.
Loading She said Shaptafaj had murdered two people at close range as they were about to enter their home, a place they were entitled to feel safe. Both were acts of family violence and in context of an alleged history of family violence, she said. As a father, Shaptafaj had a duty to protect his daughter, not cause her harm, she added, saying the man had shown no remorse. These are indeed crimes which shock the public consciousness, she said.
Through tears, Mr Musais brother Drilon told the court Ms Musai was like his sister, and his brother was his best friend and confidant. The pair had been building townhouses together so they could live next door to each other. I never thought I would have to sit down and plan my brother and sister-in-laws funerals a year after helping them plan their weddings, he said. I never thought Id be washing my brothers body before lowering him into a grave next to his wife. I want people to see whats happened to us, and go hug their parents, children, friends, whoever it may be, and enjoy some time with them. Because my family and I will never again get that chance with Veton and Lindita. Justice Tinney will sentence Shaptafaj on a date to be fixed next year. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
Warning: This story contains images that may distress some readers.
More than 250 charges have been laid following a koala massacre at a former tree-plantation site in Victorias west.
A koala injured in a logged blue gum plantation at Cape Bridgewater, near Portland. The animal was later put down after being found to have a broken arm. Credit:Helen Oakley
At least 70 koalas died after their habitat was logged at Cape Bridgewater near Portland in February last year, prompting a major investigation by the Conservation Regulator.
On Wednesday, the regulator said the owner of the property and two companies had since been charged with 253 animal cruelty offences for their alleged involvement in clearing the property which wounded and caused pain or suffering to dozens of koalas.
The pace in the race against COVID-19 has risen again, along with the anxiety levels of Australians desperate for the respite that summer, briefly, seemed to promise. After picking up the baton from Delta, the Omicron variant is off and threatening to run rampant.
Like many before it, yesterdays meeting of the national cabinet appeared to be an effort to catch up. Its not yet clear how far behind we are, but measures announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison after the meeting were an indication that we need to do better and we need to do it quickly. That has been particularly evident in the rollout of booster or third vaccination doses.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison following Wednesdays national cabinet meeting. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Omicron has disrupted the relative sense of security that the roughly 90 per cent of eligible Australians have enjoyed after receiving their second vaccination dose as part of a concerted national effort to blunt the scourge of Delta. But as the efficacy of vaccinations wanes over time, Omicron becomes a rising threat that must be countered by a third dose. For an increasing number of people, that time has arrived, but so far only 48 per cent of those eligible have had their booster.
The infrastructure put in place to allow Australia to recover from a slow start and record one of the worlds highest levels of full vaccine coverage through the middle of this year has been diminished, and Mr Morrisons announcement that it will be ramped up now is welcome. While some other countries have reduced the interval between second and third doses from six months to five months and then shorter again to speed up coverage against Omicron, Mr Morrison said Australias interval would remain at five months for now.
The idea of discriminating against people who are different from yourself coupled with the belief that you have special powers over and above others is a consequence of self-righteousness. Self-righteousness spawns social division and even wars and should be recognised as a negative attribute and not embedded in any religious organisation.
Leigh Ackland, Deepdene Review of religious segregation overdue
Obviously, some Christian education groups have no understanding that a divorce for many is hell on earth. And when a person is putting their life back together after ending a damaging marriage, they need emotional support and secure employment not the wrath of God delivered in disciplinary decree. The question of why these Christian education groups would take undefined disciplinary steps over a person considering a same-sex marriage needs to be seriously challenged. The nation has endorsed with thoughtfulness, caring and compassion for the rights of love to exist in the gay community. Those values appear not to occur at all in those Christian education groups. A review of their segregation from the real world is overdue.
Des Files, Brunswick A history of discrimination over divorce
It was disturbing to read that some religious schools still think its appropriate to discriminate against a teacher who is divorced. It reminded me that in the mid-1970s, I was denied an education studentship when the Department of Education officer who interviewed me said he was worried about the number of divorced women wanting to teach as they could twist the minds of the children. Happily, I was granted a studentship the following year and spent 30 years teaching in government secondary colleges and in the TAFE sector.
Jan Storey, Beaumaris
THE FORUM Business the missing link
Nick Enfield (You cant put a price on scientific innovation, The Age, 22/12) provides a timely critique of the governments push for commercial-ready research but, as with all government schemes, misses the point that commercialisation is a two-way street it requires academics and business to get involved, rather than placing all the onus on researchers. Having worked in the CSIRO for 29 years, my experience is that the Australian business community are the real problem, being risk-averse and always looking for a quick return. I experienced this first-hand having searched for someone to manufacture a low-cost and accurate biosensor for detecting viruses that could have been used to rapidly screen for COVID. With no interest from Australian business, my attempts to look for a commercial partner overseas were thwarted by government budget cuts. I dont know the solution to the problem but more scientists on company boards would be a good start.
Tim Davis, Heidelberg Swift testing needed
The level of community PCR testing is unsustainable and things need to change to avoid a serious crisis. The government should provide free rapid antigen testing kits to all households as soon as possible. All people who are deemed to be close contacts should use this test and, if positive, have a PCR test and stay home until results are known. The same process should apply for travellers crossing state borders. This plan will save the government a lot of money and also reduce the stress for people who have long waits for PCR test results, a situation which is only going to worsen as the testing volume continues to rise. Please act swiftly and follow the path already in place in Britain and the US.
Mary D. Fraher, Aspendale
A Christmas Island story
Can you imagine how Border Force would have dealt with the birth of Jesus in Australia? Mary and Joseph would have been put in a detention centre awaiting processing. Jesus, though born in Australia, would have been sent with his parents to of all places, Christmas Island. Those poor shepherds would have been told to flock off or run the risk of having their visas cancelled. The three wise men would have had to go into 14 days of quarantine because they hadnt been vaccinated. Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh would have been confiscated. The star in the east would have been seen as a spy satellite, probably of Chinese origin and Peter Dutton would encourage the US to shoot it down. The angel Gabriel would be escorted out of the no-fly zone and given a three-year ban for entering the country illegally.
Greg Tuck, Warragul Dull, blind allegiance
How refreshing to read of an aspiring representative in Parliament who thinks for herself (Independent in Kooyong had ALP link, The Age, 22/12). Mr Morrison casts aspersions on Monique Ryan for her past link to the ALP when she thought Kevin Rudd would take action on climate change. You could say it makes her sound like someone who walks the talk. Whereas, Mr Morrison focuses on a blind allegiance he expects of voters to the Party machine, wherever it deviates, vacillates, or makes a 180-degree turn. He shows interest in one policy only, to keep the wheels of the Party rolling. A bit dull, Id say.
Marguerite Heppell, East Hawthorn Change is good
Brendan Nelson, once leader of the Liberal Party, was a member of the ALP until he resigned to become president of the AMA. Humans are political animals. Id be more worried by someone not changing their beliefs as circumstances change.
Wayne Robinson, Kingsley, WA Victims deserve compo
One would hope that Anne Hamilton-Byrnes victims receive some recompense from the sale of their former headquarters (Cult survivors claim slice of house sale, The Age, 22/12).
The children involved were subjected to mental and physical torture from the perpetrators including the so-called aunties until their final liberation. If any good came from these sordid events it was surely the exposure of the dangers inherent in pseudo-religious cults. Perhaps too, we need to be far more questioning of all religious organisations.
Paul Murchison, Kingsbury Our idiocy test awaits
Your correspondent Rita Lord (Letters, 22/12) wonders if Clive Palmer and Craig Kelly think we are all idiots who are unaware of Australian history. That is exactly what they think. And at the coming election we will find out whether or not they are right.
Mark Summerfield, Northcote Do it for the girls
All I want for Christmas is to see and hear blokes leading on gender equality. Richard Marles, its time to hand the deputy leadership to Tanya Plibersek. Do this for the women and girls across our Nation, and for Labor.
Maria Bohan, Newtown Booster supply issues
I am eligible for a booster shot but when I went to two GPs and two pharmacies they all told me they couldnt get enough shots from the government until mid-January. Yet Morrison and Hunt are constantly spouting how anybody can get a booster from their GPs or pharmacies. Not true. Some GPs and pharmacies feel they are being unfairly blamed by the public.
John Hannah, Castlemaine
Become agents for change
The article from Zoe Daniel explaining why she is putting her hand up to stand for election in Goldstein says it all. I live in Indi where we voted out Sophie Mirabella and elected independent Cathy McGowan, twice. McGowan and now Helen Haines have been high-achieving and a breath of fresh air, and the sky hasnt fallen in. Federal Parliament has become a lot worse since then as Daniel points out. The people have had enough, yet the parties are too entrenched in their system to do what is right. I say to the voters in Goldstein, be brave and become agents for change, youll be amazed how good it feels to make things better.
Dick Tivendale, Benalla Climate change reality
As an octogenarian with several grandchildren, I spend much time wondering how they will fare in the hostile climates already locked in for forthcoming decades. In 1988, James Hansen fronted a US Senate hearing and said that a human-induced global warming trend could be detected with a high degree of confidence. In 2009 Hansen produced his landmark book Storms of my Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity. Hansens first grandchild, Sophie, was then aged 11. Hansen, now 80, has produced a new book addressed to young people and consists of a series of caring and insightful letters he has written to Sophie. In Kentucky and adjacent states, we have seen Hansens catastrophic storms in action. Without claiming direct causality, there can be little doubt that climate change was a factor in the unprecedented intensity of these tornadoes. Dont say the US (and the world) wasnt warned. The last thing Australia now needs is more Canavan and Pitt coal.
Ian Bayly, Upwey Wheres the truth?
Oh meat industry. You were sanguine with witty names such as black pudding, sweetbreads, devon, oyster blade, porterhouse but now youre snarky about vegan products imitating meat products which themselves largely imitate meat? Sausages need only be half meat, meat pies even less. But for vegan food producers there must be truth in names and descriptions?
It might be smarter to examine the digestibility of some of the pea proteins, vegetable gums and gels, and then compare actual flavours of products. That said, the Impossible burger is a ripper!
Christine Cemm, Mornington Help the vulnerable
The TGA recently confirmed that women will still need to provide a script each time they need the contraceptive pill, regardless of how many years they have been taking it. It is incredibly disappointing to see that the need for accessible contraception has once again been forgotten. Women are expected to pay at least $40 every three months to see a GP, plus the cost of their average pill, some of which arent subsidised and can cost up to $90 for three months supply. Those costs might seem reasonable for someone on a steady income, but what about the vulnerable groups of women such as high school and university students or low-income single mothers, those who dont earn a steady income? Without accessibility and affordability, we cant help some of the most vulnerable groups and we leave them at risk of unwanted pregnancy. Shouldnt we be concerned about that too?
Elli Sharples, Lara Extend the track
It is disappointing the federal government is walking away from its 2019 City Deal election commitment to Melbournes south-east, but the Frankston rail extension already is a nationally recognised infrastructure project that the Morrison government separately committed to building and partially funded and should not be further delayed.
It has been promised for 92 years, has the support of both major parties, already has a clear public benefit case, and is one of only three urgent Victorian projects listed as a near-term (0-5 years) national infrastructure priority. If Canberra cant pull off a City Deal, it can get going and fulfil its 2018 promise: Building metro rail for Frankston East (Hospital/Monash Uni), Karingal, Langwarrin, Baxter and surrounds. In recent days, PM Scott Morrison said he doesnt apologise for keeping voter promises. This is what the voters of Dunkley and Flinders have asked for: build the Frankston rail extension. It is time to act and extend the track.
Ginevra Hosking, CEO, Committee for Greater Frankston AND ANOTHER THING ... Credit: Politics
Its beginning to look like a pre-election Christmas, with slogans everywhere, crowded shops, high-vis photo ops, and very few masks around the chops!
John Bye, Elwood
Turns out Bambi was a member of the Labor Party, oh dear.
Paul Custance, Highett Loving Craig Kellys United Party ads. Makes wrapping up the rubbish and putting it in the bin a pleasure.
Stuart Gluth, Northcote Someone needs to tell Craig and Clive theyre dreamin if they think they are the heirs of Lyons, Hughes and Menzies.
Claire Thomas, North Albury, NSW Coronavirus
The PM says that common sense suggests we wear masks in indoor settings, especially when others are around. So why isnt the PM wearing a mask when visiting Incitec Pivot?
Sheldon Rothman, Woodend Scott Morrison seems to have faith in Australians using common sense to cope with COVID. He obviously has not visited his local supermarket lately.
David Seal, Balwyn North
How can the PM rely on people acting responsibly when enough keep voting him in?
Trevor Martin, St Leonards Using the PMs COVID personal responsibility logic, governments should remove speed limits and let drivers use personal responsibility. Imagine the carnage.
Mick Hussey, Beaconsfield Bit hard to stand tall when you are on a gurney or in a hospital bed.
Bob Stensholt, Glen Iris Its amazing how superior you feel when youve had the booster jab.
Brian Morley, Donvale The slow go by ScoMo on Omicron beats even his unenviable record. Australians deserve better from their government.
Doris LeRoy, Altona
Forcing travellers to get a gold-standard PCR test before flying interstate goes against expert health advice and has to stop.
It was always going to be a tricky balance for states that had kept COVID-19 out to stomach reopening their borders and risk infections. Those reopenings have indeed seen case numbers rise in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.
Drivers queue for COVID tests at Bondi Beach. Credit:Anna Kucera
But putting the onus of testing on public health systems elsewhere was never a fair system.
Firstly, it has put huge pressure on testing facilities.
Many Australians stuck at home during the pandemic are making plans for a Christmas break like no other.
After months of confinement, a normal hotel just wont do, so weve found something for festive holidaymakers who are keen on something, as TV icons Kath and Kim would say, noice, different, unusual.
Or at least very, very Christmassy.
The Gnome Home in North Pole, Alaska. Credit:Airbnb.com.au
That includes renting a home in North Pole, Alaska, where holidaymakers can stay in the Gnome Home.
Johannesburg: South Africas noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the countrys dramatic Omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say.
Daily virus case counts are notoriously unreliable, as they can be affected by uneven testing, reporting delays and other fluctuations. But they are offering one tantalising hint far from conclusive yet that Omicron infections may recede quickly after a ferocious spike.
South Africa has been at the forefront of the Omicron wave and the world is watching for any signs of how it may play out there to try to understand what may be in store.
No lap: A child greets Santa through a plastic shield in a shopping centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. Credit:AP
After hitting a high of nearly 27,000 new cases nationwide last Thursday, the numbers dropped to about 15,424 on Tuesday. In Gauteng province the most populous with 16 million people, including the largest city, Johannesburg, and the capital, Pretoria the decrease started earlier and has continued.
And all are united by the near-sacred memory of Soviet victory in World War II one the state has seized upon to shape an identity of a triumphal Russia that must be ready to take up arms again. Visitors drive a model of a Soviet era T-34 tank at the Tankodrom childrens adventure attraction at Patriot Park outside the Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces in Kubinka, Russia. Credit:Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times Alexei Levinson, head of sociocultural research at the Levada Centre, an independent Moscow pollster, calls the trend the militarisation of the consciousness of Russians. In the centres regular surveys, the army in 2018 became the countrys most trusted institution, surpassing even the President. This year, the share of Russians saying they feared a world war hit the highest level recorded in surveys dating to 1994 62 per cent. This does not mean, Levinson cautioned, that Russians would welcome a bloody territorial conquest of Ukraine. But it does mean, he said, that many have been conditioned to accept that Russia is locked in an existential rivalry with other powers in which the use of force is a possibility. Celebration of the Soviet Unions victory over Nazi Germany in World War II referred to as the Great Patriotic War in Russia has played the most important role in that conditioning. Rather than promoting only a culture of remembrance of Soviet heroism and 27 million lives lost, the Kremlin applies the World War II narrative to the present day, positioning Russia as once again threatened by enemies bent on its destruction.
An instructor shows children how to use air rifles at the Youth Pre-Recruitment training centre in Noginsk near Moscow last week. Credit:Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times In his annual Victory Day speech this year after a monumental military parade, Putin tore into unnamed present-day enemies of Russia who were redeploying the Nazis delusional theory of their exclusivity. On state TV last week, a news show host ridiculed sanctions threats against Russia from those who have no idea how to scare a people that lost more than 20 million of its men, its women and its elderly and kids in the last war. A popular World War II bumper sticker reads, We can do it again. Theres a transposition taking place of this victory in World War II into the present-day confrontation with the NATO bloc, Levinson said. One hour west of Moscow, the grand Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces opened last year. Its exterior is army green and its floors are made from weapons and tanks seized from the German Wehrmacht. Arched stained-glass windows feature insignia and medals.
Loading On a recent Sunday, the church and its accompanying museum and park were full of visitors. A group of fifth graders from the Suvorov Military School in Tver, wearing their uniforms, filed out in two lines before marching to the museum. Their instructor said it was fundamentally important for the students, in their first year of military school, to learn about their predecessors. Were doing a bit of propaganda, too, the section leader quipped, declining to give his name. Beyond the church grounds, visitors walked among snow-covered trenches in a simulated front line. Further afield, under the towering dome of the church, children could ride around a go-kart like track in a miniature replica of a battle tank. All children should come here and develop an interest in history from an early age, said Alina Grengolm, as her two-year-old son scrambled up an icy tank with his fathers assistance.
Loading In Moscow recently, more than 600 people from across the country gathered for a government-sponsored forum aimed at promoting patriotism among youth. Sergei Kiriyenko, Putins powerful deputy chief of staff, praised the attendees for doing sacred work. At the conference, two victory volunteers spoke about their plans for teaching high school students about the Russian World War II victory at a regional event the following week. In a Levada poll published last week, 39 per cent of Russians said war between Russia and Ukraine was either inevitable or very likely. Half said the United States and NATO were to blame for the recent rise in tensions, and no more than 4 per cent across all age groups said Russia was at fault. The conviction across society that Russia is not the aggressor reflects a core ideology dating to Soviet times: that the country only fights defensive wars. The government has even earmarked money for movies that explore that theme. In April, the Culture Ministry decreed that Russias historical victories and Russias peacekeeping mission were among the priority topics for film producers seeking government funding.
Right now, the idea is being pushed that Russia is a peace-loving country permanently surrounded by enemies, said Anton Dolin, a Russian film critic. This is contradicted by some facts, but if you show it at the movies and translate that idea into the time of the Great Patriotic War, we all instantly get a scheme familiar to everyone from childhood. A patriotic mural in Moscow showing Soviet pilots from World War II, based on a photograph of the Victory Parade in 1945. The sign in Russian reads, The saved world remembers you! Credit:Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times On Russian state television, the narrative of a Ukraine controlled by neo-Nazis and used as a staging ground for Western aggression has been a common trope since the pro-Western revolution in Kyev in 2014. After the revolution, Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, fomented a war in Ukraines east and sharpened its messaging about Russia as a besieged fortress. Some analysts fear that the escalating rhetoric is laying the foundation for what Russia would cast as a defensive intervention to protect its security and Russian speakers in Ukraine. Yevgeny Popov, a newly elected member of parliament and a host of a popular political show on state TV, said in an interview that his ratings were up in recent weeks the tension is rising, he said. I think that most people in Russia would only be in favour if we defended Russian people who live in these territories, Popov said, referring to the separatist territories in Ukraine where hundreds of thousands have received Russian citizenship.
The effectiveness of the states militarised messaging is up for debate. Polls show that young people have a more positive view of the West than older Russians, and the pro-Kremlin sentiment prompted by the Crimea annexation appears to have dissipated amid economic stagnation. Loading But the Kremlin is doubling down. Its drive to increase patriotic education includes funding for groups like Vympel. The military patriotic organisation has some 100 chapters around the country, and it organised the recent skills competition in the city of Vladimir that ended on Thursday. Veronika Osipova, 17, from the city of Rostov-on-Don near Ukraines border, won the award for best female student. For years, she played the harp, graduating with honours from an elite music school. But in 2015, she started learning how to shoot a machine gun and throw grenades. She resolved to join the Russian military to protect the country against its enemies. I follow the example of girls who, under bullets and grenades, went to fight during the Great Patriotic War, Osipova said. They had no choice, but we do have it, and I choose the army.
A vivid narrative of the desert fighting at El Arish towards the end of last year, when the Australian and New Zealand mounted division, under Major-General Sir H. G. Chauvel, succeeded in routing the Turks, is contained in an official account of the operations, which had just reached the Minister of Defence. The town of El Arish fell into the hands of the Australians on 21st December, after a brilliant night march across the desert.
Magdhaba: The advance of the 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment on 23rd December, 1916. Credit:Australian War Memorial, B02869
The enemy, evidently considering discretion the better part of valour, withdrew from the position without a stand, and retired to Magdhaba, situated about 20 miles south-east. The following morning General Chauvel was ordered to push on to Magdhaba, where the enemy was estimated to be about 2500 strong, with 8 mountain guns. The division mustered after dark, and moved off after midnight. It was a very cold night but the going proved good.
At 3.50 a.m. on 23rd December the bivouac fires at Magdhaba could be seen, and the column halted at a point which proved afterwards to be four miles from the position. The number of bivouac fires indicated a considerable force, and the brightness of the lights caused the position to seem much nearer than it was, so dismounting the troops, General Chauvel went forward with Brigadiers to make a personal reconnaissance.
As dawn broke, and it became lighter, the bivouac fires disappeared, and nothing could be seen but a thick layer of smoke, which covered the whole valley, so the reconnaissance took much longer than was anticipated. However, the huts in the village were eventually located, as also were some buildings, which afterwards proved to be a Turkish hospital.
Washington: As a health reporter whos been writing about the coronavirus since early January 2020, I often get questions about the pandemic. But after the Omicron variant emerged last month, those questions became more urgent with some readers complaining of mixed messages about the new variant and existing vaccines and deeply personal, as friends and family tried to plan their holidays.
Over the weekend, I wrote a Facebook post trying to distil what Ive heard from experts and officials as they race to fight the new variant. Here is a version of that post:
1. Omicron might not be mild for the unvaccinated.
The Omicron variant is real, and the reports of it being milder appear mostly based on the generally mild breakthrough cases in vaccinated and previously infected people.
If youve been vaccinated and boosted, theres reason to expect your Omicron infection will lead to minimal symptoms.
About Toyota
Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest automaker. According to the 2008 Fortune Global 500, toyota is the fifth largest company in the world by revenue.
In 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries, it created its first product Type A engine and in 1936 its first passenger car the Toyota AA. The company was eventually founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father's company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. Toyota currently owns and operates Lexus and Scion brands and has a majority shareholding stake in Daihatsu Motors, and minority shareholdings in Fuji Heavy Industries, Isuzu Motors, and Yamaha Motors. The company includes 522 subsidiaries.
Toyota is headquartered in Aichi, Nagoya and in Tokyo. In addition to manufacturing automobiles, Toyota provides financial services through its division Toyota Financial Services and also creates robots. Toyota Industries and Finance divisions form the bulk of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the world.
In 1933, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works created a new division devoted to the production of automobiles under the direction of the founder's son, Kiichiro Toyoda. Kiichiro Toyoda had traveled to Europe and the United States in 1929 to investigate automobile production and had begun researching gasoline-powered engines in 1930. Toyoda Automatic Loom Works was encouraged to develop automobile production by the Japanese government, which needed domestic vehicle production partly due to the worldwide money shortage and partly due to the war with China. In 1934, the division produced its first Type A Engine, which was used in the first Model A1 passenger car in May 1935 and the G1 truck in August 1935. Production of the Model AA passenger car started in 1936. Early vehicles bear a striking resemblance to the Dodge Power Wagon and Chevrolet, with some parts actually interchanging with their American originals.
Although the Toyota Group is best known today for its cars, it is still in the textile business and still makes automatic looms, which are now computerized, and electric sewing machines which are available worldwide.
During the Pacific War (World War II) the company was dedicated to truck production for the Imperial Japanese Army. Because of severe shortages in Japan, military trucks were kept as simple as possible. For example, the trucks had only one headlight on the center of the hood. The war ended shortly before a scheduled Allied bombing run on the Toyota factories in Aichi.
After the war, commercial passenger car production started in 1947 with the model SA. In 1950, a separate sales company, Toyota Motor Sales Co., was established (which lasted until July 1982). In April 1956, the Toyopet dealer chain was established. The following year, the Crown became the first Japanese car to be exported to the United States and Toyota's American and Brazilian divisions, Toyota Motor Sales Inc. and Toyota do Brasil S.A., were also established.
Toyota began to expand in the 1960s with a new research and development facility, a presence in Thailand was established, the 10 millionth model was produced, a Deming Prize and partnerships with Hino Motors and Daihatsu were also established. The first Toyota built outside Japan was in April 1963, at Port Melbourne in Australia. By the end of the decade, Toyota had established a worldwide presence, as the company had exported its one-millionth unit.
With high gas prices and a weak US economy in the summer of 2008, Toyota reported a double-digit decline in sales for the month of June, similar to figures reported by the Detroit Big Three. For Toyota, these were attributed mainly to slow sales of its Tundra pickup, as well as shortages of its fuel-efficient vehicles such as the Prius, Corolla and Yaris. In response, the company has announced plans to idle its truck plants, while shifting production at other facilities to manufacture in-demand vehicles.
Conversion; ICE To EV GM Offering
Electrification components applied to EV conversion projects, commercial equipment, marine applications and more Expanding GMs technology platforms beyond its core portfolio will drive growth beyond vehicle sales and enable new business models
DETROIT Guided by its vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, General Motors announced today its strategy to offer EV technology beyond its own portfolio and automotive applications more broadly, one component at a time. This approach will enable GM to expand its reach to a larger, more diverse group of commercial customers, helping organizations meet the growing demand for zero-emissions technology while achieving their own sustainability targets.
GM has an established strategy, network of integrators and co-development agreements to apply an extensive array of components and solutions to a broad range of customers and use cases, says Travis Hester, GM vice president of Electric Vehicle Growth Operations. As companies across many industries look to reduce their environmental impact, GM is uniquely positioned to serve as a leader not only through exciting new EVs across our brands, but through additional technology applications, and we look forward to bringing customers existing and new along with us on our zero-emissions journey.
The company estimates that the total addressable market1 for electrification components could near $20 billion by 2030, as a growing number of industries introduce their own emissions reduction goals.
Examples of initial EV component sets that GM will begin introducing include:
Chevy Performance and Aftermarket: The upcoming Electric Connect and Cruise eCrate Package represents an exciting opportunity for GM to extend EV technology to the aftermarket, enabling customers to work with qualified installers through GMs electric specialty vehicle modifier (eSVM) program who have been properly trained to replace a vehicles traditional internal combustion engine with a fully electric propulsion system. GMs demonstrated proof-of-concept electric conversion vehicles include the E-10 pickup, K-5 Blazer-E, eCOPO Camaro, and Project X built in collaboration with Cagnazzi Racings eCrate Solutions Group. Now, an electrified 1972 El Camino SS, developed with Lingenfelter Performance Engineering in Brighton, Michigan, represents the first independent installation of the concept eCrate package, and boldly ushers in the next generation of EV components from Chevrolet Performance as the program prepares to launch in 2022.
The upcoming Electric Connect and Cruise eCrate Package represents an exciting opportunity for GM to extend EV technology to the aftermarket, enabling customers to work with qualified installers through GMs electric specialty vehicle modifier (eSVM) program who have been properly trained to replace a vehicles traditional internal combustion engine with a fully electric propulsion system. GMs demonstrated proof-of-concept electric conversion vehicles include the E-10 pickup, K-5 Blazer-E, eCOPO Camaro, and Project X built in collaboration with Cagnazzi Racings eCrate Solutions Group. Now, an electrified 1972 El Camino SS, developed with Lingenfelter Performance Engineering in Brighton, Michigan, represents the first independent installation of the concept eCrate package, and boldly ushers in the next generation of EV components from Chevrolet Performance as the program prepares to launch in 2022. GM Powered Solutions: GM Powered Solutions will begin introducing tailored electric component sets and will leverage the resources of GMs Powered Solutions team to actively identify opportunities that could benefit from electrification and will work to strategically integrate the latest EV technology into custom applications. This effort will extend the companys commitment to an all-electric future through its current GM Marine, On-Highway, Off-Highway and Industrial segments and help enable additional enterprises to reach their own emissions targets utilizing GM EV components and systems. Additional information about GM Powered Solutions is available here.
GM Powered Solutions will begin introducing tailored electric component sets and will leverage the resources of GMs Powered Solutions team to actively identify opportunities that could benefit from electrification and will work to strategically integrate the latest EV technology into custom applications. This effort will extend the companys commitment to an all-electric future through its current GM Marine, On-Highway, Off-Highway and Industrial segments and help enable additional enterprises to reach their own emissions targets utilizing GM EV components and systems. Additional information about GM Powered Solutions is available here. Ground Support Equipment: In a strategic collaboration with Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., a Textron Inc. company, GM will provide EV components to electrify Textron GSEs TUG line of baggage tractors, cargo tractors and belt loaders. GM will provide technology to Powertrain Control Solutions, which will integrate the components into lithium-ion electric powertrains for TUG equipment, assisting in the electrification of ground support equipment for use in airports globally.
In a strategic collaboration with Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., a Textron Inc. company, GM will provide EV components to electrify Textron GSEs TUG line of baggage tractors, cargo tractors and belt loaders. GM will provide technology to Powertrain Control Solutions, which will integrate the components into lithium-ion electric powertrains for TUG equipment, assisting in the electrification of ground support equipment for use in airports globally. Marine Propulsion: In addition to supporting existing GM Marine customers, GMs strategic investment in Seattle-based electric watercraft company Pure Watercraft represents an opportunity to bring EV technology to the marine industry and help preserve enjoyment of the outdoors for future generations. Together, the two companies will develop and commercialize battery electric watercraft to accelerate the transition to electric mobility.
Electrification components are part of GMs effort to extend the performance and benefits of zero-emissions technology to new industries and serve as a natural extension of GMs growth strategy.
Additional extensions include:
GMs HYDROTEC fuel cell commitments and co-development agreements
Ultium Platform applications and co-development agreements
Ultium Charge 360
BrightDrop
Ultifi software platform
Leveraging over 100 years of engineering and manufacturing expertise, GM intends to apply the learnings from one component set to the development of others, resulting in a larger portfolio of product offerings across a far-reaching set of applications.
In the future, the company will look to implement the latest in EV technology, regardless of battery generation or chemistry, to electrify a wide range of applications across industries.
Our customers will benefit from GMs vast network of resources, support and experience as an innovator in the electrification space Hester said. As we advance our Ultium Platform and other zero-emissions technologies, we anticipate smaller, more affordable, and more flexible components and offerings over time.
Additional information and specific product applications for each opportunity will be disclosed at a later date.
General Motors is a global company focused on advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which will power everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found at https://www.gm.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements: This press release and related comments by management may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are any statements other than statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements represent our current judgement about possible future events and are often identified by words such as anticipate, appears, approximately, believe, continue, could, designed, effect, estimate, evaluate, expect, forecast, goal, initiative, intend, may, objective, outlook, plan, potential, priorities, project, pursue, seek, should, target, when, will, would, or the negative of any of those words or similar expressions. In making these statements, we rely upon assumptions and analysis based on our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors we consider appropriate under the circumstances. We believe these judgements are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any future events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of factors, many of which are described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or other factors that affect the subject of these statements, except where we are expressly required to do so by law.
1Internal GM Forecasts from Investment Bank Data; calculated from extrapolating existing fleet volume, growth, sales and applying electrification penetration forecast assumptions
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A time capsule that was placed in 1887 in the pedestal that once held the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is uncovered on Monument Avenue, in Richmond, Va., on Dec. 17, 2021. (Steve Helber/AP Photo)
Mystery Lingers Around Time Capsule Found Beneath Lee Statue
RICHMOND, Va.A rust-colored 1875 almanac, a cloth envelope, and a silver coin were found Wednesday in a time capsule that lay hidden beneath a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Virginia for more than 130 years.
As intriguing as the water-damaged items were, theyre not what many were expecting to see after state conservators spent five hours gingerly prying the time capsule open. Even the mortar-encrusted lead box was a bit of a surprise.
Historical records led many to believe the capsule held dozens of objects related to the Confederacy as well as a picture of deceased President Abraham Lincoln. But in just a few minutes, its contents were revealed and the items were few.
There were three books total. Besides the almanac, there was a tattered book with a pink cover that appeared to be an edition of The Huguenot Lovers: A Tale of the Old Dominion by Collinson Pierrepont Edwards Burgwyn. He was a city of Richmond civil engineer who worked on the plans for Monument Avenue, where the Lee statue had stood.
There also appeared to be a pamphlet of some kind that made reference to water power facilities for the city of Manchester, a community south of Richmond.
Three books and a coin and envelope were removed from a time capsule that was removed from the pedestal that once held the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Ave. in Richmond, Va., on Dec. 22, 2021. (Steve Helber/AP Photo)
Devon Henry, the contractor who took down the Lee statue and is continuing to work on the removal of the pedestal in Richmond, said there could be a second time capsule thats yet to be found.
Im as intrigued as everyone, he said, as conservators worked to open the capsule. It was a huge relief to find it. Secondly, we need to see if its what we are looking for.
The day after the Lee statue was removed in September, work crews spent more than 12 hours searching for the time capsule in the base of the 40-foot-tall pedestal but were unable to locate it.
A time capsule was eventually found on Friday, embedded 20 feet high in the pedestal.
A stone containing a time capsule that was placed in 1887 in the pedestal that once held the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was placed on a pallet on Monument Avenue, in Richmond, Va., on Dec. 17, 2021. (Steve Helber/AP Photo)
Henry said his work crew is still being extra careful given that the container opened Wednesday doesnt match the description of the time capsule they were expecting.
A newspaper article from 1887the year a time capsule was embedded in the pedestalsuggested that the capsule contains Civil War memorabilia and a picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin. Records from the Library of Virginia also suggested that 37 Richmond residents, organizations and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the capsule, many of which are believed to be related to the Confederacy.
That time capsule was believe to be a copper box measuring 14-by-14-by-8 inches, larger than the lead box pulled from the pedestal last week. Besides there being far fewer objects, the capsule removed Friday measured 4-by-8-by-11.5 inches and was made of lead.
We were really surprised to find something lead, said Julie Langan, the director of the states Department of Historic Resources.
The team at the state Department of Historical Resources will catalog the artifacts and expects to have more details on their makeup and their possible origins in a few days. The books will be put in a freezer to avoid mold and the silver coin, which started to tarnish when the box was open, will be kept in a dry place to limit deterioration.
The Lee statue was erected in 1890. Its removal in September came more than a year after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered it in the wake of protests that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The Lee statue was one of five Confederate tributes along Richmonds Monument Avenue and the only one that belonged to the state. The four city-owned statues were taken down in 2020, but the Lee statue removal was blocked by two lawsuits until a ruling from the Supreme Court of Virginia in September cleared the way for it to be dismantled.
Northam, a Democrat, announced earlier this month that the enormous pedestal would be removed, a reversal from September, when the governor said the pedestal would stay in place so its future could be determined by a community-driven effort to reimagine Monument Avenue.
After Floyds death in 2020, the Lee statue became a focal point of some protests in Richmond. Since then, the pedestal has been covered in graffiti, some of it profane, and much of it denouncing the police. Some activists wanted to see it remain in place as a work of protest art.
Two babies survived a tornado in Kentucky that ripped the bathtub they were sheltering in out of the ground and tossed it with them inside, their grandmother said.
Clara Lutz told WFIE-TV that she put 15-month-old Kaden and 3-month-old Dallas in the bathtub on Dec. 10 with a blanket, a pillow, and a Bible. Then the house in Hopkins County started shaking.
Next thing I knew, the tub had lifted and it was out of my hands, Lutz said. I couldnt hold on. I justoh my God.
(Illustration Alona Siniehina/Shutterstock)
Lutz, who had been hit in the back of the head by the water tank from the tub, said she began looking everywhere among the wreckage for her missing grandchildren. Her house was stripped to the foundation.
All I could say was, Lord please bring my babies back safely. Please, I beg thee, she said.
Two sheriffs deputies and two community members were out in the wreckage. The bathtub was then found in her yard, upside down, with the babies underneath.
I just heard the sound of crying or screaming coming from a distance, said Deputy Troy Blue. Two men lifted the bathtub, while Deputy Trent Arnold and another man pulled the babies from the tub.
(Illustration Christin Lola/Shutterstock)
Authorities from the sheriffs office drove to the end of her driveway and reunited her with the two children, she said.
The actions that the grandmother took in placing the blankets and the pillows, all of that stuff around those kids, I think that may have been what made the difference, said Arnold.
Dallas had a big bump on the back of his head and had to go to Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville because his brain was bleeding, but the bleeding stopped before Lutz got to the hospital, she said.
Lutz said the parents of the children live on the north end of the county and their home was nearly untouched by the tornado.
At least 90 people have been confirmed dead across multiple states after more than 40 tornadoes pummeled a wide area last weekend.
Members of the Ohio Task Force One search-and-recovery team searched debris for victims of the tornado on Dec. 14, 2021, in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
In Kentucky, state emergency management officials and the state health department put the current count at 75. The governor, who said his staff believes there are an additional three deaths, said on Dec. 19 that all of the people reported missing in the state after the outbreak of tornadoes have been accounted for.
An aerial view of homes and businesses destroyed by a tornado on Dec. 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Kentucky. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Epoch Times Staff contributed to this report.
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The site of a single-engine Cessna 208 plane crash near Fulshear, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Courtesy of Texas Department of Public Safety)
2 Dead After Plane and Paraglider Collide in Texas: Officials
At least two people are dead after a small plane and a paraglider collided near Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, according to officials.
A single-engine Cessna 208 plane crashed Tuesday morning after it struck a paraglider near Fulshear, said the Federal Aviation Administration. One person was on board the plane, and the other person was using the paraglider, the agency told local media.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are now investigating, which is a routine procedure for plane crashes under the two agencies policies. Neither victim was identified.
The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates, said the FAA in a statement. Neither agency identifies people involved in aircraft accidents. After investigators verify the aircraft registration number at the scene, the FAA will release it on their webpage, usually on the next business day. You can look up the aircraft by its registration number on their webpage.
@TxDPSSoutheast is responding to a fatal plane crash in Fort Bend County. The crash occurred near Fulshear. The FAA has been notified and is responding to the scene. pic.twitter.com/7rLCzAIoFN TxDPS Southeast Texas Region (@TxDPSSoutheast) December 21, 2021
The Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Constables Office told The Associated Press that the paraglider landed in the yard of a home. The Cessna crashed nearby close to a shooting range, the office said.
According to KPRC-TV, the Cessna was reportedly a UPS carrier plane.
The plane was going to Victoria, Texas, about 150 southwest of Houston, officials told AP.
Other details were not provided.
Children wear masks on the playground of a primary school in Helecine, Belgium, on Dec. 6, 2021. (Eric Lalmand/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images)
24 States Sue Biden Admin Over COVID-19 Mandates for Children, Staff in Head Start Education Program
Attorneys general (AG) from 24 states have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandates for early education staff and mask mandates for young children.
Led by Louisiana AG Jeff Landry, the lawsuit (pdf) argues that the mandates involving Head Start, the countrys largest early education program, are unlawful and exceed President Joe Bidens statutory authority.
Bidens mandate, issued last month, applies to all preschool programs funded by the federal Head Start program and affects hundreds of thousands of staff, volunteers, and preschool students across the country. It mandates vaccinations for staff, volunteers, and others in contact with students by the end of January and requires masks for all adults and children aged two and above.
The mandate offers no alternative to vaccinations, and for those granted exemptions, funds are not provided for regular testing. It applies to staff regardless of whether they work in person or remotely.
The Department of Health and Human Services provides funding to low-income families of preschool-age children under the federal Head Start program.
The lawsuit argues that the presidents mandate is projected to lead to tens of thousands of Head Start agency staff losing their jobs and will cause programs to close or reduce capacity.
Like all of his other unlawful attempts to impose medical decisions on Americans, Bidens overreaching orders to mask two-year-olds and force vaccinate teachers in our underserved communities will cost jobs and impede child development, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a statement on Tuesday. If enacted, Bidens authoritarianism will cut funding, programs, and childcare that working families, single mothers, and elderly raising grandchildren rely on desperately.
The 24 states are seeking to block the Biden administrations mandate, arguing that it is arbitrary and capricious and violates the Congressional Review Act and the Tenth Amendment.
The requirements also violate the Administrative Procedure Acts Notice-and-Comment Requirement, the Nondelegation Doctrine, the Anti-Commandeering Doctrine, the Spending Clause, and the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 1999, the lawsuit argues.
Our Nations children have faced enough setbacks and difficulties during the last two years; they cannot afford another government attack on their development, Landry said. My office has had great success in blocking Bidens mandates on many hard-working Americans, and we will work tirelessly to achieve the same victories for toddlers and teachers.
The lawsuit was filed by the AGs of Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wyoming, and West Virginia.
As a natural and foreseeable result, certain providers will close and children from low-income families in affected areas will be denied access to the preschool education that Congress guaranteed them, and children who are denied access to preschool education will miss out on crucial years of development, it states.
It also cites recommendations from the World Health Organization that based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask, children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks.
The complaint cites pediatric nurse Anthony Luczak, who says a toddler mask mandate may cause psychological and health problems.
The reinforcement of wearing masks because of the threat of the pandemic is a reinforcement of fear that directly is triggering a toxic stress in childrens lives, she said.
It argues that because the federal program does not clearly authorize the mandate, the Biden administration has acted in excess of its constitutional and statutory authority.
As a mother, I am very concerned about the latest federal mandates being forced on Head Start staff and studentschildren as young as two-years old will be required to wear masks and teachers will be forced to receive a vaccination against their will, Florida AG Ashley Mood said in a statement. I am fighting to stop this federal overreach, just as I have fought to protect Floridians against the previous unlawful mandates forced on us by the federal government.
Texas AG Ken Paxton said earlier this month that he will not allow Texans to be coerced into getting a vaccine because the federal government is giving them an ultimatum to choose between their health or their childs preschool education.
These unconstitutional mandates have no place in our country, and they are not welcomed here in Texas, he said.
The Epoch Times has contacted the Biden administration for comment.
Aerospace Industry Leaders Warn Against 5G Rollout
Anticipating an expanded 5G plan by Verizon and AT&T, Boeing and Airbus CEOs urge the Biden administration to delay it
The CEOs of the two largest commercial jet manufacturers in the United States warned against the deployment of expanded 5G mobile broadband technology, in a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Dave Calhoun of Boeing and Jeffrey Knittel of Airbus Americas expressed concern on Dec. 20 about a plan by Verizon and AT&T to roll out the new technology on Jan. 5, 2022, and urged the Biden administration to intervene to postpone the adoption of the new network.
5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate, the letter reads.
The letter echoed concerns from a report published last year that concluded that 5G constitutes a serious concern for the integrity of aircraft systems. Because 5G signals often broadcast at frequencies similar to those used by flight systems such as radio altimeters, industry leaders and regulators are concerned that expanding 5G networks will result in flight delays or safety concerns.
Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration released airworthiness directives specifically addressing concerns with 5G. While the FAA expressed enthusiasm that the new technology can coexist with safe air travel, it also voiced a number of reservations about the potential for 5G to interfere with airplane radio altimeter systems.
In recent years, 5G internet has attracted publicity and controversy as telecommunications industry leaders have taken great strides to make the technology more ubiquitous. Skeptics have expressed concern about potential unforeseen health consequences of the proliferation of ambient 5G frequencies.
Furthermore, critics have expressed concern that 5G will become the catalyst for a major transition in the labor market, with some even warning of a jobs apocalypse ensuing from the widespread adoption of the technology, which is seen as instrumental in drastically expanding the scope of automation.
5G relies in part on millimeter waves, which have a much shorter range than the microwaves which have been used for 4G internet. This specification demands cell towers every few hundred meters wherever 5G is implemented, exposing multitudes of people to millimeter-wave radiation at close range.
The Jan. 5 date is itself a postponement from a previously planned rollout on Dec. 5, which was also protested by airlines and the FAA. The executives behind the Dec. 20 letter are hoping that they can defer the adoption of expanded 5G again, but they are likely to encounter a great deal of resistance, with AT&T and Verizon intent on executing the plan.
Letting teachers enter the profession with inadequate math skills is a disservice to both the teachers themselves and their students. (Shutterstock)
All Teachers Should Know How to Do Basic Math
Commentary
Math is timeless and it is useful. No matter what historical period, students were invariably learning about topics such as adding and subtracting, fractions, the order of operations, long division, and place value.
There is no question that math skills are important for everyone. Whether you need to make change in the store or figure out how much lumber to purchase to build a new fence, math is a big part of our day-to-day lives.
Even the ubiquitous calculator has not eliminated our need for basic math skills. People dont have time to pull out their phones every time they add another item to their grocery carts, nor do they want to be totally dependent on technology to answer simple math problems.
Simply put, technology will never take the place of human reasoning.
Given the importance of learning math, its not surprising that parents want teachers to teach it well. But this is where we run into a problem. Some teachers lack the ability to teach math to their students because they have poor math skills themselves. Its the ultimate example of the blind leading the blind, or, perhaps more aptly, of the innumerate teaching the innumerate.
This is why the Ontario government introduced the Mathematics Proficiency Test in 2019. Any prospective teacher must receive a passing grade on this test to be eligible for teacher certification. The questions on this test assess whether teachers know and understand the Ontario math curriculum. They also reveal whether prospective teachers can do basic math themselves.
To be clear, there is nothing new about a math proficiency test for teachers. Lakehead University in Sudbury has long required all its primary and junior education students to successfully complete a math competency exam as part of their degree program. The Ontario governments test merely standardizes this requirement across the province. Now all Ontario teachers will need to demonstrate basic numeracy skills, regardless of which university they graduated from.
Unfortunately, not everyone likes the idea of a math proficiency test. For example, the Ontario Teacher Candidates Council (OTCC) was founded in 2019 largely in response to this test. According to the OTCCs website, the Mathematics Proficiency Test is not equitable, fair, justified, or backed by data. The OTCC also believes that the test was developed too quickly and that it is a waste of taxpayers money.
Given its strong opposition to the Mathematics Proficiency Test, its not surprising that the OTCC decided to challenge the use of the test in court. In their submission to the Ontario Divisional Court, the OTCC asserted that the test violates Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it disproportionately impacts racialized students and unfairly keeps them out of the teaching profession.
Surprisingly, the court ruled in favour of the OTCC and concluded that the Mathematics Proficiency Test was unconstitutional. It also ordered the Ontario College of Teachers to grant certification to all teacher candidates who failed the test but met all other certification requirements.
Of course, the problem with this decision is it assumes that the disproportionate impact of the Mathematics Proficiency Test on racialized candidates is proof that the test is discriminatory. However, there is nothing inherently racist about math itself, nor does it make sense to assume that a persons race should have any bearing on their math skills.
Its far more likely that the teacher candidates who struggled to pass the test received inadequate math instruction when they were students in school. Instead of lowering the standard for entry into the teaching profession, it makes far more sense to raise the quality of math instruction that all students receive.
As for the current teacher candidates who are struggling to pass the Mathematics Proficiency Test, they already receive multiple opportunities to write the test. Remedial instruction can be provided, and they should obviously take the time to study for the test and practise important math skills. Letting them enter the teaching profession with inadequate math skills is a disservice to both the teachers themselves and the students in their classrooms.
If we are serious about helping students learn math, we need to ensure that all teachers know how to teach it effectively. Expecting them to pass a math test before being certified is a perfectly reasonable requirement.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
People are seen exercising in Brighton in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 20, 2021. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Australia Clarifies Leaked Modelling Predicting 200,000 Daily COVID-19 Cases
Australias chief medical officer has firmly disputed suggestions Australia could see 200,000 daily cases of COVID-19, labelling media reporting surrounding the leaked modelling as selective and misleading.
The reported predictions of potential high case numbers in late January or early February had not yet been provided to Australian leaders, with the Doherty Institute telling The Epoch Times it was unable to comment on the leaked information until it is presented to national cabinet on Dec. 22.
This comes as the nation tentatively braces for new cases after removing strict quarantine rules around border restrictions that had previously halted interstate in recent months as well as most international travel for close to two years.
The large figure of 200,000 new cases every day would, if allowed to continue unabated, be enough to cover Australias entire population in just over four months.
But Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the leaked Doherty Institute modelling presented a worst-case scenario which he says would almost certainly not materialise.
In particular, under the scenario, the modelling assumes the Omicron variant proves to be as contagious as the Delta strain, with slow progress being made on the rollout of the booster shot program.
It also presupposes no lockdowns, mask mandates, or other public health measures; a lack of efforts from the public in exercising safe practises; and an absence of hospital surge capacity.
None of these five assumptions represent the likely state of events, let alone all of them together, Kelly said in a statement on Dec. 21.
Australian Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly addresses the media during a press conference in Canberra, Australia on Dec. 17, 2021. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
Kelly pointed to evidence that while the Omicron variant appeared to be more contagious, the number of intensive care admissions and deaths were far less.
He warned against taking the information out of context.
While modelling is an important tool to help guide decision-making, it is just one of a range of tools and cannot be viewed in isolation, Kelly said.
Presenting that scenario as the likely scenario that will occur is highly misleading.
Kelly also highlighted worst-case modelling made earlier in the pandemic in 2020 which had ended up greatly overestimating the number of intensive care beds required in the event of an uncontrolled outbreakat 35,000which had never been realised.
Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth slammed out-of-context reports of the information, referring to reports as a gross injustice to the Australian people.
Whoever leaked the Doherty modelling without context has committed a gross injustice to the Australian people #auspol #covid19aus Dr. Nick Coatsworth (@nick_coatsworth) December 21, 2021
Prime Minister Scott Morrison backed Kelly in easing concerns surrounding the leaked information.
The modelling thats been reported is a very unlikely, extreme-case scenario that assumes that nobody does anything, nobody gets boosters, there are no changes that take place, no one exercises common sense, Morrison said.
Morrison took the opportunity to encourage Australians to receive their third booster vaccination to help dampen the effects of the virus spreading.
The Chief Medical Officer and I just want to assure people that those sort of numbers arent what were expecting, Morrison said. But what all of this work tells us that is necessary is, of course, weve got to go out there and weve got to get those boosters.
Daily infections in New South Wales have risen to 3,763 with two additional deaths. Victoria has recorded 1,503 new cases and six more deaths.
Australia Must Address Technical Electrical Grid Concerns As Coal Retires
Australias rapid transition to more renewable energy sources and the projected early retirement of coal power stations will introduce new technical vulnerabilities into the grid, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) says.
The 2021 System Security Report released by the AEMO has outlined that critical power system requirements will need to be addressed in New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia to avoid energy woes over the next five years.
This comes following estimates made by the AEMO that all brown coal and over two-thirds of black coal power stations will likely exit by 2032with coal wholly gone by 2040while the nation strives to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Furthermore, traditional coal generation is being replaced increasingly by solar on the roofs of homes and businesses, with the nation recording a staggering 3 million rooftop solar installations to date.
An aerial view of the Darling Downs solar farm near Dalby, Queensland, Australia, in this undated photo, on Feb. 11, 2020. (AAP Image/APA)
The unprecedented nature and pace of change in the NEM means more shortfalls and gaps in requirements for system strength are inevitable during this transformational period, AEMO said.
The AEMO explains that the rapid transition to more variable renewable energy, such as wind and solar, will see less operational demand on coal and gas generationa factor which will affect system security by making it more difficult to maintain grid frequency.
Solar, wind, and battery power are unable to help maintain the grids 50 Hz (Hertz) frequency found in every home, business and power station.
This is because they lack the spinning turbine found in coal, gas, and hydropower systems, which spin at 50 revolutions per second, or 50 Hz, and thus provide alternating current at the required frequency.
Generator turbine. (Photosoup/Adobe Stock)
Read More Rapid Renewables Rollout Poses Critical Dangers to the Grid
To combat this, several solutions are available.
Western Australia is trialling remote shut off capabilities for rooftop solar, which will allow the electrical grid to switch from solar generation to the necessary gas-fired power capable of providing system security.
Another solution involves the emerging technology of grid forming batteriesbatteries capable of using complex software to help maintain the grids frequency of 50 Hz. The worlds largest grid-forming battery is currently being built in South Australia.
Synchronous condensers may also be used, which are free-spinning turbines capable of simulating some of the positive effects provided by similar turbines in coal and gas power stations. The first of these have already been unveiled in Australia, with four synchronous condensers installed in South Australia at the cost of $190 million.
The expected changes have been outlined clearly by Australias Energy Security Board, which has warned that the nation could face price shocks and blackouts without the necessary reforms to the grid.
This isnt just a tweak around the edges, Former ESB Chair Kerry Schott previously said. Its about a whole redesign of the national electricity market.
Australian children may be at risk when online and on social media. (Africa Studio/Adobe Stock)
Australian Govt Urged to Protect Children From Social Media
As children unwrap smartphones and laptops for Christmas, fears have been growing that excessive time spent online and on sites such as Facebook and Twitter may have a harmful effect on the physical and mental wellbeing of vulnerable young Australians.
A federal parliamentary inquiry into social media and online safety has heard worrying accounts of big tech placing privacy first and child safety second, prompting calls for government intervention.
Sonya Ryan, a child safety advocate, expressed concern that children using platforms without restriction provided an opportunity for predators.
Her daughter, Carly, was murdered in 2007 by serial pedophile Garry Francis Newman after he befriended the 15-year-old girl online.
When it comes to young peoples safety, every measure should be taken, she told the inquiry on Dec. 21.
Online safety advocate Sonya Ryan at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Jun. 15, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)
Ryan said that incident could have been avoided but social media platforms had refused to cooperate with law enforcement due to concerns about privacy.
We are seeing more focus on privacy than there is on the protection and safety of young people, she said.
Alannah and Madeline Foundation Chief Executive Sarah Davies said social media platforms should be made to adopt a safety by design principle.
It is unreasonable to expect children and young people to keep themselves safe online, Davies said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison previously championed the inquiry, while also citing a prevalence of toxic material pervading social media platforms.
Mums and dads are rightly concerned about whether big tech is doing enough to keep their kids safe online, Morrison said in a statement on Dec. 1. Big Tech created these platformsthey have a responsibility to ensure their users are safe.
Logos of the Big Tech giants are displayed on a tablet on Oct. 1, 2019. (Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images)
To this end, the government has established an Online Safety Youth Advisory Council to help advise the federal government on online safety issues impacting young people, and it will be comprised of up to 20 young Australians aged 13 to 24.
Australia is in the middle of considering a landmark Privacy Legislation Amendment (Enhancing Online Privacy and Other Measures) Bill 2021, which would include all media platforms requiring parental consent for users under the age of 16.
Red flags had also been raised previously regarding both the mental and physical health of Australian adolescents who frequently stared at electronic screens.
Research published in November revealed that young Australians who are sacrificing sleep, exercise, and healthy eating in favour of more digital screen time were at a heightened risk of mental health issues, obesity, and chronic disease later in life.
Read More Excessive Screen Time Paving Way For Chronic Disease In Aussie Kids
Some of the recent worries have been exacerbated following the release of tens of thousands of internal Facebook documents by whistle-blower Frances Haugen, outlining how the company had knowledge the platform was unhealthy for minors.
Social media platforms in general have been placed under heavy scrutiny by the federal government, including the introduction of new laws that, if passed, will consider big tech to be publishers and held liable for defamatory comments posted on their platforms.
Big Tech, however, can avoid accountability if they reveal the identity of the relevant individualsan issue which has been scrutinised over its potential to sacrifice individuals online anonymity.
If you or someone you know needs help with their mental health please phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia or in the United States the suicide hotline on (800) 273-8255.
Australian State Extends Mask Mandate, Reduces Quarantine to 7 Days for Close Contacts
The Queensland government has extended its protective mask mandate to cinemas, theatres and for hospitality workers from 5 a.m. on Dec. 23.
This comes one day after it reduced the quarantine period by half for peopled deemed close contacts of COVID-19 cases.
Queensland had already made masks mandatory in retail centres, hospitals, aged care, airports, ridesharing vehicles, and on public transport.
Masks help slow the spread of the virus and we want Queenslanders to keep staying safe as borders open and families reunite, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wrote on Facebook on Dec. 22.
Palaszczuk announced 186 new COVID-19 casesthe highest in Queensland since the pandemic began. But none of the new cases were in hospital wards requiring COVID care, she said.
We are seeing some preliminary advice is that the vaccines appear to be working and they are protecting Queenslanders from getting seriously sick, she added.
Of the 186 cases, around 112 are being treated for COVID-19 from their homes instead of in hospital wards per the states new policies, according Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard.
While there are 79 people in hospital who also have COVID-19, only one of them is there to be treated for their COVID-19 symptoms, Gerrard said, noting that one patient has underlying health conditions.
Meanwhile, the reduced quarantine period means fully vaccinated close contacts are only required to quarantine for seven days instead of 14. It came into effect at 1 a.m. on Dec. 22.
Close contacts include anyone who has 15 minutes of face to face contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
Close contacts will need to return a negative test result on both day one and day five of their quarantine period.
The changes were planned for Jan. 1, 2022, but have been brought forward as the state reached a milestone of 90 percent of eligible Queenslanders getting a first dose of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.
Queensland Deputy Premier and Acting Health Minister Steven Miles welcomed the chief health officers advice.
I know how welcome this move will be, Miles said in a release.
It provides more flexibility and certainty to business.
We want them to be able to remain open and trading through this busy time of year, he said.
Chief Health Officer Gerrard said the move was consistent with the national guidelines.
We have been planning this now for a while, Gerrard told reporters on Tuesday.
The national guidelines suggested a 14-day quarantine period in states which were in an exclusion phase.
As we move forward and we are seeing more community transmission, and also now that weve reached a high level of vaccination in Queensland, we are joining with the other states in the national standard of a seven-day quarantine period for double vaccinated [people] who come into contact with cases, he said.
The state government also announced changes to the requirements for businesses listed as exposure sites.
From Dec. 22, businesses will not be required to undertake deep cleaning after being listed as an exposure site, nor do they need to close.
Cleaning can be done overnight with standard household cleaning products.
We Have to Effectively Let COVID in
Meanwhile, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has called on the state government to scrap quarantine requirements in light of the high vaccination rates.
The Courier Mail reported that Queenslands PCR testing requirement as a condition of entry to the state saw people queuing in cars for two hours.
The overwhelming conversation I hear is given the vast majority of Queenslanders are vaccinated, we have to effectively let COVID inand live with it, Tate said, according to Courier Mail.
With that in mind, the state has to be careful to ensure constantly changing COVID restrictions and regulations dont unduly impact on employees, employers and the wider community.
Tate said that the current rules around isolating close contacts has meant that dozens of police officers and hundreds of hospitality staff need to be stood down, placing a huge burden on the police force and small businesses.
I strongly encourage the Premier to continue to relax the rules as we race towards 90 per cent double vaccination, he said.
Otherwise, millions whove done the right thing and had double jabs, plus booster jabs, will rightly start asking: what was the point?
Austrian police officers check a man's identity and vaccination certificate during a control in Voesendorf, Moedling district, Austria, on Nov. 16, 2021. (Hans Punz/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
Austrian City of Linz Hires People to Ensure Unvaccinated Pay Fines of up to $4,071
The city of Linz in Austria is hiring people to find individuals who are not vaccinated and ensure they pay a fine after the country announced a sweeping nationwide vaccine mandate.
As of Feb. 1, all people who have a place of residence in Austria and are aged 14 and over will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Those who do not comply will face fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,071) over 12 months, although income and other financial obligations will be taken into account in calculating fines. Alternatively, officials may impose a fine of up to 600 euros (about $680) in shortened proceedings.
Ahead of the vaccination deadline, the city of Linz in Upper Austria is now hiring people to ensure the unvaccinated pay their fines.
According to a job advertisement posted on the City Council of Linz official website, the role pays a monthly salary of at least 2,774 euros ($3,126), and duties include preparing penal orders for the unvaccinated, processing appeals against the order, taking measures against those who fail to pay the fines, and other administrative tasks.
The opening line of the advertisement says the job is well suited for people who enjoy working with legislation and administrative procedures.
Candidates must have completed high school, have basic IT skills, and be resilient, precise, and capable of working independently. They must also be happy to work overtime when needed.
The job is only open to Austrian citizens and they must, of course, be vaccinated.
Linz, which has a population of roughly 200,000, has the lowest vaccination rate in the whole of Austria, with only 63 percent of residents being doubly vaccinated, Blick reported, citing official government data.
Austria is the first European country to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The countrys health minister shared details of the government-imposed mandate earlier this month and said that authorities will write to unvaccinated people every three months, reminding them to get their shots or get a doctor to certify their right to an exemption before the next cutoff date.
Those who do not comply will be fined every three months. If they can produce proof of vaccination, proceedings will be dropped against the individuals in the meantime.
[The] procedure amounts to up to 3,600 [$4,071]taking into account the income and financial circumstances, minister Wolfgang Mueckstein said. Unvaccinated people are reminded every quarter to be vaccinated until the next vaccination deadline or to register a reason for an exception.
Pregnant women, children under age 14, and Austrians who cannot get the shot for health reasons will be exempt from the requirement.
The vaccine mandate sparked nationwide protests while thousands of demonstrators gathered in Vienna, the countrys capital, to protest the measure. The leader of the Freedom Party of Austria Herbert Kickl has called for resistance to the policy, and said that the governments plans amount to an assault on humanity.
Meanwhile, the country reimposed a lockdown last month amid a wave of new COVID-19 infections. While officials eased those lockdown restrictions last week for vaccinated residents, unvaccinated residents were still subject to stringent measures.
However, Mueckstein said last Friday that those restrictions against the unvaccinated would be temporarily loosened over Christmas and New Year thanks to a decline in infections.
Christmas should show us once again how important contact with our loved ones is and how precious time together is, the health minister said.
Unvaccinated Austrians will be granted an exception to join gatherings of up to 10 people from Dec. 24 to Dec. 26 and on Dec. 31.
We have in recent weeks gained an advantage that we want to use. We want to use it to take a moment to pause over Christmas to remember what is really important, he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden speaks during a speech at the White House in Washington on Dec. 21, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Biden Administration Extends Student Loan Payment Pause
President Joe Bidens administration on Dec. 22 extended the pause on student loan payments through May 1, 2022.
The pause was initially announced during the Trump administration in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Biden administration extended it twice but was poised to let the pause end on Jan. 31, 2022.
Even though the economy has recovered strongly and unemployment is low, we know that millions of student loan borrowers are still coping with the impacts of the pandemic and need some more time before resuming payments, Biden said in a statement explaining the new extension.
This additional extension of the repayment pause will provide critical relief to borrowers who continue to face financial hardships as a result of the pandemic, and will allow our administration to assess the impacts of Omicron on student borrowers, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said.
Omicron is a variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.
The extension is a reversal of the administrations previous stance.
When announcing the previous extension, the administration said the firm date would allow borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments and reduce the risk of delinquency and defaults after restart.
The White House had indicated earlier this month no further extensions would be implemented.
The reversal followed a campaign from many Democrats in Congress.
Pressure works, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) wrote on Twitter.
Thanks to our continued organizing, the pause on repayments is EXTENDED, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) added.
The administration will work with borrowers to ensure they have the support they need to transition smoothly back into repayment and advance economic stability for their own households and for our nation, Biden said.
The pause enables people with student debt to forgo payments. Interest doesnt accrue during the pause.
According to the Department of Education, the pause so far has saved 41 million borrowers tens of billions of dollars. Another $5 billion will be saved each month moving forward, the agency stated.
Outstanding federal student debt is nearly $1.6 trillion.
Democrats have also pressured Biden to deliver on his promise during the 2020 campaign to cancel at least $10,000 student debt per person, to no avail so far. However, the administration canceled nearly $7 billion in loans in March, including forgiving the debt of some 72,000 borrowers.
Psaki said over the summer that Biden can only pause or delay payments and only Congress can unilaterally cancel them.
Some senators disagreed, urging Biden to issue an executive order forgiving a certain amount of debt or all debt.
Jack Phillips and Nick Ciolino contributed to this report.
Biden and Trump Exchange Rare Praise
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have been exchanging rare compliments in recent days.
In a speech Dec. 21 on his administrations strategy for dealing with the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, Biden noted he had received his booster shot for the virus and then went on to praise Trump for getting his as well.
I got my booster shot as soon as they were available, Biden said Tuesday. And just the other day former President Trump announced he had gotten his booster shot. It may be one of the few things he and I agree on.
Biden went on to reference Trump a second time in the speech when he praised the former administrations efforts to develop a vaccine using federal support from Trumps Operation Warp Speeda public-private partnership meant to expedite the creation, approval, and manufacturing of vaccines to combat the CCP virus.
Let me be clear. Thanks to the prior administration and our scientific community, America was one of the first countries to get the vaccine, Biden said. Thanks to my administration and the hard work of Americans, we led a roll out, made America among the world leaders in getting shots in arms.
A few hours later, Trump told Fox News that he is very appreciative and surprised that Biden acknowledged the Trump administrations work.
It is a little tough to be overly critical now because he just thanked us for the vaccine and thanked me for what I did, Trump said. You know, thats a firstso it is very tough for me to be overly critical now.
I think he did something very good, Trump added. You know, it has to be a process of healing in this country, and that will help a lot.
During a press briefing the following day White House press secretary Jen Psaki characterized Bidens comments on Trump saying, I think it was an acknowledgement that the former president sent an important signal to many Americans about the importance of getting boosted.
I think its a reflection of the presidents belief that the enemy of the American people is the virus, Psaki added. And this shouldnt be a political battle.
Both presidents have voiced support for the vaccines but differ on the enforcement of vaccine mandates.
A Biden executive order in November allowed the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to create a rule requiring all businesses with 100 or more employees to put vaccine mandates in place or require weekly testing for the virus.
Trump has voiced opposition to the rule but has encouraged Americans to get vaccinated.
Its a matter of getting people out to, ideally, get the vaccine, Trump said in his interview with Fox. If you have the mandate, the mandate will destroy peoples livesit destroys peoples lives, just as the vaccine saves people.
Biden DOJ Says Prisoners Released Due to COVID-19 Can Stay on Home Confinement
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that federal inmates who were released early due to the COVID-19 pandemic can remain at home.
The DOJ order to the Bureau of Prisons reverses a previous decision that would have required many to return back to prison.
Thousands of people on home confinement have reconnected with their families, have found gainful employment, and have followed the rules, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement on Tuesday. In light of todays Office of Legal Counsel opinion, I have directed that the Department engage in a rulemaking process to ensure that the Department lives up to the letter and the spirit of the CARES Act.
The DOJs Office of Legal Counsel previously had issued an opinion saying the Bureau of Prisons had no legal authority to keep inmates at home once the COVID-19 emergency had subsided.
We will exercise our authority so that those who have made rehabilitative progress and complied with the conditions of home confinement, and who in the interests of justice should be given an opportunity to continue transitioning back to society, are not unnecessarily returned to prison, Garland also said. Earlier Tuesday, Garland met with several inmates who were on home confinement.
When Congress passed the CARES Act in 2020, it provided the DOJ more authority to release some low-level federal inmates into home confinement in a bid to ease crowding and reduce COVID-19s spread across prison facilities.
Then-Attorney General William Barr in March 2020 ordered the Bureau of Prisons to release non-violent inmates if they met certain criteria. He later expanded the scope of prisoners who could qualify after saying the Bureau of Prisons was facing an emergency due to the pandemic.
In April 2021, a Bureau of Prisons union official, Joe Rojas, told Reuters that federal correctional facilities no longer have the staff needed to supervise the thousands of prisoners who were released early and were slated to head back to prison.
We dont have the staff, Rojas, Southeast Regional Vice President at Council Of Prison Locals, told the newswire service at the time. We are already in chaos as it is as an agency.
Although Tuesdays announcement gives the federal prison bureau discretion to keep inmates at home, it doesnt guarantee that everyone sent home can qualify. Prisoners who violate the agencys terms and conditions could be sent back.
Garlands move this week essentially reverses a Trump administration policy that was initiated earlier this year. The Department of Justice had sent out a memo stipulating that inmates who didnt serve out their sentence during the COVID-19 pandemic would have to return back to prison to do so.
The Bureau must recall prisoners in home confinement to correctional facilities once that authority expires, unless they would otherwise be eligible for home confinement, said a Justice Department memo (pdf) released in mid-January 2021, just days before President Joe Biden took office.
President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 response and vaccinations in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington D.C. on Dec. 21, 2021. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
Biden Vows Schools and Businesses Will Remain Open in Omicron Speech
President Joe Biden vowed Tuesday to not impose lockdowns on schools and businesses this winter as part of his response to the Omicron variant.
Omicron is now believed to be the prominent strain of the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, in the United States.
In an address Dec. 21, the president said that while the new variant is expected to increase the number of COVID-19 cases nationally among both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations in the coming weeks, the federal government will not order any new lockdowns.
Another question folks are asking is are we going back to March 2020, Biden said. The answer is absolutely no.
In 2020, while President Donald Trump was in office, governors across the country imposed strict lockdown measures to try to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Biden cited the nations vaccination rate and the federal stockpile of personal protective equipment for hospitals as reasons to not lockdown this winter.
Last year we thought the only way to keep children safe was to close your schools, said Biden. Today we know more, and we have more resources to keep those schools open.
He added: Today we dont have to shut down schools because of a case of COVID-19. Now if a student tests positives other students can take the test and stay in the classroom if theyre not infected rather than closing the whole school or having to quarantine.
Biden also used part of his speech to applaud a recent victory in federal appeals court for his vaccine mandatea rule through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require all employers with 100 or more employees to require proof of vaccination or weekly negative tests of all employees.
These rules are going to help keep workers safe, and keeping workers safe will help keep businesses open, he said, maintaining the rule is legal and effective despite being unpopular.
About 200 million Americans are considered fully vaccinated against the virus and Biden is adding 10,000 additional vaccination sites to the 80,000 already up and running nationwide.
He added that there are 20,000 free testing sites while adding that the Defense Production Act has allowed for $3 billion to be used to expand the number of at-home tests available for purchase online and at your local pharmacy.
We also need to do better with at-home testing. So, Im announcing today: The federal government will purchase one half billionthats not million; billion with a Badditional at-home rapid tests, with deliveries starting in January, he said.
Well be getting these tests to Americans for free. And well have websites where you can get them delivered to your home.
Biden said he has also ordered the Pentagon to mobilize 1,300 military medical troops to help staff hospitals and FEMA to be ready to help expand hospital capacity if needed.
Blatant Religious Discrimination: US Military Approves Zero Religious Exemptions to Vaccine Mandate
COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadlines have come and gone, but the U.S. military still hasnt approved a single religious exemption.
Lawyers representing armed forces members who are seeking exemptions say the military is violating the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and are urging courts to intervene.
Its now the point where I think we can call it what it is. It appears to be blatant religious discrimination when the military has now conceded, both publicly and in court filings I should say, that they have approved multiple numerous medical and administrative exemptions but yet they have refused to approve any religious accommodations, Mike Berry, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, told The Epoch Times.
Thats textbook definition of religious discrimination.
Taken together, military branches have granted 12,109 medical or administrative exemptions, according to an Epoch Times review. Spokespersons for each branch confirmed this week that zero religious exemptions have been granted, while hundreds have been denied.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in August ordered troops to get a COVID-19 vaccine, describing it as a military readiness issue. Each branch then set deadlines for getting vaccinated or applying for an exemption. Deadlines have passed for all active-duty troops; reserve components apart from the Air Force have later deadlines.
Servicemen and servicewomen trying to get religious exemptions say theyve been told its pointless to apply. Some have hired lawyers and sued the federal government.
First Liberty Institute brought a suit in November on behalf of dozens of Navy personnel, alleging the Biden administration has violated federal law in its refusal to grant exemptions to troops on the basis of their religion. Another lawsuit was filed by Liberty Counsel on similar grounds.
So far, the suits havent succeeded in blocking the mandate, although judges have questioned why the military has denied hundreds of requests and granted none.
Its quite plausible that plaintiffs contention that the militarys processes for adjudicating religious exemption requests will result inevitably in the undifferentiated (and therefore unlawful under RFRA) denial of each service members request, based on current data, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, a George W. Bush nominee, wrote in a November order.
Merryday didnt enter a preliminary injunction, which the suing troops sought, but ordered the Pentagon to provide the court with details on religious exemption requests beginning on Jan. 7, 2022. He also indicated he may issue an injunction at a later time.
Berry hopes the courts intervene. He said the treatment of troops shows that the military now believes thats its above the law.
Military officials say no service members with pending exemption requests face adverse action. They also insist theyre following the RFRA and other applicable laws.
They are always rare, religious exemptions, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters earlier this month. This has absolutely nothing to do with trampling on the religious liberties of our men and women in uniform.
Kirby directed reporters to reach out to each branch, asserting that the handling of exemption requests isnt handled centrally.
In an emailed statement, Priscilla Rodriguez, a Navy spokeswoman, told The Epoch Times that the branch supports and respects the beliefs and religious practices of our Sailors.
Waivers for immunizations are balanced with operational readiness, unit cohesion, good order, discipline, health and safety. When this interferes with a members right to practice their faith according to the dictates of their conscience, the Navy works with the member to find ways to accommodate religious practice that are the least burdensome way possible for the member, she said.
All requests for religious accommodation, to include the COVID vaccine mandate, are handled in the same manner.
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 20: A general view in the Long Island National Cemetery on May 20, 2020 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Body of WWII Vet Used in Live Pay-Per-View Autopsy Returning Home
The body of a WWII veteran used in a live pay-per-view autopsy in Portland, Oregon, has been shipped home to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
David Saunders, who was 98 when he died of COVID-19 on Aug. 24, 2021, donated his body to scienceonly to have it dissected in front of a live audience in a ballroom at the Marriott Hotel, reportedly without his familys knowledge or consent.
When a family chooses to donate a loved ones body for education or research, they do so with the hope that they will help others, according to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) on its website.
Regrettably, many, like the Saunders family, are unknowingly contributing to a for-profit industry in which the body of their loved one could be traded as raw material in a largely unregulated national market.
Med Ed Labs in Las Vegas received Saunderss donated body, which was later sold for $10,000 to Death Science, the NFDA reports.
Death Science, on its website, says it works with experts to create hyperrealistic death science courses to educate in a unique and captivating way.
The organization billed the live autopsy in Portland as a Cadaver Dissection Class on Oct. 17, 2021, as part of an Oddities and Curiosities Expo tour.
The event was open to all members of the public, and was not reserved solely for scientists with a professional interest in autopsies, the NFDA reports.
Its unimaginable that something like this can happen, but its likely what transpired was legal.
In a public statement sent to The Epoch Times, Med Ed Labs said it had no idea Saunders was to be part of a traveling live autopsy show.
Prior to the Oct. 17, 2021 event, Death Science deceived us repeatedly stating the donor they requested would be utilized solely for education anatomical dissection instructing academic students, paramedics, and personnel within forensic pathology fields, the statement read.
We had absolutely no prior knowledge that any donor provided by our network of surgical facilities would be used as part of the Oddities Expo and explicitly no knowledge that people would be paying to attend a show featuring one of our donors.
The Medical Examiners Office in Multnomah County, Oregon, reportedly got wind of the event and conducted an investigation, which found Death Science to be fraudulently representing itself as an accredited collegiate training program qualified in forensic pathology, Med Ed Labs said in the statement.
We were beside ourselves as we have an inherent respect for individuals both living and deceased and commit ourselves to compassionate care with the highest ethical standards, the statement added.
Kimberly DiLeo, the countys chief medical death investigator, did not respond to a request for comment.
Marriott did not return a request for comment on the public autopsy, or whether guests were at risk of contracting COVID-19.
In a media statement, Death Science CEO Jeremy Ciliberto apologized for any emotional trauma the event might have caused.
Please consider this as my public apology to Elsie Saunders, the widow of David Saunders, and [to] their extended family.
I sincerely regret the undue and unintentional emotional distress caused by the Death Science Oct. 17 educational event in Portland, Ciliberto wrote, and said he will not be responding to any other questions from the media.
In the meantime, Med Ed Labs said it has prudently and respectfully returned Saunders body to a funeral home selected by the family.
The organization is also working with Portland investigators to ensure there is no ongoing voyeurism or misrepresentation of essential anatomical training events in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.
The NFDA said it supports passage of the Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act of 2021. The legislation seeks to protect the dignity of donors and their families by creating standards for handling the remains of donors, including chain of custody and proper disposition.
The act is currently pending before the U.S. House of Representatives.
Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company's curtain call at The Fred Kavli Theatre, in Thousand Oaks, on Oct. 31, 2021. (Ji Yuan/The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun Performing Arts has begun its 20212022 season. To welcome the company back to California, several members of the California Congress and Legislature sent greetings and certificates to the performing arts company during the holiday season.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) sent the New York-based Shen Yun a certificate stating, In recognition of the Worlds Premier Classical Chinese Dance and Music Company.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in a file photo. (Courtesy of U.S. Congress)
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition to Shen Yun to commemorate the companys 15th annual tour.
Your mission to revive the essence of historical Chinese civilization by creating a bridge between the East and West through the universal language of music and dance is appreciated and valued, the certificate reads.
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) in an undated file photo. (Courtesy of U.S. Congress)
Lorena Gonzalez, assemblywoman for Californias 80th District, welcomed Shen Yun back to San Diego.
As you continue your 2021 World Tour, I applaud the joy and inspiration you bring to countless communities, heightening cultural competency and celebrating universal values with every performance, she said.
Kevin Kiley, assemblyman for Californias 6th District, sent a letter to Shen Yun saying: The State of California is proud to host your performance again, and I wish you the best of luck on the world tour of your phenomenal show. May you continue to entertain and educate more audiences with your sensational art, music, and history.
Shen Yun will be in San Jose on Dec. 2227, San Diego on Dec. 2829, Berkeley on Dec. 2930, Costa Mesa on Dec. 30Jan. 1 as well as May 1322, San Francisco on Jan. 29, Escondido on Jan. 1317, Sacramento on March 1517, Palm Desert on April 2830, Long Beach on May 78, San Luis Obispo on May 1011, Thousand Oaks on May 2425, and Santa Barbara on May 2829.
Structural damage caused by storms is seen on a unit complex on Boronia Street, in Dee Why, north-east of Sydney, on Dec. 20, 2021. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)
Call to Declare Sydney Storm a Disaster
About 900 of Sydneys northern beaches residents are still without power after the damaging weekend storm blacked out more than 30,000 properties.
Ausgrid crews have been working around the clock to restore the power after trees and other debris hit powerlines during Sundays brief tornado-like storm.
The storm, which particularly impacted beachside areas from Narrabeen to Dee Why, claimed the life of 68-year-old yoga instructor Susan Cobham, ripped roofs off apartment buildings and blacked out 35,000 homes.
There are now fewer than 900 customers without power and it is hoped power will be restored to the majority of them on Wednesday.
Its been a big effort and particularly overnight, Ausgrids Emma Shanks told Sydney radio 2GB.
Just over 34,000 people have the lights back on, she said.
The storm caused extensive damage to the northern beaches power network, with multiple downed powerlines as well as damage to a substation.
We had to physically replace power poles, restring power lines, remove massive trees and tree branches and replace the subs and the transformers that sit at the top of the power poles, Shanks said.
Northern Beaches Council chief executive Ray Brownlee wants the area declared a disaster zone, as hundreds of insurance claims are filed and some residents face abandoning Christmas plans for a second year.
We are asking for the NSW government to support our council, local businesses, and residents to be able to access disaster funding and support to assist as the clean-up and recovery continues, Brownlee said.
The extensive clean-up was set to continue for many days.
This is being felt hard by business and residents who had Christmas plans abandoned last year thanks to the Northern Beaches COVID lockdown, Brownlee said.
More than 700 insurance claims have been filed, with more expected in coming days.
The Insurance Council of Australia warned disaster chasers were in the area, offering tree and debris removal and requesting payment upfront in cash, but either doing a poor job or charging far too much.
They can leave families, the elderly and vulnerable Australians much worse off, with large bills and homes that remain badly damaged, ICA chief executive Andrew Hall said.
The ICA urges anyone who is approached by a disaster chaser to call the relevant authorities.
By Luke Costin
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is seen in Washington in a file photograph. (Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images)
CDC: Omicron Accounts for 90 Percent of COVID-19 Cases in Some Parts of US
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the Omicron variant accounts for more than 90 percent of COVID-19 cases in some parts of the United States.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the variant makes up to 90 percent of infections in the South, Midwest, eastern Atlantic states, and northern Pacific states.
This rapid increase in the proportion of Omicron circulating around the country is similar to what weve seen across the world, she said in a White House COVID-19 press briefing. Earlier this week, the CDC found that Omicron made up about 73 percent of all cases in the United States last week, up significantly from the previous week.
Several recent studies, including one conducted by Scottish officials, found that the hospitalization rate is a fraction of that seen during the Delta wave. They found that if Omciron acted in the same manner as Delta, they would expect about 47 hospitalizations nationwide. There are currently only 15, researchers found.
And a leaked study from the UK Health Security Agency found that individuals who contract Omicron are less likely to become severely ill compared with those who contract Delta. An analysis of the variant by Imperial College London (pdf) also found that Omicrons mutations may have made it a milder strain than Delta.
Despite the encouraging signs, some officials have indicated that Omicron still presents a threat.
World Health Organization technical lead Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, for example, told reporters this week that the health body doesnt have enough information yet to draw a conclusion that the variant is milder.
We have not seen this variant circulate long enough in populations around the world, certainly in vulnerable populations, she said, according to the Reuters news agency. We have been asking countries to be cautious, and to really think, especially as these holidays are coming up.
Omicron was first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong. Preliminary data indicated it was more resistant to vaccines developed before it emerged.
A study from South Africas National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) also suggested that those infected with Omicron were much less likely to end up in the hospital than those with the Delta strain. COVID-19 cases also appear to have peaked in South Africas Gauteng province, where Omicron first emerged, it said.
The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, compared South African Omicron data from October and November with data about Delta between April and November.
In South Africa, this is the epidemiology: Omicron is behaving in a way that is less severe, the NICDs Professor Cheryl Cohen said. Compellingly, together our data really suggest a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Employees working on an assembly line at the third auto plant of Dongfeng Honda in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on Nov. 27, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
China Admits Its Over-Reliance on Semiconductor Imports Could Prove Fatal
News Analysis
A Chinese state-run media disclosed that Chinas continued reliance on chip imports could be fatal to its automotive industry and national economy.
On Nov. 23, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Chinas domestically produced automotive chips are primarily used in less complex vehicle components such as body electronics, while it relies heavily on imports for advanced chips used in complex vehicle features such as electronic stability control, in-vehicle networks, and advanced driver assistance systems.
The report said that Chinas heavy reliance on import channels [for advanced chips] could fatally endanger its auto industry and national economy.
In the 2021 China Auto Forum held in June, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) chief engineer Ye Shengji said that Chinas self-sufficiency in semiconductors is about 15 percent, of which automotive chips are less than 5 percent.
A recent automotive industry report by market research company EMIS showed Chinas fully electric vehicle sales in the second quarter of 2021 saw a 183.8 percent increase over the same period last year. While hybrid vehicle sales also saw a 99.7 percent year-on-year increase. As the countrys new electric vehicle market expands, the demand for advanced automotive chips continues to rise.
According to official data released on Dec. 7 by Chinas General Administration of Customs, semiconductor-related imports saw a year-on-year increase of 39.8 percent in November.
Chip Hoarding
[Chinese] distributors are stockpiling chips for price-driven reasons. The chips can be found selling on many online platforms [in China], CAAM deputy secretary-general Li Shaohua said during an interview with Chinese magazine China Auto Pictorial in April. In the coming months, car production and sales will depend entirely on the chip supply, Li told the Beijing-based newspaper Securities Daily on Sept. 10.
According to the state-controlled National Business Daily, once a chip distributor finds out it has a temporary monopoly on a particular chip, it will immediately stop shipping, hoard it, and wait for the chip to be sold at a better price. This common practice in China continues to disrupt the chip market domestically and abroad.
However, the general manager of Chinas National New Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Center, Yuan Chengyin, believes that chip stockpiling is a minor contributing factor to the overall chip shortage. Despite that, chip hoarding in the supply chain does exist in China, Yuan added.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, is the worlds largest contract manufacturer of semiconductor chips. Its clients include Apple, Intel, Qualcomm, AMD, and Nvidia.
In a September interview with Time Magazine, TSMC executive chairman Mark Liu suggested that someone in the global supply chain is stockpiling chips. He said amid the global chip shortage, more chips were being sent to factories than were leaving them inside products, which means that there are people definitely accumulating chips who-knows-where in the supply chain.
We are learning too because we didnt have to do this before, Liu said as he ordered his team to triangulate different data points to decipher which customers were truly in need and which were stockpiling.
Chip Smuggling
In addition to hoarding, chip smuggling incidents have been prevalent in China since the early 2000s.
In 2006, Shenzhen authorities caught smugglers moving 120,000 chips through underground tunnels. In June 2008, Guangzhou authorities seized $12.8 million worth of integrated circuit chips in a smuggling case, according to the state-owned China Business News.
The tricks of smuggling apparently have become more advanced in recent years.
In January 2021, Guangdong authorities seized approximately $1.44 million worth of semiconductor-related goods smuggled from Hong Kong to Guangdong through drones, according to Xinhua News. In July, two bus drivers were caughtwith chips wrapped around their bodiesattempting to enter customs through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, according to the National Business Daily.
There were also many reports of chip smuggling through speedboats shuttled between the docks in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Chinas Auto Exports Grew Despite Global Decline
The global automotive chip shortage has heavily impacted Germany as well as Japan and the United States, the top three auto exports in 2020.
According to provisional data released by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany on Nov. 29, its passenger car exports were down 17.2 percent in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year.
On Nov. 26, Japans Ministry of Finance released data (pdf) showing that its motor vehicle exports fell by 35.7 percent in October compared to the same period in 2020.
In addition, U.S. auto exports fell 2 percent in September and 0.4 percent in October, compared to the same periods last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data (pdf) released on Nov. 24.
Despite the global decline in vehicle exports, Chinas auto exports appear to have grown in a positive trend. According to statistics released by Chinas General Administration of Customs, the total vehicle exports from January to November saw a 101.9 percent increase, and sales were up 124.3 percent compared to the same period last year.
In October, China Auto Pictorial published an article claiming that China has unique advantages in auto exports amid the global chip shortage. The question is, are these advantages importing, hoarding, and smuggling chips? How long will it last by relying on these methods?
The P4 laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on May 13, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
Chinas Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction Against the World
Commentary
Nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons were considered weapons of mass destruction (WMD) during the Cold War. Later, radiological weapons were generally considered to be another form of WMD.
Each of these weapons had a horrific effect: they could kill large numbers of people and so norms prohibiting their use were established and have mostly held. Nuclear weapons have not been used since 1945, and biological weapons not used since the Japanese militarys Unit 731 employed them in China against civilians and other allied prisoners of war during the Second Sino-Japanese War (19371945).
While chemical weapons were used in Syrias civil war, there has not been widespread use of chemicals or toxins in interstate warfare since World War I and Italys employment in Ethiopia in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War from 1935 to 1936. Despite allegations of their use and their considerable stockpiles, WMD were not used by the superpowers during the Cold War or after.
Each of these examples was conscious and deliberate employment by a state. But the world should also consider the effect of covert or inadvertent use of WMD, or employment due to negligence and, thus, a violation of a states duty to police its territory and its responsibility for what occurs within its borders.
These forms of WMD use should also be prohibited with the strongest sanctions enacted if the norm is violated. It is time to update the worlds understanding of WMD to acknowledge that WMD have been employed de facto and without repercussions. One example of this was the 1979 anthrax leak from a military research facility in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) in the Soviet Union. Over 66 Soviet citizens were killed by their own government and scores more made ill. The Soviets were never held to account for this inadvertent WMD use. Nor were they for another, more infamous casethe 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The legacy of which remains.
Despite common perception, WMDs are being used now against the United States by China. Beijing has conducted a current and far more disastrous use of WMD than the United States Soviet enemy.
Opioid Epidemic
First, the opioid epidemic has killed and disrupted the lives of tens of millions in the United States alone. Rather than an epidemic, it should be considered a chemical weapons attack. Precursor chemicals are shipped from China to the cartels to Mexico to be transported into the United States and around the world. The Chinese regime, firms, and the cartels should be held to account for employment of WMD. Immediate sanctions and other punishments should be employed against them and China itself for its unwillingness to police its territory, govern its export, and thus provide implicit approval of WMD use against America.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa commercial facility seized more than 3,100 pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, fentanyl pills, and heroin on Oct. 9, 2020. (DEA)
COVID-19
Second, the COVID-19 pandemic is a case of covert or inadvertent use of WMD by the Chinese regime against its own citizens, the United States, and the rest of the world. Thus far, over 5 million people have died, millions have lasting health effects from the virus, tens of millions more have been made ill, and there has been major and sustained disruption to peoples lives, wellbeing, mental health, safety, education, and employment. Profound and lasting political, psychological, physiological, and economic effects also must be factored into account.
The Chinese regime has gotten away with two major uses of WMD with catastrophic effects on the world without penalty or even acknowledgment of WMD employment. Such use compels sanctions and sterner measures to punish Beijing and to deter future use. Regrettably, this has not happened due to the absence of awareness and the concern by many with an interest in China that these actions not be recognized for what they are.
The unwillingness to perceive the Chinese regimes actions as WMD employment allows the continuation of the business as usual approach toward the regime by its supporters around the world, in the American elite, including on Wall Street, the U.S. political system, and the media.
To acknowledge communist Chinas use of WMD would compel the recognition that it is the worlds most dangerous regime due to its intent and capabilities, as well as the worlds greatest violator of international law and norms.
To address this, much needs to be accomplished. Three steps must be taken forthwith.
First, the global media must call them for what they are: WMD attacks against civilians. This stark fact must be repeated until the world identifies these as WMD attacks that require a response.
Second, rather than focusing solely on nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons use, the norm of WMD effect and consequence must be adopted by governments, inter-governmental organizations like the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations, and China held to account by them for its use of WMD. If a state releases a pandemic by design or not, it has employed a WMD against the world, and so is culpable for the consequences and must be punished to deter future use.
Third, the U.S. government should call the attacks as WMD and trigger the full force of the government to combat the consequences of both attacks. The opioid WMD attack should be treated with equivalent energy of response as the COVID-19 WMD attack. Sanctions must be imposed upon the regime for their use against the United States and reparations made to the worlds victims. Compensation from Chinese assets in the United States and globally would be a start. The prohibition of investment in China by U.S. or other entities would be a second step. Banning Chinese entities from U.S. financial or other markets would be a third.
Strong measures are needed as not sanctioning Beijing for its WMD violations encourages it to continue its actions and to break additional norms, including against nuclear use. The Chinese regime owes the world compensation and the international community is going to have to compel payment of the debt.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) (C) talks with Reps. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) during a House Judiciary Committee markup hearing on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 12, 2019. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon Carjacked at Gunpoint in Philadelphia: Office
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) became the victim of a carjacking in South Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon, her office and city officials confirmed.
Shes physically OK, but her vehicle and possessions are gone, Scanlons spokesperson, Lauren Cox, told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Scanlon, a Democrat, represents Pennsylvanias 5th Congressional District. That includes parts of South Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Scanlons office, in a statement provided to WVPI-TV, said that two armed men approached her near FDR Park.
Wednesday afternoon, at around 2:45 p.m., Congresswoman Scanlon was carjacked at gunpoint in FDR Park following a meeting at that location, her office said. The Congresswoman was physically unharmed. She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her local police department for coordinating with Philly PD to ensure her continued safety.
Police told the station that the suspects demanded the keys to her vehicle, a 2017 Acura MDX with the Pennsylvania license plate LKG-8893, and took off with it. The vehicle was last seen being driven westbound on Pattison toward Penrose streets, they said.
Chief Inspector Frank Vanore, who confirmed the incident, told the Inquirer that later, the two suspects were last seen driving Scanlons car toward Interstate 95 southbound. The FBI is now assisting in an investigation, he told the outlet.
Scanlons government cell phone, identification, personal cell phone, and purse were also in the vehicle, officials told the station.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, released a statement after the incident.
Everyone deserves to feel safe in our city, and sadly, as we know, that hasnt always been the case this year, said Kenney, whose administration has been criticized for how its been dealing with a spike in violent crime this year.
Its disheartening, and quite frankly infuriating, that criminals feel emboldened to commit such a reckless crime in the middle of the day in what should be a place of tranquility and peaceone of Philadelphias beautiful parks, the mayor added. Im thankful that she was not physically harmed during this incident, and my thoughts are with her during what Im sure is a traumatic time.
According to figures released by the city, Philadelphia set its all-time yearly murder rate earlier this month. As of Wednesday, the city saw 544 murders in 2021, surpassing the previously set record of 500 murders in 1990.
With a population of about 1.579 million, the police data suggests Philadelphias homicide rate is more than 33 murders per 100,000 people, which is more than four times the 2020 U.S. homicide rate of 7.8 per 100,000 people.
The Epoch Times contacted the congresswomans office for additional comment.
COVID-19 Isolation Period Cut Short in England
People who self-isolate after contracting COVID-19 in England could be released up to three days earlier, subject to lateral flow test results, the government has announced.
For many, it could mean that theyll get out of isolation in time to see their families during Christmas.
Announcing the change, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told broadcasters that ministers made the decision following advice from clinical experts because they want to reduce the disruption from COVID-19 to peoples everyday lives.
The current self-isolation period for people who test positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus and their unvaccinated contacts who are aged 18 years 6 months or over is 10 days.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Dec. 22 updated the guidance, saying people who are in isolation after testing positive can take lateral flow tests from day 6, and stop isolating once they have two negative tests taken 24 hours apart.
But the guidance remains unchanged for close contacts of COVID-19 cases, meaning unvaccinated contacts still have to complete the full 10-day period of self-isolation, while fully vaccinated contacts are strongly advised to take a daily lateral flow test for seven days.
Asked what the rationale was behind the decision to cut short the isolation period for positive cases but not their contacts, a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care referred The Epoch Times to the UKHSA, which didnt reply to a request for comment by press time.
Fully vaccinated is currently defined as 14 days after having received a second dose of Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, or Moderna/Spikevax, or one dose of the single-dose Janssen vaccine.
Speaking to BBC News, Javid said the rule change is a very sensible, balanced, and proportionate take.
After the Omicron CCP virus was discovered in the UK, the government reinstated mask mandates in most indoor settings and introduced the NHS COVID Pass as a condition of entry to nightclubs and large events in England.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Dec. 21 that no more restrictions will be imposed before Christmas due to the continuing uncertainty about the severity of Omicron, the hospitalisation rate, or the impact of the vaccine rollout or the boosters.
We dont think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas, Johnson said. But the prime minister also said he cant rule out any further measures after Christmas.
Scotlands Deputy First Minister John Swinney told the BBCs Good Morning Scotland programme on Dec. 22 that the Scottish government was considering shortening the self-isolation period, which can try to ease pressure on public services.
But what we have to recognise is that the number of cases is likely to become so significant that it is going to give rise to significant absence levels from our private and public services, Swinney said.
Both Scotland and Wales have announced a series of new restrictions that will come into effect after Christmas.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison holds up a face mask as he speaks during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Dec. 22, 2021. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
COVID-19 Measures Need Common Sense, Not Mandates: Aussie PM
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for a common sense approach to measures against COVID-19, saying there was no need to mandate masks, police people with QR code tracing, or require PCR testing for interstate travel.
In particular, Morrison suggested that Australias states and territories didnt need to resort to imposing mandates for things that people could self-manage using common sense.
Our systems need to respond differently to the way they did in earlier phases of the pandemic, where, because the case numbers were so much less, you could have more of a direct government intervention and control of these responses, Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Dec. 22.
Going forward with Omicron, there will need to be more of a role for individuals in self-managing and self-regulating their responses.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said that while Omicron cases were growing, concerns of its deadliness had been abated after the nation hadnt seen a rise in hospitalizations.
But while Morrison fervently encouraged people to wear masks, if only out of consideration of others, he believed Australians had enough common sense that further mandating their use was unnecessary.
The Fearless Girl Statue in Federation square is seen with a mask on June 5, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
Mandates are enforcement mechanisms, Morrison said. Mandates also require enforcement, and that requires resources to be applied to enforcement.
Wear a mask in an indoor setting, you dont need to be forced to do it. Its a very clear message, wear a mask.
Australian health advice also highly recommends wearing masks to combat the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Currently, most Australian states and territories have required or will require wearing masks indoors.
But New South Wales, a state that has loosened restrictions and hasnt made masks compulsory, currently still sees around 85 percent of people wearing them.
The prime minister also said that requiring PCR tests as conditions of entry to states, such as Queensland, had inhibited testing for those who needed it.
Weve all seen the terrible queues and the long waits people have had. Some 20 to 25 percentone in five, one in fourpeople waiting in those queues are not symptomatic, theyre not a close contact, theyre not even a casual contact. They just want to travel to another state.
This is putting unnecessary pressure on the testing system and it is redirecting resources away from where there is better use of it.
Health staff register residents at a COVID-19 drive-through testing site on Bondi Beach in Sydney after the reports of four new positive cases on June 17, 2021. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)
He said that an announcement would later be released based on medical advice that would determine whether COVID-19 testing would be required at all for travel, or whether rapid antigen testing could be used in its place.
With regards to QR code contact tracing, Morrison said the method would no longer prove adequate for states with large case numbers, and referred to jurisdictions such as Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia.
In those states and territories where there are very high numbers of cases, the prospect of tracing every single person who logs into a particular venue is unrealistic, and is not a good use of resources.
He added that contact tracing would mainly provide support to inform Australians if they had been in close contact with a known caseand not to be used to police people, or to impose sanctions on people.
Eight provincial premiers attend a news conference in Ottawa on April 16, 1981, where they endorsed the federal government's proposed constitutional changes. (L-R) Brian Peckford of Newfoundland, Allan Blakeney of Saskatchewan, William Bennett of British Columbia, Rene Levesque of Quebec, Sterling Lyon of Manitoba, John Buchanan of Nova Scotia, Angus MacLean of PEI, and Peter Lougheed of Alberta. (The Canadian Press/Peter Bregg)
COVID Responses Defy Canadian Constitution, Says Last Living Architect of 1982 Legal Framework
Former premier Brian Peckford says provincial governments are overriding Canadians' rights amid the pandemic
The last living premier who took part in the 1982 Constitution negotiations says Canadian governments have violated the countrys supreme law and governing legal framework during the pandemic.
Brian Peckford, who served as Newfoundlands third premier from 1979 to 1989 and has been a Vancouver Island resident since the 1990s, says governments from Saint Johns to Victoria have defied the freedom of assembly outlined in Section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedomsthe most recognized part of the Constitutionand also turned their backs on three other sections.
Then theres Section 6 of the charter, which talks about mobility and the right of Canadians to travel anywhere in Canada or leave Canada, and thats being violated all over the place. And then there is within that Section 6 as well the right of a person for gainful employment, Peckford explained in an interview.
When people take jobs away from them for discriminatory reasons, obviously youre violating that section.
Brian Peckford, former premier of Newfoundland. (Courtesy Brian Peckford)
Section 7 of the charter guarantees life, liberty, and security of the person, which Peckford believes is compromised by coerced vaccinations. And although Section 15 guarantees Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination, Peckford says the unvaccinated are getting shut out.
There are people in my community who can go places where I cant go, so that means that Ive been discriminated against. That means I dont have equality before the law.
Proponents of such limitations point to Section 1 of the charter, which says the documents rights and freedoms are guaranteed subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. But to Peckford, COVID-19 is not exceptional enough to warrant this exception.
Governments try to put a round peg in a square hole, and they try to excuse and say they have immunity where they can override all of these wonderful rights and freedoms because of Section 1, he said.
Im the only one thats still alive, a First Minister who was at that conference and helped craft that Constitution. That Section 1 applied to war, insurrection, and threats to the existence of the state. This present circumstance hardly fits that definition because you have a 99 percent recovery rate from this virus.
The Department of Justices Charterpedia webpage on Section 1 lacks details on what circumstances it may be properly applied, except that a clear case for doing so must be made.
The onus of proof under Section 1 is on the person seeking to justify the limit, which is generally the government. The standard of proof is the civil standard or balance of probabilities, it states.
Demonstrably justified connotes a strong evidentiary foundation. Cogent and persuasive evidence is generally required. Where scientific or social science evidence is available, it will be required.
Peckford says governments have failed the democratic and procedural requirements to justify a denial of charter rights.
Thats not being done right now at all. No government in Canada has done a cost-benefit analysis. Theres been independent cost-benefit analyses that show that the cure is worse than the disease.
Peacetime Policy Failure
Peckford points to an analysis by Simon Fraser University economics professor Douglas Allen published in the International Journal of the Economics of Business in September.
An examination of over 100 Covid-19 studies reveals that many relied on false assumptions that over-estimated the benefits and underestimated the costs of lockdown, Allen wrote in the abstract of his paper.
Allen calculated a number of cost-benefit ratios of lockdowns in terms of life-years saved and estimated that lockdowns cost 141 life-years for every year that was saved, leading him to conclude: It is possible that lockdown will go down as one of the greatest peacetime policy failures in modern history.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms presented 2,000 pages of peer-reviewed evidence, consisting of science and government data, when it challenged the constitutionality of lockdowns in Manitoba. In a decision released in October, Chief Justice Glenn Joyal declined to rule lockdowns unconstitutional.
Instead, Joyal said that those making decisions quickly and in real time for the benefit of the public good and safety were owed a margin of appreciation. He added that rather than overrule them he should keep a requisite judicial humility that comes from acknowledging that courts do not have the specialized expertise to casually second-guess the decisions of public health officials.
Peckford, a former teacher who now opines on his blog Peckford42, says Joyal failed, not the Constitution.
I am completely angry with that judge because the judge every day is making decisions based on subject matter that he is not an expert in. If hes only going to make decisions based upon what hes an expert in, hed better quit now, he said.
[Judges] are supposed to make a decision based on the law with the available information thats before them and [Joyal] didnt do that. And so he erred in law, he erred in practice, he erred in procedure. So I completely reject that judges decision as being completely irrelevant.
Justice Centre lawyer Allison Pejovic said that she was disappointed in Joyals unwavering deference accorded to public health officials and that an appeal was being considered.
Seeking Constitutional Clarity
Peckford said three groups launching legal challenges have asked him to sign an affidavit regarding the intent of Section 1 of the charter, and he is ready.
Ive gotten back to them and said, yes, I will. As a matter of fact, Id love to appear in court. I want to appear in court and look the judge in the eye and say, Your Honour, this Section 1 does not apply. I remember well what happened.
Constitutional clarity might have come faster if premiers had launched a court case themselves, Peckford said.
Every premier, every First Minister, has that right to refer any matter to their highest court for a constitutional opinion, he said.
He added that he had even written to them and asked them to do so, noting that it would speed up the court process, shortening the time frame to about a year or a year and a half from three-and-a-half to four years.
Everybody in Canada would like to see that happen, he said. [But] some of them never even answered me, and those that answered me, it was an electronic response. These premiers live in a world of their own. They dont even respond to a former premier.
Peckford spent five years as a cabinet minister before winning the Progressive Conservative leadership and premiership at 36 years of age. He believes governance has failed in recent decades.
Theres been very little leadership in this country for quite a long time, and now its manifested itself in this pandemicno question about that, said Peckford, who lives with his wife in Parksville, B.C. A suggestion to run for office again makes him chuckle.
Im into my 80th year, so I think I will leave that to somebody else. Hopefully, somebody with some backbone will come along and carry on and do something proper for our country.
Current COVID-19 Outbreaks Show Vaccines Arent Pandemic Panacea
Commentary
For the past year, weve been told relentlessly that unless and until almost every American receives a COVID-19 vaccination, the pandemic will linger and continue to wreak havoc.
However, based on what is happening on many U.S. college campuses over the past few weeks, one cant help but question the dogma that vaccines are the panacea to the pandemic.
For instance, Cornell University has a 97 percent vaccination rate among students and staff on campus. On top of that, most students and staff have also received booster shots. Yet, despite the near-universal vaccine status among its students and staff, the university is in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the universitys COVID-19 tracking website, 1,547 students tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days. Shockingly, Cornell is currently sporting an 10.06 positivity rate.
This has caused trepidation among many Cornell students.
Ninety-seven percent of the campus is fully vaccinated, a large portion of them have booster shots and theres mandatory masking, and we still have this uptick, Joe Silverstein, a student at Cornell, lamented to ABC News.
Marguerite Pacheco, a doctoral student at Cornell, was similarly flummoxed by the recent outbreak.
If theres that many students testing positive, despite being vaccinated, it is going to spread to other people extremely quickly, Pacheco told ABC News. It seems like the second that, you know, that there are cases happening in vaccinated students of that magnitude, you need to assume that it is just going to catch like wildfire.
Like Cornell, New York City is in the midst of a case surge. Also, like Cornell, the city has an extremely high vaccination rate. As of this writing, 71 percent of New Yorkers are fully vaccinated and 80 percent of the citys residents have received at least one vaccine shot.
If heavily vaccinated places such as New York City and Cornell University are experiencing massive COVID-19 case counts, are vaccines the sole solution to the pandemic? Based on the data, it seems less likely every day.
Yet, that hasnt stopped our nations so-called health leaders from doubling down on vaccinations as the lone remedy to the pandemic.
For example, on Dec. 21, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CBS Morning News: We first got to get the 50 million or so people who are eligible to be vaccinated whove not gotten vaccinated. That is critical. If you want to keep the level of spread in the country as low as possible, which would get us back to some degree of normality, youve got to get those unvaccinated people vaccinated.
Of course, Fauci failed to explain how getting all Americans vaccinated will slow the spread when places such as Cornell, with a 97 percent vaccination rate, are experiencing large case counts.
President Joe Biden, too, has vilified the unvaccinated (and those with natural immunity) as super-spreaders, despite the mounting evidence that vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans are equally susceptible to new strains of the virus.
As Biden recently stated, We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinatedfor themselves, their families, and the hospitals theyll soon overwhelm.
At this point in the pandemic, we know that vaccines do prevent severe illness. However, we also know that vaccines dont prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As such, our nations health care leaders should be stressing the cornucopia of therapeutic options, such as monoclonal antibodies, hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, etc., as viable treatments for COVID-19, instead of manically mandating vaccines.
The evidence clearly shows that early treatment with a variety of therapeutic drugs can vastly reduce the severity of COVID-19. However, for reasons unknown, our nations health care leaders continue to downplay these treatments in favor of universal vaccination and continuous booster shots.
Unless and until Fauci and others come clean about the reality that vaccines arent the panacea they made them out to be, COVID-19 outbreaks will continue to spread unabated, even among those who have been double-vaccinated and boosted.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
COVID-19 testing kits are packaged on a production line at the SD Biosensor bio-diagnostic company near Cheongju, South Korea, on March 27, 2020. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
CVS, Walgreens Limiting Number of At-home COVID-19 Tests Customers Can Buy Amid Unprecedented Holiday Demand
CVS Health and Walgreens are limiting the number of at-home COVID-19 testing kits that customers can purchase following unprecedented holiday demand for them.
The two largest pharmaceutical chain stores in the United States announced the move in separate statements this week, just days before Christmas.
Due to the incredible demand for at-home rapid testing, we put in effect a four-item purchase limit on at-home COVID-19 testing products in our stores and digital properties in an effort to help improve inventory while we continue to work diligently with our supplier partners to best meet customer demands, Walgreens said. We refer you to manufacturers for questions on supply of individual products.
A Walgreens spokeswoman told The Washington Post, As the nation experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases coinciding with the holidays, we are seeing unprecedented demand for testing services.
Meanwhile, CVS Health, in a statement shared with Nexstar said it is also imposing a limit on how many tests can be purchased both in-store and online.
To ensure equitable access to tests both in-store and digitally, weve added a limit of six test kits per purchase. Due to a recent surge in demand, and to retain community-based access to tests in our stores, there may be temporary out-of-stocks for these products on CVS.com, the statement reads. Were committed to providing families with protection and peace of mind during the holiday season, and we continue to offer access to lab-based testing with results available in 1-2 days or rapid COVID-19 testing at more than 4,800 CVS Pharmacy locations.
A CVS spokesperson told The Post that the company has a process in place to swiftly replenish supplies of the tests in the event of temporary shortages.
The limit on purchasing at-home tests comes after an urgent care official said New York, much like other parts of the United States, is seeing a serious increased demand for testing amid a rise in cases, which is in term placing a burden on the health system.
In an interview with CNN, Dr. Neal Shipley, medical director of Northwell-GoHealth Urgent Care called for a little bit of breathing room and urged asymptomatic people to consider taking a home test if they can.
Unfortunately, it feels a lot like it did last year, where the demand for testing and the surge is really straining the health system, he said. We dont have testing shortages right now What we really need is a little bit of breathing room.
What we really want to do in the urgent care is test the sick and the ill, and help distinguish those who have COVID from those who dont So what we need is a little bit of breathing room, Shipley said.
The medical director noted the difficulties in distinguishing between COVID-19 and cases of the flu, given that it is now flu season and both illnesses have similar symptoms such as fever, cough, and lethargy.
The challenge is to distinguish those from Covid [patients] and get those people the care they need, he said.
On Tuesday, President Joe Bidens administration said it is planning to mail out some 500 million COVID-19 tests, starting in January, in an effort to combat the Omicron variant.
President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 response and vaccinations, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
A man is tested for COVID-19 in New York City on Dec. 8, 2021. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
Today, the President is announcing his Administration will purchase a half-billion at-home, rapid tests this winter to be distributed for free to Americans who want them, with the initial delivery starting in January 2022, the White House said in a press statement.
Americans will be able to get the at-home tests delivered to their home for free via a website set up by the administration.
New federal test sites will also be set up across the nation in the coming days, starting in New York City, to help states that need additional testing capacity, as per the statement.
The White House confirmed it is also preparing to send 1,000 members of the military such as military doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other medical personnel to hospitals in January and February if they are needed.
As of Monday, Omicron accounted for roughly 73 percent of cases in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged people to cancel or delay holiday gatherings over Christmas as it could see a surge in COVID-19 cases.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that there was now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading faster than the Delta variant, and that it is more likely that people who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 could be infected or reinfected.
There can be no doubt that increased social mixing over the holiday period in many countries will lead to increased cases, overwhelmed health systems, and more deaths, he said, adding that in some cases, this could mean canceling or delaying events.
Danish Woman Charged Over Laundering of $4.5 Billion in Danske Bank Scandal
COPENHAGENA Danish woman has been charged by Danish police in a money laundering case involving more than 30 billion Danish crowns ($4.55 billion) which was channeled through Danske Banks Estonian branch, Denmarks public prosecutor said on Wednesday.
The 49-year old Danish citizen, is currently in preliminary questioning at Copenhagen city court, where it will be decided whether she will be remanded in custody, the prosecutor told Reuters.
The woman had been extradited to Denmark from Britain, where she had been kept in custody, the prosecutor said.
The case, in which two other people have also been charged, came to the authorities attention during an investigation into one of the worlds biggest money laundering scandals at Danske Bank, Denmarks biggest lender.
Danske is being investigated by authorities in several countries after more than 200 billion euros in suspicious transactions flowed through its Estonian branch from 2007 to 2015.
A 47-year old woman was also remanded in custody in May in Copenhagen city court in the same case.
The three suspects are charged with laundering money through several limited partnerships, all of which had bank accounts in Danskes now shuttered Estonian branch between March 2008 and March 2016.
($1 = 6.5887 Danish crowns)
People stand in line to get COVID-19 tests in Washington on Dec. 20, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
DC Mayor Imposes COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Restaurants, Bars, Gyms
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday imposed a new COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all 12 and older seeking to enter many businesses in the nations capital.
Bowser, a Democrat, says the mandate will increase the number of people who get a vaccine and help ease conditions at hospitals, where most patients dont have COVID-19.
We do need more people to get vaccinated and boosted, Bowser told a press conference announcing the requirement.
Beginning Jan. 15, 2022, establishments will be required to verify patrons 12 and older have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
A month later, the bar will be raised to two or more doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson jab.
People can prove their vaccination status by producing paper cards or digital passports.
Workers arent being required by Bowser to get vaccinated, at least for now.
Businesses affected by the mandate include restaurants, nightclubs, and gyms.
If you are a resident who has not yet vaccinated and you want to continue enjoying these activities, nows the time to get vaccinated, Bowser said.
Exceptions will be made when a person briefly enters a facility, such as when picking up a takeout order.
Grocery stores, pharmacies, churches, and museums are among the establishments that wont have to verify vaccination status.
The Washington mandate follows requirements in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Seattle.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) listens during a news conference on Capitol Hill on June 25, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Bowser also this week announced all students must get a COVID-19 vaccine thats received Food and Drug Administration approval, if eligible, by March 1 to attend school and that all city employees must get a vaccine and a booster to continue to work for the district.
The new mandate drew widespread criticism.
D.C. is now forcing a vax mandate. Unreal, but not surprising. Only Liberals can make sense out of forcing proof of ID to eat at a restaurant but not to vote, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) wrote on Twitter.
The Republican National Committee noted that over half of Washingtons black residents have not gotten a vaccine, meaning they would be barred from gyms, restaurants, and some other businesses.
Terry Schilling, who runs the American Principles Project, said he wouldnt hold any events in the district or comply with the mandate.
Officials said the requirement was needed because unvaccinated people are more likely to get COVID-19 and need hospital care for it than fully vaccinated people and due to the increase in COVID-19 cases recorded in recent weeks.
Daily cases have jumped from 13.7 cases per 100,000 population last month to 123.8 cases per 100,000 population. However, the hospitalization rate has dropped and the overwhelming majority of hospitalized patients in the district dont have COVID-19.
Bowser told reporters she was aware of indications the Omicron virus variant does not cause severe disease as much as the Delta variant.
That doesnt mean its not disruptive, and that doesnt mean that we dont have a responsibility to contain it where we can but also make sure that our public health system, which is what were doing, is amply resourced in able to respond in the worst case scenario, she said.
The House Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security Subcommittee Chair Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 2019. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Democrats Lead Republicans in Pre-Midterm Congress Retirements
At least 41 Congress members wont seek reelection in the 2022 midterms, 24 of them Democrats. Thats a reversal from the previous midterms in 2018, when 55 lawmakers retired, 37 of them Republicans.
Midterms usually see a slew of retirements, many only announced early in the election year. If that trend is to hold, there may be more announcements to come.
Serving my constituents in Congress has been the single most distinguished honor of my life, said Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) on Twitter on Dec. 20 announcing her retirement. Over my many years of public service, I have always strived to do that which is best to help improve my community and my country.
After thirty years in the House of Representatives, the time has come for me to spend more time with my family. Therefore, I have decided not to seek reelection. While I will not be seeking reelection in 2022, I look forward to continue to work for the people of my district in the new year and long after I leave public office.
Two other Democrats, Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) and Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), within 24 hours of Roybal-Allard, were reported to be retiring, though Sires has yet to make an official announcement.
Among the House retirees, at least 15 are seeking other offices, mostly Senate or governor seats. Among those who seem to be leaving public office for good, 15 House members are Democrats and five are Republicans.
The latest Republican to head for the doors was Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). On Dec. 6, he announced he will become the chief executive of Trump Media & Technology Group, a social media startup launched by former President Donald Trump.
In the Senate, five Republicans and one Democrat so far are leaving, with none of them apparently seeking other public offices.
The Senate resignations open wild card races in several states. Outgoing Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) won his seat by only a 1.5-point margin in 2016. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) held his by less than 3 points. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) won by less than a 6-point margin.
The Missouri seat leans strongly Republican after Trump carried the state in 2020 by more than a 15-point margin.
The Pennsylvania seat appears the easiest to flip. John Fetterman, a Democrat and the states current lieutenant governor, has by far outraised and outspent any other candidate for the Senate seat, with more than $5 million disbursed and more than $4 million still in the bank.
The North Carolina race could be a nail-biter. Trump won the state by just 1.4 points. The only candidates whove so far managed to raise seven figures are Democrats State Sen. Jeff Jackson and former state Supreme Court Judge Cheri Beasley as well as Republicans Rep. Ted Budd and former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory.
On the House side, retiring Rep. Ronald James Kind (D-Wis.) kept his seat in 2020 by less than a 3-point margin. Even after redistricting, the seat remains highly competitive. Wisconsin only made slight changes to its congressional map, earning an A grade from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project (PGP).
Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) prevailed two years ago by just 4 points, but the states Democrat-controlled Legislature gerrymandered the states districts to make it easier for Democrats to win most of them, according to PGP, which graded the new Illinois map with an F.
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) previously beat his opponent by about 5 points, but Oregon Democrats also gerrymandered, giving their party an advantage, and earning an F from the PGP. DeFazios district would be a tough nut to crack for a Republican, based on the projects estimations.
A troubling kidnapping attempt earlier in December was foiled by two Detroit Police officers of the Eighth Precinct who had their wits about them, possibly saving the lives of four kids, aged 5 to 11.
Happening upon the suspect in a white van on Dec. 2 running a red light near Grand River and Evergreen, Officers Parrish and Flannel stopped the driver of the vehicle, a woman.
Noting her erratic and suspicious movements and behavior, they inquired where she was going. She said she was taking her four kids to school.
When pressed as to which school, she could not give a good answer, stated the Eighth Precinct Community in a Facebook post.
So, the officers asked her to step out of the vehicle and then queried the eldest child, do you know this woman?
The 11 year old shook his head, No! at that point, the driver was arrested, the Eighth Precinct Community wrote.
The suspect, identified as Stephanie Marie Binder, was taken into custody and charged with kidnapping.
Watching the video of the incident it was quick, it was disturbing how fast she was able to get the kids into the vehicle, Detroit Detective Flanders told Fox2.
There were some things that were troubling and alarming per the interrogation, he added. Were not going to release that right now.
The childrens mother, Shayla Burleigh, the outlet reported, thanked everyone involved in rescuing her kids.
I hope she gets the maximum sentence, Burleigh added. I cant say what I really want to say.
Officers Parrish (L) and Flannel. (Courtesy of Eighth Precinct Community)
Police told the station that Binder has a criminal history but nothing to this magnitude.
Meanwhile, Officers Parrish and Flannel were hailed for their quick, skillful handling of a dicey and potentially life-threatening situation. The Eighth Precinct Community heaped praise on the pair, captioning on Facebook:
These 2 officers exercised excellent police investigate skills, in doing so they were able to take a kidnapper off the streets, and safeguard the 4 children from any hurt, harm and danger.
Outstanding work to Officers Flannel and Parrish, two of the hard workers in the Eighth Precinct.
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An Australian couple who were informed that their unborn child was diagnosed with Down syndrome were shocked when their doctor scheduled an abortion for them. Refusing to terminate their baby, they went ahead with the pregnancy, and now their little girl has beaten all the odds and is thriving.
We are blessed with the most beautiful, happy, and funniest little girl who just happens to have an extra chromosome, mom Zoey OHehir from New South Wales wrote on a Facebook post.
Arlee Grace was diagnosed with Down syndrome. (Courtesy of Zoey-Lea OHehir)
Zoey and her husband, Jake, both 28, had been trying for a baby for almost three years when they got pregnant with their daughter, Arlee Grace.
The couple were excited to welcome their daughter into their lives when, one day, Zoey, who was in the middle of teaching, received a call from her doctor who told her that her child was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and that he had already booked her in for termination.
It was very scary and just the mention of termination struck a nerve, Zoey told ABC. Before I could say anything, before I could process anything or even breathe, [hed scheduled the termination].
The shocked couple then went to meet with their doctor who presented a fact sheet and said the care they would receive in the following months would be minimal and next to nothing.
The then-expectant parents were even told what would be the results if they went ahead with the pregnancy: lifelong dialysis treatment, stillbirth, or neonatal death along with being warned to expect the worst.
Despite the doctors predictions, Zoey and Jake were determined to give birth to their daughter and thus decided to continue with the pregnancy.
Little Arlee was born at 33 weeks and 6 days gestation on March 2, at Nepean Hospital Penrith. Welcoming her into the world, the excited parents wrote on Facebook that they were so proud of her.
Arlee Grace was born on March 2. (Courtesy of Zoey-Lea OHehir)
Arlee, who is now 9 months old, is already meeting all her developmental milestones and has proved medical professionals wrong.
Shes amazing and has brought so much happiness to our life, Zoey said. She may have a little bit of low muscle tone, which comes with Down syndrome, but other than that, shes honestly just like a normal baby.
Witnessing their daughters journey, both the parents have taken part in creating awareness of Down syndrome. Zoey and Jake even helped raise funds for Down Syndrome Australia.
This little girl proved every single medical professional wrong! Through all the neglect, all the doubt, all the negativity surrounding her diagnosis and everyones opinion, Zoey wrote. Look at how far this beautiful girl has come!
Arlee is now all set to celebrate her first Christmas.
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Dubai Ruler Must Pay Ex-Wife $700M in Divorce Settlement
LONDONA British court on Tuesday ordered the ruler of Dubai to pay his ex-wife and their children close to 550 million pounds ($730 million), in one of the most expensive divorce settlements in British history.
The High Court said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum must pay 251.5 million pounds to his sixth wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, and make ongoing payments for their children Al Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 9, underpinned by a bank guarantee of 290 million pounds.
The total amount the children receive could be more or less than 290 million pounds, depending on factors including how long they live and whether they reconcile with their father. The settlement includes 11 million pounds a year to cover security costs for Princess Haya and the children while they are minors.
Judge Philip Moor said the family needed water-tight security, and that absolutely uniquely, the main threat to them came from Sheikh Mohammed, rather than outside sources.
Haya, 47, fled to the U.K. in 2019 and sought custody of her two children through the British courts. The princess, who is the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, said she was terrified of her husband, who is alleged to have ordered the forced return to the Gulf emirate of two of his daughters.
Sheikh Mohammed, 72, is also the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and a major horse breeder. The founder of the successful Godolphin horse-racing stable, he is on friendly terms with Queen Elizabeth II.
Haya, a graduate of Oxford University, is also a keen equestrian and competed in show jumping for Jordan at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
A separate British family court judge ruled in October that Sheikh Mohammed had authorized the hacking of Princess Hayas phone during their legal battle.
Judge Andrew McFarlane said the sheikh gave his express or implied authority to hack the phones of the princess and her attorneys using Pegasus spyware produced by NSO Group of Israel, the court said. The software is licensed exclusively to nation states for use by their security services.
Sheikh Mohammed denied knowledge of the hacking.
McFarlane earlier ruled that Sheikh Mohammed had conducted a campaign of fear and intimidation against his estranged wife and ordered and orchestrated the abduction and forced return to Dubai of two of his adult daughters: Sheikha Shamsa in August 2000 and her sister Sheikha Latifa, in 2002 and again in 2018.
The divorce bill eclipses the 450 million pound settlement awarded Tatiana Akhmedova in her 2016 split from Russian billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, at the time cited as Britains most expensive divorce.
Tuesdays settlement includes a holiday budget of 5.1 million pounds, an annual sum of just over 450,000 pounds for the childrens staff and around 275,000 pounds for their animals, including two ponies and a horse.
It is possible, but rare, for financial divorce settlements to be appealed in England.
A spokesman for Sheikh Mohammed said in a statement that the ruler has always ensured that his children are provided for. The court has now made its ruling on finances and he does not intend to comment further.
By Jill Lawless
Embraer Shares Soar on Announcement of Eve Deal With SPAC, NYSE Listing
SAO PAULOShares of Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA soared on Tuesday after the company said it had agreed to combine its electric aircraft subsidiary Eve with Zanite SPAC and list it on the New York Stock Exchange.
The transaction values Eves equity at $2.9 billion and will include the combination with Zanite Acquisition Corp and an additional investment by a group of investors that includes Embraer, Zanite, financial investors, and strategic partners such as Azorra Aviation, BAE Systems, Republic Airways, Rolls-Royce and SkyWest Inc.
After the transactions, Eve, listed on NYSE under the ticker EVEX, will have a $512 million cash position that will be used to develop its flying taxi. The firm is expected to start trading in the second quarter of 2022, after the closing of the deal with Zanite.
Eve already has an order pipeline of more than $5 billion. Among the customers with pre-orders are lessors, helicopter operators, and ride-sharing companies.
After announcing Eves listing, Embraer also disclosed new orders. Florida-based Azorra, one of the Eve investors, ordered 200 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Eve. Republic Airways, also an investor, placed an order for up to 200 eVTOLs, aiming to implement an eVTOL network throughout the U.S. Central and East Coast markets.
Skywest ordered 100 electric aircraft looking to develop a regional chain in the U.S., while BAE Systems will work with Eve to explore the development of its eVTOLs for the defense market. Both are also part of the same investor group.
Brazil-traded shares in Embraer were up 16 percent in late afternoon trading at 23.10 reais.
Embraer will own more than 80 percent of Eve after the SPAC combination and additional investment from the group. Eves cash position is expected to be enough to fund the flying taxi development through its certification, expected for 2025, Embraer CEO Francisco Gomes Neto told Reuters.
Itau BBA analysts saw the deal as positive for Embraer, saying that Eves $2.9 billion valuation implies a ratio of $12 per U.S.-traded Embraer share, which is 110 percent more than the $5.7 per share they had incorporated in their $21 target price for Embraer shares at the end of 2022.
Our calculation was based on a $2 billion (valuation) for Eve and a 50 percent stake from Embraer, they said.
U.S.-listed shares of Embraer soared 15.8 percent to $16.10 on Tuesday.
Gomes Neto said in an interview that Eve will probably have multiple production sites to deliver to customers in different continents, but the locations have not yet been chosen. Gomes Neto expects Eve to reach $4.5 billion in revenue by 2030, with around 15 percent of the global urban air mobility market.
The production phase will probably be funded by debt, said Eves co-CEO Jerry DeMuro, former BAE Systems CEO. Eves other co-CEO is Andre Stein, an Embraer executive for two decades.
Embraer will provide infrastructure to Eve, including the allocation of engineers to the projects, testing grounds, and simulation equipment.
This will allow us to lower the costs, DeMuro said in an interview.
By Tatiana Bautzer and Gabriel Araujo
A crane transports a pipe in a production hall at the Nord Stream 2 facility at Mukran on Ruegen Island in Sassnitz, Germany, on Oct. 19, 2017. (Carsten Koall/Getty Images)
EU Gas Prices Prices Hit Record High as Russia Curbs Supply During Freezing Winter
European gas prices touched an all-time high when gas flow from Russia reversed course as freezing winter weather set in over the continent, and renewable sources, such as wind, have failed to generate reasonable amounts of power.
The benchmark price for Europe at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) is at a record 162.78 euros per megawatt-hour, showing an increase of 11 percent on Dec. 21. Natural gas flows on the Yamal-Europe pipeline have been declining, from a Dec. 16 average of 12,000,000 kilowatt hours to almost 1,200,000 kilowatt hours on Dec. 18, before halting completely on Dec. 21. Then the flow reversed toward Poland from Germany, according to German operator Gascade.
Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, wrote on Twitter: EU gas and power open higher again today with gas flows from Russia on the Yamal-Europe pipeline dropping to near zero. Just as German wind output falls to a five-week low and freezing temperatures spread across Europe.
Russian state-owned Gazprom, the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe, sends gas via several routes and books extra volumes, based on demand, through auctions. The delivery is then routed through Ukraine, and through the Yamal route, via Belarus, to Germany.
As winter has begun to take hold, Russia has reserved more gas for domestic usage, while Gazprom hasnt booked additional deliveries at auctions. Traders closely monitor every tender, and each time Gazprom fails to book an auction for additional capacity, Europes benchmark gas price rises.
Starting this week, Gazprom has begun lifting gas from Central Russian underground facilities. Consumption is expected to peak in a month.
These exciting times will continue for a bit longer and will probably not end before the winter ends, said Hans van Cleef, a senior energy economist at ABN Amro, cited by Rigzone. Depending on how much inventories will be left by then, the price effects of current shortages could last even much longer.
According to some European Union officials and analysts, Russia is maintaining low supply in order to pressure the EU into approving the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Nord Stream 2 allows Russia to pump gas directly into countries such as Germany without depending on intermediaries such as Ukraine and Belarus. Russia has denied the allegations.
This is a purely commercial situation. You have to ask Gazprom about the details, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Dec. 21.
Lying on the bed of the Baltic Sea, the twin Nord Stream 2 pipelines, both running 1,234 kilometers (767 miles), have a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters.
Western nations consider the new pipeline as leverage on Russia in negotiations related to the troop buildup on the Ukraine border.
That pipeline doesnt have any gas flowing through it right now, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBCs Meet the Press on Dec. 12. And, in fact, its a source of leverage on Russia, because to the extent President [Vladimir] Putin wants to see gas flowing through that pipeline, if and when it becomes operational, its very unlikely or hard to see that happening if Russia has renewed its aggression on Ukraine.
Freezing temperatures have disrupted renewable energy production as wind output in Germany registered a dismal 2,277 megawatts on Dec. 21. Based on broker data, German power traded at 420 euros per megawatt-hour.
A man holds up a sign against critical race theory during a protest outside a Washoe County School District board meeting in Reno, Nev., on May 25, 2021. (Andy Barron/Reno Gazette-Journal via AP)
Former Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sending Violent Threats Over Anti-CRT Law
A former New Hampshire middle school teacher has pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from violent, sexual threats that he sent to a state lawmaker who sponsored legislation calling for a ban on the teaching of critical race theory in New Hampshire public schools.
I truly hope you get skull [expletive] to death you pathetic privileged white [expletive] boi, Daniel Rattigan, who taught for the Allenstown School District, wrote in one of his messages to New Hampshire state Rep. Keith Ammon, a Republican.
Some of Rattigans other threats, which also were directed at some of Ammons family members, are several pages long and were spread over a two-day period. Some of the threats are so sexually graphic and violent in nature that the lawmaker asked The Epoch Times to not print them.
There are definitely some psychopathic tendencies there, Ammon told The Epoch Times. I dont want to give another crazy person ideas.
Rattigan couldnt be reached by The Epoch Times for comment. His Linkedin and Facebook pages were offline and his landline was disconnected.
On Dec. 17, as part of an agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to one count of harassment and one count of obstructing government administration. He received a suspended fine of $1,240 and was ordered to write Ammon a letter of apology.
Ammon was a keynote speaker at a Stop Critical Race Theory Indoctrination rally held at the New Hampshire State House at about the time that Rattigan sent the threatening messages.
It was a measure that Ammon sponsored that set off Rattigan. It called for the prohibition of the dissemination of certain divisive concepts related to sex and race in state contracts, grants, and training programs.
While HB544 was tabled by the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee, state lawmakers later approved a similar measure that bans public schools from teaching that people are inherently racist because of their race.
Its one of the latest controversies following New Hampshires new ban on teaching that U.S. history and current times are exclusively predicated on white supremacy, a belief commonly associated with critical race theory (CRT).
Recently, the New Hampshire chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed a federal lawsuit against state officials, arguing that the new law is unconstitutional and infringes upon teachers rights to free speech.
Among those officials named in the suit is New Hampshire Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelbut who, along with his wife, homeschools all seven of their children.
After the law was approved, Moms of Liberty, which describes itself as a fierce defender of parental rights and of future generations of the United States, offered a $500 reward to anyone who outed a teacher for violating the new law, which includes a disciplinary provision for those caught breaking it.
The National Education Association called the new law repugnant, and Deb Howes, president of the state AFT chapter, said in a statement that teachers were worried that the law made them easy targets for being fired.
Educators are terrified of losing their teaching license over simply trying to teach, Howes said.
Several educators around the United States have been fired over teaching CRT. Earlier this year in Tennessee, Kingsport high school teacher Matthew Hawn was fired for teaching race supremacy theory. In Connecticut, a black superintendent resigned after receiving complaints that he was promoting white supremacy theories in schools. In Texas, a black principal agreed to resign after parents complained that he was indoctrinating students with CRT.
Many teachers have also been fired or have resigned in opposition to teaching CRT.
Jennifer Tafuto, an elementary school teacher in Manchester, Connecticut, resigned in September over the districts CRT curriculum.
In an online video explaining her resignation, Tafuto said she felt like she had been turned into a political activist by her school and that CRT seemed mostly designed to pit students against one another.
Teachers are given scripted questions such as I wonder why white people dont want black people to have an education?' Tafuto said.
In neighboring Massachusetts, Hanover school teacher Kari MacRae was fired over social media posts in which she expressed opposition to CRT and other issues, including gender identity and gender equality, which allow men to compete as women, provided they identify as a female.
MacRae, who filed a lawsuit against the school district for firing her, is now the subject of a recall petition to oust her from her seat on the school board in Bourne, Massachusetts, for her views. Shes running for state Senate, and social media posts show that she has garnered a groundswell of support from her local community.
Ammon told The Epoch Times that hes concerned that public schools are being used as outlets to carry out radical agendas, and he blamed Democrats for not just condoning it, but encouraging it.
They [Democrats] kind of jacked up the rhetoric around this bill and completely distorted and mischaracterized it, Ammon said. They contribute to whackos like Rattigan getting it into his head that this is a Nazi bill.
Rattigan had called Ammon a Nazi in one of his threats.
Ammon said hes disturbed that not a single Democratic lawmaker in New Hampshire has made a statement about the threats or even contacted him privately about them.
The divisive issue has also proven factional at the executive level.
The majority of New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununus Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion resigned in protest at his signing of the law, citing concerns that it limits certain kinds of teaching on race and sex.
Facebook logo at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square on March 29, 2018. (The Canadian Press/AP-Richard Drew)
Facebook Censors Christmas Greeting by Tory MP, Cites Breach of Discriminatory Practices Policy
A festive greeting ad posted on Facebook by a Conservative MP was removed for not complying with the companys discriminatory practices.
Mark Strahl, who represents the riding of Chilliwack-Hope in British Columbia, says his holiday greeting message to his constituents was censored by the social media giant. He successfully appealed to have it reinstated.
Today, Facebook declared that my ad to wish my constituents a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays didnt comply with their Discriminatory Practices policy, Strahl said on Twitter on Dec. 21.
According to Facebook, Discriminatory Practices means ads posted on their platform must not discriminate or encourage discrimination against people based on personal attributes such as race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, disability, medical or genetic condition.
Strahl argued that the content of his message did not violate any of the discriminatory practices as defined by Facebook.
According to the Tory MP, the original message of the text read, From my family to yours, have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Today, Facebook declared that my ad to wish my constituents a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays didnt comply with their Discriminatory Practices policy. The text with the ad literally said: From my family to yours, have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! [1/4] pic.twitter.com/kNumJHlUxs Mark Strahl, MP (@markstrahl) December 21, 2021
Though Strahl managed to successfully appeal to Facebook and eventually got his holiday greeting reinstated, he said the tech company crossed the line.
This is a glaring example of censorship and overreach by tech giant companies who control so much of the online space, he said.
We must be vigilant to ensure that we always stand up for free speech and fight back against any attempts by these companies, or our governments, to stifle it.
The Epoch Times contacted Facebook for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Controversies surrounding social media censorship among Silicon Valley tech giants have increased in recent years, sparking debate on whether the companies Section 230 immunitywhich protects social media platforms from civil liabilityshould be reversed.
A poll conducted by Yahoo Finance on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 with over 1,500 of its readers saw Facebook receiving 8 percent of the total votes as being the worst company of 2021, particularly in the area of censorship, among several concerns.
The respondents were polarized in their assessments of the tech company and expressed contradictory reasons for their disdain.
Respondents who identified as conservative said they felt that the free-speech police were overly censorious and targeted right-leaning views. Progressives, however, complained that the company did not go far enough in its efforts to eradicate perceived misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nicholas Dolinger contributed to this report.
Sony Corp's logo is seen at its news conference in Tokyo on Nov. 1, 2017. (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon)
FBI Seized Millions in Bitcoins From Alleged Japanese Embezzler
The Department of Justice has taken action to return more than $154 million in funds allegedly stolen from a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corp. by one of its employees, who is accused of subsequently converting the stolen money to Bitcoin.
According to the civil forfeiture complaint in the Southern District of California, the stolen funds were discovered on Dec. 1 after an FBI investigation into the matter revealed how the employee embezzled more than 3,879.16 Bitcoins on May 1, which is currently worth more than $190 million.
Rei Ishii, an employee of Sony Life Insurance Company Ltd. (Sony Life) in Tokyo, allegedly diverted the $154 million when the company attempted to transfer funds between its financial accounts, the complaint reads. Ishii allegedly did this by falsifying transaction instructions, which caused the funds to be transferred to an account that Ishii controlled at a bank in La Jolla, California. Ishii then quickly converted the funds to Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
The seizure of the funds was attributed to the joint effort between the FBI, Japans National Police Agency, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and Japan Prosecutors Unit on Emerging Crimes. Sony and Citibanks prompt actions also helped in the efforts of law enforcement.
The investigation teams were able to trace the funds transferred to a specific Bitcoin address, after obtaining the private key. The keys are mathematically related to Bitcoin addresses and allow them to be spent. All bitcoins related to the crime have now been recovered, while Ishii has been criminally charged in Japan.
Criminals should take note: You cannot rely on cryptocurrency to hide your ill-gotten gains from law enforcement. The United States coordinates extensively with its international partners to forestall crime and retrieve stolen funds, Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in the statement. It is our intent to return the stolen money to the victim of this audacious theft, and todays action helps us do that.
This isnt the first time the Justice Department has confiscated funds related to cryptocurrency schemes. In November, the department announced the selling of $56 million worth of cryptocurrency seized as part of the BitConnect case, one of the largest criminally charged crypto fraud scams.
BitConnect promoters duped investors out of $2 billion. The recovered digital coins were reimbursed to the victims. Glenn Arcaro, who managed the companys North American operations, has been charged and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The government had started liquidating the coins and holding the proceeds in U.S. dollars before compensating the victims, who were promised as much as 40 percent returns on their investments. As mainstream acceptance of digital currencies rises, so does the number of scams.
A Flagler County parent makes her feeling clear on the subject of who is in charge when it comes to the children as she observes proceedings at a Nov. 16, 2021, school board meeting. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)
Florida School Board Moves to Censor Speakers and Prohibit Broadcast of Public Comments
'Weve seen a taste of what can happen when there arent guidelines in place'
In response to months of public backlash from parents and residents opposed to forced student masking, School Board members in Palm Beach County, Florida, are proposing new rules to censor and limit the publics ability to voice their opinions and prohibit broadcasting of all public comments.
According to the School Board of Palm Beach County website, speakers will not be denied the opportunity to speak on the basis of their viewpoint. Pursuant to Florida statute 286.0114, the public shall be given a reasonable opportunity to be heard on a proposition before a board or commission. Florida statute 286.011 states that all meetings of public boards or commissions must be open to the public and the minutes of the meetings must be taken, promptly recorded, and open for public inspection.
The new policy, being drafted by school board attorneys, would limit the number of people who would be allowed to speak at public meetings and the amount of time they are allowed to speak. The new rules would also prohibit any speaker from addressing any board member by name, criticizing any board member, superintendent, or district staff member, and would prohibit the broadcasting of all public comments during all board meetings.
The Board
We have real business to attend to, said school board member Alexandra Ayala told the Sun-Sentinel, and weve seen a taste of what can happen when there arent guidelines in place. Were just sitting here for hours not doing the business and were backed up on things that really need to get pushed through.
I am a firm believer that a vibrant democracy requires engaged citizenry, Ayala told The Epoch Times in response to a request for a statement about her comments. While insisting our students, parents, employees, and taxpayers play a crucial role in sharing unique insights about the efficacy of the districts operations and often illuminate opportunities for significant improvement, Ayala did not answer the question of identifying precisely what business the board is backed up on and unable to get pushed through while just sitting here for hours listening to public comments of her engaged citizenry.
Board member Erica Whitfield told The Palm Beach Post her constituents are truly there to speak to the board but to people on TV, and because the board is giving them a platform more people come making it very difficult for us to get the job done.
Whitfield did not respond to a request by The Epoch Times to clarify her statement.
Board member Karen Brill has said curtailing public comments limits the ability of residents to communicate their concerns and makes board members less in touch with their constituents.
I think the policy is too reactive to whats been going on, Brill told The Epoch Times, and while she understands the concerns of her colleagues about getting business accomplished and recalled a few meetings where speakers went until 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., Brill said she couldnt think of any business the board has been unable to complete because of public comments.
When meetings run late into the night, Brill admitted she gets tired and shes not as sharp as when the meeting first started. But we still got through everything, she said. Work is not being prevented.
Brill, a realtor who spent many years on the other side of the dais as an activist for students with disabilities, said the most disturbing part of the policy is shutting off the cameras and not allowing public comments to be seen or heard by anyone who is unable to physically attend the meeting.
I find that very troubling, Brill said. First of all, we report to the public, and when a person makes an effort to come talk to us, whether they are saying something we agree with or not, its still our responsibility to listen. We need to have a forum where people are allowed to air their grievances. Its important that they feel they can come and speak. I just feel very uncomfortable limiting the public. We have to be careful in how we limit people. I dont know of any entity or any other municipality where they shut the cameras off during public comments. To have the meeting begin and have elected officials and representatives from organizations come speak to us and have their faces seen and voices heard and then shut off the cameras and the voices while the public speaks, I find that very disrespectful, and I think Im out of step with the rest of the board on that. I will stay as late as it takes for us to accomplish the business we have to accomplish, Brill said. I dont see the need for the extreme changes were making. I dont mind staying. That is my job. I am in this position to serve the public.
The Citizenry
Jennifer Showalter, mother of six and candidate for Palm Beach County School Board. (Courtesy of Jennifer Showalter)
The parents, citizens, and employees of Palm Beach County have been actively seeking dialog with the school board for over a year, Jennifer Showalter, mother of three and candidate for Palm Beach County School Board District Six, told The Epoch Times. They have been exercising their First Amendment rights without violence, yet have been stigmatized as problematic for the school boards agenda. The board, per their statements to the Palm Beach Post, labeled most speakers as attention seekers looking for publicity, not as concerned parents attending simply to speak to the board. I personally have attended the school board meetings for a year, and I can verify this is untrue. Most of the parents are nervous and inexperienced when it comes to public speaking, yet they feel compelled to attend to speak up on behalf of their children. Some are ostracized by the community for their efforts. I am running for office due to the boards disrespect of First Amendment rights, prohibiting parental involvement, and pushing a radical agenda. They have been operating without oversight and accountability for too long. The people are awake, and realize they must be more involved in the education of their children.
Erinn Boyle, another parent, believes the actions of the board to silence public comments are very revealing.
The Palm Beach County school board limiting public input just proves that they dont actually care about the children, Boyle told The Epoch Times. It shows they only want full control. They have their own agenda. Ive already had to pull my daughter out of school due to the mask mandates earlier this year because it was affecting her medically to wear a mask all day. Shes a senior this year and now is doing virtual school because of this. It is very sad. The entire board needs to be removed. They are trying to indoctrinate our children now, filling their heads with CRT. Where does it stop?
Bethany Ann, a concerned parent and taxpayer who comes from a family of educators, is in disbelief that it has come to this.
Never in my life would we expect to see the voices of parents and concerned citizens not only disregarded but disallowed, Bethany Ann told The Epoch Times. If we are not allowed to be a part of the conversation with a school board that makes decisions on how our precious children are taught, or whether they are allowed to breathe freely, then we should form our own schools where we can be a crucial part of those decisions. Parents have every right to voice their concerns. Any school board attempting to shut down free speech and public comment should be fired. Elected or otherwise, any entity funded by we the people, needs to hear from we the people when they are not upholding their duty to do whats best for the children.
Jean-Marie Nacer, a nurse, taxpayer and parent who home schools her child, told The Epoch Times that the proposed policy changes of limiting public comments were concerning enough for her to attend a school board meeting for the first time.
How will the public who is not present at the board meetings obtain or be able to hear comments from members of the public who speak at the board meetings if you do not broadcast them? Nacer asked rhetorically. Will the public who was unable to attend a board meeting have to go through a records request just to obtain comments from community members that were made during a public meeting?
The proposed policy changes of limiting the number of speakers and the amount of time each person can address the board is another concern for Nacer. Have you considered the possibility that certain special interest groups or groups who unite with group think about a certain agenda item may coordinate an effort to quickly book up those first come first serve sign-ups to speak on an agenda item; therefore limiting diverse views from being addressed to the board at the board meetings?
Everett Cooper, a 33-year-old Palm Coast County, Fla. resident was seized, arrested and lead away in handcuffs fr refusing to sit down at an Aug. 25 school board meeting. (Courtesy of Jennifer Showalter)
They have used intimidation by show of force with their large personal police force, who will do the boards bidding regardless of lawfulness of the orders, Everett Cooper told The Epoch Times. Cooper, a 33-year-old man who suffers from back pain, was seized, forced out of the room, arrested by officers, and lead away in handcuffs at an Aug. 25 meeting for refusing to sit down in the unmasked section of the room. Many parents had gathered at this meeting to voice opposition to the boards vote to seek legal action against Gov. Ron DeSantis for his ban on forced masking in schools. They use arbitrary, senseless, and unlawful rule changes in order to control, subdue, and remove the parents from the meetings, Cooper said. One of these rule changes resulted in myself being violently arrested with eight officers attempting to take me down, including a clenched hand around my throat; and I sustained injuries which left blood dripping from my fingers. Now they move to directly limit and impede our First Amendment rights.
Kayla Drick is another Palm Beach County (PBC) parent who has had enough.
The School District of Palm Beach Countys attempts to silence the community via public comment will surely enhance the distrust that has already been formed within our community Drick told The Epoch Times. School board members have acted unlawfully, and against their constituents, and now do not want to hear the outcry of it. This is unconstitutional, and I expect the amount of students being pulled from the public school system to surpass neighboring Broward Countys drops soon. The parents have had enough.
Bailey Hastings Lashells, mother and candidate for Palm Beach School Board District 3 is tired of board members who try to censor comments they dont like.
I have been in the boardroom many times when Frank Barbieri has filled excess of an hour with public comment from those in favor of the agenda that is being proposed that day, Lashells told The Epoch Times, so it seems to me what they are really trying to do is eliminate their constituents voices completely.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bills countering vaccine and mask mandates in Brandon, Fla., on Nov. 18, 2021. (Jannis Falkenstern/The Epoch Times)
Lashells is the mother of Fiona, the seven-year-old who was punished with 38 days of out of school suspension and 41 days of discipline (silent lunch, temporary removal from class, and in school suspension) for refusing to wear a mask. Her activism even caught the attention of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Candace Owens.
I think the way Fiona was censored just weeks ago by the board after just half of the allotted three minutes is proof positive this is a terrible idea, Lashells insisted. The board seems to have zero accountability any longer and that is unacceptable as a stakeholder. If we do not protect our constitutional freedoms, then we have to question whether our children will still have them.
Lori Scalise, a mother of five in the PBC School District, is tired of being ignored by those who are supposed to work for her.
It is completely inappropriate for the Palm Beach County School Board to block public comment, as they work for us, the public, Scalise told The Epoch Times. I have been to a few school board meetings and made statements via phone, all of which were completely ignored by the school board. I did not even receive answers to any of my emails from them regarding any questions I asked of them. They had absolutely no interest in hearing my concerns about my 4-year-old, autistic, nonverbal, daughter being forced mask at school. Parents concerns about their childrens well-being are very valid and must continue to be heard.
Gloria Tucker, a PBC mother and candidate for Jupiter Town Council, agrees.
Since this pandemic began, the overreach of the Palm Beach School Board has gone too far, Tucker told The Epoch Times. They are trying to silence our voices, taking our First Amendment right away. As parents we need to hold the school board accountable for their actions and decisions on behalf of our children. They forget they work for us.
Florida is on track to kick Chinese investments out of the states retirement fundsone of the largest in the country.
A group of Chinese students on an American college campus are protesting. They say the universitys defense of a communist regime critic has offended the entire Chinese student body. But some suggest that Beijings long arm lies behind the student protest.
A northern Chinese city is virus testing millions of residents after more than 40 new cases were detected in the city. The outbreak prompted officials to suspend classes and seal off high-risk districts.
A teacher from southern China has been forced to a mental hospitalall because she showed support to another teacher who challenged the Chinese Communist Partys official narrative about a historic event.
Chinese police are hiring private contractors to make hundreds of fake Twitter and Facebook accounts. A new report says its part of Chinas campaign to shape public opinion overseas.
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Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback speaks at the Department of State in Washington on June 21, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
Former Ambassador Sam Brownback: The World Needs a New Cold War Against the CCP
The world needs a new cold war against communist China, according to former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback.
One of the things thats taking place now is were getting in a cold war stance against China, Brownback told EpochTVs Crossroads program. We need to confront them as aggressively as we confronted the Soviet Union for those decades, facing-off in that Cold War.
Were in the same position now. Only I think Chinas a tougher opponent than what the Soviet Union was, Brownback added.
Brownback said he loves China and the Chinese people, and he has an adopted daughter from China. But he criticized the Chinese regimes oppression of human rights in Hong Kong, and of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
The Trump administration said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had detained over a million Uyghurs in Xinjiang and declared it had committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other minorities. The Biden administration has maintained this stance.
Its also reported that the CCP has used prisoners of conscience, especially Falun Gong practitioners, as living sources for forced organ transplants, which Brownback called almost unbelievable.
The Biden administration announced on Dec. 6 a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Brownback said the diplomatic boycott does not go far enough.
I dont think its far enough. But I think its a great step. Im glad theyre doing it, he said.
It is a huge, huge success to go from a Republican to a Democrat administration and maintain a policy continuity on this big of an issue, Brownback continued. So then it means Republicans said this; the Democrats agreed with this. And now youve got a united country standing against the Chinese communists. And thats a very big thing. I would love to see that the Biden administration be more robust about it.
However, the Biden administration has repeatedly called the Chinese regime a competitor instead of an adversary.
I dont know if [the Biden administration] would call it a cold war like Ive called it, Brownback said, but I think weve just got to continue to build that and then build the cohesiveness of us as the United States and the free world, to stand against the Chinese. Thats now the ticket weve got to do. Weve got to get the Europeans, the other freedom-loving nations. And then finally, we got to fight for Africa, in the developing world. Thats where the Chinese have gone in to get resources and to buy off people and to get influence.
Tibetans, Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Hongkongers, Southern Mongolians, Taiwanese, and Chinese democracy activists join together to call on governments to stand against the Chinese Communist Partys suppression of freedom, democracy, and human rights, in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Oct. 1, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
Brownback explained that he takes such a strong stance because he saw the evils of communism.
Its the same fight. We just got a tougher opponent, Brownback said. It offends me, and Im in a position to be able to say something about it.
And its not about the Chinese people, as I said earlier, mentioned that one of my children is Chinese, and I love her dearly. I love the Chinese people. Theyre wonderful people. But this government, this atheistic, communist, totalitarian regime, headed by a dictator in the image of MaoXi Jinpingis wrong for their country now. Its wrong. Period. And certainly wrong for the world.
In July 2020, Brownback, along with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), were sanctioned by the Beijing regime in retaliation for the United States punishing Chinese officials, including Chen Quanguo, the head of Xinjiang, for their human rights violations in the region.
Its a badge of honor to me, Brownback said, referring to Beijings sanction. We cannot as a free world stand around and let the Chinese communists do what theyre doing. Its past time.
This is the time to stand up against China. So Im honored to have been in this fray, and Im going to keep in this fray.
Harry Lee Follow Harry Lee is a New York-based reporter for The Epoch Times. Contact Harry at harry.lee@epochtimes.com
Alex Berenson speaks on censorship, freedom of speech, at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2021. (CPAC/Screenshot via NTD)
Former New York Times Reporter Alex Berenson Sues Twitter Over Ban
Former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson sued Twitter this week, alleging his permanent suspension from the social media platform violated the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment and federal and California laws.
Berenson was banned from Twitter in August. Twitter said he repeatedly violated the companys COVID-19 misinformation rules. The rules prohibit sharing false or misleading information about COVID-19 which may lead to harm, though the company itself includes misinformation on its page, suggesting people who have been vaccinated cannot spread COVID-19.
According to the new suit, Berenson had been assured by a senior Twitter executive that he would not be banned from the platform, even after he started critically covering the COVID-19 vaccines.
Lawyers representing Berenson say the independent reporter did not violate Twitters rules.
Twitter, on the other hand, broke its promises to Mr. Berenson as well as its policies, and violated his rights as it served the federal governments censorship demands, they wrote in the suit, referring to remarks made by President Joe Biden and one of his top medical advisers, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
While Twitter has in the past relied on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to defend itself against similar suits, the law does not shield the company from Californias Constitution or a common carrier law in the state, according to the suit.
Additionally, Section 230 does not protect Twitter from claims of breach of contract and promissory estoppel, which rely in part on the representations the company made to him prior to the ban.
The logo for Twitter appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Nov. 29, 2021. (Richard Drew/AP Photo)
Twitter is indisputably a messenger service. A longstanding California law regulates messenger services as common carriers. This means that they must accept all messages they receive. Twitter thus must accept all tweets it receives. It has no First Amendment rights to refuse them on the basis that it does not agree with them, Berenson wrote on his blog.
Twitter has not responded to requests for comment and has not filed a response to the complaint, which was entered in U.S. district court in northern California.
The case was assigned to Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero. An initial conference is scheduled for March 25, 2022.
Berenson is seeking an order requiring Twitter to reinstate Berenson and blocking the company from violating his rights under the state and U.S. Constitutions.
He also wants damages under the U.S. Lanham Act, the California common carrier law, and the California Unfair Competition Law, as well as damages for breach of contract and any other relief that the court deems necessary.
Former national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret.) speaks at the Let the Church ROAR National Prayer Rally on the National Mall in Washington on Dec. 12, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
Former Trump Adviser Michael Flynn Sues Jan. 6 Committee Over Subpoenas
Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn on Dec. 21 sued the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, seeking to block the panel from obtaining his phone records.
Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, alleged in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Florida that the subpoena issued to him by the committee last month was too broad in scope and punishes him for constitutionally protected speech he engaged in as a private citizen.
Flynn has raised significant Constitutional and practical concerns that preclude his compliance with the subpoena without clarification of its scope and terms by the Select Committee, the lawsuit states.
The former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency and then-President Donald Trumps national security adviser also alleged in the lawsuit that the congressional committee has no authority to conduct business because it is not a duly constituted Select Committee.
An appeals court has rejected that argument, ruling on Dec. 9 that the committee is valid and entitled to see White House records Trump has tried to shield from public view. The nine-member House panel includes seven Democrats and two Republicans.
The committee has requested that Flynn testify before the panel, and that he submit documents about a command center at Washingtons Willard Hotel that the panel alleges was set up to steer efforts to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens November 2020 election victory.
Without intervention by this Court, General Flynn faces the harm of being irreparably and illegally coerced to produce information and testimony in violation of the law and his constitutional rights, the lawsuit says. He will also be illegally and irreparably harmed by the Select Committees unlawful and secret seizure of his and his familys personal information from their telecommunications and/or electronic mail service providers.
Flynns lawsuit follows nearly a week after freelance photojournalist Amy Harris filed a lawsuit against the committee in federal court in Washington, seeking to block a subpoena. Her lawsuit argues that demanding her phone records violates her right not to reveal confidential sources.
Trumps former chief of staff Mark Meadows also sued the House of Representatives panel this month after they said they would move to hold him in contempt of Congress for refusing to appear for a deposition requested by the committee.
Meadowss lawsuit, filed in a Washington, D.C. federal court, asks a judge to invalidate two subpoenas that he says are overly broad and unduly burdensome. It accuses the committee of overreaching by issuing a subpoena to Verizon for his cellphone records.
The House committee didnt respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment by press time.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Former US Navy Sailor Sentenced to 30 Months for Exporting Military Equipment to China
A former U.S. Navy sailor has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring with her husband to illegally ship export-controlled sensitive military equipment to China for profit, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Dec. 21.
Ye Sang Ivy Wang, 37, a naturalized U.S. citizen from China, was a logistics specialist for the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command from 2015 to 2019, where her duties included making military equipment purchases, according to a DOJ statement.
The Naval Special Warfare Commandthe naval component of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)includes the Navys SEALS and Special Boat Teams.
Her husband, Shaohua Eric Wang, 38, also a naturalized U.S. citizen, enlisted his wife to use her Navy position to purchase military equipment for resale, according to the statement. He traveled to China frequently, had buyers in the country, and maintained a warehouse in China to house the military equipment.
In March 2018, Ivy used her military email and her mailing address at the Navy command to order a device for identifying United States military personnel in the field, the DOJ stated. When the device arrived at the Navy command, she was deployed in Iraq. She told her command that the item was for her husband for an upcoming camping trip.
Upon her return from Iraq in October 2018, she admitted to law enforcement agents that she knew that her husband was shipping military equipment to China illegally.
Her husband continued to press her to make more purchases, even handing her an Excel spreadsheet of items that he wanted her to buy. According to prosecutors, Ivy got so annoyed at her husband that she gave him her password to her military email and told him to buy the export-controlled military equipment posing as her when she was deployed overseas.
Ms. Wang betrayed her oath to the U.S. Navy and ultimately threatened the operational readiness and safety of our nations military by attempting to acquire and illegally export sensitive military equipment to China, said Joshua Flowers, special agent in charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Services Southwest Field Office, according to the statement.
In addition to her 30-month sentence, Ivy was also fined $20,000. Her husband was sentenced to 46 months for his role in the scheme on Feb. 3, 2020, according to the DOJ. The couple is from San Diego.
According to a court document (pdf), Ivy became the target of an investigation when a special security officer in Navy command was alerted that she had repeatedly tried to obtain a top security clearance. Her job already granted her a classified security clearance. The officer was also alarmed to learn that she was compiling a list of the Navy commands deployment personnel records, including names and addresses, according to the court document.
Court documents also show that one of the companies that she reached out to was the U.S.-based Airborne Systems, a maker of military parachutes. Its unclear if she purchased anything from the company on behalf of her husband.
The Wangs arent the first Chinese nationals to have been accused of illegally exporting U.S. equipment and technology to China.
In November 2020, a Chinese American electrical engineer who worked for Raytheon Missiles and Defense was sentenced to 38 months in prison for violating U.S. export control law. The engineer had traveled to China while bringing with him a company-issued computer containing information related to a missile guidance system.
Three months later, a Chinese researcher who worked at the Ohio-based Research Institute at the Nationwide Childrens Hospital for 10 years was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to steal U.S. trade secrets and sell them for profit in China.
In July, a Chinese national was sentenced to 3 1/2 years for attempting to illegally export maritime raiding craft and engines to China. According to the DOJ, the U.S. military uses the engines to launch vessels from submerged submarines or from aircraft into the ocean. China is incapable of manufacturing the same engines.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in September 2020 that the bureau was opening one new Chinese counterintelligence investigation about every 10 hours. Wray also said the bureau had more than 2,000 counterintelligence investigations related to China at that time.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie arrives to deliver the State of the State Address in the Assembly Chambers at the Statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., on Jan. 14, 2014. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
GOP Lawmakers Blocked From Entering New Jersey Statehouse Over COVID-19 Mandate; People Rally to Protest the Mandate
On Monday six Republican lawmakers who refused to show their COVID-19 vaccine card or test were blocked by state police from entering the New Jersey Statehouse. New Jerseyans rallied on the same day to protest the recently adopted COVID-19 policy for entering the state legislature.
People gathered in front of the New Jersey Statehouse to protest against the COVID-19 policy enacted in November that requires all persons including lawmakers, staff, and the public who attend all gatherings and meetings in the state capitol building to show either proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or the negative result of a COVID-19 PCR test performed within the last 72 hours.
When speaking at the rally, Assemblyman Jay Webber (R) and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (R) said that they and four other Republican assemblymen earlier in the morning were prohibited from entering the legislature building because they refused to show their vaccination or negative test proof.
The Republican lawmakers, however, were able to enter the Assembly chambers on Dec. 2 when the new COVID-19 policy took effect. At that time they were able to go to their seats in the Statehouse without showing any proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status, Webber said.
On Dec. 2 the lawmakers asked security guards very politely but very firmly whether they would restrain the lawmakers physically if they go to their seats and the guards answered no, Webber explained. As a result, the legislators were able to attend the voting session on that day.
We stood up back on December 2, we had a voting session, we went to the floor and we refused to comply with what we believe to be an unconstitutional and illegal mandate.
The policy to restrict entry to the Statehouse was a discriminatory move, but it stands for us, Webber said.
The next voting session, originally planned for last week, was pushed to Monday, Dec. 20, but the security was amped up and the six Republican lawmakers were not allowed to enter the legislative building, Webber said.
When I went to the Statehouse yesterday, the State Police locked the doors on me because I oppose the Speakers vax or test mandate. https://t.co/ffKB242I6H pic.twitter.com/3SO17wEfai Jay Webber (@JayWebberNJ) December 21, 2021
On Monday around 9 a.m., Webber and DiMaso together with the four other Republican Assemblymen tried to enter the Statehouse to attend a voting session, Webber told the rally.
The police told them The doors are locked. Youre not allowed, Webber said.
We have a constitutional crisis on December 20, because the Constitution of the state of New Jersey says that duly elected members of the Assembly shall not be arrested, cant be impeded going to the legislative session unless youre accused of treason or high misdemeanors.
Webber said that he and DiMaso both asked the state police in the morning: Are we accused of treason? They [the police] said no. Are we accused of a high misdemeanor? They [the police] said no. However the police did not allow them to enter the building, Webber continued.
The Republican legislators were challenging the COVID-19 vaccination policy in court, Webber said. We are going to court to vindicate the rule of law.
A judge denied their request later on the same day, according to NJ.com.
After being denied entry to the Statehouse the Republicans had to vote outside of the Assembly Chambers, saidAssemblyman Erik Peterson (R) on Facebook. He was one of the six lawmakers denied entry to the Statehouse for refusing to reveal their COVID-19 status.
Voting Is More Important Than Ever
The rallys motto was United We Stand and participants were holding signs and chanting slogans such as We The People, Freedom, and This Is Our House, which referred to the New Jersey Statehouse.
Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (R) who joined the other Republicans said at the rally: A couple of weeks ago, we did take a temperature, we walked to our tests, we were behind Plexiglas, we didnt have one incident of transmission [of COVID-19]. Now theyre instituting this hardline lockdown.
I think its as much to keep you folks out, as it is to keep us out. And if you cant come in, Im not going in, Scharfenberger told rally attendees.
If with a protective veneer of elected office that we have, if they can do this to us, imagine what they can do to you, he said. Were gonna keep fighting this until it turns around.
Scharfenberger stressed the importance of voting: Voting, we see it, voting is more important than ever.
There is another election coming up, the following November, and thats when were gonna make some changes, he told protesters.
In the November 2021 election, Republicans defeated two Democrat incumbents in the New Jersey Senate and flipped six New Jersey Assembly seats, but Democrats will still hold the majority in both chambers of the state legislature.
Ninth Amendment
Civil rights attorney Tricia Lindsay encouraged people at the rally to take advantage of the Ninth Amendment,
Lindsay said that most courts will not even apply this amendment because it gives so much power to the people, because what it says is that any rights that are not enumerated in the Constitution are given to the people.
We the People, we are the lesser magistrates, we have to stand, we have a right to interpose ourselves between this unjust federal government and its laws.
Lindsay rhetorically asked why a vaccine that does not prevent transmission of the disease is forced on everyone to take. Those who want to take it should take it, she said.
We have to keep pushing, we have to demand our legislatures to stand up for us. And if they will not, then they need to vacate their seats. And Im talking about all the way up, the attorney told people.
Learning From Others Mistakes
Mary Holland, J.D., the President and General Counsel of Childrens Health Defense organization, told rally attendees about similar restrictions in Latvia, a country in Eastern Europe, where lawmakers already cannot sit with their legislature unless theyre vaccinated.
The Latvian government enacted a law in November banning unvaccinated people from performing their jobs and even duly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) cannot participate in the debates, voting, or deliberationsnot even remotely via video call.
Latvian MP Maris Mozvillo wrote to The Epoch Times, I would like to inform you about the processes that are taking place with us. Informing other countries may help them to avoid the mistakes that our country made, Mozvillo said.
Holland warned that COVID-19 restrictions started from two weeks of lockdowns to flatten the curve, then they progressed to a requirement to show testing papers or vaccination papers.
If you think that this will be the last step in this progression. Youre wrong, Holland said. There are talks about excluding people who are not vaccinated from society, she added.
Holland also said that COVID-19 is a real illness but these vaccines, so-called, these experimental biologics are the most radical medical experiments in human history. this is not a vaccine in any ordinary sense, it doesnt stop transmission.
Nothing thats happening today would be possible without the propaganda and censorship that are going along with it. Dont forget that those of us who are standing here are being radically censored on all of the social media platforms. Holland said.
The Childrens Health Defense organization challenges social media companies in court for censoring the organization and its founder and chairman Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Holland told people at the rally.
Weve got lots of lawsuits going in a variety of states about mandatesmandates for PCR testing, mandates for vaccines, mandates for masks, including cases in New York and California, the president of Childrens Health Defense said.
A map shows the location of the island of Folegandros, in Greece, on Dec. 22, 2021. (Google Maps)
Greece: Migrant Boat Sinks, 1 Dead, Dozens Feared Missing
ATHENS, GreeceGreeces coast guard says one migrant has died and dozens are feared missing after a boat sank off the coast of the island of Folegandros.
The body of the unidentified man was recovered during an ongoing search and rescue operation launched early Wednesday after the boat sank some 180 kilometers (112 miles) southeast of Athens. The coast guard said 12 people, all believed to be from Iraq, had been rescued and transported to the nearby island of Santorini.
Most survivors said there were originally 32 people on the boat, but one told authorities there were about 50.
The coast guard said four coast guard vessels, two helicopters from the navy and air force, a military transport plane, five passing ships, and three private vessels were participating in the search and rescue operation.
The survivors made it onto a dinghy that was tethered to the boat. Only two of them were wearing life jackets, Coast Guard spokesman Nikos Kokkalas told state-run ERT television.
We always presume the worst-case scenario, in this case, that 50 people were on the boat.
The coast guard said the operation began Tuesday night after it received information that a vessel carrying migrants had suffered engine failure and later began taking on water south of Folegandros.
Harvard Professor Charles Lieber Convicted of Lying About China Ties
A Harvard University professor was found guilty by a U.S. jury on Dec. 21 of lying to authorities about his ties to the Thousand Talents Plan, the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) well-financed job recruitment program.
Charles Lieber, 62, former chairman of Harvards Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, was found guilty by a federal jury in Boston on all countssix felony charges made up of two counts of making false statements, two counts of filing false tax returns, and two counts of failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China.
The jury arrived at the verdict after 2 hours and 45 minutes of deliberations and five days of testimony.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Lieber agreed in 2011 to become a strategic scientist at the Wuhan University of Technology in China and that he had participated in the CCPs Thousand Talents Plan while working on sensitive U.S. research. Lieber was also a contractual participant in the program from at least 2012 through 2017, according to court documents.
Related Coverage Former Harvard Chemistry Chair Admits to Taking Tens of Thousands of Dollars From China
Prosecutors alleged that Lieber had filed false tax returns to misrepresent the funding that he received from the Chinese regimes program. This included $50,000 per month plus $158,000 in living expenses and more than $1.5 million in grants from the Wuhan University of Technology.
Prosecutors also alleged that he lied about his role in the program in response to inquiries from the U.S. Defense Department and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
The CCPs Thousand Talents Program has been in place since December 2008, targeting high-level overseas experts. It has been flagged by U.S. authorities over its threats to national security.
Lieber was first charged in January 2020 and then later in June and July 2020, as part of the Department of Justices China Initiative, which was launched in 2018 under the Trump administration. The initiative sought to prosecute cases of economic espionage and research theft initiated by the CCP against the United States.
President Joe Bidens administration has continued the initiative, though the Justice Department has said it is reviewing its approach.
Since Liebers arrest on the Harvard campus in January 2020, he has been on paid administrative leave.
Lieber, who is currently battling late-stage lymphoma, will be sentenced at a later hearing, The Harvard Crimson reported.
Reuters contributed to this report.
If You Invested $1,000 in Costco Stock One Year Ago, Heres How Much Youd Have Now
Investors who have owned stocks in the last year have generally experienced some big gains. In fact, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust total return over the last 12 months is 28.8 percent. But there is no question some big-name stocks performed better than others along the way.
Costcos Big Year
One company that has been a strong investment in the past year has been membership-only retailer Costco Wholesale Corporation.
Costco has generated industry-leading growth and market-beating returns for years now, and recent quarters have been no different. Its membership-based, low-cost model makes it difficult for companies to compete with Costcos value, and Costcos membership fees are also a primary source of high-margin revenue for the company.
Costco may not be the most exciting company or stock in the market, but its stellar business model has been a consistent source of returns for long-term investors. Costco currently has more than 61.7 million paid members, up from just 53.9 million in fiscal 2019.
While many other retailers are struggling to gain back their pre-COVID-19 pandemic business, Costcos business is booming, including 16.6 percent revenue growth, 15 percent same-store sales growth, and 14.3 percent online sales growth in the fiscal first quarter.
Unfortunately, Costcos stock has performed so well in recent years that it has gotten a bit pricey for a retailer, trading at nearly 40 times forward earnings.
At the beginning of 2020, Costco shares were trading at $294.06. By the beginning of March, the stock was still trading around $294 as news of the coronavirus spreading in China prompted concerns about a U.S. pandemic.
When the market crashed during the U.S. COVID-19 outbreak in March, Costco shares dropped as low as $271.20 during the height of the pandemic fears.
When the market bounced off pandemic lows, Costco began to rebound as well. The stock returned to its pre-pandemic highs of around $325 by July and broke out to new highs in early August, eventually reaching a 2020 high of $393.15 in November.
Costco in 2021, Beyond
Costco stock pulled back to as low as $307 in March 2021 before regaining its bullish momentum. The stock hit $400 in July, $500 in November, and an all-time high of $566.55 earlier this month. Today, shares are hovering around $547.
Costco investors who bought one year ago and held on hoping for a big 2021 performance have generated an impressive return on their investment at this point. In fact, $1,000 in Costco stock bought on Dec. 20, 2020, would be worth about $1,503 today, assuming reinvested dividends.
Looking Ahead
Analysts are expecting little price action from Costco in the next 12 months. The average price target among the 28 analysts covering the stock is $563, suggesting a 3 percent upside from current levels.
By Wayne Duggan
2021 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
An Israeli health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to a man, at the Maccabi Health Service in the Israeli town of Rishon Lezion, Israel, in August 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)
Expert Israeli Panel Recommends 4th COVID-19 Vaccine Dose to People Over 60
Other at-risk groups also eligible for second booster
The Israeli government announced it expects a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be offered to people older than 60 or those at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, such as immunocompromised people and health care workers.
Israels health ministry said on Tuesday that the countrys Pandemic Expert Committee had recommended the fourth shot.
The decision is pending formal approval by senior health officials.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett welcomed the decision, saying it is wonderful news that will assist us in getting through the Omicron wave that is engulfing the world.
The State of Israel is continuing to stand at the forefront of the global effort to deal with the pandemic, he said in a statement. The citizens of Israel were the first in the world to receive the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and we are continuing to pioneer with the fourth dose as well.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attends a cabinet meeting at the prime ministers office in Jerusalem, on Aug. 1, 2021. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo/AP)
Specifically, a fourth dose is recommended to those aged over 60 provided that four months have passed since their third COVID-19 vaccine dose. A fourth dose is also recommended for health care workers, provided four months have passed since their third dose.
The panel also recommended that the third dose of the COVID-19 be given three months after a persons second shotinstead of five months as was previously recommendedas part of preparation for the fifth wave of COVID-19 in the country.
I call on everyone who meets the criteria that the members of the committee have set: go and get vaccinated, Bennett said. Take responsibility for the health and livelihoods of us all. The vaccines save lives.
The development comes on the same day as the first known death in Israel attributed to the Omicron variant was reported by a hospital in Israel, the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. The man, who died on Monday, was in his sixties. His death comes two weeks after he was admitted to the coronavirus ward.
His morbidity stemmed mainly from pre-existing sicknesses and not from respiratory infection arising from the coronavirus, according to a statement from the hospital.
The Israeli Health Ministry noted that at least 340 cases of Omicron have been confirmed in the country.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has ordered the militarys Homefront Command to prepare for the eventuality of 5,000 new cases per day.
The government expanded travel bans this week to countries including the United States, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and Canada.
Bennetts office said it had also encouraged remote work by reducing office attendance to 50 percent for public sector employees.
Israel was among the first countries in the world to introduce the COVID-19 vaccine for the public, as well as introduce vaccine passports and mandatory vaccinations, and in recent months, the Israeli government has been pushing the public to get booster shots.
Israeli authorities announced on Nov. 15 that children aged 511 would be eligible for the weaker dosing of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinecoming just a week after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the pediatric shot for broad use in that age group.
Israel has largely relied on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in its public rollout, until about August 2021, when it largely pivoted to the Moderna vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is still being administered to those under 18 because the Moderna vaccine has not yet been approved for them. The Pfizer vaccine is also being administered to people waiting on their second dose.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Update: This article has been updated to emphasize the booster recommendation had not received final approval
Boxes of Pop-Tarts sit for sale at the Metropolitan Citymarket in the East Village neighborhood of New York City on Feb. 19, 2014. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
Kellogg Workers Approve New Agreement, Ending Strike
Workers for Kellogg Inc. have voted in favor of a new tentative labor deal, ending their strike of over two months and setting the stage for a return to work on December 27th.
The strike began on October 5th, when about 1,400 workers saw their contracts expire without an acceptable replacement, prompting them to abstain from work at plants in Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee until an acceptable labor agreement could be reached. They were organized as members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union.
The strike has elicited support from prominent politicians, including a visit from Senator Bernie Sanders, who gave a perfunctory speech outside the food processing companys headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan. When Kellogg threatened to replace permanently the striking workers, the White House sharply criticized the company.
Permanently replacing striking workers is an existential attack on the union and its members jobs and livelihoods, said President Biden in a statement earlier this month. And such action undermines the critical role collective bargaining plays in providing workers a voice and the opportunity to improve their lives while contributing fully to their employers success.
The agreement was seen as favorable to workers, and notable included the removal of the two-tier system, in which senior employees were paid more than more recent hires. The deal includes across-the-board wage increases and expanded benefits. A previous tentative agreement was rejected by workers, precisely because it did not include the removal of the two-tiered benefits system.
With the agreement, the employees are slated to return to work on December 27th under the new conditions. Their successful strike indicates the unique leverage that workers now hold amid a nationwide labor shortage, which has seen the tables turn as employers are forced to make concessions to labor in order to keep workplaces well-staffed and functioning.
Clinicians perform a tracheostomy on a patient in a COVID-19 intensive care unit at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 17, 2021. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
LA County Looking to Hire 200 More Nurses Amid Nursing Shortage
LOS ANGELESLos Angeles County will add about 200 registered nurses (RN) to the Department of Health Services to achieve staffing standards as California struggles with a nursing shortage.
The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors voted on Dec. 21 to approve a motion to help hospitals within the county reach the states nurse-to-patient ratioat least one nurse for every two patientsfor adult critical care units, according to the departments Dec. 21 letter to the board.
The board also approved adding roughly $11 million to the departments budget for salaries and benefits for nurses in the current fiscal year, though the department didnt specify how the added funds would be used.
The department will also reallocate about $9 million from its Enterprise Fund, a fund to provide grants to health care initiatives, to instead fund the staffing costs and operational changes needed during the hiring process.
This comes as a 2020 study by Nightingale College projected that by 2030, California will be short 44,500 registered nursesthe highest in the nation by numbers.
The report listed burnout and low job satisfaction as one of the leading causes of nursing shortages.
Since the pandemic, between 60 and 75 percent of health care workers reported symptoms of exhaustion, depression, sleep disorders, and PTSD, while about 20 percent of health care workers quit their jobs over the pandemic, according to Dr. Victor Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine.
Last month, four out of five health care employees who remain said staff shortages have affected their ability to work and satisfy patient needs, according to Dzau.
Also, before the pandemic, physicians were two times more likely to burn out compared to the general population, Dzau said in a health care webinar.
Professor Paul Clark, former director of Pennsylvania State Universitys School of Labor and Employment Relations, said the current situations make it difficult for RNs to stay working in hospitals.
There always seems to be a shortage of nurses, Clark told The Epoch Times in a previous interview. But its important to realize theres not a shortage of RNs. Theres a shortage of RNs willing to work under the conditions theyve been asked to work.
Last month, more than 30,000 nurses at California-based Kaiser Permanente hospitals planned to strike in protest of an announcement of a 1 percent raise for workers and a 26 percent slash in pay for new hires; Kaiser Permanente eventually struck a deal with its workers that includes annual wage increases and maintained employee health benefits.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health Services, as well as a spokesperson for the Board of Supervisors, didnt respond to requests for comment by press time.
Lithuania Will Not Bend to Chinese Pressure Amid Diplomatic Row Over Taiwan
Part 1 of the 2-part series: LithuaniaChina Diplomatic Row
News Analysis
Lithuania, a small country of nearly 3 million people, has not caved in to Chinese pressure amid a diplomatic row over the Baltic nations decision to develop ties with Taiwan.
We will not bend to this pressure, Mantas Adomenas, Lithuanias vice-minister for foreign affairs, told Reuters, referring to Beijings coercion. What we decide to do, by calling Taiwan Taiwan, is up to Lithuania, not Beijing, he added.
After the Lithuanian government allowed Taiwan to open a representative office, using the name Taiwan, in the capital of Vilnius, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) called the move a bad precedent. Beijing then downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania.
One-China Policy
The CCP claims that Taiwan is part of mainland China, although many democratic nations feel Taiwan deserves more recognition in the world community. Beijing prevents other countries from forming closer ties with Taiwan and pressures them to uphold the one-China policy. The CCP even threatens countries with economic sanctions just for engaging with the island nation. It is a tragic story, dating back to the Chinese civil war.
When the CCP took over mainland China and established the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and about 2 million of his Kuomintang followers retreated to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) and established a temporary capital in Taipei. In 1971, the PRC was recognized by the United Nations. Eight years later, the United States switched recognition from Taiwan to the PRC. Since then, other countries have followed suit, leaving Taiwan with only 14 allies today.
Taiwan is a multi-party democracy with its own army, currency, and government. The average Taiwanese does not want to be ruled by communist China. The current, democratically-elected president, Tsai Ing-wen, is part of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is a pro-independence party. Beijing has been clear that it would never agree to Taiwan being independent, and has repeatedly threatened to retake Taiwan by force, if necessary.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the United States is committed to selling defensive weapons to Taiwan and could possibly intervene if China invades the island. The Trump administration increased arms sales to Taiwan and stationed U.S. troops there, for the first time in over 40 years. The Biden administration has doubled the number of troops, continuing the Trump-era policies of forging closer relations with Taiwan while taking a tough stance against China.
Beijings Aggression
As Taiwan is only recognized as an independent nation by 13 U.N. members and the Vatican, it has very few embassies. Instead, countries that engage with Taiwan host Taiwan representative offices that go by a variety of names: Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Taipei Representative Office (TRO), or Taipei Mission.
In response to the opening of the Taiwan representative office in Lithuanias capital city of Vilnius, China recalled its ambassadorthe first time it had done so since the European Union was formed in 1993. Before the formation of the EU, in 1981, Beijing recalled its ambassador to the Netherlands after a Dutch company sold submarines to Taiwan. The CCP then asked the Netherlands to withdraw its ambassador from Beijing, downgrading the embassy to a charge daffaires. Relations between the two countries were not normalized again until 1984.
The CCP also bullies international organizations, threatening to withhold funding, if they allow the use of the name Taiwan. Taiwan competes as Chinese Taipei in the Olympic Games, and the same name is used in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Lithuania has had a number of grievances with China over the years. In 2012, China formed a trade pact that would eventually be known as the 17+1. Twelve EU states and five Balkan states are members of the bloc.
When Lithuania joined the trade pact, it expected an increases in trade and investment from China. Instead, nearly ten years later, Lithuanias trade deficit with China has increased by nearly 33 percent. And exports to China have actually decreased by 4 percent compared to a year earlier. As a result, Lithuania quit the 17+1. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis urged other EU countries to do the same, saying that the trade pact is divisive for Europe.
Lithuanias parliament condemned the CCPs repression of Uyghur Muslims in Chinas Xinjiang region, which they identified as crimes against humanity. At the same time, the EU parliament demanded that Beijing lift sanctions against EU members. Until the sanctions are lifted, the EU refuses to ratify an EU-China trade deal. Lithuania, meanwhile, chose Swedens Telia Company for the nations 5G network, replacing Chinese tech firm Huawei.
Huawei and 5G signs on display during the 10th Global Mobile Broadband Forum hosted by Chinese tech giant Huawei in Zurich, Switzerland, on Oct. 15, 2019. (Stefan Wermuth/AFP via Getty Images)
One year ago, Lithuanias ruling coalition issued a statement of support for those fighting for freedom in Taiwan. More recently, Parliamentarian Matas Maldeikis, the head of the Taiwan friendship group in the Lithuanian Parliament, along with lawmakers from Estonia and Latvia, visited Taipei. Maldeikis told President Tsai Ing-wen, We are here to express solidarity with you. He went on to say that Taiwan and the Baltic nations share similar experiences of breaking free of authoritarian rule and fighting for freedom.
The Chinese ambassador to Estonia said that he was disturbed that Estonian parliamentarians had participated in the Taiwan conference. Member of Parliament Madis Milling, who was part of the delegation, told Estonian media that the countrys goal should be to open a Taiwan representative office in the capital of Tallinn, and eventually to grant diplomatic recognition to the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwans official name). The Chinese Embassy said that Millings comment interfered with Chinas internal affairs and that Taiwans only future is reunification with China.
In mid-December, Lithuania recalled its diplomats from China. Diplomatic sources told Reuters this was the result of intimidation. The Lithuanian foreign minister said that Beijing had demanded to downgrade the Lithuanian Embassy to a charge daffaires office. Consequently, the diplomats were recalled because their status in China had become uncertain.
The Taiwan foreign minister supported the courageous stance that Lithuania was taking against China, and called on Taiwanese companies to increase their engagement with the Baltic nation.
Read part 2 here.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Biden administration is looking to deploy the military to help with medical work on the virus, although the number isnt especially large. The White House announced it will send 1,000 military personnel to hospitals in January and February, including doctors, nurses, and others. This is in addition to six emergency teams being deployed to various states with 100 staff members, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sending additional response teams to hospitals in some states. The federal government will allegedly foot the bill, which also means taxpayers are paying for it. Also, starting in January, the Biden administration will be sending out close to 500 million COVID-19 test kits, and it will also be helping establish federal virus test sites across the country, but starting in New York City.
And while the FDA and CDC bypassed their advisory panels to make sweeping medical recommendations to the American people, theyre also now sending mixed messages on how effective the vaccines actually are against Omicronthe CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus variant they claim theyre responding to.
The head of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky, told CNBC that the initial COVID-19 vaccines may not prevent infection from the Omicron variant, and added that early data suggests the new virus variant can breach current vaccine antibodies. Shes saying people need to keep wearing their face masks since the vaccines may not prevent infection. She also admitted that the Omicron variant appears to have fewer deaths than previous waveswith only one being reported in the United States so far (which was in Texas, in a man who had other underlying health conditions). And another interesting piece of data emerged: the CDC estimates on infections from CCP virus variants are based on virus species being collected through business and university laboratories. CDC officials are saying they dont actually have estimates on how many hospitalizations or deaths are caused by Omicron.
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Family and friends of Scott Karsten, 60, who went missing in October, organized a search-and-rescue party in San Clemente, Calif., on Dec. 21, 2021. (Brandon Drey/The Epoch Times)
Locals Organize Search Party for Missing San Clemente Man
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.Family and friends of Scott Karsten, 60, who went missing in October, organized a search-and-rescue party at a local Circle K on Dec. 21, looking for any leads or evidence to find their loved one.
A 60-year-old man just doesnt disappear, Harry Karsten, Scotts father, told The Epoch Times. As a father, I am completely at a loss.
The family reported that Karsten was missing on Oct. 29 after a week of no contact. According to family, he was last seen at Walmart off Pico Ave. and at surrounding gas stations.
Karstens father said his son never went two days without calling.
Family and friends of Scott Karsten, 60, who went missing last October, organized a search-and-rescue party in San Clemente, Calif., on Dec. 21, 2021. (Brandon Drey/The Epoch Times)
The last time there was any contact, he said, was on Oct. 23, when he said he received a voicemail from his son from an unrecognized number saying that he was being chased and set up.
According to the Orange County Sheriffs Department, Karsten is believed to be without a car, wallet, or cell phone.
Initially, the department posted a photo on Twitter on Nov. 2, alerting the community of a Critical Missing Person.
However, it mistakenly posted the photo of a different man.
After weeks of notifying authorities of their error, the sheriffs department finally revised the tweet on Nov. 18.
Family and friends of Scott Karsten, 60, who went missing last October, organized a search-and-rescue party in San Clemente, Calif., on Dec. 21, 2021. (Brandon Drey/The Epoch Times)
The fact that the police had the wrong photo of the wrong person for three weeks circulating looking for him messed things up also, Tracy Lee, Karstens daughter, told The Epoch Times.
Lee said shes checked local hospitals, jails, and morgues but hasnt been able to match Karstens identitywhich she said is a good sign.
The family has offered a $25,000 reward for anyone who can help locate Karsten.
Anyone with information should call Tracy Lee at (925) 727-5537; email her at Tkl.karstenteam@gmail.com or contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at: 1 (855) TIP-OCCS.
In my heart, I believe hes alive, said Karstens father. My intuition tells me hes alive.
(Courtesy of Tracy Lee)
Los Angeles Sues Apartment Owner for Alleged Crime, Gangs at Location
LOS ANGELESLos Angeles city filed a nuisance abatement lawsuit against the owner and a tenant of a 16-unit apartment building in South Los Angeles that they allege is a hotbed of gang activity and a magnet for violent crime, City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Dec. 22.
The building, at 501 E. 23rd St., has had five documented shootings and four gun possession arrests since January, according to Feuer. The location is within 500 feet of Santee High School and the Trinity Recreation Center.
Javanshir Rad, principal of First Rain, the corporation that owns the building, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
No family should be subjected to the ongoing violence that has plagued this community. We allege this property, so close to a public school and city recreation center, has been an epicenter of gun violence and brazen gang activity. We aim to put a stop to it, Feuer said. With Angelenos on edge over escalating violence, aggressive actions like this lawsuit can play a key role in restoring public safety.
Feuer said the presence of Primera Flats gang members has made the building a target for rival gangs.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to require that First Rain implement physical and managerial improvements to reduce gang activity and crime, such as an electronic gate, an internet-connected video monitoring system, enhanced lighting, a property management company and on-site manager, the use of written leases and adoption of house rules, improved tenant screenings, the hiring of licensed security guards, and the eviction of a tenant that the city alleges is a member of the Primera Flats gang.
The lawsuit alleges that Clemente Huerta-Cruz, who is currently incarcerated, lives in one of the apartments and prior to his incarceration had been arrested at and around the property three times since April for gun-related offenses. The city also alleges that his apartment unit is used by gang members.
The city intervened in May 2018 and advised First Rain to implement crime-fighting measures, including video cameras, lighting, and no-trespassing signs. Crime on the property declined for the first two years after the meeting, but the city alleges that First Rain did not implement all the suggested improvements or maintain the ones that were added, causing violence to return earlier this year.
This nuisance abatement lawsuit is one of 162 filed by Feuers office since July 2013. Residents who want to report problem properties may call the City Attorneys Office anonymously at 213-978-8340.
A dog in South Africa adopted from the SPCA into a loving forever home has repaid her owners a thousandfold after two armed robbers broke into their house and opened fire. The mixed breed, Kei, was shot in the face while ferociously protecting the familys young lady.
Those armed intruders on Oct. 3 broke into the familys Lakefield Benoni home; one gunman entered the master bedroom, where a terrifying firefight ensued, and was shot dead; the other man entered the eldest daughters room where Kei was poised on her bed ready to defend her owner.
Kei sprang at the gunman with a forcefulness that surprised him. He turned and fled, leaving a trail of blood as he ran down the stairs, and encountered the familys Biewer Yorkie Holly and shot her dead.
Hot on his tail, Kei faced the man in the kitchen where he shot her in the face, shattering her jaw, and then escaped the house and leapt over the wall.
Kei, in a desperate bid to seek help, yet unable to bark with her terrible mouth injury, ran outside to the gate to alert the neighbors but found no one. She then bounded down to the nearby lake, where she often goes on walks, in search of help, but to no avail.
The family, desperately searching for Kei, drove the streets and after 40 minutes found her laying in the grass by the water.
They called the Boksburg SPCA and Kei was taken for treatment. She was lucky to be alive. The bullet had severely injured her tongue, blasted through two molars, and broken her jaw.
She had to be put on an IV and could not eat for many weeks to come. Eventually, though, once the doctors were sure there was no infection and an X-ray showed that all the bullet fragments had been extracted, she was taken to have surgery and have a titanium plate prosthesis put in to restore her shattered mandible.
Meanwhile, the community at large generously contributed to the hefty cost of the surgery; and the family later shared their gratitude on a Facebook post by the the SPCA.
They wrote: We are so blessed and your acts of kindness have helped ease the trauma for us. THANK YOU to each and everyone of you for all you have done for our Kei and our family
They added: With all the generosity we have received from far and wide, weve chosen to donate all remaining funds to the Boksburg SPCA in loving memory of our sweet little Angel Holly.
The SPCA in turn hailed Kei a hero dog and lauded the benefits of adopting a loyal pooch who will surely repay the favor given half a chance.
This is a beautiful example of how an unwanted, cross breed, SPCA animal can go from zero to hero, they wrote. There are thousands of dogs just like Kei sitting in SPCAs around the country, waiting to be adopted. Look after your pets and we promise, theyll look after you!
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
Manchin Should Come Across Aisle and Join Us: McConnell
In an open gesture to embattled moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Fox News on Wednesday that Manchin should join the GOP amid continuing attacks on the West Virginian from his own party.
Manchin kicked off a panic among Democrats on Dec. 19 when he announced in a Fox News Sunday interview that he would not be giving his crucial support to President Joe Bidens Build Back Better (BBB) agenda in the Senate, becoming the 51st senator to openly oppose the bill.
This is a mammoth piece of legislation and I had my reservations from the beginning, Manchin told host Brett Bauer.
Despite working with President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) every minute of every day to make the bill agreeable, Manchin said he simply could not give the almost $2 trillion bill his support.
The announcement sent proponents of the bill into a fit, with several social progressives questioning Manchins character and motives.
The progressives suggested that Manchin, who has been in intense negotiations with Biden for months on end, opposed the bill not out of ideological conviction but because he was merely serving special interests and donors.
Others questioned Manchins character and sense of honor.
Its unfortunate that it seems we cant trust Sen. Manchins word, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said in a statement indicative of the general mood among left-wing progressives.
Even the White House suggested that Manchin was a liar, despite Manchin never having affirmatively committed to voting for the massive spending bill.
Amid this vitriolic treatment, people are again wondering if Manchin may switch parties. And Republicans have already started making advances to see whether Manchin could be persuaded to switch.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) became one of the first to raise the olive branch to Manchin. Speaking to an Austin-based radio station Tuesday, Cornyn said that he had texted Manchin about joining the GOP.
Joe, if they dont want you, we do, Cornyn quoted of his one-line text to Manchin. Cornyn admitted during the interview that he hadnt heard back from the moderate swing-voter.
Now, Minority Leader McConnell, who would quickly become Majority Leader McConnell if Manchin did switch parties, is weighing in on the discussion.
A good solution to [Manchins] problem would be to come across the aisle and join us, where hed be treated with respect, McConnell told Fox News.
McConnell noted that such a switch on Manchins part would be beneficial for him politically. He is in a very red state, a very Republican state, McConnell said. Hes trying to exist in todays Democratic Party, which is very hard. The Democratic Party today is the party of Bernie Sanders. They want to turn America into a socialist country.
Read More Capitalism: How Capitalists Took the Word From Communists
No wonder Joe Manchin is uncomfortable on the Democratic side of the aisle, McConnell continued. I think hes, for example, the last pro-life Democrat in the Senate, the last one.
Hed be a lot more comfortable on our side, McConnell ruled.
Still, McConnell also admitted that he considers this outcome unlikely.
Hes been a lifelong Democrat, McConnell noted. I dont expect this to happen.
Efforts to bring the maverick West Virginian to the Republican side of the aisle are nothing new for Manchin or the GOP.
The same rumor has already popped up several times during the 117th Congress alone. Speculation in June 2021 that Manchin may switch parties became so pronounced that it prompted a response from McConnell.
In October, rumors and speculation about an imminent party switch from Manchin had grown, with reports at the time claiming that an anonymous insider had good information that Manchin was considering a party switch.
Again, these rumors saw a GOP invitation to Manchin, this time from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). During a Fox News interview, Lee was asked whether Manchin should switch parties.
Absolutely, Lee quickly responded. [He] should leave the Democratic Party and I look forward to embracing him when he joins our caucus.
But Manchin vehemently denied the rumors at the time, telling a reporter that they were false.
Ultimately, a party-switch by Manchin would be a spectacle of huge proportions in Washington, as it would force Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to hand over the metaphorical gavel to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell nearly a year before the 2022 election takes place.
But it would change the situation on the ground only nominally: Manchin has said time and time again that he isnt a party-line voter. Whether he has a D or an R beside his name, Manchin says his vote will be the same.
An employee of McDonald's Japan serves the new menu "Vegetable Chicken Burger" as the company president Sarah Casanova announces the new business strategy at a restaurant in Tokyo, on May 21, 2015. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images)
McDonalds Japan Rations Fries as Potato Supply Runs Low
McDonalds Japan took an emergency measure on Tuesday to ration its french fries in 2,900 restaurants nationwide, following a supply shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and shipping disruptions in Canada.
The company said in a statement that its supply shipment was disrupted due to flood damage in Vancouver and the impact of the pandemic on its global supply chain. The potatoes used for the french fries are imported from North America, it said.
While it is difficult to procure raw materials in a stable manner, we have cooperated with importers and suppliers to proactively take alternative measures, it stated.
As such, McDonalds Japan said it will only be selling fries in small sizes, while the sale of medium- and large-sized fries will temporarily be discontinued from Friday until Dec. 30.
We sincerely apologize for any convenience caused to our customers, it remarked.
McDonalds Japan did not quantify the financial impact of the temporary suspension.
This is not the first time that McDonalds Japan has encountered a potato shortage. In December 2014, the company was forced to halt sales of medium- and large-sized fries at more than 3,000 restaurants in Japan due to supply shortages caused by a labor dispute on the West Coast of the United States.
Some 20,000 dock employees were reportedly involved in a dispute with the shipping lines that employ them at 29 different ports, resulting in a delay in the arrival of frozen fried potatoes to Japan. Mcdonalds Japan subsequently airlifted 1,000 tons of frozen fries to ease the shortage.
Meanwhile, the fast-food giant had announced in August that it would take milkshakes and bottled drinks off the menu at restaurants across England, Scotland, and Wales, due to supply chain issues.
British retailers, cafes, and restaurants were struggling to cope with a shortage of drivers at the time, particularly Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers and food processing staff, following the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.
Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products, a McDonalds United Kingdom and Ireland spokesperson said.
In October, McDonalds Korea said that its lettuce supply was running low due to disruptions in shipment, resulting in certain menu items being served with less or without any lettuce. Customers, in turn, will get a free drink coupon as compensation, reported The Korea Herald.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Cargo awaits unloading from ships off the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
More Ships Choosing to Deliver to East Coast, Gulf Coast Ports
Faced with long waits at the ports in Los Angeles, more companies are delivering goods to East Coast and Gulf Coast ports to save time and money.
The Port of Baltimore welcomed the arrival of a ship on Dec. 14 that delivered 1,800 new Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including about 600 that were scheduled to be delivered to the West Coast. The port also announced two new contracts with some of the worlds largest shipping companies.
November marked the sixth straight month that imports at East and Gulf coast ports grew more rapidly than West Coast ports, according to container shipping expert and founder of Blue Alpha Capital John McCown.
The pandemic pushed West Coast growth ahead, McCown said in a report released Dec. 16, but it has subsequently fallen behind again. The last six months have shown a pronounced move away from the West Coast as shippers direct container routings to minimize congestion.
Cargo awaits unloading from ships off the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
East and Gulf Coast ports imports increased nearly 10 percent during November, while West Coast ports decreased by nearly 8 percent, according to McCown.
The ports with the largest increases were Charleston, South Carolina, up 36 percent; Houston, up 25 percent; and Norfolk, Virginia, up 13 percent.
At the same time, Los Angeles and Long Beach imports decreased by 13 and 5 percent, respectively.
One reason for the increased traffic to eastern seaports is the lower cost, McCown said.
Shipping from Asia or China can cost $20,000 or more per container once companies charge premium fees to deliver goods faster. Then the goods must be transported across the country, adding to the time and cost of the delivery.
Eighteen months ago, the all-inclusive rate to ship an ocean freight container was about $2,400 to the East Coast and $1,500-$1,600 to the west, according to shipping logistics expert Jon Monroe, of Monroe Consulting.
The cost to deliver containers to most eastern ports is typically much lower compared to hauling goods by rail from the west, McCown said, adding that backups in Los Angeles were caused by operations at the terminal.
The actual data underscores that the bottlenecks in Los Angeles are inside the terminal, he said.
On Dec. 16, 94 container ships were waiting to offload goods at the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Ships were also waiting an average of 20 days to dock after they arrived near Los Angeles, the Port of Los Angeles reported Dec. 20.
Cargo containers are stacked on a ship at the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
By comparison, at the New York/New Jersey port, ships wait less than 1.5 days, that port agency said last month.
Despite record backups this year, the Port of Los Angeles has processed record numbers of containers, including more than 1 million in May, the most ever by a Western Hemisphere port, according to a port spokesman.
So far, thats the most we have been able to do, but were always looking at ways to improve efficiency, Port of LA spokesman Phillip Sanfield told The Epoch Times. Either with infrastructure improvements, better use of data, or any other ways we can improve flow.
While Southern California ports continued to struggle with backups, other ports reported increases.
The Port of Houston imported 27 percent more containers in November compared to last year, taking in a total of 1.5 million.
Two major shipping companies began delivering goods to Baltimore this year, including Maersk, which started a new Southeast Asia/Vietnam and China service through Baltimore.
Maersk plans to run up to 13 ships carrying 4,500 containers each through that route, Baltimore port authorities said.
The Danish carrier announced earlier this year that it would start a new weekly service to the Port of Virginia at Norfolk from China and Vietnam to meet shipping demands.
Baltimore also welcomed deliveries of aircraft components from Airbus that traveled from China through the Panama Canal. The parts are headed to a plant in Canada.
The port has also started to receive ships carrying farm and construction equipment from Japan-based Kubota. Since July 2020, 26 ships have been diverted to the port because of ports that have become congested nationally, according to the Maryland Port Administration.
William P. Doyle, the Maryland ports executive director, said the ports ability to offload ships loaded with vehiclesplus its ability to get cargo to warehouses and distribution centersmade the port an attractive option for cargo owners to avoid supply chain slowdowns.
Cargo awaits unloading from ships off the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
In addition, Baltimore started a tunnel expansion project enabling double-stacked container rail cars to use it.
Other ports are responding to the unprecedented surge in demand by U.S. consumers for goods, by improving port access for mega-ships. Jacksonville, for example, is spending $484 million to deepen its canal.
Houston, additionally, is investing $1 billion to expand and deepen its shipping canal, widening it enough to allow larger ships to dock.
The improvements to the ports of Houston and elsewhere wont mean that more ships will start to divert to these areas right away. Major changes to the supply chain distribution could take up to a year, Jim Kruse, director of the Center for Ports and Waterways at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, told The Epoch Times.
These things dont happen overnight, Kruse said. Its going to take a while for that to happen. It may be six months or more before a permanent change would happen.
The Port of Los Angeles is also investing more than $430 million in port infrastructure.
Much of that will be invested in the wharves, but officials say plans include deepening berths and improving at least one terminal facility.
The port also has plans to make rail and other business and cargo improvements, port spokesman Sanfield said.
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, participates in a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on May 27, 2020. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)
Musk Says Hes Sold Enough Tesla Stock to Meet Target, Slams Wokeness and Californias Overtaxation
Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested hes done selling shares in the worlds most valuable car company, saying in an interview released Dec. 21 that he had sold enough stock to hit his goal of liquidating 10 percent of his Tesla stake.
In a wide-ranging interview with satirical website Babylon Bee, the tech billionaire took aim at cancel culture, downplayed the buzz around the metaverse, built on his earlier criticism of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) over her remarks that he was a freeloader that didnt pay his fair share of taxes, and slammed California for overtaxation.
California used to be the land of opportunity and now it is becoming more so the land of sort of overregulation, overlitigation, overtaxation, he said in the interview, adding that it is increasingly difficult to get things done in the state.
Musk recently moved Teslas headquarters from California to Texas after making the Lone Star state his personal home last year after his earlier feud with California authorities over pandemic-related shutdown orders.
Musk said on Nov. 6 that he would sell 10 percent of his Tesla stock holdings if Twitter users agreed. Since Musk started offloading his Tesla shares, which had hovered near record-highs, they have lost about a quarter of the value.
On Dec. 21, Musk sold another 583,611 shares, bringing the total number of shares he has offloaded to 13.5 million, which is around 80 percent of what he had planned to sell.
I sold enough stock to get to around 10 percent plus the option exercise stuff and I tried to be extremely literal here, he told the Babylon Bee.
When asked whether he sold the stock because of the Twitter poll, he said he needed to exercise stock options that are expiring next year no matter what. Out of the 13.5 million shares sold, 8.06 million were sold to pay taxes related to his options exercise.
Musk was asked about his feud with Warren, who in a Twitter post called for changes to the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else, which came after Musk was named Time magazines Person of the Year.
Musk said on Sunday on Twitter that he would pay more than $11 billion in taxes this year.
She did actually call me a freeloader and a grifter who doesnt pay taxes, Musk told the Babylon Bee.
Im literally paying the most tax that any individual in history has ever paid this year, ever, and she doesnt pay taxes, basically. And her taxes and salary is paid for by the taxpayer like me. If you could die by irony, she would be dead, Musk added.
Musk also took aim at cancel culture, calling wokeness a mind virus that could become arguably one of the biggest threats to modern civilization.
He also addressed the hype around the metaverse, saying it sounds just kind of buzzwordy and that he doesnt think its use case is all that compelling.
I think were far from disappearing into the metaverse, Musk said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
People eat at the Soweto Home For The Aged in Johannesburg, South Africa on Dec. 14, 2021. (Denis Farrell/AP Photo)
Natural Immunity Likely Contributing to Lower Hospitalization Rate in South Africa Amid Omicron Surge: Studies
A high immunity among South Africans that stems primarily from prior infection is likely a contributing factor to the lower hospitalization rate the country has recorded amid the surge in COVID-19 cases after the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus became dominant, according to a pair of new studies.
COVID-19 infections in South Africa have skyrocketed in recent weeks, but hospitalizations have risen much more slowly compared to the previous wave, which was driven by the Delta variant.
In the first 31 days of the current wave, 164,911 cases were recorded, but just 3,432 patients required hospital care, and 194 died.
In comparison, during the same time period of the last wave, 38,577 cases were recorded, with 10,088 requiring hospital care and 668 dying.
We believe that the evolution of cell-mediated immunity from prior natural infection and vaccination is resulting in the uncoupling of the high case rates seen with the Omicron variant and the rates of severe disease, South African researchers said in one of the new studies, a preprint done with funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The immunity is primarily due to natural infection, with or without COVID-19 vaccination, they added later.
In the other study, also not yet peer-reviewed, South African scientists said people who get infected now face roughly 80 percent lower odds of needing hospital care when compared to individuals who got COVID-19 from the Delta variant.
Additionally, people who do get admitted to hospitals have a lower chance of developing severe disease and are staying, on average, for fewer days than before.
Thats likely due in part to high levels of population immunity (due to natural infection and/or vaccination), wrote the researchers, who received funding from the South African Medical Research Council.
While seropositivity estimates have been high in South Africa, vaccination rates have been relatively low. As of this week, about half of adults 18 or older had received a COVID-19 vaccine, including people who only got one shot.
A man receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Johannesburg, South Africa on Dec. 15, 2021. (Luca Sola/AFP via Getty Images)
Early studies indicate Omicron can better evade immunity from both prior infection and vaccination, though both have held up well against hospitalization and severe disease. Just 1.7 percent of patients with COVID-19 were needing hospital care in South Africa, compared to 19 percent during the Delta wave, Health Minister Joe Phaahla told reporters last week.
Vaccine booster doses, meanwhile, show promise against Omicron, though experts arent sure how long the restored protection will last.
In South Africa, most people who have been admitted to hospitals or died with COVID-19 in recent weeks either did not receive a vaccine or just received one dose, according to the countrys National Institute For Communicable Diseases. Officials there are encouraging people to get a vaccine or get a booster if theyve already gotten one.
Cheryl Cohen, an epidemiology professor at the University of the Witwatersrand who helped with the second study, told reporters in a virtual briefing Wednesday that researchers could not tell if vaccination, natural immunity, or an intrinsic reduced virulence of Omicron have played the largest role, but that she believes the findings are generalizable to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, which have similar levels of previous infection.
I think what is unclear is how the picture will be similar in countries where there are high levels of vaccination but very low levels of previous infection, she added. The baseline epidemiology is different. But I think, compellingly, our data really suggests a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants.
Real-world data from other countries also points to a reduced severity, including lower hospitalization rates in Denmark and the United Kingdom when compared to previous waves.
At the same time, Imperial College London researchers said last week that they found no evidence of lower severity with Omicron versus Delta; and in Denmark, the jury is still out because of the small amount of data to study thus far, Troels Lillebaek, professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at the University of Copenhagen, told The Epoch Times in an email.
Still, there does seem to be enough evidence out to show Omicron is less severe than previous strains, but we do not know yet if this is because of increasing cellular immunity in the population in December 2021 versus an inherent property of the strain that makes it less virulent or both, Dr. Monica Gandhi, director of the University of California, San Francisco-Bay Area Center for AIDS Research, told The Epoch Times via email.
Beyond the high immunity in South Africa this could be partially because the strain is less virulent and there was data from the University of Hong Kong last week that it is less likely to be able to infect lung cells than previous variants, a finding replicated by a laboratory at the University College London, she added.
Departure passengers to New Zealand wait to check in at Sydney International Airport, Sydney, Australia, on April 19, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)
New Zealand Delays Australia Travel Bubble, Extends Quarantine Period
The New Zealand (NZ) government has announced that it will push back its quarantine free travel bubble with Australia until the end of February.
The bubble was scheduled to open on Jan. 17, with the NZ government planning to allow fully vaccinated citizens and residents to arrive from Australia without going through quarantine.
All of the evidence so far points to Omicron being the most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet, NZs COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said at a press conference in the countrys capital, Wellington.
Theres no doubt this is disappointing and will upset many holiday plans, but its important to set these changes out clearly today, so they can have time to consider those plans.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins speaks during a COVID-19 response update in Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Nov. 24, 2021. (Mark Mitchell/Pool/Getty Images)
Hipkins said the delay was a precautionary measure as the data around Omicron had not yet provided clarity on how the new COVID-19 variant would affect individuals and the health system.
He noted the NZ government was concerned about the recent Omicron surge in the Australian state of New South Wales.
Ministry of Health chief science advisor Dr. Ian Town said that the delay would allow many New Zealanders to get their COVID-19 booster shots which health experts had advised may give better protection against Omicron.
The NZ government also announced that they will bring forward booster doses to fight Omicron.
Returning NZ citizens and residents will now have to stay in quarantine for an extended period of time, with the period increasing from seven days to 10.
University of Otago epidemiologist Michael Baker said he believed that the changes were necessary and proportionate.
All of the settings are very good for minimising the impact, Baker said. As usual the longer you can delay it entering the country the better.
On Tuesday, NZ reported 28 new cases of COVID-19, none of which are the Omicron variant in managed isolation.
The country will begin administering vaccinations to children aged five to 11 from Jan. 17.
Nikola Corp. Agrees to Pay $125 Million to Settle SEC Charges of Defrauding Investors
WASHINGTONNikola Corp. has agreed to pay $125 million to settle civil charges that it defrauded investors by misleading them about its products, technical advancements, and commercial prospects, the U.S. securities regulator said on Tuesday.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused the electric vehicle maker of violating securities laws with numerous misleading statements made from March to September 2020 about in-house production capabilities, reservation book, and financial outlook.
The settlement follows civil and criminal charges filed in July against Nikola founder Trevor Milton for using social media to repeatedly mislead investors about the companys technology and capabilities, reaping tens of millions of dollars as a result of his misconduct. Milton is battling those charges in court after losing a bid to dismiss or move the case.
Miltons misleading statements aimed at inflating share prices began even before Nikola had produced a single commercial product or had any revenues from truck or hydrogen fuel sales, the SEC order said.
Nikola, which did not admit or deny the SECs findings, has agreed to cooperate with ongoing litigation and investigation, the SEC said. The company previously disclosed expectations of the hefty penalty in November.
Nikola is responsible both for Miltons allegedly misleading statements and for other alleged deceptions, all of which falsely portrayed the true state of the companys business and technology, Gurbir Grewal, the SECs enforcement director, said in a statement.
Nikola said in a statement that it will continue to execute on its strategy and expand its manufacturing network. The company is seeking reimbursement from Milton for costs and damages in connection with the government and regulatory investigations, it said.
Nikola went public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in June 2020, a process the SEC has criticized for requiring less initial vetting than the traditional initial public offering (IPO) process.
This month, the SECs chair said the agency was considering toughening rules around how underwriters, boards of directors, and sponsors of SPACs structure fees, issue projections, and disclose conflicts.
The plans are part of a broader crackdown on the SPAC sector this year. The SEC has also told top auditors to change their accounting practices, and launched a broad enforcement inquiry of Wall Street banks involved in the deals.
By Chris Prentice
NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Dec. 21)
President Joe Biden plans to mail out half-a-billion at-home virus tests and send 1,000 troops to hospitals in response to the Omicron variant, Florida is on track to kick Chinese investments out of the states retirement fund, and a group of Chinese students at an American university are protesting the schools defense of a communist regime critic.
An NYPD officer steps on the U.S. flag at a Panera Bread in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Courtesy of Chris Wright)
NYPD Officer Throws American Flag on Floor, Tramples It During Scuffle With Protesters
An NYPD officer who was removing anti-vaccine mandate protestors from a Panera Bread in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 19, forcefully grabbed a pole with an American flag from one of them and threw it to the floor, subsequently trampling it during the scuffle.
As two other NYPD officers proceeded to arrest Mitchell Bosch, an Army veteran who has been protesting against NYC vaccine mandates, the police took the flag from Boschs hand.
Dont let the flag touch the ground! Bosch said loudly, holding a copy of the Constitution on the other hand. The flag does not touch the ground!
As another protestor picked up the flag, a female officer forcefully took it from him and threw it on the ground, stepping on it multiple times. Amid the chaos, its unclear if it was intentional.
The protestors were being told to leave because they didnt show vaccine passports.
Its disrespectful. It is un-American and it is unconstitutional, Bosch told The Epoch Times.
When I was giving the Constitution of the United States [to the police officer], he was like, Get that off me,' Bosch added. Its the same thing. At a minimum, you should be cool about it. Because they need to keep it cool and calm under pressure. That was my job when I was in the army.
As for why he was protesting at the police station, he said he was trying to prove a point to Americawere upside down. Weve gotten away from the values of our founding fathers. We the People are not being represented correctly by our elected officials.
The Epoch Times reached out to the NYPD for comment on the incident.
On December 19, 2021, at 3:07 p.m. inside of the Gateway Center Mall Panera Bread store, police received a 911 call for a disorderly group at the location refusing to leave the location, Sergeant Edward Riley, a DCPI spokesperson, wrote via email. Officers responded to the location and made multiple requests for the individual to leave. After refusing to leave and being advised that he was trespassing the male was taken into custody without further incident. The individual was issued a summons.
Healthcare workers administer free COVID-19 tests to people in their cars in the parking lot of the Columbus West Family Health and Wellness Center, in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 19, 2020. (Stephen Zenner/AFP via Getty Images)
Ohio Sets Single-Day COVID-19 Cases Record, Again
Ohio has again set a record for the most new COVID-19 cases in the state in a day, continuing a trend in the midwest and some northeastern states, according to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments.
The Buckeye State recorded 12,864 new COVID-19 cases within a 24-hour period marking the ninth straight day cases have increased, the Ohio Department of Health announced on Wednesday morning. Thats 362 more cases than the day before.
Ohio now has slightly more than 4,800 COVID patients in hospitals throughout the state, translating to one in four of all hospitalized patients.
Most of those cases are due to the Omicron variant rapidly spreading, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
New York reported more than 23,000 cases on Dec. 19, including more than 15,000 cases in New York City alonealso record-setting numbers. The city has been reporting nearly 10,000 positive cases a day for the past week, according to the New York Department of Health.
Other States Records
On Sunday, Illinois announced it also set a record for the number of new cases at 12,328. It was the most it had in a year, since December 2020, according to the Illinois Department of Health.
In fact, New York and Massachusetts each have seen new cases rise in the last five days through Wednesday, and Indiana saw an increase for eight straight days.
The record-setting numbers come in the wake of President Bidens cryptic message on Tuesday that this winter will be one of severe illness and death if people do not get fully vaccinated. Bidens message came despite 75 percent of the United States being vaccinated already, according to numbers from the CDC.
Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), voiced concerns about the increased cases during a press conference on Wednesday.
Vanderhoff noted that out of those nearly 5,000 Ohioans hospitalized with COVID-19, 1,200 patients are in ICU and about 800 are on ventilators.
We should all be very concerned by the tidal wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations, Vanderhoff said during the press conference.
Cuyahoga County, which covers the Greater Cleveland area, has the highest COVID-19 case rate with 199 cases per 100,000 peoplea 170 percent increase from two weeks ago, according to the ODH.
With these numbers, we have a troubling picture, Vanderhoff added. One that should be a wake-up call for every Ohioan as we think about our risk of getting sick with COVID-19especially as we think about gatherings with loved ones for the holidays. Its important for us to remember that not all cases of COVID are the same. Theres a real difference between getting COVID-19 if youre unvaccinated vs. getting it if youre vaccinatedespecially if youre up to date with a booster.
Vanderhoff said that those who are fully vaccinated with the booster shot, are less likely to have severe symptoms or have symptoms at all.
The symptoms of the Omicron variant include coughing, tiredness, congestion, runny nose, and night sweats. Unlike previous variants, the loss of smell or taste are uncommon.
Choosing not to be vaccinated is simply a gamble with your health, Vanderhoff added. Both variants, Delta and Omicron, are both highly contagious. Not all cases of COVID are the same. Theres a real difference getting COVID-19 if youre vaccinated or unvaccinated.
The CDC had announced on Monday that the study of the Omicron variant remains ongoing and it is believed to be more transmissible than the Delta strain. The Omicron variant accounted for 73 percent of the new cases in the United States last week, according to the CDC.
With hospital workers taxed in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced last week the mobilization of 1,050 Ohio National Guard personnel to help assist hospitals with COVID patients. The deployment began Monday (Dec. 20) and mostly covered hospitals in northeast Ohio such as in the Cleveland Clinic, Akron, and Canton. An additional 300 National Guard members are expected to be deployed to more hospitals next week.
Gen. John C. Harris Jr. of the Ohio National Guard, also spoke at Vanderhoffs press conference on Wednesday.
He described the increasing number of COVID cases as dire, and said that these deaths can be prevented.
The Guard is only deploying members who are vaccinated. Of the 17,000 National Guardsmen, about 53 percent of the Army is fully vaccinated and 92 percent of airmen are vaccinated, Harris said.
Harris also said they will require all guard members to be vaccinated by March 31, 2022.
This is a matter of national security, he said.
On Tuesday, people seeking COVID tests at Cleveland Clinics Walker Center on Euclid Avenue east of downtown, were turned away if they were not in line by noon.
Tests were scheduled to resume on Wednesday with testing (registration required) scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday.
The Top 5 states for most coronavirus cases in the United States currently are California (5.1 million cases), Texas (4.4 million), Florida (3.7 million), New York (2.8 million) and Illinois (1.9 million), according to numbers from the CDC and U.S. Department of Health.
Pennsylvania and Ohio are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively each with more than 1.8 million COVID cases, according to the CDC.
Ohio was among the first states to provide in-home testing kits, and the first in the United States to make them available in libraries, according to Vanderhoff.
Omicron Patients Less Likely to Require Hospital Care: UK Study
People who get COVID-19 from the Omicron virus variant are less likely to require hospital care, according to a UK study published Wednesday.
Researchers from the Imperial College London estimated (pdf) that Omicron patients were 20- to 25-percent less likely to need hospital care and 40- to 45-percent less likely to be hospitalized for one night or more when compared to patients with the Delta variant.
They arrived at the estimates by analyzing data from all COVID-19 cases in England between Dec. 1 and Dec. 14, as determined by a positive polymerase chain reaction test.
The researchers also estimated that natural immunity, or protection from a prior infection, reduces the risk of hospitalization by 50 percent and the risk of a hospital stay of one night or more by 61 percent. People vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, meanwhile, had a similar or higher risk for hospitalization with the new strain, while people who got AstraZenecas vaccine had a lower risk.
Limitations of the study include the short time period studied and a lack of data on reported reasons for hospitalizations, which in some cases may be unrelated to COVID-19.
Our analysis shows evidence of a moderate reduction in the risk of hospitalization associated with the Omicron variant compared with the Delta variant. However, this appears to be offset by the reduced efficacy of vaccines against infection with the Omicron variant, professor Neil Ferguson, who led the study, said in a statement.
Authors received funding from several institutions, including the UKs National Institute for Health Research.
Omicron was first identified in South Africa last month and dates back to at least November. Omicron and Delta are both variants of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.
The UK analysis provides further evidence of Omicron causing less severe cases of COVID-19; South Africa has recorded a major drop in hospitalization rate during the Omicron-fueled wave compared to the wave powered by infections caused by Delta.
A preprint study performed by researchers in the country and published earlier Wednesday pegged the odds of requiring hospitalization at 80 percent lower for people with Omicron when compared to others.
Additionally, people who got Omicron and went to a hospital were 70 percent less likely to develop severe disease.
Experts say the high level of natural immunity in South Africa may play a role in the reduced severity, and have questioned whether the same pattern would be seen in other countries.
A large proportion of Englands population has been infected by COVID-19.
Nearly 10 million people, or 17 percent of the population, had tested positive for the illness as of Dec. 21. Based on several studies, the Imperial College London researchers believe fewer than a third of infected people were tested, and estimate over half of the population has survived infection.
In that context, the finding that natural immunity dramatically reduced the risk of hospitalization is significant, they said.
World Health Organization officials said Wednesday that early data point to Omicron being both more transmissible and less severe than earlier strains but cautioned against drawing conclusions too soon.
We dont have that complete picture yet, Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, WHOs technical lead on COVID-19, told a briefing. We have not seen this variant circulate for long enough in populations around the world, certainly in vulnerable populations.
Multiple factors are likely behind the increased transmissibility seen in several countries, including Omicron having more mutations and being able to better evade immunity from prior infection and vaccination, she added.
A woman walks past a COVID-19 health message sign London on Dec. 21, 2021, as the United Kingdom deals with a surge of infections driven by the Omicron variant. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)
Omicron and Policy Directions: What We Know So Far
The latest variant of concern, Omicron, is spreading rapidly, but data so far shows its severity to be mild compared to past variants, while some argue its still too early to draw conclusions.
There is reason to be optimistic for most individuals, but we should at the same time watch how it goes here to confirm our optimism, Dr. Harvey Risch, a professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, told The Epoch Times.
While governments in Canada and other jurisdictions have for the most part introduced new restrictive measures to combat the rising case counts, opinions vary among experts on what is the right course of action. Some are calling for more restrictions and lockdowns, some say severe restrictions could have worse consequences and want a more measured response commensurate with the severity, and some are even weighing in on the implications of the new variant on natural immunity.
Transmissibility and Severity
A study from the University of Hong Kong found that the reason for the higher transmissibility of the Omicron variant could be that it multiplies 70 times faster than the Delta variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus in the bronchus. It also shows that Omicron replicates more in the respiratory tract than in the lungs, and that infection by Omicron in the lungs is 10 times less efficient than the original SARS-CoV-2. Released Dec. 15, the study is currently being peer-reviewed before publication in a scientific journal.
South African medical scientists prepare to sequence COVID-19 Omicron samples at the Ndlovu Research Center in Elandsdoorn, South Africa, on Dec. 8, 2021. (Jerome Delay/AP Photo, File)
The surge of COVID-19 cases caused by Omicron, first discovered in South Africa and reported to the World Health Organization on Nov. 24, seems to be over the curve and on the decline in South Africas Gauteng province, the epicentre of the variant, said Dr. Angelique Coetzee, one of the first doctors in the country to treat patients with the variant, in a Dec. 20 CNN interview.
In total, if you look at our numbers, its going down, she said.
The country had 19,400 cases on Dec. 20, down from the peak of 23,437 on Dec. 17.
Of note is that the rates of deaths and hospitalizations remain much lower compared to the previous waves of the virus infection.
When we look at Delta, it was four or five hundred people per day admitted [to the hospital]. If we look at Omicron, [it was] 87 [on Dec. 18], and our numbers are more or less the whole time around this, Coetzee said.
South Africa had 44 COVID-19 deaths on Dec. 20, compared to a peak daily death of 420 in the summer.
A preprint study posted this week by South African researchers shows that those diagnosed with Omicron in the country were 80 percent less likely to be admitted to hospital compared to those infected with another variant. The study also found that those who were hospitalized with Omicron were 70 percent less likely to develop severe disease compared to those hospitalized with the Delta variant. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Experts are also monitoring the situation closely in Denmark and the UK, which have had their own Omicron outbreaks, since the conditions are closer to countries like Canada and can serve as similar examples.
So far, the data show a similar trend in these countries as in South Africa, with high case counts but low numbers of deaths and hospitalizations. However, experts caution that it may be too early to draw conclusions, as hospitalization and deaths trail case identification, and infections in Denmark and the UK happened more recently than in South Africa.
If current data is to be taken as an indication, both Denmark and the UK show a clear decoupling of cases and deaths.
Denmarks case count shot up to 10,082 on Dec. 20, from 8,212 a day earlier, a 23 percent rise, and from 4,559 cases on Dec. 4, a 121 percent rise. The countrys case fatality rate, the ratio between confirmed deaths and confirmed cases, has been on the decline: 0.49 percent on Dec. 20 compared to 0.5 percent on Dec. 19 and 0.58 percent on Dec. 4. Denmark had 8 deaths on Dec. 20, 9 deaths on Dec. 19, and 12 deaths on Dec. 4.
In the UK, there were 91,734 new cases on Dec. 20, up from 81,959 on Dec. 19, a 12 percent rise, and 41,457 on Dec. 4, a 121 percent rise. The UKs case fatality rate was 1.28 percent on Dec. 20, down from 1.29 percent the previous day, and 1.4 percent on Dec. 4. The country had 43 deaths on Dec. 20, 45 on Dec. 19, and 127 on Dec. 4.
Canadas new case count on Dec. 20 was 10,669, an increase of 0.4 percent compared to 10,631 on Dec. 19, and an increase of 196 percent compared to 3,606 on Dec. 4. Canadas case fatality rate on Dec. 20 was 1.58 percent, down from 1.59 percent on Dec. 19 and 1.64 percent on Dec. 4. The country had 18 deaths on Dec. 20, 5 deaths on Dec. 19, and 9 deaths on Dec. 4.
Policy Directions
In the face of the rising case counts due to the Omicron variant, a number of countries including Canada have introduced a range of new restrictions.
Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos and Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam, appearing via videoconference, participate in a news conference on the COVID-19 pandemic and the Omicron variant, in Ottawa, on Dec. 17, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)
Canada has issued an advisory warning against all non-essential international travel, while the provinces have limited gathering sizes or outright closed certain types of indoor businesses such as gyms.
Some are saying stricter measures are needed to curb the rising cases.
On Dec. 16, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table called for more stringent measures, saying that without circuit breaker restrictions, cases would keep increasing.
We need to stop moaning, face the reality and do the right thing, Dr. Peter Juni, scientific director of the advisory table, told CBC. What do you do if youre on a beach and the tsunami is coming? You say, oh theres no tsunami? No, you cant.
If the hospitalizations and death counts remain relatively low, as seen in countries on the forefront of the infection so far, the tsunami metaphor may only be accurate for case counts, rather than overall severe outcomes.
Dr. David Jacobs, chair of Ontario Specialists Association and a radiologist who has been involved with COVID-19 cases, criticized Junis tone.
People are exhausted and demoralized. We should not be telling people to suck it up. Theyve been doing that for a couple of years already, he said on Twitter.
Some medical professionals have argued that while early data from other countries is optimistic, a sound approach would be to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Theres some potentially very positive news coming out of South Africa on limited virulence associated with omicron, Dr. David Fisman, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto, said on Twitter on Dec. 12.
If that proves true itll be absolutely excellent news. I think its always a good idea to hope for the best and plan for the worst, he said, while pointing out that there are a number of factors that make the situation in South Africa different from that in Canada, including the former having a younger population and lower vaccination rate but higher immunity from previous infection, among other factors.
If planning for the worst involves more shutdowns, however, it would have repercussions, given the increased rates of depression and mental illness during the pandemic as well as major adverse economic implications that result from lockdowns and restrictions, to name a few issues.
Many of the businesses restricted today have lost over a years worth of business to government closures. To be limited again during one of the most important times of the year is a bitter pill to swallow, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said in a statement on Dec. 17 after Ontario announced new restrictions.
Dr. Jacobs, who believes a key measure to combat surging cases is vaccine booster shots, says that while were not out of the woods yet, the most dire predictions for Omicrons impact seem to have not come to pass, going by the experience of countries like Denmark that are akin to Canada.
In the case of South Africa, where more time has elapsed since the initial outbreak and where the case count seems to be on the decline, he similarly cautions that the experience there may not be similar to that in Canada, as they have natural immunity and we have immunity from vaccination.
There is no guarantee that we will have the same experience, he said in a tweet.
South Africas rate of full vaccination among adults is about 30 percent, while 87 percent of those 12 years and older have been fully vaccinated in Canada.
South Africa, a country of 60 million people, had a heavy bout of infection from the Delta variant this year. Since the spring, it has seen daily deaths peaking at 420 in late July, and a case fatality rate of around 3.4 percent in early May, declining to around 2.7 percent as of Dec. 20. Over that same period, Canadas daily deaths peaked at 50 at the end of April and again in mid-October, with a case fatality rate of less than 2 percent since late April. Close to 93 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada are among those aged 60 or older.
Travellers receive COVID-19 tests at a pre-departure testing facility, as countries react to the new Omicron variant, outside the international terminal at Sydney Airport in Australia, on Nov. 29, 2021. (Loren Elliott/Reuters)
Paul Elias Alexander, a former assistant professor at McMaster University and an expert in evidence-based medicine and clinical epidemiology, says the fact that the Omicron variant is spreading fast and seems to have a less severe impact may help bring about natural immunity.
It will work wonders, he said in an email. Natural immunity to one variant will protect against others due to the fact the immune system sees the full viral ball and all the proteins (membrane, nucleocapsid, spike, all conserved parts of the virus etc.) while vaccine is geared to just one spike.
A new study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association on cases of reinfection after vaccination found that these so-called breakthrough infections greatly enhance the immune response to variants of SARS-CoV-2.
You cant get a better immune response than this, study author Fikadu Tafesse, assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Oregon Health & Science University, said in a news release.
Australias chief medical officer, Dr. Paul Kelly, said on Nov. 27 that if a mild version of COVID-19 spreads rapidly and helps bring immunity, that would be my number one Christmas present if that was how it ended up.
He added that it was too early to make that determination.
Dr. Risch, from Yale School of Public Health, says its possible that the Omicron variant can help in developing natural immunity, pointing to emerging data from Denmark.
I believe that Denmark has recorded some hospitalizations, but very few seem to have been serious, he said, adding that the situation needs to be monitored further before making any final conclusions.
But what is key to proper monitoring of the pandemic, he notes, is to observe counts of deaths and hospitalizations rather than cases.
Cases may sometimes be unpleasant, but if they generally resolve on their own or with early treatment as we know is available, and dont leave serious lasting effects, then their numbers are unimportant, Dr. Risch says.
Follow the hospitalizations and mortality, and relax about the cases.
"IN GOD WE TRUST" hangs in the meeting area of the Orange County Board of Education in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
Orange County Board of Education Trustee Wins Seat After Resigning
Tim Shaw, former Orange County Board of Education trustee who was forced to step down after a legal challenge, won back his fourth district position at a Dec. 21 meeting.
Shaw resigned in November after being accused of a conflict of interest for serving on the board of education and La Habra City Council simultaneously.
To avoid further issues regarding holding two elected spots, Shaw plans to resign from the La Habra City Council after serving for 13 years.
All things considered, I was feeling like I was making a better and bigger difference and needed at the Board of Education, Shaw told The Epoch Times. I only had a chance to do that for just a year and a half. I would have happily have done both, but with that lawsuit that I had, the only way to make it go away was to resign from the board of education.
Prior to being reappointed to his previous spot, Shaw highlighted at the Dec. 21 meeting his desires to be back on the board and work toward empowering parents in ensuring their voices are heard within the education spectrum.
Shaw participated in hosting forums that sparked community involvement, including one on Critical Race Theory.
During my time on the board, I strove to be a trustee that empowers parents and their childrens education, Shaw said. While the county board of education does not directly decide what curriculum is being taught in public schools, our board can provide forums to enlighten the public on curriculum.
(Courtesy of the Orange County Department of Education)
Shaw was among seven candidates eligible to fill the vacancy. Other eligible candidates were fourth district residents William Renner, Paulette Chaffee, Shanin Ziemer, Shana Charles, Jennifer Kinkel, and Carole Jensen.
The board voted 31 to appoint Shaw, with Trustee Becky Gomez dissenting.
His appointment comes after he was faced with a legal challenge in January 2021 by La Habra resident Melissa Lauden.
Lauden filed a lawsuit against Shaw for holding incompatible offices, Laudens attorney, Fred Woocher, told The Epoch Times in a previous interview.
If a person is holding incompatible offices and is facing a legal challenge, they have to keep the most recent office they were elected into and forfeit the other in order for the legal challenge to be dropped, according to Shaw.
Shaw won reelection to the La Habra City Council in Nov. 2020 after winning a seat on the board of education in March 2020.
Despite Shaw arguing against the alleged conflict of interest, the lawsuit he faced imposed a high financial burden on his family.
The council seat that paid him $500 monthly wasnt enough to risk paying an estimated $250,000 in legal fees to fight the lawsuit, Shaw said.
I immediately had a very difficult decision to make, Shaw told The Epoch Times in a previous interview. Its me, my wallet, and its just not worth that risk to my family. My public service here on the city council and board of education is not worth six figures.
Shaws resignation amid the lawsuit claiming conflict of interest posed questions regarding his colleague, Gomez, who also serves on the Tustin City Council.
While Gomez holds two elected seats, she has not received a legal challenge.
Shaw was sworn back into office by Board of Education President Mari Barke on Dec. 16 and will proceed to serve the fourth district which oversees the communities of Fullerton, Buena Park, La Habra, Placentia, and portions of Anaheim.
He will serve the remainder of his term, which ends on June 30, 2022.
Oregon Extends State of Emergency, Cites Possible Surge in Omicron Hospitalizations
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday extended the states declaration of a state of emergency through June 2022, saying the state is preparing for a surge in hospitalizations due to the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
As Oregon prepares for what could be our worst surge in hospitalizations during this pandemic, I know that this is not the beginning of the new year any of us had hoped for, Brown, a Democrat, said.
Brown in an executive order cited the newly detected, highly transmissible Omicron variant, which is spreading quickly around the globe.
The variant offers yet another challenge that we learn more about each day, the governor said.
However, as we continue to navigate Delta, Omicron, and any other future variants that COVID-19 brings, my goals remain the same: to save lives, support doctors, nurses, and health care workers, and keep Oregon businesses, schools, and communities open, Brown said.
The governor acknowledged that people are becoming tired of this virus and the actions we must take to mitigate the risks of the virus.
And yet, this virus continues to threaten and cause widespread sickness, hospitalization, and death for all Oregonians, she added. Even for those who will not be made seriously ill by COVID-19, threats to hospital capacity impact us all.
The move will ensure that the state will continue to receive federal funding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oregons declaration of a state of emergency now remains in effect until June 30.
Browns messaging echoes similar remarks made by Biden administration officials in recent days, amid a surge in COVID-19 infections being fueled by the Omicron variant, which was first detected by doctors in Africa first less than a month ago.
President Joe Biden on Dec. 16 issued a stark warning, saying that the White House believes the unvaccinated will experience a winter of severe illness and death.
If youre vaccinated, and you have your booster shot, youre protected from severe illness and death, Biden said during a press briefing.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients echoed his remarks the following day.
We are intent on not letting Omicron disrupt work and school for the vaccinated. Youve done the right thing, and we will get through this, Zients said. For the unvaccinated, youre looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.
CDC officials said they do not yet have estimates of how many hospitalizations or deaths are due to the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.
Ottawa Expands Support Program Eligibility for Workers, Businesses Amid New COVID Restrictions
The federal government is temporarily expanding eligibility for its key income support programs to more Canadians, in light of recent COVID-19 restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the expansion of the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB) and Local Lockdown Program during a virtual news conference on Dec. 22, accompanied by several ministers.
We are announcing our decision to temporarily expand the definition of a lockdown so that these wage and rent support programs can support workers and businesses that see capacity restricted by 50 percent or more, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
It means that if you are an employer who has to reduce the capacity of your main business by 50 percent or more, you will be eligible for wage and rent subsidy support through the Local Lockdown Program.
The government also lowered the current 40 percent monthly revenue decline threshold for businesses to 25 percent. Eligible employers will receive wage and rent subsidies between 25 percent to 75 percent, depending on how much revenue theyve lost.
Organizations eligible for the program must demonstrate a loss of revenue during the current month compared with the same period in 2019.
The CWLB, announced last week, was created to provide temporary financial support for those affected by COVID-19-related public health measures, similar to its predecessors such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB).
However, the CWLB was previously available to those who are experiencing a COVID-19 lockdown order longer than 14 days. Following the expansion, the CWLB is eligible to workers in regions where provincial or territorial governments have announced capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 percent or more.
Workers eligible for the CWLB can receive $300 per week, and can apply for any weeks that their regions are under lockdown between Oct. 24, 2021 and May 7, 2022.
The two support programs were introduced as part of Bill C-2, new legislation that received royal assent on Dec. 17. The Liberal government came under fire following the announcement of the programs, since no regions in Canada were facing a lockdown of more than 14 days.
Passengers up to 3 Times More Likely to Contract Omicron on Flights Than Delta Variant: Medical Adviser
Aircraft passengers are up to three times more likely to contract the Omicron variant of the coronavirus compared to the Delta variant, a top medical adviser to the worlds airlines said on Tuesday.
David Powell, physician and medical adviser to the International Air Transport Association, told Bloomberg that the relative risk of contracting the Omicron variant of the virus drastically increases for airline passengers, while recommending people get vaccinated and boosted.
Whatever the risk was with Delta, we would have to assume the risk would be two to three times greater with Omicron, just as weve seen in other environments. Whatever that low riskwe dont know what it ison the airplane, it must be increased by a similar amount, Powell said.
Powell, who is a former chief medical officer at Air New Zealand, urged passengers to take safety precautions when onboard flights, including avoiding common touch surfaces, washing and sanitizing hands whenever possible, social distancing, wearing masks, and trying to avoid face-to-face contact with other customers.
The medical adviser recommended trying not to take off masks throughout the entire flight, even for meal and drink services, unless absolutely necessary.
The advice is the same, its just that the relative risk has probably increased, just as the relative risk of going to the supermarket or catching a bus has increased with Omicron, he said. The greatest protection you can give yourself is to be vaccinated and boosted. The protection that you give yourself from an extra mask or a different type of mask, or not flying at all, frankly, is probably less than the benefit you would get from just being fully boosted.
Theres a sort of a rule of thumb starting to appear, that essentially Omicron loses you one vaccine dose of benefit. So, two doses against Omicron is about similar protection to one dose against Delta, Powell said. Thats not established in hard science, but it roughly seems to correlate with whats coming out in studies.
Students from Norway who were on a field trip to South Africa wait to be tested for COVID-19 before boarding a flight to Amsterdam at Johannesburgs OR Tambos airport, on Nov. 29, 2021. (Jerome Delay/AP Photo)
Pilots talk after exiting a Delta Airlines flight at the Ronald Reagan National Airport, in Arlington, Va., on July 22, 2020. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)
Powells comments, particularly those regarding wearing masks throughout the duration of flights, come after chief executives from some major U.S. airlines questioned just how much of a difference wearing them onboard actually makes.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly, and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby made the comments during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on aviation issues on Dec. 15.
All three Airline CEOs noted that the majority of aircraft are fitted with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that remove 99.99 percent of airborne particles onboard flights.
I think the case is very strong that masks dont add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment. It is very safe and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting, Southwests Kelly said.
Uniteds Kirby said that his company, alongside medical experts, had concluded that effectively anywhere that youre going to be indoors, the airplane is the safest place that you could be indoors because of the air filtration system. Far safer than a theater, far safer actually than an intensive care unit, because we have HEPA-grade filters but we filter the air 20 to 30 times an hour and in a typical ICU, its two to three times an hour.
Aircraft are a remarkably safe environment, he said, adding that sitting next to someone on a flight is the equivalent of being 15 feet away from them in a typical building.
However, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, noted that not all aircraft are equipped with the same quality of air filters, and encouraged both passengers onboard flights as well as staff to continue wearing masks as part of a layered safety protocol.
Powell told Bloomberg on Tuesday that while airplanes are an enclosed space, they are not as risky as other places such as pubs and gyms.
It is an enclosed space, but that doesnt shout risk to me, he said. An Irish pub with a fan in the corner shouts risk to me or a gymnasium with a whole lot of people shouting and grunting and sweating. But any flight you take does involve airports as well, which are a little bit less controlled. So, there is risk there.
Pentagon Anti-Extremism Plan Will Chill Speech: Military Attorney
The Pentagons new plan to counter extremism within its ranks includes prohibitions on liking and sharing social media content that endorses extremist activities, which critics worry will have a chilling effect on free speech.
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced its counter-extremism policies on Dec. 20, unveiling guidelines that are the result of a Counter Extremist Activity Working Group established in April by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The plan doesnt introduce any new concepts, instead updating an anti-extremism policy thats existed since 1969 to account for social media and other developments. Among the changes is an update to the definition of active participation in extremist activities to include posting, liking, sharing, re-tweeting, or otherwise distributing contentwhen such content is taken with the intent to promote or otherwise endorse extremist activities.
However, the DoD hasnt clarified what exactly could constitute a violation of this rule. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby was tight-lipped about the matter when questioned by a reporter on whether it would be a violation for a soldier to like a post that says, Joe Biden is not the president.
We could be here for hours going through whether liking all kinds of different hypothetical pieces of material, and I just dont think thats useful. The instructions very clear about what comprises extremist activity and what comprises active participation in it, Kirby said at a Dec. 20 press conference.
And we certainly have full confidence in our commanders ability when somethings reported to them to treat it appropriately and toand to look into it in the manner that they see fit.
The reporter pressed Kirby further about what happens if a soldier accidentally likes a post. Kirby again said it will be up to military leadership to ensure the policy is enforced responsibly.
The physical act of liking is, of course, advocating, right? And advocating for extremist groups that advocate for violating the oath to the Constitution, the overthrow of the government, terrorist activitiesliking is an advocation, and thats laid out clear in the instruction, Kirby said.
But the other thing thats laid out in the instruction is the responsibilities and the authorities of commanders here. And so, its veryits going to be very case-specific, and it will be up to athe chainan individuals chain of command and his or her senior leadership in the unit to have that discussion, the determination whether this was a very deliberate act of active participation in extremist activities or whether it was maybe a mistake.
Kirby added that the Pentagon wont be actively monitoring social media for violations.
According to a military attorney familiar with the matter, the new policy wont change much for servicemembers operating day to day.
This is meant to show the White House that were doing something, because the White House cares about it, said the attorney, who spoke under condition of anonymity. This is all just meant to signal that this is a problem and we need a policy, but the actual commanders will probably look at this and go, Im not seeing this.
However, the policy could also have a chilling effect on speech because it signals to servicemembers that they could be punished for innocuous liking and sharing of posts. Given the conservative leanings of many military members, this could be the intended effect of the new policy, the attorney said.
Either way, the military attorney said the new policy is more evidence that the Pentagon is prioritizing social issues at the expense of military preparednessa trend that has also worried Republican lawmakers.
Theres very much a disconnect between Washington, D.C., and the rest of the force. Just like the pronoun thing, the military attorney said, referencing the Air Forces new policy of allowing its airmen to include their pronouns in their signature blocks. Its all just a big joke.
Along with revealing its updates to the anti-extremism policy, the Pentagon announced on Dec. 20 the results of its review of extremist activity taking place within the militarys ranks. According to the DoD, members of the military who are subject to official action due to engagement in prohibited extremist activity are fewer than 100 over the past year.
At the Dec. 20 press conference, Kirby was again tight-lipped on details of the nearly 100 cases.
In response to a question about whether any of the cases were related to military members attending Black Lives Matter protests, the press secretary declined to say.
I dont have that breakdown of what their specific activities were. And again, these were individuals that were substantiated allegations of participating in extremist activity, Kirby said. I dont have a breakdown of all 100 of them, what the specifics were.
Philippines Cuts COVID-19 Booster Shot Interval to 3 Months After Third Omicron Case Emerged
The Philippines government has shortened the interval for the administration of COVID-19 booster shots from six months to three months, the health ministry said on Tuesday, following the detection of a third Omicron case in the country.
Adults are now allowed to get their booster shots three months after the second dose of a primary two-dose vaccine, or two months after a single dose, the ministry said in a statement.
We are exploring all possible options to safely mitigate the effects of more transmissible variants of COVID-19. The approval came at an opportune time as several countries also re-strategize in light of the Omicron and other COVID-19 variants that may emerge, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said.
A growing list of countries, including South Korea, the United Kingdom, Thailand, and Germany, are shortening the interval for boosters to try to stave off a new surge of infections.
Duque also called on those who are unvaccinated, particularly senior citizens and people with underlying medical conditions, to get vaccinated as they are more vulnerable to having severe virus infections.
Ensuring enough coverage of the primary series while adhering to the minimum public health standards are crucial if we want to maintain low to minimal risk classification and have adequate health systems capacities, especially during the holiday season, Duque said.
The Philippines administered its 100 millionth dose of the vaccine on Dec. 17, with over 43 million people, or 55.78 percent of its population fully vaccinated.
The country reported its first two Omicron cases on Dec. 15, a returning overseas Filipino who arrived from Japan on Dec. 1, and a Nigerian who landed in the Philippines on Nov. 30. Both of them were described as asymptomatic.
The third Omicron case was confirmed on Tuesday, a 36-year-old Filipino man returning from Qatar who arrived at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport on Nov. 28.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the patients sample was tested on Dec. 4 and came back positive the next day, but he later tested negative for the virus on a repeat test on Dec. 19, reported the state-run Philippine News Agency.
The case completed his isolation in Cebu before traveling back to Cavite, his hometown, where he immediately self quarantined upon arrival. The case is currently finishing his home quarantine in Cavite and has remained asymptomatic since his arrival, Vergeire said.
The authorities are currently in the process of identifying possible close contacts of the case, particularly those who boarded the same flight as the patient, Vergeire noted.
Reuters contributed to this report.
An undated image shows what appears to be paint peeling, cracking and exposed expanded copper foil (ECF) on the fuselage of a Qatar Airways A350 aircraft grounded by the Qatari regulator. (Reuters File Photo)
Qatar Airways Sues Airbus in A350 Jet Damage Dispute
PARISQatar Airways said on Monday it had started proceedings in a UK court against planemaker Airbus in a bid to resolve a dispute over skin flaws on A350 passenger jets, bringing the two sides closer to a rare legal showdown over aviation safety.
The companies have been locked in a row for months over damage, including blistered paint and corrosion to a sub-layer of lightning protection, which Qatar Airways says has now led to the grounding of 21 A350 jets by its domestic regulator.
Airbus insists the carbon-composite passenger jets are safe to fly despite some surface degradation, while Qatar Airways says it is too early to say whether safety has been compromised.
The dispute came to a head last week when Airbus, in what experts called an unprecedented move, accused the Gulf airline of misrepresenting the problem as a safety issue and threatened to call for an independent legal assessment.
On Monday, Qatar Airways hit back, saying it had taken its complaint against Airbus to the High Court in London.
We have sadly failed in all our attempts to reach a constructive solution with Airbus in relation to the accelerated surface degradation condition adversely impacting the Airbus A350 aircraft, it said in a statement. Qatar Airways has therefore been left with no alternative but to seek a rapid resolution of this dispute via the courts.
In a statement late on Monday, Airbus confirmed it had received a formal legal claim. Airbus intends to vigorously defend its position, it said.
A spokesman earlier reiterated it had found the cause of the problem and was working with customers and Europes safety regulator, which has said it has not identified a safety issue.
Qatar Airways denies that the surface flawswhich witnesses say have left some of the jets with a pock-marked appearanceare properly understood and said on Monday that it wanted Airbus to mount a thorough investigation.
Jets Grounded
Several industry executives said such a public legal fight between two of aviations leading players is unprecedented.
The row widened this month when documents seen by Reuters revealed at least five other airlines in varying climates had complained about paint or other surface problems since 2016. Airbus had until recently maintained the problem was focused on paint on Qatars A350s, based in the Gulf.
Reuters also first reported that Airbus was looking at changing the anti-lightning system.
The planemaker has said it is proposing interim solutions ranging from repairs to repainting and has accused Qatar Airways of ignoring those proposals without reasonable justification.
Qatar Airways reiterated on Monday it could not be sure whether proposed repairs would work without deeper analysis. Its chief executive has questioned why Airbus is still working on a solution if a reliable fix is already available.
The 21 grounded jets represent 40 percent of its current fleet of A350s, for which it was the launch customer with the biggest order. Other airlines still operate the jet, saying its airworthiness is not affected by what they term cosmetic issues.
The row meanwhile looks set to cost Airbus a big Qatar order for a new A350 freighter version. It received the first firm order for the model on Monday, confirming a previously tentative order for four planes from Frances CMA CGM.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker told the South China Morning Post last week he had previously looked at placing a large order for the cargo A350. Sources now expect Boeing to win the order to replace Qatars 3435 freighters.
By Tim Hepher
In this photo released by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pauses during his and Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Franca's joint news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 30, 2021. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)
Russia Expects Security Talks With US, NATO to Start in Early 2022
Russia is expected to begin bilateral talks with U.S. negotiators over Moscows security guarantees at the start of next year, Russias top diplomat announced on Wednesday.
It is agreed that at the very start of next year, bilateral contact between American negotiators and ours will become the first round [of talks], said Sergei Lavrov, Russias foreign minister.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov followed up on Lavrovs comments and hailed reaching a quick agreement on the start of the talks, saying Russia is very interested in the negotiations, while also noting that he hopes Washington and other European capitals will arrive for the talks with clearly formulated positions.
Now, it is very important that our counterparts also clearly formulate all basic positions so that the negotiations do not turn into a process for the sake of the process and so that they are focused on specific results after all, Peskov said, Russian press agency TASS reported.
Last week, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliances military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. Washington and its allies have refused to provide such pledges, but said they are open for bilateral talks.
Moscow presented the demands amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has stoked concern of a possible invasionan accusation Russia has repeatedly denied.
Russia announcing the agreement on talks to start comes a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready to take adequate military-technical measures if Western countries continue to pursue an aggressive policy and decline Russias pledge to stop the eastward expansion of NATO and the alliance placing military infrastructure near Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, escorted by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, and General Staff Valery Gerasimov walk after attending an extended meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board at the National Defense Control Center in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
We are not demanding any special exclusive conditions. And in case western colleagues continue their clearly aggressive line, we will take adequate military and technical measures in response, Putin said on Tuesday while meeting with Russias top military brass.
We will react firmly to unfriendly steps, and Id like to underline that we have the complete right to do this, he went on to say. Putins statement comes several weeks after he sternly warned NATO against deploying its troops and weapons to Ukraine, saying it represented a red line for Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Washington is working with European allies to address what he called Russian aggression with diplomacy. Blinken also said that President Joe Biden opposes the kind of security guarantees sought by Putin.
The president has been extremely clear for many, many years about some basic principles that no one is moving back on: the principle that one country does not have the right to change by force the borders of another, that one country does not have the right to dictate the policies of another or to tell that that country with whom they may associate, Blinken told reporters in Washington.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From NTD News
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart following their talks in Moscow on Nov. 22, 2021. (Evgenia Novozhenina/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia Says Talks to Revive Iran Nuclear Deal May Resume Before Year-End
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said that the next round of talks aimed at salvaging Irans tattered 2015 nuclear deal may resume before the end of this year.
The seventh round of talks, which are being held in Vienna, had ended last week at Irans request. Those involved said some progress was made, but negotiators havent come close to an agreement yet.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russias permanent representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, told news agency TASS after the results of the seventh round of talks that the issue of the date for the resumption is still open.
As far as I understand, there are two options: either to resume the work on Dec. 27, at least the expert level within the framework of the eighth round, or on Jan. 3, when everyone is ready for that, Ulyanov told the Russian state-owned network.
In a statement on Twitter, Ulyanov noted that the seventh round of talks, which ended on Dec. 17, was successful in a sense that it prepared sound basis for more intensive negotiations.
Russias Governor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mikhail Ulyanov, leaves the Grand Hotel on the day the JCPOA Iran nuclear talks are to resume in Vienna, Austria, on May 25, 2021. (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
European and U.S. diplomats involved in the talks have expressed frustration last week that the pause is disappointing and that negotiators in Vienna are rapidly reaching the end of the road.
Negotiators from the three Western European powers said they respect Iranian negotiator Ali Bagheri Kanis decision to return to Tehran though it brings a disappointing pause in negotiations.
After twice expressing frustration during the recent talks, they said that there has been some technical progress in the last 24 hours, but this only takes us back nearer to where the talks stood in June.
Enrique Mora, the European Union diplomat who chaired the talks, said that the eighth round will require a lot of work, adding that difficult political decisions have to be taken.
Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora speaks to journalists in front of the Coburg palace after a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 3, 2021. (Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images)
The United States has been participating indirectly in the talk because Iran refuses direct contact.
The 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also called the JCPOA, requires Iran to restrict its nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions from the United States, the EU, and the United Nations.
President Donald Trump in May 2018 withdrew the United States from the nuclear pact and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, in an effort to force the countrys ruling Islamic regime to change a plethora of activities that the Trump administration said were unacceptable.
President Joe Biden has signaled that he wants to rejoin the deal. The Biden administration has kept in place all Iranian sanctions it inherited from the Trump administration.
A year after the United States left the 2015 deal that also included France, Britain, Germany, Russia, and China, Iran began violating nuclear restrictions outlined in the deal, moving the country closer to developing the capacity to acquire a nuclear weapon, raising concerns about what the country is doing out of view.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From NTD News
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt departs from Apra Harbor, Guam, on May 21, 2020. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kaylianna Genier/Handout via Reuters)
San Diego Sailor Sentenced for Exporting Military Equipment to China
SAN DIEGOA former U.S. Navy sailor was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Dec. 21 for illegally exporting military equipment to China for profit.
Ye Sang Ivy Wang, 37, and her husband, Shaohua Eric Wang, 38, both of San Diego, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges for selling equipment the couple obtained through Ivy Wangs position as a Navy logistics specialist, according to prosecutors.
Eric Wang was sentenced last year to nearly four years in prison.
According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Eric Wang sold the equipment through his online business and housed the equipment in a warehouse in China.
Ivy Wang, who purchased military equipment for Naval Special Warfare Units as part of her job, admitted in her plea agreement to buying a device used to identify U.S. military personnel in the field.
She was deployed in Iraq when the device arrived on base in San Diego, and told her command the package was something for her husband that would be used on a camping trip, prosecutors said.
She was later interviewed by law enforcement and admitted she knew her husband was illegally shipping military equipment.
The U.S. Attorneys Office said that after her husband repeatedly asked her to buy equipment with her military email address, she grew so annoyed that she gave him her email password and told him to buy the equipment by posing as her.
Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said, This defendant used her position of trust to put the Navy and the nation at risk, and the sentence imposed [on Dec. 21] holds her accountable for her actions.
Joshua Flowers, special agent in charge at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Southwest, said, Ms. Wang betrayed her oath to the U.S. Navy and ultimately threatened the operational readiness and safety of our nations military by attempting to acquire and illegally export sensitive military equipment to China.
A boy carries freshly baked bread along a street in Kandahar on October 27, 2021. 24 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance after August 15. (Javed Tanveer/ AFP)
Over Half of Afghan Population Doesnt Have Enough to Eat Since Taliban Took Control: UNHCR
NEW DELHIAlready stressed by continuous drought and conflict, 24 million Afghanis are in need of humanitarian assistance following the Talibans takeover of the country, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
The 24 million in need, up from 18 million before the Aug. 15 takeover, account for more than half of the nations total population of 40 million.
In 2021, alone 700,000 people were displaced by conflict in Afghanistan, 80 percent of whom are women and children, said Babar Baloch, global spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Even before events of 15th of August, we know that in the last two years, Afghanistan has heavily relied on international help and support. So since the takeover of the Talibansince the new de facto rulers have come into powerthat support has diminished. In many sectors, it has stopped. So now, we see that people who were doing routine jobs may be employed right now, but there is no money to pay their salaries, Baloch said.
And Im talking about essential services. Im talking about doctors, talking about health support staff, health technicians, talking about teachers, others. So that income has just disappeared; if you had money in the bank before the 15th of August, that money or that access to that money may have disappeared as well.
The Afghan economy is nearing collapse and the countrys banking system and social services are barely operating, he said.
While in Kabul, Baloch visited the UNHCR humanitarian distribution center where people would come to collect their assistance.
So if we have, for instance, a distribution for 500 families, there will be an additional 500 families or additional people who will come there asking us for help as well. And dont forget that these are not displaced people. Theyre staying in their own houses, they are in the locality where the displaced people are. So that need in terms of support is now growing because people have lost incomes, he said.
Malalai (C) from Kunduz province, sits with her children at a camp for internally displaced people as they wait for a bus to return home, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 9, 2021. (Felipe Dana/AP Photo)
Dont Have Enough to Eat
Baloch said that farmers in Afghanistan have faced two droughts in the past five years and businesses are also affectedthe conflicts of the past 40 years have aggravated every existing problem. On top of all this, the COVID pandemic compounded every existing misery.
But now, because you have a change in those who are ruling Afghanistan and international engagement is not there, our worry is if theres no fix to Afghanistans humanitarian crisis, peoples suffering will increase, he said.
Currently, he says, there is a crisis of hunger and starvation in Afghanistan.
The estimates are talking about the 24 million people that I mentioned to you being in need of humanitarian help right now, the majority of them do not have enough to eat and that affects everyone alike, said Baloch, adding that out of these 24 million, 9 million are just one step from starvation. You have lactating mothers, you have babies who have ended up in hospital needing therapeutic feeding, without which they will just not survive.
Among the Afghans needing urgent assistance are many, many children, he said, and if help doesnt arrive soon, theyll lose their lives.
Farzana, 30, holds her 1-year-old baby, Omar, at the malnutrition ward for infants of Indira Gandhi Childrens hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 23, 2021. (Jorge Silva/Reuters)
Abnormal Lens
Baloch said to understand the nations situation today, one has to look at it from a different and abnormal lens, because nothing has been normal in Afghanistan over the past 40 years and people are losing hope.
It has seen rounds of conflict. It has seen human suffering. It has seen international troops that have come in and have left. But the impact has been so devastating for our people, he said.
It is going to take them a long time, if there is some hope that their lives are going to get normal soon, which sadly, I mean if youre inside of Afghanistan you go and you talk to people, theyre kind of losing hope, in terms of what in store next for them.
Baloch said the complexities are compounding in Afghanistan because hunger is linked to every other factor of existence, and hunger loops into more cycles of crisis.
Yes, hunger affects people. Yes, hunger is linked to drought, to climate. But hunger is also linked to conflict, he said.
When the Taliban fell in 2001, almost 6 million Afghans who were living outside their country returned home to restart their lives and rebuild their country, he said.
And many of them were former refugees, that we at UNHCR helped them to return back home, he said, adding that Afghanistans future is at stake.
The projections that international aid agencies have if no support is given immediately to Afghanistans children [indicate that] 1 million children are at risk of dying, he said, adding that these children need therapeutic feeding.
History has been very cruel to Afghanistan and over the past 40 years, things have worsened, Baloch said.
This photo, taken on Nov. 16, 2021, shows Laila, an Afghan mother of six children who started to beg on the streets after losing her job when her employer fled the country and whose name has been changed to protect her identity, speaking during an interview with AFP in Kabul. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)
Harsh Winters
With so much displacement that happened and still happening, Baloch said people dont have proper shelter; thats dangerous because the winters in Afghanistan are harsh.
There are so many aspects of support that Afghans need today, he said, adding that when he visited relief distribution centers in Kabul or deep in the Pakistan countryside, he heard many sad stories.
Most of the households in the places he visited are led by women because most of the men arent there or have been killed, he said. Many families are torn apart and elderly grandparents are left to care for orphaned children.
Among that queue, we saw a one really elderly woman who just dropped in front of our eyes; she lost consciousness. So my colleagues rushed to help and support her, and they gave her water, Baloch said.
Someone asked her what happened to her. And she said she had not eaten for days. So this is the story in terms of when we talk about people going hungry. This is one of the real examples that you can witness, in many places, he said.
He also noted that he heard stories from people who were working but not being paid. He gave the example of a school he visited in Herat, close to the Iranian border.
We met a teacher and she was teaching some of the girls in the class. Her focus was more in terms of telling us what her students needed. They dont have enough stationery, copies, pens, and everything else, he said. And she was telling us that this is going to discourage them from not coming.
The teacher also explained to the UNHCR team how important it is for girls at higher levels of education to be allowed to return to school.
What she wasnt mentioning was at that stage was she hasnt been paid for four months and she was still standing there trying to do her job, said Baloch.
Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (Erin Schaff/Pool/Getty Images)
Supreme Court Denies Challenge to New Mexicos COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a legal challenge to block New Mexicos vaccine mandate for health care workers, prisons, and nursing homes, as well as other settings.
The nations high court didnt offer a comment (pdf) on why it denied issuing an injunction against the order, the latest time the Supreme Court rejected attempts to block states vaccination mandates. Previously, the Supreme Court denied challenges against mandates in New York state and Maine, respectively.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, who previously dissented in a ruling that declined to block a New York state vaccine mandate, denied the application on Tuesday.
New Mexicos vaccine mandate, which went into effect in August of this year, allows for religious and medical exemptions. The separate legal challenge against New Yorks health care worker mandate had argued that the state acted in an unconstitutional manner by not allowing religious exemptions.
Two women, including a former nurse who was fired after she didnt get the COVID-19 vaccine, argued that the statewide mandate violates their constitutional right to bodily integrity as well as their right to engage in ones chosen profession.
There is no documentation that unvaccinated workers in the affected industries were being infected at any greater rate or severity than the vaccinated workers, that they were responsible for a greater rate of spread, that masking and other physical measures were not working, or that other treatments were not available short injection of gene modification therapies that work to treat COVID and slow its spread, their lawyers also argued, asking the court for injunctive relief by blocking the mandate.
Further, they argued, its unreasonable to place the workers in such a position, who by all accounts serve as no greater threat for spread of the disease and require employers to terminate them from their chosen professions.
But lawyers for the state of New Mexico argued (pdf) that the two plaintiffs said that they made no effort to seek an exemption to the vaccination requirements based on those stated beliefs, and asserted that because they made no such effort, [the plaintiffs] have no reasonable basis to conclude that none of the exemptions would be available to them.
The Supreme Court justices are likely going to act in the coming days on two Biden administration vaccine mandates: the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) controversial mandate that requires testing or vaccines for workers at businesses with 100 or more employees, and a separate mandate for health care workers that was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Tennessee Supreme Court Agrees to Rehear School Voucher Challenge After Sitting Judge Dies
The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to rehear oral arguments two months from now in a challenge to a state school voucher program, after a justice on the panel died before the court could render its judgment in the case.
The rescheduling comes as the U.S. Supreme Court has become increasingly receptive to school choice programs designed to allow poor students to escape failing government-run schools.
The nations highest court ruled in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue last year that a state may not exclude families and schools from participating in a student-aid program because of a schools religious status.
On Dec. 8, the same court heard oral arguments in Carson v. Makin, regarding a Maine law that excludes families from a student aid program if they choose to send their children to religious schools. That program provides tuition assistance for students who dont have a local public school so they can attend private institutions, as long as the funding isnt used for religious education, The Epoch Times previously reported. A ruling is expected in the new year.
The case at hand, known as Metropolitan Government of Nashville v. Tennessee Department of Education, deals with the Tennessee Education Savings Account Pilot Program Act of 2019, which provides scholarships to needy families in the Shelby County and Metro Nashville (Davidson County) school districts to place their children in private schools.
The state government takes the position that the Tennessee General Assembly had the power to pass the bill, and that it would help to improve struggling school systems.
The program is the brainchild of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, and was among his top legislative priorities in 2019. The legislation eked by in the House after its scope was narrowed to include only Shelby and Davidson counties.
Under Tennessees Education Savings Account (ESA) program, eligible students assigned to schools in the affected areas are allowed to use state and local Basic Education Program (BEP) funds toward expenses, such as tuition or fees, at participating private schools. The ESA program is covered under the state law known as Public Chapter 506.
Low-income students deserve the same opportunity as every other kid in this state, and we will need a bold plan that will help level the playing field, Lee said in March 2019 in his inaugural State of the State address.
We need to challenge the status quo, increase competition, and not slow down until every student in Tennessee has access to a great education. Were not going to get big results from our struggling schools by nibbling around the edges. That is why we need education savings accounts in Tennessee this year.
But Anne C. Martin, a Democrat who is a judge in the Chancery Court of Davidson County, struck down the statute authorizing the program in May 2020, ruling it ran afoul of the home rule provisions of the state constitution because it applied only to two counties and didnt require their input in the matter. In September that year, the states Court of Appeals upheld Martins decision.
The Tennessee Supreme Court heard the appeal from the ruling in June of this year. Justice Cornelia Clark, who participated in the hearing, died after a brief battle with cancer on Sept. 24 at the age of 71. Clark was first appointed to the court in 2005 and was chief justice from 2010 to 2012.
On Dec. 17, Chief Justice Roger Page issued an order stating that in light of the untimely death of Clark, this Court has concluded that re-argument will aid the resolution of this appeal, and scheduled the re-argument for Feb. 24, 2022, in Nashville. Page also designated Thomas Frierson, a judge of the Court of Appeals of Tennessee, to participate in the appeal to its conclusion.
Lee and the Metropolitan Government of Nashville didnt respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment by press time.
Terrorists Promise Christmas Massacre in Nigeria
Residents of an embattled town in Nigeria are bracing for another mass attack by radicalized militias that have threatened to kill the entire population. The threat came from a caller whose number was found on a cell phone dropped in the dirt during a night attack on Nov. 26 that massacred 10 unarmed residents in the Nigerian village of Teegbe, located 18 miles west of Jos, Nigeria, the capital of Plateau state.
The threat was made to the leader of an armed neighborhood watch team who called numbers on the phone before surrendering it to local officials. The watch leader asked for his name to be withheld for fear of retaliation by terrorists or by the authorities themselves.
We will still attack the main town of Miango during Christmas, and we will kill everybody, because the number we killed last time was not enough, the caller said, according to the confidential source.
Miango is a town of 15,000 people surrounded by 20,000 people living in small farming villages.
The band of terrorists gave more than an hours notice to village residents and authorities through emailed warnings.
Most of the villages approximately 500 residents fled after hearing warnings of a terrorist band approaching at 10:30 p.m. One family with elderly members stayed behind to care for them and were murdered by the terrorists, Nuhu Ngah, national spokesman of Miango Youth Development Association said in a statement.
Ten lives were lost, out of which six were from the same family who were taking care of a sick senior citizen, Ngah said.
The attackers entered the village after two hours, 40 minutes of notice to the military, said a witness who asked to not be identified for fear of reprisal.
The attackers were dressed in black, holding sophisticated weapons, shouting Allahu Akbar [Allah is great], another witness said.
Teegbe is less than a mile from a military checkpoint.
Police have made no arrests or announced names of suspects since the attack that began at midnight and lasted until 2:00 a.m. the morning of Nov. 27. Police Spokesman Gabriel Ogaba declined to comment. At least 278 houses were burned and 57 food barns were destroyed. The so-called bandits didnt steal any valuables.
57 food barns were destroyed during a Nov. 26 attack on the village of Teegbe in Nigeria. (Lawrence Zongo/The Epoch Times)
The Nigerian government declared on Nov. 25 that some bandit gangs can be labeled terrorists.
The Federal Governments determination to crush banditry remains unwavering now that the Court has granted an application filed by his Office declaring bandits groups as terrorist organizations, according to Attorney General of the Federation of Nigeria Abubakar Malami in a Nov. 25 statement made by his media spokesman.
Nigerian political leaders, including the Nigerian Senate and Kaduna state Gov. Nasir el-Rufai, have demanded for months that President Muhammadu Buhari formally declare the bandits laying waste to most of the states in the Northwest as terrorists.
Nigerian terrorism has been linked with groups affiliated with Islamic State of West Africa, or its precursor, Boko Haram, yet greater deaths in recent years are due to raids by gangs associated with the Fulani ethnicity, usually called bandits.
The expansion of armed banditry in Nigerias northwest claimed approximately 3,000 lives in 2020 and displaced more than 300,000 civilians in Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger and Kebbi, according to the Global Centre for Responsibility to Protect. The death toll in Nigeria has made it the worlds second hardest hit by terrorism, after Afghanistan, according to the Global Terrorism Index for 2020.
The terrorist declaration will allow the government to seek more severe penalties, according to Nigerian experts on conflict. It will correct the impression that theyre a harmless group of herders or freedom fighters, Dr. Mansur I. Buhari, an academic and conflict reporter in Sokoto, told The Epoch Times. It also would provide legal ground for tougher penalties.
The attack in Teegbe happened 10 days after the U.S. government removed Nigeria from a list of religious freedom violators known as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). Nigeria was first added to the CPC in December 2020 after an indictment by the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The administration of President Joe Biden then ignored the recommendation from the USCIRF.
Ten people were killed, and three survived gunshots. many houses were burnt, said Ezekiel Bini, National President of Irigwe Youth Movement to The Epoch Times. The attack is aimed to wipe out Irigwe Christians and make them homeless.
The attackers were many. They can be more than 200, dressed in black whereas others wore soldiers camouflage uniform, said a neighborhood watchman who asked The Epoch Times for anonymity.
The seven soldiers deployed at the military checkpoint didnt fire their rifles at the Fulani. [The soldiers] all ran. And the watchmen group had to run because our guns were single-shot craft rifles.
If only we have good guns or the soldiers had not run, we could have faced and killed some of the Fulani.
Bini said, Fulani militants attacked Teegbe village for the second time. In 2017, Fulani attacked the village, six Christians were killed and houses burnt. The Nigeria government failed to help, yet International Christian Concern helped rebuild some of the houses, Bini said. Yet these same houses were burned again and their food barns burned.
I lost my grandchildren, for the sake of Christ, said Sibi Gara in tears, lying in a hospital bed in Miango District.
A Nigerian minister in the United States whose wife grew up in the village of Teegbe denounced the governments lax stance regarding waves of terrorist attacks in Plateau State.
The killings in Plateau state and particularly in Bassa local government area have reached an alarming stage that calls for a change of approach by all Plateau people, since it is obvious that the federal government has abandoned us, wrote Rev. John Pofi in a text to The Epoch Times.
We have Operation Safe Haven in the state, the headquarters of the Third Division of the Nigerian Army in the area, and yet the killings have persisted while those who are saddled with the responsibility of curbing the situation stand and look. As reported by the Epoch Times in August, a wave of terrorist attacks in the nearby villages of Jebbu Miango from July 29 to Aug. 2 claimed the lives of 72 unarmed citizens. No suspects have been arrested after those killings.
The construction site of the future Tesla Gigafactory is seen in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)
Tesla Giga Berlin yet to Receive Production Greenlight Over Pending Documents: Report
Tesla Inc. is yet to submit documents related to its upcoming gigafactory in Grunheide, Berlin, as per local publication rbb24, which cited Brandenburgs Environment Minister Axel Vogel.
What Happened
The Austin, Texas-based electric vehicle maker does not have a final greenlight from the local authorities for the official start of production at the Giga Berlin as all requested documents have not been submitted.
In order to be able to implement this in a legally secure manner, it is also necessary that appropriate reports are available, and it is regrettable that not all reports are available in this quality yet, the report noted in German, citing Brandenburg Environment Minister Axel Vogel.
No further details were provided by the minister on the type of documents that are pending.
Why It Matters
A regional environmental ministry in Germany had last month repeated an online consultation with local citizens to review objections to Teslas Berlin manufacturing facility.
The third round of public consultation was open to those who expressed an objection in previous rounds but were not satisfied with the response from Tesla or the environmental ministry.
Musk had earlier said Tesla could start rolling off cars from the production lines at its new Giga Berlin in November or December though achieving volume production at the Berlin factory would take much longer than it took to build the factory.
Musk has previously blamed German bureaucracy for the delay in starting production at the Berlin Gigafactory.
Musk announced the plans to build the Berlin gigafactory in 2019 but construction began last year. The factory could eventually clock a 500,000 annual electric vehicle capacity.
By Rachit Vats
2021 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Women wearing face masks walk below decorations outside a shopping mall in Bangkok on Dec. 6, 2021, as Thailand recorded its first case of the coronavirus Omicron variant. (Jack Taylor/AFP)
Thailand Suspends Traveler Quarantine Exemption Scheme Amid Omicron Fears
Thailand has suspended its Test and Go quarantine exemption scheme until at least Jan. 4 and reinstated mandatory quarantine for all travelers to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced on Tuesday.
The Test and Go scheme was launched on Nov. 1 to allow fully vaccinated travelers from 63 countries to enter Thailand without going through quarantine. Travelers would in turn be required to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus upon arrival.
Prayut said the government has temporarily halted the quarantine waiver on Tuesday, reinstating seven to 10 days of quarantine requirement to all travelers.
There will be no approval of new applications until the situation is reviewed on Jan. 4, he told reporters after a meeting, reported Bangkok Post.
The countrys Phuket Sandbox program, which allows travelers to visit Phuket province without having to undergo quarantine, will continue to operate as planned. Prayut said those who have already applied for the Test and Go scheme would still be allowed to enter Thailand.
Thailand has received about 200,000 applications for the Test and Go and Sandbox schemes, 110,000 of which had arrived, while 90,000 more travelers are pending approval for their applications, Prayut said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also released new measures for applicants in a tweet on Tuesday, saying that the Test and Go scheme registration will be closed from Dec. 22 onwards.
It stated that passengers who arrive in Thailand under Test and Go and Sandbox schemes must undergo a second Reverse Transcription PCR test for the CCP virus at government-designated facilities.
People wearing face masks exit a BTS Skytrain in Bangkok on Dec.6, 2021, as Thailand recorded its first case of the coronavirus Omicron variant which was an American businessman of Thai descent who caught the virus while overseas. (Jack Taylor/AFP)
The announcement came after Thailand confirmed its first locally transmitted Omicron case on Monday, a 49-year-old woman who contracted the variant from her Colombian husband, 62, who returned from Nigeria in late November.
Sumanee Wacharasin, a senior health official, said the husband had been fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine in Nigeria and returned to Thailand on Nov. 26. He stayed at a hotel in Bangkok under the Sandbox scheme after being tested negative for the virus, reported Bangkok Post.
The patient received a Pfizer booster shot on Dec. 1 and returned home on Dec. 4, but was later experienced a fever, sore throat, and tiredness. He took an antigen test on Dec. 6, but the test came out negative. The Omicron variant was only detected after he was sent to a hospital on Dec. 7.
The wife was confirmed to have contracted Omicron on Dec. 10. Sumanee said a taxi driver who took the couple to the hospital had been placed under quarantine, pending a second test due on Dec. 22.
Thailand has detected a total of 63 Omicron cases to date.
Gunners watch from the doors of a Helibacon helicopter at sunset. (HeliBacon)
The War on Wild Hogs Has Higher Stakes Now, Scientists Say
Across the United States, hogs and hunters fight a hidden war. One side wields rifles, machine guns, helicopters, poison, and traps. The other side is winning.
Feral hogs arrived with Christopher Columbus and the conquistadors in the 1500s. They were left behind so that future expeditions could find edible animals when they arrived.
As an invasive species, hogs were incredibly successful. But their numbers only really took off in the past 50 years, experts say. They may now be impossible to eradicate.
Theyll be around for the Second Coming, said Allen Williams, owner of the Dos Plumas Hunting Ranch in Texas.
The worst danger from hogs isnt the destruction of crops, environmental damage, or even the occasional attack on people. Its the chance that theyll catch African Swine Fever (ASF), an incurable disease that recently resulted in the death of half of Chinas domestic pig stockabout 200 million pigs worth $100 billion.
If ASF enters wild hog populations, theyll still hold the disease, even if U.S. pig farmers kill their entire stock of pigs, scientists say. Then, the same thing will happen again.
A party of hunters gets ready on a helicopter. (HeliBacon)
Hog scientists describe the creatures with phrases that feel appropriate to the movie Alien. Hogs are the perfect invasive species, according to hog scientist John Mayer.
They are the ultimate survivor. They are the classic ecological generalists, Mayer said. They can pretty much live anywhere, from the frozen Canadian prairie provinces down to the hot humid rainforest of Central and South America, and all parts in between. They can pretty much eat anything. They have a very high reproductive potential.
An individual hog reaches maturity in three to five months. From that point, it can produce 18 piglets every two years. Hogs can weigh up to 700 pounds and live in sounders of five to 50 animals. Their size and numbers leave them with few natural predators.
Since the 1990s, the U.S. wild hog population has grown exponentially, Mayer said.
Their spread played out like a horror movie. Government gaming departments encouraged recreational hog hunting. Then, hunters transported and released the beasts into the wild. The warnings from increasingly desperate scientists went unheeded as the hogs multiplied.
We tried to spread the word, Mayer said. The pigs are coming! The pigs are coming! we said.
Everyone ignored them, he said.
Then the pigs did what they do best. Today, they cause $2.5 billion in agricultural damage yearly, spread the human-transmissible diseases brucellosis and trichinosis, and damage the environment by affecting native bird species.
The Pig Plague
African swine fever is likely the worlds worst pig disease, Mayer said. Theres no cure, and it bleeds pigs to death in days. It can spread to pigs, even through cooked or cured ham.
In 2018, African swine fever spread to Chinas livestock. The government ordered the death of all pigs likely to have the disease.
At the worst of the fever, China killed more than 200 million of its 440 million domestic pigs, according to Mayer. The total loss may be more than $100 billion, about 1 percent of Chinas entire economy.
Mass slaughter was the only way to stop the fever, he said. But the cruel execution of this order sometimes resembled a dress rehearsal for genocide.
In some instances, the Chinese Communist Party dug canyons with bulldozers, herded hundreds of pigs into them, and barricaded the exits, Mayer said. Workers shoveled down caustic lye. Then the bulldozers closed the gorges over the chemically burned and still-squealing pigs.
Supposedly, theyve stopped doing that, Mayer said.
If the swine fever reaches the United States, U.S. pig farms will face similarly large-scale losses, he said. Theyll also face a high chance of the fever repeating.
Feral hogs function as a reservoir for swine disease, according to Mayer. They mix with domestic pigs. But unlike domestic pigs, they cant be vaccinated, monitored, or slaughtered.
Weve never been able to deal with pathogens well in our wild pig population, Mayer said.
Pig Problems
The fewer feral hogs the United States has, the safer its domestic pigs will be from African swine fever.
Most experts say that to maintain current hog numbers, hunters must kill between 60 percent and 80 percent of hogs every year. But hunters are lucky to kill a mere 30 percent of feral hogs per year.
The best tools in the current hunters arsenal are trapping, shooting, and helicopter machine-gun attacks.
Trapping hogs requires a special sort of patience, according to Texas hog exterminator Edward Dickey. His business, Texas Wild Hog Control, has been trapping hogs for five years.
Hogs dont trust a trap when it appears randomly in the woods, he said. Instead, hog hunters build a giant trap corral piece by piece over several weeks.
The mistake that a lot of people make is that theyll just trap the first group that comes in, Dickey said. When they do that, theyre just trapping the younger, less intelligent ones. They just reinforced the intelligence of all the other hogs.
Perhaps the greatest weapon hogs have is their intelligence, according to Dickey.
You get one chance to trap them right, he said. And if you screw that up, then youre going to have to try something else.
On the animal intelligence scale, hogs rank fifthbelow dolphins and apes, but above dogs.
A hunter poses with a large rifle in late 2021 at Allen Williamss Dos Plumas Hunting Ranch in Texas. (Allen Williams/Dos Plumas)
Dickey said he uses a video system that alerts him to movement in a trap and allows him to close its gate with a text. Its more likely to catch all of the hogs in a trap with such an approach. But sometimes, it doesnt work.
We are at the point where we have completed the corral. And they will disappear, he said. They somehow know that the corral is complete.
Even when things go according to plan, Dickey mops up the cleverest hogs with gunfire. He can hit a hog at 200 yards, he said.
Hes one of a vast army of hog hunters using an ever-expanding quantity of weapons to drive back the tusked menace.
Rod Pinkston, founder of hog extermination company Jager Pro, is the mind behind many of hog hunters best weapons. He patented the phone-activated trap system that many hog exterminators now use.
Pinkston spent 24 years in the U.S. Army and said he attacks the hog problem from a military angle. Farmer-style damage management doesnt cut it when it comes to the worlds fifth-smartest animal.
From a soldiers standpoint, if you let half the enemy in an ambush get away and inform the enemy chain of command, youll never ambush them again, he said.
For Pinkston and the veterans at his company, hogs are an enemy that must be wiped out.
But doing so will take a lot of firepower. With 2 million hogs in the state, Texas has the largest U.S. feral hog population.
HeliBacon guests in the helicopter hangar getting ready for a hunting flight. (HeliBacon)
In Texas, anyone can hunt hogs with any weaponexcept poisonat any time, according to Dickey. Videos online show hunters using anything from explosives to knives.
You could run them over with your truck if you wanted to, he said. And that would not be considered animal cruelty.
Pork Chopper
Many people want to shoot machine guns from helicopters. This activity was legalized by Texas Gov. Rick Perry through legislation nicknamed the pork chopper bill.
Well supply the machine guns, you bring the trigger finger, pork chopper company HeliBacons website reads. Tourists sometimes pay rates of more than $4,000 to take part in the activity.
About 300 Texas companies enjoy success because of the states hog-hunting laws, and the money helps farmers as well, said Michael Bodenchuk, the state director of Texas Wildlife Services.
Landowners and their individual operators are making a lot of money off of pigs, Bodenchuk said. Some of the helicopter companies are charging $1,500 an hour to go shoot pigs out of a helicopter.
Good for them. Anybody who kills a pig in Texas is a friend of mine.
As usual, hogs have adapted to this tactic. Most hogs now graze at night to avoid hunters.
To continue the hog war, hunters buy $4,000 thermal scopes on silenced rifles. The same sense of power flying in pork choppers now stalks by night with geared-up hunters.
A helicopter takes hog hunters on an air search for potential targets. (HeliBacon)
Pinkston said he was the first man to use a thermal scope to shoot a hog on YouTube and television.
We use night shooting and thermal shooting, especially in crop production areas because you could kill some pigs, but you also change the behavior of the others, Bodenchuk said.
Getting pigs to run from crops is a victory, he said.
Its currently illegal to use poisons on hogs, but laboratories employed by the federal government are eagerly concocting hog-specific toxins, Bodenchuk said.
One poison relies on a compound usually used to cure bacon. Another relies on the drug warfarin, which is used as a heart medicine for humans. Another proposed method would rely on feeding hogs contraceptives.
All of those plans face public pushback and are still illegal, according to Bodenchuk. People dont like the idea of putting chemicals into meat that many people eat, even if labs say the chemicals are safe for people.
Warfarin kills dogs and cats as well.
Mathematically, a pig thats been poisoned by Warfarin doesnt pose a risk to somebody whos eating it, Bodenchuk said. But that doesnt mean theyre not legitimately concerned about it.
Hogs in the House
Ironically, making hog hunting easier for tourists has also made it harder to entirely exterminate hogs.
Hundreds of Texas businesses now have a stake in the continued existence of hogs, even though hog damage takes more money than hog tourism brings in, Bodenchuk said.
Unlike most hog experts, he believes that Texas kills enough hogs to put a dent in the hog problem year after year
Still, Bodenchuk must wrestle with a political world filled with hog allies, including both animal rights activists and hunters who want hogs alive for sport.
Everybody has an opinion on it, he said. Ive never seen a wildlife conflict problem that has so many stakeholders. Watershed people, farmers, hunters, landowners, even public safety people. Everybody has a stake in this.
Some people feel conflicted. Texas rancher Bruce Hunnicut said he fought feral hogs for years before admitting that he couldnt beat them. They were too resilient, he said.
So he joined them.
Hunters relax around a fire in late 2021 at Allen Williamss Dos Plumas Hunting Ranch in Texas. (Allen Williams/Dos Plumas)
You just couldnt eradicate them, Hunnicut said.
He now runs White Oak Outfitters, a hog hunting ranch.
If someone had a way to kill feral hogs, Hunnicut said it wouldnt bother him. He would continue raising his own feral hogs for hunting.
Theyre on my property, he said. And were killing them on our property.
Conflicting laws surround hogs in many of the 35 states in which they live.
In Hawaii, hogs are a game animal on state land with a set hunting season and limits, according to Mayer. But on federal land in Hawaii, hogs are a pest with no special protections.
What else out there is like that? he asked. Its a complete conundrum.
Even if everyone agreed to kill all of the hogs, the task might not be possible. If even a small proportion of hogs survived an all-out attempt at their destruction, they would multiply so quickly that the current hog situation would return, according to Mayer.
Even if youve got the government paying for it, its very expensive to get down to that last pig, he said.
The A-pork-alypse
But in the current situation, the African swine fever threat continues unabated.
The prospect of the disease arriving in the United States worries farmers, Texas Farm Bureau Associate Director Tracy Tomascik said.
Its a scary thought, Tomascik said. That stuff spreads so easily, its really hard to comprehend. And the virus stays viable for a very long time in things like the leftover grain from a feeder.
Although Texas isnt a major pig farming state, its pig farmers still dread the virus, which could wipe out U.S. pig production.
For pig farming states such as Iowa and North Carolina, the problem would be even worse, according to Tomascik.
To keep ASF from reaching the United States, the government has created a formidable defense. No pig feed or minerals that hogs need can come into the country from places with African Swine Fever, he said.
Pork imports from infected countries are restricted, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The government has wound a wall of porcine protection around the border. But this seemingly formidable wall has so many holes that the swine fevers arrival is only a matter of time, according to Mayer.
When customs officials confiscate Chinese raw pork products from returning tourists at the San Francisco International Airport, they throw the meat in the garbage, he said.
The garbage goes to the Guadalupe landfill in San Jose, California. Hogs scavenge the dump. And they eat anything.
Correction: The previous version of this article used an incorrect name for African swine fever in several instances. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
A traffic light is seen near the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China on Sept. 26, 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters File Photo)
Top Authorities Dismissed in Guangzhou Amid Evergrande Debt Crisis
News Analysis
Recently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced that the two highest-ranking authorities of Guangzhou were removed from their positions for the massive removal of Banyan trees in the city, as reported by local media.
However, analysts have suggested that the two officials connection with the distressed real estate developer Evergrande may be the actual reason for the unconventional dismissal.
At the 60th session of the 15th Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal Council, the committee announced that it had accepted Mayor Wen Guohuis resignation request.
Furthermore, on the same day, the CCP approved the removal of Zhang Shuofus position as Guangzhous CCP Secretary and that he would be given other duties, as reported by the Guangdong provincial media, Nanfang Daily, on Dec. 3.
In addition to reports from local media, Sing Tao Daily, Hong Kongs second-largest newspaper, published an exclusive article titled, Mayor And Secretary Step Down Amid Massive Banyan Tree Removal, citing public discontent as the reason for Wen and Zhangs removal.
Connections With Evergrande
Despite popular opinions, some analysts have expressed a contrary viewpoint.
In an EBC news program, Crucial Moment, taped on Dec. 11, Taiwanese news commentator Li Zhenghao suggested that its highly implausible for the CCP to remove its own officials just for cutting down some trees in the local area, and the dismissal was clearly affected by the Evergrande crisis.
Evergrande Group, Chinas second-largest property developer, was officially declared in default by credit rating agency S&P Global on Dec. 17 after missing payments due on Dec. 6. The groups headquarters are in Guangdong Province.
Simply put, the Evergrande is too big to fall, Li said, With trillions of yuan, interconnecting hundreds to thousands of banks, the Evergrande crisis could generate a huge domino effect covering the entire financial sector of China, rendering one-third of all bank loans into bad debt.
Caijinglengyan, a well-known online independent media channel, made a similar analysis.
In an episode published on Dec. 5, it elaborated on the unusual aspect of the dismissal, stating that public discontent or corruption is never the main concern of the CCP when it comes to dismissing authorities, and the only reason that could affect ones position is its political stance.
As for Evergrande, [its founder] Xu Jiayin cannot possibly build such an enormous real-estate giant in Guangzhou without the help of local and central authorities, the Caijinglengyan episode said. Now the top levels of the CCP were irritated by the fact that Xu is using his company to leverage with the CCP, so the CCP removed them (Wen and Zhang).
Caijinglengyan implied that CCP leadership would be worried over the Evergrande situation and what it could lead to.
Ultimately, whats at stake following the default of Evergrande, is how it could affect the credit system in China, and how it plays out in the international world of finance.
Children receive a dose of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine for children at the children's section of the Lanxess Arena vaccination center in Cologne, Germany, on Dec. 18, 2021. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
UK Vaccine Body Recommends Pfizer Shots to Vulnerable Children Over 5, Booster for Over-16s
The UK governments advisory body on vaccines has recommended giving low-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shots to vulnerable children as young as 5, and booster shots for some teenagers.
In a statement published on Wednesday, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said two 10 microgram doses of the Pfizer vaccine, also known as Comirnaty, should be offered to children aged 5 to 11 who are either in a clinical risk group or live with an immunosuppressed person.
It is estimated that around 330,000 children will be eligible for the shot.
The JCVI recommended an eight-week interval between the doses, and a four-week minimum interval between any vaccine dose and a recent COVID-19 infection.
Dr. June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, sought to reassure parents and carers that no new vaccine for children would have been approved unless the expected standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness have been met.
Raine said the MHRA hasnt identified any new safety concerns in 5- to 11-year-olds, and there is robust evidence to support a positive benefit-risk for children in this age group.
The regulatory body approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in 5- to 11-year-olds for the first time on Wednesday.
Our detailed review of all side-effect reports to date has found that the overwhelming majority relate to mild symptoms, such as a sore arm or a flu-like illness, Raine said, adding that the UK has a comprehensive safety surveillance strategy for monitoring the safety of all UK-approved COVID-19 vaccines.
The four nations health secretaries are yet to adopt the recommendation, but this is often just a formality.
The JCVI also recommended on Wednesday booster doses to all 16- and 17-year-olds and some 12- to 15-year-olds no sooner than three months after their second doses, making the UK the second country giving booster doses to children after Israel.
Children aged 12 to 15 who are in a clinical risk group, who are severely immunosuppressed, or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed are included in the recommendation.
The JCVI said its advice on whether to recommend the vaccine to other 5- to 11-year-olds will be issued in due course following consideration of additional data.
In September, the JCVI decided not to recommend the vaccine to healthy 12- to 15-year-olds as it considered the benefits from vaccination are marginally greater than the potential known harms but there is considerable uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the potential harms.
But the UK government later offered the vaccines to the young teen group, after the chief medical officers recommended the move based on wider considerations, including the impact on education.
Pfizer-BioNTech are currently testing a lower-dose course of their COVID-19 vaccine in the United States on children aged 6 months to 5 years of age.
Should the study prove successful, the companies said they will apply for an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sometime in the first half of 2022.
According to officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eight cases of myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation, have been reported in children aged 5 to 11 years who received Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 16.
Jack Phillips and Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
US Will Have Worlds Biggest Natural Gas Exporting Capacity by 2022: EIA
The United States is on course to have the worlds largest exporting capacity of liquified natural gas (LNG) by 2022, surpassing Qatar and Australia, owing to increased domestic production and a soaring demand from international markets, especially China.
Global demand for LNG has grown steadily, hitting annual record highs since 2015. European economies and emerging Asian markets depend on LNG for power production and heating requirements. This demand has been met by U.S. companies that have exported LNG since 2016.
According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), LNG exports from the country will reach 11.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) by 2022, which accounts for almost 22 percent of global demand.
The U.S. supply is expected to grow with the new LNG liquefaction units at Sabine Pass facility and Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana. Train 6 at Sabine Pass will add up to 0.76 billion bcfd, and first shipments are anticipated before the end of 2021. There are 18 liquefaction trains in Calcasieu Pass that output 1.6 bcfd or 12 million metric tons annually.
When both the trains are operational and start exporting by the end of 2022, the United States, with 13.9 bcfd, will surpass Australia, at 11.4 bcfd, and Qatar, at 10.3 bcfd, to gain the top position.
Qatar may recapture the title in 2025 when its North Field expansion starts service. However, considering the current trajectory, if U.S. suppliers can maintain the increase in supply through commissioning new plants, the country will be able to maintain its lead.
Rising demand combined with supply chain disruptions facing economies worldwide have pushed feed gas deliveries to export terminals in the United States to an all-time high of 12.43 bcfd on Nov. 26.
American LNG exporters such as Cheniere Energy based in Houston and Venture Global have signed long-term contracts with international buyers, many of them from China.
After years of avoiding a commitment to buy U.S. LNG, Chinese companies have finally made their move, said Nikos Tsafos from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, according to Reuters.
Based on U.S. energy data, Asian buyers were among the most prominent customers for American LNG. China imported around 13 percent from the United States so far in 2021, the same as South Korea, while Japan imported 10 percent. In 2020, China imported 9 percent.
LNG is claimed to be less polluting than coal and oil. Utility companies have been using gas more because of affordable prices and availability, as they transition from coal toward renewable sources.
It will, however, take time for LNG plants to ramp up production to full capacity, meaning export volumes could continue to lag capacity.
Many charitable endeavors and organizations in this country depend on generous donors to keep their doors open.(SewCream/Shutterstock)
Unsafe Practices Factors in Australian Babys Death
A coroner in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has recommended a suite of reforms after finding a series of failures contributed to the death of a seven-month-old baby at a Sydney daycare centre.
It was only Jack Lohs fourth visit to the family childcare provider in Randwick when he was found unresponsive after being put to sleep in a bassinet on March 4, 2019.
Delivering his findings after a two-week inquest earlier this year, deputy state coroner Derek Lee found undiagnosed pulmonary hypertension caused the boys death.
However, Magistrate Lee said the blood pressure condition was most likely exacerbated to a fatal level by the unsafe way in which Jack was put down for his nap that day.
The boy was loosely wrapped in a bassinet, which was too small for him, instead of the cot recommended for children of his age.
Bassinets are generally not recommended for babies at all, but are considered unsafe for those aged four months and older who can roll from front to back.
Jack was also put to sleep fully clothed in a room which was poorly ventilated and not temperature appropriate.
He was wearing a bib, which, along with an extra loose sheet and pillow in the bassinet, posed a suffocation risk.
He was left alone and unchecked for two-to-three times as long as recommended, as the woman looking after him made business and personal phone calls.
All those circumstances likely increased the boys stress and blood pressure to the point it killed him, the coroner concluded.
Not only was the centre unsafe, but the care provider had let her CPR accreditation lapse, although Magistrate Lee found this had no material impact on Jacks death.
While Magistrate Lee found no fault with medical professionals who failed to diagnose Jack with the condition, he was scathing of the Department of Education and the childcare company which were supposed to ensure the daycare was compliant with safety standards.
He deemed the director of Kidstart, the company responsible for the centre, to be an inherently unreliable witness who was evasive and unresponsive.
She failed to take ownership of responsibilities which she bore as a director, he said.
Instead, [she] repeatedly sought to deflect these responsibilities onto others.
The company, which has since been shut down, had been prioritising profit over quality of care, he said.
The Department of Education had received a number of complaintsboth about Jacks daycare centre and about Kidstart in generalthat there were widespread safety concerns in relation to educators engaged by the company.
Magistrate Lee recommended the national law be amended so that family daycare educators are required to undertake mandatory safe sleep training, and that they be required to undertake risk assessments on safe sleep practices and procedures.
He also recommended national law be amended to expressly prohibit the use of bassinets in early childhood education and care settings.
By Tiffanie Turnbull
U.S. Army soldiers assigned to 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) train on The Javelin Close Combat Missile System during Expert Infantryman Badge training at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Dec. 5, 2019. (Bryan Woolston/Reuters)
US Approves Sale of Javelin Missiles to Lithuania as Russia Tensions Build
WASHINGTONThe U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to the government of Lithuania in a deal valued at up to $125 million, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
The sale comes as tensions are running high in Eastern Europe with Russia massing troops along its border with Ukraine. In October, the Biden administration sent Javelins to Ukraine, the U.S. embassy in Kyiv said on Twitter.
The total package of Javelin anti-tank missiles would include 341 of the FGM-148F variant of the weapon and 30 command launch units, spares and technical support, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagons Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday.
The Pentagon said that the proposed sale will help Lithuania build its long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to meet its national defense requirements.
Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.
The Pentagon said Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies were the prime contractors for the weapons.
By Mike Stone
U.S. and Lithuanian flags on the table during a meeting between Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 13, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
US Expresses Ironclad Solidarity With Lithuania Over Chinese Economic Coercion
The United States has expressed ironclad U.S. solidarity with Lithuania in its pushback against Beijingdiplomatically and economicallyamid souring bilateral relations.
During a phone call with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte on Dec. 21, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted troubling public reports that Chinese customs authorities have refused to import or clear goods from the Baltic nation, according to the State Department.
The Secretary underscored ironclad U.S. solidarity with our NATO Ally and EU partner Lithuania, the department said in a statement.
The Secretary underscored that such measures would raise serious concerns, including under international trade principles, and appear to constitute a form of economic coercion, the statement reads.
Simonyte thanked Blinken over the phone for the support and solidarity of the United States.
Its important for all partners in the EU, the United States, and Indo-Pacific to work together to counter acts of coercion, she wrote in a Twitter post.
The Baltic nations regional and economic stability is facing challenges from the Chinese regime for allowing self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a runaway province, to open a de facto embassy in its capital Vilnius. In response, the regime recalled its ambassador in August before downgrading the diplomatic relations and expelled Lithuanias top representative to China in November.
Beijing has imposed a trade embargo over Lithuanian exports and imports, and has threatened multinationals to sever ties with Lithuania or face being shut out of the Chinese market. For example, the Asian economic power has told Continental AG, the German car parts giant, to stop using Lithuanian-made components.
@SecBlinken in a call with PM @IngridaSimonyte reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to work with like-minded countries to push back against the PRCs coercive behavior. https://t.co/OjqajdWYjK Embassy of Lithuania in DC (@LTembassyUS) December 21, 2021
Lithuania, a member state of the European Union and Eurozone, has won U.S. support in its financial dispute with China.
The ExportImport Bank of the United States signed a $600 million export credit agreement with Lithuania on Nov. 24, in a bid to boost economic cooperation between the two nations and withstand increased pressure from the Chinese regime.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte speaks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General at NATO headquarters in Brussels, on June 3, 2021. (Stephanie Lecocq/EPA/AFP via Getty Images)
Vilnius announced last week that it had withdrawn its remaining diplomats from Beijing and would operate the embassy in China remotely.
The Baltic nation earlier this month joined the diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters is seen in Atlanta, Ga., in a file photograph. (Tami Chappell/Reuters)
US Officials May Cut Recommended Isolation Time for COVID-19 Patients
Federal health officials may soon cut recommendations for how long people should isolate after testing positive for COVID-19.
People who have a confirmed COVID-19 infection are currently told by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to remain separate from others for 10 full days from when symptoms first appear, if 24 hours have also gone by without a fever and other symptoms are improving.
Even people who show no symptoms are told to isolate for 10 days.
People who dont show symptoms initially but do later are directed to start their isolation period anew.
The CDCs recommendations arent mandatory, but are used by companies and governments across the nation.
With the rise in so-called breakthrough infections, or cases among the vaccinated, combined with many patients showing no symptoms, some are agitating for a change in the guidance.
Top Delta Air Lines executives asked Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDCs director, on Tuesday to cut the isolation period in half for vaccinated people.
They cited early data on the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus that indicates the variant transmits more easily than the Delta variant but is less virulent, leading to more mild or asymptomatic cases.
The current guidance was developed in 2020, when the pandemic was in a different phase without effective vaccines and treatments, they wrote, adding that without a change, similar to healthcare, police, fire, and public transportation workforces, the Omicron surge may exacerbate shortages and create significant disruptions.
Appearing on CBS on Wednesday, Walensky was asked about a possible change.
Were actively examining those data now and doing some modeling analyses to assess that and we anticipate that well have some updates soon, she said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said separately on CNN that lowering the isolation time is being discussed by health officials.
For example, if you get a health care worker whos infected and without any symptoms at all, you dont want to keep that person out of work too very long, because particularly if we get a run on hospital beds and the need for health care personnel, thats something that at least will be considered, he said.
According to a study in October, few health care workers with breakthrough cases transmitted the CCP virus.
However, that was prior to the Omicron variant, against which vaccine effectiveness plummets, according to studies from South Africa and other countries.
A health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer vaccine on the opening day of a COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in Perth, Australia on Aug. 16, 2021. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
Western Australia First State to Mandate Vaccine Boosters
Western Australia (WA) has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to mandate a third COVID-19 booster shot for its workers.
The state was one of the first to implement sweeping vaccination mandates, with 75 percent of WAs workforcemore than one million workersneeding to be double dosed by February next year.
Those workers will now be required to get a booster shot five months after their second dose after the official health advice reduced the time frame down from six months.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved both Pfizer and Moderna as eligible vaccines for the third dose.
WA Premier Mark McGowan urged West Australians to get vaccinated amid concerns the Omicron variant will spread to the state.
The emergence of Omicron throughout the world and on the east coast is extremely concerningcase numbers are skyrocketing, as are the number of people in hospital, McGowan said.
WA Premier Mark McGowan speaks during an announcement in Perth, Australia on Dec. 13, 2021. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
However, the statement goes directly against health advice made by the federal government and Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly the same day, who said that while cases had risen, hospitalisations had not.
So far, we have not seen a rise in hospitalisations, Kelly said on Dec. 22, hours before McGowans announcement.
As I understand it, theres only one person in intensive care. So even with those rising numbers, its mainly casesnot hospitalisationsat the moment.
The WA government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McGowan added that evidence had shown a third booster dose would improve resistance against the new variant.
The latest research shows that a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has the potential to raise your protection against Omicron to more than 86 percent against symptomatic disease and more than 98 percent against severe infection.
WA has recently announced it will be easing border restrictions from Feb. 5, 2022the date the state is projected to reach 90 percent fully vaccinatedfor double dosed travellers. It will also reintroduce state-wide protective mask mandates and implement stricter vaccine passports for regions with lower vaccination rates.
However, tens of thousands of West Australians have opposed the vaccination mandates, coming out to protest on numerous occasions in the last several months.
Protestors rally against vaccination mandates during the World Wide Rally for Freedom event in Perth, Australia on Nov. 20, 2021. (The Epoch Times)
The state lags behind nationally on vaccination uptake, currently sitting at 82.3 percent of eligible people fully vaccinated.
It is estimated that 39,000 workers in WA could lose their jobs as a result of the mandates, a figure which is estimated to cost the state economy around $2.9 billion.
Some members of WA Police have also launched a legal challenge against the mandates, securing a small win last week that kept unvaccinated staff from being fired until the next supreme court hearing on Dec. 23.
Whitmer Cleared of Alleged Campaign Finance Violations
Two allegations of campaign finance violations against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have been dismissed.
In a Dec. 21 statement, the office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced the two complaints filed against Whitmer have been resolved with no reason to believe any violation occurred in either.
A complaint filed this summer by the Michigan Freedom Fund, a conservative group, pointed to Whitmers campaign finance report as evidence she had raked in $3.4 million in the first two quarters of 2021, via 154 donations, all of which exceeded the $7,150 statutory cap on individual contributions. The figure has since grown to $4 million.
Whitmers second-quarter fundraising report showed five individuals donated $250,000 and four donors gave $100,000 each to her campaign.
Ironically, it was the numerous petition drives to recall Whitmer, a Democrat, for her pandemic lockdown policies that made these large contributions possible. In the early 1980s, a Michigan secretary of state issued an interpretation of the state election laws that eliminated the individual donation cap for incumbent officials facing recall because there was no such limitation on the proponents of the recall.
In October, Bensons office stated that since no recall petitions directed against Whitmer had obtained enough signatures, the money raised to fight a recall, which exceeded the individual contribution limit, must be returned to the donors or donated to charity or a party.
Whitmers campaign announced in November that they would disburse the amount collected in excess of the individual donation cap, but didnt specify to whom.
The other campaign finance complaint against Whitmer was filed in late July by Eric Ventimiglia of the conservative group Michigan Rising Action. The complaint alleged that Whitmer used campaign money in March to pay for a personal charter flight to Florida for her and her family.
Bensons office stated on Dec. 21 that the use of campaign funds to pay for the chartered flight was a permissible use of funds because their purpose was to ensure the Governors physical safety in response to credible and ongoing threats related to her role as Governor of Michigan. The Governor subsequently reimbursed the campaign committee for the market value of first-class flights for herself and her family.
Ventimiglia said in a statement, Jocelyn Benson let Gretchen Whitmer off the hook Bensons ruling confirms that Rules for thee, not for me is not just a political quip, but ingrained in Michigan Democrats operating procedures.
Cameron Pickford of the Michigan Freedom Fund told The Epoch Times: Secretary of State Benson teamed up with her personal friend, Governor Whitmer, to approve the laundering of millions of dollars in campaign contributions above the legal limit into partisan campaign accounts that could benefit the re-election of both of them. Bensons action will encourage the filing of recall petitions in order to game the system and raise unlimited campaign funds.
Whitmer campaign spokesperson Maeve Coyle told the Detroit News that the complaints against the governor were baseless attacks, and the campaign was glad to see the matter closed.
A student rides his skateboard past an entrance to the University of Southern California (USC) campus in Los Angeles, U.S. on April 11, 2012. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Woman Alleges Sexual Assault at USC Fraternity Party
LOS ANGELESA lawsuit was filed Dec. 21 by a woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted while intoxicated by a sober Mu Theta chapter fraternity member during a party near the University of Southern California (USC) in 2020, stripping her of her virginity.
The plaintiff is identified only as Jane Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit brought against Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity, Mu Theta Chapter at USC; Sam National Properties LLC; USC Housing LLC; Sam Property Management LLC; Jero Enterprises Inc.which does business as Brad Managementand Does alleged assailant, Peter Hwang.
Mu Theta Chapters principal place of business is in the 900 block of West 28th Street, the suit states.
Doe alleges negligence, negligent hiring and supervision, assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She seeks at least $5 million.
Representatives for the defendants could not be immediately reached.
Doe, who is five feet, three inches tall and weighs 135 pounds, and a girlfriend were both drunk when they arrived at the Mu Theta party on Jan. 25, 2020, the suit states.
At the time that she entered the party, plaintiff was underage and a virgin for religious reasons, the suit states.
Doe continued to consume alcohol at the party and became so drunk did not know where she was and was unable to consent to sex, the suit states.
Hwang, a Mu Theta Chapter member, was sober and had never met Doe before when he used a martial arts move to subdue her after forcing her into a gymnasium, pushed her face onto a mat on the floor, and sexually assaulted her, the suit alleges.
Doe suffered a swollen, black eye; hand and fingerprint marks on her shoulders and arms; abrasions and scratch marks on her arms; and a urinary tract infection, according to the suit. She eventually got up and left the gym, but vomited through the night, the suit states.
Mu Theta Chapter fraternity members directly contacted plaintiff while a police investigation was pending, attempting to dissuade her from pressing charges, the suit alleges.
In addition, several USC students urged Doe not to seek criminal charges because the fraternity has fun parties and her doing so would shut the fraternity down, according to the complaint.
USCs Title IX investigator found Hwang violated the universitys sexual violence and sexual assault harassment policy and the schools student code of conduct, and he was dismissed from USC in July 2020, the suit states.
Doe has difficulty sleeping and experiences nightmares about the sexual assault and the subsequent teasing and bullying, according to the suit.
Doe receives counseling in order to cope with the trauma, has lost interest in her studies, and will probably transfer to another school, the suit states.
Hearst Connecticut Media file photo / Hearst Connecticut Media
WESTPORT More police than usual are watching over two Westport schools Wednesday afternoon after a school administrator saw a person making idle threats, according to a school official.
Earlier in the day, an administrator with Kings Highway Elementary School saw a person walking on Post Road exhibiting erratic behavior and making idle threats, according to Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice.
CAIRO (AP) The U.N. human rights office on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into allegations of sexual violence including rape and gang rape during mass anti-coup protests in Sudan earlier this week, a spokeswoman said.
Liz Throssell, a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office in Geneva, said they received disturbing reports alleging that 13 women and girls were raped or gang raped in the demonstrations on Sunday in the capital, Khartoum.
There was no immediate comment from Sudans government.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese took to the streets in Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan on Sunday, marking the third anniversary of the uprising that forced the removal of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
The rallies turned violent in many places as security forces moved against the protesters. At least two people were killed and over 300 others were wounded, according the Sudan Doctors Committee, a professional medical union.
Women were reportedly sexually harassed while fleeing the area around the presidential palace in Khartoum when Sudanese forces fired tear gas and live ammunition there to disperse the protests, Throssell.
We urge a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual harassment, as well as the allegations of death and injury of protesters as a result of the unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, in particular use of live ammunition, she said.
It was not the first time Sudanese security forces face accusations of sexual violence against female protesters.
On June 3, 2019, dozens of women were raped when forces tore apart a sit-in camp outside the military's headquarters in Khartoum, according to the doctors committee and the testimonies of several of the women.
Sundays protests were one of the largest since the military took over on Oct. 25, removing Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdoks transitional government in a coup that rattled the country's fragile transition to democracy and led to relentless street demonstrations.
At least 46 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in protests triggered by the coup, according to a tally by the Sudanese medical group. Hamdok was reinstated last month amid international pressure in a deal that calls for an independent technocratic Cabinet under military oversight led by him.
However, Sudan's pro-democracy movement rejects the deal and has vowed to continue street protests to pressure coup leaders to hand over power to a fully civilian government to lead the transition.
Later Tuesday, two government officials said Hamdok would step down soon due to the political deadlock hampering his efforts to form a Cabinet. They said political and military leaders were trying to persuade Hamdok not to resign, but he appeared determined "because all the parties can not find a common ground to move forward.
There was no official announcement and the officials asked for anonymity to discuss the matter.
CHANDLERVILLE It was an encounter along Illinois 78 near Chandlerville that lasted just seconds.
But it left a lasting impression on a driver going from Cass County to Tazewell County that night.
"When it hit the shoulder, it looked back at me," he said. "I said to myself out loud, '(expletive)ing Bigfoot!'."
Even those who consider the idea of some super-sized primate wandering through the woods to be hokum are finding their interest piqued. Witness Patrick Garver's report has drawn the attention of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization and has been making the rounds on various social media sites, both pro- and con-Bigfoot existence.
The legend of a huge creature lumbering through isolated, wooded areas dates at least as far back as the Salish Indians. They told stories about encounters in the Pacific Northwest with "se'sxac" an ape-like man from 6 to 15 feet tall who walked upright, occasionally emitting a high-pitched noise. By the 1950s, the nickname "Bigfoot" was born as more sightings were reported and hunters ran across massive footprints that couldn't be explained.
Of the 301 reports of sightings or Bigfoot-related phenomenon in Illinois, Madison County leads the way with 24. The latest was in August 2017, when a motorist reported seeing a creature crossing the road near Troy. Additional reports since 1972 have come from near Godfrey, outside Hamel, near Edwardsville, near Alton, west of St. Jacob, and near Granite City.
Other reports from the area include 13 in Macoupin County the most recent in November 2016 near Sunset Lake west of Girard as well as two each in Calhoun County and Jersey County.
But let's get back to Cass County.
Garver was driving the stretch of road about 10:30 p.m. Nov. 29, heading north, about 85 miles north of Alton.
"I saw a large animal jump into the road about 40 yards ahead. When it hit the road, I could see very large legs spread wide in a dead run with large, swinging, hairy arms. The arms switched back and forth close to the ground as its body was leaning forward. It leaped across the road in two jumps," he told investigators for the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, a scientific research group founded in 1995.
Garver said it was about two seconds before the creature vanished into the darkness.
"I could see it clearly," he said. "It was very large and, even though it was hunched over nearly horizontal, it still was close to being wider than my car and nearly to the top of my windshield. It blocked out the lights of (a) car ahead."
He recalled it having shiny black hair and a huge stride.
"It was running and leaping very fast," he said. "Nearly as fast as a white-tail deer."
He continued driving until he reached Havana, where he stopped to send a text his wife and children about what he experienced.
Garver also shared the story of the encounter with a co-worker. Instead of being incredulous, the co-worker told of local tales of a clan of Bigfoot living in the area and said there have been multiple sightings by hunters, fishermen and barge operators.
It was the first sighting report Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization investigator Matthew Moneymaker recalled from Cass County although unexplained tracks were found in a creek bed near Chandlerville in 1991. Neighboring Sangamon County has generated 13 reported sightings since 1976, the most recent in September 2017 near Rochester.
Moneymaker is founding director of the organization and has been involved with a number of documentaries about Sasquatch, as well as co-host of the program "Finding Bigfoot" that appeared on Animal Planet Channel for seven years.
"This is a very reliable sighting," he said. "I spoke extensively with the witness by phone. He was not particularly interested in the Bigfoot subject, but he recognized what he was seeing."
There have been four encounters noted in Morgan County: A runner reported a sighting south of Jacksonville in August 2006; sounds and a sighting were reported near Murrayville in July 2006; a motorist said he saw a Bigfoot near Lake Jacksonville in November 2005; and a resident in January 1986 recalled a previous possible sighting in a pasture east of Jacksonville.
DALLAS (AP) Retired Dallas Morning News reporter Wayne Slater, who covered the rise of Texas governors Ann Richards and George W. Bush, has died in a car crash. He was 74.
Slater died Monday after his vehicle collided with a pickup, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Deon Cockrell said Tuesday. It happened near Florence, the city north of Austin where Slater lived.
President Buhari, welcome back from another overseas travel as you return to the Nigerian people who by your own admission are now experiencing harsh economic realities. In fact, they are catching hell.
In recent times, across the Nigerian communities there is unprecedented number of violence-based theft cases with unique style.
In some of these criminal violent incidents, thieves and abductors while operating their crimes make it clear to the victims that they are hungry for food. True.
President Buhari, criminals or what other names you call them are stealing food out of starvation. Some of these armed raiders not only fill their stomachs, but they also take some foodstuffs and drinks as well as their victims.
President Buhari, with food insecurity everywhere in Nigeria, its impact on violence is becoming so disturbing for all. Mr. President you need to be aware that the worst indicator of poverty is hunger.
Mr. President, just some hours ago in Ogun State, Punch News reported that Gunmen abduct two Ogun clerics, eat prepared food, demand N15m.
These armed thieves during their raid and abduction went to the kitchen and ate the food the clerics wives prepared with all the meats in the soup. Sir, you know meat adds to protein which then provides energy and helps build and repair the body's cells.
Mr. President, your security men including local hunters, are now searching for the hungry thieves and abductors in the bush. Na wa! We are now turning to hunters law enforcement agents. Fine, why not just institute State policing now.
I guess soldiers and other security officers will join the search. But here is the good news. At the time of ending this writing, it was reported that the food-happy thieves and abductors have released the two clerics after their families paid N2.2 million ransom instead of the N15 million. This occurred in spite of the efforts of the police and hunters to arrest them .
Mr. President, I feel very sorry for you and your administration because you seem to have a distorted psychology of the society and its challenges as you think high aggression tactics by your security chiefs and their operatives can end all these insecurities. That's a lie -Na lie.
President Buhari, to the amusement of the people and the world your government keeps claiming it is doing its best and succeeding - but the reality does not support it.
As part of the usual denial or blame game you may say that past regimes had the same societal issues but this time it is different. Really.
There is severe food scarcity with prices rising beyond the reach of the people who are equally faced with surging violence, and other all-round challenges.
Not long ago, to the shock of the world, one of your Ministers rebuked domiciled Nigerian civilians, calling them 'cowards' for not fighting armed hungry and violent criminals. Incredible!
Mr. President, there is growing public anger over food scarcity and violence, and you do not need to replace your military high command again.
President Buhari, in a psychological brilliant manner you recently said ethnicity and religion are not always to blame for Nigeria's troubles but the people. You are super right! Our psychology or attitude stinks.
In line with your observational psychology, as we face a deteriorating homeland, instead of sacking respective heads of the army, navy, and air force again, focus on your Ministers.
Globally, you are known as a no-nonsense leader, so, to create a functional system, start looking inside your Ministers work. It could be that many of the nations policies and interventions are not realistically been properly executed by some of your advisers or ministers.
It is time to start asking for resignations and sacking troubled ministers. As you rightly asserted, lets look beyond religion or ethnicity and remember that each Minister serves at the pleasure of the president. For example, in the face of worsening civilian insecurity the programs under the ministers of defense and justice are not working efficiently. Heaps of failures are represented all over and under the ministry of interior. Reports on communication and the situation of human rights in the country are terrible. In the areas of education, labor and policing their respective policies are producing lackluster results and highly noted failures.
President Buhari at the end, you alone will be judged about the good, bad, ugly things that happened under the current administration. Nigerians don't expect government to solve every problem but in times like these we need to see competent ministers.
Especially in those spaces where respective policies have not helped the domestic economy regarding food security, education, employment, and criminal justice. Demand for some resignations now or carry out outright sack against ineffective ministers.
On a psychological note, Nigeria as a young democracy could gain from a system in which the Presidents ministerial nominees serve on a temporary basis (first seven months) pending Senate approval.
That will enable the President and the nation to see how liked an acting Minster is, is the acting Ministers performance liked, how bad or good is the job he or she is doing, and whether to keep them and seek Senate confirmation.
I see this tactic as a very smart way to help the President create flexibility and a chance to see if the acting ministers are the right people for the jobs. It is very important that the President personally and professionally like persons filling different positions in his cabinet. We need ministers who will help the President and Nigeria fight to end problems of hunger, inadequate social welfare, backward education, poor housing, unemployment, jail outbreaks, human rights abuses, poor energy, and insecurity. One way to measure if these ministers are actively working for the people, is for the President to randomly visit their offices as early as 9 a.m. in disguise.
Mr. President, for your notice, bad Ministers love it when you travel out. We must be better. You need a good team now. To quote Elon Musk, the South African-born American entrepreneur, we need Ministers that will work like hell!
John Egbeazien Oshodi who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government Consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult/child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional and Career Development. A former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at the Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African settings. In 2011, he introduced the State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and the Nasarawa State University where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. The Development Professor and International Liaison Consultant at the African University of Benin, and a Virtual Faculty at the ISCOM University, Benin of Republic. Founder of the Proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, Openness. Author of over 40 academic publications/creations, at least 200 public opinion writeups on African issues, and various books. He specializes in psycho-prescriptive writings regarding African institutional and governance issues.
John Egbeazien Oshodi wrote in via [email protected]
Bangladesh and Thailand are near neighbors, connected by the Bay of Bengal. The development of these maritime ties would benefit both countries in terms of trade, investment, and regional communications.
The two countries are in talks to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) to boost trade and investment. Bangladesh is geographically positioned as a gateway between ASEAN and SAARC with potential access to both for each others export-driven manufacturers. ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, while SAARC includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The Chittagong seaport is the main seaport in Bangladesh. 90 percent of Bangladeshi trade is conducted through the Chattagram Port Terminal, with the rest being taken up by Bangladeshs Ports at Mangla and Payra.
Thailands Ranong Port is situated on the Kraburi River of the Kra Peninsula, across from Myanmar and on the Indian Ocean, coast and lies 1,220km from Chittagong.
Thailands Southern Economic Corridor project, approved by the Government in August 2018, emphasizes the development of Ranong port as a gateway to trade with Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Using Ranong port for trade with Bangladeshs Chittagong, Payra, and Mangla ports will reduce the distance between the two countries and boost trade. Then this connectivity can then be extended to Indias Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai ports. The launch of direct shipping services between Chittagong and Ranong ports has received a new push as trade between the two countries is increasing.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed recently between the Port Authority of Thailand (Rawang Port) and the Chittagong Port Authority of Bangladesh. This information was given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh on December 21, 2021.
It is mentioned that the MoU is expected to facilitate trade between Bangladesh and Thailand by increasing maritime communication between the two countries in the Bay of Bengal. This is part of Bangladesh's broader vision to expand greater connectivity with neighboring countries, including the ASEAN, BIMSTEC, SAARC region. The Memorandum of Understanding will encourage the business community on both sides to explore more trade and investment opportunities. Both port authorities will benefit through information exchange and cooperation in port management, operations, information technology, communications, port connectivity, coastal shipping, port-related industries and investment promotion.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, coastal shipping between the port of Ranang and the port of Chittagong in Bangladesh will greatly contribute to the strengthening of bilateral trade by reducing transportation time and costs for trade between Thailand and Bangladesh.
The signing of the MoU is expected to further strengthen the existing excellent relations between the two countries.
Bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Thailand reached US$837.08 million in 2019-20. Bangladeshs total exports to Thailand in 2020 were US$35.46 million while imports from Thailand were worth US$801.3 million, very much in Thailands favor.
Bangladeshi exports to Thailand are on an upward trend, however. This year exported values are expected to reach just under US$40 million, a 12 percent increase YoY.
According to FDI stock data in Bangladesh, Thailand is the 15th largest investor in the country. This however would increase significantly if an FTA can be agreed upon, and the two countries build direct maritime connectivity between Chittagong and Ranong ports.
There is precedent. When Bangladesh signed FTA with the SAARC members in 2006, its imports and exports doubled within ten years, being a relatively constant (there was a dip in 2011) and sustainable 10% GDP growth in trade per annum.
In terms of commodities, Thailand mainly exports cement, cereals, plastics, man-made staple fibers, sugar and sugar confectionery, machinery and mechanical equipment, cotton and cotton cloth, salt, sulfur, clay, stone, and mineral fuels to Bangladesh.
In the reverse direction, Bangladesh exports garments, vegetables, textile fibers, garments, animal products, electrical and electronic equipment, frozen fish, and crustaceans to Thailand.
Direct sea connectivity between Chittagong and Ranang can be expected to play an important role in expanding trade and commerce between the two countries. The time and cost of transporting goods between them can be reduced by 30 percent and are likely to play a key role in building ties with other Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar and India. The introduction of direct shipping between the two countries will encourage traders from both to expand their regional trade and investment.
Thailand could increase trade ties with India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka under the framework of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
The establishment of trade and economic corridors through coordination between the Look East Policy of Bangladesh and the Look West Policy of Thailand and the establishment of connectivity through coastal shipping is likely to bring prosperity for both.
Dhaka is additionally counting on Bangkoks support for Bangladeshs bid for membership in the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Forum as well as the ASEAN Sectoral Partnership.
Thailand and Bangladesh are also both active partners in the Belt and Road Initiative. If Chittagong and Ranong port connectivity can be extended to Irans Chabahar port via Sri Lankas Colombo and the International North South Transport Corridor project (INSTC) through to Central Asia and Turkey, this will create significant trade potential.
Although the Maritime Assistance Agreement between Bangladesh and Thailand was completed in 1986 and is currently in force, changes need to be made to bring these opportunities to fruition. But the Bangladesh and Thailand can renew the agreement for ensuring their business interests.
Progress is being made. Thai ambassador to Bangladesh, Makawadee Sumitmor stated at a bilateral business meeting with the Chittagong World Trade Center in September this year that there is a trade gap between the two countries. She also said that the expansion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral route will boost trade in this region and that she was waiting for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Thai authorities and the Chittagong Port Authority to establish direct shipping links by sea. Finally, a MoU was signed. Now implementation of this could boost up the reginal trade volumes amongst the countries in the region. All actors in the region can benefit from this maritime connectivity.
There are huge opportunities for Thai investors in infrastructure, light engineering, agriculture and food processing, and tourism and healthcare. Thailand and Bangladesh both could and should utilize these potentials. But smooth connectivity is needed to boost the Trade. Chittagong and Ranong port connectivity would boost up the trade, expansion of tourism. Bangladesh and Thailand can both benefit from this mutually rewarding sea connectivity project. Bangladesh-Thailand Maritime Connectivity Brings New Hope For The Southern And Southeast Asian Region
Why I Came to Ethiopia
I was on the ground in Addis Ababa, from November 28 December 10, to defend Ethiopia and represent the true interests of the United States. During that time in Addis, I conducted sixteen interviews and gave a two hour lecture at Addis Ababa University. I came to Ethiopia as an American, who, knowledgeable of the origins of my country, knows that the current U.S. policy towards Ethiopia is wrong and dangerous.
Understanding the intent of the psychological warfare campaign conducted by Western nations, international media, and most especially, my own United States Department of State, I knew the most important place for me to be, was in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
As I anticipated, all was calm and normal in this bustling city, with unending construction of new buildings. Through multiple media outlets I was able to expose the lies of the false narrative about Ethiopia and counter the psychological warfare campaign being waged against the Ethiopian people.
It was and remains my responsibility to defeat this campaign against Ethiopia and present what Americas true interest are in Africa.
Lawrence Freeman standing in front of the Addis Ababa skyline
Disinformation Campaign
The U.S. embassy sent out daily disinformation that Addis was in danger of attack from the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) located in the town of Dessie, less than two hundred miles north of the city. Even after government forces pushed the TPLF out of Dessie, the U.S. embassy continued to encourage Americans to leave Addis and went as far as offering to buy their tickets to return home. Ned Price, press spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, attempted to create even more fear and hysteria, by officially announcing the U.S. would not be conducting a military airlift for Americans like it did in Afghanistan this past August.
Various news programs accompanied the State Departments fraudulent comparison of Addis and Kabul with videos of an American plane taking off from the Kabul airport leaving desperate people behind on the runway. This disgusting and outrageous comparison between Addis and Kabul, was deliberately and knowingly untruthful.
Those who believe the U.S. has not taken sides do not comprehend political warfare. And do not understand the intent of geo-political forces in the administration of President Biden and other western governments for regime change of the duly elected Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Relaxing at a restaurant off Meskel Square, Addis Ababa
More ominously for Ethiopia than Ned Price, the New York Times, the premiere organ of the U.S. Establishment, articulated the geo-political intent for regime change. In a blatant hit job, advocating the necessity of removing the sinister Prime Minister Abiy at all costs, The Times published on December 15, The Nobel Peace Prize That Paved the Way for War . This article maliciously portrays Prime Minister Abiy as a maniacal ruthless leader only bent on destroying the TPLF and caring nothing for Ethiopia. Its intent should obliterate any ambiguity regarding U.S. geo-political policy for Ethiopia.
It is vital for the Ethiopian government, its people, Ethiopian diaspora, and friends and allies, to understand the geo-political determination to weaken the authority of Prime Minister Abiy or remove him from office. However, simultaneously it is necessary to think beyond the current military campaign. The government should prepare now for what is required as soon as this conflict is over. It is imperative for the future of the nation that Ethiopia engage in two crucial missions:
Articulate a comprehensive reconstruction plan that includes the economic development of all regions of the nation in building a prosperous Ethiopia. Farms, schools, hospitals, and all kinds of necessary infrastructure will need to be rebuilt and expanded in Tigray and across northern Ethiopia. Let us use this post war mission to unify the nation around a national economic mobilization to improve the conditions of life for all Ethiopians.
Commence a national dialogue to discuss/debate the supremacy ofthe concept of being a citizen of a sovereign nation as opposed to membership in an ethnic group. Ethiopias national identity must be strengthened, and the partisan influence of ethnic dominated regionalism reduced.
Normal traffic in Addis Ababa
Americas Real Interests
America was not created to intervene against sovereign nations like Ethiopia. Today, we are still witnessing the death and destruction across the Sahel caused by President Obamas military intervention ten years ago when the U.S. overthrew and killed Libyas leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
There is no objective reason for discord between the U.S. and Ethiopia. None! The conflict between the two nations exists entirely because President Biden has allowed his policy towards Ethiopia to be determined by the globalist-humanitarian-democracy cabal. They arrogantly believe they have the right to impose their so-called democratic-humanitarian construct on Ethiopia. Dictating how Ethiopia should be governed, and who should govern it.
The United States, created to be a Democratic-Republic, was founded on the economic theories of Alexander Hamilton, endorsed by President George Washington. These principles, known as the American System of Political Economy, have guided our more thoughtful U.S. presidents in conducting foreign and domestic policy.
The U.S. in its better moments, unlike the last few decades, has supported the right of governments to preserve the sovereignty of their nation. President Abraham Lincoln was prepared to continue the war, which costs the lives of 750,000 Americans, to defeat the efforts by the southern Confederacy to break up the Union. For President Lincoln, there was no greater importance than safeguarding the sovereign Union of the U.S., and no limit to his actions for that purpose.
The author giving a lecture at Addis Ababa University
As a result of Hamiltons dominant influence, the U.S. was committed to economic development from its very inception and desired the same for all other nations. Sadly, the last U.S. president who understood the critical importance of economic development for African nations was President Kennedyalmost sixty years ago. To the detriment of the U.S. and the world, America has lost its mission and its vision to create a better future for humankind. The shining city on the hill has become a quite a bit dimmer.
The true underlying interests of the U.S. and the American people is exactly the same as that of Ethiopia and its people. All nations have the same shared-common goals:
Improving the material standard of living for its citizens and ensuring a better future for their children and grandchildren.
Nurturing the creative potential of the mind of every child to enhance their ability to contribute to the development of humanity.
The foundation of a real American foreign policy should rest on these two pillars of statecraft. From this higher strategic perspective, Ethiopia, and the U.S., have no fundamental insurmountable disagreements that would prevent the two nations from engaging in policies that will mutually benefit its people now and for the future.
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for over 30 years. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com. Mr. Freemans stated personal mission is; to eliminate poverty and hunger in Africa by applying the scientific economic principles of Alexander Hamilton.
The short video above is a news story on my lecture at Addis Ababa University. The longer video below is an extensive interview with Prime Media.
Fifty-two armed war mercenaries have been allegedly arrested by security men as they attempted to attack Inikiri, a village inhabited by Effium indigenes of Ezza Ezekuna extraction, in the war-ravaged Effium community in Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State on Wednesday, 22nd December, 2021. An eye-witness account told our reporter on condition of anonymity that the armed war mercenaries fighting on the side of Effium indigenes of korri extraction entered Inikiri village by Wednesday afternoon and began to attack the village but Nigerian Army personnel on peace-keeping duties in the community quickly rounded the warriors up and arrested them.
According to the eye-witness, "The war mercenaries who were many entered Inikiri village and began to attack compounds with guns and to burn some houses of Ezza-Effium people. Soldiers surrounded them quickly and arrested 52 of them. The soldiers after disarming the warriors took them to Effium police division".
Following this development, a rights group, Human Rights Defenders, HURIDE, through her Ebonyi State Chairman, Comrade Sampson Oko Nweke, raised a public concern on his verified social media handle after many calls the rights group chairman made to the Commissioner of Police in charge of Ebonyi State Command, Garba Aliyu, were neither picked nor returned. In the public concern, the rights group chairman called on the Commissioner of Police of Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Aliyu Garba to investigate the matter and ensure that the hoodlums are not "surreptitiously released as usual by some compromised security agents"
Comrade Sampson Oko Nweke wrote: "EFFIUM CRISIS
"Report reaching us now is that Soldiers just surrounded over 50 war machineries who went to continue ravaging Effium Community this afternoon.They are reportedly being held at Effium police station as I type this. I have called the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police to bring this to his attention but he's not picking.
"We are raising this public concern now so the world will be put on the know of this development and so that the Commissioner of Ebonyi State should investigate immediately and ensure the hoodlums are not surreptitiously released as usual by some compromised security agents as witnessed few months ago where over 50 hired war mercenaries arrested by solders in the same Effium were allegedly released by the police and claimed they escaped. The fresh arrested hired hoodlums must all be brought to the state headquarters and the needful done. This is the best way not to discourage the efforts of the dedicated security operatives. It will also restore public confidence in the government's continued professing that they are bent on ending the Effium crisis completely.
"We implore everybody to come together and collaborate with Ebonyi State government and the Nigerian police to nip the Effium crisis in the bud. There is no bad peace as there's no good war.
"My name is Sampson Oko Nweke.
"HURIDE Chairman, Ebonyi State".
In another development, the National Coordinator of Nigeria Parents Forum, Mr Monday Eze, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Inspector-General of Police and Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police to ensure diligent prosecution of the armed war mercenaries arrested in Effium Community. The forum coordinator said that peace would have long returned in Effium Community if not for the influx and roles of hired war mercenaries. In addition, Eze charged the police not to allow a repeat of what happened on 3rd April, 2021 when 55 armed war mercenaries arrested at Okpodima village in Effium Community by the G.O.C. 82 Division of Nigerian Army and handed over to Ebonyi State Police Command allegedly escaped from custody and from criminal liability.
However, our reporter confirmed by Wednesday evening through a police officer who pleaded anonymity that "52 suspected Uffiom armed war mercenaries arrested by soldiers in Inikiri village of Effium Community were brought to Ebonyi State Police Command Headquarters, Abakaliki and were held at SWAT unit of Ebonyi State Police Command". Efforts to get official comment on the development from the Police Command were to no avail as neither the CP nor any other official of the police command picked calls.
Phuket City Mayor: Creativity, culture to lure domestic tourists
PHUKET: Phuket City Mayor Saroj Angkanapilas has launched a campaign to boost cultural tourism to attract more domestic tourists to the Phuket Town area to help local businesses and the islands economy to recover.
tourismeconomicsCOVID-19
By The Phuket News
Wednesday 22 December 2021, 05:49PM
"Phuket City Municipality must stimulate the domestic tourism market, especially in the Phuket Town area with its diverse cultural attractions, unique traditions and lifestyles, in order to revitalize the tourism sector and economy of Phuket," Mayor Saroj told the press at the Phuket Creativity & Innovation Centre (CIC) yesterday (Dec 21).
Tourist safety was also a key concern, Mayor Saroj added.
"A total of 255 CCTV cameras covering all areas in Phuket City Municipality will be installed, with measures to prevent and mitigate disasters 24 hours a day, to increase the efficiency of crime prevention and suppression, and to increase safety for people and tourists traveling in the Phuket City Municipality area," he said.
Mayor Saroj yesterday also announced the winners of the Phuket City Municipality 2022 Photo Contest created to promote tourism, stimulate the economy and open up new perspectives.
People will be able to witness a variety of natural attractions, cultural attractions and lifestyles in various locations through these photos, such as landscape and architecture, which will reflect Phukets individuality while promoting and fostering creativity, Mayor Saroj said.
At the event, Mayor Saroj presented the winners of the contest, which highlighted 12 photographs presented under the theme Looking at the City from a New Angle, Chicer than the Old.
All 12 photographs awarded will be used to make a souvenir calendar for 2022, and will be featured in various media on some occasions to promote tourism in Phuket Town, Mayor Saroj said.
Mayor Saroj also invited people to participate in making merit by providing alms to monks on New Years Day 2022 at the Phuket Provincial Government Centre on Saturday, January 1, 2022 for the start of an auspicious new year.
Police search for infected tourist who left quarantine hotel
BANGKOK: Police are tracing a recent Israeli arrival who left his Bangkok hotel without waiting for his COVID-19 test result, which later returned positive.
CoronavirusCOVID-19tourismcrime
By Bangkok Post
Wednesday 22 December 2021, 02:09PM
International passengers await COVID-19 testing upon arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport on Monday (Dec 20). Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb
He initially headed to Pattaya, but was reported to have later gone south to Koh Samui, reports the Bangkok Post.
Immigration and tourist police were working with local police in the search for the infected man.
The man arrived in Thailand in the early hours of Dec 17 and was quarantined at a hotel in Sukhumvit area while awaiting his RT PCR COVID-19 test result.
However, he left the hotel the next day without waiting for the result and reportedly took a taxi to Pattaya around 2pm. About the same time, the hotel was informed that the mans test was positive for the coronavirus. Hotel staff reported his absence to Thong Lor police.
A source said the tourist arrived in Pattaya and tried to check in at a hotel, but failed to produce his passport and the hotel rejected him.
Thai media reported that the man had travelled to Pattaya from Bangkok in a taxi driven by Nit Kaosaeng, from in front of the Emporium department store, and paid B2,500 for the trip.
Thai media named the Israeli tourist as Mr Ohad.
Reports said he had returned to Bangkok on Dec 19 and had rented a van to the southern provinces. There was a photo of him in Chumphon on Monday morning before he went to Koh Samui of Surat Thani in the afternoon of that day, according to the reports.
Pol Lt Gen Archayon Kraithong, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, was heading the team tracing the missing tourist.
The police team checked his mobile phone use record around 10:30pm on Dec 18 and found that he turned off his phone.
Thong Lor police have asked the Department of Disease Control to file a complaint against the tourist for failing to abide by disease control measures in violation of the emergency decree. The offence carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and/or fine of B40,000.
He also faces a charge of being a foreign national who failed to stay in a place he was permitted to stay while in the country. The offence carries a fine of up to B5,000.
Police believe some Thais might be helping the missing man.
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Two arrested for attempted assassination in Phuket
PHUKET: Police have arrested at least two men for their roles in the attempted murder of three men in a pickup near Wat Srisoonthorn, north of the Heroines Monument, early Sunday morning (Dec 19).
crimeviolencepolice
By Eakkapop Thongtub
Wednesday 22 December 2021, 12:15PM
Also listed in the arrest report was was Mr Deh (full name not reported) for possession of three ya bah pills and about 0.18 grammes of ya ice. Photo: Thalang Police
Also reported on Monday as arrested and facing charges for committing the crime of jointly attempting to kill another person with premeditation was Ekachai Eke Nimla-or, but under an arrest warrant issued on Dec 13. Photos: Thalang Police
Thamrong Toi Sukmetta and Anothai Pae Jindapol have been charged with jointly attempting to commit murder. Photos: Thalang Police
Two men have been arrested for attempted murder after opening fire on the pickup. Photo: Thalang Police
Two men have been arrested for attempted murder after opening fire on the pickup. Photo: Thalang Police
Thalang Police Deputy Chief Lt Col Anukul Nuket revealed the arrests yesterday (Dec 21) following a video being posted online accusing the police of not investigating the shooting.
Lt Col Anukul dismissed the video simply as, Not true.
"At about 4am on the day of the incident [Dec 19], Lt Col Niwat Timket, Inspector of Investigation, was on duty at Thalang Police Station, Lt Col Anukul said.
Prathan Mongkonhong, 28, and other two people came to file a complaint that his vehicle was shot at, with bullets breaking through the windows, by an assailant using an unknown type of firearm while he and the others were sitting in the car at about 2:30am that same day, he added.
The shooting occurred in a small alley beside Srisoonthorn Temple on Thepkrasattri Rd, about 1.38km north of Heroines Monument, he added.
The vehicle Mr Prathan and his colleagues were sitting in was a black Isuzu pickup truck registered in Bangkok.
The investigating officer interviewed Mr Prathan and two other people before entering the daily report at 4:20am, Lt Col Ankul explained, adding that Mr Prathan returned to give an additional statement at 3pm the next day.
Forensic police inspected the pickup and gathered evidence of the gunshots, and coordinated with the investigation team who tracked down the culprit, who we now know is Anothai Jindaphon, 27, a resident of Srisoonthorn, Lt Col Anukul said.
Police had already arrested the people in connection with the attack, Lt Col Anukul said.
The arrests were reported by Thalang Police in their daily arrest report for Monday (Dec 20), he said.
Lt Col Anukul gave no further information.
The daily arrest report for Monday noted that two men, Thamrong Toi Sukmetta and Anothai Pae Jindapol, were arrested after they were found in joint possession of a 9mm Glock handgun with two magazines, one of them loaded with 10 bullets; a 9mm Beretta handgun with two magazines; and 30 12-gauge shotgun cartridges.
Also recorded as seized as evidence from the men were two black garbage bags, said the report.
They both face charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Anothai faces an additional charge of illegal possession of unregistered explosives, the report said.
Listed separately as a different case was that Anothai also faces charges under an arrest warrant No. 372/2021 issued by Phuket Provincial Court on Monday (Dec 20) for jointly attempting to kill another person, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and for illegally carrying firearms in a public area.
Also listed separately as a different case was that Thamrong faces charges under arrest warrant No. 373/2021 issued on Monday Dec 20 for committing the crime of jointly attempting to kill another person, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and for illegally carrying firearms in a public area.
Neither the arrest report nor Lt Col Anukul gave any motive for the attack.
Also reported on Monday as arrested and facing charges for committing the crime of jointly attempting to kill another person with premeditation was Ekachai Eke Nimla-or. It was not explained whether or not the arrest of Eke had any connection to the attack on Sunday, as it was listed that he was arrested under arrest warrant No. 362/2021 issued on Dec 13.
The fourth arrest reported on Monday was that of a Mr Deh, full name not reported, for illegal possession of a Category 1 narcotic, specifically amphetamine and crystal meth (ya ice). Deh was found with three meth pills (ya bah) and about 0.18 grammes of ya ice.
The four alleged offenders were handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings and the collecting of DNA samples, the report noted.
KONYA, Turkey (AP) Each year, thousands of people travel to the Turkish city of Konya to attend a weeklong series of events and ceremonies that mark the death of the 13th-century Islamic poet, scholar and Sufi mystic Jalaladdin Rumi.
Instead of mourning his death, however, the ceremonies celebrate what his followers believe is his union with God.
The main feature of the Sheb-i Arus or night of the union, is an enchanting ritual performed by the dervishes of the Mevlevi order more commonly known as the whirling dervishes.
The rite begins with a recital of prayers and verses from the Quran. The dervishes, dressed in long white robes symbolizing shrouds, black cloaks symbolizing tombs and long headgear symbolizing tombstones, then rise from the ground to salute each other.
Leaving their cloaks on the ground, they take their places around the circular floor and begin to spin to reach a trance-like state that they believe unites them with God. The ritual is performed to the sound of chanting and music from a reed flute and other instruments.
As they whirl, the dervishes' right hands are symbolically turned upward toward God, while their left hands are turned downward to Earth.
The ceremony ends as it started, with the recital of prayers.
Rumi, who is known as Mevlana in Turkey, was born in Balkh which is now in Afghanistan in 1207, but settled in Konya, where he died on Dec. 17, 1273. His son, Sultan Veled, established the Mevlevi order of the mystical form of Islam, Sufism, after his death.
Although religious orders were banned in Turkey in the early 1920s with the establishment of the secular republic, the dervishes rituals were regarded as a cultural heritage and the order was largely tolerated. There are now many Sufi dervish orders around the world, including in the United States. Women have been allowed to join some lodges, although an overwhelming number of dervishes are men.
In 2005, the United Nations cultural body, UNESCO, proclaimed the dervishes ritual a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.
The structure holding Rumis tomb in Konya is now a museum as well as a pilgrimage site.
This year, visitors were able to return to the ceremonies honoring Rumi, after the coronavirus pandemic forced last years commemorations to be held without spectators.
One visitor from the United States, Rupert Flowers, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that he traveled to Konya, inspired by Rumis best-known and welcoming quatrain:
Come! Come again! Whoever, whatever you may be, come!
Heathen, idolatrous or fire worshipper, come!
Even if you deny your oaths a hundred times, come!
Our door is the door of hope, come! Come as you are!
ALTON A decorated Christmas tree has been erected on the site of the former McDonald's restaurant at the corner of Ridge Street and East Broadway in Alton.
The building may be gone following a devastating June fire, but the spirit of Christmas still remains. Owner Dick Bold has vowed to rebuild the store.
On June 17, fire ripped through the restaurant, leaving it a total loss. Alton Fire Chief Jesse Jemison said firefighters arrived at about 5:33 a.m. after people reported smoke coming from the roof of the building at 717 E. Broadway.
No injuries were reported and no one was working or dining at the restaurant when firefighters arrived.
The fire is believed to have started in or near a HVAC unit on the roof of the restaurant. It progressed quickly, battled by firefighters from Alton, Godfrey, East Alton and Florissant, Missouri. When the HVAC unit collapsed partially through the roof, the structure was deemed too dangerous to enter and firefighters set up an exterior attack as flames spread through the attic toward the front of the building.
Heavy smoke was visible for blocks in every direction. Alton Public Works and Alton Police erected barricades and closed streets around the scene to protect fire supply line hoses. A city trackhoe was brought in to knock down walls, left unsafe after the fire was out. The trackhoe also removed the HVAC unit for closer examination.
Flames broke through the restaurants roof, causing the McDonalds sign to fall off the building.
In September, the site was razed and restaurant debris was cleared from the site by S. Shafer Excavating & Demolition in Pontoon Beach.
Bold, who owns both Alton McDonalds as well as the ones in Godfrey and Bethalto, has said he was saddened by the fire but plans to rebuild.
Whether or not 12 captured North American missionaries escaped or were intentionally let go by their Haitian captors after a hefty ransom was allegedly paid is up for discussion days after their release.
But one thing appears to be clear: the cavalry, namely the U.S. government, did not rescue the American and Canadian missionaries kidnapped two months ago by a powerful Haitian gang. Hard to believe.
In fact, the abduction and now the return home of the hostages says plenty about U.S.-Haiti relations: There is a lack of respect brewing.
Heres proof: the release of the missionaries seems to have surprised the FBI agents, who had been in Haiti since the abduction offering guidance to Haitian authorities as the gang negotiated with relatives of those held captives.
The missionaries were found wandering on a mountain with no obvious help from the outside.
More telling is the abduction of the American citizens in the group in the first place. American victims have always been off-limits to Haitian gangs, and it appears that is no longer the case.
The U.S. government is obviously losing its slim diplomatic hold on the troubled island. But does it care? Maybe not.
Already influential gangs have steadily taken over new sections of the capital after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July. They appear to be becoming the de facto government, aggravating Haitis already acute economic crisis and giving more fuel to Haitis political crisis.
Haitis government has asked for U.S. military assistance or some time of U.S. or UN intervention. The request was rejected in Washington, which has since said its recruiting other countries like France, the United Kingdom and Canada to help.
Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere, recently implied to journalists that Haitis problems do not require outside intervention.
I think theres broad agreement that the security situation in Haiti is a policing challenge, and its not a military challenge, Nichols told reporters.
Great.
As we said, the cavalry is not coming to Haiti.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) The Danish parliament has voted to oust a former immigration minister who earlier this month was convicted by a rarely used impeachment court in Denmark, saying Inger Stoejberg is not worthy of serving as a member of Denmark's 179-seat legislative assembly.
In Tuesday' 98-18 vote with one abstention and 62 absentees, lawmakers ejected Stoejberg, who on Dec. 13 was sentenced to 60 days in jail over a 2016 order to separate asylum-seeking couples when one of the partners was a minor.
Stoejberg attended the parliament session and was the single abstention in the vote. Anti-immigration, populist lawmakers opposed her removal.
The court had found her guilty for intentionally or through gross negligence neglecting the duties of her office and providing parliament with incorrect or misleading information. Stoejberg' staff members had warned her that the practice was unlawful.
Stoejberg who has maintained her innocence throughout the trial that started Sept. 2, said she initiated the policy of separating minors from their partners out of concerns the relationships may have involved forced marriages. Twenty-three couples were split up before the policy was halted months later.
She served as minister for immigration, integration and housing from 2015 to 2019 as part of Denmarks previous center-right government. Considered an immigration hard-liner, Stoejberg spearheaded the tightening of Denmark's asylum and immigration rules.
In line with the rules, Stoejberg walked out of the Folketing assembly waving to lawmakers.
I do not think you should expect the very last to be said on my part, Stoejberg said.
Stoejberg was ousted from the current assembly but could, if she wants, run for a seat in the next parliamentary vote, which must be held at latest June 4, 2023. She has not indicated whether she will do so.
The Court of Impeachment, which adjudicates cases in which government ministers are accused of unlawful misconduct and misuse of office, had not been used since 1995.
EDWARDSVILLE A Granite City man was charged Tuesday with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and other felonies relating to a Dec. 14 shooting in Granite City.
Rickie E. Tellor Jr., 29, of Granite City, was charged Dec. 21 with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, both Class X felonies; aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony; unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, a Class 2 felony; and unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, an enhanced Class 3 felony.
The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department.
According to court documents, on Dec. 14 Tellor allegedly fired a gun in the direction of another man with the intent to kill." He also allegedly discharged a firearm in the direction of an occupied vehicle and was in possession of a stolen Smith & Wesson 9 mm Shield handgun.
Tellor has a 2018 Madison County conviction for aggravated robbery, making him ineligible to possess weapons.
Bail was set at $250,000.
Other felony charges filed this week by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:
Stephanie D. Lucas, 40, of Godfrey, was charged Dec. 20 with aggravated battery, a Class 2 felony; and aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Dec. 20 Lucas allegedly punched and kicked a security guard and a nurse at Alton Memorial Hospital. Bail was set at $30,000.
Kenya S. White, 37, of Alton, was charged Dec. 20 with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Dec. 18 White allegedly strangled a household or family member. Bail was set at $50,000.
Shayla D. Brown, 29, of Alton, was charged Dec. 20 with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Nov. 7 Brown allegedly struck a senior citizen with an unknown black object approximately two feet in length. Bail was set at $20,000.
Dalton R. Hard, 18, of Granite City, was charged Dec. 20 with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. On Dec. 17 Hard allegedly struck a 17-year-old in the jaw with his hand. Bail was set at $25,000.
James D. Foxworthy, 42, of Collinsville, was charged Dec. 17 with domestic battery (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Dec. 16 Foxworthy allegedly struck a household or family member in the face with his hand. He has a 2013 Madison County conviction for domestic battery. Bail was set at $15,000.
Kortney A. Talbot, 23, of Highland, was charged Dec. 21 with domestic battery, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. On Dec. 21 Talbot allegedly struck a household or family member in the face. She has a Madison County conviction from earlier this year for domestic battery. Bail was set at $20,000.
Jared J. Washington, 31, of Granite City, was charged Dec. 20 with unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Dec. 20 Washington allegedly was found to have a Kimber Custom II 9 mm handgun. He has a 2014 Madison County conviction for unlawful possession of weapons by a felon. Bail was set at $50,000.
Bradley L. Douthit, 35, with a last known address in Edwardsville, was charged Dec. 20 with two counts of unlawful failure to register as a violent offender against youth, both Class 3 felonies. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. According to court documents, on March 17 and Sept. 7 Douthit allegedly failed to register with the sheriffs department. Bail was set at $20,000.
Justin M. Bradshaw, 42, with a last known address in Granite City, was charged Dec. 20 with two counts of unlawful failure to register as a violent offender against youth, both Class 3 felonies. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. According to court documents, on Oct. 3 and Sept. 7 Bradshaw allegedly failed to register with the sheriffs department. Bail was set at $20,000.
EDWARDSVILLE Madison County is seeking bids for 15.41 acres of prime commercial property along Illinois 159 near the Edwardsville Crossing Shopping Center.
The county will accept sealed bids on what is referred to as the Plum Street Property through mid-February. This action comes after the sale to and redevelopment by the city of Edwardsville, approved in 2017, apparently stalled.
The county is putting the property out for bid, Madison County Chairman Kurt Prenzler said. Bids will be accepted online through Feb. 14. We are advertising it regionally and being as transparent in the process in hopes of getting as many bids as we can.
The land was originally part of the site of the countys tuberculosis sanitarium. In 2003, the county sold property along Troy Road to make way for the Edwardsville Crossing development.
Prenzler said the value of the property has increased through the years and it is a prime location for development due to adjacent propertys economic growth.
In 2017 an intergovernmental agreement between Edwardsville and county authorizing the sale of the property to the city for $5 million was approved, contingent on the city seeking requests for proposals to develop the land.
City and county officials have been talking about the agreement for some time. Some county officials have said the property sale of the property could help offset the $14 million Madison County Jail renovation project. However, there had been no public movement on the project for several years.
Prenzler said that, by selling the land, the county would no longer have to maintain it, saving taxpayers money. The average annual cost to maintain the property is around $16,000.
The acreage is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Plum Street (Illinois 159) and Governors Parkway in Edwardsville. The site is within the city's corporate boundaries and is subject to its ordinances, including all building codes and land use regulations.
The county hired Collier Appraisers, Ltd. of Collinsville to appraise the property. The appraisal reflects the properties current market value as of Sept. 13 and the information will be included in the bid packet.
The property will be sold as is and there will be $50,000 in earnest monies required to be paid by the party awarded the bid. All interested parties can download a bid packet online at https://www.co.madison.il.us/departments/purchasing/index.php.
Sealed bids will be received until 2 p.m., Monday, Feb. 14 and then publicly opened and read aloud at 2:15 p.m. that day in the Madison County Board Committee Room on the first level of the Administration Building in Suite 145.
For more details bidders should contact Madison County Administrative Services Purchasing Director Linda Ogden at 618-296-4219.
SPRINGFIELD The Illinois Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced a new study shows airports contribute $95.5 billion and more than 490,000 jobs to the states economy.
The 2020 Illinois Aviation Economic Impact Analysis is the first report of its kind released by IDOT since 2012.
Aviation is a pillar of our state. Its importance to our economy cannot be overstated, said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. Illinois airports serve as a gateway to the economy through passenger, cargo and general aviation services, as well as employment opportunities."
The analysis found that of the $95.5 billion contributed to the Illinois economy by airports in 2019, $21.1 billion came from visitor spending, $35.9 billion related to the shipment of cargo and $38.4 billion resulted from direct impacts, including $32.5 billion in income to help support 492,768 jobs.
The report analyzed 85 public-use airport facilities 81 public and four private airports. Data was used to measure the economic impact at each individual airport, as well as each IDOT region and at the statewide level.
Early next year, IDOT is expected to release the first Illinois Aviation System Plan in more than two decades. The plan will help identify short- and long-term needs of individual airports and the aviation system as a whole, with the goal of continuing to support economies throughout the state, improve quality of life and boost mobility.
Earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced $94 million had been awarded to improve public airports through the Rebuild Illinois capital program.
At St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto, $1.755 million of the $1.95 million being invested in the airport will come from state funding. The other $195,000 will come from local funding. Of the state funding, $850,000 will go to aviation fuel facility improvements and $1.1 million will go toward rehabilitating automobile parking lots.
Other funding in the package included $5 million to St. Clair County's St. Louis Downtown Airport to construct a runup ramp and taxiway access from the airfield, including a jetblast and noise mitigation barrier, as well as $180,000 to Bond County's Greenville Airport to construct an aircraft T-hangar apron expansion.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian man who opened fire at them from a passing vehicle in the occupied West Bank late Wednesday, Israeli officials said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death of Muhammad Issa Abbas, 26, saying he had been shot in the back near the al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah.
ANNE DRAGO, Stonington, Girls Basketball, Senior; Drago was named to the all-tournament team at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. In two games, she scored 38 points and had eight rebounds.
DANTE WILK, Westerly, Boys Basketball, Senior; Wilk was named MVP of the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament after the Bulldogs beat Chariho in the title game. Wilk had a combined 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals in two tournament victories.
TYLER LABELLE, Chariho, Boys Basketball, Junior; LaBelle scored 41 points in two games to earn all-tournament honors at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. LaBelle had 22 in a win against South Kingstown and 19 in a loss to Westerly.
ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler, Girls Basketball, Senior; Hauptmann scored 32 points in two games in the Montville Christmas Tournament. She also had 20 rebounds, seven assists and eight steals.
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Retail investors must be offered better access to British businesses listing on the London Stock Exchange, investing giant Interactive Investor (II) has continued to urge.
The financial services business said that without the investment trust sector, the number of initial public offerings (IPOs) available to retail buyers would be minimal.
This is despite the surge in IPOs on London markets in 2021, including food delivery giant Deliveroo, online greetings card firm Moonpig and bootmaker Dr Martens.
Small fry: II said that without the investment trust sector, the number of initial public offerings that retail customers would have been able to access would have been minimal
All three companies locked out retail investors when they debuted earlier this year, II noted, adding that without the actions of the investment trust industry, 'it would have been a poor year for IPOs' for retail buyers.
The investment platform revealed that the eight most popular public listings among its customers since January were investment trusts, with HydrogenOne Capital Growth taking the top spot.
Four of the eight were also trusts involved in renewable energy infrastructure, including VH Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities, ThomasLloyd Energy Impact Trust and Atrato Onsite Energy.
II also pointed out that these trusts had been in strong demand from private investors, with recent figures showing that 14.8billion of new cash has been raised for investment companies in the year to date.
However, its head of equity strategy, Lee Wild, reiterated the firm's call to expand retail investors' access to public flotations, which has included demands for a quota system that ensures they are not excluded.
'From Dr Martens, Moonpig, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, through to the high profile, troubled start of Deliveroo, all took a VIP approach to their IPO listings and left private investors out in the cold,' he remarked.
Acquisition: A fortnight ago, II agreed to be taken over by fund management group Abrdn in a 1.5billion deal that will keep the platform as a standalone business
'This has to stop. After a year-long campaign by interactive investor calling for retail access to IPOs to be broadened, DIY investors continue to be left out.
'We have called for a quota system, where companies are compelled to involve ordinary investors when they float.
'There are growing numbers of retail investors in the UK, and most of them manage their portfolios via investment platforms that can provide quick and easy access to IPOs. Shareholder democracy has to start with open access to IPOs for all.'
Earlier in December, II agreed to be taken over by fund management group Abrdn in a 1.5billion deal, which will keep the platform as a standalone business and Richard Wilson as its chief executive.
In return, Abrdn will gain assets under administration of around 55billion and more than 40,000 new customers, many of whom have come to investing for the first time during the pandemic.
Firms like Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell have also benefited from an upsurge in users of retail trading apps since March 2020, and there could be further gains resulting from the economic volatility caused by the Omicron variant.
This has led these two companies to post record results - AJ Bell attracted over 87,000 more customers, net inflows of 6.4billion and its highest ever assets under administration level of 6.4billion in the 12 months to September.
The Manchester-based firm hopes to further capitalise on the trend for retail apps by launching Dodl, an investment app that will enable customers to make a range of investments without paying commission charges.
The 1billion bailout for business announced yesterday was just the latest package of support in almost two years of unprecedented government spending.
The measures from Chancellor Rishi Sunak, which include sick pay cover for small business staff and a fresh round of grants for struggling firms, were largely welcomed by the beleaguered hospitality sector, though many warn they do not go far enough.
Restaurants, pubs and clubs were crying out for help as Omicron ravaged their industry and Christmas bookings.
Support: New measures from Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured) include sick pay cover for small business staff and a fresh round of grants for struggling firms
Many of the biggest support schemes, such as furlough payments and the taxpayer-backed Bounce Back Loans, were withdrawn as Britain broke free of its pandemic shackles over the summer.
But plenty of help remained. Even before yesterday, the Treasury was supporting companies to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds a month.
Measures such as business rates relief, reduced VAT and a super-deduction tax break to encourage investment, were already weighing on the public purse.
The latest data yesterday showed nowhere near enough tax revenue is flowing into the Treasury to cover outgoings.
Novembers deficit the gap between how much money the Government spent and the money coming in hit 17.4billion.
Julian Jessop, economics fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, warned against reining in spending too tightly.
He said: Borrowing costs remain near historic lows. A stronger economy is still the best way to reduce the burden of debt over time.
One of the more expensive schemes still in operation is business rates relief, set to cost almost 18billion in total.
In the 2020-21 tax year, Sunak waived all business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure firms.
Their bill for the current financial year was cut by 75 per cent, and in just those two years the emergency measures cost the Treasury 16billion.
The rates were already controversial the tax is levied on commercial properties, meaning bricks-and-mortar retailers pay more than their online rivals.
Next financial year, as the Government reforms the entire system, business rates bills will be reduced again by 50 per cent. This will cause another 1.7billion to slip out of the Treasurys grasp.
Some groups were still disappointed that the bill wasnt written down to zero again. Richard Burge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: We urge the Government once again to reinstate 100 per cent business rates relief for retail and hospitality.
Companies were also dissatisfied Sunak made no announcements on VAT. In normal times, VAT is 20 per cent. That was slashed to 5 per cent in 2020, to lure tourists back to hotels and attractions.
From October, VAT was bumped up to 12.5 per cent, a rate set to end in March. But Russell Nathan, senior partner at accountancy firm HW Fisher, said: I would urge the Government to consider extending the VAT cut beyond 2022 to give all the pubs, hotels, and restaurants a better fighting chance in the year ahead.
Nathan, who advises restaurants, hotels, private members clubs and luxury brands in London, said Sunaks proposals would not prevent the loss of some of the best of British hospitality.
Another measure the super-deduction lets companies claim 25p off their tax bill for every 1 they invest. But over the two years it is running, Treasury coffers will have missed out on 20billion.
All of these relief measures should be helping canny businesses stay on their feet, albeit at a cost to the public.
And there are more protections which have a less direct bearing on the Treasurys income a ban on landlords being allowed to kick out business tenants until March 2022, and extensions to the repayment schedules of Government-backed Covid loans.
Firms face a tough few months but there are still measures to see them through another choppy winter.
Food delivery firm Just Eat continued its expansion into the grocery market through a tie-up with corner shop chain One Stop.
Up to 500 items such as bread, milk and snacks will be available to order through Just Eats app.
Around 40 One Stop stores in the UK will initially be available to order groceries from, although Just Eat said it could offer delivery for 500 stores.
Appy shopper: Just Eat will soon offer up to 500 items including basics such as bread, milk, toiletries and snacks through its app after its tie-up with corner shop chain One Stop
One Stop is a much-loved British convenience store at the heart of many local communities, making it a perfect partner, said Andrew Kenny, managing director of Just Eats UK business.
Just Eat rose just 0.7 per cent, or 26p, at 4046p as investors took some profits before Christmas. The deal follows Just Eats entry into a fast-growing market last week when it unveiled a partnership with supermarket giant Asda.
From January, customers on Just Eats app will be able to order a range of Asda products. It is following on the heels of rivals Uber Eats and Deliveroo (up 0.2 per cent, or 0.4p, to 213.3p), the latter having launched a grocery delivery service in London in September.
Stock Watch - Avacta Drug and diagnostic test maker Avacta shot up after its Covid-19 lateral flow test received a CE mark for use as a self-test for people in the UK and the EU. The mark signifies that products have met the safety, health and environmental requirements to be sold to consumers. Avactas Affidx test, which uses a nasal swab and provides a result in 20 minutes, will be marketed under the Meduflow brand. The shares surged 16.9 per cent, or 17.9p, to 123.8p.
Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, said Just Eat and other food delivery firms were all fighting for a slice of the increasingly competitive UK grocery market and that the race was getting even tougher as new competitors emerged.
The FTSE 100 inched up 0.6 per cent, or 44.25 points, to 7341.66 while the FTSE 250 climbed 1.1 per cent, or 260.49 points, to 23.080.79.
Reports that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 causes milder symptoms than its Delta counterpart provided some optimism that the latest wave of infections could be less bad than initially feared.
However, the market mood was soured slightly by worse than expected UK growth in the third quarter, which saw the economy expand by 1.1 per cent rather than initial reports of 1.3 per cent as supply chain issues began to bite.
The latest pandemic panic also seems to have snuffed out any chance of a late Santa Rally, with the blue-chip index heading for a rise of less than 1pc in the final week before Christmas.
Mid-cap life science investor Syncona surged 5.5 per cent, or 11p, to 211p after it struck a deal to sell its Gyroscope Therapeutics business to Swiss pharma giant Novartis for 1.1billion.
Syncona, which co-founded Gyroscope in 2016, is expecting to rake in up to 589million from the deal, more than five times the cost of its original investment.
Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey rose 2.6 per cent, or 4.35p, to 174.1p after it settled a probe by competition regulators into ground rent fees.
The firm has agreed to remove terms from some of its leaseholder contracts that would have doubled ground rents every 10 years.
Mining giant Rio Tinto headed underground, shedding 1 per cent, or 58.5p, to 4854.4p after pushing back the date for its full-year results by one week, to February 23 from February 16.
Budget airline Wizz Air announced the purchase of a substantial portfolio of 15 aircraft slots at Gatwick Airport from Norwegian Air Shuttle, and will base four additional aircraft there from next spring. The shares crept up 0.02 per cent, or 1p, to 4231p.
And online fashion giant Boohoo was in tears after a bleak note from analysts at broker Liberum, who cut their target price for the stock to 200p from 360p.
Liberum said a recent profit warning was not just a result of the global supply chain logjam but also over-optimism baked into the guidance, adding that they believed higher supply costs and weaker delivery will persist for the next 12-18 months. Boohoo fell 1.5 per cent, or 1.7p, to 115.35p.
Croda International has struck a deal to sell most of its performance technologies and industrial chemicals divisions to US food processing giant Cargill for 778million.
The sale comes as Croda shifts its focus towards the life science and consumer care sectors, which together accounted for more than 90 per cent of its profits in 2020.
Shares in the Yorkshire firm have shot up around 48 per cent this year, helped by its supply of lipids for Pfizers Covid jabs.
Croda is shifting its focus towards the life science and consumer care sectors, which together accounted for more than 90% of its profits in 2020
The FTSE 100 firm will reinvest the cash in faster growth areas, increasing its exposure to the healthcare sector and developing a position in consumer markets.
The divisions it is selling make ingredients for coatings, sealants and adhesives used in businesses such as the car industry.
It has decided to sell 77 per cent of the two divisions following a strategic review. Cargill will take control of five manufacturing facilities including Crodas plant in Hull as well as a factory in the Netherlands.
Cargill will also take on a joint venture in China, in which Croda owns a 65 per cent stake, and several laboratories.
The assets being sold raked in 361million in revenues in 2020, around 26 per cent of Crodas total that year.
It is not the first time the companies have done a deal, with Croda having sold a rapeseed oil extraction plant in Hull to Cargill in 1985.
Chief executive Steve Foots said the sale will lead to consistent sales growth and stronger profits. Cargill said that it will gain nearly 1,000 employees.
Croda shares dipped 0.4 per cent, or 38p, to 9942p.
Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Susannah Streeter said a sale had been on the cards during the strategic review and, as a result, the fall in the share price may have been the result of some investors being disappointed by the final price tag.
But the drop barely made a dent in its strong performance over 2021. It has cashed in on soaring demand for booster jabs as countries try to control infection rates.
A rebound in consumer spending following lockdown has also helped Crodas personal care division, which supplies ingredients used to make skin, hair and cosmetic products.
Fast fashion firm Missguided has been saved from devastating supply chain disruption by investor Alteri.
The London company, which invests in the retail sector, took a 50 per cent stake this week, giving Missguided, which has been looking for a partner since October to help it through the crisis, access to much-needed cash.
The online-only womens fashion outlet has been the subject of a Channel 4 documentary and won attention in 2019 when it advertised a bikini costing just 1 during Love Island, only for critics to label it a symbol of throwaway fashion culture.
Sales slump: London-based Alteri has amassed a 50% stake in online-only women's fashion retailer, which was founded by chief executive Nitin Passi (pictured)
It has struggled in the pandemic because customers have not bought party dresses or as many new outfits.
Missguided had global sales of 287million in the year to March, mostly in the UK and US. The Manchester business founded by chief executive Nitin Passi in 2009, has 330 staff.
Alteri, backed by private equity giant Apollo Global Management, buys into distressed retailers with the intention of turning them around and profiting from recovery.
It plans to hire an executive chairman with strong turnaround experience, and will put two directors on the board.
A South African study offered Christmas glad tidings about the severity of Omicron and the trend of COVID-19 infections on Wednesday as the fast-spreading coronavirus variant forced countries across the world to impose new curbs.
The study by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) suggested that those infected with Omicron were much less likely to end up in hospital than those with Delta.
COVID-19 cases also appear to have peaked in South Africas Gauteng province, which is its commercial hub and the region of the country where Omicron first emerged.
A new South African study, along with data on hospitalisations and deaths in the countrys fourth wave of COVID infections, suggest that the risk of severe disease is lower with Omicron than with previous variants, a top scientist has said. Compellingly, together our data really suggest a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants, said Professor Cheryl Cohen of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), one of the authors of the new study, during a news conference on Tuesday. South Africas noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the countrys dramatic Omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts said earlier.
Elsewhere, governments raced to contain the variants rapid spread, urging citizens to vaccinate as Omicron becomes the dominant strain and upending reopening plans that many had hoped would herald the end of the pandemic, and unnerving financial markets.
Germany, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and South Korea have reimposed partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures in recent days.
Wales will reintroduce social distancing from Dec. 26. Health experts in Germany said new curbs there probably did not go far enough. The health minister said he had not ruled out a full lockdown.
Italy is preparing new measures and might make vaccinations obligatory for more categories of workers, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said.
Austria is to order a 10 p.m. close in the hospitality sector and classified Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway as risk areas, meaning arrivals from there must go into quarantine if they have not had a booster shot.
Belgium, the Czech Republic and Spain were also considering new curbs. The Indian capital of New Delhi banned Christmas and other celebrations.
The Chinese city of Xian told its 13 million residents to stay at home as it struggles to contain rising COVID-19 cases under Beijings zero-tolerance policy. Xian, home to the Terracotta Warriors, has not imposed a harsh lockdown as seen in early 2020 in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first identified, but urged residents not to leave town.
POSITIVE STORY
Omicron was first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong. Preliminary data indicates it is more resistant to vaccines developed before it emerged.
South Africas NICD study, conducted with major universities, has not been peer-reviewed. It compared South African Omicron data from October and November with data about Delta between April and November.
The authors found that the risk of hospital admission was roughly 80% lower for those with Omicron, and that for those in hospital the risk of severe disease was roughly 30% lower.
In South Africa, this is the epidemiology: Omicron is behaving in a way that is less severe, said Professor Cheryl Cohen of the NICD, one of the authors.
Compellingly, together our data really suggest a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants.
Still, the authors included caveats and cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying high population immunity was a likely factor. A study by Imperial College London last week found no sign Omicron was milder.
Policymakers across the world are scrambling to address the economic blow that might come from new outbreaks; Britain on Tuesday announced 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) of support for businesses hit hardest.
Some 300 South Korean business owners protested in Seoul on Wednesday against the return of strict social distancing rules, urging the government to scrap its vaccine pass policy and compensate for losses.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett welcomed a Health Ministry panels recommendation that over 60s, those with compromised immune systems and health workers should receive fourth COVID shots.
FREE TEST KITS
Professor Lawrence Young, virologist at the University of Warwick in England, said it was difficult to justify fourth shots in a situation where around 73% of people in wealthy and middle-income countries have been (fully or partly) vaccinated whereas only 12% are vaccinated in Africa.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said boosters should not be seen as the only way of dealing with the pandemic when other countries are struggling to roll out shots.
No country can boost its way out of the pandemic, he said at a briefing in Geneva. Blanket booster programmes are likely to prolong the pandemic rather than ending it.
More than 275 million people have been reported to be infected with the coronavirus around the world, and nearly 5.7 million have died, according to a Reuters tally.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in central China in December 2019.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday promised to distribute half a billion free rapid COVID-19 tests, and warned the quarter of American adults who are unvaccinated that their choices could spell the difference between life and death.
Some wealthy countries want to shorten the time between second vaccination shots and boosters, hoping this will reduce the need to burden weary citizens with new lockdowns.
Australia on Wednesday reported more than 5,000 daily infections for the first time. Prime Minister Scott Morrison nevertheless insisted that strict lockdowns would not be brought back.
SOURCE: REUTERS
Builders and customers are getting hammered by lumber prices with no particular end in sight.
Lewis Dubuque, executive vice president of the New York State Builders Association, has been watching the cost of lumber rise and fall in a volatile manner this past year.
The price went down over the summer. It started to come back in the fall (and) now it has spiked again, he said.
John Bartow, executive director of the Empire State Forest Products Association agreed. He said costs in almost every aspect of the industry are skyrocketing across the United States, specifically in the Northeast.
In New York, the forest products association looks at three broad price structures: softwood lumber, hardwood and veneer productions and paper and pulp.
Much of the high prices is linked to softwood lumber, which the state doesnt produce much of and relies heavily on Canada for, Bartow explained.
What you're paying for a two-by-four-by-eight today is three (to) four times what you would have paid for it 20 months ago, Bartow emphasized, noting that costs for a range of products from raw materials to papermaking chemicals is up anywhere from 90 to 125 percent.
The treacherous combination of supply constraint and steep prices has pushed some builders to limit what they can do. Price jumps and supply chain woes are hurting virtually everyone from builders up to suppliers. And Canadian providers are especially taking a hit.
Dubuque said one prominent Canadian supplier for his associations members, Pollard Windows and Doors, has temporarily paused its distribution to the U.S. until it can get things in order. Pollard Windows and Doors did not respond to the Times Unions request for comment.
Canada, according to the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association, supplies the country with about 14 percent of its lumber.
NRLA President Rita Ferris said Canadian suppliers are under a lot of pressure because of the floods British Columbia recently experienced.
Those floods ruin(ed) the transportation infrastructure - the roads and rail access - and that has slowed the shipments down 25 to 30 percent, she said.
Data from NRLA determined the price of lumber similarly was up about 26 percent in the past month, which, whether by coincidence or not, aligns with how much British Columbian shipments are down.
Lumber was priced at $1,044 per 1,000 board foot as of Monday, whereas roughly a month ago, the price was $772 per 1,000 board foot, according to Ferris.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
To further complicate Canadian suppliers challenges, the lumber tariff nearly doubled last month from 8.99 percent to 17.9 percent. Its a tax on Canadian imports that is being passed on to consumers, Ferris noted.
In most cases, Ferris found builders are eating the losses.
They'll give a price for a new home and the price is good for 30 days. By the time they go to fulfill the orders for the material, something like a flood happens, and the price is 25 percent higher, Ferris said.
On the flip side, builders are regularly adjusting their prices and passing along some of the cost to buyers.
An organization called the American Building Materials Alliance is working to arrange a softwood lumber agreement to retain more stability in pricing. Ferris said the federal infrastructure bill should help, but other major bills are stalling in the governments wings.
She anticipated 2022 will prove another strong year for builders, although not without a host of challenges and putting out a few fires.
It always works out long-term, but it's going to take a little while, she said.
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.
Traveling to some countries in Europe will soon require yet another piece of paperwork and yet another fee. For Americans, that fee is just under $8 (7 euros) per person.
Sometime in 2022, the European Commission is set to launch whats called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, or ETIAS.
What is ETIAS?
The new ETIAS program is expected to be a largely automated process for identifying security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks. The program is designed for certain travelers heading to the Schengen Area, which consists of 26 European countries without border controls between them.
Those countries are:
Austria.
Belgium.
The Czech Republic.
Denmark.
Estonia.
Finland.
France.
Germany.
Greece.
Hungary.
Iceland.
Italy.
Latvia.
Liechtenstein.
Lithuania.
Luxembourg.
Malta.
The Netherlands.
Norway.
Poland.
Portugal.
Slovakia.
Slovenia.
Spain.
Sweden.
Switzerland.
The European Commission says the program is designed to facilitate border checks; avoid bureaucracy and delays for travellers when presenting themselves at the borders; ensure a coordinated and harmonised risk assessment of third-country nationals; and substantially reduce the number of refusals of entry at border crossing points.
The new ETIAS program applies to citizens of countries who don't need visas to enter the European Union, including the U.S.
That means Americans have one more task on their to-do list (and one more fee to pay) before entering Europes Schengen Area.
How ETIAS will work
First, youll have to fill out an online application form, which the EU uses to conduct various security checks. Submitting that form also entails a fee of around $8.
In most cases, visitors will receive travel authorization within minutes. But in some cases, it could take travelers up to 30 days to receive authorization.
Once you have your authorization documents, theyll be checked along with other travel documents such as your passport by the border guards when crossing the EU border.
What ETIAS means for travelers
An extra cost
The extra fee could be a headache for travelers. Sure, about $8 is small potatoes in the grand scheme of a European trip. But it comes in an era where new fees are appearing everywhere, whether its hotel resort and amenity fees, or airline fees for things such as checked bags and seat selection.
Thats on top of pandemic-era expenses like mandatory COVID-19 tests, as well as potential quarantine costs should you test positive abroad, or Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance, which has become increasingly popular given the uncertainty of travel these days.
Plus, the fee is per person, so if youre bringing the family, youll need to pay and register everyone in your travel party.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
More paperwork
ETIAS joins the list of ever-growing paperwork you need before boarding a flight. Your trip might already require proof of a COVID-19 test. Youll likely also need to pack proof of vaccination. Additionally, youll need to ensure your passport is up to date. If its not, that may pose its own challenges because it sometimes takes the State Department over two months to process passports.
A challenge for procrastinators (or last-minute travelers)
Given that ETIAS authorization could take up to 30 days, people booking last-minute travel may have to account for this change, as well as people who procrastinate on this particular paperwork.
Of course, the ETIAS program hasn't started, and theres no clear initiation date beyond a statement from the European Commission that ETIAS is expected to be operational by the end of 2022. From there, expect a six-month transition period for the system to be implemented, meaning you likely wont actually need to register with the ETIAS program until sometime in 2023.
But when it does become mandatory, add it to your growing pre-travel to-do list and bake those $8 per person fees into your travel budget.
Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia.
The article U.S. Travelers to EU to Face New Fee, Paperwork in 2022 originally appeared on NerdWallet.
To talk with chef Doris Choi is to be swept into a passion for feeding people, a love of design and a drive to create, innovate and, when necessary, kill off ideas that dont execute well. The chef behind Silvia, the Woodstock restaurant she opened with her sister Betty Choi and their husbands, comes across as more certain and in control of every aspect of Good Night, their new venture open for a month in a gallery down the road.
If Silvia anchors the towns center with its dark Nordic exterior inspired by a trip to Iceland, the partners embraced the lofty bone structure of a white, light-soaked gallery as the blank canvas for Good Night. Working with the same interior designer, they envisioned something more feminine. And boy, do they deliver.
After surviving the pandemic hit to the restaurant industry, Choi wanted to create something beautiful that focused on the future, on food, family and being together: a great experience and a good night the genesis of the name. With that, Good Night departs from the neat, Nordic-Asian lines of Silvia by bringing in more curves than 1950s Hollywood, with a sweeping bar and endless plush banquettes upholstered in dusk burnt sienna. Unlike Silvia, the Good Night kitchen is out of sight, perhaps leading a retreat from yesterdays open kitchens the way Gigi Hadid is bringing back skinny eyebrows. Feathered chandeliers spill warmth over soft marble tables with smooth bullnose edges; massive leafy plants extend a deco, Hemingway vibe. Usher in the louche starlets and smoking jackets. They'll fit right in.
Instead, the steady crowd is far from dressy. Locals are turning out in droves: Families dine with young children, friends in jeans and beanie hats sip cocktails or split bottles of wine. The food is relaxed, too, mixing highbrow and low on a menu that sashays from classic dim sum pork dumplings and slippery hand-cut noodles to grass-finished steak, dry-aged in house.
Though Silvia is known for rustic, primal cooking, with an active fermentation program deployed across cocktails and plates and vegetables kissed by ember and fire, presentation has always been meticulously detailed. At Good Night, food is less pretty under dim light, our table soon jostling bowls of white rice with tangled shaved beef, red pepper and silky leeks in a Thai basil beef stir fry, and green coconut curry hiding assorted fruits de mer under thick cream. Its filling food to spoon and share, with a parade of spices in notes of lemongrass and lime leaf, prickles of chile and a brass section of basil, perilla and cilantro galore.
Show me a plate not improved by a throng of fresh herbs. Good Night, speaking my love language, serves up a stack of crisp tempura blowfish tail, wild shrimp and blistered shishitos glazed in sticky chile, dusted with crushed peanuts and buried under whole branches of Thai basil. Those who know Choi had a prominent start in the raw vegan scene will recognize her banging walnut larb, nothing short of an upgrade on traditional pork for its fantastic, texturally firm ways, minced and mixed with toasted rice, thrumming with lemongrass and chile. Wrap the lot in pretty lettuce leaves a choice of Bibb, endive and speckled pink radicchio and top it with herbs for a party line bop on a plate.
Naturally, we kick off with cocktails: a juicy Grapefruit Lycee Tonic that is more Fresca than G&T but refreshing and bright, and a Kumquat Blossom that fuses smoky mezcal with almond orgeat, kumquat and bitters, computing as intelligent over complex. Classics make sense here. Who wouldnt want a Jungle Bird or Boulevardier in this scene? The Banana Daiquiri isnt a frosty poolside sensation but a Cuban original updated with banana chip bourbon and aquafaba for a lightly frothed head. Save the creamy Sake Coconut Colada for dessert.
Wine can be hard to pair with Asian food, but with Silvias sommelier also curating Good Nights picks, the list boasts natural gems from pet nat to Georgian and Slovenian skin-contact wines. If I lived closer, Id belly up to the bar weekly for a plate of blistered shishitos and a bottle to share.
Open only a month, decisions are still being made. Choi expresses disappointment that her confit chicken and Hainanese rice dish wont stay. Choi describes it as the very essence of chicken thanks to small birds from a local firm, gently sous vided and then confited. Given the chance, she would place it as the first dish on a tasting menu for the unadulterated flavor of real chicken one note, but more-ish before amping up increasingly complex flavors. But Choi lets it go in the same way she has evolved through raw vegan and Asian, defying labels or rigid authenticity. She ends the thought simply: Im getting better at not limiting myself.
Im taken by the simplicity of five-spice duck breast, seared and arranged in petals on a plate with thin pancakes we fill with fig hoisin sauce and pickled celery, cucumber and pear, the pickle juice playing off sweet, crisp fruit. Only a side of hand-cut mung bean noodles in Sichuan-black vinegar misses acid or saltier brightness, and a grapefruit panna cotta dessert, while tasty, is not fully set in its tall mason jar. A ramekin might be better for the job.
Theres more for the curious: stir-fried yuba with lotus root, bok choy and Sichuan miso; local mushroom and crispy egg noodles with pea leaf; a whole crispy snapper to share. Ill need to return for the pandan coconut ice cream, as it was sold out the night we were there.
Those who furiously tell me to write about the food, not people or furniture dont understand that dinner is theater, the setting the stage, the service part of the night. The staff at Good Night deserve a mention of their own: professional, friendly, on point. I dont know whos shucking the Sassy Malpeques not likely a dedicated shucker but the oysters are impeccably clean, no shards, neat bellies, overflowing with oceanic brine. With them, a thick coconut cream whipped with chile and lime leaf is a revelation in place of standard mignonette. Good Night is exactly this: Casual enough to be comfy any night and stylish enough to deserve its name.
A plus-sized Jewish lady redneck died in El Paso on Saturday.
That was the start to Andy Correns obituary for his colorful southern mother, a tribute he submitted electronically to a North Carolina newspaper from the Fellow Mountain Cafe in Hunter, near where he lives. Days after he hit send from his computer in the Catskills, The Fayetteville Observer ran his remembrances of Renay Mandel Corren, and the obituary took social media by storm.
Rather than praise her for her good deeds, Correns tribute celebrates his mothers shortcomings and defiance of a traditional life. Renay lied a lot, reads one of Correns many laugh-out-loud, deadpan lines about his mom, who died Dec. 11. But on the plus side, Renay didnt cook, she didnt clean, and she was lousy with money, too.
Perhaps not surprising for an obit that praised a mother for dyeing her red roots, weekly manicures, dirty jokes, pier fishing, rolling joints and buying dirty magazines, the epitaph went viral.
How I write comes from a centered, daily practice, said Corren, a Greene County resident who described himself in the obit as his mothers favorite son, the gay one who writes catty obituaries in his spare time.
Its very familiar to those who are familiar with my writing, and Ill leave it at that, he laughed.
In the obituary, Corren name drops places that his mother frequented in the most frank way possible: There will be much mourning in the many glamorous locales she went bankrupt in: McKeesport, PA, Renays birthplace and where she first fell in love with ham, and atheism; Fayetteville and Kill Devil Hills, NC, where Renays dreams, credit rating and marriage are all buried; and of course Miami, FL, where Renays parents, uncles, aunts, and eternal hopes of all Miami Dolphins fans everywhere, are all buried pretty deep.
Corren certainly didnt expect this to go viral (who would?); he also said he didnt think it would be published at all.
He joked about Renay not being a model stay-at-home parent or the perfect PTA lady. Instead, he touted her for working double shifts, playing cards and bowling.
The obit takes a few leaps that leaves the reader to decide what is true and what is not. Was she the 11th ranked woman in cribbage in America? Did she come up with the name for Sunoco? And what about the tidbit that Renay allegedly had an affair with Larry King in the 60s?
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Corren said he chooses to believe it.
He wished he was able to write the entire obituary from his Prattsville home, Corren said, but the lack of broadband forced him to write the majority of it in New York City although he did send off the final draft from Hunter. Hes frequented the Catskills area since the 1990s and bought his now-permanent home there in 2019.
I lived there during the dark days of the pandemic until now, Corren said of Prattsville. Its been a tremendous blessing in my life. I love Greene County.
Renay wasnt able to visit Correns home before her passing due to the pandemic, but she did make sure to keep up with his home renovation and restoration project every step of the way.
And now that the Twitterverse has fallen in love with Correns writing, what can one expect to read next? He says he is working on two books: one a novel, and the other a collection of non-fiction short stories based on, you guessed it, his family.
My first column ran in January 2006 and for the past 15 years, Ive had the opportunity to write about my great love for books and the culture of reading. I began Bibliofiles when social media and e-readers were just emerging.
In my inaugural column, I wrote that my intent was not to just write a column about what we read, but to explore how and why we read. I like to call it the culture of reading. Over the years, Ive interviewed writers, readers, teachers, literacy volunteers, librarians, book sellers, artists and people who make and repair books.
ALBANY One out of every 10 city workers has left city employment in the last six months, and the city is staring down 255 open jobs with the possibility of more workers leaving.
The citys department heads, as well as several other members of Mayor Kathy Sheehans administration, sent a letter raising the issue to the Common Council over the weekend. The letter also serves as a warning to the Common Council that the administration will likely be asking for midyear raises next year when a new council is seated.
In the letter, the departments note that many workers are leaving for higher paying jobs elsewhere - and the extent of the vacancies threaten the citys ability to provide services.
We will not ask the council for mid-budget salary increases lightly, but we need flexibility to respond to market conditions, the letter reads. When salary increases for promotions or requests for additional resources are delayed or denied, we end up losing experienced employees and then have to raise the salary anyway to hire replacements.
The issue arose several months ago. In September, Sheehan announced that the city's white collar workers would receive a 3 percent retroactive raise, as well as an additional 3 percent across the board raise in the 2022 budget, in part using American Rescue Plan funding. Union workers also received "premium pay" for their work during the pandemic.
In the meantime, Sheehan and council leadership agreed not to provide additional raises until the city received the results of a long-awaited pay equity study. Several council members have pushed for the study for years along with a living wage for the citys lowest-paid workers.
Ginnie Farrell, the council's majority leader and finance chairwoman, said Sheehan's administration did the right thing at the time by holding off on additional raises until the study was released. The study, being done by a private company, was supposed to be completed this month. It's unclear if that is still the case.
"We pushed for that so we could go back to our constituents ... when those raises happen," she said. "The council always supports our workforce."
Farrell also pushed back against the idea that council members didn't support the raises Sheehan issued earlier this year.
"There was an unhappiness with the way it was done, without the council being involved in the process," she said.
But in the letter, Sheehans administration argued that without the ability to properly compensate workers, the city is losing valuable employees.
That was highlighted by Corporation Counsel Marisa Franchini at Monday nights meeting, as she attempted to keep employed a longtime city attorney who has received a job offer from a private company. The city tried to offer a raise to get her to stay, but could not get the salary change approved quickly by the council as members had questions about it.
The letter and Franchini's plea was met with pushback from council members.
Several members noted that they supported every raise and position change Sheehan proposed in the 2022 budget. Councilman Alfredo Balarin said the council had been told to hold off on raises for some workers until the pay equity study was complete, but now was being asked to support raises for higher paid city employees.
Sheehan's chief of staff, David Galin, did not return requests for comment. Sheehan did not return a call for comment.
Council member Owusu Anane, in an interview with WAMC, accused the city of favoritism when it came to some hires.
I hear some concerns that individuals are being promoted, that are not qualified for certain positions," Anane told the station. "And there's just been a list of nepotism that has taken place.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
When the Times Union asked Anane where he got that list from, Anane said he misspoke about the issue of nepotism and that he supported the citys workforce.
Rachel McEneny, the city's commissioner of administrative services, said the open jobs were spread throughout the city departments.
Of the 255 open positions, 116 are in the city police department, which includes crossing guards and 911 call center employees. Another 58 are in the city's Department of General Services.
"We have an alarming amount of vacancies," she said.
McEneny some of the issues were clearly tied to pay as the city struggles to compete with the private sector. Other employees in exit interviews indicated they wanted to make life changes and the city needed to be able to respond to new demands by a workforce that had often been on the front line during the pandemic, she said.
But she also believes some of the council members' actions and comments also played a role, and that employees don't feel appreciated.
"I think words matter," she said. "I think morale is low in a lot of the city workforce."
McEneny said she anticipates the city taking a deeper dive into some of the other issues behind the employee exodus after the pay equity study is completed.
*This story has been updated to clarify that Sheehan did not unilaterally grant raises using the American Rescue Plan funding.
ESSEX COUNTY A judge sentenced former Cohoes police officer Sean. T. McKown to three months in county jail for firing his service revolver outside his Adirondacks summer home last year and lying to police that a Black male had shot at him first.
Imposing a far more stringent punishment than either the ex-officer's attorney or prosecutors had sought, Essex County Judge Richard B. Meyer on Wednesday called the incident a "sad and despicable" example of racial bias.
"You did not want people of color in your neighborhood," the judge told McKown, 47. You were motivated by your own bias and prejudice."
McKown, who spent over 19 years on the Cohoes force before retiring in August 2020 in the wake of the incident, had been expected to receive a non-jail term after pleading guilty in August to unlawfully discharging a firearm and filing a false report.
McKowns attorney, George LaMarche III, and Essex County District Attorney Kristy Sprague, asked Meyer to impose a sentence of one year of interim probation. After that term, McKown would have been allowed to plead guilty to violations the equivalent of a traffic ticket and be sentenced to a conditional discharge after one year.
"I think that would be more than adequate for Mr. McKown to either comply and do what he needs to do to rehabilitate himself to show that he's sincerely sorry for what he has done, or else it won't and the court can sentence him accordingly," Sprague told Meyer.
But the judge was not on board. In addition to the jail sentence, he imposed a concurrent term of probation and a $1,000 fine.
The sentencing marked the end of a bizarre case that began on the evening of June 6, 2020, when McKown called 911 to report that he had been in a gunfight following a confrontation with Black youths outside his home on Lincoln Pond Road in Elizabethtown. State Police arrived to find McKown asleep and showing signs of intoxication, sources told the Times Union.
McKown initially told the troopers he had returned from a get-together to encounter Black youths outside his home. McKown claimed that one male flashed a gun and fired a shot at him. McKown claimed he fired his own gun back four times while retreating.
In fact, the group was three young non-white people visiting the Adirondacks. They were in the road outside McKown's vacation home holding cellphones in the air in an attempt to find service.
McKown later told State Police that he had asked the people what they were doing and to get away from his home and neighborhood, sources previously told the Times Union.
"Were a community. We look out for each other," McKown told the three victims, according to the judge. Meyer said McKown was "unjustly targeting a group of young adults of color visiting this area for innocent purposes of a family vacation."
McKown followed the group; soon after, they heard gunshots, which they assumed had been meant for them. Later, a car shined its headlights into the home where they were staying the night.
The circumstances would indicate (the driver) might be you, the judge told McKown.
Hours after making his initial report, McKown called the troopers back admitted his gunfight account had been a lie. He confessed that nobody had fired at him, nor had he fired his weapon while retreating. This time, McKown told troopers he heard a pop and, in response, fired his shots into a tree stump to scare off whoever had made the noise. The officer claimed he ditched his gun because he did not want anyone to find the weapon and use it against him.
State Police did not believe McKowns second version of events either, calling it "extremely inconsistent," according to sources familiar with the case. Troopers viewed security video from a neighbors home that showed McKown had neatly laid down his gun and did not ditch it in a panic.
As their questioning of McKown continued, McKown asked the troopers why they were trying to jam him up, sources said.
Meyer said the case was an example of the experience of many non-white Americans who face suspicions and false accusations. The judge referenced the February 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man in Georgia chased, confronted and shot dead by white strangers as he jogged through a suburban neighborhood.
The Essex County incident took place less than two weeks after the May 25, 2020, police killing of George Floyd, a Black man murdered by ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. prompted protests around the nation.
"Your false accusations ... could have turned tragically wrong very quickly," the judge said, "not only for (the young people) being innocent victims, but for law enforcement." He said McKown's actions fed the false perception that all police are "corrupt, racist and cant be trusted.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
McKown apologized to his family, friends and the group he confronted. "They did nothing wrong that night. ... It could have been handled a lot different than how I handled it."
"I can't believe I let my life get to this point and let this happen," he said. " ... I loved being a police officer; I disgraced that job."
At the outset of the sentencing, McKown's attorney told the judge the case "seems to have been born out of an idea that someway, somehow, this had something to do with race. And it did not."
LaMarche suggested his client's alcoholism, prescription medication and post-traumatic stress disorder caused the incident. As he began to describe what he described as his client's fear that night, the judge cut in: "Fear of what? Fear of the young people that were out in the road? ... Because they're holding their cellphones?"
LaMarche said burglaries had occurred in the area, and his intoxicated client perceived the group to be suspicious. He said the people his client confronted were "not victims" and "absolutely no harm (was) caused to anyone, no danger to anyone."
Before the Times Union reported on the incident in late July 2020, McKown had been allowed to quietly take sick leave from the Cohoes force rather than face official discipline ahead of his retirement.
Sprague, the district attorney, ultimately pursued criminal charges against the officer. That appeared to be a reversal of her office's initial stance: Four days after the incident, Sprague and her top assistant met with State Police and told them the case lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute McKown on charges of menacing or for filing a false police report, people with knowledge of the case said.
In August 2020, hundreds of Adirondack residents and others signed a letter asking Sprague to fully investigate the incident, and State Police reopened the case. In November 2020, an Essex County grand jury indicted McKown on a four charges.
In 2018, police in rural Illinois charged McKown with driving under the influence; he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
On Wednesday, the judge revealed that the former officer had been charged this year in another upstate county with forcibly touching a woman's intimate parts. He said McKown "miraculously" managed to resolve that case by getting an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, which would wipe away the case if McKown stays out of new trouble for six months.
Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler, a retired State Police veteran, told the Times Union in July 2020 that he viewed McKown's retirement as an easy and inexpensive way to get him out of the police department.
It would, however, had allowed McKown to take another job in law enforcement without any public record of the incident.
ALBANY - In a trend that activists call the Green Labor movement, members of the New York Audubon Society earlier this month voted to join a union. With that vote, Audubon joins environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and others, that over the past few years have opted to unionize.
The push at Audubon, like other groups, was started in part by what workers said were pay discrepancies between male and female employees as well as between white workers and people of color.
Im still riding high off of last week, said Zack Boerman, a forest program associate in the groups Albany office who helped organize the union vote.
Employees in Audubons combined New York and Connecticut operations voted to be represented by the Communications Workers of America union. Some 27 of Audubons 55 people in the two states will now be unionized. Nationally, more than 120 employees in 11 regions joined the CWA. (The CWA also represents nonmanagement employees of the Times Union).
Boerman said a furlough and loss of some health coverage choices during the height of the pandemic last year, along with a study that pointed out pay discrepancies, was behind the push to unionize.
That spurred the meeting between the organizing committees, said Boerman. We realized how vulnerable we were.
One of the staff cuts, he added, came on Earth Day last year. People were furloughed but later came back on the payroll.
Additionally, a survey from the Morgan Lewis law firm, commissioned by Audubons board, turned up unequal pay. The survey was done earlier this year, following a 2020 article in the Politico news site suggesting a toxic work culture existed for women and people of color.
That led to the resignation of the national groups CEO David Yarnold who had been there for more than a decade.
Audubons current CEO, Elizabeth Gray, who took over last month, said she would work cooperatively with the union.
We respect the decision by our colleagues to form a union and we are devoted to ensuring our workplace is one where all employees are respected, valued, and empowered. We will always strive to be an Audubon for All," she said in a prepared statement.
While involving a relatively small number of people, the Audubon vote comes amid a flurry of high-profile unionization efforts.
Employees at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama earlier this year defeated an effort to unionize there. And earlier this month, workers at a Starbucks coffee shop in Buffalo voted to unionized.
The giant coffee retailer on Monday said they would bargain in good faith with the employees. Workers at another Buffalo Starbucks voted against joining a union and the results of a third vote there are still being tallied.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
The Buffalo store is the only one of 9,000 such outlets that has unionized.
Both the Amazon and Starbucks votes were contentious, with efforts by the corporations to convince employees to vote no.
Boerman said there was some pushback by management on the Audubon vote but not to a great extent. We had to face some anti-union campaigning but not to the level that Amazon or Starbucks had to, he said.
Employees at conservation groups such as Audubon are generally highly educated white-collar professionals who may be motivated as much by their group's mission as money.
Employees of environmental groups, though, are steeped in organizing techniques, so putting a together a successful unionization campaign would likely be second-nature to them.
The push to organize environmental groups actually dates to the early 1990s when the John Muir Local of the Sierra Clubs San Francisco-area office unionized. By 2017, that had evolved into the Progressive Workers Union and the Sierra Clubs nationwide chapters had joined.
The PWU also represents employees at Greenpeace USA.
The CWA represents workers at Sunrise Movement and Center for Biological Diversity.
TROY Dana Brighton was too embarrassed to smile.
Her mouth of crooked, chipped, decayed and missing teeth is a road map of the hard miles the 41-year-old has traveled.
Brightons absence of dental care underscores the trauma she has experienced: runaway teen, battered woman, homeless person and heroin addict.
Now, through the generosity of a socially conscious dentist, Brighton is the recipient of a minor Christmas miracle. She is receiving extensive dental work, valued at about $25,000, free of charge.
This is a way to give something back to the community, said Dr. Briana Byrnes, who has worked on womens empowerment issues since college.
Byrnes recently spent three days in the Dominican Republic, donating her expertise on a mission trip for people without access to dental care.
She cares deeply about people in need, said her husband, Kellen Byrnes, 33, a senior data scientist at Homes and Community Renewal, the states affordable housing agency.
Byrnes donation for Brighton will include extractions, bone grafting, dental implants, crowns and cosmetic dentistry over the course of several months.
On Friday afternoon, Byrnes took photographs and measurements of Brightons mouth and let Brighton select from a glossy photo booklet the type of teeth and smile she desires.
I feel blessed, Brighton said, brushing back tears in Byrnes dental office. This has been something I dreamed about for a long time.
For as long as she can remember, her teeth have been a source of shame and part of her appearance she hid from view.
I catch myself before I smile or laugh, she said. They look bad and theyre uncomfortable. They are a reminder that I didnt take care of myself.
Byrnes contacted the YWCA in Troy and explained her idea for making a donation of dental work to a needy woman at the not-for-profit organization. The Y assists more than 100 women and 50 children at 10 sites, including victims of domestic violence and those who struggle with poverty, mental health and substance abuse issues.
Dana always had a spark of energy and never gives up trying to reach new goals, said Starletta Smith, executive director of the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region. She was Brightons case manager when Brighton came to the Y six years ago struggling with homelessness and drug addiction.
After failed treatments and relapses, Brighton nearly died of a heroin overdose on Jan. 2, 2019. She was revived by Narcan, a drug used for emergency treatment of opioid overdose.
I had gotten so low, I was praying for the drugs to take me out, she recalled.
The near-death experience terrified her and jolted her into recovery.
Today, Brighton has a full-time job as a team leader at Maximus, which helps New Yorkers navigate the health care system. She has her own apartment, has remained drug-free and helps financially with her son, Jaden, a freshman at SUNY Adirondack pursuing a degree in business.
People at the Y believed in me, they gave me confidence and that made all the difference, Brighton said.
Were very proud of Dana. Shes one of our success stories, Smith said.
Brighton and Byrnes bonded over a shared goal of helping others and paying it forward.
Byrnes, 29, grew up in Maplewood, N.J., and earned her dentistry doctorate from Rutgers University in 2018. She completed a dental residency at Ellis Medicine in Schenectady. She practiced dentistry in Saratoga Springs before joining a dental practice four months ago on Pawling Avenue. The practice was established in 1958 and purchased in 1984 by Dr. Jeffrey Adams.
Byrnes recently purchased the practice from Adams, who sees patients part-time during the transition. Byrnes considers Adams a mentor who encouraged her to volunteer and do pro bono dental work.
I was looking for a compassionate, caring person willing to treat the patient first. On a scale of 1 to 10, Dr. Byrnes was a 12, said Adams, 66, who has been involved in a wide range of community volunteer work over the past four decades. She is a perfect for this practice.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
I want to be part of that virtuous cycle of helping others, said Byrnes, who is Black. About 3 percent of the nations dentists are Black.
Byrnes grew up in a racially diverse neighborhood and public schools. Her mother, who emigrated from Guyana, worked as a nurse and her father was a construction manager.
She described a childhood free of racial discrimination, happy and loving, like a long kumbaya moment.
As an undergraduate at Brandeis University, she was struck by the lack of racial diversity. She co-founded the Women of Color Alliance to focus on female empowerment through community service.
Byrnes and her husband met while both lived in New York City. He was working and she was completing dental school. After she graduated, they relocated upstate to live near where he grew up in the Capital Region.
In college, Byrnes dabbled in making sculptures and she may return to it. It paired well with dentistry, she said. I bring my artistic side into cosmetic dentistry. I consider dentistry both an art and a science.
After getting comfortable with her own sobriety, Brighton began assisting other women at the Y who were battling addiction and mental health issues.
The best part of my life now is being able to help somebody in need, Brighton said.
Byrnes is not only giving Brighton a beautiful smile. She is restoring her dignity, and offering a holiday gift that will pay dividends in the future.
Dana is very goal-oriented, but her teeth were always a barrier for her, Smith said. This will be a game-changer.
Paul Grondahl is director of the New York State Writers Institute and a former Times Union reporter. She can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmal.com
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday proposed giving Kansas residents who filed state income tax returns last year a one-time rebate of $250, dropping the idea on a skeptical Republican-controlled Legislature as she faces a tough reelection race.
The governor had given no public hints that she was considering such a proposal, and she's already called for eliminating the state's high-for-the-U.S. sales tax on groceries. Her successful 2018 campaign for governor emphasized her opposition as a state senator to an earlier and nationally notorious experiment in slashing state income taxes under GOP Gov. Sam Brownback that was followed by persistent budget shortfalls.
But Kelly said Kansas can afford one-time rebates because the payments won't permanently reduce state revenues. The state budget is in dramatically better shape than it was before lawmakers repealed most of the Brownback-era tax cuts in 2017, with tax collections exceeding expectations for all but three months since then.
The governor's statement on the proposal touted her management of the state's finances and efforts to attract business development, which are likely to be prominent themes in her reelection campaign.
We can return money to taxpayers, Kelly said in her statement, adding that the significant savings for every family would be delivered by next summer just months before the November general election.
Kelly's plan would provide $250 to individual tax filers and $500 to married couples filing jointly. The rebates would go to 1.2 million Kansas residents, costing the state about $445 million. People would get the rebate even if they didn't owe taxes for the year, Kelly's office said.
The Legislature would have to approve the plan after convening Jan. 10 for its next annual session. GOP lawmakers are expected to have their own proposals for cutting income taxes permanently.
Republicans were immediately skeptical of Kelly's plan, both because of its timing and because the tax relief would not continue after next year. Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. said they prefer permanent tax cuts.
Republicans are confident that they can unseat Kelly next year, banking on frustration with Democratic President Joe Biden's policies energizing conservatives and causing other GOP-leaning voters to vote against Kelly. Masterson, an Andover Republican, said Kelly's latest plan show she had an election year revelation.
Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, said: Kansans are smart, they can see right through Laura Kellys attempt to throw $250 their way right before her election.
Republicans also were skeptical because Kelly has vetoed three GOP proposals to cut income taxes, each time suggesting that Republicans were fiscally irresponsible and trying to repeat the Brownback tax experiment. GOP lawmakers this year overrode Kelly's veto of individual and corporate income tax cuts worth roughly $95 million a year.
And Kelly has repeatedly called for caution amid monthly revenue surpluses. After tax collections exceeded expectations by 3.1% in November even after fiscal forecasters boosted their projections Kelly said, "While our state revenue numbers continue to be encouraging, maintaining fiscal responsibility is paramount moving forward.
While top Democratic lawmakers promised strong support, it wasn't immediately clear if Kelly's proposal had universal support among members of her party.
Jonathan Cole, a liberal Manhattan community activist, almost immediately tweeted that the proposal is horrible politics.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
What a perfect opportunity to have Republicans attack you for buying votes, he said.
Meanwhile, eliminating the state's 6.5% sales tax on groceries has broad, bipartisan support. The proposal would cost the state roughly $450 million a year in revenues but Kansas' tax on groceries is the second only to Mississippi's among U.S. states. Only six states tax groceries at the same rate as other consumer goods, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators.
The presumed GOP nominee for governor next year, state Attorney General Derek Schmidt, called for reducing or eliminating the tax on groceries last month, a few days before Kelly formally unveiled the plan she'd been working on. Schmidt's campaign manager, C.J. Grover, accused Kelly on Wednesday of attempting an election-year makeover.
But Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said Kelly's proposal on income taxes will give Kansas families a leg up.
Her House counterpart, Rep. Tom Sawyer, of Wichita, said with the state's financially healthy, We need to make sure hard-working families benefit as soon as possible.
___
Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
ALBANY Coronavirus cases exploded in Albany County overnight, with the county recording 299 new positive cases since Tuesday.
The total dwarfs the 218 cases reported Tuesday.
The last time we had a single-day increase of new COVID infections this high was back on Jan. 12 when we reported 351 new positive cases, which was the highest increase we had ever recorded since the start of the pandemic," County Executive Dan McCoy said in a written statement.
In January, the county and much of New York was in the depths of a winter spike blamed for thousands of local coronavirus cases and hundreds of deaths.
The virus is also responsible for the deaths of two more county residents, a woman in her 60s and a man in his 70s. The county's death toll from the virus is now 467.
The latest deaths marks 21 people who have died from the virus since Dec. 1.
"This virus continues to spread at an alarming rate, and it continues to take the lives of our residents two more since yesterday," McCoy said. "Its still unclear how these infections will impact our hospital system and we need to take more precautions to protect our community.
Cases and deaths have climbed consistently this month, but hospitalizations have stayed flat for weeks. On Wednesday, the county reported 61 residents who tested positive were hospitalized. But the number represents a decrease of two since Tuesday. Eight patients are in intensive care, an increase of one.
Still, officials fear that family gatherings tied to Christmas and New Year's Eve could fuel spread of the virus as the highly contagious omicron variant becomes the dominant form of the virus spreading in the country.
The virus is smashing records statewide, with New York reporting 28,924 new cases on Wednesday.
Yet despite the surge, hospitalizations remain stable, Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a press briefing in Buffalo: 4,452 people were hospitalized statewide on Wednesday, up 124 overnight, and hospitals have yet to be overrun.
Across the Capital Region, 271 patients are currently hospitalized. That's a 32 percent increase over the peak of 205 patients admitted to area hospitals in April 2020, a number augmented by patient transfers from New York City.
Fifty-seven New Yorkers died overnight.
We are actively working to bring more tests in for New Yorkers to reduce wait times as we see more people getting tested for the holidays, Hochul said. Get yourself vaccinated along with the booster dose, wear a mask, stay home if you feel sick and exercise caution when in large gatherings - we have what we need to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. Let's spread joy, not COVID, this holiday season."
Statewide, the 7-day percent positive rate is 8.58 percent, which is slightly higher than the Capital Region's 7.5 percent.
Rensselaer County reported 138 new cases overnight. Numbers have been relatively consistent, said county Public Health Director Maryfran Wachunas, and are typically floating between 100 and 150 new cases daily.
The county doesnt track the vaccination status of new positives, Wachunas said.
Hospitalizations in Rensselaer County dropped two overnight to 23 patients, three of whom are in the ICU.
Of the hospitalized, 66 percent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, Wachunas said.
Schenectady County reported 38 new positives overnight, with the vaccination status of those unclear, officials said. The county also reported one new hospitalization and one new death, neither of whom were vaccinated.
Amid the surge, some local governments have stopped reporting daily infection numbers entirely, including Saratoga County, which said on Tuesday that as the hyper-transmissible omicron variant becomes predominant in the community, the number of infected individuals will rise exponentially.
Some individuals will not be tested either because they are asymptomatic or as a result of a choice not to be tested, wrote Saratoga County Public Health Services on Facebook. Others will use a self-test, the results of which are not commonly reported to public health."
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
Taken together, this means that the true accuracy of daily case counts and test positivity will wane, the post read.
Instead, the county will report six key indicators," including level of community transmission, percent of county population with booster shots, average hospitalization and death rates per 100,000 population, and acute care and ICU bed capacity among Capital District hospitals.
Saratoga County reported 1,135 positive tests in the past seven days on Wednesday, with 45 people hospitalized. Officials did not return a request for comment seeking the vaccination status of those patients.
Columbia County reported 68 new positives overnight; Greene, 52, and Warren, 62, according to the state's COVID dashboard.
The omicron variant is spreading across the country, prompting some schools, including Syracuse University, to delay the start of the spring semester.
The state university system has no plans yet to do so, officials said Wednesday.
SUNY is working closely with the state as it reviews spring protocols for the upcoming semester, said Holly Liapis, a SUNY spokeswoman. We are working with all campuses to ensure a robust booster education and awareness plan to encourage boosters for those eligible under federal guidance, as well as ensuring adequate testing capacity for all students, faculty and staff.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced the government will provide 500 million free rapid home-testing kits, increase support for hospitals under strain and redouble vaccination and boosting efforts.
Scientists dont know everything about omicron yet, but they do know that vaccination should offer strong protection against severe illness and death. The variant has spread at an alarming rate since it was identified in South Africa about a month ago, prompting the Biden administration to offer new tests and additional aid. Still more is needed, some medical experts say.
Demand for coronavirus tests is also straining the system.
With Christmas days away, more people traveling and the omicron variant rapidly spreading, the demand for COVID-19 testing has exploded - making it difficult for health care providers to meet it.
An Associated Press report was included in this article.
ALBANY Momentum is building as a Dec. 31 deadline nears for municipal governments to outlaw pot dispensaries, consumption lounges or both, with an increasing number of cities, towns and villages recently enacting local ordinances barring the businesses.
Ten percent of New Yorks cities, 28 percent of its towns and 19 percent of its villages had notified the Office of Cannabis Management as of Dec. 15 that they added one or both of the restrictions, according to the office. Dozens more passed laws prohibiting pot storefronts but had not informed the state by last week.
In some communities, clusters of local governments have barred cannabis businesses. Just north of New York City, a large swath of Orange County and adjacent areas have opted out, which could create a dead zone for cannabis retail within the Catskills and Hudson Valley.
In the Capital Region, localities rimming Albany and Saratoga Springs city limits have passed new cannabis laws as well, though several of those including the town of Colonie are only outlawing on-site consumption spaces, analogous to bars that serve alcohol.
But some municipal leaders have indicated they dont have enough information to know how to vote before the state's deadline, in part because the states regulations for adult-use cannabis have yet to be issued.
Republican state Sen. George Borrello said he has been fielding calls from town board members who have questions he cant answer about the way the industry will look once its up-and-running. In September, Borrello introduced a bill that would have extended the opt-out deadline by one year; he said it gained bipartisan interest, but not enough to get it pushed through.
Paul Buckowski/Times Union
The cannabis office, which will oversee the states cannabis industry, has made clear that the opt-out deadline was in the hands of lawmakers, and that even after opting out, municipalities can opt back in at any time. The December cap cannot be extended by regulation, said Freeman Klopott, a spokesman for the cannabis office. But Borrellos legislation would have amended the timeline.
Last I heard, roughly a third of municipalities have opted out, Borrello said. The vast majority of them have not opted out because they're against recreational marijuana, they've opted out because of the lack of information.
Meanwhile, groups that have long mobilized against the legalization of marijuana including the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers view local government as a final frontier where they might still have a chance to reduce the footprint of the industry.
The PTAs executive director, Kyle Belokopitsky, said the group has recently been reaching out to their 300,000 or so members across the state seeking support.
We have been asking them to contact their local legislators, their mayor, their supervisor, their town board members, their village board members, Belokopitsky said. We really feel that this is a child safety issue.
In two December emails to PTA membership, the latest going out on Dec. 16, a pro-forma letter to local officials accompanied the call to action: say no to pot shops.
According to Chris Anderson, who directs research and programming at New Yorks Association of Towns, opt-out decisions could continue to roll in up to the deadline, in spite of the holidays.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
I think there's a lot of year-end activity. So it wouldn't surprise me if we see a continued filing rate that's at the current levels, Anderson said.
Anderson partly attributes the rate of opt-outs in the state to the risk-averse nature of local governments, many of which feel they have nothing to lose by waiting out the early days of the legal industry.
But advocates in the cannabis sector see the decisions as an important, and at times misunderstood setback for the legal industry and its promise of safe access.
You go to these meetings, you listen to the people complaining; a lot of them seem to be thinking theyre going to be opting out of legalization, said Troy Smit, deputy director of Empire State NORML, a consumer advocacy group.
For areas that rule out retailers and consumption locations, people could go smoke a blunt on the sidewalk, but cant technically buy that anywhere, Smit said. He thinks this will mainly cut down on consumer access to cannabis that they know is safe, and limit the impact of the laws social equity benefits.
But one key difference between many detractors of opt-outs and those promoting municipal action is the expectation of what will happen to current dealers when dispensaries set up shop.
While cannabis advocates have long said the legacy market will thrive without retail sales, pointing to experience in California and elsewhere, skeptics of New Yorks process like Borrello think black market dealers will continue going strong regardless.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) A Rhode Island woman whose adopted 9-year-old special needs daughter was found dead in a bathtub in the familys squalid home in 2019 was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Wednesday.
A judge sentenced Michele Rothgeb, 58, to 15 years for the death of the girl and an additional three years related to neglect charges involving seven other special needs children she was caring for.
ALBANY A former Saratoga Springs engineer, who alleged the city fired him for not politically supporting his boss, has lost his appeal to get his job back.
On Dec. 9, a five-judge panel at the state Appellate Division's Third Judicial Department upheld the citys claims that Tim Wales 2019 firing was justified due to his unprofessional, discourteous manner.
The unanimous decision, as written by Justice Molly Reynolds Fitzgerald, noted that the record contains ample evidence of the petitioners misconduct to sustain the charges and to support the Citys determination to terminate his employment.
The court papers said the city alleged that on several instances (Wales) acted in an unprofessional, discourteous and unnecessarily confrontational and aggressive manner in both verbal and written communications with other employees in violation of the Citys Workplace Violence Protection Program.
The city also alleged that Wales used work time to conduct private business, attempted to obtain a benefit in exchange for an official action, and failed to follow proper procedure.
Wales always maintained that he was fired when the Commissioner of Public Works Anthony Skip Scirocco, Wales' supervisor, learned Wales would not support the Republicans 2019 reelection. He also alleged that another city worker fabricated evidence against him and that the city discriminated against him because he was hearing impaired and spoke loudly.
However, the court dismissed Wales claims that he was fired for political reasons because he failed to establish any claims of retaliatory discharge.
The decision also indicated that, in 2017, Wales faced allegations of violating the citys Workplace Violence Protection Program and signed an agreement that if he had violated it again, he would be suspended for 10 days. Wales' attorney, Kevin Laurilliard, argued that suspension - not firing - should have been imposed. However, the court noted that that agreement was only good for six months and further allegations do not constrain the Citys imposition of other or further penalties for future workplace violations.
Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.
Wales and Laurilliard did not respond to Times Union requests for comment. The attorney representing the city, John Aspland, said that the court "accurately considered the record and wrote a reasoned and thoughtful decision."
Saratoga Springs City Attorney Vincent DeLeonardis agreed.
As the Appellate Division confirmed, Mr. Wales' termination was fully justified and in compliance with all applicable provisions of the law, DeLeonardis wrote in an email.
Federal authorities have filed an amended lawsuit that alleges a Massachusetts citys housing authority and its executive director violated federal housing laws by discriminating against Black and Hispanic tenants and people with disabilities
He wore a wire, risked his life to expose who was in the KKK
In nearly 10 years working undercover for the FBI inside Floridas Ku Klux Klan, Joseph Moore helped foil at least two murder plots, according to court records from a criminal trial for two of the klansmen
Everton to go back in for Patterson
| Wednesday, 22 December 2021
The Blues failed to sign the young right-back in the summer when they couldn't agree payment terms with the Scottish club over a 9m deal but the need to bring in cover for Seamus Coleman remains an important one as Rafael Benitez continues to make changes to the squad he inherited when he succeeded Carlo Ancelotti.
To date, the 20-year-old has made just 11 appearances in the Scottish Premiership but recently broke into the senior Scotland squad and is highly regarded north of the Border.
If the transfer comes off, Patterson looks set to join Ukrainian left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko who is expected to be formally announced as an Everton player on 1at January.
Original Source: The Guardian
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This is just sad.
Instead of representing the voters and taxpayers of Kansas City. Mayor Q is pushing a company line and serving to promote blatant propaganda.
A real leader would be busy finding companies to use empty office space, focus on new biz and even promote job placement and retraining for workers soon to be getting the ax.
Instead, an increasingly worthless elected official is denying the reality and reputation of one of the most ruthless tech players in the industry.
A quote for edification . . .
After speaking with executives at Cerner Corp. on Monday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said hes bullish on the companys future in Kansas City following its acquisition by global software firm Oracle.
The mayor spoke with Cerner CEO David Feinberg and Bill Zollars, chairman of the Cerner board, hours after the merger was announced.
I have optimism, he said after the call. I leave today with excitement, rather than grave concern.
Oracle on Monday announced it would acquire Cerner in an all-cash deal valued at $28.3 billion. In Kansas City, the news raised questions about the future of Cerner. Three founders began the firm in 1979, and its since grown into a global health care IT firm and the largest private employer in the Kansas City area.
While mergers often result in job cuts as companies look to realize cost savings, Lucas said the merger may bring new job growth to Kansas City. He said Cerners talent in Kansas City will play a central role as Oracle looks to build out a larger health care division within its business.
Anytime you see change there are reasons to ask questions, the mayor said. At least thus far, I am excited about what Ive heard from Oracle. I am excited about my conversation with Mr Feinberg.
The mayor said hes hopeful that the news could portend a new day, a shining day for Kansas Citys future.
Oracle hasnt said what it plans for Cerners global workforce of some 28,000. In its news release, the firm said it intends to maintain and grow Cerners community presence, including in the Kansas City area. Cerner currently employs about 13,000 people locally.
Lucas said he will push Oracle to grow its workforce in Kansas City. He noted that the tech giant recently moved from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, which he noted is a much more expensive city than Kansas City.
Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link to the newspaper paywall . . .
Mayor Quinton Lucas says he's bullish about Cerner's future in Kansas City post merger After speaking with executives at Cerner Corp. on Monday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he's bullish on the company's future in Kansas City following its acquisition by global software firm Oracle. The mayor spoke with Cerner CEO David Feinberg and Bill Zollars, chairman of the Cerner board, hours after the merger was announced.
A better resources . . .
What does the Oracle merger mean for Cerner's Kansas City properties? Kansas City's largest private employer already had several properties facing uncertain futures amid its transition to a hybrid workforce. And that was before news broke Thursday evening that Cerner Corp. was in talks to become Oracle Corp.'s largest acquisition to date.
Developing . . .
I can only hope that Latino who was forced to write assigned a Christmas tamale didn't suffer too much eyestrain whilst typing up a condescending local "discovery" piece that's older than your abuelita grandma . . .
The kindly sentimental cringe line . . .
"Few foods have such devoted followings as tamales, especially among Latinos. For families all around Kansas City, making them is a chance to embrace their culture and pass down a tradition."
We're only linking this one because it might inspire more adventurous souls to branch out and send a few bucks to a church group . . .
For Latinos in Kansas City, Christmastime is tamale time Tamales have been a part of Manny Abarca's life since he was a kid. His family has been making them for at least four generations, sometimes cranking out thousands of tamales between Christmas and New Year's Day. Tamales even helped Abarca connect with his fiancee.
Brief aside for anybody who really reads these posts closely . . .
We know Manny, we think he's a good guy, a tireless community volunteer and a young man with a very bright future who has his heart in the right place . . .
But local elected officials and politicos need to stop participating tamale stories in 2021 and beyond.
Yes, it make might make a person SEEM more likeable but it's also a strategy that was played out in 1958.
It's okay to be picky about that stuff and not make a bit deal about it. Little known fun fact, actor Freddie Prinze remains a Puerto Rican legend because, despite his own personal turmoil and often desperate circumstances . . . He refused to play drug dealers or pimps even if there were tons of roles he could have taken for easy money.
Another, far lesser, for instance . . . Back when TKC used take meetings, we had to politely explain that we weren't taking people slumming at all of the great underground Mexican restaurant around town.
Truth is . . . They're are several that are off the map and the best ones don't speak any English at all.
But TKC favors (Americanized) Chinese food and I gave up "authentic" Mexican cuisine after nearly dying following some enchiladas purchased out of a lady's car trunk at the KCK El Choppo -- It doesn't really get any more "authentic" or underground then that . . .
But I digress . . .
Meanwhile, in more important news regarding this discourse . . .
TKC READERS TOLD YOU SO!!! KANSAS CITY PROGRESSIVES FINALLY DUMP THE TERM 'LATINX' BECAUSE IT WAS A LAME ATTEMPT TO COLONIZE ANOTHER CULTURE WITHOUT ANY BUY-IN OUTSIDE OF UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS!!!
Strangely, some folks might even call that move . . . Intolerant . . . Even if it was hatched by pedantic well-meaning college professors who might not have even asked their maids about the bad idea.
Meanwhile . . .
The growing inability of the Democratic Party to dominate the Hispanic/Latino vote has finally encouraged more people to dump the FAILED PC tactic and condescending terminology.
Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links that we should have posted about a week ago . . .
Opinion | I'm Latina. Here's why I won't use the term Latinx. Americans have a hard time pinning us down. We've been branded with label after label, each tag trying but failing to sum up in a single word the 60 million of us with Latin American and Caribbean ancestry who've made a home here. In just over half a century, appellations have been applied like stickers.
Democrats fall flat with 'Latinx' language More problematic for Democrats: 40 percent said Latinx bothers or offends them to some degree and 30 percent said they would be less likely to support a politician or organization that uses the term.
Latino civil rights organization drops 'Latinx' from official communication Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's oldest Latino civil rights organization, has instructed staff and board members to drop the word "Latinx" from the group's official communications. Garcia sent the directive out in an email Wednesday night, addressed to Sindy Benavides, the league's CEO; David Cruz, its communications director; and the LULAC board.
Developing . . .
We're not going to go with a full run down in this quick post but we wanted to offer a quick peek at some of the more interesting links we've been reading tonight.
Even better . . .
THANKS TO THE BEST & BRIGHTEST TKC READERS FOR SENDING HOLIDAY BOOTY!!!
This was a welcomed surprise and a bit of a teaching moment . . . I didn't know this Tony company was actually trying to make chocolate production a bit nicer. For the holidays we won't promise to be nice but gestures of kindness are always impressive and very much appreciated!!!
Accordingly . . . We continue our sharing and caring . . .
Hobo Tribute Tonight
Dozens gather in Kansas City, Missouri, for 'National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day' KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dozens of people gathered in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday to remember those who've lost their lives while experiencing homelessness. It was part of nationwide event known as National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day. Every year, the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness hosts the event on the winter solstice, which is the longest night of the year.
Tuesday Gunfire Postscript
KCPD investigating shooting at apartment complex that left man dead KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The Kansas City Police Department has identified the man who was fatally shot overnight. According to the KCPD, officers were called to the 8700 block of N. Kansas Place just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. That address appears to be part of Barrewoods Apartments.
JoCo Killing Remembered
Leawood, Kansas murder of Zachary Morrisey still unsolved two years later Two years ago today a Leawood, Kansas man was shot and killed as he sat in a car. Police are asking for your help because whoever did it is still out there. None of the evidence collected two years ago has led police detectives to any solid answers about who killed Zachary Morrisey.
Poke For Poking?!?
1st long-acting injection to prevent HIV has been approved by the FDA (Image credit: GIPhotoStock via Getty) The world's first injectable medication to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency announced Monday (Dec. 20). The injectable drug - called Apretude or its generic name, "cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension" - provides an alternative to daily pills for prevention, such as Truvada and Descovy.
Pr0n Game Nasty Connection
Actor charged in model's death seen groping woman in pic with 'rapist' porn star AN ACTOR charged over the death of model Christy Giles and the sexual assault of four other women is pictured groping another woman while posing with a porn star accused of rape. David Pearce, 39, his roommate Brandt Osborn, 42, and Mike Ansbach, 47, were arrested last week in connection with the deaths of Christy and her designer friend Hilda Cabrales-Arzola in November.
Media Players Exposed
Mediaite's Most Influential in News Media 2021 The year started with an attack on the U.S. Capitol. It's ending with the emergence of a frightening new Covid variant. And in between, 2021 was a very different year in the news. It was different largely because Donald Trump, for most of the year, was not the president.
Deadline Comes Early
Life expectancy fell almost 2 years in 2020: CDC Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped by almost two years last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, representing the biggest single-year decline in more than 75 years, according to finalized statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Holy Land Vaxx Repeated
Israel recommends fourth Covid-19 dose for people over 60 as Omicron cases surge Israel has recommended that all people over 60 be given a fourth dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, amid concern over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
Curve Needs Flattening Again
U.S. hospitals are once again 'at a breaking point' with delta and omicron Every morning in the Minneapolis metropolitan area, 200 to 400 people wait in an emergency room for a bed to come open. "That's the highest number ever," said Dr. J. Kevin Croston, the CEO of North Memorial Health, which operates more than two dozen health care facilities in the area.
Zooming With Old School Star
Bridge Exclusive Interview with Sting The legendary Sting met up with Jon Hart via Zoom to chat about his new, aptly titled album, "The Bridge."
Beer Spilled In The Dotte
This Bud's for you?: Budweiser semi loses its trailer on Interstate 70 in KCK KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -- A Budweiser semi lost its trailer just off of Interstate 70 in KCK on Tuesday morning, shutting down an exit while authorities worked to clear the scene. Police were called at 7:39 a.m.
Kansas City Rebuilding Redux
The Kansas City Museum has reopened after a restoration process that took over a decade-and it's nearly unrecognizable in its new form The Kansas City Museum was built in 1910 as a family residence, but it's been a museum much longer than it was ever a home. We toured the newly reopened Kansas City Museum to uncover five details most people will miss.
Norah Jones - Christmas Calling was the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
Giving money back to people is a great way to garner support. It worked for Prez W. Bush and now a moderate Kansas leader facing a red wave election is hoping to repeat the same trick.
Here's a peek at her reasoning . . .
Thanks to our fiscal responsibility and record economic development success, we can return money to taxpayers and give every Kansas resident who filed taxes in 2021 a $250 rebate. These are significant savings for every family to be delivered by summer of 2022, she said.
Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .
Governor Kelly proposes tax rebate for Kansas taxpayers by: Juan Cisneros Posted: / Updated: TOPEKA, Kan. - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is proposing a one-time $250 tax rebate for residents who filed a tax return in 2021. "Thanks to our fiscal responsibility and record economic development success, we can return money to taxpayers and give every Kansas resident who filed taxes in 2021 a $250 rebate," Kelly said.
Developing . . .
TV6 has since learnt that the body of the woman was not buried, but was found at the mortuary of the Scarborough Hospital. There are claims of
And there is news of another collaboration...this time the Air Guard working with the Prison
Defense Ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia Arvydas Anusauskas, Artis Pabriks, and Kalle Laanet expressed solidarity with Ukraine and their countries readiness to provide the country with assistance, both non-military and military, also calling for NATO to take additional steps to deter Russia.
Thats according to a statement posted on the website of the Lithuanian Defense Ministry following the meeting of the three countries defense chiefs in Kaunas, Ukrinform reports.
The Baltic States strongly support Ukraines territorial integrity, the inviolability of its borders, as well as ongoing reforms in the country's defense sector. If necessary, the Baltic States are ready to provide Ukraine with very rapid support, both military and non-military. Our unity and support for Ukraine are very important, Anusauskas emphasized.
During the discussions, the ministers paid great attention to the actions of Russia and Belarus, destabilizing the security situation in Europe. They came to the conclusion that the buildup of Russian military capabilities on the border with Ukraine represented a particularly dangerous attempt by Russia to limit Ukraine's sovereignty and its aspirations for NATO membership.
The ministers of defense of the Baltic States also outlined in Kaunas the main directions of further cooperation. In particular, a joint statement was signed, which identified joint action plans in the field of security and defense for 2022. The Baltic States will continue to focus on the development of joint capabilities and coordination of actions in the formats of the European Union and NATO.
In general, the ministers unanimously called the close ties with the Allies and their military presence in the region as the core of the security system of the Baltic states.
The meeting of the defense ministers of the three Baltic States took place on Tuesday at the Kaunas War Museum.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine categorically rejects Russia's insinuations about the alleged chemical weapons, instructors with American private military companies, and shelling of residential neighborhoods in eastern Ukraine.
Thats according to a comment provided to Ukrinform by Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oleh Nikolenko.
We categorically reject the insinuations towards Ukraine made during the meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Statements by the secretary of defense about alleged chemicals, instructors with American private military companies, and shelling of residential neighborhoods in Donbas are yet another example of Russias massive disinformation. Russia continues to create information cover for possible further provocations by their troops on Ukrainian territory," the official said.
The spokesman added that the Foreign Ministry called on the Russian leadership to cease hostile rhetoric and abandon the language of ultimatums.
"Moscow's return to a constructive course will really confirm the desire declared by the Russian president at the board meeting to resolve the conflict through political and diplomatic tools," Nikolenko said.
The ministry noted that the first step should be for Russia to begin the implementation of the Minsk agreements and the accords of the Normandy Four leaders.
Also, Nikolenko added, ceasing armed aggression against Ukraine and rejecting the logic of confrontation by Russia would be the best security guarantee for the European continent.
As reported earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu at the ministrys board meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine, together with the United States, was allegedly plotting a provocation in Donbas involving chemical weapons.
Spokesmen for the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Defense both denied the disinformation spread by Shoigu and the Russian media about Ukraine's alleged plot involving American "private military companies."
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Ukraine and Hungary intend to hold joint peacekeeping exercises.
On December 21, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Valery Zaluzhny met with Minister of Defense of Hungary Tibor Benko and Commander of the Hungarian Defense Forces Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi.
"Among other things, the parties discussed joint activities in the areas of training and preparation of troops, including capacity building of the special operations forces through joint combat training and exchange of experience," the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informs.
The parties focused on issues of cooperation within the multinational engineering battalion "Tysa" with the involvement of other European partners.
"The parties also strongly supported joint peacekeeping exercises, gaining each other's support," the statement reads.
On December 20, Reznikov and Zaluzhny began their working visit to Hungary.
Photo credit: Ministry of Defense
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For the first time, NATO is responding to the deployment of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border with concrete measures.
Thats according to Germanys Welt citing its sources, Ukrinform reports.
Given the buildup of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine, NATO responded with the first concrete military action, increasing operational readiness of its 40,000-strong Response Force. The Alliance seeks to protect its Eastern European members, the newspaper writes.
According to the move, NATOs Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), known as NATO Response Force, should be ready for deployment in the crisis zone within five days instead of the standard seven. VJTF is a multinational formation, staffed with nearly 6,400 servicemen. The group is currently led by Turkey, while in 2023 the leadership will be taken over by Germany.
Read also: Zelensky wants to know in 2022 when Ukraine will join NATO
Other units of the NRF, such as special forces or logistics, have also been put on high alert, and in the event of a crisis, their deployment term has been reduced.
According to the newspaper, the decision was made last week by the North Atlantic Council, which represents all member states. Earlier, Allied Commander-in-Chief General Todd D. Walters called on NATO governments to reduce mobilization periods.
The publication notes that the purpose of such measures is to improve the protection of the eastern member states (Poland, Romania, and the Baltic States), all of which are faced with a growing threat due to recent developments on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
A NATO spokesperson declined to publicly confirm the new decisions. He stated that Russia's significant military buildup in and around Ukraine is unfounded and undermines security in Europe. The official added that Allies have made it clear that Russia needs to be transparent, to reduce tensions, and that any further aggression would bear costs and consequences.
NATO's Russia policy of defense and dialogue remains consistent, the spokesperson said.
Since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, NATO has achieved the greatest strengthening of collective defense, including through the creation of multinational combat units in the eastern part of the Alliance.
NATO's actions are defensive, relevant, and in line with its international obligations, the spokesperson explained, adding that the bloc remains vigilant and will always take all measures required to defend the allies and protect them from any threat.
Photo: MNC NE PAO
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The statement spread by the Russian military leadership about the allegedly reliably established presence of more than 120 employees of American private military companies in Avdiyivka and Pryazovske in Donetsk region is deliberate disinformation.
The corresponding statement was made by the Center for Operational Information of the Ministry of Defense.
There are no private military companies, including foreign ones, in Ukraine. Apart from those used by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The other allegation of delivery of reserves of an unidentified chemical component for provocations in the towns of Avdiivka and Lyman is also untrue, the Defense Ministry states, adding that the only threat to peace and security of Ukrainian citizens and territories comes from Russian-occupation forces who violate the ceasefire, kill Ukrainian citizens and block the work of the international mission.
It is emphasized that the war against Ukraine includes not only armed aggression but also a hybrid component information operations. The press service notes that the Russian Federation had previously resorted to such disinformation, spreading in 2018 fakes about the so-called blue barrels with allegedly poisonous substance in Krasnohorivka.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defense points out that the current fake was voiced by Russias top leadership so it should be treated as a possible future provocation.
Since the latest disinformation has been voiced at the highest military and political level, it should be taken seriously, [it should be regarded] as the preparation of a specific provocation, the scenario of which has already been developed in the Kremlin, reads the statement.
The Ministry of Defense also stresses that the Armed Forces of Ukraine respect international humanitarian law, adhere to the Minsk Agreements, and hold their borders.
As reported, Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting of the board of the Russian Defense Ministry with the participation of Putin that Ukraine and the United States were allegedly preparing a provocation in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions with the use of chemical weapons.
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National Joint-Stock Company Naftogaz of Ukraine has appealed to the European Commission over the abuse of a dominant position in the European gas market by Russias Gazprom.
Thats according to the companys press service, Ukrinform reports.
The company also appealed to the Directorate General for Competition to take immediate action to fix the situation.
"Gazprom has sharply reduced its own gas sales on the European spot market despite growing demand and limits the ability of other companies to supply additional gas to Europe and compete with Gazprom. <...> Gazprom's actions are anti-competitive and have had a significant negative impact on all European consumers. Naftogaz, as one of the largest gas buyers in Europe, is also suffering from these abuses. Therefore, we ask the European Commission to respond appropriately to the violations," said Yuriy Vitrenko, Naftogaz Chairman of the Board.
In its complaint, Naftogaz draws the European Commission's attention to a number of specific abuses. In particular, this concerns Gazprom's deliberate failure to properly fill gas storage facilities in the EU, owned by Gazprom, or in which the company has significant volumes reserved. In addition, the Russian company abruptly and without good reason stopped selling gas through its electronic platform.
With sufficient gas volumes and the ability to use the available transit capacity of Ukraine's GTS, Gazprom has refused to supply large volumes to the EU. Also, without good reason, Gazprom did not add a gas transmission point on its electronic platform on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
In addition, Gazprom continues to block exports of gas produced in Russia by private companies, as well as block gas transit from Central Asia to Europe.
According to Naftogaz, the aim of such actions is, in particular, to create an artificial gas shortage and put pressure on the European Union to launch the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as soon as possible without it being put in line with European legislation.
Naftogaz emphasizes that Gazprom's actions are contrary to European antitrust law and have already led to prices rising to a record high of $1,921 per 1,000 cubic meters (as of December 21, 2021).
Naftogaz therefore asks the European Commission to take a set of immediate precautionary measures. In particular, Naftogaz asks the EC to oblige Gazprom to sell significant volumes of gas via the electronic platform for supply on the Ukrainian-Russian border or at least on the border between Ukraine and the EU. At the same time, Gazprom's customers will be able to buy gas, in particular, on the Russian-Ukrainian border for further independent reservation of GTS capacities and transmission to Europe and/or injection to Ukrainian underground storage facilities.
In addition, Gazprom must provide technical capabilities of its gas transmission system for gas exports by private Russian producers, as well as for gas transit from Central Asia.
As reported, NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine this year provided 77% of all gas imports to Ukraine.
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At the Schiphol Judicial Complex in the Netherlands, where the MH17 case is being heard, Dutch prosecutors, presenting the indictment, said that the investigation revealed traces of no other weapon than the Buk missile system that could destroy Flight MH17.
No traces were found to indicate that a weapon other than the Buk was used. Thus, we came to the conclusion that on July 17, 2014, the plane of Flight MH17 was shot down by a Buk missile system, said Dutch prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks, an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague reports.
She noted that this conclusion was confirmed by many pieces of evidence, in particular, the results of the examination of the found fragments and elements, intercepted telephone conversations of the defendants, testimony of witnesses, photos and videos of Buk system.
The route of Buk system transportation was also shown in court. In particular, in the video made on the morning of July 18, 2014, the system missing one missile was spotted near the militant-controlled Luhansk. After that, Buk was transported back to Russia.
Thus, Buk was returned to Russia by order of Girkin, with the participation of Dubinskiy, Kharchenko, and Pulatov.
The Dutch prosecutor also noted that the investigation managed to establish that the Buk system belonged to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.
In particular, this is evidenced by publications on social media sites made by the mother of one of the fighters. She wrote that her son was sent to Rostov. In turn, her son posted a photo of himself wearing a uniform with the emblem of the 53rd Brigade in July 2014. The publications of his friends were also studied, and they also posted photos of their relocations.
"The prosecution concluded that the Buk system filmed in Ukraine on July 17 and 18, 2014 is the same one that left Kursk in July as part of a column of the 53rd Brigade," the prosecutor said.
She stressed that the unique details and marks on the system allowed to establish that the Buk, spotted in Ukraine and Russia, is one and the same system.
As reported, the indictment in the MH17 case is being presented for the second day.
The prosecution said that 12 witnesses saw a trail in the sky, 11 heard an explosion, said they heard equipment or saw the Buk system.
According to the Dutch prosecutor, there is a witness who saw Buk arrive with four soldiers in special protective helmets. The investigation revealed that it is the Buk crew that wears helmets.
The pictures of fragments of a missile that, according to investigators, downed the plane, as well as photos of unique butterfly-shaped fragments inside the missiles, were presented in the courtroom. Having examined the MH17 wreckage and fragments of the missile, the experts concluded that the passenger plane was shot down by a 9M38M1 missile fired from the Buk air defense missile system.
The court hearings are scheduled for December 20, 21, and 22.
As reported, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over occupied area of Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died. The international Joint Investigation Team reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belonged to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.
On June 19, 2019, the JIT named four suspects believed to be involved in the transportation and combat use of the Buk missile system, from which MH17 flight had been downed. Three of them are Russians: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), former colonel in Russia's FSB intelligence service and former so-called defense minister of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic"; Sergey Dubinskiy, general (at the time of downing colonel) of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and head of the so-called "Main Intelligence Directorate of the Donetsk Peoples Republic"; Oleg Pulatov, lieutenant colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The fourth suspect is Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian civilian, who fought on the side of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic.
In March 2020, the District Court of The Hague began the consideration of the case over the downing of Flight MH17.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he is ready for any format of talks with Russia.
He told this to journalists in the village of Huta in Ivano-Frankivsk region on Tuesday, December 21, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
When asked if Zelensky was calling Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said: "It seems to me that we both don't pick up [the phone] because we don't call each other. [] We openly say that we are ready for dialogue, we need the Russian side to say that they are ready."
He stressed that the Ukrainian side is ready to meet with Russia in any format with the participation of any international partners or face to face, but Russia's readiness is needed.
"Our [Ukrainian and Russian presidential] administrations are talking about what could be the agenda of our meeting. If the administrations fail to agree on complex documents within a certain period of time, I will call him directly," Zelensky added.
At the same time, he noted that Ukraine offered ten steps to implement the Minsk agreements, which were passed to the United States, Russia, France and Germany.
"We are constantly preparing and initiating various documents, various steps so that nobody tells us that we don't want anything," Zelensky said.
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Iran has not provided Ukraine access to the names and official positions of those accused in the case of the downing of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 near Tehran.
Thats according to the Office of the Prosecutor General, Ukrinform reports.
"The names and positions of the accused and the actions of each of them are being thoroughly concealed. However, Id like to assure you that we are moving forward in our criminal proceedings. And we are not alone in this fight for justice. Canada, Britain, and Sweden are our reliable partners in both the intergovernmental process and the criminal bloc of issues," said Deputy Prosecutor General Maksym Yakubovsky, who met with relatives of the victims on the eve of the second anniversary of the PS752 crash to brief them on the progress in a pre-trial investigation.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and UIA management.
According to the OPG, 26 international inquiries have been sent to foreign countries throughout these two years concerning the downing of the passenger jet.
In turn, Iran continues to effectively ignore Ukraine's appeals for international legal assistance. According to Yakubovsky, the Iranian side recently once again violated the agreements reached during the third round of interstate talks, which took place in June this year.
In particular, thats about Irans promise to provide Ukrainian prosecutors with an opportunity to review the Iranian criminal case file, which has already been forwarded to court.
It is noted that eight reports prepared by foreign officials and organizations were investigated as part of the criminal proceedings: four Iranian, three Canadian, one of the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations.
OPG prosecutors and investigators with the Security Service of Ukraine monitor open-source information on a weekly basis, gather evidence, and ensure that all available information on the circumstances of the incident is secured.
According to the head of the Office of the Prosecutor General, Yuriy Rud, more than 50 persons were questioned as witnesses, more than 100 photo and video reviews were run, an investigative experiment was conducted with the involvement of experts, while a comprehensive forensic examination is underway.
"The Office of the Prosecutor General is taking all possible measures to establish the objective truth and bring the perpetrators of the tragedy to justice," the OPG said.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, on January 8, 2020, the Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). All of them died in the accident.
On January 11, 2020, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner.
On November 22, 2021, hearings over the downing of the plane began in an Iranian military court.
Photo: Office of the Prosecutor General, AA
The National Police of Ukraine has received two new H145 D3 helicopters from France's Airbus Helicopters, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry has said.
"Two H145 D3 helicopters from Airbus Helicopters arrived in Kyiv today, on December 21. They will be transferred to the aviation units of the National Police of Ukraine," the statement said.
It notes that the National Police already has H145 helicopters, but the new D3 models have arrived in Ukraine. "They have five blades, improved electronics, can withstand heavier loads and have improved aircraft stabilization," the ministry said.
It recalled that Airbus helicopters were being supplied in accordance with an agreement between the governments of Ukraine and France in order to create a unified system of aviation security and civil protection in Ukraine. The relevant contract between the Ukrainian Interior Ministry and Airbus Helicopters was signed on August 29, 2018.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on November 2 that it was considering producing helicopters in Ukraine to develop an aeromedical evacuation system.
Photo: mvs.gov.ua
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In the Dutch court, during a hearing in the MH17 case, the prosecutor asked the judges to classify the actions of the four defendants as aircraft destruction, which provides for life imprisonment.
As an Ukrinform correspondent reports, the statement came today as the prosecutors continue to voice the indictment in the Schiphol court complex.
"We consider Girkin, Dubinskiy, Pulatov, and Kharchenko guilty of destroying Flight MH17 and killing 298 people. They deserve a long sentence," Dutch prosecutor Theis Berger said in his speech.
He stressed that the Buk missile downed a passenger jet Flight MH17. The bodies fell from great altitudes and their remains remained at the site of the crash for weeks and months before the authorities were able to retrieve them.
"The war and the fact that they (the accused - ed.) possibly sought to shoot down a warplane are not mitigating circumstances. They organized transportation and deployment of the Buk launcher. They posed a threat to civil aviation," the prosecutor stressed.
He stressed that those accused had committed a destructive and planned act of violence.
"The article on the destruction of aircraft, which provides for life imprisonment and does not differentiate between civilian and military aircraft, is the most suitable for them," he said.
As reported by Ukrinform, the Dutch prosecutors, presenting the indictment, said that the inquiry had not revealed any traces of other weapons that could destroy the passenger plane in 2014, except for the Buk.
The Buks deployment route was also shown in court. In particular, in the video made on the morning of July 18, 2014, the launcher was spotted near the city of Luhansk (non-government-controlled) carrying no missiles. After that, the Buk was transported back to Russia.
According to investigators, the launcher was returned to Russia by Girkins order, with the participation of Dubinskiy, Kharchenko, and Pulatov.
As reported, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over the occupied area of Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died. The international Joint Investigation Team reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belonged to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.
On June 19, 2019, the JIT named four suspects believed to be involved in the transportation and combat use of the Buk missile system, from which MH17 flight had been downed. Three of them are Russians: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), former colonel in Russia's FSB intelligence service and former so-called defense minister of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic"; Sergey Dubinskiy, general (at the time of downing colonel) of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and head of the so-called "Main Intelligence Directorate of the Donetsk Peoples Republic"; Oleg Pulatov, lieutenant colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The fourth suspect is Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian civilian, who fought on the side of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic.
In March 2020, the District Court of The Hague began the consideration of the case over the downing of Flight MH17.
Photo: Iryna Drabok, Ukrinform
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Dance alumnae reflect on how UNCSA prepared them for careers with international ballet companies
Many ballet dancers are inevitably drawn to work and train outside of the United States. The artform is an established and time-honored institution in Europe and abroad, and careers with international ballet companies across the globe can expand dancers' skills, as well as their horizons.
The work and training can also be quite rigorous. Fortunately for those who have studied in the ballet program at UNCSA, the skills they've developed have prepared them to meet that rigor.
That's a point of pride for ballet professor Eva Draw. Draw joined the School of Dance faculty in 2015 after spending most of her professional life working in the very same European companies where many of her former students now dance (she estimates she's had students go on to nearly 70 percent of international companies).
Our ballet program gives students the skills to compete on an international level ... And they all have a passion to succeed. That is essential to the talent itself. They are the driving force behind their own accomplishments. Eva Draw
"Our ballet program gives students the skills to compete on an international level," Draw says. Combined with talent and hard work, she's not at all surprised that UNCSA alumni can be found in companies around the world.
"These dancers work hard," Draw says. "And they all have a passion to succeed. That is essential to the talent itself. They are the driving force behind their own accomplishments."
For five of her former students, those accomplishments include careers and training in Germany, Slovenia, Russia, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Here, those alumnae share with us how their time at UNCSA prepared them for the international stage, along with their advice for other dancers who are considering pursuing careers beyond the United States.
Eleanor Broughton, School of the Hamburg Ballet
Eleanor Broughton studies at the School of the Hamburg Ballet in Hamburg, Germany. The Winston-Salem native attended UNCSA for nearly a decade before moving abroad in 2021 to continue her training. She began her studies in 2012 at 8 years old in the Preparatory Dance program, and studied in the high school program from 2018-21.
In 2020, Broughton competed virtually in the Prix de Lausanne, which led to an offer for her to study at the School of the Hamburg Ballet.
Eleanor Broughton / Photo: Kiran West
On her time at UNCSA, Broughton says
I am so grateful to all the teachers and faculty at UNCSA who guided and prepared me throughout my nearly 10 years there, and who helped me achieve this next step in my training. Without them and their wisdom and generosity, I would not be where I am today. I will always cherish and carry with me the relationships and memories I made, the lessons I learned and the knowledge I acquired while at UNCSA.
And on her studies at the Hamburg Ballet
One of the highlights of being at the School of the Hamburg Ballet is that the Hamburg Ballet company and school share one building called the Ballettzentrum (or Ballet Center in English). At the Ballettzentrum, all school students and company members take classes and rehearse in the same place. It's very inspiring to see the professional dancers in rehearsals or even pass them in the hallway throughout the day and then watch them perform on stage that night.
Yaman Kelemet, Slovenian National Ballet
Yaman Kelemet is a demi-soloist with the Slovenian National Ballet in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Originally from Chicago, she graduated from the high school ballet program in 2017 (she attended for three years of high school).
Among the highlights of her time with the Slovenian National Ballet is the role she originated as Myrtle Wilson in Leo Mujic's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby," recognized by Dance Europe as a top premiere to watch in 2019.
Yaman Kelemet
On starting her career, Kelemet says
I remember feeling an overwhelming amount of uncertainty as I prepared to leap into a new and unfamiliar life as a professional dancer. When I actually started, however, it took very little time to realize that my experiences in school had more than set me up to navigate the industry. I was entering a company for the first time, but had already acquired the awareness, technical proficiency and mental approach necessary to not only stay afloat, but distinguish myself.
And her advice for pursuing an international career
Do your research and ask questions. Each country and company might have different regulations when it comes to types of contracts, payments, insurance, etc. If you are offered a position, be sure you understand at least the basics of what you can expect from your contract so you can evaluate if it is manageable for you.
And believe in yourself! I have had so many other dancers reach out to me expressing their desire to dance overseas but feel trepidation about moving so far away. Sure, there might be some culture shock or episodes of homesickness, but we overcome so many incredible challenges over the course of our careers, that these don't end up feeling that daunting. If you have managed to secure a position in a company, you have done the hard work already and, in my opinion, can only benefit from an international experience!
Emma Knowlson, Mikhailovsky Ballet
Emma Knolwson is a corps de ballet artist with the Mikhailovsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and graduated from the high school program in 2019, where she studied for three years. After graduation, she danced with the studio company of the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago for a year before receiving an offer to join Mikhailovsky Ballet (after a virtual audition).
Despite a lengthy visa process due to COVID-19, she was able to join Mikhailovsky in time for the premiere of Artistic Director Nacho Duato's "Swan Lake."
Emma Knowlson
On her time at Mikhailovsky Ballet, Knowlson says
I was very lucky to receive my visa and move to Russia in time for the start of the season and the premiere of Nacho Duatos "Swan Lake." The company usually performs two full-length classical ballets a week, with only a few days of preparation for each. Within my first three weeks, I learned and performed four different ballets. I really appreciate the training and foundation I received at UNCSA that prepared me to learn and adapt quickly. The work is challenging, but it is so rewarding to be on stage almost every day and to work in such a beautiful theater in a vibrant city that values and loves ballet.
And her advice for pursuing an international career
Do your audition research. Many companies have video pre-selections for subsequent in-person auditions with early deadlines, so its important to plan ahead and be prepared with your materials. I have also found it helpful to prioritize auditions for the companies I think I am best suited for, as traveling for international auditions can be very difficult. There are also great resources for auditioning dancers such as Grand Audition, an organization created by David and Daria Makhateli, which allows dancers to audition for more than five leading international ballet companies simultaneously.
Aerys Merrill, Northern Ballet
Aerys Merrill is a dancer with Northern Ballet in Leeds, United Kingdom. She is from Richmond, Virginia, and earned her B.F.A. at UNCSA in 2018. In an interview with Pointe Magazine, she says she knew she wanted to join an international company even before she went to college. Merrill was offered a corps de ballet position with Northern Ballet after sending performance footage and being invited to take a company class.
Aerys Merrill / Photo: Caleb Ennis
On her time at UNCSA, Merrill says
My time at UNCSA really prepared me for professional life, not only in the various dance classes that we had but also the extra-curricular programs. One was business perspectives, in which we learned how to prepare our resumes and dance reels. We learned about contracts and how to read them; we also learned about AGMA and the importance of a union. All that information was so helpful in the transition to professional life.
There was a time when some of us in the School of Dance collaborated with the School of Music and danced during one of their concerts, which was an unforgettable experience. Getting a glimpse into the music world, a world that dancers often collaborate with, was a treat. We attended rehearsals in their rehearsal studios and danced with them onstage instead of them being in the pit like most dancers are used to. I really enjoyed it.
The faculty prepared us so well for the professional world because they told us about their experiences and were so thoughtful and caring as they taught us. UNCSA is a special place, and I will always cherish my time there. It was the best four years of my life.
Daniela Thorne, Ballett Zurich
Daniela Thorne dances with the Junior Ballet at Ballet Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland. Originally from San Francisco, she studied for two years in the high school ballet program at UNCSA and graduated in 2020, while simultaneously training at the Dutch National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam. A highlight of her time at Ballet Zurich has been dancing "Emergence" by Crystal Pite.
Daniela Thorne / Photo: Altin Kaftira
On her time at UNCSA, Thorne says
My time with Eva Draw at UNCSA primed me with the tools and knowledge I needed in order to enter a professional career in the ballet industry. Eva nurtured me with kindness and support as I was still a young girl, but also treated me like an adult about to enter the next chapter of her life. Inside the studio, the classes and corrections were tough, often requiring both physical and mental strength. However, outside the studio, I found I was able to blossom as Eva and the other teachers and mentors I had been blessed with showered me with love, making it clear that the thing they wanted most was to watch me take what they had given and offer their gifts to new audiences.
With these experiences, I was able to walk away from school and begin my career with a grateful heart, knowing that although the journey may not have always been easy, I was fortunate enough to have the support I needed to relinquish the fear of not being well enough prepared.
And her advice for pursuing an international career
Just go for it. The idea itself, I can admit, is a little daunting but it is important to remember that ballet is a language itself, and one that we all speak. After living in Amsterdam, and now Zurich, I have come to realize that dancers everywhere are all just young artists with ambition and this drive that we all have is what inevitably ties us together.
Although we can often find ourselves with little to no time on our hands, the importance of friendships and connecting with loved ones is something that I feel should be highly valued in terms of our health and wellbeing. I know that my transition from dancing in the United States to dancing in Europe would not have been nearly as smooth if I did not have such wonderful people around me. And for that, I am forever grateful.
In November 2021 the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, conducted a workshop to assist the work of the Migration Service Committee of the MIA, officials from its territorial departments, and civil society partners in identifying and documenting stateless persons.
Statelessness Determination Procedures (SDPs) were adopted in Kazakhstan in 2020 through amendments to the Law on Migration. SDPs allow stateless persons to obtain legal status in Kazakhstan which in turn grants them access to basic human rights. Since the adoption of SDPs the Migration Service Committee, with the support of UNHCR and its NGO partners, has officially recognized and documented as stateless more than 1,600 persons.
We are pleased to cooperate with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other partners on this training which will contribute to enhancing a common understanding of remaining challenges and will formulate recommendations to overcome these in accordance with best practices. UNHCR is committed to continue supporting Kazakhstan in the reduction and prevention of statelessness and in line with standards set out in the 1954 and 1961 UN Statelessness Conventions. To ensure legal identity and enjoyment of rights for all plays an important role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals under Agenda 2030 Leaving No One Behind, said Mr. Dumitru Lipcanu, Deputy Representative of UNHCR for Central Asia.
Adoption of SDPs is part of Kazakhstans contribution to the global #IBelong campaign to end statelessness by 2024 and is a result of joint work implemented by authorities, UNHCR and other partners. UNHCR has been cooperating with partners on ending statelessness since the launch of this campaign in 2014. With the support of UNHCR, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan has been able to help thousands of stateless persons with documents, access to rights, and/or nationality.
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Alphonsine Mayamba describes the overwhelming sense of hope she felt when she first heard that refugees and asylum seekers would be included in Angolas national vaccination plan.
I saw light at the end of the tunnel, she says as she welcomes another group of recently vaccinated refugees for an awareness session on the bodys reaction to the vaccine.
The 20-year-old Congolese refugee volunteers as a health worker in Angolas Lovua settlement in Lunda Norte province, where some 6,800 refugees are hosted.
She was among the first people in the settlement to receive the COVID-19 vaccine after the campaign began this September.
Before taking the vaccine, I was very worried about getting COVID, she says. Part of my job requires regular contact with people. But now that I am vaccinated, I feel more protected.
Her job involves providing information and counselling to refugees so they know what to expect and can manage any symptoms after getting the vaccine.
But now that I am vaccinated, I feel more protected.
Following advocacy efforts by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners in the capital Luanda and at the provincial level, the government has now included refugees and asylum seekers in its national vaccination campaign.
Alphonsine Mayamba speaks with a recently vaccinated refugee in Lovua settlement, Angola. UNHCR/Manuel Mbunga
According to data from the World Health Organization, by mid-December, Angola had administered more than 10 million COVID-19 vaccines in the country of 33 million people. Globally, inequality in the distribution of vaccines has so far seen more than 80 per cent of doses given in high- and upper middle-income countries.
But many refugees in Angola are still uncertain about getting the jab as misinformation is rife, leading many to question the effectiveness or necessity of the vaccine.
Some refugees are still very hesitant about the vaccine because of fear and what they have heard, explains Alphonsine. My uncle, Muanza, was one of them.
Muanza, 53, was reluctant to get the vaccine due to negative comments from fellow refugees.
I heard that it mostly affects people in Europe, says the community leader. Some people even said that it can be treated with our own traditional medicines, like the ones for the flu. Why should we take the vaccine then?
But it wasnt long before he changed his mind his 18-year-old daughter, Helene, contracted the virus this August, causing the concerned father of ten to actively seek reliable information about the safety of the vaccine.
When my daughter got sick, I was confronted with reality, he explains. I gained confidence after receiving clear and accurate information from UNHCR, and also because I saw other refugees, including my Alphonsine, get vaccinated and nothing bad happened to them.
Muanza, 53, sits by his daughter Helene as she displays her COVID-19 vaccine certificate at Lovua settlement, Angola. UNHCR/Manuel Mbunga
Now Muanza, his wife and daughter are fully vaccinated. He has become a strong advocate for the vaccine and encourages everyone in the settlement to get it, while also extolling the benefits of wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing.
Most importantly, we should all get vaccinated as its the key protection against COVID-19, he adds.
Alphonsine is encouraged by the number of refugees who have changed their minds, thanks to the regular awareness campaigns.
According to UNHCRs health partner, Igreja Evangelica dos Irmaos em Angola (IEIA), 3,580 out of 4,000 refugees in the settlement had been vaccinated by the end of November, alongside members of the host community.
Inclusive vaccination programmes are essential to contain the pandemic and protect everyone.
During a recent visit to Lovua, UNHCR Deputy Director for the Regional Bureau for Southern Africa, Angele Dikongue-Atangana, helped to issue COVID-19 vaccine certificates to recently vaccinated refugees. She thanked the local government for including refugees in their vaccination plan.
I am so proud to see refugees receiving their certificates today as proof that they too, are vaccinated along with the host community, she said. Inclusive vaccination programmes are essential to contain the pandemic and protect everyone.
Refugees and asylum seekers in urban areas like Luanda are also receiving the vaccine, despite lacking valid documentation.
Mohamed, 46, received his jab after sensitization sessions by UNHCR and partner, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS).
I was convinced to get vaccinated even without valid refugee documentation, says the Ivorian asylum seeker. Its alife-changing experience and shows that we can be treated equally, just like nationals.
Vito Trani, UNHCR Representative in Angola, welcomed the Governments gesture.
This decision will help protect everybody, irrespective of their legal status in the country, against contracting COVID-19. It will also give them the opportunity to live as healthily and productively as possible in this new normal, he said.
Out of the 16 countries covered by UNHCRs Southern Africa regional office, 11 have explicitly included refugees and asylum seekers in their national vaccination plans.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi and 2- Director General of Qatar Fund for Development, H.E. Mr. Khalifa Al-Kuwari sign an USD 8 million multi-year agreement with the Qatar Fund for Development UNHCR/Mark Henley - QFFD
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, signed today an agreement with Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) to provide US$8 million in flexible funding to UNHCR in 2021 and 2022, in support of its humanitarian efforts around the world.
The agreement was signed virtually by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in Geneva, and QFFDs Director General H.E. Mr. Khalifa Al-Kuwari in Doha, marking a renewal of the State of Qatars commitment to supporting refugees and displaced persons globally.
In light of todays compounded challenges and record-high forced displacement, this flexible contribution will support UNHCR in responding to growing needs and emergencies worldwide, said Grandi while commending Qatars humanitarian role. We look forward to further expanding and strengthening our long-standing partnership with QFFD to continue supporting the most vulnerable refugees and their host communities.
On his part, H.E. Al-Kuwari said: At Qatar Fund for Development, we support the efforts of UN organizations such as UNHCR as we believe in the vital role UNHCR plays to support refugees in several conflict areas. Therefore, QFFD and UNHCR share the same values regarding the importance of efforts in order to respond to the increasing humanitarian needs of displaced communities, and to make sure basic humanitarian rights such as a safe shelter, food security and access to quality education are accessible to all refugees.
Flexible funding is vital to UNHCR. It allows the provision of emergency assistance whenever and wherever it is needed most, therefore enabling UNHCR to ensure a timely response to the growing needs of the 84 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.
Qatars history of generosity and collaboration to support refugees and displaced persons has been key for UNHCRs global humanitarian efforts, with cumulative contributions from the Government of the State of Qatar and Qatari entities exceeding US$ 354 million to date.
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22-12-2021
Looking into the future when its hard to bear the present
Zentralbibliothek Zurich
Molybdomancy or annual horoscopes: according to historian Ulrike Ludwig, divination has always been popular during crises such as pandemics, religious conflict, and times of war Will I be happy, will I stay healthy? Divination has always shown the human need for security in the face of an uncertain future Also used to be a political instrument to combat fake news
Molybdomancy on New Years Eve, annual horoscopes, tarot cards for historians, divination has always been an attempt to deal with the uncertain future. Divination has been especially popular in times of crisis, when worry about the future is difficult to bear, as in the pandemic today. In the face of epidemics, religious conflict, bad harvests, or times of war, for example, people in the early modern period urgently sought predictions. But people also consulted supernatural powers about their personal fate, too, explains historian Ulrike Ludwig from the University of Munsters Cluster of Excellence Religion and Politics. At New Years in 1522, for example, people were preoccupied with the same questions as at a New Years Eve celebration today: Will I be happy, will I be rich, will I stay healthy? Sources from that time, such as annual horoscopes and the lot books that were popular, reveal the human needs behind the search for predictions. Those who looked into the future sought the capacity to act in the present. In the past, people did not blindly believe what the stars, the crystal ball, or their own hand told them. Divination was also practised playfully in social gatherings, for example with oracle books giving answers to lifes questions by way of many riddles that, though simple, were, when combined, in fact opaque.
Ulrike Ludwig privat
Divination has often given people orientation, usually without taking the decisions away from them, Ludwig explains. A person in the 17th century who was given a bad prediction about an upcoming wedding did not cancel it. Rather, the person tried to do everything possible to ensure that the marriage was concluded under what we still call a good star. For example, by choosing a wedding day that was more favourable astrologically. Widespread, but never uncontested: Divination has always been questioned and ridiculed. According to Ludwig, particularly prominent from the beginning was criticism from the church. But the humanist and satirical author Sebastian Brant (died 1521) also placed a fool at the side of the learned astrologer. And the well-known diaries of Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) reveal that he had nothing but scorn for fortune tellers and their clientele.
Divination in politics: from Augustus, Elector of Saxony, to Francois Mitterrand
Unlike those in Taiwan and other East Asian countries, Western politicians nowadays frown on divination. Nonetheless, both US President Ronald Reagan and French President Francois Mitterrand regularly sought advice from fortune tellers during their terms in office. This has historical antecedents, as Ludwig points out: In the pre-modern era, divination was a legitimate instrument in politics: kings and princes had their court astrologers consult the stars in order to be prepared for crises such as epidemics, crop failures or wars, but also for challenges in negotiations about the next tax increase or diplomatic missions. One extreme example is Augustus, Elector of Saxony (1526-1586), who relied systematically on fortune telling to check all incoming news, for example on marriage plans of Elizabeth II and deaths, on secret alliances, on trade successes and curiosities ultimately, so that he would not fall prey to fake news. In a time of uncertain information, he took every opportunity to gain knowledge that was secure.
Traditions of divination, or modern prognostication
With the Enlightenment period around 1700, rational thinking also took over the business of predicting the future: instead of consulting gods and transcendent powers, people developed scientifically verifiable methods, model-guided prognostics. But even in modern prognostics, the hit rates show that we tend to overestimate the possibilities of using model calculations to anticipate the future, says Ludwig.
Practices of divination have always needed to link back to traditions to be accepted, says Ludwig. These are the old ancestral customs, whose efficacy was trusted when the desire for knowledge about the future was at its greatest. But many of the methods of divination that have found their way into contemporary accounts of the past are in fact later modern inventions. One of the most popular motifs of divination, tarot cards and thus also cartomancy, only found increased use from the 19th century onwards, says Ludwig, who was speaking as part of the Cluster of Excellences annual theme, Tradition(s), which uses selected examples from Ancient Egypt to the present day to examine how traditions emerge, are transmitted, and change in, for example, literature, law and religions.
Ulrike Ludwigs project at the Cluster of Excellence is concerned with Divination and politics in the early modern period. As part of the annual theme, she will use the discussion series Tradition(s): interdisciplinary and transepochal to talk in summer 2022 about the connection between tradition and rationality. She helped conceive the exhibition Signs of the Future at the Germanisches National Museum in Nuremberg last year. (sca/vvm)
Reference: Ulrike Ludwig et al. (eds.): Signs of the Future: Divination in East Asia and Europe, Heidelberg: arthistoricum.net, 2021.
Montpellier, France, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Dec, 2021 ) :Ex-Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi faces a 2023 court appearance after blowing up his brother-in-law's window with a firecracker in what the former driver called a "bad joke", AFP learned from the prosecutor's office on Tuesday.
Alesi, 57, will be tried at the Nimes magistrate's court "for damaging the property of others by a means dangerous to people, committed in the context of a family conflict", the local public prosecutor Eric Maurel told AFP.
Maurel added that Alesi's son will also be prosecuted for complicity in the incident.
The two were allowed to leave Avignon police station where they had been held in custody since Monday afternoon.
The incident occurred in Villeneuve-les-Avignon where the 57-year-old former Ferrari driver resides.
The police had been called Sunday around 10pm local time by neighbours, concerned about the sound of an explosion.
A vehicle which was spotted by a neighbour at the site leaving with its lights off was traced to Alesi's brother Jose who was arrested.
Jean Alesi went to the police station on Monday to clear his brother, explaining that he had been the one in the car with his son and a friend.
Alesi said he had stuck a "large firework bought in Italy" into the frame of a window of his brother-in-law's architect's office "without imagining causing such damage", said the deputy prosecutor Antoine Wolff.
Alesi, who scored one victory in his 13-year career in F1, explained that he only wanted to play a "bad joke" on his brother-in-law, who is currently separated from Alesi's sister.
The brother-in-law, who says he has "no problem" with Alesi, nonetheless filed a complaint for the damage to the windowframe, said Wolff.
"I am quite sceptical about the notion of a 'joke' carried out at 10pm without the person concerned knowing who it is," added Wolff.
Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Dec, 2021 ) :Kellogg's workers have agreed to end strikes at US cereal plants that had attracted attention from the White House and other politicians amid a wave of labor actions in the country, the company announced Tuesday.
The strike began October 5 at Kellogg's cereal plants in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Tennessee, with workers objecting to the company's two-tiered wage structure, among other grievances.
The firm known best for its breakfast cereals drew intense criticism including from President Joe Biden after it threatened to replace striking workers.
But the company said workers voted in favor of the deal reached last week with the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) that covers about 1,400 workers and will see wage increases and improved benefits.
"We are pleased that we have reached an agreement that brings our cereal employees back to work," Kellogg's Chairman and CEO Steve Cahillane said in a statement.
"We look forward to their return and continuing to produce our beloved cereal brands for our customers and consumers." BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton welcomed the deal, saying, "Our striking members at Kellogg's ready-to-eat cereal production facilities courageously stood their ground and sacrificed so much in order to achieve a fair contract." The Kellogg's dispute came amid a wave of threatened and actual strikes across American businesses in recent months, which have seen workers at businesses ranging from hospitals to factories threaten to walk off the job.
The action at the cereal factories drew the attention of prominent Washington Democrats after Kellogg's moved to replace striking workers, with Biden saying he was "deeply troubled" by the decision.
Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders attended a rally with striking workers in Michigan last week, cheering their stand against what he called "corporate greed."
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a soft launch here on Wednesday, broke the ground for the new model Panagahs (shelter homes) being built in Islamabad Capital Territory with improved standards and structure
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Dec, 2021 ) :Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a soft launch here on Wednesday, broke the ground for the new model Panagahs (shelter homes) being built in Islamabad Capital Territory with improved standards and structure.
On the special instructions of the Prime Minister, the four new Panagahs are being built in Tarlai, Tarnol, G-9 and Mandi More areas of Islamabad adjacent to the existing facilities.
At the event, the Prime Minister also unveiled the final plans of these multistoried Panagahs to be constructed.
He lauded Ehsaas team, Capital Development Authority (CDA), National College of Arts (NCA) and all concerned for their collaborative efforts and instructed to ensure the speedy execution of new model Panagahs.
The Prime Minister underlined the importance of providing quality food and services at the Panagahs.
He directed the concerned departments to provide Ehsaas services at the Panagahs and also emphasized upon providing skill development training at the Panagahs enabling the residents to become contributing citizens in the society.
The Prime Minister appreciated the collective efforts of the concerned departments and directed them to replicate the model in the provinces on the same line.
Earlier, Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM briefed the Prime Minister on the Panagahs' new strategic plan including construction, furnishing, governance, execution, digital monitoring, capacity building and financing.
"In addition to 'bed breakfast and meals' facilities for labourers, these Panagahs will also have Ehsaas One Window Centers, to enable labourers and the underprivileged class to benefit from the government's social welfare programs.
", said Dr. Sania.
CDA has given land on concessional rates to the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division for this purpose after Cabinet approval.
At the venue, samples of furniture and fixtures for new Panagahs to be used in model Panagahs were also displayed.
Earlier, the Prime Minister also unveiled the plaque and the new model of Panagah. To redesign the structure of model Panagah and furniture, Ehsaas has collaborated with National College of Arts (NCA) Lahore.
The new Panagah design incorporates bigger kitchen, cold storage, reception, lobby, waiting areas, and enhanced capacity to offer food and shelter to those in need.
To offer best lodging and quality food to Panagah beneficiaries, Ehsaas and Serena Hotels are already collaborating.
In the first phase, staff and occupants of all Panagahs in Islamabad are being trained on hospitality, food safety and hygiene, health safety and environment, and housekeeping, exercising regular monitoring of amenities.
So far, Ehsaas has opened 27 Panagahs in different areas of the country including 5 in Sindh, 8 in KP, 7 in Balochistan, 5 in Islamabad and 1 each in GB and Punjab.
Under the umbrella of Ehsaas, Panagahs offer one star plus bed and breakfast facility with meals, essentials, hygiene, laundry and security standards. Each Panagah serves free meals to around 500 people and offers 100-bed facility for overnight stay.
The Taliban government praised on Wednesday the UN Security Council's resolution facilitating humanitarian aid to Afghanistan as a "good step," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP
Kabul, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Dec, 2021 ) :The Taliban government praised on Wednesday the UN Security Council's resolution facilitating humanitarian aid to Afghanistan as a "good step," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.
"We appreciate it (as) it can help Afghanistan's economic situation," Mujahid said, adding he hoped the move would also help "speed up" the removal of crippling economic and banking sanctions imposed on entities linked to the Islamist group.
Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday called for life in prison for four suspects on trial in absentia accused of downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine with a surface-to-air missile, killing 298 people
Badhoevedorp, Netherlands, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Dec, 2021 ) :Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday called for life in prison for four suspects on trial in absentia accused of downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine with a surface-to-air missile, killing 298 people.
The ill-fated flight heading for Kuala Lumpur took off from Amsterdam's Schipol airport in July 2014, and prosecutors this week launched closing arguments in the closely-watched trial.
A verdict is not expected until late 2022 at the earliest.
The four suspects on trial are Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko, accused of launching the BUK missile that hit the plane over war-torn eastern Ukraine.
"We are asking that the suspects Girkin, Dubinsky, Pulatov and Kharchenko, each for their responsibility of crashing a plane leading to the death and murder of 298 people, be sentenced to life in prison," prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks told the court Wednesday.
All four have refused to appear in court in the Netherlands and are being tried in absentia.
Prosecutors have argued this week that the four suspects played pivotal roles in securing the BUK system, which was most likely intended to strike a Ukrainian warplane.
International investigators say the BUK missile was originally brought from a Russian military base, ostensibly to be used in the fight against Ukrainian forces.
"If we consider how much time the defendants put into planning and organising the deployment of the BUK, it is all the more poignant how little attention they appear to gave given to the risk of inadvertently shooting down a passenger aircraft," prosecutors argued, according to trial documents Wednesday.
"In legal terms, the defendants were civilians and were therefore not allowed to shoot at any aircraft, whether civilian or military.
" - The 'gunner' - The hearings come as fresh tensions soar over Ukraine, with the West accusing Moscow of planning an invasion.
Kiev has been battling a pro-Moscow insurgency in two breakaway regions bordering Russia since 2014, when the Kremlin annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
Russia has recently massed troops near Ukraine's borders and the West has for weeks accused it of planning an invasion, warning Moscow of massive sanctions should it launch an attack.
Moscow denies the claims, with President Vladimir Putin seeking talks with US counterpart Joe Biden and security guarantees to stand down his troops.
Western nations imposed tough sanctions on Russia amid international outrage over the shooting down of flight MH17.
The best known of the suspects, 49-year-old Girkin -- nicknamed "gunner" -- was one of the main separatist commanders at the start of the conflict with the Ukrainian army five years ago.
He said Wednesday he was not surprised by the prosecutors' request, and denied the rebels shot down the plane.
"If they could have sentenced me to death, they would have done it, no doubt about it," he was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency.
Dubinsky, 57, is said to be linked to Russian military intelligence, while Poulatov, 53, is a former member of the Russian special forces and Dubinsky's deputy.
Khartchenko, 48, is believed to have led a separatist unit in eastern Ukraine.
Prosecutors said during the opening of the trial in March 2020 that if the court passed a sentence "we will do everything in our power to ensure that it is enforced, whether in the Netherlands or elsewhere".
The trial heard harrowing testimony from relatives earlier this year who spoke of the heartbreak of the loss of children, parents and siblings, and called on "corrupt" Russia to provide justice.
(@FahadShabbir)
The EU announced on Wednesday it is launching legal action against Poland for ignoring European Union law and undermining the independence of its national judiciary
Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Dec, 2021 ) :The EU announced on Wednesday it is launching legal action against Poland for ignoring European Union law and undermining the independence of its national judiciary.
EU economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the infringement proceedings targeted Poland for breaching "general principles of autonomy, primacy (of EU law)" by violating the requirement its courts be "independent and impartial".
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2021) Michael Flynn, who briefly served as National Security Adviser to President Donald Trump, has launched a new lawsuit to prevent the US House of Representatives Select Committee probe into the events at the US Capitol on January 6 from accessing his phone records, media reported.
Flynn's new lawsuit was revealed on Tuesday, CNN reported. It is the eighth legal challenge into the Democrat-led Select Committee's efforts to investigate Trump's attempts to get the result of the November 2020 presidential election overturned, the report said.
The panel has now subpoenaed six former Trump administration officials, including William Stepien, Jason Miller, Angela McCallum, John Eastman, Bernard Kerik and Flynn, Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson said earlier.
In November of 2020, Trump issued a pardon for Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during a probe into allegations of Trump-Russia collusion prior to and during the 2016 US presidential election. The investigation undertaken by Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion and Russia has repeatedly denied interfering in the US political system.
Flynn was the only person convicted within the investigation by Mueller into possible collusion. However, evidence emerged later on that the FBI framed Flynn and the Justice Department dropped the case.
(@FahadShabbir)
The death toll from Malaysia's worst floods in years rose to 27 on Wednesday, as a clean-up operation gathered pace and residents assessed the damage unleashed by the disaster
Kuala Lumpur, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Dec, 2021 ) :The death toll from Malaysia's worst floods in years rose to 27 on Wednesday, as a clean-up operation gathered pace and residents assessed the damage unleashed by the disaster.
Days of torrential rain caused rivers to overflow at the weekend, swamping cities, cutting off major roads, and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
Selangor -- Malaysia's most densely populated and wealthiest state, encircling the capital Kuala Lumpur -- has been one of the worst-hit areas.
Many in its flood-hit state capital Shah Alam were left stranded in their homes with barely any food for days, before being evacuated on boats in a chaotic rescue operation.
"We actually lost everything -- our cars, our house. Everything gone," said Chan Yung, who had been evacuated in Shah Alam.
"We hope the government will give us some support." Floodwaters have been slowly receding, and authorities said the process would speed up after a broken sluice gate -- which controls the flow of water into a nearby river -- was repaired.
The death toll rose to 27 -- 20 in Selangor and seven in the eastern state of Pahang, according to state news agency Bernama.
With reports of people still missing, it is expected to climb.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim urged the government to hold a public inquiry following the widely criticised flood response.
Poor coordination between government agencies and the delayed deployment of the military "turned the response to the natural disaster into a human, governance disaster", he said.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has admitted there were "weaknesses" but pledged improvements in future.
Around 65,000 people have been evacuated, most of them in Selangor and Pahang, according to official data, which revised down by several thousand a figure released Tuesday.
The Southeast Asian nation is hit by floods annually during the monsoon season, from November to February, but those at the weekend were the worst since 2014.
Global warming has been linked to worsening floods.
Because a warmer atmosphere holds more water, climate change increases the risk and intensity of flooding from extreme rainfall.
Hundreds of indigenous people defied a state of siege on Tuesday and blocked a major road in Guatemala's west for the second successive day, demanding the government resolve a bloody century-old land dispute
Santa Catarina Ixtahuac'n, Guatemala, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Dec, 2021 ) :Hundreds of indigenous people defied a state of siege on Tuesday and blocked a major road in Guatemala's west for the second successive day, demanding the government resolve a bloody century-old land dispute.
On Monday, members of the Mayan K'iche group blocked the Interamericana highway with the caskets of 11 of the 13 victims of a weekend massacre in which four children aged between five and 16 "were chopped up with machetes." "The people want peace and tranquility and an immediate solution, because all that we're asking for is a border," said Francisco Tambriz, 51, a community leader from the Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan municipality that is in conflict with the neighboring Nahuala.
"Santa Catarina is crying blood," said Tambriz.
Although both communities are K'iche, they have been fighting over land -- at times violently -- for more than 100 years.
On Friday night, armed men with "high caliber" weapons ambushed a group of people from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan who went to the village of Chiquix in Nahuala to pick corn.
The children were cut into pieces and the victims were then burnt inside the truck they were traveling in.
A police vehicle was also attacked, leaving one officer dead and two injured.
The Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan community claims those in Nahuala have stolen some of their land.
Late on Monday, President Alejandro Giammattei declared a month-long state of siege in the two communities, which means demonstrations and the right to carry weapons are banned.
"These events are no longer the product of an ancestral land conflict. They are the direct consequence of an illegal armed and organized group that acted against civilians and security forces through an ambush," said Giammattei.
He vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Three men carrying M16 rifles were arrested on Sunday. Authorities said they would carry out forensic tests on the weapons to see if they were used in the massacre.
Protesters blocked the Interamaericana -- one of Guatemala's main highways, which links the capital to the west -- with tires, tree trunks, rocks and concrete blocks.
A committee of local residents has traveled to Guatemala City to meet officials to try to set a legal border between the two communities.
In May 2020, Giammattei also declared a state of siege and installed a roundtable to negotiate a solution, but the Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan community said the initiative failed.
"We don't want any more deaths, we don't want any more violence. We are looking for peace and justice," said a man at the roadblock who identified himself only as Diego.
Indigenous people, many living in poverty, make up more than 40 percent of Guatemala's almost 17 million population, according to official statistics.
Madagascar reeled on Wednesday from a double tragedy in which at least 64 people died in a shipwreck, according to an updated toll, while two people remained missing from a helicopter that crashed during a search for survivors
Antananarivo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Dec, 2021 ) :Madagascar reeled on Wednesday from a double tragedy in which at least 64 people died in a shipwreck, according to an updated toll, while two people remained missing from a helicopter that crashed during a search for survivors.
A wooden vessel -- believed to be a cargo boat not authorised to carry passengers -- came to grief off the island's northeastern coast early on Monday with an estimated 130 people on board.
"Twenty-five bodies were found this morning near Sainte-Marie island, probably due to sea currents, which brings the death total to 64," gendarmerie general Zafisambatra Ravoavy told AFP.
Five children are among the dead, according to the authorities.
Fifty passengers have been rescued, while the search continues for 15 missing.
The vessel had set off from the village of Antseraka, heading for Soanierana-Ivongo, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the south.
Initial investigations suggested the vessel's engine had a "technical problem", according to Adrien Fabrice Ratsimbazafy of the River and Maritime Port Agency (APMF).
He said the issue had left the boat vulnerable to the waves and caused it to run aground on a reef, where it took on water.
A maritime official speaking on condition of anonymity said most of the survivors had been on the bridge of the vessel.
- 'Devastated' - Jocelyne Kalou, who manages the Le Fumet hotel at Soanierana-Ivongo, said the local graveyard was "too small to accommodate all the bodies. They are being sent to villages in the surrounding area." Local mayor Alban Menavolo said he had helped to take 39 bodies by truck to the village, saying most of them were locals and he had known some of them.
"I am very tired -- I am having to shoulder the grief of the entire community. This kind of tragedy is very rare," he said.
Within hours of the disaster, a police helicopter that had set off from the capital Antananarivo with police minister Serge Gelle onboard to help with search and rescue crashed at sea.
Gelle and an officer were thrown out of the craft and survived by swimming for nearly 12 hours to reach land.
They were found separately on Tuesday morning by locals on the beach at Mahambo, around 75 kilometres (75 miles) from the port city of Toamasina.
- Survivor's tale - In a video shared on social media, Gelle, 57, appeared lying exhausted on a beach chair, still in his camouflage uniform.
"My time to die hasn't come yet," he said, expressing his thanks to villagers and local fishermen.
He said he was cold but uninjured.
"I will be able to resume work in 24 hours," he said.
Gelle spent 30 years in the gendarmerie, rising to the rank of general, before joining the government in a reshuffle in August.
Gelle told AFP tv, "We hadn't been expecting (to crash) at all. The helicopter was being buffeted by gusts of wind, and then we fell." The cause was not "pilot error" or mechanical failure, he said.
"If I'm still alive... it's because we were flying at low altitude -- we didn't fly very high because we were flying low, following the sea," Gelle said.
He added that he had used one of the helicopter's seats "as a lifebuoy." A fisherman who gave his first name as Zambi told AFP that Gelle was picked up after he had called out for help.
"We set our sails to go and pick him up when we saw him," he said.
Ravoavy said that Gelle "has always had great stamina in sport, and he's kept up this rhythm as minister, just like a thirty-year-old." "He has nerves of steel," he said.
Two gendarmes, including the pilot, remain missing. A second helicopter carrying Prime Minister Christian Ntsay and Defence Minister Richard Rakotonirina landed safely after taking part in the operation.
President Andry Rajoelina has declared Thursday a day of national mourning.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Russia's chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov had a phone call on Wednesday to address regional security issues of concern, Joint Staff spokesman Col. Dave Butler said
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2021) US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Russia's chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov had a phone call on Wednesday to address regional security issues of concern, Joint Staff spokesman Col. Dave Butler said.
"The military leaders discussed regional security-related issues of concern," Butler said.
"The phone call is a continuation of communication between both leaders to ensure risk reduction and operational de-confliction. In accordance with past practice, both have agreed to keep the specific details of their conversation private," he added.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart discussed a "threat" posed by Iran as their delegations gathered for a meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group in Jerusalem on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2021) US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart discussed a "threat" posed by Iran as their delegations gathered for a meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
"The delegations discussed the need to confront all aspects of the threat posed by Iran, including its nuclear program, destabilizing activities in the region, and support for terrorist proxy groups. They agreed that Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear program poses a grave threat to the region and to international peace and security," the sides said in a joint statement.
Catholic Bishops in the Philippines are calling on the faithful to give their support to Church relief efforts for people affected by the deadly super-typhoon which hit the Mindanao and Visayas regions last week.
By Lisa Zengarini
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has set December 25 and 26 as national days of prayer for families affected by super-typhoon Rai.
They are also encouraging dioceses across the country to hold collections at all Masses on Christmas Day and the following day for the victims.
Let us please respond with generosity, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, CBCP president wrote in a message .
Caritas mobilizing
Collections will be remitted to the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA), the Philippine Caritas which is currently mobilizing relief work in the devastated areas.
The Catholic humanitarian arm of the Philippine Church has urged donations from parishioners in the spirit of the Christmas season.
May this season of giving offer us more opportunities to do consistent acts of Alay Kapwa [offering of oneself], especially during this time of need, a Facebook announcement reads.
208 dead and 490,000 displaced
Rai, locally known as Odette, intensified into a super-typhoon before making a landfall in the island of Siargao in Surigao del Norte province in Mindanao region on December 16 and sweeping Southern Leyte in the Visayas region.
With winds of up to 195 km, the typhoon killed at least 208 people, injured almost 2,500, and destroyed houses and infrastructure, displacing 490,000 people and leaving billions of pesos in damage. Experts compare its power to Haiyan, which hit the country in 2013, claiming more than 7,300 lives.
Several dioceses in the Visayas Islands were severely damaged by the typhoon. Many of the people affected are in desperate need of food, water, clothing, temporary shelter and medicines. Most of the road networks are cut off, so reaching the affected communities is extremely difficult.
During the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the Philippine people asking for prayers and assistance for the victims.
In the wake of continuing migrant tragedies at sea, Pope Francis appeals for urgent and concrete political action to tackle migration issues.
By Linda Bordoni
Pope Francis on Wednesday appealed for a joint effort between Europe's political leaders and authorities to find concrete solutions to safeguard the lives and dignity of migrants arriving on the continent.
Speaking during the General Audience the Pope recalled his recent journey to Cyprus and Greece in which, he said, he touched, yet again, the wounded humanity of refugees and migrants.
I also ascertained that only some European countries are bearing the majority of the consequences of the migratory phenomenon in the Mediterranean area, while in reality, it requires a shared responsibility, from which no country can exempt itself," he said.
The Popes reiterated appeal comes in the wake of yet another migrant tragedy in the Mediterranean that saw at least 160 people drowning in the stretch of sea between Libya and the Italian island of Lampedusa.
It also comes as increasing numbers of desperate men, women, and children attempt the dangerous Channel crossing between England and France or undertake the freezing "Balkan route" path in eastern Europe.
A shared responsibility
Pope Francis noted that thanks to the generous openness of Italian authorities, he was able to bring a group of people whom he had met during his apostolic visit to Rome.
Some of them are here in our midst today. Welcome! We will take care them, as Church, in the coming months, he said, noting that this is a small sign that I hope may serve as a stimulus for other European countries, so that they may allow local ecclesial realities to take charge of other brothers and sisters who urgently need to be relocated."
The next step: integration
The Pope went on to say that after receiving people in need, it is necessary to pave the way for their integration.
There are many local Churches, religious congregations, and Catholic organizations that are ready to welcome them and accompany them towards a fruitful integration, he said: All that is needed is to open a door, the door of the heart!
Meeting with Afghan child
At the end of the General Audience, Pope Francis took time to greet the one-and-a-half-year-old child he had come into contact with during his visit to a refugee camp in Greece at the beginning of December.
Thanks to the efforts of the SantEgidio Community, the child who is in need of medical care, was flown to Rome with his family and is undergoing treatment at the Vaticans Paediatric Bambino Gesu Hospital.
The child, from Afghanistan, and his family were amongst the many gathered at the Mavrovouni refugee camp on the island of Lesbos to welcome Pope Francis on the morning of 5 December. On that occasion the Pope issued an appeal for coordinated actions to remove the root causes of poverty, underlining that migration is a humanitarian crisis that concerns everyone.
Vietnams National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hues recent visit to India underlines the importance of trade and strategic ties between both countries.
Bilateral trade between India and Vietnam has been steadily rising over the past two decades with significant scope for trade in pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, and IT services.
As both countries look to bounce back after the pandemic, the India-Vietnam relationship remains strong with significant potential estimated at US$1.1 billion in bilateral trade volume.
Vietnams National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue visited India from December 15 to 19 to help deepen strategies ties between both countries. The visit was part of the NA Chairmans visit to South Korea and India to boost cooperation in economic trade, investment, and cultural ties that included several government ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai.
Vietnam and India will celebrate 50 years of close ties in 2022 with events planned for the anniversary.
Rising investment, trade, and cooperation
During Hues visit to India, the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in energy, technology, sustainable development, green economy, and climate change. Both countries also want to reopen direct air routes and recognize each others vaccine passports to boost trade and people movement.
As part of the visit, Indias Bharat Biotech which manufactures the Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine donated 200,000 doses of the vaccine for children, while one ton of raw materials for pandemic drug production and medical materials were sent.
In addition, both countries signed key agreements including 12 MoUs in several areas such as technology aviation, internet of things (IoT) blockchain, infrastructure, as well as petrochemical refinery projects, and oil and gas processing.
Vietnam and India have shared strong bilateral relations historically, and for the past two decades, trade between the two countries has risen considerably. These economic ties have materialized into several Indian investments in Vietnam in various sectors.
Vietnam is an important country for India in its Act Easy Policy and Indo-Pacific Strategy in the Southeast Asian region.
The enormous volatility in the global trade environment has pushed businesses into diversifying their supply chains away from China, which has increased the importance of the India-Vietnam trade route for international business.
India, which is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, currently ranks fifth globally in terms of GDP. The ASEAN-India Free Trade Area (AIFTA), which Vietnam is a part of, was established in 2009 as a result of convergence in interests of all parties in advancing their economic ties across the Asia-Pacific.
Vietnams manufacturing industry has rapidly emerged as a highly effective location for incoming electronics and telecom manufacturers who are relocating from China due to increased costs and the US-China trade war. The country has bolstered investor confidence with quick and efficient containment of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vietnam is becoming a leading choice for major companies looking to set up their new manufacturing hubs and diversify their supply chains.
India has significant expertise in IT services, pharmaceuticals, and oil & gas, all of which can significantly benefit Vietnam. Additionally, there are export opportunities in zinc, iron, steel, and man-made staple fibers from India to Vietnam.
A large middle class in Indias 1.3 billion population and its customs-duty exemption for ASEAN products make it a lucrative destination for Vietnamese exports. There is a notable scope for the development of services related to wholesale & retail trade, transportation & storage, business support along with trade opportunities in cotton and knitted clothing.
Bilateral trade
Over the past two decades, bilateral trade between Vietnam and India has steadily grown from US$200 million in 2000 to US$12.3 billion in the financial year 2019-2020.
The two countries aimed to raise bilateral trade to US$15 billion by 2020, but COVID-19 related trade disruption resulted in a 9.9 percent trade shrinkage to US$12.3 billion in the last financial year. Vietnam has emerged as the 18th largest trading partner of India, while the latter ranks 23rd out of 141 countries investing in Vietnam. India has about 351 projects in Vietnam with registered capital of US$991.76 million as per the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).
Exports from Vietnam to India include mobile phones, electronic components, machinery, computer technology, natural rubber, chemicals, and coffee. On the other hand, its key imports from India include meat and fishery products, corn, steel, pharmaceuticals, cotton, and machinery.
After India announced its decision to opt-out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the ASEAN-India FTA is expected to be reviewed to compensate for the potential trade loss.
Foreign direct investment
Vietnams strategic location close to existing manufacturing hubs, its favorable position in accessing other Southeast Asian markets, and its proactive approach towards opening its markets to the world has helped it gain popularity as an attractive manufacturing and sourcing location.
The rising importance of Vietnam in global supply chains has the potential to strengthen India-Vietnam ties further. India is estimated to have invested nearly US$2 billion in Vietnam including funds channeled via other countries. Over 200 Indian investment projects in Vietnam are primarily focused on sectors including energy, mineral exploration, agrochemicals, sugar, tea, coffee manufacturing, IT, and auto components. Several major Indian businesses such as Adani Group, Mahindra, chemicals major SRF, and renewables giant Suzlon have shown interest in venturing into Vietnam.
Indias salt to IT conglomerate Tata Coffee recently inaugurated their 5000 MTPA freeze-dried coffee production plant in Binh Duong province of Vietnam last year. This US$50 million coffee facility was commissioned within 19 months of the ground-breaking ceremony.
Another example is HCL Technology Group, which is considering establishing a US$650 million technology center in Vietnam and plans to recruit and train over 10,000 engineers within the next five years.
With the implementation of major infrastructure projects like Tata Powers Long Phu II 1320 MW thermal power project worth US$2.2 billion, the investment figures are expected to rise considerably. The thermal power project was first coined in 2013 and was originally expected to be fully operational by 2022, but the revised seventh Power Development Plan (PDP7) indicates an eight-year delay, shifting its launch to 2030.
This delay appears to be due to Vietnams shift toward renewable energy. Nevertheless, opportunities remain for Indian investors in the renewable energy industry, specifically in solar and wind due to increased power demand. Reports indicate that the Tata group is in talks of investing further in solar- and wind-power projects.
Following Hues visit, Indias Essar Group has eyed further investment in Vietnam for oil and gas discovery. The group along with Italys ENI has already invested US$300 million in hydrocarbon block 114 located offshore Central Vietnam with approximately 2 billion barrels of oil and gas.
In addition, Vietnams petrochemical firm Vinh Son Refining and Petrochemical JSC (BSR), plans to cooperate with Indias state-owned Indian Oil to develop petrochemical refinery projects in Vietnam, India, and other countries.
Opportunities for Indian investors
Vietnam provides several lucrative reasons to invest such as increased access to markets, favorable investment policies, free trade agreements, economic growth, political stability, low labor costs, and a young workforce. As per a Standard Chartered report on trade opportunities, Vietnams exports to India have the potential to grow by 10 percent annually, or approximately US$633 million. This projected growth is primarily focused on goods export (53 percent) and services (46 percent).
Pharmaceutical
Vietnams domestic pharmaceutical industry is currently able to meet just 53 percent of the countrys demand, representing significant opportunities for Indian investors as India is among the leading global producers of generic medicines supplying 20 percent of total global demand by volume. There is an enormous potential for Vietnam to purchase generic medicines from India, but the former is actively trying to get Indian pharmaceutical companies to manufacture in Vietnam instead of importing.
Agriculture
Vietnam is seeking alternate buyers for its agricultural exports, after the reduction in demand from China due to the pandemic. Lifting Indias trade barriers on the import of agricultural products can open a new market for Vietnamese agricultural exporters. Also, there is a significant potential for investment in breeding technology, irrigation technology, and storage facilities. Vietnams topography, climate, and fertile soil make it suitable for coffee plantations. The TATA group has expressed plans of investing in the installation of agricultural machinery to serve demand in the Mekong Delta.
Tourism
The tourism industry in Vietnam is a largely untapped market sector for Indian businesses, which is likely to gain strong traction after the pandemic. The country received over 15.5 million international arrivals in 2018, a seven-fold increase from 2.1 million in 2000. Over 31,400 Vietnamese visited India the same year, a 32 percent increase from the previous year. India is a preferred destination for Vietnamese pilgrims and medical tourists.
Indias low-cost carrier Indigo launched direct flights linking Indias Kolkata with Vietnams Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in November 2019. Following this launch, Vietnamese low-cost carrier, Vietjet Air started direct flights connecting Indias New Delhi with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Improved connectivity will help Vietnam in diversifying its tourism portfolio, which currently is largely dependent on Chinese and South Korean tourists. With Chinas tourism market potentially locked for the foreseeable future due to the pandemic, direct flights between Vietnam and India would not only help the tourism industry but also facilitate business deals and investment.
SMEs
SMEs play a large role in both Indias and Vietnams economies. Earlier in the year, India and Vietnam held a promotion conference titled Boosting trade-investment cooperation opportunities between Vietnamese and Indian SMEs organized by Vietnams Trade Office of the Vietnamese Embassy in India, Indias Uttar Pradesh state government, the Indian Industries Association (IIA), and Vietnams Hanoi SME Association. The takeaway was that several major businesses have shown interest in coming to Vietnam.
The IIA noted that Vietnam is looking to attract investment in sectors such as energy, mineral exploration, agriculture, tea, IT, and automobiles. Nevertheless, challenges remain regarding high corporate income tax rates for specific sectors such as oil and gas.
SMEs contribute close to 40 percent of Indias exports but also need government support to thrive. Indian SMEs will have to further internationalize. For example, Indias Tamil Nadu state has a diversified manufacturing industry dominated by SMEs with a number of factories and special economic zones. However, at the moment, SMEs in Tamil Nadu are yet to connect to business opportunities in Vietnam. This is a missed opportunity. As per ADB such businesses can connect through Indias Market Access Initiative and Market Development Assistance schemes to tap into potential businesses and market sectors.
Apart from streamlining regulatory standards between both countries, both governments will also have to hold seminars, events, and trade fairs to ensure that SME are aware of the various opportunities in the relevant market fields.
Supporting industries
Vietnam is an attractive destination to produce and export, thanks to its assortment of free trade agreements with several countries, allowing products to be exported to these countries with attractive low tariffs. There is a need for the development of the local supporting industry to support major manufacturers, and Indian businesses have the potential to fill the gaps in this sector.
Takeaways
With Vietnams strong economic growth in the past few years, a review of the India-ASEAN free trade agreement is necessary to foster further trade in promising emerging sectors between both countries.
As pointed out by the Standard Chartered report, there is considerable scope to increase trade between India and Vietnam should both governments take a proactive approach to trade and investment and realize this potential.
The Christmas season is a time for faith and magic; a time for showing kindness and gratitude. In Sweden, there is a special type of magic unique to Scandinavia. Already famous for its trolls, Sweden also has a legendary little bearded man who lives in the hay loft, and secretly looks after the farmstead at night.
The legend of Tomten is captured in the classic poem by 19th century Swedish writer Victor Rydberg. Astrid Lindgren, author of the enchanting childrens tales of Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Langstrump) and The Brothers Lionheart (Broderna Lejonhjarta), later adapted Rydbergs Tomten into a fanciful and charmingly illustrated story book.
As the narrative progresses through a cold and snowy winters night, we see Tomten carefully make his way from his hidden corner in the hayloft to every structure on the farm to check on all the livestock, ascertaining that everything is in order. At last, he peeps in on the children, asleep in their beds. No one has ever seen Tomten, yet the children will see his tiny footprints in the snow when morning comes.
The tomten has always been at the farm, for generation after generation, but only the animals ever see him. He comes out just at night, when all the people are asleep. For as long as people live at this lonely old farm, Tomten will perform his nightly duties.
The animals are his friends and he speaks to them in a silent language that they can understand. He gives the hens a bit of corn in exchange for an egg. He fetches extra straw to make the doghouse more comfortable for his friend Karo. He welcomes the cats company in the hay loft, and gives her milk from the cows.
Tomte is a pensive little fellow, pondering the passage of time. Winters come and winters go, he assures the cows and horses, as they dream of summer pastures. He would like to communicate with the children, too, because they would also understand his silent language, but alas, children sleep at night.
Still is the forest and all the land, Locked in this wintry year. Only the distant waterfall Whispers and sighs in his ear. The tomte listens and, half in dream, Thinks that he hears Times endless stream, And wonders, where is it bound? Where is its source to be found? Translated from Victor Rydbergs Tomten 1881
As the legend goes, a tomte is linked with the original owner of the farm, thought to be a manifestation of his spirit. He is understood to be a guardian figure, who has mighty power despite his small stature. Jealous neighbors of a prospering farmer might accuse him of harboring a tomte.
A tomte is a traditionalist, and can easily be offended by modernizations or other changes in the farm. Likewise, he will not tolerate poor behavior, such as rudeness, cursing, or the abuse of his animal friends. Once offended, he may take himself off and never return.
To keep a tomte happy, one must be good, and be kind. On Christmas, he especially appreciates his favorite meal of porridge topped with butter. Treated well, the Tomte may bring good fortune to the farm and family.
Most Swedish homes have one or several tomte figures about the house. For a touch of Swedish tradition, try adding a Tomte to your Christmas decor.
Make your own tomte
With a strip of faux fur and felt, and some odd bits of wood, you can easily make small tomte gifts or ornaments.
Tomte craft materials: Wooden beads, small sections of natural wood, felt, foam, fake fur, hot glue, and needle and thread. (Image: Ila Bonczek/Vision Times)
For this simple craft, you will need:
2-4 inch section of natural wood or dowel
Felt triangle for the hat (red, green, or gray)
Faux fur for the beard (white)
Wooden bead for the nose
Stuffing material or foam for inside the hat
Hot glue gun
Thin needle and thread to match hat
Instructions:
Stitch the hat before placing on the body. (Image: Ila Bonczek/Vision Times)
Shape your felt triangle into a hat that will fit loosely over the top end of the wood. Pin one edge overlapping the other and straight stitch up the back side, gathering the tip into a point at the top. Gently stuff the hat, or hot glue a shaped piece of foam to the top of the wood. Cut a triangular piece of faux fur big enough for a long beard.
Triangular beard glued to section of branch or dowel (Image: Ila Bonczek/Vision Times)
Hot glue the beard inch from the top surface of the wood Hot glue a nose in the top center of the beard. If you are using beads, face the holes up and down unless you want him to have nostrils. Fit the hat onto the bearded tomten, and hot glue to the nose first, covering the top-facing hole in the bead. Secure the hat over the beard and around the back with hot glue, so that it fits snug and looks like its falling over his eyes.
Finished Tomte, with hat secured over beard and nose. (Image: Ila Bonczek)
Although tomtes are traditionally solitary souls, once you have the materials its easy to make a whole mess of them and they can have a jolly convention!
On this edition of Straight Talk Africa, host Hayde Adams brings you the best interviews from the show in 2021. Featured are conversations with Aya Chebbi, a youth activist, Abdi Nageeye, Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, Elizabeth Wathuti, a climate change activist, Sangu Delle, CEO of Africa Health Holding and Johnny Miller, photographer of Unequal Scenes.
President Joe Biden urged people to not panic as he announced on Tuesday an updated three-pronged plan to fight an expected rise in COVID-19 cases after the emergence of the highly transmissible omicron variant. He also pleaded with the millions of unvaccinated Americans to get their shots.
Americas mayors are most concerned about the lingering mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a nationwide survey of 126 mayors conducted during the summer of 2021.
The respondents headed cities with at least 75,000 residents. The local leaders are still focused on traditional issues such as violent crime, the economy and infrastructure, but they are most concerned about the pandemics long-term impact on the mental health of their constituents.
Mental health was top of mind for Michael Udine when he was sworn in as mayor of Broward County, Florida, in November 2021.
Everything that was a potential issue pre-pandemic has pretty much been exacerbated by the pandemic, he says. There were issues going into the pandemic, and it was becoming more and more important on everyone's radar screen about the mental health of people of all ages. And I think the pandemic pretty much supercharged those issues.
It is not unusual for large outbreaks of disease to have a negative impact on mental health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports that rates of anxiety and depressive disorders among adults increased during the pandemic.
The pandemic has also adversely influenced the emotional and mental health of about one-third of Americas youth.
What we've seen is just such anxiety, kids who wouldn't ordinarily have a meltdown, because it's so much change and difficulty adjusting to transitions, Maryland psychologist Mary Karapetian Alvord told VOA last month. We've also seen a lot more sadness and depression.
Early on in the pandemic, mayors were more focused on city operations, budget shortfalls and the threat the pandemic posed to small businesses, according to David Glick, an associate professor of political science at Boston University and a co-author of the 2021 Menino Survey of Mayors.
Some of those concerns still remain, but what we saw more of in 2021 is concern about some of the long-term impacts on individual residents, Glick says. Concerns about polarization over vaccines and just people being pushed to their limits and certainly less on their city budgets and revenues and having to cut programs and some of those types of things that were probably more top of mind earlier in the pandemic.
Over half of mayors, 52%, are worried about lingering mental health challenges and trauma, according to the survey. Additionally, more than one-third of mayors, 37%, are worried about learning loss among young people.
Second only to mental health and trauma, and they're probably not totally independent concerns, Glick says. It is part of that shift of mayors concerns from immediate threats to businesses closing and people getting sick, to some of these longer-term consequences that are going to persist in the future. And learning loss among their students, theyre worried it's going to persist for many, many, many years into the future. It's hard to make up for.
According to the survey, other top concerns for Americas mayors include the financial insecurity of low-income residents (33%), the closing of small businesses (29%) and increased crime and violence (26%).
Just 7% of mayors are worried about the shift to remote work and the long-term impact that could have on outmigration people moving away from their cities.
The $350 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan to local and state governments could help mayors address some of their concerns. The survey found that 78% of mayors believe the money will allow them to make meaningful change.
What we're seeing is a large majority are using it for things they consider to be transformative and will make major changes to their cities, Glick says, instead of feeling obligated or feeling the necessity to use it to plug up over-budget gaps to keep the doors open and the lights on.
A media bill presented to Azerbaijans parliament has been criticized by some journalists who warn that it could restrict their ability to work independently.
The About the Media bill was introduced in parliament on December 10. It is scheduled for a third and final hearing in the coming weeks, after which President Ilham Aliyev is likely to sign it into law.
The proposed bill includes measures such as the establishment of a centralized media registry, licensing of online TV and accreditation of journalists. Other provisions focus on reporting on religious extremism or under martial or emergency law.
Critics say the proposal would give the government leverage over determining who works as a journalist, and that regulating online TV a medium that has gained popularity because of restrictions on more traditional broadcasting could undermine the free flow of information.
Concerns were also raised that clauses on martial law and religious extremism could further expand the governments powers to interfere with content.
The bill stems from a decree that the president signed in January on deepening media reforms.
Natiq Javadli, a journalist who works for Berlin-based Meydan TV, believes the law would introduce new restrictions on journalists.
We are not going to be able to independently call government officials and receive response, because we will be asked if we have been registered as journalists, or not, Javadli said.
Media expert Alasgar Mammadli told VOA the bill does not appear to have taken into account public opinion or international input.
This bill envisages the regulation of all journalists in a singular manner, particularly when it comes to their accreditation and the licensing of internet TV. These seriously contravene international legal norms, Mammadli said.
Media watchdogs and analysts in Azerbaijan say the proposed bill has not been approved by the Venice Commission the Council of Europes independent advisory body that looks at constitutional matters or the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europes media body, both of which Baku is supposed to collaborate with.
Analysts also say the draft bill may contravene protections for freedom of expression in the Azerbaijan Constitution.
Parliamentarian Fazil Mustafa rejected the idea that the draft bill would amount to censorship. He said that many provisions, including for the centralized registry and journalist licensing, are not obligatory.
[The] media registry is voluntary. Those who register are considered journalists, as are those who do not. Simply, those who register may find it beneficial, Mustafa told VOA, adding that it could help in utilizing certain privileges.
Mustafa said the licensing of online television was necessary because journalists, any media outlets, cannot function outside the legal framework.
Bakus Media Development Agency, which played a significant role in the preparation of the bill, has said that it corresponds with international norms.
Mushfig Alasgarli, head of the Journalists Trade Union of Azerbaijan, was also more optimistic. He said he believes the bill will clarify some of the issues around regulation of online media and said that it recognizes the rights of freelance journalists.
They exist de-facto and they work. Until now, their status has not been recognized in the legal sphere, he said.
Establishing a media registry could remedy the haphazard ways in which media outlets have been registered by the Justice Ministry until now, Alasgarli added.
Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova disagreed, saying it will be nearly impossible for freelancers to work if they are not considered journalists under the law.
There is a provision that requires a special registry for journalism and if you are not in registry, then you are not a journalist, Ismayilova said.
In her view, the law will, in effect, place journalism under direct state control.
She also raised concerns about the draft bills language regarding reporting on law enforcement operations against extremism or terrorism.
The award-winning journalist has previously been imprisoned in what rights groups say was retaliation for her coverage of corruption. Ismayilova, who worked for the Azeri service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was arrested in 2014 and spent over 530 days in prison on charges of libel, tax evasion and illegal business activities.
RFE/RL is part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which also oversees VOA.
Ismayilova said that rather than helping independent journalists, the new law seeks to convert reporters into government spokespersons, because authorities will be able to define who is or is not a journalist.
Azerbaijan has a poor media freedom record, ranking 167 out of 180 countries where 1 is freest, according to Reporters Without Borders. The watchdog said that journalists are jailed on absurd grounds if they do not first yield to harassment, blackmail or bribes, and that access to several news websites is blocked.
As of December 1, two journalists were in prison on what the press freedom organization the Committee to Protect Journalists says are charges in retaliation for their work.
This story originated in VOAs Azeri Service. Asgar Asgarov contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden urged people to not panic as he announced on Tuesday an updated three-pronged plan to fight an expected rise in COVID-19 cases after the emergence of the highly transmissible omicron variant. He also pleaded with the millions of unvaccinated Americans to get their shots. VOA's Anita Powell reports from the White House.
A federal court in Manhattan sentenced a man to three years in prison this week for sending threatening text messages to the family of a journalist.
Robert Lemke, a 36-year-old from the San Francisco, California area, had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of making threatening interstate communications.
Prosecutors told the court that threatening text and audio messages were sent to approximately 50 people between November 2020 and early January.
Lemke refused to accept the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
[Lemke] sent messages threatening dozens of victims, including journalists, elected officials, and their families, for the perceived offense of stating the facts, Williams said.
Rather than attempting to effect change through the lawful forms of expression that all of us Americans still enjoy, Lemke sought to quell freedom of expression, to intimidate and instill fear in others by threats of violence, the attorney added.
At least one message was sent to a New York-based journalist during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
The message read: [The journalists] words are putting you and your family at risk. We are nearby, armed and ready."
Julia Gatto, the lawyer representing Lemke, said in court documents that her client had a history of mental illness and drinking problems, but no history of violence, The New York Times reported.
Lemke was egged on by the incendiary rhetoric and consumed with the narrative that the election had been stolen from Donald Trump, Gatto wrote.
At least three phone numbers and various electronic accounts were used by Lemke in an attempt to hide his identity, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York.
Prosecutors did not identify those targeted by Lemke. But after Mondays ruling, CNNs chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter, said he and fellow news anchor Don Lemon were among those targeted.
In an article published on CNNs website, Stelter, the Reliable Sources host, described receiving text messages in November 2020.
One of the texts included a photo of my father's grave site. Another text described my mother's house, implying he was there, Stelter said.
Stelter said that his colleague Lemon had told the court he feared for the safety of himself and his partner, with some messages saying that the news anchor could be abducted.
Stelter wrote that he agreed to testify at the trial, in the hope that this case would send a message against the pervasive harassment of journalists.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the conviction and sentencing served as important acknowledgements from the U.S. justice system that threatening messages have a chilling effect on public discourse."
"Lemke's case is an important example of how law enforcement can establish real consequences for those who violently threaten journalists. We urge U.S. authorities to continue taking this kind of intimidation seriously," the CPJs U.S. and Canada program coordinator, Katherine Jacobsen, said in a statement.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, nations are looking for ways to coexist with the COVID-19 pathogen without shutting down their economies again with lockdowns The United States reopened its borders in November. Britain has eased testing and quarantine requirements for vaccinated arrivals.
Even countries that once had strict COVID-19 control measures, such as Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, have all dropped their goal of zero cases. Instead, most countries are trying to prevent their health care systems from becoming stretched to the breaking point while allowing their citizens to live semi-normal lifestyles.
But theres an outlier: China.
China is the last country still holding onto a strict zero tolerance policy. Over the past two years, Chinese authorities say they have contained more than 30 COVID-19 outbreaks, including ones caused by the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. Strict health care measures help keep the infection at bay, including mass testing, snap lockdowns and extensive quarantines.
A recent outbreak in Chinas Zhejiang province, a major industrial and export hub on the countrys east coast, left more than half a million people in quarantine, hundreds of factories shut down, and most flights out of provincial capital Hangzhou canceled. In November, Shanghai closed Disneyland, banning anyone inside from leaving while officials performed more than 100,000 COVID-19 tests after a single positive case.
And China has locked down Yuzhou and Xian. Yuzhous 1.1 million people were ordered this week to remain indoors, and Xian, with 13 million people, has been under the same restrictions for about two weeks.
With the emergence of more contagious varieties, such as the delta and the new omicron strain of the coronavirus, Beijing seems to be doubling down its effort to contain any sporadic outbreaks.
You have to give China a lot of credit for keeping COVID so low for two years, but now I think we have passed the point where we can expect to prevent cases because its simply so transmissible, and eventually China is going to have to open up to the world, Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Washingtons Georgetown University and the director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law, told VOA.
The omicron variant
Experts pointed out that rigid disease control measures will be unsustainable to maintain as more contiguous variants appear across the globe.
The new omicron variant has been detected in at least 89 countries since it was first discovered in South Africain November. Health officials say the strain may be much more transmissible than delta and more resistant to COVID-19 vaccines.
In fact, the omicron variant might be one of the most infectious pathogens on the planet. So, I don't think it's sustainable for China to expect to have zero tolerance for cases because it's only a matter of time before China is overwhelmed with cases, Gostin told VOA.
A recent study by a team from the University of Hong Kong found the omicron variant multiplies 70 times faster in the human bronchial tubes than the delta variant, leading to faster transmission among humans than previous versions.
Delta is already believed to be more than twice as contagious as previous variants, according to the Yale School of Medicine.
Chen Xi, an associate professor of health policy and economics at the Yale School of Public Health, pointed out that China has shifted from a zero-tolerance policy to a dynamic zero tolerance policy, meaning that the country acknowledges it is impossible to keep the case number to zero.
Yet according to Chen, Beijing is unlikely to relax its strict COVID-19 policies anytime soon.
Chinas approach now is wait and see. There are two major events in China in 2022: the Winter Olympics and the 20th National Congress. So, China does not want to make a move right now that might cause any disruption in its society, Chen told VOA.
Analysts believe Chinese President Xi Jinping will secure a third five-year term at the 20th National Party Congress scheduled for the final months of 2022.
One reason for Chinas extreme caution on COVID-19 transmissions is the number of hospital beds in the country. According to data from Forbes, China has 3.6 ICU beds per 100,00 patients. Meanwhile, that number for the U.S. is 34.7 and 29.2 for Germany.
Chinas medical capacity is insufficient if theres a large outbreak. For example, the number of nurses per 1,000 people in China is about one-seventh that of the U.S., and the United States is already in short supply of nurses, Chen added.
The high financial cost
Government data released last week showed retail sales struggled and investment continued to weaken, suggesting that more frequent outbreaks and lockdowns are taking their toll on the economy.
For example, the recent lockdown in Zhejiang Province, a major manufacturing hub that accounts for 6% of Chinas total economy, is triggering local restrictions and factory shutdowns further supply chain disruption is a significant possibility, analysts from London-based Capital Economics wrote in a research note last week, according to CNN.
Chen from the Yale School of Public Health pointed out that apart from economic costs, there are costs related to Chinas communication with other parties of the world.
We see that many pandemics eventually lead to wars, and thats because these pandemics hinder communication, he said. I think the zero-tolerance policy has a negative effect on Sino-U.S. and Sino-EU relations particularly.
Its not just China, said Huang Yanzhong, a senior Fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. The pandemic is limiting the movement of people; it also limits the effective communication and exchange of ideas.
Huang added, And that is contributing to all this disinformation, misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Other experts argued that Chinas zero tolerance policy might give the country a geopolitical advantage for the long term. Raina MacIntyre is a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and a principal research Fellow at Australias National Health and Medical Research Council. She leads a research program on the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
The virus attacks the heart, the lungs and even causes neurocognitive damage. We have not even begun to appreciate the population level burden of chronic disease, cognitive impairment and organ damage that countries with a large burden of disease will be living with, MacIntyre told VOA.
She said if China keeps the infection largely under control, its population will be fit and healthy into the future, while the U.S. and Europe will be groaning under an unprecedented burden of chronic disease and even generational burden from potential long-term effects on children, she added.
Exit strategy
While Chinas strategy at the moment is to suppress transmission as long as there remains significant transmission globally, experts pointed out some of the costs will accumulate and create a different set of incentives for the country.
Unfortunately, most experts expect widespread transmission of COVID-19 into 2023, and there are plenty of plausible scenarios in which it could last further. Most experts also expect COVID-19 to eventually become endemic, Thomas Hale, a professor of global public health policy at the University of Oxford, told VOA.
He said that all governments, China included, will need to develop plans for how to manage this disease on an ongoing basis.
For an endemic disease, it is very difficult to define success as near zero transmission, he continued, adding that a better metric will be the overall health impact of the disease. He said governments will rely on a mix of vaccines, treatments, increased health care capacity, and containment measures to keep the health impact low.
A vital border crossing between Iraqs Kurdistan Region and Syrias northeast remains closed one week after violent clashes broke out between supporters of a major Syrian Kurdish party and border guards on the Iraqi side.
On December 15, protesters affiliated with the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the de facto ruling party in northeast Syria, clashed with security forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) near the Fishkhabour-Semalka border crossing. The incident prompted Iraqi Kurdish authorities to close the border point indefinitely.
In addition to preventing the movement of travelers, the border shutdown has interrupted the transportation of commodities into northeast Syria, prompting fears it could cause a shortage of basic supplies in Syria. This border crossing is the only outlet that connects northeast Syria to the world.
'Significant impact'
According to the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), several shipments of essential supplies are stuck at the border.
The closure of the Fishkhabour-Semalka border crossing risks having a significant impact on the humanitarian operation in northeast Syria assisting 1.8 million people, ECHO said in a statement on Wednesday.
The aid organization added that it will continue advocating for humanitarian exemptions to allow lifesaving commodities to be sent to Syria and to facilitate the movement of international aid workers in and out of Syria.
The KRG said it would open another border crossing with Syria on Thursday to allow international aid workers to leave Syria.
Syrian Kurdish officials said they werent formally notified by their counterparts on the Iraqi side about the decision to close the Fishkhabour-Semalka border crossing or the border crossing the KRG said it would open Thursday.
They havent reached us formally about this closure, Rodi Amin, head of the border crossings bureau at the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria, told VOA. The border remains open on our side, and we hope that [the KRG] would open the crossing for everyone, not only for international [nongovernmental organizations] workers.
Amin added that hundreds of Syrian Kurds who hold European passports were also stranded in northeast Syria because of the closure.
A KRG spokesman didnt respond to a VOA request for comment.
Other closings
Since its opening in 2013, the Fishkhabour-Semalka border crossing over the Tigris River has been closed several times, often because of political disputes between the two sides.
Last weeks clashes at the border, which reportedly wounded six Iraqi Kurdish guards, came after Syrian Kurdish protesters demanded the KRG hand over the bodies of four Syrian Kurdish fighters who were killed in a recent Turkish strike in northern Iraq. Some Iraq-based Kurdish fighters affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are Syrian nationals.
Iraqi Kurdish officials said they didn't have any information about those slain fighters, according to the Irbil-based Rudaw news network.
Analysts said the politicization of the border issue harms only civilians in war-torn Syria.
"The two sides should solve their differences through diplomatic channels, said Zara Saleh, a Kurdish political analyst in London.
This border crossing essentially provides a lifeline to the people on the Syrian side who have been suffering from a decadelong conflict, so ethically it should never be exploited for political gain, he told VOA.
The KRG said it wouldn't open the crossing until Syrian Kurdish authorities gave guarantees that such attacks wouldn't happen in the future, Rudaw TV reported Tuesday.
VOAs Zana Omer contributed to this report from Qamishli, Syria. This story originated in VOAs Kurdish Service.
British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca and Oxford University say they are developing a new version of its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine that will provide protection specifically against the new omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The vaccine is an adenovirus-based vaccine which, according to the Mayo Clinic, has been altered so it cannot integrate into a persons DNA and make them sick. Johnson & Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is also adenovirus-based.
Sandy Douglas, a research group leader at Oxford, told the Financial Times newspaper that adenovirus-based vaccines could in principle be used to respond to any new variant more rapidly than some may previously have realized.
A study published Monday in The Lancet medical journal revealed the protection from the current AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine begins to weaken three months after the second shot. The study comes amid growing calls for people who have previously been vaccinated to receive a booster shot against the fast-spreading and highly contagious omicron variant.
Israel will begin offering a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in an effort to blunt the spread of omicron. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that a special advisory panel is recommending the extra shot for people 60 years old and over, as well as those with compromised immune systems and medical workers. The fourth shot should come at least four months after a person got their third dose.
The new recommendations come with Israel in the midst of a fifth wave of new COVID-19 infections driven by the omicron variant. The Health Ministry reported at least 340 confirmed new cases of omicron infections on Tuesday, with the total number of new cases topping 1,300.
Israel has outpaced much of the world in vaccinating its citizens, including offering booster shots of a coronavirus vaccine. Prime Minister Bennett said the approval of a fourth round of inoculations proves Israel continues to stand at the forefront of the global effort to deal with the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the director of the World Health Organizations Europe division warned Tuesday of another storm coming from the rising numbers of omicron across the continent. Dr. Hans Kluge told reporters in Vienna that omicron, which is already dominant in such countries as Britain, Denmark and Portugal, will become the dominant variant in more countries within weeks and push already stretched health systems further to the brink.
Dr. Kluge urged citizens in the 53-county region who are already fully vaccinated to seek a booster shot, calling it "the single most important defense against the omicron" variant, while also observing other mitigation strategies such as mask wearing and social distancing.
WHO Europe has already predicted that the region could face another 700,000 COVID-19 deaths by mid-2022.
Elsewhere, Japan has confirmed its first case of local transmission of omicron. Officials in the central port city of Osaka say a family of three with no record of overseas travel recently tested positive for the variant.
Thailand immediately reinstated its mandatory quarantine period for foreign visitors Tuesday after the country reported its first confirmed case of local omicron transmission. The decision scraps the so-called test-and-go policy that went into effect last month that allowed fully vaccinated visitors to freely enter the country after undergoing a COVID-19 test after arrival and a second test seven days later.
In addition to the test-and-go policy, Thailand is also suspending its sandbox program that required visitors to remain in a specific location but allowed them to move about freely in the area.
Thailand implemented the new policies with the aim of restoring its vital tourism sector, which had crashed due to the pandemic.
At age10, Peter Mutabazi left an abusive home to fend for himself on the streets of Ugandas capital, Kampala. A strangers kindness led to schooling and new opportunity abroad. Now hes a foster dad in the United States of children who have had hard lives. He talks about his experiences in this self-narrated report produced by VOA Africas Betty Ayoub
The man who led a 2008 coup in Guinea and whose brief rule was marked by a stadium massacre against peaceful demonstrators returned to the West African country Wednesday after more than a decade in exile.
After his arrival in the capital, Moussa "Dadis" Camara told supporters he had faith in the country's justice system and was "fully prepared to tell my part of the truth" concerning the 2009 stadium killings when at least 157 people were slain.
"I trust the justice system and I put myself at its disposal," he said, noting that "no one is above the law."
Camara is one of more than a dozen suspects who were charged in connection with the massacre, when Guinean security forces fired upon peaceful demonstrators protesting his intention to run for president.
However, no trial date has ever been set. Earlier this year, human rights groups cited "an evident lack of will to complete preparations" and said victims' families had waited long enough.
"Dadis is a key player in this massacre," said Alseny Sow, a member of the victims' relatives organization. "We expect justice."
For years Guinea's government had sought to prevent his homecoming, fearing it could stoke political instability. However, another coup earlier this year in Guinea put a military junta in power that was more amenable to Camara's return.
On Wednesday, he arrived aboard a commercial flight, wearing a suit and tie and a face mask. The now 57-year-old was largely unrecognizable to most Guineans without the trademark army fatigues and red beret he wore before going into exile.
Camara was shot in the head by one of his bodyguards only a year after he had seized control of Guinea in the aftermath of longtime dictator Lansana Conte's death in December 2008.
Camara's exile to Burkina Faso eventually paved the way for Guinea's first democratic elections since independence from France, which put Alpha Conde in power.
The ex-coup leader did manage to make a brief visit to Guinea in 2013 to attend his mother's funeral, crossing at a land border with Liberia. But Guinean authorities still resisted Camara's permanent return, fearing it could stoke political tensions. When Camara tried to visit Conakry in 2015, Conde forced him to deplane on a layover in Abidjan before the commercial flight could continue to Guinea's capital.
Now Conde, has been overthrown by another junta and remains under military custody. First elected in the landmark 2010 vote, his popularity sank after he ran for a third term, saying term limits did not apply to him. Conde ultimately won re-election in October 2020, only to be deposed in the military coup less than a year later. The reversal of fortunes was not lost on Alphonse Thea, a pharmacist from Camara's hometown, Nzerekore.
"For 11 years [Conde] prevented Dadis from coming to the country," Thea said. "He kept him in a sort of golden prison in Ouagadougou. And now he is the one in prison. Dadis is free."
In India, the government has proposed legislation to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years old, bringing it on par with men and saying it will empower women. But many women activists say the planned law would do little to address deep-seated societal problems that result in millions of young girls being married at an age even younger than 18.
"We are doing this so that they can have time to study and progress. The country is taking this decision for its daughters," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after The Prohibition of Child Marriage [Amendment] Bill was introduced in parliament Tuesday. The action comes more than a year after he said, during an Independence Day speech, that the government is considering raising the legal age of marriage for women.
The government says the aim is to provide equal opportunity to women by giving them more time to complete their education, access employment opportunities, attain psychological maturity before marriage and ensure gender parity.
In a democracy, we are 75 years late in providing equal rights to men and women to enter into matrimony, Smriti Irani, minister of women and child development, said in parliament Tuesday.
The proposed law would mark a major change for women in a country where, according to several estimates, about 50 percent marry before turning 21.
Some womens groups have supported the bill. Completing her education and employability ensures a better life for a girl than being dependent on her husband all her life, Ranjana Kumari, director of the New Delhi-based Center for Social Research, told VOA.
She wants the marriage age for both genders to be the same. Why should the boy be elder to the girl? Who has made that decision? she questioned.
The government says the proposed change is also prompted by concerns for the health of women who become mothers at a young age. Early marriages are linked to higher infant mortality and low life expectancy, especially among rural women.
According to Irani, raising the age of marriage for women would help bring down the incidence of teenage pregnancies.
Some experts, however, cautioned that the proposal might backfire because it does not address the underlying causes of early marriage such as poverty, patriarchal attitudes and lack of access to education, and fear that if these root causes are not solved, an age change could do more harm than good.
They point out that although marriages for girls under 18 are currently illegal, child marriages still pose a major challenge in the country as many as one quarter of women ages 20 to 24 were married before they turned 18, according to the National Family Health Survey, 2019-21.
The bill is well-intentioned but thoughtless, says Mary John, professor at the Center for Womens Development Studies, a research and advocacy organization. According to her, many of the indicators that the government is trying to address, like maternal mortality, will not be solved by simply raising the age of marriage.
An anemic woman will remain anemic, whether she gets married at 18 or 21. She stops being anemic only if she gets better health and nutrition, John told VOA.
Pointing out that the proposed law will lead to criminalizing many women whose families marry them off at an early age, she said, It betrays a carelessness and disinterest in womens empowerment and will leave a large number of women without protection.
Some women activists call the bill a token gesture that will not empower women. They say that the government should focus on improving access to educational facilities, which remain deficient, especially in the countrys vast rural areas, better nutrition and health care, and ensure safety and security for women.
There cannot be any gain through a law either educationally or economically or on health indicators. Unless you earmark enough funds to tackle these basic problems, how can you change these issues? Annie Raja, general secretary of The National Federation of Indian Women, told VOA.
She says if the aim is to implement gender parity, then the government should reduce the marriage age for men to 18.
Others argue that if a girl at 18 is old enough to vote or be treated as an adult if she commits a crime, there is no reason why she cannot marry at that age.
Responding to such criticism, supporters of the bill say that this move should not be seen as a problem but an opportunity. There are a lot of other recommendations made by the government to facilitate education for girls up to graduation and also to have reproductive health rights made available to all girls, according to Kumari.
However, she agrees that every arm of society, such as government, political parties or civil society, will have to work to make a higher age for marrying girls acceptable to communities. Just by changing the law you do not change society or the institution of marriage, which is a social institution accompanied by cultural practices.
The proposal has also been welcomed by hundreds of young girls, who have been campaigning in the northern Indian state of Haryana to raise the marriage age for women.
Its a huge step forward, said 17-year-old Prachi Chauhan, one of the campaigners. Such a law will help take away societal and parental pressure to get married soon after turning 18 that many girls face.
Suhasini Sood contributed to this story.
A Harvard University professor on Tuesday was convicted of U.S. charges that he lied about his ties to a China-run recruitment program, in a closely watched case stemming from a crackdown on Chinese influence within U.S. research.
A federal jury in Boston found Charles Lieber, a renowned nanoscientist and the former chairman of Harvard's chemistry department, guilty of making false statements to authorities, filing false tax returns and failing to report a Chinese bank account.
Prosecutors had said that in 2011, Lieber, in his quest for a Nobel Prize, agreed to become a "strategic scientist" at Wuhan University of Technology in China and through it participated in a Chinese recruitment drive called the Thousand Talents Program.
Prosecutors say China uses that program to recruit foreign researchers to share their knowledge with the country. Participation is not a crime, but prosecutors contend Lieber, 62, illegally lied to authorities about his involvement.
Defense lawyer Marc Mukasey had countered that prosecutors had "mangled" evidence to prove Lieber's guilt, lacked key documents to support their claims, and relied too heavily on a "confused" FBI interview with the scientist after his arrest.
Lieber, who is battling cancer, sat emotionless as the court announced the verdict, which followed nearly three hours of jury deliberations and six days of trial. Mukasey declined to comment outside the courtroom.
'China Initiative'
Lieber was charged in January 2020 as part of the U.S. Department of Justice's "China Initiative," launched during former President Donald Trump's administration to counter suspected Chinese economic espionage and research theft.
President Joe Biden's administration has continued the initiative, though the Justice Department has said it is reviewing its approach.
Critics contend the initiative harms academic research, racially profiles Chinese researchers and has terrorized some scientists. A Tennessee professor was acquitted by a judge this year following a mistrial, and prosecutors dropped charges against six other researchers.
Prosecutors said Lieber lied about his role in the recruitment program in response to inquiries from the U.S. Defense Department and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which had awarded him $15 million in research grants.
During an interview with FBI agents following his arrest, Lieber said he was "younger and stupid" when he linked up with the Wuhan university and had believed his collaboration would boost his recognition.
Through that school, he was paid up to $50,000 per month plus $158,000 in living expenses and received his salary half in cash and half in deposits to a Chinese bank account, prosecutors said.
But, they said, Lieber failed to report his salary on his 2013 and 2014 income tax returns and for two years failed to report the bank account.
Kenya's Ministry of Health has announced it will enforce a rule requiring people to be vaccinated against COIVD-19 to access public services, places, and events. The ministry is going ahead with the mandate despite a court order that postponed it pending a hearing next month.
A new report from Kenya's health ministry shows that nearly 30% of Kenyans checked for the coronavirus have tested positive.
The World Health Organization says a country must have a positivity rate below 5% to be considered safe.
The Kenyan government has announced stricter measures to contain further spread of the virus.
At a press briefing Wednesday, health chief administration secretary Mercy Mwangangi announced that one will have to show proof of vaccination to enter public spaces such as buses, grocery stores, restaurants and game reserves.
"These measures are here to protect you and me. Right now, the Ministry of Health, in putting down these directives through NERC, is invoking the Public Health Act," Mwangangi said.
NERC is Kenyas National Emergency Response Committee.
Last week, the Kenyan high court suspended a state order that said the vaccine mandate would begin December 21. A hearing on the case is scheduled for January 14.
Martin Oloo, a Kenyan lawyer and legal expert, says with Wednesdays announcement, the government is defying the court order.
This is going to be yet another standoff between the government and courts in terms of obedience or disobedience of court orders and this not something that the government of Kenya is strange to. It has been accused before of violating court orders. There is [a] cat and mouse chase between government and the courts whether government agrees with courts or not [or] whether the courts agree with government or not. We have seen courts striking down at government programs every so often," Oloo said.
The state further directs that exemption for vaccination can be issued only by licensed medical providers.
Health authorities had given Kenyans up to December 21 to get vaccinated and obtain a COVID-19 certificate so they can enter government facilities.
Some Muslim clerics in Iraq's Kurdistan Region are calling on religious leaders to take a more active role in countering radical ideologies. The call came Tuesday during a conference of clerics gathered in the Garmyan district in Iraqi Kurdistan to discuss ways to counter radicalization. VOAs Dilshad Anwar was at the conference and filed this report narrated by Rikar Hussein. Camera: Dilshad Anwar Produced by: Dilshad Anwar
Dutch prosecutors have demanded life sentences for four suspects on trial for the 2014 downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine that killed 298 people.
The prosecution closed three days of final arguments Wednesday by saying Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Igor Pulatov, along with Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, collaborated to get a Buk missile system from Russia to support separatists in Ukraine.
An international investigation in 2018 concluded a missile launcher used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 came from Russias 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.
Prosecutors said the missile was brought to its launch site by orders of and under guidance of the suspects.
Most of those on board the plane were Dutch nationals, and the Netherlands holds Russia responsible for the downing of the aircraft.Russia has denied any involvement.
All of the suspects are being tried in absentia. Only Pulatov has legal representation at the proceedings, and his lawyers are expected to give their closing arguments in March.
A verdict in the trial is not expected until late next year.
Somali officials in the semiautonomous region of Puntland have announced a cease-fire following two days of heavy fighting between two security forces in the commercial port town of Bosaso.
The fighting ignited Tuesday between the Puntland Security Forces (PSF), an anti-terror unit once supported by the United States, and the region's regular security forces.
At least 14 people were killed and 63 others were injured, according to witnesses and medical sources. The sides exchanged fire using small arms, machine guns and mortars, forcing some residents to flee, witnesses told VOA Somali.
The region's security minister, Abdisamad Mohamed Galan, announced the cease-fire Wednesday, saying the decision was made after intervention from traditional elders, scholars and business leaders who urged that the fighting be stopped.
"We are appealing to anyone working for peace that we are ready to accept any effort that is not against law, which can lead to cease-fire," Galan told the media.
The clashes came after a weekslong standoff between the two sides. The dispute started after the president of Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni, fired PSF commander Mohamoud Osman Diyano on November 24. Diyano rejected the sacking, saying it was "interference" with the unit.
Before the fighting began, local elders attempted to solve the dispute. On December 7, elders in Puntland ruled the firing was legal. But the elders also ruled that buildings, weapons and vehicles used by the unit belonged to Diyano. They also asked the regional government to pay the unit 13 months of wages and to pay for the security protection of the commander.
The Puntland administration rejected the ruling by the elders, arguing the weapons and other assets belonged to the regional government, and they demanded all of it be handed over "as soon as possible."
Tuesday's fighting flared up after regional soldiers closed roads leading to the headquarters of PSF on the eastern side of Bosaso. Residents said it was the most intense fighting the town has seen since 1992, when the Al-Ittihad Salafi group fought against a local faction.
Counterterror setbacks
PSF has been fighting al-Shabab and Islamic State group militants that have bases in this relatively stable region in Somalia. The unit previously received support from the United States in fighting extremist groups in the country, according to a Somali security officer familiar with the unit's operations who requested anonymity because he was not allowed to discuss the issue.
The officer said the support ended a year ago after the unit resisted efforts to integrate it into Danab, an elite Somali unit assisted and mentored by U.S. forces. The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu did not respond to a VOA Somali request for the status of its support to PSF. The embassy did, however, call for an end to the fighting in Bosaso.
Reached by VOA Somali, the United States Africa Command said it did not have a formal relationship with the PSF and did not provide direct support to the PSF. AFRICOM described PSF as Puntland's "most capable counterterrorism force" and said it was concerned about how the clashes could affect the PSF's ability to fight multiple militant groups.
"Both al-Shabab and ISIS likely consider the PSF a substantial obstacle to gaining territory and revenue in Puntland and are likely closely monitoring the situation," AFRICOM spokesperson Kelly Cahalan told VOA Somali. "We are concerned that these clashes will diminish the counterterrorism capabilities and focus of the PSF and provide these terrorist organizations with an opening to exploit."
Experts in Somalia say the fighting in Puntland is yet another setback on fighting extremist groups.
"It's very unfortunate that rather than fighting terrorism, Somali troops are yet again embroiled in avoidable political conflicts," said security and terrorism expert Samira Gaid.
"This localized fighting takes away the necessary attention from anti-terror operations. Sustained offensive action against the terror group is needed in order to keep it on the back foot, but situations like these allow them the space to reorganize and operate."
In October, the U.S. said it was reviewing its support for Danab following the unit's participation in a battle in central Somalia against Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama, a moderate religious group and former ally in the fight against al-Shabab extremists.
Hundreds of Indigenous people lifted their blockage of a major road in Guatemala on Tuesday after an agreement was reached for talks to resolve a bloody century-old land dispute.
On Monday, members of the Mayan K'iche' group had blocked the Interamericana highway with the caskets of 11 of the 13 victims of a weekend massacre in which four children between ages 5 and 16 were killed, allegedly with machetes.
The roadblock was lifted after an agreement among residents who had traveled to Guatemala City to meet government officials and try to start talks about a legal border between two rival communities.
"A dialogue will begin in the first half of January, where the issue of the border will be discussed," said Mateo Tzep, a community leader from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan municipality, which is in conflict with the neighboring Nahuala.
Although both communities are K'iche', they have been fighting over land at times violently for more than 100 years.
On Friday night, armed men with "high-caliber" weapons ambushed a group of people from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan who went to the village of Chiquix in Nahuala to pick corn.
The children were cut into pieces, and the victims were then burnt inside the truck they were traveling in. A police vehicle was also attacked, leaving one officer dead and two injured.
The Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan community claims those in Nahuala have stolen some of their land.
On Monday, President Alejandro Giammattei declared a monthlong state of siege in the two communities, which means demonstrating and carrying weapons are banned.
"These events are no longer the product of an ancestral land conflict. They are the direct consequence of an illegal armed and organized group that acted against civilians and security forces through an ambush," Giammattei said.
He vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Three men carrying M16 rifles were arrested on Sunday. Authorities said they would carry out forensic tests on the weapons to see if they had been used in the massacre.
Protesters had blocked the Interamericana one of Guatemala's main highways, which links the capital to the west with tires, tree trunks, rocks and concrete blocks.
"We don't want any more deaths. We don't want any more violence. We are looking for peace and justice," said a man at the roadblock who identified himself only as Diego.
Indigenous people, many living in poverty, make up more than 40% of Guatemala's almost 17 million population, according to official statistics.
An operation is underway to repatriate thousands of Congolese refugees from Zambia to the homes they fled four years ago in fear of their lives.
Inter-ethnic clashes and fighting between Congolese security forces and militia groups in parts of the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo triggered a mass exodus of refugees to Zambia in 2017.
The violence in Haut-Katanga province has subsided, allowing for the safe return of refugees to their home country.
Consequently, nearly 5,000 Congolese refugees have decided to return home under the auspices of the U.N. refugee agency and Zambian authorities. A first group of 100 people left Mantapala settlement in Zambias Luapula province Tuesday for Pweto territory in Haut-Katanga.
UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch says security in the area has improved sufficiently to allow for the return of the refugees in safety and dignity.
"We have to go and check with refugees about their intentions," Baloch said. "For us, the time is right for returns when the refugees decide to do soEven before the start of this assisted voluntary return, some of the refugees had already returned back to DRC in this part.
Baloch says an estimated 20,000 refugees have spontaneously left Zambia since 2018 to return to their areas of originmainly to Pweto territory.
The humanitarian community remains engaged with Zambia on the Zambian side but also on the Congolese side as well where we are presentUNHCR is working with authorities in DRC and other partners on reintegration projects, including education, health and agriculture," Baloch said.
Baloch says two buses and two trucks transported the first group of refugees and their belongings to their homes in the DRC. He says the returnees will receive a cash grant to help them pick up their lives again.
The UNHCR says the voluntary repatriation will continue into 2022 until all those wishing to return are safely settled back home.
The U.N. Security Council has adopted a resolution introduced by the U.S. aimed at facilitating aid to Afghanistan, where war and international sanctions have left the country near a humanitarian disaster and economic collapse.
The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in mid-August after 20 years of war against a U.S.-led coalition.
The West has since frozen $9.5 billion in aid and assets to the aid-dependent country of more than 40 million people, who are also facing a harsh winter.
The Security Council resolution, passed unanimously Wednesday, said, This resolution provides an exemption from the U.N. Security Council assets freeze against listed members of the Taliban and associated entities solely for the provision of humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs in Afghanistan, which the council will review in one year.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Agence France-Presse the resolutions approval was a good step. He also expressed hope the approval would speed up the removal of financial sanctions on entities with links to the Taliban.
Separately, the U.S. Treasury Department acted Wednesday to ease sanctions against Kabul, saying it would issue licenses to ensure that some international aid could flow to Afghanistan, as long as it did not reach individuals sanctioned by the U.S.
The licenses also will allow Afghans living abroad to send money to their families in Afghanistan.
The U.S. has designated Afghanistan's Taliban and the related Haqqani network as terrorists, restricting their access to international institutions and external funding that supported the country's economy before the withdrawal of U.S. forces this year and the swift ouster of the previous government.
The global community funds up to 80% of Afghanistan's budget. Without greater access to foreign money, many economists predict, the Afghan economy could shrink by about 30% this year, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters.
Russian and U.S. negotiators will hold talks in January to discuss Moscows demand that NATO halt its eastward expansion into the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Ukraine, Russias top diplomat, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said Wednesday.
We dont want a war, Lavrov said. We dont want to take the path of confrontation. But we will firmly ensure our security using the means we consider necessary, he said in an interview with Russian RT television.
The foreign ministers remarks came as Russian energy giant Gazprom continued to restrict natural gas supplies to Europe, prompting renewed accusations the Kremlin is using energy exports as a political weapon.
Lavrov also said Russia would hold separate discussions with NATO, but that talks should not be dragged out. I hope that they will take us seriously given the moves we take to ensure our defense capability, he added.
Amid soaring geopolitical tensions over Ukraine, Russia last week presented the United States with draft treaties outlining a set of security guarantees the Kremlin is demanding, including a halt to any further enlargement of NATO and a commitment by the alliance not to deploy additional troops to countries that did not already have NATO ground forces present before 1997. That includes Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states, which are all NATO members.
U.S. and Western officials fear Russian President Vladimir Putin is contemplating a repeat of 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea and Russia used armed proxies to seize a large part of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. The White House believes it only has a four-week window to stave off a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russias deputy foreign minister, Monday dismissed claims Moscow is planning to attack Ukraine. But Russian officials have sounded increasingly belligerent. Putin on Tuesday used some of his most direct language so far about the escalating Ukraine standoff with the U.S. and NATO, telling top military officers in Moscow that if NATO does not stop what he says is aggressive behavior in Ukraine, Russia would respond in a retaliatory military manner.
If the obviously aggressive line of our Western colleagues continues, we will take adequate, retaliatory military-technical measures [and] react toughly to unfriendly steps, Putin said in comments broadcast by Russian media.
While the United States and its NATO allies have said theyre willing to enter talks with Russia, Western diplomats have warned the Russian proposals arent acceptable in their current form. In a conference call with reporters Tuesday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried said talks would have better prospects if Russia deescalated its military buildup along its border with Ukraine.
Any dialogue with Russia must address NATO's and others concerns about Russia's continued threatening behavior and be based on the core principles and foundational documents of European security. We will not compromise the key principles on which European security is built, including that all countries have the right to decide their own foreign and security policy course free from outside interference, she said.
U.S. and NATO officials have been adamant that it is unreasonable for Moscow to seek a veto over the foreign policy direction chosen by Kyiv.
Lavrovs remarks Wednesday came after the Kremlin denied restricting natural gas exports to Europe and using energy supplies as a tool of coercive diplomacy.
Already high gas prices in Europe climbed once again midweek when flows through the Yamal-Europe pipeline to Germany stopped on Tuesday. The halt came after days of restricted supplies, which Gazprom, the state-owned energy giant, said had been necessary because of cold weather and high demand in Russia. The wholesale Dutch gas price, the benchmark for European prices, rose more than 20 percent midweek.
Gas supplies from Russia have fallen far short of pre-pandemic levels for months and this year have been almost a quarter below those in 2019. Western politicians have accused the Kremlin of using Russias vast gas reserves as a political weapon, aimed at cajoling the Europeans to accept Russian security demands.
In September, Gazprom also cut supplies by one-third to the former Soviet republic of Moldova, sparking a state of emergency in the country. Moldova aspires to join the European Union and has told Moscow it should not interfere in its efforts to do so.
The White House has said it will discuss Russias proposed security guarantees with European allies but has emphasized for days that Moscow would not be allowed to interfere in the foreign policy and security decisions of sovereign states. U.S. officials have also emphasized that there can be no separate bilateral deals made between Washington and Moscow over European security arrangements. NATO allies have to be fully involved, they say.
The unusual decision of the Russian Foreign Ministry to publish their draft treaties shortly after handing them to American officials has added to questions about the Kremlins sincerity in negotiating.
The substance of the drafts and the way the Russians publicized them do not suggest a serious negotiating bid, says Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and now senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based research group.
The unacceptable provisions in the two draft agreements, their quick publication by the Russian government, and the peremptory terms used by Russian officials to describe Moscows demands raise concern that the Kremlin may want rejection. With large forces near Ukraine, Moscow could then cite that as another pretext for military action against its neighbor, he said in a Brookings commentary.
Pifer added that if the draft agreements are part of an opening bid, and Moscow is seeking a serious exchange, some draft provisions, including a proposed ban on the deployment of intermediate-range nuclear missiles and consultative mechanisms, could offer a basis for negotiation.
The U.S. and Israel said Irans nuclear program poses a grave threat to the region and vowed to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon following a meeting in Israel between U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulata.
"The delegations discussed the need to confront all aspects of the threat posed by Iran, including its nuclear program, destabilizing activities in the region, and support for terrorist proxy groups," according to a statement released Wednesday by the White House.
"The officials affirmed that the United States and Israel are aligned in their determination to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon," the statement added.
Sullivan also reportedly briefed Hulata on the current international nuclear negotiations currently underway in Vienna, Austria, aimed at resurrecting the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal in 2018.
The deal aimed to curb Irans nuclear ambitions by reducing economic sanctions on the country. Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel opposes a return to the deal.
After the meeting, Israeli officials warned that should diplomacy break down, Jerusalem could launch a preemptive strike on Iran to prevent the country from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"What happens in Vienna has profound ramifications for the stability of the Middle East and the security of Israel for the upcoming years," Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reportedly told Sullivan.
Some information in this report comes from Reuters.
The stunning Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August and the chaotic final U.S. military withdrawal from the country later that month marked an end to Americas longest war, spanning almost two decades, in the outgoing year 2021.
Several weeks after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, American and allied troops invaded Afghanistan and swiftly removed the Islamist Taliban from power for harboring al-Qaida leaders responsible for the carnage.
But the Taliban quickly regrouped and waged a deadly insurgency against the Western-backed government in Kabul and international forces.
On August 15, the insurgent group marched into the capital city after overrunning the rest of the country in just 10 days in the wake of a shockingly rapid collapse of Afghan government forceswhom the U.S.-led coalition trained and equipped for years.
Some of those forces pointed to a lack of food, ammunition and air support. Others surrendered or fled the battlefield after striking deals with the advancing insurgent fighters.
Western-backed President Ashraf Ghani and top government officials fled Afghanistan just hours after the Taliban rolled into Kabul, creating panic as U.S. emergency airlifts began at Kabuls international airport.
There was a lot of chaos. There was a lot of confusion. I mean, the president of Afghanistan himself had just gotten on an airplane and flown out of the country. Nobody saw that one coming, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
Troop withdrawal
President Joe Biden and his administration defended his decision to bring all troops home, saying they had long achieved the mission of diminishing al-Qaida and preventing Afghanistan from ever being a terrorist haven.
This summer, we made good on that promise. We knew this would be challenging, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a late December news conference in Washington.
But this is also the first time in 20 years that no U.S. troops are spending the holidays in Afghanistan, and were not sending a third generation of American soldiers to fight and die there, Blinken said.
The Talibans return to power prompted concerns, however, about whether the Islamist rulers would cut ties with terrorist groups like al-Qaida, govern the country effectively and respect human rights of all Afghans, especially women. It also raised questions about the U.S. war and ensuing nation-building effort that cost Washington an estimated $2 trillion and the lives of at least 2,400 service members.
Critics such as former U.S. diplomat Robin Raphel, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, attempted to sum up the troubled Afghan mission while addressing a seminar in Pakistan.
After 9/11, the U.S. came in anger to Afghanistan, seeking revenge in a country whose history and culture it did not understand that well. It then fell victim to mission creep, trying to create a Western model of democracy on an accelerated timetable at the point of a gun, she said.
This resulted in massive corruption, inequality and a fragile [Afghan] government with limited legitimacy living in a bubble in Kabul. So, the Taliban movement, which was in many ways more indigenous and closer to ground reality, made persistent gains, and in the end the government collapsed, Raphel added.
Evacuation efforts
The U.S. helped evacuate 124,000 people. That effort was marred, though, by an Islamic State terror attack that killed nearly 200 people, including 13 American service members. Days later, a U.S. drone strike the Pentagon says was meant to hit Islamic State attackers, mistakenly hit and killed 10 innocent Afghan civilians.
Meanwhile, the evacuation left hundreds of American citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind. Rights groups reported abuses and revenge killings of U.S. allies in the months that followed.
The Taliban takeover sparked an economic meltdown, increasing humanitarian needs to record levels in Afghanistan, which aid workers say stem from years of conflict, drought and extreme poverty.
The Afghan economy was heavily dependent on foreign financial assistance over the past 20 years. The Talibans return to power prompted Washington to suspend its cash flow, eliminating 40 percent of the countrys gross domestic product and 75 percent of the governments budget.
The Biden administration also has seized Afghanistans roughly $9.4 billion worth of assets, largely held in the U.S. Federal Reserve, and imposed financial sanctions on the Taliban, crippling the countrys troubled banking system, with the Afghan currency losing value rapidly.
Afghanistan's economy is now in free fall, and if we do not act decisively and with compassion, I fear that this fall will pull down the entire population with it, U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths warned.
Taliban demands
The Taliban have been demanding the release of frozen funds while international aid agencies say the financial restrictions are hampering relief operations in the country.
The U.N. estimates more than half of the nearly 40 million population face starvation, with 1 million children at risk of dying of severe acute malnutrition.
A group of 46 mostly Democratic lawmakers wrote a letter to President Biden on December 21, asking him to quickly ease ongoing punitive sanctions and unblock the Afghan reserves to avert a humanitarian disaster in the South Asian nation.
The Biden administration maintains that the status of the Afghan reserves is the subject of ongoing litigation brought by victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks and other terrorist incidents who hold judgments against the Taliban.
Washington also faces difficult questions around how the funds can be made available to directly benefit the Afghan people while ensuring the Taliban do not benefit from them as the group remains sanctioned by the U.S. as a specially designated global terrorist group.
The U.S. Treasury decided earlier in December to allow personal and non-personal remittances to be made to Afghans. Washington also played a role in arranging the transfer of $280 million from the World Bank-administered Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) to support humanitarian activities.
Critics say the U.S. and the international community should look seriously at engaging with the Taliban to address the looming humanitarian crisis, without giving them diplomatic recognition.
The fact is the United States fought and lost a 20-year war against the Taliban, and it is hard to imagine that that reality doesn't color the perspectives of some in Washington, said Laurel Miller, director of the Asia program at the International Crisis Group.
But I also think that if you step back from that reality and look at the broader picture of U.S. interests, I think it's quite shortsighted to be complicit in the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding there, said Miller, who served as acting U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
There are growing fears that economic and humanitarian upheavals will force more and more Afghans to try to leave the country.
Eliminating terrorist ties
The Biden administration is pressing the Taliban to ensure they cut ties with terrorist groups, end reprisals against Afghans affiliated with the deposed government, govern the country inclusively, and allow women and girls to fully participate in public life and get an education.
Taliban leaders have promised to rule the country differently from their previous regime when women were barred from leaving home unless accompanied by a male relative and girls were not allowed to attend schools.
Most girls are barred from returning to the classroom under the current Taliban regime, but officials insist they eventually will resume classes once the government has enough funds to pay salaries to tens of thousands of unpaid teachers and ensure a safe environment for female education across Afghanistan.
We consider human rights, womens rights and participation by all capable Afghans from various regions our duty. We have done much in this regard and will continue to take further steps, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told an emergency conference on Afghanistan organized by Islamic countries in Pakistan on December 19.
Critics remain skeptical and say the future of Afghans, especially women, under Taliban rule, remains uncertain.
Women's rights have come under immense pressure. All young women who went to school over the past 20 years to have a career now see their professional prospects dimmed, said analyst Torek Farhadi, a former Afghan official.
Analysts say the international community can still influence the Taliban to moderate their polices in exchange for diplomatic recognition and conditional access to frozen funds to avoid a catastrophe in Afghanistan.
VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this report.
Scientists and health advocates in Africa say theyre deeply disappointed by a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The CDC last week recommended the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines ahead of the J&J, because of concerns the J&J shot could, in rare cases, cause blood clots, or thrombosis.
The J&J vaccine is one of the most widely used in Africa, because its a single dose shot that doesnt require ultra-cold storage. The South African health department has reassured people that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe.
In a statement, the CDC said it was expressing a "clinical preference" for other vaccines over J&J.
"This updated CDC recommendation follows similar recommendations from other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom," the CDC said. Still, the CDC said "receiving any vaccine is better than being unvaccinated."
But health authorities in Africa say the CDC recommendation has done irreparable harm to their vaccination efforts. They say that the CDCs linking of the J&J vaccine with rare, but potentially fatal, side effects will spark widespread rejection of the vaccine on the continent, where other vaccines are mostly unavailable.
Fewer than 6% of people in Africa are vaccinated and the World Health Organization describes Africa as "one of the least affected regions in the world."
Ive been inundated with calls from people saying, Youre poisoning us and We dont want to take this and Were getting second-hand vaccines; we shouldnt be getting the J&J, we should only be getting the Pfizer, said Barry Jacobson, president of the Southern African Society of Thrombosis. "The CDC, by putting out this statement, has made people scared about taking the J&J booster, and they shouldnt be."
South Africas top epidemiologist, Salim Abdool Karim, maintains J&Js vaccine is safe.
If you had to just look at, for example, thrombosis from cases of COVID-19, its far higher than from what we see from the vaccine," said Karim, an epidemiologist at South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal, who previously advised the South African government on COVID-19. "So theres no question that this vaccine has a net benefit, even in the face of these side effects.
The CDC recommendation followed the occurrence of a rare and sometimes fatal blood-clotting issue, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS, that specifically affected the brain, in people who got the J&J vaccine.
Weve seen thrombosis occurring with all the vaccines," Jacobson said. "But the fact of the matter is, if one gets COVID, the risk of thrombosis is massive. Its a much greater risk of dying of thrombosis from getting COVID than from being vaccinated and getting a thrombosis, where the risk is miniscule compared to the other group.
Jacobson was on the safety committee that oversaw one of the worlds biggest vaccine trials, when half-a-million health workers in South Africa received the J&J vaccine earlier this year.
That trial, called Sisonke, came to a temporary halt in April when the CDC paused use of the vaccine after six cases of TTS in the U.S. After analyzing more data, the CDC gave the green light to the shot, saying its benefits outweighed its risks.
Why the CDC would now, out of the blue, again link the J&J vaccine with this type of thrombosis, Jacobson said, is beyond him.
The fact that the CDC came out and said that, it shows no insight into what we face in Africa, where theres a problem with cold-chain storage and the fact that patients cant get to more than one vaccine, Jacobson said. If you look at the true incidence, its one in 500,000 to one in a million. You have a higher chance of being struck by lightning."
Four special rapporteurs of the United Nations have expressed serious concern over Zimbabwes Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) Bill designed to control the activities of non-profit entities in the country.
In a letter addressed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the rapporteurs said, If adopted into law in its current version, this bill will have grave consequences for the exercise of civil and political rights, including the right to freedom of association of PVOs in Zimbabwe.
We welcome the opportunity to submit these comments in light of international human rights standards and best practices on the rights to freedom of association, and we stand ready to engage further with your Excellencys Government on this matter.
Cabinet approved the Amendment Bill, which provides for amendments to several provisions of the Private Voluntary Organisations Act [Chapter 17:05] that is currently in force. The Amendment Bill was published in a Government Gazette a month ago.
The Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, say the Amendment Bill will cripple NGOs.
Among some of their concerns is that the Amendment Bill is vague on the definition of private voluntary organizations.
The Bill includes to the definition any legal person, legal arrangement and also removes some existing exemptions of what is to be considered a PVO. However, it does not define what constitutes legal person and legal arrangement under the Act. We are concerned this might create uncertainty about the laws scope and make it difficult for organizations to discern their legal obligations and act accordingly.
This could also lead to broad interpretations from relevant administrative and judicial bodies, giving them wide discretionary powers to apply the law and impose burdensome requirements on a diverse group of community and informal associations that are currently excluded from regulation. In accordance with Article 22 of the ICCPR, a law may not give broad discretion to those charged with its execution and instead provide sufficient guidance on how to implement it. By not providing clearly and unambiguously drafted definitions of the scope of the PVO Act, the Amendment Bill would fail to meet the legality requirement for permissible restrictions of the right to freedom of association under international law.
According to the special rapporteurs, are also concerned about Clause 2 of the Amendment Bill with particular reference to the registration of organizations and trusts, which are currently excluded from registering under the PVO Act.
If the Amendment Bill is passed, universitas organizations and these types Trusts will be subjected to the registration requirements, control and regulation by the Registrar and the Minister. In particular, the Bill introduces new requirements to the operations of trusts registered before the High Court. According to proposed Section 2(4), if the Registrar has a reasonable suspicion that any trust registered with the High Court [...] is collecting contributions from the public or outside the country for purposes specified in the definition of private voluntary organizations, the trustees are required to swear not to collect contributions from the public or outside the country under threat of imprisonment up to six months. Trustees are further required to register as a PVO within 30 days of receiving notice from the Registrar.
We are particularly concerned that these provisions may serve as basis for restricting the operation of many NGOs, including human rights groups, currently operating as universitas organizations or Trusts under the Deeds Registries Act.
They also expressed concern on the fact that the Bill further amends section 2 of the PVO Act, with the insertion of a new subsection regulating the designation of high-risk PVOs.
Under the new provisions, the Minister will undertake a risk assessment of all PVOs at least once every five years. Based on a risk assessment, the Minister may designate certain sectors or types of PVOs at high-risk of or vulnerable to misuse by terrorist organizations whether as a way for such terrorist organizations 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.
The new provisions empower the Minister to require their registration as well as other additional or special requirements, obligations or measures [...] in order to mitigate against such risk or vulnerability.
They are concerned that the new provisions in section 2 of the PVO Act do not clarify how they would be enforced in this manner.
In particular, the provisions fail to establish a clear process for determining if a type of organization is high risk or vulnerable to terrorist activities or financing. Such a lack of clarity confers state authorities an overly broad margin of discretion to unduly interfere with the right to freedom of association. The amendment does not provide objective criteria nor grounds on which the assessment will be carried out. It further fails to provide for safeguards that can protect PVOs from unfair treatment and harassment. We are particularly concerned that civil society groups working on issues of governance and human rights could be especially targeted.
The Amendment Bill allows for the suspension of a PVOs executive committee under certain circumstances, providing wide-ranging powers to national authorities to interfere with the governance of PVOs, according to the rapporteurs.
This new provision establishes that the Minister may make an application to the High Court to suspend all or any of the members of the executive committee of a registered PVO whenever he/she finds that it is necessary to do so in the public interest or where the maladministration of the organization is adversely affecting the activities of the organization. The Minister may further appoint trustees to run the organization for up to 60 days pending the election of the new executive committee, or may temporarily appoint one or more provisional trustees who will have all the same powers as the executive committee.
The circumstances under which the Minister may suspend an executive committee are extremely vague and have the potential to cover a broad range of PVO activities. Terms such as maladministration of the organization and necessary or desirable in the public interest remain overly broad and vague, while offering unchecked discretion to restrict the activities of PVOs to the Minister, a political appointee. Meanwhile, the Minister is empowered to appoint provisional trustees to run the PVO, who shall be paid a monthly salary from the funds of the organization for as long as he or she holds office.
The U.S. has questioned the Zimbabwean governments failure to implement recommendations of the Kgalame Motlanthe Commission, which conducted an inquiry into the gunning down of several people in Harare soon after the 2018 general elections.
In separate tweets, the U.S. Embassy Harare noted that three years have passed following the killing of unarmed Zimbabweans by state security agents but no action has been taken by the government to implement recommendations of the Commission.
Today marks 3 years since the Motlanthe Commission issued its report calling for Zimbabwes government to hold its security forces responsible for killing & injuring civilians for exercising their right to demonstrate. When will there be accountability?
In other tweets, the U.S. Embassy Harare noted that Twenty years ago today, the U.S. Congress passed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA).
ZDERA remains the foundation of U.S. policy toward Zimbabwe until the laws reform provisions are met. ZDERA calls for the Government of Zimbabwe to: 1) restore rule of law; 2) hold free and fair elections; 3) commit to equitable and transparent land reform; and 4) subordinate military and national police to civilian government.
The Zimbabwean government has indicated recently that it wont implement any electoral reforms because the country has enough statues to care for national polls.
The Motlanthe Commission said in its final report that an elite brigade of the Zimbabwe Defence Force killed innocent civillians in Harare and as a result there is need to reform the countrys electoral process.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi recently told the state-controlled Sunday Mail newspaper that the government has fully complied with recommendations of the Motlanthe Commission, which conducted hearings following the gunning down of six Zimbabweans by state security agents in 2018.
Ziyambi said the government is yet to address some electoral issues as per the Commissions recommendations.
The Commission recommended the compensation for losses and damages caused, including in particular, support and school fees for the children of the deceased; promotion of political tolerance, and responsible and accountable leadership and citizenry, electoral reforms including the development of Information Communication Technology (ICT), to among other things, enhance the transparent and expeditious announcement of election results; the enforcement of law and order in order to ensure that the events of the 1st of August 2018 are not repeated; accountability in respect of the alleged perpetrators; and nation building and reconciliation including an initiative for multi-party dialogue and cooperation.
The Commission established that the demonstrations were incited, pre-planned and well-organised by the MDC Alliance; the particular circumstances prevailing on the day justified the deployment of the military to assist the police in containing the riots; and six people died and 35 were injured as a result of actions by the military and the police.
Some opposition supporters engaged in street protest in August 2018 demanding the immediate release of presidential elections results.
Relatives of people, who were gunned down by state security agents in 2018 before the announcement of presidential election results, are pressing the Zimbabwean government to compensate them, more than three years they were killed by an elite brigade in Harare.
In an interview, some of the relatives said they were told by government officials that the Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare would take care of their needs.
One of the affected people, Alison Charles, whose brother, Gavin Dean Charles, was gunned down, said indications are that the family wont be compensated for his death.
Alison said, We would like the government to compensate us. We want closure. We would like to know who shot my brother. Who killed him. You know, as a family we have been checking and all we know is we buried somebody that we love. We have no word from anybody, nobody even apologized to us for taking his life.
Some affected families also expressed the same sentiments, saying the government is not forthcoming with any kind of help.
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Santiago de los caballeros, Dominican Republic (9.8 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was in my bed and my bed and my tv started shaking also my mom called me that she was in the gym and it was shaking there too and she called me worried
Santiago de los caballeros, Republica dominicana (9.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s : i was asleep, my bed moved really heard and the windows too. My sister told me she felt it like a wave
Santiago de los Caballeros (7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe : Estaba en el exterior y pense que me caeria, una estructura de concreto a mi lado crujio como si se fuera a romper
Santiago de los caballeros (8.4 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Me estaba cambiando en mi cuarto cuando los espejos se movieron y mi television tambien despues me movi y casi me caigo
Santiago de los caballeros, Dominican Republic (9.8 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was in my bed and my bed and my tv started shaking also my mom called me that she was in the gym and it was shaking there too and she called me worried
Santiago de los caballeros (13.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short : I was sitting on a chair near my desk, then I felt some vibration and right after a short strong quake.
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (10.3 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Fuerte duro 10 segundo
Santiago (1.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (11.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : Like a car hitting an object
Palmar Arriba, Villa Gonzalez, Santiago (5.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Fue fuerte
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (8.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 1-2 s
Santiago De Los Caballeros, Santiago, Dominican Re (11 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / very short : Felt like one big shake. Like someone lifted the house and dropped it
Santiago las Antillas (6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (12.6 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s
Villa Gonzalez, Santiago (5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s
Santiago (12.5 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (8.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 5-10 s : no me gusto para nada
Palmar Arriba, Villa Gonzalez, Santiago (5.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Fue fuerte
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (8.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : El movimiento fue leve pero se sintio
Santiago De Los Caballeros (7.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : Estaba en mi cama y senti mi abanico moviendoce y mi cama muy fuerte y corri afuera de la casa
Santiago de los caballeros (71.3 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short : I was in my bed reading a book
santiago (10.8 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s : estaba en mi trabajo y senti el temblor
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (12.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : It was fast, and i was sitting
Santiago (10.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : One moderate shaking
Reparto Imperial (12.5 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic (14.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : In a sixth floor; seated in front of desk. Strong movement threw me to the desk.
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (10.2 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI)
Santiago de los caballeros (10.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s
santiago (24.7 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s : little bit movement more then usual
Santiago de los Caballeros (42.6 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s
Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago (6.7 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s
How did I !!! she captioned this TikTok. Photo-Illustration: Tracy Joseph/TikTok
Many of Tracy Josephs viral TikToks start with her shaking her index finger at the camera, as if to say, Wait a second. I might be onto something here. Since the 20-year-old often posts her first or second take, when she starts dancing, its like shes reacting to her choreography right alongside her viewers. She often laughs or claps a hand over her mouth after she hits her last move. Then, shell post the footage without editing it or even choosing a thumbnail (which means half her feed looks like close-ups of sweatshirts). Her account, @tracy.oj, comes across as a celebration of spontaneous creation. I just post freely, she told Vulture during a November video call. Whenever I want to, whatever I want to, however I want to do it.
Joseph, currently in the final year of her associates degree in nursing at Houston Community College in Texas, started making comedy TikToks in 2019. It didnt take long for her to grow more interested in dancing on the app. Come 2021, Josephs account blew up as her original dances consistently trended throughout the year. She hit 10,000 followers in January; currently, she has 7.2 million. Her dance to Doja Cats Woman became one of the biggest dance trends on TikTok this year despite being 30 seconds of choreography (unconventionally long for the app). With more than 170.8 million views to date, her video tops 2.4 million other videos set to the Afrobeat anthem. And Woman isnt even her only viral dance off Dojas Planet Her album she also popularized moves to Need to Know and Rules. She has 11 videos pinned in a playlist of her viral dances and 46 videos in a playlist of her dances in general.
Joseph grew up in Edo State, Nigeria, where she says dancing was a culturally significant part of events like weddings, church services, and school gatherings. She moved to Texas when she was around 14 and later briefly joined her high schools African Student Association to just vibe and do some African steps with her peers. These influences are clear in many of her dances, which incorporate what she describes as basic styles of Afrobeat dancing. The most prominent example is her choreography to a slowed-down version of CKays Love Nwantiti.
The moves incorporate the whole body, whereas a typical TikTok tends to focus on the hands. Joseph thinks she can understand the initial wave of criticism she received, with some commenters telling her she shouldnt have made a dance to the song at all. The fact that they cant do it, and its something totally different, is what makes their brain hurt, she surmises. And be like, Ugh, this is bad. Dont ever do it again. Still, that only made her happier when her Nwantiti dance eventually did start trending and she saw people attempt it even if they couldnt master every step. I really wanna focus more on African styles, she says. I think that type of dancing should be put out there. People should really see the beauty of it.
The process of creating a dance can take Joseph as quickly as half an hour, and its never taken her more than one day. First, she picks a sound from whatever the TikTok algorithm puts on her For You page. If the beat is solid, Im like, Okay, were definitely making a dance, she explains. From there, her inspiration can come from anywhere. Her Woman dance, for example, finishes with a hand motion she first made in a clothing-haul video. Josephs overall strategy is fairly simple: Shell try to include a move thats trending on the app while also bringing something new to the table.
So far, that formula has produced hit after hit. A career highlight came back on May 30, when Charli DAmelio, who is currently the most-followed creator on TikTok, did Josephs dance to Kayla Nicoles Bundles. Joseph calls DAmelio a queen who has learned from her past mistake of not initially acknowledging Renegade dance creator Jalaiah Harmon. So many people had done the Bundles dance without giving credit that Joseph decided to create a sound specifically attaching her name to the dance. When DAmelio did the dance in May, she tagged Joseph and used the new sound. If Charli can do it, and you didnt do it, no excuses, Joseph said during a live stream. Dont talk to me.
During her time on TikTok, Joseph says shes experienced plenty of so-called colonizers taking her work and tagging friends, clothing brands anyone but her. But the conversation around Black creators on TikTok getting less recognition for their contributions goes beyond credits in captions. Shes also seen how TikTok helped people like DAmelio and Addison Rae push their careers forward while there was a different type of vibe when it came to Black creators. While Joseph never particularly wanted to get verified, she could see that her comments section thought it was unfair that it took so long for her to receive that status symbol. She had more than 6 million followers by the time she finally got her blue check mark in October.
So when she first heard about the Black TikTok strike that came on the heels of Juneteenth this year, she understood the message and the hurt behind it. The idea was that Black creators would show their value by not choreographing dances to Megan Thee Stallions single Thot Shit. Despite having a hard-hitting beat and a chorus thats literally about dancing, the song that seemed like prime TikTok audio didnt turn into a viral dance. But some people extended the strike to any dances in general, and there wasnt really a consensus on how or when the strike would end. Joseph says she didnt actually find out about the strike until two weeks after it started. A new dance shed created to DaBabys Ball If I Want To was starting to gain traction. A lot of people were like, Thats good, honey, but were on strike, she recalls.
It was like, why should I stop creating my content for the sake of the majority? she questions. It doesnt make sense to me because even though you do this, to be honest, its not gonna change the fact that there are still gonna be some influencers doing what theyre doing. She says personally, the strike didnt bring any change. People have continued to do her dances without giving credit, even now that she is no longer a small account. She expects it to the point of no longer getting as bothered or upset when it happens. Joseph also remains unconvinced theres a long-term creator-led way to prevent this behavior; instead, shed rather the company focus on acknowledging Black creators to help push their careers forward.
But while she waits for TikTok to catch up, she would like to continue expanding on YouTube (she hears the money there is much better than the TikTok Creator Fund, which she says gives her $8 to $10 for a million views). Shes also been thinking about starting a fashion line of sweatshirts. And shell be taking a short break after graduation before heading to the University of Houstons nursing school in pursuit of her ultimate goal of becoming a nurse anesthetist. She still plans to keep making TikTok dances whenever she has time, but she says she doesnt feel any real sense of pressure around posting.
Thats part of what shes always liked about this app and a mentality thats served her well on it. Two years ago, in November 2019, Joseph made a video with text bubbles of doubts like You will never be tik tok famous, 147 followers really?? and Your dance moves are lame. In response, Joseph grins at the camera while lip-syncing to Icona Pop. I dont care, she mouths. I love it.
We Are Living in the Matrix A weeklong series about how a 1999 movie predicted kind-of-everything about life 20 years later. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
This series originally ran in 2019. We are republishing it as The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max.
Its rare to see unqualified declarations of being done with show business, but the news from Lana and Lilly Wachowskis realtor in October that they were selling their production office and had no more projects in development was as close as you get. The Wachowskis Are Closing Chicago Production Office As They Have No Projects Currently in Development, read the headline on IndieWires pickup of the story, which then went on to detail the features of the 21,500-square-foot Chicago office that served as the home base for Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, and Jupiter Ascending, among others. This has been a dream space for us, Karin Wachowski, Lanas wife, said in the original report from Crains Chicago Business. The past tense was unmistakable; the dream, at least in this current form, was over.
Its tempting to make an unplugging from the Matrix metaphor, but the Wachowskis have always had a tenuous-at-best interface with what we would think of as the Hollywood Grid the circuit of vacuous junket interviews and the highly speculative, collectively hallucinated value system of studio feature funding. Although The Matrix wasnt the Wachowskis first film, it was most of the worlds introduction to the creative sensibilities of the siblings, and in many ways it looked and performed like any studio execs dream of mainstream success action, guns, lots of revenue. It also made the Wachowskis the hottest things in town, with the worldwide run-up to their back-to-back sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions serving as the ultimate event movie series rollout. But after those twin sequels underwhelmed fans, with Revolutions underperforming financially, the tide turned.
The sometimes dazzling, occasionally confounding, consistently ambitious filmography that followed strayed further and further from the studio ideal. Speed Racer (2008) turned out to be too weird some might say too visionary to justify its cost, and 2012s Cloud Atlas was even weirder, despite some decent reviews. Even critics abandoned them with the 2015 flop Jupiter Ascending. And while their Netflix series Sense8 was widely praised and even received a few awards, it was canceled after the second season mid-cliffhanger. Over the past two decades, mainstream tastes and the Wachowskis work have seemingly been on two vectors moving in opposite directions, and The Matrix was just the point where they happily intersected.
In a statement at the GLAAD media awards in 2016, Lilly Wachowski (in her first public appearance as trans) said, Theres a critical eye being cast back on Lanas and my work because of our transness. This is a cool thing, because its an excellent reminder that art is never static. As much as our understanding and appreciation of The Matrix has changed over two decades of living with technology and the movies, hindsight on the Wachowskis career has only just started to come into focus.
Their preferred medium in the last two decades has been the big-budget effects spectacle, whether developed in a studio or funded independently. But its through that medium that theyve been able to actually break down the traditional narratives one usually finds in that kind of movie. How do you get from the story of Neo, one of the most explicitly Christ-like special boys in recently Hollywood history, to the meta-narrative, ego-exploding ambition of Cloud Atlas?
The Matrix was only the first step in a filmography full of characters grappling with mutability of themselves, their values, their understanding of reality. Everything afterward, from the cinematic grammar breaking of Speed Racer to the radical collectivity of Sense8 can be seen as more steps along that road. Its telling how unwilling studios and audiences and critics were to go along that road with them if it meant confronting the occasional stylistic bump. (Im not going to defend those Cloud Atlas prosthetics, but Ill happily defend the film itself.) And its telling how at a loss the marketing teams seemed to be to get people out to the movies in the first place.
I have an old issue of Premiere magazine from April of 1999, and tucked away in it is a short behind-the-scenes stunts feature on this new movie The Matrix, hyping the just-released films eye-popping, Hong Kongsourced stunt work and bullet-time effects (think swing-dancing Gap commercials, only instead of hinging on a frozen object, cameras float around an already moving object). The article was probably placed by some Warner Bros. flack, but it was of interest to a Premiere reader because it was about something cool someone was doing with the movies, and as a Premiere reader, you inherently cared when someone was doing something cool with the movies, even if it was a movie youd never heard of before.
This was pretty much the final moment one could count on this kind of blind enthusiasm: On the cover of this issue is Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi; the bulk of the issue is dedicated to a Star Wars package in anticipation of The Phantom Menace. If The Matrix is a highlight in terms of future influence among the many notable movies of 1999, The Phantom Menace was probably the least influential in terms of its content even its own franchise seems to be selectively denying it ever existed. But it outgrossed The Matrix, and proved to be the most influential film of 1999 in virtually every other capacity primarily, in how movies are promoted and how audiences and the press have learned to anticipate them. (Its trailer alone was a turning point for the now-booming trailer business.)
The Matrix, for all its plugged-in technological themes, was that rarest of creatures: Its value was in and of itself, and there was no external algorithm through which it derived its value. Nobody was obligated to see it because of another movie that came before; they saw it because it looked cool, and then they saw it again because it was cool.
Ironically enough, while we could never have anticipated all the ways The Matrix would shape the world of 2019, the one thing that seemed assured 20 years ago was a long, successful career for its creators. The Wachowskis may have never been that cool again, but cool is always fleeting, and moreover, its perhaps the most valued currency in the Matrix. And Lana and Lilly Wachowski never lived there to begin with.
*A version of this article appears in the February 4, 2019, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!
Emily In Paris Do You Know the Way to St. Tropez? Season 2 Episode 2 Editors Rating 2 stars * * Previous Next Photo: CAROLE BETHUEL/NETFLIX/
Isnt it exciting when a show veers away, however briefly, from its premise? When Jane is no longer a virgin? When the Veep is actually the president? When Emily is, for one glimmering moment, not in Paris? The THRILL of this excursion, whose exhilarating promise Emily is determined to undermine at every turn by making every recreational activity a professional one and letting no spontaneous moment go unsponconned.
Emily, abandoned by a guy she did not like and will not miss but with whom she should have taken greater care given their professional entanglement, is in Saint-Tropez for all of ten minutes when her phone rings. Camille, dressed like shes in that excellent Baby-Sitters Club reboot, is calling Emily, who is wearing some very statement-y sunglasses. Emily, who cannot tell a truth, does not just tell Camille that she got dumped but rather pretends Mathieu had to stay in Paris for work. A totally unnecessary lie! Mathieu couldve dumped her for some reason that had nothing to do with his overhearing her conversation with Gabriel! For instance, he couldve realized her personality was bad.
Emilys repeated insistence that Camille and Gabriel get back together has gone beyond her standard bad decision-making and reached a new level of denial-slash-sociopathy. Also, it makes no sense for several reasons: First of all, Gabriel was a shitty boyfriend to Camille and Emily KNOWS this, and if Emily actually cared about Camille, shed be on the you deserve better train, not the make it work, I swear hes super sorry!!!! express. Not to mention that if Camille gets over Gabriel, she is less likely to care (or even find out) that Emily and Gabriel had sex; also, this would free up Gabriel to date Emily, which is what Gabriel says he wants and is obviously what Emily wants. Camille is providing the neat solution to all of Emilys problems and Emilys response to this is to attempt to derail it at every opportunity.
Camille, newly single and ignoring Emilys counsel (good call), invites herself to Saint-Tropez. A panicked Emily calls Mindy, who tells her, I dont do three-ways with friends (again, good call), but agrees to join the girl trio. Now is as good a time as any to note that Emilys exceptionally bad Instagram captions have earned her 26,300 followers.
At the hotel, Emily runs into a Mr. Dupri, who gushes over her ringarde luggage. He swears he and Pierre go way back. To the twist that is coming I say, yet again, Emily has proven to be so wildly incompetent at even the most elementary aspects of her job reading up on her clients, learning who their friends and competitors are, knowing the history of the brands she represents that perhaps the least realistic thing about this completely bananas program is that she has yet to be fired (like, for real fired, not just that fake-fired she got last season). The way Emilys eyes widen when she says, I guess it could be good for brand engagement bruises my soul. Dupri models with the suitcase, posts it on his own Instagram, and the shot quickly goes viral. I mean: Even IF Dupri were an ally and not an enemy, it would STILL have been unprofessional and, worse, very stupid, for Emily to go around making these PR decisions involving one of her companys most high-profile clients without even consulting the client, or her boss, or anyone. Because obviously there would need to be some sort of rollout arrangement so all the engagement went to Pierre Cadault before Dupri. But Emily does not know this, for Emily knows nothing I once thought the issue was preseries blunt head trauma, but I wonder if instead her head is just empty inside, like a doll.
Emily frolics around Saint-Tropez. Given the opportunity to do anything interesting at all, she takes a bunch of selfies. For some reason, she is not worried about the optics of advertising that shes on this trip all by herself, even though shes apparently committed to pretending she and Mathieu are still together (a ruse that will be impossible to maintain because everyone at Savoir will be talking to Mathieu sooner rather than later, but okay!!). Naturally, she gets a call from Mathieu telling her to take down the Dupri photo immediately. Emily, are you really that clueless? he asks her, perhaps asking himself, Why did I ever think I could date this woman, who has the brain of a child, who is some indeterminate age between 21 and 35, who blinks blankly at all the world and absorbs nothing but ideas for terrible hashtags am *I* really that clueless? Make it go away before Pierre has a stroke.
Emily still does not understand what the problem is. At this point, even a dumber person would probably think to Google Pierre + Dupri + what happened? Im sure the Personal History section of both of their Wikipedias could clear this up for our fair anti-heroine. Instead, she talks to Julien, who confirms that Emily fucked up and that Dupri and Pierre are nemeses. He correctly accuses her of being a moron for not knowing this. Emily calls her only remaining friend, Luc, who is playing chess against himself; he chastises her for doing work on a weekend and advises her against swinging by the club that took in the Champere shipment. Emily, who I guess has not inferred from her repeated, extremely avoidable yet massive errors on the job that she should not be making any work decisions without the approval of at least one person from Savoir, goes ahead and ignores this counsel.
At the club, Emily asks for the Champere and the manager, Laurant, quickly asks for a waiter to bring a bottle of that garbage up from the basement. Why Emily would request a bottle of celebratory-spraying Champagne while eating lunch in the middle of the day by herself is beyond me. Shes very upset to see it isnt on the menu. When it arrives, she coerces some waiters into spraying her with it for her Instagram, like a very sticky wet T-shirt contest. Miraculously, her immovable robot hair, as well as her makeup, emerges from this totally unaltered. As Emily leaves the club, she spots a black-and-white photo of a young Sylvie (!) on the wall. Does she do anything with this clue, like Google Sylvies name with that of the club so she can put together what will later come as a shock to her? No, because Emily is constitutionally opposed to learning anything new or useful, ever.
Back in Paris, Julien capitalizes on Emilys screwup and absence to get into Pierres good graces. His take, which I agree with, is that if Pierre responds to the slight, he will seem defensive and small, and that a better strategy is to do nothing.
Mindy and Camille arrive. Mindy learns from the concierge that her dad was actually here two weeks ago and didnt even tell her. Their estrangement is worse than she realized. Meanwhile, Camille is posting a ton of Insta Stories and already has chats going with a hot art dealer and a gorgeous Italian. Camille is a hero. Emily is appalled. Mindy wisely says to Emily, I think she just wants to get laid right now, and Emily, prude and rude, is all, We canNOT let that happen. In my notes I write, Emily if youre gonna fuck her boyfriend you cant say shes not allowed to have sex w the hot italian art dealer or whoever just leave her alone!!! Mindy, rising in my rankings by the minute, responds to Emilys dopey plan of getting Camille and Gabriel back together with a sarcastic, perfectly delivered, And youll have magically unslept with her boyfriend.
Camille and Mindy want to go to this fantastic-sounding house party. Emily wants to do brand promotion. Interesting choice of this series to have someone so lame as its protagonist. Fortunately, cooler (as in, opposite of lame, not cooler as in calmer) heads prevail and they go to the party. Emily is in a purple sequin dress (ringarde) but her hair is in a French twist (looks nice!). Camille finds a very Eurotrashy guy is that a sheer, zebra-striped button-down undone to his navel? and just when theyre about to have some fun, Emily insists on interrupting. She asks the hot guy to take a picture and as he does, Gabriel calls so many times that Emily has to pick up. Of course Gabriel called to be like, What is going on, I thought you were in Saint-Tropez with Mathieu? Instead of saying, Do not contact me again until you actually break up with your girlfriend like a grown man instead of the coward and fuckboy you obviously are, Emily pretends Gabriel wants to talk to Camille, because Emilys idea of being a good friend is to kill Camilles buzz. EMILY, BLOCK HIS NUMBER.
Later, Camille recovers by drinking some more and is happily making out with the hot Eurotrash boy, so Emily ruins that too by insisting they call an Uber and leave the (exclusive, very fun) house party to go to the beach club. I just dont want you to do anything youre going to regret, Emily, the woman who had sex with Camilles boyfriend, says to Camille. So the girls leave the party to go to the beach club, where Emily maniacally demands they get the bad spraying Champagne for the brand. In her clumsy efforts to do this, she bumps into Sylvie on the dance floor. Sylvie, as usual, is perfectly attired. Love that deep green V-neck on her. The two women have a sidebar, wherein Emily admits that Mathieu literally jumped off a moving train to get away from me and Sylvie, who has yet to be wrong, tells Emily to stop trying to fix everything. Youre just making everything worse for everyone else. Youre going to have to live with the consequences of your infidelity. Emily makes the mistake of calling Laurant (who is hot and hasnt actually done anything gross or bad, no?) a dirtbag and Sylvies like, actually, thats my husband. INCREDIBLE. Sylvie is better at living than anyone else on this show, and possibly than anyone Ive ever met. I wish this show were Sylvie in Paris.
Back at the table, Emily cannot believe that her boss, with whom she has no real relationship and who has repeatedly refused Emilys invitations to socialize outside of work, did not share this piece of personal information with her. Mindy is distracted, despondent about her dad not speaking to her anymore. Emily starts to intervene but miraculously (if only temporarily) stops herself: At this rate, even I wouldnt listen to me.
Later that night, Emily and Mindy drunkenly pass out in their hotel bed. Camille sends an SOS text and Emily goes out to rescue her as the sun is coming up. She finds Camille at a very pretty church where she once brought Gabriel and they had what sounds like a very meaningful and joyful day together, inadvertently crashing a small wedding. The first time he told her he loved her. That whole thing. You know. Camille confesses that she didnt have sex with Hot Eurotrash because she is still in love with Gabriel and shes afraid shes lost him. Emily says, I know you havent. I say, Emily, you know she HAS.
That morning, Emily finds Laurant to apologize for her terrible behavior. He is very gracious about the whole thing and gives her a little more background: He and Sylvie were together for more than 20 years! He says Sylvie was wild and fun and always had a bikini in her purse, just in case. WHY are we not watching a show about THIS person?? Emily cant believe it, but I feel like it absolutely tracks with the Sylvie weve met. Anyway, Sylvie decided her career was important to her, so she moved to Paris and got a new attitude. She is still able to emerge from the sea in a string bikini looking phenomenal into the arms of this hot (ex?) husband, so I feel like, again, Sylvie is the only person who knows what shes doing.
Emily convinces Mindy to text her dad even though as recently as the night before, shed sworn off interfering in other peoples affairs. Dupris yacht pulls up and the girls bound aboard, claiming they are owed a favor for his trickery. Emily gets video of the boys using Champere as the Lord intended and Emily is gifted the slogan she needed: The gay spray of Saint-Tropez. Shell post it later, though. Okay? Shes on vacation.
Technically, this episode is about Emilys birthday, but I choose to believe it was, in fact, a present to moi. My most burning question? Answered! My prayer for some meaningful plot continuity? Obliged! My plea that Emilys actions actually have consequences? Gratified! (At least for now.) Our show is getting so dangerously self-aware that even Emily freely admits, at her own birthday party, that the nicest thing she can say about herself is Ive made a lot of mistakes and the most important thing she can thank her friends and colleagues for is putting up with me. I feel seen by all of this, not to mention ecstatic.
Emily has returned to Paris and a package from Skokie, Illinois. (Interesting choice of suburbs, considering I feel like the one thing everybody knows about Skokie is that the Nazis wanted to march through it, though they ultimately wound up demonstrating in Chicago. Free-speech victory or chilling harbinger of a right-wing rise to come? Its anyones guess!) We get a clue as to Emilys age when she says Its a nothing year, so we know: not 30, not 21. I write in my notes, Umm okay but HOW OLD IS SHE will this episode reach its conclusion without answering this question, an elaborate but also honestly hilarious troll??? I also write: Wait, did Emily go for a run in a lace-up open-front corset?
To plot her birthday dinner, Emily changes for work into a pink-and-green-plaid newsie-style hat, a cropped black cardigan with pale-pink furry trim (a different pink from the hat, it feels worth noting), and then these rainbow-striped culottes I initially mistook for a skirt that are, again, not in the same color family as either of the other garments.
Emily bumps into Gabriel and invites him to her birthday party, because she is a dummy and a psychopath. She admits that Mathieu left their vacation because he overheard Emilys conversation with Gabriel, but she hastens to add that she shouldnt have been dating him in the first place, because he was a client. Gabriel leaves and Mindy arrives to ask why the hell did you invite Gabriel. Thank you, Mindy. Emily says she will invite Camille too and use this birthday dinner to get them back together because, as Ive said many times over the course of this series, we cannot rule out the possibility that Emily experienced serious head trauma at some point in her life perhaps just before we met her? I fear Emily will be like, Itll be more romantic if its a surprise!, but thank GOD shes not that deranged and she does, in fact, give Camille a heads up about the Gabriel invitation.
At work, Sylvie gives Emily the bullet points on her fabulous life: Shes been married a long time, she and her husband dont live together, and they have no kids. Sylvie is an icon. Emily is now wearing off-white fingerless biker gloves. She invites the entire office to her birthday dinner. I thought we literally just saw that Julien was her nemesis and I was looking forward to some substantive workplace conflict, but nope! This is not the part of the episode where Emilys actions have consequences, sorry to say. At least Julien tells Emily that she actually lost the Pierre Cadault account through her own actions, not because of any theft on his part.
Emily leaves work in the middle of the day (?) so Camille can take her to the hammam, which is an extremely cool gift; I like that the series is showing us some of the Moroccan influence and presence in Paris. Emily still has those stiff curls that look like molded plastic. She wears a robe among all the topless chic French women. As I was recently wondering if Camille had any friends, Im happy to discover that she does, and one of them hilariously explains to Emily that she was just asking if you are the brother-fucker. Camille introduces Emily as one of the good ones to really get us ready for Emilys inevitable downfall.
They have a little gossip session where we confirm (1) French girls think American men are big, hairy, and easy and (2) that Camilles crew is used to Camille and Gabriel breaking up and getting back together. Im surprised none of them is team ugh, whatever, just forget this guy who was willing to end your relationship without even having a conversation with you about it so he could move to Normandy, which isnt even that far away. Emily very conspicuously leaps into the chat to say Gabriel is not seeing anyone else. Camille starts talking about how the only someone else in Gabriels life is his restaurant, especially his omelette pan. It is sacred to him, and it has his initials on it. Wont be long before she spots it, but I cant believe Emily doesnt try to return it or stash it somewhere! Amateur! Deserves to get busted!
When they leave, Emilys plastic hair looks identical to how it looked before she spent, like, a full hour shvitzing in the steam room. They spot Mathieu at the only cafe in Paris (everyone in the cast is always within a three-block radius of each other at all times), and Emily tells Camille that she and Mathieu are no more because she learned to never mix work and dating again. I mean, yes, but also, is that really why this didnt work out? So Camille waits until Emily leaves, then goes up to Mathieu and is like, whats your deal, whyd you stand up Emily? Interesting meddling in adult relationships going on here! Mathieu says Emily was having an affair, which is kind of a strong word for what happened from Mathieus point of view, considering he and Emily had kissed twice? And Im pretty sure all their dates were also business dinners? But Camille thinks she has stumbled on a juicy secret (and like, shes not wrong, but oof).
Then we see Emily checking the flurry of social-media notifications and well-wishes from her friends around the globe. And this is where we see practically hidden, in a look away for a second and you miss it moment, that someone has dared to congratulate Emily on her 29 years of life!
EMILY IS TWENTY-NINE!! OH MON DIEU! WE HAVE CONFIRMATION! IT IS CANON!!
Perhaps I, like fair Emily, am just an unrepentant narcissist, but I refuse to believe that the concept of building an entire episode around Emilys birthday but only once actually referring to her age, and only in a very fleeting glimpse of a social-media post was not a direct response to this piece of investigative journalism. Thats what I call impact, baby!
Lets stay on this positive note: Emilys birthday outfit at work is very cute. Playful jacket, great colors on her, actually realistic flat sandals. (Im not a stickler for that sort of thing, but its just nice to mix it up and not have our modern girl teetering on stilettos across the cobblestones in every single frame of this series.) In order to humiliate her, Madeline has sent frozen deep-dish pizzas that Julien immediately chucks in the trash. Luc treats Emily to a birthday jaunt to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery to visit Balzacs grave. Luc thinks people are always overlooking Balzac to go visit Oscar Wilde or Gertrude Stein, but Luc is a devoted man. He always comes here on his birthday. To think about life is to think about death. I have no notes; this is actually a cool and just-weird-enough birthday idea from him.
Even though youd think Gabriel would be extremely busy running his restaurant that is undergoing a renovation/relaunch/whatever and has all these new investors to impress, he is magically available to take Emily to the market because her groceries are pathetic. Emily, who wants Gabriel and Camille to get back together, is doing a lot of flirting. They get caught in a storm. Finally something gets that awful curl-blob out of her hair! Gabriel explains theyre in a coup de foudre, which could mean lightning storm or love at first sight. How French! One more platonic gesture (he pushes her hair! Behind her ear!!! That is basically third base for Emily!!!!), and she bolts. Which is a good decision that, unfortunately for Emily, comes far too late in this whole entanglement to make much difference.
While Emily continues to make a mess of all her personal relationships, Sylvie salvages a professional disaster by sweet-talking Pierre into the Rimowa luggage. Theres also a little side plot where Pierre summons and hazes Julien, which doesnt really add much or have anything to do with anything we care about, so I will not dwell on it here. Time for dinner!
Emilys dress. Oh my God. It is several giant floppy magenta bows. Like the worst 80s bridesmaids dress youve ever seen, multiplied. Is it so bad its good again? I dont think so, but I share Tom and Lorenzos aversion for bows on grown women. At least her hair has improved? Sylvie is here and I am stunned she doesnt have anywhere better to be. Her birthday gift is a gorgeous cigarette case. But you know that I dont smoke, Emily says. Well, its never too late to start, says Sylvie.
Camille and Gabriel have a little conversation (sloppy plot exposition through dialogue, telling each other things they both obviously would already know and would never need to say out loud). I find the whole thing confusing because didnt he not break up with her? But also he did? And she is just letting that slide to have this chat about how shes sorry she has a temper?! WHAT. Emily watches this (implausible, borderline insane) reunion through gritted teeth and swears this is exactly what she wanted. Mindy, in a dress the color of a highlighter, knows better.
Fast-forward to the end of dinner, and Camille jets upstairs to grab the Champagne, where, of course! She spots the omelette pan (which she has already seen before and did note looked just like Gabriels) and sees Gabriels initials. She returns to the table to find everyone swooning over the cake Gabriel made for Emily, and Gabriel just removing some chocolate frosting from Emilys lips with his thumb, as platonic male-female friend-neighbors are wont to do.
Emilys toast, as I mentioned earlier, is 100 percent about how she is an insufferable person to be around (but, as she thinks, in a cute way? I love that no one really laughs all that convincingly at her efforts to spin her bad personality into a charming one). And then Camille gets up to make a toast of her own: She pretended to be my friend while she had an affair with my boyfriend. She has some words for Gabriel, too: And to my boyfriend, who fucked my fake friend. And then she smashes the glass on the ground. Lchaim, girl. Sylvie offers Emily a cigarette: phenomenal. Emily stupidly chases Camille only to be confronted, yet again, with the irrefutable allegation that she had sex with Gabriel and lied about it.
Im so excited for Emily to actually have an enemy. For this show to maybe actually have stakes?!? If Camille forgives her in the next episode, I will start smoking.
Photo: Peter Mountain
The Kings Man is a prequel to the 2014 and 2017 Kingsman movies that answers the question of how the franchises eponymous bespoke suit-wearing superspy organization came to be. It doesnt, however, get around to other urgent queries, like Was anyone actually asking that? and also Shouldnt a prequel have at least some of the qualities that made people like the other films? These days, even middling franchises get treated as precious commodities that have to be nurtured like hothouse flowers. But this middling franchise (directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on a Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons comic) barely had enough ideas to sustain one direct sequel, much less an installment that loses previous stars Colin Firth and Taron Egerton, as well as most of the edgelord-tinged humor that, like it or loathe it, did seem to be the main selling point. Kingsman: The Secret Service and its follow-up, The Golden Circle, were nominal send-ups of James Bond that imagined a tracksuited working-class hero in the place of the suave secret agent. But this new film drops any pretense of satire, content instead to be a dreary knock-off in period costume that doubles as an embarrassing work of wish fulfillment for anyone who just wishes Bond could be more overtly royalist.
Maybe thats why Ralph Fiennes looks so pained throughout The Kings Man, which Vaughn co-wrote with Karl Gajdusek he wears the barely perceptible grimace of someone trying and failing to excuse themselves from an unpleasant cocktail hour. His character, Orlando Oxford, is a reluctant duke who begins the film as a committed pacifist but heartwarmingly learns to overcome his hard-won moral stances in order to hurl people off cliffs by the end. After a preface in South Africa in 1902 relieves Orlando of his narratively inconvenient wife, the film skips ahead a dozen years to find Orlandos now-teenage son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson), chafing against his fathers protective tendencies. There is something contradictory about the way hes being trained in the art of knife-fighting by Orlandos man-servant, Shola (Djimon Hounsou, seemingly unable to escape this type of role), but forbidden from straying far from the family estate. Eventually, Orlando lets his son in on the truth, which is that hes been running a DIY intelligence operation with the help of Shola and Conrads alarmingly capable nanny, Polly Wilkins (Gemma Arterton), relying on a network of domestic workers apparently happy to spy in the highest halls of various governments on behalf of some English peer and his devoted servants. How or why this works is incidental theres mischief afoot, and its the fault of a consortium of historical figures who, for some reason, follow a shadow-shrouded, Scottish-accented leader referred to as the Shepherd.
The end goals of Vaughns villains throughout this series have been revealing. In the first film, Samuel L. Jacksons character aimed to stop climate change by culling the global population; in the second, Julianne Moores tried to end the war on drugs in order for her cartel to rule the market without prosecution; and the Shepherd wants Scottish independence. Given that Orlando spends the first half of the movie rueing his blood-soaked involvement in colonial efforts as a younger man, youd think hed have at least a little sympathy for this last goal. But The Kings Man manages to be skeptical of governments while maintaining an intense loyalty to the idea of nations, gentlemen, and the status quo. While the baddies rail, entirely reasonably, about those who only rule to the fortune of birth, Orlando admits to Conrad that their ancestors were terrible people while treating that fact as motivation to behave better, not cede any of his wealth or power. Tom Hollander appears as King George, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Tsar Nicholas, and while he plays the latter two as fools, the film still seems to believe theyre the best their respective countries can do. Its barely worth raising an eyebrow when Vladimir Lenin (August Diehl) turns up alongside Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner), Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Bruhl), and Grigori Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), to reveal that Bolshevism is just another part of the Shepherds master plan.
Despite all this, the real sin of The Kings Man is its near-total lack of fun. Its a movie that wants to bemoan the monstrousness of war while also trying to pack in kick-ass action set pieces, and the result is that the former feels wildly insincere while the latter are just uninspired. The only aspect of the movie that has any electricity to it comes from a fight scene in which Rasputin, played by a scenery-chewing Ifans as a pansexual goth with real mystical powers and a crucifix that dispenses opium, busts out some impressive dance-inspired moves. Its silly and kinetic and, for a moment, the movie seems to actually know what it wants to be, more than just a limp installment in a series already scheduled to spawn a fourth film, as well as an American spinoff, and a possible TV series. Then it trudges along for another hour, fleshing out mythology that was half-assed by design. All to build out a fictional world that no one involved seems to actually want to spend time in.
Italy records highest number of covid cases in over a year.
Italian premier Mario Draghi confirmed on Wednesday that the government would evaluate imposing additional covid restrictions at a meeting on Thursday, two days before Christmas.
The prime minister did not exclude the possibility of requiring vaccinated people to undergo covid tests, to grant access to crowded venues, or making the wearing of masks mandatory outdoors.
Stressing the importance of vaccines as "the best defense against the virus", Draghi urged "all citizens to continue getting vaccinated, to take the third dose, this is the priority."
The premier said that reducing the duration of the covid Green Pass was also on the table however he ruled out the possibility that school holidays would be extended after Christmas.
"We want to defend normality and take all precautions", he said, adding: "All decisions are guided by data, not politics."
Italian media has reported that the possible new measures could include requiring covid tests for night clubs and New Year's Eve events, even for vaccinated people, and extending compulsory vaccination to additional categories of workers.
Currently the covid vaccine is obligatory for the nation's teachers, police officers, military, prison guards, administrative staff in hospitals and schools, and healthcare workers.
Data published by the health ministry on Tuesday showed that Italy had registered 30,798 new covid cases in the previous 24 hours, the highest level since November 2020.
For official information in English on the covid-19 situation in Italy see the health ministry website.
Cover image: Christmas shopping on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, December 2021. Photo credit: VILTVART / Shutterstock.com.
Gas inventories in Europe in December were the lowest on record for the time of year. China, which is by far the biggest consumer of energy and commodities in the world, ordered state-owned companies to secure supplies at all costs. Prices in Europe would need to stay high to attract cargoes of liquefied natural gas away from Asia, where China is stockpiling to power its economy and build reserves for winter. Earlier in 2021 Norwegian gas flows were lower than average during maintenance work at its giant fields and processing stations, and supplies from Russia were limited while it was rebuilding its own inventories. Russian President Vladimir Putin calmed the gas market in October by offering to help stabilize the situation, saying Russia could potentially export record volumes of the vital fuel to Europe this year. Later in the year, though, a key new avenue for Russian exports to Europe became complicated by geopolitics.
A lot of Democratic party actors really, really, really hate the Iowa caucuses and they especially hate that the caucuses are the first delegate-selection event on the presidential-nomination calendar. Given that the state party thoroughly botched the job in 2020, failing to report the results on the night of the vote, many thought that this was finally the end of the line for Iowa.Well, not so much. It appears that Democrats will face the same basic calendar in 2024 they have for the last few cycles, with Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina going in that order, followed by what will likely be a large Super Tuesday-type event. Nothing is certain yet, but if Democrats are backing away from major reforms now its pretty unlikely theyll happen.Why? The biggest reason is what Im tempted to call an Iron Law of Politics: The dominant coalition in the presidents party tends to be reasonably happy with the nomination process. That shouldnt be a surprise; after all, almost by definition the dominant coalition got its way in the most recent nomination, and its interests are likely well served by the status quo. Neither of the two biggest overhauls of the process in U.S. history were enacted by the party in the White House. In the 1820s, out-parties invented and adopted national conventions to replace nomination by congressional caucuses. Then, after 1968, the defeated Democrats replaced the convention system with the modern system, in which delegates are chosen to support candidates rather than to represent state parties, and the convention itself is a formality.As Ed Kilgore points out, another reason that the calendar stays put is that there isnt really any mechanism to change it, at least short of passing a national law. Iowa itself could back down, but Republicans hold majorities and the governorship there, and theyre reasonably happy with Iowa. Perhaps if former President Donald Trump chose to pick a fight against a state in which he finished second in 2016 he might have a chance, but then again Trump, like President Joe Biden, probably likes an overall system that eventually nominated him. And neither party likes to use up scarce resources in process battles with state parties and legislatures.As for the Democrats: The main complaint many of them have against Iowa (along with New Hampshire) is that its unrepresentative of the nation and of the party. This is both true and mostly unimportant. Back in the 1970s, the early states had disproportionate influence over the nomination because the system was new and the parties hadnt yet learned how to influence it. But in the 21st century, no candidate has won a nomination by camping out in Iowa and ignoring the rest of the map until later. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the nomination easily after finishing in a tie in Iowa and then getting clobbered by Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire, while Biden managed to win the nomination even more easily despite finishing fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire. The candidates whove been helped most by Iowa in recent cycles were those who had strengths elsewhere think John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. Or, for that matter, Trump in 2016, who in finishing second showed the ability to do well in a state far from his home region and one that is typically dominated by Christian conservatives, who at the time were thought to be where Trump was weakest.Yes, Iowa does tend to winnow the field of candidates, but even that now generally happens before the vote is even taken. The truth is that even though delegates are selected in state-by-state contests, the overall nomination battle these days is more national than local, and the results of each state are interpreted in a national context.So Iowa and New Hampshire are likely to stay at the front of the calendar at least one more time. And while its arbitrary, it just doesnt seem to be particularly important. Democrats have plenty of process stuff to work on; theyre being smart if they choose to let this one go.
The U.S. directly blamed the Federal Security Service (FSB) for the attack, and the EU and U.K. said it could only have been done with the spy agencys involvement. Investigative website Bellingcat said in December 2020 that it had identified members of a clandestine FSB unit specializing in poisons who had followed Navalny since January 2017. Putin later admitted Navalny was under surveillance but denied the government was behind the poisoning, saying that if we had wanted to, we would have finished the job. French President Emmanuel Macron described it as an assassination attempt, Germanys then-Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Navalny in the hospital and in October 2020, the European Union blacklisted six people in Russia allied to Putin over the poisoning.
How can public health departments track the results of at-home tests? Tests often come with a QR code that makes it easy to report results, but even if people dont follow through, having the information in the test-takers hands is probably more likely to save lives than it would be in the state health departments files. The test takers are in the best position to notify contacts, since most state-run contact tracing efforts have been scaled back or discontinued.
That doesnt leave many contenders to push through that potential $785 million bond deal. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp., the two biggest underwriters in the state this year, rank No. 6 and No. 1 nationwide, respectively, and likely have enough business to sit this one out. Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets and JPMorgan Chase & Co. werent nearly as big in Alabama in 2021. They could probably scale up, given they all rank among the top five U.S. muni underwriters, but, again, theres no urgency to go out on a limb for this. Stifel already backed out once. Joe Jolly & Co. and Thornton Farish are both located in Alabama but dont seem to have the size needed for this undertaking.
As the obstacles, emergencies and missed connections mount up, Fogg and his newly hired valet Passepartout find their resolve and cleverness tested to the full. Much of the books frequent humor derives from culture clash, as the volatile Passepartout gets into trouble by misunderstanding foreign ways while the majestically indifferent Fogg simply concentrates on his timetable: He was not travelling, he was describing a circumference. Nonetheless, the severely self-disciplined Englishman as logical and dispassionate as Sherlock Holmes or Star Treks Spock is repeatedly forced to break out of his shell, whether by rescuing Aouda, a rajahs beautiful Parsee widow, or by risking the loss of his wager, as well as his life, by saving Passepartout from Sioux warriors, or, through that most common way of enlarging ones horizons, by falling in love. That the woman is of another race even shows Vernes hero flouting widespread British prejudice.
Two days before Glaziers April 28, 2017 email, Shepard wrote to her about similar concerns expressed by some in the transplant community. This is an infuriatingly elitist argument masquerading as concern for the poor. Only people who have means can get transplants. So this isnt give txs to poor people argument, its a give txs to those of us who have to live near poor people argument. Txs is shorthand for transplants.
Johnson said her sister was in the library of the home on the ground floor when the fire began, while Charles S. Robb was working in the basement. Johnson said it is unclear what sparked the blaze, but authorities are exploring whether the origin was electrical. The couple has lived in the home for nearly 50 years.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Tuesday that the administration is looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy, to get more money into peoples pockets, and doing that with international institutions, with other countries and partners, trying to put in place the right mechanisms to do that in a way that doesnt directly benefit the Taliban but does go directly to the people.
But the strategy of relying heavily on the sanctions threat to shape Russian behavior faces challenges and limitations. Political divides on the issue persist among European allies, while dependence on Russian energy in Europe all but precludes targeting Russian oil and gas exports directly, which potentially would hurt Putin most. Disagreement remains about what threats, if any, are punishing enough to influence Putins thinking and how specific the West should be about the measures in advance.
She declined to provide details of Kaczynskis condition. David Kaczynski, Ted Kaczynskis brother, said he had been told recently by someone who corresponds with his brother that he had been moved to a different facility, but the Bureau of Prisons declined to tell him why that was. David Kaczynski, who tipped the FBI to his brother as a possible suspect, said his brother does not respond to his letters.
Over three-fifths of the growth this year, or 244,622 people, is estimated to be from net international migration, or the difference between the number of people moving into and out of the country. Natural increase, or the number of births minus the number of deaths, was estimated at just 148,043 people, a reduction of 84 percent from two years ago. It is the first year that net international migration has exceeded natural increase, according to the bureau.
The Texas law, known as S.B. 8, prohibits abortions after a physician has detected cardiac activity and makes no exceptions for rape or incest. The law is not enforced by state government officials, but instead allows any member of the public to sue anyone who performs an abortion or helps a patient get one after about six weeks. Successful lawsuits result in an award of at least $10,000 per abortion.
According to the Senate Judiciary report authored by the Democratic majority, Perry was one of the first Republicans to cast doubt on the 2020 election, saying four days after the vote that legal votes will determine who is POTUS, not the news media. Perry led the objection to counting Pennsylvanias electoral votes on the House floor in the hours immediately following the Jan. 6 insurrection. Republicans on Senate panel offered counterfindings, arguing that Trump did not subvert the justice system to remain in power.
Flynn failed to comply with many of the procedural requirements that the court has in place to determine if a restraining order should be granted, Scriven ruled. She wrote that Flynns failure to provide such information was fatal to his request. A lack of explanation as to why Flynn should not be required as well as why doing so would be considered impractical, as his lawsuit stated, was also factored into the judges ruling.
Lindell told The Post that he has spoken to 20 to 30 Republican attorneys general in a bid to persuade them to sign on to a lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to nullify the 2020 results in key states Biden won. He announced in early November his plans to file the suit two days before Thanksgiving, but the date came and went and no attorney general had agreed to do so. Lindell posted the complaint online without named plaintiffs and, without offering proof, accused Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel of sabotaging his effort.
Troops at the main square in Almaty amid protests over the government's decision to lift price caps on liquefied petroleum gas. (Reuters)
Troops from the Collective Security Treaty Organization will enter Kazakhstan after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appealed for help controlling the anti-government protests.
The early research from Scotland was led by the scientists at the University of Edinburgh, in a well-vaccinated population not too different from the United States. The power of the study lay in the wealth of data kept by the National Health Service in Scotland records of vaccination status, age, gender, underlying health conditions and coronavirus infection for nearly 98 percent of the Scottish population.
President Trump pardoned former Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff Joe Arpaio Aug. 25. Heres what you need to know. (Patrick Martin,Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)
President Trump pardoned former Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff Joe Arpaio Aug. 25. Heres what you need to know. (Patrick Martin,Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)
President Trump on Friday pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio a move that keeps one of his staunchest political allies out of jail and will likely cheer his conservative base, which supports both mens hard-line views on illegal immigration.
The unusual pardon coming less than a month after Arpaio was convicted, and before his planned October sentencing will further anger the presidents critics and is likely to worsen the presidents already tense relationship with the judicial branch, which he has repeatedly criticized.
A pardon is perhaps the only way to make Arpaio a longtime county sheriff who gained national fame and notoriety for his aggressive pursuit of undocumented immigrants a more polarizing figure than he already is.
The decision on Arpaio is the latest chapter in a line of historically controversial pardons granted by presidents rare but not unprecedented uses of power that draw fire for being politically or personally motivated. Legal experts have compared an Arpaio pardon to the one President George H.W. Bush granted to former defense secretary Caspar Weinberger in 1992 over the Iran-contra affair, or the one President Clinton granted to fugitive financier Marc Rich in 2001.
[Pardon for Arpaio would be rare but not unprecedented act]
In this Dec. 18, 2013, photo, then-Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks at a news conference in Phoenix. President Trump has pardoned the former sheriff following his conviction for criminal contempt of court for intentionally disobeying a judges order in an immigration case. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)
But Arpaios pardon the first of the Trump presidency is a rarity among rarities. In recent decades, presidents have tended to issue controversial pardons at the end of their terms, not the beginning. The move raises questions about how often the president might pardon other political figures and for what types of offenses.
In a statement announcing the pardon, Trump made no mention of Arpaios offense criminal contempt of court but praised his past military service.
Arpaios life and career, which began at the age of 18 when he enlisted in the military after the outbreak of the Korean War, exemplify selfless public service, Trump said. Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his lifes work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon, the statement continued.
Arpaios lawyer, Jack Wilenchik, said simply: Justice has been done.
In a tweet, Arpaio thanked the president for seeing my conviction for what it is: a political witch hunt by holdovers in the Obama justice department!
Arpaio told the Associated Press that he appreciates the presidents action and will always stand by him. He said he will speak more about the matter next week.
Joe Arpaio's illegal-immigration crackdown made him a polarizing figure and an early ally of President Trump. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)
The sheriffs critics spent years trying to stop the police practices that Arpaio sanctioned and that they charge were discriminatory and abusive; in recent weeks, they had vociferously objected to the pardon that Trump repeatedly hinted was coming.
A deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union called the pardon a presidential endorsement of racism.
Trump has chosen lawlessness over justice, division over unity, hurt over healing, said Cecillia Wang, the ACLU official. Once again, the president has acted in support of illegal, failed immigration enforcement practices that target people of color and have been struck down by the courts.
The president traveled this week to Phoenix, where he suggested at a rally that he was on the verge of pardoning Arpaio, but said he would not do it that night because it would be controversial.
Earlier this month, the president told Fox News he was seriously considering a pardon for Arpaio, who was convicted last month of criminal contempt for ignoring a federal judges order to stop detaining people because he merely suspected them of being undocumented immigrants.
Trump called Arpaio a great American patriot who had done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration. . . . He has protected people from crimes and saved lives. He doesnt deserve to be treated this way.
[Joe Arpaios record on illegal immigration]
Trumps pardon came late on a Friday night, at a time when much of the country was focused on a Category 4 hurricane bearing down on Texas.
The reaction among advocates and Democrats was swift.
President Trump is a coward. He waited until a Friday evening, as a hurricane hits, to pardon a racist ex-sheriff, said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who represents Phoenix. Trump should at least have the decency to explain to the American public why he is undermining our justice system.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) also accused the president of using the cover of the storm to pardon a man who violated a courts order.
Normally, pardon applications are submitted to the Justice Department, where they are scrutinized over a period of months before recommendations are made to the White House. Some applicants wait years to find out whether they will receive pardons or clemency.
Arpaios pardon came much faster, and it was not subject to a Justice Department review, according to officials.
Arpaios sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 5, and he had faced up to six months in prison.
Vanita Gupta, chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the president has yet again damaged himself, the rule of law, and our country tonight. This pardon sends a dangerous message that a law enforcement officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the rule of law.
Arpaios lawyer has maintained that the prosecution of Arpaio was a political vendetta against a foe of the Obama administration and that therefore the political act of a pardon was a fair and just way to end the case.
Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., has long been an advocate for Trump and spoke in support of him at the Republican National Convention in July 2016. The men seem to have the same views on illegal immigrants and the use of harsh tactics against criminals or suspected criminals. Arpaio is well known in part for forcing his inmates to wear pink underwear and sleep outdoors in his Tent City Jail.
The legal saga surrounding Arpaio dates back years. In 2011, as part of a lawsuit, the then-sheriff was enjoined by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow from detaining people he thought to be illegal immigrants, when they were not charged with any other crime. Prosecutors alleged that Arpaio continued to do so, and last year, the Justice Department decided to pursue a criminal contempt-of-court case against him.
Critics said that his policy of detaining people on mere suspicion was racist and illegal, and that his refusal to honor a courts order to stop was brazen. Arpaios lawyers argued that the judges order enjoining their clients conduct was not clear, and they suggested that Arpaio was merely doing what others do routinely: turning over those in the country illegally to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Looking forward to some time off over the summer holidays? I am. Long time since Ive been in more need of a decent break. Few more columns to go, and Im off for four weeks.
This will surprise and shock you, but regular polling by the Roy Morgan outfit has found that, by September, the total annual leave owing to Australian employees had reached a record 185 million days, up almost a quarter on a year earlier.
Do yourself a favour. Take your annual leave if you can.
No need to tell you it was all the lockdowns and lockouts not just from other countries and other states, but even 100 kms down the coast. Weve had little ability to take leave. Nor much desire to either, if it meant holidaying at home.
The proportion of workers owed less than two weeks is down and the proportion owed more than seven weeks (including me) is up past 10 per cent. Of course, the almost 40 per cent people working as casuals dont get annual leave.
Police are predicting a rise in human trafficking as eased border restrictions drive a surge in international travellers in and out of the country.
The Australian Federal Polices Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling said that as international traveller numbers increase, it is important for the public to be aware of warning signs that may indicate someone has been or is in the process of being trafficked.
Federal police say reports of human trafficking in Australia tripled between 2013-14 and 2020-21. Credit:James Brickwood
They say theyve got [travel documents] but cant put their hands on them, or they may be working in poor working conditions, or the victim may rarely or never leave their house, or they may have little or no money, Superintendent Crossling told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.
Or if they have earnings, they might have no access to them.
Hearst Connecticut Media file photo
SOUTHBURY State police are seeking information about a single-vehicle rollover crash that occurred over the weekend on Interstate 84.
A 2005 Honda Civic was found on its roof with no occupants inside in the area of westbound Exit 13 around 3:23 a.m. Saturday, according to authorities.
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Birmingham's pantomime is one of the UK's largest but also one of the country's latest to open and the threat of new restrictions over the last few days has meant a nail-biting wait to ensure it could go ahead. But go ahead it has in a blaze of glory.
Based very loosely on the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, this year's panto takes us into the big top and is studded with circus acts in a production which is more of a variety show than a traditional pantomime. That's not to say it doesn't have all of the panto ingredients but it feels like a hybrid of two shows as it jumps back and forth between slapstick comedy and daredevil feats.
It has taken two years because of the Covid lockdown but Birmingham audiences finally got to see Jason Donovan's panto debut and very good he is too. Playing the evil circus owner Count Ramsay of Erinsborough, he's devious, dastardly and downright nasty. This man not only hates people, he also hates animals even cute dancing bears. Donovan is a panto natural, effortlessly striking that balance between being a baddy but a baddy with good humour indeed I would have been tempted to give him more stage time than he currently has.
Back for his eighth year at the Hippodrome, Matt Slack takes on the role of Ringo the Ringmaster and has great stage chemistry with Donovan, rolling out joke after joke about Neighbours and even dressing up and performing as Kylie Minogue. Hugely popular with Birmingham audiences, Slack also peppers the show with impersonations and song.
Andrew Ryan returns as the Dame, this time Dame Betty Barnum the circus owner determined to run a business which is kind and benevolent and under threat from Count Ramsay. Sashaying across the stage in extravagant costumes, Ryan can play the audience, creating laughs with a wiggle of the hips and a flutter of his larger-than-life eyelashes.
Queen of the Black Country Doreen Tipton's Lazy Lion Tamer is much less of a lion tamer and more of a butt of the jokes the recurrent gags being that she is workshy and that Slack has no idea what she says in her broad Tipton accent.
There are also plenty of circus acts to spice up the show from Pierre Marchand juggling laser diabolos in the dark, Peter Pavlov's stunt motorcycle riding, aerialists the Gemini Sisters and Phil Hitchcock magically transforming handkerchiefs into doves.
Produced and directed by Michael Harrison and written by Alan McHugh and Matt Slack, Goldilocks is full of local colour with topical allusions including social distancing and parties at Number 10. Set designer Ian Westbrook and special effects team The Twins FX also ensure some magical moments including a huge gorilla and an incredible elephant head which comes out into the audience.
What comes through this panto above all is the sheer joy of performing the show back on stage. From the energetic dancing, the pyrotechnics, the flashing lights and the gorgeously glittering costumes, it is full of exuberance, laughter and fun. Even the cast were emotional Slack ended the performance with a heartfelt thank you to the audience for coming out to support live theatre and following the rules to allow it to continue.
They say lightning never strikes twice, but it feels as though it has up at Hampstead Theatre where Maureen Lipman gave a career highlight performance as formidable literary agent Peggy Ramsay (1908 to 1991) in the original 1999 production of Alan Plater's richly enjoyable comedy, and now Tamsin Greig is equally magnificent, albeit intriguingly different, in the same role in Richard Wilson's pitch perfect revival.
Both interpretations serve Plater's engrossing script equally well. First discovered asleep fully dressed on a script-festooned chaise longue as early morning light creeps into her office (James Cotterill's marvellously detailed set is almost a character in itself) after spending a night at the police station bailing out a client, she is eccentric but magnetic: Plater has created a fabulous role. Where Lipman led with abrasive energy shading later into fractious vulnerability, Greig comes at Ramsay from the opposite direction, projecting an almost child-like delight at her power within the industry, specifically over the careers of men, and a genuine love for words and writers. The real Ramsay's client list was a who's who of British playwrights, and she was immortalised on film by Vanessa Redgrave in the Joe Orton biography Prick Up Your Ears.
Greig's Peggy is flirtatious with Josh Finan's fledgling playwright and has a flinty camaraderie with her comparatively down-to-earth secretary (Danusia Samual, excellent). Her bizarre charm makes it possible, just about, to overlook the little barbs, the snobbery towards Northerners (the quaint idea that the two Alans on her books Ayckbourn and Bleasdale must live in the same street and sup at the same pub just because they're both from north of Watford) and the fact that she still refers to her current secretary by the previous one's name. This is a woman, one imagines, who usually gets her way using a mixture of honey and steel. Where Lipman left you in no doubt about the manipulation, Greig, harnessing her own innate likability and elegance, makes it part of the fabric of the character.
It's later, when a failing client has taken their own life at just the point where Peggy has been dumped by the married playwright she was seeing (a superb Trevor Fox), that we glimpse the personal cost of such devotion to the arts and her career. With just an adjustment in stance and a look of subtle devastation across her face, Greig conveys volumes about Ramsay's disengagement from the realities of human feeling, and her disappointment that actual life sometimes contradicts the rarefied existence she has carved for herself. Her brutal dismissal of a writer because he had stopped creating anything worthwhile and her bewilderment at her secretary's emotional response are all the more chilling, and also suggest that under all the wondrous speechifying and slightly camp posturing, she is incredibly lonely.
An evocative snapshot rather than a biographical piece, Plater's script was so rooted in Peggy Ramsay's real life timeline that it didn't feel particularly new back in 1999, but it has aged well. Writing this witty and generous never really goes out of fashion. Already a much beloved actress, and surely only a BAFTA or two away from full National Treasure status, Tamsin Greig proves once again what a tremendous stage performer she is, a brilliant technician with truth, precision and killer comic timing. We may be within staggering distance of 2022, but this is one of the performances of the year.
Finance Officer, Geneva, Switzerland
Organization: World Health Organization (WHO)
Country: Switzerland
City: Geneva
Office: WHO Geneva, Switzerland
Grade: P-4
Closing date: Thursday, 30 December 2021
Finance Officer
( 2106033 )
Grade : P4
Contractual Arrangement : Fixed-term appointment
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days) : 2 years
Job Posting: Dec 10, 2021, 4:49:20 PM
The Department of Finances objectives are to support Country Offices, Regional Offices and Headquarters in all financial matters to ensure precise and timely services to colleagues throughout the Organization, including hosted entities.Financial services include Treasury, investments, Staff Health Insurance, pension and other insurances. To set financial policy, issue annual financial statements and manage WHO external audit; to maintain transparency, accountability and trust in WHO by all stakeholders. To provide the best customer service possible, facilitating access to benefit entitlements for the WHO family worldwide and efficient processing of all related benefits using innovative technology.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
A. Duties of Secretary, CRC: (1) Record, analyze, summarize and assess incoming requests for CRC clearance and make recommendations for CRC decision.
(2) Alert CRC members to problems identified with proposed new contractual arrangements and make policy recommendations with regard to best practices regarding the maintenance and improvement of WHOs procurement practices, based on competitive selection and best value for money principles.
(3) Prepare special analyses and correspondence for Chair CRC with regard to pending submissions.
(4) Respond to queries/requests for advice from CRC members and staff in submitting programmes.
(5) Follow-up of pending cases; correspondence with programmes on CRC requests for clarifications.
(6) Maintain and administer the CRC electronic database and the physical CRC Master File. Prepare regular reports and statistics regarding the CRC caseload, value, trends and other analytical issues related to CRC performance. Prepare reports and analysis on CRC observations, and incorrect submissions, and recommend policy or other solutions to address recurring issues.
(7) Liaise with the regional CRCs; the GSC; CPS; LEG and other services involved in WHO procurement and contractual services and act as catalyst for change in adopting and harmonizing best practices across the Organization; draft CRC-related procedural documentation for the e-Manual, SOPs etc.
(8) Assume the focal point role for CRC matters vis-a-vis internal and external auditor and the IEOAC.
(9) Provide reports for CRC on the observed compliance with procurement procedure, based on submissions to CRC(10) In conjunction with the WHO Procurement unit, provide guidance on CRC procedures.
B.
(1). Back-up the Senior Finance Officer, and the Head of ECA as necessary.
(2) Other tasks as assigned by supervisor.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Essential: Advanced level University degree in a discipline relevant to the position. Professional accounting qualification such as CA, CPA, ACCA,CIPFA or other equivalent formal qualification.
Desirable: MBA or equivalent.
Experience
Essential: A minimum of seven years of progressive financial managerial responsibility in a large, complex, international organization, preferably with decentralized operations. Proven written and communication skills. Integrity, tact and discretion in dealing with internal and external stakeholders. Supervisory, leadership ability, negotiation skills and a Team player. An understanding of procurement procedures.
Desirable: Experience working with International Public Sector Accounting Standards, International Financial Reporting Standards or other international accounting standards. Experience using both finance and procurement modules of ERP systems (Workday or Oracle preferred).
Skills
Integrity, tact, discretion and ability to recommend and interpret administrative and financial policies and systems and establish and maintain effective working relationships within a team with multi-cultural backgrounds in a multi-disciplinary management service environment. Promoting excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to effectively maintain a global network of finance professionals. Proven writing and oral communications skills. Comprehensive knowledge of principles and practices of international accounting and financial management.
WHO Competencies
Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Producing results
Setting an example
Use of Language Skills
Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French
REMUNERATION
WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 74,913 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 5181 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
A written test may be used as a form of screening.
In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual. c1TKBwN Dh7qKS
Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.
For information on WHOs operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.
Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1639244776945
Williamson, WV (25661)
Today
Cloudy. Snow likely this afternoon. Much colder. Morning high of 38F with temps falling to near freezing. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 100%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected..
Tonight
Snow will taper off and end this evening but skies will remain cloudy late. Low 17F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has defended the government's public health response to the Omicron variant as Canadians across the country struggle with overwhelming demand for COVID-19 tests.
A person bundled up in a heavy jacket for the cold weather wears a face mask to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Vancouver, on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has defended the government's public health response to the Omicron variant as Canadians across the country struggle with overwhelming demand for COVID-19 tests.
Despite the fact that South Africa raised the alarm about the highly transmissible variant nearly one month ago, local public health agencies have found themselves unable to provide tests for the high number of suspected COVID-19 cases in their areas.
In some places people have been told to simply assume they've been infected and self-isolate if they develop cold-like symptoms or test positive on a rapid test, essentially sending them into unofficial lockdown.
"We have all been working flat out and learning much about COVID over the past two years and indeed bracing for Omicron," Trudeau said at a briefing Wednesday.
The government bought some time by instituting border restrictions and testing requirements to try to slow the introduction of Omicron to Canada, and has used that time to stock up on necessary supplies like vaccines and rapid tests, Trudeau said.
"Even before Omicron's arrival, we were there on stepping up to order enough boosters into 2022 for all Canadians, which is why people can be comfortable going to get that booster shot that does provide protection against Omicron as quickly as possible so that we can stay safe."
The prime minister also pointed to the aid package put in place for workers and businesses hit by future lockdowns.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in a year end interview with The Canadian Press in Ottawa, on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The benefits were passed by Parliament last week. On Wednesday, Trudeau announced the eligibility requirements would be loosened to provide aid to those affected by recent capacity restrictions put in place in response to rising cases of the virus.
Concerns about ease of access to and speed of delivery of PCR tests, rapid tests and COVID-19 vaccine boosters should be directed to the provinces, Trudeau said.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said resources are limited, and he is in touch with provincial and territorial leaders about lending federal help. Quebec has already requested military help to accelerate the province's mass vaccination campaign.
"I do not want in any way to minimize how hard things are right now, nor to minimize the fact that we are in for some even tougher times ahead," said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
"But I do think that it is also really, really important for Canadians to be reassured by the progress that we have made in the 21 months we've been fighting COVID and to be reassured by the fact that we have a lot of tools and a lot of knowledge that we didn't have when this pandemic first hit."
The virtual briefing came as three members of Trudeau's staff and three members of his security detail tested positive for COVID-19. The prime minister has been advised to self-monitor and use rapid COVID-19 tests. He has so far tested negative.
Omicron is now the dominant variant in several provinces, according to chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam.
"There were over 11,300 new cases yesterday alone," Tam said Wednesday. That was up from an average of just 5,000 cases per day last week.
"Modelling shows that by the beginning of January we could have very high number of cases, which underscores the need to act urgently now to reduce the acceleration."
Severe illness trends are also on the rise, Tam said, though it's unclear if those more serious cases are associated with the lagging effect of the Delta variant.
Still, a fast-spreading wave of Omicron could make the problem worse even if the variant turns out to be less severe, she said.
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To avoid a sudden rush on the health-care system, Tam urged all Canadians to do what they can to lessen the spread of the virus. "This variant spreads extremely quickly and the situation can rapidly get out of hand anywhere."
Several provinces have already announced strict new COVID-19 prevention measures, including closing businesses, limiting how many people can gather and even requiring out-of-province visitors to quarantine on arrival.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced Wednesday evening that his province had recorded about 9,000 new COVID-19 cases during the day, and he said the "exponential" rise in infections over the past week will necessitate new restrictions.
As of Boxing Day, he said, private gatherings in the province will be limited to six people or two family bubbles. Restaurants, which are already operating at half capacity and have to close at 10 p.m., will also have to limit groups at tables to six people or two families.
Despite projections that Omicron-driven cases and hospitalizations will increase dramatically by the end of the month without stronger interventions, Saskatchewan is not planning to tighten public health measures for the holidays.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2021.
VIENNA (AP) Austria announced a slate of new restrictions Wednesday aimed at slowing the spread of the omicron variant, including closing restaurants earlier and imposing stricter entry requirements for people from countries where the variant is already dominant.
People hold candles, in memory of those who have died in Austria of coronavirus, in Vienna, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. Tens of thousands of Vienna residents turned out Sunday night to participate in a sea of lights commemorating the more than 13,000 Austrians who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. The event, which was supported by dozens of community and civil society organizations, drew more than 30,000 people, according to Austrian media. (AP Photo/Michael Gruber)
VIENNA (AP) Austria announced a slate of new restrictions Wednesday aimed at slowing the spread of the omicron variant, including closing restaurants earlier and imposing stricter entry requirements for people from countries where the variant is already dominant.
Omicron presents us with the next epidemiological challenge, Katharina Reich, co-leader of the countrys new coronavirus crisis team, said after a meeting between national leaders and state governors. "What we do know is that omicron is fast and we need to react quickly.
Austria is in a better position than many other European countries when it comes to confronting the new variant. Facing a massive surge of infections in November, the country imposed a three-week lockdown to bring its daily case numbers down.
As a result of those restrictions, which ended for vaccinated people on Dec. 12 but remain for those who have not been vaccinated, case numbers are still dropping.
On Wednesday, the country's 7-day rate of new infections stood at 188.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, down from a high of 1,100 per 100,000 in late November.
Despite the countrys current good position, Reich said new restrictions are necessary because omicron will bring drastic changes to us as well.
Starting on Dec. 27, restaurants must close at 10 p.m., including on New Years Eve. Reich also urged people to rethink their New Years celebrations: Celebrate New Years Eve in small groups, she said.
In addition, officials said they would impose new limits and requirements for large gatherings, which will require proof that attendees are vaccinated or recently recovered.
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Indoor and outdoor gatherings without assigned seating will be capped at 25 people. With assigned seating and masks, that number rises to 500; with an additional PCR test, to 1,000. Events at which all attendees have received a vaccine booster dose can handle up to 2,000 people.
Austria also added four European countries the U.K., Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway to its list of virus variant areas, which comes with stricter entry requirements.
Those who have received a booster vaccine and come with a recent negative PCR test will be allowed entry from those countries without quarantining. Austrian and EU citizens who do not meet those requirements will still be allowed to enter, but will face a mandatory 10-day quarantine.
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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
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TORONTO - Canadian cloud-based software and technology company Dye & Durham Ltd. says it has signed a deal to buy Link Administration Holdings Ltd. of Australia for $3.2 billion.
TORONTO - Canadian cloud-based software and technology company Dye & Durham Ltd. says it has signed a deal to buy Link Administration Holdings Ltd. of Australia for $3.2 billion.
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The Toronto-based company says the acquisition expands its customer base in key U.K. and Australian markets and strengthens its business-to-business software and information service solutions.
As part of the deal, Dye & Durham will also indirectly acquire Link Group's roughly 43 per cent stake in PEXA Group Ltd., which operates a digital property exchange network in Australia.
Matthew Proud, CEO of Dye & Durham, says the acquisition will enable the company to expand its model into adjacent markets and broaden its product suite for existing clients.
The deal comes shortly after the company announced plans to buy Telus' financial solutions business for $500 million.
Earlier this year, the company acquired TM Group (UK) Ltd. for about $156 million and GlobalX Information Pty Ltd. of Australia for $159 million.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2021.
ROME (AP) Italian Premier Mario Draghi said Wednesday his government has accomplished most of what it set out do to in fighting the pandemic and restoring economic growth signaling for the first time that he may be ready to run for the Italian presidency and return the running of the government back to political parties.
Italian Premier Mario Draghi attends the traditional year-end press conference in Rome, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
ROME (AP) Italian Premier Mario Draghi said Wednesday his government has accomplished most of what it set out do to in fighting the pandemic and restoring economic growth signaling for the first time that he may be ready to run for the Italian presidency and return the running of the government back to political parties.
Italian media have been speculating for weeks about Draghis possible presidential ambitions, given that the seven-year mandate of President Sergio Mattarella expires in February and the broad-based support that Draghi had enjoyed as premier from Italys fractious political parties has begun to erode.
The Italian presidency has limited powers and is largely ceremonial. But the president plays a key role in resolving political impasses, and having the internationally respected Draghi in the Quirinale Palace would send a signal of Italian stability and credibility for seven more years.
Draghi, 74, didnt respond directly Wednesday when asked repeatedly about his future at a year-end news conference.
My personal destiny matters absolutely not at all, he said. I dont have particular aspirations of one type or another. Im a man, a nonno (grandfather) if you like, at the service of institutions.
But he stressed that neither he nor his government were essential to Italys continued fight against the pandemic or its implementation of its 261 billion-euro ($294 billion) recovery plan, which envisages billions in investments in sustainable development, digital transformation and structural reforms.
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We have created conditions so that work on the (plan) can continue, he said. The government has created these conditions, independent of who will be (in charge). People are always important, but the other aspect is that its also important that the government is supported by the majority in parliament.
Just this week, the Financial Times opined that Draghi would serve Italy best by moving into the presidency, since his government could last at most a few more months before political forces get election fever before a scheduled 2023 parliamentary vote.
The other leading candidate for president, who is backed by the center-right, is ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Draghi demurred when asked Wednesday if he thought Berlusconi was a viable candidate, saying it's not for him to evaluate possible heads of state.
The Italian president had called on Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, to lead a broad-based government in February after a political crisis that saw the collapse of Giuseppe Contes government. It was a delicate moment in which the country needed to assert credible and stable leadership to persuade the European Commission to entrust it with billions in pandemic recovery grants and loans, and Super Mario" was seen as having the gravitas in Italy and European capitals to get the job done.
Draghi recalled that his government had been born at the request of Mattarella, and said it had done much of what it was called to do, thanks to the support of the political forces that backed it, from the center-left Democratic Party to the center-right Forza Italia.
He noted that Italy, where the outbreak first erupted in Europe in February 2020, has vaccinated more than 85% of over 12s, and that economic growth is predicted at about 6% this year, after losing nearly 9% last year. Italy is currently seeing a rise in cases, but is still faring better than most other Western European countries.
SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday demanded life sentences for four suspects in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Lawyers for relatives, Sabine ten Doesschate, left, and Boudewijn van Eijck arrive outside the court for the ongoing trial and criminal proceedings regarding the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, at the high security court at Schiphol airport, near Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday Dec. 20, 2021. Prosecutors are scheduled to begin explaining evidence and their case to judges Monday in the murder trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with involvement in downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday demanded life sentences for four suspects in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Prosecutors said the four recklessly used a Russian missile to bring down the passenger jet, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
Public prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks made the sentence demand at the end of a three-day presentation of evidence. The suspects are being tried in absentia.
The downing of MH17 with a Buk missile brutally ended the lives of all 298 people on board. Incredibly deep and irreversible suffering has been caused to the next of kin, Ridderbeks told the court.
Prosecutors accuse Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Igor Pulatov as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, who were separatist rebels fighting Ukrainian government forces in 2014, of forming a team that aimed to bring down Ukrainian planes using a missile system trucked in from a Russian military base.
Prosecutor Thijs Berger told judges earlier Wednesday that it's legally irrelevant that the suspects wanted to shoot down military and not civilian aircraft.
Legally speaking they were ordinary citizens, they were not allowed to commit any violence, he said.
The trial is being held in the Netherlands at a high security courtroom near Schiphol Airport because nearly 200 of those on board were Dutch citizens.
Wednesdays sentence demands came amid soaring tensions between Moscow and the West over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has drawn fears of an invasion. Russia has denied plans to attack its neighbor.
Defense lawyers for Pulatov, who is the only suspect who is represented in court, will make their presentation to judges in March. Verdicts aren't expected until September next year at the earliest.
Prosecutors had spent the previous two days explaining in meticulous detail the indictment and evidence backing it up to the panel of judges.
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Prosecutors plotted in detail the route they say the Buk missile took to and from the launch site in an agricultural field near the village of Pervomaiskyi, using witnesses, social media posts, photos and video and intercepted phone calls and mobile phone location data.
They also discussed the forensic evidence gathered from the wreckage and bodies of victims that were recovered from eastern Ukraine and returned to the Netherlands for examination. Earlier in the trial, judges visited a hangar on a Dutch military airbase where the wreckage is stored to view the mangled wreckage fragments.
The prosecutors concluded that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile belonging to the Russian 53rd Anti Aircraft Missile Bridade that was driven to the launch location by orders of and under guidance of the suspects.
The prosecutors also cited tapped conversations between Dubinski and Kharchenko discussing shooting down what they initially thought was a Ukrainian war plane.
Prosecutors argue that Girkin and Dubinskiy were senior separatist rebels while Pulatov and Kharchenko were their direct subordinates.
Together they are responsible for the deployment of the Buk telar used to shoot down flight MH17, prosecutors said in a written summary of their arguments.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Nigeria destroyed more than 1 million expired doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday after authorities said they could not be used before their expiration date.
Yunusa Bawa, a community health worker, injects a man with AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in Sabon Kuje on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Dec 6, 2021. As Nigeria tries to meet an ambitious goal of fully vaccinating 55 million of its 206 million people in the next two months, health care workers in some parts of the country risk their lives to reach the rural population. (AP Photo/Gbemiga Olamikan)
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Nigeria destroyed more than 1 million expired doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday after authorities said they could not be used before their expiration date.
Faisal Shuaib, head of Nigerias National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said health officials in Africa's most populous country were left with little choice after receiving the donated doses that didn't have much shelf life left.
We had developed countries that procured these vaccines and hoarded them," he said. At the point they were about to expire, they offered them for donation.
Last week Shuaib had announced that Nigeria would no longer accept such donations, though he did not specify publicly what officials considered too short a shelf life.
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Only 2% of Nigeria's 206 million people are fully vaccinated, and health officials have set an ambitious goal of vaccinating more than a quarter of the population by February. While hesitancy has been high, the country's vaccination rate has nearly doubled over the past week.
Expired COVID-19 vaccines are being destroyed by government officials in Abuja, Nigeria. Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Nigeria destroyed more than 1 million expired doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday after authorities said they could not be used before their expiration date. (AP Photo/Olamikan Gbemiga)
Nigeria has been seeing a spike in confirmed infections since it detected the highly-infectious omicron variant in late November, recording a 500% increase in cases over the past two weeks, according to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control.
The 2,123 new COVID-19 infections it confirmed on Tuesday was the highest daily tally since last January and the second highest since the pandemic began.
If we are going to overcome this COVID-19 pandemic, we have to do better job of ensuring better supply of the COVID-19 vaccines," said Shuaib. "No country will be able to eradicate COVID-19 ... until all countries are able to eradicate it.
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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A federal labor board is reviewing a decision by one of its regional officials to deny a union from trying to organize fewer than 100 of the thousands of employees at Nissan's auto assembly plant in Tennessee.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A federal labor board is reviewing a decision by one of its regional officials to deny a union from trying to organize fewer than 100 of the thousands of employees at Nissan's auto assembly plant in Tennessee.
A 3-2 decision Tuesday by the National Labor Relations Board now with a Democratic majority under President Joe Biden ordered a review of the June ruling that prevented a vote limited to 87 tool and die technicians at Nissans Smyrna plant, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside Nashville.
FILE - Workers at the Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tenn., walk by the latest model of the Altima sedan on May 15, 2012. A federal labor board is reviewing a decision by one of its regional officials to deny a union from trying to organize fewer than 100 employees at the Nissan assembly plant in Tennessee. A 3-2 decision Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, by the National Labor Relations Board ordered a review of the June ruling that prevented a vote of 87 tool and die technicians at Nissans Smyrna plant.(AP Photo/Erik Schelzig, File)
The NLRB's new order says the decision by an acting regional director raises substantial issues warranting review.
The regional official ruled against the smaller bloc vote after finding the few dozen workers share an overwhelming community of interest with the rest of the facilitys production and maintenance workers, and that the only appropriate unionized group through the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers campaign would be one representing about 4,300 plantwide production and maintenance workers. The union did not want the larger vote and didn't pursue it.
Three Democratic NLRB members picked by President Joe Biden voted to review that ruling. Two Republican members selected by former President Donald Trump voted against it.
The decision restores some hope for unions in what had been the latest failed foray in the uphill fight to gain traction at foreign-owned auto assembly plants in the traditionally anti-union South.
The union has argued that the 87 employees sought for a bargaining unit have extremely specialized skills for a job that others at the plant cannot do and should be eligible for standalone representation.
We are pleased to see the Board acknowledge the importance of this case, particularly within the scope of how employees choose to organize themselves under the NLRA," machinists union spokesperson DeLane Adams said. "Tool and Die Maintenance Technicians at Nissan Tennessee have fought hard for a union and deserve to have a voice on the job.
Meanwhile, the company has contended that the employees are not sufficiently distinct from other plant workers to be eligible for their own small unionized subgroup.
Nissan believes the Regional Directors decision is supported by the evidence," Nissan spokesperson Lloryn Love-Carter said. "Nissan remains committed to all of our employees before, during, and after the NLRBs process.
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Nissan does work with organized labor in the rest of the world, but votes to unionize broadly at the U.S. two plants have not been close. Workers in Smyrna rejected a plantwide union under the United Auto Workers in 2001 and 1989. The Japan-based automakers other U.S. assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi, rejected facilitywide representation by the UAW during a 2017 vote.
The margin was much closer in 2014 and 2019 votes at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where workers twice rejected a factorywide union under the UAW.
The year after the 2014 vote failed, a group of 160 Chattanooga maintenance workers won a vote to form a smaller union, but Volkswagen refused to bargain. The German automaker had argued the bargaining unit needed to include production workers as well. The dust-up led to the 2019 factorywide vote.
Unions also have run into opposition from Republican politicians when they attempt to organize at foreign automakers in the South, including in Tennessee.
Tennessee does have a big union presence at an American automaker: The General Motors plant in Spring Hill has about 3,000 production and skilled trades workers represented by UAW.
There's also an open question about whether workers will unionize at four sprawling new factories planned by Ford in Kentucky and Tennessee by 2025, with an aim of hiring nearly 11,000 workers. Three of the plants two in Kentucky, one in Tennessee will be built with Fords South Korean corporate partner, SK Innovation, to produce electric vehicle batteries. A fourth, in Tennessee, will make electric F-Series pickup trucks.
Ontario businesses affected by recent public health measures can apply for rebates on property taxes and energy costs, the government announced Wednesday amid warnings some companies were on the brink of collapse due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
Ontario businesses affected by recent public health measures can apply for rebates on property taxes and energy costs, the government announced Wednesday amid warnings some companies were on the brink of collapse due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
The federal government, meanwhile, said it was expanding eligibility for its $300-per-week worker benefit program. Instead of applying only to those who lost work due to lockdowns, it will now apply in regions where business capacity has been capped at 50 per cent to directly affected workers who've lost half or more of their income.
Ontario's new benefit will cover up to 50 per cent of the property taxes and energy costs of eligible businesses while they're affected by public health restrictions that capped capacity in restaurants, salons and other indoor settings at 50 per cent.
"We recognize that these necessary capacity limits to reduce the transmission of the virus will impact businesses, and thats why we are introducing these new supports, which will put money directly into the hands of business and free up their cash flows during this critical time," Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said in a written statement.
The province said the new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program will start accepting applications in mid-January, but the rebates will be retroactive to Dec. 19, when the latest round of restrictions came into effect.
It said businesses will be required to submit their property taxes and energy bills in order to get the rebates.
The government is also providing a six-month "interest- and penalty-free period" to make payments for most provincially administered taxes, starting Jan. 1, 2022 and running through July 1.
Ontario's latest round of restrictions, introduced in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, also include reduced hours for serving alcohol.
The announcement of new supports came the same day the Ontario Chamber of Commerce urged Premier Doug Ford to support businesses and their employees.
"Newly imposed restrictions intended to control the spread of the Omicron variant have left countless small businesses on the verge of collapse," Chamber CEO Rocco Rossi said in an open letter to the premier.
"Nearly two years into this pandemic, it is imperative that any further public health restrictions that inhibit business activity are accompanied by targeted relief and support programs, including loan forgiveness and extensions on payment terms for small businesses."
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Rossi later said that while the measures announced by both the provincial and federal governments were good news, he worried they wouldn't be enough to prevent "a wave of business closures."
"For example, applications for the Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program will not open until mid-January," he said. "This delay along with the limited eligibility of the rebate to energy and property taxes may not be enough for many small businesses to keep their doors open."
The Opposition NDP, meanwhile, suggested Ford's plan was "insulting."
"Businesses asked for help. What theyre getting today from Doug Ford is a slap in the face," said finance critic Catherine Fife.
"Any small, local business that desperately needs support will be gone by the time their property tax bill comes due for 2022 some may even be gone by the time applications open in mid-January."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2021.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Hundreds of small business owners rallied in South Korea's capital on Wednesday, calling for the withdrawal of a curfew and tough coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, cafes, gyms and other facilities.
Small business owners confront police officers during a rally against the government's social distancing rules near the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Hundreds of small business owners rallied on Wednesday, calling for the withdrawal of curfews and other strict COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants, cafes, gyms and other facilities. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Hundreds of small business owners rallied in South Korea's capital on Wednesday, calling for the withdrawal of a curfew and tough coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, cafes, gyms and other facilities.
The protesters pumped their fists in the air and chanted, Guarantee the right to live! and Scrap restrictions on business operations!
Some jeered when a lawmaker took the podium to explain aid packages proposed by the governing party presidential candidate. But no major violence or clashes with police erupted.
Under current social distancing guidelines, up to 299 people are allowed to join rallies but all must be fully vaccinated.
On Saturday, South Korea reimposed its toughest social distancing rules to try to control a record-breaking surge of the coronavirus. Most new cases in South Korea are still the delta variant, but health officials say the new omicron variant could become the dominant strain in a few months.
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The restored curbs include a ban on private gatherings of five or more people, a 9 p.m. curfew for restaurants, coffee shops and karaoke venues, and required proof of vaccination for entry to restaurants and other businesses.
The government last week announced aid packages including 1 million won ($839) each to business owners who have suffered lower sales due to COVID-19 restrictions. Small business owners said thats not enough to offset their losses.
The financial assistance must be drastically increased ... there should be as much compensation as our losses, Oh Se-hee, leader of an association of small business owners, said in a speech at the Seoul rally.
The current restrictions are to last until Jan. 2. Oh said small business owners will hold street rallies nationwide if the government extends the curbs.
On Wednesday, health authorities reported 7,456 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, continuing an upward trend. A record 1,063 patients were in serious or critical condition.
South Korea has confirmed 234 cases of the new omicron variant.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) U.S. officials announced approval Tuesday of two large-scale solar projects in California and moved to open up public lands in other Western states to potential solar power development, as part of the Biden administrations effort to counter climate change by shifting from fossil fuels.
FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2017, file photo, solar arrays line the desert floor of the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone as part of the 179 megawatt Switch Station 1 and Switch Station 2 Solar Projects north of Las Vegas. The Biden administration on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, issued a solicitation for interest in developing solar power on public lands in Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. (Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) U.S. officials announced approval Tuesday of two large-scale solar projects in California and moved to open up public lands in other Western states to potential solar power development, as part of the Biden administrations effort to counter climate change by shifting from fossil fuels.
The Interior Department approved the Arica and Victory Pass solar projects on federal land in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Combined they would generate up to 465 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 132,000 homes, according to San Francisco-based developer Clearway Energy. Approval of a third solar farm planned for 500 megawatts is expected in coming days, officials said.
The Interior Department also Tuesday issued a call to nominate land for development within solar energy zones in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico that combined cover about 140 square miles (360 square kilometers).
The invitation to developers comes as officials under Democratic President Joe Biden promote renewable wind and solar power on public lands and offshore to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. That's a pronounced change from Republican President Donald Trump's emphasis on coal mining and oil and gas drilling.
Biden suffered a huge blow to his climate agenda this week, as opposition from West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin tanked the administration's centerpiece climate and social services legislation. The administration also has been forced to resume oil and natural gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and numerous western states, after a federal judge sided with Republican-led states that sued when Biden suspended the sales.
During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland did not directly address a question about the faltering climate bill and instead pointed to clean energy provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law last month.
We fully intend to meet our clean energy goals, Haaland said. She said the Trump administration stalled clean energy by shuttering renewable energy offices at the Bureau of Land Management and undermining long-term agreements, such as a conservation plan tied to solar development in the California desert.
"We are rebuilding that capacity," Haaland said.
But without the climate bill, tax incentives to build large-scale solar will drop to 10% of a developers total capital costs by 2024, instead of rising to 30%, said Xiaojing Sun, head solar researcher at industry consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.
Incentives for residential-scale solar would go away completely by 2024, she said.
It will significantly slow down the growth of solar, Sun said.
However, she added that streamlining access to federal land could help the industry, as large solar farms on non-federal lands face growing local opposition and cumbersome zoning laws.
The Bureau of Land Management oversees almost a quarter-billion acres of land, primarily in Western states. Agency director Tracy-Stone Manning said boosting renewable energy is now one of its top priorities.
Forty large-scale solar proposals in the West are under consideration, she said.
The agency in early December issued a draft plan to reduce rents and other fees paid by companies authorized to build wind and solar projects on public lands. Officials were unable to provide an estimate of how much money that could save developers.
In Nevada, where the federal government owns and manages more than 80% of the state's land, large-scale solar projects have faced opposition from environmentalists concerned about harm to plants and animals in the sun- and windswept deserts.
Developers abandoned plans for what would have been the countrys largest solar panel installation earlier this year north of Las Vegas amid concerns from local residents. Environmentalists are fighting another solar project near the Nevada-California border that they claim could harm birds and desert tortoises.
Stone-Manning said solar projects on public lands are being sited to take environmental concerns into account.
The solar development zones were first proposed under the Obama administration, which in 2012 adopted plans to bring utility-scale solar energy projects to public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Officials have identified almost 1,400 square miles (3,500 square kilometers) of public land for potential leasing for solar power.
If all that land were developed, the bureau says it could support more than 100 gigawatts of solar power, or enough for 29 million homes.
That's almost equal to all U.S. solar capacity now in place.
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The power generation capacity of solar farms operating on federal lands is a small fraction of that amount just over 3 gigawatts, federal data shows.
In November the land bureau awarded solar leases for land in Utah's Milford Flats solar zone. Solar leases are expected to be finalized by the end of the month for about land at several sites in Arizona.
Solar power on public and private lands accounted for about 3% of total U.S. electricity production in 2020. After construction costs fell during the past decade, that figure is expected to grow sharply, to more than 20% by 2050, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects.
Developers warn costs have been rising due to constraints on supplies of steel, semiconductor chips and other materials.
___
Associated Press writer Sam Metz in Carson City, Nevada, contributed to this report.
DARTMOUTH, N.S. - Halifax Regional Police say a young boy has died after being shot.
A Halifax Regional Police officer exits his vehicle at the scene of a fatal shooting in Dartmouth, N.S. on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. A young boy was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries where he died. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
DARTMOUTH, N.S. - Halifax Regional Police say a young boy has died after being shot.
Police say in a release that officers responded to a report of a shooting Tuesday afternoon in Dartmouth, N.S.
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They say the boy was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries where he died.
No details of what happened were released.
Police say the investigation is in its early stages and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Mayor Mike Savage of the Regional Municipality of Halifax says the boy's death is "senseless and heartbreaking."
"The sympathies of our community go out to all who loved him," he said Tuesday on Twitter. "Please share any helpful information with HfxRegPolice (Halifax Regional Police)."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2021
OTTAWA - Canadas housing minister says the federal government plans to take a tougher stand on investment properties to help cool housing prices.
Liberal MP for York South-Weston Ahmed Hussen rises during question period on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA - Canadas housing minister says the federal government plans to take a tougher stand on investment properties to help cool housing prices.
The broad strokes of the agenda were outlined in the mandate letter the prime minister gave to Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen.
Among the marching orders to Hussen was to dissuade Canadians from snapping up income properties by reviewing rules around down payments and policies to curb "excessive profits."
Hussen says tamping down on the rush for investment properties and flipping, as well as discouraging foreign investors from holding on to vacant homes, is also part of a push to rein in rising home prices.
He says the government would draw a line between mom and pop-style landlords and large real estate trusts that own hundreds of units as a passive investment vehicle and may not care whether they are occupied.
The point is to reduce the speculative demand in the market and help cool these astronomical increases in prices, Hussen said in an interview Tuesday.
The Canadian Real Estate Association projected in a report this month that the national average home price will have risen by 21.2 per cent year-over-year to $687,500 by the end of 2021.
The high cost of housing, particularly in major urban centres like Toronto and Vancouver, drove political parties to promise multiple measures to address housing affordability concerns.
The governments economic update last week included a one-per-cent tax on foreign-owned vacant homes, which the Finance Department estimates will bring in $200 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Hussen says other measures the Liberals have in mind are beyond the reach of the federal government and will require negotiations with provinces and territories.
Among these are a promised ban on blind bidding when sellers opt not to reveal the details of competing bids or the right to a home inspection prior to purchase.
Hussen is familiar with such negotiations, having been part of the federal push to sign child-care deals with provinces before getting a new ministerial mandate after the Sept. 20 election.
But he is equally no stranger to going around provinces directly to municipalities with funding, and may do so with a proposed $4-billion fund to accelerate the development of affordable housing projects.
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The money could help offset the cost of land to build new projects, help local governments hire more planners to speed up approvals, or let cities rewrite zoning rules to push builders to add affordable units to a proposed development.
If cities dont want to go along with the governments plan and give in to Not In My Backyard sentiment, Hussen said, they wont have a chance to apply for the cash.
There has to be a national conversation, I believe, to overcome, sometimes what I think is unreasonable opposition to affordable housing in neighborhoods, Hussen said.
These are well thought out, well regulated, well supported plans and sometimes, I find, that there is NIMBYism that goes on. It's just discouraging.
Hussen said hell be looking for feedback on the governments plans when he speaks with provinces, cities and housing providers at a summit early next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2021.
Manitobas newest grant for businesses is timely but falls short of covering the ongoing damages wrought by the pandemic, according to entrepreneurs and stakeholders.
Manitobas newest grant for businesses is timely but falls short of covering the ongoing damages wrought by the pandemic, according to entrepreneurs and stakeholders.
Businesses hit by fourth wave restrictions can apply to the Sector Support Program, the province announced Wednesday. Funding ranges from $3,000 to $12,000 and is dependent on an organizations staffing levels.
The program will open to applications next week. Companies have until Jan. 31 to apply and are eligible even if theyve received prior pandemic-era government support. More information will be available on the provinces COVID-19 business support program web page in the coming week.
Pinkys Bakeshop is one of the estimated 1,800 eligible businesses.
"Its just a little bit, like, borderline, (for) help," said Pinky Fuentes, the bakerys owner.
Her Osborne Village nook employs three people, meaning she can access $3,000 through the new program. But, its not enough, she said.
Her sales are 65 per cent of a typical Decembers her busiest time of the year because people keep cancelling events and, in turn, their orders.
"On New Years Eve, Id have, like, four weddings. Now, Im cut down to only one, and it might be just half," Fuentes said.
Shes been through nearly two years of closures and reopenings, and costs keep increasing. On Monday, she placed cupcakes in 100 individual to-go containers for a corporate party so guests wouldnt share a platter. Minimum wage, ingredients and packaging costs are on the rise.
"Mostly, everything is out of pocket," Fuentes said, adding something like the Bridge Grant (where the province gave $5,000 portions) would be more helpful.
The new program will cover one of Pho Hoangs four locations rent.
"Its better than nothing," said owner Tom Hoang, adding hes not looking for more from the government.
Manitoba has allocated up to $22 million for the Sector Support Program.
"Its never enough but to us, it shows that government is listening," said Chuck Davidson, the president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.
The funding announcement comes one day after the start of the latest restrictions. Its timeliness is a positive, as is its scalability to meet businesses sizes, Davidson said.
"Businesses still have the ability to open, and thats always been critical for us," he said. "Any kind of measure thats going to help them or provide them with those supports, to make up the losses that theres no question theyre going to take is going to be helpful."
Businesses may have the option to host 50 per cent capacity, but many arent seeing the customers, according to Shaun Jeffrey, the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservice Associations executive director and CEO.
"The hundreds and hundreds of people that have been cancelling their reservations at restaurants in Manitoba over the last week, its mind-blowing," Jeffrey said.
Le Garage, a St. Boniface restaurant, proclaimed its permanent closure Tuesday. Pandemic-related lockdowns, restrictions on capacity, difficulty maintaining staff and a decline in patrons caused it to shutter, according to the companys Instagram post.
"The only way were going to be able to really survive this latest round of restrictions is getting support in other fashions from Manitobans," Jeffrey said, listing catering, delivery and buying gift cards as options.
Still, the new government program is "a start," he said.
"We need to be able to evolve thisWe dont know what the future looks like," he said. "That collaboration with government is very important."
Both Finance Minister Scott Fielding and Economic Development and Jobs Minister Jon Reyes pledged to continue working with business communities at a Wednesday news conference.
"If theres a need for extending these orders (past Jan. 11) wed be there to work with the business community," Fielding said.
The province budgeted $1.1 billion in its last budget for COVID-19 related costs, which includes supports for businesses, Fielding said.
The Sector Support Program comes too late for many businesses, according to Jamie Moses, the NDPs economic development critic. Money will only enter bank accounts after the holidays, he said.
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"The announcement fails to help workers of Manitoba," he said, adding many have been laid off or had their hours reduced this week.
Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont is calling for the support to double.
"Its the fourth wave of the pandemic and the PCs are still trying to use a water pistol to put out a forest fire," he said in a written statement.
Manitoba has provided more than $650 million in pandemic-era supports to businesses, according to a news release. Approximately 38,000 businesses have accessed such programs, including the Bridge Grant and the Healthy Hire program, Fielding said.
with files from Carol Sanders
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com
The fast-spreading Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus has led Winnipegs RRC Polytech to mandate high-quality masks on campus in the new year, and infectious-disease experts are warning that cloth face coverings may not offer adequate protection.
The fast-spreading Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus has led Winnipegs RRC Polytech to mandate high-quality masks on campus in the new year, and infectious-disease experts are warning that cloth face coverings may not offer adequate protection.
Students and staff at RRC Polytech will be required to don either a medical grade or KN95 mask, or an N95 respirator, typically reserved for health-care providers working with the most infectious airborne diseases.
The college-issued masks will be provided free to students, staff, faculty and visitors. The school has a supply of about 30,000 masks.
Cloth masks, given the variation in material, fit and ability to filter out viral particles, are less than ideal, Winnipeg epidemiologist Cynthia Carr said. And while the common, three-ply surgical masks are a better option, they do not always fit tightly to the face.
"We still want to block those big messy droplets if someone is near you coughing or sneezing," Carr said. "But we are understanding more and more that you dont necessarily have to come in contact directly with those droplets. It can be the aerosol particles that are also helping with this spread.
"You dont want to let any of those particles potentially come into your airway."
RRC Polytech was the first post-secondary institution in the province to ban non-medical and cloth masks on campus, said Jodi Pluchinski, the schools director of safety health services.
"We, like everyone else, have been making sure that were following Health Canada guidelines and recommendations and really staying on that leading edge of implementing the COVID-19 safety and health measures," Pluchinski said.
"Weve always either met or exceeded public-health guidelines, and so for us, when we looked at what we wanted to do, it wasnt a difficult decision, it was the right decision."
Pluchinski said the new mask requirement was brought on by the arrival of the highly infectious Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus and builds on guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada regarding aerosol spread.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam has likened the ability of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to linger in the air to that of second-hand cigarette smoke. The Public Health Agency of Canada has since recommended people at higher risk of severe disease or exposure use medical masks and consider the use of respirators.
An increasing number of Canadian doctors and infectious-disease experts have also called for wider use of medical masks and respirators in light of Omicron and the growing body of evidence that COVID-19 can be airborne. Generally, respirators such as N95s fit securely to a persons face and can filter out up to 95 per cent of infectious particles in the air.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has also updated its mask guidance to recommend people 60 and older or with underlying conditions wear medical masks and if members of the general public do not have access to medical masks, reusable masks should meet certain standards.
"Anything thats loose fitting should absolutely be avoided and you should be looking at the best fit possible thats secure around your nose, mouth, chin and solid against your cheeks," Carr said. Scarfs and neck gaiters should not be used as a face covering.
Manitobans can also consider layering the surgical masks with their cloth masks to achieve a secure fit, if medical masks and respirators are not available, Carr said.
Dr. Philippe Lagace-Wiens, a medical microbiology professor at the University of Manitoba, said masks with vents or valves should never be used for COVID-19 purposes because they do not filter exhaled air.
"They do nothing to protect the public. They are close to no mask at all," Lagace-Wiens said.
Current provincial public-health guidance states that COVID-19 mainly spreads by coming into contact with an infected persons respiratory droplets.
People should wear non-medical masks made with tightly woven material with at least two layers of material that cover a persons nose and mouth and fit securely with no gaps, according to the province.
Parent Aleeza Gerstein said the lack of updated guidance from the government on the airborne quality of COVID-19 and mask use is dismaying.
"People deserve to have current information available to them and there is a lot of current information that were not keeping up with," said Gerstein, a microbiology professor at the University of Manitoba. "Were still living in this 2020 world of cloth masks and hand-washing here, and I dont know why we havent iterated our policies."
Gerstein said her family has used N95 masks consistently since last summer and sends her son to school with a child-sized N95 mask. But on Monday, Gerstein said her son returned home wearing a simple cloth mask that had been provided by the school.
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The mask swap, she said, was a result of the school division distributing donated masks to classrooms.
"I think the Winnipeg School Division should have had an expert immediately look at this and say we cannot be sending the signal to parents that this is a high-quality mask that our children should be wearing," Gerstein said.
Deputy chief provincial public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal said work is underway to update the provinces mask and transmission guidance. Meanwhile, the government began distributing free KN95 masks to the public at Liquor Marts and casinos on Wednesday.
"It is worrisome that it is spreading so fast and it is worrisome that it is two to four times more infectious compared to Delta," Atwal said.
"Were working with our national colleagues in relation to this to understand transmission related to Omicron and what prevention looks like, what PPE looks like in that."
danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
Few groups in society have faced economic hardship during the pandemic the way small and medium-sized businesses have.
Opinion
Few groups in society have faced economic hardship during the pandemic the way small and medium-sized businesses have.
Public-health restrictions that repeatedly closed businesses or limited their operations were necessary to mitigate death and severe illness. The restrictions worked: infection rates and hospitalizations fell dramatically every time they were imposed.
However, those measures came at a great economic cost, mostly to small businesses and not-for-profits. They paid a disproportionate price a sacrifice for which theyve never been adequately compensated.
Some have gone bankrupt and others have survived by drawing down savings and racking up debt.
Close to two-thirds of small businesses across Canada have not seen sales return to normal levels, according to surveys conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Average debt taken on during the pandemic for small business was $170,000 by the end of August ($333,174 for businesses in the hospitality sector), according to the CFIB.
Government assistance has helped, including wage and rent subsidies, largely from the federal government. The Manitoba government provided some assistance, including through its Bridge Grant program ($5,000 taxable income grants). Considering the magnitude of the financial hardship, including to mom-and-pop operations that invested life savings into their businesses, the provincial support was a pittance. When pressed on it before he stepped down as premier, Brian Pallister usually downplayed the hardship small business faced, arguing they werent the only ones hurting during the pandemic. He said the provincial treasury wasnt large enough to adequately compensate them all.
"Were not going to reopen all the small businesses just because somebodys yelling about it," Pallister said a year ago.
So just let them die with little to no compensation? It hardly seems fair, especially when society as a whole benefits from the restrictions.
Manitoba has a new premier. Perhaps Heather Stefanson can see more clearly than her predecessor the inequities small businesses and not-for-profits face. If she does, now is the time with a fresh round of restrictions imposed on businesses Tuesday to demonstrate it.
Finance Minister Scott Fielding is expected to make an announcement Wednesday on more financial help for business. Thats good news, but it needs to be more than another round of $5,000 Bridge Grants, or some similar level of support.
The government has the money to do it. Its net income is nearly a half-billion dollars higher than projected for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, according to the provinces mid-year financial report released last week.
Income tax revenue is $403 million above budget and corporation income tax is $77 million higher than projected. Add in $208 million in extra COVID-19 cash from Ottawa, factor in other revenue lines some of which fell and the provinces income is $489 million higher than projected.
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Being the good money managers they are, the Tories have spent hardly any of that: net expenditures are only $15 million above budget (spending went up in some departments, including in health care, and fell below budget in others).
In a non-pandemic year when government is trying to reduce the deficit, hanging on to that extra revenue to help balance the books might be prudent. But these are not normal times.
There is no need during a public health crisis to reduce the provincial deficit faster than previously planned, not when government is imposing fresh restrictions on businesses and not-for-profits.
Governments debt-to-GDP ratio, one of the key indicators credit-rating agencies consider when evaluating government finances, is projected to fall nearly four percentage points below what was forecast this year, to 36.1 per cent. Thats approaching pre-pandemic debt levels (debt-to-GDP was 34.2 per cent prior to the pandemic). Even though the province is projecting a $1.1-billion deficit (well below the $1.6-billion budgeted shortfall), the province has the fiscal room to provide businesses and not-for-profits affected by the latest restrictions with significant financial assistance.
As taxpayers, we owe it to them. We all benefit from the measures and we should all pay for the collateral damage they cause. Its the right and fair thing to do.
tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
Three University of Manitoba medical students have tested positive for COVID-19 and three others are suspected of being infected after the facultys first formal event in two years.
Three University of Manitoba medical students have tested positive for COVID-19 and three others are suspected of being infected after the facultys first formal event in two years.
The Manitoba Medical Students Association winter formal was held Dec. 17 at the Fort Garry Hotel; some who attended were experiencing symptoms the following day.
Chris Moskal, association senior stick and a fourth-year medical student, said Tuesday while some have become sick, the situation is not as bad as suggested on social media. He confirmed three people have tested positive; three others are suspected of having contracted the novel coronavirus.
"I saw a post that there were 60 cases," Moskal said. "That would be news to everyone.
"Everybody in attendance was double- or triple-vaccinated. Everyone was masked at all times, except when eating or drinking. Everybody self-screened ahead of time," he said. "Its just really unfortunate.
"We thought we followed all the rules and the guidelines. In hindsight, we should have pivoted."
Moskal said last years event had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. First- and second-year students have been attending most classes online and havent had a chance to connect with each other.
"We thought it was pretty important for the second-year students," he said. "When you have been in your apartment for two years, it doesnt build collegiality."
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Ida Albo, hotel owner and managing partner, said the business learned about the positive cases late Tuesday afternoon, via an email from the association.
Fort Garry got out its rapid testing kits.
"We started testing our employees within 20 minutes of getting the email," said Albo.
"Were pulling people off the floor to be tested and testing everybody as they come in. Weve tested 32 people so far, and so far so good."
No spokesperson from the universitys Max Rady College of Medicine could be reached for comment Tuesday.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
A judge has acquitted two Winnipeg women of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of 25-year-old mother of four Shaylynne Hunter, calling the case a tragic misalignment of circumstances.
A judge has acquitted two Winnipeg women of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of 25-year-old mother of four Shaylynne Hunter, calling the case a "tragic misalignment of circumstances."
Hunter died May 25, 2019, after she was stabbed 21 times outside her Simcoe Street home.
Diane Tamara King, 20, and Tasha Laquette, 24, stood trial earlier this year.
The trial heard evidence Hunter and King had been involved in a heated dispute inside the house when Hunter attacked the two accused outside with a metal pipe.
In a decision delivered Tuesday, Court of Queens Bench Justice Joan McKelvey said she was satisfied King was acting in defence of herself and Laquette when she stabbed Hunter and that Laquette was not a party to the killing.
In a lengthy Winnipeg Police Service video interview recorded three days after the killing, King said she and Laquette were leaving the house party when Hunter came up behind her and struck her with a metal pipe without warning.
"I dont know what it was about, but Shaylynne hit me first," she told investigators.
King said Laquette tried to protect her and was struck in the head with the pipe. As Laquette dropped to the ground, King saw Hunter drop a knife, she said.
"I thought Shaylynne was going to pick up that knife," she said. "My first reaction was to pick it up. And as she was swinging the pole, I must have just swung it once without even looking and I must have hit her.
"It was either me or my friend going to die or her, and it turned out to be her."
Later in the interview, King estimated she swung the knife at Hunter "three or four times."
"This makes me feel shty," she said. "Someones mom really got taken away from the kids, just like how Im getting taken away from mine (Hunters children) are never going to get to see their mom. My kid might even have a chance to see me, and thats what makes me feel f-ing shty."
Asked if she knew how many times Hunter had been stabbed, King said she didnt want to know.
"Its just going to make it worse for me right now," she said. "Like just hearing this just like f-ing kills me. Like, it wasnt supposed to be this way. Nothing was."
A toxicology report revealed Hunter had a blood-alcohol reading of .190 when she died, more than twice the legal limit for driving, and had consumed cocaine.
Family members present at the party, as well as Hunters common-law partner, testified Hunter could become violent and uncontrollable when she had consumed cocaine.
Court heard conflicting evidence as to who had the knife first, with one witness testifying they saw a knife earlier in Kings purse.
McKelvey said whether King was armed prior to the attack was not relevant to her finding King acted in self-defence.
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Prosecutors argued the number of stab or slashing wounds belied Kings claim she was acting in self-defence, but McKelvey noted all but a couple of the ultimately fatal wounds were superficial and said it was possible King inflicted multiple wounds with a single slash of the knife.
"The response to an attack cannot be evaluated with a precise formulation of weight," she said. "A reasonable person cannot be expected to know exactly how to respond to an adverse situation or know how much force is necessary to defend ones self or another person."
McKelvey said wounds to Kings back and Laquettes hair on the pipe supported their version of events.
Laquette provided a video statement to police, but McKelvey ruled at trial it was not admissible as evidence.
In comments immediately after her arrest, Laquette told police she had been friends with Hunter for seven years and described the incident as "a drunken mess."
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
ALBERT Einstein once said, We must not only learn to tolerate our differences; we must welcome them as the richness and diversity which can lead to true intelligence.
Opinion
ALBERT Einstein once said, We must not only learn to tolerate our differences; we must welcome them as the richness and diversity which can lead to true intelligence.
We have been challenged to reflect on the depth of our national intellect, as we learned that a Muslim classroom teacher in Quebec was reassigned because she chose to wear a hijab in her workplace. That workplace, a school, is among those spaces prohibiting public servants in the province from wearing any type of religious symbolism, in the name of secularism.
What we say with this law is that people, in public areas, can wear what they want, whatever religious sign they want, said Quebec Premier Francois Legault about Bill 21, adding that the secularism law is very moderate. I would suggest that there is no space more public than school. It is in our schools that the foundational beliefs, attitudes and identities of our populations are formed.
We are not a homogenous society. We do not share in the same religious beliefs, cultures or language. We are not a country of singularities. We are a mosaic of communities buoyed by our differences; if we let them, those differences serve as gift that can enhance our prosperity as a species.
No law ever will change that. Limitations on our diversity such as Quebecs Bill 21, however, prevent us from reaching the greatest positive outcomes borne by those differences.
In my first year as a teacher, I received a gift from a parent in the form of a fridge magnet that bore the words of American poet Maya Angelou, who said, Your students will never remember most of what you taught them, but they will always remember the way you made them feel.
I paused for a long while to think about the way Quebecs law might make students feel. Seeking answers, I took time to sit down with a young learner at my school, who proudly wears her hijab as a symbol of her faith, but not, as she would want me to emphasize, as a symbol of who she is in her entirety, nor as something that is forced upon her.
We talked for a while about her place in the world, and how the Quebec teachers story left her feeling. She could not understand why such a law was necessary, nor how it helped to make life better. Her insights reminded me that our kids are always looking to us to help them make sense of the world.
That conversation got me thinking about the types of questions young people may be asking themselves as they become aware of this story. Where might I gain the confidence and fearlessness needed to be proud of who I am, when my leaders are not permitted the ability to express themselves authentically? How might my classmates learn more about me, and I about them, if we are made to feel as though our differences are hidden from us, or so strongly opposed that they are banned from school itself?
Students, their families and the community as a whole must be able to see themselves reflected in schools. Symbols provide us with powerful opportunities to engage in meaningful discourse and learn from each other. They are physical reminders of our place in the world.
A childs innocent curiosity about their teachers culture, for example, could spark a wonderful set of lessons and experiences that will open their minds to the richness of human diversity. Students who see themselves in their teachers are likely to be instilled with a sense of belonging and pride. Is this not what we want in our schools? What do we have to fear?
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By forcing symbols of faith and identity into the shadows, we are sending a powerful message to our kids. That message, which we can be assured they will hear, tells them the place they should feel safest, most wanted and inspired to be themselves is the same place where their role models and leaders are prevented from experiencing the same.
This perpetuates prejudice; it does not help to cure it.
By denying teachers the right to be who they are in schools, Bill 21 propagates those views about otherness that we so desperately want our children to live without. Furthermore, Bill 21 forces young people to look at the issue through a political lens, as opposed to one that focuses on the underlying good of humanity at the heart of who we are.
In a world where divisiveness, fractions and hostility are dominating the way in which we live among each other, our governments should be focused on finding ways to celebrate our differences as means to unify, not politically motivated ideologies that stand in the way of it.
Bill 21 is not only harmful to the quality of education the Quebec system is capable of providing to its children; it sits counter to the very identity that I believe, and hope, most Canadians hold dearest.
Ben Carr is the principal of the Maples Met School in Winnipeg.
Here we go again. No, its not Quebec this time that is trying to strengthen its international presence and profile. Yep, its the Prairie province of Saskatchewan.
Opinion
Here we go again. No, its not Quebec this time that is trying to strengthen its international presence and profile. Yep, its the Prairie province of Saskatchewan.
This is what happens in a federation in which provincial governments believe they have the right to carve out an international personality for themselves. And unless a forceful federal government will firmly put its constitutional foot down, these same provincial premiers will keep trying to push the foreign-policy door open even more.
Quebec used to be the leader in this field always looking to make mischief by demanding a special relationship with France and French-speaking countries in Africa. Not surprisingly, it deftly created an international-affairs bureaucracy and a host of Quebec government offices (some 33 of them) scattered throughout various parts of the world.
But it bears repeating that Quebec is not a sovereign state and neither is Saskatchewan.
It is worth pointing out that Saskatchewan moved in early 2021 to add three new international trade and investment offices (co-located within existing Canadian embassies) in India, Japan and Singapore. Under the departments International Offices Branch, the provincial government also announced in September that four additional offices would be opened, in Ho Chi Min City, Dubai, Mexico City and London.
So what is Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe up to now? Is he somehow suggesting that his province, like Quebec, is a legitimate nation within Canada? What exactly is he trying to accomplish with his most recent foray into matters of global politics?
In a November radio interview, Moe stated bluntly, Were going to flex our autonomy. He then went on to add, Flex our provincial muscle, if you will, within the nation of Canada.
In a social-media post, he made clear he believes that Saskatchewan is indeed a nation within a nation. And he has unfortunately come to the following conclusion: When the federal government implements policies that are detrimental to our province, our government will continue to stand up for Saskatchewan people.
What Moe found particularly galling was the fact the Trudeau government announced oil and gas emissions caps (and eventually reductions) at the recent COP26 climate gathering in Scotland without first consulting his oil-rich province. Since Saskatchewans relationship with the federal Liberals is so difficult and unproductive, he feels the need to take on more responsibilities so as to best advance his provinces key interests.
For him, that will require similar powers to what Quebec has in the areas of immigration, taxation and policing.
But Moes intervention will only serve to create tensions within the federation and perhaps embolden other provinces to act similarly. Thats never good for maintaining the countrys critical national unity.
The truth is that Canada doesnt need provincial governments sticking their noses into foreign-policy matters. Besides, there are already governmental mechanisms in place to ensure provincial governments are sufficiently consulted on issues of international trade and investment.
More important, provincial engagement will only complicate things by muffling Canadas single voice on the world stage and inevitably weakening our various bargaining positions on a bevy of international challenges. It will certainly make reaching a consensus more difficult, and might even risk compromising Canadas overall national interests.
So why is Moe really talking this way? My guess is that it has a lot to do with his complete mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan. By deliberately uttering words to rattle the folks in Ottawa, he is obviously trying to change the political channel.
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Indeed, Opposition NDP deputy leader Nicole Sarauer hit the nail on the head when she remarked, We have a horrendous COVID death rate right now. The premier couldnt even keep his own citizens safe and had to rely on federal help to come in and fly Saskatchewan residents to Ontario.
Getting people distracted, however, by asking them to look over here! is not going to be good for Saskatchewan or the rest of the country.
Its also true that Moe, facing slumping polling numbers, was appealing to his conservative base by promoting Saskatchewans nationhood status and willingness to push the autonomous envelope. Furthermore, it never hurts electorally for a premier in right-leaning Saskatchewan to pick a fight with the federal government especially if its of a Liberal political stripe.
Additionally, this greater-autonomy gambit amounts to taking a page out of the political playbook of Premier Jason Kenney and his so-called Fair Deal for Alberta. In the end, its wedge politics, divisive politics, and it unhelpfully pits the West against the East.
Lastly, it embraces what most western provinces have railed against for decades with respect to Quebec that is, a province demanding special status and to be treated differently than all the others. Moes actions, then, will only serve to strain national unity and undermine Canadas foreign policy interests.
Peter McKenna is professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.
Manitobas Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler continues to contradict his own governments policies on COVID-19 vaccines and, as a consequence, fuel anti-vaccine sentiment. He should be removed from cabinet.
Manitobas Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler continues to contradict his own governments policies on COVID-19 vaccines and, as a consequence, fuel anti-vaccine sentiment. He should be removed from cabinet.
Canadas parliamentary tradition dictates that when ministers of the Crown cannot, or refuse to, support key policies of government, they must resign or face dismissal by the first minister. So far, neither has happened with Mr. Schuler, despite his comments last week that clearly betray his governments position on immunization and vaccine mandates.
Premier Heather Stefanson and chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin regularly urge Manitobans to get vaccinated. Health Minister Audrey Gordon last month begged Manitobans to get immunized.
"You cant see this as being something just about you; its about all Manitobans who are in this together," Ms. Gordon said.
The message that all eligible Manitobans should get immunized to mitigate severe illness and protect hospital capacity (unless they have a legitimate medical reason not to) is official government policy.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler
When asked last week during a news conference if he supports that message, Mr. Schuler refused to answer directly. His only response was to repeat several times that getting vaccinated is up to individuals.
"Its a fundamental liberty to make our own health-care choices," said Mr. Schuler, who for months kept his own vaccine status secret until he was forced to disclose last week (owing to a new proof-of-vaccination requirement to enter the legislative building).
Mr. Schuler said he is not an "anti-vaxxer" and says he believes in vaccinations. But he repeated several times that getting immunized is a personal choice, adding people shouldnt be "bullied or cajoled." Not once did he support his governments position on vaccine mandates, proof-of-vaccination policies or its almost-daily messaging to get immunized.
Mr. Schuler, the longtime Tory MLA for Springfield-Ritchot and a member of cabinet since 2016, also contradicted government policy by saying its wrong to force people to disclose their vaccine status.
"You should make your health choices for yourself and those should be kept private," he said.
That is not the position of cabinet, of which Mr. Schuler is a member. Provincial law states that people must disclose their vaccine status to enter many public places, including bars, restaurants, museums and movie theatres. Many public servants, including health-care staff, educators and child-care workers, must disclose their vaccination status, or face regular testing.
Not only is Mr. Schuler refusing to support his governments position on vaccines; he is fueling antivaccination sentiment.
All MLAs, contractors and members of the public who enter the legislative building must show their proof-of-vaccination cards.
If Mr. Schuler doesnt support government policy on vaccine mandates and its messaging around the importance of getting immunized, he should resign from cabinet. If he refuses, the premier should remove him.
Not only is Mr. Schuler refusing to support his governments position on vaccines; he is fueling anti-vaccination sentiment. By promoting the notion that getting vaccinated is solely a personal choice which disregards the broader societal responsibilities people have during a pandemic Mr. Schuler is reinforcing the hesitancy among the vaccine-hesitant.
He has not urged people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones, or to prevent hospitals from further collapse. He does not, as a representative of government, remind people that the science is indisputable that vaccines are safe and effective.
If he did, even while also saying people have to make their own choices, he would be on safe ground as a minister of the Crown. Absent that messaging, Mr. Schuler is essentially telling people they dont have to get vaccinated if they dont feel like it.
For that, he should lose his seat at the cabinet table.
My mother always loved sunny days, even in the dead of winter.
Light mattered to her. The brighter, the better.
While Im sure it wasnt by design, Mom, fittingly, took her last breath on this winter solstice, the day of the year that suffers from the shortest amount of daylight.
As I mentioned in one of these earlier nightly notes, my mother has been in hospital for several weeks. Prior to Nov. 7, she was doing pretty well for an 83-year-old woman.
However, a brief collapse and an ambulance ride to St. B set her on a downward spiral that ended in the early hours of the morning in a third-floor room at the end of the hall at Concordia Hospital.
My mother didnt die of COVID, but she died during COVID and thats what I want to talk about tonight.
Amid the never-ending daily viral tolls measured in case counts and fatalities, weve lost sight of the price being paid by those who will never be part of the official pandemic stats.
Im not sure we will ever know why my mothers decline was so swift and unrelenting, but the pandemic was most certainly a contributing factor.
Upon entry into emergency at St. B, she was off-limits to family because of pandemic protocols. She then languished for days in ER because the pandemic had put such a strain on our hospitals there was no bed available on the ward.
As part of her transfer to Concordia, my full-vaxxed mother was exposed to COVID, which meant a whole new pandemic protocol kicked in that moved her further into isolation for nearly two weeks despite negative tests. We eventually got permission for one family member to be allowed a daily visit, a dispensation that enabled me to spend some time with her on what was by then headed toward a terminal trajectory.
As part of the grieving process my dear wife has been on since she lost her father to COVID in January, shes learned to avoid the pitfalls of the "what-ifs." I havent learned that lesson yet, so I do have a few what-ifs.
What if my brother and I were able to see her while she was still in emergency to advocate for her face-to-face with staff? What if that time away from family in emergency wasnt compounded by enforced isolation upon landing in Concordia? What if some of the care she might have otherwise received had not been put on hold during that period of isolation? What if the nurses and nursing aides werent so run off their feet from nearly two years of an unforgiving pandemic?
To a degree, COVID-19 has been a never-ending series of what-ifs? What if we had started wearing masks earlier? What if lockdowns had come sooner? What if there had been less denial and disinformation?
I raise the case of my mother and our personal what-ifs not in a bid to solicit sympathy or to draw attention to the grieving surrounding the loss of a wife, mother and grandmother. I fully recognize our story of loss is likely one mirrored in the thousands across our province, and then in multipliers across our country in ways too painful to calculate and comprehend.
Instead, my intent is to try for a new set of what-ifs, especially with the coming surge of Omicron threatening to wreak even more havoc than Delta has already wrought.
What if those who have long ignored the pleadings of public health officials like Dr. Brent Roussin finally started to listen, if only for a bit? What if those who believe COVID would spare them because of their youth, their good health or whatever rabbit hole their Facebook group took them down suddenly slapped themselves in the face? What if those prone to fetishize liberty over all else, pondered for a moment such concepts as the common good or community? What if those in positions of power and influence used their platforms to further public health goals, rather than their own political ambition or viewer ratings?
Im sure you have a few what-if questions of your own, too.
But until we start getting the right answers to those what-if questions, not only will more die from COVID, there will also be more, like my mother, who die during COVID.
On Christmas Day, we would have celebrated my mothers 84th birthday. Instead, we are now planning a funeral to take place before the start of the New Year.
I prayed for a way to change the trajectory for my mother. In these dark days of the pandemic, I pray we will finally find the will to change the trajectory of this frightening fourth wave.
Tonight marks the longest night of the year, in more ways than one. But the winter solstice is also the point where the days start to get longer and brighter.
My mother wont get to see those brighter days. What are we prepared to do so others, vulnerable like her, will?
Paul Samyn, Editor
THE LATEST NUMBERS
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To see a larger selection of charts showing the state of COVID-19 provincially and nationally, visit COVID-19 by the numbers.
THE LATEST IN MANITOBA
Manitoba recorded 302 new COVID-19 cases and a provincewide test positivity rate of 8.6 per cent Tuesday. There are 133 COVID-19 patients in hospital, and 26 in intensive care. Winnipeg had the highest number of cases at 200, with 47 in Southern Health, 14 in Interlake-Eastern, 11 in the Northern health region and 30 in Prairie Mountain Health. Sixty of the new cases were in Manitobans who were not fully vaccinated, 230 were in fully vaccinated individuals and 12 were in partially immunized people.
For the latest information on current public health orders, restrictions and other guidance, visit the provincial government's website.
First- and second-dose vaccinations are available for all Manitobans over five years of age. Third-dose shots are available to all Manitoba adults. Check eligibility criteria and recommended time frames between doses at wfp.to/eligibility. Appointments can be booked online at wfp.to/bookvaccine or by calling 1-844-626-8222.
Manitobans who have received all required doses of a vaccine at least 14 days ago can request an immunization card to prove complete vaccination. To request a digital or physical card, visit the provincial government's website.
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THE LATEST ELSEWHERE
New COVID-19 projections suggest case numbers will sharply rise in Saskatchewan without stronger public health measures, but the province is not expecting to tighten restrictions for the holidays. The projections released by the province suggest that Omicron-driven cases and hospitalizations will increase dramatically by the end of the month without stronger interventions. It could be significantly curbed, the projections said, with stronger public health measures such as limiting group sizes and capacity. Dr. Saqib Shahab, chief medical health officer, said he will be watching the situation closely and the governments response must be proportionate, fast and flexible. He encouraged people to be cautious, but did not require people to gather in smaller groups.
A government advisory panel of health experts has recommended that Israel begin administering a fourth shot of the coronavirus vaccine to protect against the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised Tuesdays decision and said he had already instructed health officials to begin preparations. The campaign is to begin with people over 60 and health care workers. But based on past vaccination efforts, it could quickly include other segments of the population. Bennetts office said the campaign, which still requires bureaucratic approvals, is expected to begin in the coming days. Israel was one of the first countries to vaccinate its population early this year and then carried out the worlds first booster campaign over the summer.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wont impose any new coronavirus restrictions before Christmas but new measures could be coming after the holiday if Omicron continues to surge. Johnson said Tuesday that given uncertainty about the strains severity, the U.K. hospitalization rate and the impact of booster vaccines, that tougher measures were not yet justified. Earlier this month, Johnsons government reinstated rules requiring face masks in shops and ordered people to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test before entering nightclubs and other crowded venues.
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
"I know youre tired, and I know youre frustrated. We all want this to be over. But were still in it."
U.S. President Joe Biden announces additional government support to fight the Omicron variant
LOCAL NEWS
NATIONAL NEWS
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COVID-19 BASICS
Winkler police say enforcement of COVID-19 rules in the southern Manitoba city isnt lax and the situation is not as bad as its portrayed.
Winkler police say enforcement of COVID-19 rules in the southern Manitoba city isnt lax and the situation is not as bad as its portrayed.
Madison Ushakas / Twitter Maskless patrons at Walmart in Winkler on Saturday.
Chief Ryan Hunt spoke out Tuesday, after the Free Press reported concerns about the number of shoppers failing to wear face masks at two big box stores in Winkler.
Some customers felt the situation was getting worse and they wanted Winkler Police Service and Manitoba Justice to crack down on those flouting pandemic public health regulations.
Hunt said his officers and provincial officials regularly conduct face mask checks in indoor public places, and defended Winkler residents.
"I know theres a high number of people not following the public health orders," he said. "Im not naive to that. Its not as bad as its portrayed; there are more people wearing than not."
At the city police level, there hasnt been an increase in complaints about maskless shoppers and there hasnt been much discussion about stepping up enforcement efforts, said Hunt.
"I also dont know if it needs to increase," the chief said.
Madison Ushakas / Twitter A maskless patron at Walmart in Winkler on Saturday.
Hunt said he personally visited stores "out of curiosity" Monday night, adding he "probably got lucky," because 95 per cent of shoppers were wearing masks.
"At other times, its 85 per cent compliance," the police chief said. "Our area certainly is seeing a large rate of non-compliance of the health orders but why that is, I wouldnt want to speculate.
"Its probably linked to the same reason the vaccination uptake is low. I cant put a finger as to why that is but Im sure the two are connected."
Enforcement blitzes by Winkler police officers and provincial officials take place once a week; Hunt estimated 10 to 15 public health-directed tickets are handed out during the sessions that last three to four hours.
The individual fine for failing to wear a face mask in an indoor public place is $298.
Amid constant reports of the areas low vaccination rate, Winkler residents arent happy with the way they are being perceived by other Manitobans, the police chief said.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Theres definitely frustration felt from the tension that were getting from across the province and outside of our area, Hunt said. Theres a lot of good people here. Its a fantastic community.
"Theres definitely frustration felt from the tension that were getting from across the province and outside of our area," Hunt said. "Theres a lot of good people here. Its a fantastic community.
"Were going to get through it and were going to be on the other side of it."
In September, Hunt wrote a Facebook post about a divide in the community of more than 12,000 and some residents becoming angry when the rules are enforced and they are ticketed.
"It is concerning to realize that drug traffickers and career criminals are more respectful to law enforcement than people who decide not to wear a mask," he wrote at the time.
On Tuesday, Justice Minister Cameron Friesen, also the MLA for Morden-Winkler, defended Manitobas public health order enforcement strategy, describing it as "more intense" than other Western provinces.
In a statement, he said 70 per cent of the 164 tickets issued between Oct. 4 and Dec. 5 were in the southern region of the province. Of those, 80 per cent were given to people for failing to wear a mask in a public place.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES On Tuesday, Justice Minister Cameron Friesen, also the MLA for Morden-Winkler, defended Manitobas public health order enforcement strategy, describing it as more intense than other Western provinces.
"While the vast majority of citizens are complying with public health orders, there is a group who continue to not comply, and in doing so, put others at risk," Friesen said. "Its important to remember that enforcing the provincial public health orders is not a one-approach-fits-all strategy.
"We will continue to work to provide information to the public, and to enforce the public health orders provincewide."
Figures from Manitoba Justice show the province has collected 10 per cent of all COVID-19 pandemic-related fines.
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A total of 2,391 tickets, amounting to $3.3 million in fines, were handed out for violations between April 9, 2020, and Tuesday.
As of Dec. 5, just under $350,000 had been paid.
Manitoba Justice was unable to provide figures on the number of people whove appealed tickets or whove been unable to obtain or renew a drivers licence or vehicle registration due to unpaid fines.
Data on the number of cases referred to a collection agency was not available.
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @chriskitching
Students at Winona Senior High School will have fewer required classes to graduate and more flexibility in their schedule to pursue the classes that interest them after the school board last week approved new graduation requirements.
Students entering Grade 9 at WSHS next fall will need 21.5 credits to graduate, which is the same amount required to graduate from the Winona Area Learning Center and aligns with state statute. The previous policy required 27 credits to graduate, which is 6.5 credits more than required by the state.
The reduction in credits will allow students more freedom to schedule the classes they want, which could include classes that interest them or classes that align with their post graduation plans.
As a parent, I would like my kids to choose things that they are interested in, board member Stephanie Smith said at the Nov. 18 meeting where the policy was first discussed. Smith said that her son may be interested in a history class, or that her daughter may be interested in an art class, and those interests could be turned into a career. Youre learning about what you want to do in real life. This is giving them that opportunity to do that their entire high school career.
It could also mean that students dont need to take PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options) in order to meet graduation requirements if they dont want to. Student board member Ella Skranka said that in order to take both an advanced Spanish class and orchestra, she needed to enroll in a PSEO class after school to fill her English requirement.
Having that extra room would be nice, Skranka said.
Board chair Nancy Denzer agreed. PSEO may be what some students want, but they shouldnt be forced to take it just to graduate.
This is a good example of why we would do this, Denzer said. So kids can navigate a little bit better at every level and the counselors can help guide (their schedule) and they can take electives that really meet what they are interested in.
The required credits to graduate include:
4 credits of language arts
3 credits of math
3 credits of science
3.5 credits of social studies
1 credit of art
7.5 credits of electives, including a .5 credit in health and a .5 credit of physical education.
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One year ago, Eric Erickson was watching from an upper floor window of Mayo Clinic Health System as state troopers pulled up to the building. The arrival of the vehicles was not extraordinarily exciting, but what was inside their doors had his emotions running high.
The coronavirus pandemic was some 10 months in, and the fall had brought rising case levels, spiking hospitalizations, and devastating deaths. The toll was extreme, but housed in crates on those vehicles were little vials of hope: the Pfizer vaccine.
It was not real ceremonious a couple of state trooper SUVs and minivans but we were welling up with tears when they were unloading these crates from the minivan because finally, we had a tool to help us work against the spread of this pandemic, recalls Erickson, hospital administrator at Mayo. I cant imagine where we would be without it.
On Dec. 11, EUA was given for the mRNA Pfizer vaccine, with Moderna approved a week later. After a brief delay in La Crosse Countys receipt of their first batch, the vials, housed in super cold storage, were delivered to hospitals Dec. 21, 2020.
Mayo Clinic Health System administered its first dose that day, to Thomas Jensen, a patient care assistant, and Dr. Elizabeth Cogbill, geriatrician at Gundersen Health System and a nursing home director, received her first shot the next day.
Winona Health administered its first dose Dec. 18, and the hospitals CEO and president Rachelle Schultz recalls the gratitude the staff felt when they received their initial shipment, and Cogbill too remembers how overwhelmingly thankful she was.
I have been reflecting on one year ago, the fall before the vaccine, and how I felt and my team felt and how the community felt. I think there was a lot of powerlessness and maybe some building despair up until the vaccine, and an immense amount of hope we placed on the vaccine, says Cogbill, noting that being among the first to get a dose was a huge honor and a privilege.
At the end of December, area long term care staff and residents began being inoculated, and on Feb. 2 the La Crosse County Health Department welcomed its first delivery, hosting the areas debut vaccine clinic three days later.
As a director for two area long term care facilities, and a provider of rounds at several others, Cogbill witnessed the immense impact the vaccine had on those in the late December vaccine tier.
It has had a tremendous impact on the nursing homes and the COVID cases in the community, Cogbill says. We saw the rate of cases drastically reduce in the weeks after vaccinations in the facilities. It felt incredible to practice medicine during such an overwhelming surge, and to witness firsthand the power of an intervention that is a miracle of modern science and see it work the way it was intended to. That felt like the opportunity of a lifetime.
As of last week, Mayo in La Crosse had administered over 66,000 doses, with a single day record of 859 last March. Gundersen has since Dec. 19 given 134,207 doses system wide, including 86,883 at its dedicated La Crosse and Onalaska vaccine clinics. Gundersens daily high was 1,371 doses on Feb. 12. Across Winona County vaccine sites, 75,681 doses were given as of Sunday, with a monthly high of 16,562 in March.
There were a lot of moving parts in the beginning definitely a lot of meetings to figure out the logistics of things. Now weve streamlined and this has become an everyday thing for us, says Dr. Erin Morcombe of Mayo.
Our employees had to scramble to make sure that we had what we needed to deliver these vaccines we had to do it in such short timeframes. We didnt have a week to plan. We were going to do it the second we had those doses available and we had to get nurses to step up and take additional steps, Erickson says of the day the vaccine arrived. We had to take them out of their clinical environments and put them in a new environment where we were administering the vaccines.
Mayo staff employed in non-clinical roles volunteered to help get vaccines deployed as broadly as possible. COVID cases after the vaccines began becoming available to more and more eligibility groups rapidly declined, as did the rate of deaths and hospitalizations. As the delta variant began circulating, infections have risen, but those who have completed their vaccine series are being infected at much lower rates, with deaths 12 times higher among those unvaccinated or only partially so.
The vaccination has definitely done an impressive job of preventing especially severe COVID infection which can result in death and hospitalizations, Morcombe says. I think we could have been in a lot worse place with hospitalizations and loss of life if we had not had a great vaccine.
Erickson marvels at the streamlined development and rollout of the vaccine, conducted in remarkable time without compromising safety.
Its been incredible that weve had such an effective, safe tools developed so quickly in the world of scientific research. The world of medical research, the world of hospital care and clinical care and vaccine deployment did everything so quickly and really stepped up to this crisis, Erickson says.
Vaccination rates still lower than hoped
Morcombe, Erickson and Cogbill wish area, and overall, vaccination rates were higher. As of Dec. 21, 63.7% of La Crosse County residents were fully vaccinated, and 67.1% had received at least one dose. In Wisconsin, those numbers were 57.8% and 61.5%, respectively. Winonas rates as of Sunday were 59% and 62.3%, respectively.
With any vaccine, we would love to see 100% uptake of those in the community, but thats just not a realistic goal. (The rate we are at) is excellent (but) we hoped that we there would be more than that, Morcombe says.
Erickson expresses sadness that more eligible individuals have not partaken in inoculation.
Its just somewhat heartbreaking to realize that so many people have been hesitant to use it so that they can help keep everybody safe, says Erickson. I can appreciate that there are some people, either through strong convictions or some medical reasons, that they are hesitant to receive the vaccine. But its such a effective and proven tool. It doesnt make people bulletproof, but it really does knock down the spread of this disease, and the data is overwhelming.
Cogbill says she is grateful that La Crosse County has reached the percentage it has, which is higher than in the majority of Wisconsin counties, but hoped more would have gotten their shots as of now.
Many hospitals statewide, including Mayo and Gundersen, are already at or nearing capacity as COVID infections climb dramatically, with, as of last week, around 20% of patients at each facility are being hospitalized for COVID.
(Vaccination) has really been the one thing that has kept us in this county from being completely overwhelmed from a hospital capacity standpoint. Weve been running at 100 percent capacity over the last couple of months, and I know that is for many of the hospitals throughout the state of Wisconsin. But we would have been buried for the last year if it werent for the vaccine, Erickson says.
A year into providing vaccines, and some 21 months into the pandemic, employees are drained and staffing shortages are an issue.
Staff are getting tired, and I think we need to recognize that its wonderful that people are willing to be heroes because you cant be a hero forever. Eventually, you get exhausted, Erickson says. And my fear is that just across the continuum of the state, were starting to see that nurses who have been new to the discipline of nursing are starting to question if they made the right career choice. They can only pick up so many shifts in their family life and home life is suffering. People who have been at this for decades are now saying maybe now is the time to retire. And its unfortunate because right now this is the one time in their careers that we need them more than ever.
Schultz says Winona Health staff as well are incredibly dedicated to caring for this community, and each other, and they are being pushed to their limits by the demands of this pandemic. In a time that requires all hands on deck, I am more grateful than ever for all of my colleagues.
Erickson says he hopes the community recognizes the sacrifices healthcare staff are making, and the pressures they are under. People everywhere are tired of masking, distancing and limiting social gatherings, but we need to do what we can to look out for each other and that includes continuing to take precautions.
Simple things to do, like wearing a mask, doesnt seem to be that big of a sacrifice. When I have to look at the sacrifices our clinical care teams are putting forward every day to care for patients, Erickson says. The most effective tools are masking and getting the vaccine. We need to continue those behaviors, and for those who are vaccinated, if youre eligible to get a booster that also prevents more variants from forming, it prevents greater spread. These are the things we need to do for each other.
Shots crucial with rise of omicron variant, case rates
The rapidly spreading omicron variant has now overtaken delta as the prominent strain in the U.S., and experts stress the need for those eligible to receive their third doses of the vaccine.
Every day were learning more about the interplay of virus, variants, and vaccines all with a goal to keep people safer while curbing the negative health impacts of getting COVID-19, says Schultz. ...We all hoped that (the vaccines arrival) would be the beginning of the end of the pandemic, but were still fighting it. Its keeping our caregivers safer at a time we need them to be here to care for others. We are far better off for having it than not.
Many are discouraged by the ongoing pandemic, which has ramped up again rather than slowed, but Cogbill notes that while breakthrough infections are occuring, the degree of illness and number of deaths caused by the coronavirus are far lower among the fully vaccinated. Those who do get infected are likely to experience milder cases, and it is the health of those without their shots that causes her worry.
I do not even want to think about where we would be without vaccination, Cogbill says. I dont even want to imagine the depths of despair we would be in as a county, as a region, as a country, as a world. Every single day I am grateful for the vaccine and impact it has had on my patients and myself and this community. The vaccine is truly the most powerful tool we have at our disposal. I really do desire for everyone in this community who is eligible to get the vaccine to please, please get it.
Morcombe emphasizes, You are much better protected if you get that extra dose of the vaccine. I was very excited to get my vaccination and also was very excited to get my booster to help protect me. We want to stay as healthy as possible not only for ourselves and our family but to keep our patients healthy.
With the adult population now several months out from qualifying for vaccination, and youth 5 and older becoming eligible last fall, Cogbill reminds those without their shots the time is now.
It is life changing, it is community changing, it is pandemic changing, Cogbill says. The only way we are going to end the pandemic is together and through vaccination.
Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.
A Wisconsin Dells man is facing charges after allegedly causing $30,000 of damage to a Wisconsin Dells business.
Aaron A. Payne, 32, Wisconsin Dells, has been charged with burglary of building, a class F felony, criminal damage to property (over $2,500), a class I felony and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
At his initial appearance Judge Wendy Klicko set a signature bond at $1,000 for Payne with standard felony conditions. At the appearance Payne waived time limits for a preliminary hearing.
According to the criminal complaint, on Dec. 15 around 11 p.m. Wisconsin Dells Police officer were dispatched to the IHOP on State Highway 13 following a 911 hang-up call.
While going to IHOP, officers were diverted to Culvers on Highway 13 after the manager reported an intoxicated male was causing a disturbance by allegedly making threats to staff members and spitting in the restaurant. The male was Payne in a long black jacket and blue overalls.
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A Dells Police Officer spoke with Payne after taking him into to custody. Payne allegedly told the officer he had been drinking, a preliminary breath test showed 0.161 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.
"We are rebuilding that capacity," Haaland said.
But without the climate bill, tax incentives to build large-scale solar will drop to 10% of a developers total capital costs by 2024, instead of rising to 30%, said Xiaojing Sun, head solar researcher at industry consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.
Incentives for residential-scale solar would go away completely by 2024, she said.
It will significantly slow down the growth of solar, Sun said.
However, she added that streamlining access to federal land could help the industry, as large solar farms on non-federal lands face growing local opposition and cumbersome zoning laws.
The Bureau of Land Management oversees almost a quarter-billion acres of land, primarily in Western states. Agency director Tracy-Stone Manning said boosting renewable energy is now one of its top priorities.
Forty large-scale solar proposals in the West are under consideration, she said.
Near day's end, jurors asked to see the transcripts of the testimonies of one accuser, Kate, and former Epstein housekeeper Juan Patricio Alessi. Alessi testified that when he worked at Epstein's sprawling Florida home from 1990 to 2002, he saw many, many, many female visitors, appearing to be in their late 20s, often lounging topless by the pool. He also testified that two accusers, underage teens at the time, were repeat visitors to the Epstein mansion.
Jurors had requested the transcripts of the other three accusers' testimonies Tuesday, the first full day of deliberations. Jurors met for less than an hour Monday after closing arguments and instructions consumed most of the day.
We urge the Supreme Court to accept this certification to determine in the first instance and with finality whether this important state constitutional provision was validly enacted, the panel concluded in its 20-page request.
The Wisconsin Justice Initiative, along with attorneys Jacqueline Boynton, Jerome Buting and Craig Johnson and now-retired state Sen. Fred Risser, challenged the validity of the question put to voters. Remington agreed it was insufficient and did not comply with the requirements of the state Constitution because it did not reasonably, intelligently and fairly comprise or have reference to every essential element of the amendment, was misleading, and should have been submitted as more than one ballot question.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission and other state officials appealed, and the appeals court panel of judges Lisa Stark, Thomas Hruz and Jennifer Nashold are now asking the high court to decide.
In 2008, Burgess helped establish the Center for Journalism Ethics in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UW-Madison.
UW-Madison associate professor Katy Culver, the James E. Burgess chair in journalism ethics and director of the center, remembered Burgess as dedicated to integrity and ethics in a letter to members of its advisory board Tuesday.
His was the vision that launched the Center and the impact that we have today, Culver wrote. He always said he thought the University of Wisconsin-Madison was the ideal place for such an effort, and I know to my core that he was right.
Culver said Burgess urged her to dream big and said she will miss their straight-talking conversations. Neither of us ever liked to flower up the language or talk around tough issues, rather than about them.
Frank Denton was at the Detroit Free Press in 1986 when Burgess hired him to become editor of the State Journal, a role Denton held until 2004.
Denton said his best Burgess story comes from the 1990s, when the paper was covering a United States Senate campaign and got a tip that a candidate had illegally manipulated some of his investment holdings.
A man has been charged for seventh offense of driving while intoxicated after a traffic stop in January.
Jeffery J. Parzy, 55, Fond du Lac, is facing charges of OWI (7th, 8th or 9th), operating with restricted controlled substance, and possession of THC (2nd offense). He was also charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer, operating while revoked and ignition interlock device tampering/failure to install/violate court order.
According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 30 a Columbia County Sheriffs Deputy used radar on a vehicle traveling west on Highway 33 in the town of Randolph. The vehicle was allegedly going 73 mph in a 55 mph zone.
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The deputy initiated a traffic stop. Parzy allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana two hours before the traffic stop after the deputy could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
Parzy showed a number of signs of intoxication during field sobriety tests following the traffic stop, the deputy reported
Blood was taken from Parzy and sent to the Wisconsin State Crime Lab for analysis and the results showed the blood contained 9.7 nanograms of Delta-9-THC per milliliter.
A motorist was pulled over for speeding earlier this month and is now facing possession of THC with intent to deliver following the traffic stop.
Messai M. Kurz, 20, Egan, Minnestoa, has been charged with possession with intent to deliver THC (<=200 grams), a class I felony, misdemeanor possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding and operate with restricted controlled substance, 1st offense.
At his initial appearance Columbia County Judge W. Andrew Voigt set Kurzs signature bond at $2,500 with standard felony conditions.
According to the criminal complaint, on Dec. 8 a Columbia County Deputy saw a vehicle traveling east on Highway 39. Radar measured the vehicle to be traveling 85 mph in a 70 mph zone. The deputy initiated a traffic stop around 9 p.m.
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The deputy reported smelling marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle resulted in officers allegedly finding numerous plastic bags with suspected THC and a glass smoking device with THC residue. The trunk of the vehicle had a larger bag of THC.
A statement from Foxconn on Wednesday indicates that the company has continued to add jobs at the facility and has invested nearly $1 billion in the state.
This center of gravity has attracted the attention of other manufacturers, businesses and investors who share our vision for a Park that can sustain continued business and community development, the company said. Foxconn thanks staff at WEDC for their work on the 2020 tax credit evaluation process and looks forward to continued reporting periods beginning next year.
Under the new six-year contract, Foxconn could receive up to $80 million in state tax dollars as long as the company creates at least 1,454 jobs and makes a capital investment of at least $672 million by 2026. Foxconns $266 million in spending represents nearly 40% of the investment needed in the entire contract.
Billions pledged
Foxconns original contract, signed by former Gov. Scott Walker in 2017, promised the company $3 billion in state subsidies if it made a $10 billion investment and hired 13,000 employees over a 15-year period. Other state and local incentives, including $150 million in sales tax breaks that the company still could receive, brought the total to about $4 billion.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. A 15-year-old has admitted to murdering 84-year-old Eva Fuld, a former Westmoreland teacher, at her Syracuse apartment in January.
Fuld was beaten and stabbed 43 times by Jahkim Robinson, who was 14 at the time.
According to police, Robinson was Fulds neighbor. He knocked on her door and forced his way inside, stealing credit cards, a wallet and her car keys before stabbing her to death.
The teen was charged with Fuld's death in late January.
Robinson pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder, burglary and robbery.
According to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, Robinson only faces five to nine years in prison.
"Technically he could be out when he's 19. That's the reality of the criminal justice system in New York, Fitzpatrick said in an interview with CNY Central.
The DA says senior citizens have been victims of some of the most heinous murders hes seen in his career.
I've been prosecuting homicide cases in this county for 40 years and some of the most egregious are those committed against the elderly, he said.
Fuld taught French and Spanish in the Westmoreland School District, retiring in 1991.
The Westmoreland Alumni Association has set up a scholarship in her honor for students pursuing a foreign language.
ROME, N.Y. Rome police say a woman was arrested after allegedly stabbing a man twice on West Thomas Street Monday afternoon.
Johnna R. Finch, 20, was arrested the day after the incident and charged with first-degree assault.
Police say the 36-year-old victim was stabbed in the upper torso, and is in critical condition in the hospital.
Police did not release details on the circumstances or events leading up to the stabbing.
Anyone with additional information about this case can call the RPD tip line at 315-339-7744.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLFI)-House Bill 1001 addresses several different aspects of COVID-19. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is most concerned about the part of the bill that would expand the criteria for employees to become exempt from taking the COVID-19 vaccine if their employer requires it.
"It really would serve to discourage employers from imposing vaccination mandates," said President and CEO of The Indiana Chamber of Commerce Kevin Brinegar.
The legislation allows for medical exemptions if a health professional provides documentation. It also allows for religious exemptions, but it puts new protocols in place for employees asking for it.
"It can require them to sign a document or have some sort of documentation on file that they have signed that they are taking this religious exemption," said State Representative Matt Lehman the author of the bill. "Then it basically says once they have done that as required by section 5 in this chapter you can take no further inquiry. So you can't require it to be signed by some outside party."
That portion of the legislation is concerning the chamber. They feel it is too broad and will allow anyone to not get the vaccine just because they don't want to.
"If we want to put a religious and medical exemption in state statute then at least reference the federal statute and guideline that have been in place and employers have been using for decades rather than now having two separate standards that you have to comply with," said Brinegar.
The third exemption option would allow employees to submit to weekly testing, but this legislation would require employers to foot the bill if an employee chooses this exemption option. The Chamber says this is its biggest objection to the bill.
"Those costs from some of the estimates I've received from members exorbitant in a very short period of time," said Brinegar.
The fourth option for exemption would be immunity. Meaning, if someone has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 6 months and can prove it through documentation, they could now be exempt from taking the vaccine. The Chamber feels businesses should be able to do as they please without state or federal interference.
"The strong message from our members is they prefer to just be left alone and let them make those decisions not to be told what to do by federal or state government," said Brinegar.
The Chamber says they don't support federal mandates by the Government either. It says it's currently discussing the language of the bill with state legislators. The first day of the session is January 4th. To read the bill in full click here. To watch testimony about the bill click here.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Artwork is honoring Franciscan Health Lafayette employees' efforts during the pandemic.
The idea came from Medical Executive Committee Vice President and Physician Dr. Nathan Huber, and the committee used the 2021 physician dues donation to have the mural painted.
The three-panel artwork, titled Pandemic Journey, was created by Franciscan Health Lafayette Radiology Technician Lizzy Rainey.
Each panel represents a phase of the pandemic.
The first is called "When Darkness Moved In", the second panel is called "The Work Before Us", and the third panel is called "Together We Heal".
Several employees are depicted in the paintings, and one of them is Diagnostic Radiographer Mary Alfano.
She said the painting is an important reminder of what the hospital staff has been dealing with over the last two years.
"It kind of just brings tears to your eyes because really these portraits tell a story," Alfano said." You can look at each one of these and see that it means something to everyone."
She also said it can help others start to understand what it's like working in a hospital during a pandemic.
"If you are not in this every day you literally do not understand what kind of life we've been living day-to-day," she explained. "Through these paintings, you can kind of see the emotions that are brought to each individual as it affects them. "
The Medical Executive Committee is made up of 17 Franciscan Health physicians, and their goal was to encourage staff as the pandemic continues.
The mural is displayed in the hospital atrium next to the visitor elevators.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Plans for a West Lafayette Park are a lot bigger than anticipated.
As we've reported, Cason Family Park will be located on Cumberland Avenue near U.S. 231.
Fourteen acres of land and the Morris Schoolhouse were donated to make it possible.
Now, the city is buying 13.9 acres next to the original land.
The park will feature multiple playgrounds, trails, and public facilities. There will also be a water feature, three shelters, and additional trails. An outdoor music venue is also in the plans.
Parks Superintendent Kathy Lozano said it will offer something new for people moving to that side of town.
"We need to have some open, green space, recreational park space for that population that is moving out there, and we really don't have a lot of that," Lozano said.
The city is buying the property for $370,000, and Lozano said they hope to start building it in 2023.
BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday stressed attentive, enthusiastic and targeted services for retired cadres, urging those working in the field to strive for remarkable accomplishments in their ordinary positions.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction to a national commendation meeting on work related to retired cadres.
Reviewing the CPC's century-long endeavor, Xi praised retired cadres for their important contributions, and expressed the hope that they could contribute their wisdom and strength to the realization of China's second centenary goal and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Xi also urged Party committees and organization departments at all levels to recognize and value those working for retired cadres and complimented their tremendous yet unknown contributions.
Chen Xi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, spoke at the meeting and stressed the need to make Xi's important discourse a fundamental guiding principle for the work concerning retired cadres.
At the meeting, 100 groups and 300 individuals were cited for their outstanding services to retired cadres.
(Source: Xinhua)
Merida is the largest city in the Yucatan Peninsula and is the capital of the Yucatan state of Mexico. It sits approximately 35 kilometers inland from the Gulf of Mexico, in the northwest part of the state. The population of Merida is approximately 1,160,000. Merida has a mixture of Mayan and colonial history and includes temples, ruins, nature preserves, and rich culture.
Geography And Climate Of Merida
The cityscape of Merida.
The city of Merida is very flat and has a maximum elevation of 9 meters above sea level. The main type of vegetation in the area is short scrub trees and agave fields, which have been left untamed. There is little to no surface water in the city, but several underground rivers and springs run throughout the region. The overall climate is a tropical wet and dry one. Merida also falls within the trade wind zone of the tropic of Cancer. The city is generally hot and humid, with a rainy season from June to October. This is also the time of year prone to Mexican monsoons as well as easterly waves and tropical storms.
History Of Merida
Horse carriages on a morning city street in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Editorial credit: Kartinkin77 / Shutterstock.com
The city that is now known as Merida was formerly a Mayan city called T'ho. Remnants of this Mayan history can be seen throughout the city, in the form of temples, ruins, and culture. In 1542, a Spanish conquistador named Francisco de Montejo captured the city and gave it the name Merida after the town of Merida in Extremadura, Spain.
Hispanic colonial plaza and church in Merida.
Many of the Spanish colonial buildings first built in Merida were actually constructed from the stones of former Mayan structures. These stones can be seen in old city walls. The walls were built around the city and remained through to the mid 19th century. The city is now much larger than the original walls, but ruins and remains can still be seen today. The late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century saw a boom in Merida with the production of agave. This brought great wealth to the region, and many mansions and extravagant homes were built in the city in an area referred to as Paseo de Montejo. The sheer size of these homes means that very few are still residential, and most have been converted for other business purposes. Though the wealth boom of this period did subside, Merida continued to prosper and remains the financial capital of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Attractions In Merida
San Ildefonso cathedral in Merido.
Merida has one of the largest historic districts in the Americas, after Mexico City and Havana, Cuba. Its streets are lined with impressive old buildings and a rich sense of history and culture.Some of the prominent historic homes in the city include 'Las Casas Gemelas' or twin houses, which date back to 1911. These consist of two mansions, one built in Spanish style and one made in French, each owned by the Barbachano and Molina Mendez families and still serve as residential buildings today. Both have been known to house events and prominent figures such as Princess Grace, Prince Rainier of Monaco, and former first lady Jackie Kennedy.
The main square in Merida.
Other historical attractions include The Museum of the City of Merida, which was moved to a renovated post office in 2007 and houses information and artifacts detailing the city's history. Other notable museums include Gran Museo del Mundo Maya, which is Yucatan's Mayan Museum; the Merida Museum of Anthropology, and the Museo de la Cancion Yucateca Asociacion Civil (Museum of the Yucatecan Song) which celebrates music and culture.
Culture Of Merida
Dancers in traditional costumes in Merida, Mexico. Editorial credit: vermontalm / Shutterstock.com
Culture is a major part of Merida and the Yucatan peninsula. The city does much to celebrate this and their history more generally. In fact, Merida served as the American Capital of Culture in 2000 and 2017. Because of the geographical shape of the Yucatan peninsula, the region has developed a strong sense of identity and culture unique to themselves, as they were relatively cut off from the rest of Mexico.Similarly, Mayan people and culture are highly persistent, and much of the Mayan ways of life can still be seen in some form throughout the city, in speech, clothing, and traditions. Holidays in the region are also tied to Mayan traditions, including Hanal Pixan, the Mayan Day of the Dead.
Women making tortillas in Merido.
It is celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd. The holiday is highly associated with traditional foods, and food is generally important within Merida and the Yucatan region. The cuisine is significantly different from other types of Mexican food and has ties to Mayan, Caribbean, Mexican, and Spanish cuisines. Flavors such as coconut, pineapple, plum, tamarind, and mamey are commonly used.
Overall, Merida is a vibrant city with a rich history and strong colonial roots. From Mayan beginnings to Spanish colonialism and Mexican influence, it has become a cultural hub that celebrates the past.
Weather Alert
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Snow. Total snow accumulations will range from 1 to 2 inches across most of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana and southeast Missouri. Amounts from 2 to 4 inches can be expected across west Kentucky. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Indiana, southeast Missouri, western Kentucky and southern Illinois. * WHEN...From 6 AM to 4 PM CST Thursday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Travel conditions will remain very hazardous. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. &&
A view from Wrexhams Member of Parliament
Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home you can find them all here.
Today, Wrexhams MP Sarah Atherton writes
First and foremost, as we approach Christmas, I wish you all Wrexham a merry and safe festive season and a happy New Year. I know that the developing situation with the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 is of concern to many in Wrexham, especially given the recent votes in Parliament on the new restrictions for England. After deliberation, I voted in favour of the new measures as I felt, given the evidence presented, that pre-emptive action was needed to protect our healthcare services the Maelor hospital and our General Practices.
In response to Omicron and the current situation, I am pleased that the Ministry of Defence has agreed to deploying a further 98 military personnel to Wales to support the booster programme. Once again, this shows that the UK military is here to support Wales when needed and I am proud that the UK Government has stepped in to support our nation again.
I am also pleased that the UK Government has committed 270 million in extra funding to the Welsh Government to support the Covid-19 response. The news of this additional funding is welcome and apt given my continuing healthcare campaign. My recently launched campaign aims to raise awareness of the issues many residents have been facing accessing healthcare GPs, routine surgery, or A&E in Wrexham. Through this campaign, and with your help, I want to send the Welsh Government a message that the NHS in Wrexham needs improvements and investment.
You can support my campaign on my website: https://www.sarahatherton.org.uk/health-care-wrexham.
Throughout December, I have been pleased to see that Wrexham Polices Safer Streets project has been rolling out across our community following the award of 339,000 to North Wales Police from the UK Government. The project has seen additional officers out on patrol across the town centre, the installation of additional cameras across the town, improvements to street lighting and further increased support to the Hafan y Dref welfare centre to provide a safe haven for those who need it at night-time.
Having raised the issue of antisocial behaviour with the Police and the Council including at a recent roundtable discussion which I hosted at my office I am pleased that action is being taken. Well done also to Wrexhams town Police team and the Police & Crime Commissioner, Andy Dunbobbin, for your hard work on this project!
I also recently visited the Festival of Angels at St Giles Church in Wrexham. The memorial is a fitting tribute to those in Wales that have lost their lives to Covid-19. I commend the hard work of the congregation that have put the memorial together.
Furthermore, well done to the winner of my Christmas card competition Seren Campbell from Ysgol Plas Coch. It was a pleasure to be able to share the winning design with the Prime Minister. The card was sent out to residents of Wrexham, fellow MPs and internationally. Well done also to the runners up, Angharad and Sophie, both also from Ysgol Plas Coch, for your excellent designs too.
Finally, it was a pleasure to join Tracey and the team at Mecca Bingo, Jane from the Rotary Club and the Caia Partnership, to parcel up and distribute 50 hampers and 130 toy boxes to families around Wrexham. It is heart-warming to see the donations and support given by Wrexham residents, to Wrexham residents over what, for some, may be a difficult Christmas.
As always, if there is anything I can do to help, please dont hesitate to contact me by email on sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk or by telephone on 01978 291742.
Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Welsh and UK Parliament representatives to write a monthly article with updates on their work and closer to home you can find them all here.
Covid isolation period cut from 10 to 7 days in England No decision in Wales as yet
A top Public Health Wales doctor has said he is comfortable with the modelling and data behind Englands decision to reduce the period of time someone who is Covid positive must self isolate.
In England, the self-isolation period for fully vaccinated people who have coronavirus has been reduced from 10 days to seven.
People who receive negative LFD results on day six and day seven of their self-isolation period with tests taken 24 hours apart will no longer have to self-isolate for the full 10 days.
The first test must be taken no earlier than day 6 of the self-isolation period.
Those who leave self-isolation on or after day 7 are strongly advised to limit close contact with other people in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, work from home and minimise contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID- 19.
There is no change to the guidance for unvaccinated contacts of positive COVID-19 cases, who are still required to self-isolate for 10 full days after their date of exposure to the virus.
The Welsh Government has said it will consider the updated medical advice and whether this means our self-isolation requirements should be amended.
Analysis by the UK Health Security Agency suggests that a 7-day isolation period alongside 2 negative lateral flow test results has nearly the same protective effect as a 10-day isolation period without LFD testing for people with COVID-19.
The new approach reflects latest evidence on how long cases transmit the virus for, and supports essential public services and supply chains over the winter, while still limiting the spread of the virus.
Studies also demonstrate that LFD tests are just as sensitive at detecting the Omicron variant, as they are for Delta.
Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of UKHSA, said: COVID-19 is spreading quickly among the population and the pace at which Omicron is transmitting may pose a risk to running our critical public services during winter.
This new guidance will help break chains of transmission and minimise the impact on lives and livelihoods. It is crucial that people carry out their LFD tests as the new guidance states and continue to follow public health advice.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales this morning, Dr Meng Khaw, National Director for Health Protection and Screening Services for Public Health Wales, said any the decision to follow the rule change in England lies with the Welsh Government but he is comfortable with the thinking that has gone behind the decision by UKHSA.
Ive looked at the evidence and Ive looked at the modelling and its showing that the risk of doing that is equivalent to the risk of self isolation for 10 days without testing. He said.
Dr Khaw said the Omicron wave is truly awful, cases are rising quite rapidly.
He said: We now have 640 cases (Omicron cases in Wales) and were likely to hit thousands of cases before the year is over.
This is a reminder of how nasty Coronavirus is, and its very clever in terms of mutating, this mutation is certainly causing the large numbers of Covid that were continuing to see across Wales.
Asked about the lower number of patients in Welsh hospitals with Covid, Dr Khaw said: We are seeing the trends of hospital admissions continuing to go down.
When you look at the figures across three waves of the pandemic, initially we had high hospital admission rates and now were seeing very low hospital admission rates.
But lets not forget there is a lag between infection and hospital admission, and Omicron has only been around for three weeks, so this lag may manifest itself over the coming days and weeks and we must continue to take measures to control the rise of Omicron cases.
What we also need to look at is the number of cases in other countries in the UK particularly, and in England, were seeing high numbers of hospital admissions.
Part of that is due to the high numbers of cases but we cant ignore the fact that the numbers of hospital admissions will continue to rise over the coming days and weeks.
The huge number of Omicron cases in London could be down to the low vaccination rate there, it was reported that a third of adults are unvaccinated in parts of the city.
Dr Khaw said that compared to London we are absolutely much better protected in Wales.
He said: Vaccination rates are exemplary, whenever you get an invite to have a booster jab or a vaccine dose, you must take it up because if people do not take up the opportunity it means that that appointment is wasted.
So I would encourage everyone who receives an invite to have a vaccine to take it up as soon as possible.
First Minister Mark Drakeford will hold a press conference at 12.15 today (Wednesday) where is expected to announce further restrictions for after Christmas.
Funding boost to help six Wrexham community groups expand their work
Local organisations providing free music lessons, period poverty support and educational workshops have received a funding boost to help expand their work in the community.
The Wrexham-based groups are amongst 16 across North Wales who have received National Lottery grants to support their work.
The Rock Works Academy, in Wrexham, has received a grant of 10,000 to fund free music sessions to young people and adults with complex issues in mental and physical health, learning, and anti-social behaviour to improve wellbeing.
Michael Harmina, director and tutor at the academy said: The National Lottery Community Fund grant will empower us to respond to the needs and interests of local youth, community and voluntary organisations by delivering a wide range of unique and exciting music activities.
It will also give us the opportunity to provide a welcoming and inclusive, town-centre based music facility offering recording sessions, instrument lessons and music courses aimed towards enriching the lives and improving the prospects of people in Wrexham.
Also in Wrexham, Empower be the change will use 10,000 to deliver educational workshops about menopause to empower and support individuals and community organisations.
Dawn Roberts, the creator and lead for the project, said: We were delighted to receive funding from The National Lottery Community Fund for our innovative Menopause Awareness workshops which will provide an opportunity for interactive debate and conversations about how menopause affects women individually, how it can affect communities, such as family and friendship groups, and how it can have a wider impact in the workplace.
Menopause is often thought of as something that just affects women, and often women feel alone with their experience.
With more understanding and awareness this doesnt need to be so, and our workshops will be the key vehicle for change to stop the menopause being a taboo subject.
Agri-cation CIC will use 9,825 to support the community by providing farm-based outdoor education and wellbeing opportunities for children and people from disadvantaged communities.
Cheryl Reeves, Director, said, Agri-cation has provided a unique and inclusive environment over the past few years.
Students get the chance to benefit from nature while developing all manner of real-world skills in the beautiful Welsh countryside. Some of them had never seen farm animals up close before or appreciated our role in the environment at all.
North Wales Horse Watch will also use 9,800 to provide education workshops to raise awareness of rural issues to the wider public, to reduce rural crime and environmental impact, while Wrexham Africa Community will provide 10,000 traditional African food packs to the African community to combat hunger due to COVID-19.
Based in Wrexham, Your Trusted Friend will use its 10,000 to deliver a befriending service for people across north Wales, building more long-lasting and genuine friendships.
Gareth Mason, who uses the service of Your Trusted Friend, said: My mum doesnt need a carer. What she needs is a companion.
A companion who will do things with her take her for walks and to places, talk about anything and everything, do jigsaws, get the shopping she wants and generally potter around the house.
At 93, Mum is all there but she needs company. Your Trusted Friend is absolutely a lifesaver for me and a life-enhancer for my mum. Mum is happy and that is the most important thing in the world.
NW Nappy Collaborative CIC will use 10,000 to offer food and period poverty support to address rising demand from Wrexham and south Flintshire communities.
A member of the team said: Thank you so much to everyone who plays the National Lottery.
This funding will help us to continue to provide food and essentials to struggling households across north-east Wales, ensuring beneficiaries can access fresh and nutritious food to their doorsteps, whilst retaining their anonymity and dignity.
Food insecurity can hit anybody at any time, it is imperative that we get to these people as soon as possible to enable them to remain healthy and keep their spirits up.
We also wish to thank recipients for trusting us with their pride, it is so incredibly difficult to ask for help! It is an honour and a privilege to be able to support you.
Derek Preston-Hughes, funding manager at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: National Lottery players raise more than 30 million each week for good causes across the UK and eight out of ten of our grants are for 10,000 or less going to grassroots groups and charities like these in north Wales.
We know how valued their work is and were looking forward to seeing yet more communities finding out how National Lottery funding helps to change peoples lives.
To find information on applying to The National Lottery Community Fund for funding to help your community thrive, visit tnlcommunityfund.org.uk or call 0300 123 0735.
North Wales top doctor urges people to come forward for a booster jab ahead of increase of omicron in January
North Wales top doctor has urged people to come forward for their booster jab ahead of what is expected to be a large increase in omicron cases in January.
In the last week alone there has been a huge increase in the number of covid-19 vaccines administered across the region, with 66,000 people being vaccinated in the last seven days.
24,000 of those were issued over the weekend alone.
The vaccine rollout is set to ramp up further over the next few days with the health board aiming to administer around 18,000 covid-19 vaccine each days.
Dr Nick Lyons, executive medical director at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, is now urging people to come forward as it aims to get booster jabs into the arms of all eligible adults over the next 10 days ahead of whats expected to be a tidal wave of omicron cases coming out way in January.
Dr Lyons said: I urge people to book online or attend one of our designated drop in clinics as soon as they can this week dont leave it until after Christmas we have staff ready to vaccinate you. Getting your booster is the best Christmas present you can give yourself.
The sooner you come forward, the sooner you will build your immunity. We will have significantly reduced capacity to deliver jabs during January so its vital that you come forward as soon as possible.
Weve reluctantly taken the very difficult decision to postpone non-urgent operations, procedures and outpatient appointments and pause non-essential services to allow staff to be released to support the vaccination campaign.
Many of our staff have voluntarily given up planned time off with their families over the festive period to ensure that we can meet this huge challenge.
We are pulling out all the stops to make booster jabs available. Please make getting your booster a priority and come forward as soon as you possibly can.
Tens of thousands of appointments are set to be released on the health boards online booking service in the coming days, with people being urged to keep checking for appointments.
Dr Lyons said: It is critical that if you have a booked appointment in December you keep to it. Dont contact us to rearrange as this slows down our efforts to protect others. You will be waiting until January for an alternative.
Booking online helps guarantee that you will receive your jab and reduces the time you have to queue. If you turn up at a clinic which isnt a designated drop in and you havent booked an appointment online, you will face a lengthy queue and may be turned away.
We will only be able to offer you a jab if we are running ahead of schedule and have sufficient vaccine supply and staffing.
Those who book ahead using our online booking service will always be prioritised in queues.
Were continuing to publicise designated drop in and pop up mobile clinics online. Depending on take up of appointments using our online booking service, we may open additional drop ins at specific sites. Details of these may be communicated at short notice online.
Pregnant women are also being urged to come forward for their vaccine, with the numbers taking up the jab being lower than expected.
Dr Lyons added: We are once again appealing to pregnant women to come forward for their COVID-19 vaccine. For any mother to be, getting their first, second and booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most important things they can do to protect themselves and their unborn baby against coronavirus and, particularly against the new omicron variant.
The number of pregnant women coming forward for their vaccine has been lower than we would like to be in North Wales and across the UK. This places mothers and their babies at risk.
Based on the data about safety, together with the increased risk from COVID-19 the JCVI has advised that pregnant women should be considered as a clinical risk group.
We strongly encourage all mothers to be to book an appointment for their first, second or booster dose using our online booking service as soon as possible.
You can book your coronavirus vaccine and keep checking for new appointments on the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board website here.
Last Wednesday, CEOs representing major commercial airlines testified before the United States Senate Commerce Committee about their efforts to return air travel to full capacity following the historic crisis faced by the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airline industry faced a massive business shortage after millions canceled flights in early 2020 as the pandemic first erupted. According to business analysts, the industry suffered a more than 95 percent drop in its business and financial losses totaling nearly $35 billion.
The airline industry received $54 billion in federal stimulus money during the pandemic. Part of Congresss record financial support to Wall Street and other corporations organized under the CARES Act was its massive Payroll Support Program, which paid companies to keep their workers on staff.
Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines, in Washington D.C. on September 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Its not an exaggeration to say the [federal bailout] saved the airline industry, which Congress and the administration recognized as critical infrastructure that is as essential to the economy as it is unique, said American Airlines CEO Doug Parker to the committee. Other CEOs, union officials and executives spoke in similarly glowing terms about the financial bailouts their industry received.
With whatever restrictions remaining on social distancing having been lifted, holiday travel is expected to surge this year. AAA predicts that 109 million Americans will travel during this holiday season, 90 percent of the 2019 levels. The Washington Post recently noted the travel industry is coming off a big Thanksgiving bounce... The more than 2.4 million screened the Sunday after Thanksgiving hit the highest daily tally since the pandemic began, according to TSA figures.
This comes in spite of the rapidly expanding winter surge, made immeasurably worse by the Omicron variant. In a public address Tuesday afternoon, President Biden rejected any new lockdowns of businesses and schools and even encouraged Americans not to cancel their Christmas travel plans. This will create the conditions for a massive public health disaster in the coming days and weeks, in which airports will become a major vector of transmission. Indeed, only hours after Bidens speech, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 288,000 new cases, the second highest single day total since the pandemic began.
But the Commerce Committees main concern was not preventing a public health disaster but ensuring the profitability of the airlines. According to CNBC, the congressional hearing was called to discuss the industrys hiring trouble, 5G, fuel availability, myriad fees and vaccine mandates though it was called to assess the industrys bailout, its largest.
The industry is facing critical shortages of labor as workers are increasingly resisting unsafe working conditions and overwork. A growing number of airline workers are coming into direct struggle against their employers, demanding better staffing, pay and protections on the job.
In early November, American Airlines reported over 460 flights canceled due to staffing shortages that led to travel disruptions for tens of thousands of people, according to CNBC. The publication noted that shortages exacerbated routine problems, like bad weather and disrupted more than 16 percent of its mainline flights.
An Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) representative told the industry publication Paddle Your Own Kanoo that worker morale was at the lowest ever within recent memory earlier this month. The official said that the Omicron variant and other possible future pandemic developments were creating significant tensions among staff.
Maria Cantwell, Democratic chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter to the airline CEOs over the summer complaining that the difficulties with staff shortages runs counter to the objective and spirit of the [Payroll Support Program], which was to enable airlines to endure the pandemic and keep employees on payroll so that the industry was positioned to capture a rebound in demand.
This is a critical issue for big-business interests, who are hoping to capitalize on efforts to present the holiday season as safe for travel. United Airlines alone is expecting at least 420,000 customers daily in its terminals during Christmas, up from 400,000 on Thanksgiving, according to news sources.
Nicholas Calio, president of the Airlines for America lobbyist group, noted the economic role played by the airline industry in October. The full reopening oftravel iscritical to reviving economies around the globe in time for the holidays, he said.
In their testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee, airline CEOs sought to capitalize even further on the Biden administrations drive to keep businesses open. Towards this end, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly even falsely claimed that masks were not necessary on airplanes, in response to a question from Mississippi Republican Roger Wicker, declaring the case is very strong that masks dont add much if anything in the air cabin environmentits very safe, very high quality compared to any other indoor setting. American CEO Doug Parker responded to these comments by declaring I concur.
The Southwest CEOs bragging was undermined days later when on Friday it was revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Kelly, who had received three shots, was experiencing mild symptoms but was moving closer to a full recovery, according to airline spokespeople.
Following this public relations fumble, both Kelly and Parker released statements affirming their support for the Biden administrations current masking policy, which is slated to end next year.
Weve always been told it is safer than being in the general public, a Southwest flight attendant told the World Socialist Web Site about Kellys claims. However, it is my understanding that the filters have to be maintained in order to get that quality air.
Flight attendants from Southwest have written to the WSWS to share stories about their employers efforts to gaslight them after forcing them to don chemically toxic company outfits, which in some cases have resulted in workers developing autoimmune disorders that can severely compromise them in the instance of a COVID-19 infection.
The publication Science Daily interviewed professors Zhe Peng of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences and Jose-Luis Jimenez of the University of Colorado Boulder in April regarding the safety of taking masks off indoors. Its important to understand that there is no single CO2 level at which a person can assume a shared indoor space is safe to unmask, Professor Peng notes.
AFA president Sara Nelson, who was in attendance at the Senate hearing and sat next to the group of CEOs testifying before Congress, said nothing in response to Kellys efforts to further endanger the public. Instead, the AFA representative kept her comments focused on praising the CARES Act bailout of the industry.
Sito Pantoja, the International Association of Machinists vice president, gushed to Forbes in July about the reopening of the economy. [Payroll protection] also provided airlines with the capability to gear up as soon as possible. All you have to do is take a photo of what airlines looked like a year ago, and what they look like now. All these airports, all these businesses, all these little stores are thriving, the IAM official gloated. And everybody knows, however the airlines go, thats how the economy goes, he added.
In this video, members of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Australia urge people to join todays emergency online public meeting to discuss how to fight for the immediate and unconditional freedom of Julian Assange.
The meeting, organised by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) will be held today, Wednesday December 22 at 7 p.m. (AEDT) and 8 a.m. (GMT). Click here to register.
On December 10a date that will go down in infamythe UK High Court cleared the legal path for Assange to be extradited to the United States. This pseudo-legal travesty means that the WikiLeaks founders life hangs in the balance.
Already, more than a decade of physical confinement and psychological torture has taken its toll. Assange, now 50, suffered a stroke during the court hearings in October, his fiance Stella Moris has revealed.
Speaking at the meeting will be Thomas Scripps, the Assistant National Secretary of the SEP in the UK. A leading World Socialist Web Site writer on Julian Assange, he reported on the UK High Court hearings. Scripps will be joined by Oscar Grenfell, who is another prominent expert writer for the WSWS on Assange and the national convenor of the IYSSE in Australia.
Assange, an award-winning journalist, and an Australian citizen, is being persecuted for exposing the atrocities, human rights abuses, mass surveillance and other crimes carried out by the US and its allies internationally, including in the imperialist wars and invasions of the Middle East.
For this, Assange has been the victim of a protracted conspiracy involving the US, Swedish, UK and Australian governments. He is being charged under the US Espionage Actthe first time in history a journalist has been charged under that legislation. If extradited, he faces 175 years in prison or even the death penalty.
As the IYSSE members explain, no faith can be placed in the British judicial system or the US, UK and Australian governments. These institutions have all made clear their intent to drag him off to the US. Instead, the demand for Assanges immediate release must be taken to the broadest possible layers of students, workers and professionals.
Assanges persecution has been facilitated by the corporate media and the political establishment, as well as the fake left groups. They all backed the false sexual assault allegations against Assange trumped-up by the Swedish authorities as a means of smearing his name and poisoning public opinion.
Since the December 10 ruling, workers and students from Australia and the UK have sent in statements of support to the WSWS, demanding Assanges freedom. They call for this struggle to be linked to a broader movement of the working class on a socialist and anti-war perspective.
Todays meeting will discuss the need to connect the fight to free Assange to the rising struggles against the big business policy of letting rip the COVID-19 pandemic, the massive levels of social inequality and the drive toward new catastrophic US-led wars.
As the speakers at todays meeting will explain, the fight for the truthboth on the war crimes and the pandemicagainst the official walls of lies, misinformation and cover-up, is vital for the development of these struggles.
We urge all defenders of democratic rights and opponents of imperialist war to participate in the online public meeting today. Click here to register.
Facebook event with more information.
As COVID-19 infection numbers continue to soar to record highs across the country, fuelled by the extremely transmissible Omicron mutation, Australian governments are defying increasingly concerned warnings by scientists, epidemiologists, doctors and other health experts about the live with the virus reopening drive.
Federal, state and territory leaders, Liberal-National and Labor alike, are not only blithely dismissing the growth of infection numbers, which soared well over 5,000 new cases nationally today, but the advice and appeals of leading medical figures.
A widely-watched and impassioned social media video by Sydney immunologist Dr Dan Suan, declaring that people had to take public safety into their own hands because governments had left the field, has become part of a growing number of calls by health professionals and workers for an end to the overturning of essential public health protections.
Representing doctors, Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Dr Omar Khorshid stated yesterday: Omicron is emerging as a huge threat, even though we dont yet know its severity, the numbers are really scary Even with a lower severity than Delta it will still cause significant pressures on hospitals and ICU [intensive care unit] beds when the cases reach the thousands.
A health worker told the World Socialist Web Site this morning that the Western Sydney Local Health District is being told to prepare for 10,000 cases per day in the area, meaning 60 hospital admissions per day, before the end of January.
Under this scenario, the worker said, the capacity of Westmead, the largest hospital in the western district, would be exceeded in ten days.
Dr Kerryn Phelps (Screenshot: Facebook/Dr Kerryn Phelps)
Former AMA president Kerryn Phelps posted a video on Facebook last week in which she stated: A policy of deliberately expecting to infect children and other vulnerable people, and in fact everyone, is counter to any known or accepted public health practice.
Calling for a multi-faceted approach that includes vaccination (including third doses of current vaccines and development of new vaccines), masks, ventilation, PCR and rapid antigen testing, ramping up tracing, isolation and quarantine, Phelps stated: No single precaution will work.
But, she continued, that is not what is happening. As a result, Phelps warned, it will be up to each individual and each family and friendship group to inform themselves.
COVID-19 infection records were broken in at least four Australian states and territories today. In New South Wales (NSW), 3,763 new cases were reported, a 23 percent increase on yesterdays record of 3,057. Two people died from COVID-19 in the state yesterday.
In Victoria, 1,503 new infections were reported, with six deaths. In Queensland, 186 new infections were recorded, more than doubling the record set yesterday. South Australia reported 198 new cases, up from 154, while the Australian Capital Territory recorded 58, also a record high.
Hospitalisations are starting to rise, despite the claims of governments that Omicron is a milder variant. In NSW, where Omicron is the dominant strain, 302 people are hospitalised with COVID-19, 80 percent higher than a week ago, and 40 are in intensive care, up from 24. By December 13, more than 3,400 more patients were being treated at home, a rise of nearly 1,000 in a week, and NSW Health has stopped reporting those figures until January.
Professor John Wilson, president of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, told the Guardian: If not checked, a surge in cases will further burden our already exhausted health systems due to an overwhelming rise in hospitalisations.
Wilson said gruelling hours, low pay and the danger of contracting COVID-19 was already resulting in an exodus of health workers.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard admitted yesterday that 1,400 health workers were furloughed due to COVID-19 infection or exposure, more than three times the 459 reported on December 13.
While the government-media live with the virus drive has been based on the high uptake of vaccinations, numerous experts have objected that most people are entirely unprotected against Omicron.
In a Twitter post on Monday, epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws wrote: I calculate just 30-35 percent of Australians have symptomatic protection from Omicron, based on UK study & Australian data. Boosters 3 months after 2nd dose & free rapid antigen tests are essential.
University of South Australia epidemiologist Professor Adrian Esterman said: If youve had two doses of AstraZenecaand thats the majority of older people in Australiayou have almost zero protection against being infected by Omicron. He described the governments scrapping of health protections as the pandemic worsened as being as bizarre as Alice in Wonderland.
OZSage, a group of epidemiologists and medical scientists, warned on Monday that the reopening roadmap imposed by the National Cabinet of federal, state and territory leaders had been based on the assumption of functional contact tracing.
The OZSage statement said: In Victoria and NSW, the decision was taken by governments to abdicate responsibility for contact tracing, which is a pillar of epidemic control. COVID-positive cases or close contacts are now expected to do much of their own contact tracing.
Professor John Kaldor of the Kirby Institute told the Sydney Morning Herald: The worst-case scenario is we have tens if not hundreds of thousands of cases early next year and these cases lead to many cases of serious disease because the vaccine is not as effective against Omicron.
Kaldor said: This is the first time that I feel that theres a divergence between my perception of what is needed to manage public health and clinical resources in the coming few weeks, and what seems to be actually happening.
There is growing recognition among these doctors and experts that their reasoned, scientifically-grounded appeals to government are running into a brick wall. In order to serve the profit interests of big business, Australian governments are defying these dire warnings and refusing to re-implement even the most basic measures to stem the growth of the pandemic.
The impassioned appeals of Suan and others for individuals to take their health into their own hands have gone viral on social media and won an important response, reflecting significant concern among the population over the virus threat.
Fundamentally though, a public health crisis cannot be overcome on an individual basis. Vaccination, quarantine, testing and contact tracing are all measures that must be implemented at the state, national and global level.
Capitalist governments around the world have demonstrated repeatedly that they oppose taking these actions because they would undercut corporate profits and the financial markets. As a result, more than 5 million people have died, according to vastly understated official tallies, and the real figure is likely more than 18 million.
Elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic is essential and medically possible, but it will be achieved only by a global movement of the working class, guided by both a socialist perspective and the best medical and scientific advice available. It is for this reason that the World Socialist Web Site has initiated the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic to answer the official lies, misinformation and cover-up, and outline an program based on human health, not the dictates of the financial markets.
COVID infections are spreading throughout Detroit area auto plants, with coworkers reporting at least three deaths in recent days. The state of Michigan, the center of the US auto industry, is seeing a seven-day average of 5,481 cases a day and 100 daily deaths, spurred on by the new Omicron variant.
The dire situation in the factories is not being reported in the corporate media and is being deliberately concealed by the auto companies and the United Auto Workers union, which are collaborating to keep production going, no matter what the human cost. However, workers are exchanging information about outbreaks and deaths on social media and in discussions with the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter.
Omie Smith (UAW L. 1264 Facebook page)
Over the past few days, two notices were posted on UAW Local 1264 Facebook page about deaths at the Sterling Stamping Plant (SSP), a Stellantis (Chrysler) factory located just north of Detroit.
On Saturday, a notice was posted on the death of Omie Smith, a first shift worker who, according to the post, was not just a coworker but a friend to many who worked at Sterling Stamping.
On Monday, a funeral notice was posted on the union Facebook page for Kevin Andrew Railey, 51, reporting that he died on December 18. The notice was followed by several comments sending condolences to his family and warmly remembering Bailey. I always enjoyed working with him, read one, while another said, Ill miss our talks. After the comment, This one hurts, a worker replied, The last few have you figure we spent years with these guys...
I was told Omie died from COVID, a Sterling Stamping worker told the WSWS. He used to be in a group that played chess on the first shift. They cover it up when someone dies of COVID. The new death [Railey] is also COVID-related. I blame the company. They have been negligent.
The worker reported that the nearby Stellantis Sterling Heights Assembly Plant currently has 300 workers off work because of COVID infections and quarantining. The union is even watering this down, he said, reporting that some UAW officials were slandering workers by claiming they were faking COVID to protect themselves from strict attendance policies.
Thats telling me that Omicron is already here and that its not a normal spread. Over the last couple of days, Ive seen management telling people to mask up. Ive never seen that before. The UAW safety man, he added, is piece of crap always siding with management.
At least five SSP workers have died of COVID since the pandemic began, but this is likely an underestimation.
Funeral notice for Kevin Railey (UAW L. 1264 Facebook page)
At the Warren Truck Assembly plant, a few miles south of SSP, infections are spreading out of control. A recent post on the UAW Local 140 Facebook page reported the death of worker whose name has not been revealed. Its a shame that COVID has killed a person recently and its going through the plant like wildfire. But its still running like nothing is going on. Damn near the whole chassis (line) got COVID just in case yall didnt know.
Another worker posted a comment about the pressure the company is putting on Temporary Part-Time workers (TPTs), noting that some are afraid to report that they were in contact with an infected worker because of worries they wont be paid or could lose their jobs.
Multiple people in the plant are testing positive, a veteran Warren Truck worker who was infected in early 2020 told the WSWS. They need to shut it down. I read on the Facebook site that people are getting COVID like crazy even though theyre vaccinated. Someone needs to stand up and shut them down.
People want to know what to do, because even their kids have COVID and theyre not even letting them take off work for their children, and they're firing people. You never hear anymore whats going on from the union or management. Theyre supposed to shut down for two weeks for the holidays. Well see what happens afterwards, because the surge from the holidays and people gathering is going to make it even higher.
I can't believe neither the union nor the governor has not shut these plants down again, she concluded.
On Tuesday, Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer explicitly rejected closing schools and non-essential businesses during her first press conference on COVID since June. Echoing President Biden, she falsely claimed expanding vaccinations and boosters were the only way to stop the spread of Omicron and relieve already overwhelmed hospitals. One of the states major goals, she said, was to keep children in school and allow businesses to stay open.
On Monday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported there were 119 new outbreaks in the state last week, including 56 at K-12 schools and 34 at long-term care facilities. In early December, the state agency stopped reporting outbreaks at manufacturing, construction and other worksites, although they were just as high or higher than at schools and nursing homes.
The department reduced its reporting requirements after meeting resistance from employers. It requires a lot of case investigation details that people sometimes dont feel comfortable sharing and so even when health departments were reporting that information, it was perhaps underestimating the type of transmission happening in those settings, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the states chief medical executive, said. Rather than relying on data that was not giving us a good sense of what was going on, it was better for a variety of reasons to decrease those reporting requirements.
In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the state government is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Dow Chemical, Pfizer, Kelloggs and other corporate giants based or operating in Michigan.
While public health services have been cut to the bone, understaffed hospitals are triaging dying patients and children, and teachers are packed into infected and poorly ventilated schools, Governor Whitmer signed a package of bills to provide more than $1.5 billion in grants and tax incentives to big business the day before her COVID press conference. The corporate handout, taken after Ford opted to build electric batteries in Tennessee, was funded with federal COVID relief money.
In March 2020, as COVID was spreading inside plants, rank-and-file autoworkers at Sterling Heights (SHAP), Warren Truck, Jefferson North (JNAP) and other plants halted production with wildcat job actions in defiance of the UAW. The concerted action by the working class, which was part of a wave of struggles across the world, forced the two-month shutdown of industries and schools and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. The corporate and political establishment responded by promoting right-wing and fascistic elements to liberate Michigan and other states, and by collaborating with the UAW and other unions to reopen schools and factories based on the lying claim that this could be done safely.
What few safety protocols were introducedlike temperature checks, filling out health status information on cellphone apps and staggered shifts to prevent large numbers of worker amassing at entrance and exit gateshave long been abandoned. An infected worker at the Jefferson plant posted that her production team was blamed for getting too close to her when the line was temporarily down. But what about the fact that I have to walk past all of them to get to the refrigerator, microwave, desk, lockers and lunch table? she asked UAW Local 7 officials. How do yall allow Chrysler to blame them and not send them out to be tested?
A young Warren Truck worker called for workers to build rank-and-file committees, independent of the UAW, to fight for the shutdown of the factories and schools and full compensation for workers. He recalled how workers took matters into their own hands in early 2020 and said they had to do the same today.
People started to get anxious, especially those already concerned about health issues caused by working together in close proximity to each other. Then cases and deaths started to arise in the plants, he said.
Workers leaving Warren Truck plant in suburban Detroit (WSWS Media)
But the company and the UAW acted like it was business as usual. Nothing was being told to the workers. It was like it was just a typical day. But then information spread through word of mouth, on Facebook pages, about workers getting sick and dying. Social media is where hundreds, if not thousands, of workers group together and discuss topics good, bad and ugly. Word got out on Facebook pages for SHAP, Warren Truck, JNAP and others.
The walkouts started. People were disgusted by the efforts of the company and the union to isolate certain work areas where workers were infected to try to keep it quiet. In the paint shop at Warren Truck, at least four workers died. Bodies were piling up at Sinai Hospital.
The worker said he supported the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic, which was gathering evidence about the dangers workers confront in workplaces and the economic and political motives behind the decision to allow SARS-CoV-2 to spread and develop into worldwide pandemic, which has claimed the lives of millions.
I want to know what percentage of the economy rests on workers in these plants? What is the value of these trucksand why werent these factories repurposed to keep the population safe? Why have children been sent back to school? Why havent workers been given time off to accommodate virtual learning for children? Why didnt essential workers from day one get the protections they needed? Will there be compensation for them and for those who have lost loved ones or who are suffering from long COVID? Thats what I want to know.
To break the conspiracy of silence, we urge workers to contact the WSWS with information about the spread of Covid in your plant. We will take all precautions to protect the identity of workers.
The criminal inaction of European governments has allowed the highly contagious and partially vaccine-resistant Omicron variant of the coronavirus to spread across the continent. To this day, the German government refuses to take any action to prevent the looming catastrophe.
Last Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that Omicron would become the predominant variant on the continent by mid-January. Since then, between December 16 and 19, 1,533 Omicron cases were confirmed in the European Union and European Economic Area, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). This means that of the 4,691 total Omicron cases reported in 28 European countries so far, about one in three cases has occurred in the last few days.
Designated German new chancellor Olaf Scholz, second left, presents the ministers of his Social Democratic Party (SPD) (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
The exponential spread of Omicron comes on top of the rampant Delta variant, which has infected about 2.5 million people in Europe and killed 25,000 just in the past week. Germany currently accounts for the most COVID-19 deaths in Western Europe, with more than 370 people dying every day and hospitals completely at their limits.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI, the German agency responsible for disease control and prevention), the Omicron variant has already been detected in all German states except Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. The official share of total infections has already increased sixfold, from 0.1 to 0.6 percent in the first week of December and will be many times higher by now. The real numbers are certainly even higher as only 1.3 percent of positive PCR tests undergo the necessary genomic sequencing to identify the variant.
All serious physicians and scientists are warning that the unhindered spread of the Omicron variant threatens to trigger mass death far eclipsing anything seen before and during the pandemic.
Carsten Watzl, secretary general of the German Society for Immunology, warned in the Augsburger Allgemeine that even after boosting, protection against Omicron infection could be only about 75 percent. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that Omicron is more harmless than the Delta variant, stressed Watzl. On Friday a study by the British Imperial College found no evidence for this widely reported claim.
The national weekly Zeit speaks of a wave of unprecedented force, whose growth curve has the shape of a wall. The German Hospital Association fears a situation that goes beyond anything we have experienced so far and threatens to arrive before the current high occupancy rate in intensive care units has significantly dropped. Already, crematoria are putting in extra shifts, and the military is airlifting intensive care patients across the nation to find beds.
Despite this catastrophic development, the German government is sticking to its murderous mass infection policy, insisting that there will be no life-saving shutdown of public lifenot even briefly. Shortly before the Christmas holidays, when families traditionally gather together, children are to continue going to unsafe schools and workers to unsafe factories, whatever the cost, in order to generate the maximum profit for the capitalist oligarchy.
Speaking to Bericht aus Berlin on Sunday evening, the new federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (Social Democrats, SPD) said: A lockdown like in the Netherlands before Christmaswe wont have that here. In an exclusive interview with the notoriously right-wing Bild channel he added that there would not be a hard lockdown even after Christmas, nor would there be a Christmas pause or even regionally limited lockdowns.
Instead, according to Lauterbach, the population must be prepared to experience high case rates by early January at the latest.
Omicron is here and will spread, he declared. This development is no longer stoppable.
The summit of federal and state governments, which took place yesterday, rejected a lockdown out of hand entirely. Its resolution envisages no new restrictions on factories and businesses, nor an early closure of child care facilities. Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Green Party) on Monday likewise dismissed any lockdown that would affect schools, day care centers and cultural events.
The resolution states that while clubs and discos will be temporarily closed, restaurants will be kept open. In private householdswhere restrictions are impossible to enforcea contact restriction of a maximum of 10 vaccinated or recovered persons is to apply starting December 28, excluding children under 14.
Significantly, the RKI on the same day published strategic amendments to its pandemic control plan, demanding a maximum of contact reduction and a maximum of infection prevention measuresset to begin immediately. According to news magazine DerSpiegel and tabloid Bild, Health Minister Lauterbach and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) reacted angrily to these demands which had not been coordinated with the government.
The federal and state governments know full well the deadly consequences of their criminal inaction. The expert council set up specifically by the new coalition government, which includes serious scientists and pro-government herd immunity advocates alike, released a paper Sunday that speaks of enormous challenges to governance and a new dimension to the pandemic situation.
The statement, unanimously adopted by the 19 scientists, states:
Should the spread of the Omicron variant in Germany continue in this manner, a relevant part of the population would be simultaneously ill and/or in quarantine. This would put an extreme strain on the health care system and the entire critical infrastructure of our country. Further collateral effects are to be expected, especially in the working population, among other things due to necessity of caring for children or people in need of medical assistance.
The paper paints a picture of a catastrophic situation not seen in Germany since the end of World War II:
Rapidly rising incidence rates pose a high risk to Germanys critical infrastructure. This includes hospitals, the police, fire departments, rescue services, telecommunications, power and water supply and the corresponding logistics. Therefore, comprehensive and immediate preparations are needed to protect our countrys critical infrastructure.
With regard to the already dramatic situation in hospitals which will be exacerbated by Omicron, the paper states:
Due to the simultaneous, extreme volume of patients, a significant overload of hospitals is to be expected (...). Even if all hospitals focus exclusively on the care of emergencies and urgent interventions, it will no longer be possible to provide qualitatively adequate care for all patients. Strategic patient transfer can no longer contribute significantly to regional relief due to the expected high load across the board.
Both the explosive spread of the Omicron variant and governments profit-driven pandemic policies confirm the perspective of the World Socialist Web Site. The pandemic is not a purely medical problem but rather the result of deliberate policies that put the profit of a narrow financial elite and the stability of financial markets ahead of the health and lives of millions of people. The refusal of the new German government to close schools and businessesfor even a few daysmust serve as a warning and a wake-up call to workers.
An internationally coordinated program of action is necessary in which the economy is reduced to essential elements with full wage compensation for those affected. School, day care and retail closures must be accompanied by comprehensive mass testing, systematic quarantine and isolation measures in the pursuit of the global elimination of the coronavirus, funded by the expropriation of the pandemic profiteers.
The Network of Rank-and-File Committees for Safe Education in Germany will convene its next online meeting today at 8:00 p.m. (CET) to discuss this perspective and organize the fight against the pandemic.
Doctors, nurses and health workers are warning that the National Health Service (NHS) could soon be totally overwhelmed because the Johnson government is allowing the Omicron variant to rip through the population so as not to interrupt the flow of Christmas profits.
The number of new infections in the UK Tuesday again surged to over 90,000 (90,629). The Daily Mail reported yesterday that on December 15, according to backdated government figures, case numbers topped 100,000 for the first time. The real number will be much higher due to the constraints of testing capacity.
St Thomas' National Service Health hospital in London (WSWS Media)
Since the detection of Omicron, total COVID cases have risen from around 10 million to more than 11.5 million in little over three weeks. The 579,428 cases recorded in the last week represent a 63 percent increase over the 358,200 over the previous week.
Cities such as London, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow are seeing cases of the far more transmissible Omicron variant rising exponentially atop already high numbers of the Delta strain. Modelling by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) found that between 3,000 and 10,000 people a day could be hospitalised if the government did not immediately implement further public health measures.
On top of the devastating impact of increasing hospitalisations, an analysis by the British Medical Association (BMA), based only on current case numbers and trends, found that even in the best scenario more than 32,000 staff could be absent through sickness by December 25. The worst-case scenario sees almost 130,000 NHS workers off sick, 10 percent of the workforce, not including those who were self-isolating due to another household member having COVID19.
BMA Council Chair, Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, said the estimated levels of staff absences would be truly devastating, leading to an inability to provide even some of the most urgent care.
The situation in the nations capital, London, is already disastrous. The Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported Monday that the NHS in London was likely to be overwhelmed by early January, according to a leaked document from NHS London.
Health services in the capital were again facing significant operational pressure as a result of the current surge in covid-19 cases from the new variant of concern, Omicron, the document states. Citing recent modelling, it is predicted that the London Ambulance Service (LAS), Emergency Departments (EDs) and the General and Acute (G&A) bed base are likely to become overwhelmed due to rising covid demand in the next 2-3 weeks.
Lisa Elliott, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) regional director for London, said, We should not underplay how catastrophic it could potentially be, telling ITV News the situation was very worrying.
Days ago, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan declared a major incident in the capital as a result of the surge in coronavirus cases. This is the first time this has been invoked since the height of the pandemic last winter. Khan reported that the Omicron variant now accounted for 80 percent of all new cases and was seriously impacting staff absences in the emergency service across London.
Last week, Glen Burley, Chief executive of three NHS trusts in Coventry and Warwickshire, told the Independent, Weve got a situation where sickness levels are higher than they have ever been because of Covid and its a time of year when sickness levels are always higher
The current sickness rate across the three hospitals was already at a staggering 7 percent, almost double the usual rate of around 3.5 to 4 percent.
On Merseyside, Dr Nikki Stevenson, Medical Director at the Arrow Park Hospital, told Planet Radio Staffing is our biggest worry. Trying to make sure we've got sufficient staff is one of our main areas of focus
The governments reaction to the concerning levels of staff off sick is to remove isolation requirements for those NHS staff who have been in contact with the Omicron variant. As has been the government's stance throughout the pandemic, healthcare workers are essentially expendable.
The NHS staff left to cope as their colleagues succumb to coronavirus face intolerable conditions. Patricia Marquis, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) England director, said the present situation was catastrophic, there is no doubt about it.
The workforce is already short, the workforce is already exhaustedmentally and physically she told BBCs The World This Weekend .
Even before the impact of Omicron, bed occupancy was at a dangerous 94 percent in England, with four in five critical care beds already full. Some hospitals already have no free beds. For example, every day between December 6 and 12, Dorset County Hospital, George Eliot Hospital, Portsmouth Hospitals University, Royal United Hospitals Bath and Sherwood Forest Hospitals were all at 100 percent occupancy.
Data provided by the NHS highlights each day of the last week in November, there were on average 10,500 people occupying beds that were medically fit to leave, amounting to one in every 10 beds. The growing crisis in the social care sector means that such patients, who could be discharged, must stay in hospital as their local authority is unable to provide the necessary home support.
Some hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments have had to effectively close their doors as they were too full to accept further patients. This occurred on 28 separate occasions in the week of December 6, with ambulances redirected to other nearby hospitals.
Dr Ian Higginson, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told the BBC, Emergency departments are full and with no beds to move patients into ambulances are being held outside and unsafe handover delays are becoming normalised rather than being seen for the failure that they represent.
While patients should normally be transferred within 15 minutes, in the week of December 6, almost one in four took over half an hour, whilst one in 10 (8,401 people) took over an houralmost double the same period last year 2020.
University Hospitals Birmingham reported the highest number of delays with 472 patients waiting more than 60 minutes before being transferred from an ambulance. Portsmouth Hospitals University was next with 354 delays, followed by University Hospitals of North Midlands with 320 delays.
The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives managing director Martin Flaherty told the BBC, The extent of potential harm that is being caused to patients when there are lengthy delays remains a significant and growing problem.
In October, Conservative government Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid said he thought the pressures faced by the NHS were not unsustainable. It has taken less than two months to expose his lies.
Rather than implement any serious public health measures to halt the spread of COVID, such as closing inessential businesses while providing full recompense to workers and the self-employed, the Tory government advocates an essentially vaccination only approach. However, as many leading scientists and doctors have shown, the pandemic cannot be curbed through vaccines alone.
A peer-reviewed paper published in The Lancet Monday found that COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness was decreasing, with two doses being insufficient to offer protection against Omicron. The latest government figures for the UK show that just under 30 million people have received the required three doses, while only 47 million have received two doses. This leaves millions dangerously susceptible to infection from both the Delta and Omicron variants, including many children.
NHS FightBack and the Socialist Equality Party call on healthcare workers to take matters into their own hand and build rank-and-file safety committees, as well as participate in the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic initiated by the World Socialist Web Site.
Germanys new Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (Social Democrats, SPD) made her inaugural visit to the German NATO combat troops in Lithuania, which have been stationed in Eastern Europe since 2017.The signal sent by the visit was unmistakable. The traffic light coalition of the SPD, Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens will further escalate German militarism, especially by stepping up confrontation with the nuclear-armed Russia.
My first mission trip deliberately takes me to Lithuania. I came here because I want to support the clear signals of solidarity among the Allies, Lambrecht said during a joint press conference with her Lithuanian counterpart Arvydas Anusauskas. Germany stands very firmly by the side of our partners and friends. And we are also continuing the excellent cooperation between our armed forces.
The Defense Minister added that the common challenges were diverse. They had spoken intensely about the situation on the Belarusian border.
German soldiers in Lithuania (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
The situation in Ukraine is also serious, she said, and she can understand the concerns of our Baltic allies and understand when one feels threatened. Lambrecht declared that the situation had to be resolved diplomatically, but threatened Russia explicitly with sanctions and increased military armament.
We have to keep an eye on the question of possible sanctionsand were doing that very intensively. And of course we also have to keep an eye on the question of deterrence and consistencyand were doing that too, stated Lambrecht. She reported that for example, Germany has increased the readiness of the rapid reaction force. This is an important signal that we also act when it is necessary. Of course, they will continue to talk to Moscow, but it cannot be that Russia tells NATO partners how to position themselves.
This is more than provocative. Eighty years after the Third Reichs war of annihilation against the Soviet Union, the German Defense Minister denied Russia the right to even criticize the threatening military build-up on its border. The stationing of German combat troops in Eastern Europe is directly in the tradition of the imperialist great power politics of the German Empire and the Nazi regime.
Before her trip, Lambrecht claimed in an interview with the Bild newspaper that Russia was the aggressor. This is an obvious lie. The NATO powers have been systematically encircling Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In Ukraine, Washington and Berlin organized a coup against pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014 in close cooperation with fascist forces. Since then, the imperialist powers have been using Russias primarily defensive reaction to systematically advance the course of war and rearmament.
The excellent cooperation of the NATO armed forces in Eastern Europe, praised by Lambrecht, is increasingly taking the form of direct war preparations against Russia. Iron Wolf, Saber Strike, Flaming Thunder or Eager Leopardcombat exercises take place regularly at Enhanced Forward Presence, comments an article on the German armys official website entitled EFP: Alliance Defense at the Eastern flank. In combat exercises and maneuvers they train numerous scenariosfrom house and position combat to delaying an approaching enemy.
In fact, it is the NATO units that keep advancing. According to a report by Der Spiegel, the Supreme Allied Commander for Europe (Saceur), US General Tod D. Wolters, proposed a secret video conference with the military leaders of the allied NATO powers a few days ago, similar to the one in the Baltic states and Poland also to set up battlegroups in Romania and Bulgaria within the framework of the EFP.
The already existing Battlegroups were set up in 2017. They are each composed of about 1,000 soldiers and armed to the teeth. The German-led combat group in Lithuania has been led by the German-Dutch tank battalion 414 from Lohheide (Lower Saxony) since August, in what is now the tenth rotation. It is supported by other units, including parts of the Panzer Pioneer Battalion 130 from Minden and the 43rd Mechanized Brigade from Havelte. According to the German army, they are equipped with a large number of large vehicles, including several dozen tanks (combat, recovery, pioneer, bridge-laying and armored personnel carriers).
In its military march to the east, the German ruling class relies directly on fascist forces. In the summer, a complete armored infantry platoon from Lithuania was ordered back to Germany prematurely after it became known that soldiers had sung a birthday song for Adolf Hitler and had attracted attention through racist and sexist attacks. It is known that extensive right-wing extremist networks exist in the German army. They are systematically protected and used by the ruling class to enforce the return of German militarism internally and externally.
Lambrechts interview with the Bild leaves no doubt that the traffic light coalition will further escalate the armament and war course of the grand coalition in every respect. When asked by the paper whether she was ready to send German soldiers to Ukraine, she did not rule it out. One must exhaust all options of diplomacy and economic sanctions. And all further steps must be closely coordinated in the alliance.
Similar to the new Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in an earlier interview, Lambrecht also gave her full backing for German nuclear participation and indirectly threatened Russia with nuclear weapons. Germany will replace the air force [jets] that would carry American nuclear weapons to their target by 2030 with new combat aircraft capable of deploying nuclear weapons, said the Defense Minister. In doing so, she will weigh all options. In the case of the Eurofighter, it is necessary to clarify whether and how quickly the USA would certify it for nuclear weapons. Germany would therefore do well to also consistently investigate a European solution.
The German ruling class is pursuing the declared goal of organizing Europe under German leadership in order to assert its economic and geostrategic interests against the other great powers. That requires a massive program of rearmament. When asked by the Bild whether she stands behind the NATO target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defence, Lambrecht replied, I stand behind the 3 percent target, as agreed in the coalition agreement and encompassing our military, diplomatic and development policy expenditures. It is good that [the new Social Democratic Chancellor] Olaf Scholz has made it clear that he would like to provide the German army with better financial resources within the scope of the budget.
In the midst of the pandemic, this is a double declaration of war on the population. While there are allegedly no resources to fight COVID-19 and thousands die every week in Germany alone, tens of billions more are to be made available to the military to prepare wars that could cost even more lives and destroy the entire planet. The working class must intervene in political developments on the basis of an independent socialist program to stop this imminent threat.
The US diplomatic boycott of Februarys Beijing Winter Olympics, announced by the Biden administration on December 6 on the pretext of concern for the human rights of Muslim Uyghurs in the Chinas Xinjiang region, is a staggering exercise in hypocrisy.
Accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity could be more justifiably levelled against US imperialism for its neo-colonial wars that have devastated whole societies, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and its criminal pandemic policies, which are responsible for the unnecessary deaths of more than 800,000 Americans.
The decision to target the Beijing Olympics recalls the US-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 by the administration of President Carter over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. The unmistakeable parallels go beyond the utter cynicism with which Washington habitually exploits human rights to advance its interests, and highlight the far-reaching aims of the anti-China campaign.
A man walks past the Olympic rings on the exterior of the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, which will be a venue for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Concern for the Afghan people had nothing do with the boycott of the Moscow games. The Olympic boycott was bound up with a far broader US agenda of weakening and fracturing the former Soviet Union, as the Biden administration is seeking to do today to China.
Abundant evidence is now in the public domain to demonstrate that the Carter administration shifted from the previous policy of containment of the Soviet Union to one aimed at the USSRs fragmentation. Spearheaded by Carters national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, the White House latched onto Afghanistan, where a Soviet-aligned government had taken power in March 1978, as a means of dragging the Soviet Union into a Vietnam-like quagmire.
Brzezinski, a hardened anti-communist and Cold War strategist, was one of a layer of right-wing ideologues in the US security and intelligence apparatus who regarded Islamist fundamentalism as a political force that could be turned against the Soviet Unionin particular in the Soviet Central Asian Republics and the Caucasus. He approved the establishment of a Nationalities Working Group, including officials from Carters National Security Council, the CIA, the Pentagon and State Department, to encourage Islamist unrest inside the Soviet Union.
Brzezinski viewed the emergence of armed opposition by Islamic fundamentalist groups inside Afghanistan to the Soviet-backed regime of the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) in Kabul as an opportunity to press ahead with his strategic agenda. It is well-known that under Carter, then Reagan, the CIA funded, trained and armed mujahadeen militia in a dirty secret war in Afghanistan.
It is less well-known that the US war in Afghanistan began prior to the Soviet invasion in 1979 and was a critical factor in destabilising the country in order to precipitate the intervention. In an interview with Le Nouvel Observateur in 1998, Brzezinski candidly acknowledged that it was a lie that CIA aid to the mujahadeen only began in 1980. Carter had signed a directive in July 1979 to provide assistance secretly to opponents of the pro-Soviet government. Brzezinski also wrote to Carter to explain that in my opinion this aid was going to induce a Soviet military intervention.
While proselytising about human rights, the Carter White House had no compunction in collaborating with the Pakistani dictatorship of General Zia-ul Haq, which was heavily involved in fostering Islamist rebels inside Afghanistan, and the autocratic Saudi monarchy, which saw the funding of an Afghan holy war as a means of countering the impact of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Carter ordered the mending of US relations with Zia, which had frayed with the execution of former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in April 1979.
It was in this context that Carter initiated the boycott of the Moscow Olympics in January 1980 in an effort to ramp up the anti-Soviet propaganda over the invasion of Afghanistan, in particular to boost political support throughout the Muslim world for the CIAs holy war in Central Asia. Eight years of brutal warfarefunded by the CIA to the tune of $3 billiondevastated much of Afghanistan and led to the Soviet withdrawal, which was completed in February 1989.
This was on the eve of the collapse of the Stalinist regimes in Eastern Europe, followed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union itself in December 1991. While the CIAs secret war in Afghanistan was not the primary reason for the crisis of Stalinism, which lay in the incompatibility of its autarkic national economies with the globalisation of production underway, it was a significant factor in exacerbating the internal economic and political crisis in Moscow.
Afghanistan was also the breeding ground for reactionary Islamist groupings, including Al Qaeda, that in collaboration with the CIA and Pakistani and Saudi intelligence agencies funnelled Islamist fanatics from across the world into Afghanistan.
Asked by Le Nouvel Observateur in 1998 whether he regretted fostering the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, Brzezinski notoriously declared: What is more important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?
Just three years later, Al Qaeda carried out its terrorist attacks on the US, which were exploited by the Bush administration to launch its war on terrorism and the criminal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Behind the Beijing Olympic boycott
Forty years after Carters boycott of the Moscow Olympics, US imperialism is targeting China, which it regards as the most serious threat to its global hegemony. If the emergence of Al Qaeda is referred to as the blowback of the CIAs secret war in Afghanistan, then Chinas staggering growth could be considered the economic blowback from Nixons 1972 rapprochement with Mao Zedong in an anti-Soviet alliance. That paved the way for capitalist restoration and the transformation of China into a giant cheap labour platform for global corporations.
The US shift from collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party regime to confrontation is well underway. The Biden administration has accentuated all the aggressive diplomatic, economic and military measures against China that began with the Obama administrations pivot to Asiasupported to the hilt by Biden as vice-presidentand accelerated under Trump.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly intensified the political and economic crisis in Washington and the fears in American ruling circles that time is running out. More and more nakedly, the US is preparing for war, both to destroy the threat posed by China and direct immense social pressures at home outward against an external enemy. The strengthening of US ties with Taiwan, undermining the basis of diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing, is a clear indication that the US is putting itself on a war footing.
The boycott of the Beijing Olympics is just one element of a broad anti-China strategy, yet it bears the imprint of the criminal actions of the past. It is no accident that the hue and cry for the new Olympic boycott is about the human rights of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China. The US, via the CIA, has and is undoubtedly intriguing with various Uyghur organisations to foment unrest inside China.
As in 1979, when Carter signed his directive to aid the Afghan mujahadeen, the full extent of US involvement is a closely-guarded secret. What is known is that exile Uyghur organisations such as the World Uyghur Congress and the American Uyghur Association have longstanding ties with American propaganda outlets like the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, and have been openly funded by a CIA front, the National Endowment for Democracy.
Washington routinely dismisses Chinas justification for repressive measures inside Xinjiang as necessary to combat terrorism. Yet, there have been sporadic violent attacks by Uyghurs on Han Chinese inside Xinjiang and elsewhere in China. Until quite recently, the US State Department continued to list the Uyghur organisation, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement/ Turkistan Islamic Party (ETIM/TIP), as a terrorist organisationoriginally a quid pro quo by the Bush administration for Chinas support for the US war on terror.
The links between the CIA and militant Uyghur Islamists become even murkier in the Middle East, particularly in Syria where the war against terrorism was no barrier to the US siding with Al Qaeda and ISIS-linked militias in the civil war against the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Among those militias were no small number of Uyghur fighters, some of whom had been engaged in the Islamist groups fighting against the US occupation of Afghanistan. Various estimates of the number of TIP fighters in Syria are in the thousandsrecruited from the Uyghur diaspora in Turkey, where the Turkic-speaking Uyghurs have some political support, particularly from the extreme right.
The extent of US engagement with Uyghur separatists may not be known, but the lesson of the CIAs secret war inside Afghanistan makes clear that Washington rules out nothing. Xinjiang is also strategically significant as the western-most region of China, with significant energy resources. It is the pathway for oil and gas pipelines and transport through Central Asia that form part of Chinas massive infrastructure schemethe Belt and Road Initiativeto link Asia to Europe and counter the US encirclement of China. Washington no doubt calculates that the destabilisation of Xinjiang would be a powerful blow to Beijing.
How does the current Olympic boycott compare to the 1980 boycott of the Moscow Olympics? A handful of Washingtons closest alliesBritain, Australia and Canada in particularhave to date joined the Beijing boycott, as compared to some 65 countries that did not attend the Moscow Olympics for various reasons. The contrast is a broad indicator of the historic decline of the position of US imperialism and the degree to which the Cold War bloc led by the US has itself fractured amid rising geo-political tensions.
It would be wrong to assume, however, that the relative weakness of the US makes it less dangerous. Rather, in its decline, American imperialism is all the more ready to resort to desperate and reckless measures. The boycott of the Beijing Olympics and the lies about Uyghur genocide are simply the public face of intense behind-the-scenes plotting in the White House, the Pentagon and the CIA for destabilising and eliminating China as a threat, including by military means.
A third grade teacher at an elementary school in Chelsea, a small Quebec town on the border with Ontario, was removed from her classroom earlier this month because she wears a hijab, an Islamic headscarf that covers her head but not her face.
This discriminatory act, which puts a teachers career in jeopardy because of her personal religious choices, is a serious attack on democratic rights. It underscores the reactionary, chauvinist character of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) governments state secularism law, or Bill 21 as it is popularly known. The immediate repeal of this reactionary and Islamophobic legislation must be demanded by all class-conscious workers.
In 2019, Francois Legault, the Quebec premier and multimillionaire ex-CEO, pushed through Bill 21, which prohibits public sector employees, including elementary and high school teachers, said to be in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols. Its intent was to limit or prohibit religious practices of Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and other minorities, while allowing the Roman Catholic religion to continue to effectively enjoy official sanction as part of the historic heritage of French Canadians, in the oft-repeated words of Quebec Premier Legault.
Message of support for Fatemeh Anvari posted by students and staff at Ridgemont Highschool in nearby Ottawa (Facebook)
Bill 21 also mandated that public services, including health care, must be provided and received with faces uncovered, an explicit attack on the tiny minority of Quebec Muslim women who wear the full veil.
The targeted teacher, Fatemeh Anvari, had been in her position since October 25 this year after serving for well over a year as a substitute teacher. On December 3, the Western Quebec School Board (WQSB) informed parents of the decision to remove Anvari from her classroom at Chelsea Elementary School. According to WQSB interim President Wayne Daly, the board had no choice but to remove Anvari from teaching and reassign her to administrative duties as she was violating Bill 21 by wearing a hijab.
In November, the Quebec Court of Appeal refused to suspend the laws application to English-language school boards pending the outcome of an appeal by the Attorney General of Quebec. The appeal challenges the Quebec Superior Courts ruling last April that Bill 21 does not apply to Quebecs English-language school boards, on the grounds the Canadian Constitution protects their right to exercise some control over instruction in their language.
The decision to remove Anvari from her classroom highlights the real purposes of Bill 21, which are to foment hatred and prejudice against immigrants and religious minorities in order to divide the working class and divert attention away from the real cause of the immense social crisis roiling contemporary societythe capitalist profit system.
The stoking of Islamophobia and other prejudices by the ruling class also serves to justify the wars of US imperialism, supported by Canadian imperialism, in the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as the repressive measures introduced in the name of the war on terror.
But Bill 21 is not simply the isolated act of a particularly chauvinistic and reactionary government. From the 2007 Charest Liberal government-mandated Bouchard-Taylor Commission into the alleged excesses of the reasonable accommodation of minorities, the entire Quebec political establishment paved the way for Legaults Bill 21.
The CAQ law was largely inspired by the Quebec Charter of Values tabled by Pauline Marois Parti Quebecois (PQ) government in 2013 and the Quebec Liberal Party's Bill 62, which in 2018 first introduced a legal ban on giving or receiving public services with ones face covered.
The reactions of the political establishment to the Chelsea incident demonstrate that this turn toward Quebec first chauvinism has only accelerated. In response to Anvaris removal, the PQs parliamentary critic on secularism and former interim party leader, Pascal Berube, said that his party supports Bill 21 because it is necessary. In an obnoxious move, he blamed Anvari, stating without any evidence that she wanted to make a political statement by wearing the hijab and that she had to choose between her job and her religion.
For its part, Quebec Solidaire (QS)which legitimized the chauvinist campaign on excessive accommodation while supporting the anti-democratic recommendation of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission to restrict the religious rights of government employees in positions of authority barely objected to Anvaris dismissal. QS criticized the move purely on pragmatic grounds (i.e., by stating that it would add to staffing shortages in schools) and never uttered a word about the xenophobic nature of Bill 21.
Quebec Solidaire, which presents itself as a left-wing party, announced at its pre-election congress in late November that it would not make its opposition to Bill 21 an issue in the election campaign slated for next year. A QS government would not repeal Bill 21 but only make unspecified amendments, announced the party leadership.
At the federal level, both the ruling Liberals and the social democratic New Democrats (NDP) responded to Anvaris dismissal from the classroom with verbal condemnations of Bill 21, which they see as flouting the multiculturalism policy that has become a key element of the Canadian nationalist ideology promoted by the federal state.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, Nobody in Canada should ever lose their job because of what they wear or their religious beliefs. But in an effort to maintain good relations with the right-wing CAQ government, Trudeau has so far opposed the federal government backing a court challenge to Bill 21, although he has left the door open to such a possibility, as he reiterated after Anvaris discriminatory removal became public.
Trudeaus opposition to Bill 21 under the guise of promoting democracy is totally hypocritical. His six years in office have been marked by a drastic increase in military spending, expanded Canadian participation in neocolonial wars in the Middle East, complicity in the Trump administration's witch-hunt against immigrants, and the deportation of a record number of refugees in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bill 21 has generated some uneasiness within the judiciary, but this is overshadowed by their impotence due to the inherently anti-democratic nature of the Canadian constitution, including as revised following its repatriation in 1982.
In the original Quebec Superior Court decision rendered on April 21, 2021, Justice Marc-Andre Blanchard noted that Bill 21 sends the message that people who exercise their faith do not deserve to participate fully in Quebec society; that it dehumanizes people who wear religious symbols; and that it targets Muslim women, who are a particularly vulnerable group in society (and who have experienced an increase in insults and harassment since the bill became law).
Despite pointing to many of the discriminatory elements of Bill 21, Justice Blanchard ruled that he had no authority to alter it because the Quebec government invoked the notwithstanding clause. This clause is a mechanism in the Canadian Constitution to ensure that a law cannot be struck down by the courts, even if it violates fundamental rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Under conditions of a profound crisis of global capitalism, the ruling class is seeking to prevent the unification of the international working class in a common struggle against austerity and increased exploitation. Around the worldfrom Biden, who is imprisoning thousands of immigrants in camps on the border with Mexico, to the neo-fascist AfD in Germany, which is dictating the governments anti-refugee policiesthe ruling elite is openly turning, as it did in the 1930s, to chauvinism, xenophobia and racism.
Legault has responded to critics by asserting that Bill 21 is reasonable and reflects the choice of the Quebec people for a secular state. These claims are utterly fraudulent.
As several teachers who have spoken out on social media in support of Anvari have pointed out, most Quebec schools are currently preparing to celebrate Christmas, including performances featuring Biblical characters and songs with religious themes. Moreover, they are doing so with the utmost indifference or tacit support of the authorities charged with guaranteeing the secular nature of the state.
In the name of preserving Quebecs cultural heritage, Bill 21 protects numerous Roman Catholic symbols, including Catholic-inspired place names and crucifixes on hospital and school walls. The government continues to fund private religious schools, which are overwhelmingly Catholic.
Anvaris victimization has promoted widespread public anger and outrage, beginning with Chelsea Elementary School students, parents and other teachers. Many tied green ribbons and words of appreciation to a fence near the school to show solidarity with Anvari, who was lauded as a dedicated and highly competent teacher.
One father summed up the impact on the community, saying he was ashamed that this happened in our school. How are we going to explain this to our kids? In support of his teacher, a student in Anvaris class drew a card on which he wrote, Unfair. Interim school board President Daly recounted being inundated with calls and emails, the vast majority in opposition to the teachers removal.
The only social force capable of defending democratic rights is the working class. To accomplish this essential task, working people in CanadaFrench- and English-speaking, immigrant and First Nationsmust mobilize their strength in an independent political movement against the root cause of the chauvinist attacks on minorities, the profit system.
Within one week of the cruel 110-year prison sentencing of 26-year-old truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos for a crash which killed four, the Colorado state government has been forced to backtrack in the face of powerful protests and a boycott of the state by truck drivers, supported by a mass online petition.
While the size of the protest by drivers is unclear, hundreds and likely thousands of truck drivers have united in an organized boycott, refusing to deliver goods and drive into Colorado, posting videos on social media and sharing widely the #notruckscolorado hashtag and declaring their dedication to the justice for the driver, who was 23 years old at the time of the accident, caused when his brakes failed.
Aguilera-Medeross emotional plea to the judge where he sobbed and begged for forgiveness has been met with a powerful determination by truck drivers and millions of workers who have come to his defense.
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos (Lakewood Police Department photo)
Videos associated with the hashtag # NoTrucksToColorado have been viewed 11.4 million times, with thousands of comments of support pouring in from workers. One trucker wrote Cross that state off my list to haul freight... people get less time for premeditated murder. Another wrote Truckers stand together and stand strong, we are a force to be reckoned with. The mainstream media will not give its undivided attention because they know we could bring the Govt to its knees if we just stand together for a cause.
With over 4.6 million signatures at the time of this writing, the Change.org petition calling for commutation as time served or for the granting of clemency for Aguilera-Medero has become the fastest growing campaign of the year on the petition site, and is the third-most signed petition in 2021.
Aguilera-Mederos was found guilty on 27 counts and was sentenced to the minimum of 110 years under a Colorado law which says that so-called crimes of violence must run consecutively rather than concurrently when pertaining to a single incident. The anger toward the excessive sentencing has called into question before many the entire framework of punitive mandatory minimum sentencing.
Adding insult to injury, it has been revealed that the prosecutor for the case, Kayla Wildeman, celebrated the harsh verdict, posting on social media that she was given a trophy of a semi truck brake shoe by Chief Deputy District Attorney Trevor Moritzky for attaining the 110 year sentence, calling it a special gift. The grotesque celebration of the excessive sentencing points to the brutality of the criminal justice system and the power of prosecutors in determining the extent of charges.
While the entire book was thrown at Aguilera-Medero, workers on social media have noted the vast difference in attitude taken by the same prosecutors when defending the police, noting that the gifter of the brake trophy Moritzky sought only a misdemeanor plea deal consisting of 90 days jail and four years probation when Officer Curtis Lee Arganbright was charged with brutally raping an intoxicated arrestee in the back seat of his police car in 2017.
Anger and outrage have been so widespread that numerous state officials have been forced to speak on the case. State Senator Julie Gonzales noted on social media that sentencing has come up in conversations with lawmakers and Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis in recent days.
Polis relayed what was his second message on the subject in less than a week, with a spokesperson from his office noting that he will welcome an application for clemency from the defense and would expedite its consideration.
On Tuesday the Denver Post reported that First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King had quietly moved to reduce the 110-year sentence on Friday by starting the process to potentially reduce the sentence. King requested for a court hearing with District Court Judge Bruce Jones, who can reconsider the mandatory minimum sentence for Aguilera-Mederos due to unusual and extenuating circumstances. This is a testament to the strength of the protests, and the DAs office was clearly given orders from above to respond.
James Colgan, Aguilera-Medeross defense attorney, stated yesterday that the moves by King and the District Attorney office are about political survival, adding that Theyre feeling a lot of heat and they want their foot off the fire as quickly as possible.
Colgan said Aguilera-Mederos submitted a petition for clemency to Poliss office on Monday, stating they do not trust the DAs office to come up with any kind of fair number.
The plight of Aguilera-Mederos, a Cuban immigrant who was 23 at the time of the accident has hit a deep nerve throughout the population. The majority of the working population sees in Aguilera-Mederos their coworker, their neighbor, and themselves. Despite the brutality inflicted upon immigrants daily by the US government, the vast majority of the working class wish to defend immigrants and the working poor who face immense difficulties and are often deprived of justice in the judicial system.
Giselle Castaneda, who comes from a family of truck drivers who own the trucking company 4u2inc, told the WSWS My dad has been a truck driver since before I was born. I've talked about this with him and we think its super unfair, he thinks it's great the strikes are happening in Colorado.
Speaking to the dangerous working conditions that truck drivers face Giselle noted that for drivers and particularly shipment drivers, You are always at risk. Even getting a flat tire can cause a lot of damage. You are constantly risking your life. It's a very hazardous job. When your breaks go out or something like that happens it's completely out of your hands at that point.
Giselle noted she was struck by the testimony of Aguilera-Mederos that he was afraid to wreck his truck and sacrifice himself, In that moment you don't know what to do, he said It was either me moving aside and killing myself, and I was scared to kill myself. She said she thought of herself, I am 23 myself, and the thought that I would be going to jail for life for something that isn't even my fault is so unfair! I support that his sentence gets really reduced or he comes out free.
Speaking to the widespread support Aguilera-Mederos has received, she noted, I think its great that all different types of backgrounds and ethnicities are coming together to support him. Immigrants are the backbone of the country--they do everything.
News
Membership
The Hub includes trade and gender researchers and experts from the WTO Secretariat, seven international organisations and regional organisations (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, International Monetary Fund, International Trade Centre, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, World Bank), four members of the WTO's Chairs Programme (Mexico, Chile, Barbados and South Africa), and eight universities.
Gender experts from the private sector, non-governmental organisations and think-tanks will also be invited, on an ad-hoc basis, to present recent findings from current research, to share new perspectives and to expand multidisciplinary research on trade and gender issues.
Background
The WTO launched the Gender Research Hub to deepen understanding of womens economic empowerment through trade by fostering further research and data collection efforts.
The Hub serves as an information-sharing and knowledge-gathering platform where the latest findings of researchers and experts can be shared and disseminated globally. It also aims to foster research partnerships, help gather research for easier access to experts' findings, bring visibility to the work on trade and gender and promote the topic as a recognised field of research and expertise. The Hub aims for these research findings to inform discussions across WTO bodies, including the WTO Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender.
I believe the launch of this initiative is particularly important today because of the economic and social upheaval experienced by millions of women across the globe due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said the WTO Trade and Gender Focal Point, Anoush der Boghossian, who coordinates the activities of the Hub and contributes to it.
Work of the Research Hub
Hub members meet quarterly to discuss their work and to jointly advance on trade and gender issues.
Annually, the Hub organizes a series of "Think Up!" sessions to foster dialogue among researchers and to gather different perspectives on specific issues from gender experts, trade experts and women entrepreneurs. These sessions are public.
The Hub holds the World Trade Congress on Gender every two years in Geneva to promote innovative research on trade and gender. It is the first event of its kind to bring together the most eminent trade and gender experts to present new findings and the latest trade and gender research from around the world.
The first conference will take place on 6 to 8 December 2022 under the theme The first Congress will take place on 5 to 7 December 2022 under the theme Gender Equality for Sustainable Trade and Recovery.
Promoting research on trade and gender
Latest research
Trade and Gender: A Framework of Analysis, OECD, March 2021
Authors: Jane Korinek, Evdokia Moise, Jakob Tange
Summary: This paper examines the complex relationship between trade and gender and provides a framework for analysis of the impacts of trade on women, and the barriers they face engaging in international trade. It aims to assist governments in their design of trade policies, allowing the benefits of trade to be widely shared
Blockchaining International Trade: A way forward for womens economic empowerment?, Adapting to the Digital Trade Era: challenges and opportunities (ed. Maarten Smeets), Chapter 14, 2021
Author: Amrita Bahri
Summary: This chapter focuses on how blockchain can help women overcome barriers to trade. The role that multilateral regulation in general, and the WTO in particular, can play in fostering gender justice through blockchain technology is also examined. This chapter outlines how blockchaining trade can enable women to overcome the barriers that impede their participation in trade and examines whether blockchaining international trade requires multilateral regulation and the possible role the WTO can play in this respect
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To mark the three year anniversary since 38-year-old U.S. Army combat veteran Gregory Lloyd Edwards died after a confrontation with nine corrections deputies, a small cadre of protesters stood in the night air outside of the Brevard County Jail Complex earlier this month.
There, members of the activist group Brevard Peace Keepers, memorialized Edwards life as a husband and father during a live stream posted to social media, calling for accountability for his death and increased mental health services for war-damaged veterans like him.
About a dozen people gathered in front of the Brevard County Jail Friday evening, December 10, 2021. They were there to remember Gregory Edwards, who died while in custody at the facility. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
This was someone who served in Kosovo and Iraq but couldnt survive 25 minutes in jail, said Lauren Ogborn, one of the co-founders of the group, about Edwardss death Dec. 10, 2018.
"The emphasis is on mental health and those left behind to deal with the trauma. We also have to hold people accountable. We are our brother's keeper. What if this was you?"
Today, 36 months after Edwards was found unresponsive in his cell strapped to a restraint chair, with taser barbs still in his back, pepper spray on his face and a spit hood over his head, the pain remains fresh for family and supporters.
The case has morphed from that of a widow pleading to know more about the circumstances surrounding her husband's death to a community concern focused on accountability and transparency within Brevard's criminal justice system. There have been billboards honoring Edwards' service, as well as social media videos and protests. But little remains resolved in the case, supporters say.
Gregory Lloyd Edwards was a US Army veteran combat medic.
The case, which drew national attention, also grew more tragic as Edward's widow Kathleen, also a veteran who struggles with her own PTSD, lost her son born shortly after her husband's death in a June 2020 drowning.
About a dozen people gathered in front of the Brevard County Jail Friday evening, December 10, 2021. They were there to remember Gregory Edwards, who died while in custody at the facility. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
Earlier this year and three months after the Edwards family filed suit against the sheriffs office in connection with Gregory Edward's in-custody death the state attorneys office charged Kathleen Edwards, with aggravated manslaughter of her son, determining that the toddler was unmonitored when he wandered into a backyard pool. No trial date has been set in that case.
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Kathleen Edwards said her family replaced high-profile civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump with Brian Breiter, a wrongful death attorney with offices in Los Angeles and Miami. Breiter, who called the Peacekeepers' vigil "powerful," acknowledged he had taken on the federal case in a social media post.
Nelly Cardinale holds a sign during a memorial for Gregory Edwards Friday evening, December 10, 2021. About a dozen gathered to remember Edwards, who died while in custody at the facility. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
Edwards, who says she spends her time volunteering these days, had no public comment about the change in attorneys but says she still struggles with the pain and loss that has deepened in shadow of her husband's death.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
The Edwards family sued the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, the City of West Melbourne, and then-health contractor Armor Correctional last December in state and federal court over the death of Gregory Edwards. The cases could go to trial in 2023.
"Gregory Edwards deserved better," said Jessica Travis, a civil attorney who represented FLORIDA TODAY's successful effort to make public the jail video depicting what happened to Edwards. The video was made public in November 2020.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey and BCSO dog Junny during a public event.
"A two-tour combat Army medic struggling with PTSD, he should have been taken to a treatment facility not treated like a caged animal and left gasping for air alone in a jail cell."
What happened
Edwards, suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder as a result his service overseas, assaulted a charity worker outside Walmart on the morning of Dec. 9, 2018, in West Melbourne, during what Kathleen described as a PTSD "episode."
Kathleen told the arresting officers with the West Melbourne police that her husband was a war veteran, had not slept for days, and had stopped taking his medication, but Edwards was not medically checked on the scene by paramedics and was taken straight to the Brevard County Jail.
He walked into the jail on his own two feet but about two hours later, was wheeled out on a gurney, unconscious and unresponsive. He was rushed to Rockledge Regional Medical Center by Brevard County Fire and Rescue. He would be pronounced dead the following day.
Screengrab from video taken of Gregory Lloyd Edwards' arrest at Walmart. Kathleen Edwards says her husband had a PTSD episode at Walmart, was arrested, taken to jail, then died at a hospital 1 day later.
Initially described as a medical episode by the sheriffs office, the slow emergence of details involving Edwards's death began to paint a different picture.
There were inconsistencies in witness testimony and questions were raised about the Medical Examiner's decision to rule Edwards death an accident due to "excited delirium," a controversial diagnosis often made involving deaths in police custody.
Even as sheriffs investigators performed their own criminal and internal affairs investigations into the actions of its jail personnel, protests grew along with calls to release surveillance video at the jail to show just what happened in the last hours of Edwards conscious life.
FLORIDA TODAY sued Sheriff Ivey for the security footage, which was released last year with some jail features blurred out as part of a settlement in lieu of going to trial. The footage showed Edwards resisted being booked into the jail and got into a confrontation with as many as nine deputies. He was, punched, kneed, tasered six times, and doused with pepper spray as deputies attempted to subdue him.
He was then placed in a restraint chair with his arms handcuffed behind his back, paper spray still on his face and a spit hood over his head. He was wheeled into a holding cell, unobserved and with no access to medical treatment as demanded by the sheriff's office's own policies. On the video, Edwards, hooded, and restrained, could be seen struggling as if he were gasping for air until he went limp in the chair after about 16 minutes of being unattended.
Attempts to revive him in the jail's medical ward were not completely successful and BCFR medics were called to the scene and he was taken by ambulance to the local hospital where he died the next day.
Gregory Lloyd Edwards with his wife Kathleen Edwards.
Brevard County State Attorney Phil Archer commended the Brevard County deputies in July 2019 and deemed their use of force against Edwards as justified.
A year later, as the nation roiled in the aftermath of the in-custody death of George Floyd, Edwards' widow bemoaned the fact that she still had not been allowed to see the video depicting her husbands time at the Brevard County Jail.
That summer, as nearly 4,000 protesters walked the streets of Cocoa to call for police reform in the wake of Floyds death, many held up signs asking for answers in Edwards' case. "Release the video," some of the signs read.
Soon after, Ivey made an unsolicited, surprise visit to Edwards' home and offered to show Kathleen Edwards the video but would not release it publicly. Edwards, saying she was traumatized by the sheriff's visit, refused the offer.
Sheriff Ivey refused to release the video on grounds that it would compromise jail security. He also blamed Edwards' death on what he says was Edwards' habit of "huffing" aerosols, despite multiple toxicology screens showing there was nothing in Edwards' system other than Benadryl.
At one point, Ivey turned to several select African American ministers to offer his own narrative and explain why he couldn't release the jail security footage. However, pressure mounted from civil rights leaders, community activists, and others for the video to be made public.
FLORIDA TODAY sued to demand the release of the video, which the public finally got to see in November 2020.
Remembering Gregory Lloyd Edwar
Several of the activists gathered in front of the Brevard County Jail shortly after sundown on the third anniversary of Edwards' death earlier this month spoke about the need for holding elected officials responsible.
There are families out here that need someone to speak up for them. The big emphasis is on mental health, those left behind with the trauma, Ogborn said, adding that the sign-waving, the protests, and the memorials will continue. Sometimes, Ogborn said, the turnout has been small but the spirit she says is strong.
If we stop saying these peoples names, then it becomes something that gets swept up under the rug. We have to continue, she said.
Jacinda Morrison and Nelly Cardinale hold signs during a memorial for Gregory Edwards in front of Brevard County Jail Friday evening, December 10, 2021. About a dozen people gathered there to remember Edwards, who died while in custody at the facility. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
During the live stream, one of the more vocal activists JaQuelin Valentina held a sign with Edwards' face and a memorial candle that flickered in the breeze.
"We are not stopping," said in a steady voice to those gathered in the glow of the candlelight. "I will be here next year and the year after that. And no one will forget the name of Gregory Edwards."
J.D. Gallop is a Criminal Justice/Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Gregory Lloyd Edwards remembered by widow and community activists
Two medical staff members work with a COVID-19 patient at Bellin Hospital.
GREEN BAY - Bellin Hospital is one of the first hospitals in the nation to receive military help in the form of doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists to combat the ongoing spread of COVID-19 due to its centralized location and its ability to expand its capacity to serve outlying communities.
"Bellin was the facility that FEMA interviewed and assessed," said Deb Standridge, deputy secretary of the state Department of Health Services, during a call with reporters Tuesday. "They decided Bellin would be a great fit for the medical deployment teams that are arriving."
The other hospital to receive U.S. Navy support is at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
Standridge said one condition for receiving Federal Emergency Management Agency medical deployment team was that the hospital could expand its capacity. DHS also considered outlying rural areas and communities within Green Bay that could benefit from that expanded capacity.
Meeting that criteria, FEMA authorized a 20-person team of health care workers from the Navy to join the ranks of Bellin's health care workers for up to 30 days. As for when the Navy staff will start taking shifts at the hospital, Kelly McBride Moore, a Bellin spokesperson, said the hospital "expects to learn more soon."
"This assistance will help ease the burden on our already taxed teams and provide some temporary relief as we continue our critical work in the areas of adaptable staffing and hiring," a spokesperson for Bellin Health said. "This assistance will help ensure we can continue to serve all patients with the very best in care."
While Standridge would not say where next they are considering FEMA deployment, she said DHS received requests from three other hospitals across Wisconsin.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Gov. Tony Evers asked the Biden Administration to deploy 100 federal health care workers to support hospitals during Wisconsin's surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
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The timeline for the move progressed with tight deadlines. Evers requested aid on Dec. 8, Bellin applied for assistance on Dec. 10, and its facility went into its evaluation process following an interview on Dec. 14, McBride Moore said.
RELATED: Military sends doctors, nurses to help treat COVID patients at Green Bay's Bellin Hospital
RELATED: Menominee County, with 78.5% vaccination rate, continues to have the lowest new COVID-19 case rate in Wisconsin.
RELATED: Green Bay hospital forced to turn away 28 patients as hospitals across state remain overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases
As of Monday, Wisconsin Hospital Association reported 177 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 in northeast Wisconsin's 10 hospitals, with 33 COVID-19 patients in intensive care. Only 10 ICU of the 217 ICU beds within northeast Wisconsin's hospitals are currently available for new patients.
Across Wisconsin, 96% of intensive care beds and 98% of intermediate care beds are currently in use, according to the DHS.
Even as hospitalizations rise and higher demand for hospital personnel continue, staffing burdens are likely to grow with increasing ferocity as omicron comes barreling into the northeast Wisconsin region.
A "Heroes work here" on display last year in front of Bellin Hospital in Green Bay.
The variant now makes up 73% of new cases in the U.S., according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a result of two factors: its transmissibility and its ability to evade immunity. While omicron can notably infect even the double vaccinated, receiving a booster shot can reduce the likelihood of infection and lessen COVID-19 symptoms.
Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO of Prevea Health, said boosters are the best shot at avoiding the worst of omicron. "What I would say to anybody right now is to get the booster. It's available to you. That level of protection, from everything we've seen, is going to provide some level of protection against omicron."
Dec. 4 marked the first case of omicron in Wisconsin, according to the DHS. As of Dec. 18, the CDC reported that omicron made up 92.3% of new cases across Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.
Such speed in these infections may cause an already strained health care system to buckle.
An emergency department hallway bed at Bellin Hospital that had never been needed until the last couple weeks.
Despite the compounding burdens, hospitals like Bellin have continued to emphasize that it is critical that anybody experiencing symptoms not to delay treatment. The assistance from the military will enable Bellin Hospital to continue delivering care to all patients in need of hospitalization.
While Bellin celebrates military assistance, much of the severity of the disease falls on the unvaccinated, who have a greater than tenfold chance of ending up in the hospital.
Case in point: There have been about 3,350 cases, 184 hospitalizations and 35 deaths in Wisconsin for every 100,000 not fully vaccinated people since the virus arrived in March 2020. For every 100,000 fully vaccinated people, however, only about one-fifth that number, or 723 people per 100,000, end up testing positive for COVID-19, with 17 hospitalizations and 3 deaths.
Hospitalizations for not fully vaccinated people is 11 times that of fully vaccinated people.
"I urge every Wisconsinite to take immediate action and get the COVID-19 vaccine and your booster dose if you havent received it alreadythis is critically important for mitigating surges in hospitalizations and deaths across our state," Evers said in a statement. "Our hospitals and health care systems are relying on us to do our part to get the COVID-19 vaccine and stop the spread of COVID-19.
To book an appointment for a vaccine or a booster, visit Vaccines.gov.
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Natalie Eilbert is a government watchdog reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Why Bellin Hospital is one of the first to receive COVID military help
Fashion may do a lot of bad, but there were a number of sustainable wins this year, including on the legislative front (bolstering garment worker rights) as well as strides in the circular fashion space led by bio-based material innovators, luxury players, pre-owned purveyors and systems thinkers alike.
Labor Rights Became Something to Shout About
This year marked a hard-earned victory for garment workers and ethical business allies in California with the signing of the Garment Worker Protection Act (known as SB 62) into law in September.
More from WWD
In its immediacy, the bill takes a stab at the industrys high rates of wage theft and subminimum wages by first eliminating the piece-rate system of pay while closing a dated loophole in the original legislation that let brands evade responsibility for their supply chains. Under the new law, joint liability will exist so brands, subcontractors and workers are all brought to the negotiating table.
But the laws passage is far-reaching, and by some experts, it ushers in a new sustainable era for fashion and chance to shift the power balance.
Over the past 20 years, fashion has changed.Labor laws become obsolete because the economic structure of that industry has changed, Victor Narro, project director and professor of Labor Studies at the University of California Los Angeles Labor Center, previously told WWD. Narro was on the team that drafted Californias landmark worker protection law in 1999.
Fashion is changing and more than 140 fashion brands (among them Reformation, Boyish, Mara Hoffman, Eileen Fisher) have been threads of change.
Home to the largest garment manufacturing hub in the U.S., California counts more than 45,000 garment industry workers. Highly skilled women of color (20 years of experience on average) are the majority of this workforce, powering labels like Fashion Nova, Forever 21, Windsor, Charlotte Russe, Urban Outfitters and Lulus. All of which were cited as top violators in wage theft cases according to SB 62 bill cosponsor the Garment Worker Center.
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Evidenced in GWCs data and that of UCLAs Labor Center, for far too long, power was kept from the hands that made the clothes.
I would say that I think that the bill is bordering on revolutionary, not just for garment workers, but also other low-wage workers in farming and agriculture, said Ngozi Okaro, executive director of Custom Collaborative, a New York City-based workforce development nonprofit and social enterprise. Whats important is it drills down to holding everyone along the value chain responsible.
Accountability thats the power of SB 62.
In another sweeping and time-sensitive move for garment worker protection, The Bangladesh Accord on Fire Building Safety saw a last-ditch revision in The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry.
As of December, the International Accord counts 155 brand signatories (just shy of the 200 signatories for the original document) with H&M, Inditex, Bestseller and C&A among the first to sign. The goal of the International Accord is to expand health and safety coverage for factory workers in Bangladesh and beyond, to other high-risk sourcing countries in South Asian regions.
This would not be the first time this year brands rushed to pen their support for a sustainable cause.
Brands like Everlane, ThredUp, Rebecca Minkoff, Allbirds, Reformation and more signed a letter to President Joe Biden to appoint a fashion czar (or high-level policy adviser to fashion) while in the U.K., similar calls echoed out for a garment trade adjudicator.
In any of the cases, stakeholders across industry were clear in their intent for advancing social and environmental progress.
Resale Retained Momentum
Fashion is turning to resale left and right, seeing major partnerships, continued investments, evolved conversations and too many start-ups to count.
Buying a pre-loved handbag from the same brands online store that you bought a new pair of boots from is going to be a billion-dollar game changer for the fashion community, said The RealReals former director of business development, Karin Dillie, who went from Sothebys, The RealReal, to now, brand-owned resale space at Recurate.
While 2020 was the breakout year for resale, traction has sustained and increased since early efforts and this year was no different.
In 2021, direct-to-consumer brands like Boyish Jeans, Coclico Shoes and Epoque Evolution, partnered with branded business-to-consumer marketplace Treet, while Cuyana, Vera Bradley and Fabletics partnered with ThredUp.
As far as investments go, Kering announced a $216 million investment in Vestiaire Collective in March. Richemont rolled out resale partnerships (via Watchfinder) at Net-a-porter and Mr Porter in July. By August, new partnerships were forged in-store and online, one highlight being luxury pre-owned purveyor Fashionphile teaming up with Neighborhood Goods.
New Balance launched its New Balance Renewed program with The Renewal Workshop. H&M recently launched its own Rewear resale marketplace in Canada, and URBN announced its Nuuly Thrift platform in fall 2021.
As resale matures, conversations on the degrowth movement and waste equity emerged in the past year (with initiatives like Design for Decomposition) as the pandemic sees resale gain ground while used goods pile up.
Innovation Became Sexy
Sustainability innovation is getting its day in fashion.
Over the past year, brands like Adidas, Nike, H&M, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, Patagonia, Gap and more started to pilfer learnings from nature and invest in buzzy next-gen materials.
There are exciting innovations for clothing production that are designed to have less of an environmental impact after its intended use; for example, fibers and fabrics designed to: be collected and mechanically or chemically recycled back into new textiles; biodegrade (under specific conditions); or compost into non-toxic constituents, Barbara Martinez, open innovation director at Conservation X Labs, a technology and innovation hub based in Washington, D.C., told WWD.
Several circularity and biodiversity-billed pilots, consortiums and brand initiatives launched this year, too.
A September report from nonprofit Material Innovation Initiative and consumer research firm North Mountain Consulting tallied $1.29 billion invested in standout material innovation firms from 2015 to May 2021. MII found vegan leather alone could command 54 percent of the market, according to Nicole Rawling, cofounder and chief executive officer of the Material Innovation Initiative. The findings reveal that cost-competitive next-gen materials could command the majority of many markets, she said.
Once married to their leather craft traditions, even luxury is seeing the potential.
Hermes in particular, a house steeped in tradition, made waves when it announced a partnership with the California-based start-up MycoWorks to develop a leather-type material out of mycelium marking the first time the luxury house stepped away from the signature calfskin leather of its famous Birkin and Kelly bags.
Stella McCartney has been experimenting with fungi, too, partnering with Bolt Threads at the start of 2021 and developing Mylo, a new trademarked material made from the root system of fungi.
She presented a mushroom leather bag during her spring 2022 show, which began with a voice stating that In fashion, mushrooms are the future, across its Paris venue. McCartneys aim is to soon offer the innovation commercially to other brands and help bring the use of sustainable materials into the mainstream.
Until the material becomes more accessible, younger sustainably minded designers (like Coperni, which launched a range of apple leather bags with Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams) will exercise their own eco-alternatives within their own means.
Luxury, Resale Boast B Corp Chops
Fashion labels, even the ones within the luxury domain, are usually criticized for the fast pace of their production calendars, hosting shows in far-flung locations, and having little visibility in their vast supply chains.
But in recent years, many brands are taking sustainability seriously by reaching for a new title-grab. This was the pathfinding year when luxury brands (including luxury resellers) bought into B Corp status.
Regarded as the gold standard in sustainable companies, the Benefit Corporation (abbreviated as B Corp) certification is provided by nonprofit B Lab, when companies showcase that they can fulfill its strict ESG criteria. B Corps are legally bound to act in the interest of both people and planet.
Charting new ground in September, Kering-backed Vestiaire Collective paved the way as the first in resale to earn B Corp status. Richemont-owned Chloe was the first luxury fashion house to receive the much lauded certification, setting a new kind of benchmark of how brands should operate in the fashion space.
Beyond the fact that we are proud of it as a company, we also aim to inspire many others to join, said Riccardo Bellini, chief executive officer of the Compagnie Financiere Richemont-owned brand. We upgraded our operations, governance and policies in a way that allows us to operate in a more environmentally and socially responsible manner.
The brand started shifting to a purpose-driven business model before the pandemic and with the arrival of Gabriela Hearst (named creative director in December 2020), whose entire design ethos revolves around environmentally friendly practices. Some of the policies Chloe implemented along the way included its Women Forward for a Fairer Future mission statement; the appointment of an advisory board of experts; as well as the inclusion of more social entrepreneurs in its supply chain.
Chloes achievement was shortly followed by announcements that Khloe Kardashians Good American and buzzy contemporary label Sezanne also attained the certification.
Richemonts Bellini summed up the B Corp differential and broader eco-strides best: Its all about the mindset of continuously challenging ourselves to improve, and to bring the full equation of financial, social and environmental value to the table in every decision we make.
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DNA test kits make for popular holiday gifts for any family member looking to learn more about their roots, but you can take those lessons in genealogy one step further by booking travel based on the results.
In a recent episode of the Travel + Leisure podcast, Let's Go Together, host Kellee Edwards interviews genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith to discuss DNA testing and how it can provide inspiration for an upcoming trip.
A Cameroon village road, the bridge and skyline in Tulsa and a Chicago train going through the city
Dag Sundberg/Getty Images; Sean Pavone/Getty Images; Getty Images Genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith has traced her roots using DNA to Cameroon, the United States South, and Chicago.
In the episode, "Unlocking the Past Through DNA Heritage Travel," Sewell-Smith shares how DNA research has unlocked more opportunities for people to not only learn about their own history, but also explore and connect with those ancestral locations.
"DNA, it's completely revolutionized genealogy and family history," says Sewell-Smith.
Sewell-Smith has explored her own family history thanks to DNA research. Some of her heritage travel has taken her to locations across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas as she researched her own family history. On the podcast, she says her family also has roots outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, and eventually left the American South for Chicago. Tracing her roots even further back, Sewell-Smith has also visited the African countries of Cameroon and Benin.
"It's almost like that deep inner part of us starts to speak to the part of us that we didn't even know was there," she says on the show. "It's almost like you just remember what was there when you didn't recall it before you got there."
Related: 23andMe Can Now Tell You More Details About Your Ancestors Than Ever Before
She also shared some expert tips for anyone who is planning a trip based on their own heritage and DNA results.
Let go of preconceived ideas.
Often, Sewell-Smith says, people's ideas of a certain culture can be different than how things are in reality. The local food might not be the same as what you're used to at home, for instance. She points out that in many rural areas, even across the United States, you can't expect ride-share companies like Uber to operate, and so your travel plan should account for these types of regional differences.
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"We can sometimes go into these places and our perception, or how we think, is different than the folks that are there," Sewell-Smith says on the show.
Check travel requirements.
If your DNA results inspire you to go abroad, make sure you have the basics covered before rushing into a trip. Sewell-Smith says to make sure you have all the necessary travel requirements, such as visas, immunizations, and your passport. What's extra important is having enough time in advance of the trip to get all the proper clearances and documents.
Especially with COVID-19, she says, some people might not want to travel on a plane, and would prefer to drive or even take a train within the United States or their own home country. Sewell-Smith emphasizes not overlooking heritage travel right in your own backyard within your country.
Hire a local guide.
Regardless of where you are traveling, finding someone local with knowledge of the area's history will greatly enhance your trip, according to Sewell-Smith.
"You really want to have a great person traveling with you who can speak to aspects of life that folks don't know," she says.
Even in the United States, Sewell-Smith says, a local guide can help identify discrepancies between what you might have been taught versus what actually happened in a location, especially when it comes to history surrounding something like the transatlantic slave trade, and the lack of recorded history many Black families have because of that.
Research the region ahead of time.
DNA testing might reveal roots in areas and countries that might not be the easiest or most popular travel destinations. Sewell-Smith says to research the region and make sure you understand the political and social climate first to avoid potential issues and remain safe.
Embrace the local lifestyle.
Overscheduling your visit or staying in your comfort zone are definitely things to avoid during your travels, Sewell-Smith says. She recommends eating at local establishments and walking through local markets to shop and embed yourself in the culture and people of the area.
"I wanted to be immersed," she says. "I wanted to meet people who were from those places and just talk to them, as well as taking [in] the cultural sights and sounds."
Wherever your DNA results lead, planning a heritage travel trip is a unique way to explore your family ancestry and discover your global roots.
23andMe Ancestry Kit
23andMe DNA Testing Kit
Courtesy of Amazon
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Bryant Gladney is being remembered for his selfless service and care for others.
Gladney, a Boone County assistant fire chief, was killed by a tractor-trailer Wednesday while responding to an early-morning accident on Interstate 70 east of Columbia.
"He cared about people," said Gale Blomenkamp, a fellow assistant chief with the Boone County Fire Protection District, while fighting back tears. "He took care of the people that he worked with and the people that worked for him.
"He had a great sense of humor. He could give it just as well as he could take it."
Wednesday marked the fire district's first line-of-duty death.
Gladney worked in emergency response in mid-Missouri for more than three decades, including 25 years for the district, Blomenkamp said.
Bryant Gladney, left, of the Boone County Fire Protection District tries to pry open the hood of a minivan that caught fire in 2016.
He began his career as a firefighter at Boone County Fire Station No. 1 in 1986 and was promoted to lieutenant of the same station in 1994. In 2011, his focus shifted to EMS education program manager before being promoted to captain in 2015. Last year, he was given the title of assistant chief and was asked to lead the EMS Bureau.
He assumed responsibilities for the district's training bureau in 2021, serving as bureau director.
He also served as one of four fire district duty chiefs.
"He served very selflessly," Blomenkamp said of his colleague. "He was well-known throughout the first-response community."
Gladney was an original member of Missouri Task Force 1, deploying to New York City after 9/11 and helping after Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The task force, managed by the fire district, is one of 28 urban search and rescue teams in the United States.
Fire departments across the state and beyond extended their condolences and support to the fire district, even as far as New Mexico. An announcement about Gladney on the district's Facebook page garnered over 600 comments and over 2,500 shares by Wednesday afternoon.
The Columbia Fire Department was stepping in Wednesday to cover calls on the east side of the fire district, Blomenkamp said.
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"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Boone County Fire Protection District during this difficult time," the city fire department wrote on social media.
Brent Brooks was a student in Gladney's EMT training courses in 1998 and worked with him through many other training sessions during Brooks' time with the fire district.
"Bryant was a good man," Brooks wrote on Facebook. "He always made me laugh and went out of his way to make sure the firefighters were taken care of."
"I've known Bryant since my early days in the Sheriff's Department," John Fields wrote in a comment on the fire district's Facebook post. "We worked many calls together. It's like losing a family member."
Down to his final moments, Gladney was furthering the legacy he now leaves behind.
"We would like for everyone to keep Bryant's family in their thoughts and prayers," Fire Chief Scott Olsen said.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Bryant Gladney, Missouri firefighter killed in I-70 accident, selfless
Dec. 21The Joplin Board of Education made a mistake last week when it rejected the district's participation in MOSO CAPS, a new program being offered in conjunction with Missouri Southern State University.
CAPS, or the Center for Advanced Professional Studies, is a program that was developed by the Blue Valley School District more than a decade ago and has now been adopted by school districts across the country. A quick summary, courtesy of the program's website: "Students fast forward into their future and are fully immersed in a professional culture, solving real-world problems, using industry standard tools and are mentored by actual employers, all while receiving high school and college credit. CAPS is an example of how business, community and public education can partner to produce personalized learning experiences."
Missouri Southern's program, which will launch in August 2022, will focus on health sciences, human services and business/entrepreneurship. A number of community employers have pledged their commitment to the program. Also signing on to participate are the Webb City and Carl Junction school districts.
Giving students the opportunity to explore professions in a high school setting, with the extra benefit of earning college credit it sounds like a winning program for all involved. Why wouldn't Joplin want to participate?
Several Joplin School Board members said they were concerned with the cost. Under the proposal, the district would have been allotted 59 seats, at a cost of $2,498 per student, and would have been required to pay for all 59 seats even if they weren't filled. That didn't sit well with some on the board, who said they were worried about committing to the full price even if the district couldn't fill all 59 seats, which administrators acknowledged would have been likely for the first few years as the program builds.
We appreciate that the board is keeping in mind the cost to taxpayers. But they're worrying over such a minuscule amount. Let's say that the worst-case scenario happened, that all 59 seats were unfilled which, in a school with 2,000 students, is incredibly unlikely. That would cost the district $147,382 per year.
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In a budget for the current fiscal year that was projected to bring in $91,906,323 in revenues, the cost of CAPS again, assuming the unlikely scenario that all 59 seats went unfilled would amount to 0.16% of the total budget. Put another way, if the district's budget is the equivalent of $1, then the board is worried about spending less than two-tenths of a penny.
That investment in MOSO CAPS would have been worth it. How many Joplin High School students will now miss a chance to work with community partners, learn more about career paths and get some college credit under their belt, all because of the board's vote against CAPS?
Board members may have believed they were doing the right thing by taxpayers, but we fear those who will be hurt the most by this will be our students.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2021) - The ETH Fan team is pleased to announce the release of a special token, the ETH Fan token. It is especially for "those who love Ethereum technology". The project is launched on BEP20 to give users a way to reduce the gas fees for transactions.
Figure 1: ETH Fan Token Launches, Aim to Bring Major Changes to the Crypto Industry.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8378/108255_picture1.png
The ETH Fan Token uses innovative Tokenomics and smart contracts to give users options to generate dividends.
Key Features
Fully tested and audited smart contract. An independent Tech Audit audited and tested the ETH Fan Token Smart contract.
Its liquidity is locked for 5 years alongside team tokens that are undergoing 180-day team token.
It is also a community-driven project where users are vested with voting powers to express their views when making major decisions.
The smart contract will be launched with fully integrated Anti Bot features, a preventive measure against the destructive sniper bots.
Tokenomics
The smart contract is designed to charge buyers and sellers different taxes. Buyers are taxed at 10% while sellers will attract 14% tax on the same transaction.
The hourly ETH reward is pegged at 45/5% while 1%/2% is dedicated to auto liquidity. An additional 3%/4% goes into marketing and promotion while community development takes another 2%/3%.
The contract automatically shares dividends that are distributed to holders every hour, starting from when a holder purchases the token. To receive the dividend, users simply need to add this contract address in their wallet: 0x2170Ed0880ac9A755fd29B2688956BD959F933F8.
The planned dashboard app will come equipped with the functionality that allows users to claim their dividends manually.
For buying transactions, the dividend rate is 4% and 5% for sale transactions. An investor's eligibility is hinged on their ability to keep a minimum of 200,000 tokens in their wallet.
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The total supply is 1,000,000,000,000,000 tokens. 22.0% goes into pre-sale and liquidity, while another 10% is dedicated to private sale. 50% or half of the total supply will be burned while team vesting takes 6% of the total supply. The remaining 12% automatically goes into marketing.
Social Media Handles:
Telegram: https://t.me/ethfanclub
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ETHFanToken
Github: https://github.com/Tech-Audit/Smart-Contract-Audits/blob/main/TECHAUDIT_ETH%20FAN.pdf
Media Details
Company Name: ETH FAN TOKEN
Email: admin@ethfan.club
Website: https://ethfan.club/
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108255
World Health Organization Europe regional director Hans Kluge said at a briefing Tuesday that governments should prepare for "a significant surge" in COVID-19 cases, driven by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.
Threat level: "We can see another storm coming Omicron is becoming, or already has become, dominant in several countries including in Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom, where its numbers are doubling" and "generating previously unseen transmission rates," Kluge said.
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By the numbers: Last week, Europe and central Asia saw 27,000 additional COVID-19 deaths and 2.6 million new cases, Kluge said.
"Infections, still predominantly from the Delta variant, are 40% higher now than during the same period last year," he continued.
89% of people affected by Omicron "reported common COVID-19 symptoms cough, sore throat, fever," according to Kluge.
Yes, but: "We don't yet know whether Omicron causes more severe disease than the Delta variant," Kluge noted.
The bottom line: Vaccination and booster shots remain the best defense against Omicron, Kluge said.
Go deeper: Europe tightens COVID restrictions as Omicron spreads
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If you could find only one other person at the end of time, Nick Nolte would be a near-optimal individual to encounter, especially if he ran Earths last movie theater. Alas, while Last Words has initial intriguing fun with that premise, it eventually sends its two protagonists on a post-apocalyptic odyssey thats defined by stasis, not to mention an abundance of half-baked themes. Despite a collection of A-list luminaries, writer-director Jonathan Nossiters drama is , and thus seems likely to enchant only the most charitable of viewers.
Based on a novel by Santiago Amigorena (who co-wrote the script), Last Words revolves around Kal (Kalipha Touray), who in 2085 believes himself to be the final survivor of a global climate-change catastrophe that spawned ecological decay, war, famine and disease. After losing his pregnant sister to a mob of young French children, Kal motivated by film canisters found in Paris decides to seek out the Cineteca di Bologna, which is now a one-man operation overseen by Noltes aged cinephile, wholl later be dubbed Shakespeare. Its a fitting moniker, since his tufts of white hair and matching bushy beard make him resemble a crazed King Lear. As it turns out, hes less a dying monarch than a quasi-Father Cinema, and when he shows Kal how to spool a projector thats powered by a bicycle and a hand crank, its as if hes demonstrating a mysterious, magical ritual from a bygone civilization.
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Its not long before Kal is having celluloid dreams. Recognizing he has a new acolyte, Shakespeare opts to forgo suicide and manufacture fresh film reels, as well as give Kal an assignment: to construct the worlds only working movie camera. The duo subsequently embark on this mission together, following signs to the Call, where, they hope, theyll locate others. Lugging their equipment in a cart, they resemble traveling performers of old, and director Nossiter and cinematographer Clarissa Cappellani conjure an atmosphere of desolate loneliness through striking shots of the two set against vast desert wastelands strewn with rubble, debris and garbage. The actions frequent silence, punctuated by the sounds of footsteps and the whipping wind (along with Kals narration), amplifies the oppressive mood of alienation and anguish.
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Kal and Shakespeares destination is a ramshackle commune created by Zyberski (Stellan Skarsgard), where the ground is green a shocking sight in this barren reality but nonetheless toxic, and folks wander about in a stunned stupor. Its here that Last Words becomes similarly racked with lethargy, as Kal and Shakespeare bring temporary joy to their new acquaintances via black-and-white movies (including by Buster Keaton). The rejuvenating power of these dramas and comedies is paralleled by Kal having sex with, and impregnating, Batlk (Charlotte Rampling). The cinema is life, announces Last Words, but it does so with an increasing lack of inspiration, resorting to stock scenes of people smiling at films projected on sheets hung from columned ruins and later, of Shakespeare and Kal staring at moving images in dark caves in a manner akin to our earliest ancestors.
The discovery of seeds that might again make Earth fertile accentuates Last Words notion of cinema as a revitalizing force, even as its presented as a vessel for humanitys collective memory. Yet as with Kals fuzzy relationship with Dima (Alba Rohrwacher), or the paper-thin characters of Zyberski and Batlk, Nossiters latest becomes fragmented and conceptual to the point of playing like a handsomely mounted actors workshop exercise. At least as the wryly morose Shakespeare, a ragamuffin-ish Nolte makes this journey occasionally captivating and lively if not, ultimately, one worth seeing through to the end.
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Dec. 22Lawyers are telling large Maine companies to prepare to implement the federal government's vaccination requirement for their workers, even though the legal status of the edict is still somewhat up in the air.
President Biden announced the new requirement for businesses with more than 100 employees in September, hoping to stem the spread of COVID-19 and provide guidelines for businesses to get their workers back into offices and factories around the country. But after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published its rules in November, dozens of lawsuits challenging the mandate were filed.
Federal courts initially issued a stay of the rules, putting them on hold, but last week a federal appeals court lifted that order, meaning the rules are back on track to take effect. However, an appeal of that ruling has been filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.
That court has asked for more arguments on the appeal, indicating it may make a decision early next month on whether the new rules can take effect, said Shiloh Theberge, co-chair of the labor and employment practice group at the Portland law firm Bernstein Shur.
It's estimated that the new rule will apply to about 170,000 Maine workers, roughly a third of the state's workforce, and employers are going to have to move ahead despite the uncertainty, Theberge said.
She said many of the requirements of the new rule are set to take effect on Jan. 10, although the major piece vaccinations for most and weekly testing for those who are exempt for health or religious reasons is currently set to go into effect on Feb. 9.
Theberge said the new rules require large employers to prepare written policies on vaccinations and testing by early January. They aren't simple one-paragraph statements, she said, and require employers to say how they will verify vaccinations, conduct testing and handle exemption requests.
"There are a lot of detailed requirements," she said, and lawyers have had to talk to their clients about what they should be doing in the next few weeks even as those businesses also deal with a resurgence of the virus in Maine and around the country.
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"We have been busy," she said. "It's been difficult."
For instance, most employers need to plan for weekly testing of some employees, even if most have been vaccinated, because the labor shortage means it will be tough to find replacements for workers who are fired for refusing to get the shot.
"If it means you're going to lose employees (who won't get vaccinated), you might have to allow for the testing to avoid being short-staffed," Theberge said.
The law allows exceptions, she said, for employees who work entirely off-site or outside.
Many large Maine employers say they have been pushing employees to get vaccinations since the vaccines became available earlier this year.
L.L. Bean, for instance has offered shots on-site, and its employee vaccination rates are above both state and national levels, said Jason Sulham, the company's manager of public affairs.
He said the company will be proactive in adhering to any government requirements "as we have throughout the pandemic."
Hannaford also pledged to make sure the supermarket chain is in compliance with state and federal requirements, a spokeswoman said.
"Since vaccines were made available, we have encouraged our associates to get vaccinated," Ericka Dodge said. Hannaford also is monitoring the status of the federal requirement and "readying ourselves with implementation plans" once the new rule is place, she said.
Unum also is keeping an eye on federal and state vaccine rules, spokeswoman Natalie Godwin said, and the employee benefits company has also rolled out a tool to help human resources officers at large employers track compliance with the new rules. Its "Vaccine Verifier" helps employers keep track of and verify vaccinations, monitor test results and also manage record-handling, the company said.
Theberge said employers could just ignore the uncertainty over the federal rule and implement their own vaccine requirement. There is no federal law that bans employers from issuing their own vaccination requirements, she said. Some states have laws that ban companies from requiring vaccinations, she said, but Maine is not among them.
Dominic Sorbara bought a plane ticket to North Carolina in November so he could spend Christmas with his family.
The 23-year-old animator from New York was excited to check out the Raleigh area, where his parents and sister recently relocated.
The American Airlines flight he booked took off without him on Tuesday.
Sorbara was on the fence about the trip given the omicron surge but didn't cancel his flight until his cousin, with whom he shares an apartment, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Sorbara, who is vaccinated and got the booster shot, had no symptoms and tested negative, and his family is vaccinated.
"I still don't want to take any chances getting on a plane,'' he said.
Travelers around the world are weighing the risks of vacationing or visiting friends and relatives during the holiday season and early winter months given the rapid spread of the variant first reported in South Africa just before Thanksgiving.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that vaccinated Americans can safely gather during the holidays if vaccinated, "particularly if you've gotten your booster shot.''
His chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that those who are vaccinated and boosted "should be OK'' during holiday travel as long as they keep masks on and take other precautions in crowded settings.
"But, we're going to see breakthrough infections,'' he said. "There's no doubt about that.''
Many people have already taken off for holiday getaways, with the TSA screening 2 million-plus people for five consecutive days for the first time since the pre-Thanksgiving rush.
For those still on the fence about holiday travel or post-holiday trips, here's what travelers need to know about cancellation policies:
Can I cancel a flight if I don't want to travel due to omicron COVID-19 variant
Travelers skittish about flying during the latest COVID-19 wave or those who have tested positive for COVID-19 can cancel flights by reaching out to the airline or travel agency that booked the tickets. Start online for the quickest resolution and don't overlook the airline or agency's social media accounts for help. Wait times tend to be the longest over the phone.
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The bad news about canceling a flight, regardless of the reason: Airlines don't owe you a refund unless you purchased a refundable ticket. Department of Transportation rules say they only owe you if they cancel the flight.
Travel fine print: What airlines owe you when flights are delayed, canceled
The good news: You won't lose the value of your ticket on major airlines unless you purchased a basic economy fare. Those are airlines' cheapest tickets and carry the most restrictions. Airlines loosened those restrictions early in the pandemic when travel all but evaporated but have gradually brought them back, making them non-changeable and nonrefundable. (Note that a couple of major airlines, Delta and United, say travelers with basic economy tickets for travel through the end of 2021 can cancel them.)
Goodbye flexible policies: Change fees and other pre-pandemic policies are back on cheapest airline tickets
New restrictions: Delta makes big changes to basic economy tickets
An American Airlines plane takes off at Miami International Airport in this file photo from June 16, 2021.
Nashville, Tennessee, filmmaker, author and speaker Molly Secours couldn't believe budget airline Frontier Airlines shaved $90 off the value of her ticket when she canceled a holiday flight from Nashville to Denver this month due to COVID-19 concerns.
"I was like, 'That's over a third of the (ticket) price,'' she said.
The airline told her via Twitter that they would look into it but never got back to her, she said.
Secours was due to fly out on Christmas Eve but canceled after "things started looking wonky'' with the omicron variant and her friends started getting sick.
She didn't consider for a second that she wouldn't get all of her money back because she had to cancel a flight on American recently and received the full value of the ticket as a credit for a future flight.
Major airlines including American, United and Delta permanently eliminated change fees on regular tickets during the pandemic, a major plus for travelers. Southwest Airlines has never charged ticket change fees. Keep in mind, however, the credit is a dollar amount and not a new ticket that can be used when you are comfortable taking the flight you booked. If fares go up, you'll have to pay the difference. Travel credits also come with an expiration date.
Bottom line for travelers considering canceling their flight: Read the fine print on your ticket or reach out to the airline for details.
Yes, Omicron has overtaken delta: No, it's not March 2020
Vaccinated and test positive? What to know about Omicron variant
How do I get a refund for my vacation rental?
Airbnb offers a total of nine cancellation policies, but the most common for short-term stays are:
Flexible : Guests can get a full refund on their nightly rate as long as they cancel 24 hours before check-in. Guests who cancel less than 24 hours before check-in must pay for at least one night.
Moderate : Guests can get a full refund if they cancel at least five days before check-in. If they cancel with less than five days of notice, they'll need to pay for one night, plus 50% for all unspent nights and each night they stay in full.
Firm : Guests can cancel and get a firm refund if they cancel at least 30 days before check-in or within 48 hours of booking if the reservation is at least 14 days out. Guests who cancel between seven and 30 days before check-in will receive a 50% refund but will need to pay in full if they cancel less than seven days before check-in.
Strict: Guests can get a full refund if they cancel within 48 hours of booking for a reservation at least 14 days out. If they cancel between seven and 14 days before check-in, they are eligible for a 50% refund but must pay the full amount if they cancel any later.
Cancellation policies from Vrbo hosts include:
No refund policy : Bookings are nonrefundable.
60-day policy : Travelers can get a full refund if they cancel 60 days before check-in.
60/30 day policy: Travelers can get a full refund if they cancel 60 days before check-in and a 50% refund (not including the service fee) if they cancel at least 30 days before check-in.
30/14 day policy : Travelers can get a full refund if they cancel at least 30 days before check-in and a 50% refund (not including the service fee) if they cancel at least 14 days before check-in.
14/7 day policy: Travelers can get a full refund if they cancel at least 14 days before check-in and a 50% refund (not including the service fee) if they cancel at least seven days before check-in.
Custom policy: Some properties have custom cancellation policies, which are usually available to view on the property page. Vrbo suggests travelers contact the host directly if they can't find their refund policy on the property page.
Airbnb guests who contract COVID-19 are eligible for a refund or travel credit under the company's "extenuating circumstances" policy, while Vrbo guests who contract the virus will still need to comply with their host's cancellation policy.
If a cancellation falls outside the policy's full refund window, both Airbnb and Vrbo suggest travelers try reaching out to their host to see if they can work out a better deal.
"Most hosts prefer to quickly resolve any issue by fixing it, offering a partial refund, or both," Airbnb says on its website.
Need to cancel an Airbnb or Vrbo? How to get a refund after a last-minute cancellation because of COVID
Can I get a refund if I need to cancel my hotel due to omicron?
Hotel guests can find their hotels cancellation policy while booking and can often review the terms in their confirmation email. Here are some policies at some of the largest hotel brands:
Hotel guests can find their hotels cancellation policy while booking and can often review the terms in their confirmation email.
Hilton allows guests to adjust or cancel most reservations up to 24 hours prior to arrival.
Marriott guests who booked after Sept. 1 must comply with the cancellation policies in place at the time of booking, which are subject to availability and rate differences.
Hyatt reservations booked on or after July 1, 2020, are subject to the cancellation, deposit and refund policy disclosed at the time of reservation. Guests should check the hotel's cancellation policy before booking since hotels can adjust their policies during high-demand periods like the holidays. Most reservations by Explorist, Globalist or Lifetime Globalist World of Hyatt members can be canceled up until 11:59 p.m. the day before arrival if the cancellation period is not more than 48 hours before check-in.
Reservation rates at Wyndham vary by hotel, but many let guests cancel direct bookings up to 24 hours before check-in and, in some cases, allow same-day cancellations. Guests who booked directly with the hotel who are prohibited from traveling to their hotel under applicable law can have their cancellation or change penalties waived.
Can I cancel my cruise? What are my options?
Options for canceling cruises vary by line. Canceling doesn't always mean a full refund, it may mean a future cruise credit and some lines are stricter than others but some have more flexible options as a result of the ongoing pandemic.
Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises
Royal Caribbean Group's "Cruise with Confidence" program has been in place since March 2020 and applies to flagship line Royal Caribbean International, Silversea Cruises and Celebrity Cruises, Lyan Sierra-Caro, spokesperson for the cruise line, told USA TODAY.
"It allows guests to cancel up to 48 hours before their departure for any reason at all and get 100% of the value back in a Future Cruise Credit that they can use towards any sailing," Sierra-Caro said.
If a passenger or someone in their party tests positive for COVID-19 before the cruise is set to depart, they can also get a 100% fare refund.
Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Odyssey of the Seas, docked in Willemstad, Curacao, in the Caribbean on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Corp.'s namesake line, Carnival Cruise Line, has options for passengers impacted by COVID-19 who need to cancel.
"If you, your family members living with you in the same household or traveling companions assigned to the same stateroom cancel a cruise booking due to testing positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of embarkation, you and they are entitled to a (Future Cruise Credit) for the amount paid to Carnival," Carnival says on its website. "If guest has close contact with a positive or suspected COVID-19 case within 14 days of embarkation, and Carnival deems you are unfit to travel, you are eligible for a FCC."
Holland America Line
Holland America Line, a Carnival Corp. cruise line, has a "flexible" cancellation policy that is in place for cruises booked by Feb. 28 for ships departing through April 30.
"You can cancel for any reason up to 30 days before departure and automatically receive a Future Cruise Credit with our Flexible Cancellation," the cruise line says on its website. "Additionally, you may cancel up to your sailing date if you test positive for COVID-19 and will also receive a Future Cruise Credit."
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise line has in place a "Peace of Mind" policy for pandemic bookings.
"With Norwegians Peace of Mind, you can cruise safely with enhanced health and safety protocols and flexible booking," Norwegian says on its website. "Feel Free to change plans as needed and feel confident knowing that were looking out for your health and safety."
For cruises departing through March, passengers can cancel up to 61 days ahead of sailing for a full refund.
MSC Cruises
For bookings made through March 31 for cruises through March 31, 2023, passengers can change their cruise up to 48 hours ahead of departure.
"They can move their money to another cruise that sails on or before March 31, 2023 (any ship, any sail date without penalty)," Stephen Schuler, vice president of communications for MSC, told USA TODAY. "The only exception to this is guests booked on MSC World Cruise or World Cruise segments."
If you're nervous about getting on a ship and want to cancel or postpone your trip, check your cruise line's website for cancellation policies, call customer service or your travel agent.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Omicron travel: How to get a refund from that last-minute cancellation
Photo credit: BBC Newsnight
The Salisbury Poisonings is a BBC drama about how the city of Salisbury and its people found themselves at the centre of an international incident back in 2018.
Life in the city and in some surrounding areas ground to a halt after two Russians attempted to assassinate Sergei Skripal, another Russian, and his daughter Yulia in March.
The men used a "high purity" strain of Novichok "newcomer" in Russian a military-grade nerve agent that was developed by the Soviet Union during the '70s and '80s.
Photo credit: BBC
Sergei had begun working as a spy for Britain from the mid-1990s onwards, which for Russian president Vladimir Putin was the ultimate betrayal. He was arrested by the FSB (who replaced the KGB after the fall of the USSR) and became a UK citizen after being exchanged for Russian agents in a "spy swap" in 2010.
During a forum in Moscow in October 2018, the politician described him as a "scumbag" and a "traitor".
Watch: UK names third Russian in Skripal poisoning case
"He was simply a spy," said Putin, "A traitor to the motherland. There is such a concept a traitor to the motherland. He was one of those."
Putin has always denied that the Kremlin was behind the events in Salisbury, but the British government believe that the two men were agents from Russia's military intelligence outfit, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin both worked for the GRU, the former a colonel and the latter a military doctor, and travelled to the UK under false names.
When later quizzed about why they visited Salisbury, they cited the cathedral as the main draw.
Photo credit: TASS - Getty Images
There was one death as a result of what happened, and it was neither Sergei nor Yulia.
Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother-of-three, died at the end of June after coming into contact with Novichok.
Four months after the attack, Dawn's boyfriend Charlie Rowley found a plastic container with what he thought was a bottle of perfume in a charity-shop bin. He gave it to Dawn as a gift, who sprayed the contents on her wrists. Her health quickly and severely deteriorated.
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Charlie, who also fell ill and was taken to hospital, managed to survive, but is still dealing with the psychological and physical fallout.
Photo credit: Matt Cardy - Getty Images
It was reported in January 2019 that Sergei and Yulia were still believed to be living in southern England.
After they were discharged from hospital in Salisbury Yulia left after a month, and her father followed her a month later they were resettled in an MI6 safe house.
"There are lots of reasons why they would stay in Britain and it's notable that in his recent Panorama interview, Sir John Sawers, the former chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, when asked whether they were still in this country, said the UK authorities would continue to look after people in such a position," BBC journalist Mark Urban told The Telegraph.
According to sources, the pair were still in contact with close friends and even continued working for the British intelligence services. But they kept a low profile and reportedly changed their appearances.
The following photo of Yulia was taken during an interview with a journalist back in May 2018, but that is the last known public image of her, and there are none, understandably, of her father.
Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images
The Sunday Times Magazine has since reported that the Skripals have moved to New Zealand.
According to a senior government source, Sergei and his daughter have been given new identities and various other protections to help them start over.
The article also said that their former neighbours in Salisbury, Ross and Mo Cassidy, who feature in the dramatisation, received a Christmas card from the pair last year.
"It's nice to know they are thinking of us," said Ross. "But I don't expect we'll ever see them again."
The end of The Salisbury Poisonings confirms that.
Ross also told the Sunday Times that Sergei didn't use a different name when living in Salisbury.
"I'll never for the life of me understand why they didnt give him a pseudonym," he said.
It's unsurprising, then, that the spy would keep a watchful eye over his street from the comfort of his armchair.
"Sergei saw you coming before you ever saw him," added Ross.
The Salisbury Poisonings is available to stream now on Netflix
Watch: Czechs, Russia expel each others' diplomats
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There's no chance of a white Christmas this year on the Suncoast, but a storm system from Tuesday will bring cooler and drier conditions for the rest of the week.
A low-pressure system will arrive from the west coast of Florida, bringing storms and the subsequent temperature drop. Although the front will mean cooler air, temperatures will only shift from above normal to normal because it has been unseasonably warm.
Earlier: National Weather Service issues tornado watch for Sarasota County
Live updates: Emergency management reports tornado touched down in south Fort Myers
The improved temperatures come after a windy and wet day Tuesday that brought a tornado watch for Sarasota, DeSoto and Highlands counties. The storm downed a power line in Venice closing Nokomis Avenue at Fiesole Street.
Heavy winds also blew through North Port, causing heavy roof damage to roughly 15 mobile homes in the Holiday Park Community. No injuries were reported. North Port's fire department, building division, and public works assisted on site. Red Cross also will assist where necessary.
Grateful it wasnt worse, but were glad to be assisting those who need it, the city wrote in a Tweet.
NPFD, Building Division, and Public Works Department are there assisting and assessing. Red Cross will assist where necessary. Grateful it wasnt worse, but were glad to be assisting those who need it. pic.twitter.com/POqM7788Va North Port, Florida (@CityofNorthPort) December 21, 2021
Due to high winds and heavy surf, Humphris Park (South Jetty) in Venice was closed Tuesday. The COVID-19 testing site at the RL Taylor community center in Sarasota also was forced to shut from the inclement weather.
The remainder of the week into Christmas will feature more moderate temperatures, a break from the humidity during the past two weeks.
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Here is the forecast for the week in Sarasota:
Tuesday: 75 / 58 scattered showers
Wednesday: 65 / 52 mostly sunny
Thursday: 68 / 53 sunny
Christmas Eve: 72 / 60 sunny
Christmas Day: 75 / 62 sunny
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Christmas weather forecast: Cooler, dry conditions after storms
This story is part of Turning Tides, a series from the Savannah Morning News and USA Today Network examining threats to Gullah Geechee land. Read more at www.savannahnow.com
Queen Quet is in a battle for her people.
Born Marquetta Goodwine, she is the chieftess and a spokesperson of the Gullah Geechee people. She travels up and down the coast, to state capitals and to a United Nations panel in Switzerland to bring awareness to the issues facing her people. But what Goodwine fights is not a soldier. It has no face and has no plan.
People say, combat climate change. Climate change is not a soldier; I don't have to go to war with climate change, Queen Quet, born Marquetta Goodwine, said. The issue is anthropocene; its human-caused.
Marquetta Goodwine, also known as Queen Quet, is proud her people left the coastline alone, particularly the stretches of salt marshes critical as habitats. Marquetta Goodwine, also known as Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah-Geechee Nation, is pictured at an outdoor market on St. Helena Island on Saturday, April 15, 2017.
Sea-level rise and climate change are a threat to all who live along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, but its Black communities that bear the brunt. According to Princeton University, higher energy costs, flood risks and ocean acidification disproportionately impact communities of color.
Its projected Georgias coast will see up to 7 feet of sea-level rise by the end of the century. Based on Chatham County projections, that means waters would engulf the majority of Tybee Island and several flood-prone communities on the mainland.
For Goodwine and the Gullah Geechee people, it could mean a loss of ancestral land and a 300-year-old culture.
Goodwine wants people to understand the urgency of the moment.
Facing threats to their land through tourism-fueled development and sea-level rise, the Gullah Geechee peoples culture and lifestyle are under siege from enemies both existential and real. These are long-term fights against the power of both waves and money.
The water level rises out of the drainage ditch in front of Maurice Bailey's Sapelo Island store caused by a combination of rain and salt water being pushed inland from the King tides.
When you look at us, you're looking at who is indigenous to the soil, Goodwine said. And who are the souls in this soil? So if you don't start hearing those voices loud and clear, don't be shocked when certain things that you build don't stand right. And we ain't gonna stand for it.
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The Gullah Geechee have been recognized through a federal cultural heritage corridor that spans from Wilmington, NC, to St. Augustine, FL. and 30 miles inland. Descendants of slaves from Western and Central Africa, European settlers and Native Americans, the Gullah Geechee developed distinct cultural, religious and culinary practices since the first ancestors arrived from Africa more than 400 years ago. They speak their own language, and many call the remote barrier islands that dot the coasts of the Southeast states home.
Queen Quet speaks to attendees at the Juneteenth Event held at the Jepson Center For the Arts.
Those islands, and many of the inland communities Gullah/Geechee call home, are some of the most threatened places on the East Coast. If sea-levels rise their projected 7 feet by 2100, then nearly 20,000 African Americans will lose their homes and farms to the briny waters of the Atlantic.
For more than a decade, Goodwine has traveled the world promoting her sustainability plan, which has two keystone aims: knowledge and reclamation. The results are also two-fold: reduce development and displacement in the Gullah Geechee communities to reduce the human-caused symptoms of climate change and sea-level rise.
"The coast is now the Carolina and Georgia Gold Rush. Everybody want to rush here, Goodwine explained. And you're still allowing the permitting of more overbuilding, which is antithetical to resilience and sustainability of the coast. That has to stop. So if you redirect that money into the hands of the native Gullah Geechee population, people can sustain their land ownership, they can sustain agriculture, they can now purify the water.
A conversation
Albert George was born in Savannah, but works in Charleston, South Carolina, as a scientist and climate change advocate. He helped found RICE, Resilience Initiative for Coastal Education, which aims to break down the esoteric walls of scientific and political discussions to help the average joe prepare for climate changes impact.
One of the things, over the last 10 years, that I began to really formulate in my own mind, it's like, how do you get this conversation to the people who need it the most? To the people who are most vulnerable, to the people who have the least amount of resources, the people who may not even understand what's over the horizon and that's coming in (their) direction?
Colorful homes of the few families remaining on Sapelo Island can be seen along one of the dirt roads running through Hog Hammock.
To do this, RICE, Goodwine and a number of other grassroots organizations host community meetings, seminars and listening sessions within Gullah Geechee and rural communities to make them aware of what the personal impact of climate change means. For someone living in the watershed on Wadmalaw Island, a rural barrier island to the west of Charleston, their home will be underwater by centurys end. Or saltwater may seep into a coastal farmers soil. Or the marshlands near your favorite fishing hole will acidify, killing your favorite fish.
For George and RICE, the challenge is this: How do we equip them with the needed tools and information that would allow them to do informed decision-making around how they could potentially mitigate risk in the short, midterm and long term?
The early morning sun breaks through as a boat cruises along Hudson Creek near the ferry at Meridian.
But RICEs community workshops arent meant to be lectures. Theyre conversations.
Oftentimes, we (scientists) get caught up in a very paternalistic or maternal point of view, where we perceive ourselves as scientists and people who are knowledge holders as knowing all that is needed to be known, George said.
To prepare the coast of South Carolina and Georgia to grow rice, George said enslaved Africans moved more dirt than the Egyptians did when they built the Great Pyramids. Rice Plantations require a specific type of environment to grow, so the ancestors to the Gullah Geechee people recontoured the coastline to accommodate the crop. George thinks we can do it again.
When you think about resiliency, ultimately, it's going to be the same equation, the ability to do large-scale, water-land engineering, and to actually manage water inflows and outflows with millimeter precision, George explained. And instead of cultivated rice-related production, its going to be for the ultimate stability of our human race.
High King Tides have the water level almost to the parking area at the Sapelo Island Ferry dock.
Giving it back
For Goodwine, the way to ensure sustainability along the coast is to return it to the hands who initially cultivated it.
She sees land restoration as a way to heal the coast, address land ownership issues that plague many Gullah Geechee families, and create a resilient environment for decades to come. Resiliency is how well a landscape and its people can recover after disasters, like flooding, hurricanes and drought.
The issues of reparations through land restoration arent a conversation happening in the halls of lawmaking or courtrooms, but Goodwine doesnt care.
Goodwine wants land given back to her people so the water quality increases here in Georgia, so that the fish stock returns to a lot of our traditional subsistence fishing areas. These are the things I fight for. And maybe that's why they didn't want me to come over here. Because they know I'll tell the people and once the people are empowered, that people will sustain themselves.
Restoring lands to its ancestral residents has worked before. In Western Montana, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have reclaimed management of their bison range, which was confiscated by the government in the early 1900s. They build highway overpasses for wildlife. They expand corridors for predators to roam a wider area, making the species more resilient to changes in their habitats.
FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2016 file photo, a herd of bison graze in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park in Wyo. National park officials in Wyoming have announced plans for the selective slaughter of between 600 and 900 Yellowstone bison this winter to help manage population numbers. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
And so the relationships that the Salish people have with the environment are real tight, said Tom McDonald, the division manager for the tribes Dept. of Natural Resources wildlife, recreation and conservation programs.
When you look at sustainable environments, and sustainability of human beings on the landscape, the traditional ecological knowledge that the tribes possess and the way that people have been living in balance with their environment for tens of thousands of years here are something that needs to be looked at and need to be followed and need to be especially paid attention to now with climate change threats and other considerations. So, you learn from the past and bring that forward into the future.
A large Oak looms over one of the dirt roads on Sapelo Island.
This philosophy is antithetical to the extraction mindset of European exploration and the Columbian Exchange, which set in motion both the decimation of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas and the resulting Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
But as with many native and Gullah Geechee communities, the land is the legacy. On Sapelo Island, a Georgia barrier island where the last known intact Geechee community exists, resident Maurice Bailey explains it like this: you dont fish more than you need, you hunt until you kill one deer, or one hog; enough to last you through the winter. Houses dont need to be any bigger than the ones you already live in.
Let's let the people who have been here for hundreds of years stay and let them live and build the way the ancestors did, Queen Quet said. And let's see if this coast doesn't restore itself.
Zoe covers growth and how it impacts communities in the Savannah area. Find her at znicholson@gannett.com, @zoenicholson_ on Twitter, and @zoenicholsonreporter on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Sea-level rise threatens Gullah Geechee land on the Georgia coast
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According to well respected Time Out magazine, which it must be noted is aimed at tourists rather than expats, the places covered in summary format with pics here are among the top options for seasonal shopping in the Hungarian capital.
In her full article local expat Jennifer Walker takes us on a tour of 12 venues she considers to be the best spots for shopping in the city, and while these are suggestions for visitors a few are top tips for expats in Hungary.
To set the scene she writes, Budapest has long been famous for its stylishness, and several design collectives now showcase their wares in huge, gallery-like spaces dotted around the centre.
On the other end of the economic scale is the flea markets, remarkable celebrations of second (occasionally third) hand goods covering plenty of ground. Budapest might be famous for its ruin bars, nightlife and thermal spas, but dont forget a little bit of shopping while youre in town.
1. Top of her list for tourists is a place many expats might not know, Paloma.
She describes it as, a design emporium that brings together around 50 local makers and shakers. The line of boutiques above the winged staircase on the first floor features a curious selection of clothes, jewellery, bags, shoes and more.
The best thing about this place? You get the chance to meet the designers in person and find out the stories behind their creations.
As shopping venues go, Paloma is quite a hidden venue in an arcaded courtyard in the 5th District, for the address and more background details see: palomabudapest.hu/en
2. Next she suggests Budapests largest vintage shop, Retrock.
Jennifer explains, Selling not only second-hand garb but also upmarket designer piecesthis is no charity shop: everything sold is top quality, and thats reflected in the prices.
If you cant decide whether you want a vintage dress or a designer shirt, its still worth browsing this two-storey shop. You never know what eccentric gear you might find.
For more on this premium second-hand shopping experience thats overflowing with fashion curiosities, see here: facebook.com/retrockbudapest/
3. Third on her shopping list is Nanushka, Hungarys most famous fashion label, and this might well be interesting for expat ladies and fashion conscious men too.
The brand was founded by Sandra Sandor (whose childhood nickname was Nanushka). The brand is now renowned across the globe, but the headquarters of her fashion empire can still be found in downtown Budapest.
Her designs blend femininity and function with modern worldliness. Prices can reach a few hundred but are still lower than other international brands, is the short description given in Time Out.
For more info about the brands Bohemian Modernist outlook informed by travel, innovation and heritage, just see: nanushka.com
4. Bomo Art is also highlighted on her top tips list, and is a unique one to consider when Xmas shopping for creative expats.
This stationery boutique is filled with charming notebooks adorned with retro drawings of hot air balloons, Budapest cityscapes, vintage aviaries, botanical illustrations and more.
You can get them in all sizes, designs and colours, and also take home diaries, phonebooks, recipe template books and sketchbooks, is how this place is described in two lines.
For more info in English about this arty shopping option see: bomoart.com
5. Last but not least in this shopping round-up for expats is Omorovicza.
Ok so all expats know that Hungary has a great supply of thermal water, and that it is said to have beautifying properties, well thats the basis for this luxury skincare brand.
Their boutique on Andrassy Avenue sells all kinds of creams and lotions that harness the cosmetic benefits of the local H2O (and blend it with other ludicrously high-end ingredients).
If youd prefer not to fork out hundreds for a cream, take home a small bottle of their staple Queen of Hungary spray. Its a delightful pick-me-up with a hypnotising scent you and your skin will love, suggests Jennifer.
For more on this beautifying shopping idea check out: omorovicza.co.uk
Click here to read Jennifers full article:
The 12 best places to go shopping in Budapest
Ruling Fidesz is nominating Katalin Novak, the minister for family affairs, for Hungarys next president, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Tuesday.
Novak said in response on Facebook that she accepted the nomination. In her post, she said she was ready to represent Hungary and serve the whole Hungarian nation with faith, soul, and heart.
Incumbent President Janos Aders second term will expire on May 10 next year. Under the constitution, the same person cannot be elected president for a third term.
In his international press conference, Orban voiced regret that the constitution restricted the presidents tenure to two terms, adding that Fidesz, of which he is chairman, had tendered its nomination.
Speaking to public media in the afternoon, Novak said it was an honour to accept the nomination.
For me, Hungarian families and Hungarian children are the most important, and I will continue to work for them in future, she said, adding that she would take inspiration and gain strength from her family supporting her and her faith in God.
If I am elected as Hungarys first female president, I will represent Hungary and will seek to represent the whole nation, she said. Novak said the incumbent president was a flagbearer advocating the issue of protecting the created world.
It is for me equally important that we be able to give our Planet Earth back to our children and grandchildren in a better shape than how it was when we inherited it, Novak said.
But in order to achieve that goal, we first need to have children and grandchildren.
MTI Photo: Gergely Botar
Hungarys government will continue to base its pandemic response measures on the vaccination of residents, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
Viktor Orban told an international press briefing that booster jabs and the vaccination of children aged 5-11 were in the focus of the governments Covid response measures.
He said 32% of the Hungarian population had now received a booster shot, adding that the European average was 21.5%. The prime minister highlighted the efforts of scientists across the world that resulted in providing vaccines against Covid.
Orban noted that in 2021 the government had been able to turn to the use of vaccines and could abandon pandemic defence measures that were based on self-isolation. He said it had been clear to Hungary as early as the beginning of the year that only the vaccine would guarantee an effective defence against the pandemic.
Everything else just allowed us to buy time, but victory can only be achieved with the help of the vaccine, he said.
Orban noted that Hungary had early on procured vaccines from multiple sources and had swiftly inoculated 5.5 million people, or 60% of its population, against the virus.
MTI Photo: Gyorgy Varga
Prime Minister Viktor Orban told an international press briefing on Tuesday that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia early next year.
Asked about Hungarys position on Ukraine, Orban said one point of reference for the government was the Visegrad Group cooperation, and within the group specifically with Poland.
Another point of reference, he said, was the European Council which Orban said last week had expressed a moderate position.
The prime minister said the EU was not at all encouraging Ukraine concerning its accession to the bloc and NATO.
Orban also said that Hungary aimed to keep its policies on Russia and Ukraine separate.
Hungary supports Ukraines independence, but isnt happy about the sanctions imposed on Russia, he said.
MTI Photo: Szilard Koszticsak
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After Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that he was nominating Katalin Novak to be Hungarys next President of the Republic at a press conference on Tuesday, HVG wrote up a short biography of her. Novak would be the first woman to hold the position of Hungarian head of state.
Since 2020, Katalin Novak has held the post of Minister without Portfolio for Family Affairs. From 2001-2003 she was a rapporteur at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2010-2012.
In 2013, Novak became a Ministerial Commissioner for Francophone Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while from 2012-2014 she was Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Human Resources (Emmi). From 2014-2020, she was State Secretary for Family and Youth Affairs at Emmi, and since 2018 she has served as a Member of Parliament.
Novak is from from Szeged, has three children, and possesses degrees in economics and law. She reportedly speaks four languages beyond Hungarian: French, German, and English at an advanced level, and Spanish at an intermediate level.
The Prime Minister also said that he was sorry that he would have to say goodbye to current President Janos Ader, who is term-limited after two terms as head of state.
This article first appeared on Hungarian Politics.
Photo: PM's facebook page
Citing meeting its vaccination goal, Lancaster County has ended what was Nebraska's last mask mandate.
On the same day Lancaster County officials announced the first confirmed local case of the COVID-19 omicron variant, they said they will be dropping the countywide mask mandate.
City officials, in their weekly coronavirus briefing, referenced the availability of vaccines to everyone age 5 and over and booster shots as the underlying rationale for allowing the directed health measure to expire.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said 84,000 Lancaster County residents have gotten booster shots. The state says that 69% of those residents eligible for the vaccinate are fully vaccinated.
Lancaster County reinstated its mask mandate in late August in the face of rising cases due to the delta variant and was the only city or county in the state to require masks in indoor settings over the past four months.
That led to criticism both from people who felt there shouldn't be a mask mandate and from supporters of the mandate who didn't feel it was being enforced.
COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations rose throughout the fall, even though they have remained well below levels reached last fall and winter. That's likely due to the county's rate of vaccination, which is among the highest in the state.
YORK A man who was caught with 30 pounds of marijuana and initially charged with three felonies has had his charges amended to a single misdemeanor count.
Kevin Putbrese, 64, of Des Moines, Iowa, reached a plea agreement with the prosecution and pleaded no contest to attempt of a Class 4 felony, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The case began when a deputy with the York County Sheriffs Department was on regular patrol in the middle of the night on Interstate 80 and he saw a motorist speeding and driving over the shoulder line.
A traffic stop was initiated and Putbrese was the driver. In court documents, the deputy says he could smell an overwhelming odor of burned marijuana and the deputy, in having a conversation with Putbrese, began to suspect Putbrese was transporting a large amount of illegal narcotics. The deputy request consent to search, which was denied.
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However, due to the odor of the marijuana, a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted.
House Bill 444 was introduced last year in the state House by Rep. Miriam Paris of Macon and other Democrats to mandate that Juneteenth be a state holiday, but saw no action. It was the third time Paris had introduced the bill.
Paris said the holiday marks the liberation of both those who were enslaved and those who were oppressing the slaves.
Juneteenth is a day for all Americans, Paris said Tuesday. The end of slavery is something that everyone should be happy and jubilant over.
The Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union had called for Kemp to drop the Columbus Day holiday on Oct. 11 and instead designate Juneteenth, saying Columbus Day commemorates the shameful dispossession and killing of the native peoples of the Americas.
By the time the children had their lunch and I had rocked them and tucked them to bed, I was exhausted. Nurse Julia brought me her sleeping bag in an attempt to cut the edge from my chills. You know how it goes, youre nestled down when Baby wakes and needs mom. Thinking of the power and victory in praise, I thanked God for the fever. I told Him that I really want to draw closer to Him through times like this.
I am much aware that my symptoms match many COVID characteristics. No, I didn't test, but we are respectful in not going to places where we could pass it on to others. The children have been much concerned about our Christmas plans being in jeopardy. We prayed about it, so whether or not it'll work out to go, I don't know. I just do know that with God in charge, it'll all be good in the end.
Once more Julia did amazing keeping things afloat while I rested. After I joined the children I sat on the recliner (something that hardly ever happens to me at any time of the day). Hosanna nestled up beside me on one side with Elijah on the other. Joshua wanted to be held, so he was added onto the growing pile of people. Julia wanted to know what she could do for me. I was almost at a loss of knowing what to say with someone taking care of me. You could read some verses from the Bible to me, I told her.
As another year draws to a close, we have a lot to be grateful for. The recent tornadoes and storms brought hurricane-force winds and left thousands without power. But as powerful and dangerous as these storms were, Nebraska avoided disaster.
Other states havent been as fortunate. Earlier this month, Kentucky was devastated by a series of tornadoes that killed dozens of people and reduced entire towns to rubble.
Nebraskans sprang into action, just as we always do. The Red Cross of Nebraska and Southwest Iowa sent volunteers to hand out food, blankets, and other essential items. Members of Nebraska Task Force 1 also traveled to Kentucky to help with the recovery. And many more Nebraskans have rushed to donate blood.
Stories like these are why I am so proud to serve as your U.S. senator. Working together, we can overcome any challenge and accomplish great things. That includes important victories we have won for our state during my time in public service.
This year is no exception. From working to protect cattle markets to supporting our veterans and securing a well-deserved pay raise for our troops, Nebraskans can be proud of what we achieved.
MUMBAI: 'Antim: The Final Truth' is set to premiere on ZEE5 on December 24 a month after its theatrical release, the streamer announced Wednesday. The action thriller, an adaptation of the Marathi movie 'Mulshi Pattern', features Salman Khan and Aayush Sharma. Directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, the movie released in cinema houses on November 26. Produced by Salman Khan Films and distributed by Zee Studios, 'Antim' reportedly earned over Rs 58 crore.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Salman Khan Films said the team is looking forward to the digital release of the film on ZEE5. "The audience gave an overwhelming response to the theatrical release of 'Antim: The Final Truth'. We are happy that they can now watch the film at their convenience and post the success of Radhe, what better platform than ZEE5 to premiere it," the spokesperson said.
'Antim' narrates the story of two individuals with differing ideologies who belong to two divergent worlds, leading to a nail-biting finale.
Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India said, they are thrilled to once again team up with Khan post their previous two movies -- 'Radhe' and 'Kaagaz', which the actor produced.
"We at ZEE5 are focused on curating and creating good quality content to entertain the audience and bringing their favourite stars to their screens. It gives us great pleasure to associate with Salman Khan and Salman Khan Films once again after the tremendous success of Kaagaz and Radhe on ZEE5.
"We are proud to not only present 'Antim: The Final Truth' to fans, just before their most loved actor's birthday. We are eagerly looking forward to the premiere and hope that all Salman Khan fans cherish this birthday gift," Kalra said.
"It was heart-warming to see the response the film received in theatres after a long time, now as the film hits ZEE5, we are glad that it would reach a wider audience," added Sharma's spokesperson.
'Antim' also stars Mahima Makwana.
New Delhi: The Income Tax department has reportedly conducted raids at Chinese smartphone maker Oppo and its Chinese vendors, OnePlus and Xiaomi at several locations across the country. The raids were also conducted at several locations of third-party manufactures such as Rising Star India and Dixon.
The current raids can be seen as a major crackdown on Chinese smartphone makers in India. According to a report by ANI, smartphone makers such as Oppo, Xiaomi and One Plus are being covered in the ongoing searches.
So far, over two dozen locations have been covered in the searches that started on Tuesday, December 21. "Raids are ongoing in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Greater Noida, Kolkata, Guwahati, Indore and some other places," sources told ANI.
Sources also told the wire agency that some fintech companies are also covered in this search. The head officials of the companies are also covered in the search. The report pointed out that CEOs of the firm are being interrogated by the Income Tax sleuths.
The report also highlighted that the searches were conducted based on the intelligence inputs of huge tax evasion by these Chinese mobile firms. Chinese firms were reportedly under the radar for a long time.
The income tax department, however, conducted the raids only after receiving concrete intelligence of tax evasion. The report quoting sources said, it is early to reveal details about the ongoing search as the sleuths are on job but a substantial amount of digital data evidencing evasion of tax has been found and seized. Also Read: India ordered 115 biryanis per minute, 5 million samosas in 2021: Swiggy Report
Previously, the Income Tax officials had raided Chinese government-controlled telecom vendor, ZTE, in August 2021. At that time, the searches were conducted at five places - the corporate office, the residence of the foreign director, the residence of the company secretary, the account person and the cash handler of the company. Also Read: How to change or add nominee in Provident Fund online Step by step process explained here
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New Delhi: In a first, private carrier Go First, on Wednesday (December 22), announced that passengers, who have received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine, can now avail of a 20 per cent discount on domestic flights.
With the latest scheme, Go First, previously known as GoAir, is aiming to encourage more passengers to get fully vaccinated in the fight against Covid-19. Double vaccinated passengers can avail of the discount for travel beyond 15 days from the date of booking.
According to Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, Go First: "The past two years have been extremely difficult due to Covid-19, which has redefined the meaning of normal.
"We at Go First are committed to ensuring the safety of all our stakeholders. We began by supporting the vaccination of all our employees and now we encouraging more people to get inoculated. We understand the need for vaccination, especially in the wake of the new Covid variant and will continue to support India`s fight against coronavirus," Khona added.
Recently, Indigo, one of the most affordable airlines in the country, also come up with a new promotion to let travellers book flight tickets at affordable prices. The airline was offering flight tickets at a starting price of just Rs 1400. Also Read: Monster.com raises Rs 137.5 crore from Mohandas Pai, others to invest in product, marketing
The company is offering affordable price tickets on the following routes: Jammu to Leh, Leh to Jammu, Indore to Jodhpur, Jodhpur to Indore, Prayagraj to Indore, and Lucknow to Nagpur, among others. Also Read: From Jan 1, GST officials can directly recover for mismatch in sales in GSTR-1, 3B
- With PTI inputs.
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Chennai: In the wee hours of Wednesday, a 110-year-old building collapsed in Tamil Nadus Madurai. The incident led to the death of a policeman on duty and left his colleague critically injured.
The cops at Madurais Vilakkuthoon police station were on night patrols in the city when a portion of the dilapidated building came crashing down on them.
Head Constable Saravanan succumbed to his injuries on the spot, while his colleague Kannan is under critical care at a private hospital in the city. The latter is being treated for a grievous head injury and a limb fracture.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the bereaved family, besides a government job for the next of kin. A compensation of Rs 5 lakh was also announced for Head Constable Kannan who is undergoing critical care at the hospital.
Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Babu visited Madurai and paid his last respects to the mortal remains of Saravanan and expressed his condolences to the bereaved family.
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New Delhi: As the anti-conversion bill was tabled in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday amid stiff opposition from the Congress, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that there is full opportunity for debate when the bill will be taken up for discussion.
Notably, the "Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021" provides for the protection of the right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.
Many Christian bodies have opposed the bill, stating that it was against the Constitution and an attack on the secular fabric of the country. The bill proposes imprisonment up to 10 years for forced religious conversion.
Speaking to media persons in Belagavi on Tuesday, Bommai said, "There is full opportunity for debate in the Assembly when it will be taken up for discussion. They (Opposition) were not present in the House when the Bill was presented in the House. This is not the government`s fault."
Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra tabled the anti-conversion bill in the state Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, as the Assembly Speaker announced that he has allowed the government to introduce the anti-conversion bill as per the procedure, and it will be taken up for discussion on December 22.
The State Home Minister reportedly said that there is no need for anybody to live in fear due to this bill. He said the bill will provide for the protection of the right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.
Congress will oppose bill tooth and nail: DK Shivakumar
Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar has said that his party oppose the anti-conversion bill tooth and nail. "I will tear the Bill, it is against the Constitution. We wanted to stop it before its introduction. They have to go by the majority, but the Speaker joined hands with the government. We will oppose it tooth and nail," said he in Belagavi on Tuesday.
Congress is opposing the bill tabled by the Karnataka Government and staged a walkout from the assembly. DK Shivakumar also tore the copy of the Bill inside the House.
Earlier on December 14, Leader of Opposition in Karnataka assembly and Congress leader Siddaramaiah said that the anti-conversion law is being brought to target a particular religion.
"There is already a law to stop forceful conversion. Let the government take action in case of any forceful conversion. This law (proposed anti-conversion bill) is being brought to target a particular religion. Congress will oppose it tooth and nail," Siddaramaiah had told media.
Belagavi Bishop Derek Fernandes has also slammed the Karnataka`s government`s proposed anti-conversion bill, terming it a hate campaign against Christians.
Yediyurappa appeals to Congress, JD(S) to pass anti-conversion bill unanimously
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has appealed to the Congress and the JD(S) legislators not to oppose the anti-religious conversion bill as it is in the interest of the nation and has to be passed unanimously.
"I request the Congress and the JD(S) leaders not to oppose the anti-conversion bill we are introducing. The bill has to be passed unanimously," Yediyurappa told reporters in Belagavi.
Stating that everyone wished to stop religious conversion, Yediyurappa appealed to the two parties not to oppose it and requested them to ensure that the law is passed unanimously, adding "There is nothing to hide in this bill. That's why I am seeking everyone's cooperation"
Denying that the BJP was politicising a sentimental issue, he said many states had introduced the bill, keeping in mind the interest of the people of the country and Karnataka was no exception.
Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) HD Kumaraswamy earlier said that his party won`t support the anti-conversion Bill in the Karnataka Assembly. Kumaraswamy told ANI, "It is not going to help anybody. They (BJP) are bringing it to do damage to certain sections of the society."
(With Agency Input)
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New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) foiled a smuggling bid in the area of BOP Nawada in Malda Sector of South Bengal in the intervening night of Tuesday/Wednesday at 1:40 am. A group of Indian and Bangladeshi smugglers, who were allegedly trying to smuggle contraband items, were intercepted by the forces.
The BSF in a statement said that the miscreants encircled the jawans and attacked with Dha, Bamboo sticks and stones. Following this, a soldier opened fire in self-defence killing one person, who was later identified as a Bangladeshi national.
Our jawan tried to disperse them and fired stun grenades but these miscreants continued with their aggressive gesture and act, said the BSF.
Our Jawan fired 2 round in self-defence to save his life. One bullet hit one miscreant who was immediately taken to hospital for treatment where doctor declared him dead, it added.
The deceased was identified as a resident of Dhoolipara, Bangladesh which is 6 km away from the international border, while the encounter occurred 1.2 km inside the Indian territory.
The forces recovered one mobile, two iron dha and 197
Following items recovred from the site : 01 Mobile, 02 Nos Iron Dah and 197 Btls Phensedyl.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is heading towards an even bigger victory compared to 2017 state assembly elections. The Chief Minister, in an exclusive interview with Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary, said that the BJP alliance is going to bag at least 325 seats. He said all the predictions, "done in AC rooms and studios", will turn out be false.
"It's going to be repeat of 2019 polls, it's going to be a BJP vs all election," Adityanath said. "They (Opposition) are fighting for number 2 spot here. People have decided that the BJP will emerge as the number 1 party," Adityanath said. CM Adityanath said that the top opposition leader in the state - SP chief Akhilesh Yadav - have already "packed his bags and will stay where is today" after the elections.
Adityanath on PM Narendra Modi's special connection with Uttar Pradesh
CM Adityanath said that the state government has been working under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi, who has used his vast experience as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for development of the state. Adityanath said that a number people from Uttar Pradesh work in Gujarat. The Prime Minister, during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, used to interact with these people to understand the needs of Uttar Pradesh's people, he said, adding that he made the policies for the state based on this experience only.
NEW DELHI: Amid rising cases of Omicron, the Centre has asked states and union territories to "activate" war rooms, keep analyzing even small trends and surges and keep taking strict and prompt containment action at district and local levels in order to curb the highly transmissible new COVID variant.
In a letter to the states and Union Territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised implementing strategic interventions for containment like imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals besides increasing testing and surveillance.
Union Health Secretarys letter highlights measures that need to be taken in view of initial signs of surge in cases of COVID-19 as well as increased detection of the variant of concern Omicron in different parts of the country.
"At the district level there should be constant review of emerging data regarding the population affected by COVID-19, geographical spread, hospital infrastructure and its utilization, manpower, notifying containment zones, enforcement of perimeter of containment zones etc. This evidence should be the basis for effective decision making at the district level itself, the letter reads.
"Such a strategy ensures that infection is contained at the local level itself before it spreads to other parts of the state," Bhushan said in the letter.
Activated war rooms
"Kindly activate the war rooms/EOCs (emergency operation centres) and keep analyzing all trends and surges, no matter how small and keep taking proactive action at the district/local level. Regular reviews with field officers and proactive action in this regard will definitely control the spread of infection and flatten the curve," he said.
In the case of all new clusters of Covid positive cases, prompt notification of "containment zones", "buffer zones" should be done, strict perimeter control of containment zone according to extant guidelines must be ensured.
Genome sequencing of COVID samples
All cluster samples must be sent to INSACOG Labs for Genome Sequencing without delay, Bhushan underlined.
The letter highlighted that test positivity of 10 per cent or more in the last one week or bed occupancy of 40 per cent or more on oxygen supported or ICU beds should be the main elements of the framework to be used by states and union territories to facilitate decision making at the district level.
"Based on current scientific evidence, the VOC (a variant of concern) Omicron is at least 3 times more transmissible than the Delta VOC. Besides, the Delta VOC is still present in different parts of the country.
"Hence, even greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action is required at the local and district level. The decision making at the state and UT and district level must be very prompt and focussed," he said.
Test, track, surveillance
Listing some of the strategic areas of intervention focusing on containment, test, track, surveillance, clinical management to be taken, Bhushan asked states and union territories to ensure door to door case search, testing of all SARI/ILI and vulnerable/co-morbid people and right proportion of RT PCR tests in total tests being conducted daily.
Contact tracing of all Covid positive persons and utilizing the access to "AIR SUVIDHA Portal by State Surveillance Officers (SSOS) and District Surveillance Officers (DSOS) to monitor the international passengers who have arrived in their states and districts was also stressed.
States and union territories have been asked to increase bed capacity, other logistics like ambulances, mechanism for seamless shifting of patients, availability and operational readiness of oxygen equipment, buffer stock of drugs to be ensured by prompt utilization of Emergency Covid Response Package (ECRP-II) funds released by
Speeding up vaccination
The states and union territories have been asked to ensure 100 per cent coverage of left out first and second dose eligible beneficiaries in an accelerated manner. Special focus to be given to those districts where the first second dose coverage is less than the national average, the letter stated, adding the door-to-door vaccination campaign need to be strengthened.
They have also been asked to ensure advance engagement and information so that there is no misinformation or panic, transparent communication on hospital and testing infrastructure availability, regular press briefings etc.
In view of the Omicron surge, several states have imposed lockdown-like restrictions and banned public gatherings. Some of the states have also issued fresh guidelines about Christmas and New Year 2022 celebrations.
Karnataka: Sate's Chief Minister Besavaraj Bommai has issued fresh guidelines for Christmas and New Year and said no parties or mass gatherings would be permitted in the state from December 30 to January 2. The state government also decided to prohibit mass gatherings in the city and other public places in the state. He also said no parties or events like having Disc Jockeys at clubs and restaurants would be allowed.
Maharashtra: In view of rising Omicron cases, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) urged the citizens to avoid gatherings and parties during the upcoming Christmas festival and New Year. BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has also warned of stringent action against those who flout rules. Chahal asked citizens to strictly adhere to rules regarding attendance at weddings and other functions. Moreover, the BMC has deployed squads at ward levels to take action against those who violate rules.
Delhi: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has extended the COVID restrictions such as the ban on social and cultural gatherings and the cap on bars and restaurants to operate with 50 per cent of seating capacity. Notably, these curbs have been extended till December 31 midnight. However, the DDMA said the currently permitted and restricted activities in Delhi will continue up to the intervening night (12.00 hrs) of December 31 and January 1.
Under a phased reopening with an improved COVID-19 situation in the city, the DDMA has permitted most of the activities. However, political, social, cultural, religious and such other gatherings are still not permitted. Apart from the cap of 50 per cent of seating capacity on bars and restaurants, the order also continued the restriction on banquet halls to hold events other than meetings and conferences, exhibitions and marriages.
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Jammu: PDP chief and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti launched a veiled attack against the BJP, equating the party's rule with that of former Pakistani military dictator General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Accusing the ruling party at the Centre of "poisoning" people's minds, she appealed to the people, especially the youth of both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, to come together and fight for the "lost honour". Mufti was referring to working towards the restoration of Article 370 of the Constitution that provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir. It was abrogated by the Centre in August 2019.
"What is happening in our country is for everyone to see. Our democracy and Constitution are being destroyed. What is the difference between general Zia-ul-Haq's rule and today's India? They are poisoning our country like the Pakistani ruler did there," Mehbooba said without naming the BJP.
Addressing a public rally here, she referred to the recent lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Pakistan and said while the Pakistani prime minister was quick to criticize it, those involved in such gruesome incidents in India were being garlanded. Mehbooba said while there was animosity against Pakistani founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah for dividing India and the Muslims, "Today, there are hundreds of Jinnahs polarizing Indians. They belong to the party that did not play any role in the freedom struggle. Today, they claim to be nationalists and dub their opponents as traitors and anti-nationals. None of them went to jail during the freedom struggle. They were not even hoisting the national flag on their headquarters until a few years ago," she said. However, the former chief minister said this is a place of 'Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb' and the politics of (Nathruam) Godse (the assassin of Mahatma Gadhi) will not work.
Slamming the BJP for allegedly using the Army to disperse employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department, who went on a strike against privatization last week, Mehbooba said, "They will repeat the practice outside Jammu and Kashmir, too, as they want to get things done by training guns on army men's shoulders."
She hailed former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee for victories in the 1971 and 1999 wars. She sought to know what the incumbent regime had done even as "China had taken a large chunk of land in Ladakh and built colonies in Arunachal."
Describing the Sangh's slogan 'Ek Desh, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan' as the root cause of the Kashmir issue, she said it created discord among the people of Jammu and Kashmir who rejected the two-nation theory. "They will boast about revocation of Article 370 during the upcoming elections in different states to hoodwink the voters as they failed to provide two meals, jobs, good education and hospitals to the people. They have only hatred to sell," she alleged.
Reiterating that the abrogation of Article 370 was unconstitutional as only a constituent assembly had the powers to revoke it, Mehbooba urged the people of both Jammu and Kashmir to come together and fight for restoration of their "lost honour".
Mehbooba also defended her party's alliance with the BJP in 2014 saying her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed wanted to take forward the political process initiated by Vajpayee, which "paved the way for a ceasefire on the borders, opening of cross-border roads, reduced militancy and brought India and Pakistan closer."
(With PTI inputs)
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Chennai: More than five years after the demise of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the probe over her death and the circumstances that led to it are still underway. Constituted by the Tamil Nadu government in 2017, the Justice (Retd)Arumughaswamy Commission has been issuing summons, questioning doctors, paramedical staff and others involved in the treatment of the then chief minister.
However, the caregiver, Apollo Hospitals group had a major issue with the Commission- the Commission lacked the medical expertise to evaluate the treatment protocols that were followed. After the Hospital approached the Supreme Court, the latter has ordered that an expert panel of doctors from across domains need to assist the Arumughaswamy Commission in their probe.
As per the apex court order dated 20th December, it is just and proper to constitute a medical board to assist the investigation. The court ordered that the Director of AIIMS would nominate a panel of doctors, specialists, as relevant to the treatment provided to the late chief minister. This panel of experts is also permitted to take part in all proceedings of the Enquiry Commission.
In a statement regarding the Supreme Court order, Apollo Hospitals said that the apex court order vindicated its own stance, that a team of medical experts should have been constituted to aid the Commission. According to the hospital, they had provided 30 volumes of medical records(spanning 6000pages), pertaining to the treatment of the chief minister. They added that 56 Doctors, 22 paramedical and support staff had submitted oral evidence before the Commission.
Referring to the initial year of the probe, the hospital said that it had formally requested the Commission for a medical experts committee to aid the investigation. This was asked for, given that the late chief minister suffered from a complex matrix of medical issues and was treated by Indian and foreign Doctors, and that analysis of treatment must be done only by equally qualified peers.
When this request was turned down by the Commission, the hospital approached the Madras High Court. While the Court recorded that Apollo had co-operated with the probe in every manner, it turned down the plea seeking a medical board. Challenging this rejection by the Madras High Court, the Hospital approached the Supreme Court. However, the hospital emphasized that it never sought an order to disband the Arumughaswamy Commission.
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New Delhi: With Omicron cases continuing to rise in the capital, the Delhi government banned all gatherings to celebrate Christmas and New Year. All cultural events and other gatherings have been prohibited, according to an order by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
The Delhi governmeny ordered the district magistrates (DMs) to identify potential COVID-19 superspreader areas ahead of Christmas and New Year.
The district magistrates and deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) have also been directed to tighten the enforcement machinery to ensure that people follow social-distancing norms and wear masks.
"All district magistrates shall conduct an intensive survey of the entire area falling under their jurisdiction and identify those pockets, colonies markets and crowded places which have the potential of becoming superspreaders of coronavirus and its Omicron variant," the DDMA said in the order.
It stated that all DMs and DCPs shall deploy a sufficient number of enforcement teams on the field for keeping utmost vigil at public places to enforce strict adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour to avoid any possible surge in COVID-19 cases.
Delhi Disaster Management Authority in view of rising COVID cases and variant of concern-Omicron, instructs DMs to take all required measures in their respective jurisdictions to control the spread. No mask/No entry should be strictly ensured at shops/workplaces pic.twitter.com/LyHgcM3cv5 ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2021
So far, 57 Omicron cases have been reported from Delhi, which is highest among all states and union territories in India. A total of 213 cases of the highly contagious strain of Covid have been detected in India.
(With Agency inputs)
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Chennai: President Ram Nath Kovind visited the under-construction indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant at Kochi on Wednesday (December 22). Paying his maiden visit to the carrier, the Supreme Commander of India's Armed Forces also witnessed a Naval operations demonstration at the Ernakulam channel in the city.
Accompanied by Governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammad Khan and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, the President witnessed a Naval operations demonstration that displayed the combat capabilities of ships and aircraft. The display included simulated beaching reconnaissance and assault, high speed runs by fast interceptor crafts, shore bombardment, helobatics, sonar dunk operations, boarding operations and cargo sling operations by Naval helicopters.
After a briefing onboard the carrier regarding the progress of trials towards commissioning of the ship, the President undertook a brief tour of the mighty warship.
IAC Vikrant is being built at a cost of nearly Rs 20,000 crore at the state-run Cochin Shipyard Limited.
Indigenous content in construction of IAC is close to 76%, which includes the ship's steel hull that is heavy enough to erect as many as three Eiffel towers. The ship also features equipment manufactured by Indian industries. The indigenous construction of the carrier has generated employment opportunities and bolstered plough back effect on the domestic economy. Close to 2000 shipyard and 13000 non-yard personnel have been employed per annum, towards construction of the IAC.
Until its commissioning in August 2022, the carrier will be known as IAC-1 or IAC Vikrant. It is only after the commissioning event that the carrier will be known as INS Vikrant. The carrier will have to undergo multiple phases of sea-trials, including that of the landing and take-off of MIG29k fighter aircraft and integration of weapon systems and sensors.
The President appreciated the efforts of Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard towards development of indigenous capabilities in shipbuilding as a shining example of the nations quest for Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The highlights of the day were manning of the yard and arms of the sail training ship Tarangini along with steam past by Naval ships which manoeuvred in a column formation shouting 'Three Jai' in the honour of the President. The event concluded with a band performance by the Naval band and fly past by aircraft.
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Srinagar: Terrorists carried out two attacks in Kashmir within 30 minutes of each other today, killing one police officer and one civilian. In the first attack, a civilian at Merjanpora Eidgah area of district Srinagar in central Kashmir was targeted. He was shot at from a short distance, in the head, and was critically injured. While he was rushed to SMHS hospital where was declared dead.
The Kashmir zone police confirmed the death. A police personnel said, "Terrorists fired upon a civilian namely, Rouf Ahmad at Merjanpora, Eidgah PS Safakadal, Srinagar. The injured was shifted to SMHS hospital where he was declared dead. A case has been registered, investigations are on."
Another attack was carried out at Bijbehara, near the police station in Anantnag district of south Kashmir. Here, the terrorists fired indiscriminately on a police officer, injuring him critically. He was pierced by four bullets and was identified as assistant sub-inspector, Mohammed Ashraf. He was shifted to a nearby hospital, but as he was critical, he was referred to Srinagar hospital for advanced treatment. However, the cop succumbed to his injuries before reaching the Srinagar hospital.
The Kashmir zone police had initially tweeted, Terrorists fired indiscriminately and critically injured a police personnel ASI Mohd Ashraf of PS Bijbehara, Anantnag. He has been shifted to Srinagar based hospital for treatment. Area cordoned off. Further details shall follow. Later in an updated tweet, the police confirmed his death. Injured ASI Mohd Ashraf succumbed to his injuries & attained martyrdom. We stand by his family at this critical juncture.
Meanwhile at both places, soon after the attacks, the areas were cordoned off and searches were launched to nab the attackers. Terrorists outfit TRF on social media has claimed the responsibility for both the attacks. However, there is no official confirmation as to which outfit has actually carried out the attacks.
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New Delhi: Ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, the back-to-back incidents of sacrilege in the Golden Temple and Nizampur Gurdwara, Katpurthal were followed by the lynching of the accused by Sangat. Another alleged desecration incident in a Hindu temple took place in Ajnala near. These incidents have become a cause for concern for the common man.
The justification of the horrendous killings of the accused by the religious heads as well as politicians has only emboldened the religious fanatics, who would not shy away from lynching in the future in the absence of fear of the law of the land. The recent incidents have confirmed the presence of lunatic fringe among us.
No doubt, the delay in the delivery of justice in past sacrilege cases or even letting off the culprits for want of evidence leading to the explosion of public furore over blasphemy is believed to be the ground for justification of lynching. However, the human brutality part of it which manifested in lynching was never discussed.
The December 18 incident of sacrilege in the sanctum sanctorum of Golden Temple during the recital of rehras sahib by an unidentified person who was later beaten to death by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committees (SGPC) task force and the Sangat has left many questions unanswered.
So far the investigation has established that the unidentified youth had entered the Golden Temple on December 17, stayed there a full day, and was later seen outside the Temple that night. The next day, he entered the Golden Temple at 8.30 am and at 5.46 pm, he entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple and committed the sacrilege act following which he was held by the people and beaten to death.
This is all we know so far about the accused. There was no identification document recovered from him. Could the SGPCs task force not save him from the public and take him in their custody to reveal the plan behind sacrilege, questioned sources.
The Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the December 18 Golden Temple sacrilege incident and had assured that the SIT would present its report in two days. But till December 22, SIT had failed to present its report.
In the December 19 incident, a person at a Gurdwara in Nizampur in Kapurthala district allegedly attempted to remove the Nishan Sahib. The person was caught and beaten to death.
In yet another case, on the night of December 21, some unidentified person desecrated the idols of Hindu deities in Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Ajnala.
The temple priest Swami Satya Prakash told Zee News that it was an incident of desperation and all they wanted from the government is to book the person and nothing else. Police have registered an FIR under various sections including Sec 295 of the IPC.
A major question arises, if these are planned incidents, executed after well-conceived machination, then who are the persons behind who wish to vitiate the atmosphere of Punjab? Will it be an issue for political parties in the forthcoming Punjab assembly elections?
Besides internal conspiracy, the security forces here are also looking into the cross-border angle behind the sacrilege incidents.
It is a known fact that Pakistan has always been trying to destabilise the communal harmony and peace in Punjab by not only extending moral support to anti-India elements but it has also been equipping them with arms and ammunition.
The sudden increase in both the aerial and ground intrusion from Pakistan through the Indo-Pak international border in Punjab could be a part of a larger conspiracy.
The anti-social elements want to disturb harmony in the state and the political parties will certainly make it an issue to take woo voters. But it is too early to jump to any conclusion and we have to wait for the police to reach some conclusion, said sources.
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Goa: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal promised to provide a corruption-free and staunchly honest government in Goa if his party is voted to power. He said that there will be zero tolerance for corruption in the state.
Kejriwal said, The concept of guarantees, started by the Aam Aadmi Party, is a first in Indian politics because of the constant failure and breach of promises by all other political parties. All parties would bring in lavish promises in their manifesto during the election season, and forget about them soon after coming to power. The Aam Aadmi Party does not indulge in these election gimmicks. We deliver on our word. This is the reason that we have introduced the term guarantee to describe our promises to the public. Moreover, we go door-to-door and issue signed cards to people to ensure accountability to let the public know that if we do not deliver these guarantees, you can vote us out, you can even sue us for it.
So far, the Aam Aadmi Party has given five guarantees to the state of Goa. First was that we will give free and 24-hour electricity to the people of Goa. Second, we will give jobs to unemployed youth, and provide unemployment allowance until jobs are ensured. Our third guarantee was to facilitate pilgrimage tours for the people of Goa to Velankanni, Shirdi, Ayodhya, Ajmer Sharif, and others. Fourth, we will give a thousand rupees to each woman aged 18 and above. And our fifth guarantee was in the interests of the taxi operators of Goa, he said.
Today, I have come to announce my sixth guarantee to the people of Goa. I guarantee that we will form the first corruption-free and dead honest government in Goas history, he added.
The Delhi CM further said, In the past 60 years, the Congress Party ruled for 27 years in which they did not leave a single stone unturned in looting the state. Forget being even close to corruption-free, corruption plagued each and every department in this government. After Congress, it was the BJPs turn to plunder Goas treasury and carry forward the shameless corruption and misgovernance for another 15 years. Again, in the following 15 years, the MGP also did not spare any effort when it came to corruption. Till now, the people of Goa have been constantly looted by these incompetent and deeply corrupt governments. Goa is a state of abundance. It is a vast source of natural resources as well as excellent human resources. The people of Goa are honest and hardworking. Despite this, the reason behind Goas lack of progress is because all previous governments were hell bent on simply plundering its treasury and had no interest in actual development of the state.
Kejriwal talked about how he terminated the food minister of Delhi within three hours of receiving a complaint of corruption against him and handed over the case to the CBI.
Within one month of AAP forming the government you will start seeing radical changes in Goan governance. I am not saying that we will end corruption within 24 hours, that will be a hollow election promise. I got to know that the business community faces a lot of harassment in dealing with the government departments. They wont need to face any problems once AAP takes over. Well bring back the industries that left Goa and revive all the businesses that are under distress, Kejriwal said.
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After creating a record of flying non-stop San Fransisco-Begaluru flight over the North Pole, Captain Zoya Agarwal has created another new for the Tata-owned Air India. Captain Zoya piloted an Air India aircraft over the 'Hindu Kush' mountain range, one of the world's highest routes for US (North America) and Europe operations, cutting flight time and saving fuel.
Air India Toronto to Delhi flight operated on the Hindu Kush route on December 16 with a set of four pilots - Captains Zoya Agarwal, R Someshwar, Sandeep Mukhedkar and Abhay Agarwal senior commander of AI's Boeing B777 call sign (VT-ALQ Manipur) over the Hindu Kush. Since the closure of Afghanistan's airspace, Air India operates flights from India to the Western countries through the Hindu Kush route.
"This route is challenging because since it is the highest route to fly in the world, there are many challenging procedures that you will have to complete in case of any emergency or technical issue and all the procedures are well thought out and are employed keeping safety paramount. In case anything goes wrong we are flying over the Hindukush region which is the highest area to fly in all over the world," one of the four pilots told ANI.
Also read: Exclusive - Common aircraft myths debunked
Captain Zoya Agarwal, who is the only woman pilot in the group, created history by flying the first North Pole (San Francisco to Bengaluru) flight. "First woman commander to be a Part of 4-member cockpit crew that operated B777 call sign 'VT-ALQ Manipur' Toronto-Delhi flying over the Hindu Kush ranges on December 16 who also was the first to operate SFO-BLR inaugural taking the polar route on Jan 9, 2021, on a B777 'ER-ALQ Kerala'," airline officials informed.
After closing off Afghanistan airspace, Indian carriers spent 9.5 hours from Delhi to Heathrow (London) via southern Pakistan. After using Hindu Kush Himalayan range route, Air India saved around one hour and 2.5 tonnes of fuel. The flight time was 8.5 hours. For Indian carriers, the Hindu Kush route will be a very economical operation in comparison to the traditional route via Afghanistan.
"The Hindu Kush Himalayan range route will save flying time and fuel upto 5 tonnes it depends on wind speed and direction," an Air India official said. The Hindu Kush route means soaring over Tirich Mir (7,780 m or 25,525 ft) - the world's highest peak outside the Himalaya-Karakoram range.
"Flying close to this Tirich mir making this route very critical," an AI pilot told ANI. As per aircraft structure, the B-777 can fly to a maximum altitude of over 30,000 ft fully loaded with passengers and fuel, and over 35,000 ft with the B-787 Dreamliner.
With inputs from ANI
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New Delhi: Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt recently attended her friend Meghna Goyal's dreamy wedding and looked stunning as a bridesmaid.
Taking to her Instagram Story on Wednesday, the 'Dear Zindagi' star posted a string of pictures from the day wedding, in which she can be seen smiling and posing with her friends.
For the special day, Alia chose to wear a nude pink-toned bralette-pants set with a shimmery cape in matching shade.
Alia was accompanied by her friends including actors Akansha Ranjan Kapoor and Anushka Ranjan.
They also shook a leg together on the songs 'Bijlee Bijlee' by Harrdy Sandhu and 'Peaches' and 'Baby' by Justin Bieber.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Alia is busy promoting her upcoming films 'RRR' and 'Brahmastra'.
NEW DELHI: Popular face on Indian television Kavita Kaushik, who shot to fame with her on-screen portrayal of a Haryanvi cop in sitcom 'F.I.R', is raising the temperature on social media.
Kavita enjoys a huge fan following on social media and regularly interacts with her followers. She has often expressed her views on embracing one's bodily flaws and living the life you want.
This time again, the actress took to Instagram to drop a bikini-clad picture of her and made a strong point for women, who feel shy about their physical appearance and often use 'filters' to hide their physical flaws.
Sharing a photo, she also asked her fans to guess where her next tattoo would be. "Cos I'm too Unfiltered to care a F ! Also, guess what my new tattoo is gonna be," she wrote as the caption.
The actress tied the knot with Ronnie Biswas in 2017 at the backdrop of the beautiful mountains of Kedarnath.
Kavita recently also shared a series of stunning bikini pictures from the beach. The actress, who is also a Yoga instructor, could be seen practicing difficult Yoga poses on the beach.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Kavita is all set to be back on TV with a role in 'Lakshmi Ghar Aayi'. In the last season of Bigg Boss, Kavita made headlines after she voluntarily walked out of the house after a massive fight with Rubina Dilaik and her husband Abhinav Shukla.
NEW DELHI: Actor-dancer Nora Fatehi, who is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Rs 200-crore extortion case in which Sukesh Chandrasekhar has been named the prime accused, will be the prosecution witness.
Bollywood actresses Nora and Jacqueline Fernandez have been facing interrogation by the ED in the extortion case. Both actors have appeared before financial probe agencies for questioning several times. The ED suspects that Nora was allegedly gifted a BMW by conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. However, the actress revealed during her interrogation that she was gifted a car by Sukesh, and a Gucci bag and an iPhone as a 'token of love' by his wife Leena Maria Paul.
Nora Fatehi had then told the ED that she was invited by Leena Maria Paul for an event. The event took place in December 2020 in Chennai.
The ED officials confronted Nora Fatehi with Sukesh on October 14. During this, the gift part was discussed. The same day, the actress' team released an official statement, claiming she was not part of any money laundering activity.
However, as per PTI, the agency claimed that Chandrashekar gifted a BMW car to Fatehi in December 2020 and later gave her Rs 75 lakh, besides other expensive gifts.
Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had earlier registered an FIR against Chandrasekhar for allegedly duping the spouses of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh, and Malvinder Singh, of Rs 200 crore. The ED filed its complaint based on a police FIR.
Alleged con man Sukesh Chandrashekhar was using certain high-end mobile phone application to spoof the landline numbers of different higher government authorities for extorting large amounts of money from several individuals from inside Rohini jail, Delhi police has told a court here in its charge sheet. The police claimed in its final report filed that Chandrashekhar lived inside the jail like a 'king'.
It claimed that he was using a mobile number to carry out extortion by impersonating himself as a high-ranking government functionary.
According to the charge sheet, deputy jail superintendent D S Meena, arrested in the case, used to collect Rs 60 to 75 lakh fortnightly from co-accused Deepak and Pradeep Ramnani which was distributed among the jail officials to provide safety and facilities for Chandrashekhar to continue his extortion racket.
Of that, around Rs 50 lakh will be given to the officers above the rank of assistant superintendent (AS), and Rs 10 lakh to those below the ranks of AS, the charge sheet quoted from Meena's confessional statement to the police.
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New Delhi: Appears like superstar Shah Rukh Khan's family is moving back to the normal as the actor on Wednesday was spotted at a shoot set in Mumbai--weeks after his son Aryan Khan was released on bail in the drugs-on-cruise case.
A picture of King Khan is doing rounds on social media--Instagram and Twitter, where the 'Dilwale' actor is seen entering a shoot set while wearing a black T-shirt and glasses, with his hair tied up in a messy bun.
The picture took SRK's fans into a frenzy that made the snap trend on number three on Twitter.
"One random pic of #ShahRukhKhan from the sets and #Pathan smashes up into the trendlist!! Yuhi King nahi bolte!!" a fan wrote.
Referencing his upcoming movie, a fan tweeted, "#Pathan king Khan #ShahRukhKhan is back. @iamsrk Happy moment for fans like me."
A week earlier, SRK's wife- interior designer Gauri Khan also shared a sneak peek of her latest project-- the new Falguni Shane Peacock store in Hyderabad. With her post, it was evident that Gauri was back to work in full swing, post her son Aryan Khan's arrest in the drugs-on-cruise case.
The Bombay High Court recently relieved Aryan Khan from appearing before Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) every week.
However, the court directed him to appear before Delhi's Special Investigation Team (SIT) whenever summoned. Aryan Khan along with other accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were granted bail by the High Court on October 28 in the drugs-on-cruise case.
An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2 night. Eight persons were detained for questioning by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with the case.
Eight people were later arrested on October 3 including, Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha. Later, a total of 20 people were arrested in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Shah Rukh is currently busy shooting for his upcoming movie 'Pathan', which also features Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in pivotal roles.
If certain rumours are true, then SRK will be seen sharing screen space for a big-budget film with Sanjay Dutt soon.
New Delhi: Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush appeared together on the latest season of Karan Johars controversial talk show Koffee With Karan as their film Atrangi Re is all set to release on Disney plus Hotstar on December 24. Dhanush was his candid best during the show and performed exceedingly well during the rapid-fire round.
The actor was asked by Karan Johar who is a better co-star - Sara Ali Khan or Sonam Kapoor, to which he honestly responded Sonam. Sara responded to his answer, Wow, not offensive at all. I'm losing my hamper.
The national award-winning actor however explained his answer, Not taking away the kindness, sweetness, fun (that) Sara (brought) on the sets of Atrangi Re, Sonam because she was very special, she was my first co-star in Hindi films and a guy from the south coming here, and she made me feel very comfortable and very kind to me. I am very grateful for that.
Sara Ali Khan on Wednesday shared a long Instagram post praising Dhanush and called him dearest Vishu.
Most inspiring actor, most supportive friend, most helpful team player, and most importantly my dearest Vishu I cannot imagine this journey without your selfless help, constant motivation and of course your delicious sapda Thank you for making this already most special journey for me forever unforgettable 2 days to go, read her post.
Atrangi Re is directed by Anand L Rai and stars Sara Ali Khan, Dhanush and Akshay Kumar.
New Delhi: Late actress Sridevis lookalike, vlogger Dipali Choudhary, is trending on the internet. Netizens are amazed at their striking resemblance, helping Dipali gain more than 30 thousand followers on Instagram. The vlogger also creates various reels on Sridevis hit movie dialogues, reminding the latters fans of her spectacular screen presence.
Check out some popular reels created by Dipali:
Last week, Sridevis husband film producer Boney Kapoor took to Instagram and shared photos with his late wife on his social media handle. Boney shared three separate posts for his beloved wife. My heart read the caption of one of his posts.
In the picture, Boney and Sridevi are sitting hand in hand and are all smiles for the camera. The actress is wearing a black leather coat, red muffler and sunglasses in the picture. Boney is dressed in a casual white t-shirt and aviator sunglasses.
Known as the female superstar Sridevi died suddenly due to an accident in Dubai on February 24, 2018, where she was attending a wedding with her husband. She is survived by Boney Kapoor and daughters Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor.
Boney Kapoor is father of two more children from his first marriage to Mona Shourie. They are actor Arjun Kapoor and daughter Anshula Kapoor.
NEW DELHI: Former India opener Sachin Tendulkar's daughter Sara Tendulkar is without doubt a popular and admired figure in India. The young girl enjoys a mammoth fan following on social media and her fans go crazy every time she posts a video or photo on Instagram.
It would not be wrong to say that Sara has managed to remain in the spotlight for all the right reasons and his legendary father has also played an important role in it.
On Wednesday, her fans went nuts after the 24-year-old posted a photo of herself on Instagram. As expected, her photo went viral within minutes. In the photo, Sara can be seen posing with a cold coffee with plates of tempting salad dressing served on the table. Sara, once again, put on a head-turning display wearing a snake print top and flashed her beautiful smile. She captioned the photo, writing, "Laughing because I saw the salad dressing."
Notably, Sara recently launched her modelling career with a high-end clothing brand. Sara made her modelling debut along with actress Banita Sandhu and Ahan Shettys rumoured girlfriend Tania Shroff.
It may be recalled that Sara was recently spotted in Hyderabad watching MMA fight. Sara had posted an Insta story watching the fight.
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New Delhi: As lakhs of eligible farmers are eagerly waiting for the 10th Installment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme, a latest media report has confirmed that the benefit of Rs 2,000 under the scheme would be transferred on January 1.
A report in India.com said that a message is being sent by the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Tomar informing eligble farmers that on January 1, 2022, Rs 2,000 will be transferred to their accounts under PM KISAN scheme.
In a message sent to the farmers, it has been said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the next installment under PM Kisan Yojana on January 1, 2022 and will release equity grant to farmer producer organizations. Farmers can join this program through pmindiawbcast.nic.in or through Doordarshan.
It must be recalled that last year, on December 25, PM Modi had released the 7th instalment PM-KISAN. The PM Modi transferred Rs 18,000 crores to more than 9 crores beneficiary farmer families under via video conferencing on December 25, which is also the birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme was launched by PM Modi in 2019. The Scheme aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions.
Under the Scheme, an amount of Rs 6000 per year is released in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs 2000 each directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. In a financial year, PM Kisan installment is credited thrice through --Period 1 from April-July; Period 2 from August to November; and Period 3 from December to March.
ln the beginning when the PM-KISAN Scheme was launched (February, 2019), its benefits were admissible only to Small & marginal Farmers' families, with combined landholding upto 2 hectare. The Scheme was later on revised in June 2019 and extended to all farmer families irrespective of the size of their landholdings
The Central Government had notified a decision to extend the benefit of Rs 6,000 per year under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme to all 14.5 crore farmers in the country, irrespective of the size of their landholding.
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Ferozepur: Punjab farmers' 'rail roko' agitation over farm loan waiver and their demand for compensation to the kin of those who died during the anti-farm laws stir entered its third day on Wednesday, affecting the movement of several trains.
The farmers are demanding a complete waiver of farm loans and compensation to the kin of those who died during the anti-farm laws stir. The agitating farmers had blocked railway tracks at various places in Punjab on Tuesday, affecting the movement of 156 trains.
Train services hit
According to Ferozepur division railway officials, 84 trains were cancelled, 47 short-terminated and 25 short-originated. On Monday, the cancelled trains included the Amritsar-Jaynagar Saryu Yamuna Express (14650), Amritsar-Nanded Superfast (12422), Amritsar-Chandigarh Intercity Express (12412), Amritsar-Howrah Express (13006), Amritsar-Mumbai Golden Temple Express (12904), Amritsar-Darbhanga Jannayak Express ( 15212) and Amritsar-Dehradun Express ( 14632).
What are farmers demanding?
Farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee launched the agitation on Monday, demanding a complete loan waiver, compensation to the families of those who died during the year-long anti-farm laws stir and withdrawal of the criminal cases slapped against them.
They are also demanding a compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for damaged crops, the release of the pending dues for the sugarcane crop and the abolition of the contract system.
Satnam Singh Pannu, a farmer leader, said they will not lift the "dharna" till the demands are met.
"During a meeting on September 28, we were given an assurance by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, but the state government later backed out. Besides the four places where farmers are sitting on a dharna, we will start the protest at three more sites in Punjab from Wednesday," he said.
Protests across Punjab
The farmers are presently squatting on railway tracks at different places in Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur.
Meanwhile, a group of farmers staged a sit-in outside the office of the deputy commissioner (DC) in Ludhiana. DC Varinder Kumar Sharma and his staff were not allowed to move out for lunch by the protesting farmers.
The DC finally came out of his office at about 5:30 pm under a security cover.
Paramjit Singh Ghloti, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), said, "We are agitating against the non-implementation of the promises made by the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. The government is befooling farmers."
The protest will continue on Wednesday, he added. Ghloti said their main demands include compensation to the families of the farmers who committed suicide for the non-payment of their debt and Rs 360 per quintal for sugarcane.
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New Delhi: Apple has started assembling its new flagship iPhone 13 in India, as the tech giant prepares to manufacture/assemble its top-of-the-line smartphones in the country.
Industry sources told IANS on Tuesday that iPhone 13 is being assembled on trial basis at the Foxconn plant in Chennai, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Make in India'.
Foxconn is the company's largest manufacturing partner globally.
The 'make in India' iPhone 13 will be available in the domestic market, as well as for exports from the country by early next year, the sources said.
Apple generally begins assembling new and environment-friendly iPhones in India after three-four month of their global and domestic launch.
Apple is reportedly ramping up production of iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other devices in India and Vietnam to end its dependence on China.
The tech giant is already assembling its highest-selling models iPhone 12, iPhone 11 and XR in India, along with iPhone SE, 7 and 6S.
Apple started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 with iPhone SE.
The Apple iPhone 13 series for which pre-orders were thrown open in India on September 17, received a record response.
iPhone 13 had grabbed 3 per cent market share in Q3, and the newly-launched series was set to break all records in the festive quarter (Q4) in the country.
Apple registered a whopping 150 per cent growth (on-quarter) for iPhones in the July-September period (Q3) in India, shipping over 1.53 million units in the country, as per insights from market research firm CyberMedia Research (CMR).
On the year-on-year (YoY) front, iPhones registered a 28 per cent growth.
For the entire year, iPhones are estimated to have 3.5 per cent market share in India.
The iPhone 13 starts at Rs 79,900 for 128GB storage, Rs 89,900 for 256GB and Rs 1,09,900 for the 512GB option.
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The European Commission on Tuesday adopted rules that will make the European Union COVID-19 certificate valid for travel nine months after the completion of the primary vaccination schedule. The proposal comes as several EU states introduce additional requirements on travellers in a bid to reduce the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told Reuters the EU Commission was against additional requirements, and was assessing the measures.
The new rules will be binding on the 27 EU states from Feb. 1. The rule can be blocked by a qualified majority of EU governments or a simple majority of European Parliament members, but officials have said there is sufficient support for it.
The rule replaces a non-binding recommendation the EU Commission put forward in November.
Once the rule is effective, EU states will be obliged to let fully vaccinated travellers with a valid pass access their territory. However, as an exception justified by a deteriorating situation, they could still impose further requirements, such as negative tests or quarantines, as long as they are proportionate. Seven EU states are currently requiring fully vaccinated travellers from other EU countries to also show a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival, measures some see as damaging the credibility of the EU pass. The states are Italy, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Latvia, Cyprus and Austria.
"We prefer to use for the free movement in Europe only the certificate without additional measures," Reynders said.
READ | Headscarves can be banned at work under certain conditions: EU courts
He noted that the additional requirements could be justified by concerns caused by the spread of the Omicron variant, but governments had to prove they were proportionate and necessary.
The Commission was still assessing the measures, Reynders said, adding that infringements proceedings for time-limited restrictions made little sense. The national measures are mostly limited to the Christmas period, although Italy`s extend until the end of January. The new rules apply only for international travel.
Governments will be able to have a different duration of the COVID-19 pass for access to events or indoor activities within their territories. After a booster shot, the validity of the COVID-19 pass will be extended further without a set limit, because at the moment there is not enough information about the duration of protection from boosters, an EU official said.
A primary vaccination schedule for COVID-19 is currently composed in the EU of two shots of vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna, or a single jab of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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Beijing: Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam was meeting with top leaders in Beijing on Wednesday to report to them on the territory's first legislative elections held under new laws ensuring that only "patriots" loyal to the ruling Chinese Communist Party could run as candidates.
As expected, Sunday's elections for the 90-seat Legislative Council were swept by party-backed politicians who beat out the dwindling number of moderates and independents.
Leading figures in the pro-democracy opposition have been intimidated into silence, jailed or forced into exile. Just 20 of the seats were directly elected while 40 were filled by members of a Beijing-appointed committee that selects the territory's chief executive.
Lam said she was satisfied with the election, despite a 30.2% voter turnout "the lowest since the British handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997. All candidates were vetted by a largely pro-Beijing committee before they could be nominated and several were disqualified over statements or actions in the past."
The elections had been postponed for a year "ostensibly due to a spike in COVID-19 cases" after the opposition swept elections for district counsellors. The polls also followed widespread and increasingly violent anti-government protests in 2019 that prompted China's rubber-stamp legislature to impose a sweeping National Security Law on Hong Kong, followed by a reorganization of the electoral process and transformation of the makeup of the Legislative Council to stack it with pro-Beijing loyalists.
The opposition camp criticized the elections, with the largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, fielding no candidates for the first time since the 1997 handover.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday there were "multiple reasons" for the decline in voter turnout. "It is not only the impact of the pandemic but also the disruption and sabotage of anti-China elements in Hong Kong and external forces," Zhao said at a daily briefing.
Some overseas pro-democracy activists, including London-based Nathan Law, had urged a boycott of the vote, saying the elections were undemocratic. Under the new election laws, incitement to boycott the voting or to cast invalid votes could be punished by up to three years in jail and a 200,000 Hong Kong dollar ($26,500) fine.
Prior to her departure for Beijing, Lam, who is under a US Visa ban, said she expected to "cover a wide range of issues on this particular duty visit because through two very decisive acts of the central authorities, Hong Kong is now back on the right track of one country, two systems'" referring to the increasingly threadbare framework by which Hong Kong was to retain its own political, social and financial institutions for 50 years after the handover.
In a joint statement released by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the foreign ministers of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States expressed "grave concern" over the erosion of democratic elements of Hong Kong's electoral system and growing restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly.
"Protecting space for peaceful alternative views is the most effective way to ensure the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong," they said.
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Jerusalem: Israeli health officials are reporting what is believed to be the country's first death from the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Soroka Hospital, located in the southern city of Beersheba, said a man in his 60s died Monday, two weeks after he was hospitalised. It said the man had suffered from pre-existing health issues but gave no further details.
Israel has greatly restricted air traffic in and out of the country and is considering a series of restrictions on the public to prevent the spread of the highly contagious variant.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that he was waiting impatiently for approval from health authorities to approve a fourth booster shot for older citizens and people with serious illnesses.
Israel was one of the first countries to widely vaccinate its population early this year and became the first to offer boosters over the summer. Israel, a country of 9.3 million people, has reported over 8,200 deaths from COVID-19.
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Washington: Fighting the omicron variant surging through the country, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the government would provide 500 million free rapid tests, increase support for hospitals under strain and redouble vaccination and boosting efforts.
In remarks Tuesday at the White House, Biden detailed major changes to his COVID-19 winter plan, his hand forced by the arrival of the fast-spreading variant, whose properties are yet not fully understood by scientists.
Yet his message was clear that the winter holidays could be close to normal for the vaccinated while potentially dangerous for the unvaccinated. His pleas are not political, he emphasized. He noted that former President Donald Trump has gotten his booster shot, and he said it's Americans' "patriotic duty" to get vaccinated.
"It's the only responsible thing to do," the president said. "Omicron is serious and potentially deadly business for unvaccinated people." Biden chastised social media and people on cable TV who have made misleading statements to discourage people from getting vaccinated.
The outbreak from this latest strain of the coronavirus has required the federal government to get more aggressive in addressing the likely wave of infections, but Biden promised a weary nation that there would not be a mass lockdown of schools or businesses.
"I know you're tired, and I know you're frustrated. We all want this to be over. But we're still in it," Biden said. "We also have more tools than we had before. We're ready, we'll get through this."
Scientists don't know everything about omicron yet, but they do know that vaccination should offer strong protections against severe illness and death. The variant has spread at such an alarming rate that the Biden administration snapped quickly into action to offer new tests and additional aid.
A cornerstone of the plan is Biden's decision for the government to purchase 500 million coronavirus rapid tests for free shipment to Americans starting in January. People will use a new website to order their tests, which will then be sent by US mail at no charge, the White House said.
It marks a major shift for Biden, who earlier had called for many Americans to purchase the hard-to-find tests on their own and then seek reimbursement from their health insurance.
For the first time, the US government will send free COVID-19 tests directly to Americans, after more than a year of urging by public health experts.
Experts had criticized Biden's initial buy-first, get-paid-later approach as unwieldy and warned that the U.S. Would face another round of problems with testing at a critical time. Testing advocates point to places like the UK and Germany, which have distributed billions of tests to the public and recommend people test themselves twice a week.
The federal government will also establish new testing sites and use the Defense Production Act to help manufacture more tests. The first new federally supported testing site will open in New York this week. The new testing sites will add to 20,000 already available.
White House officials said they're working with Google so that people will be able to find them by searching "free COVID test near me."
Still, Biden's testing surge would need to be supported by a further jump in production for all Americans to test at the recommended rate of twice weekly. The US would need 2.3 billion tests per month for everyone 12 and older to do that, according to the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. That's nearly five times the half-billion tests Biden will deploy.
Currently, the US can conduct about 600 million tests per month, with home tests accounting for about half, according to researchers from Arizona State University.
In another prong to Biden's amped-up plan, he is prepared to deploy an additional 1,000 troops with medical skills to assist hospitals buckling under the virus surge. Additionally, he is immediately sending federal medical personnel to Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire and Vermont. There are also plans to ready additional ventilators and protective equipment from the national stockpile, expanding hospital resources.
As a backstop, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will deploy hundreds of ambulances and paramedic teams so that if one hospital fills up, they can transport patients to open beds in other facilities. Ambulances are already headed to New York and Maine, and paramedic teams are going to New Hampshire, Vermont and Arizona.
But vaccination remains the main defense, since it can head off disease in the first place. The government will support multiple vaccination sites and provide hundreds of personnel to administer shots. New rules will make it easier for pharmacists to work across state lines to administer a broader range of shots.
Some prominent experts said that Biden's plan is a step in the right direction but the president hasn't gone far enough to try to get ahead of the virus, given the risks of infections and hospitals being overwhelmed.
"I don't know that the measures being proposed are going to be adequate," said Dr Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Hotez said the government may need to go a step further by authorizing a second booster shot for health care workers to prevent infections that would sideline clinicians when all hands are needed.
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Washington: With COVID-19 cases again surging in the US because of the omicron variant, President Joe Biden unveiled new plans to increase support for hospitals, improving access to COVID-19 testing through hundreds of millions of rapid at-home tests and expanding the availability of vaccines that can reduce the risks from the Omicron variant.
The president also appealed to the people to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the virus. In an address at the White House, Biden said he was laying out how the federal government was "preparing for the rising number of cases experts tell us we can expect in the weeks ahead."
Most notably, the government plans to buy a half-billion at-home COVID test kits and mail them to people who want them, with deliveries beginning in January, Biden announced from the White House.
It`s a major step to tackling problems that Americans face in easily accessing free at-home COVID tests throughout the pandemic.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday the Biden administration is still working out details of its at-home test plan, such as how many tests people will be able to request from the federal government, how the tests will be distributed to people and if certain groups will be prioritized for tests.
Biden said, "Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and also got booster shots have a high degree of protection against severe illness."
Biden also made it clear that it will not be unusual for vaccinated people to get COVID-19 because of the new variant Omicron and that they will likely experience no symptoms or mild symptoms.
With omicron now the dominant variant in the U.S., President Joe Biden said in a public address Tuesday, "If you`re not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be concerned."
"The unvaccinated have a significantly higher risk of ending up in a hospital -- or even dying," he said. In a speech, the president said that the administration will aim to provide more aid to overwhelmed hospitals and set up federal testing sites, with the first one to launch before Christmas in New York City this week as cases are surging.
New Yorkers hit the streets over the weekend trying to get tested but encountered long lines in the cold. The wait at a city-run testing and vaccination center in Times Square on Saturday afternoon was reportedly about three hours.
As part of this multipronged effort, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is deploying planning officials to assess needs across the country and preposition supplies like masks, gloves and ventilators.
The president announced that FEMA will set up mobile vaccination clinics across the country. There are plans so far for a new mobile unit in Washington, D.C., and four new mobile units across New Mexico.
FEMA will help set up additional sites in areas of high demand over the coming weeks. Biden will also continue using the Defense Production Act and other powers to make sure the U.S. is producing as many tests as quickly as possible.
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Moscow/Washington: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country has no room to retreat in a standoff with the US over Ukraine and would be forced into a tough response unless the West dropped its "aggressive line", said a Reuters report.
Putin said that his country will take countermeasures if the West continues its "aggressive" policy, but remains ready for negotiations.
At an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board, Putin is quoted as saying "If our Western colleagues continue their clearly aggressive line, we will take adequate retaliatory military-technical measures to respond firmly to hostile actions."
"We have every right to do so, to take actions aimed at ensuring the security and sovereignty of Russia," he said, expressing concerns over the deployment of the US missile defence systems near Russian borders, including in Romania and Poland, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Russian President also warned if the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deploy missiles in Ukraine, they would reach Moscow in only seven to 10 minutes, and in just five minutes if they are hypersonic weapons, adding "They must understand that we simply have nowhere to retreat."
Russia has recently sent a draft agreement to NATO and a draft treaty to the US both on security guarantees in Europe for the Western countries to consider.
Putin reiterated that Russia stands against armed conflict and bloodshed and wishes to resolve issues through diplomacy, but there must be clear legal guarantees.
Putin, Scholz discuss Ukrainian situation over phone
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed European security issues and the Ukrainian situation during a phone conversation on Tuesday.
Putin informed Scholz of Russian proposals for long-term and legally binding security guarantees that prohibit the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from expanding eastwards and deploying offensive weapons near Russia, according to a Kremlin press release.
As both the leaders reportedly discussed the problems of resolving the internal conflict in Ukraine, Putin told Scholz that "Kiev is still stubbornly evading the fulfillment of its obligations under the 2015 Minsk agreements."
As for Russian-German relations, the leaders expressed a common interest in further developing bilateral ties and maintaining contacts through various channels.
Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron also held a phone conversation to discuss European security issues and the Ukrainian situation on Tuesday.
US cautions Russia if it engages in further aggression against Ukraine
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, stated that there will be "massive consequences" for Russia if it engages in further acts of aggression against Ukraine.
During a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday, Blinken said, "We are working in very close coordination with allies and partners not only to show our shared concerns but to put in place what would be a meaningful and massive response if Russia commits renewed acts of aggression against Ukraine."
The US Secretary of State said, "We have seen statements coming out of NATO, European Union, and G7 -- all making clear that there will be "massive consequences" for Russia if it engages in further acts of aggression against Ukraine."
He further added "We are engaged in diplomacy and deterrence. President Biden when he first met with President Putin in Geneva some months ago. Biden said to Putin that our strong preference is for a more predictable and stable relationship between Russia and the United States. But if Russia continues to engage in reckless, regressive actions, we will respond and will respond strongly."
Notably, President Joe Biden, earlier this month warned that the US and its allies would respond with "strong economic and other measures" if Russia acts militarily against Ukraine.
(With Agency Inputs)
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Washington: President Joe Biden has introduced the newest member of his family, a purebred German shepherd puppy named Commander, while the first lady's office said the cat she promised more than a year ago to bring to the White House will finally join them in January.
But the news wasn't as "paws-itive" for another member of the Biden animal family. The family decided it was best for their other German shepherd, Major, to live in a quieter environment with friends after some biting incidents.
Biden shared a photo on his official Twitter account of the 3-month-old male puppy with a caption that said, "Welcome to the White House, Commander."
He also released a brief video of him tossing a ball to Commander and walking the leashed dog into the White House.
Meet the newest Biden. pic.twitter.com/JHAbH53iRk President Biden (@POTUS) December 20, 2021
Commander was born September 1 and arrived at the White House on Monday afternoon, a gift from the President's brother, James Biden, and sister-in-law Sara Biden, according to Michael LaRosa, a spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden.
His name appears to be a play on Biden's status as commander in chief of the US armed forces.
The first lady had said shortly after Biden won the November 2020 presidential election that they would be getting a cat. LaRosa said the feline will join the family in January.
The Bidens had two other German shepherds Champ and Major - with them at the White House before Commander.
But Major, a 3-year-old rescue dog, ended up in the proverbial dog house following a pair of biting incidents in the months after his arrival last January. He was sent home to Delaware for training before he was returned to the White House. White House officials had explained Major's aggressive behaviour by saying he was still getting used to his new surroundings.
But he was sent away again. Now, his permanent exile from the executive mansion appears official.
"After consulting with dog trainers, animal behaviorists, and veterinarians, the First Family has decided to follow the experts' collective recommendation that it would be safest for Major to live in a quieter environment with family friends, LaRosa said in an emailed statement.
"This is not in reaction to any new or specific incident, but rather a decision reached after several months of deliberation as a family and discussions with experts."
Champ died in June at age 13. CNN first reported on Commander's arrival after he was seen scampering around the White House South Lawn on Monday.
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